[Late into the evening, Wednesday, 18 May 2016, The Equestrian 17th Day of Love.]

Shining opened the door to a room lined with beds and filled with some young, friendly faces, lying on pillows collected on the floor, all directed toward a laptop in the center of the room.

It was basically one big sleepover.

"Alright, every creature. Movie time is over. Time for sleep."

Together, the groans and whines of Gallus, Silverstream, Smolder, and Cotton Cloudy grew loud enough to drown out the ramblings of a talking donkey on screen, explaining why everybody loves cake. They were almost loud enough to wake Yona, who had passed out on the floor next to them.

After curiously watching for a moment to understand the movie itself, Shining lowered the lid to the laptop, temporarily ending the film viewing for the night, despite their ongoing silent protest.

"Come on, now. You all know who is in charge here. Becky says you need your rest, and Cotton has school tomorrow. Plus, I'm sure Yona will want to enjoy the movie with you while she’s awake."

Though young creatures were known for being stubborn, as it was late, and the need for recovery was still draining on the youths, at least Smolder could speak some reason for their acceptance.

"Yeah, this seems like something Sandbar and Ocellus would want to watch with us anyway."

Together, Smolder and Gallus picked up a blanket and covered Yona. Then, they both slid into their own beds while Silverstream set Cotton into one closest to hers. It was a bed that had been left open for any of the other foals who may happen to stay when Chris's harem were visiting overnight.

That left Becky to lay Flurry in the crib, which was moved in for extra protection.

Thankfully, after a long day of activities and a full belly before being rocked in Becky's arms, Flurry was left practically catatonic.

Slowly, Becky braced her hips against the frame of the foal's bed. A slight sudden slip forward nearly had her gasp had it not been for Shining rising up behind her.

His left fetlock gripped around one of the vertical bars and pressed against Becky’s inner thigh while a portion of his chest firmly flexed against her lower back. Just as quickly, though far more gently, Shining eased his right hoof under Becky’s arm supporting Flurry’s weight, and helped to ease the foal down to her mattress.

“Easy does it, Becky. You can always ask for my help with anything you need, you know.”

"Geeze," Becky quietly huffed as she freed her sore arms, giving no attention to Shining’s abrupt close physical proximity but also not shying away from the slight graze of Shining’s hoof pulling away from under her bust. "Either Flurry is one growing girl, or I need to start lifting weights. My arms are killing me."

After shaking off some of the numbness and releasing the strain that had built up, she stepped over between Smolder and Gallus. She knelt down between their beds and whispered so as not to disturb Yona, still sleeping, but was still loud enough for Silverstream to listen in from the next bed over.

"I know this is still really weird for you both, but are you still doing okay? No trouble sleeping? Wings and cuts not hurting too much? …Sharing a room like this?"

Gallus turned onto his good side and faced Becky, raising his bandaged wing with a sleepy smile.

"Had a few bad dreams, but Luna pops in for those right away. Otherwise, the pain is fine. I can deal with it. It's not as bad as the company you stuck me with, but if Smolder can put up with me for this long, I can't complain about it that either."

Smolder chuckled and rubbed her claws over the cast on her arm.

"He means we're getting along fine. So long as we're together, we don't mind watching over the other foals to keep them safe… Besides, how many dragons can say they were strong enough to protect an alicorn princess?"

The small show of bravado was actually quite welcoming. It was pretty refreshing to see the young ones had managed to bounce back from their ordeal without much in the way of trauma. Shame the same couldn’t be said for other encounters she’d seen.

Since they weren't complaining about the pain or any other of their current arrangements, Becky turned her attention to the lone hippogriff.

"What about you, Silver?"

Silverstream brought her talons up to her necklace and tapped on the gem strung to its chain, bringing a dim blue light that swirled around her under the sheets. As the light faded, her beak and feathered facial features were replaced with a true pony's muzzle and ears matching her complexion.

"I get to learn all about the surface creatures, humans, protect a princess, and I get a third transformation. This is the best, Becky. I'd take a hundred owlbear scratches for friends like these."

Becky rolled her eyes and smiled a goofy grin as she stood up and started to walk away.

"Yeah. Let's avoid that altogether and keep the friends we got for now… Sleep tight. And if any of you need anything, just let one of the guards outside know, and they'll wake us up if they can't help you… Same for you, Cloudy."

She was about to leave but figured some, or rather one more than others, required additional incentive to follow her instructions.

“And Gallus. Lumberman and AJ said they’d love to have you come back and visit, but you need to actually stay in bed and recover for that to happen. Same for any of your friends you may want to take with you. Which means no more sneaking late-night movie showings. Okay?”

Whether he would or wouldn’t had yet to be decided, but Gallus faked a yawn and pulled the covers up further around him to at least look the part of compliant.

“Yeah, yeah. I know. I’ll be a good little griffon.”

It was all Becky could do to hold back the scoff of her laugh as she stepped away toward the door.

“Y’all think you’re so slick. I was in way worse condition than most of you, and I was getting away with a lot worse. I know when you’re up to no good and how you think you’re gonna get away with it… Ain’t none of you pulling a fast one on me. I’ll make Chris take back the laptop if I have to… Now… Go to sleep.”

Together, the four youngsters, still remaining awake, whispered, "G'night, Becky."

