Chapter 1: Hashing Things Out
"Seventeen... Ungh... eighteen... aggah... nineteen... twenty!"
Panting, Shining Armor lay back. A light sheen of sweat covered his chest and abs, as he caught his breath before he stood up and headed to the shower. As the water turned on, and warm water poured over him, Shining smiled gently as he basked in how good it felt. A tap on the glass opened his eyes, and he turned to see a fuzzy pink figure on the other side of the fogged-up glass.
"Yeah, honey?" he asked.
"Shiny, sweetie," came a feminine voice from the other side, "we need to talk."
Raising an eyebrow, and his face falling, he finished scrubbing himself off and rinsing his mane and tail before twisting the shower knobs and opening the sliding glass door. Cadance was already walking out of the bathroom, clothed in her sleeping attire; a simple beige pair of panties and a tee-shirt bearing the logo of famed DJ Vinyl Scratch. Quickly, Shining dried himself off as best he could while he used his magic to levitate over a pair of boxers and gym shorts, as well as a black tee-shirt he grabbed randomly, briskly walking behind her.
"Cadance?" he asked as they arrived in the upstairs living room of their castle home, "What's the matter?"
"You know I love you, Shiny," Cadance said as she sat down on one of the two couches in the room, just before the vacant fireplace, "and I always want the best for you," she continued as she used her magic to levitate an envelope towards her husband. She looked over at him with concerned eyes, and a twinge of sadness. "Just be honest with me, sweetie," she said as her husband took the envelope. "Tell me why you have these."
Heart racing, he looked at the envelope in his hands. His eyes widened as he felt what he could only guess to be photographs inside. Gently he opened the unsealed envelope, and what he saw made his heart pump hard. His brow developed droplets of sweat as he looked over the pictures of himself and an unmistakable dark body, a voluptuous woman with emerald hair, distinct slitted eyes, and fangs. The pictures depicted Shining suckling on her teats, her tongue, and even licking over her foot.
"That was just what I could fit into the envelope." Cadance continued. "There's a whole photo album I found in your bedside table of this and more." Cadance sighed as she looked down to take a deep breath. "Am I not enough for you, Shining?" She asked. "Are you having an affair? With her, of all ponies?"
Heart racing, Shining Armor dropped the pictures and rushed over to her side, kneeling before her and taking her hands, looking up at her earnestly. He dared not try to lie to Cadance, his wife, and he looked down. "No!" he revealed, "These were taken when you went missing. I... I was truly honest when I saw you had been rescued and said that I thought I'd never see you again! She told me you had run off and that you left behind the wedding ring… we were to continue the wedding anyway to save face for everyone. I just didn't have anything else to go by, Cadance," he said as he looked up at her, "Please... please believe me! I really thought you left!" He pleaded, tears starting to well in his eyes.
Cadance's eyes welled with tears a little as well, as she gently pulled up and helped the stallion to the couch and hugged him tightly. "I believe you," Cadance whispered, "Just... you should have told me, sweetie. You know I would have forgiven you!"
"I... I couldn't bear the thought," Shining confessed, "The things we did together... the things she did to me made me feel things... made me feel alive and excited in ways I never thought I could be. Not even a victory in battle could compare to how... how good it felt to be taken down like that," he confessed. "I knew you were more of a gentle lover, and I just... I just couldn't ask you to be rough to me like that. I couldn't ask you to do something you didn't want to do." He leaned into her and gently pressed their horns together, as they felt their magic, their love intertwining with each other.
Cadance's face lifted as she looked into his eyes. A weak “heh” elicited from her. "Honey," she giggled, "I'm the embodiment of love itself on this world. Did you really think the kinkiest thing I know about is doggy-style?"
Shining blushed a little as he leaned back. "You... really?" he asked, "You're really not mad?"
"Well I'm disappointed that you didn't think I would understand such a thing as the wide, wide array of kinks in this world," she said a little cheekily, "but no, I truly understand that... there are things that get you to feel the way you want, sweetie. I thought for a long time that you only wanted the most basic of lovemaking techniques. I was fine with that, honestly I was! But you need to trust me!" She added. "You need to stop thinking you know what I want better than I do! Sweetie... I can feel your love for me. I can sense it permeating through the air, but I can tell that she fills a void for you. You care for her... you worshipped her! That is not something that I can just… accept right away." She expressed as she hugged him gently.
