In Pieces

by Krickis


5 – Forever, Once More

Chapter Five
Forever, Once More


“I’m surprised there isn’t a larger crowd,” Celestia said as their carriage flew near enough to the castle to see the ground below. There were a few curious ponies slowing their pace as they walked by, but no one was lingering.

Luna chuckled. “So little faith, Sister?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean that,” Celestia said, smiling. “You did always have a gift for this sort of thing.”

‘Gift’ in this sense seemed to mean ‘finely honed skill’, but Luna didn’t say so. She wasn’t sure if Celestia honestly believed Luna’s penchant for covering facts was a natural talent, or if she was choosing to not address the fact that Luna had spent most of her considerable years hiding any number of facts about herself.

Regardless of her sister’s meaning, it couldn’t be denied that Luna was good at it. There were a number of secret locations that could have been used for the wedding which would have drawn less attention than Twilight’s castle, but Sunset had understandably wanted the closest of her human friends to attend, and the mirror-portal could not easily be moved, being attached to Twilight’s device as it was. Rather than risk moving the portal or having the duplicate ponies be discovered, they decided it simply made more sense to hold the event within the castle.

And so, Luna had Twilight and Sunset mention that they were working on a new project, and that they planned on holding a private showing of their work to close friends and family in the near future. A big announcement would generate too much interest, and they’d have ponies gathering for an entirely different reason. Not enough interest, and nopony would remember hearing about the excuse when the day came, or if they did, they may not connect the events. So Luna did what she could to control the flow of the information from the shadows – an off hoof comment to one pony, a small reminder to another.

“Tia,” Luna said as they neared their landing, “before the event, I think it would be best to warn you: Not a word.”

Celestia turned to her with an annoyed expression. “Honestly, Luna, I think I know how to handle inquisitive ponies by now.”

“One would hope. But I was not referring to the crowd.”

“Then what?”

The carriage landed, and all passersby began focusing their attention on the royal sisters, exactly as Luna had planned. “You will know when the time comes.”

Clearly irritated, but unable to say anything further since she knew their little ponies were listening in, Celestia just smiled at their approach. “Hello, everypony.”

The inevitable questions and comments followed. Some ponies just wanted the honor of introducing themselves, others asked what the big event was. The sisters spent a few minutes meeting with their citizens, then approached the castle, lest their presence draw more of a crowd. Luna had sent Echo and Nocturn ahead, and they stood by the entrance. They saluted and stood aside to allow Luna and Celestia entrance, then resumed their positions.

“Princess Celestia, Princess Luna!” A little filly ran up to them excitedly. She looked like she might leap in the air, until her brother approached as well and bowed, prompting her to do the same.

“Hello, my little ponies,” Celestia said warmly.

Since her sister did not meet the youngest of their citizens in the dreaming, Luna obliged her with a reminder of their names. “Greetings, Pumpkin Cake,” she said, nodding to the yellow unicorn, “and Pound Cake,” she added, nodding to the cream-colored pegasus.

They both smiled excitedly at being remembered. “Come on! Everypony’s over here!” Pumpkin said, running ahead. The other three followed much more calmly, causing her to occasionally stop and wait, or to run back to them only to run ahead again a moment later.

“Are you enjoying the wedding so far?” Celestia asked Pound Cake as they walked.

“Yes,” he said, “I didn’t even know it was going to be a wedding until last night.”

“Mom and Dad only said we were doing something big at the castle!” Pumpkin elaborate.

Luna smiled. “I’m sure your parents just knew that the wait would be harder if you knew what you were waiting for.”

“Nuh uh!” Pumpkin said. “They said, ‘You two couldn’t keep it secret if your lives depended on it!’ All because Poundy went and told Mom about the surprise trip Dad planned for their anniversary!”

“It was an accident,” Pound Cake mumbled, causing both princesses to smile at one another.

The castle had several grand rooms that would be perfect for a wedding, and the young ponies led them to one. Luna surveyed the room and found a host of familiar faces, yet one stood out immediately. Amber Glow hadn’t noticed her arrival. She was wearing a tuxedo and had her hair tied back to keep out of the way, which certainly made her look more at ease than she had been at the last wedding.