[Out in the hallway.]

Becky slowly closed the door and turned to Shining as the door latched shut. The hall was sparsely lit by the gas lamps glowing, leaving Becky to stick a little closer to Shining's side.

"Those kids are so lucky to have each other like they do. They're a lot better off than me and my friends were at their age… but I’m worried about Flurry. Well, not just her, I’m also starting to worry about…”

It may have been hard to see down the hallway, but Becky knew better than to assume they were alone.

“Midnight. Can me and Shining have some privacy for a while tonight?”

From the shadows above, two reflective yellow eyes blinked open before Midnight Flash silently dropped down into view in front of Becky. Now in full view, he bowed and spoke with confidence and pride.

“The Lunar Guard trusts your safety with Prince Shining Armor, Lady Landon. We shall give you all the space needed and follow you no further. You require only to use your whistle, and we shall return to our stations when desired."

Instead of returning to the shadows, Midnight backed away and stood post by the door to the children's room. At either end of the hall, more eyes were illuminated from the darkest corners. Five more bat ponies descended from where the light did not reach, then marched over to join Midnight.

It was moments like these that Becky was grateful to have won over the bat ponies as she had. Though, she felt she had underestimated their generosity.

"Damn… I thought there was only two of you with Midnight following me… I suck at this."

Shining cocked an ear in Becky's direction before looking at her in shock and bewilderment.

"You could tell he, I mean, more than one of them was following us?"

Sporting a cocky grin, Becky ran the tips of her fingers under Midnight’s jawline, trailing off and raising his chin as she passed him by.

“Oh… Now that I know Flashy is always watching me when he’s on duty, I have a pretty good idea where he’s at. Otherwise, one sneezed like a lady, and another one blinked their green eyes at me once. And Midnight's eyes are a most haaaaandsome shade of translucent gold.”

Shining turned to the line of bat ponies standing watch in front of the door to the children's room. Midnight's eyes were a distinctly polished hue of yellow, but he noticed the guard standing just to the right also had yellow eyes.

"How did you know this one wasn't Midnight if all you could see was his eyes?"

To answer that, Becky turned and looked Midnight over as if she were examining a well-trained watchdog. The way she spoke, however, was more akin to boasting of a gold medal olympian.

"Midnight is professional in everything he does watching over me. So even if I did make a weird noise during dinner and might have accidentally looked up at him watching over me…"

Both Midnight and the other bat pony turned to look at Becky, waiting for her to finish her explanation.

“…or who I thought was Midnight watching over me.”

After finishing that sentence, this new bat pony looked nervous and gulped.

It was at the first sign of the nervous bat pony’s response that Becky knew she had this guard dead to rights, and she smiled even wider.

"Midnight wouldn't eat on the job unless I told him to. And even then, he wouldn't almost drop the seeds he was spitting out on my plate while I was trying to feed Flurry Heart."

The guilty stallion turned to Midnight, fear and shame plastered over his wilting expression.

"It was an accident. I slept in and missed chow. I thought some grapes would hold me over. But then I thought she saw me after Princess Flurry Heart tossed the snow peas—"

"Busted," Becky jokingly said but quickly turned to leave them as they were. "Let him off easy, Midnight. It can't be easy to do your job hungry, so let him take a break now that you have some downtime. I might be a while. And come on, Shining. Carrying Flurry up those stairs didn't do my legs any favors. I need to lay down soon."

Shining was still trying to process the interaction between Becky and the now heavily blushing Midnight, trying not to look flustered at his post. He wanted to know more about how Becky was catching on so quickly to the ways of these bat ponies, but the chance of Becky needing him took priority.

“Right behind you.”

Once alongside Becky again, he had to know what was bothering her.

“Is it about the young delegates? I’m certain with all of us here and Chris and the others not too far away, no creature is stupid enough to attempt another attack on any of us.”

Becky pushed open the door to her room, where Shining held fast at the threshold of her private living space.

"Uh? Becky? If you still want to talk tonight, shouldn't we—Nah!"

Unexpectedly, Becky reached out and pulled Shining into her room by the ear with one hand, then closed the door with her other.

Once they were both inside, she promptly sat on the edge of the bed, spread her legs, and padded the space between them as if summoning a puppy.

"Tin… There's not a lot of ponies here I trust more than just normal friends. Even after all the heroics, I'm not blind to the fact that there's a lot going on around me that I'm not supposed to know about. But with Rainbow Dash gone looking after Justin, I’ve got… like… you and Midnight looking after me that I can really trust and be open with. And I think we both need someone to talk to, and you need someone to help you relax. So come here. I’ve got some stress built up, too.”

Cautiously, Shining sauntered up to Becky, only to be turned around and have his rump pushed to the floor so Becky could draw his back closer to her. There, she let her concerned hands fall upon his neck and traced down his shoulders.

Such pleasantries felt so devilishly undeserved as she soothed his worries as she spoke her mind. It would have been the proper thing to protest such unwarranted treatment, but amid the room filling ever stronger with the sweet aroma that was her natural scent, Shining was temporarily mute.

Becky, however, was sounding rather invested in her own conversation. She wasn’t happy, per say, not exactly sad, but she was without a doubt concerned about something.

