Chapter 9: After The Storm
The new dawn greets Canterlot with a deep red sunrise that slowly creeps up from behind the eastern mountains, as if afraid to peek from behind them before finding enough courage to get up. Some mornings feel slower than others, and even the light seems to trickle along the ground before filling the nooks and crannies of the ancient city. After lurking around for the better part of an hour, it finally reaches the two stallions, who are sleeping back to back against each other, with only the bars of Iron Sight's cell between them. They stir, not quite ready to admit defeat and wake up yet. The stallion inside the cell gives up and opens his eyes. He is cold and his back aches, but he doesn't move. He feels the warmth still clinging to his back from the other pony.
Shining Armor is still asleep, stirring slightly from a morning dream that he will not remember when waking. His eyes perk up as the badly-oiled hinges of the cell corridor's door swings open. Several pairs of hoofsteps echo through the jail with at least one double pair of metal horseshoes clacking on the cold stone floor. Several hushed words sound out as well, but they are too quiet to make out from the distance. Shining Armor's eyes finally open as the incessant noise grows closer and closer, and he hears a quick gasp from behind him, and the warm blanket he had on his back is pulled away. He is left to stare at two ornate horseshoes adorning dark-blue forehooves. Still not sure if he is awake, he only gawks, with a small sliver of drool still hanging on his cheek.
"Are you Lieutenant Iron Sight?" a familiar regal voice booms over him.
"That I am, Your Royal Highness," another voice, this even more familiar to him answers from behind him. He turns sideways, and only now begins to piece the puzzle called 'What I did yesterday' together. He tries to nonchalantly back away from between the two talking ponies.
"You are charged with treason, Lieutenant. Do you have anything to say?"
"Was heavily drunk at the time, ma'am. I'm sure I had the best interest of our beloved country at heart."
"So you did not intend to..." Princess Luna opens up a parchment scroll and holds it in front of her eyes with her magic, "...assault a royal personage, attempt to grievously harm the said personage, poison him, kidnap him or something like that, just lock him up and throw away the key." Her voice betrays no emotion as she reads the report. Shining Armor has backed several feet away from them, and only now notices the two other ponies behind the Princess. His throat suddenly feels dry and his teeth clench together as he recognises Cadance's two maids.
"No poison entered his body without his express and, might I add, joyful permission, ma'am."
Princess Luna rolls the parchment up again and it vanishes in a poof of blue smoke. "Very well, then. Promise not to do it again, okay?"
"Err... what?" The normally glib Lieutenant is for once at a loss for words. "O-of course. Yes, ma'am Your High Royalness ma'am. I mean—"
"Very well, then. You are free to go." With a short flash of her horn, the lock of Iron Sight's cell door clicks open.
The Lieutenant takes a few hesitant steps out of the cell and the three mares give him room. "Err... Just like that?" he stops to ask.
Princess Luna looks him in the eyes and nods. He starts to walk backwards, not ready to turn his back on the monarch formerly known as Nightmare Moon.
"Well, I'll... uh... be going now?"
"Oh and Lieutenant?" the Princess says to him as he about to turn away. He freezes, and a large bead of sweat appears on the back of his head. She walks next to him and leans into his ear. Shining Armor can't hear what is said, but Iron Sight's ears pop up, and then he unceremoniously takes off at full canter, never looking back.
Shining Armor notices that he is still seated, and clambers up. His back makes several popping noises as his spine re-aligns itself. The sounds draw the attention of the three mares, and they slowly turn to look at him. He tries to use his winning grin that got him away from several pranks. After it has no effect, he shakes his head.
"Okay, so what just happened?" he asks.
"Your friend was freed of all charges by the highest authority in the land, and he knows he was very lucky."
"I... see." He has found several pieces of the puzzle in his head, but none of them seem to be from the same set. "Why?"
"After hearing his testimony, I was assured that he was not guilty, and let him go."
"No, I mean... why?"
"I was not present at the time, but apparently my other dear nephew, Prince Blueblood, had a similar episode a while back. He wanted to charge a pony with treason and for embarrassing him in public, among other things."
"I think I see where this is going. The Grand Galloping Gala fiasco?"
"Quite. So Ti..." she stops when she remembers the two other ponies present. "Ahem, Princess Celestia made a swift change in legislation that reserved the right for a Princess to charge a pony with treason, or to free somepony of the said charges. You must understand that at the time, the only Princesses presiding over Canterlot were me and my sister, so we never thought to change the law when Princess Cadenza moved here."
