Princess Cadance stared at her ruler Princess Celestia, with trusting love but also a little apprehension.
"It has to do with my husband, doesn't it.", Cadance said.
Celestia sighed, then nodded. "Cadance, I've asked Twilight Sparkle to do something for me. She thought it was horrible but she understood the necessity. Now, you need to as well."
"Go on.", Cadence replied.
Celestia explained. "About a day before the fleet heads out, Twilight Sparkle is going to use the Elements Of Harmony to perform some surgery on her brother's memories. They are going to be temporarily repressed. Twilight will restore them if and only if he returns safely to Equestria. I have a dreadful feeling we will have actual, intelligent enemies out there, and if Shining Armor is captured I am absolutely certain they may well have the ability to sift through his mind for any and all information having to do with us Princesses. They'll be able to find out our strengths and weaknesses, and use what they learn to render us unable to defend our home further."
Cadence looked downward at the shelter floor. "Oh, no.", she said, softly.
"You understand now.", the ruler said. "Since you are the one Princess able to provide a powerful defensive field, that will make you a definite target once we are overrun. For your own safety, and for the safety of us all, your husband must forget everything about you, as well as forget Luna, Twilight, and myself. What he doesn't remember about us, he can't tell."
"Does he know?", the younger alicorn asked.
Celestia answered. "I spoke with him earlier. He understands what is at stake. I didn't order him to submit to this. He agrees, this is a horrible thing to have to do to you, but he also agrees that he knows too much and this is the only way to truly protect you should the very worst happen. He is the very noblest of stallions, and you should be extremely proud of him. His final wish before the launch was that he wanted to spend some time with you, while he remained completely himself."
Cadence's only answer was a silent one, the tears dropping down her eyes and splashing the floor.
"He's in the castle, if you want to see him.", Celestia offered.
"I want him here.", Cadence demanded.
Shining Armor had already been within hearing range, but had stayed back in a discreet place away from view. "Here I am, love.", he said, as he trotted over to the pair of mares.
The moment Shining Armor was nose to nose with his wife, Cadence slapped him across his face with a fore-hoof. "That's for Celestia being the one to tell me all this rather than you!", she cried.
The stallion looked down at the floor in utter shame. "I know myself to be brave in everything but this. When it comes to this one thing, I know I am a coward. I'm sorry, Cadence. I hope you'll forgive me for this one day. I also hope you'll forgive me for any of the possible consequences for what I might or might not do with my memories of you absent."
Cadence walked over and embraced him. "I love you. Of course I forgive you. For anything and everything. Past. Present. Future."
The pair embraced. Celestia watched impassively for several minutes.
The pair separated. Cadence told her husband. "There's a price for my forgiveness. Are you willing to pay it?"
"Anything you want, Cadence.", Shining Armor said.
"I am in season. I want you to sire my heir. Here. Now. Just in case.", she replied grimly.
"I'll leave the two of you alone.", Princess Celestia said, as she began walking away from them.
"STOP! YOU COME BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!", Cadence shouted.
Celestia halted. "How dare you!", she said sternly.
"I can dare, Auntie, for one occasion and one occasion only.", Cadence replied levelly. "By ancient tradition I require you, as the only other royal available at the present moment, to witness an affair of state, namely, so that you may verify without any doubt whatever that my foal, my heir, had been indeed sired by my husband Shining Armor and nopony else."
"You have that right", Celestia conceded, "but you presume much."
"I presume," her niece said, "I deserve reparations for the hurt you have done me. Are doing to me. Will be doing to me. You've never had a stallion in your life, and I'm sure just staying right there absolutely still and witnessing us will make the pain of that lost opportunity even worse. I want it to. You deserve to hurt as much as I am hurting now."
"You are certainly right about all that.", Celestia agreed. "So, let it be done."
Cadence turned to her husband. She whispered, for his ears alone, "Make me never, ever, forget you for as long as I live."
[ "Wow!", Derek told Sandor. "Nice plot device." ]
[ Sandor smiled. "I thought that would be clever.", he agreed. ]