Anon sluggishly followed behind as Javelin led him toward the Aquarium, the sounds of a cheering crowd reaching him long before he could see the building itself. He tried, in vain, to keep the sigh from escaping his lips as the sound of cheering raked at his ears. He looked down to Javelin, finding that the stallion walking in front of him was constantly swiveling his head back and forth, as if he was extremely worried about being attacked.

"What's gotten into you?" Anon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Just, uh... keeping an eye out. You never know with mares this time of year..." Javelin chuckled, his voice coming out more like a worried laugh.

"If you're so worried about a mare jumping you, why did you try so hard to convince me to come out to this aquarium opening?" Anon questioned.

"Well duh? Because you've been a sad boy for the last couple weeks and as your friend, I'm trying to cheer you up! Now if you could just keep your voice down... they can hear the difference in tone between a mare and a stallion, you know?" Javelin replied, pushing himself against Anon's leg as they walked.

"Javelin, will you relax. We passed like, ten mares already and none of them even tried to get near you. You're overreacting." Anon sighed.

"That's only because they were far enough away that they couldn't smell me! Once we're in the aquarium, it's gonna get a lot more difficult. I'll only be able to stand around for a few minutes at each exhibit, so we'd better be quick at each one." Javelin replied, as the building came within sight.

Anon raised an eyebrow, "If this is gonna be such an issue for you, then why were you even trying so damn hard to get me to come out for this? It sounds like you'd be better off if we just chilled at your place like we have been."

Javelin shook his head defiantly, "Nope. You've been cooped in my house, drinking all my booze, and being a depressed mess for two whole weeks now. Time has come to get you back on your ho-feet. This isn't my first time being out in public during heat. I'll be alright... I hope." He responded.

Anon rolled his eyes, "Fine, whatever." He said, dropping the subject.

The pair quickly found themselves at the front of the building, along with dozens of mares all entering the aquarium with smiles on their faces. Noticeably absent, were the stallions, with the exception of Javelin, who was also sweating nervously as he kept his head on a swivel. A few mares turned to acknowledge him, their eyes locking onto him like he was a piece of meat, but at the way Javelin kept himself pressed almost right up against Anon's thigh, they hesitated to move forward.

The pony at the front entrance happily greeted the duo as they arrived, "Hi there! Welcome to the Canterlot Sealife Aquarium! It'll be five bits per pony." She cheerily greeted, doing her best to hide the fact that her tail was waving excitedly at the sight of two males.

Anon reached into his pocket and pulled out his coin pouch. He gave the mare ten bits and received two tickets in return. With a nod, Anon led the way into the building.

"Have a great time!" She called after them, her eyes lingering on Javelin as he rushed in after Anon.

"Thanks." Anon absentmindedly replied.

Upon entering the building, Anon saw dozens of displays of sea life and aquatic themes that made the inner child in him smile, even if it didn't quite reach his face. After a moment of observation, he looked down to Javelin.

"Well, what do you want to go see first?" He asked.

"Uh... let's go this way. I think I know where they put the shark exhibit and mares usually prefer dolphins." Javelin hastily replied, before trotting off down the hall.

"Woah, Jav, wait!" Anon called as he rushed after him.

Anon followed Javelin down the main hallway, and then several smaller hallways, all the while passing displays and signs explaining sea life or underwater ecosystems. However, soon enough, the signs ended and he was simply following Javelin down a long, empty hallway that looked more like the back of the building than anything else.

"Yo, Jav! Where are you going?!" Anon called, having to run to keep up with Javelin's pace.

"Uh... it's this way, I think!" Javelin called back, before finding the door he wanted and barging inside.

"Javelin this is the wrong way, dude! There's nothing even... down... here..." Anon trailed off as he reached the doorway as well.