"So... I could have actually freed Iron Sight if not for some bluster from Blueblood?"
"Now, now, nephew. I believe there are more pressing matters for you to peruse with your hindsight, are there not?" She gives a slightly crooked smile and nods at the two maids, who haven't moved an inch since Iron Sight's departure.
"Right... I need to go talk to Cadance and try to save... try to say I'm sorry."
"You might want to talk to these ponies here first. They informed me of the situation, after all."
She nods at the maids, who give her a practiced bow.
"I'll be leaving you to it, then." She yawns in a most un-princessly manner, only covering her mouth halfway. "'Tis getting early and I must be off to bed."
Oh hay no, I can't handle these two, not right now... No. No, that's manure. I am perfectly capable of dealing with them. I'll see what they're plotting this time and get it over with. If they try something, I'll just walk away. All cool-like.
He approaches the pair, doing his best to approximate a look of noble haughtiness. They both curtsy, short and formal, something that makes him raise his eyebrows. It's usually either an informal nod or a deep, over-the-top mockery of a bow, but never a curtsy.
“Look, I've got to go see Cadance, so if this is one of your silly games, you'll have to wait.” He gives them his hardest glare that he'd normally only use on a novice soldier who's messed up one time too many.
“Very good, Your Royal Highness,” says Feather Duster, “It is only a small matter.”
“Yes,” says Broom Sweep, taking out two sheets of paper, “It only requires your signature, sir.”
“What is it this time? Can't you go bother someone else with paperwork?”
“Our letters of resignation, sir.”
Time stops for Shining Armor. He tries to digest what they have just told them. It takes a moment for a grin to bloom across his features.
Jackpot!
The two maids still stand in front of him, their expressions carefully neutral.
Wait, I smell a rat...
“Why would you do that?” he asks, his grin quickly fading.
“After yesterday's events, sir, we feel that we are no longer suited to our positions under Her Royal Highness Mi Amore Cadenza and Your Royal Highness,” says Broom Sweep.
“So this is some big protest?”
Feather Duster flashes him a joyless smile. “No, sir. We are resigning in shame.” Her voice is back to its normal, controlled tone, but Shining Armor can still hear the hint of crude Liverypool on the margins, like a magic-eye picture that cannot be unseen. “We made a series of misapprehensions, failed proper diligence in amending them, and caused injury to both Your Royal Highness and Princess Cadance...” Shining could have sworn her voice choked up a little on the last word.
Shining Armor stands with his mouth agape.
“No,” he says. “No, no. I don't believe you, not for a second. You — you've been horrible to me ever since I moved into the castle, and got worse and worse every day I've stayed here. You don't feel sorry. I don't believe you.”
“Very good, sir,” says Feather Duster. Her smile is downright watery.
“Yeah. Yeah it is. So, if I understand correctly, I can just go slam these on the Seneschal's table and never see you two again?" He looks at them with an evil glare and a wicked smile.
“Well sir, we have each given a fortnight's notice, but with the Seneschal's permission we can take our accrued paid leave immediately,” says Broom Sweep, “In which case, yes, our tenure at the royal palace would end today.”
“Then that's what I'm going to do —I’m taking these to Major Domo. Right now.” In his mind he worries that the opportunity might escape him, that all of this would turn out to be a waking dream, or possibly a very happy psychosis. Shining Armor gets about three steps away before the twisting rope of confusion compels him to turn right around.
“You can't do this!" He steps up to Broom Sweep, his muzzle almost touching hers and his eyes afire. "You don't get to just say ‘Oh hey, we made your life miserable and broke up your marriage and spilled your secrets to everyone, and now we're running off with a job well done!' You... you soulless harpies! Why!? Why would you do any of this?" He shakes the resignations in the small gap between the maid's face and his own.
She avoids his gaze for a moment, and when he looks at the other mare, she refuses to meet his eyes as well. A memory of that same expression creeps up in his mind. It is the same guilt and shame he's gotten so used to seeing in the mirror lately.
Shining Armor snorts with frustration, but takes a step back. “Look. Yesterday, you spent half an hour patiently explaining to me, in great detail, how you thought I was the worst thing to happen to both Cady and the royal palace. Now you're apologizing and handing in your notice. I still don't know if this is some kooky trap to make me look even worse to Cadance or get stuck with red tape for the next month or so, so I'd appreciate it very much if you could give me some freaking clue as to what the hay is going on here!" he finishes with a shout, and slams the resignations on the floor.
