The scrapbook had really began to fill up ever since she and her Doodle had made up and gotten engaged, as Matilda looked at the new memories they'd been making together. Like their trip to Manehatten, those customized sweaters they'd gotten, and even attending the coronation of Princess Twilight and Prince Midnight.
But now, with the aid of a gluestick, Matilda was adding a copy of the wedding invitations she and Cranky had sent out to all they'd invited, another addition to her book of memories when she heard the door open and she turned to see her beau returning from a quick run to the market.
"I'll never understand the ponies in this town," Cranky scowled. He and Matilda were young again, thanks to Midnight's spell, but they were still the same donkeys they'd been for so many decades, evident by how Cranky, despite being a young-again jack, still acted like an old ass sometimes.
"Everywhere I went they were all gussied up, looking at me funny, and asking if I was nervous."
"Did they forget the wedding is tomorrow?" Matilda smiled playfully.
"Ah, maybe they're just as excited for us to be married as I am..." Cranky smiled warmly as he gave his jane a sweet nuzzle, to her loving delight.
"Well, they're going to feel awfully silly when they realize they've got the wrong date...!!!" Matilda gasped as she took a closer look and realized, "THE INVITATIONS ARE WRONG!! THIS SAYS THE WEDDING IS TODAY!!!!"
"But I got such a good deal on them!" Cranky didn't understand, but flinched as Matilda went on hysterically.
"EVERYPONY IN TOWN GOT THESE!! Even the Royal Sisters and Prince Sombra RSVP'd!"
"I told you we should've just eloped..." grumbled Cranky as Matilda danced frantically on her hooves as if she needed to use the little filly's room.
"Oh my! The caterer, the flowers, the musicians!" Matilda worried, "We've got to move it all to today!"
"WHAT?!" Cranky felt the hairs on his formerly-bald head poof out like a freaked-out cat, but before he could say anything else, Matilda had already galloped out the door.
"WHERE'S MY WEDDING PLANNER?!?!"
Cranky stepped out, watching his Matilda hurry off to start throwing a ceremony together, as he glanced at the invitation. A certain pegasus at the post office was going to hear from him...
In one of the more recently-developed neighborhoods of Ponyville, the houses had quickly been filled with new arrivals to the town. Specifically, the ponies who had once bought into Starlight Glimmer's "equality" crock, especially the four who'd helped the Harmonic Twelve put a stop to Starlight's lies and manipulations, Party Favor, Night Glider, Double Diamond, and Sugar Belle. After their town had been attacked and burned to the ground, after they'd made their way to Manehatten looking for help, the Royal Sisters and Prince Sombra had relocated the refugees to Ponyville, a nice, quiet, and safe place to live in (for the most part) while paying the Ponyville Homeowner Association to help these ponies settle in.
To the surprise of the resident prince and princess of Ponyville, Faerie Tail later volunteered to oversee these ponies' settling in and helping them adjust, and she'd made good on her promise to help them. She'd gotten most of the ponies jobs, such as helping Party Favor find work at the local party store, Sugar Belle worked part-time for Bon Bon's candy store by making pastries, Night Glider joined the Ponyville Weather Team, and Double Diamond became a phys ed teacher for the Ponyville Schoolhouse, to name a few.
Faerie Tail also started sessions with her charges, acting as a counselor, due to having a degree in psychology from her university days. She'd had her work cut out for her at first, due to being a little out of practice and behind times, but her work with her patients yielded some positive results and catching some of them in the midst of severe psychological traumas, including a few who'd lost loved ones from the attack on their village.
Today, she was seeing four of her most promising patients one by one, and was currently speaking with Double Diamond. To help her, Mayor Mare had cleared out an old office in Town Hall that no one really used anymore for Faerie Tail's use. Her sons and Twilight had both helped in sprucing her workspace up to make it pragmatic and comfortable, to give it an atmosphere of safety for her patients.
"So, Double Diamond..." Faerie Tail treaded carefully, due to earlier sessions having reared some... issue, "how're things at the Schoolhouse? I've spoken with Cheerilee and she says you're wonderful with the foals. Even mentioned what a relief it is to have someone like you helping her students in the way you are."
