//------------------------------// // Chapter 45 // Story: A New World, a New Way // by zeusdemigod131 //------------------------------// Bubba- Let’s see… Help Zeus write the vows? Check. Become a Co-writer/editor to this fic? Check. Draw Belle and Gene? Check. And to think, I was just a fanboy not three months ago. KOS - Behold all! BEHOLD! THE BIG DAY WE HAVE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Ausbrony’s note - A very sweet chapter filled with a lot of emotion. I was glad Seth and friends could be a part of this. Well done Zeus. Tdn’s note - Another fine chapter. A lot of emotions were present here, but it turned out beautifully. Evowizard25: And more Trotankhamun and Celestia cuteness people! I was glad to be able to see this chapter. Zeus really outdid himself here. Gene blinked awake and smiled at the sleeping form of Belle across from him. She always looks so cute when she’s asleep. He thought to himself, he leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, causing her to wake up. “Hi,” She said sleepily, sitting up and stretching out. “Morning sleepy head,” Gene said with a laugh. “We have a big day ahead of us.” “Mhm,” Belle said groggily, then she froze, her arms still stretched outwards. “Gene,” She said. “We’re getting married today.” Gene turned to Belle, a smile on his face. “I know,” He leaned forward and kissed her. “No Gene,” She said. “We’re getting married. Today. In a few hours.” Gene blinked once and said. “Huh... you’re right.” He looked at Belle and after a moment both their eyes widened. “We need to get ready!” They shouted together. The soon to be married couple leapt from their bed and raced to opposite sides of the room before stopping and turned to face each other. “What do we have to do?” Gene asked. “Well... Rarity still has our clothes,” Belle said. “And Pinkie is planning the entire thing,” Gene continued. “We have the venue,” Belle recalled. “And Pinkie said she invited everyone we told her to... or at least everyone who we’ve found since we got here,” Gene finished, remembering a few friends who they still hadn’t found. The pair walked back over to their bed and sat down. “Huh,” Belle said. “I guess we just... wait?” “I guess so,” Gene said. “Last time was more... hectic.” “Last time you almost got arrested,” Belle reminded him. “My point still stands.” “Okay, everyone off,” Pinkie ordered as she exited the train that had just pulled into Canterlot station. She was followed soon after by Fang, River, Juniper, Webber, Solana and Plusle, Lunick and Minun, Iris, Misty, May, Blaziken, and Spike. Once everyone had exited the train Pinkie hopped back in and pushed a large cart with what looked like a cake on it, covered by a very large cake cover. “Okay everyone, listen up,” Pinkie began. “We all know why were here.” “Because Gene and Belle invited us to their wedding right?” Spike asked. “Partially. We’re here to make sure Gene and Belle have the superest, duperest, most awesomazing wedding in the history of weddings!” “Right,” Iris said. “And how are we going to do that?” “It’s simple,” Pinkie said, pulling over a rolling chalkboard with several diagrams on it. “Step one,” Pinkie’s smacked her yard stick against the first picture. “Rarity, who came back to Canterlot yesterday with the outfits, will take Belle to get her into her wedding dress, and then pass her off to Fluttershy and Applejack before the wedding while she gets Gene suited up.” Moving onto the next scene, she began again. “Step two, I need someone to be the flower girl, and the ring bearer, I was going to have River be the flower girl, but, as several of you pointed out on the way here, she doesn’t have arms, so,” Pinkie looked at the assembled Pokémon. “I need a volunteer.” Looking at each other, Solana and Iris both took a step back. “I can do it,” May volunteered. “I can do it,” Misty said at the same time. Pinkie smiled. “Compromise, you’ll both do it.” “But we can just-” “No arguing!” Pinkie shouted. “And a ring bearer.” She added. “I want to do this,” Fang said. “I want to be part of today.” Pinkie smiled and patted the Houndoom on the head. “Of course you can Fang... you can hold a pillow in you mouth, right?” Fang nodded. “Great!” Pinkie exclaimed. Turning back to her chalkboard, Pinkie pointed at another diagram. “Step three, we have to make sure the ceremony goes off without a hitch, well, except for Gene and Belle getting hitched,” she laughed. “That’s funny. Why would that word mean two things like that?” “Pinkie,” Spike said, snapping his fingers. “Focus.” Pinkie blinked once, then nodded. “Right, Princess Celestia already ordained Cynthia, so that’s done, and we’ll have a small group of guards to make sure no one barges in uninvited.” “Like last time,” Iris said with a nod. “Good thinking Pinkie.” “Thanks Iris,” Pinkie said with a smile. “After they’re pronounced husband and wife, and once everyone’s cleared out of the wedding hall, the party moves to the royal ballroom, where Celestia’s letting me throw the reception.” Pinkie pushed the chalkboard away. “But you can leave that to me and Discord.” “So... what do the rest of us do?” River asked. Pinkie smiled. “Mingle, talk to friends, make new ones, basically enjoy yourselves today,” Pinkie said. “Now go on everyone, up to the castle, I’ll be along in a little with the cake.” The group nodded and left Pinkie with the cake, but before she began her track to the castle, she froze, then collapsed to the ground. “I FORGOT THE BACHELORETTE PARTY!!!” Celestia sighed as another round of meetings continued. After the new laws had been drawn up and old ones amended, it had become a matter of sorting out anything that needed to be re-amended or removed. Golden Horn was vocally against it but there wasn’t much he could do anymore. The world had changed and he would have to change with it. Celestia just had to keep an eye on The Minoan Empire for a while... Faris had been... quiet, ever since his daughter’s and Thunderhooves’ speech a few days before. The elder Saddle Arabian had kept mostly quiet at the meetings, occasionally adding something but mostly silent. It was either a sign he was really thinking about what had been said, or he was planning something. At this point, Celestia had more important things on her mind, mainly the wedding scheduled for later today. She was wondering what she should get Gene and Belle for as a wedding gift when someone pulled her back to the meeting. “... Celestia?” Trotankhamun asked. “Hm?” Celestia turned to the young king. “What was that?” “Are you alright Princess?” Halfpaw inquired. “You seem distracted.” Celestia sighed. “Apologies everyone,” She said. “My mind is elsewhere right now, some friends of mine are getting married today and I suppose I’m focused on that at the moment.” “A wedding?” Carapace inquired curiously. “Oh right,” John said. “That’s today. Man, that Pinkie Pie works fast.” “She helped set up our wedding too,” Cadence said. “If that was any indication, then this will one will be lovely.” “I certainly hope so,” Twilight said. “Gene and Belle deserve it.” “Don’t worry, Miss Pie has taken quite a few precautions to prevent anything from ruining it,” Arceus said. “And I’ll be in attendance as well.” The