//------------------------------// // Persuasion // Story: Shards of Hatred // by ChaoticHarmony //------------------------------// — —Shards of Hatred — — ---- Chapter XVI: Persuasion ---- His steps were muted by the carpet as he trotted through the expansive halls of Canterlot Castle, keeping a somewhat wary eye out for any of the guards that Celestia had surely ordered to tail him throughout the day. Every few seconds he turned around suddenly, convinced that the prickling along the back of his neck was a guard who was looking at him. Of course, he never saw anypony there. After the umpteenth time of doing this, Shining Armor found himself turning around to smack straight into a wall and crashing to the ground in a heap. “Ouch. Walls hurt.” Picking himself up from the ground, Shining Armor checked behind himself once more before turning down another corridor. This part of the castle tended to be abandoned, as Luna often times slept closer to her sister’s chambers in search of comfort. That, and many of the royal guards were too scared to try and explore their darker counterpart’s former patrol routes. It was well that the place was abandoned, because he hated having to incapacitate those who he used to command and he also hated the idea of leaving a pony stuck in a magical prison for a few hours so he could go about his business unhindered. Even though he hadn’t been explicitly told to remain in the room that Celestia had left him in, Shining Armor was sure that she wasn’t too happy to have returned to an empty room. Of course, not a single part of him felt bad about the whole thing. She should know better than to think that anything short of blasting him with her magic would stop him from going somewhere if he wanted to. The only part he felt bad about was the two Guards that he had to imprison for a few hours with a shield spell. Even though they had tried to stop him, they were only just doing their jobs. I gotta remember to buy them a couple of drinks when I get the time. Shining Armor didn’t falter in his step as he turned down another corridor and ignored the other three that branched off in different directions. It was thought, long ago, that constructing a castle with a confusing interior would confuse attackers and force them to spend time searching every hall for the correct way, ample time for reinforcements to show up and dispose of them. Even though he wasn’t captain of the Guards anymore, it would take a lot longer than a few months for him, or anypony else for that matter, to forget the layout of the castle once they had been sent on patrol for a good week or two. A grim smile set upon his face as the walls around him made way for a darker, blue rock that marked his journey’s ending destination. He reached the end of the hall, looking behind himself one last time before pushing open the door that he knew would take him up to Luna’s tower. “And to Twily.” He didn’t have to even open the door before his quarry stepped out into the open. They both stood there for a few moments, looking at each other with shock painted on both of their faces. Shining Armor was the first to recover, the fire of anger burning from within hot enough to banish any fear of speaking to a princess in the manner he was about to. “So, you wanna tell me why Twily is in your tower, Luna?” Without waiting for an answer, Shining Armor pushed past the goddess and began climbing the staircase to the upper floors where Twilight was no doubt being held. Needless to say, he didn’t get very far before Luna’s reaction made itself known. He watched from his new position on the floor as an upside-down pony princess stomped towards him, anger burning in her eyes at being so easily brushed aside. “How dare you cast us aside as if we are a common servant to be ignored! We will not tolerate such impudence, even from a prince, Shining Armor.” Luna’s horn flashed brightly as she sent a spell speeding to where he lay on the ground. In an instant, he was on his hooves with magic flowing freely to his horn. “Oh, yeah? Looks like we both have problems, because I won’t tolerate such audacity from princesses who think they can abduct my sister and order me around like they own me still.” Silence fell over them as they stared each other down, Shining being the one to break it once again. “What’s it going to be, Luna? Let me past, or be trapped in a magical prison for a few hours?” A thrill of shock ran down his spine as Luna gave a nod. “Neither, Shining Armor.” That was the last thing he heard before a veil of darkness descended upon his head and dragged him down to the floor again. “Instead, we choose to calm an over-eager stallion and to explain the current situation to him. Thank you, Shadow Hoof and Cloak. You may return to your regular duties.” “Yes, Princess. We live to serve the night.” The sound of two ponies trotting away was easily forgotten as something grabbed Shining Armor and hoisted him into the air. With his vision blacked out and numbed body, his futile attempts to struggle were useless and unnoticed. “Now, Shining Armor, we shall go and have a discussion as to the current situation, as we are sure Tia did not grace you with a proper explanation given how you are acting at present.” As he was carried away, he could hear his sister calling out from above. Even though the words were indistinguishable from each other, Shining Armor could tell that she was in pain.. Don’t worry, Twily. I’m still coming. She lifted her head up from the ground, blinking away the