“Okay, you can do this….”

These were the words that Mr. Carrot Cake whispered to himself over and over as he stepped off the train to Canterlot. To say that he was nervous was a gross understatement. It took tremendous effort for him to just move down the main road. It felt like his own body was fighting against him, every step he took his hooves shook, his throat felt dry, and his heart was pounding away in his chest. It has been three weeks since he discovered his wife’s secret album and her infidelity with that other stallion, and even weeks later, it still felt like a terrible nightmare.

He couldn’t believe it, he just couldn’t believe it. His partner, his wife, his life…the living reason he was able to smile every day and have such blissful rests at night. The center of his whole world turned out to be nothing but a lying, cheating, backstabbing slut. He could barley even remember that day. When he discovered the evidence his brain just shut down and his body became numb. Like it was trying to protect him from this cold, bitter reality but no matter how badly he wanted to, he just couldn’t entirely forget about it. Perhaps he didn’t want to.

For the next few days, he couldn’t look at his wide the same way as before. How she would act so cheerful as if nothing was wrong, how she would kiss him on the check and told him she loved him everyday and night, the way she would tend to their foals all motherly, just giving off the picture of innocence. Huh, their foals....he wondered if any of them was actually his. He was fairly certain at least pumpkin cake might be, after all she did have his fur color and he did have SOME unicorn blood in his family so there was at least a chance. but

Pound cake, however….he just looked too different from him or his mother and the explanation he told Pinkie and her friends on why he was a Pegasus seemed sketchy even to him. Sure it was the same reason his own mother told him but he just didn’t know. He didn’t know anything any more. He once looked at his children as his pride and joy, the fruits of his love with Cup Cake. Now all he could do was look at them with competent, a constant living reminder of his wife’s betrayal and to top it off they were twins, how could they have separate fathers? Was she sleeping around with ONLY Captain Armor or were there others?

“No!” He scolded, shaking his head rapidly in an effort to dispel such thoughts. He wouldn’t think like that about his babies, they were innocent in all of this, pure. It wasn’t their fault that they may have been the result of such wickedness. He may not be their biological father but he was still their dad, He was the one who took care of them, change their diapers, made sure they were fed properly and gave them all the love and attention he could muster every chance his got.

He loved them so much and they weren’t going to suffer his ire because of his whore of a wife, but what should he do? What COULD he do? He knew he had to deal with this situation but he just didn’t know how. He never dealt with anything like this before but that is when realization finally came to him. He wasn’t the only victim in all of this, Princess Cadance, bless her soul was just as much a part of this as he was, perhaps even more so. He knew it would only be fair to inform the princess of love about her husbands extra activities. Writing her that letter and send some pictures from that damn album as proof seemed like the best options without revealing to his wife that he knew her secret. He wanted to handle this discreetly for the time being.

It has been two weeks since he had sent that packet, two agonizing weeks. He was starting to wonder if he was even being taken seriously, or worse, she in a fit of rage burned the letters as well as the photographs and in a way to cope decided to act like everything was fine. He knew she didn’t kill herself or anything as drastic as that, even if she ruled the empire to the north, all of Equestria would have been buzzing over such news, she was still one of their beloved princess, but thankfully it seem that none of that was the case.

It was just last night when he was about to close up shop that he received a reply from her, delivered by one of her personal carriers, in the guise of a last minute customer. He made sure to give her some cupcakes and sent her back out so as to not arose suspicion. It was clear that Princess Cadance did not trust regular mail with such sensitive information and wanted her response to be delivered as quickly as possible. That poor Pegasus had to fly non stop from the crystal empire to Ponyville just to deliver one message, sending them off with a bag of free treats was the LEAST he could do. He just wished he could do more.