Faerie Tail sat in her armchair while Double Diamond was lying on a couch nearby, his chin resting on top of the headrest, a calm but faraway look in his eyes as he sighed with a putter of his lips, "I guess... Don't get me wrong, I- I really enjoy teaching and playing with the kids at their school. Seeing all those smiles when they're having fun, the way they laugh, yell, and even after they get dog-tired, panting and sweating, they tell me how much fun they have and... it helps."
"But...?" Faerie Tail had a notepad and pencil ready, having already jotted something down.
"Coaching these colts and fillies helps distract me from... what happened," Double Diamond turned over onto his back to stare at the ceiling fan, which was spinning slowly to keep the air circulating in the room.
"And not just that, from... the pony I was back when Starlight was still in charge of our town, and... But then, the bell rings, the kids go back to class and it isn't long before I remember the dumb fool I was, the pony who was loyal to a pony who had lied to his face, to everyone else around me, used my trust and fears to pressure me into doing things I wasn't comfortable with!
"But I did them anyway! It... it just felt easier to listen to Starlight, because I thought everything she'd told us was the truth, about ponies and their cutie-marks, how having talents and being different divided us. But it was all a big lie, and I realize what a coward I was, and I can't get over how I could have been so stupid..."
"Double Diamond, you made mistakes, there is no denying that," Faerie Tail chose her words carefully, having listened to every word and considered what was going on in the white earth pony's head.
"What's more, even though you'd convinced yourself that Starlight's words were true, there was a part of yourself telling you that the things Starlight had you do? You knew they were wrong. Your moral compass was trying to tug you back onto the right path, even as Starlight was trapping you with chains in your heart and your head. I'm not sure I can give you all the answers you're looking for where Starlight Glimmer is concerned, because I don't know what drove her to make the choices she made and what led her to be so against cutie-marks and differences, that friendship and harmony could only be possible through equality and conformity.
"I am not lecturing you or trying to make you feel bad. I am only explaining to you what it is that has you so conflicted. Everypony is entitled to their own opinions and beliefs, Double Diamond, but forcing those opinions and beliefs onto others isn't teaching or enlightening. It's an affront to free will, the right to choose for ourselves, and no cause is worth taking that away.
"I can easily recall our earlier sessions, and I paid attention to every detail you shared. You believed in Starlight, even though there were times what she had you do bothered you. And when you learned she'd taken advantage of your trust, you were sincerely devastated. Was it because she'd lied to you, or is there something more to it than that?"
Double Diamond shifted uncomfortably on the couch, a part of him disturbed by how Faerie Tail's question made sense. Starlight's betrayal had shook him to the core, not just because she'd lied to them, but for the life of him he just couldn't put his hoof on it as to why it had hurt him so.
...
...
...
"Why don't we stop here, for now?" suggested Faerie Tail, putting her notebook away, levitating it into her desk drawer. "It's good to take a break from these sessions and give them a think on your own before you come back. Just try not to overthink it, otherwise you'll just confuse yourself."
"Okay..." Double Diamond got up and stepped towards the door but paused before looking to the mare, "I enjoy talking to you, ma'am. I've said this before, but... thanks. For looking out for my friends and neighbors."
"Well, to be honest, I needed something to dive into myself," Faerie Tail admitted with a slight smile, "It hasn't been easy for me either."
She looked out the window, gazing on the Ponyville passerby, "I fell asleep and woke up to find over ten years had gone by. My family, my life, everything changed in the blink of an eye..."
"Ma'am...?" Double Diamond looked at Faerie Tail with a hint of worry.
"It's nothing. Now, unless you feel the need to talk, I'll let you know when our next session is," Faerie Tail shooed him out the door and exited as well, locking her office behind her.
"Now, get out and enjoy the day. You never know, something interesting may happen."
"I think you may be right about that," Double Diamond was looking towards the main doors of Town Hall and they saw town officials were looking on curiously to something going on outside.
"What in the world...?" Faerie Tail wvaed Double Diamond goodbye before venturing over and seeing a familiar face, "Lady Justice? What's going on?"