Anon stood in front of what could only be a conference room, filled with a large "O" shaped desk that sat in the middle of the room. On one side of the desk, sat Raven and Celestia. Sitting opposite of them, was Luna. Anger instantly flashed through his mind, and right as he was about to react to the princesses presence, he noticed the other being in the room. A pink alicorn, unlike either Celestia or Luna in that her mane and tail were just normal hair, curled and combed to perfection. Her deep violet eyes looked at him with excitement and interest, and she wore a pleasant smile that appeared to genuinely reach her eyes. The look of honest happiness gave Anon pause. It was all she needed to seize the initiative and introduce herself.

"Ah, you must be Anon. I've heard a lot about you! My name is Cadance. It's a pleasure to meet you." She beamed.

Anon stared in shock at the cotton candy colored alicorn as she looked excitedly at him from across the room. His gaze lingered on her form for a few seconds before slowly drifting down to the stallion standing next to him, a sheepish grin on his muzzle.

"Oh, uh... wow! Look at that! Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadance! Who'd uh... who'd of thunk it?" Javelin awkwardly chuckled in the deafening silence reigning over the room. After a moment of silence, he cast a quick spell, forming a small bubble around his head, "aaaaand everypony in here is in estrus... don't mind if I just... seal myself off from that."

Anon let out a tired sigh before turning around to leave.

"Anon, wait!" Celestia cried, standing up to her hooves.

"No!" Anon shouted back, turning on his feet to point an accusatory finger at her, "You don't get to tell me what to do ever again! I don't know what kind of bullshit you think you're pulling here, but I'm not buying this crap again!"

Celestia instantly deflated as Luna spoke up, "Anon, please! Just hear us out for a min-" She started, only to be silenced as Anon held up his hand to stop her.

"Don't. Just... don't. What the fuck even is this, an intervention? Do you both really think I need you in my life that badly!? Is the concept that I can take care of myself so completely alien to you that you just can't possibly believe that after what you did, I'd be able to move on? 'Cause I'm done with you both! I don't need liars like you in my life anymore!" Anon shouted, his fists clenched as he let out two weeks' worth of pent up anger.

Both Celestia and Luna looked visibly hurt at Anon's outburst, and slouched back down into their chairs without another word of protest. Anon breathed heavily from his tirade, his eyes surveying the room for any more resistance, before a sound caught his ears, and he slowly looked over to the new alicorn sitting on the far side of the room from him as she clapped her hooves together.

"Well that was certainly an entrance! I knew my aunts messed up, but mare, that was something else. Raven wasn't kidding when she said you were different than a normal stallion. It must have felt great to get that all out." Cadance announced, earning her several looks of confusion.

Anon's brow knitted, "What? I mean... yeah, kinda. Cadance... Why does your name ring a bell?" He asked.

"Ah, so you do know of me! I wasn't sure if my aunt's had mentioned me yet, but I'm the Princess of Love! I've been dying to meet you ever since I heard the news that my aunts were finally going to get married! I've been out on diplomatic meetings in the griffon kingdom the last few months, so I didn't get to be there for any of your engagement so far." Cadance explained, offering a half smile.

Anon frowned, "You're the Princess of Love?" He deadpanned.

"Mm-hmm" Cadance beamed.

Anon facepalmed, "Jesus fucking Christ..." He muttered.

Seeing this as her opportunity to interject, Raven quickly cleared her throat and spoke up, "Anon, I think it's time you knew the truth. The real truth, from the ponies themselves. Javelin and I asked Cadence to be here today because we know that what happened hurt all of you... and we want to help however we can. We felt that this would be the best way." She explained.

"Yeah. I wasn't kidding earlier, dude... you're my friend, so seeing you moping around, barely even eating or sleeping these last couple of weeks has been hard to watch. I want you to be as happy as you were back when you were dating Sunshine and Nightshade... I know they aren't real... and I know you're probably pissed at all of us, especially Raven and I for pulling this, but you've been a mess, dude. I don't want to see you like that anymore... I care about you too much." Javelin added, placing a comforting hoof on Anon's thigh.

