Twilight was trying her best to pay attention to the words she was meant to be typing into the computer before her eyes. It wasn’t the most momentous memo she’d ever written in her life, but this sort of thing was her job. She should be more attentive than the current amount she was willing to sacrifice for its sake. There were plenty of reasons to be proud of her work, to take care and make efforts to do her best.

But God help her, she couldn’t make the slightest effort now. When there was enough shame to flood a city somehow all stored within her tiny body, paying attention to something as stupid as work seemed a little useless. But how could she be ashamed when there was so much frustration that needed to be sorted out also? It wasn’t like she didn’t have reason to be aggravated, after all; her initial reaction had been right on the nose! Cadance needn’t have reacted so poorly even if- well, maybe it hadn’t been said in the most cordial of manners. And then came her reply to Cadance’s overreaction, and then it had descended into an actual argument, and then she’d said- said-

The frustration, ingrained sense of egotism that never faded from any soul no matter their maturity, demanded that she continue her self-righteous tirade. Cadance shouldn’t have overreacted; but it wasn’t like Twilight had helped soothe her fretting spirit. And how she’d finished their argument…

The studious woman let an unhappy sigh escape her spirit and stream into the world, too distant from her bride to have even a hope of immediate reconciliation and leaving her with little option than but to stew in her disappointment. In the grand scheme of things, they probably hadn’t been married for all that long- at least compared to some. But she knew Cadance intimately, and her words had been summoned so as to best inflict a wound; no matter the circumstances, that was unacceptable behavior. Never, ever should she seek satisfaction in the intentional hurting of the one she loved.

Twilight returned to her work and tried to lose herself in the flurry of keystrokes she dealt, a hollowed pit in her stomach settling in for the long day. It would be many hours to go before she saw Cadance again, able to try and correct her all-too-willful mistake. Best that she simply keep focused on the long list of tasks ahead than spend more time moping. And this work was important; Celestia had wanted a directive sent out for the school regarding the upcoming holiday schedule, a few key reminders and celebrations that awaited both staff and student body. She was close to done, but just couldn’t quite figure how she wanted to word that last sentence. Something about it just didn’t seem right to her, but heaven knew if she’d be able to know just what.

A knock on the door came, gentle raps against thick wood; Twilight glanced up and recognized the silhouette immediately. “Come in,” she called.

The luster of her locks had faded in recent years, that resplendent sheen she’d once possessed muted and dulled by the wearings of time. Her eyes still shone bright with that gleam of humor, but the lines beneath them were filling in and becoming stark. There were wrinkles where she’d once been smooth, and small sags in a form that had always been kept slender and shapely. But the smile Celestia so often wore had no dulled edge or strain upon it, her sharp mind and gentle heart having only become more so as her years continued to mind. She’d been a wonderful boss to Twilight for years now as well as a dear friend. It had been one of the easiest decisions of her life to succeed Luna in her role as Vice-Principal; when this wonderful person was with whom she worked and worked for, why would she ever want to leave?

Too slow to change her expression to something less drab, Celestia’s sharp gaze caught sight of her friend’s morose visage and zeroed in. “You were in a grumpy mood this morning, too,” she remarked as she entered Twilight’s office. “What’s on your mind?”

“It’s nothing,” Twilight answered, unwilling to bear testimony of her mistakes just yet. “Here, I’m almost done with that memo, I just… something about this last sentence feels off to me, can you take a look?”

“You can just send it to me and I’ll take care of it,” Celestia said. “Thank you for getting that done, I know it’s not really your usual fare.”

Twilight shrugged. “It’s no big deal. You asked me to help.”

Celestia bit her lip to hold back her laughter; Twilight did her best to avoid receiving any compliment that flew anywhere near her general direction, a humility that was always on the verge of becoming self-deprecation. “You could just say ‘you’re welcome’ and let it be,” the older woman teased. “It won’t hurt you to take a compliment, I promise.”

“I’m not trying to do anything, I just… did what you asked me to do!” She couldn’t fathom why this woman was being so insistent about something so small, the silliness of it enough to bring a small, incredulous smile to her face.