Alpha Pokémon smiled. “It has been quite some time since I attended a wedding.” “Aren’t we getting off topic here?” Shredder asked. “It’s wonderful your friends are getting married, but we’re suppose to be discussing these new laws.” “True. However, I do believe we have covered most of what we need already. If anything, might I suggest we take the day off. A break after the last few days worth of political debate might do us all some good,” Luna suggested. “The Princess makes a fair point,” Halfpaw said. “Most of what’s left is of little concern anyway, petty laws and whatnot.” “Then we’re in agreement?” Celestia asked. Most of the leaders nodded. “Then we shall reconvene for our final meeting on the morrow,” She said. “When we will discuss the final few laws, and go over anything we may have missed.” “Very good,” Arceus said with a nod. “Then if you’ll excuse me, I have to alert some of my children of something.” Arceus vanished in his signature flash of gold. Once he was gone, several of the rulers got up and made their way out of the room. Twilight smiled to herself. “Meeting done early, and I have time to help Pinkie set everything up.” “Just hold still darling,” Rarity said as she put the finishing touches on Belle’s dress. “And Voila.” Rarity smiled as she straightened Belle’s veil. Looking over her handiwork Rarity sighed. “You look positively radiant Belle.” “Thanks,” Belle said. “Can I see now?” Rarity was about to pull a full body mirror over when she noticed on last detail. “Just a moment,” She said before trotting out of the room. “I know I saw some around here, ah hah!” Rarity trotted back into the room holding a single red rose in her magic. Pinning it to the right trap of Belle’s dress, she smiled. “Sometimes it’s the little things that really pull an outfit together.” She floated a bouquet of white roses and babies breath to Belle and stepped aside, allowing Belle to see herself fully in the mirror. Belle’s eyes widened as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Is that really me?” She asked. Rarity chuckled. “But of course dear, don’t act so surprised,” Rarity walked up next to Belle and smiled up at her. “You look positively gorgeous.” Belle continued to stare at herself in the mirror. “Today’s the day,” She said with a smile. “I’m finally marrying the man I love.” “Oh this is so romantic,” Rarity squealed. “Forbidden love, finally allowed to bloom, a wedding with friends and family, oh, it’s like something out of a fairy tale.” Belle blushed as she realized she’d likely be hearing a lot more of her nickname in the next few days. “Now then, if you’ll excuse me,” Rarity said. “I have to go see to it that your betrothed gets into his tuxedo without mutilating it.” Rarity shook her head to clear that image from her mind. “I leave you in capable hooves.” As Rarity left the room, Fluttershy, in the dress she wore to Twilight’s coronation, and Applejack, in the dress she wore to the gala, came in. “Oh Belle,” Fluttershy said. “You look amazing.” “She’s right on the mark there sugarcube,” Applejack said. “Rarity really outdid herself this time.” Belle blushed and looked back at her reflection. “I don’t know how I could ever repay her for this.” “Just enjoy your weddin’ Belle,” Applejack said. “Ya’ll deserve it.” Belle smiled, wondering what Gene would think of her dress, and how he would look in a tuxedo. “Just be careful with the sleeves,” Rarity said as she floated Gene his tuxedo. “I did my best to accommodate for your blades but I’ve never worked on something so... sharp.” Gene shrugged, but nodded. “Don’t worry, I’ve been getting better at not cutting things.” Rarity nodded and watched as Gene slid his blades into the sleeves of his tuxedo. He smiled once he managed to get both arms in without cutting the suit. Buttoning up the suit, he turned to Rarity and smiled nervously. “How do I look?” “Positively dashing,” Rarity said. “Take a look.” Rarity slid a mirror over to Gene, allowing him to get a good look at himself. “Hmm, I don’t look half bad.” He said with a smile. “That’s a drastic understatement darling,” Rarity said, using her magic to straighten Gene’s tie. “I must admit, your figure was a bit more difficult to work with then Belle, what with the blades and all.” Gene smiled. “I can’t thank you enough for doing this for us Rarity,” He said. “It means so much to me that-” “I know dear,” Rarity said with a smile. “And you’ll have plenty of time to thank me after the wedding, but for now, just enjoy it.” Gene smiled and nodded. “I can’t wait to see what you did for Belle’s dress,” He said. Rarity chuckled. “Oh, I think you’ll like it, she certainly did,” She said with a smile. “Oh really?” Gene asked. “Maybe I should go see her, make sure she’s-” “Oh no you don’t,” Rarity said, stepping in front of the door. “You’re not allowed to see the bride in her dress before the ceremony.” “But... Belle,” He began. “Is in perfectly capable hooves,” Rarity said. “Fluttershy and Applejack are with her right now, and will make sure everything goes smoothly.” “But-” “No buts,” Rarity said. “You’ll see Belle soon enough, until then we best prepare,” She smiled. “Do you remember your lines?” “I didn’t know the wedding was between two Pokémon,” Trotankhamun said as he followed Princess Celestia. “I didn’t even know Pokémon had weddings.” “Well Gene use to be human, so that might be part of it,” Celestia said. “But a wedding’s a wedding.” “I suppose that’s true,” Trotankhamun said. “So who else do I know is coming?” “Well, Carapace for certain, I don’t think Golden Horn, Victoria, or Faris are coming, and I’m not sure about Serva, Oceania, Amira, Thunderhooves, or Halfpaw.” She blinked once, then added. “My sister, my niece, her husband, and Twilight are coming as well of course.” “And Arceus,” Trotankhamun said dryly. “Yes,” Celestia said. “And I think he’s bringing a few of his children with him.” The young king let out a low whistle. “A lotta big names at this thing,” He turned to her and asked. “How come you're not performing the ceremony? Or Arceus or Twilight or someone?” “Oh, I would have,” Celestia said. “And if they’d asked I’m certain Arceus would have as well. But they wanted an old friend to perform the ceremony, finish what they started back on Earth.” This would be a first for Celestia, she had never actually sat in the audience at a wedding before. “Makes sense,” Trotankhamun said. “How did this get set up so fast anyway?” “Pinkie Pie,” Celestia said. “Of course,” Trotankhamun said with a chuckle, Celestia had sent Trotankhamun some of the Twilight’s and her friends’ friendship lessons, as well as occasionals newspaper articles and pictures. The ones involving Pinkie usually left the king laughing. “Well, if you brought any dress clothes I think now would be a good time to get them,” Celestia said with a smile. “I think I might have a thing or two back on my airship,” Trotankhamun said. “I’ll see you at the wedding.” “Alright, I think that’s enough chairs,” Pinkie said. “You sure?” Discord asked. “There aren’t as many as I expected.” Pinkie giggled. “It’s a wedding silly, and Gene and Belle have only been here a few weeks, and I don’t think they’ve found all their friends yet, so there might