“We had misapprehended—”
“The situation, yes,” interrupts Shining Armor, “I got that. Stop using that damn butler-talk and say it to me straight!”
Broom Sweep clears her throat, “We found out a few things over the past day, and it clicked together early this morning, sir.” After a nod from Shining, she continued, “The groundskeeper informed us that Princess Cadance started destroying the room before you did, and that she had forcibly ejected five of your subordinates from the room and a credenza from the window.”
“It wasn't an earth-shattering revelation, sir, you understand,” Feather Duster pipes in, “Broom Sweep and myself were still incensed at the damage, and the only difference was that we wanted to find our Cady and give her a proper boll— telling off for her part in it. And you'd just gone and told us about your, ahem, troubles in the bedroom, and we—”
“Wait, what?! I didn’t tell you anything, you already knew!”
The maid gives him a delicate, awkward look, as if explaining to a foal that 'trotted away' and 'clopped off' are not synonyms.
“A shot in the dark, sir,” she says with a completely straight face.
Shining Armor blinks slowly. When his eyes open, one can hear a vein pop somewhere in his temple.
“You... guessed?” His words are slow, toneless and yet full of danger. He lets out a dry, coughing laugh from the realisation.
“Yes, sir.”
“Cady didn't tell you?”
Both maids look at him aghast. “Wh— By the stars no, sir,” stammers Broom Sweep. “Cadance, she... well, even when she's been seething, she's always oblique if she talks about you, and downright sphinxlike about anything of an intimate nature, sir.”
“You didn't hear it from Cady. And you didn't hear it from Sassy Swallow? You. Just. Guessed.”
The maids look at him nonplussed. “I've never met a Sassy Swallows, sir,” says Feather Duster.
“A guess, sir.” Broom Sweep confirms.
“You. Just. Guessed?!” yells Shining Armor, “How could you even say something like that to a stallion? How... how could you... how evil are you?"
There is a pause, followed by two nods. “...yes, sir.”
He glares at them, breathing hard, his teeth bared. They show no fear; they look on in stoic shame as if they had accepted the consequences to their actions long ago.
The silence stretches on, until Shining's curiosity outgrows his rage, and even his desire to run to Cadance and beg for her forgiveness. He walks a small circle, trying to cool down to a level that allows verbal communication.
“So, you just said it to insult me. Okay. And thanks to you, I told Lu... But seeing how you've given me trouble every other morning since I moved in, there's got to be more to this story. So why resign? It's not like you'd need to with your weird relationship with Cady."
“No, sir,” continues Broom Sweep, “That happened this morning. The head butler told us that a royal guard had been thrown into the dungeons and charged with treason after coming into the palace utterly pickled.”
“We thought for a minute that some numpty had let Prince Blueblood start ordering arrests again, and we were horrified when we found out that Cadance was behind it. Charging a pony with treason for bringing you home drunk is just...” Feather Duster trails off, shaking her head. Swallowing, she looks back up, “Cadance isn't like that. She's never been like that, not in all the years we've known her.”
“We came down to the cells to talk to the Lieutenant and ask him what had really happened. And then we found you there, curled up on the floor together with him, sleeping like foals.”
“It was like the picture of a pretty filly that turns into the face of an old stallion when you look at it right,” says Feather Duster, “When we saw you that morning, sitting on the ruins of your room and frantically frigging yourself, well, we just thought you were an arsehole, excuse my Saddle Arabian. But you didn't start that rumpus, and you'd just had half a dozen subordinates injured and a good friend charged with treason. You went down to the cells to comfort him, and stayed the night with him. We knew then you weren't the pony we thought you were”
"You must understand that we had no intention of helping you as such, but remember that Princess Cadance's reputation would have suffered if word got out of her imprisoning ponies on a whim. We thought it better to get to the bottom of things. But after we saw you here, things... clicked."
"You might call it a revelation of introspection, sir. A look into the proverbial looking glass."
"We left without waking you up, and went to talk on what to do. We thought it best for all parties involved to have the Lieutenant extricated. We waited for Her Royal Highness Princess Luna to finish with her nightly duties, and knowing as how she is wont to take the same route to her quarters as always, we knew where to stand as if idle when she passed. When we told her of the situation, she took interest in it and asked to review the circumstances of the arrest and proceeded to the gaols. With post-haste, one might add."
I guess I owe you another one, Luna.
"So you just changed your mind when you saw me sleep on the floor? Hay, if I'd known, I would have done that earlier." His words might resemble a joke, but the sheer cynical snarkiness is obvious, but the maids don't even seem to notice.