“I’m sure Cadance is expecting me to take care of you, just like she did before, but also, I’m sorry Justin talked her into heading off to the Crystal Empire without us. It’s partially my fault for not doing more than patching him up… He needed a lot more help than I knew how to give him, and that’s probably what pushed him to leave in the end.”

Even if she was feeling a little down on herself, there was still a little joy that came from how comforting the simplest of her efforts were to the likes of Shining. At least, it made talking about such a dreary subject easier to converse about.

“I mean… At least it led to him saving Ocelous, which saved us from a lot more nightmares and hardship, but… had I stepped up and helped Cerb and his girls, you wouldn’t have to be away from your wife. Now it’s just the two of us, which must still feel awkward after our time in Canterlot. We’d still would have made it over to your kingdom, only, I think you would have to needed to wait a little longer—”

Suddenly, Becky felt Shinings hoof reaching up to stop one of her hands from rubbing over his shoulder before it could reach down into his chest. Then she noticed how still he was.

Motionless, sitting in front of her no different than the moments he sat by her watching Gruff fall away to his demise. Then, even if she couldn’t see it on his face, she knew she must have mentioned something that hit Shining in a way she never intended.

For Shining, he wished this conversation would have never come to pass, but it was inevitable. Yet, for as bittersweet as it was to have Becky to be the one to first reveal it to, he was glad it was her he could hope to find some understanding with it all.

“Becky… Twilight hasn’t told me much about why Cerb really left without Fluttershy or Rarity, but I know they pushed him away after he killed the owlbear… But, don’t think you’re in any way responsible for keeping me away from Cadance… I wasn’t going back to the Crystal Empire and I asked Justin to go with Cadance to protect her. I couldn’t leave her vulnerable and abandoned again, but… I… didn’t know they would leave so soon.”

There was so much repressed hurt and masked regret coming from Shining that Becky pushed her hands from his shoulders to reach around his neck and pulled him into a soft hug from behind.

“Shining? What happened?”

Warm waves of compassion seeped through Becky’s hands, and fearing the temptation, Shining pushed himself upright and out of her hold.

“Harmony happened,” he coldly answered.

As he turned again to face Becky, the last few days of holding back his emotions began to show through with bitter, angry, hurt-felt tears in his eyes.

“You and Chris know the most about our world, about us. Do you know how Cadance and I came to fall in love with each other? That Cadance used to be Twilight’s favorite foal sitter, but they hardly knew each other? They only saw each other a few times over the span of a week or so when Twilight was a filly. I mean, they never saw each other again until our wedding, but Twilight acts like they were lifelong friends. And then Cadance and me? We… we… wuh… Beck—Becky…”

Finally, Shining started to crumble. First, faltering down to his fore knees, then slumping down to his hindquarters as the tears steadily grew, and he couldn’t stop himself from quietly sobbing over his words.

“Harmony made it all up. Cadence and I talked about it while we were in the hospital together. We noticed something was different with us after meeting all of you. How so many pieces of what we knew didn’t fit together, and everything just started to fall apart."

He raised a foreleg to wipe his cheeks and sniffed hard but was still a mess. Even though he sat only a few feet away on the floor, the distraught omissions of his life-long illusions came from a stallion alone in a world of his own.

"Twilight said your Order could block Harmony's string of whispers. And spending enough time around you could shield us from her influence… or that's what Rose believed… And because of that, Cadance noticed how much we didn't want to be with each other. Perhaps we never really did."

That news hit Becky like a ton of bricks. Even after all the revelations and refinements of their theories, she couldn’t believe that Harmony’s influence would have gone that far. Not even the revelations from within the cave would have granted her such a theory that the love between Shining and Cadance she swore was pure had been another fabrication.

“But… What? How could you both not love each other? What about Flurry Heart? …You’re both not getting a divorce, are you, or is this just a separation?”

Shining slumped all the way to the floor and looked to control himself slightly better but was by no means improving. Even his voice was lower in tone as he retold his recent misery.

“Those Echoes, they told us in the cave about how they controlled the lives of our other versions in all the other worlds. How they made sure Cadance would lose her family, and we were always supposed to fall in love. And then Sword… in his world, when he was its Harmony, just like ours in this one, another version of you unknowingly interfered with his plans, but they were plans that were going to bring me and Cadance together before their world could be saved… So he killed that version of you… Killed every version of your friends he brought to save his world… then destroyed it… That’s how serious each Harmony is about making sure Cadance and I stayed together, to The Words. The Words that whispered her to fall in love with an unpopular geek like me.”

Shining, now feeling a little ashamed, he looked away.

“After Cadance and I talked about it, we agreed she was better suited to lead the Crystal Empire, and I have more family experience to look after Flurry. We decided that she would return to rule over the Empire, and I would raise Flurry and help watch over you while she would help Justin. If I were to return with you as originally planned, we both would be welcome to visit, but there would be no mistake that our love for each other is nothing more than that of friends…" He returned his full attention to Becky with a sad but open look. "And what did you mean by divorce?”

There was so much coming at Becky from this conversation that went sideways just as fast as it started. It seemed like almost from the start of her adventure and arriving in this world, she had misjudged so much of what was possible from these ponies. Even their capacity for love in its most holistic form was now shown to be a lie in front of her.