not be as many as you’d think, but this is still a good number.” The Draconequus shrugged. “How did you figure out how many people were coming anyway?” “Well, I asked Gene and Belle for a guest list, had to track down some of them here in Canterlot, then I asked Arceus who he was bringing, then I asked Princess Celestia who she was bringing, then I double checked with some of them, then I made this nifty little list.” Pinkie held up the guests list and smiled. “And I added a few extra spaces, just in case someone unexpected shows up.” Discord smiled. “Well done Pinkie, now why don’t we go finish setting up the reception? We still have some time before the guests should start arriving, let alone the bride and groom.” “Okie dokie,” Pinkie said with a smile. “We’re just about finished up here anyway.” She hopped out the door, Discord floating after her. “Hey, you think the kitchens restocked their meat supply yet?” Prince Blueblood was not a happy pony. Ever since the Pokémon had arrived, his world had been turned upside down, and inside out, and added with the fact that he had been harassed on several occasions, he was not happy one bit. First that mutt had attacked him in his own home, then he had been chased around the city by some giant bees after he kicked some kind of large maggot, some Dragon in the gardens had left him in a tree for hours, he had been zapped by some lizard that had come with the Changelings, he’d had his shampoo replaced with itching cream by some floating hat, and once he had tried to seek retribution against the beast, some creature with a hideously large mouth had attacked him. And now he had heard that the creature who had sicked the dog on him was in the castle for his wedding, this gave the Prince a perfect opportunity to show why no one made a mockery of him. Gene stood at the altar, looking out at all the faces in the crowd. Some he knew very well, Iris, Juniper, and to his surprise and delight, Shauntal. Some he had only met recently, but was still happy to call his friends, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Spike, the Princesses, Korrina, Lucario, Blaziken, Solana, Lunick, Nick, Elena, Terra, as well as Seth, X, and their teams and John and Holly Heart. Others he was slightly surprised had shown up, he’d expected Arceus, Princess Cadence, Shining Armor and maybe Discord, but Arceus had brought Cresselia, Darkrai, Diancie, Hoopa, Keldeo, Virizion, Mew, Shaymin, Meloetta, and the Lake Trio with him. He didn’t know any of the rulers Celestia had brought with, though he recognized them from when they had first arrived. Emperor Carapace, Empress Serva, King Trotankhamun, and Queen Oceania. There were a few others in attendance who Gene didn’t know at all, Pony, Pokémon, and a few Changeling friends of those already there. Cynthia stood in front of him and across from him, River and Mage stood/floated, Belle’s bridesmaids. And Draco and Webber stood at his side, his groomsmen. They all had one thing in common, all of them were smiling. Even the ones he barely knew were smiling. With a nod from Cynthia, the music started to play. Here we go, Gene thought to himself, straightening his tie. The doors opened and May and Misty, both wearing wreaths of green and white flowers, walked in holding baskets of rose petals. Gene smiled as the flower girls walked down the aisle, he’d have to thank them later. Walking in behind them, Fang entered, his head upright, he held a small pillow in his jaw, on it, Gene knew, rested his and Belle’s wedding rings. As the song began to repeat its melody, Belle stepped into the room. Gene’s eyes widened and his breath caught in his throat as he saw her. She looked beautiful in her dress, in every single conceivable way, she looked absolutely gorgeous. Gene found he was unable to make his eyes look anywhere else, he had locked onto Belle’s gaze and neither of them were going to be breaking it anytime soon. (stop music) But before Belle had made it halfway down the aisle, the doors swung open again, the guards posted on either side turned in shock to see Prince Blueblood enter the room. “Oh no,” Celestia groaned, mentally planning out how to inform the nobles about Blueblood’s...unfortunate demise. As Blueblood push his way past the guards, using a mix of force and political threats, all eyes in the room turned to him. Most had been staring in shock. Others in anger. Belle, who had dropped her bouquet, stood wide eyed as the stallion marched his way into the wedding ceremony. Her eyes starting to water up as yet again her wedding with the one she loved was crashed. “You!” He snapped, pointing at Gene. “It’s about time I gave you a piece of my mind.” While Blueblood marched up the aisle, he failed to notice that several beings, including Twilight, Luna, Cadence and Carapace had lit up their horns, while Arceus and Mage’s eyes had begun to glow menacingly. And that Pinkie Pie was literally steaming. It was only a matter of seconds before someone acted first, and the one who did surprised everyone. Rarity took a deep breath, put on a smile, got up from her seat, and trotted into the aisle, blocking Blueblood’s path before he could make it to the alter. “Oh,” he said. “It’s you,” he grunted in annoyance. Rarity never lost her calm appearance. “Yes it is,” she said. “And just what do you think you’re doing?” Blueblood scoffed. “That beast humiliated me and this... wedding is the perfect opportunity to put those two in their proper place.” Rarity glared at Blueblood, and through gritted teeth said. “Surely you’re not serious. You can’t possibly be that... petty.” The Prince glared at Rarity. “Petty?” He asked. “Ever since these creatures showed up, I haven’t been able to go an hour without seeing one of these things running around, making a mess of things, acting as if they belong here!” As he spoke, everyone in the room glared daggers at the arrogant stallion, especially Arceus, who at this point was contemplating in what way he was going to destroy the arrogant bug. Throughout all of this, Rarity’s smile had never left her face. Instead it had become colder, more... sadistic. “Well Blueblood,” she began. “I don’t think anyone here cares how you feel, and there is no way in Tartarus I’m letting you ruin this wedding.” Blueblood scoffed. “You’re going to stop me?” He asked with a laugh. “And just how do you plan on doing that? Going to sick one of your monsters on me?” “No,” Rarity said, surprising everyone. “I’m just going to do this.” Rarity’s horn lit up and Blueblood rolled his eyes. “Oh please, what are you-” *flash* “-Going to do... to... me?” Blueblood looked around and saw that he was outside, and that he was several feet above the ground. “OW!” Blueblood hit the ground as gravity caught up with him. Rubbing his head, he got up and glared back at the castle. “Why that little-” There was a golden flash and Blueblood stopped talking. “....!?!” Not because he wanted to, as Arceus had once again disabled his vocal cords. Silently cursing Arceus, Rarity, and several others, Blueblood looked around to get his bearings. He was still on the castle grounds, but he was back near where the castles plumbing emptied into the sewage system. Scrunching his face, he backed