//------------------------------// // You've Always Known Me // Story: I Thought I Knew Him // by Omegathyst //------------------------------// “Bolero!” Twilight wiped the tears from her face as she felt his hoof resting on her shoulder. “But I thought you...thought you…” “Left?” Bolero shook his head. “No, I just needed to get you alone.” Twilight gulped, were her parents right about her and Bolero? But she knew if she were the one to lean forward, lock her lips with the Prince of Love, her brother would never forgive her. So she stayed still as Prince Bolero sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t lying, I can’t follow through with this marriage if it’s just going to tear apart my love’s relationship with you,” Bolero explained. “There’s more going on than just us getting married, isn’t there? I can feel the twisted, ugly view of love radiating from you. Tell me what happened.” Twilight’s ears flattened as her entire body from her shoulders to her hooves began shaking, the images flashing in her head falling together as she began remembering more and more details that she forgot over the years. “There was a night where me and this mare were studying, and then she kissed me, and I kissed her back. I don’t remember how or why...just that it was the most amazing sensation I’d ever felt in my life. My parents came in, there was screaming, my Dad dragged her away...and my Mom used a spell to fix everything. I would forget that night, and for several years I did, but Flashy would always come back in my mind. And bits and pieces came back to me as I returned to Canterlot. But even now, I still don’t know what happened to her,” Twilight told him. “I h-hope she’s safe wherever she is.” Bolero’s jaw dropped as Twilight stared at the ground, processing what he had just heard. “Twilight, there’s nothing wrong with how you felt. ” Bolero asked. “Understand that I know better than them on this, I’m the Prince of Love. Even now, after everything that was said and done. I’d love to be your brother-in-law, Twilight Sparkle.” Bolero wrapped his forelegs around Twilight and pulled her close, their conflict be damned. Twilight tried to get apologies out that ended up being muffled in her former foalsitter’s chest fur, and Bolero felt a fraction of what she must’ve felt that night, terror plaguing his mind as he imagined having parents like her own, ripping away happy memories to make him into the stallion they wanted. He thanked the stars that he was raised by parents that would actually be there for his wedding, and he felt his heart tugging towards the stallion outside the door. He made a mental note to discuss her story with his aunts later, as he spoke to her. “Twilight?” Bolero whispered. “My heart belongs with your brother, and with your blessing, I want to go find him.” “I…” Twilight pulled out of the embrace and looked up at him. “How do I know you love him?” “You know when you see my face as he walks in the room, the words I speak to him and the energy you’ll feel,” Bolero replied. “I know ponies can’t feel the love inside a room quite like I can, but watch us and you’ll know exactly what I mean.” “O-Okay, I suppose I need to apologize,” Twilight glanced at the door. “To a lot of ponies, especially you. With what I found out, I just thought you weren’t the stallion my family let into their home. I thought you were taking my brother away from us.” “Twilight, you’ve always known me,” Bolero pressed his muzzle against hers as he looked into her eyes. “But do you know yourself?” “I don’t know anymore,” Twilight responded, her voice sounding hollow. “Well, regardless, I forgive you,” Bolero stepped back, getting up and opening the doors. “So what will it be?” “I won’t stand in the way,” Twilight decided. “And I still love my brother, that’ll never change.” “Good,” Bolero smiled gently. “Because that makes two of us that love him. Now come, you’ll need somepony to have your back when you’re apologizing to seven angry mares...and your brother.” Bolero chuckled as he rested his wing on Twilight’s back, trotting out of the room as Twilight kept up at the same pace. Twilight felt her heart calm for the first time in years, giving a giggle as she smiled at Prince Bolero. Despite the closeness the two were sharing, Twilight became more certain that her parents had lied to her, this wasn’t the same love intertwined with passion that she felt years ago. This was her friend, who was getting married to her brother. As Shining Armor, the Princesses, and the other Elements of Harmony came into view, Bolero’s horn lit up with a pink aura for a few seconds before the light disappeared. Winking at Twilight as she witnessed the subtle spell from his horn, Bolero and Twilight stopped as Bolero cleared his throat. Shining was the first to turn around, gasping as he bolted over to the two ponies. Bolero lifted his wing off Twilight and met Shining Armor as their muzzles pressed into each other, Shining closing his eyes as Bolero brought his wings out towards him, the tips of his wings brushing against Shining’s cheeks as he grinned from ear to ear. The way he glowed from Bolero’s touch, and the way his tail shook from side to side without regard to anypony else in the room, had Twilight’s heart sinking as she frowned. How had she not noticed how different he was since he moved out from their parents’ place and became Captain of the Royal Guard? He was no longer constantly walking around like it was a funeral, and he smiled, really smiled, in a way she never saw him smile inside their house. Maybe their parents weren’t what Twilight thought they were, Twilight shuddered at the possibility. “Just hold on a minute,” Applejack scowled as she stared at Twilight, taking several steps closer. “We’re just gonna gloss over Twilight nearly ruining the wedding?” “Applejack,” Bolero dropped one of his wings to his side, still one wing stretched out and cupping his fiancée's chin. “She knows what she did, and if you knew what happened to her, maybe you wouldn’t be so quick to condemn her.” Applejack opened her mouth for a few seconds, but no words came out as she shook her head and looked the other way. “I’m