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// Venting (Fleur de Lis/Princess Cadance, Sad) 
// Story: Random Romance Stories 
// by Misago 
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Cadance felt like a coward.

Here she was, the empress of the Crystal Empire, the alicorn of love, hiding under her blanket like a foal. With her legs and wings pulled as close as she could, trying to be as small and unnoticeable as possible.

Pathetic. Aunt Celestia would be ashamed, seeing her like this.

Under this blanket, it was warm. A bit difficult to breathe, but if she left a tiny opening to poke her muzzle through now and then, that was not a problem.

She was supposed to be a grown mare. A ruler. A leader of thousands of ponies who entrusted her with their lives.

How was she supposed to bear this responsibility?

She felt her heart pound and that specific tightness that made it hard to breathe. Desperate, she tried to relax her posture somewhat, without abandoning her protective curl.

She was just so tired. She knew she had meetings to attend. Paperwork to do. Decisions to make. But everything inside her told her to rest. Maybe she could just fall asleep for a couple weeks. Wake up to see if the problems had disappeared.

Probably not.

“Cadance? Are you alright, mon coeur?”

Fleur’s voice cut through the silence. Cadance stilled at once, desperately holding her breath.

Please don’t notice me. Please… don’t see me like this.

She heard the soft clop of hooves closing in at a measured pace. There really was no way for Fleur to miss the big, ugly lump in their shared bed.

She felt Fleur’s presence on the mattress. A short rush of cold air, and then the familiar scent and warmth of her beloved wrapped around Cadance. Even as tears began to fall unrestrained, Cadance felt safer than every blanket could make her feel.

“Take a break, Cadence:” Fleur whispered, and Cadance closed her eyes, concentrating wholly on the feeling of the forelegs hugging her close to her beloved. “It’s going to be okay. No matter what happens, I’ll be here for you.”

“Fleur… I’m sorry…,” Cadance choked out, but got interrupted by Fleur leaning in and kissing her softly on the lips.

“Shh, everything is good. You have nothing to apologize for.” The unicorn snuggled in close. “Rest for now. I will watch over you, and make sure you will be refreshed and revitalized later.”
She pulled the blanket down a bit to free both their heads. “And later, I will help you with your work. As much as you can handle, yes?”

“Thank you…” Cadance murmured, but sleep was already starting to claim her. And so, in the embrace of her beloved, her breathing became calm, and soon turned into the soft rhythm of deep sleep.

Fleur followed soon after her. By her side, as she always was.