"Wait! I don't wanna leave you, I don't love her more than you!" Shining protested as he looked at her, "I... I'll burn those pictures and we'll never-!"
"Shhh..." Cadance cut him off, "No sweetie, I should have been more cognizant of your needs, your desires," she confessed, "I feel embarrassed that the Princess of Love couldn't even pick up on the sexual desires of her own husband! Honestly I... I still love you," she clarified, "but I... I need the day to process all of this." She confessed. "It's just... so much all at once. Let's take the day off, and we'll just spend it doing whatever we want... even if it's alone." She suggested, "I'm not angry," she assured her husband, as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm just frustrated and overwhelmed," she said as she stood up, "I promise... I'm not planning on leaving you. I just need time to think," she sighed as she gave a little smile at Shining Armor. "I'll be back here in time for dinner, sweetie, don't worry."
With that, pink wings unfurled behind Cadance's back as she headed towards the balcony, and took off, leaving only a couple feathers behind as Shining put his hands to the side, and slumped onto the couch.
. . .
Cadance touched down near a small cafe near the edge of the Crystalline City wearing a crystalline-patterned hood to conceal her identity. Such a hood was not uncommon in the city during the winter months, hence hardly anyone batted an eye when a hooded figure sat down inside. She ordered a coffee and gazed out the window as she awaited the order, watching the snow outside begin to fall. Sighing, Cadance sat back and lowered her head as she folded her arms across her body, warming herself. Thoughts of the past hour flowed effortlessly from the past to her mind.
"Awfully bold of you," came a deep voice from the booth behind her, "trotting among the masses without your special guards... or your beau."
Surprised, she turned her head around and saw another hooded figure, this one hooded in a muted, earthy shade of green. "Who are you?" she asked, accusingly.
"Oh I think you know well enough," the woman replied as she turned around, revealing the face of none other than the mare in the pictures... the Queen of the Changelings herself.
Cadance had to stop herself from doing anything rash, but she managed to calm herself. Her heart raced as Chrysalis stood up and walked herself over to the other side of her table and placed her coffee down in front of her as the princess' own coffee was delivered by the waiter. Chrysalis briefly changed herself to a generic unicorn before changing back once the waiter was away, leaving them the only two in this cafe for the time being.
"What do you want?" Cadance asked bluntly.
"Want? I only want you and your husband to repair matters!" Chrysalis replied as she leaned back, letting her hood go down. "I know he still has feelings for me. I can feel him fantasize over me. I know very well that he still has those pictures under his bed... is that why you are here? Did you discover them, finally? I admit he has quite the submissive bone in him... Don't blame me, though, I simply awoke what was already there," she said matter-of-factly.
Cadance clenched a fist on the table as she fought back an angry expression, sipping her coffee for an excuse. Despite her forgiveness of her husband, facing the one who imprisoned her for months proved another thing entirely.
"You brainwashed him."
"Had I done so, he would not have stayed with you." she retorted. "If anything, he would have cheated on you with me or some other tart, if he even agreed to marry you at all. But I can attest that he has remained faithful to you from the day you cast me out of Canterlot. Swear on my hive," she assured her.
"If he's not cheating on me then why are you here?" she asked curtly.
"To offer something, to keep you both happy. I'm willing to allow your husband to have the best of both worlds, you see," she explained, "or to train you to become the woman that we both know he wants, deep down. Either way, you get to keep him, and he gets to still be happy as he continues to receive the things that I can provide. I am sure that you of all ponies would understand the concept that one's love needs not necessarily divide, but multiply? Come now, do not tell me you have never had more than one lover in your life? Your love is boundless, I can smell it from here! You could give your love to the entire Crystal Empire and still have plenty left over! Shining has much of your love... I know he can share it with me. I know you of all ponies can share some with me, too."
Cadance recoiled, but Chrysalis' eyes looked up at her in a rare moment of sincerity, of honesty. She looked back into her eyes, and gazed in. Using her magic, drawing from deep within the nearly infinite well of love she possessed, she could tell that there was honesty within her. She knew what Chrysalis asked, but she held reservations.
"How do I know you don't plan to betray me?" she asked the Queen.
