Lyra squirmed, strained, and tugged at the neck line of her dress. No too hard, however. It was a Rarity original; Pinkie had gotten it made for her. She’d insisted.
It was nice, though. White, obviously, but long and flowing, with golden accents that matched her eyes. Lyra had never worn something so fine.
It didn’t make her feel any less nervous, though.
“Breathe, Lyra,” Octavia said, straightening Lyra’s dress out. “There’s no need to be so nervous.”
“But I am nervous,” Lyra said. “It’s a big day! I’m allowed to be nervous! Nervousness is the correct emotion on a day like this!”
“Right,” Octavia said, “And I’d be worried if you weren’t nervous, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try to keep yourself under control.” She moved over to the right a few steps, and adjusted a few of the dress’s folds.
Lyra pouted. “Easy for you to say.”
“It is. That’s why I’m saying it.”
Octavia took a step backwards and looked over her work. “There,” she said. “Fit for a tailor.”
“Really?” Lyra said. She tugged at the neckline again. “Because it feels a little tight—”
Octavia swatted her hoof away. “Honestly, Lyra,” she said. “It’s fine. Relax.”
“Oh, but I can’t!” Lyra whined, prancing nervously in place. The motion of doing so sent more of the dress’s folds into disarray.
Octavia groaned, and rubbed her forehead with a hoof.
“Alright,” she said, “Take the dress off.”
Lyra paused in her prancing, and turned to face her. “Huh?”
“Take the dress off,” Octavia repeated. “We’ve still got plenty of time, and there are a bunch of guests out there. Go mingle! It’ll take your mind off things.”
“Are you sure? Bon Bon—”
“I won’t tell her if you don’t,” Octavia said.
Lyra grinned. “You’re the best, Octavia.”
“I know.”
─────
Two months had passed since that day in Canterlot, and everything seemed to have returned to, relative, normalcy.
Lyra poked her head out the door. She looked left, then right. The coast was clear.
No longer burdened by several pounds of fabric, she slipped out of the changing room (really just a back room of city hall, but it served whatever purpose it needed to) and went on her way to the main room.
The hall was surprisingly crowded. Seats had been put out, of course, forming two rows around the center aisle, but very few ponies were sitting. Instead, they mingled. Music was playing, courtesy of Vinyl, but it played as a backdrop to the general chatter.
Lyra cast her gaze across all the familiar faces. Where to start?
As it turned out, she didn’t have to choose. Somepony else spotted her first.
“Hey, Lyra!” Ditzy said, trotting up. “What are you doing out here? You’re not supposed to come out until later!”
“Rules were made to be broken,” Lyra replied. “To tell you the truth, I’m just feeling—”
“Like a bunch of butterflies flew down your throat while you weren’t playing attention and now they want out?” Ditzy asked.
“Exactly.”
Ditzy laughed. “Oh, you’ll be fine. Everypony gets that. Heck, I got that, and I knew everything was going to be fine—and it’ll be fine for you too. They’ll disappear when the time comes—” she tapped her forehead beside her eyes. “—I guarantee it! Hey, while you’re here, I want to introduce you to somepony. Follow me!”
Lyra followed her through the crowd. As she went, she caught glimpses of other ponies. Friends from Ponyville—there was Pinkie, chatting with Sparkler and Lily—and friends from elsewhere—and over there was Minnuette, loudly telling a story of some sort to Moondancer and Twilight—mixed in with a sea of other ponies.
Ditzy came to a stop before a pony wearing a hat and a poncho that covered most of her body.
“There you are! Lyra, I’d like you to meet my cousin, Sandy Shores.”
“Hello, Lyra,” she said.
“Hi, Daring,” Lyra replied.
“Hey! Not so loud!” Daring Do hissed. “I’m trying to keep a low profile, here!”
Lyra laughed. “In that thing? You’d be better off coming with a giant spider strapped to your back. How did the map thing turn out, by the way?”
“King Klepto’s Staff is now safely housed in the Canterlot Museum of History,” Daring said. “Good thing, too, that thing was nasty. Thanks for your help with that.”
Lyra rubbed the back of her head. “Aw, it was no big deal.” Her voice dropped down to a whisper. “Hey, listen, I need to talk to you later.”
“Ditzy said as much,” Daring said. “That’s why I’m here. Mind telling me what about?”
“I think you indirectly caused the release of someone very, very evil that nearly took over Equestria and purged all semblance of Truth from this world a few months ago."
“…Again?”
