Why?

by CT-6591-6210

Rating: teen
Tags: Sex, Slice of Life, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Rainbow Dash
Length: 5294

One night, while flying near a beautiful lake in Whitetail Woods, Rainbow Dash hears the sound of someone crying. Surprisingly, she finds out it's Empress Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence, and the reason why she's crying near the lake will be horrifying.

Rainbow Dash, a Pegasus pony, absolutely Loves flying, especially at nighttime, where she is allowed to express her talent anyway she wants. Plus, she won't have to receive any complaints from Mayor Mare or even a few of her friends such as Rarity, Twilight, and even Applejack.

But, on one cool Summers night in the Whitetail Woods, Rainbow Dash hears the sounds of someone crying nearby, and rushes towards one of several beautiful lakes. When she arrives, the cyan Pegasus is shocked to find Cadence near the edge of the lake, crying .

Putting two and two together, Rainbow Dash rushes to the Alicorn's side, willing to stay with her for as long as she can while also wanting to find out why the Empress of the Crystal Empire is out here to begin with.

*Writer's blocks SUCK. They suck and I hate them so much, I just want them to DIE. They SUCK!*

*Takes place after Season 5: Episode 18. New Characters that had appeared after that episode are allowed to exist, but Episodes that are the Seasons 5 and 6 finales, and the Season 6 premiere won't be allowed UNLESS noted otherwise.

*Warning! This story is rated Teen for use of Language, thoughts of someone probably wanting to commit suicide, and Marriage Issues. Plus the Sex tag is for mentions of it happening.*

*Oh, and don't forget to rate and/or comment. I'm open to any feedback, but be sure to keep the comments civil.*

:heart: *This story has already been featured under the tags of Rainbow Dash and Princess Cadence. Thank you guys so much! :rainbowkiss:* :heart:

Featured on December 26th - December 27th!

Published 2016-12-27 01:40:10 UTC
Last updated 2016-12-27 01:40:10 UTC

A Shoulder to Cry on *Rewrite*

Author's Note

"Double Quotes while Italicized means someone's speaking softly and quietly."

'Single Quotes while Italicized means someone's speaking out his/her thoughts.'

"Speaking with the Royal Canterlot Voice!"

Horizontal Lines are for indicating Chapters, like Chapter 1 is beneath the first Horizontal Line and the Prologue.

A Shoulder to Cry on *Rewrite*

Prologue:

On a cool and relaxing Summer night, Rainbow Dash was flying over the Whitetail woods at blinding speeds. And she was enjoying every minute of it possible, with a smile of amazement plastered onto her face. If one thing was certain, Rainbow Dash loved to fly, more so than the Wonderbolts. She loved the sense of thrill and wonder of just getting off the ground and soaring as high as she can into the blue skies and getting lost in all of it's beauty for hours. She loved having the wind in her Prismatic Mane when going really fast. And she most definitely loved accomplishing her signature Sonic Rainboom, which was a ring made out of Rainbows that would spread outwards until stopping at a certain distance. And the best part of it all, on nights such as this one, she could fly as much as she wanted without any issues, weather duty and managing, and most certainly, any constant complaints from either the townsfolk of Ponyville, or Applejack and Mayor Mare and to be precise, the latter being the only one who always looking for something to constantly bitch and complain about.

Five minutes later, and Rainbow Dash was ready to get back to her cloud home and see how Tank was doing before going to bed and calling it a night. But before she could dash on home (no pun intended), she heard the faint sounds of someone crying. 'Huh? What's that noise? And where is it coming from?' Rainbow asked in her head, curious to find out if what she heard was really crying or not. The cyan Pegasus listened closely to the sound with her ears, and with the sound of a sob, it was indeed crying. Luckily for Rainbow, the whimpers weren't far off from her location. She was then terrified when she saw where the sound was, for she saw a beautiful lake before her. 'Oh no. Whoever is crying must be near the Lake! That can't be good at all. I have to stop whoever he or she is before something even worse happens!' With a new goal in mind, along with great amounts of determination and concern to motivate it, Rainbow Dash rocketed towards the lake with great speed, but not fast enough to cause a Sonic Rainboom, praying that she wasn't too late to help whoever was crying.