Also of interest was the pony she was talking to. She could only have been one of Sunset’s human friends, as she was nearly identical in appearance to Twilight Sparkle. Nearly identical, but smaller.

“Tia,” Luna said as Pound and Pumpkin ran off to help the wedding in other ways, “would it be out of line for me to try my luck with somepony in attendance today?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Well, I didn’t mean during the ceremony, of course.”

“I honestly can not believe we’re related sometimes.” Without giving an answer, Celestia walked towards the table Cadance was sitting at. It was just as well. That was one unfulfilled fantasy that Celestia certainly didn’t need to know about.

Luna silently approached the two mares, who were standing by the refreshments table. Initially, she assumed they were eating, but as she drew nearer it became apparent that Twilight was actually examining the food.

She seemed particularly interested in the wedding cake. “It’s hard to imagine non-magical ponies could create such intricate dishes, not to mention how difficult it must be to get some of the materials that would be needed.”

“Uh, remember when you said to let you know if you were doing anything weird? Pretty sure this counts.”

“In truth, there are no non-magical ponies,” Luna said from directly behind them. As much as she adamantly denied it, sneaking up on ponies was a favorite activity of hers. Twilight jumped, although she wasn’t as shocked as her pony counterpart usually was, while Amber just grinned and wheeled around to face her.

Twilight bowed deeply. “It’s an honor to meet you, Your Maj–”

“Ink Butt!” Amber leaped into the air, throwing her forelegs around Luna’s neck. It had been years since Luna was able to successfully startle her.

“Greetings, Amber. I am happy to see you as well.” Luna returned the hug and closed her eyes, allowing herself for just a moment to not be concerned with anypony else. Amber took a deep breath, then made a noise of contentment. She did not, however, seem interested in letting Luna go, so instead Luna used her magic to place the smaller mare atop her back, where she maintained her grip and rested her chin against Luna’s head.

Twilight was trying her best to maintain her composure despite the scene in front of her. Luna continued as if nothing were amiss. “Please, simply Luna will do. You are clearly the human Twilight Sparkle, which means you are not one of my subjects.”

“Oh, well, I suppose not,” Twilight said, doing a surprisingly good job at keeping herself together. “Still, it is an honor to meet one of the rulers of Equestria.”

“The feeling is mutual. It has been some time since I last encountered someone from another world, Sunset Shimmer notwithstanding. Are you enjoying your time in Equestria?”

“Absolutely!” Twilight’s enthusiasm finally outweighed whatever awkwardness she felt about Luna and Amber’s affection, as she grinned excitedly. “This place is so amazing, there’s always so much to see and to learn! Even just staying here in the castle always leads to some sort of new revelation.”

It was difficult to decide how to proceed with Twilight when Amber was with her, but she saw an opportunity. If they met later, Luna would be free to pursue her without worry. “It is a shame that you visit us when we are in the midst of an ever-worsening changeling threat. You must wish to see more of our land than this one castle.”

“Oh! I didn’t mean it as a complaint!” Twilight insisted.

“Nevertheless, I will see what I can do, if you should wish.” Luna gave a friendly smile, the kind that never failed to build trust in other ponies. “Of course, the mirror and all relations between Equestria and Earth fall within your counterpart’s jurisdiction, but I believe Twilight would not oppose me showing you the Royal Canterlot Archives, along with some of the other historically significant locations of Canterlot Castle.”

And it was done. Twilight’s excitement at the prospect could not be more evident, and all that was left was for Luna to make the final arrangements. “Really!?”

Luna nodded. “I shall discuss it with Twilight after the wedding and have somepony contact you about the details. And of course, the offer extends to any of the others as well.” Admittedly, Luna hoped the others would just prefer to stay in Twilight’s castle on their trips, but even if they were a large group, it should prove simple enough to get enough time alone with Twilight to discern if she was interested.

“Now then,” Luna said, “I have a number of others I ought to see before the ceremony. Perhaps we will talk again afterwards.”

“Okay.” Twilight nodded and continued to grin excitedly. They had the same wonderfully energetic reaction to the prospect of acquiring new knowledge. Luna wondered in what other ways the Twilights were similar. “And thank you again, Luna.”

Smiling at Twilight’s use of her name instead of her title, Luna returned to the rest of the ponies gathered.

Amber spoke quietly into her ear. “Uh huh.”

