//------------------------------// // Part 7: The Divorce // Story: Something You'd Regret // by Flutterpriest //------------------------------// Cadance looked indescribable. The dress seemed to bring out every one of her most beautiful, delicate features. The smile she wore framed the entirety of her blushed face, which was done in gentle pinks to bring out the deep violets in her eyes. You could sense a feeling of carefree joy in the picture, that sort of joy when there's no other worries in the world that could have possibly plagued her mind at the moment and wouldn't for the rest of that night. The lights were down and every single pony in the picture watched in awe at her. And him. Her husband. Shining. You take careful steps down the hall, holding the box of photos with your crutched hand, while looking at the photo with your free hand. She's so happy. While you hadn't noticed it at first, you carefully used your thumb to cover up Shining in the picture. Maybe there would be some sort of chance to help her get back to that after all of this is done. With a sigh, your arm falls to your side as you make your way away from Twilight's room. All of this has been such a massive tax on her. Hopefully now that you've got Shining's photos, they'll help her case. Then, it's just a matter of getting the divorce finalized. However, the real win is getting Shining to admit to cheating. If he does that, then the two of you don't need any sort of pictures. He'll willingly give himself up and drift away into the background. She'll be happy. You'll be happy. And all of this will get to have a happy ending. You smile at the thought. Yeah. Things will be great after all of this is over. There'd be all the mornings the two of you would be able to wake up beside each other. The late nights the two of you could spend in the garden. The 'detours' from political journeys to see the sites of faraway and exotic lands. Of course... there'd also be a wedding. Your grip on the picture of her in a gown tightens. Does that count as bad luck? Seeing a picture of a bride's previous wedding? Oh goodness, what's her family like? Does she have family other than Princess Celestia or Princess Luna? A part of you pauses, and breaks your haze of consciousness to stare forward and ask yourself an important question. It's totally not weird for a guy to freak out and mentally plan a future wedding... is it? … Nah. Of course not. And if so, then screw being normal. The cake would need to be amazing, but you're sure Cadance probably has connections for that. Of course there would need to be a decorator... but well, Princess connections. Uh. You guess the castle would be the best place for it to be. Maybe you wouldn't have that much to actually plan. You tilt your head up as you saunter, pondering to yourself what you could contribute. Well, you can stand around and look pretty. Aw yeah. That's one. You could... invite people! Yeah! Number one on the list would be- And then, the unexpected jab to the gut. Guilt. The pain radiates through your body and slows you down. Twilight. If she'd go. She probably hates you now, because of all of this. You were the final wedge to drive her brother and his wife apart. That's not the kind of thing that you just 'forgive'. At least, not right away. But, a deeper part of you feels hurt for another reason you can't put your finger on. Why were you so upset that you wouldn't see Twilight again? Sure, she was your best friend... And the two of you hung out all the time. And went on amazing, unforgettable journeys together through reading books. And spent more than a few late nights counting the stars. But, it was all just friend stuff. The only love you've felt, heck... ever truly felt... was this. There was something about Cadance that was absolutely perfect. She had absolutely no flaws, no drawbacks, no negative qualities that put her in a bad light. Whatever struggles you would face in life, you felt you could work through them with her. For her. But the idea of being left alone by Twilight? Forever? You blink your eyes and clear your throat, taking care of the weird mist in your vision. It's fine. Twilight's just a friend. You love Cadance. As you approach the door to your and Cadance's room, you begin to wonder how her journey went. Was she successful with speaking with Celestia about the divorce? If she was able to get it approved by Celestia, or even approved if we can provide evidence, then this would all be over. The two of you could be together, officially. Of course, the press would have a field day with it, and some wouldn't approve. But, the good news is that there aren't any kids involved. At least there's that. Placing your free hand on the door, you open it in your own careful, gimpy way and step inside. "Hey, Babe!" you call out. But, there's no reply. The room was empty and left precisely the way you left it. The bed was still unkempt. The closets were still open and had evidence of being thoroughly searched. Wine bottles were still in the trashcan, mixed with used tissues. And the large dent in the wall was still the centerpiece of the