Chapter 1:

Rainbow Dash had finally arrived at the lake, taking only two minutes to get there. She landed immediately in order to save whatever strength was in her wings she had left and trotted carefully to where the crying was now. To the Prismatic Mare's horror, she was now looking at the one and only Empress Mi Amore Cadenza, Twilight's sister-in-law, and the current ruler of the Crystal Empire, sobbing uncontrollably while being all by herself. And she was a mess, with her face being stained from crying heavily, along with her mane and tail both appearing to be heavily unkempt.

'But what does it mean? What does it all mean?' Rainbow Dash thought to herself as more Questions were rising in her head. Did Shining Armor leave her, or had he died from some kind of ambush while on their way back to the Crystal Empire? No, none of these options would be possible in the first place because Reason 1: Shining Armor had made an oath to always love and tolerate Cadence while also trying to protect her from all sorts of evil such as the Changelings led by Queen Chrysalis or King Sombra, who'd died shortly after his return with the Crystal Heart. And Reason 2: If Shining had indeed died from the ambush, then it would've been reported immediately and everyone who knew him greatly would mourn over his death, especially Twilight and her Family. Then, a sudden hint of realization hit the Cyan Pegasus, 'Oh no. What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I even thinking about death when I should just be going over there helping Cadence in the first place?' and that was enough to have tears start coming out of her Magenta eyes. Not wanting to assume the worse, she then decided to approach the sobbing Alicorn, giving away her position.

*Snap*

A twig from out of nowhere had suddenly snapped, making Rainbow stop cold in her tracks, but fortunately, this had not gone unnoticed by Cadence, who's ears had perked up at the sound. "W-wha-who's there? Show yourself," the Pink Alicorn questioned, both her voice had sounded strained and her eyes completely Bloodshot, most likely from all the crying that she did, though it was still audible for the Cyan Pegasus to hear loud and clearly. She then turned her head towards the Mare's direction, emitting a small gasp in the process.

"R-Rainbow Dash! Is t-that you?" she said, mostly in both shock and disbelief.

Rainbow nodded hesitantly before answering: "Um...Yeah. I-It's me Cadence."

For several, the two just stayed silent, staring at each other and not breaking eye contact. For Rainbow, she bore an uncharacteristic look of nervousness while the Pink Alicorn had a look of embarrassment and sorrow. Deep Sorrow.

Finally, the Cyan Pegasus raised a foreleg to the back of her head, her ruby irises drifting away from staring at Cadence's violet pupils for a split-second before she started feeling lighter than usual. She then looked back at the young Empress, who was lighting up her horn with a Sky-Blue Aura surrounding it, and with fresh tears streaming down her face again. But before she could protest, the Pegasus was suddenly pulled towards Cadence, who sat on her haunches and opened out her forelegs, as if she about to wrap them around the Prismatic Mare.

Once Cadence had successfully wrapped the Prismatic Mare's chest with her barrel, her back with her large wings, and her neck with her arms, and all without crushing her to death, she slowly began to sob quietly whilst her body started shaking. Soon after a good minute or so, she was now officially crying, with her head on Rainbow's shoulder, soaking her back with new and fresh tears and her body shaking violently with each sob she choked out, which were all loud and audible now.

And as for the Cyan Pegasus herself, Rainbow then wrapped her own wings and arms around the Crystal Monarch's back, laying the left side of her head on her chest, now fully embracing and understanding her need for comfort. "Shhhhh...It's Ok, It's Gonna be Ok Cadence. Just...just let it all out...Ok?" She reassured quietly, earning a few weak nods from Cadence, who hasn't stopped crying.

She then gently started rubbing her back with one of her hooves, all while holding back tears of her own.

Chapter 2:

Several Minutes Later

Rainbow Dash had finally managed to calm Empress Cadenza down, with said Empress now releasing herself from her grasp and wiping her face with her left foreleg. Afterwards, the Cyan Pegasus decided to talk with Cadence.