However, now that she knew why Shining had stayed behind and remained quiet for so long about not returning home, she had resolved that her indecisiveness had gone on long enough. She’d been their friend, a doctor, an impromptu heroine, and a lifesaver when needed, but she had failed at every attempt at trying actually to help a relationship for anyone she called a friend. Instead of standing by, or walking away, or even sending a hopeless mare blindly into the darkness, she would do something this time around.

“Shining,” she mournfully spoke his name as she knelt on the floor in front of him, hugging tightly around his neck. “I’m so sorry this all happened to you. Both of you… We’ll fix this… Then we'll help Justin and find a cure for me, too. I'm just sorry I didn't realize something was wrong sooner."

While her confession was heartfelt, her inner thoughts were far more condemning.

“I’m so fucking stupid,” she silently lectured herself in her head.

Shining slowly brought his forelegs out from under him and did his best to hug Becky back, but his strength was lacking as his heart was breaking. Inside, his thoughts battered against the walls of his mind over what he wished he could say aloud.

"There's nothing left to fix for me. All the love I had for Cadance was a lie that Harmony gave me. I don't ever want to love again… I can't afford to lose you, too. Not if loving me is what can get you killed."

He sniffed hard to clear his nose, taking in Becky's sweet scent and the warmth of her loving touch. Even if this was all he could have, he wouldn't give it up and finally hugged her with some of his familiar strength returning.

"Thank you… I don't care how things turn out for me… We have no whispers between us. Harmony can't take away how important you are to me… You're the only one here I can talk to that knows what Harmony did to us."

[Back in the Crystal Empire.]

Cadance’s chambers were easily large enough to double as a dining area for two. A small table in the room was the perfect height for Cerb to stay seated in his wheelchair and Cadance to join him in a seat of her own.

Between them lay a spread of small dishes with various slices of bread, steamed veggies, and a pot of some rather hearty stew.

“Is the food to your liking?” Cadance asked.

Cerb finished another spoonful of the stew, questioning if leaving the towel over the slow healing, stitched-up hole in his back was a good idea.

“Oh, yeah. Real good.”

Really though, he still was running over everything in his mind about his recent choices and mental hang-ups.

“Thunder knows about sex and how human bodies work, and at least Cadance has some understanding that my dick is different from a pony’s… but neither one is trying to jump my bones or even make me uncomfortable… Not that Fluttershy and Rarity didn’t act the same way at first, but… why was I even checking out Thunder?”

It was going to be another quiet evening with just the two of them, but Cadance felt the need to carefully examine Cerb's view of the missing mares from their attendance.

"I hope you don't mind only the two of us dining together tonight, but I was curious. You seem heavily concerned about Thunder's health. Is there something I should know about? Because the doctors said before leaving Ponyville that she was healing exceptionally well."

It was more than simply Thunder's battle wounds healing that Cerb was concerned about. Even still, there was much he didn't know enough to begin a proper explanation of his more lewd concerns.

"Yeah, uh… Well, I never got all the details on it all, but the Order that's in me, it can do more than nullify magic and block Harmony's effects on you all. It might open up other physical… mental… I dunno. Some things can change for ponies if they have too much exposure to… us… Things she might need my help with. So I wanted her to know that I could help her if she started to notice changes and needed help… She'll be fine."

While the conversation was going well, and Cerb sounded to be on the level, Cadance had other, more pressing, topics on her mind to address. Now, given the conversation she finished having with Cerb in the shower, it seemed like the right time to start if he was so inclined to assert his assistance where needed.

“So… Do you remember when we were riding alone in Canterlot? I wanted your help with something that no pony else could help me with, but only if you were willing to open up about it. Only now, it seems even more complicated since I know it was all Harmony's doing.”

Cerb was concerned about where this new line of conversation was going, but he remembered her starting to ask for his help in Canterlot after the shouting match he exchanged with Celestia. Although, Cadance all but shut down as their time ran short during the carriage ride. Regardless, he had been adamant about repaying her for all the support she had consistently provided.

“I… Sure, Candy. At this point, I’m an open book. What’d you need help with?”

Cadence lowered her gaze to the table and set aside her utensils. Her eyes began to glisten with her emotions welling up as she dug deep to prevent herself from breaking down upon Cerb yet again.

"Before I understood my place in the world… I lost everything… My home, my family. My past… I didn't know if I had been lost in the wilderness or abandoned. Were my parents alive? Was I missed, simply unwanted? Or, knowing now, how Harmony so carelessly slaughtered any who did not serve her purpose, if my family were common pegasi with no means to protect me, were they made to forget that I even ever existed?"

She looked up Cerb again, still no joy to be found in her eyes.

"When I first wanted to ask for your help, it was to learn how to accept being a child who was left behind… But now I think I need your help with losing my parents and having to leave the only love I’ve known, which was a lie, and a daughter I left behind with it."

Even when pressed with such crushing weight, Cerb still looked to carry an appearance of strength behind his shared sorrows. Then, in front of him, Cadance sat hollow, sadly unable to hide how crushed she was by her burdens and new tears lining down her cheeks.

Letting go had been painful, and part of her still hurt when talking about it. Not even speaking to Cerb could dampen all of what she was feeling inside when she finally opened up about it.

"I know our situations are different, you see," she weakly lamented. "Well, Shining and I, we tried so hard to make things work. Everything we did only showed us we… Damn it all, Justin. Everything we did for each other only helped us to see that we wanted for each other to be happier with someone other than each other… And I miss what I felt for him… but that love is gone, and all I have now is the hole in my heart it left behind."

