Mirror's Image

Chapter 20

Prince Blueblood panted after his final teleport, deep in the Everfree Forest. He had been moving around all night, after his unsuccessful attempt at capturing the changeling princess. His hooves were stained with blood, courtesy of the numerous razor-sharp thorns he had run into. Or rather dropped into, after an unsuccessful teleportation.

Naturally, the Everfree was no place for a pony of his stature but given that the odds were currently against him, it was best that he hid in a place where nopony would look for him. Now that he was relatively safe, the prince had some time to reflect on the events of last night.

That reflection, coupled with the numerous teleports, caused his stomach to turn and its contents to be emptied on the muddy ground.

He coughed a few times, then spat to get rid of the vile taste in his mouth. And as he breathed in deeply afterwards, his thoughts returned to last night, and the fact finally sunk into his heart. "I...I killed a pony," Blueblood uttered. All night long he had tried to deny it as he kept moving around. That his actions had snuffed out the life of Twilight Velvet.

But those thoughts were quickly banished from his mind as the Alicorn Amulet began its work. It slowly began to pulse, red light flickering and illuminating the dark forest. The sounds of insects and birds alike fell quiet as they all fled from the terrible power of the artefact.

"It's all your fault, Princess Amaryllis. You may have both my aunts in your grasp... but not for long," Blueblood said out loud, his mind clouded. "I will find a way to stop you." With each word, the amulet around his neck grew brighter and brighter, casting strange shadows around him.

-

Shining Armor walked at a slow pace, pushing Cadance's wheelchair out in front of him. Their royal guard escort walked at the same speed in front of them, occasionally glancing back to see if they were still following.

Nopony spoke during their walk as nopony knew what to say. Cadance wanted to, but every time she opened her mouth to speak, words failed to form and she would close it again.

Shining Armor wasn't much better, as he didn't really know how to feel at the moment. He had just seen his mother, lying dead in a repurposed storeroom. And he had seen the wounds that marred her body, which told him that she hadn't gone peacefully.

It had made him angry, to see the mare that had raised him and his sister like that. Twilight Velvet should've died peacefully at a ripe old age, surrounded by her family. She deserved better than to be left torn in a battle she shouldn't have been in.

"Shining Armor?" Cadance asked, causing Shining Armor to snap out of his thoughts. Her voice had sounded worried, with a bit of weariness mixed in.

"Yes, Cadance?" Shining asked, stopping the wheelchair so he could look at his fiancée.

"Do... do you blame me? For what happened?"

Shining's mouth opened and closed a few times, with no sound coming out."Why... why would I?" he eventually uttered, puzzled.

"You were so quiet... and you look so angry," Cadance whispered.

"I feel angry. And sad and confused. All at once," Shining Armor said, bending down a bit so he could look into her eyes. "I am... my head feels like such a mess right now , it's hard to describe. But I'm not angry with you. Why would you even think that?"

"After what my brother did-"

"He made his own decision," Shining Armor interupted her. "It... it was his choice to do... to do what he did to my mother, to my family. His and his alone."