“Yes?”

“Somepony’s got a crush.” At least nothing about her tone sounded upset.

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Hey, I don’t blame you,” Amber said. “I mean, she pretty much looks just like how Twi did when you met her, right? You know –” Amber leaned in even closer, so Luna could feel her breath against her ear “– fun sized.”

Luna’s ear twitched. “I can think of no reason that should matter to me.”

Amber laughed. “Then what’s with the twitchy ear?”

“Your breath tickles.”

Amber pulled her head back some, but kept her voice low enough that others wouldn’t hear. “It’s just as well. She has a girlfriend.”

Luna frowned. Of course she did. “I assure you I am interested only in helping her learn about our culture. Now then, I believe you are quite capable of walking on your own, and that my back will thank you for doing so.”

“But I like being tall for a change…”

“Be that as it may –” Luna levitated Amber off of her back and set her down where they could see one another better “– I’ve always liked you the size you are.”

Amber was wearing a burgundy tuxedo, in what Luna believed was a vintage style, although to be fair she was hardly caught up on modern fashion trends. Her mane was brushed back and tied so it would stay out of her face. It was quite the improvement over her appearance at Twilight and Fluttershy's wedding. “You look quite dashing this evening.”

Amber grinned. “Thanks. I made an offhoof comment about not being excited to have to wear a dress again, and next thing I knew I was being dragged off to the Carousel Boutique.”

“I am surprised to hear you were considering wearing a dress at all.”

“Yeah, but that’s like, all my clothes these days.” Amber rolled her eyes. “Anyway, what about you? You never get dressed up at all!”

“It has lost some of its appeal over the years,” Luna explained. “Besides, I do believe I stand out quite well enough on my own.”

“Come on, even your sister wears clothes, like, once every couple of years or so. I bet you’d look pretty good in one those gowns from…” Amber stopped and smiled wryly. “Hold on, you just don’t like modern fashion.”

Luna turned up her nose. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“That’s it, isn’t it?” Amber attempted to pat Luna on the shoulder, but she moved out of the way. “Aww, come on, you should just wear whatever you want.”

“I do believe I am seen as ‘out of touch’ by enough ponies already.”

“What? Nopony even thinks that.”

“In any event, I –” Luna stopped in place as Amber leaned against her. She looked down at her side to see Amber smiling up at her.

“Well, for whatever it’s worth, I think you’d look great.”

Luna smiled and draped a wing over Amber as she finished leading them towards Cadance. As she expected, Cadance looked at the two as if she could see some secret that they were hiding away from everyone. Luna ignored it.

“Look who it is, Flurry,” Shining Armor said as they approached, his voice elevated as he addressed their two-year-old filly. “Do you remember who that is?”

“Lua!” Flurry Heart said. Both her parents applauded while everypony else smiled and commented on how adorable she was.

“That’s right, Flurry, it is Auntie Luna!” Cadance said. “You probably don’t remember Amber, do you? Can you say Amber?”

Flurry looked at Amber quietly for a second before throwing one hoof up and waving. “Hi!”

Cadance giggled. “Not quite.”

“Hey, close enough for me,” Amber said as she walked closer to Flurry Heart. She smiled and gently tickled her belly, causing the young filly to giggle. “You might not remember me, but I definitely remember you, little lady.”

They took seats at the table and caught up with the new parents, which largely amounted to hearing about what life with a toddler was like. Although Luna adored Flurry and most of the stories they told were happy ones, she was more than content to minimize her involvement with babies to her niece, as well as stopping the occasional nightmare. Not that she had much of a say in the matter anyway; pureblood alicorns like her and Celestia could not mate with other ponies. Mortal alicorns – those who ascended, like Cadance and Twilight, or their children, like Flurry Heart – were genetically closer to other ponies, allowing them the chance to continue their lineage.

Although they had both long since accepted this as a fact of life, it had been much easier for Luna. Celestia simply could not take her eyes off of Flurry, and once she took a turn at holding her, it seemed nopony else was going to get the chance. For her own part, Flurry Heart seemed to be primarily interested in trying to eat Celestia’s mane.

As much as Luna enjoyed catching up with the Crystal Empire side of her family, she was not simply a guest at the wedding, and had three more ponies to meet with before beginning the ceremony. “I take it the brides to be are getting ready?”