away from the offensive liquid only to freeze as he stepped in something wet and slimy. Looking back in horror, he saw he had stepped in some unidentifiable purple sludge, for which the best descriptor he could think of would be. “Muk?” The Prince nodded, then froze, then looked further back at the slime, spying a large crater in the slime, and two eyes staring back at him. “Muk!” The Poison type smiled, happy to finally have some company again, before oozing forward, beginning to cover the stallion with its body, Blueblood screamed silently as the Muk covered/hugged him, before finally passing out in fear and disgust. “Muk?” The Muk slid off of the unconscious stallion and poked him, a worried expression on its face. “Muuuk?” Back in the castle, Rarity nodded and headed back to her seat, ignoring the stares from her friends. “Rarity,” Twilight began. “How do you even know a teleportation spell?” Rarity raised an eyebrow. “How do you think I move my fainting couch around darling?” Twilight was going to continue, but she stopped when she heard a sound that most certainly should not be heard at a wedding. Belle sobbed softly, still at the same place, halfway down the aisle. Everyone was silent for a moment, all eyes either on Belle, or Gene. “Belle?” Gene said, breaking the silence as he stepped down from the altar and rushed to his beloved. Tears still streaming from her eyes, Belle rushed forward to Gene and wrapped her arms around him. “Why?” She whimpered. “Why does this keep happening?” “I’m so sorry love,” Gene said, kissing Belle on the forehead. “I wish I knew, but I don’t.” He pulled away slightly and smiled at her. “But I still want to marry you, no matter how many times the wedding doesn’t work out, I will always be willing to try again. So Belle,” He got down on one knee and, still holding her hands, asked something he’d asked two times before. “Will you marry me?” Despite herself, Belle smiled. “Gene,” She said. “You know I’ll always say yes.” “Awww,” Cresselia and Cadence cooed at the same time. Gene smiled and pointed to the band, and the music started up again. Arms interlocked, Belle and Gene walked down the aisle together, Belle leaning her head on Gene’s shoulder. Her eyes still watery, but a smile on her face. Upon reaching the altar, the couple separated and the music stopped. Gene nodded to Cynthia, and the Champion began. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to play witness to the union of Gene, and Belle,” She paused for a moment. “I think I’ll skip over asking if anyone objects to be safe.” This brought forth a few laughs from the gathered beings. “I know you two have been waiting a long time for this,” Cynthia continued. “Your vows?” “I’ll start,” Gene said. “Belle,” He began, reciting from memory. “I’ve known you for a long time now. When I first met you, my intention was to become a trainer, but I could never stand to see you hurt, even before I fell in love with you. And as time passed, and as we grew, our bond started to grow. And when you confessed your love to me, I knew right then and there that I was in love with you too. I had been for some time now, I just didn’t realize it.” “Belle…” Gene took Belle’s hand in his. “Meeting you was the best thing that could ever have happened to me. Spending time with you each and every day, made me happier and happier. Seeing you smile, even when I’m feeling down, puts a smile on my face. And… in this new world, we can finally live our lives in a new way. The way we always wanted. I love you Belle, and no matter what happens, I will always love you. Through life and death, nothing will ever change that, not even Arceus can change that. So thank you, Belle. Thank you for being the love of my life. Thank you for being there for me. Thank you for loving me, and for all that you have done for me. Belle… I love you.” Tears started to fall all throughout the room. Belle smiled. “Gene…” She began. “When you asked me to join you on your adventure, I was taken back... I didn’t know what to think, even though you were being truthful when you said it was up to me whether to go with you or not. And when I answered yes, I didn’t know that it was going to be the best decision I ever made. I didn’t know that I was going to fall in love with you. I didn’t know that I was going to marry you. All I knew was that you seemed different.” “And as time moved on, and as I grew closer to you, my feelings for you grew. You were kind, gentle, you never yelled, or blamed me for anything I did wrong. You were my best friend, and soon you became something more. When I first told you that I loved you, I expected you to hate me. To think it was wrong. To think… the love I felt for you was wrong. But I was wrong. You loved me too. You always did. And when you accepted my love, I knew I was going to be happy. I was going to be happy that I found my place in the world. Beside you. And no matter what happens, you will always be my mate. You will always be my love.” Cynthia used her tail to wipe the tears from her eyes. “Fang,” She said. “The rings.” The Houndoom stepped forward and held the pillow out to Gene and Belle. “Are these...?” Gene asked, eyes wide as he picked up the ring with the green and red gem. “Courtesy of Lord Arceus and Lady Diancie,” Fang said with a smile. Cynthia cleared her throat and continued. “Do you, Gene, take Belle to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, til death do you part?” “I do,” Gene answered immediately, slipping Belle’s Mega Stone onto her ring finger “And do you Belle, take Gene to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, til death do you part?” “I do,” Belle answered, sliding the Mega Ring onto Gene’s finger. “Then by the power vested in me by the sovereign nation of Equestria, with Arceus as my witness,” Cynthia smiled. “I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the-” Cynthia didn’t get to finish her sentence before Gene and Belle had thrown their arms around each other and locked lips. The applause from the audience, despite its small size, was tremendous, but Gene and Belle didn’t hear any of it. Off in their own little world, where the only thing they knew was each other. They didn’t even notice the light spark from their wedding rings. Or the fact that, for an instant, Belle’s dress split and expanded, and her chest split into two. Or that Gene’s blades expanded while his spike shrunk and a cape unfurled from his shoulders. The transformation was quick and lasted only for an instant before they returned to normal, most of the attendees didn’t even notice, among those who did were a very shocked Arceus and Seth, and a confused Lucario, who had only picked up on the change in their aura. The two broke the kiss after a moment and turned to the crowd, both of them smiling. Belle noticed her bouquet still on the ground and floated it back to her. They still had their reception after all. A few hours later, everyone was gathered in the ballroom, either congratulating the newly wed couple, or mingling with the other guests. “How did he even get in?” Arceus asked Celestia. The Princess sighed. “He ordered the guards to let him in and, since Pinkie left a few open invites in case anyone unexpected showed