"H-hey. You feelin' any better Cadence?" she asked, causing the Pink Alicorn to look in her direction, casting a still sorrowful expression on her face.

"I-I t-think so, but n-not by much," she hoarsely replied, pausing for a few seconds to let out a deep breath before continuing: "I guess y-you want to know why I'm here, near this lake in the first place, huh?" Her voice cracked a little before finishing her sentence, failing to hold back a sob.

Rainbow only nodded, for she sensed that Cadence was getting uncomfortable again, almost as if she didn't want to talk about it at all.

"Well...Ok then *sniff*. It's..." she paused, drifting her head in the direction where the lake was at, string at it instead of the Cyan Pegasus in front of her.

"It's what?" Said Pegasus asked slowly, tilting her head to the left.

"It's...it's because of Shining Armor," she blurted out before realizing what she'd just said and quickly covering her mouth, hoping she said it fast enough for her to listen.

But Rainbow's ears had heard every word, so now she was getting even more curious, "Shining Armor? But Why? What did he do?"

But the young Crystal Empress said nothing, taking her hooves away from her muzzle and looking down at the clear water, her ears drooping in shame.

"I said, What. Did. He. Do!" the Pegasus demanded darkly, still getting the same result of ignorance from the only other pony here with her.

The Cyan Pegasus was now starting to get impatient, for she flew right into the Pink Alicorn's face, getting as close as possible to where their muzzles were in contact, "Cadence, you know I'm not gonna help you if you don't tell me what's going on," she said, raising her tone partially, "Now I'm not going to ask again, Why-" but before she could continue the question, Cadence had suddenly interrupted her, speaking with the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"It's because He Cheated on me! He Fucking Cheated on me with another Mare, just like that! So there! That's the Reason why I'm here crying like a little BITCH! So do you understand NOW Rainbow Dash, or should I try that again, but only FUCKING LOUDER!" she screamed.

Rainbow's eyes were reduced to pinpricks now, terrified and shocked at both the Royal Voice and of what was revealed to her. Carefully, she slowly backed away from the older mare in front of her to give her space, who was wearing a look of fury on her face, breathing slowly as well with her teeth gritted.

As she looked down, trying to advert her eyes from the furious glare of the Pink Alicorn, the Cyan Pegasus started contemplating what Cadence had just confessed to her, about whether or not Shining Armor, Twilight's older Brother, cheated with another Mare. 'Cadence said Shining Armor was having affairs with a Mare that isn't her. But is it really true? I mean, if it was true, then Shining's not a really good husband. But it can't be true, it just can't. He swore an oath to love and protect Cadence with all his heart until one of them dies. The guy's supposed to be a Stallion who follows and enforces Princess Celestia's Law for Pete's sake. If he were to break said oath, he'd be screwed a million times over-'

The sudden sound of a certain pony clearing her throat interrupted her train of thought. Curious, the Prismatic, Rainbow-Maned Mare looked over to Cadence, who had a sad and apologetic expression on her face, along with her wings and ears drooping down. Her left foreleg was tracing the ground in front of her right, head looking down in the same direction, and Purple Irises never losing sight of Rainbow Dash's Ruby-Colored ones. All of this allowed Rainbow to tell that the Young Crystal Empress was guilty from her outburst, and that she was struggling to say an apology.

Immediately without hesitation, Rainbow Dash slowly walked back to her, extending her right wing and laying it on the Alicorn's back, causing said Alicorn to squeak in surprise and turn her head in her direction, "Ra-Rainbow-" her muzzle was suddenly closed by a hoof belonging to the Cyan Pegasus.

"Cadence, is it true?"

"Huh?" The Pink Alicorn was confused by her statement.

"You know..." the Pegasus then whispered to her ear: "...What you said about Twi's Brother Cheating on you. Is that true or not?"

It took two seconds total for Cadence to nod.

*sigh* Rainbow drifted her sights to the ground, "You know, both You and I honestly find it hard to believe. Yes, I do believe you're honest, but that doesn't mean I easily believe that you're right. And-Look, how about we go over to the Crystal Empire and talk about it with your Husband, Ok?" she then suggested, surprisingly earning a "No" from her companion, leaving her to be confused.