Her employer, however, seemed only spurred on by her denial. “And it’s very much appreciated. That’s all! You don’t even have to say anything if you don’t want to,” Celestia said. “Is something really on your mind right now, Twilight? I’m being serious.”

How much did she want to say aloud? This wasn’t a person she wanted to lie to. “A little- I mean… yeah. Why?”

It was the honest answer, albeit still vague. A trickle had revealed itself, the first sign that a damn was set to burst. “Because you’ve looked miserable and your smile just a bit ago was the first I’ve seen on your face all day and it’s almost noon. You OK?”

“I…” Her pride was getting in the way of healing, the venom begging to be drained from her seeping wound. Why be so proud when Celestia had been such a source of wisdom? “We had a fight. And I messed up.”

Celestia closed the door behind her and took a seat in the corner chair, sliding down to a more relaxed position so as to better listen. This was not a workplace conversation but chatter between friends, and courtesy dictated she act as such.

“I… so she might not really want me to say a lot about it,” Twilight hesitated, “But she’s… Cadance had to start using some hair coloring earlier this year, and it’s sort of- you know how she is. Likes to moan about how she’s getting old, wants to say she’s ugly and withered up.”

Three years Cadance’s senior and plenty experienced in the realms of an aging body, the same mindset taking root in another brought a smirk. Hardly fun, and easy to make one feel decrepit; of course Twilight’s bride struggled against it when her beauty had remained untarnished for so long. “Even though she’s clearly fine, I’m assuming is your thought on this?”

“Of course! You’ve seen her, it’s ridiculous to think anything else,” Twilight replied. “I’m forty, it’s not like I’m faring a whole lot better, either. She looks amazing, it’s just what happens. But she gets so worked up about stupid stuff like that and it gets her frustrated and she starts moaning, and…” She held her tongue and could only groan, the memory of what had transpired next still burning fierce against her mind. “She was fussing about some gray hair- or something stupid like that, and… I told her to stop whining and not let it bother her-”

“Oh no.”

“And she snapped back saying it was easy for me cause I was still pretty, and it just got worse and worse and… and I got up to leave as I called her a- a miserable old bat,” Twilight confessed, the last three words leaving a horrid sting with their departure.

Celestia groaned aloud, amazed that her demure, tranquil friend could ever have the gall to say something so intentionally callous. “Twilight, come on!”

“I know,” Twilight groaned.

“Why’d you even say that? You know that was going to make her feel even worse.”

“I was frustrated! I was right when I said she should stop whining- she’s beautiful, even if she doesn’t think so.”

“And that’s how you chose to deal with it?” Celestia seemed genuinely shocked by the admission, intentional cruelty such a clash with the gentlehearted Twilight she’d known for years; this woman had once been one of her school’s counselors, for heaven’s sake! “Twilight, I understand being frustrated, but there are betters ways of getting Cadance to stop being down on herself!”

“I know, jeez! I’m not stupid, I’m just… an idiot.” Yet again feeling the pricklings of frustration within her skull, the spectacled beauty found herself trying to best explain herself. She was so ashamed of her actions, yet no one seemed to understand that she’d only had the best intentions. “Why should I let Cadance lie to herself like that?”

“It’s not about what Cadance was saying. You just helped make her feel worse,” Celestia said. “If she was upset, why didn’t you try and talk her out of it?”

“Because she’s like this all the time. She’s always trying to say how old and awful she looks,” Twilight explained. “I don’t know if she’s fishing for compliments or just is down on herself like she’s so good at doing. I don’t want her to talk about herself like that because it hurts me, too.”

“There. There’s how you get her to stop. That’s what you should have started with,” Celestia said, the solution seemingly so obvious to her that she couldn’t understand why a mind such as Twilight’s hadn’t seen it first. “I just- Twilight, I just don’t get it. That’s not like you at all.”

“I- I know. I know, I know,” Twilight snapped, her frustration only mounting as the chiding continued. “I get it. I just don’t know why you’re saying that it’s OK for Cadance to bad-mouth herself and me do nothing.”

“I’m not saying that, I’m just- just…” Celestia’s argument sputtered and the woman sank her face into her hands, a deep, slow intake of breath arriving before just as slowly departing her aging frame. “Twilight, you have no idea how much I wish I had your problems.”

