Not as much as you

A.N. Hey everyone this is my first MLP fic and I want to make sure that it is as close to perfect as possible so if there is something that needs fixed or can be improved please let me know, thanks and enjoy.


Princess Cadance stood on the balcony of her new royal quarters staring up at the full moon a sorrowful expression on her face. "My love what's wrong," Shining Armor's voice made her squeak with fright while whirling around to face him.

"Oh, Shining Armor I didn't hear you come in," she tried to smile, but it came out as a painful grimace.

"I did knock and when you didn't answer I grew worried, I will admit the moon does look exceptionally beautiful tonight just as Princess Luna promised, however," he paused and frowned at her expression. "Now I am even more worried, Love, please tell me what's wrong." He gently placed his hoof on her shoulder and between that and his worried gaze she felt her grimace melt away to be replaced by a small, but genuine, smile.

"It's just that everything that has happened today and everything leading up to it, it's all just so much to take in. First that horrible Changeling Queen captured me and then placed you under her control and when I finally confront her all she has to do is threaten to send me back to those caves and I crumpled. Not Twilight though she and her friends risked everything to stop her while I just sat there." Princess Cadance lowered her head only to feel Shining Armor's hoof lifting her chin up.

"Look at me my love, you are too hard on yourself, you seem to forget that it was you that raised the defenses and drove all of the changeling's and their Queen from Canterlot. Were it not for you my love all of Equestria would now be a feeding ground for the changelings." Shining Armor's smile made Princess Cadance's heart soar with joy, but she quickly pulled it back down her sorrow dampening her mood.

"I couldn't have done it without you my love," she finally spoke after contemplating the ground for a moment.

"All that matters is that the changelings are gone, everypony is safe, and we are together my love." Armor lowered his head and gently kissed her hoof before finally releasing it and turning he trotted for a few steps before looking back over his shoulder. "Are you coming to bed my love?"

"In a minute my love I just want to enjoy the moonlight a little longer." Her smile made Armor smile and visibly relax as he left their sitting room and entered their bedroom. Cadance waited until she could hear the shower running before she turned back to watch the moon. Closing her eyes her horn glowed as a small golden, heart shaped locket slowly rose from the base of her horn where it was hidden by her mane. She let her magic caress the locket before opening it, on one side was a picture of the young Twilight and Cadance in the middle of their special dance and the other side was a picture of Shining Armor. Sighing she closed the locket and returned it to its hiding place.

"Oh my Twilight if only Shining Armor knew the truth," unable to hold the truth in any longer she confessed to the night air. "I love him truly I do, but not as much as he loves me or, or how much I love you. Oh, Twilight if only you knew how much you truly meant to me. Ever since we were foal-sisters I have loved you and as I watched you grow into the beautiful young pony that you are my love for you has only grown stronger. However, you never seemed to return my love in the way that I dreamed you would. Then your brother came along in my most desperate moment and confessed his love to me."

Suddenly she whirled around the air around her seemed to grow colder and she thought that Shining Armor had returned, but it was only a breeze so she turned back to face the moon and continue her confession finding it a surprising source of relief. "Now don't get me wrong I am honest when I say that I love your brother and then I had an idea, it was a selfish one though. I thought to myself that your brother was similar to you in some ways and by being with him I thought that maybe one day we could become sisters officially. I was desperate Twilight, desperate for any bit of love you could give me even it was only the love a friend and family it would do. Finally as the years passed my love for your brother grew more and more, however so did my love for you."

Another breeze caused her to shiver and it seemed to carry the mocking laughter of the Changeling Queen. "Perhaps it was for the best that my love for you was never made known. If it had been then the Changeling Queen could have seized control of all of Equestria in a single instant just from my love for you alone." Cadance finally fell quite having confessed everything she needed to say. Slowly she turned and trotted towards the bedroom and just as she reached the door she turned back towards the moon with a small smile. "I will always love you Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor too, but I can never love him as much as I love you." With that Princess Cadance slipped into her and Shining Armor's bedroom with a skip and a smile.