“Guess who’s here with my sweetheart’s favorite thing in the whole world!”
“Huh?” Cadance snapped her eyes open, and she sat up straight in bed. She looked over to see Shining Armor pushing open the bedroom door, a large sack carried in his teeth. “I thought Sunburst had the baby for another fifteen minutes.”
Shining Armor blinked, and stared at her blankly for several moments before shaking his head and spitting the sack onto the floor. “Oh, right. No baby, not yet. Sorry, I meant favorite sarcastically.”
“Ah. Nevermind then. I was just taking a quick nap.” With a yawn, Cadance climbed down off of the bed, then leaned forward and arched her back for a good stretch. She sauntered over and gave her husband a quick nuzzle and peck on the cheek. “I guess it’s that time of year again, huh?”
“I think it’s even bigger than last year’s haul.” Shining Armor’s horn lit up, and the sack turned over and emptied itself onto the floor. Hundreds of letters fluttered out, most of them done up on fancy stationery, adorned with elaborate doodles, or colored in various shades of pink and red. “You know, a lesser stallion might be jealous that his wife gets so many love letters on Hearts and Hooves Day.”
Cadance rolled her eyes. “You are jealous. Jealous that you aren’t getting any letters yourself.”
Shining Armor chuckled. “Ouch.”
“Well, we might as well get to it. I am the Princess of Love, after all. It’s my duty to at least read them.” Cadance grabbed the nearest letter and tore it open. “Dear Princess Cadance. U R Hot. And then there’s a little drawing of a penis, see?”
“Looks like we’re starting off on a classy note today.” Shining Armor shook his head and grabbed another one. “Dear Princess Cadance. I don’t know if this is possible, but you know all kinds of weird magic right? I really want to have your children. I won’t tell anyone it's yours. Although I guess if the baby is an alicorn it’d be really obvious?”
A dozen letters floated around Cadance, and she tore them all open. “Let’s see… ‘I love you… bear my children… I wanna tap that… I love your eyes,’ aww, that one's kind of sweet. And this one is from a filly asking for advice on how to ask out a crush. So adorable!” She floated that particular note into a pile to be saved for later. “And let's see, here we’ve got—”
A soft knock sounded on the bedroom door, followed by the giggling of an infant. “I have Flurry Heart here for you,” Sunburst’s voice called out. “The Crystal Heart session went pretty well.”
“Come on in!”
Sunburst pushed open the door, Flurry Heart on his back. She immediately squealed and squirmed at the sight of her parents.
“Oh, come here sweetie!” Cadance levitated Flurry Heart over and held her close to her chest. “Mommy missed you so much for the whole hour you were gone!”
“Hey there, kiddo.” Shining Armor ruffled her mane with a hoof. “Did you have fun playing with the Crystal Heart today?”
Sunburst cleared his throat. “Flurry Heart’s attunement to the energies of the Crystal Heart is going well. Their connection grows stronger every day.”
“Ooh, do you want to help Mommy read all of her love letters? Let's do it together!”
Shining Armor clapped Sunburst on the back. “Great job. We really appreciate all of your effort, you know. This whole ruling an ancient kingdom thing is a lot of work, and it doesn’t exactly come with an instruction manual. All these rituals and attunements and whatever just seem to pop up out of nowhere.” After a brief pause, he leaned in and whispered, “Plus, we really appreciate the time to ourselves every once in awhile.”
“Of course,” Sunburst chuckled, and flashed a toothy grin. “Honestly, Flurry Heart is a delight. Spending time with her is one of the highlights of my day.”
“You should see her when she’s screaming her head off at three in the morning,” Shining Armor grumbled.
“I’ll stick to the easy parts.” Sunburst glanced between the two of them, then took a deep breath. “Say, did you always have that crack in your window?”
Cadance blinked, then turned towards the window Sunburst was indicating. “Huh? I don’t see a crack.”
“Are you sure? I’m pretty sure there’s something there.”
Shining Armor walked over, peering in close. “Nah, it’s definitely all intact.”
Sunburst coughed. “Oh, I’m sorry. It’s just a smudge on my glasses.” He levitated them off his nose and wiped them on his cowl. “My apologies. Is there anything else you need me for today?”