“We also still remember the exams,” says Broom Sweep.
“Exams?” asks Shining, “What exams?”
“You were on your honeymoon at the time, sir,” she continues, “Every member of the palace staff met with a doctor. She mostly just asked questions. Asked us if we'd had any odd lumps, swellings or rashes, if we'd been suffering from migraines, or experiencing obsessive behaviour. There was a... it wasn't quite a memory test, but sort of was. She asked us to recall the most vivid memories we'd had this week, checked if there were any odd moments of anxiety or euphoria when we remembered them, and if there were any blank spots. We thought it was just a health check, about the goo those changelings had left everywhere...”
“But then we remembered, that when we asked you about Cadance before the wedding, you brushed us off. Well, not quite that either,” says Feather Duster, “You sort of agreed with us that things had been a little odd the past few weeks, and that you would talk to her about it. Then the next day, we approached you and you had seemingly forgotten the meeting entirely...”
“And you had complained of headaches, sir...” She trails off.
Shining Armor stares at them, his expression as tight and bitter as the knot tightening in his gut. He wants to scream at them, wants to hurt them, and wants to run back to Iron Sight and break down crying on his shoulder again, and he hates himself for wanting those things.
They know. They know how weak she made me and how pathetic I've become and they KNOW! Fuck! They know all about me being under her spells and... oh Celestia, they knew about...
"You... you told her. You told her I'd... slept with the Queen. You told her so you could hurt me!"
His heart thumps, and the coil once again tightens around his chest. But the expression on the maid's faces makes it loosen up. The lack of contempt and pity on the their faces takes him by surprise. They only look guilty and resigned. And tired, like their usual overbearingly energetic bodies had aged twenty years overnight.
"No, sir," Broom Sweep answers. "We told her because she asked. The sheets had been torn and soiled, and we couldn't lie to her, now could we? Not our Cadance."
"And not a day has gone by that we haven't regretted it."
Shining Armor chuckles mirthlessly, shaking his head. Stars Above, Cady’s clinginess, her insecurity, all back to that. All because of these two.
“It was why we put on our morning shows,” says Feather Duster, wistfully, “We'd see you in the mornings, your heads poking out of the sheets with sweaty, mussed up manes, and it warmed our hearts to see Cadance herself again, so we made our little jokes to remind her that everything was back to normal—”
“That didn't work out so well,” says Shining Armor.
"Had we known about your—"
“You have no idea how bad you made things,” he starts, the bile rising up in his throat.
“We were wrong about everything,” says Broom Sweep, “We hurt you every day trying to cheer up Cadance with silliness, and dismissed your pain as military stuffiness. You had your ways of coping — aloofness, finding isolation, drinking — and we wrote it off as brattiness and boorishness. And when everything got on top of you and you had a bit of a barney, we flew off the handle before mocking you for having a condition you have no control over. We were awful to you, and we are sorry. The very least we can do is hand in our notice, so we won't cause any more harm.”
Shining Armor snatches the two sheets of paper from the floor in his aura, and gives both maids a flat stare. “I hope you two didn't plan this little apology as some sickly-sweet try at getting me to think ‘Aww, you’re not so bad.’ You two have made my life miserable for weeks, you told Cadance what that bug did to me and messed her up as well, and thanks to you two, our marriage is probably ruined. So, yeah, you're out. I'll go give these to Major Domo...” he says, lowering his head as he remembers where he was going, “just as soon as I've gone and patched things up with Cady...”
Both maids bow deeply to him. “We are deeply sorry, Your Highness,” says Feather Duster, “And we hope that Princess Cadance and yourself will flourish in our absence.”
"I hope so as well," Shining Armor says out loud, not even noticing it.
“Very good, sir,” says Feather Duster, “But one final request: May we accompany you?”
Shining Armor blinks. “What.”
“With your permission of course, sir,” says Broom Sweep, “Seeing Cadance happy was always the best part of the job, and helping you patch things up with her would be both a good ending and a way of further apologizing to you.”
“No!” Shining Armor shakes his head without even realising it, “You have caused enough trouble. Just...no.”
“Well then, you're a bloody idiot, sir,” says Feather Duster.
Shining Armor immediate takes a more defensive posture, lowering his front body and turning his horn to the maids as if expecting an attack. “Okay, now this is more like—”
Before he can finish, the other maid steps between the two. “Your Royal Highness, we have known Princess Cadance since she was barely more than a foal. We were her nannies for Celestia’s sake. She trusts us, and we've always been there for her, the same as you have. Duster and I have had an awful role in this whole affair, and we owe it to Cady to fix it as best we can.
