"This is mine and my husband's room," Cadance explained to the new maid the castle had picked up. "You will be in charge of keeping this room tidied up throughout the day. Except weekends, those are all yours."
Flo pasted a cheery smile on her face as she listened to the Princess talk. Inside, she was sulking.
"You just have to make the bed, clean the bathroom, dust, and sweep. Laundry is done weekly, and the only meal we take here is breakfast, but Geoffrey will give you all the details." Cadance stood in the ante room that preceded her actual bedroom. At a table off to the side, Faust sat, barely paying the two any attention. "Are there any questions of me?"
"Do I answer only to you, Princess?"
"No. I have my own personal maid, but for now you'll take over some of her duties." Flo nodded cursing her sister for getting her this job. Not only would it suck to clean other people's mess, but Deb would be constantly hounding her for any 'new developments.' As if she cared about snooping around Celestia's castle. In the end, a job was a job, and Flo needed the money. "If that's all, you are dismissed."
Thanking the Princess, the other pony wasted no time taking her leave.
After watching the castle's newest hire exit, the alicorn of love set her sights on her guard.
"I'm going out!" Cadance announced with determination burning in her visage.
Her guard nodded and stood from the chair he was sitting in, tabling whatever it was he was reading. "Where are we going?" He asked to which she blanched.
"Not we... me." The Princess stood tall as she firmly spoke locking her eyes with his dark ones.
She could tell her words caught him by surprise, something that was rare. "Princess..." He blinked as he recovered from his shock. "I'm your 'personal guard.' There is no 'you' anymore- it's 'us.' Where you go, I follow."
Cadance didn't know how to take that statement as her guard made no secret of his feelings for her to her. He'd die for her, she knew, and not just because it was his job. A bright red flush overcame her youthful features and she leaned back in to her hind legs as the statement shook her just a bit. "I-I know wh-what you are to me." She managed with calmness she didn't feel. "But I need my space." She tried to reason to which he immediately became suspicious over. Depending on the event, sometimes it felt like he wasn't even there he distanced himself so well from her. But in the back of her mind, she knew he was watching like a hawk ready to fight, catch or talk sense into her when necessary.
At first she had felt very uneasy about the whole thing, but as time went by she became more comfortable with her guard. She even found she did things a little different because she knew he was watching. "Space?" He challenged skeptically.
"Space." She repeated with conviction. She groaned when his expression stayed the same.
"What's on your mind, Princess?" Was his calm reply to her statement as he casually sank back down into his seat keeping a cool stare. He knew it was more than that. He knew so much about her. Beautiful things about her person. Wonderful things. But he also knew the anger, the loathing and all the ugly things she kept to herself. It was for this reason that he found it odd that she'd be so secretive about her thought process.
The two engaged in a staring contest of wills and Cadance found herself on the losing end as her mouth started spilling words to convince the most rational stallion she knew of something she'd never admitted.
"You're smothering me," she pleaded. "Not you personally, but what you represent." She quickly explained when he tilted his head. "I want things to go back to the way they were before 'she' came. I want to see my fiancé’s eyes light up when he looks at me. I want my Aunt to stop staring at me like I'm going to break. I want to be the mare I used to be before all of this happened." By the end of her rush of words she was panting. "I just want one night..."
The look on his smoky colored features made her hold her breath.
The insecurity she displayed with him made him want to do all kinds of things he probably shouldn't. If her Aunt and husband knew, they wouldn't push him on her so much he thought as his anger spiked only to be stored away for later.
"What will you be doing?" He asked after a while.
It took the alicorn a second to catch on. Once she did, a giant grin broke out over features as she threw her forelegs around him in gratitude. He'd pretty much agreed, she knew as she told him exactly what she planned to do that evening. Any spark of anything she felt when her body came into to contact with his was stored away for dissection later.
The sheer ivory dress she wore made for an alluring look. With her hair pinned back in soft curls, her makeup was kept minimal and the alicorn of love looked like a summer dream. She had promised her friends she'd come see them once they were back in town. Nowadays she didn't have many plans or dates. She was tired of waiting and decided to do something for herself.
"Cadie!
"Cadance!"
"Princess!" Her friends had gushed as they all swarmed her for hugs, complimenting her looks. It was the celebration of some noble's daughter and Cadance smiled and laughed as she made rounds before settling in with her friends as they tastefully danced and caught up with each other.
"It's so good to see you."
"How have you been?"
"How's it feel to be Mrs. Shining Armor?"
At one point in time these girls knew everything about her. Now the only pony who truly knew her, she'd told to go away for the night. It wasn't the same without dark eyes silently caressing her form.
"Where's your guard?" Asked Lyra.
"Yes, I do love talking to that hunk of flesh." Allegra giggled. Cadance felt a spark of smugness as she knew the stallion only had eyes for her.
"She talks he listens." Basil rolled her eyes.
"Shut up!" Allegra snapped.
The cerise colored mare spent the night talking and laughing despite her feelings of not belonging. Something wasn't right and Cadance had a feeling that it would be a long while before she felt at home with anything again. It wasn't until three drinks and two cigarettes later that her friends asked her what she hoped they wouldn't.
"How're things for you really, Cadance?" Since when had she started smoking?
"We honestly had no clue."
"She fooled us all."
"What you went through... Gods... It must've been horrible." They all sat much too close for her liking but she wouldn't let it show. A side effect of her entrapment.
"Sometimes... I want to leave." She laughed. "Sometimes I just want to say to hell with everything and everyone and just leave. Or..." her thoughts took a darker turn. "I could-" She stopped when she realized who she wasn't talking to.
The looks on their faces made her laugh harder, or maybe that was the bubbles.
"Cadance?" Their concern was sickening to her at the moment. Too much sugar and not enough fucks to be given.
"Lyra! Thank you for the invite. I... I'm delirious and my 'darling husband'" She snorted this time, "will be waiting for me." She could feel their eyes linger in concern as she kissed them all goodnight and thanked them whole-heartedly for their friendship. It wasn't their fault things were such a mess.
Cadance left with jovial spirits as she thought over what she almost said out loud.
She could make her husband love her.
She had the magic for it and for whatever reason, it felt like the most obvious thing to do. She wondered why she hadn't thought of it sooner. So when she got back, she knew she needed to find him. It was the only way to make things right, she realized. It was what she was good at, she rationalized.
Shining Armor just needed help, and as his wife it was her duty to help him.