Epilogue: The Forgotten Night
Melody had her cards face down on the table, and wore a smug grin. She looked like she had all of this figured out. Her confidence radiated to the other three stallions at the table, including Shining Armor. The other two guards kept looking over their hands, and checked back to the cards in the center of the table.Shining wasn't sure of his hand either, but he tried harder to not show it.
Instead he focused himself at studying his competitor. Melody had became an amazing friend to him the last couple months of her training and he was proud that she was finally graduating, but that was the last thing he was focused on right now. He was focused on her ice blue eyes, trying to find any sort of movement or nervousness. He watched the way she held herself, hooves folded in front of her, confident. He studied her face for any sort of twitching.
Shining wasn't sure if he was actually beat or not.
He didn't have too many hands left in him. At some point, he has to go home to Cadance.
He had something to discuss with her.
He reached to his bottle of cider and downed the last of it, then set it on the floor beside him. Except, 'set down' might be too gentle a phrase. 'Tossed' might be a bit better.
Almost all of the ponies at the table had put down at least six drinks that night and the biggest offenders were Melody and Shining. Heck, for most of the night, the guards were having a competition of who could collect the most bottles.
Melody and Shining tied.
There was a photo to commemorate the occasion and it was sitting right with Melody's pot of chips.
"Oh fine, whatever," one of the guards groaned. "I've got to watch the Princess during morning shift tomorrow, so I'll make this my last one. All in."
"I guess if that's what we're doin, then I'll go all in too," the other guard chimed in.
"Dude, you skipped me!" Shining interjected.
"Eeehhh, whatever," the last guard said. "Melody's been cleaning house with her bluffs all night. I don't think she has it."
Shining looked back at Melody, who smiled at him mischievously.
"Come on, Shining," she said with a hiccup. "You in? Or out?"
Shining exhaled and studied her again. There was nothing. No signs. He couldn't find a tell on Melody all night.
Shining groaned, then tossed his cards into the middle.
"I'll try the next one."
"All right, read 'em and weep," Melody said proudly. "Straight flush."
The other two guards groaned and tossed their hands in the middle, showing a two sets of two pair.
"Welp, that's it for me," one guard groaned.
He tried to stand up, but immediately stumbled over himself.
"O-ok. I got this. I'm gonna walk home. I'll talk to everypony later."
"How about I help you home, Cedar. I'm not too bad," the other guard said, helping his buddy's hoof around him.
"Thanks, man. I owe you one."
As the two stallions exited the back room of the little pub, Shining called after them.
"Don't worry about the tab, guys. The Guard has it covered."
The two guards exited without a second word and the door shut behind him, leaving Shining all alone with Melody. He looked at her carefully as she downed her last drink and swayed in her seat.
"I'm having so much fun!" she said with a wide smile. "One more hand. Please?"
He looked down at his chips, compared to the large mass she's compiled.
"I don't even have close to enough chips for an all-or-nothing hand."
"Oh... come on!" she said with a wide smile. "Where's the fun in that."
Shining sighed.
"Alright, but I'll make this interesting. All my chips and a secret, against all of your chips and the photo."
Melody looked down at the photo, then back at him.
"You're on!" she tossed everything into the center of the table as Shining gathered the cards.
Shining couldn't stop looking at Melody. There was something in the way she talked, something in the way she moved and acted that just felt right. There was some quality that he couldn't put his hoof on, but this mare brought butterflies to his stomach.
And he knew it was wrong.
He asked himself why he was still here. Why was he still spending time, all alone, in a back room of a dingy pub, with a mare that made him think... things.
He shook his head and focused on shuffling the cards in front of him. On top of a massive pile of chips in between them was a single quick-develop photo. A photo of him and Melody, arm in arm, celebrating the night. He smiled at it, knowing he probably couldn't really keep the photo. If Cadance saw it, well.
Those are some questions he'd rather avoid.