“This may be something you can do on your own, sir. You have accomplished incredible things before. But this is your marriage, to the most wonderful mare in all of Equestria. You owe it to her to come as prepared as possible, and you know it. Let us help you, Shining Armor.” She leans in closer and looks him straight in the eyes. "Please."
They stare at each other. Broom Sweep blinks, not even trying to stare him down.
"So... you honestly just want to help... and this is not about your jobs?" When the two mares nod, he continues. "Fine." He tucks the envelopes away, and gives a short nod. "Let's go talk to Cady."
"Not before you take a good long shower and a cup of tea. You're a Prince, Your Royal Highness, but a soldier first. Your Drill Sergeant would have words if he saw you looking like this."
"Alright then. But I have a little job for you two as well. Somepony needs to go pick up flowers and chocolate for Cady."
The maids look at each other, and completely out of the blue, titter girlishly. Shining Armor just rolls his eyes.
"Now what is it?"
Feather Duster looks at him, a smile lighting up her rather plain face. "It's nice knowing we made the right choice, Your Royal Highness."
I'll never understand mares. Never.
Shining Armor stares at the door. “So we're here,” he says, “This is the right room, right?”
“We double checked, sir,” says Feather Duster.
“You are ready, sir,”
The Prince stands in front of a guest room door. One of many, it stands in a long row along with its sisters, just waiting for the next diplomat to lay their head down. He wonders for a moment why he thinks doors are female.
Because you go through them? Even with some caffeine from his hasty cup of tea earlier, his mind is still abuzz from too little sleep for too many days. Concentrate! Do I have everything?
"Flowers, check. Chocolate, check. Shower, ch—"
"Oh for the love of Celestia! Get in there!" Broom Sweep grabs the door open with a practiced hoof while Feather Duster gives a stern nudge on Shining Armor's rump to get him moving.
He steps into the dark room, almost tripping on the plush carpet on the floor.
"Cady? Are you here?"
Hearing no answer, he walks deeper inside, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the darkness.
"Cady?"
"Go away!" he hears her shout. His legs start to shudder immediately from merely hearing her voice. For some reason he is reminded of the time he came home from school with a bad report card, torn saddlebags and skinned knees.
Oh... crap.
"Cadance... We... I wanted to t-talk to you. Can I... Can I c-come in?"
Stop stuttering!
She's angry! She'll hurt me!
No she won't!
How can you be so sure?
He stops in his tracks, all of his mental preparations crumbling around him.
I... better leave.
Shining Armor turns on his heels, and is about to walk out, but two wide-shouldered working mares block his path. Feather Duster points to the door of the bedroom where Cadance's voice carried from, and Broom Sweep nods. Goosebumps run down his back, but he looks over his shoulder at the door. He is almost disappointed that it hasn't sprouted teeth. With a deep breath to steady him, he reaches for the handle, and pulls down on it. The door creaks open an inch, and he shies away from it like Pandora must have, as he expects all the terrors of the world to engulf him.
But I guess there was something about hope?
"Cady... I'm coming in. Please don't... just... please don't, okay?"
No answer comes, and he pushes the door open. The bedroom curtains are still shut tight, only allowing a small, dramatic sliver of light to enter the room. Cadance is sitting on the bed with a blanket on her shoulders.
"Leave me alone. Go... go away, Shiny."
"I brought you some flowers. And chocolate. You like chocolate, right?"
What. The. HAY. Am I saying?
Cadance sits silently. Shining Armor scans the room now that his eyes have adjusted to the dark.
So... bed, table, chairs, a wardrobe... and why is everything happening in the dark lately? Well... not this time.
He puts the offerings on the table and grabs the hem of the curtains, and pulls them apart, allowing the bright autumn morning sun in. When he turns to look at Cadance, his heart skips a beat. The Princess' eyes are red and bloodshot. Her mane is frazzled, and hanging in matted clumps stuck to her face. She still clutches the blanket like an armour and shies away from his gaze.
"Have you been up all night?"
"Feel better now?" she hisses. "Come gloat at me about your latest exploits in a-adultery? Who did you spend the last night with? Maybe somepony I know?"
"Cadance... I have never betrayed you, and would never—"
"Liar." The word slithers out of her mouth like a curse. She doesn't even shout, but Shining Armor's ears still flatten from the bile in her voice.