Shining Armor shrugged. “Not unless you want to help me and my wife sort through all of her love letters.”
“Look, Flurry Heart! This one says they want to be your second momma! Isn’t that kind of them?”
Sunburst bit his lip. He glanced down at the pile, then quickly looked away. “There’s… an awful lot of those, huh?”
“I’m sure there will be even more next year.” Shining Armor yawned. “The way I see it, it’s kind of like the postal equivalent of shouting at your favorite athlete during a sporting event, or something. Loud and silly, but ultimately empty and meaningless.”
“Meaningless. Hah. Right. Love is the province of our kingdom, after all. That being said, I’ll have to pass.” Sunburst leaned down, and touched his horn to Flurry Heart’s. A spark jumped between them, prompting a giggle. “I’ll leave you two to it, then. Same time tomorrow. You know where to find me if something comes up.”
“Take care!”
The door closed behind Sunburst, and Cadance turned her attention back towards the pile. At the very top, an envelope stood out, in a sharp utilitarian blue. Had that been there before? Whatever. When she brought it closer, the blocky letters on the front brought a smile to her face. ”Guess who finally has his own fan mail!”
Shining Armor brightened and leapt to his hooves. “Seriously? Yes! In your face!” He snatched the letter out of her magic and held it up. “Twenty bits says they’re naughty pictures.”
“Uh-huh.” Cadance crouched down and folded her hooves in front of her before resting her chin on them. “Well, go on then, Mister Popular. Don’t keep us in suspense.”
“Drumroll please.” Magic sparked from his horn, and ethereal drums rang throughout the room. Shining Armor carefully tore open the envelope, then unfolded the letter inside. “Dear Shining Armor. Oh hey look, that’s me! The one, the only, the sweet, the handsome.” Shining Armor turned to flash her a grin before continuing. “Writing this is more painful than you can imagine. But I cannot stay silent any longer. The heart demands that it express itself, even if there is no point. I love you. I have loved you for a long time, from afar.” Shining Armor’s smile slowly faded away, and his tone became somber. “Before you were the ruler of a nation, before you were the captain of the guard. We went to school together, though I know you don’t remember me. I know we can never be together. You are maddeningly in love with your wonderful wife. I am no match for her, nor would I ever even wish for such a beautiful marriage to be stolen from this world. Yet still my heart burns with passion unending. Know that someone out there cares for you deeply. And I will always keep you in my dreams, my sweet prince. Love, your secret admirer.”
Silence hung in the room, marred only by the crackling pops of the fireplace.
Shining Armor coughed. “Woah. Uh, okay then. That’s… actually pretty sad.”
Cadance stood up, her expression twisted with sympathetic pain. This wasn’t the kind of thing Shining Armor should have to deal with. She moved to throw her arms around her husband’s neck. “Sorry. Sometimes love is going to involve heartbreak, and there’s nothing that you can do about it. It’s easy to feel guilty about their feelings, but it’s not your fault.”
“Yeah, but, all the way back in school?” Shining Armor squeezed back, then sighed. “That’s some pretty intense stuff. I don’t remember anyone like that. Except for you of course.” He gave a half-hearted grin before it faded away. “Still, I wish there was something we could do.”
“Like what? Track down this mysterious admirer and invite them into our bed for a threesome?” Cadance playfully nipped at his ear. “While I’m sure that might be fun, with a letter like that, lust won’t really make them feel any better. I’m sure it would make things even more painful.”
“Why do you always have to be so reasonable?” Shining Armor pulled out of the hug and glanced down at the remaining pile of letters. “Kind of spoiled the mood though.”
“I still plan to read through mine. But you’re right, the heart isn’t something to be taken lightly.”
Heartbeats thrummed all around her.
Cadance took a step forward, and a ripple spread out from her hoof, emitting a soft chime and a spark of green light that briefly lit the darkness.
She could hear something, just faintly, almost muffled by the constant thudding. A baby’s cry. Her baby.
“Flurry Heart?” she called out. Her voice felt hollow, like it had no weight to it, no real purchase in reality. Another step forward, another ripple of green spreading across what appeared to be a faintly lit pool of water, extending into the void.