“Yes,” Cadance said. “Twilight and Fluttershy are upstairs in their bedroom. Sunset’s just through that door there, so they don’t wind up running into each other beforehand.”

Luna nodded. “I think I will meet with Twilight and Fluttershy first.” As she stood up, Amber rose to join her. It was the same whenever they were together; the two were unlikely to separate until Luna left for Canterlot.

However, as they made for the stairs they were stopped by three voices. “Luna!”

She turned to smile at Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Luna had always had an easier time endearing herself to children of a certain age, being the guardian of dreams, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were among the first generation to benefit from her return.

“Hello, young ones,” Luna said, then smiled. “Well, not so young anymore, I see.”

The Crusaders were no longer fillies, all young mares of sixteen or seventeen. Luna knew well enough that treating the teenagers as adults would go a long way towards continuing their high opinions of her. “As much as I am looking forward to speaking with you all, I am afraid it shall have to wait until after the ceremony.”

“Aww, that’s okay,” Apple Bloom said. “We just really wanted to say hi is all.”

“Yeah! We can talk later, if you’re not busy,” Sweetie Belle added.

Luna nodded, but before she could go, Amber spoke. “Hold on, you’re Scootaloo, right?”

“Uh, yeah,” Scootaloo said, tilting her head in confusion. “Why?”

“Oh. no reason.” Amber shrugged. “I just wanted to meet the pony that Rainbow Dash was going on about the other day.”

“She was?” Scootaloo smiled excitedly.

“Oh yeah, she was talking about how you’re pretty much the coolest pony in town. Well, she did say besides herself, but you know.”

If Scootaloo felt bad about being left in second place behind Rainbow, she certainly didn’t look it. “Really!?”

Apple Bloom chuckled. “Are you telling me ya didn’t know that Rainbow’s always talkin’ ‘bout you whenever she gets together with her friends?”

“Uh oh, what’d I go and start,” Amber said, although Luna suspected she had known exactly what she was doing. And even if Luna wasn’t sure what that was, she could tell easily enough that Amber was looking for an excuse to continue talking with Scootaloo.

“Amber, do make sure you do a sufficient job embarrassing Rainbow Dash,” Luna instructed, before she ascended the stairs to the second story bedroom. It was perhaps for the best that Amber remain behind. While she would not have minded Amber’s company, she knew they walked a thin line that she dare not cross. There was no reason that they should spend all their time together.

She knocked on the door and announced her presence. A moment later it was opened by Rainbow Dash, who stepped aside to allow Luna to come in, then closed the door behind her. Luna only smiled silently as she wondered how Rainbow would react to learning the others had let slip the affection she was too cool to let show herself.

She exchanged greetings with everypony. Fluttershy was sitting by a mirror while Rarity fussed over a detail in her mane. Once Luna was in the room, Rainbow returned to the bed, where she had undoubtedly been lounging before. Sitting next to her was Twilight, who seemed a little on edge, though that was hardly even worth noting for her.

“I came by to announce my arrival and make sure everything is going well,” Luna said. “With the arrival of Tia and myself, I believe the guests are all present. Everything downstairs is going remarkably well, although I still need to check in with Sunset. And most importantly, I see at least two of our beautiful brides appear to be ready at a moment’s notice.”

“Ready?” Rarity asked, going wide-eyed. “I should say not! I simply can not get Fluttershy’s mane to look quite right!”

“Rarity, it’s really okay,” Fluttershy insisted.

“Not another word, darling,” Rarity said. “I will not allow anything less than perfection on your wedding day!”

“I know that, I mean I think it looks perfect already,” Fluttershy said.

“What do you think, Twilight?” Luna asked.

Twilight popped her head up, and looking at Fluttershy seemed to dispel whatever concerns were still plaguing her. “Absolutely perfect.”

“See?” Rainbow said. “Two of the brides are already happy with it, and I’m pretty sure Sunset is gonna love everything too.”

“Oh, I do hope so…” Rarity said. She finally left Fluttershy alone, and turned instead to Twilight. “Twilight, come here a moment, let me check your makeup one more time.”