The message its self was strait-forward enough, find an excuse to go to Canterlot and meet the pink Alicorn at a specific location. They certainly had a lot to talk about. Coming up with an story to tell Cup Cake proved easy enough. He was going to meet one of those fancy ponies up in Canterlot to discuss business, when you think about it, it wasn’t really a lie. She’d just give him one of her fake loving smiles and sent him out with a booklet of their sample and a kiss on the cheek. He made sure to wash his face once he got on the train for the simple touch of her lips now felt like acid on his fur.

Now here he was, walking down one of roads In the Equestrian capital, making sure to follow the instructions the note gave him. His heart beating harder and harder as he got closer to his destination. He wondered what he was going to say when he saw her. Would he try to put up a brave front? Would he break down and weep right there before he could even say ‘hello’ to her? So many thoughts were racing through his mind. He’s waiting to have this meeting for over two weeks and now that he was about to have it he felt like he could have Waited an eternity more, but this had to be done. Both of their significant others have a massive debut to pay. He was just thankful that he wouldn’t have to face this alone.

He finally stopped in front of a small but quaint little restaurant. It wasn’t entirely out of the way from the bigger shops but you did have to look for a bit in order to find it. To his relief he found two crystal guard ponies outside the door standing at attention. It was a sign that he found the right place, but he couldn’t help but wonder why there was no pony else around, it was lunch time after all, the guards took one look at him and nodded towards him allowing him tho pass. It seems they were expecting him.

Once he walked in he looked around and his confusion slightly increased, there was no ponies inside either.

“Ah, Mr. Carrort Cake over here.”

He turned his head and sure enough there she was the princess of love herself, standing tall with a bright smile on her person. She just was just the personification of beauty and elegance. Everything about her just screamed radiance. From her perfectly proportioned feminine form that would make any red blooded stallion stand at attention. Her lushes Muti-colored mane full of volume that seemed to bounce with her slightly movement. Her soft voice that could sooth even the most ferocious manticore. She was even wearing make up but only Celestia knows why, she sure didn’t need it. He was starting to wonder if he should have dressed for this meeting, here she was standing before him in her royal regalia and here he was, in a simple baker apron, and an overly large red and white strip bow tie.

Princess Cadance was every stallions fantasy. Who on this planet or any other would even entertain the notion of cheating when they could have her every night? It was just inconceivable! It was like turning down a kingly feast for dog food. No, that wasn’t really a fair analogy, dog food has at least SOME nutrients.

“Please forgive the circumstances.” She began leading him over to a large corner booth in the main section. “But giving our….situations I felt we should discuss matters privately but I didn’t want it to be TOO suspicious so instead of meeting at the Crystal empire or Ponyville. I felt it would be best to meet at a neutral location so I rented out this entire restaurant for the next 3 hours…..um Mr. Cake?”

Carrot became startled as she spoke his name, apparent he was just staring at her; way longer than what was appropriate. He quickly took off his paper hat and bowed on one hoof, showing respect to a pony of her station. “F-forgive me Princess! I meant no offense!”

Much to his relief, he heard her giggle in delight, instantly the washing away the tension that was building.

“It’s quite alright.” She extended a hoof towards the corner booth. “Please, won’t you join me?”

“OH o-ofcouse Princess.” He place his hat back on his head as he accepted her gracious invitation. Sitting down he saw a couple of menus already placed at the table.

“Order anything you like, it is my treat!”

Carrot quickly nodded as he opened the menu. He had to admit he was rather surprised by the choices within. There seemed selections for all types of ponies, from hay burgers and fries, to expensive dishes for the more fancy ponies. It seems like this place was a jack of all trades. But he wondered if would alright to just go all out. After all wouldn’t It be rude to just order what ever he want? Perhaps he should get something simple like a dandelion sandwich and water.

“What can I get for you two?”

Carrot looked up from his menu to see a leaf-green unicorn waitress standing there, she was rather cute in a girl-next-door kind of way. He opened his mouth to peak but the princess beat him to it.