Her baby’s cry grew a little louder. And there was… another voice? Masculine. Maybe Shining Armor’s, but it was so hard to tell. She took a step forward, then another, and soon her sluggish body was galloping towards her daughter.
Each hoofprint left behind green fire, and she felt heat licking at her hooves. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw that her trail of fire was roiling, bubbling, burning, surging towards her, ready to devour her whole.
She ran faster and faster, every heartbeat causing the monster chasing her to grow stronger. Her daughter couldn’t be far now! Fire surged forward on either side of her, galloping apparitions of flame that matched her pace. The demons glanced at her and snarled before diving in, biting and slashing at her flanks with fangs and claws of fire.
She screamed. It hurt, a deep kind of ache that felt like her soul rending apart. And she could feel something in her pursuer. Hatred. Complete, personal, and all consuming loathing.
Whatever it was, it wanted her dead.
She could see a red light ahead, a soft red. Full of warmth and love and safety. Shadows cast silhouettes against that light. Her daughter. Her husband. And… somepony else?
The ground crumbled away beneath her, and she fell. Her wings caught no air, and a great maw of fire loomed below.
The jaws snapped shut, and Cadance succumbed to pain, hatred, and envy.
Cadance woke up in a cold sweat.
A chill wind blew in from the open shutters, and Flurry Heart wailed in her crib. She felt Shining Armor in the bed beside her, tossing and turning.
It had only been a nightmare. Deep breaths. She was in her room, safe and sound, and the ponies she loved most in the world were only a few feet away. First things first.
Cadance nearly crumpled when she climbed out of bed. Her whole body ached and burned as if she had just run a dozen marathons. With a grunt, she levitated Flurry Heart over from the crib. “There there. It’s okay. Mommy’s here. What’s the matter, sweetie? Did you have a bad dream?”
The shutters rattled and banged from the wind. Cadance looked outside. Morning sunlight should have been streaming inside, but the sky was muddy grey, and it seemed to cast an ominous tone over the city.
Shining Armor whimpered in his sleep, caught in the throes of his own nightmare.
Cadance grit her teeth and continued rocking Flurry Heart back and forth. “Honey? Wake up, I think we’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
No response. She rolled her eyes, then made her way over and started shaking him with her hoof. “Hey, come on, wake up. It’s just a dream, and we’re both here.”
“... Shiny?”
It wasn’t just Shining Armor.
Every maid, every butler, every gardener, every chef. The entire palace staff. And, judging by the lack of ponies Cadance could see from the palace balcony, likely the entirety of the Crystal Empire was affected as well.
They were all still asleep. Trapped in some sort of some nightmare they couldn’t wake from, with no response to prodding, screaming, or magic of any sort.
Cadance paced circles in her throne room, her tail twitching back and forth. Every few seconds she glanced up at the clock on the wall, then back down to her daughter, who played with blocks in the corner, oblivious to anything wrong.
A dark shadow fell over the room, accompanied by the heavy flap of wings, the rush of wind, and the thrum of magic.
Cadance let out a sigh of relief. “Took you long enough, Auntie.”
Luna stepped from the shadows. “I am sorry for the delay. Are you alright? Is the baby?”
“She’s fine. I’m fine. Aside from the emotional distress, of course, but I’ll have plenty of time to deal with that when I’m not in Princess Mode.” Cadance threw her arms around Luna’s neck and took in a deep, shuddering breath. “Thanks for coming. Now please, tell me what in Tartarus is going on with my country.”
“That will be a difficult question to answer fully.” Luna pulled out of the hug, then levitated Flurry Heart up to greet her, much to the filly’s delight. “The dreamscape of your subjects is inaccessible to me. A darkness has fallen over them like a blanket covering the land. I suspect you and your daughter have only been spared this fate because of your unique alicorn natures.”
Cadance glanced out the window at the cloudy sky. “I can see that much already. So what is it this time? Sombra? Chrysalis again? Who are we dealing with, and how do we stop them? Do we need to send for Twilight and the girls?”