"After we... after yesterday, I went to see Iron Sight to—"
"So the first thing you do is zoom off drinking with your buddies." It is not a question, just a flat statement; a fact that she has decided upon.
"No... he was... you threw him into prison for treason, remember? That Iron Sight?" He slowly walks closer to her, but feels his courage fading, and he takes up position behind the table instead.
"Hope they banish him."
The cold fear slowly drains from him, replaced by anger.
"They will do no such thing. He was freed this morning."
"Liar."
"Dammit, Cady!" He slams his forehoof on the table. "I am not a liar! I lied to you once, and I've felt bad about it ever since!"
"You are not a liar?" She lets out a shrill laughter that makes Shining Armor's hackles rise. She throws her blanket on the floor and crawls a feet towards him on the bed. "So you did not lie about going out and leaving me alone? Or when you told me you were sick but could still get it up for other mares? Or when you just happened to take a stroll for several hours around the town, probably with some hussy of a mare? Have you even been to the therapist, or was that some lie too? Or actually met Twilight? And then the things about Broomy and Dusty! All you do is lie!"
"Please don't shout... I don't want to fight."
"Yes... you'd probably like to be somewhere else, right? In bed with some—"
"Cadance." The mare's voice is soft, but commanding.
Cadance looks like someone had slapped her on the cheek. She can only stare as the Feather Duster enters the room and approaches her. Broom Sweep saunters in behind her, and absent-mindedly kicks the door shut behind her.
"What are you two doing here?"
"Our job, Cady," she says softly, "Cleaning up a mess."
"But..."
"Your dear Shiny isn't a liar, no more than we are. And you have never, not in all the years you've known us, seen someone sneak a lie past myself or Sweepy. So, no buts."
"Wha—"
"We shouted at him. And we did call him impotent." She turns to look Shining Armor directly in the eyes. "And nopony told us. It was a shot in the dark after saying a slew of other unpleasant things. And he was well in his rights to have us fired. Had it not been for the small print in our contracts, we'd be out on our arses on the street right now, and we'd bloody well deserve it."
"So... are you... you really called him...?"
"That we did."
"But then... he wasn't..." The bewildered Cadance's protests falter to a stop.
Broom Sweep nods at the Prince and ushers him with her hoof to take the reins.
"Cady... I did not lie to you about the two of them. I did not lie about my impotence either. I really can't get it up, and I'm trying to fix it with the therapist. But... when I'm alone... and I get these weird thoughts... I do get it up." He blushes, in part because the two maids are still standing mere feet away from him. "There's something really wrong with my head, and I don't understand what's going on in there."
He walks next to the bed and sits down next to it. "But I did lie to you about going to work when I went drinking with my friends. And I'm... sorry. I'm so sorry, Cady. I felt like I had to get out, away from my own problems, just for one night. I didn't do it to hurt you. It was stupid of me, and it only made things worse."
He falls silent, and eventually has the courage to look up Cadance. She look back at him, her lower lip trembling.
"Can... can you forgive me for being so stupid, Shiny?" she asks with a sniffle. "I... I said all those things and called you a liar and..." her words are lost in her hiccups.
"Honey... we both said a lot of stuff we didn't mean. I... I'm so sorry. About... everything. That's what I wanted to say to you yesterday."
"Me too, Shiny. Me too."
Shining Armor hears the faint click of the door of the bedroom closing, and he sighs.
Guess... you weren't so bad after all.
He climbs on the bed and sits next to Cadance. They look at each other for a moment, and with trembling hooves, they embrace each other. It is not a lustful embrace, but a gentle, caring one. Cadance leans onto his shoulder, and he onto hers. He feels warm damp spots appear on his fur, and finds himself crying as well. Only it doesn't matter now. This is his Cadance again.
They hold onto each other for an eternity, until Shining Armor feels Cadance getting heavier and heavier on her hooves. She is fast asleep, smiling a tiny smile, and he notes himself grinning stupidly as well. He eases her onto the bed and pulls the blanket from the floor with his magic and tucks her in, before lying down next to her as well. He gently strokes her messy mane and wet cheek, making sure not to disturb her rest. He feels his leg twitch, signaling him that the exhaustion of the last few days is fast catching up to him as well, and gladly gives up and closes his eyes. All he can hear is the steady shallow breathing of his wife.
There's so much I want to tell you, Cady. So much stuff we have to talk through. When you wake up, I'm going to tell you everything. And then we'll get through this.
Together. Because I love you.