"What?"

"I said No Rainbow Dash. If we were to do just that, he'd probably have us falsely accused as Changelings. And there may as well be lots of panicking across the whole Kingdom, if that were the case. So No, that's not a good option," she stated.

"But you're an Empress, can't you just say that you're not a-"

"No, the reason why is because my subjects hardly listen to reason when panicked, and if someone they trust accuses someone else for being a Changeling, they'll just throw the accused out into the cold, never to come back into the safety of the Empire," Cadence interrupted the Pegasus, who'd gulped audibly at the mention of the Crystal Ponies throwing out other ponies into the cold. The sheer horror of innocent ponies being left to fend for themselves with no one to come to their aid before possibly dying would perhaps be too much for her to bear.

Finally, after only Thirty seconds of thinking about other solutions, the Prismatic Mare couldn't really think of one where both of them don't get arrested, with no other choice, Rainbow Dash held her head down in defeat, which was something she'd always hated doing. *sigh* "Ok Cadence, you win. But, how exactly will you get both me and everyone else to believe you? You gonna Summon Princess Luna and have her explore your Memories?"

Cadence only gave out a deadpan expression, "Rainbow, Aunty Luna explores Dreams, not memories," She replied, earning a facehoof and a 'Doh' from the Cyan Mare.

"Well, how about Princess Celestia? She has to have some kind of spell that involves memory exploring, right?" Dash said.

"Hmm...maybe," the Pink Alicorn answered, when a light bulb popped out immediately afterwards, giving her an idea.

"Actually, I have a better idea. Why don't I cast the spell on you instead?"

Confused for a moment, the Prismatic Pegasus, who's head was tilted to the right, was finally able to answer: "Uhh, Cadence. How exactly will you be able to do that? I may not know a whole bunch about Unicorn and Alicorn magic since I'm neither, but won't it just have you see my memories instead of the other way around?"

The Alicorn was unfazed by the Daredevil's answer, and proceeded to respond: "Rainbow Dash, I'm talking about using a more advanced Memory spell. One where the caster allows the target to see his/her own mind, or vice versa. If of course, you would allow me to cast it on you that is."

"Hmm...let me think for a minute," Rainbow still wasn't sure if this would get her to believe Cadence's story, but this could probably be a quick and better solution than getting arrested and/or kicked out into the cold, only to die shortly afterwards. After a full minute, she reluctantly nodded. "Ok. I'll do it. Cast the spell whenever you're ready?"

Immediately, Cadence, with her eyes closed readied up her horn, surrounding it in a Sky-Blue Aura once more, and slowly leans it towards the Prismatic Mare's forehead. As soon as the horn makes contact, Rainbow Dash suddenly began to feel dizzy, her vision starts changing. She starts seeing glimpses of the halls of the Crystal Palace for every other second after the lake in the Whitetail Woods until finally, she finds herself in said Crystal Palace, but something's different about them.

Chapter 3:

As she shakes her head to avoid being nauseous, Rainbow Dash looks around the hallway that she's at in the Palace of the Crystal Empire, only to realize that everything is Black-and-White. There's no color in anything that she sees except for both her own body, and the corners of her vision, which are a bright Pink, indicating that this must be Cadence's Memories.

Speaking of Which, the Colorful Pegasus hears hoofsteps coming around from behind her, as well as a Mare singing. Quickly, she turns around to find a familiar Speck of Pink, Purple, and Gold, which turns out to be Mi Amore Cadenza, trotting across the hallways happily while singing a happy tune that the Pegasus didn't really care about, but was a nice little tune nonetheless. This Cadence was bright, happy, cheerful, her eyes lacking any of the puffiness underneath, the bloodshot features in her pupils, and her mane and tail were brushed to perfection, with no loose strand or piece to be seen.