Luna shook her head. “It is hard to be certain, but I do not think this is a manifestation of foes past. No, this is a nightmare that comes from within. It is intrinsically linked to the hearts and minds of your subjects, through an ancient and powerful magic, one that binds all of them together.
“You mean…” The both glanced towards the center of the castle, where the Crystal Heart was kept. Cadance smacked her face with a hoof. “Ugh, I hate that stupid thing. Some days I just want to pack up this country and move everyone somewhere that doesn’t require a finicky and fragile artifact just to exist. And also somewhere that has beaches.”
“Sadly, we do not always choose the tasks we are given.” Luna rested Flurry Heart on her back and together they headed towards the inner sanctum. “It is Hearts and Hooves Day, yes? The holiday is still somewhat new to me, but as I understand, it is a time for the expression of love and adoration, romantic or otherwise.”
“That’s certainly one way to put it.” Cadance rubbed at her chin. “So, the Crystal Heart is linked to the hearts and minds of its people, and it both absorbs and emits their emotions. Under normal circumstances, the Crystal Empire should be a love paradise right about now. Experts were already expecting a slew of new babies eleven months from now. But then, I don’t know, somebody sneezed too loudly near the Crystal Heart, and now it’s a love nightmare instead?”
Luna rolled her eyes. “As one who watches dreams, I know there are many other emotions that accompany this holiday. Eagerness. Anticipation. Fear. Heartbreak. Loneliness.” She paused, then pushed open the door to the inner sanctum. A soft green light pulsed from the Crystal Heart, making the whole room look sickly and malformed. “Jealousy.”
Cadance shivered. The color reminded her far too clearly of her recent dream. “Really? I mean, sure, plenty of ponies get jealous this time of year, but for it to be the dominant emotion, enough to overload the Crystal Heart, seems like a bit of a stretch, doesn’t it?”
“Normally, you would be right.” Luna’s horn lit up, and dark smoke began to flow forth from it, swirling around the Crystal Heart in an intricate pattern. “You’ve proven time and time again that love can trump hate. But were the Crystal Heart exposed to a particularly severe jealousy, something all consuming, especially by a pony who worked closely with it, then such a disaster could easily occur. Can you think of anypony who fits that description?”
“What? There’s nopony like that. Hardly anyone even goes near the heart other than Flurry Heart, and she’s too young to feel anything like this. Well, I guess her and…” Cadance’s eyes grew wide.
“I’m afraid so.”
“Ah, crap.”
Both Princesses stared down at the sleeping form of Sunburst. Unlike all of the previous victims of the nightmare, he seemed to be sleeping peacefully.
“I must confess, I knew of his feelings already.” Luna raised a hoof and gently touched his forehead. “It is the province of a dreamwalker to know strong hearts, but we must also keep their secrets. I have even personally counseled him on how better to manage his feelings. It seemed to be helping.”
“Well apparently it didn’t help all that much.” Cadance sighed, and flexed her wings. “He’s really just been, what, madly in love with my husband for years? It’s kind of creepy.”
Luna clicked her tongue. “He is a gentle and sweet boy with a sensitive heart. We’ve just hit a perfect storm with such an intersection of strong emotions and powerful magic.”
Cadance stomped a hoof on the ground. “Well, his sweetness and sensitivity has my husband trapped in a nightmare, along with everypony else. How do we get them out?”
“With your help, I can force open the portal to the dreamscape. It’s his dream they all share, after all. Then you must enter and rescue Shining Armor. Likely, that alone will cause the dream to collapse, but you may have to deal with Sunburst somehow as well.”
“Let me guess. It’ll be dangerous, and I have to do it alone?” Cadance stretched, her bones popping audibly. “Ugh, I hate having to play the heroine. Twilight is so much better at it.”
Luna smiled and put a hoof onto Cadance’s shoulder. “I am sure you will do just fine. It is your husband, after all.”
“The big oaf.” Cadance smiled, then made her way over to the basket where Flurry Heart was currently curled up and sleeping peacefully. She leaned in close and nuzzled her. “Hey honey. Mommy’s going to go get Daddy back, okay?”
With a wave of Luna’s horn, a tear opened in reality, forming a seething, writhing black portal right above Sunburst.