Slowly, Cerb placed both his hands on the table, silently searching for the words to say before he dared to speak. Those moments felt like a small betrayal, but they were needed to ensure what he said next bore not only truth but the reinforcement she sought from him.

"We don't know how much control Harmony had over every single creature to the same degree of influence she did like you and the others we know of. That being said, let's keep the blame on her for now and just assume the worst because that seems to be the way she chose to operate. In which case, I'm sure Harmony wanted things done quickly and efficiently, so your parents likely never suffered or knew what happened, and you can take solace in that."

It was sad for Cerb to let this meal go to waste, but the mood had shifted too drastically, and he had lost his appetite. Now his attention was fixated on dealing with this new drama that had been spilled onto his proverbial plate.

"I… never really got over losing my family… I chose to hate my dad instead of grieving like I should have for my mother, and I focused—"

Cerb quickly caught himself from saying too much, as far as Cadance could tell, but suddenly he started back up with a more confident tone.

"No. Fuck it. Open book… I turned the loss of my brother into anger at killing others like those who killed him and focused on training those alongside me so they were better Marines… Better fighters. Smarters tacticians in the sandbox… More efficient killers… I can't teach you how to take the pain away or mend your heart."

Cadence was staring at him, waiting for an answer to come. Some follow-up surprise statement that was meant to exceed her expectations.

Across from Cadance, Cerb had less than what Cadance deserved to deliver on her behalf. None of the grief counseling or therapy he received could he prepared him for this for the years of abuse and manipulation he was going to try and help talk her through.

"All I can do is help build yourself up, so you’re strong enough to get over all these fucked up things that happen to us… Listen... Scars heal over the wounds. Grass grows over the graves. And every day, we move farther and farther away from the things that hurt us. If you keep holding on to these bad memories, then all you're doing is picking at the scabs, and digging up the graves… trying to run back to the pain, and I get that, but you don't need that."

From the short distance that the table presented between them, Cerb could see Cadance was struggling with his proposal. So, he'd have to dig a little deeper.

"Look, when I focused on my mother dying, all I could do was cry. Then, when I switched to my father walking out on me… After I got done crying about that, all I could do was be angry about it. And when I was angry, it was hard to focus, but at least I could get some shit done. If I thought too much about how much I missed my baby brother, I would start to break down. If I thought more about putting another body in the ground of someone trying to kill another one of my brothers, I was motivated. And when I start to think about all the good times I miss with Rarity and Fluttershy…"

Cerb froze again. He said he was an open book, but there was much he still hadn’t fully processed yet.

“I… eh.. I dunno… I rely so much on all of you right now for everything they did for me, but there’s so much more that I hate myself for missing about them.”

Hearing that, the ears on Cadence wilted, as did her whole presentation.

"It is sad… We both have chosen to leave our prior relationships, knowing what is best for us is not where we thought our hearts had led us, yet we can't help but long again for what we left behind."

A touch of hope found its way into her ambitions, and she raised her eyes to try and find his. A small smile began to grow, feeding off of some of Cerb's prior words.

"At least, as you said, we have each other for the rest. For me, at least, I know that having you close, being able to confide in you… cry with you… I don't know how I would be able to keep my sanity… I fear I may one day ask too much of you for how much of your closeness and affection I rely on to stop from falling apart at times."

For as much as Cerb thought he should have been afraid of the position he was falling deeper into, he oddly felt closer and more warmth for Cadance. Not too dissimilar to the affinity he experienced towards Rarity and Fluttershy, but this was different. It didn't blindside him after a scare or following another near tragedy.

This was a slow-growing realization that came the more she opened up and shared her empathy. She shared his fears and loss in a lot of ways, something he didn't have with his prior mares.

"I know I need you girls just as much… I’m sorry, Candy… I know I’m still all messed up. I can’t sleep during the day, so I need the girls to keep me up, and I can’t sleep at night without you… So, yeah. I’m in the same boat as you… I’d probably be tearing myself apart if I didn’t have all of you, knowing that… now that I got no one else.”

This was another fork in the road for Cadance to navigate. One path could end up reopening old wounds further, while another path could lead to more fruitful ventures.

After all she had experienced with Cerb’s good nature, she had faith there was workable soil to yield the results she desired if toiled with care. Promising enough that she again started to smile.

“Come, now. If you say that any more convincingly, I may start to believe you doubt the intentions of all of us in your care. And just the same, since it does appear to help you, I believe it best for you to continue to assist Thunder with her perceived shortcomings during the day as you have done so for me in the evening. And, if the other mares happen to suffer any unfortunate… new revelations… I am certain they will require your strong shoulders to lean on as well.”

Cerb nodded, seeing that as a viable course of action, but all too quickly registered the odd change of tone Cadance used when referencing a portion of her suggestion.

“I’ll do just about anything for you girls. But what do you mean, new… revelations?”

Cadance gave a deep sigh as she looked over their table. There was much to say, and much of their meal was left untouched.

“It is not for me to say as of yet, given that I am hopeful for more promising results now that we have left Ponyville.”

