A Foal Named Caterpillar

It was a peaceful night. So peaceful, in fact, that Celestia had nothing better to do than sift through a towering pile of mail. Most were letters from city mayors or representatives of other kingdoms seeking a meeting. The rest were a combination of letters from Twilight and death threats. She usually started with the death threats: they were artfully constructed using cut out magazine characters. Surprisingly, the amount of trouble one would go through just to insult her.

She opened the first letter and began to read.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I hate you. You are a troll and I am fairly certain that you molested your sister, and student, at least once. Why don't you make yourself useful and banish yourself to the moon. You had better hurry or I will do it for you.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXX XXX and XXXXX XXXXXXXXX

P.S. If you really are the one reading this, your mailbox security is just pathetic.

The mysterious hater had a good point, actually. The letter could have easily been a bomb or something. She'd have to bump up security someti--

Knock.... kn...ock.... knock. Creeeeaak.

"Um.... Aunty Tia?" asked a shaky voice.

"Come in."

Cadence pushed open the door, not attempting to hide her damp eyes and dripping eyeliner.

"Cadence, what's wrong?"

She sniffled. "I, I know I shouldn't b-be so worried, but Shining and I had th-this thing p-planned all week, and it st-st-started two hours ago, and, he still h-hasn't shown up. I--I think he's w-with Crystal Lil-ly," cried Cadence, the sound of her unrestrained sobbing filling the room.

"Crystal Lily?!" Celestia's head shot up at the mention of the name. "He's with Crystal Lily?"

"I...I think so...."

"Then we need to find him."

"Cadence! Sorry I'm late, I--oh."

The waiter looked at him, unamused.

"Um, sorry. I, er, have a reservation. Dinner for two, under Shining Armor and Cadence?"

The waiter glanced at a list of reservations.

"Then you are the prince?"

"Um, yeah. I guess I am."

"The princess left half an hour ago, sir."

"She--She did? Did she say where she was going?"

"No, she didn't."

"All right. Thank you." He dipped his head in brief farewell and bolted out the door.

Probably at the castle, he thought. She's at the castle, gone to see Celestia.

He turned, relying on his sense of direction rather than eyesight to get there. He couldn't really see anything--it was 3 a.m., after all--but he had lived in Canterlot long enough (his whole life) to have memorized the city streets. He stumbled across the road, swerving as a chariot nearly ran into him.

"What in Equestria! Watch it, ass!"

Watch it yourself, thought Shining, then he skidded to a halt.

"Ben? Is that you?"

The chariot driver looked at him. "Yeah, what's it to yeh?"

"It's Shining. Shining Armor."

"Shining!" Ben snorted angrily. "You bastard! What are you doing here?"

"I've got to catch up with my wife. She's at the castle. I need a ride!"

"Tough luck. Paying customers only."

"Come on, Ben! For old time's sake?"

The stallion sighed. "Fine. But I expect one more practice out of you."

"It's a date," said Shining, smiling gratefully. He piled into the van and Ben turned his attention to the chariot puller.

"All right, you heard the man. Celestia's castle!"

They galloped off into the night.

"So," began Shining, laughing a bit nervously, "how's the band been since I left?"

Ben glared at him. "Don't play innocent. You know perfectly well how it's been."

He looked sheepishly at his hooves. "Not great, then?"

"Perfectly shitty. I'm a chariot driver, for Celestia's sake!"

"Oh, um, sorry about that." Shining winced, knowing how insincere he sounded. "I might be able to get you a job in the guard, if you'd like."

"No way. I'm not joining whatever brain-washers took you away from us."

"Um, okay. I won't make you."

They sat in silence for a while, which he eventually broke.

"So, how have the others been doing?"

"They've moved on. Angelben wound up marrying a groupie. Sentimental jackass."

"Hey, it's not as bad as you make it out to be."

"You really don't have your priorities straight, do you?"

They sat in (more) silence for a while, until the chariot slid to a halt.

"Out," said Ben. "And you'd better believe I'm following up on that practice."

Taking a deep breath, Shining Armor entered the castle.

He was almost expecting to see Cadence as soon as he entered, but the pink princess was nowhere to be seen. Biting his lip with worry, Shining turned a corner, his hoovesteps growing faster and more desperate with each passing second. Where is she? Not Celestia's room, not the ballroom, maybe... He sped up, taking the stairs to the castle guest suites. They had shared one all week, but it was all packed up now, would she be there? Maybe, just maybe.

The loudest sound was the clip-clop of Shining Armor's hooves on the castle floor. He wasn't any calmer at arriving at his destination, no, his anxiety continued to soar. She'll kill me, won't she. I can't believe I had sex with that monster. He bit his lip; the emotion was getting to him.

Fool.

He loved Cadence, he really did. He'd watched her since he was a colt, looked at her from afar, putting all his Your Highnesses and Milady's in all the right places. And apparently she had done the same, for when he nervously asked her to dinner, she leaped forward and kissed him.

I'm supposed to be her husband. I should have known!

It had been almost a year, and the guilt still ate at him. Everyone said it was fine, but they would never know how it really was. Cadence was a princess, dammit, and she still acted herself under stress, even the stress of a wedding. He should have known, she have noticed she wasn't herself, should have recognized her lack of freak outs and her choosing the unfamiliar bridesmaids. He should have known.

Shining forced himself to stop, skidding to a halt and hitting himself with a blue-white hoof.

"Stop it," he said. "You are a prince and you did fine."

He didn't believe it, but it helped for the time being.

He took a breath and struggled to calm his racing heart. Cadence...Chrysalis...the foal.

I'm a father.

There was a jolt in him at this thought. No foal deserved to be in a broken home.

"This one does," Shining said decidedly. "This one was a mistake."