Twilight felt her breath take a small catch, the unexpected words jostling her out of her current mood. There was intensity in Celestia’s voice, a sorrow in her grief so strong that there may well be bitterness within it. All her life she had seen this woman as an unflappable, unbreakable paragon of serenity. She held joy in her heart, laughter quick to come to life on her tongue- yet here she was, displaying a painful, palpable hurt that had been buried so deep.

Celestia returned from the depths of her palms and upon her face was the same distress that burned in her voice, looking about as though trying to find comfort in the midst of the moment. “I just… I wanted so badly to get married. It was something I dreamed of when I was a girl. And now look at me,” she said, a small wave of a bare hand to the empty world that surrounded her in a school to which she had dedicated so much of her life. “So much for that dream.”

It was an intimate confession, unexpected and definitely heartfelt. “Celestia, I never knew-”

“It was easier when Luna was still around. I could be a fun aunt for Nova,” Celestia continued, “be a good sister to Luna finally. But it’s just… it’s all so quiet now.” There was a hearty sniff that came soon after, a glistening on those jeweled eyes. “I’m happy for you, Twilight. God help me, I am so happy for you both. You’re the only family I’ve got here. And you just- you have a good life, you actually married the girl you always dreamed of- and Cadance is happy! She’s actually happy because of you, Twilight, not just always seeking something to keep her from being bored or being afraid of something. I know it’s not the way you thought it would be, but you’re actually happy and you’ve got a good life and just-” Celestia’s voice reached its breaking point, a choking sob blocking further words from adding to the spill as the aggrieved woman looked about for something to help her recenter.

Twilight wasn’t sure what she meant by it all; just the fact that this tirade had come at all was shocking enough. She’d always known Celestia to be contented with her lot, no matter the circumstance. But the passion with which she spoke ran deep, suggesting that perhaps she had deferred her own desires for so much of her life and found out that she very well might do just that for the rest of it, too. Reflecting on her own path, Twilight wondered just how little would have to change for her to have ended up walking down the same road- and found her heart twisting in sympathy.

“I would give anything to know what that feels like,” Celestia mumbled, her voice returning in the shape of a low, unhappy crawl. “But I can’t. So I’m really glad you do, and just- be gentle with each other, Twilight. OK? You and Cadance are on the same side.”

She didn’t know what to say in the face of such words beyond a mere nod. Twilight felt almost ashamed that she had even been able to witness it, the admission of such a private, despairing daydream from someone she so deeply admired a strange amalgamation of sorrow and guilt. She’d been so fortunate over the years to have enjoyed life and love with Cadance, the thought of her presence absent from her life unimaginable. She and her gentlehearted bride had shaped the world of one another more powerfully than any other could ever hope to match; the thought of such wonders and joys never occurring were bonechilling.

“Thank you for getting that memo done, Twilight. I’ll let you get back to whatever else you need to do.” Celestia gave her body a vigorous shake and wiped away the salt streaks from her face, trying to regain the serene, professional demeanor she always seemed to possess. Looking down at her companion with a smile, she said, “Sorry for taking up your time.”

“Thanks for listening,” Twilight replied in a voice so quiet that she was surely unheard, watching as her mentor and friend stepped out the door and into the halls, shoulders sagging from the weight of years spent in a painful loneliness.

Twilight was surprised to see that she was the last one home, Cadance’s car already in its place within the garage and devoid of activity. Considering their previous arguments, she’d expected to arrive to an empty nest as her bride tended to linger rather than returning to the scene of the accident. Just how was this going to go when she was the one who would have to intrude?

“Just apologize, for goodness’ sake,” Twilight muttered, the answer painfully obvious. “You screwed up, you hurt her feelings, and you just plain botched it. So own up to it!” It would have to be a genuine apology, too; they’d both long ago decided that the halfhearted “Sorry you were offended” or its ilk were disingenuous and only added to the hurt; only utmost honesty would remedy this ill.