“Yes!” Cadance began with a hint of excitement in her voice. “I would like a large order of your Mombo, Combo, Jombo, nachos, and a glass of Hopper & Kings Butterscotch Brandy. You know what? Bring the entire bottle with you.”

His jaw dropped onto the table in shock. He couldn’t believe what the princess just order, he saw a picture of those nachos when he was flipping through the menu and it just looked like a heart attack waiting to happen, and on top of that she was going to drink? It was still noon. He barley managed to close his mouth just as the waitress finish taking down the order who currently was sporting a knowing smirk.

The pink Alicorn turned her attention back over to him and smirked. “What? I use to eat here all the time when I was younger and those nachos were always my favorite.”

“um….o-ofcourse, fair enough your highness. Uhh.” He went back down to his own menu giving it a quick scan, mentally cursing himself for taking so long to make up his mind.

“I told you before Mr. Cake. Order anything you like. Don’t hold back on my account. I would feel insulted if you did.”

He finally let out a sigh and closed the menu. Screw it, there was no point on being modest, He knew the reason they were both here so he might as well cut loose a little. He turned to the waitress and made his order. “Give me a shot of Hard Cider…..The Grogar’s cut, Three hay burgers and 3 large fries.”

“Bring him the entire bottle as well....”

The waitress nodded as she jotted down the order before taking the menus and got to work on their drinks.

Once she was out of earshot, Princess Cadance’s smile melted away and her face became serious. She leaned forward slightly and look directly into his eyes. “Alright Mr. Cake, now it's just us. seriously, How are you?”

Just like that, his pleasant demeanor turned to sorrow, it was like he removed a face mask and was now revealing the real pony underneath and he looked just awful. His eyes were drooped and filled with sadness, there were several more winkles making him look older than he actually was, and his ears fell down. He didn’t seem to have the strength to even keep his head level.

He didn’t say anything until the waitress brought over their drinks, looking at the poor station she decided to fix his drink first. She place the shot glass in front of him and poured the liquid into it. The rest of the bottle didn’t even hit the table before the first shot went down his throat. After the princess had her drink set up the waitress went back to do some cleaning while their meals were being cooked in the kitchen.

“No Princess Cadance.” He said after taking his third shot. “The truth is I am far from alright.”

The Pink Alicorn gently reached out and place a gentle hoof on top of his own, letting him know that she was here to listen.

“I mean, all I could think about for weeks was ‘How could she do this to me? To us?!”. He paused briefly so he could down another shot. “I mean, When I think of all the good times we had together. All the wonderful experiences we had when we were younger. I mean we did everything together, we shared everything together. She seemed just so……so….so perfect. She was smart, pretty, a real talent for baking. She had lots of wonderful ides about business and she had a way with ponies. I….”

He had to pause for a moment, he was letting his emotions getting the best of him before he could even speak on them. His voice was rising and it seemed like he was going to scream at the princess, almost like he was blaming her for everything that has happened. He was going to have to calm down if he was going to get his thoughts out properly. After another shot he was able to continue but this time in a more even tone.

“She was my world princess. We stared that bakery from practically nothing. We both had to work hard just to save up enough money for the down payment on the properly. I mean, we aren’t wealthy by any stretch of the word, but it was basically a rags to riches story and we did it together, us Carrot and Cup Cake together in life, together in strife, together in love, but now……”

His face screeched up as his emotions were threatening to once again overwhelm him. He decided to do away with the tiny glass and drink strait form the bottle. It was strong stuff but the previous method of drinking wasn’t working fast enough for him.

“Now……..now all I can think about is what could I have possibly done to cause her to do this?” A sob managed to escaped his lips. The princess quickly scooted closer to him and gently brought him into a comforting embrace, wrapping one of her wings around him. His head was pressed against her chest and her fur was softer than any pillow he rested on before but that mattered little right now.