up...” The Alpha Pokémon shook his head. “I don’t know how you put up with someone like him Princess.” “Neither do I at times,” Celestia replied. “But he won’t be a bother to anyone for a while, he’s in the hospital with a mild case of toxic shock.” Celestia paused and turned to Arceus. “And he’s mute again.” Arceus chuckled. “Oh really? I wonder how that happened.” Blueblood was lucky that Arceus hadn’t done worse. Before Rarity had stepped in, he was considering making it so that Blueblood found himself very confused, and very deep underwater. “I’m just glad everything worked out in the end,” Celestia said, smiling at Gene and Belle as they caught up with Shauntal and Cofagrigus. “They just seem so happy.” Arceus looked at the couple and chuckled. “Well,” He began. “They certainly have plenty of reasons for that.” Celestia got the feeling Arceus knew more than he was letting on, she was slightly perturbed that she would likely be on the receiving end of that wherever he was involved. Back over near Gene and Belle, the newlyweds had finished catching up with Shauntal, and were talking with John, as the Infernape had pulled them aside. “What did you want to talk to us about John?” Belle asked. The Infernape let out a long sigh. “I just wanted to say... I’m sorry for what you two went through, not just what happened today, but what happened back on Earth too. I’m starting to really understand what love is, but I can’t imagine how it felt... ” He smiled. “But at least it has a happy ending right?" Gene smiled and took Belle’s hand. “Yeah,” He said blissfully. “And... And I have something for you two,” John reached into Flubber (currently in trench coat form) and pulled a bottle of wine from one of the pockets. “I didn’t really know what to get you two as a wedding gift, so I talked to Cadence and she suggested this.” Gene took the bottle and read the label. “Celestia Spice?” John nodded. “Aged two hundred years,” The Infernape said. “It’s pretty good, just don’t drink it all at once though,” He chuckled. “Trust me, it was not fun.” Gene smiled and nodded, placing the bottle on a table behind them. “Thanks John.” “No problem and... just try to stay out of situations where something like that is likely to happen again, alright?” Gene chuckled. “We’ll try.” The three chatted for a while before John excused himself, saying he wanted to get another piece of the Oran Berry cake. “Well, that was nice of him,” Gene said, taking another look at the bottle. “Yeah,” Belle said gloomily. “Too bad I can’t have any.” Gene chuckled and kissed his wife. “Don’t worry, I promise I’ll save you some.” Belle smiled. Seth smiled to himself as the ceremony ended and the reception began. Aside from that pompous noble that had interrupted the ceremony, who Seth would have shocked if that mare hadn’t gotten up first, it went smoothly. He was still pretty banged up from the other day, but he ditched most of his bandages, letting his fur hide his injuries. Selena and Ignis had been having a rather animated discussion since the reception began, while Apple Fritter had been catching up with Applejack. That just left Rika to keep her trainer company as he sat back and watched. “So how come you haven’t said hello?” Rika said. “I’m sure that they’d like to see you.” “I don’t know. I just feel like I’d be interrupting them,” Seth replied. Rika frowned and the wrapped a ribbon around his waist. “Nonsense, they liked you enough to invite you, so come on!” Seth had no room to refuse as the surprisingly strong Fairy led his across the room and over to Gene and Belle. The couple had just finished talking to the Infernape from earlier when Seth and Rika approached. “Hey there lovebirds~” Rika grinned, “Congratulations!” “Thank you,” Belle smiled. “And thank you for coming.” “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Seth said. “You guys really deserve this!” He reached into his bag and pulled out a small present. “Sorry it’s not much, I’ve been laid up for the last few days.” Gene thanked him as he took it and noted the bandages on the Luxray. “What happened?” “Ah, I wouldn’t worry about it.” Seth didn’t want to ruin their day with what he’d just gone through. “It’s all been sorted anyway.” Gene just nodded before opening the gift, revealing a pair of silver lockets with blue gemstones set I them, placed together so that they looked like a heart. "Seth, these are beautiful," Belle said, smiling at the Luxray. "I had a jeweler custom set a Dawn Stone in them," he said with a sheepish grin. "There's an engraving on the back too." Gene looked at the lockets for a moment more before pulling them out of the box and turning them over and reading. 'Together Forever, no matter how long From Now until the end of Time.' Gene smiled. “It’s perfect, thank you so much!” Gene said happily. “So what have you been up to since we saw you last? Anything interesting?” “Well…” Seth smiled coyly. “After talking with Princess Celestia, I’m going to host a Pokémon Contest here in Canterlot.” “You’re bringing back Contests?” Belle asked, but Seth quickly glanced around to see if anyone heard. “That’s right, but I’m keeping it a surprise for the moment. I’m going to ask Arceus to make an announcement about it once it’s all set up.” “Well, best of luck then Seth!” Gene said, shaking his paw. “I hope it goes well.” Seth nodded and bid the couple another round of congratulations before leaving them to other guests that were waiting to talk to them. “Sooo... is this where we leave the gifts?” Hoopa asked, floating up next to Gene and Belle. “Umm... I guess so,” Gene said truth be told they hadn’t expected to get many gifts. Hoopa clapped her hands. “Oh goody,” The Mischief Pokémon removed one of the rings from around her horns and reached inside. “Just a sec, I know it’s in here... ah ha!” Hoopa pulled a rectangular object, a book of some sorts, from her ring. “After the whole sealing thing with dad, a lot of books ended up getting... burned, for one reason or another.” Across the ballroom, Twilight Sparkle shuddered. “This is one of the last copies of this book in existence,” Hoopa said. “But, I can’t really do anything with it, so here.” She tossed them the book and Gene fumbled to catch it. “Enjoy you two!” Hoopa called as she frantically flew off. “Well that was weird,” Belle said. “What’d she give us anyway?” Gene turned the book over and raised an eyebrow at the title. “What the heck is a Poké Sutra?” As the night wore on, a few more gifts were given, including a ‘surprise’ from Princess Celestia that she promised to reveal later, and a heartfelt compliment from Carapace saying that there love was absolutely delicious, the biggest surprise was about to come from X and the members of ShadowFox construction. X walked up to the happy couple nervously for some reason, wearing a bow tie around his neck. Alongside him were Naruto, Apocalypse, Inti, Azisa, and an almost comatose Nell (who was currently riding X on his back, and had a mile wide smile on her face, most likely the result of the love she feasted on). Belle and Gene had to stifle a laugh as Naruto and Apocalypse were also wearing bow ties. They needed to ask about how the Construction Team had found a bow tie large enough