stars that were swarming around the images that her half-lidded eyes could barely process. Somehow her body had ended up on the ground. Her face hurt too, especially on the right side of her muzzle just under her eye. When she brought up a hoof to touch at the spot, an involuntary hiss left her mouth as the pain intensified tenfold. “Ow…” She didn’t know why her voice was so soft, even after being in so much pain. She didn’t even know why she was in pain. Of course, the painful reminder of her situation made itself known in the form of a gruff, coarse voice. “Where do you think you’re goin, little filly?” The words, and the cold laugh that followed after them, were enough to send a thrill of fear jolting down her body. It was her father. When she didn’t answer, something grasped her mane and yanked her up into the air where she could see the scarred face before her, where she could smell the stench of alcohol on his breath. “I’m talkin’ to you, Cadence.” Her cough was met with a slap that sent her flying back onto the ground. That’s who she was. She was Cadence. This was her home. It was something that had haunted her throughout her entire life, how her father treated her when he came home; a nightmare that repeated itself many nights after she had finally gotten away and was taken under Celestia’s wing. Her mother had been the one to help her escape, at the cost of her own life. Celestia had had the monster that sired Cadence locked away for the rest of his life after Cadence had finally, in very hushed tones, told her what happened. However, this time there was no mother to help aid in escape, and no Celestia to take her in. It was just her and the monster in front of her. “What’s wrong with you, eh? I tell you to bring me another cider from the fridge and all you do is spill it all over the floor.” The same thing that had grabbed her mane before, magic from her father’s horn, pulled her up into the air and threw her down over the remains of the bottle, whose glistening shards cut into her skin at a few places. “Looks like I’ll have to clean up your mess again, Cadence.” She felt a magical grip close around her body as she was drawn back and forth along the floor, shock and pain stunning her into a muted acceptance. He was using her to clean the floor. As a rag. She was a rag to him. “No!” Cadence’s scream pulled her away from the dirty room and into one of stone. All around her were walls of glittering rock, the sparkles that shone from unseen lights mocking her as she panted ragged breaths. “No no no!” Her hooves scrabbled against the stock that held her in place, frantically trying to free her from the nightmare that still lingered on the edge of her mind despite her attempts to banish it. “Please! No more! I beg you, please!” The device that held her eyes open fell away at a touch of magic, allowing her to slam them closed so tightly that it seemed unlikely she would ever open them again. The rest of her body was soon released in a similar fashion, allowing her to curl up into a ball and shake with dry sobs. A small chuckle came from her right, followed by the sound of a heavy curtain falling down. “Is that all you can handle, Cadence? I expected more from you.” She turned away from the voice, only to have another spell grab her head and jerk it around so that she and the speaker were face to face. Sombra’s eyes burned cruelly with glee, his mouth molded into a cold smile. “Did that glimpse into my mirror help you figure things out? Perhaps now you see that there is no other choice than to bow before me?” She struck out with a hoof, hitting only air with her pitiful attack. “I will never bow before you, Sombra.” His laughter drowned out her pained wail as he dug a hoof into her now-frozen body, the points on the metal armor he wore drawing out small rivulets of blood that stained her coat. “Come now, Cadence, be reasonable.” Sombra slowly drew the hoof along her side and under her mouth, pulling her face up to look at him again. “I would much rather have a princess as servant without a broken mind. Don’t you want the pain to end? Don’t you want to start serving your king for the rest of your life?” As he looked into her eyes, he could see the fires of hope slowly burning away, leaving them looking dead and cold. “Yes, that’s it. Now you realize that you cannot hope to defeat me.” “Y-yes… I… I will serve you, master.” Cadence choked out the words, her body trembling as she slowly got to her hooves. Sombra clapped his hooves together gleefully and turned around. “Excellent! Let us head to the castle above so we can get ourselves cleaned up, hm?” He didn’t have time to react as the first hoof smashed into the back of his skull. Cadence’s scream of fury and desperation was all he could hear as hoof after hoof assaulted his body, their blows only slightly softened by the magical armor he wore. Her moment of retaliation only lasted for just that, a moment. She couldn’t even resist the spell he laid over her body that drew her off of him and back into the bindings that held her before the mirror. Her curses were silenced by the muzzle that he roughly shoved over her mouth, a smile playing over his lips as her eyes widened in renewed fear. “That wasn’t the wisest of things to do, Cadence. I hope you enjoy your little family reunion.” Cadence couldn’t hold in the shriek of terror that came from his next words. “I’ll be back in an hour, my dear Cadence.” She was alone with her memories, memories that would likely tear her apart from the inside.