“I keep thinking back on my life. From the first time I started dating her to now and I try to think of all the mistakes I’ve made that would cause her to…to whore her self out like that, and I can’t think of anything.” He felt Cadance’s wing gently rubbing his back in an effort to sooth him. “I mean, I know I am not perfect, not by a long shot but I try princess. I know I am just a simple baker, just an earth pony. I am not the handsome stud that can just make a mare swoon with just a glance and a wink but, I try my best every day for her because I want to be better for her. I swear I tried princess.”

He raised his head up, tears running through his face and his teeth clench in a vain attempt to make the pain stop, his face a picture of torment. He looked at the princess desperate for an answer.

“What should I do Princess? Please, help me. I just don’t know what to do anymore……please help me.”

The princess of love gave him a look of sympathy and gently raise a hoof to the back of his head and gentle stroke it. Tears of her own threatening to release themselves over his pain, but even though they were at the edge she held them back because right now He needed HER to be strong for him just like Sombra was for her. “For now Mr. Cake, You don’t have to do anything expect let it out. I am right here for you. Just…let it all out.”

His grip on her tighten as he buried his face back into her chest and let loose all of his sadness upon her. Cadance looked up to see the waitress bring out a cart full of food. It seems their order was ready but with one look at the scene before her she nodded to the princess and we back to the kitchen to allow them their privacy.

After what felt like hours he finally felt strong enough to remove himself away from the princess, he felt a tissue enter his hoof and proceeded to wipe his eyes and blow his nose into it. Once his vision was clear and his mind was calm again, he saw his handiwork on her chest and blushed from embarrassment.

“O..Oh I am so sorry princess! Let me…let me you clean up!” In a near panic he quickly looked around the restaurant for tissues, napkins anything he could use to clean up the mess he made. He was about to call for the waitress when Cadance stopped him.

“It is alright Mr. Cake. No harm was done.” She closed her eyes and her horn lit up with magic and after a few moments her chest fur looked just as plush and fluffy as before. It was like he didn’t cry a half an hours worth of tears and snout on her. “A simple cleaning spell and good as new.”

Carrot Cake felt sheepish

After he got himself settled back in his seat, the waitress came in, bringing their food with her. She quickly did her job on setting up their orders without saying a word but before she left to go in the back, she gently put a hoof on his shoulder and gave him a light smile. Letting him know that ‘things were going to get better.’ That was all he needed to let him know that she saw him weeping like a foal earlier but somehow he didn’t really mind. He needed to let it out and as a result was feeling better, but there was one thing that was bothering him.

“Princess if you don’t mind me asking, how come you are not a wreck like me? I have to admit when I came here I thought it was going to be me that would have to be comforting you. Not the other way around.”

The Alicorn couldn’t help give a delicate enigmatic laugh, which only left him perplexed.

“Oh, I was quite the wreck when I read your letter and saw the photos you sent me. In fact, I am impressed you were able to handle it all as well as you have up to this point. I was so completely devastated that I went out and did something nearly self destructive without even fully realizing I was doing it.”

Carrot had a look of surprise, he wanted to know what exactly happened but his better judgement won out. “So….what changed?”

The earth pony watch as the princess turned her head and looked out the window towards the beautiful near cloudless sky. It was a calm yet far off look, her eyes seem to carry a sense of longing, if he didn’t know better….

“I followed your advice Mr. Cake.” She turned her head to look back at him and gave him a gentle smile. “I found some pony I could trust or perhaps I should say they found me.”

Before he could question further, he again felt her hoof on top of his own in a comforting gesture.

“Now I am here to let you now that you can trust me and together we will deal with this situation our spouses put us in.”

Carrot Cake swallowed hard and nodded, It seems they were now coming to the core of the whole entire meeting, He sat still and waited with bated breath to hear her plan on how he should punish his treacherous wife when he confronts her.

“I have been thinking long and hard about this for a while and I have reach the conclusion that you should divorce Cup Cake.”