'She looks so happy, doesn't she?' Rainbow thought to herself, looking at the Past Cadence that was just trotting past her. Since she let the Present Cadence cast that spell on her, she figured it'd be best to follow the only other thing that's literally filled with color and see where she goes. But not before the Happy Alicorn spoke to herself, stating something that made Rainbow facehoof to herself.

"Oh, I just can't wait to finally get to bed with my dear Shining after I surprise him. He and I will be definitely having some 'Fun', all throughout the Night. *squee* "

A Few Minutes Later

Rainbow was starting to believe that this may've been a mistake on her part. She'd only spent a few minutes following Past Cadence. But to her, in a typical Rainbow Dash fashion, she was Bored. She was just groaning and complaining about how dull, slow, and lifeless everything was to her. Even with the only other thing around in this 'Memory' that's literally full of color, she would complain about how Pink was not something she wanted to see as the only color. And since she couldn't really see herself in any mirror at all because of Cadence's spell, she would have to stick with it for now.

And of course, she'd heard Past Cadence talking about her plans to have 'Fun' with her Husband two more times already, and Luna knows that she doesn't need to hear her say it again for the fourth time in a row.

But suddenly, the Cyan Pegasus heard moaning from across the hallway, and so did Past Cadence, for the latter had stopped in her tracks to hear the sound.

"Mhmn"

It sounded Masculine, 'Probably just a Crystal Stallion enjoying a snack,' Dash thought, but she heard Past Cadence mutter to herself: "Shining?"

Then, another moan, but this one was different: 'Mhmnn...*giggle*'

This moan sounded like a...like a mare. Rainbow's eyes widened in shock at the sudden realization, and Past Cadence must've heard it to, for her ears had already snapped to attention and soon galloped off to where the noise was coming from, al while repeating the word "No" over and over again. This had quickly snapped the Pegasus out of her shock and quickly flew after the Past Incarnation, trying not to get too far ahead of it. But the Alicorn stopped again, only this time she was near a door. A door with her and Shining's cutie marks painted onto the large, wooden gate. It was a door that Rainbow saw during a visit to the Empire that she couldn't remember, but it was certainly the door leading to the Royal Bedroom. And it also had color on it, indicating that it was important.

As the Prismatic Mare and Past Cadence both stepped closer to the door, the sounds of moaning had began turning into two ponies Conversing with some sort of slur. The Alicorn was starting to have tears stream down her face, silently muttering to herself: "No. No please no. Please don't let that be what I think it is. Please don't let it be. Shining, Please. You Swore an Oath on our Wedding Damnit. If you break that Oath, I swear."

Rainbow Dash put her right ear to where it could touch the door. Regardless of her being in Cadence's memories, the Cyan Pegasus didn't really care about that at the moment. Right now, she only wants to hear it from the Horse's Mouth itself, her previous doubts and complaints all washed away from her mind as if they were all in a fish bowl.

And it seems that both her and Cadence's fears were confirmed, for what the was said by the recognizable voice of Shining Armor, was all in truth: "That was a Wonderful time. The best I had in a while, wouldn't you agree Darling?"

"*giggle* Why of course Honey, that was the best experience I'd had in a long time as well. I wish we spent a much of our time just expressing how much we love each other instead."

"*sigh* I know, but I still have a duty as both Captain of the Guard and Prince of the Crystal Empire. But...whenever Cadence isn't around, we can express all of our love to each other whenever we want. Ok?"

"Yeah, but I still don't understand why you can't just accuse her as a Changeling. It would make our lives so much easier, don't you think?"

"Don't worry, I will. Just not right now. We still got a day left before she comes back."

"Ok, but hopefully, she'll be seen as the enemy and not us."

"Oh, they'll see her as Chrysalis, so no need to worry about it. Let's just get back to our time in the bed, my Love."

"I love you Shining Armor."

"*giggle* I love you too. And it will last, I promise you that."

*Moaning*

At this point, time stood still for both Past Cadence and Rainbow Dash. The former's holding back a sob while her heart slowly breaks, and the latter willing to deal with the Cheater, and whichever Mare that he was dating herself.

