Don wandered alone for what seemed like an endless amount of time, he stepped over logs and ducked under branches, but nothing ever really seemed to affect him. He wandered and wandered through the woods, until eventually he came to a small cottage over looking a little stream. He wanted to keep moving, but he was more hungry then he could ever remember being, not that the phrase meant much with his memory, so he walked down to the stream intending to catch himself some fish.

He walked to the water’s edge, sat down in the grass, and waited. He waited for several moments, and then finally he saw a huge fish swim by. Before it was out of his sight he extended his hand and magic swarmed around it, then grasped the fish in his energy field fish, preventing it from moving. He floated the fish out of the water, to the edge of the stream. He was about to extend his claws and seize the fish, but as he did, just for a moment he thought of Twilight and how she might have tried to do this in a more practical way. Then without warning, he received a sickening pain in his head, his magic cut out, and the fish fell from the air, slapping him in the face with its tail, and flopped back into the stream swimming away.

Don felt hot tears of embarrassment well up in his eyes, but before they were more noticeable, he heard a laugh coming from behind him. He turned around and saw a pink alicorn watching him from the house and slowly making her way down to him. He was still wondering what had happened to him just then, and so did not focus fully on the pony approaching him, and thus did not fully recognize her.

When the alicorn reached him she said “that was pretty impressive magic, right up until the part where the fish slapped you” she giggled again, then, realizing the look on Don's face said “oh I’m sorry, I’m being rude, my name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but everypony just calls me Cadence”.

Don remembered hearing that name before, then he recalled her, she was married to Twilight’s brother. Don immediately turned around and droped to a bow “I’m terribly sorry Princess; I didn’t know YOU lived here, I’ll just go…” Cadence walked over and dropped an apple into his hands “there is no need for you to leave, after all you must be hungry, plus I can see you’ve got some very powerful magic there, but also pain and alot of unstable power”

Don’s eyes widened “How did you…”

“Love is my specialty, and I can tell you hold a powerful love, as hot as a volcano, but now it has been dimmed to a mere candle. Come inside with me and tell me about yourself, and I’ll see if I can’t help you out”.

Don nodded, thinking to himself “is it normal for anypony to just offer me a home…I’m starting to think so”

Don rose to walk with her “I doubt as if you can help someone like me, but I’ve nothing to lose”. He walked with Cadence back up to her home, munching on the apple as he did.

Once they were inside and sitting on the couch Don asked Cadence the first question that came to his mind “Don’t you have an Empire to be running Princess?”

She giggled “oh, I think I’m entitled to a little vacation time now and again, besides this deep in the forest no one bothers us, and i can still be lose to my favortie mare” she smiled, not realizing Don knew exactly who she meant.

He nodded and waited patiently for Cadence to question him next. Cadence asked Don to tell her about himself, and once he began, it was as though the river of his emotions poured out to her. He told her absolutely everything that had happened to him since he had awoken in Ponyville. He talked for what seemed like hours, but it truly only took him thirty minutes to recount everything to her. When he finished she seemed both more interested in him and more sympathetic than when they had started.

Cadence sat on the couch for a few moments then said “well Don, I really do understand what you’re going through, truly, but I also happen to know Twilight Sparkle. In fact I was her foal sitter when she was little, and I don’t think she hates you at all, I think she was just disappointed and upset, but Twilight is a very loving pony, and if she mated with you, that means endless love, trust me”.

Don felt more hot tears well in his eyes, he felt pathetic, he had become such a crybaby, he could hardly force himself to say it, but he managed to crack it out “you didn’t see…the way she refused to look at me or how she told me to leave”.

Cadence gave Don a hug, which sent a pleasant warm feeling throughout his body. He could compare the feeling only to the feeling he got when Twilight hugged him, but before he could inquire this of Cadence, she stood up and said “I think you should talk to somepony who knows Twilight better than even me. Oh Shining Armor…dear could you come in here please”.

Don sat up straight; he had momentarily forgotten Cadence was married to Twilight’s brother, who was now a prince. Don had a bad feeling, his magic acted weird whenever he thought of Twilight now; he wondered what would happen when he saw her brother.

Shining Armor walked into the room and immediately over to Don, he stood in front of him, holding out his hoof for him to shake. Don gave an exhale of relief, and shook his hoof, Shining Armor seemed very happy, as though he actually wanted to meet Don “I listened to the whole thing from the kitchen, and I have two things to say; one, I am more grateful to you than you know, for falling for Twily, and second, I agree with Cadence, Twily will come around, she’s just all worked up and stuff, she can get like that, trust me I know from experience”.