But he knew what he had to do and tonight was when he was going to do it. He cracked open a new drink, and so did she as he dealt out the cards. He already put the other five cards of their game on the table. While there wasn't a lot of point for rounds of betting, he could still build up the tension. Shining looked down at his cards and smiled.
This was a good hand. A great hand.
He set down his cards to find Melody was already confident and staring directly at him.
"Reveal?" she asked.
Shining blushed, but he tried to stay focused as he revealed all five cards on the table. He did the math in his head for what his hand was. After a quick minute, he smiled and looked back at her.
Three-of-a-kind.
Not the best, but certainly not bad. He studied her carefully, unsure of how to proceed. Her eyes were still laser locked on him. But then, he noticed something. Melody's right ear twitched.
A full range of emotions went through his mind as he leaned back in his chair. That tell. There was no way.
He needed to be home right now.
"I fold," he said, tossing his cards onto the table.
"What?" she said in shock. "That quickly?"
"Yeah. I already know who won. There's no fun in it."
Melody eyed you quickly and stood up.
"But, don't you even want to see?"
"You had nothing. You were bluffing. I know it," he said it confidently.
Shining turned over his cards and Melody eyed him carefully. She turned over her cards and showed him that she had nothing.
"How did you know?" she asked.
Shining smiled and rose from his seat.
"I knew, because my wife has the exact same tell, whenever we played games as kids. And on that note, I think I better go."
Melody rose from her seat, almost tripping over herself.
"No! Please! I'm having so much fun. Please!"
Shining sighed and moved around the table closer to Melody.
"Listen, Melody. You're a great friend. I'm having fun too. But look. It's almost 1AM. I'm married. Do the math. I have to go home," he said.
She looked down at the ground and hiccuped.
"Then, at least tell me your secret," she said. "You lost, so tell me your secret. I wanna know."
Shining sighed.
"Alright. You won't like it though," he said.
She looked up at him with those wide, ice-blue eyes, hanging on his every word. Shining felt a fire burning in him that he immediately tried to put a damp towel on.
"I'm quitting the guard."
"What?! But you love the guard!" Melody said.
"Yeah, but not when it's keeping me from the pony I love," he said. "Plus, I think I know what my real dream job is."
Melody sat down, trying to absorb the new information and to recapture her sense of balance.
"Dream... job?" she asks.
"Yeah... I've been thinking about it more and more. I love the guard... but I think I'd really love to be a stay at home Dad. I've been dreaming about it lately, actually. I just haven't been sure how to tell the 'boss' you know?"
Melody looks up at you, with an unreadable expression. Is she... happy?
"The point is, I don't know what you think is going to happen here tonight, but I've got my two weeks in. You probably won't see me anymore. That's probably for the best."
"Shining," Melody said tenderly.
"I'm going to go talk to my wife and try to make some things right. Things have been rough lately and it's time for me to do something about it."
"My Shining Armor..."
Shining sighed and shook his head. He swayed on his feet, the room spun way faster than it should as he moved toward the door.
"On that note, I have to go. Goodbye, Melody."
"Shining, I'm not Melody," she said.
Shining stopped and turned his head.
"Melody was never real," she said. "Hold on, hold on."
Melody tried to control the magic in her horn, causing blue sparks shot out in varying bursts of energy.
"No wait, hold on. I can do this," she said.
"Melody, you're drunk. You can't do magic. Just go home."
"I can't go home!" she said. "I can't change back!"
Melody stuttered while looking for words.
"Remember the nights when I'd would come over to take care of Twilight?"
Shining's stomach dropped.
"When I'd put Twilight to bed, the two of us would go downstairs when your parents weren't home. All alone."
He stared at her intensely.
"Then, the two of us would play Hyper Spacebattles until ten minutes before the parents were supposed to be home? It was because downstairs had a better atmosphere and wouldn't wake Twilight. The two of us got caught once by your parents, but it was because I had rolled a 20 and everypony else thought that we were fooling around."