to fit Apocalypse. "Uh, hey." "X, there's no need to be nervous," Belle replied. "We won't bite." "Sorry..." X started to rub the back of his head. "It's just that, well since Blueballs or whatever his name is crashed the wedding..." "Blueblood." "Thanks Naruto. Since Blueblood crashed the wedding, I'm kinda afraid that a small army of challengers came with him. They always seem to find me. Mason is but one of many. Trust me on that.” Gene gave X a reassuring smile. "Well, we're thankful it was just Blueblood...and that Rarity was there." "Thank god for small miracles, am I right?" X chuckled. "You're welcome!" Arceus called. "....moving on!" A clap of the hands put the conversation back on it's rails. "Well, earlier on in the day, we got into a conversation with several of your friends. " Nell was the next to speak. "We wanted to give you a present, but we... don't really know you. And well, we didn't know what you wanted." "So we asked around before the wedding started." Naruto's turn was next. "We got some good ideas as well." Azisa was next. "But we soon learned of an interesting tidbit about your housing situation from Rarity." Gene and Belle winced slightly, a motion only Naruto's trained eyes noticed. Clearly their lack of permanent housing was a problem that they were trying to forget for the moment. "She's been very kind to us." Belle replied. "All of our new friends have been, but Rarity has done a lot for us." "Well, the point is this. As a wedding present from us..." X gently motioned his hand towards the couple. "ShadowFox Construction gifts you, Gene and Belle with a house to call your own, free of charge! What do you think?" Needless to say, Gene and Belle were quite shocked at what X was planning on giving them. “You.... what?” Gene asked, dumbfounded. “We’re building you a house! Come on, you can at least be a little excited about it.” “I... you...” Gene shook his head. “I don’t know what to say, I mean... thank you but,” He started. "No buts." X puffed out his chest, looking quite ridiculous. "You two have gone through a lot lately, and you need a place you settle down and call your own. Trust us, ask anyone from Laverre City. They can tell you that we do good work." "X, really, you don't need to do something so....lavish." Gene blushed in embarrassment. They did need a house, but for some reason Gene felt a little awkward about having X just build him and Belle a house just like that. “I insist. Trust me, it’s not a problem at all. This is what we do for a living after all.” X smiled a large goofy grin as Azisa handed the couple a blank piece of paper. “So, all we need you to do is write down any special requests so we have a general plan to work with and get it back to us by the time the Summit is over. Then we’ll head on down to Ponyville and you’ll have a nice house to call your own in no time.” “You’re not going to take no for an answer, are you?” Gene smiled, as he asked the question he already knew the answer to. “Course not. The best part is that you can’t return it because we haven’t built it yet.” “Thank you,” Gene said with a smile. “I doubt that I can say it enough but, thank you.” “You’re welcome.” Not long after that, the band had arrived, to the surprise of the bride and groom, it was Octavia’s quartet, along with Vinyl, who was going to DJ a little later. To really start off the reception, Gene and Belle had the traditional first dance as husband and wife to a slow song played by Octavia and her band. It had been the perfect moment, and after the first song ended, Octavia had announced that the next one would be for all the couples. “Shall we my dear?” Gene asked, holding his hand out to Belle again, eager to continue their dance of love. Belle smiled and took Gene’s hand, smiling. She had been looking forward to this for a long time, and the longer she danced with her husband, the better. Across the room, Nick tapped Elena on the shoulder. “Elena?” He asked, tapping his claws together nervously. Suddenly, he straightened up, confidence practically rolling off him as said to his date, “May I have this dance?” And held out his hand much like Gene had done. Elena smiled. “You may,” she said, taking his paw and leading him onto dance floor. Dumbfounded Nick looked at Elena questioningly, “But I’m leading.” And those were the last words between them until the end of the night. Around the ballroom, other couples did the same. Lunick held Solana close as the music began, and Darkrai and Cresselia hovered off to one side. Korrina watched the couples dancing to the music, and almost jumped in surprise when she felt a paw on her shoulder. “Korrina,” Lucario said. “Would you like to dance?” Korrina almost said no, but remembered what she had talked about with her grandpa a few days ago. “... Alright,” She finally said. Lucario smiled as he led Korrina out to the dance floor. Placing on paw on the square of her back, and holding her right hand with his left, they began to dance. “This is... nice,” Korrina said, not very convincingly. Lucario sighed. “Korrina, how about this, until this song ends, we both promise to be completely honest with each other,” Lucario smiled. “How does that sound?” Korrina hesitated for a moment, then said. “I… I think I can do that...” Lucario nodded. “Good, I’ll start. Korrina, I really like you. I’ve honestly had feelings for you for quite a while now, even before we were brought here,” he sighed, looking her straight in the eyes. Korrina looked surprised at that, but nodded all the same. “And I... I still feel kinda uncomfortable about this,” she admitted. “Not just about you,” she amended quickly. “The entire situation, I still don’t really see myself as a Pokémon and while I get that the laws back on Earth were wrong in some cases,” she shook her head. “I just don’t know how I feel.” Lucario just nodded again, he’d expected an answer like that. “Korrina,” he began again. “I know that you’re still not entirely comfortable in your new body, or in this new world but... would you be willing to give me a chance? Just one chance to prove myself to you, to prove that this... that we can work?” Korrina looked into Lucario’s eyes, she saw the hope in them, as well as the fear and apprehension. “Lucario,” Korrina began. “You’re pretty much my best friend,” Lucario’s ears drooped slightly. “And honestly... I haven’t been acting like it.” Lucario raised an eyebrow. “Back on Earth, most of what we did together was training and Gym Battles and here? Even though we can talk to each other, it hasn’t been much different,” Korrina sighed. “Lucario, would you be willing to actually spend some time as friends, and actually acting like friends, before we try at a relationship?” For a moment, Lucario didn’t know what to say, then he smiled. “I think that’s a wonderful idea Korrina,” he said. Korrina smiled, then frowned slightly. “So... you realize that... this,” she tapped Lucario’s shoulder, doing her best to indicate their dancing. “Will be the last time we do anything like this, at least for a while.” Lucario nodded. “I understand.” Meanwhile, across the room, another not really a couple was dancing as well. “You know you don’t have to do this Blaziken,” May said. “I want to though,” he