"Do you think I desire to overthrow you once again after how easily you defeated me? What more could I possibly do to harm you that you or your friends could not counter? Besides... after what I experienced with your husband, his submissive lust is all I desire. I know he will want what I give him, and if you so desire, you can join in," she said, "but even then, I would still give you your private time to be husband and wife. Please, do this for your husband's happiness. He is no doubt full of anguish and regret, and I am certain you wish to make him happy, too."
Cadance looked down and thought. Her face contorted into expressions of thought, twisted into difficult emotions, before she finally let out a deep breath as she sipped her coffee.
"You will agree on my terms," Cadance said flatly, "And I am not afraid to turn you in should the worst come to pass. I will not trade the safety of my citizens for my own pride. I love my husband but I will not sell out my empire just to sate his desires. So hold out your arms... I will cast a Geas upon us both."
"Is that really necessary?" Chrysalis asked, "That's awfully strong-"
"It is necessary," Cadance retorted, "If I am to allow you to lay with my husband, then I want assurances." She stated firmly, "So... hold my hands," she commanded, "and let us seal this."
Obligingly, Chrysalis did so, gently gripping Cadance's soft hands. She took a deep breath as she watched Cadance close her eyes and mutter a few words of magic. Her horn illuminated with blue magic, and her eyes opened, glowing blue.
"You will agree to never voluntarily take an action that undermines Equestria." Cadance spoke, her voice reverberating with magical energy as her hood fell back. Her mane began blowing gently from an unseen and undetectable gust of wind as she continued to talk. "Nor will you seek to usurp my throne, or the throne of Princess Celestia or Princess Luna. You will never seek to hold a position of political power in this kingdom, or those of Equestria's allies or enemies. Do you agree?"
Looking on in surprise that Cadance was willing to go this far, she took a deep breath. She supposed she could not blame Cadance for wanting there to be no chances after her decidedly negative experience with the Queen when they first met.
"I agree," Chrysalis stated.
Magic flowed from Cadance's arms to Chrysalis'. The baby blue magic flowed up her arms, seemingly through the Queen's veins, before it reached her head. She looked nervous as she watched the display, but once the magic energy reached her head, her mind filled with a blue light, as did her eyes, as she gasped from the overwhelming power within her, as the command from the Geas seeped deep within her mind. She knew the terms: for the rest of time, severe pain and injury would be magically inflicted upon her body should she act counter to Cadance’s terms. Her mouth gaped open as light emanated from within it and her eyes, before it dissipated.
Panting, Chrysalis had to catch herself on the table as she felt winded from the experience, but Cadance smiled as she looked upon the Queen and offered her hand, to help her up. Chrysalis took it and allowed Cadance to pull her to her feet as the Princess of Love paid the bill and left a generous tip before taking the Queen through the town, letting her bring her disguise up as Cadance concealed herself again with her hooded cloak.
. . .
Shining Armor rubbed his eyes as he lay in his bed. The sticky sensation around his eyes bothered him, making him think about going to wash his face, but his body protested. As if to say the position he held was too comfortable, and that outside the covers was too cold, and that he needed to catch up on some sleep, anyway. He rubbed his bloodshot eyes anyway but pulled the blanket over himself.
"Why did I have to keep those?" He asked dejectedly, all while looking at one of them, this one depicting him sucking on Chrysalis' teat. A part of him tossed around the idea of igniting the pictures, but every time he looked upon it, he remembered those beautiful curves, the forbidden pleasure he partook in, the shameful thought that perhaps he would marry someone more exciting than Cadance. He felt a familiar stiffness and desire overtake him as he began to think back to those days...
~~~
Chrysalis marveled at the magazine in her hands. “Make a Mare out of You: How Mistress Lacquer Will Bring ANY Stallion to his KNEES!” Proclaimed the title, accompanied by a portrait of a sky-blue earth pony mare in a shiny latex outfit, complete with evening gloves, high-heeled boots, and even the requisite electrical tape in an X-shape over her nipples. Two masked and ball-gagged stallions were prostrated before her, with one boot perched on the unicorn’s head for added effect. The mare, Mistress Lacquer, held a riding crop in her hand like a stern schoolteacher and bore a smile that screamed “Who else wants some?”
“Oh Shiny,” she said as she opened the magazine, flipping through advertisements for fluted paddles and assortments of sex and bondage furniture as well as pictures of Mistress Lacquer and numerous other dominatrix mares, “…have you been keeping this from Cadance all this time?”