There was a clatter of noise in the kitchen that suggested Cadance’s presence, slow footsteps trodding across linoleum as the microwave hummed in the background. Twilight found herself wondering if she’d taken the last of the white chili; that had been hers to eat, not- well. Perhaps it didn’t matter after all, considering things. It was too unimportant a thing to be mad about, anyway.

She found the beautiful woman shoulders-deep into the fridge, Cadance’s lovely figure sagging with weariness that came from both within and without. As she retreated from the cool interior with a bag of cheese in hand, Cadance took note of present company and eyes hardened at the sight of Twilight standing there, a frown immediately growing on her features.

Not the best beginning to a necessary conversation, but it could have been worse. Standing there at the threshold with lunch bag in hand, the brilliant woman knew she’d have to be the one who got the ball rolling. “Hey,” she said.

“Hey.” Cadance’s tone was guarded, spirit prepared to guard against further injury. Not unjustifiable, considering circumstances.

A small shuffle of her feet. “So… I, uh- I wanted-”

Cadance knew exactly to where her bride led and stopped their travel down the road before it could begin. “No,” she said flatly, promptly turning her back on Twilight and returning to the preparation of her meal.

So that was how she was going to behave? It had been all day, how could she still be so willingly angry about this? It wasn’t like Twilight wanted to add more salt to the wound, she had wanted to see it made right! “Oh come on, I just was gonna say that I’m-”

She felt the same prickling in her mind and that deep, innate desire to become angry. Here she went again, unconsciously becoming the aggressor. If she continued to speak, then it would only make things worse; as much as Twilight wished otherwise, the only choice she could make that would not continue this bitterness further would be to let Cadance run out of steam. But oh, how difficult that choice was! Biting her tongue, hand still balled into a fist as she pushed back against her desire to speak. She could even feel Cadance’s hardened gaze upon her as she struggled, waiting for the moment when her beloved would lash out and reignite their feud.

A slow, deliberate exhalation of breath and the tranquil beauty remained as such; she would not act yet, not until Cadance was ready to listen. Forcing the issue was not the way to solve this, much as Twilight didn’t like it. “OK, then,” she managed, “nevermind for now. I’m gonna go take a shower.”

It wasn’t the expected course of action, Cadance raising an eyebrow at her spouse’s willful hold upon her temper. There had been many more reasons to believe their fight would continue, seeing as each of them could be so persistent. This truce wasn’t their usual form. “OK.”

Few words were said for the rest of the evening, even if the beautiful couple occupied the same room. Small glances would pass by, quick flickers and gestures towards one another that would amount to nothing. Awkwardness reigned- at least in Twilight’s eyes. She so desperately wanted to be back in Cadance’s good graces and see their usual comfort restored. But she was the perpetrator, not the victim; it would only be by her bride’s will that this matter be resolved, and this time she would not push. After all, it would only wound the both of them if she made matters worse.

Nightime and the call for slumber was a relief for them both, the two quietly retreating back to the bedroom one after another. Twilight wondered if she should have gone to bed first and allow Cadance the chance to fully ignore her. Or was giving her the opportunity to possess the bed first the better choice? It was just as likely that she was overthinking this and neither was wrong in of itself.

But then again, was even going to sleep in the same bed a good idea, or would Cadance find it as a cavalier disregard of her own feelings? The amount of choices she could screw up here! Twilight half-expected to receive a reprimand as she slid in beneath the bedsheets and picked up her book, yet found herself only receiving silence as Cadance played Sudoku on her tablet. Perhaps she wasn’t doing everything wrong after all.

The distance between the two was noticeable. Cadance was a physically affectionate soul, always close beside her bride if not practically atop her. Yet now between them was a sizeable gap, Cadance keeping well to her side of the king-size and acting as though the weight to her side was nonexistent. A quick glance over showed that the hardened look in her eyes had faded, even if the wounded look had not.

A slow, steady blink. Twilight looked back down at her book and realized she’d hardly made any progress across a single page. Perhaps, with her mind so distracted by various other things, reading anything was a lost cause. “I’m turning off the light,” she announced, sliding her novel back into the nightstand.