“Wha-“ She seemed to have expected his reaction, as she raised a hoof to stop him from continuing. He was upset and rightly so, in his letter he wrote that they shouldn’t divorce their spouses as this would only give them freedom to rut each other with Impunity. What kind of punishment was that? However, despite himself he held his tongue, after all he wasn’t he only victim and she was the princess so the least he could do is hear her out but boy oh boy her explanation better be a good one.

“I know what you must be thinking Mr. Carrot Cake, and while I do agree in you letter that Shining Armor and Mrs. Cup Cake should be punished; keeping them legally married to us is not the way to go about it. Don’t worry they will be punished for what they did to us but we have to go about it a certain way, we have to look at the big picture not just one aspect of it.”

Carrot had to admit to be a little intrigue over what she just said, her calm demeanor showed that she was rather sure on this course of action. He didn’t feel as annoyed but he was still rather anxious to hear what she has to say. “Alright Princess. I am all ears.”

The princess of love nodded her head before continuing on.

“While I understand your reasoning for keeping them bound to us, It is not the right way to go about things. it won’’t be what is best to the parties that matter namely you and me. The fact is that, even if we do stay married to our back stabbing partners, it wouldn’t really change anything. I have seen these types of ponies before and these ponies don’t really change. Oh they might feel terrible at first, they might actually try to make a genuine effort to change but in the end they will go back to rutting each other brains out. And the reason they will relapse back into this habit is a rather simple one.

……it’s like a drug.”

Carrot felt his heart stop for a moment as the final word penetrated his ears. It was like his body was turned to stone, he couldn’t bring himself to talk, or even move for that matter…all he could do was listen.

“If a pony actually has the taste for that kind of thing, then the act of betraying somepony who loves you dearly could be a thrill that only the most potent of illegal substance could match, even surpass.”

He watched as Cadance used her magic to bring up a small satchel that was previously placed under the table. After opening it she took out one of the photos he sent to her 3 weeks ago and placed it on the table before him, it was one he knew quite well. It was the photo marked ‘Best Daddy’ and it was just like the last time he saw it. His wife in the later stage of her pregnancy, bent over with that bastard Shining Armor rutting away at her.

“As you know, this photo was taken when your wife was pregnant with the twins, but look at my husband.” She paused a moment so that he could reluctantly shift his yes towards the white stallion. “He is wearing the crystal empire royal guard helmet that I had custom made for his birthday. This photo just oozes of ‘mockery’ and ‘cheap thrill’. The title it’s self is a huge clue.”

It was true, Oh how he hated that fact but he couldn’t deny it. He had spent weeks mentally tearing himself apart trying to figure out what he had done wrong but the answer was literally right in front of him the entire time. It was all just a sick bucking game to them, a damn power fantasy and they played right into it, hell the photographs themselves were proof of this, each one bearing a title to commemorate every sinful union like a ‘greatest hits album.” He couldn’t help but be mad at himself for not seeing this sooner, He saw literally dozens of pictures of these two in that damn album and he didn’t have slightest clue yet she was able to deduce it all with just four. Oh Luna, how could he have been be so stupid?

He then place an elbow on the table and leaned his head against the hoof, looking out at nothing, deep in thought. Taking a huge swig from the bottle.

“I see you are beginning to understand. I am sorry to inform you Mr. Cake but keeping your wife around would just be a mistake for two reason. The first being it wouldn’t really solve anything because like I said before. It is like a potent drug and they are addicted to it. They might feel bad for being caught, make all kinds of empty promises and like I said before, they might actually make a real effort to change their ways but in the end they will relapse. Why? Because they have been doing this for so long, the addiction would be just too strong. One could say it is not a part of their very identity.

In hindsight I realized that when I was pregnant with Flurry heart, I should have suspected that something was off about your wife. Cup Cake when out of her way to befriend me during that time. A pony that she didn’t even really know. All those false smiles, mare to mare talks, days at the spa. During that time we were nearly inseparable, and my husband was always there though every step.” Her own demeanor cracked a little as a twinge of sadness escaped her eyes. “I didn’t think anything of it at the time but he always had this smile that seemed kind of….off. I come to realize now that he was just absolutely revealing in this twisted game of theirs.”