Anon clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He slowly and shakily exhaled through his nose as his eyes moved from Javelin, to Raven, then to Celestia, then to Luna, and finally over to Cadance. Just as before, the cotton candy alicorn was giving him a wide smile that seemed all too warm and friendly, even despite his clear anger showing to everyone around him. Eventually, Anon released the tension in his hands and let his shoulders slump slightly. He walked forward to the empty chair sitting in front of him and sat down.

"What exactly do you even want from me? What do you get from this?" He asked, looking at Cadance.

"I get the satisfaction of doing my job, and helping my aunt's fix their shattered relationship with you. For me, it's a complete win/win." Cadance happily replied.

"What are you, a fuckin' therapist or something?" Anon questioned.

"Not a licensed one, but I have lots of experience dealing with relationship issues and helping ponies find the love of their lives. Like I said, it's a win/win for me to help you out." Cadance replied.

Anon's brow creased ever so slightly for just a moment.

"You have exactly ten minutes." Anon announced, crossing his arms.

Cadance nodded, "Well that might be cutting it a bit short, but I'm sure we can at least get started. Firstly, Anon I want to thank you for hearing my aunts out and giving this a shot."

"Don't get your hopes up." Anon flatly responded.

Cadance didn't even acknowledge Anon's remark as she continued, "I usually like to start by seeing where it went wrong from each party individually. Anon, I think I've already gleamed enough from your explosive introduction earlier, so I'll just ask Auntie Celestia and Luna first," She explained, turning to Celestia and Luna, respectively, "Where do you two think you messed up?"

Celestia frowned. She wilted slightly as she felt, rather than saw, Anon's eyes glaring into her. Celestia struggled to keep herself under control as Anon's scent reached her nostrils, making her exhale shakily from his masculine smell. She looked up to her niece's eyes to see that Cadance was leaning forward in her chair, attentively awaiting the explanation as if every word was important. The love princess gave a small nod of support, prompting Celestia to return the nod and begin.

"Well... I suppose it all started falling apart after our first fight. When Anon stormed off, rightfully so, of course... I made the mistake of going down to the bar he and Sergeant Javelin were at to see just what state he was in. My intent was just to make sure that he was alright, but... reverting to my old form makes it much more difficult to control my emotions. Combine that with a prolonged dry spell of a thousand years, and the fact that Anon thought we were beautiful and... well I asked him out on a date." Celestia explained, a nervous blush starkly contrasting her white fur.

Cadance nodded, "I see. Auntie Luna, what about you?" She asked, turning to Luna.

Luna gulped nervously while Anon glared at her as well. The lunar princess squirmed almost invisibly on her seat, as if she was scratching an itch between her legs that she just couldn't reach. The heat in her depths made the situation even more unbearable as she struggled to find her words. She averted her gaze from Anon to the desk in front of her and quickly began.

"For me... it was much the same as my sister. Once Anon started his duties with Raven, he seemed stressed and upset. I... had not treated him kindly up until our fight. I apologized and promised that I would treat him better going forward, and I saw the opportunity to do just that when he walked off without eating dinner that night. I found him in the garden easily enough and did much the same as Celestia... I didn't make plans with Anon to spend time together again, but after his second time out with her, I went down to the nightclub he was enjoying to tell him that he and Sunshine could no longer date. The entire goal was for us to end the whole lie as quickly and painlessly as possible." Luna recalled, pointedly avoiding making eye contact with Anon.

"And then what happened?" Cadance pressed.

"Then... I failed. I tried to tell him, but... the way he smiled at me that night... it felt like I would be breaking his heart... I never wanted to do that and yet... I did anyway." Luna finished, not seeing Anon's glare soften slightly.

Cadance nodded once more before looking over to Anon, "Alright, now that you've heard that from both of them, do you have anything you'd like to add, Anon? Anything they missed that you might remember? Or maybe where you think it went wrong specifically?" She inquired, fixing Anon with the same look she gave both princesses.

