Shining Armour felt sick.

Pacing back and forth, the only light available begin faint flicker of the candle on the bedstand, Shining Armour felt tears running down his face, leaving trails of wet fur as he wept openly. “Oh, Cadence,” Shining managed, his voice broken by the pain he felt. “Cadence, I’m so sorry! Please, I didn’t mean it!”

He could see it in his mind’s eye; Cadence’s reaction when she found out; her tears, the pain in her eyes as she left, the knowledge that he’d caused this, that his own actions had caused this.

And yet, they hadn’t. What he’d done, he’d done as part of his duty. Celestia had sent him north with full vested authority, and precise instruction to secure an alliance with the Crystal Empire. She’d invested her faith in him, her trust, and as Patriarch of the Celestial Guard he was honour-bound to fulfil the goals of his monarch until his dying breath.

But that didn’t help to assuage the guilt in Shining Armours heart. It didn’t help to dispel the knot in his stomach that threatened to choke the life out of him at any minute. It didn’t help him feel like any less of a scumbag for cheating on his wife.

“Oh Faust, please! Please don’t let my wife leave me, I’m sorry! I’ll never do anything like it again, I swear! Please! Just don’t take Cadence from me!” Shining Armour sniffed, wiping away the tears as he tried to get a grip of himself. This was no way for a warrior to behave, much less the Patriarch of the Celestial guard. What would his father think of him if he saw his grown son bawling like a colt, what would his mother?

A knock came at the door.

Doing his best to make himself presentable, Shining Armour opened the door to find a unicorn maid standing outside, a mug of some hot liquid held before her. “Pardon me, Patriarch. But Queen Umbra requested that this be brought up to you. It’s a traditional broth of the Empire, warriors traditionally drink it after battle to ease their slumber.”

“Thank you.” Shining Armour mumbled, taking the mug from the mare, who curtseyed before turning away along the corridor. Closing the door, Shining Armour gave the liquid a sniff, the beverage rich with the aromas of black-pepper and spices. Taking a sip, the Patriarch found the broth to be equally delicious on the tongue, the spicy tang of the mix putting a gentle fire in his gut that eased at his worries, if only a little. The stallion yawned, his eyes suddenly much heavier than before.

Funny, he didn’t remember feeling this tired.

Finishing the drink, Shining Armour climbed into bed, his movements unusually awkward and uncoordinated. Turning his thoughts back to Cadence, Shining Armour felt the wave of guilt return, but oddly, he couldn’t seem to quite recall why. It was something that he’d done, he was certain, but he couldn’t reach the memory, though he was certain it had been on the tip of his tongue a moment earlier. The broth left a strange after-taste in his mouth, oddly herbal for some reason. Though he knew he should have been trying to figure out the source of his guilt, Shining Armour felt another wave of exhaustion wash over him at the concept, his eyes too heavy to hold open any longer.

He collapsed into a sea of forgotten memories.