Cadance took a deep breath. “Keep her safe.”
Cadance touched down in the same dark, featureless pool she’d seen in her earlier nightmare.
“Alright then,” she said to herself, “where do I start?” If nothing else, this time around she was blessed with the gift of lucidity, rather than the addled confusion of a dream.
She took a step forward and was met with the sound of a bell ringing out and the sight of that same ripple of green light spreading through the water. This time, everything seemed to shake, and something rose up out of the water, a stage of some kind.
The heavy click of a spotlight echoed across the water, and up above she could see pony sized paper cutouts, attached to large sticks, moving about like a foal’s diorama.
It was hard to tell due to the crude stylization of the figures, but one of them seemed to pretty clearly be Sunburst, albeit a younger version of him. Other ponies, faceless shadows, ganged up on him and pushed him around. Speech bubbles called him all sorts of disparaging names, mocking his small stature, his lack of magical prowess, and anything else they knew would hurt him.
“Dear Diary,” Sunburst’s voice rang out, complete with the nasally whine of a teenager. “Those jerks picked on me again in school today. But then, something amazing happened.”
Cadance already knew what was coming next. The spotlights all swiveled to focus on the arrival of a new pony: a unicorn with a brilliant blue mane and a burning sense of justice.
During her own school days, she’d watched Shining Armor play the hero in half-a-dozen similar incidents. He always stuck up for the little guy. It was a large part of why she’d been attracted to him in the first place.
The lights dimmed and Cadance sighed. Twin sets of lights, each placed a meter apart, formed a path leading into the distance. As she walked onwards, more dioramas rose up from the depths. On the left, they were cast in black and white. A young colt, burdened by his confusion over his sexuality, barely managed to even stammer out a thank you, and could only watch Shining Armor silently from afar.
“Dear Diary. I just can’t stop thinking about him. Everything about him is so perfect. I know he’d never want anything to do with a loser like me. Even then, I think this might be love.”
The right side of the path painted a different picture. Cast in bright and blurry lights, Sunburst gathered his courage, talked to Shining Armor, and they became fast friends.
“Dear Diary. I can imagine it all clear as day. The two of us, spending time together, hanging out, being best friends. Maybe playing hoofball, or reading a good book. It doesn’t even have to be romantic. I’d love to just spend some time with him.”
Two lives played on in parallel. On the left, reality, where Sunburst’s reclusion led to his loneliness and his hero worship. When he stumbled into the position of crystaller, it tore him up inside, knowing he could finally be so close to his secret crush, but also suffering all the pain that that involved. On the right, the fantasy played out. Friends quickly became something more, a secret love blossomed into something deeper, something wonderful.
Cadance’s heart wavered in her chest. A part of her simmered with a quiet anger at the thought of someone trying to take her husband away. But she did her best to stamp out that spark of jealousy. Shining Armor was an amazing stallion. He’d put up with love struck fans fawning over her for years. That somepony else might feel the same about him only seemed natural.
The path ended at a house. A simple one. Big yard, a dog chained out front. White picket fence. The dog barked at her approach. She could see inside the kitchen window. Sunburst and Shining Armor were both inside, wearing aprons. Baking cookies. She watched as Shining Armor licked a bit of stray batter off of Sunburst’s nose.
Deep breaths. She needed to be calm and collected before she went in and saved her husband. A part of her just wanted to bust open the window, say a snappy one liner, and fly off with Shining Armor draped across her flanks.
A smile crossed her lips. Action Princess Cadance certainly made for a cute image, but it wouldn’t be the right approach, and she’d probably flub it anyway. Still, she had to do something.
Then again, this was her husband, and she was the Princess of Love after all.
Cadance knocked on the front door and called out, “Delivery!”
“I’ll get it!” Shining Armor called from within. A few minutes later, the door swung open. “Heya. I don’t remember ordering anything, but—whoa.”
Cadance leaned against the door frame, giving the sultriest look she could manage. “Why hello there, handsome,” she purred. “Had I known a stallion like you was on my route, I would’ve stopped by sooner.” She sauntered inside, her hips swaying back and forth, and she casually whipped him in the face with her tail. “I’ll need you to sign for the package, but I seem to have lost my pen. Do you have one I can borrow?”