If Twilight and Fluttershy had thought wearing the same dresses they had when they married one another was going to simplify the preparation process, it seemed they were mistaken. Almost reluctantly, Twilight got up to take Fluttershy’s place, while Fluttershy herself seemed only too happy to be freed. She took the chance to give a quick hug to Luna.

The decision to use the same wedding dresses tied into the idea that they weren’t marrying again, but rather that they were adding Sunset to the marriage that already existed. That was also the reason Fluttershy and Twilight were sharing a dressing room, while Sunset was downstairs, and it would have an effect on several other aspects of the ceremony as well.

“I have to agree with the others; Twilight and Fluttershy do appear perfect to me,” Luna said in an attempt to calm Rarity, who was without a doubt the most nerve-wracked pony of the evening. “ ‘Tis as I expect, of course. I know of nopony in Equestria whom could manage the task so well as you.”

Happy to see things were going well, Luna left the room. She was relieved to see that neither of them seemed as worried as they had been before their last wedding, but that was to be expected. They had experienced this before, after all, and had come to the realization that a marriage was not so different from a committed relationship. And, of course, there was no horde of protesters lined up outside, desperate to tear them apart if given the chance.

She could only hope Sunset was faring just as well, but first she had another stop to make. She walked through the room full of ponies to the entrance, noting along the way that Celestia had finally given up Flurry Heart to her grandparents, and that Amber was still talking with the Crusaders.

She nodded to Echo and Nocturn as she passed, and approached the carriage they arrived in. Unbeknownst to her sister, Luna had hidden compartments added to all their carriages, for just such an occasion. She pressed in an unassuming plate, and the compartment popped open, revealing the surprise she had brought for Sunset. Tucking it under her wing, she closed the compartment and re-entered the castle.

Not wanting to have to have anypony question the package, Luna moved quickly and silently through the crowd, not making contact with anypony. She went through the door Cadance had pointed out earlier, and found herself in a small hallway. Although there was no indication, Luna could feel Sunset was just through the door on the left, and that she was with two others.

She knocked on the door, and it was answered by Applejack. For a moment Luna found it odd that she hadn’t recognized her presence, then she noticed the other pony was Rarity. ‘Ah, more of Sunset’s human friends.’

“Well I’ll be,” Applejack said. “You’re the spittin’ image of Vice Principal Luna, alright.”

Rarity turned away from Sunset. “Applejack, please! This Luna is a princess!” She approached Luna and bowed. “It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

“Please, there is no need,” Luna said, entering the room and closing the door behind her. “I may be a princess, but I am not in fact your princess. Simply Luna will be sufficient.”

“Oh, we couldn’t possibly,” Rarity said.

“Speak for yourself.” Applejack extended her hoof and bumped Luna’s. “Pleased to meet ya, Luna.”

While Rarity stared indignantly at Applejack, Luna turned to Sunset. Her wedding dress began as a deep crimson where it trailed along the ground, then turned to a bright red further up, before becoming orange and eventually yellow once it reached her tail. Each color somewhat bleeding into the next, yet still distinctly separated by a jagged wave pattern. Where it tightened around her waist, it abruptly shifted from yellow to black, shifting to grey in a gradient around her torso. The neckline was golden, with her cutie mark adorning the front. The dress was sleeveless, showing off her shoulders and the tattoos of both her brides’ cutie marks, even if they were hard to make out.

“How are you feeling?” Luna asked.

“I’m doing good. Better than Twilight, I bet.” Sunset’s smile was confident, her voice was even, and her left hindleg would not stop shaking.

Luna nodded. “It is quite alright, Sunset. It is normal to feel nervous on your wedding day. I have been married a number of times, and before each I was nervous to some extent.”

“Aww, she’ll be just fine,” Applejack said. “Least you only gotta go through the whole thing once.”

“Yeah,” Sunset said. She idly scratched at the back of her neck, and Rarity ran over.

“Sunset Shimmer, if you do not stop touching your hair, I swear I will bind your hands together!”

Sunset held up her hooves and smiled apologetically. “Uh, technically I don’t have hands, so –”

“Silence! Now hold still while I fix this. Again.”

Luna took a seat and casually set the package down near the vanity. “I must ask, which Rarity designed your wedding dress?”