assured her. “A beautiful girl like you should have at least one slow dance on a night like this.” May smiled. “Aw, that’s sweet of you.” Blaziken chuckled as he began to dance with May. He had dreamed of doing something like this for a long time, but hadn’t been able to until recently. “So,” he began. “What did you think of the wedding?... After the... incident, with that Prince that is.” May rolled her eyes. “That guy so got what was coming to him,” she said. “And I thought it was beautiful, especially their vows.” May wiped her eyes, recalling the sweet words Gene and Belle had spoken to each other. “And to think,” Blaziken said. “They started out not that different from you and I.” May thought about that for a moment, he had a point, ever since she had parted ways with Ash and Brock, and aside from about a year after Max started his Pokémon journey where she accompanied her little brother, May had traveled mostly by herself, and Blaziken had always been there. After a while, she even found herself keeping him out of his Pokéball more and more, to either have someone to talk to, or, well, she didn’t feel all that safe alone in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. “I guess you’re right,” May said a small smile on her face. “Just so you know, you’re my best friend too.” Blaziken smiled and chuckled, the two continued their dance and, after a while, Blaziken found himself unable to tear his gaze away from May’s face. “Blaziken?” May asked, noticing his gaze. “Is something wrong?” “No,” he replied. “Nothing’s wrong.” May frowned. “Then why are you staring at me?” For a moment, Blaziken considered what he was going to say. “Why wouldn’t I?” He asked. “You look beautiful.” May blushed. “Blaziken,” she said softly. “Th-thank you.” Blaziken sighed. “May... I’m going to say something, and I want you to take it word for word, can you do that?” May looked at Blaziken in confusion, the nodded. “Yeah... what do you want to tell me?” Blaziken closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “May... I... I...” he gulped. “I lo... I really like you and... and I have for a while.” May’s eyes widened as she realized what he meant. “Oh,” she said, her light blush deepening. “Yeah,” Blaziken said, his own blush beginning to show even through his red feathers. “I know how you feel about Poképhilia,” he said dejectedly. “But... I just had to let you know, especially now that you’re a Pokémon.” “W-well,” May began. “I’m not going to lie, I’m more than a little surprised, I mean looking back I guess I can see it but... you’re sure this isn’t just because I’m a Delphox?” Blaziken shook his head. “I felt the same way back on Earth,” He admitted. “Ah,” May began. “I... I don’t know...” The Delphox shook her head. She wasn’t suppose to feel conflicted, she should just tell Blaziken she only liked him as a friend. So why wouldn’t her lips move? Taking a moment to clear her thoughts, May looked at the facts. One, she was a Pokémon. Two, she was almost definitely going to remain a Pokémon indefinitely. Three, Blaziken was her best friend, and she was at a wedding between a former human and his Gardevoir. Four... she hadn’t stopped dancing with Blaziken. “May?” He asked. She took a deep breath. “If you had asked me this before today, I probably would have said no,” May admitted. “But after seeing them,” she gestured to Gene and Belle as the Gallade spun his wife before pulling her back to him. “I just... can’t. I can’t just say no.” She shook her head. “I’m not saying yes, not exactly, and I’m not saying I feel the same way but... I’m willing to give it a chance, to see if what I feel for you is... something more.” Blaziken smiled and, to May’s surprise, leaned in and planted a kiss on her cheek. “That’s all I could ever ask of you,” he said. May, still blushing, smiled ever so slightly. Maybe... maybe this wouldn’t be so bad afterall. The band was quite good and though Seth was feeling a bit better, he thought that dancing might be a bit much. He was never much of a dancer anyway. Selena and Ignis were trying to dance, but Selena had to get up on her hind legs and it looked a little awkward. Rika had decided to raid the sweets table whilst everyone else was dancing and was now chatting with a pink mare with a frizzy mane. “You ain't much of a dancer huh?” the voice caused Seth’s head to snap up and he saw Apple Fritter standing in front of him. When the invite came a few days ago, she’d gone out with the girls to get a dress and she was quite pretty. Her mane had been tied into a long, single braid and her tail was puffed out a bit with some extensions added to it. The dress she wore was a bottle green with long sleeves that covered her front legs. It had a short lace train and had a white corset around the waist and a shining red apple brooch just below the neck. “Not really, I still trip on occasion just by walking.” Seth laughed dryly. “Can you imagine the disaster if I tried and danced?” “Aw fiddlesticks, ah bet you’d pick it up in no time!” Fritter smiled. “Now c’mon, let’s go!” Seth just sighed as she dragged out to the dance floor just in time for a slow song to start. He noticed a lot of other couples getting closer, like a Lucario and a Zoroark, as well as two Lucario… wait, was that Korrina? “Hey, eyes down here!” Fritter said, bopping him on the nose. “Now we’ll take it nice and slow alright? Put yer head over my shoulder like this.” Seth nodded and keened forward, placing his head over her right shoulder. “Alright, now ah’m gonna start moving like so. Just move yer hooves… paws, like so!” she motioned with her hooves on what to do and Seth followed her lead. Soon, the pair was swaying from side to side in a slow rhythm. “That’s it, pretty easy right?” Fritter smiled. “Yer a natural.” “I’m a natural at dancing on four legs? Never thought I’d hear someone say that,” Seth laughed. Though he had to admit, it felt nice. Apple Fritter wore a light perfume, which was of course, apple scented. He just closed his eyes and let the music control his movements… Rika, who had been enjoying the company of Pinkie Pie, looked out to the dance floor once she heard the slow songs start. “I wonder if Seth wants to… dance?” Her train of thought derailed spectacularly when she saw Seth dancing with Apple Fritter. “Aww… she beat me to it,” Rika pouted. Well, she could have this one. After all, she did help Seth a lot the other day. But it was so on once the wedding was over! “Attention everyone,” Vinyl called over the speaker system. “We’ve all had a lot of fun here tonight, but it’s time for the final dance between the bride and groom.” Vinyl picked up a record in her magic and set it on the turntable. “And they’ve selected a special song for the occasion.” Putting the needle onto the record, a tune began to play. A spotlight lit up the center of the dance floor, revealing Gene and Belle holding each other, as the music began, the couple followed its rhythm, their eyes never leaving each other. They had considered ending the night with another slow song, but they’d danced to plenty of those. Tonight, they were going out, as Gene had put it when he requested the song, in a flurry of passion. The guests all looked on in awe as they