“Buaaaaaaaaaahhh.” Shining Armor bleated like a brain-dead goat, all of her actions clearly having the intended effect.
She leaned in close, nibbling at his ear. “Come on, baby. It’s time to wake up.”
Something seemed to shift in Shining Armor, and he blinked his eyes several times. “Cadance? I… what’s going on?”
From the kitchen doorway, a tray of cookies clattered to the ground. Sunburst stood there, his eyes wide, and trembling. “You… what are you doing here? You can’t be here!”
Cadance took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Sunburst. But this isn’t real. Shining Armor belongs in the real world, with his family.” Her horn glowed, and she quickly fired up the spell Luna had taught her that would send Shining Armor out of the dream. “Go find Luna as soon as you wake up, honey.”
“I… yeah. Okay.” Shining Armor stood a little straighter, then vanished in a puff of black smoke.
“No!” Sunburst stomped a hoof, his eyes full of tears. “This is my dream! What goes in my heart belongs to me, and me alone! I understand that reality is reality, but here, at least, let me have him!”
Cadance took a step forward. “It’s not just your dream, anymore. You’ve forced it on everypony else. Unintentionally, I assume. Weird Crystal Heart stuff. Sorry, it does that, apparently. But you need to wake up, and you need to give this up for good.”
Sunburst growled. His horn flared with emerald magic. “You’re lying! I have to put up with you enough in real life. I won’t let you hurt me in here, too!” Green fire licked across his coat, and he grew, expanding. The house shattered into nothingness, and Cadance stood before a giant beast of green fire.
“Ah, crap.”
It swung a massive claw down at her. Cadance leapt into the air, her wings carrying her up. The heat singed her flanks, but left her otherwise unharmed.
Just what could she actually do in a dream battle that would actually make a difference, anyway? She gathered her magic and fired it in a lancing beam down at the beast. It parted the fire that covered him, and the beast roared in pain. But she couldn’t tell if it had any real effect.
With a scream that made Cadance cover her ears, the beast slammed its claws into the ground. They sunk in deep, stone bubbling away from their touch.
A few moments later, spiraling jets of emerald magma burst from the ground, spraying liquid death in every direction.
Cadance conjured a protective shield over herself, and each little splash made a searing impact on her mind. She couldn’t keep it up for long under this kind of pressure. She flew higher and higher, until she was out of range of the jets entirely.
This was stupid. She was the Princess of Love, not of asskicking. She needed to figure out another way to reach him.
“Sunburst, please! You mean a lot to me and to Shining Armor. Flurry Heart adores you. You’re practically a part of the family! I know love hurts sometimes. It feels like it’s too much to bear, and the weight of it holds you to the ground. But it doesn’t have to be like that. This is all just because of the Crystal Heart. I know, deep down, you don’t want to do this!”
“You’re wrong!” A flash of light came from above, followed by an incoherent roar. “I despise you, Cadenza! Every minute I spend with you is pure agony! Just die already, and get out of my life!” The beast had teleported above her, and seemed even bigger than before. Its bulk encompassed her, and she plummeted to the ground with it.
A last-minute shield saved her, and when they hit the ground, she shot out sideways, bouncing along the ground like a beach ball. The shield shattered when she slammed into a rock at incredibly unsafe speeds, and she crumpled into a pile of pain.
Cadance tried to flex her wings, and only got agony in response. “It’s just a dream,” she muttered. “My real body is safe and sound.”
Ominous stomps of thunder shook the earth as the beast moved closer and closer. It leaned over her, breath searing and rancid, magma dripping from its fangs like drool. “You know nothing of love, Princess.”
The beast lunged forward, its fangs snapping and ready to end her life.
“That’s enough!”
The beast froze in its tracks, death waiting inches away from Cadance. Out of the corner her eye, she could see Shining Armor, standing proud, ever the hero.
“Let her go, Sunburst.”
The beast flinched backwards and began to shrink, the fire melting away until only Sunburst stood there again. “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to…”
Cadance let out a long sigh of relief.