room. With a sigh, you make your way towards the bed to sit down. The last thing you'd like to do is keep standing. A dull throb radiated in waves up your leg the longer that you stood. But, you did what you had to do. You have all the pictures now. At least, all the ones you could find. If Shining took or hid some... well, there's not much you could have done. Placing a hand on the sheets of the bed, you ease yourself around and recline on the angel-soft mattress where you held your love. Closing your eyes, you can faintly smell that aroma of flowers that was on her mane, and the way that her fur felt against your skin. And the way her lips felt against yours. You chuckle at the thought, bringing your hand to your lips and laying back on the bed. And soon, you'd be able to relish those sensations everyday. It's hard to believe that it's all been in such little time. But, you suppose that's how these things happen. You meet someone in passing from a friend one day, not even thinking twice about it. Then, next thing you know, a spark forms and then the two end up dating. Everything was completely natural. Why, just yesterday- And then you stare at the ceiling, cutting yourself off again. Wait a minute. You sit up. Just yesterday, you weren't thinking about her at all. Not even in the slightest. Much less romantically. You look down at your hands. In a single day, you're going to give you're whole life to a mare? Somehow, you don't feel particularly worried about that. "Wait a minute..." You look up around the room, trying to think critically for a second. "What do I know about Cadance?" you ask yourself. Well, for starters, she's a Princess. Looking to the side of your bed, you see the pictures that she wanted you to find. Opening the box you flip through to see the many assorted pictures of Shining and his family, but none of Cadance. Putting the wedding photo in the box, you mentally inventory the next piece of info. She's married. For now. Looking around the room, you realize that there's almost nothing here to give you any clues about who she is. You don't know what she does in her free time. You have no idea what she likes and dislikes. You don't know about her past. You don't know about her family. All you know is that she's a Princess and likes wine. Some kind of wine. Which isn't a lot to go off of, since the different types of wine that exist might as well be different countries in the world, since you have no idea what differences are for some of them. No, this was a huge deal. A warmth spread through your body as you took a deep breath. Well, there would certainly be a ton of time to get to know each other better after all of this is over, right? It wouldn't be in secret or behind anyone's back. So, it would be healthy and totally not cheating. And, if down the line you found something that you didn't like about her, or her spell was wrong... then the two of you could always break up, right? No matter what, this wedding is bad for her and is doing her harm. Getting her out of this terrible situation is the correct, gentlemanly thing to do. And, any sort of benefits that you may reap from it are purely incidental. Besides, there's no reason to worry that all of this has happened in a day. You pause, staring at a wall for a second. Wait a minute. Why -wasn't there- anything to worry about all of this happening in a day? That's literally one of the biggest things to worry about. Romeo and Juliet from that one book did the whole 'Love at First Sight' deal and ended up dead. And you're allergic to dead. Once again, some sort of warmth filled you and the thought just seemed to push itself out of your mind. All you could do was think about Cadance. If she was around, you knew that everything was going to be okay. You could just feel it. Just then, the door to the room opened to the sound of hushed, familiar voices. You listened carefully and were just able to make out what felt like closing remarks. "You realize that my Sister and I will be speaking with Shining Armor about all of this," says a low motherly voice. "Yes. Of course. Naturally," Cadance says "Divorce is very serious. No Princess has ever done something like this before. However, if your marriage has truly become as bad as you describe..." The door is pushed open wider and there is a long, silent pause. "That is where he smashed the human," Cadance says. "So we've come to realize," said a younger, but more regal tone. With a gasp, all of your muscles tensed. It's the Princesses. "Where is Anonymous now?" Celestia asks. "I'm not sure. Keeping quiet, I think," Cadance replied. "I see. He will need to remain quiet until everything is officiated." "Even then, the media will be all over you," Luna adds. "I understand, but that's something we will have to endure," Cadance says. "Well, then. There's nothing more to be said. If you provide us proof or he admits that your story is true, then we will proceed with the annulment," Celestia says. "Until then, Luna and I have much to think over." "Thank you. Both of you. So much," Cadance says as quiet hoofsteps echo out of hearing distance. A silent