With a start, the stallion opened his eyes. It was almost too bright for him to see without squinting, but he managed. Colors, so vibrant and vivid. A wolf howled in the distance, yet it was obviously the middle of a summer’s day. This can’t be right. He always made a mistake or two each time, and it was frustrating because he never made the same mistake twice. Each new trial was a test, but of what kind? Yesterday it was the rug that blanketed what was otherwise a hardwood floor. He remembered the steps and copied it like he was supposed to. Rug. A minor detail but one that could shatter everything he planned if done incorrectly. The stallion cautiously looked over to his left, curtains shielding him from the blinding sunlight of the outside world. Despite its efforts, the light won out anyways, piercing the thin curtains and covering the room in warm light. Need to get thicker curtains next time. The stallion snorted. His work wasn’t flawless, but it didn’t ruin his plan.
The room itself was modest in scale and design, but it did hold a lot of sentimental value to it. A literal flashback to the stallion’s earlier days of his existence. Marble pillars could be seen from the doorway, supporting a section of the second floor of the complex. He was not interested in going up there. Decorations and random belongings occupied the room to make it look as authentic as possible. The stallion looked down and saw a doll, a Smarty Pants doll, and frowned. He wanted it to be there, but he didn’t know why. Why is the floor so comfy? He realized that he was resting on his haunches not on the floor, but on a sofa. Right, that. Wait, was I here before? He struggled to remember where he started previously, but scoffed and paid it no mind. After all, that wasn’t the important task at hoof.
Sofa. Doll. Marble. Everything was set, and familiar, and the stallion knew why. He wasn’t happy about it, in fact a casual observer would say that he’s quite grumpy, but would also noted that from the look in his tired eyes that he has reason to be so. Despite being moderately young, not quite at the age of forty, the stallion looked almost elderly. He had gained quite a bit of weight since his youth, his raw muscle and lean figure becoming more rounded and relaxed although not quite “chubby”. His white coat was not as shiny and well kempt as it was and his mane also lost a lot of its shine. Even so, the stallion was still recognizable and still managed to carry some of his handsome demeanor. He was a unicorn, but he knew well that he didn’t need to use magic where he was. Where he will be going.
Everything was normal and yet nothing felt quite right. If the stallion looked out the window, he would only be attacked by white light and not a decent view of Canterlot. At least, the part of Canterlot that he wanted to see. I might need to work on that... His train of thought was interrupted by a rather feminine coo. He smiled ever so slightly. Somehow, she’d always managed to find him. No matter how much he didn’t want her to be there, or if he tried to forget about her, she was there as always. And yet this brought a wave of serenity crashing down on the stallion’s mind, a wave so powerful that the light stopped shining through the curtains. He could see again.
“You seem like you’ve been having a stressful day haven’t you, dear?” She smirked and playfully poked the stallion in the shoulder, as if she already knew the answer. But that’s because she did know the answer. She always knew.
“Sorry, I was...” He trailed off, considering his wording. “Busy. I guess you could say that. Sorry about not being in the game playing mood.”
What happened next was something the stallion didn’t expect, and yet he saw it coming every time it happened. The mare pulled him into a hug, resting his head on her shoulder. This has happened every time they met, but it felt like the first time the stallion felt such comfort with each occurrence.
“Don’t say you’re sorry so much, Shining. You just have to lighten up your mood every once in awhile.” She whispered into his ear, and to him her voice may as well have been honey it was so smooth in tone.
“Heh. Sor- I really do need to stop doing that. I think I might’ve rubbed off on Twily in that regard.” He chuckled a bit, then nuzzled the mare’s neck lovingly. My name is Shining. I knew she would be the one to remember me! Her coat was incredibly soft, tempting Shining Armor to fall asleep in her embrace right then and there. Looking down, he observed and remembered her wings, which were covered with delicate but beautiful feathers. She was an alicorn, which made her very special in Shining’s mind even back when they first met. Alicorns were extremely rare, and it became even more spectacular when this particular one became the Princess of her own kingdom. Technically, it was an empire, not a kingdom, but the mare was never known to have an imperialist bone in her body.
“You can be so silly sometimes, you know that? It’s alright though, I’m here now.” The alicorn smiled sweetly and returned Shining’s nuzzle.
“Cadence...”
“Hmm?”
