//------------------------------//
// Love 
// Story: What is Love? 
// by Undome Tinwe 
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Cadance loved weddings.

She couldn't help it! Even if it was cliché, how could she not adore a ceremony devoted to ponies declaring their undying love for one another? Honestly, ponies needed to stop thinking that she had some grand secret insight on the nature of love that meant that she preferred funerals or birthday parties or something.

No, Cadance was in her element in a wedding, especially when officiating one between three of her good friends.

Twilight was positively glowing as she stood by the altar, waiting for the other brides to make their entrances. Sometimes, it was hard to believe that the High Princess standing before her was the same precocious little filly that Cadance had once foalsat and played children's games with.

"I forgot to double-check the wards around the city. What if I didn't calibrate one of them properly and an invading army manages to sneak through?"

And other times it was painfully obvious that Twilight was still Twilight after all these years, and that she was still a neurotic little thing despite her happiness at the occasion.

Cadance smiled. "Shining himself made sure that security was airtight. You know your BBBFF would never let you down."

That seemed to calm Twilight, at least for now. She took a deep breath, held it for several seconds, and then exhaled, just like Cadance had taught her all those years ago. "Right, I'm worrying over nothing. This ceremony is going to go perfectly fine! Perfectly fine!"

It was hard not to laugh, but Cadance persevered. "Remember, it's not about the wedding, it's about the marriage. Even if everything does go wrong, what matters is that you love Rarity and Rainbow Dash."

"Right." Twilight nodded. "Just like in physics, there aren't any absolutes when it comes to emotions, but love serves as a fixed reference frame to anchor on. It's the ground truth of the heart."

"Well said," Cadance replied approvingly. "You've taken to the study of love so well. I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering how good of a student you are, huh?"

A blush tinted Twilight's cheek. "I've had some great learning opportunities."

"So you have." Dropping the banter for a moment, Cadance allowed the full force of her sincerity to shine through in her next statement. "I'm so happy for you, Twilight. You deserve the best, and the two incredible mares you're marrying today definitely fit the bill."

"Thank you." There were already tears in Twilight's eyes, and the ceremony hadn't even started. Cadance was good at this.

Just then, the first notes of the wedding march began to play, and the two of them turned to see Rarity entering the pavilion, trailed by her procession. She looked beautiful as well, not that Cadance had any doubt that she wouldn't. Rarity understood the core of what made a pony shine, and knew how to bring out the passion of every pony who wore one of her ensembles.

And her own dress spoke volumes of the love she felt for her beloveds. Cadance could see the care and attention put into every detail, to create a wedding dress that was as elegant as the mare who was wearing it.

The lace trimmings displayed a pattern that wove together the cutie marks of the three ponies to be bonded in matrimony today. Everypony— Cadance included— who knew of the process of lace working knew how much effort and skill that required. It was hard to tell if Twilight noticed, given how her jaw had already dropped at the sight of her wife-to-be, but given how observant she was, Cadance had no doubt that she would note it eventually.

Rarity was making a statement in her dress, wearing her heart on her sleeve, as it were. Cadance could respect that.

Finally, Rarity reached them and smiled at Twilight. Cadance couldn't hear what they whispered to one another over the music, but the look of pure love they shared was all the information she needed.

When the last notes of the march faded, Cadance cleared her throat. "Today, we are gathered here to celebrate the love of three of Equestria's most remarkable mares."

There was a wave of confused murmurs as the crowd looked at them and only saw two ponies at the altar. Cadance kept her smile aloof and mysterious as she continued to speak. "Love is a wonderful and multifaceted virtue, and part of what makes it so extraordinary is how different and unique it is for everyone." She looked at Twilight, who could barely contain her excitement as her eyes were fixed on Rarity.

"For some, it is the unchanging truth that they hold on to, that guides them when all else is lost." Cadance gaze shifted to Rarity, who was absolutely basking in the admiration of the crowd. "For others, it is the way they show their true beauty to the world."

This had all been rehearsed, and as Cadance said those words, the music started up again, a grandiose fanfare that was coupled with an explosion of fireworks. The crowd gasped as, from behind the stage, a team of Wonderbolt flew into the sky, performing their death-defying tricks and spinning around the leader of the team, who was wearing a most unique wedding dress.

Rainbow Dash flew ahead of her team, pulling off a tight aileron roll before turning sharply towards the altar at reckless speed.

Cadance grinned. "And finally, love can be the ultimate freedom that allows someone to live out their wildest dreams."

The prismatic blur sped down the aisle, whipping up a cloud of leaves and dust in its wake, before stopping in the narrow space between Rarity and Twilight. Rainbow Dash flashed the crowd a cocky grin before turning her attention to Cadance, who took the entire spectacle in stride. Compared to her own wedding, this was nothing.

"You three have overcome so many challenges in your lives," Cadance said. "Your journey began with a world-saving adventure, and it's only gotten harder since then. Throughout it all, you have worked together and strengthened your bond to triumph time and time again, and now, the time has come for you to begin a new journey together."

The rest of the ceremony proceeded as usual, with the three brides speaking their vows before Spike brought the rings up for Cadance to distribute. Twilight placed hers on Rarity, who in turn placed hers on Rainbow, and then finally Rainbow completed the circle and it was time for Cadance's favourite part of the wedding.

"By the power invested in me as the Princess of Love, I now pronounce you bound in matrimony!" Cadance's grin widened. "You may now kiss."

The three ponies immediately embraced one another, with Rainbow pressing a passionate kiss against Twilight's lips before shifting her attention to Rarity while the audience cheered for them. And then, when it was Rarity and Twilight's turn to kiss, the pegasus broke away and shot into the air, leaving behind a rainbow contrail.

Cadance watched as Rainbow built up speed, flying higher and higher until an explosion of rainbow light echoed through the pavilion. This time, Rainbow had shaped her Sonic Rainboom to produce a heart-shaped pulse of rainbow energy, and the crowd roared with applause at the display of skill and technique.

The light faded just as Rarity and Twilight broke away from the kiss, and the two remaining brides watched as their beloved wife joined back up with her squadron to complete the rest of the airshow.

And as Cadance looked upon these three mares who were so different and yet were bound together by the greatest force of all, she knew that Equestria had a bright future ahead of itself.