Anon suddenly felt all eyes on him, a slight wave of discomfort washing over him as he became the center of attention once more.

"I think it's pretty safe to say it all started from the very second Celestia picked me out of a bunch of random stallions in day court just to get past a law she signed into effect and forgot about. This entire relationship was built on lies and there's no trust anymore... not like there ever was in the first place." Anon answered.

Both Celestia and Luna moved to speak, but Cadance held up her hoof to stop them.

"I see. That's a fair assessment to make." Cadance replied, making Anon squint in confusion.

"Really? You're actually agreeing with me? That's a surprise." Anon said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"Celestia and Luna may be my aunts, but they're still just ponies. They make mistakes, and in this particular situation, I happen to be the princess in charge. Love is something that I take very seriously, so I fully intend to hear everything you're willing to tell me. Relationships are difficult. They take trust and commitment, and nopony is above making mistakes when it comes to love." Cadance explained, leaving everyone in the room silent.

Anon slowly looked over to Celestia and Luna to see them both looking down to the floor in shame. He pursed his lips in consideration, before turning back to face Cadance just as she addressed him once more.

"Is there anything else you'd like to add, Anon?"

Anon slowly shook his head, "No, I... I think that's pretty much everything. I don't really have anything else to say if I'm being honest." He admitted.

Cadance nodded, "Alright. So what I'm getting from all three of you, is that there was a fundamental lack of trust from the very beginning that led to Anon's heart being broken, and both my aunt's now desperately trying to fix it. Does that sound like a fair assessment of the situation?" She surmised, looking over everyone in the room.

"I suppose so." Luna admitted, squirming from side to side every few seconds.

"I... well... yes." Celestia agreed, doing much the same as her sister.

Anon crossed his arms, "Seems that way to me." He added.

Cadance nodded once more, "Well then it seems like there is really only one more question to ask. Do you want to give this relationship another chance and start over? Technically, there's several questions, but they're all just a part of that one blanket question."

"What are you talking about? Of course we want to start over! Isn't that why we're even all here!?" Luna questioned, raising her voice.

"You both want to start over, but the question is more directed at Anon than you. He's the one whose trust was broken, and at the end of the day, it really does come down to him to decide if he can even consider giving you both another chance." Cadance replied, directing all eyes to Anon.

Anon's eyes darted back and forth at the many ponies now focused on him and felt a quickly rising amount of discomfort at all the sudden attention.

"What, am I supposed to decide right now? With everyone pressuring me like this?" Anon retorted, setting his jaw.

Cadance shook her head, "Of course not, Anon. You can leave right now if you want to. Hay, you could have left at any point during this whole meeting. I just wanted to get to the bottom of this so I could make the best judgement call here for everypony involved. You now know that my aunts acted in what they thought was your best interest. Regardless of how you feel about their actions, their intent was purely for your benefit. It's up to you to decide if you can forgive them for deceiving you for nearly the entire relationship."

Anon slowly looked over to Celestia and Luna one more time as he chewed his tongue in thought. Both princesses struggled to meet his gaze as he bore into them with his eyes. Raven and Javelin looked back and forth between the man and ponies with increasing amounts of nerves building up in their stomachs as the staredown lasted for nearly a whole minute. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Anon spoke.

"If I'm being honest... No. I'm not ready for that, yet." He admitted, his own shoulders slumping slightly.

Celestia and Luna deflated even further into their own chairs, while Javelin and Raven's jaws dropped. An uncomfortable silence reigned over the room while Cadance gave a slow, deliberate nod at Anon's decision.

"Understandable. If there's nothing else you wish to say, Anon, then like I said, you're free to leave." Cadance responded, just as professionally and easily as before.