“OK,” Cadance replied, glancing at the time on the corner of her tablet. “It’s late, anyway.” As the darkness consumed the room, her dull pale light soon followed suit and disappeared to leave them both in the black of night, the quiet between them willed and weary.

Perhaps she shouldn’t say anything. “… Cadance?”

“Mhm?”

“I understand if you’re still mad at me,” Twilight mumbled. It wasn’t an apology- at least she hoped. Maybe an acknowledgement and acceptance of her wife’s feelings was a good way to start.

“I’m… not mad at you,” Cadance replied. “Maybe- maybe a little. But not really.”

“Oh.” Silence took its pause. “OK.”

“We’ll talk more tomorrow,” the sweetfaced woman breathed, slipping down further beneath the bedsheets and turning on her side. “Goodnight.”

So many nights had come and gone when the last words she would hear were “I love you” from her cherished bride. But perhaps tonight when there was still an open wound, such words might sting a little. “Love you, too,” Twilight mumbled nonetheless, and soon drifted off into the realm between time and space.

Her early awakening was not of an alarm to rouse her mind from the dreaming world; perhaps her subconscious, still stinging from yesterday’s regret, hastened her departure from slumber and saw Twilight wide awake in their darkened bedroom. A quick check on the clock on her phone said that it was about fifteen minutes before her alarm was to ring; it wouldn’t even be worth it to go back to sleep at this point.

Coffee called to her more than anything at this early point in the morning, the piping warmth of caffeine crucial to her daily survival. Begin to awaken, stir her stomach into a need for hunger and- Make Cadance something first.

The thought came alongside the image of her still-slumbering bride who still lay upstairs, fast asleep beneath the sheets. Maybe it would help if she cooked something up as a token of goodwill. It surely couldn’t hurt, right? There was some pancake mix in the pantry that needed to get used up soon before it went bad…

The extra fifteen minutes was put to good use by Twilight’s estimation, the quiet task of making breakfast pairing wonderfully with her snickerdoodle blend to liven up her morning. Even the thin rays of the morning sun were creeping in as she gave the flapjacks a swift flip to give the kitchen a serene air. She wasn’t the best of cooks, but breakfast meals had become her specialty- and were even fun to make.

The sound of footsteps on the stairwell alerted Twilight to her bride’s awakening, a tussle-haired Cadance making her appearance and looking as though she’d left part of her consciousness still resting on the pillow. “Mmf… pancakes?” She mumbled.

“Chocolate chip,” Twilight replied, sliding the two freshest of her batch onto a nearby plate, two slices of bacon already atop and awaiting its compliment. “Butter’s out on the table.”

The lovely woman’s features became mystified at the sight of the offered meal, bleary eyes darting between plate and person as she deciphered its meaning. With memory of yesterday morning still fresh, the connection was not hard to make; that tired, beautiful face began to harden.

Twilight felt her heart sink. Did Cadance think this was a bribe? She just wanted to be nice to her wife and see their discord come to an end! Please don’t still be mad…

The clouded expression fell away just as quickly as it had arrived, some logic in Cadance’s mind settling itself as she took the plate with a mumbling, “Thank you.” Slow on her feet, she shuffled over to the table and sank down in preparation to eat, only to rise back up as she realized she had left her coffee-

“I’ve got it,” Twilight said, leaning over to grab a mug and see their meal begin.

The rest of the morning passed by swiftly, the two working women too occupied with getting ready for the day to have much time to spend in conversation. There was still a friction to be dealt with, but their truce still retained the measure of peace that had fallen on them. The time to make apologies for behavior was yet to come.

“I might be back late today, I’ve got a few things that need to get done before I leave but some parents asked for a meeting with me this afternoon,” Cadance reported, the two fully dressed and making their way downstairs once more.

“Know what it’s about?” Twilight asked.

“Probably about all that trouble Cinch tried to cause way back. There’s at least one person who finds out about it every year and wants to ‘demand the truth’ from me or something. Doubt it’ll ever end even when I’m retired. I’ll be getting calls in a nursing home soon enough.”

It wasn’t a pleasant guess, but likely an honest one. Cadance’s record did hold within it a public reprimand from the school board and her place as principal for one of the state’s top schools made such a thing a black mark on her career. She had thankfully not been removed from Crystal Prep because of it, but her progression had come to a halt ever since; there was no ladder for Cadance to climb any longer because of her mistakes.

