Chapter 19:

I awoke in a dark, cold and fairly wet environment I could feel chains connected to my ankles and wrists but I could hardly see anything I could just make out the glint of metal connected to my body. I kept focusing on my breathing in and out as I tried to recollect the events before, I felt a wave of guilt like nothing I had ever felt before the act of taking a life for me was unthinkable – death was a very real end for anyone and nothing could come of it except loss, a physical and philosophical barrier to me… I had committed it at least twice in a single day.

I grit my jaw and teeth as I could feel my gut and throat twist and churn through my emotions softly my throat failed me and a whimper of a cry pushed through my rigid jaw. I could only clasp my hand to my mouth to try and keep it in I pondered my fate trying desperately to remove the thought of crossing that moral line I had kept as the highest of duties in my mind for so long, as I did I missed the increase of light and faint hoof steps approaching.

Before me outside the cell a contingent of guards approached the Princess of the Night just beyond them she refused to look at me directly, the guards opened the lock and magically produced cuffs and rope for me before starting to pull me out – they hadn’t given me the decency for ordering me to move.

I followed the princess and the 4 guards two of which I could feel staring into the back of my head. I was taken through the dungeons and pushed out into a lighter room, it had been set up as I would imagine a jury hall; there was a table for two at the front, 6 sets of chairs either side of me and a single chair which I was told to sit in before rope bound my hands behind my back.

I could feel the knot – I could undo it but I would not for fear of aggravating them further I watched as important looking ponies including Shining armour sit at the side seats and the Princesses sit down in front.

“we are here in this meeting to decide the fate of the alien known as Dex in his recent involvement with Discord,” Celestia started stopping any chatter and a silence fell around the room.
“as we understand from the elements of harmony Discord can alter personalities but not completely change them so the ability to murder sentient life must already be within the individual’s capability before he has warped it. In other words today in this court we must decide how much of the crimes committed are you responsible for and a suitable punishment.” Luna finished explaining to me at least what this would be – a punishment by the sounds of it was to be expected I now had to try to reduce it I had no idea of the legal system here.

I tried to open my mouth only to have it snapped back closed by magic “Firstly Shining Armour if you could tell us all of the crimes he is accused of?” Celestia motioned to him and he rose and came to the center standing between the Princesses and I.
“The accused is charged with:
• Damage to facilities of the government,
• Damage to property,
• Endangering life,
• Assault on royalty,
• Attempted assassination,
• Helping a known evil entity,
• Chaos and wanton destruction of peace,
• Murder
I would also like to add resisting arrest and killing a guard and officer to the list your highnesses.”

The list was long I could still feel the tingle on my lower jaw so I waited for the proceeding to continue, Luna stood up and walked past me and came back holding in her magic an entire table of evidence placing it in front of me, including 6 chalked out body shaped on the street.

“as we can see here there is much evidence towards the accused all crimes can be found guilty of and so a minimum sentence will be carried out however the part we must decide today is how much responsibility he carries, therefore I ask you now to consider the first charge; Damage of faculties of government – more specifically the underground base we commissioned for space exploration and hostile containment.” Luna sat back down letting another pony stand in the first seat to my left.
“This all boils down to the current state of mind of the accused, the mid-disaster state and before discord broke free can we do that has anyone the understanding or mind reading of the accused before and after? If not surely we cannot tell except in perhaps guessing by his behavior before and after which would not be factual but based on how well it can deceive us” Luna and Celestia nod sagely before Celestia stands and my jaw stops tingling.

“Tell me Dex; I read your mind before did I not?” Celestia was now dead ahead of me staring into my soul.
“Yes you did” she looks to the ponies around her before speaking to me again “then will you willfully let me take all of your memories again now and if need be project them for this trial to see?” I nodded wondering what this would do or bring to this apart from proof it was oddly humiliating knowing your memories were being pulled apart by someone else to see if your guilty or not of something from our dimension at least is so impossible to comprehend part of the mind doesn’t know what to do – not to mention how embarrassing some of my time here has been.

Celestia while I was monologging in my head had built up her spell and was leaning into my head to cast with a slight shudder I think she had simply knocked me out last time and this time I was kept awake I felt my mind wander and we ‘moved’ into my mind.
I found myself no longer bound by rope I oddly enough was back to my old size gut and all within my head while Celestia was an alicorn of light her eyes too blinding to look at in here.
“I will let you be awake for this but you will remain here understood?” she turned her power to me and I felt as small as an ant, “yes I will,” she simply nodded and flew off in this odd landscape and through what I thought to be a tree of colour.

