Epilogue: Departure

“And that's the last of it!” Shining Armor grinned contentedly as he zipped the final suitcase closed, then levitated it off the bed and onto the floor beside the rest of the luggage. He looked over to Cadance, the smug smile still on his face, and she shook her head, a grin gracing her visage as well. “Looks like we're ready to go,” the unicorn said, trotting toward the door.

“Are you really in such a hurry, Shine?” Cadance asked. “It's not like the room is on fire or anything.”

He trotted over to her and drew her into a tight embrace. “I know, Cadance, but our cart is going to be here any minute, and I think it'd be best if were prepared.”

“I know,” the princess replied softly. “It's just...I'm not sure I'm ready to leave just yet.”

Shining drew his body back and looked at her face, noting the faraway look in her eyes. “What do you mean?” He rested a comforting hoof on her shoulder.

“It's just...” she began, dropping her head to the side, her pink cheeks turning a little more red. “This room means so much to me now. It's where we first made love. I never want to forget that.” She nuzzled her head against his neck.

Shining smiled softly. “And I promise, you never will, and neither will I.” He stroked her withers gently as she leaned into him, her warm, soft body nestled against his muscular frame. “This will always be a special place. But you know what, Cadance?”

Her voice was barely above a whisper. “What's that?”

He planted a soft kiss on the top of her head, just above her horn. “I think I'll enjoy making even more memories with you once we get back to Canterlot. Sound good?”

She giggled beneath him, and his heart lifted at the jovial sound. “That sounds wonderful, Shine. I can't wait.”

Their embrace continued, neither pony willing to relinquish their grip on the other, until several knocks on the door echoed through the honeymoon suite. Reluctantly, Shining released his bride and walked over to the door, swinging it open to reveal a unicorn bellhop who said in a nasally voice, “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and, uh, Captain Shining Armor?”

“That's us,” Shining said, gesturing toward their waiting bags. “Thanks for coming by to pick these up.”

The bellhop stood dumbfounded. After several seconds, Shining was about to say something when the young unicorn seemed to snap out of a trance. “Er, uh, yeah! I mean, I'm just doing my job, but it's still my pleasure! And it's an honor to meet you, Mister Armor, or, I mean, Captain Armor. I couldn't believe it was really you when the boss told me to come up here, but it is you! And the princess, too?” He glanced into the room, and his eyes widened. “Oh wow! The princess! This is unbelievable! It's, well, I'm just-”

Shining cut off the rambling bellhop with a raised hoof. “It's okay, you can calm down now. Take some deep breaths.” The other unicorn did just that, inhaling through his nose and exhaling slowly through his mouth. “That's it, you're doing fine. Now, what do you say we get these bags downstairs?”

The young employee nodded vigorously and gave a crisp salute. “Yes, sir!” Without another word, his horn began to glow, and all the pieces of luggage rose from the floor suspended in his magical aura. The bellhop, still giddy, turned and started to trot down the hallway, a bit of spring in his step.

Shining Armor chuckled at the sight, then turned back to Cadance. “After you, my lady,” he said with a bow of his head and a sweeping gesture of his front hoof.

She gave a little laugh. “Why thank you, Captain,” she said with a high air as she strode proudly past him and out the door.

“My pleasure, Princess Cadenza,” he responded, his head nearly touching the floor.

As she walked by, however, his hoof rose up subtly and gave her a little nudge on the rump, causing her to squeak in surprise. She turned to face him, her eyebrows furrowed and her mouth turned up in a playful look. “I dare say, that is conduct most unbecoming a Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard.”

He gave her a wide, puppy-dog stare. “Is it? I do apologize, my lady.”

She raised one eyebrow. “I'll simply have to punish you for your impudence, Captain.”

A smirk appeared on his face. “I look forward to it.”

With a short laugh, Cadance made her exit from the honeymoon suite, and Shining moved to follow her. As he gripped the door handle with his magic, however, he took one last look at the room that he and his wife had shared for the past week, all the memories of their bliss and passion replaying in his mind. You're right, Cadance, he thought. This place is special. But you know what? He closed the door and turned to the hallway where the princess had a slight head start. It's not nearly as special as you are. The unicorn trotted quickly, catching up to Cadance and walking beside her, giving her a flash of his smile and receiving one in response. Silently, they walked side-by-side, the unicorn bellhop a few steps in front of them with their luggage still in tow.