“We both did,” Rarity said while she worked at getting Sunset’s mane back in place. “When Sunset told me the news, I simply had to be involved. I am not nearly skilled enough with the equine form to even think about designing it alone, though. Fortunately, the other Rarity was kind enough to allow me to collaborate on the design, while she handled the actual making of the dress.”

“And the two of you did an amazing job,” Sunset said, grinning at her reflection. “Seriously, I love this so much. It definitely would have been less ‘me’ without your input.”

“Oh no, you are not getting off the hook that easily. I’m still quite unhappy with you,” Rarity said, although she looked nothing of the sort as she smiled at Sunset’s reflection.

“I believe Sunset looks just as lovely as her brides to be,” Luna said. “If there is nothing else to be done, then perhaps it would be best to start the ceremony. I would, however, like a moment alone with Sunset before starting.”

Rarity looked longingly at Sunset, almost as if she was trying to find something to fix. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Come on, Rare. She looks fine.”

“I… I suppose. Oh, I know! I’ll wait near the entrance to the hallway, and if anypony needs me, they need only ask.”

“A fine plan,” Luna said, if only because it seemed to be the only way Rarity would leave willingly. “Then I shall ask a favor of you, Applejack. Could you inform my sister that she should be ready for the ceremony to start shortly? She ought to be easy enough to find, she is the only pony larger than myself.”

Applejack chuckled. “I bet she never lets you forget that one.”

“Alas, she does not.”

Sunset’s friends left the room, finally leaving the two of them alone. She had been wondering how this meeting would go for weeks, and she was looking forward to finally seeing it fulfilled. And then she was dreading the thought of talking about it with Celestia afterwards, but that was a concern for later.

“Did you ever imagine you would be married when you were younger?” Luna asked.

“Honestly? No, not really. I didn’t imagine I would get married a couple of years ago, even after I started dating Twilight and Fluttershy.”

“No, you do not seem the type,” Luna said. She walked closer to Sunset, and they both looked at her through the vanity mirror. “I recall the day we met, when you told me of your foalhood dreams of being an alicorn princess.”

Sunset looked down, slightly embarrassed. “Yeah, I was really hung up on that for a while. Longer than I should have been.”

Luna gently placed a wing on Sunset’s back, careful to not mess up her mane or dress. “The alicorn ascension is a fickle thing, and to be truthful, even my sister and I do not understand it. We were able to see the signs that Twilight was ascending before it happened, although we could not have said why. All these years later, and I still could not tell you. Not that Twilight is unworthy, but why her and not another? In my opinion, any of the Element Bearers would be equally as worthy as Twilight.”

Sunset chuckled. “Yeah, you’d think saving Equestria a dozen times would count for something.”

“And surely it does; there are many ponies across Equestria who respect them all. But they are not, nor are they ever likely to be, alicorns. If it were in my power, they would all ascend. I can scarcely think of anypony more deserving.”

“I don’t really think anypony minds too much,” Sunset said. “Plus, we do not need to give Rainbow something else to go to her head.”

“Yes, that is probably true.” Luna nodded, then continued along the slow path towards her final point. “It is also worth considering if somepony is more worthy simply for proving their worth. Who is to say if anypony quietly living their life here in Ponyville is not worthy of the ascension, but has simply never had the chance to be tested? For example, if it were within my power, you would be an alicorn princess.”

Sunset’s grin faded for a moment, then was replaced with a more sincere smile. “Aww, aren’t you sweet.”

Luna turned away from the mirror, looking at Sunset directly. “It is not within my power to make you an alicorn.” She levitated the package she had brought and set it in front of Sunset.

Sunset looked from her to the package a few times before opening it. There was no glamour to the packaging itself, just unassuming brown paper tied with string. She pulled it apart easily, and her mouth fell open upon seeing what was inside.

Luna retracted her wing and took a step back. She did not often do anything more than slightly incline her head to show acknowledgement of ponies she respected, but as Sunset stared in bewilderment she dropped her full body in a deep bow. “Princess Sunset.”

Sunset stared at the crown in her hooves. It was bright gold, with asymmetrical points that curved, and ruby red gems to accent it. Much like the mare it was made for, it was fire given solid form.

“This is…” Sunset shook her head, then let out a chuckle. “Okay, you really had me for a second there. This is pretty good, actually. Where’d you find it?”

