Wake up.

Anon gently crawls out of the grand canopy bed near the very top of the Crystal Castle. His movements are careful and precise, with each step, each shuffle, each twitch perfectly planned out. The sheets barely move an inch as he removes himself from the bed, doing everything in his power to not wake his snoozing wife. He can’t help but smile as he looks down at her beautiful, sleeping form. Even like this, with her regalia on the far side of her room, her mane a complete mess, and her makeup entirely nonexistent, she is perfect in every sense of the word.

All the more reason for him to get on with his day.

With practiced motions and fierce determination, Anon slips into the massive closet attached to the royal bedchambers and gets ready to start the day. His clothing is largely unassuming. While Cadance has her typical regalia, Anon has only a small tiara not unlike his wife’s. It’s much smaller, clearly made to indicate his comparatively minimal amount of political influence, but he wears it with pride all the same. For the rest of his outfit, he dons himself in a nice suit as he typically does on days he’ll be in the public eye.

Today, he shall wear a yellow tie. No real reason, it just feels right.

As soon as he is ready, he nods to himself and slips out of the room before Cadance can even begin to stir. The sun has not yet risen, but he has to start his day early if he’s going to get everything done.

Start her day.

Anon saunters to the nearby bathroom. He always preferred evening showers, but Cadance likes to start her day with a nice, hot bath. He begins drawing the water, ensuring that it’s just the right temperature. He’s experimented quite a bit, and he knows exactly how she likes it. Once the tub is filled, he reaches into a nearby cabinet and observes the large collection of bath bombs. Perhaps she’d like “lavender cream” today?

He has no idea what the heck these things are or what a “lavender cream” is, but if the love of his life likes them, he likes them too.

Looking back to the cabinet, he grabs a fresh washcloth and a few towels before setting them out. If his timing is right, she should be here in the next three to five minutes. In other words, it’s time to move on.

Breakfast.

The castle staff is busy as always. Anon steps into the massive kitchen near the center of the Crystal Castle. The chefs are, predictably, preparing breakfast both for Princess Cadance and the rest of the castle’s staff. Anon greets them with a smile, and they smile back. While he might not be particularly popular with the general populace of the Crystal Empire, he’s on friendly terms with just about everyone who works in the castle itself.

While they’re more than willing to make Anon a nice breakfast like they’re doing for Cadance, he declines the offer with a smile. Instead, he informs them of Cadance’s mood the night before. Judging by the way she was acting, he figures that she’ll need something lighter today, probably with a fair amount of fruit. The chefs thank Anon for his input, and despite his protests, toss him a flapjack on his way out. He accepts with a laugh and makes his way out the door.

Court.

Anon quickly makes his way to the Crystal Castle’s throne room. While not as grand as Canterlot’s and its stained-glass windows, the crystalline walls and highly elevated throne still make it a beautiful (and, admittedly, somewhat imposing) sight. The room is completely empty, save for an older unicorn stallion named Lamplight. He’s something of a stick in the mud, but he’s Cadance’s most trusted advisor behind Anon himself. While Anon doesn’t like him much, they’re more than willing to set that aside for the sake of the princess.

The stallion greets Anon with a grunt, one that he returns with an equal lack of enthusiasm. Lamplight shows Anon his report, detailing the list of grievances and expected complaints that could arrive during day court. Anon gives the sheet a once over before asking about the absence of the delay on the Empire’s southeastern water tower renovation project. With a groan, Lamplight scrawls Anon’s concern on the bottom of the sheet, having forgotten to include it. Today is one small victory for Anon, and tomorrow, it will likely be Lamplight emerging on top. Such is the nature of their petty rivalry. They both hate this part of the day. At least, that’s what they tell themselves.

Public works.

With the sun nearly approaching its apex in the sky above, Anon departs from the castle. This is the most physically demanding part of his day, and he’d like to get done sooner rather than later. With the Crystal Empire having returned to Equestria not very long ago in the grand scheme of things, it’s still far behind the rest of the world in many regards. As a result, there are almost always a dozen or so public works projects aiming to modernize the great city. There is plenty of consideration for the history and culture of the Empire, sure, but you don’t have to be of the “new generation” to enjoy having plumbing in your home.

One by one, Anon visits each and every one of the projects to check up on their progress. The new elementary school building is developing nicely. They’re extending the library to contain all the new literature that was written after the Empire’s disappearance. A number of doctors from across Equestria are working with the chemists and medically minded crystal ponies to ensure that there is at least one clinic and one pharmacy available in each district of the city. All in all, things are proceeding well.

The ponies working at these projects aren’t particularly happy to see Prince Anon, though. He’s never felt especially unwelcome in the Empire, or like he was in any sort of danger. However, the fact that he is not respected like Cadance is, despite the fact that Cadance expects them to show him the same reverence they show her, is plain to see. And yet, he keeps on trucking along, making sure that everything is going exactly how his wife envisioned it without her ever needing to get her hooves dirty.

Castle maintenance.

In Canterlot, Princess Luna takes it upon herself to take care of the castle after the sun sets. In the Crystal Empire, Anon does his best to follow her lead. At this time of day, when the sun is setting over the horizon and the crystals making up the castle’s foundation begin to gleam with orange light, he decides to begin his duties such that he may finish before Cadance wraps her mountains of paperwork.

Hanging flowers for better ambience and improved sleep? Check. Staff properly cared for? Check. Crystal Heart still chugging along? Big check, it’s glowing bright and the Empire is as happy as it’s ever been. The castle is large, and while the tasks themselves seem simple, they take more than a couple of hours to properly complete.