moment passes as Cadance stays outside, holding the door open, but not looking inside the room to see you. She sighs and steps in with a solemn expression etched on her face. "Hey," you call out, sitting back up. Her head rises, and the alicorn's eyes lock to yours. The frown on her face runs a full array of emotions from shock, to surprise, to pure glee from seeing you. "Hey there!" she replies. "Did you just hear all of that?" "Just the last part, I think. The important part. Sounds like you've gotten the clear." "Yeah! So it seems. We just need Shining to cooperate, I guess," she says with a sigh. "Did you find the pictures?" You proudly hold up the box. She gasps and gallops up to you, taking the box with her magic. "How did you get this without anypony noticing?" she asks. "Well, uh, about that. He kinda... let it happen." She gives you a weird look before opening the box and pulling out the pictures. "The one he was trying to hide was the one on top. He really didn't want to let it go." Grabbing the first picture, she turns it up to face her. Cadance's pupils shrink and her whole body seems to sag, as if she was suddenly stabbed in the chest. "Oh," she says defeatedly. "This one, huh?" She pushes it to the back and begins to look through the others. A silence fills the room as you try to mentally process the amount of pain that she just tried to hide from you. You open your mouth to say something, but find your voice dry. She doesn't spend long on each picture, but sniffs when she gets halfway through the list. You could tell when she reached the end of the list, when she repressed the same, strained look and shoved them all back into the box. "That was all you found?" she asked quietly. You nod, unsure of how else you should react. "I see. Well, it wasn't there. The photo," she said with a sniff. She made her way closer to you and crawls up on the bed by you. Cadance looks up at you and shakes her head, forcing a smile onto her lips. "Heh. Look at me. I'm a mess." She brings a hoof to her eyes and dabs them, trying not to look you in the eye. "For some reason, I thought all of this would be easy. Well, easier. Because-" But she stops herself short and looks to the floor. Raising a hand, you place it on her back and gently stroke her fur up and down from the base of her neck, to where her wings began. "Hey, this is hard for everybody... it's okay," you say, trying to help. She looks up at you with a smile, but her eyes return to the floor. "Right, I know. Just. I dunno. I'm not sure how to say everything I'm feeling, I guess." A silence falls between the two of you as her head reclines to the mattress. Your hand finds it's way up her neck and into her mane, placing her tiara aside. "I don't... honestly know how to help," you say. "I mean, if I knew how to... I would. In a heartbeat... but, I know I can tell you how I feel. If you wanna hear it." Her eyes make their way up to you, but she doesn't say a word. Your hand moves down to her rosy-pink cheek. "That you're strong, wise and beautiful. I'd do absolutely anything for you, should you simply ask. I have total confidence and faith that we'll get through this. No matter how hard it may get. I'm here for you and I always will." You chuckle to yourself and look down. "You know, I know I said this morning that I just wanted to give this a chance, but I suppose I was just trying to be modest." Swallowing the nervousness that built in your throat, you take a deep breath. "I love you, Cadance," you say, looking into her eyes. A smile unfurls on her face as she raises herself closer to you. Her eyes close and your stomach leaps to your throat. Then, your lips connect and a spark in your heart morphs into a burning fire of compassion. Your eyes close as you feel a hoof wrap around the back of your head. Wrapping your free arm around her, you run a hand through her mane, pulling her in closer as your lips close and reconnect with a wet kissing sound. A joy wells inside of you, knowing what this surely meant. No words needed to be said. She loved you too. She'd been waiting so long for this moment to finally go from a fantasy, to being real. Cadance was yours. And you were all hers. The alicorn broke the kiss and leaned back, her ears perked. "Well," she began with a giggle. "I think this calls for a celebration, don't you think?" "Sounds like a great plan to me, got anything in mind?" she asked. "How about," she says, rising from the bed. "We get out of here and spend some time away from all of this drama? Start with a bar or two and see where the night takes us?" "Hey! That sounds great to me. Lead the way." You grab your crutch and carefully ease yourself up, while Cadance moves to the closet. Once you have your balance, you look over to her to see she pulls out a small bag and places it over her back. "Bringing something?" you ask. "Why, yes," she says moving to her dresser and opening one of the drawers. Carefully, she pulls out that same bottle from earlier and places it into her bag. "Won't they have drinks -at- the bar?" you ask teasingly. "Well, I don't suppose you have many bits on you, do you?" she