Don felt a slight reassurance at his words “thank you Shining-agggghhhh!” Don dropped to the floor as his eyes lit up with magic. Waves of magical energy swarmed off his hands and flowed throughout the room. Objects in the room began to shimmer and glow! Luckily, before anything could get out of hand, Cadence touched his head calmly, with her horn and all of it seemed to shoot back inside him!

Don held his head in pain and heard Cadence say “Sorry dear, his magic is very confused right now, anything related to Twilight could set him off, it’s probably best if you two don’t touch, at least for awhile” Don and Shining armor nodded, as Shining Armor left the room, Cadence said “I would very much like it if you stayed with us for a day or two, I want to teach you some things about yourself, you’re like a brother to the Elements of Harmony, I can see it on you”

Don once again, nodded, not really understanding what she meant, then Cadence helped him up and started to push him outside “come on, I’ll teach you something me and Twilight used to do all the time”.

Don was up bright and early the next morning. Cadence had made a very comfy bed for him out of their couch, with bed sheets, blankets and everything. Although Don didn’t notice it until the next morning, Cadence had also set a photo of Twilight on the table next to the couch for him. He had hugged it once, and realized he felt more rejuvenated than he thought he would. He went out as the sun was still rising and sat down by the river. He silently thought, if he looked hard enough, he might see Celestia raising the sun, but he knew he could not hope to see that this far away, and instead stared down into the water. It took him some time to realize it, but he finally did realize that, he was more upset with Twilight, then actually upset in general. He contemplated this thought for awhile and realized why this was true. She had judged him so quickly, and had not even listened to his side. It had been like she was expecting him to be bad, and he was upset at her for it.

He loved her, and knew that if it had been her, he would have supported her claim, even if she had really been guilty. These were all pointless thoughts however, for he knew the day when she would need him, would never come. It would always be the other way around, she had been fine before him, and she was probably fine without him at this very moment.

“Don’t let thoughts like that blur your feelings for her Don”

Don turned and saw Cadence walking down to sit beside him. She came over and he instinctively jumped up and they both moved together “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hooves and do a little shake” they both laughed as they sat back down, Don felt a little foalish, but he’d get over it, it couldn’t be more foalish than he already was.

Don laughed more than he felt like he should, given his current predicament, but it felt good. Once they finished laughing together Don said “I’m not letting those thoughts blur my feelings, I still love her more than anything, but I am upset that that she so quickly judged me…Hey! Wait a minute! Were you reading my thoughts, I didn’t know you could do that”

Cadence giggled “It’s actually pretty easy, but yes I was. Anyways, you may love her, but you need to understand her, Twilight’s always been quick to judge, believe me I should know. But just hear her out when she gets here, you might be surprised by how much she needs you, just like you need her”

Don had heard everything, but the only thing he really focused on was “Twilight’s coming here! Why?! How does she even know where I am, when even I hardly do?”

Cadence laughed again “She doesn’t know you’re here, but she is coming. I just got the letter from her last night, she said she wants to track you using my magic”

Don raised his eyebrows “how could YOU, track ME”

Cadence thought for a moment on how best to explain it “my magical powers are…kind of like yours, my specialty is love, just like you remember, so she wants me to track you through her love for you, and let the echo from you take her to you”

Don raised an eyebrow “But, I still need to learn a lot from you, yesterday was not enough. This power of love that everypony keeps saying I have, I don’t know how to use it”.

He wanted her to train him, but she seemed to have made her decision “You will learn, but you need to find out yourself, I only showed you the path, you have to walk it”

Don was defiant to the last “I’m still mad at her”

and Cadence was as equally stubborn “but you love her?”

“Yes!” Don didn’t realize that he had just lost his argument, but Cadence smiled at him

“And she loves you. Which means things will work out, just stick around and see, don’t go running off like you’re planning to once she arrives, that won’t solve anything”

“you reeeeally need to stay out of my head Princess”

Cadence taunted him playfully “the extreme love inside you, opens up your mind to me, all I do is listen”.

Don smiled, he noticed his reflection in the stream, he was starting to look healthy again, the healthy brownness was returning to his coat. He looked down at the water “how long ‘till she’s here”

Cadence tapped her hoof to her chin “judging by what she said, probably an hour or so, I’d get ready, your magic is still confused and unstable”

Don knew, he could feel it, the anxiety inside him, it was making him turn into a ticking time bomb, but he wanted that now “I know, I want her to see that, to know how much she really affected me”

Cadence frowned “I think the fact that you ran away shows that enough”

Don could hear a slight disappointment in her voice, but stood firm “regardless of that, I could never make her understand why I loved her, but at least now I can make her see why I need her”.

Cadence turned and walked back to the cottage “I’ll let her know you’re down here when she arrives”.

Author's Notes:

So for those of you who think this is too cheesy i say To The Moon With You
and just trustith me
it does get better