//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: Reflection of the Past // Story: Shards of the Truth // by Disciple of Chrysalis //------------------------------// Shard stopped in front of the desk and drew back her hood, she had to know why her father had seem rather secretive with the journals. She placed her lantern on the desk and starred at the painting on the wall, it was of her and her father when she was a mere filly. She moved it from the wall and when she did she felt a small mental tug, it was weird, but she ignored it for the time being. She was amazed at the number of journals, their were more then she remember, but she couldn't dwell on these little thing so she randomly pulled out a journal. Shard looked at the cover and there was a year on it, the year she was born. She looked inside and saw their were a number of passages and each one had a date scribbled above it. Shard flipped through the passages and stopped when she reached the date of her birth. Shard read the passage "This is a momentous day for me and the kingdom, I now have a daughter and she is the most beautiful thing ever, even more so then her mother, Reflection. Shard stopped reading there, she now knew her mothers name, Reflection, it was a nice name and kind of ironic for a Crystal Pony. Shard read on "But it pains me that Shard can never know the truth of her mother's death". Shard gasped, Sombra had told her that her mother had died due to complications during Shard's birth. She read on, needing to know more "Silver Blade made sure that no one would know of Reflection's death and that no trace of the killing was left". Shard gasped again, Silver Blade was Sombra's most trusted and successful assassin and few people even knew him, but he was one of Shard's closest friends. She now knew a terrible truth, one she was never supposed to know and she now wished she didn't. She slowly stepped away from the desk, she heard a loud metal hoof step a little distance away, it was a loud metal clang which warned her that it was her father. She looked for a place to hide when she noticed a window, she knew it was her only escape so she ran towards it and quickly opened it and when she heard the last hoof step before her father entered she jumped out the window and flew. Shard glided effortlessly in the night, but she wished her coat wasn't so bright compared to the night sky. Shard finally saw outside and she was appalled, there were hundreds if not thousands of Crystal Ponies toiling in the city below even considering how late it was at nigh they toiled miserably. Thats when she could hear incredibly loud gasps below and the ones who were gasping were all looking at her. She wasn't sure if they could tell who it was or not, but she didn't care she needed to hide, simple as that and at that moment the knot that held her hood on began to come loose "Shit no, stay on" she said and desperately fumbles with the knot trying to keep it on, but the that only slowed down the inevitable. The knot finally came undone and Shard's cloak fell off and a loud collective gasp came from below and now all the citizens eyes were upon her. Shard hastened her flight and headed towards the window that lead into her room and her crystal body caught the light of the moon and there was a bright and beautiful flash of white light. Shard saw that all the citizens had shielded their eyes and she used that to her advantage and flew into the closest palace window and landed in the hallway her room was located in so she ran full force to her room and hide under the sheets, she'd find out more about her mother tomorrow from the one pony who knew, Silver Blade. The Next Day... Shard slipped out from under the sheets, she hadn't slept much last night what with the journals and all and each time she slept she would wake within minutes with awful nightmares about how her mother mus have felt in those last minutes of life, terrified for her daughter and hate towards the king. Shard walked out the door, her one mission today was to find Silver Blade, he was an old stallion and he always seemed to be carrying such a heavy burden. She trotted briskly down the hall and towards the stairs that lead to the basement of the palace. Shard entered the throne room, her father wasn't there yet thankfully. She pushed open a large black door and walked down the spiral stair case on the other side, it seemed almost endless, but she knew like all the staircases this palace had, it ended eventually. Shard grew tired of walking so she just drifted down silently to the bottom of the staircase. She reached the bottom and into a large room full of Crystal Ponies, all clad in black clothes and practicing their killing. She didn't stop to marvel at the way they moved the swords and killed in such a beautiful and precise manner, she had to find Silver. Shard came to a plain oak door and pushed it open, she saw sitting at the desk was the aging old stallion, Silver Blade. He saw her "Ah, hello dear princess, how is everything?" he asked as usual, being polite as ever. She scowled at him, which seem to take him off guard and she slammed the door shut "Alright Silver Blade, you will tell me what I want to know, now" she said, putting ever single ounce of venom she possessed in her words. Silver Blade starred at her curiously "What exactly do you need to know?" he asked, a bit on edge, Shard stepped closed "Tell me about my mother" she said, and he seem a bit distressed now, but he still seemed so cool "I never knew her my princess" he said. Shard glared "I think you did, I believe you killed her" she said and Silver Blade finally seemed to crack. He began to cry "I am sorry Shard, I always wished to tell you the truth, but Sombra ordered me to hold my tongue and never tell you" he said, sobbing and Shard pitied him, but she couldn't let that deter her "Tell me all you know about her" she said and he looked at her "No one knew who she was truly, in truth she just seemed to show up one day and she didn't even have a birth record" he said and this confused Shard, could she be Equestrian maybe, no, no one from Equestria had been here for hundreds of years. Silver Blade could barely control himself now and Shard figured she could get one more question out of him before she lost him "Tell me where you disposed of her body" she said and Silver Blade was now on the floor "I don't know, I went to look and make sure there were no witnesses and her body was gone" he said and now he was gone, lost inside of himself, Shard knew he cared about her, but she couldn't show mercy at this point, he would have to suffer himself alone so she walked out of the office and flew to the top of the stairs and towards her room to prepare.