“I’ll find you later,” Lyra said, stepping back and raising her voice again. “I’ve got more mingling to do.”
“Right. Well, congratulations!” Daring said, stepping away herself.
“Thanks!”
As Daring disappeared back into the crowd, Lyra turned to Ditzy.
“Is she really your cousin?”
Ditzy just laughed and took off. A mystery for another day, then.
Lyra dove back into the crowd. She passed an untransformed Sea Swirl, chitin exposed for everyone else to see, not just her. Her family stood at her sides, and she was smiling.
She'd come clean two weeks ago. No one had minded too much.
It wasn’t long before Lyra spotted someone else she hadn’t invited, though she was none the less happy to see her. She drew up alongside the mare, who was looking quite out of place herself.
“Hello, Princess,” she said.
“Ah, Lyra Heartstrings!” Luna said. “I had thought ponies were supposed to stay out of sight before—”
“Not this time,” Lyra said. “Is it ‘Luna’ today? Or…?”
“Nightshade this time,” Luna said. Lyra blinked; sure enough, there for a moment was another mare, a pegasus with a lavender coat.
“Well, it’s nice to see you, ‘Nightshade’,” Lyra said.
“And you likewise,” Luna said. Her eyes shifted one way, then the other, and she leaned in.
“I trust the situation you were dealing with when we last spoke has been dealt with?” she said.
“Yep,” Lyra replied. “It’s over and done with. Equestria is safe again, at least for the time being.”
“That is quite the relief to hear,” Luna said. “I had noticed your nightmares had lessened, recently, but I hadn’t wanted to assume.”
She straightened up. “Well, thank you for your service, Lyra. It is appreciated. If you ever have need of anything… you know who to call.”
Lyra nodded. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Do. Now, I’ll be off, I see somepony else I’d like to have a chat with—and I think there’s someone you should like to speak to, as well, over by the wall. Oh, and Lyra?”
“Yes?”
Luna smiled. “Congratulations.”
Luna walked off, leaving Lyra to wonder just who she’d been talking about. She began to weave her way through the crowd—but she didn’t get far before she came across someone else she hadn’t been expecting, chatting with Winter Bell and another filly she didn’t recognize.
“Hey Lyra,” Winter Bell said. “I made some new friends!”
“I can see that,” Lyra said. “Hello, Snowblind.”
“Oh, hello Lyra,” Snowblind said. “I was under the impression that—”
“Yes, yes, I know,” Lyra said. “What brings you down from Manehatten?”
“Vinyl invited me,” she said. “I always have enjoyed these sorts of events—and from the looks of things, this was more of a public event than a private one. Also, I also never got the chance to thank you for what you did for me in the city.”
“Oh, heh, it was never a problem,” Lyra said. She spotted Rosa, Snowblind’s caretaker, nearby, and waved.
“Well, regardless, thank you. I owe you quite a lot.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Lyra said. She turned her head to face the other filly. This one had a cream coat. “And I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Lyra. What’s your name?”
“Dela,” the filly said. “Dela Crème. It’s nice to meet you, miss! Octavia’s told me all about you in our letters.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you, too,” Lyra said. “I’ve got to go—there’s someone I’m supposed to talk to. Snowblind, keep these two from wreaking havoc for me, will you?”
“Hey!” the other two chorused.
Snowblind grinned a fangless grin.
“I’ll do my best.”
Lyra left them behind and headed towards her destination: the back wall. As she drew closer, she spotted who Luna had told her to find—and how could she miss them, really? They stood out like wrong notes at the symphony.
They were also the exact last people Lyra had expected to encounter today.
“Hello, young one,” Apporoth said, turning towards her as she approached. The god was actually wearing a suit, with holes cut out for his extra legs. “Excited?”
“Nervous,” Lyra said, but her eyes weren’t on him. “What’s he doing here?”
“What? Am I not allowed to visit my brother’s champion on her big day?”
Torropoth was also wearing a suit, though his tie was striped—and his hat still matched his smile.
“Congratulations, by the way! Both on this and on your victory. The way you pulled it all back from the brink of defeat like that—truly spectacular!”
Lyra eyed him with suspicion. “You aren’t… holding a grudge, or anything, are you?”
“A grudge?” He looked genuinely shocked. “Why on Equis would I hold a grudge against you, m’dear? Win or lose, you’ve provided me with the most entertainment I’ve had in decades! Centuries, even! Truly, m’dear, I should be thanking you!”