While he continued to soak in her words, He found it rather curious that she took the time to pick up a smothered nacho with her hoof instead of her magic and popped it into her mouth. What pony with magic would take the time to willingly eat with their hooves unless they had no other choice in the matter? Well, it didn’t really seem important, she was the princess after all who was he to tell her how she should eat?

“mmmm….” She sighed in pleasure as she finished swallowing the first bite. “Now I wonder if she really was that good an actress or was I really just that naive……Perhaps a bit of both….but.”

She took another moment to pop a few more nachos in her mouth rather messily but the excess cheese was quickly removed thanks to a nearby napkin.

“My point is that if you keep that marriage going, you are dooming yourself to a cycle of self-loathing and constant betrayal. They've already proven that if they REALLY want to meet up together for a romp, they will. That is not what is best, even if you are still harboring feelings for your wife. You have to do what is best for you and the best thing for you to do…..” She pause to give him a bright smile worthy of a princess such as her. “……Is to cut that turd loose!”

Despite the seriousness of the conversation he could help but laugh out loud at that bit of sick humor. He half expected Princess Luna to say something blunt like that but the fact that it was the princess of love who said it made it even funnier to him. Oh how it felt so good to laugh again. They both took this time to begin eating, the food has been sitting there for a while and now that he was more loosen up he find himself rather hungry.

“But wait, what about our foals? Shouldn’t they grow up with a mommy?” He asked once he finished the first of his hey burgers. While he agreed that a divorce would be for the best, he did have little ones to think about. He had to consider them as well.

The Princess was half ways through her plate before she wiped her mouth again, once again she had that look of 'I expected you to ask me that.' But this time he was more open to it.

“While you do make a good point Mr. Cake, that however is a mistake that too many couples do in this day and age. Even if they downright despise each other they will stick it out for their foals, and while some couples can made it work through such an arrangement, even actually come to love each other again. However, in this particular case my response will have to be the same. You divorcing Mrs. Cake would still be the best thing for them and for you. You have to understand that it is not enough to just be together and pretend to like each other in front of them, only to turn around and fight loudly with each other behind closed doors. No, What foals really need is to grow up in an environment of happiness and love.

Perhaps one of the worse things that a foal to experience while growing up is to dwell in a home where their parents hate each other and constantly fight. Think about about it Mr. Cake. If you were to remain with your wife, sticking it out for the foals, knowing what you know now. How long could you honestly last before the two of you would begin jumping down each other throats?”

He stopped eating, now only looking down at his food, pondering the question. He remembered those three weeks being absolute torture, pretending nothing was wrong while his wife went about her day without a care in the world save for baking. On more than one occasion, it took all the will power he had not to strangle that cheating slut right there in front of their foals and everypony who happened to be in their bakery at the time. With a sigh of defeat he moved his head in acknowledgment.

“Exactly, for a foal such an upbringing is worth than the deepest pits of Tartarus. The truth is Mr. Cake you have an opportunity here, your little ones are still just foals in diapers, they can’t fully comprehend what is going on right now. You have a chance to give them and yourself a fresh start while they are so young. Of course they will be sad at first about ‘mommy’ being gone but it will quickly fade because they are so young and when they are old enough to truly understand it, THEN you tell them the full story.

I don’t know if your wife has been with any other stallions besides my husband, perhaps none of the foals in your home are biologically yours, but I can tell you this, you are their true father. You were there when they were born, you were there to change their diapers, to feed them late at night. You were there every step of the way. Not some random stallion, not my husband…You. And as their true father don’t you think it is time to give them the best you have to offer? Isn’t it time to do what is best for yourself as well as them?”