Anon nodded and rose to his feet. As he turned to leave, his eyes passed over the royal sisters as they sat, dejectedly staring at the floor while the color seemed to fade from their eyes. Instead of a feeling of righteous indignation, however, Anon only felt hollow at the sight. His brow knitted in concern for just a moment, giving him pause, but he quickly pushed past it and exited the doorway, leaving the princesses, Raven, and Javelin.

Only once Anon was completely gone and out of earshot, did Raven finally turn to Cadance and address her.

"What the hay was that!? I thought you were going to help salvage this relationship, not destroy it completely!" She exclaimed, pointing an accusing hoof at the cotton candy colored alicorn.

Cadance was completely unfazed by the verbal attack, "I did my job, Miss Inkwell. Please trust me when I say that I take no pleasure in it when things go this way, but it's all part of a process."

"What process!? All you did was have them explain what went wrong and then ask Anon if he wanted to try again when it was obvious that bringing all that up just pissed him off again! You're supposed to be the princess of love! Isn't helping ponies fall in love and stay in love kinda in your job description?!" Javelin added.

"Have either of you heard of the phrase 'if you love something, let it go. If it comes back to you, then it's yours forever. If it doesn't, then it was never meant to be'?" Cadance asked, barely raising an eyebrow.

"I... well yes, but... that doesn't usually apply when the whole situation is bucked up beyond belief!" Raven rebutted.

"Miss Inkwell, like I said, this is all part of a process. Anon needs more time. I know that's not what anypony wants to hear right now, but it's the sad truth," Cadance replied, before looking over to Celestia and Luna, "I'm so sorry that things didn't go the way you both hoped it would... but I promise that this is the best way for your relationship to proceed right now. Give Anon some more time, Hay, give him a few months, even. I promise that once this is all over, you'll all be happy."

Celestia barely managed a nod while Luna simply ignored her niece, instead opting to just stare at the floor aimlessly, even her heat failing to make the alicorn move anymore. Javelin and Raven shared a look of concern before making their way over to the princesses to check on them.

"P-Princess Celestia? Are you alright?" Raven inquired, a deep frown on her face.

Celestia snorted, "Far from it, Raven... far from it. I think I should like some time to myself for now... I still didn't even get to apologize."

Without another word, Celestia teleported away, leaving Raven with stars in her vision from the sudden teleportation spell.

Javelin approached Luna with a reserved step, "Princess Luna?" He asked.

"Yes, Sergeant?" Luna responded, although her eyes remained locked onto the floor.

"Are... are you going to be okay?" Javelin inquired.

"Sometimes I wish I'd never come back." Luna muttered, before teleporting away, much the same as Celestia.

Javelin stumbled back from the sudden flash of light. Raven quickly trotted to his side to help him regain his balance, before the pair turned to face Cadance once more.

"I don't know about you, but this seems pretty bucking far from 'okay' to me. They're your aunts! How can you just destroy them like this?" Raven asserted, her tone full of anger.

"The fact that they're my aunts is why I'm taking this so seriously, Miss Inkwell. I know it looks bleak now, but things always get worse before they get better. I know you don't see that right now, but I'm not the princess of Love for no reason. Just give it time." Cadance replied.

Anon exited the aquarium, nearly dragging his feet as he walked. More than once, he cast his gaze back toward the building to see if any of the princesses, Javelin, or Raven were going to come out to stop him, but no one did. He slowly made his way out to the main street in front of the building and turned around completely. He watched the building for several minutes with his hands stuffed in his pockets, and his lips pursed in thought.

Are... are they really not going to come after me again? I can't believe it... I'm free... why... why doesn't it feel like a win though?

Anon furrowed his brow as he pondered the question. Once it became abundantly clear that nobody was coming after him, he turned back around and made his way to Javelin's house, his head hanging low the entire way.

Author's Note

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Okay, last chapter of sads, I promise. Having said that, I betcha didn't see that coming, did you? Sometimes forgiveness isn't as simple as a "I'm sorry" and "Okay, I forgive you"
Who knows how things will get back on track now?