In Need of Comfort

Cadence boarded the royal train for Canterlot and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. For the first time in months she felt like she could simply relax. She said to herself, "Finally, I can just relax! No royal duties, no duties of motherhood! I can just be laid back."

The royal attendant heard this and asked, "But princess, aren't you worried that some disaster might happen? Aren't you worried that Shining Armor may not be able to handle Flurry Heart?"

Cadence sighed, "I'm sure everything will be fine and Flurry loves Shining." She got a smile on her face and continued, "You know something? It has been over a year since I've had a drink. Could you get me a hard cider?"

The attendant gasped, "A hard cider? Are you sure you should be doing that?"

Cadence did not take kindly to her attendant questioning her. She snapped, "Yes, a hard cider. I'm not pregnant anymore and I need to unwind."

The attendant nodded and did as the princess requested. Cadence couldn't help but smile as she took the first sip of alcohol she had tasted in over a year, "Oh this tastes so good! I almost forgot how good it is!"

Her attendant replied, "I'm glad to see you're enjoying it."

While Cadence wanted to have several more she realized that she could not just show up at the castle buzzed so she limited herself to one. When the train finally pulled into Canterlot, the sun had been down for a couple hours so she knew that Luna would be the one she would see first.

She disembarked from the train and headed directly to the castle. When she arrived in the throne room she saw Luna sitting there. Luna saw her and asked, "Cadence, how art thee doing?" She looked behind her and continued, "Where art Shining Armor and Flurry Heart? We would think they would come with thee."

Cadence replied, "Well they stayed behind because I just needed some time away."

Luna asked, "Why dost thou need time away from thy newborn and thy husband?"

Cadence asked in return, "Luna, can I talk to you about something?"

Luna replied, "Yes, thou can."

Cadence began, "I don't know what is wrong but I have been sad lately. I just don't feel the same amount of happiness as I used to and what you will probably think is really horrible is that I feel tied down by Flurry Heart. I miss just being able to go out and do anything I want without having to worry about anything."

Luna's jaw dropped open. She gasped, "What, thou feels tied down by Flurry Heart? We thought thou loved her more than anything!"

Cadence replied, "I do love her but the stress of royal duties and the duties of motherhood are overwhelming." She began to sob, "And Shining Armor seems to devote all his time to Flurry Heart. He seems to be the model parent while I feel like caring for her is like punching a time clock and I'm the one who is supposed to spread love! Why can't I bring myself to love her as much as Shining does."

This was something that shocked Luna so much she didn't know what to think. She said, "Well we dost not know what to think of thy situation but we do know this. A mother's love is most vital when it comes to a foal growing up into a good adult. Thou canst just let Shining Armor be the primary one to raise Flurry Heart, thou must do thy part as well."

Cadence was not thrilled by what Luna was telling her. She went to Canterlot hoping for comforting words while it felt like all Luna was doing was lecturing her. She sighed, "I know but I feel like simply waking up every morning is a task in itself, much less everything else."

Luna sighed, "Well, we are not sure what kind of advice to give thee. Perhaps a few days away will help thee. We would suggest that thou dost not do this on a regular basis. Flurry Heart needs thee, the Crystal Empire needs thee and we are most sure that Shining Armor needs thee."

Cadence sighed, "Oh alright. I do hope that Celestia will be able to provide me with some emotional comfort when she wakes up. No offense but it seems like all you did was lecture me."

Luna sighed, "We were only speaking the truth to thee and we are most sure our sister will find it most unpleasant that thou hast just left thy duties for a few days."

Cadence sighed in disgust and headed into the dining hall. While she knew that there would be nopony there that would prepare any food, she just wanted to rest her head on the table and get away from Luna's lecture. Dawn was still a few hours away so she would be able to get some rest before she spoke to Celestia. While she hoped that Celestia would provide at least some comfort, she couldn't help but worry that Luna would be right and she would get lectured again.