But before she could do anything, Past Cadence started galloping with even more tears running down from her eyes, and she was going after her. When she was about to start flying, she overheard Shining and the Mare that he Cheated on Cadence with reacting to the Alicorn's galloping:

"Hmm...what was that my brave Captain?" The Mare asked in a sultry tone.

"Eh...Probably nothing I suppose." Shining replied in the same tone as the Mare.

"Oh well, let's continue making out. Shall we?"

"Anything for you Love. Anything for you."

The two continued to make out, as indicated by the moaning starting up again, but Rainbow no longer cared about that. Right now, she only cared about wanting to get out of this Memory and apologizing to the Cadence in the real world for ever doubting her to begin with.

Suddenly, the area around the Cyan Pegasus begins changing, for the walls of the hallway were soon being replaced with trees, a body of water, and the night time sky with the moon being high up in said sky, with the only thing being the same is the lack of any color, forcing Rainbow to close her eyes in order to avoid the nausea of it all for only ten seconds. Once those ten seconds was over, the area had completely changed from the Crystal Hallway to a Forest with plenty of trees scattered around, a lake in the center of it all, and the only other thing filled with color getting on her knees and breaking down in tears, wailing out her sorrow and distress. At first, the young Daredevil was confused, but she soon realized that this area is near the lake to Whitetail Woods, where she found Cadence crying to begin with. Only it was about a few minutes prior this time.

As soon as she began to process it all, her vision immediately began blurring. Feeling dizzy, Rainbow sat on her haunches and grabbed her head with her arms, hoping that doing this would make her less nauseous. It didn't. But fortunately, she began seeing the colors of the world once more without going into a seizure. The Pink that covered the corners of her vision had faded immediately and a bright flash, lasting for less than a second, occurred.

Afterwards, Rainbow was back in the real world. She began rubbing her eyes and blinked multiple times to adjust her vision to all the beautiful colors of the night time in the Whitetail Woods. All while the Pink Alicorn in front of her was using her own weight to stop herself from falling on her flat and well-toned stomach.

Epilogue:

As soon as both came to and to, Rainbow Dash and Cadence finally looked at eachother in the eyes once more. The former's eyes were filled with guilt while the other's were filled with not only sorrow, but also with a quivering lip and tears that were alreading streaming down her beautiful face. The mere sight of the young Crystal Empress starting to break down again was breaking the Prismatic Daredevil's heart, for she Really hated to see others cry, especially with some of her friends like Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, who're the ones who break down on certain occasions.

Finally, after a solid minute of sitting there, Rainbow Dash got up and almost immediately wrapped her forelegs around Cadence's neck, resting her head on the Alicorn's left shoulder, effectively returning the hug that was given to her by the now shaking and distraught Mare.

*Gasp*

"Cadence, while I know I can't compare myself to you, that doesn't mean I don't understand what you're going through. Please Cadence, let it all out for one more time, let me be your crying shoulder for tonight. I want to be there for you, and I won't take no for an answer," Rainbow replied, sounding both confident as always, but with a firm tone, letting the Alicorn know that her tone was a solemn one, along with an expression that showed her that she was being serious.

Finally, Cadence couldn't take it anymore, for she immediately broke down for a second time and began hugging her Loyal Friend while wrapping her wings around her body. The tears were now streaming down her face like a rapid river while her body was shaking from every sob she was choking out. But she wasn't wailing like last time. Instead, she was crying softly on Rainbow Dash's own shoulder, with the afromentioned Mare gently rubbing her back, trying to comfort her the best she can.

Ten Minutes Later

Cadence had finally managed to calm down, with Rainbow Dash still hugging her while wiping away any remaining tears from her bloodshot eyes. The former's crying has finally been reduced to small sniffles at this point, which gave the latter the opportunity to speak to the Alicorn.

"H-hey Cadence. You feelin' better now?" The Cyan Pegasus asked, finally breaking off the hug so she could see her companion's face. Said companion nodded weakly, still shaken up from all the crying that she'd done several minutes ago.

'What're you waiting for Dash? Just do it, Now or Never!' Dash thought to herself, trying to gather the courage to apologize. 'Just apologize and get it off your chest already!'