“Riiight, Lyra said, her eyes narrowing. “Just don’t get any ideas about doing anything like that again.”
“Oh, of course not! No, I’m more than satisfied.”
His eyes shifted to the side, and his voice dropped low for just a moment. “And I couldn’t even if I wanted to… the laws are firm in that regard.”
But then he jumped back to normal. “But enough about that! I’m off to go get some more of this delicious punch. Brother? Are you coming?”
“No, no,” Apporoth said. “You go ahead, brother; I would like a word with my champion.”
“Well, suit yourself then.”
Torropoth disappeared back into the crowd, leaving just Lyra and Apporoth standing there.
“I apologize for bringing him,” he said. “I needed use of his power in order not to attract unwanted attention. This was his price.”
“It’s a bit steep.”
Apporoth chuckled. “Yes, indeed it is… You have no idea how relieved I am that we are able to have this conversation. Things looked a bit dicey there, for a little while.”
“You’re telling me!” Lyra said. “I was about as close to being dead as I think anyone can be!”
“Indeed.” Apporoth leaned in. “So… how much of that do you remember?”
“Barely any of it,” Lyra said. “It faded not long after your mother left, I think. Sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Apporoth said. “A pity, but unimportant in the grand scheme of things. I’m far happier that you came through unscathed. And once again, I must apologize for causing all of this. Had I known…”
“Save it,” Lyra said. “Good things came of it. If you hadn’t given me your blessing, then there wouldn’t have been anyone who could have stopped Clover. Or Soft Stitch, for that matter. Even if it made my life Tartarus at times… I’d say that makes it worth it.”
Apporoth smiled. “I’m glad you think that way, young one,” he said. “And know that I am proud of you. You have exceeded even my wildest expectations.”
“Well, I try.”
“Now,” Apporoth said, looking up, “I do believe you had something you were supposed to be doing?”
Lyra looked up, too. The guests were starting to take their seats—and then her eyes fell upon a clock mounted on one wall of the hall. She gasped.
“I’m going to be late!” she exclaimed.
“Run along now, young one,” Apporoth said, grinning. “You wouldn’t want to miss your own—”
But Lyra was already gone.
She pushed her way through the crowd, moving as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, she was moving against it, so her progress towards the back of the hall was slower than on the way into it.
Octavia was waiting for her by the door of the dressing room.
“Oh, thank Celestia!” she said as Lyra ran towards her. “I was beginning to think you’d never come back! Quickly, in there, come on…”
The dress was removed from the rack, put on, adjusted, readjusted, pinned, readjusted once more, and all within the span of a few short minutes. Lyra could hear the music starting up down the hall.
“Hurry!” she told Octavia.
“Almost… there!” Octavia said. She stepped back. “Done! Now, go! Go! Don’t leave Bon Bon waiting!”
Lyra burst through the changing room’s doors, moving as quickly as she dared in her dress. It really was beautiful… if only it didn’t have to be so cumbersome! Still, she made it to the doors to the main hall just in time.
Pinkie was waiting for her. “There you are!” she squeaked. “Go on! Bon Bon’s already at the altar!”
Pinkie reached over and pushed the door open, and music—electronically remixed organ music, once again courtesy of Vinyl—flooded out towards her.
Lyra took a breath in. Then, she took a step inside.
The crowd, so disorganized before, had all taken their seats. Friends looked on from both sides of the aisle, their smiles illuminating the room more than any candle.
They’d had the idea at the same time, Lyra liked to think. They’d certainly both proposed at the same time—and hadn’t that been a hilarious affair? Two mares, both getting to their knees in the middle of a fancy restauraunt…
But no, Lyra liked to think they had both realized it at the same time. That day in Canterlot Castle, after Clover’s undoing. That moment when they had both realized that there was no one else they’d ever want to spend time with.
They’d put it off for over six years, but the events of that day had been a striking reminder that they may not have had that much longer to put it off.
And so it had been decided, only a week after it had all gone down, that they wouldn’t wait any longer.
And now, in the present, Lyra’s eyes fell on Bon Bon. She was wearing a suit. It looked perfect on her. She looked perfect.
No one had been surprised by the announcement.
But Pinkie had jumped on the chance to plan the wedding.
Lyra’s eyes met Bon Bon’s. She smiled. Bon Bon smiled back. That overjoyed, almost teary smile that only shows itself when no other will do.
Perfection.
Lyra took her first steps down the aisle.
Ditzy had been right. The butterflies were gone.
THE END.