The entire spread of the table lifted. Each plate, dish, bowl, and utensil levitated up and was returned to the dining cart. In their place, a new cloth was placed on the table, along with two clean plates, forks, a pair of drinking glasses, a pitcher of milk, and a whole cherry pie topped with a dollop of cream placed in the center between them.

“I apologize for our conversation turning so unpleasant this evening. We, unfortunately, had no time to plan your transition here, so of course, on top of so many other problems facing us, we should expect there to be issues. Regardless, for now, I think a nice dessert should do us well to finish off our day before Thunder returns, and we can finish with your bandages.”

That sounded like an acceptable plan to Cerb, though he thought of at least one more thing to add to help round off his submission of good advice.

“Yeah, I could go for a slice. But, I should also say that for getting over all this bull shit that keeps happening to us… Time can help numb the pain, though it won’t ever fully go away. And as for the hole in your heart… Usually, you fill in the gaps with better people.”

A small but adoring smile found its way onto Cadance’s muzzle as she placed a generous slice of pie on Cerb’s plate and passed it to him. His words had reached her, and she was graciously accepting.

“Justin, my dear. I’m doing all that I can to move past what my prior life was, and I have you and your friends to thank for that. Both Shining and I do, and we could not be more pleased than to have people like you to fill in the gaps that only your love and compassion are capable of.”

[Later, at the Castle of Friendship in Becky’s Room.]

After a civil discussion of how the dissolving of a marriage works and the options of sharing parental rights could go, Shining was feeling a new sense of calm with his outlook.

“You know, Becky, if this all works out, it will be a brand new start for me. I won't have to ask for my old job back as Captain of the Guard or live with my mom again… This might take care of everything."

What had been discussed may have sounded all well and good, but it was still only theory until put to practice, as far as Becky knew.

"Don't get too excited yet. You still have to talk to Cadance to make sure she's on board with it and find out how the process would even be done here. Not that I'm sure any Princess could do it, but it might not be that easy if there's a court process or something."

After all that Harmony had exposed her many millennia’s worth of evil treachery, Shining was certain a divorce was the proper choice of action. If anything, after all the suffering Celestia had taken, he assumed even she would be understanding of his plight in all of this.

"You always seem to have the best ideas. I wouldn't doubt you. And thank you again for talking with me about all of this. I think what we discussed will make it easier for everyone else to deal with when they find out, too. Letting Cadance be free to let her heart find love freely on her own, that will be good for her."

What should have been a kind-hearted statement caught Becky as a bit short-sighted. Something she quickly hit back with some questionable commentary, given the mutual, if not gracious split she was explaining Shining had with his wife..

“Not just her, Tin. You deserve to be happy, too. You're still young. A stud. You're a hot piece of royalty, and we both know Cadance wants you to enjoy yourself."

A brief smile showed over Shining’s muzzle, but it was impossible to determine whether it was forced on her behalf or if it was a show of something more he attempted to hide any sings of flattery.

“Thanks, but I think it’s too early for me to worry about anything like that.”

That was true enough, Becky figured, having jumped from trying to help comfort him from missing his wife to now helping him move past her and onto another. Although that also jumbled up a lot of other complicated emotions she was now left to deal with.

Conflicted or not, she laid her hand on Shining's shoulder again, choosing to be the supportive friend above all else.

"Yeah. Sorry… I can't imagine any of this is easy to let go of, even with Harmony messing with your head, it still was real for both of you."

Shining reached up and stroked his frogs over the back of Becky's hand while he closed his eyes and his face tilted to the floor.

"No… none of it was real. Not what I thought I had. Not who I could protect… Justin was right about things being too good to be true. We were never allowed to see that. This time, though… This time, things will be different, and thankfully Cadance had the good sense to convince me to stay here with the only friend I can trust to make sure it will be.”

Seemingly having said enough, Shining tapped his hoof on Becky's hand before turning away toward the door, leaving the sweet scent of sunflowers and honey Becky was filling the room with.

"It's getting late. I think I'll be turning in for the night. You sleep tight, Becks."

Wearily, Becky's arm fell back to her side as Shining stepped away. She was even less certain how to feel about all of this now given his mental state in his last reaction.

"Good night to you, too."

Shining casually opened the door and backed out of the room to bow as he left. The door closed quietly, and Shining left just as silently down the hall.

Becky had sat alone in her room for some time. It was more than a few moments, more than a few minutes. She wasn’t exactly certain for how long. The time had all but escaped her while she pondered where and how she had gotten everything so mixed.

“I thought finally I had them figured out.”

She had been so sure of herself. Almost proud of herself, even.

Now, as she brought her hands together and rubbed them over each other, noticing where the feeling of touch was lingering with loss of the finer muscle coordination?

“God damn it. This is what I get for being so fucking stupid and scared for so long.”

Too much time had passed without alerting the guard that they could resume their normal duties. In fact, there was another favor she could ask one of them, so she reached around her neck to pull out a thin silver necklace.

Hanging from the bottom of the silver links was a narrow fluted tube, which could have easily been mistaken for a dog whistle. No matter the appearance, she placed the mouthpiece to her lips and gave it three soft puffs from her cheeks. She could only faintly hear anything but the air passing through its chamber, though there wouldn't be much she could have heard otherwise; that wasn't this whistle’s purpose or function.