The green coated orange maned earth pony mare who served as the local judge in Ponyville Town Hall, pointed her towards a group of locals who were muttering amongst themselves as they looked towards another group. Faerie Tail looked and saw the other group were Midnight and Twilight's friends, Big Mac, Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, Thunderlane, Cheese Sandwich, Soarin, and Applejack. But where were...?
Oh that's right, Faerie Tail thought as she recalled.
Due to their part in liberating Griffonstone and restoring the Griffon Kingdom's monarchy, Blueblood, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie had been invited to the coronation of Godric as the new griffon king. Midnight and Twilight had gone along to witness the coronation in a royal capacity.
The onlookers were muttering amongst themselves with concerned curiosity as to what might be going on with the present members of the Council of Friendship this week.
"Do we know what they're on about?" asked Octavia Melody, a well-known earth pony cellist.
"The way they're huddled up like that," Apple Bloom commented, "Ah'd say it's either a friendship problem or a monster attack."
"A monster attack?! Blast!" Octavia wasn't pleased to hear that, "I'm performing at the ceremony this afternoon and I still haven't sorted out what to play!"
"Now hold on, everypony," Faerie Tail spoke up, "whatever the concern may be, I'm sure the Council of Friendship can handle it."
"You're probably right, Miss Faerie Tail," Sweetie Belle agreed, "and it'll all be cleared up in a half-hour or so."
"Ugh, I hope so..." Octavia groaned as she left to work on her scheduled performance.
"Where's Pinkie Pie?!" Matilda barged into the group, looking frantic, "I NEED MY WEDDING PLANNER!!"
Before anypony could answer her, a loud buzzing growl demanded everyone's attention and they all looked up to see a HEE-UGE monster that looked like a cross between a bear and a bumblebee! It had a black and white body with yellow markings and wings, glaring red eyes, antennae, and six legs. Not to mention fangs and claws and a very big and very scary and very sharp-looking stinger!
Big Mac, Applejack, Thunderlane, Rarity, Fluttershy, Soarin, and Cheese Sandwich stood together, ready to face this ferocious beast as it roared and came at them with its stinger poised! They broke apart in all directions, the monster creating a trench from its stinger stabbing through the ground. Soarin and Thunderlane used their Wonderbolt training to unleash a lightning bolt on the beast, stunning it, as Big Mac and AJ each gave it a nasty apple-bucking on both sides! The monster buzzed upwards and gave chase to them, as Matilda looked on in worrying horror.
"Oh no, on my wedding day?!" She pulled at her ears, "SOMEPONY'S GOTTA HELP ME!!"
"Matilda, what's wrong?" Matilda looked to see Faerie Tail come over to her, looking concerned.
"I need to move an entire wedding from tomorrow to today!" Matilda answered, looking at a loss.
"Hmm, well, I have some experience in organizing events on short notice, but with that Bugbear on the loose I'm gonna need..." Faerie Tail looked around and saw young unicorn mare directing the bystanders to safety.
"YOU!"
The young mare noticed Faerie Tail addressing her, "Me?"
"What's your name, dear?"
"Oh, uh, I'm Amethyst Star. You're Faerie Tail, right? Prince Midnight's mother?"
"Matilda here needs to have her wedding today and I need an assistant to help me organize the event."
"But nopony's asked me to organize anything since Twilight came to town!"
"Well, Amethyst, I can organize a wedding in a day but I don't know who to go to in Ponyville for the necessities, like flowers, a cake, or-or music!" Faerie Tail explained, "you're a local here in Ponyville, and I'm guessing you know who to speak with to help throw this wedding together."
"I did used to be the best organizer in Ponyville," Amethyst admitted with a humble shrug.
"So you'll help?" Matilda smiled hopefully.
"You bet I'll-" Amethyst began to say when a loud growl caused the three of them to look towards the Council of Friendship having a more difficult time facing the bugbear than they'd expected, as it knocked Soarin into a nearby house, and he barely managed to dodge as the monster lunged at him, demolishing the cottage in the process.
"Come on, we'd better get to the salon before that monster flattens it!" Matilda hurried off, Faerie Tail and Amethyst following.