Twilight reached out and gave her wife’s hand a squeeze, instinct to comfort overriding the gap between them. She knew Cadance still held some measure of shame for her actions even if who she was now was a far cry from then. “They’ve got no reason to worry. You’re the best leader that school’s ever had, and they’ll leave knowing it.”

To her surprise, Cadance didn’t jerk her hand away but instead gave small pressure in return. “And the most controversial, too,” she reminded her bride.

“But still the best. Please don’t doubt that one. OK?”

Cadance gave a half-hearted smile, noncommittal to any action just yet. “You’re always on my side, aren’t you?”

Considering yesterday’s actions, Twilight wasn’t quite so eager to boast about her dedication just yet. “I try to be,” she allowed. “… and I didn’t really mean what I said yesterday.”

“I know you didn’t,” came the reply, Cadance leaning over and kissing her bride. “See you tonight, OK?”

“OK. Have a good day!” And so the two women departed for places so familiar, a long day awaiting them before they would be reunited again.

Twilight found herself more at ease than the day prior, but still just as distracted. She wanted to give her bride a genuine apology, but also to understand why she’d gotten upset in the first place; understanding was needed if the two were to avoid such a pitfall in the future. She loved Cadance, adored everything about her, her heart melted at the sight of that beautiful angel walking her way; to hear that same sweet being deride herself was more than Twilight’s spirit could take. If it wounded Cadance, then it wounded her also. She needed think of a way to say that- and make it make sense! But as the day rolled on all the more, the sensible side of the brilliant woman’s mind realized that preparing any sort of speech or specific word would be utterly useless. Better to have herself in the proper headspace and be willing to listen than to be insistent about saying anything in particular.

“Twilight- earth to Twilight, goodness,” rang the clear voice of Celestia, cutting through her cacophony of typistry to rouse the brilliant woman from her work. “You’re all wound up, I’ve been at the door for a whole minute calling your name.”

“Sorry- sorry! Yes, what is it?” Twilight said, turning from her screen. She’d been half-concentrated, half-dreaming about Cadance all day. It was the closest she’d felt to being a schoolgirl in decades at this point.

Celestia, in credit to her graciousness, only laughed. “You really are the same lovestruck girl I knew when you were young,” she remarked, somehow able to easily guess what was on her young VP’s mind. “I don’t know what you’d do if Cadance wasn’t in your life. How on earth would you survive?”

It must have been so obvious on her face, yet not once had it occurred to her that her inner thoughts might be on public display. “Am- jeez, am I that obvious?”

“Wonderfully so,” Celestia said. “Enough to make me a little envious. I came over because I needed to ask you to join me for a staff meeting once school’s out, can I count on you to mentally be there?”

“I’m not that bad!” Twilight protested, aghast and angered that someone would dare to assume she couldn’t concentrate on something important. But then again, considering the circumstances- “I… I think.”

Celestia didn’t even bother to laugh, the truthful answer so obvious that to mention it would be embarrassing for them both. “I think we need to make a few changes to the holiday schedule. How does this look..?”

The day was comfortable, swift in its procession and allowing the sun to fall deep on the horizon. It wasn’t until she was well on her way home that Twilight realized just how cleverly Celestia had helped to keep her mind occupied. With plenty of work to do and other people to attend to, she had been forced to focus on a variety of things rather than stewing in her worry and suffer through a cacophony of imagined nightmares for no reason. The real Cadance was too important to be marred by the conjurings of her mind, given false arguments that would never see the light of day. It was a gentle act, given in support of one who had never- never…

Twilight entered into her empty home and wondered what it would be like to know that no one would follow after. To stride through into quiet space and know for sure that the only footsteps that would fall here would be her own. How could you withstand the silence when it would be all that lasted? Celestia had a rather spacious, comfortable house; to live within it and never hear the sight nor sound of another had to be torturous. Why had she bought in the first place? She’d had to have known it would sound so empty.