teases. You check your pockets to find them completely empty. "O-oh. Right." She snickers at your display and gives you a warm smile. "Don't worry. I'll cover it. I just figure we might as well save the money." "Hey, that works for me," you reply. She stops to take a look at herself in the mirror as you grab her tiara from the bed. "Oh, did you want this?" you ask. Cadance turns to examine the tiara and thinks for a moment. "You know what? I don't think so. In fact," she says, kicking off her special shoes. "Let's keep it casual." Tossing the tiara on the bed, you continue to hobble over to her. "Sounds good. I'm not sure if I ever saw you without the whole 'royal getup' before." "Really?" she asks, taking off her necklace. "Spoilers. I'm still a pony." You mock a gasp of shock, which makes her smile. "Alright. I'm ready. Are you- Oh right. Your leg," she says, looking at your injury. "Hey, I don't mind walking. Really," you say. "Oh, no. there's no sense in going on a long walk. Let's inform a guard that I'm leaving, and then teleport there." "Inform a guard?" you ask. "Well, I'm still a Princess," she says, walking up to you and placing your hand on her back. "The guard needs to know where I am, or they go into a panic. The Princess Balcony isn't too far, let's just tell the guard stationed there, and we should be able head there immediately. Following along is slow and arduous, but on the bright side, Cadance got all of the doors for you. Once you stepped into the hall, the conversation fell quiet. You took quiet, occasional glances at Cadance, but she seemed deep in thought. It was almost as if she were in some sort of trance or autopilot. "Is everything alright?" you ask. Her concentration breaks and looks up to you. "Oh! Uhm, yes. I was just really wondering where the picture of Melody went." "Melody?" Cadance faltered, looking for a way to respond while still focusing on what was in front of her. "Yes, the mare Shining cheated with." "How do you know the name of-" "He said it in his sleep," she interrupted. "Oh. I see. Uhm. Sorry." Great job, Anon. Now you've upset her. You alternate glances between the floor, the opposite wall, and Cadance's face, simply in an effort not to stare. "Hey, uh. Sorry for dredging that up." "It's fine," she said with a sigh. "It'll all be over soon. I hope." The silence filled the hall again as you limped beside her. Something was on her mind. You knew it. The way her ears were partially folded, the lack of life in her tail, the lack of spring in her step. If she was so ready to celebrate and enjoy the benefits of their hard work, why did she seem so sad? She turned to look at you, but then focused back in her trance. Her lip quivers, like she wants to say something, but can't bring herself to. The Princess's eyes move to the ground as the two of you begin to approach the final turn to the balcony of the stadium. "Anon..." "Yeah, babe?" She starts to say something, but stops and shakes her head. A quiet moment passes in silence before she rose her head and slowed her pace. "You'll... still be with me. After all of this, right?" she asks. "Of course I will, Hon. There's no way I'd leave you." She looks back at you, a forced expression of calm trying to cover the silent tells of insecurity. "Even... Even if something happens after all of this, you wouldn't leave me all alone?" You smile and pull her closer to you. "Nothing could ever pull us apart. You're stuck with me, babe," you reply with a warm smile. She chuckles, looking away. "I hope so." She hopes so? What's that supposed to mean? Why is she acting so strangely all of a sudden? Maybe it's all just delayed feelings from all of the troubles of today? Yeah, maybe that's it. She'll feel better once she let's loose a little bit. Turning the corner, her entire posture changes. She stands tall and firm. Each step becomes calculated and even distanced, and her expression is rock solid. Even without her regalia, her mannerisms echoed and maintained that of a Princess. She locked onto a guard and almost pulls you towards him. "Good Evening," she says to the soldier as you approach. "Good Evening, Princess Cadance. Will you be watching the final games of the evening?" the guard asked. "No, I don't believe so. I'll be spending some time in town with my human friend, Anonymous." "I see, thank you for the update, Princess. I'll forward it to the rest of the guard." "Please do so," she responded. "Also, what was that place that the guard tends to congregate at?" He looks at her curiously. "Why, it's Honeycrisp's Pub down on tenth. Some of the best ciders and wheat ales in town." "Thank you so much, I believe that is where I will make my first stop." "Would you like for us to send some security there to-" "There will be no need, thank you sir for all of your work," she said with a smile. Then, as soon as you felt a light blue aura of magic surround you and you looked to Cadance, the world went black. And new colors filled your vision in an instant. It was just as if someone flickered the lights in a room with no windows. Except, the entirety of the room changed in the seconds