Shining turned away from the door.
"How do you know that?" he asked.
Melody smiled as she tried to stand up.
"Because I'm Cadance," she said. "It's my secret. I've been disguising myself so we could spend more time together."
She swayed on her feet and fell on the ground. Shining tried to trot over to her, but he found that walking was way more difficult than he remembered as well.
"Alright. I think it's time to me to sleep this off. This is ridiculous."
"I would love if you'd be a stay at home Dad," she said. "I miss you so much. So much."
Shining helped Melody to her feet.
"Alright. It's time for you to sleep this off too. You'll have your wits about you in the morning," he said.
He picked her up into his hooves and helped her lay down on the bed.
"Do you believe me? Shiny?" Melody asked.
Shining sighed and closed his eyes.
"I'd rather not take that risk."
"Do you love me anymore?" she asked.
Shining looked at Melody carefully, as she stared up at him.
"I only love my wife," he lied. "I'm going to head home. Sleep well."
He headed for the door of the room, but stopped as he reached the handle. Quiet, just by the bed, was the sound of sobbing. A sound he recognized as clear as day. The pattern, the breaths, the intervals, the hushed tone and way it was buried into a pillow. It was the sound of a princess trying her hardest not to let anypony else know how much she hurt inside.
And he'd only heard it once before.
He turned to the bed and eyed Melody carefully. The tell was the same. The cry is the same. She knew a private story that only you and your wife knew.
"Cadance?" he slurred.
The mare turned in bed to stare at him, and she smiled.
"Shiny. My Shining Armor."
He chuckled and left the door alone.
"You know, I suppose it makes sense."
He stretched his hooves.
"But I'm way too bad for this. Let's talk about everything in the morning, huh?"
Melody nodded and closed her eyes. Shining moved to the bed and clumsily climbed in. Melody moved closer to him, but he pushed away.
"Still, better not. Not... while you're like this."
Melody chuckled to herself.
"Right. Good night, Shining."
Shining closed his eyes, unsure of how to respond.
"Good night, Cadance."
The sun shines through the only window of the tiny, cramped room. Melody turned over in bed, gradually rising herself out of slumber. Then, the dry mouth hit. She groaned, because as she sat up, the headache struck as well.
Rising to her hooves, the mare groaned as she began walking straight ahead, dazed and groggy. But she wasn't able to get too far before she was greeted with a wall.
Then, her eyes open wide. This was not her room in the crystal palace.
Melody turned on the spot to take in her surroundings. This was a dingy, run down hotel room in the back of a pub.
She gasped, as she saw her husband laying in bed, resting peacefully. But when she looked to her hooves, she didn't see the meticulously cared for pink fur. Instead, she saw the average, uninteresting whiteness of her guard disguise. Cadance, took a few careful steps away, trying to remember anything about last night, but the soreness of her head made trying to remember difficult and nauseating.
Her breathing quickened as she remembered being alone with Shining in this room. Being held in his arms. Her eyes widened. Did they...
She felt her world crushing down around her.
Shining... cheated on her.
With, herself. And she caused it.
What had she done?
Melody's horn glowed with energy as she opened the window to the room, transforming herself back to her true form. Spreading her wings, she looked back at her husband.
She had to do something. But, she didn't know what. Not yet, at least.
With one swift motion, Cadance took to the sky and flew out of the room. Her eyes filled with tears and regret.
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Awesome!
This was a very beautiful journeu filled with mystery and drama. You made us think a lot searching for answers or explanations. The feelings and the life of the story was developed in the best way.
Thank you for writing this story
Maybe. Continue with anon and twilight, go over his journey down the road of recovery. Just a thought.
6733533
I like that plan. For some reason this left me feeling hollow or something. This doesn't feel like closer ya know?
Can we get a sequel picking up with Anon and Twilight?