“I remember your name now. It's Cadence. That’s what me and everypony else always called you. Well, not everypony else, that would be Princess Cadence then.” Again he chuckled, and leaned back to look at his darling Cadence in the eyes, observing her face. She still looks gorgeous as ever. In fact the alicorn princess hadn’t aged even a little bit since their last encounter, and she never would again. To Shining, she was eternal and as such her beauty was just as infinite as she was. While the pale white unicorn looked his age, if not older, Cadence still resembled her much younger self, her mane somewhat crystalline and reflecting the moonlight that was pouring through the window. The curtains seemed to have removed themselves, as if aware that their purpose was no longer relevant.
“Of course I’m Cadence, honey. Did you... forget by some chance? I sincerely hope not, I’ve been waiting so long for you to come here.” Cadence said, looking quizzically at her husband. Even though they met each other just a few days prior, one full day without Shining felt to her like an eternity in the most foul depths of Tartarus. The unicorn had tears in his eyes, hearing that she had been as eager for his return as he was for hers.
“I do remember, trust me on that. I just wasn’t sure at first. Feels like it’s the first time this happened, but that’s not true now is it? I missed you so much...”
“Likewise, honey. It’s not fun being stuck here, alone, without anypony else.” Cadence frowned for a second, but only for a second, and immediately perked up. It was as if she suddenly caught a memory of somepony and had to tell her husband about it. “How’s Twilight doing? She’s all grown up now, being a princess like me. I remember when I was her foalsitter. Such a cute little filly back then.”
“I know I don’t talk about her as much as I used to, but I’m really proud of her, Cadence. Even when I was just a kid, and she was a rambunctious little tike, I saw greatness in her. Celestia must’ve seen it too, because she took Twily under her wing when she was old enough for the teaching of magic.” Heh, under her literal wing. Shining quickly discarded his unfunny remark and kissed Cadence ever so softly on the cheek. She always loved it when he did that. It was nothing sexual, rather a reminder of their teenage days when they first started dating. The naivety of that experience carried a special aura with it that both of them missed. But as with all life, things change, and so the royal couple grew up and became adults who were called upon by Celestia and Luna to look after an entire empire. Seemed easy enough, didn’t it.
“Good... That’s very good. I’m proud of her too, you know? She was like a little sister to me, and I wouldn’t have treated her more so even if we were blood related.”
The relationship between Cadence and Twilight was always a strong one, especially when it was both carried by word of mouth and released by the press that the Princess of the Crystal Empire was giving birth. Just like most situations regarding her brother and his wife, Twilight was ill informed of the birth of the first heir of the Crystal Empire, a healthy baby girl who was named Serenity by her parents. It was a word that Shining grew to love over the course of his marriage to Cadence, as the word sounded as peaceful as its meaning. Their daughter was currently in her teen years, which was a nightmare to deal with in its own right, but Serenity was nowhere to be seen throughout the complex. To his enjoyment, and slight disappointment, Shining knew that this was a place where only he and Cadence would inhabit. He looked over to the window and saw that it was night time, even though the afternoon was alive just minutes before.
“Well, love, it’s just the two of us here. Tonight looks beautiful as always, Luna did a pretty impressive job.” Shining said, only realizing then that him and Cadence were still holding hooves on the sofa, not leaving each other’s sight.
“I noticed...” She smiled and once again pulled Shining into her embrace, although it was by no means unwelcomed. But there was something different here, something very much peculiar that Shining noticed although he couldn’t quite figure out what it was. Before he could figure it out, Cadence smiled that sweet smile of hers and gently kissed him on the lips. Then it hit him. On the previous surreal nights they spent together in the very same room the two would just talk to each other for hours on end, usually about nothing of real importance. No matter what happened, nothing was too out of the ordinary and nothing seemed too real to Shining. The doll, the curtains, the sky, it was all dreamlike and safe in a strange way. Nothing seemed too real, but the kiss was. It was something that only Cadence could do, his Cadence whom he loved dearly, and that was unnerving. “Just stay here with me, Shining. I love you so much...” Cadence said, looking optimistically at her husband, her own mind beginning to trail off to a land where they were young and happy together.
Suddenly, the pale white unicorn took a figurative step backwards, staring at Cadence with a worried look. This isn’t right, this can’t be. I didn’t expect her to do that! Trying to find the right words, Shining didn’t know what action he could take that wouldn’t cause his plan to collapse. In the end, he had to go with his gut. ”Cadence, mi amor, could you do me a favor?”
