• Published 24th Oct 2012
  • 9,994 Views, 89 Comments

Happily Ever After - Benman



Shining Armor will do anything to save his marriage. Anything.

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Shining Armor

Shining Armor

This is everything I ever wanted. I married the girl of my dreams, and she loves me with all her heart. My life should be perfect. Why do I feel so empty?

Cadence turns her head towards me, making the sunlight shimmer across her three-toned mane. I can’t hold her gaze. Instead, I look out over the turquoise waves marching endlessly towards the shore. Everything is pristine, here on the beaches of Haywaii, just as it was during our honeymoon eight months ago. I haven’t seen a cloud since we arrived. The sand under my belly is soft and warm.

Coming here was her idea. A getaway will help us fix our marriage, she thinks. Love is her special talent, so she ought to know. Sun and Moon, but I hope she knows how to fix this. We’re off to a decent start, I guess. It’s easier to think out here, without worrying about the royal guard all the time.

“What’s on your mind?” she says. She’s stretched out on the sand next to me. Our sides are almost touching, but not quite.

“I’m thinking about the first time we were here,” I say. “Remember that second day, when I dragged you out into the shallows? That was the most fun I’ve had in years.”

“I remember.” She smiles at the memory, but I don’t; it just reminds me how I haven’t felt that carefree in months. “We were playing like foals all day. And then there was dinner, that night. I forget, was that actually a karaoke bar, or did we start the singing ourselves?”

“That was us,” I say.

“And the night after that. Just us, lying right here and watching the stars until the sun came up.” I remember; it was the most beautiful sunrise I’ve ever seen.

We fall silent. I’m trying not to brood, and she’s trying not to hover.

“What’s changed, Shine?” she says. “Why can’t we do that anymore? What can I do to bring us back to that place?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “It’s not you. You’re the same now as you were then.”

“You’ve changed, though.” She’s the one who looks away, this time.

I nod, even though she can’t see. “I’m scared, Cadie. Those were the best days of my life. The months before that… you made me the happiest pony in the world. Why can’t I feel that anymore? Why am I moody and sad?” I grind a forehoof into the sand, as if I can force answers out from underneath. “Stars above, what’s wrong with me?”

“Don’t,” she says. “Don’t do that. Nothing’s wrong with you. Feelings aren’t a duty. I didn’t marry the pony you think you should be. I married the real Shining Armor. Whatever you’re feeling, it’s real, and it’s right, and we’ll figure out what to do.” She glances at me for a moment, then looks back out to the sea. “Do you still love me, Shine?”

“Of course!” I say without thinking. “I need you like… like… I don’t know. I need you. You make everything better, just by being there. I love you, Cadie. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I’m not just saying that, I actually don’t know what I could do.”

She stays still. Silence descends with all its oppressive weight. I start talking again, just to end the lull.

“It’s just, back then, everything was so exciting. I felt alive like never before. Just being near you was enough to fill me with the most amazing joy. And, and now I still love you but it’s not powerful like it used to be and I don’t even know why. How can I be your husband if I don’t love you more than I did before we married?”

“Oh, Shine.” She shakes her head. “My sweet, faithful Shine.” Cadence’s wing reaches out and drapes itself over my back. “You have nothing to be ashamed of. That’s just how love works. The beginning is all about passion and excitement and new experiences, but it can’t last. Love becomes part of life, and things settle down. It’s less dramatic, but it’s just as real. If new love is like a bonfire, then mature love is a hearth that keeps a pony warm for a lifetime. That’s what you’re moving towards. It’s not a bad thing, and you’re not doing anything wrong.”

My head sinks until I find my eyes inches away from the sand. I can count the individual grains. “You’re saying I’ll never feel that way again.”

“Look at me.” When I don’t, I hear her get up and move to stand before me. “Shining Armor, I said look at me.”

There’s no disobeying that voice. Sometimes I forget she’s a princess, but every now and then, she reminds me. I look and see Cadence, my beautiful perfect wife, standing above me in all her seraphic glory.

“I’m worried, Shine,” she says, looking down at me. “There’s only one way to find that energy you’re looking for. I know what happens when ponies chase after it. I’ve seen them, bouncing from one love to the next, moving on as soon as that first burst of passion wears off. They’re usually not happy ponies.”

“No!” I feel my stomach plummet at the thought. “Cadie, I would never… I can’t let that happen.”

“I know,” she says. “That’s not a road you’d ever choose. You know where it leads, now. You can avoid that.”

I can’t even bear to imagine it. “Right. I can avoid that. We can avoid that, no matter what it takes.” I realize I’m standing up and I’ve started pacing. My hooves kick up tiny puffs of snow-white sand.

“What do you mean?” she says softly.

“This is your special talent, Cadie! You create love, and you change love. I love you, but it’s… it’s the wrong kind of love. You can fix it!”

“You aren’t broken.” She rests a hoof on my shoulder, stopping my frantic pacing with the barest touch. “I fell in love with you for a reason. I don’t need to change you.”

“But you change ponies all the time,” I say. “You make them better. It’s a good thing.”

“That’s different. I don’t change their love, I just bring out what’s already there.”

“That’s all I want you to do! I already love you.” I can’t stay still. I’m walking towards the surf. “It’s the same thing.”

Cadence follows behind me. “But we’d know. It works for other ponies because they don’t know I helped them. They think they did it all themselves. If I do this to you, we’ll both know that our relationship is different. We’ll know that just loving each other wasn’t enough. You can’t build a marriage on that.” She swallows. “And it’s not true. We can make this work for real.”

A wave crashes and throws droplets against my legs and chest. “You’re the one who knows all about love.” I’m almost whispering. “If we don’t do this, is there really a chance? Is there even a small chance that I’ll… that I’ll…” I have to force myself to say it. “That I would leave you.”

Silence. I look back at her, and the dejection etched across her face is answer enough.

I feel my legs wobble under me. “No.” My voice comes out thick and choked. “No, I can’t. Please.”

“It’s okay.” She steps forward and nuzzles her neck against mine. I melt against her, falling to my knees. “There are other ways,” she says. “We can work through this.”

“Hopefully. Maybe. What if we fail? I can’t take that chance, Cadie. I couldn’t live with myself if I did that to you.” I clutch at her. “Please. Don’t let me be that pony. That’s not me. Please. I need your help.”

She looks down with a face like a blank slate. “Okay.” Her voice is flat. “Okay, Shine. For you.”

“Thank you.” I bury my face in her chest. “I love you. I love you so much.”

“I know,” she says. Above me, her horn begins to glow.