danced, slowly picking up speed as the music continued. “It’s like they were made for each other,” Serva observed. Hearing this, Mew smiled, as did Princess Cadence. “They were,” Mew said, referring to the connection between the two final forms of Ralts. “They were,” Cadence replied, talking about the love she didn’t even need her powers to see blossomed between them. Ignorant to the rest of the world, Gene and Belle continued their dance, not missing a beat, Gene lifted Belle into the air and spun her around before placing her back on her feet and returning to the dance. All this time, the couples movements had been picking up speed as their confidence grew. They knew where to step and when to step automatically, one of the many benefits of being psychic. Celestia watched the pair with a smile, she hoped they liked her surprise for them. Moreover, she hoped they had some energy left after this. “It’s as if they’re glowing,” Luna said softly, drawing her sisters attention. “Glowing with pure unbridled love.” Celestia chuckled softly and turned back to watching the dance. To her surprise, she could see it as well. “That is... strange,” Celestia said. “Though perhaps it’s normal for Pokémon to do that.” Back on the dance floor, Belle and Gene continued their dance of passion, their movements becoming faster and faster as they danced, and somehow, ignorant to the glow that was slowly enveloping their bodies. “Dad?” Diancie asked. “Something’s not right.” Arceus paid no heed to the warning, instead smiling as he watched the pair dance, the glow still growing brighter. “So it seems I was not mistaken.” As the music stopped on a high note, Gene and Belle paused, and the glow enveloped them. Several ponies gasped, while the Pokémon all stared in confusion. Once the glow faded, everyone gasped again. Gene was leaning over Belle, holding his wife in a dip, they were both panting from their quick dancing and Gene and Belle had changed. Belle’s dress had expanded, now resembling the wedding dress which, somehow, had changed to just cover the upper part of the dress growing from her body. Her chest spike and sprouted outwards and split in two separate directions. Gene’s spike, on the other hand, had shrunk back into his chest, but his blades had expanded and were now hemmed with red. His crest had gotten taller and curled upwards slightly as well, and a white cape sprouted from his shoulders and reached down just past his knees. “Mega Evolution,” Juniper whispered, turning to Twilight, she saw that the Alicorn was barely containing her enthusiasm about having finally witnessed something like this. “Gallades can do that?” X whispered to Naruto. “I dunno.” At that, Naruto turned to Arceus and asked “Can he do that?” “Yes,” Arceus answered. “They can.” “He can do that.” “Oh. Okay. Just checking.” Selena and Ignis watched from the side, a slight pang of jealousy rising in their hearts. It had been some time since they were last able to Mega Evolve. “It’s beautiful,” Selena whispered. “I wanna fight the Gallade,” Ignis grinned, earning a facepaw from Selena. Belle and Gene just stared at each other for a moment, completely speechless. “Wow,” Gene said finally. “You look even more amazing than before.” Belle smiled. “Gene, you realize you just Mega Evolved right?” Gene lifted Belle up as the music continued. “Tell me after the dance.” And dance they did, until the music finally stopped a few minutes later, the two Mega Pokémon danced with renewed vigor, their love driving them the entire time. Once they finally did stop, they were met, once again, with a round of thunderous applause. “That. Was. Amazing!” Pinkie shouted. “I must concur,” Luna said, walking up to the couple with her sister and a few others. “I wasn’t even aware you could do that.” Gene looked at Belle. “Neither were we,” he looked down at his arms, now more blade than anything else. “I didn’t even know Gallade had a Mega Form.” Everyone turned to Arceus, who shook his head. “I was unaware as well, Mega Forms are dependant on if a Pokémon holds enough energy for one to form, and a deep emotional connection with another,” he smiled at Gene and Belle. “And I don’t think anyone could better personify that better than these two.” Gene and Belle smiled at each other. “But don’t you need a Mega Stone?” Twilight asked. “And a... Keystone right?” “You do,” Arceus said. “I gave them a Keystone and a Gardevoirite to be set in their rings, I suppose the two together awakened the hidden energy in our young Gallade here.” At that point, apparently coming down from their emotional high, Gene and Belle both flashed white and returned to their normal forms. “Aww, I was hoping to keep those for a little while longer.” He smiled slyly at Belle. Belle blushed slightly and giggled, then noticed something. “What’s that?” She asked, pointing to a dark green and red stone in his hand. Gene held the stone up to the light to examine it. “Galladeite, I’d assume.” “He’s ri~ight!” Diancie called. “Well,” Celestia said, chuckling softly. “On any account, this has been a lovely wedding, but unfortunately, some of us do have prior engagements on the morrow,” she gestured to Carapace, who was swaying back and forth with his eyes closed, a drunken grin on his face. “And I believe I need to get him back to his ship.” Walking over to the Changeling and guiding him with a wing to his back, Celestia turned back to Gene and Belle. “Oh, and before I forget, there’s a carriage waiting for you two outside,” she floated them a heart shaped piece of plastic. “I booked you two the honeymoon suite at the Canterlot Grand Hotel,” she chuckled. “Have fun you two.” Gene and Belle blushed as the Princess laughed, electing laughs from several of their friends. Remembering something, Belle smiled and teleported her bouquet into her hands. “I suppose I’m supposed to toss this, aren’t I?” Several of the females present, especially Rainbow Dash and Iris, rolled their eyes, but smiled and lined up behind Belle. From the lineup, Cresselia winked at Darkrai, and Elena smiled coyly at Nick. Belle smiled and tossed the bouquet behind her. Not really bothering to watch where it landed as she joined her husband at the door. In a rush for the bouquet, several of the competitors fell over each other, leaving only a few actually standing. “Better luck next time ladies,” Cresselia taunted. But before the Legendary could catch the bouquet, it was intercepted by a flash of blue and white. River landed with the bouquet in her mouth. “Mwne,” she mumbled through a mouthful of flowers. Looking over to Draco, River blushed lightly and smiled. Draco just blushed. Gene chuckled as he led Belle out of the ballroom and out onto the cobblestone path that led to the street. He smiled when he saw the white and gold carriage waiting for them. “I hope you didn’t have anything planned for tomorrow,” Gene said. “Because I think we’re going to be up late tonight.” Belle smirked and kissed her husband on the cheek. “I had a feeling you’d say that,” mentally, she added. “And I hope you’re ready for this,” she teased, sending a shiver down Gene’s spine with her mind. Back in the doorway, leaning against the frame, Mage smiled. “I’m so going to be an aunt after tonight.”