6733602 I do know. I feel the same way.
You know what, I hadn't expected Cadence to willfully be stupid. I expected a number of other cliched AF things but not Cadance. For once I'm glad I finished a story because this ending just ties everything up so nicely and with a little bow on top to boot.
The wait was most certainly worth it.
EDIT: While I do see the BS that is Cadance getting off scot free. I also feel that that is not for this story. Should there be a sequel then by all means fuck her shit up Author.
Cadance even said it herself, "The Empire almost runs itself." I'm at least 73% sure that Celestia and Luna are aware of this fact and can punish her without fearing for the Empires fall with Cadance absent.
My understanding of what has happened may be incorrect so please correct me if I'm wrong, but it seemed like Shining accepted that Melody was his wife after this drunken night, so during the main story when Shining was accused of having an affair why didn't he just speak up and say that he knew in the end it was Cadance and that there wasn't any cheating?
What BS though, came because of the tags and description, a human x Cadance story.
A lot of people are happy with this though so kudos.
6733738
Alcohol. It was implied they are both too drunk to remember.
One misunderstanding, to set things in motion. That does seem to happen a lot.
Anon's, road to recovery, shall be a treacherous one indeed.
"I loved and lost at the crystal empire and all I got was this T-shirt"
6733799 I'll take 4 please.
FINE! Take the follow ya bastard......stop playing with my feelings.......this was good albeit unsatisfying
There is an error in here. You have Shining saying that he couldn't put his finger on it when it should be hoof. Just to point out
6734057
Fixed!!! Thank you so much!!!
Damn i do wish the epilogue would have shown twilight and Anon instead of Cadence and Shining tbh but ill take this anyways! Great story dude i almost wish to see a sequel with Anon recovering and slowly opening back up and then giving his love to Twilight
Sheesh, that was a hell of a good story. Good job man, really good job.
6733693 Add me to the pile
Not the way I would have ended the story.
My ending would have been with Anon holding a sword and standing over the lifeless body of Cadance then.
Because you don't fuck with a human like that and expect to live very long.
I'd have been more interested in an epilogue that focused on Anon. After the shit he went through, leaving his fate ambiguous seems cruel
Well, that ended up being a lot more fucked up than I ever expected. I kind of wish we had seen Cadance get more of a punishment for it, because that was just a hideous thing to do in every possible way.
Well... this was a good story, however, the ending... I'm... not pleased with it, but this was a good story, just had a fucked up ending. Cadence got off easy... for now...
Good show, good show.
Till next time.
Well, that ending made me feel like I wasted time reading this story.
Also based on the comments it seems that I am the only one that doesn't want Anon, and Twilight to end up together.
6735271
Me either... I liked the emotional roller coaster when it was just that, but in the end we find out it was actually just a straight shot and we only thought it was a roller coaster. It does feel like a big let-down from two chapters back when I was desperately trying to figure out how everything fit together into such a clusterf- (Stop! Think of the kids!)
It wasn't "this, that, or the other thing." It was just alcohol, amnesia, and a Tantibus-grade freak out.
I feel really bad for not posting a more positive final comment, especially because the initial build up was really fu- (The kids!) -good! I guess I just got caught too much in my anticipation for what was actually driving the two apart.
Great story, but the ending was....lacking, very lacking. I comes across as though you painted yourself into a plot corner and just wanted to end the story and move on. Better than simply leaving it unfinished I suppose, but the ending is, to me, very unsatisfying.
Nothing feels resolved, nothing feels learned. Cadance's motive seems trite and head-scratching. You could apply a "Slice of Life" tag to the story and have it fit: placing this in any other story would effect nothing and everything reverts to the status-quo.
Not going to down-vote because 90% of the story was fantastic, but will be un-faving and hoping your future stories are as well-written, but better wrapped-up. Cheers.
6734401
If there was any lesson it would be that we need to communicate with those we care about; especially in regard to strong emotions. If we make assumptions on behalf of loved ones people will get hurt.
