Prompt #224: "Two Sides of the Coin"

“Are you okay?” Shining Armor asked. He knew something was the matter, as he had never seen his wife unhappy before.

“Yeah,” she replied, forcing a smile, “I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. I can tell there’s a problem,” he said, sitting down beside Cadence. “You know you can tell me anything.”

After a brief moment, she sighed. This would be a difficult topic to talk about with Shining Armor, but she thought that he more than anypony deserved to know what was going on.

“So, you know how I can see the love within a pony, and mend broken relationships?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said, nodding, “it’s your special talent.” He wasn’t sure where this was headed.

“Well, that’s not all I can see. Sadness, anger, fear, envy... it’s not just love I see. It’s everything. Every emotion, every desire, every single subconscious thought. My special talent isn’t about love, it’s about the heart. It’s about what one feels inside. Sometimes,” she said, motioning toward her cutie mark, “I think this damn thing doesn’t work at all.”

“So, all this time, you’ve seen all that? Wherever you go?” he asked.

“As if that wasn’t enough, by some twisted joke I end up in a place made entire of crystal. Everything is a reflective surface. I see myself everywhere, and I see what I’m feeling. I’m just not sure...” she paused, letting a tear escape to make a streak down her face. She had been trying to conceal her inner feelings in order to keep her friends and subjects happy, but it had begun to wear on her. “I’m not sure how much longer I can keep this up.”

“Cadence... I had no idea this was happening to you,” he said, placing a hoof around her. “Is there anything I can do?”

She smiled, only this time, it came naturally. “This,” she said, wrapping her own hoof over his shoulder.

“I love you, Cadence.”

She looked over at him, still smiling. “I know.”