Unless she didn’t want it to be that way, Twilight thought, and she felt her spirit twist in sympathy for her friend. I guess she thought it wouldn’t really be empty for very long. And now… It was unimaginable a pain to endure, one the brilliant woman had not ever known through the whole of her life; everywhere she had ever been was filled with the presence and life of others, even from the very beginning in the broken home where she'd been raised. To spend so much of your life with such sights and sounds and comforts being absent-! Oh, Cellie, I am so sorry. I hope you… I hope you meet your dream girl soon- and that she’s got big, fat titties.

The world within her mind was shattered at the sound of the garage door closing, Cadance striding through the darkened threshold and into her spacious home, even daring to smile at the sight of Twilight resting there in the living room. “Hey,” she greeted, her tone mild yet friendly as she took in her bride. “It was a long day for me, hope it was better for you. I had one father actually bring in news clippings like I couldn’t remember what had… Love, you OK?”

Twilight hadn’t even noticed the action had occurred before her beloved caught sight of it; a pair of thick tears had fallen from beneath the brim of her glasses, soaking thin lines across her skin and beckoning for attention. But as Cadance’s words roused her, so she tried to recompose her spirit and find the will to speak. “Princess, did- how long did you have this house before I showed up?”

Cadance hadn’t expected the question and was left befuddled by the presence of it. Uncertain of how to yet respond, the lovely woman set her bags down against the wall and crept over to find a seat beside her beloved, the two soon hand-in-hand and finding comfort in the presence of the other. “A few years, I guess,” Cadance answered. “I think it was the year after I got promoted to Dean under Cinch, so… maybe a year or two before you got to high school? Why, what makes you ask?”

“I guess- I just can’t imagine how awful it’d be to come home to an empty house every day,” Twilight said. “And you’re not coming home, and it’ll just be me, and everything- it’s all just wrong,” she finished weakly. “I don’t know what I’d do.”

Cadance could only be left confused by the remark, but tended to her bride’s sorrowful spirit with all tenderness just the same. “Well, I guess, that… I know I’m glad I get to come home to you,” she said. “And it really does feel like home, and- oh, Twilight, you don’t need to cry!” For her spectacled spouse had indeed begun to weep, a true blubbering flowing from her eyes as her spirit crumbled and fell into the dust. “It’s alright, it’s alright…”

“I’m a horrible spouse, that is not alright!” Twilight said hotly, tears burning against her fair skin. “I-”

“Horrible? Twilight, are you kidding me? You can’t actually be serious right now!” Cadance protested, taking the words as though an insult. “You’re amazing, this- this has to be a joke or something!”

“But I’m awful! Look at me, for heaven’s sake!” Twilight cried, in absolute freefall and nowhere close to controlling herself. “I made you feel terrible because I couldn’t even be nice to you and help you feel better, and-”

“Wait. Sweetheart, is this about our fight the other day?” Cadance asked.

“Of course it is! I called you a horrid name and I know you’re still mad at me and I shouldn’t have even been that mean at all and-”

“Twilight, oh my goodness, be quiet!” Cadance’s words came with laughter trembling within them and a force to the tone all the same, struggling against mirth and emotion as she called out in the hopes of soothing her wife’s struggle against a meltdown. “You’re supposed to be the logical one, remember? It’s alright, we make mistakes- it’s not like I don’t forgive you, of course I do! We both got upset, that’s all-”

Whatever hopes there had been in preventing a complete collapse were lost within a matter of a second; Twilight’s mind swiftly returned to the source of this current struggle and recalled each word spoken, the emotion and memory within them suddenly burning hot. “Well then you’d better shuttup about yourself!” She snapped. “Because if you talk about yourself like you’re old and ugly and I don’t fantasize about you naked every day then I’m gonna have a heart attack and I’m gonna get mad all over again! And then we’re gonna fight again and I’m gonna feel horrible and then we’ll just do this stupid awfulness over and over because I’m useless!”

Cadance was giving her best effort to be supportive, summoning the fullest of her sympathy as best she could and trying to cool the fires of Twilight’s overpowering emotions. It wasn’t as though this were the first time she’d had an emotional meltdown due to guilt; any big fight they ever had seemed to conclude with the younger beauty struggling against tears. And just as often, the eventual conclusion would be that Cadance could no longer control her exasperation and simply began laughing.