She was right, by Luna she was right. Remaining with cupcake would do nopony any good, especially his foals. He wouldn’t subject them to that kind of environment, not if he had anything to say about it. Determination filled his eyes as he look firmly at the princess. “Yes, I understand…..but we can’t just let them get away with what they are done. We can’t just let them roam free and not suffer some kind of consequence of their actions.”

The Princess’s calm expression didn’t change but he did notice mischievous gleam in her eye that disappeared as quickly as it came. It was in that moment that he felt a cold shiver run down his body.

“Oh we won’t, I already have taken steps on how we can take our ungrateful partners to task. Ironically, with this sick game that they have been playing on us for years, their greatest strength is also their greatest weakness. They may not have realize it, but by doing this they both back themselves into a serious corner, one that we can exploit.”

“But what do you have in mind? Is it going to be the same plan for both cupcake and your husband?” Carrot rub his chin in thought as he tried to see if he could figure out what she could be planning. He must admit, she seemed so confidence in her words that he couldn’t help but feel a sliver of hope in his chest. He gave her a small glance to find that she tilted her head, it seems she was best thinking on how to answer that question.

“Similar, The dealing with my soon to be former husband is going to require some preparations and extra steps, but luckily it will run in conjuncture with my plan for you.” She gave a sad but determined face. She reached a hoof right and placed it on top of his shoulder. “So, Once we are finished here, I will go back with you to Ponyville and together we will confront your wife about it all.”

Carrot Cake immediately froze, He couldn’t believe what he just heard. Confront his wife? So soon? He just came to terms that he had to leave her and was still trying to take it all in, but here is the princess suggesting he face her as soon as he get back to Ponyville. “B-But...”

He was once again cut off, as the pink Alicorn shakes her head firmly.

“I know what you must be thinking, ‘how can you expect me to confront my wife about this so soon’?” The grips she had on his shoulder slightly tightened but didn’t hurt at all. It was more reassuring than anything. “Mr. Cake, listen to me. You are a wonderful stallion and you know this has to happen but the longer you delay this, even if it’s one more day, it will just be one more day where you are unhappy, It will be one more day that your foals are exposed to a sham marriage, and it will be one more day where your wife will be on top of the world thinking she continued to pull the wool over your eyes. You have to do this immediately, the longer you take the harder it will be. Don’t worry, I will be right there with when we confront her.”

He lowered his head and let out a bitter sigh, just like before he had to concede. Even though he knew this was something he had to do, he was already loosing his nerve to do it. He needed this done, there was no way he could begin to heal if he waited even a second longer than necessary, Thank the goddess that he wasn’t going to be alone when he face his whorse of a wife. “….Alright….”

“I’m Proud of you Carrot.” The princess firmly nodded and removed her hoof. He found himself removed from his thoughts and looked up at her to find her giving him a bright, almost motherly smile. This was the first time since he arrived that she didn’t attach the title of ‘Mr.’ to his name.

“Now before we confront your wife directly, there are two ponies who I feel we absolutely MUST inform before hoof. Applejack and Pinkie Pie.”

He couldn’t help but be a little flabbergasted when he heard the two names. Why would they tell those two ponies first? Pinkie Pie kinda made sense, after all she lived in the shame home as him and would find out about it sooner or later but he figured it was best to hear the explication strait from the princess. “Um? First off, why do we tell Pinkie Pie. Is it because she is staying at my house?”

“That is part of it yes. But….” Hey eyes soften and gave him a knowing smirk. “That is not the main reason we should tell her before we talk to your wife.”

Carrort could feel his entire face burn as he felt his heart pounding in his chest. Oh no….

“Y….You know? Wait, Of course you now. You are the princess of love after all.”

Princess Cadaence let out a playful giggle over his reaction and despite himself he couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“It’s true….I’ve…been having feelings for Pinkie for a while now.” He let out a sigh as he turned slightly to looked out the near by window. His body seemed to relax almost like a burden that he was carrying was finally being lifted off his shoulders. “She is just so…happy. Full of energy and life, no matter how bad you feel she would go out of her way just to make you smile…..Not to mention she is really cute.”

