//-------------------------------------------------------// Mercy -by Srenrij- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Mercy //-------------------------------------------------------// Mercy “Mercy! Please!” yelled a voice throughout the enormous halls. This insanity, didn’t anypony know? A slave riddled with dirt and blood was drug into a large throne room. His tears mixed with the dust on his cheek. I stood in the corner of the room, keeping to myself. The good queen herself stood from her throne and gave a stone cutting gaze at the poor slave pony. The Stewart stepped up next to her and opened a scroll. “By decree of Queen Chrysalis, the defendant is hereby accused of spreading treason and rumors, either true or false, that endangered the queen and her throne. Punishment for such an act is death.” The Stewart retracted the scroll and stepped back. The Queen yelled “How do you plea?” the slave pony looked up at her and shouted back in an instant “Innocent!” the queen turned and nodded to her Stewart. With a devilish smile he announced to the audience in the room “the court finds this stallion, Guilty.” The sheer look of fear and confusion was almost stamped permanently to his face as he was drug back towards the exit. The court roared with glee and excitement as if they were glad he had no trial but instead that he was sentenced to death. I was silent, I knew the verdict was unfair but it did not bother me as much as it should have. A guard began to make his way towards to me, I was glad to see an allied face so I said “Good afternoon, Mr!” he then grabbed the chain that was fastened to my neck and yanked me forward. “Shut up! You’re next.” He replied with a disgruntled raspy voice. Oh yes, I seemed to have forgotten again. I was also due for trial. I was drug up to the stand just like the last one. I giggled a bit as the collar did tickle my bloody neck. Blood, oh yes, I seemed to have forgotten I was bleeding again. The queen noticed me and turned “So, I see that I am not surprised to see you here, Mursei.” I itched my face with my shoulder. “You’re not? I am! I seemed to have forgotten what I had done.” The queen sighed and nodded to her Stewart who did the same as before. “By Decree of Queen Chrysalis, the Changeling standing here today, is hereby charged with the second degree murders of 18 known victims, that were found in changeling Mursei’s place of residence. The method of punishment, shall none other be, death by headspony.” The Queen then asked, like all the times before, “How do you plea?” I thought for a moment. What happened that day? I seemed to have forgotten. I think, I am beginning to remember. That’s right! I remember! It was her! What did she say her name was again? Shim? That’s right. It was Shim who killed them. She has been living with me ever since the accident. That horrible horrible lightning accident. Shim said she would help me, protect me. The mail carrier came to my house one day. Shim said he was going to hurt me. So, Shim killed him first; Shim helped me that day, she protected me that day. “How.do.you.plea?” I snapped back to reality. The impatient changeling queen was awaiting my answer. In the corner of my eye I saw Shim standing next to me. I didn’t see her in chains; she actually looked pretty clean. It was also a bit odd that the guards let her in. she leaned toward me and whispered “Trust me, plead guilty.” “What? Plead guilty? It wasn’t me! It was you! Right?” I quickly whispered back. We went back and forth until the Queen interrupted us “Mursei! Do not forget that you are talking to me!” she regained her composure. “Now, for the last time. How do you plea?” I panicked for a second then I gave into Shim’s wishes. “Guilty!” I eventually said. The craziness I just spout from my mouth made me laugh uncontrollably in front of the court. Had I just thrown my life away? On the other hand, Shim has never given me reason to doubt her. The Queen smirked and announced to the changeling court “So let it be written! Let us bid farewell to this, abomination.” Abomination? Oh yes, I seemed to have forgotten, I was an abomination, ever since the accident, that horrible horrible accident. I was in mid-shift between a orange pony and myself. Then, well what Shim tells me, I was struck by lightning. I didn’t feel it though; in fact, I don’t remember the event at all. The guards grabbed me suddenly and dragged me off. I could see Shim watch from inside the room until another set of guards slowly shut the gigantic doors of the throne room. I smiled as my hair covered my face. “Shim, you better know what you are doing.” It was sunset. I felt the dust drag with the heels of my sore hooves. Being drug so far makes it almost feel, at this point, as if I was floating on a cloud. I was shoved in a line with the slave pony in front of me, who was also sentenced to death. I could see the headspony’s Silhouette being cast on the reddish orange sun that lay on the horizon. “Next!” shouted a voice; the very pitch of the voice made the slave jump out of his skin. He was grabbed and thrown onto the chopping block. He cried out one last time “Oh please! Have mercy!” next, the whistle of an axe; Followed by a hushed crack. “Next!” shouted the voice again. Oh yes, I seemed to have forgotten, I was next. I was roughly thrown down to the block, I felt the blood of the slave on my neck, and it ran down to my chin. My hair was over my face, I noticed my streak of black run through my salmon colored hair of mine. I could hear the axe reach its peak. Then I heard a bang. However, it was not the axe. At least, not the axe meant for me. I looked through my Hair to see the headspony just standing there. Not moving until a gush of blood hit my face. I saw another shadow of a changeling with its horn sticking through the throat of the heads pony. As he fell I could see the face of the murderous changeling. It was Shim! I knew she would help me, I knew she would protect me. “Come on!” Shim shouted at me as she picked me up to my hooves. She took off towards a field of wheat; I had no choice but to follow her. As we ran we could hear the changeling reinforcements coming after us with most haste. One had latched onto her, I offered to help but she denied me “Don’t worry about me! I can handle these guards.” Shim said shortly before she killed the latched Changeling guard with nothing but her hooves. We kept on running until we ended up at a boulder. We were completely surrounded by at least twenty guards. We were trapped, stuck. A guard equipped with a spear charged at me with the intention to pierce my throat. A sword appeared in front of me cutting the spear in half vertically. I easily got distracted by the beautiful red sword etched with glowing runes I could not make out. The blade lowered and I looked up to its owner. It was a grayish blue equestrian Pegasus with slicked back black and gray hair. He had burning red eyes that could capture a soul. He smiled, revealing a fang. “You look like you’re in trouble.” I stared at him for awhile “Don’t worry, I’m in trouble too.” He raised his sword again and quickly ended the breaths of the guards surrounding us. His sword amazingly evaporates as he makes his way toward me. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance. My name is Lord Krisen, well, Ex-Lord that is.” I blushed and smiled to look friendly “My name is Mursei and this is my friend Shim.” I gestured over to where she had been standing. He looked confused “Darling, there is no pony here but you.”