And by the time he finally finishes up, Anon is absolutely exhausted.

On heavy legs, he trudges up the many, many stairs leading to the royal bedchambers. After grabbing some more comfortable clothes, he returns to the royal family’s personal bathroom and takes a quick shower. He delivers his suit to the laundry staff personally before finally making it back to the bedchambers.

“You were out late.”

Cadance is already curled up in bed. Her regalia and makeup have been removed, but her mane hasn’t yet met its typical fate after a long night of tossing and turning like the terrible sleeper she is. She had her face buried in a book, and Anon catches a glance at the title before she places it down to look at him. “A Demon’s Second Chance.” Hm.

“Sorry, work caught up to me.”

“Nonny, you know you don’t have to spend all day checking out the public works, right?”

“I know,” he chuckles. “But I’m saving you a lot of trouble by doing so.”

“That’s true, but I don’t want you wearing yourself thin because of it.”

“It’s a burden I’m willing to bear,” he sighs contentedly as he begins to crawl into bed alongside his wife. Her horn briefly glows as she turns the main lights off, now illuminated only by the warm light of her bedside lamp. “Besides, the public works took a normal amount of time. It was the maintenance that cost me most of my day.”

“Maintenance?”

“The flowers, checking up on staff, that stuff.”

“You mean like Luna’s duties?”

“Er, yes?”

“Nonny, how long have you been doing that?!”

“About as long as I’ve been a prince. Did I not mention that to you?”

“No! Honey, you’re gonna run yourself ragged!”

“I think I’m doing just fine.”

Cadance stares at her husband for a moment before sighing.

“Lamplight told me about how you helped him with the court notes, too.”

“Yeah, he forgot about the southeastern water tower. And I knew he would!”

“That’s not important, Nonny. Have you been keeping up with my day court every day, too?”

“...Y-yes?”

“What else have you been doing?!”

“Well…” Anon sheepishly rubs the back of his head as he explains his typical daily routine. “And you know, on second thought, I should’ve gone with a red tie today.”

“You’ve been doing all that stuff?! E-even the baths?! I thought that was the staff!”

“N-nope, that was me.”

“Nonny!” Anon recoils as his wife suddenly throws herself at him, her hooves wrapping around his torso and her head burying into his neck. She drapes her large, wonderfully soft wings over him, enveloping him in a warmer embrace than a bed alone could ever provide. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re doing all of that? Most of those things could easily be done as a group effort!”

“It never felt important enough to bring up. And I do them because I want to, Cady, not because I have to.”

“But… why? You could spend your time doing literally whatever you want and nopony would stop you!”

“True, but I like spending my time that way. Not only does it help the Empire, it… uh…” Anon glances away in embarrassment as he hesitates for a moment. “It’s all for you, anyway.”

“Nonny?”

“You’re just… you’re so cool, Cadance. You already knew how much I adored you before all this Crystal Empire stuff happened, but now? Now you’re like… like a superhero to these crystal ponies! You do everything they’ve ever wanted and then some!”

“Y-you’re exaggerating.”

“If you think I am, just look at the Crystal Heart. It’s never shone so brightly.”

“You can’t say that’s due to just me.”

“Can’t I? Ask anypony why they love the Crystal Empire, and I can almost guarantee that you’ll be in their top three reasons.”

“Oh, hush.” She playfully hits his shoulder, but then snuggles further into his neck. “Besides, it sounds like you’re doing just as much for them.”

“I’m mostly just doing them for you.”

“...You’re doing all of that to make my life easier, huh?”

“You deserve only the best, Cady.”

“Well, so do you.”

Before Anon can respond, Cadance has already pressed her lips against his own. He doesn’t fight it, and the two continue to enjoy their partner’s embrace while they relish in the familiar taste of each other for a long, quiet moment.

Eventually, they are forced to part. Cadance’s horn briefly glows once again as she turns the lamp off, bathing the two in darkness. She pulls the covers up over the both of them while she positions herself on top of her human husband. She’s so soft, so comfortable, so filled with love that Anon is immediately swept up in a tidal wave of relaxation. Even thinking about trying to remove himself from underneath her would be a Herculean task. But then, why would he want to in the first place?

“Tomorrow, I want you by my side. From the moment we wake up, to the moment we fall asleep.”

“Cadance?”

“Compared to what you say you go through, my day should be downright relaxing for you.”

“B-but who will take care of you?”

“Are you implying I can’t take care of myself?”

“I…”

“Hmhm, I’m teasing you, honey.” She gives him another peck on the lips, catching him off guard in the darkness. “But seriously, if I really need help, I’ll ask the staff.”

“But I–”

“You can go back to your little schedule the day after, okay?” She gingerly rubs her head against his chest. Her face and mane are so unbelievably soft that any counterargument he might have considered would immediately crumple in the wake of her affection. “I want you all to myself tomorrow.”

“...I guess that can be arranged.”

“Thanks, Nonny. I love you.”

“Love you too, Cady.”

Gently stroking her mane, Anon finally gives in to the irresistible allure of sleep. Cadance follows suit seconds later, and before long, that dark, cozy, Crystal Empire bedroom is a den full of nothing but love and comfort. Their lives are busy, and they’ll likely stay that way for a long, long time. But, so long as they keep looking out for each other, they’re going to be just fine.

Fall asleep with Cadance in my arms.

Author's Note

I was sleepy and wrote more Cadance.

That's about all there is to say on the matter.