He paused for a moment, it was just so weird to say this all out loud. After passing down these feelings for so long it actually felt nice to just talk about it. “The only thing that stopped me before was the love for my wife. I mean, just the thought of cheating on her even with a mare as wonderful as pinkie pie made me sick to my stomach. It wasn’t fair to her and it certainly wouldn’t be fair to Pinkie Pie. I just…..I just couldn’t do that to either of them.”

“Carrot…” He turned his attention away from the window and looked back at the princess. “I understand, that is why when you talk to Pinkie about this, you hold nothing back. Don’t just tell her what your wife been doing behind your back all these years, but you also tell her your true feelings for her. She should know exactly how you feel about her and make sure to be clear. Lay out your soul to her and even if she doesn’t accept your feelings, take comfort in the knowledge that in spite of everything you made an honest attempt. So with the trying times head you can at least trust each other, for you will have no secrets between you.”

“Y..yeah, I-I will, I will tell her everything.” He barely noticed it but that gleam appeared ever so briefly in her eye again. Also like she knew something else but wasn’t going to tell him. “Um…and Applejack? She doesn’t have anything to do with this. Why do we involve her?”

Cadance took a sip of the brandy and nodded more to herself than to him.

“While you are initially correct, she doesn’t have any direct connection to any of this. There is something about her that we will both need as we move forward in this and that is because she is the Element of Honesty.” She paused for a moment to allow him to sink in the information. “Thanks to her connection to that element, she can tell when a pony is lying, and when we confront your wife with what she has been doing, I imagine she will try to be angry at you, lie to you, try to give you false apologies, or perhaps try to spin this so it is all your fault instead of her. Ponies like her and my husband have a certain level of deception and manipulation in their arsenal….they have to in order to pull off something like this for so long and be successful. Applejack would quickly be able to expose her in her lies and false accusations and since she is the element of honesty, her word is ironclad and Mrs. Cake will soon come to the realization that she won’t have a hoof to stand on for her actions.”

Cadance use her magic to lift up the photograph she placed on the table earlier and presented it to him. “And Ironically the two of them gave us the evidence we will need to convince her, and though she can be quite stubborn she is also one of the most dependable of ponies in all of Equestria. I am confidence that she will help us with both our situations because that is just the type of mare she is. A loyal friend.”

With her magic still active she place the photo back in the satchel and loop the strap over her person as she begin to leave the booth. It seems that she was done eating and was ready to get started, which was alright because he was done as well, though he made sure to take one last shot of liquid courage before he too left the booth. He was taken aback as he witness the princess produce a large bag of bits and place then on the table. He just stared large sum of money, not because of the size because with her being princess of the crystal empire, money should be no object, He was just wondering where the buck she was keeping that all this time. He swear if he lived to be 100 he would never understand magic.

He shook his head rapidly to end that train of thought it wasn’t relevant. Following her out of the restaurant, A small smile wormed it’s way onto his features as he watch her, she was just so confident and sure of her self.

“I don’t know how you do it?”

She didn’t break her stride but she turned her head slightly to look back at him out of the corner of her eye. “Oh?”

“Yeah, I mean here we are about to face my wife and I am a nervous wreck, but you….you seem so calm. I just don’t know how you do it.”

As the Princess of love opened the door and took her first steps outside, she couldn’t help but to unleash a wide smile. A smile that literally took his breath away.

"It’s because….I’m Happy.”

Author's Note

I hope you all enjoyed this installment of the story so far. Thank you for your support, it really makes it worth wild.

Sorry for the mistake I am still on the look out for a proof reader/editor.

The next chapter will be up soon and we will see Princess Cadance confront Shining Armor in a 'special' way.

Thank you all and see you next time!