After only a few short breaths, the fast beating of wings turned to hooves hitting the hard floor outside Becky's room, and the door swung open again with Midnight barging in.

He stood ready, solid, one wing reaching for a blade tucked away behind him, now unsure of what he was charging into with two guards behind him… all of them not knowing what to do or say.

Becky, on the other hand, while also confused, didn't seem so lost for words.

"What the hell? I thought three short blows meant send someone for a service call, not an emergency. Or... Oh, shit. Did I do three loud blows on this thing? Because I can't tell the fucking difference."

Midnight, seeing no cause for alarm, returned his weapon and relaxed before bowing at the door.

"My apologies, Lady Landon. We were only expecting one whistle for an all-clear. When we heard three…"

It was understandable, and Becky rolled her eyes as she gave a sigh.

"No, no. You're fine. Better safe than sorry."

Still, their response time was impressive, leaving Becky to examine the tiny whistle.

"At least we know this thing works. And you can stay, Flashy. I really only wanted to talk to you for a while, If you don't mind."

The two other bat pony Lunar Guards bowed and departed out of sight, leaving Midnight to step inside and join Becky. Of which, he seemed much more collected upon his approach.

“Of course, it works. I may not have said much about a bat pony’s hearing before when you asked about our echolocation, but we have a much higher frequency range we can hear than the average pony. Most ponies are only able to hear a whistle in the thirty thousand hertz range. The whistle we gave you is measured around ninety thousand hertz… And, no. You did not blow too loudly. Our ears are sensitive to those sounds, but we do not hear them as well as most sounds of lower frequencies. You would have to blow a lot harder, and we would have to be much closer to cause any discomfort.”

“Oh,” Becky softly answered as she scooted closer to her pillow, leaving more room for Midnight on the bed.

Midnight noticed the vacant spot on the bed now clearly opened for him and shot a curious look to Becky.

“Lady Landon?”

Becky’s facial features dropped to a sadder expression with her gaze closer to the floor, then to her nightstand, where she pulled out a bottle of rum.

“All my friends are gone or busy with their ponies. I sent Dash away to watch over Cerb, and even Shining has his own shit to take care of. I’m not gonna bother Twilight when I know she’s overwhelmed as it is… You’re the only one who hasn’t left me.”

It was clear to Midnight that Becky was in distress, and he was not living up to his word by questioning her request so much that she had to spell out her newfound dependency on him.

“Of course not,” he declared as he hiked up onto the bed and sat comfortably close to his ward. “You have been a true and faithful friend to our kin. All my brethren still healing in the hospital sing of your praise and kindness. The whistle is but a testament of our dedication to repay you for all you have done for us. If you need anything of me, I am here. You need only ask.”

Becky quickly poured herself a glass of the dark rum and sat with it in her lap, thinking of where she wanted to start.

“I used to talk to Chris when I was bored because he always had something to entertain me with. Or I’d hang out with Kelly because she loved to take care of me. Lumberman and Cerb were always like my big brothers protecting me, and Sniff always kept us moving with something to do or gave us somewhere to go. Then we got stuck here, I had Dashy with me, and we could talk about anything… And you say your kin sing of my praise, but they’re not healing like the other ponies before them or Ember did.”

Hastily, Becky raised her glass and sloppily began to chug the rum, guzzling it down and letting some slip past her lips to drip down her chin. Just as quickly and only half finished with the glass, she lowered it down to catch her breath and continue.

“Applejack scabbed her wounds closed in a matter of days. Redhearts bones healed in… less than a week, I think? Which is almost as impossible as Ember and Ocelus healing after whatever Cerb did to them… But I can’t fix Vogt, Kühn, who almost died saving me and Sniff. Then there’s Buckskin. He’s still broken. And the bat ponies singing my praise? …Aster’s ribs are still broken, and so many more of your friends are still in casts and haven’t healed like—”

In a frustrated and flustered motion, Becky turned her head away while making a fist in one hand, then turned back and raised the other to empty her glass.

After just as sloppily downing the remainder of booze in her glass, she whipped her lips clean and returned her glass to the nightstand, and she abandoned herself to lean hard against Midnight’s shoulder.

“All my friends made their ponies stronger and more capable. They all made each other better versions of themselves because they fell in love and… weren’t afraid to find a way to be happy with each other… But I was afraid… I didn’t want any of it to happen… I thought I wanted the same world Harmony wanted… No death. No pain. No misery and suffering… No complicated love relationships and getting caught up in trying to find a hook-up… But I was wrong about everything, Flashy.”

Cautiously, Midnight began to lay his wing over Becky's back and shoulder, slowly extending its leathery folds to drape over her arm and cover as much as he could. When he did not feel her pull away or push him out, he leaned in, pinned his ears back, and set his cheek to rest against the top of her head.

“The yaks and deer kin adore you, as we all do, Lady Landon. Many even quarrel with each other over who harbors your affection more than the other. And there is no question of your abilities or intentions for those still needing your care. We know not of the abilities Lumberman, Chris, and Justin may have used to heal only one or two at a time, nor would we dare to say they would not have their right or their reasons to.”

Still receiving no resistance to his efforts consoling Becky, Midnight raised a forehoof around her midsection as she slid further into his hold.