Then, she Began: "Cadence. Look, you were right about Shining Armor cheating on you and I should've never doubted you from the start. I didn't realize that it would affect you greatly and...well...I'm sorry. I'm sorry for being both skeptical and suspicious to you when I should've believed you. And, well...yeah, that's about all I have to say. Just wanted to get it all off my chest and-" she was about to finish until Cadence gently shushed her with a hoof covering her mouth and muzzle, preventing her from speaking any further.

"I know Rainbow Dash. But, you don't need to apologize, nor do you need to blame yourself for what happened. Obviously, it was Shining Armor's fault, cheating on me with another Mare for who knows how long, that backstabbing Horse," she stated calmly, her voice still being strained from all the crying that she'd done, "plus you weren't even there. Granted, I showed you that horrible memory, but still, there was nothing you nor I could've done without getting left out in the cold to fend for ourselves. So there's no need to feel guilty about it, do you understand?" she finished, using her signature breathing technique to take a breather before being able to speak again.

But when she didn't get a response from the Cyan Pegasus, Cadence looked back at Rainbow Dash to ask her the question again, but halted when she suddenly saw something heartbreaking, Rainbow Dash was starting to cry silently, all while trying to avoid eye contact with the Pink Alicorn. This'd left the Crystal Empress confused, but immediately knew that she needed comforting. The same kind of comfort she'd given her when she needed it.

Without hesitation, Cadence lit up her horn and enveloped Rainbow in her signature Sky-Blue aura, pulling the Prismatic Mare towards her in speeds that're no too rough on her body. Soon afterwards, the Cyan Pegasus quickly wrapped her forelegs around Cadence's barrel while she laid the right side of her head onto her belly, seeking for the warmth of her own fur. The Pink Alicorn then wrapped her own forelegs around Dash's neck while simultaneously wrapping her large wings to warm up her backside and resting her head on her shoulder.

"Rainbow Dash, can you please tell me why you're crying? I promise that it won't hurt to tell, trust me," Cadence softly cooed. Finally, Rainbow Dash just couldn't take it anymore and broke down completely, now sobbing loudly while multiple tears were streaming down her face and the Pink Alicorn's stomach, staining both.

Through continuous sobs, Rainbow Dash answered Cadence's question while sobbing uncontrollably: "There's something else that I'm sorry for Cadence. Wh-when I saw you cr-crying near the lake, I thought you were gonna...*cough*...I thought you were gonna kill yourself!" She screamed before burying herself in the Alicorn's stomach fur once more with a fresh set of tears. Her answer had horrified Cadence.

"What!?" She exclaimed with the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"It-It's true. I really thought you were gonna kill yourself. You just looked so sad and I didn't know any better about Shining's betrayal. I nearly jumped to that conclusion and I'm sorry. Please forgive me Cadence! PLEASE!" She screamed once more, scared of what would happen if the Crystal Empress chose to do the opposite. But Cadence just continued hugging the frightened Pegasus, comforting her with kind words, refusing to let go.

"Oh Rainbow, I would never hate you! What you've just said...just shows that you care," The Alicorn responded, earning a muffled gasp from Dash.

*muffled*

"Y-you...you don't?"

*muffled*

"Of course not," the Crystal Empress cooed, still letting the Pegasus let all of her emotions out, "You care as much about your Friends as much as they care about you. Especially with friends such as Twilight and I."

Rainbow then tightened her grip around Cadence's barrel, no longer needing to say anymore words for the night, with the Pink Alicorn returning the gesture to her Friend. And so, despite what'd happened not too long ago, the two Ponies of Love and Loyalty just hugged each other throughout the night, not even bothering to go back to their homes. Instead, they'd decided to sleep in the cool air of Whitetail Woods, hoping that Luna would watch them in their dreams and wait for tomorrow to happen. So that they would tell everyone about Shining Armor's betrayal, the breaking of the oath he swore to Cadence, and decide his fate, as they're friends after all. And Friends stick together to the End.

THE END! (For Now)