Many things happened in a year: I could fly better with lighter metal now in my body. But it was still very visible. They were chrome and a vibrant pink to match my hair. My hooves were still bulky as ever, but they didn't make as much sound as they did a year ago. Princess Celestia put velvet to muffle the noise, which to my surprise, sliding on castle floors was much more fun after they were waxed.
Princess Cadence finally accepted her aunt a bit more after her discovering that being with her aunt isn't all that bad. They both started talking more and understood since she foal-sitted a unicorn. The Princess talked with me and kept me company, I'm guessing under the white Princess's order. It wasn't that bad though, having someone to really talk to, knowing as much as the world as I did. She didn't go out very much, I never left the house except to come here and possibly Cloudsdale when the incident first happened.
But many things didn't change over the year: I still had nightmares about the first visit to Celestia, the blood and the tainted feathers. What made them worse aside from my father hanging from the hanging lamp inside the house was my mother's dull body under his picture. The screams were loud when I first arrived to the Castle, Princess Celestia and Cadence rushed to my room and the pink mare cooed me back to sleep.
They made me re-live it every day by asking me questions about it. My hide turned a unnaturally greyish hue and my mane and tail turned a crimson red. I stopped really going out of my room and I hid from them, muffling my screams until I didn't scream anymore.
It felt like I was carrying a ball of guilt in my chest. Everypony knew it was there, some were waiting on when I was going to burst and some watched wondering if I was going to turn out like my father.
I started getting headaches from lack of clean air, so I finally walked out of my room and walked to the garden. It was raining when I got out, so I guessed it was fall and the Unicorns felt like the summer was too hot... It felt nice though, the headache didn't really go away, it was better anyhow.
The grass was glistening and it was cold. I laid down next to a pillar, crossing my hooves under my chin like I would anytime except sleeping.
"I'm so sorry, little one." It was the silver horn again, the one from when Mother died. "I have to hide you from my world, this is the safest place for you."
The mare used her magic to bind magic, but it wasn't uncomfortable. She kept crying she's sorry on the steps of the white palace as she continued with her disgraceful job. After it was complete, she nuzzled the muzzle of something yawning quietly and suddenly everything was black.
"I hope your enjoying yourself," somepony whispered to me. I mumbled something incoherent even to myself something about Alicorns and magic. "It seems you are. You must clean up, dinner is soon."
I opened my eyes a little bit and saw a raw of hope walk away. How come hope has to always walk away from me? I turned on my back so blood could rush to my head. I felt dizzy from the dream but my headache was gone. I wondered what that was all about. I put one of my hooves gently on my forehead and felt a knot. I poked at it more and the headache started to come back, and so did this tingly feeling of another loss.
No one knows where I came from except I was left here on these steps, could that dream be of my real mother? If so, if she had a horn and I have wings...
Shaking my head I got up and walked inside to my room to clean myself. My room was mostly bare, just a couple of picture of my parents, a two metal statues made of scrap material from my previous upgrades. I came real close to making a hologram of them, trying to cherish my prized memories of them. All that was in the way was lack of magic. I could ask anypony around, but they won't know the memories short of Princess Celestia. I wondered if I could figure out who my real parents are if this worked. Somewhere deep in my memory...
"Ow..." I rubbed my forehead, careful of my knot. Nope, have to clean.
I'll shine my hooves closer to bed.
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"So how are you, Shine?" Princess Cadence started the conversation, "Aunty said you were dreaming outside. Are you alright?"
"Yes, Princess," I say naturally, "I felt crowded in my room so I went outside... The rain... It felt nice."
There was silence, then Princess Celestia 'humed' and tilted her head.
"I remember when the stallion found you. The Cadet Shining Armor. he just saw some magic being preformed and saw somepony fly off." She started, "You were just so cute, in a little pink blanket. We found a little clog as well. I wonder what that means..."
"Maybe somepony was trying to hide something," I whispered to myself. Princess Cadence was the closest and I knew she could hear.
"What did you dream of?" Princess Celestia continued as if I hadn't said anything.
"A sliver horn... Binding magic and she was apologizing that she had to hide somepony... And then I saw nothing but blackness..." I looked down at my plate full of salad with sesame seeds all over it. I loved it that way. "Nothing else, that's when you woke me Princess."
There was an awkward silence again. Maybe that confirmed Shining Armor's story, was that dream about my mother...