Chrysalis closed the magazine and held it in her left hand as she looked up. Dressing decidedly casually compared to the mare she replaced, in a rock band’s tee shirt and torn jeans, showing off a good deal of her smooth black skin as she grinned at the reclining stallion in his bed, looking up at her with a discernible blush on his face. A grin formed on her face, showing off her sharp teeth as she stepped up next to the bed.
“Sweetie,” Chrysalis said teasingly, “why do you hide your fetishes from the one you intend to marry?” She asked. “I think such a naughty little colt deserves punishment, and your Queen deserves an apology.” She stated as she produced a paddle in her hand using her magic, hitting it against her free hand. “Get on your knees, whore, and show me you’re sorry!” she commanded as she stomped her foot on the ground.
Shining pulled his headphones off and sat up, dressed in a casual tee-shirt and boxers, in which he showed his growing arousal. “Chryssi…? Are we… are we doing this?” he asked, hope rising in his voice.
“Did I stutter?” Chrysalis retorted as she stomped her foot, emphasizing the motion by pointing downward with her left hand at her left foot, completely bare. “Treat me like a Queen and apologize!”
Heart throbbing, he scrambled out of bed and climbed onto the floor, prostrating himself before her. He looked up, his eyes glistening in the sunlight coming in from the window to his left as he gazed at his lover’s face and followed her finger’s direction down to the dark foot in front of him. Seemingly perfectly sculpted out of the finest ebony, her foot appeared and smelled freshly washed. Indeed, judging by the state of Chrysalis’ mane, she just exited the shower before walking in here. The burly stallion reached his head over and placed his lips upon the top of her foot, right in the middle. “I’m sorry, my Queen,” he whispered, kissing it again, “…I did not think you would approve.”
“Truly?” she asked. “Well then let me make myself perfectly clear; you worship me from now on. You will submit before my beauty and treat me like a goddess! Now keep licking, bitch!” she commanded as she used her magic to forcibly pull his boxers down, revealing his toned ass. She promptly swatted it with the paddle in her hand, making the stallion grunt and pant. His long time with the Royal Guards made him more durable to pain than most, but even this made him wince.
Yet he craved for her to do it again. As she lifted her other foot and put it on his back, the Captain of the Guard lowered his head once again, kissing all over her foot, from toe to ankle.
“I love you, my Queen,” he finally panted in between kisses.
~~~
Shining found himself dozing off to sleep in the middle of his memory. His mind wandered off into related encounters with Chrysalis during their time together, as he lost consciousness of the world around him. Splayed out on the bed, snoring lightly, was how Cadance found her husband as she teleported back in the room with a less sleepy Chrysalis. “Well, I suppose we’ll have to keep this for tomorrow,” the Princess mused to herself, “Sleep well sweetie… tomorrow we’ll have a little talk.”
Chrysalis chuckled as she let down her disguised form and nudged her towards the couch in the living room, where a magical fire crackled and emanated a smoky scent. Chrysalis adjusted her center of mass and collapsed onto the comfortable couch, plush with the finest leather and stuffing as she stretched and cast aside her outerwear to reveal a skimpy outfit underneath. Her onyx body bore a tee shirt and some matched gym shorts, with a pair of utilitarian boots caked in mud. Cadance scoffed and removed them with her magic, casting a cleansing spell on both the boots and her feet, giving them the effective benefit of a deep cleaning before she placed Chrysalis’ boots with the rest of the footwear by the door to the main hall of the castle.
When she turned around, though, she found Chrysalis’ foot press against her nose. She widened her eyes in surprise but was glad that she cleaned them mere moments ago.
Chrysalis stuck out her tongue playfully at Cadance, blushing green ever so slightly as she noticed that the mare did not immediately move away from that perfectly manicured and cleaned foot of hers, making her pull it back.
“Does the pretty Princess of Love have a foot fetish?” she asked teasingly.
Cadance made a pouty face and turned to the other couch, across the room from the one where Chrysalis sat and plopped herself down, leaning back as she stared at the fire, trying to not wrinkle her nose too much.
“Some Princess of love you are,” Chrysalis scoffed as she craned her neck a bit to look at her companion for the night. “Can’t even appreciate a common fetish like that. You really think you can hope to do well with me as your mentor with that attitude? You must be willing to understand what it is that he wants if you’re going to have any success,” she commented as she turned her head to face the ceiling and close her eyes. “So if that’s the case, then I’ll just rest tonight and take my leave at first light.”