I waited and while she was exploring I think it set off memories she just walked/flew/thought through the moment I ran into discord again after watching the end before I blacked out, suddenly she was infront of me in my mind I could really feel her sorrow it was like a dark liquid viscous and cold she embraced me once then we were back in the courtroom.
“I have been through his memories as he felt, thought and watched each passing moment I have selected a few memories that in my opinion show his true character before the madness.”

Her horn lit up again and white light rose like steam from my head towards her horn before splitting into the rainbow like a prism when it connected to her horn before spiraling off to the wall and turning into an image.
I recognized the place it was the underground caverns where my house was kept – slowly the image began to play into a movie of my experience; it was when I was just introduced to the scientists studying me we watched as I interacted with them for the first time answering curious minds and helping them with their projects.
“Can we use a honesty spell on the memory?” a pony from the right who looked suspiciously like an older off colour blueblood asked, Luna nodded before lighting up her horn and slowly the memory coloured a hue of orange before going green “happy with the result?” he nodded and went back to watching the memory.

The next memory came as little surprise my meeting with discord himself apart from the few military ponies in the room there was a palatable difference in the ponies who were watching the memory while he was there – Luna was a little surprised by Pinkie Pie in the washer but didn’t say anything, then there was the devil himself there were a few looks over to me as I was forced to live through agonizing pain Luna kept looking over to me while this scene seemed to keep going on as he twisted my mind before Celestia got the next memory ready.

Luna kept her eyes on me before looking back to the screen as the memory flowed of my attempts to kill both princesses and my eventual destruction and killing in ponyville… then into the blackness and my thoughts of remorse it was very weird to have a 3rd person on your own experiences – I noticed some more details managed to see how I missed Celestia when she attacked me while I was distracted etc.

Luna spoke first as Celestia released the spell stopping my thoughts being projected for all to see; “We would suggest that due to the memory and evidence that this alien while capable of murder of sentient life is also not responsible and has remorse for the actions in this case.” Celestia nodded but looked stern “unfortunately even a most basic sentence for these crimes combined would see you petrified for a period of time.” Luna quickly looked over to me I don’t think I will enjoy the experience if her eyes are giving away anything.
With this Celestia turned to the pony in the first left seat, “I will leave it to you to discuss the length of time suitable for petrification and the penalties if any imposed after.

The Ponies on the left and right left us Luna looking to her sister and then to me – we remained in silence until a slight knocking could be heard. “Enter”
The older Blueblood pony spoke up, “as to the length of time in petrification we have agreed unanimously that a bare minimum of a month should be suitable as we have agreed that the majority of the incidents were caused by Discord’s influence.” He finished and the pony that was sat on the left began “as for the additional punishments we have all agreed that community services should be mandatory for him as it will allow the public to see he has changed however the true length has not been decided we had a vote and half voted for 1 year 25% voted for 2 years and 25% voted for 3 months…”

They all took their seats Shining Armour sitting on the right as the sisters stood up. “Then we have your punishment Dex Fury of Earth… you shall be petrified for 1 month and when you are released you shall have a sentence of community service – should you resist now we shall increase the length of time in stone and should you revert or resist in your service you shall be put back in stone. Do you understand?” Celestia dictated to me I stood before them untying the rope and standing before the sisters I had my pride left I’d be taking my punishment standing, “I do and I will submit freely to your laws.”
With that Tia and Luna lit their horns and I could feel my legs stiffen I felt like slowly my entire body equally slowed and turned to concrete – I kept my eyes forward as they started to fail each nerve stopping in biological function there was an odd feeling as my body stiffened from the outside in then pain as I failed to breathe and feel and then my mind was left alone no input only nothing it’s a little like when you close your eyes tightly you don’t get any light but you get little patterns in the darkness… it felt like it was an hour gone but I had no way of knowing I couldn’t do anything as I wondered how psychologically scary this would be for the next month.

Author's Note

Hello

I hope you enjoyed the late update and have a great coming holiday season (which may give me more time to write)

little Bio here - I've been rather all over the place! I sold my old company and bought into an international business and so my current normal day is between 12 and 18 hours long! its getting better and my work / leisure / fetish time is slowly growing into manageable chunks - I'm also writing another story that one of my pony girls from the fetish scene who is also a mlp fan came up with the general idea and I'll start posting once I finish the first several chapters.

also thanks for reading its been a great experience writing for you guys and I appreciate you reading, commentating and also to those of you who write awesome stories too!

thanks again!

B-B