that it turned to light. "There! Piece of cake," Cadance says. "Feeling alright?" "Uh... yeah. I could probably use a little warning next time though." You looked over your body and took a mental inventory. Everything seemed to be in it's proper place. You had your crutch, your clothes, your leg was broken, but that's nothing new. What was new, was that in front of you stood a rather large tavern with several stallions smoking tobacco outside. "This is the place," she said. "Looks nice enough. You know, a good place to start the night." "Sort of my thought exactly." The Princess took careful, deliberate steps forward and you followed her. Her vision still remained focused and didn't move from the door. She opened it with her magic, and you stepped inside behind her. The inside of the bar was simple enough. Several booths lined the walls of establishment along with several large tables in the middle where stallions played cards or simply drank in groups of friends. And of course, there was a long bar where griffins, ponies and diamond dogs alike all mingled and discussed the results of the day's games. Only a few eyes rose to examine the two of you as she made her way to the bar. You followed along beside her, immediately spotting a table near the door where it wouldn't be as hard for you to walk around in. As you headed towards the back, you noticed in the back that there were several doors, at least two or three that had signs marking 'vacancy' or 'no vacancy.' Interesting, they must use this place like an Inn as well. With all of the games, you're sure they must be making a killing. "Sir, may I have two glasses, please?" Cadance asked to the barkeep. A disgruntled crystal stallion looked up, baffled by the request, but his tone changed quickly at seeing the Princess. "Well. Now I'm used to serving Royal Guards, but never Royal-TY," he said. "Just two glasses?" "For now, thank you," she said. Cadance turned to you and gave you a smile. "Dear, won't you find a booth in the back where we can talk a little privately?" You nod, turning towards the booths in the back and limping towards them. There was one tucked right in the corner of the bar. But, it was in just the right spot that you could see the door, in case Shining decided to use some guard power and change his mind about being kind to you. As you approach, you notice it's even clean, except has the usual wobble that a well-worn table at an older establishment would have. Reclining into the booth, you set your crutch on the ground to finally get a moment to rest your foot. Finally, a little peace and quiet. And you get to spend it with Cadance. What could possibly be better. Speaking of, the Princess wasn't too far behind. Holding two glass mugs with her magic, she sets one on the table in front of you and one across the table. "There we go! Now this is more like it. No stressful stadiums. No hard decisions. Just a little time to relax and get your mind off of things." She nods silently, taking off her bag and setting it on her bench of the booth. Cadance sat in her seat and looked at her glass carefully, studying it for what seemed like an answer to a question on her mind. You sat up straight and looked at her. "Listen, I know I probably shouldn't... but something's really bothering you ever since we left the room. Is everything alright, babe?" She looked up at you, then down to her glass. "Cadance?" you ask again. "It's just..." Her hoof trembles as she raises it into the air, then wraps it back around her glass. "Have you ever had the feeling that you're making a terrible mistake? But you feel like it's the only option you have left?" she asks without looking up from her glass. You look at her with concern. "What do you mean?" She opens her mouth, then shakes her head, opting not to say a word. "Listen, if it's about the divorce. He was cheating on you. You know he did. You have proof he did. You'd just be miserable if you stayed with him." She remained silent and didn't respond. "I know it's going to be hard, but just try to not think about it. You know this is for the greater good, right?" Then, she raises her head. That struck a chord. She looked you in the eyes, with a weary, tired look. "Anon, I..." She shakes her head and her horn lights up with magic, pulling the bottle out of the bag and placing it on the table in front of you. "You're right. I should just try to not think about it." You smile as she hastily pours the contents of the bottle into the two glasses. "That's the spirit!" you reply. Grabbing the drink, you raise it into the air to propose a toast. She looks at the pink fluid in her mug for just a moment, then raises hers into the air with magic. "To the first night, of a brand new life," you say with a smile. Cadance smiles weakly as the two glasses make a light clink. Then a much louder bang echoes through the bar. "Anon!" You and Cadance turn your head simultaneously. The purple alicorn bursts into the bar and scans the room quickly. "Twilight?" you asked in disbelief. Her head whips to you immediately. She gasps, then shoots a bright purple bolt of magic directly at you.