“You promised!” Cadance retorted tersely.
“I only promised to never usurp your throne or try to install myself as a leader in Equestria or anywhere else,” Chrysalis clarified, “I agreed on my own volition to come here to help your husband, but your Geas only binds me to never trying to take over. It never bound me to helping you, so it should be a sign that I still came here voluntarily after that wholly unpleasant experience of that Geas spell.”
Cadance let out an exasperated breath as she put a pillow over her face. “Uuuughhh!” she shouted into it before tossing it to the side.
“Oh don’t blame me for you forgetting to be more specific in your wording,” Chrysalis chuckled as she looked back to Cadance. “Now come here, Princess,” she said, “your first lesson is that a submissive’s primary desire is to please the dominant. Giving her pleasure is what gives him pleasure,” she explained. “So once we establish boundaries, I am free to do anything within them,” she said with a sensual tone, “So let us set our boundaries right now, Cadance.”
Chrysalis sat up and stretched a little. Cadance, on the other hand, didn’t move at all; she lay flat on her back on top of the couch staring at the ceiling. “Cadance,” Chrysalis sighed, “any relationship is built upon trust. This doesn’t work unless you trust me. Maybe not as much as your husband, since I’m not going to ask you to let me into the Crystal Treasury or anything, but trust me nonetheless.”
Cadance sat up, looking frustrated at Chrysalis. “I really don’t know what he sees in you,” she retorted.
“Well I can answer that right now,” Chrysalis responded as she stood up and slipped herself out of her shorts, to reveal a hefty black equine sheath and balls the size of apples! “I’ve got the balls to defy those petty ‘royal norms’ that you ponies like to pretend are so important. You ponies call castles like this one and the one in Canterlot ‘sacred spaces’ and yet I care not for the taboo of me sitting my naked ass in your throne and fucking your husband silly on it in every position I could think of! I had the balls to put that uppity bitch where he belonged!”
Cadance looked at her in shock, as images of what she described… Chrysalis naked in the throne she sat on merely yesterday, fucking her husband with her cock in a myriad of positions. The last bit gave her the most pause as her eyes looked down in contemplation.
“Ah, you remember, don’t you,” Chrysalis commented with a grin, “he started getting too big for his britches, didn’t he? I remember stalking you two for a while as one of your guards… he thought his big muscles and his sexy royal wife meant he was now the top dog! It worried you, didn’t it?” she inquired, standing up and stepping closer.
Cadance scanned her thoughts, trying to go over her memories of Shining after she said yes to his proposal: the grandstanding, the lewd gestures he made with his fellow royal guards when he thought she wasn’t looking, the occasional fight about what she should wear in public. Not to mention his defensiveness and clear discomfort about how some still carried out the tradition of kissing her hand in fealty. Cadance looked up at Chrysalis, who stood a head taller than her, and felt her heart pump hard, her neck vein pulsating. The emotions flowed through her: the frustration, the anger, the doubts that permeated her mind to the very moment before she lost consciousness and woke up in a cave underneath Canterlot. She had contemplated calling it off, in fact.
“He stopped that real quick once he got you back, didn’t he?” Chrysalis continued.
If anything, Cadance recalled, she felt more certain that whatever it was before the kidnapping was a fluke. Reluctantly, she nodded.
“To truly appreciate what you have,” Chrysalis explained as she stood forward, putting a coal-black finger to Cadance’s chin, tilting her head up, their eyes meeting, “…one has to learn that it can all be taken away. I learned that when you scattered my hive and left me with nothing, Shiny learned that when I showed him just how little I cared for his meaningless titles, and I bet you gained an appreciation for it when you spent that time in the crystal caves, didn’t you?”
Cadance failed to find the words as she looked down, before Chrysalis interrupted it with a kiss, making Cadance blush as she hesitantly returned it, feeling the emotion flowing from the Queen towards her. A symphony of lips pressing together gently sounded from the two, combined with the intermittent crackling of the fire nearby as they remained otherwise silent. Chrysalis took hold of Cadance’s hands before she pulled away, Cadance blushing brightly and looking up at the dark changeling Queen. “I can’t,” she protested weakly, “Shiny-“
“He what?” Chrysalis scoffed, a sly grin still on her face as a trail of spittle connected her lips to Cadance’s. “He said that he loves you? He married you? Sweetie, if I took only those things to be symbols of true love, I would have starved a long time ago. I learned what he truly loves through those months I spent with him, and it is a mare with power over him. He wants her to take things from him, don’t you see? When I took that picture of him sucking my toes, I took away any notion he had left that he was ‘above’ anyone. When I fucked him, I took away his notion that he was a stud. When I made him bow to me, I brought his mind into a realm he never knew he wanted.”