“You know me well enough to know that I would not joke about this,” Luna said, rising from her bow. “That was made by the same blacksmith who forged Twilight’s, Cadance’s, and Fluttershy’s crowns, and will forge Flurry Heart’s when her time comes. If I could, I would have everypony acknowledge you as an official Princess of Equestria, but I can not do that any more than I could grant you wings. I, however, will always be proud to call you my equal in every way.”

Sunset looked at the crown in disbelief, and almost seemed like she was going to laugh it off as a joke again. Instead, she slowly lifted it to her head, hesitating a moment before setting it in place. She looked into the mirror, and her mouth slowly curved into a smile. She turned to Luna and looked like she was ready to make a cocky comment about herself, but instead she stood up and threw her forelegs around the other princess. “Thank you.”

Luna gently patted Sunset on the back. “Thank you, Princess Sunset.”

They stood together for a moment, but eventually Luna gently pushed Sunset away. “Now then, I suggest you dry your eyes. I believe everypony else is in place, and it is time for you to be escorted down the aisle.”

That caused Sunset to turn away from her reflection. “What? I said I don’t want my parents walking me down the aisle.”

Luna nodded. “They will simply watch from the crowd, as was arranged.”

She had expected Sunset to protest more, but it seemed the crown put her in a good enough mood that she just went along with it. “Twilight’s parents? I guess one of them would be okay.”

“No, they are also simply watching this evening.”

“Oh.” Sunset looked confused for a moment, then chuckled. “Okay, you’re officiating and walking me down the aisle? That seems like a little much, but I guess I’ll let you have the honor.”

“Not I.”

Sunset shook her head. “Then I honestly have no idea.”

“I would have thought you’d figure it out easily enough. I am referring to Celestia.”

“Celestia?” Sunset stared in shock. “That’s a joke, right?”

“It is not. She is approaching now,” Luna said, moving towards the door.

“How the fuck did you manage to get Princess Celestia to agree to that?”

Luna simply smiled. “I asked.”

She opened the door for Celestia before Sunset could consider removing her crown. Celestia had a hoof raised to knock, but quickly put it down. She smiled as she entered, but it changed to mirror Sunset’s surprise when they saw one another.

Many ponies seemed to have the idea that Luna and Celestia had some sort of magical bond that allowed for wordless communication. In truth, they did. It was called ‘sisterhood’, and they had been practicing it for several thousand years. Celestia gave half a glance at Luna, who smiled in just the right way to say, ‘Remember what I said earlier.’

Celestia’s smile returned full force as she heeded Luna’s advice to not say anything about the crown. “Sunset, you look absolutely beautiful.”

Sunset looked as if she might have a heart attack. “Th-thank you, Princess.”

“I will take my place then,” Luna said as she excused herself. Both of the other princesses seemed to barely notice her departure.

Luna walked through the hallway, where Pound and Pumpkin Cake were waiting. Outside the door she also found Rarity, just as she said she would be. Luna smiled reassuringly and motioned for her to take a seat, which she did with some reluctance. Luna herself walked around the crowd, rather than through them. Everypony awaited Sunset’s arrival, and she didn’t want to cause any premature excitement. She quietly took her place at the center of the altar, Twilight and Fluttershy on one side, an empty place for Sunset on the other. The only other pony present on the altar was Applejack, who would take the ring when Pound Cake brought it out.

They were not waiting long. The door opened, and the music started. After just a moment, Pumpkin Cake hopped down the aisle, spreading flowers as she went. Pound Cake was next out the door, and with the benefit of being three years older, he managed himself with more grace than when he was last a token bearer.

For a moment, the two young ponies were the only ones to approach the aisle. And then slowly, and only at Celestia’s encouragement, Sunset stepped hoof out of the door. She kept her eyes low at first, no doubt unsure of what everypony would think of the crown atop her head. As all eyes were focused on Sunset, Luna could not tell what their reactions might be.

Sunset did not look into the crowd at all, but once she was halfway down the aisle she did look up at her brides. It didn’t matter what the rest of the gathered ponies thought, or what anypony in all of Equestria might think, because what Sunset saw waiting for her on the altar seemed to give her strength. She lifted her head and smiled as she approached the altar, and the ponies she would love, and be loved by, forever more.