“Sure, dear, you know that I’m always there for you.”
“Please don’t ever do that again.”
“...Do what?” Taking a figurative step back herself, Cadence grew a solemn look on her face, which made Shining’s heart hurt just a little. He knew that Cadence got upset whenever she thought that she did something wrong, especially if it regarded the ponies she cared most about.”I’m sorry, really. Is something wrong, Shining?”
“That kiss. Don’t ever do that again.” The pale white unicorn didn’t want to sound blunt and stern but he didn’t know how else to put it. Everything else in his plan felt right in that it was off, felt unreal. But that kiss felt right, felt real, and that’s something he didn’t want to happen. Despite the wonderful nights Shining spends in this room, with the love of his life, he knew that he couldn’t stay there, no matter what. But this is the only place where I can see her... “I’m sorry, love, but please don’t do that.”
At that moment it looked as if the alicorn princess had read Shining’s mind, for the first time in what felt like ages. “But why not, honey? You always let me do that, remember? Don’t you remember how we were?”
“I do, but I still have our daughter to care for, mi amor. Serenity, Twiliy, Celestia, they all need me, and I’m going to be there for them.”
“Why can’t I see them with you, Shining?”
“Because...” He knew that there was no easy way of saying it, but he also had no other choice. I didn’t expect this to happen, Cadence. I’m sorry for doing this to you, please forgive me. “Because none of this is real, love.”
“W-What?” Tears started to form in Cadence’s eyes. “But I am real, Shining. I can see you and you can see me, and we’re here together...”
“Do you know where we are, Cadence?” All the memories were starting to come back to Shining in a rush. This isn’t gonna end well, is it.
“Huh? I don’t really...” Gears started to turn in her head and Cadence was struggling to remember where she and her husband currently were. Her mane continued to reflect the moonlight that was faintly shining through the window, but the crystalline shine in her mane seemed to be fading.
“We’re in the living room of the house I grew up in, Cadence. Do you remember that? We used to play with Twily in the halls and upstairs when she was just a filly. Do you remember any of that?” Shining’s stare became more intense, but was more a stare of pity than intimidation. The alicorn was speechless. Shining picked up the Smarty Pants doll and showed it to his wife. “Twily used to play with this, back when you were foalsitting her.” He examined the doll in his hooves and, as if by a sheer act of will, it faded into nothingness.
“I... Am I real, Shining?” The alicorn princess hoped that the answer would be yes but deep down she knew that was not the case. Her mane lost its shine, and her coat grew pale. A casual observer would say that Cadence looked sickly, but then again they wouldn’t be a casual observer for long. Shining didn’t quite know what was happening, as he never experienced Cadence acting like this in the dreamscape before, so his stare was replaced by a look of concern.
“...You were real once, but not here.” Once again, Shining felt a pain in his heart, knowing that Cadence was just a projection and that he could do nothing to help her. And yet she seems so real, doesn’t she? Acts like her, looks like her, feels like her, everything! The pale alicorn collapsed, falling off of the sofa and landing on the floor with a thud. As quickly as he could manage, Shining came to her aid and held Cadence in his hooves, resting her head in the crook of his foreleg. Cadence’s breaths were raspy, but she was still an entity within the dreamscape. “Cadence? Cadence?!”
“Please don’t leave me... P-Please...” The alicorn was crying, looking up at her husband as if she was at his mercy. There was nothing he could do, no matter how real it seemed. I can’t stay here, even if I wanted to. I’m so sorry, mi amor. There was a deathly silence in the air. For what could’ve been merely minutes or even hours, Shining held Cadence in his embrace, repeating calming words to her that were meaningless in the end. Her breaths became shorter, more strained, and the pain in Shining’s chest only intensified. He was crying along with her, his tears falling on her face like rain droplets.
At last, for better or worse, the pale unicorn could no longer feel Cadence’s presence. She was no more. The alicorn remained in Shining’s arms, a look of serenity on her face. If it wasn’t for her no longer breathing, she looked as if she were asleep, resting in the comfort of her husband’s embrace. Finally, even the body was gone, faded into nothing as if it were just a part of the dreamscape, and Shining realized that he was no longer holding anypony. He never thought that he would have to go through the same worst experience of his life twice. In his mind, Shining was in a deep dark place between the land of the living and the dead. Moonlight shined upon him as his tears glistened in its presence.
I’m... I’m alone again...