Chrysalis took a breath as she gently reached up to grab Cadance’s horn, something she barely protested.
“Do you know the biggest thing he wants?” Chrysalis asked, “the one he was afraid to tell you even as you confronted him with these pictures? Come, let me show you,” she said as her horn lit up. A crystal levitated from Chrysalis’ pockets, one Cadance recognized as a memory crystal. As it touched Cadance’s horn, her vision filled with the view of the memory.
Recorded from Chrysalis’ first-person perspective, the memory depicted her looking down at Shining Armor, as she reclined on the bed he long shared with Cadance, in the nude and deepthroating Chrysalis’ glowing green, slightly translucent member. His lips and nose pressed against her crotch each time he bobbed down on her shaft, seemingly expert in a craft even Cadance struggled to perfect.
“Tell me that again,” came the voice of Chrysalis, “Tell me again what your darkest, filthiest desire is.”
He pulled off of her impressive sixteen-inch shaft, coughing lightly and panting for a moment before he looked into Chrysalis’ eyes as he held her cock in his hands.
“I wish you could fuck Cadance,” he panted, “I wish you could take her for yourself, and force me to watch as you make her happy like I never could!”
Chrysalis chuckled as she reached out to grip his horn dominantly. “Such a dirty little cuck boy,” she replied, “you’d never fuck her again.”
“I’d live to serve you both,” he confessed once more as he kissed Chrysalis’ cock.
“I’d make sure of it,” Chrysalis agreed, as Shining Armor visibly reached down to stroke his throbbing erection, a normally impressive 10 inches, but it paled in comparison to Chrysalis’ monster. “I would steal her from you and make her mine. And you’d still love her, wouldn’t you?”
“More than life itself!” he exclaimed, as he squinted his eyes, stroking his cock faster, “I’d love you both! Nngahh!” he cried out as his cock erupted, spewing his seed all over Chrysalis’ body and cock, as Chrysalis let out her distinctive laugh, and the memory recording ceased.
Cadance stood there in shock as she slowly processed what she saw, lost in thought, her jaw agape as she looked down.
Chrysalis, without skipping a beat, reached over and gently tilted Cadance’s head up, to face her. “You see,” she explained, “when a stallion is brought to his lowest point, when he is not even allowed to eat without earning my permission, as he was during that memory, is when he reveals who he truly is. That,” she whispered, “is true love for you.”
Cadance paused, and gazed into Chrysalis’ green eyes, with a hint of understanding.
“You remember what he said? He wants me to make you happy! His deepest desire is your happiness, even if he can’t provide it himself. If that is not true love, then I can't think of anything that is.”
Moments passed in silence before Cadance abruptly threw her arms around Chrysalis, her one-time enemy, sniffling a little as a tear rolled down her cheek. Her face buried into Chrysalis’ bare shoulder as she let her emotions flow like wine from her heart. Chrysalis, not entirely expecting this particular outcome, gingerly put her arms around Cadance’s back and gave her a gentle pat as she let it play out.
“How could I have been so blind?” Cadance finally expressed. “We should’ve talked about this, about what was missing from our… our intimacy. I was too proud to even bring up seeing a therapist…”
“I know, I know,” Chrysalis whispered comfortingly, “You didn’t want anyone to think that the Princess of Love of all ponies had marriage problems before she was even married. I know I wouldn’t have back then in your shoes,” she said, “but the three years since we last met gave me a lot of time to think, and to research what your scholars have said about love and relationships, and that’s why I sought you out. I figured your relationship would come on the rocks eventually, and I want the stallion I love to be happy.” Chrysalis paused as Cadance’s sniffling came to an end, as she looked up at her husband’s lover once more with reddened eyes and tears slowly drying on her cheeks. “I want you to be happy. Will you come on this journey with me, Cadance?” she asked, “Will you let me give you two the happiness you’ve always wanted? That your husband has always wanted?”