With the exception of Anon every party involved is guilty of withholding important emotions and thoughts.
At this point all I can say is I'm disappointed. When this happens to the princesses of both Love and friendship, "I really expected better of you" doesn't really cut it anymore.
6735705
Not just that. What others have said are also very good points. About how Anon is left with both physical and mental trauma, and that those responsible basically get off with virtually less then a slap on the wrist. How he basically is then left seemingly in the care of one that is very likely to take advantage of his current state.
On that note l, let's talk about Twilight for a bit. She really is as bad as Cadance. She really seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Anon. That is basically why she wanted to solve this mystery, even when it was at the point that it really was seemingly true that Shining cheated on his wife, and that she and Anon where really developing a relationship. She just refused to believe that he would choose anyone besides her. I really do feel sorry for him if he ever does get a girlfriend that isn't her.
6735705
In a way, I really find that part of it amusing. These days, everyone expects stories to have all that complexity and those twists and turns. This story seems to go along with that and then it surprises you by actually not having a twist and being instead exactly what it looks like. It's both multi-layered and straightforward at the same time, which really plays with your expectations in a pretty entertaining way. The entire thing is almost set up like a comedy of errors, except that nothing about it is in any way funny.
The actual way it turned out kind of makes me think the story really deserves to have a tragedy tag instead of a drama. The situation is certainly plenty tragical and fucked up for poor Anon. Everything about these people is just completely broken. The unfairness of it all is staggering. That part about the ending is definitely emotionally unsatisfying - but that's only a bad thing if it was done unintentionally, which in this case it clearly wasn't.
A story that messes with your feelings and makes you upset is still a successful and well-written story. It's just not one that you feel good about.
6738301
This is a really great point with the tragedy tag. I'm gonna change that.
6738592
Always glad when I can contribute something helpful.
6738301
Then that's a whole new reason to be upset with the story then: improper tagging. I don't like being upset with the story itself, and that's why I avoid the [Tragedy].
This doesn't read like a classic Tragedy to me, though I recognize some of the elements, but it would have been really nice to know from the start that making me feel bad might have been the goal here. I wouldn't have wasted my time getting invested.
6738910
Oh, come on now, now you're just being petty. Of course it's not a classic Greek tragedy. Nobody dies for their hubris and the gods don't descend to punish anyone with madness. The same could be said to apply to pretty much every Tragedy-tagged story on this site, though. It is certainly in every sense of the word a tragedy of misunderstandings and you know it, too.
6738301
This a million times over. Very well said.
6738920
You're protesting something that doesn't exist. I'm not criticizing the execution of the tragedy tag, and, in fact, acknowledged that the story may have warranted it. At the same time you're ignoring what I was actually saying: that, if the intent was for a tragedy, the story was woefully mis-represented from the get-go.
6739425
When you say "Classic tragedy," I think of actual Classic literature definitions. Don't blame me there.
That said, I quite simply don't agree. The impact of it wouldn't have been nearly as great if the story hadn't presented itself the way it did. It's not like the hints that there is something horribly wrong going on here aren't there - I mean, for God's sake, it's named after regret and starts with a violent assault that inflicts long-term injuries on the protagonist. Maybe it misrepresents itself, but that isn't a flaw. If it hadn't gone through those phases of looking like a straightforward romance and then a whodunnit mystery, the reveal at the end simply wouldn't have worked the way it does, exactly because it is so straightforward and unfair.
The story is actually written the same all the way through, the only thing it does is make your expectations shift themselves around over the course of it - and I'd say it does that beautifully.
Holy shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiips, cadence really is a bad pony. . .
Good story, I've always loved Cadence stories. Any plans for a sequel?
Have to echo the other reviewers: the ending was more terrible than the Twilight Saga combined.
Wait I... Am confused. You only explained what happens to one half the characters! What happened to anon? I'm so lost...