“It’s not funny!” Twilight snapped, words falling thickly in response to her spouse’s sudden humor. “I’m trying to apologize because you were being horrible to yourself again! Take me seriously!”

“I’m trying, I’m trying! I promise, really,” Cadance stammered, desperately fighting back against more chuckles overwhelming her tongue. “OK- OK! I’m back. But Love, you really need to calm down. It’s alright, it’s not the end of the world. I forgive you, I really do.”

“Oh, I never should have even got mad at you. I’m sorry,” Twilight moaned, wiping away her tears in the hopes of stemming the flow, “I was so stupid.”

“Well, I… I don’t think I was much better,” came Cadance’s concession. “You were trying to be nice-”

“Nice?”

“- At first, and I just wanted to be pitiful. Which was stupid, too. So I guess I didn’t help much.” The sweet-faced woman gave a wry smile. “Just a bad habit.”

“I wish you’d stop it. I hate seeing you talk to yourself like that,” Twilight said. “You think it doesn’t hurt me to hear you say how horrible you are? It’s not even true!”

“I mean, it’s sort of-”

“Cadance!” She threw her hands up in the air, pushed beyond exasperation at this continued insistence for self-deprecation. “I swear, do you even notice yourself doing it?”

Cadance released a soft sigh, caught in the act and unable to defend her actions. “I… OK. I’m sorry,” she said. “But thank you for apologizing. And wanting to make me feel better.”

“Don’t listen to whatever’s telling you it’s true. I know it’s not! And if you can’t believe it, then… come talk to me,” Twilight replied. “Don’t just sit there and hurt yourself. Please?”

“No promises,” was the older woman’s answer, Cadance’s tiny laugh following as her bride began to pout. “But I’ll try.”

“Then I’ll help. The next time you want to start being all pitiful, I’ll be right there. And I’ll- I’ll-”

“Please don’t play psychologist. I know it was your job but-”

What came next was a vicious kiss upon Cadance’s honeyed lips, Twilight suddenly leaping atop her and overwhelming the unsuspecting woman with her affections. Perhaps a bit overfirm, but the passion behind it! By instinct, the sweet-faced beauty wrapped her arms about her bride’s form and fell back against the pillows as they became lost in their now-peaceful, quiet love.

She broke away slowly from Twilight’s lips, the smallest of strings binding them together soon severed. “That might be a convincing argument,” Cadance remarked.

“I’m good at that. Sometimes,” Twilight teased, playing with a lock of Cadance’s hair as she leaned back in for further sugar, taking her time to truly soak in the flavor of her spouse and enjoy the moment. The coolness of their home, deep in the binds of winter, was beginning to warm up.

Hands ran beneath fabric and undid buttons, clothing coming off as the two women chose to run headlong into their suddenly-alight desire. Twilight found her breasts well-tended to by Cadance’s gentle grasp, small squeezes coming alongside plying fingers that sent shocks with every touch. Too long had they been together to not know what best pleasured the other, their lovemaking an artistry that continued to bind them further and further together.

“I love you,” Cadance whispered, her voice a happy murmur as she took in the pristine form of Twilight that lay atop her. Without blemish, without flaw, perfectly crafted and beautiful with a timeless grace that she could not hope to resist. This was her life, her heart of hearts, and how deeply she treasured this wonderful angel.

“Love you, too,” Twilight replied. “And just so you know, you’re still the hot one.”

“What? No way! Look at you, oh my gosh!”

“Oh, so you need convincing?” Twilight replied, those brilliant eyes dazzling with growing mischief. “Well, mind if I say a few words?” Slipping down from atop her beloved’s naked body, the once-bookworm spread legs wide and into the delicacy of wondrous, dripping folds did she begin to make a few key statements.

Her voice sang to the heavens, Cadance unwilling to hold back her delights from her wife’s ears; they always did know how to make such beautiful music together.

Author's Note

I know it's not really an important chapter, but I liked it. Saccharine marriages don't exist, but happy ones do.

Keep reading, I guess.