s-sorry, girls,” Twilight looked over at her friends, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie smiling at her while Rarity and Rainbow Dash listened with no expression to give anything away. “I...still don’t know how to feel about all of this, but if Prince Bolero makes my brother happy, then I won’t stand in the way. Shining, if this is going to be the pony you spend the rest of your life with...then I’ll be your Best Mare.” Twilight cracked a smile as Shining glanced at his sister with wide eyes. “But I’m only doing this once, no divorcing him, okay?” Twilight told her brother. “Twily, you don’t have to do this if you’re uncomfortable,” Shining stepped away from Bolero’s touch and walked towards his sister. “I know this was a really hard week for you, I’d understand if you still need time to process everything.” “No, it’s okay, brother,” Twilight reassured him, giving a long yawn before speaking again. “If there’s anything to process, it’s what I told Bolero earlier.” “Twilight,” Fluttershy flew to her side, resting a wing on her back and pulling her close. “When’s the last time you slept?” “I, um, am not sure?” Twilight replied, rubbing a hoof through her mane. “Well, I don’t want my Best Mare to be falling asleep at my wedding,” Shining grinned as a magic aura lifted Twilight off her hooves. “C’mon Bolero, let’s go get her back to her room.” “Wait!” Twilight cried out. “Do you girls forgive me? Celestia?” “Of course I do,” Fluttershy flew up to where Twilight was floating and embraced her, Pinkie bounced high enough to nuzzle Twilight’s mane before landing back on the floor. Rarity and Rainbow Dash glanced at each other before the latter flew up and embraced Fluttershy and Twilight in a group hug. Rarity took several steps forward and looked up at the three mares. “Darling, if you can get a lot of rest and eat something, then consider yourself forgiven,” Rarity told her. “Seeing you like this hurt me more than any words you said, believe me, I’ve dealt with enough comments like those to even be phased by it anymore.” Twilight tilted her head. What does she mean by that? Twilight glanced over at Celestia, who Luna was staring up at intensely. “Get some rest Twilight, we will talk later,” Celestia told her, her expression blank. Applejack still didn’t move from her spot. “Let’s get you to bed,” Bolero trotted to Shining’s side as the two stallions traveled the hallways with a floating Twilight Sparkle in tow. As Twilight drifted off, they opened the door to her room. As they took in the scene, the bedsheets and blanket in disarray, the lamp and pillows on the floor and various writings on the wall, Bolero fixed the bedsheets and pillows back on the bed. He placed Twilight on the bed underneath the covers, Shining leaning against his Prince as he nuzzled his neck. Bolero rested his wing on his fiancée's back, staring at the messy writings on the wall. “Don’t think about mares” and “I need to stop this” were written at least five times each, and “You don’t deserve to eat” and “You don’t deserve to sleep” were written once. But it was the largest writing in the center of the room that caused him to sharply gasp. Dirty Filly-Fooler “Bolero, what’s wrong…” Shining turned away from his fiancée, freezing up as he looked at the walls. “Oh no.” “Did you know about what was going on with her?” Bolero asked. “I knew they were pushing her towards being with stallions, but I didn’t know that she felt that way,” Shining was shaking as memory after memory started resurfacing in his head, every time Twilight came to his room and told him she had a bad dream, asking him to hold her. “Just a terrible nightmare,” Twilight shook her head. “Bad ponies making me want to do bad stuff, could you hold me, please?” Shining was shaking for a different reason now, perhaps his parents needed another visit, and he needed answers. “We’re not going to leave this stuff on the walls are we?” Shining asked as he looked up at his fiancée. “Of course not, in fact, I have a better idea in mind,” Bolero smiled as a pink aura lit up his horn, the writings fading away as new words began to take their place on the walls... After they had spent a good ten minutes fixing the room up, Shining Armor and Prince Bolero walked out of the room and shut the door behind them, with the pink alicorn’s wing still wrapped tightly around his fiancée's shoulders. Then, as they took several steps down the hallway, Prince Bolero stopped in his tracks. An image came to him, how it could’ve been him kissing Shining Armor under his parents’ roof, how they could’ve erased Shining’s memory and fed him lies about Prince Bolero. Sure, it would’ve been easy for him to go to Celestia if that ever happened, but the trauma would’ve been irreversible by that point. Shining looked up at Bolero as he grimaced. “Dear, what’s wrong?” Shining asked. “What happened to her was something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, and that includes her own parents,” Bolero explained, glaring in no particular direction. “I’ll tell you what happened after we get married, I don’t want you to feel anything but happy tomorrow.” Shining felt his blood run cold at the thought of Twilight getting hurt, but then he processed the rest of what Bolero said, and smirked at him. “So we’re still doing that, hmm?” Shining pressed his muzzle against Bolero’s neck once more. “Yep, even though your sister might’ve squeezed a lot of energy out of us, I still want this,” Bolero insisted. “Good~” Shining whispered, pulling back and staring into Bolero’s eyes. “And when we get back from our honeymoon, first order of business will be visiting her at Ponyville. Hopefully her friends will be there for her in the meantime.” “Well, I know most of them will be,” Bolero sighed. “Thank you for not actually running away after all of this,” Shining chuckled. “I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself.” “Me neither,” Bolero leaned forward, closing the distance with a warm kiss that transcended all the ponies he had kissed before. It was only fitting for a Prince of Love. The two retired to their separate rooms for the night, with the wedding waiting for them the next day.