6756422
derpicdn.net/img/2012/11/24/161144/full.png
6752721
Anons lfe is supposed to be a cliffhanger. But this gives meaning and truth behind what the story was all about, and that it was all a misunderstanding. It's why shining didn't want the divorce, nor Candace, becaus deep inside...they knew they didn't do anything, even if their minds said they did, their hearts knew they didn't, even if they knew it was them. It's all a huge heart tugging thing. It's a very rare thing in stores, but it can pull more people into reading it, or even get ideas in people's heads to instigate them into writing their own conclusion in their minds.
No idea if it's what THEY intended, but when an author does this, it's to get others to write their own thing from the, thinking their own "ending", and get stories flowing in their own mind. My uncle was a writer and he did this once, and it got me to write my story for an assignment in college. And he did it just for me, to help me, because I sucked at essays. But this essay? I got to 126 and a half pages....and the teacher LOVED it, so much in fact I got credit for three extra credit projects. My uncle saved my college life, and I graduated, getting my associates in arts and science. (2 degrees not one)
Every time I see my degrees in the dining room...I think of him...he passed on a few years ago, and he loved collecting Bobby pins, and some just appear in places, saying its him, watching over me.
I have every Bobby pin that I just find that wasn't there before, in the frames with my degrees, in honor to him for helping me get those degrees. First one that appeared held the degrees together before I got the frames...and I mean I found it ON the degrees already. I know it was hm saying "I'm proud of you".
6744559
She found it as a self inflicted pain for retribution for what happened, because she KNE twilight would get the antidote to anon. She KNEW she would. It was to hurt herself. And if it didn't happen then she would be gone mentally...cadence would basically be gone, dead. So either way she would be hurt from losing everything twice and wallow in the pain, or lose once, and be left in the pain of her memories forever, while her body, and poison addled mind went on following instinct, and reflex alone.
6853639
I.... What? How does what you just say make any sense? How does leaving one of the MAIN characters story a cliffhanger give any meaning? Nor does fucking with his head and messing with his heart. They just did to Anon what they managed to do to each other. Except, Anon doesn't get closure, he gets the shaft and a stalker.
Ps. Neat story about your uncle and all, but that's... Not really related.
6853684
Maybe he got stalker, maybe he found real love that mended his heart, it's up to us to think it up, and through that, we get ideas for our OWN stories. I started mine because of a story like that. I can't think of what it's called but it's a process some writers take. In fact a series I used to read back in middle school always ended that way. Cliffhangers, make our own ideas for how it ended, or what happened next. It's good to read one before a serious exam too, cause it gets the brain going, and let's you think. If you don't understand what I sad, I went as basic as I could get because this story got my brain flowing and thinking of ideas for my story.
Once I come down from this flow I've got going, I will try to make it really simple....if I remember to that is.
PS: if you read my story, I know the first few chapters are rushed, I am gonna change them once I get to a certain point...(discords reformation) then I will be redoing and detailing the early chapters...maybe even redo chapter one completely. Add more human names, more detail, make it more...vivid if I can.
I have to give you props, this is the only story i have read that actually makes me want to physically hurt Cadance.
6775774
Pony HK-47 is best pony.
Of all time.
That picture is magical!
6887225
I think most if not all people would be bad losers at marital cheating.
Heck, it's the entire reason why Maurey and other shows like it exist.
Though yeah. Shining did not take the "do unto you" portion of "do unto others, as you would have do unto you" well, despite being the initial perpetrator.
And there it is. What does one say, when there's nothing left to say?
Deus tecum.
- Great story and writing
- Horrible ending. Makes you feel empty inside for quite a while. Cadance and shining seem to have gotten out of this well. But Anon has litterally been tossed aside, left with some serious emotionnal traumatism and depression. You just made us feel like he wasn't important after all, at all. I at least expected him to get his own epilogue, but unfortunately, no happy resolved ending for him.
- ^ Ending made me feel like I wasted my time and hype to finish the story.
7/10