Shining Armor held open the door to his quarters. “So? What’dya think? Not too bad, huh?

Cadence smiled as she followed him in. Though her own quarters were a bit more luxurious, his captain’s quarters felt more rustic, more cozy. “They’re nice.”

A dark grey unicorn porter followed her in with their bags, setting them down next to the door. She nodded graciously and he bowed, backing out slowly and shutting the door discreetly.

Shining Armor took their bags up into the bedroom, while she took some time to examine the living room a bit more, inspecting the various military antiquities. When she entered the bedroom, he had set the bags down and was starting to remove his armor. His face was plastered with an excited grin. “I can’t believe it. We’re finally getting married! Only ten days!”

Cadence felt a sick jolt in her stomach at the reminder. Was it really so soon? “Yes, ten days till we’re... married.” She tried to mirror his excitement, but despite her best efforts it came out half-hearted.

Her lack of enthusiasm was not lost on him. He paused, and gave her a concerned look. “Are you all right?”

She didn’t answer at first and began to fiddle with her one of her bags. She so desperately wanted to shout “No! I’m not all right!” But she knew she couldn’t. She stopped her fiddling and forced a smile to her face. “Everything’s fine. I’m just tired: I had a busy day today.”

She was afraid he wouldn’t buy it, but he nodded and continued to unpack his things. “I understand. It’s just... you’ve been different lately, love. You just don’t seem, I don’t know... more stressed, maybe. More tense. There’s nothing wrong with the wedding plans, is there?”

Everything is wrong with them, she thought. I’m not sure they should even exist! The whole wedding could be a mistake! She gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I told you, I’m fine. Just a bit nervous, I guess.” She finished her unpacking and began divesting herself of her royal garb.

He nodded, but he still appeared concerned. He shut the closet door and walked into the bathroom. He came back out a short time later, the armor’s dark impressions in his coat gone. “Sorry I can’t stay a bit longer, but Princess Celestia asked me to come and visit her as soon as we got unpacked; something about a possible security issue. It’s probably best not to keep her waiting too long after sunset before I head over there. You want to come along? I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.”

She shook her head. “No, I think I’ll retire early. Like I said, I’m pretty tired, and we’ve got a busy day—busy week, rather— ahead of us.”

He nodded. He walked over toward her, but she walked past him to flop down on the bed. He stood there awkwardly for a bit before continuing to the door. “I’ll see you later, then, dear. Love you.”

“I... I’ll see you later, dear.” She pulled herself under the covers.

He stood waiting in the doorway a bit longer, then left, closing the door softly behind him.

She let out a long sigh, staring up at the ceiling. What was wrong with her? She was a bride-to-be. Wasn’t she supposed to be happy? She didn’t feel happy. All she felt was dread. She was getting married in less than a week, but she couldn’t even tell her fiancé she loved him. Every time she tried, she just felt sick. It was all so backwards.

Maybe she had made a mistake. Maybe Shining Armor wasn’t the stallion for her. She shook her head. No, they’d had something real, hadn’t they? Even after what she’d done?

Yes. Yes, it must have been real. It must have been. He loved her dearly, she knew that for sure.

She sighed. So why couldn’t she manage to convince herself that she loved him back?

Tormented by her thoughts, Cadence slowly drifted to sleep.