As The Sun Sets

Shining and Cadance entered their shared room together, leaning into each other.

"I can't believe she just let you go."

Cadance chuckled, "I know, I was certain I was going to get grilled at some point."

Why didn't she ask all her questions?

Shining broke away, lighting his horn to grab the papers stuffed under the bed, "She knows we're leaving tomorrow morning right? She won-"

"OHmyGOSH! I totally forgot about work!" Cadance jumped forwards and yoinked the papers from Shining's aura.

Shining continued staring where he was looking before yoinkage, "Well... I'll count that as a win." He said sarcastically as he slowly turned towards Cadance, currently working herself into a tizzy.

"Cadance honey."

She turned around sharply, "Yes?" said with confusion

"It's still barely seven. You've got time."

Cadance looked out to the window and exhaled. "Right. I mean, not-'' She shook her head, "Ugh- Right, not fast." Then she focused back on the paper she had floating in her aura. Shining was half concerned the poor slip of paper was going to catch flames under her scrutiny.

He magicked a pillow under her back legs, gently tapping it against rump. She sat down, and continued scribbling.

Ah Cadance. Always gonna be the same aren't you?

Shining had the joy of experiencing numerous interactions in which, the pony in question, talking about his sister, would wonder if Cadance's 'regal grace' made Twilight any more social, and less of a bookworm.

...

...

Shining looked over to Cadance as he clambered up onto the bed. She was practically dead to the world.

Shining waved his hoof, he thought she responded, but she was just done with what she was reading and switched to something else.

In the zone then. Welp.

He looked around at the various entertainment amenities provided to him by his sister, lifted a comic book from a shelf, and settled into the groove on the bed. It was time to do Shining's favorite thing in the world.

Nothing.

Shining tuned out the world, the only thing still within the preview of his attention outside of 'chillaxing' was the slowly dimming natural light from outside. Shining wasn't completely sure because he wasn't paying close enough attention, but the room, and likely the castle as a whole, felt cooler after the sun went down.

Shining watched Cadance get up onto the bed within his peripheral, "I'm all done. Mostly."

Shining levitated his comic back over to the night stand, he wasn't really reading it anyways, just looking at the pictures. "Mostly?"

She settled in next to him, "I want Amber to look at a couple of things before I sign them, her encyclopedic knowledge of law will do its work." She laid her head over his back, "I think now, I'm just going to enjoy the rest of my vacation."

Shining didn't miss the little poke at him hiding her work earlier.

Except you would have fret over nothing instead of being annoyed at me

"You wanna talk first?" He asked, leaning to the side and shimmying to give her more space to get comfortable. Cadance knew what he meant, he was certain.

"I think I'm losing my mind."

Shining didn't lose his smile on the outside, "That's quite a jump."

"Really." She said, snuggling deeper into him.

Shining levitated a section of blanket out from underneath him, then rolled a tad to get the other section. He lifted the thing over his shoulder and covered Cadance. "Tell me." He said

She roughly gestured out with her front hooves in agitation, "It just! It all made sense! Years ago. I remember..." She shifted, deflating, "Remember our wedding night? Defeat the bad guys, marry my Prince."

Shining nodded, making sure Cadance could feel it.

"Then the Crystal Empire came around and... I just felt like I had it all together. That I knew what... I mean, I'd been practicing for years, nearly half a lifetime." She leaned up and tried to look him in the eye, he didn't realize it though, and she merely looked over the back of his head before slouching over. "I just thought... Marry a Prince. Rule a kingdom. That's what Alicorns do right?"

Shining expertly interjected after waiting for just the right moment, "And now?" In truth, Shining barely understood what she was talking about, sure he got the words; understood the premise, but he knew he couldn't truly comprehend how she felt. That didn't mean he couldn't be there, support her. He didn't have to solve every problem.

"Now I don't know." Cadance shook her head, "I guess I never really knew, just guessed."

"What do you want then?" He ventured

"Hmm?"

"If you don't know what you should have, what you should be doing, that is. Pick." He bobbed his head once, "Don't wait around..." He trailed off as a memory, words not his own filtered into his mind.

Exactly what Silver told me...

"I want you." She squeezed him, "And I want... This baby, in our lives. Those two are easy."

"What else?" He said, and Cadance yawned from behind his head.

"I want..." She trailed off, "I want to... Keep the Empire running. Rule, like I'm supposed to. I want to be a good Princess."

This is... Surreal

Shining parroted back something else Silver had told him, "Do you think a fair Princess would ignore the law when it was important? Or would a fair Princess make the law right, so it wouldn't have to be broken, to do good?"

"I-" Cadance shifted, rolling over onto her side, "I don't know. I'm not omnipotent, I can't do everything. So I guess it'd be better to break the law when it matters..."

Shining furrowed his brow, banishing his thoughts and focusing back on Cadance. "What else?"

"Uhgh, I want the ponies in my life to stop being so hard to talk to." Cadance began waggling a hoof as she spoke the names, "Luna, Celestia, Twilight... sometimes, Silver- I guess..."

"No shame in wanting that mare to talk straight for once."

"I want to feel like I'm doing good, of course, I also want to actually help ponies, but... Knowing I'm doing it wouldn't hurt." Cadance took a few deep breaths, then yawned again.

Shining laid his head down and rolled to the side. Cadance slid forwards along his chest as he fell, and she leaned forwards into a sort of T shaped spoon. "The insane thing? Again?"

"Yeah, I like... having it all fit into where it's supposed to. Not all of this, grey, sideways moral compass ruling." Cadance huffed, "I just can't tell which way is up anymore. I'm doubting my own decisions with no proof, and just..."

"I just feel lost. Do you think The Empire was too big of a responsibility?"

Shining didn't hesitate to respond. He rested a hoof around Cadance's shoulder and pulled her into a hug. Well, more of a hug than what they were doing already; tangled together in the way they were. "No. I think we've got it. It's just not easy."

"..."

"For what it's worth. I think you're on the right track."

"Really?" She said quietly.

"Mhm."

"Even with the... dark magic? Silver? The school and... Thursdays?"

Shining couldn't sense emotion like his wife could. He didn't have to be able to read emotions with magic to hear the... mixed bag of hope and doubt in her words. So Shining was honest. "Yes." and it surprised even him.

"Just... Yes?"

Shining blinked once, then closed his eyes and nestled into Cadance more. "I guess so. I felt like I had a lot to say but, really? It's all just worrying. I'm flying in the dark as much as you are, except you always feel so far ahead that I can only really judge after you've done something. So despite all the worry, you've yet to... Do anything wrong." He pressed his nose against her, "I've only ever seen My Princess at work."

The conversation ended there. Cadance, glowing. Shining, happy. They laid together, not caring for sleep in exchange for a few more minutes to enjoy the company.

The sound of their light breathing and comfortable bed carried them both to sleep eventually.