Shining Armor shook his head and stepped closer to Sunburst, who kept scrambling backwards until he hit a wall. “I’m sorry, man. I totally forgot about you that day. So much so that I didn’t recognize you all these years later. That’s on me.”
Sunburst shook his head, his eyes filled with tears. “I never expected you to remember. I’m not a very memorable guy.”
“That’s not true, and you know it.” Shining Armor put a hoof on Sunburst’s shoulder. “You’re a pretty awesome dude in your own right. I’m sure that with just a little push, we could have been great friends. Even now, I consider you one. But your feelings, of something more? I’m sorry, but I can’t return them.”
“I know,” Sunburst muttered, before bursting into inelegant sobs.
Cadance couldn’t help but smile. Her husband really was a sweetheart.
“So, uh, all's well that ends well, right?” Shining Armor asked.
They all sat together around the Crystal Heart, Luna included. Sunburst kept his eyes glued to the floor the entire time.
“I’m so, so, sorry,” Sunburst said for the thousandth time. “My feelings were supposed to be private secrets. I never meant for them to become a burden on anyone.”
“That’s just the risk you take when your country relies on powerful empathic artifacts.” Cadance shared a snide glance for Shining Armor. “Have I mentioned there’s a great deal on beachside real estate down by Los Pegasus?”
Shining Armor rolled his eyes. “For the last time, we are not moving the entire Crystal Empire.”
Cadance stuck her tongue out at him, then winced. Her whole body ached, even if she had no real lasting effects from her fight in the dreamscape.
Luna snickered, though she didn’t have much to add to the conversation, currently preoccupying herself with entertaining the baby.
Sunburst took a deep breath. “Whatever else, it's clear that I need to go.”
Shining Armor blinked. “Now, when you say go…”
“I mean leave. The Crystal Empire is no place for me anymore. Not after what I’ve done.”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic.” Cadance blew her bangs out of her eyes. “Okay, yeah, it was kind of bad. But we’ve forgiven plenty of others for far worse. Besides. What about Flurry Heart?”
Sunburst winced. “I’ll miss her more than anything else. But this isn’t just about forgiveness. I… I can’t handle it anymore. I need to take time to get over myself, get over my feelings. To get away from you. It’s not healthy, and I don’t trust myself anymore. Consider this my official resignation.”
Luna perked up and nodded. “It took me a thousand years to get over my petty jealousy. You are a strong pony. I am sure you will be able to handle it in far less.”
Shining Armor rubbed at the back of his head. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I respect your reasoning. We’ll miss you. And know that you’re always welcome back anytime.”
“Thank you. For everything. Even with all the pain, this has been one of the best years of my life.” Sunburst gave a weak smile.
Cadance grinned. “Tell us where you’re going, and I can write ahead. I’ve got friends all over Equestria. I might just be able to find a hot, single stud to show you around.”
Sunburst turned a bright scarlet, and everypony laughed.
“Mmm, that’s perfect, dear. A little harder.” Cadance lay stretched out on her bed, all of the tender and sore spots on her back slowly being massaged away by her husband. “You see, this is how I was hoping to spend Hearts and Hooves Day.”
A knock sounded on the door. “Excuse me, miss? There’re more letters here for you,” one of the maids called out.
Shining Armor sighed. “I’ll get it.”
Cadance pouted, but waited patiently for her husband to return. “So, what does my adoring public have to say about me today?”
“Uh…” Dozens of letters floated around the room. “You know how the entire empire just spent a bunch of time suffering the residual nightmare of a guy who was in love with me and super jealous of you?”
“Yeah?”
“I think these are all addressed to me.”
Author's Note
This story rather loosely inspired by the Suruga Monkey arc from the anime Bakemonogatari.
This originally featured in the December writeoff "Has That Always Been There?"
Thanks to Novel-Idea for putting together the coverart. With assets from FavoriteArtMan
Thanks to Kalan for editing, along with Aragon, Sharp Quill, and everyone in the writeoff who reviewed the first draft of this and gave me incredibly valuable feedback.
For the future, I once again have big plans for things. They won't pan out for quite sometime, but y'all should stick around.