“But you… How many have you saved and still comfort? Do you not give so much to so many, even when it leaves you exhausted? Have you not tired yourself day in and day out, even here when you should be asleep? Lady Landon, you tend to the children of kingdoms unable to safely take them back and yet another foal without her mother. You are nothing like the evil Harmony was to us, yet everything we wished her lies would have been… Can you not see how much it is you do for us? All the value you’ve given us?”

Each question was self-explanatory, but it did little to address what else Becky was dealing with. Only now, things were feeling even more difficult to process that she was allowing herself to be held so delicately by Midnight, slumped over with her head in his foreleg over his lap. Yet, now swallowed up in both of his wings like a blanket, her free arm holding over his foreleg bravely holding her, she wondered why she wasn’t brave or foolish enough to have pushed for another's comfort before this, if not now.

“It’s more than that, Flashy… I keep choosing the wrong thing until someone suffers because I didn’t make the right choice fast enough, even when I know there’s a problem. But now… Goddamnit… I don’t know if I’m going to end up hurting who I thought I was trying to help, but for a moment, I couldn’t help myself from wanting it to happen because I can’t stand being by myself anymore.”

For all the time Midnight had spent watching over Becky, this behavior was so unlike her. He had heard she reacted poorly when discovering the potential fate of Swift Hoof at the hospital in Canterlot, but this seemed more personal. Becky sounded more as though she doubted her own intentions as opposed to her capabilities. Even more confusingly, was it because she was possibly seeking companionship?

Ironically, Midnight, bat puns aside, had never felt as though he ventured into a situation so blindly as he had this one with Becky.

“Lady Landon? Are you saying you’re concerned that you will be unable to heal a patient, but you secretly wanted it to happen because you wanted… maybe more time to be closer to… I’m assuming a stallion?”

Laying in the protective hold of Midnight’s embrace, the painful nagging at the back of Becky's mind and the ache in her depths broke what little reserves of restraint she had left. Even if she couldn’t tell this faithful guardian of hers everything, she couldn’t keep all the misery to herself.

“No… Not a patient. Just a friend that I only recently figured out could have been more if I hadn’t been so stuck up at the time… or stupid. Or scared, or whatever.”

She curled in further, getting as much of her body as close as she could to Midnight, not caring that he currently wore no armor and was bare. He was clean, friendly, and gentle while handling her, and even his scent was a brisk aerated musk that was easy to take in. Not exactly the rich scent of an expensive shampoo like that of the stallion who had just left her room, but it was oddly inviting in its own way.

It was comforting enough, or perhaps her emotions and hormones were finally getting the better of her, and she continued to vent in hopes of finding more sympathy.

“Another friend had invited me in to get closer to him. Told me everything I needed to hear to feel safe about being as close as I was. Even encouraged me to go for more… but he was never into me, but I think she thought he was. Even I was concerned he was for a while.”

She thought back to how much things changed the night she sent Rainbow away after Cerb with her blessing. How much more alone she was. All the relationships that had been strained and how strong the attractions were. How strongly so many were willing to go for those willing to accept one another, their willingness to share their relationships and lust for humans… How uncomfortable she was with so few options surrounding her. That is, save one who always danced the line but never renounced or acted against his devotion around her, even this very night when she wished he had.

“And after I realized how much I don’t want to be alone, I figured out how she was really trying to help me. Maybe help all of us in her own way. So, I selfishly wanted him to be that for me. Even if it was only going to be a little bit of what she offered. Until I realized they should have been together the whole time… I’m part of the reason they’re not together. But I can tell he still loves her. ”

To hear such news was disheartening for Midnight, so he held her a little tighter and nuzzled in closer, though he did so cautiously.

“I am sure you should not blame yourself, though I am certain it is also understandable for a stallion to be taken in by your charm and beauty, Lady Landon. You must not blame every wandering set of eyes or jaded mare on what must happen naturally.”

To that respect, Becky’s night was ruined, but her inner turmoil was churning with a need for some compensation to pacify her questionable longings.

“Flashy… I don’t want you to get the wrong idea, but can we share a bed tonight?”

Author's Note

First, I planned on doing art for the final scene of this chapter, but I don't have the coordination at this point in time for it. Despite my best efforts, I can't produce art like I used to. I know my last art piece was terrible on top of being rushed, but my skills have dropped even worse, is what I'm saying.

Well, not the most exciting chapter, and I apologize for that. However, this does wrap up this Wednesday in the story, and the next chapter will start a new day and a lot more developments, I promise.

Even still, a big turn of events was Becky finally starting to show some interest in finding a little romance. Although, it seems like after the final battle with the Echos and Cadance going her own way, Shining has a very different outlook on his freedom and responsibilities.

Makes you wonder exactly how Midnight is going to play into this since he's always been loyal to the humans and has done a solid for just about everyone. Only, since the battle, he's stuck super close to Becky, and now... Becky asked him to share a bed with her after she had intended to potentially seduce Shining?

Damn... Shit is really going to be interesting the next morning.

Just where exactly is Becky's head these days anyway? Hell, Cerb isn't too far off either getting confused on why he's fixated on pony poon at the wrong time.

I guess the only way to figure out how any future events are going to evolve will require you to check in again during the next installment in,

Chapter 07: The Best Laid Plans.

Also, acknowledgments to my story support:

The Fan Without a Face:

Editor for Chapters 01 - 03, 5.

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