The trip through the expansive hotel took several minutes, but they soon arrived at the front entrance. With a quick nod, the bellhop strode through the swinging doors and out to the street where the cart that would take Cadance and Shining Armor to the airfield awaited. As the captain and his bride made to follow him, however, a familiar stallion's voice rang out through the lobby. “Shining!”

Both ponies of the royal couple turned, and Shining smiled when he saw a tan earth pony and a light brown unicorn walking towards them. He called out his own greeting. “Hazelnut, Plywood, wonderful to see you again.”

Cadance spoke up beside him. “Are you two getting ready to leave as well?”

Hazel nuzzled her husband gently as she answered, “Yes, I think it's time for us to head home.”

“Did you enjoy your stay?” the princess inquired.

Shining noticed a little blush on the cheeks of both ponies before him. Hazel looked up at her husband as he answered Cadance's inquiry. “Very, very much. It was certainly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Wouldn't you agree, dear?”

Hazel's reply was a simple “Mmhmm,” and the white unicorn couldn't help but smile as he watched the married couple become lost in each other's eyes for a moment.

It was Cadance who spoke next. “Well, that's a little different,” she said with a voice laced with curiosity, and Shining looked over to see her stroking her chin, deep in thought.

“What's the matter?” Shining asked, curious himself.

She looked at him for a moment and gave a brief shrug before turning to the other couple. “Excuse me, Hazelnut, Plywood?” The two ponies broke their gazes and looked up at the princess. “Do you remember how I said I can sense the presence of love if it's strong enough?” The earth pony and his wife nodded in confirmation. “Well, it's very odd...the aura I feel coming off you now, is...it's even more powerful than it was when we first met.”

The knowing looks that Hazel and Ply exchanged spoke volumes, and Shining grinned. After a moment of silence, Hazelnut replied with a soft smile, “It's not that odd, Princess. If there's one thing this honeymoon has taught us, it's that love can only grow stronger the second time around.”

“That's right,” Plywood continued. “And if you don't mind a little advice from somepony who's been married for a while, let me just say that it's certainly not going to be easy for you. There'll be hard times, you'll have disagreements and arguments, and I know you'll have times when you wonder if it's all worth it.” He wrapped a hoof around his wife and drew her close to himself. “It is. Love is anything but boring; no matter how long you've been with somepony, you can always learn something new from them. I found that out myself on this trip, and I don't think I've ever been happier.”

Shining's heart warmed as he absorbed the earth pony's wisdom. He knew the truth of Ply's words; he'd heard the same statements before from his parents, friends, and even from Celestia prior to his marriage, but now that he'd spent a week with the mare of his dreams, he was starting to realize how much they rang true. He looked down at Cadance. “Thank you, Plywood. I truly appreciate all that; even if we are famous, that doesn't mean we can't still learn a thing or two.” He smiled down at his bride, and she smiled back up at him. “I get the feeling that I'm going to enjoy this journey very, very much,” he said softly.

The princess whispered back, “Me too.” She turned to face the other couple. “If you two should ever go to Canterlot, please feel free to stop by and pay us a visit; we'd be honored to have you. And I know we'll do the same if we ever head up to Maneitoba.” She stepped forward and embraced Hazelnut, who awkwardly returned the gesture. “Thank you both.” With that, the two married couples in the lobby parted ways after brief words of farewell, and all four ponies made their way to the front doors of the Chariot hotel and exited onto the streets of Las Pegasus.

A casual observer would have seen two very different couples striding out of the entrance of the Chariot, each pair of ponies headed for a cart laden with luggage. They would see an elderly couple, the earth pony husband walking close beside his wife to ensure that her trip down the shallow stairs was safe while the unicorn wife leaned into him slightly for support. A few yards away, they would see two much more recognizable ponies, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor, whose wedding had been the biggest event to come out of Canterlot in a long, long time. The younger ponies walked with much more confidence, their eyes seemingly unable to drift away from the other pony for longer than a few seconds. The two couples looked vastly different, but if that same observer were to inspect them closer, they would notice two similarities: In the eyes of both husbands burned a desire to provide for their wives, to be dependable and strong, to protect them and keep them safe. The eyes of both wives, meanwhile, glowed with joy and anticipation of their lives to come as well as an eagerness to be a comfort, a rock to their husbands.

And so it was that two married couples, one at the dawn of their lives together and the other approaching their twilight, clambered into carts on the cloud streets of Las Pegasus, ready and eager to return to their respective homes and carry on what they had learned in the City of Flights. Two couples, one old and one new, rode off towards the airfield, their spirits full of the one thing that was the key to any successful marriage, no matter the ages of the ponies involved: true, committed love.