Kind Hearts & Coronets

by Shinzakura

XII: A Splendid High-Waisted, White-Flavored Day

“Tia, won’t it be wonderful?” Luna asked, the smile on her face wide at breakfast. “A chance to have another wedding here! I can hardly wait!”

“Don’t be so sure that either Silver or Rarity will wish to have their wedding here,” Celestia reminded her sister. “For one, memories are still fresh regarding Chrysalis’ invasion and that bruised a lot of feelings, sister.”

“But haven’t we improved security since then?” Luna asked. “What of the efforts that Shining and Twilight put into the shield towers and defensive parapets? Was that all for nothing?”

“No, of course not – at least I hope not, with all the time we spent ensuring that the Mage Guild and the Guards would be able to work together in order to ensure that the city wouldn’t be stormed like that again.” With a deft application of a temporarily-enchanted knife, Celestia added butter and jam to her croissant. “The second thing is that they may wish to hold their wedding in Ponyville or Empire City – perhaps even back in Maneapolis, where she’s originally from.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Cadance said as she entered the breakfast room, pausing only to give kisses on the cheek to her aunts. “For one, for something as grand as a Royal Wedding, Ponyville doesn’t have the infrastructure. I mean, look at the preparation that we had to make for my wedding, and even that took some construction, year-long plans and the like. Canterlot was still swamped despite that – there’s no way that Ponyville would survive all of that.” A thought came to the romance alicorn, etched onto her face. “I suppose that either Empire City or Maneapolis could also hold it, but let’s be honest – we’re talking about the wedding of one of the Knights Elemental. That’s probably going to be even bigger than mine, and realistically, only one of the biggest cities, like Manehattan, Las Pegasas, or here, could realistically host an event of that magnitude.”

“You think so?” Celestia asked.

“Definitely,” Cadance nodded. “I may be an avatar and your niece, but at the end of the day I’m just a princess. Rarity, however, is a globally lauded heroine, a duchess, a high-ranking member of the government and your sister royal. We had VIPs, nobleponies and lesser royals coming from all corners of Equestria for my marriage. Rarity’s will garner dignitaries and VIPs from across the globe.”

“Oh.” While she smiled on the outside, the Princess of the Sun was inwardly wincing. It wasn’t as though she wasn’t happy for Rarity and Silver, nor was it a case that she didn’t want them to get married. She just knew the huge amounts of planning that went into the weddings, and it always seemed that each wedding always threatened to be larger than the one before it. The planning for Cadance’s had been monumental, and before hers, the wedding for Mayrose’s daughter Princess Maybelle to her beau had commandeered the whole western portion of the town. If Cadance was even the slightest bit correct about Rarity’s wedding, this was going to require the ultimate in planning.

I wish the urban legend about mortal ponies arising to become alicorns was true, Celestia thought to herself. I’d raise Pinkie right about now just because I get the feeling we’ll need an Avatar of Parties for this one!

“…and who knows what will happen if Twily ever gets married,” Cadance finished, a dreamy look in her eyes and a smile on her face. “I’ll bet you’ll be looking forward to that day, right? I know I will.”

“That would be a lovely wedding,” was all Celestia said.

Astronomers that evening noted an ear-shattering scream of frustration, followed by a massive solar flare. It was unknown if the two were related.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot agree to this,” Chaff told Revanche. “I realize that the Royal Wedding was just announced, but we’ll need time to plan a strike of the magnitude you’re discussing.”

“This can work!” Revanche insisted. “If you give me the resources I need, I can strike right at the heart of Canterlot! We can take them down, and—”

Cloister pulled her friend aside. “Rev, a word, please?”

“Not now, Cloister!”

“Please.” The look in the zebra’s eyes was pleading.

“Fine,” Revanche huffed. Looking back at Chaff, the pegasus said, “Give me the team and I’ll take them down. I’ll be back.” Storming out of the command barracks, she walked out into the crisp winter air, her breath crystalizing in the frozen sky. Without looking back at her friend, she said, “I know what you’re going to say, Cloister. I have to do this.”

“No you don’t! The time you’ve spent with us has changed you, Revanche. You’re not the same mare you used to be. Tell me, when was the last time you thought about your husband?”

“I….” Revanche began.

“And if you truly thought of him, then why are you spending your evenings with Candlewick?” the zebra accused. “Are you just using him? You know how much Spin is protective of her brother.”

“No, it’s not that,” the pegasus said softly. “I long accepted my feelings for Candle and that Silver isn’t part of my life anymore. But I made a promise to him, Cloister. Even if I just rescue him, kill Rarity and return here to be with Candle – and that’s my intent – I have to rescue him from Rarity. She’s marrying him in six months – what if she kills him the day after that for the next stallion that catches her eye? She’s a black widow, Cloister. I have to do this.”

“Then you’re not going alone,” a chipper voice said behind her. Both mares turned to see Spinnaker standing there, a wide grin on her face. Moving forward to nuzzle Revanche, she said, “You’re my sister-in-law, Rev. Yeah, you really haven’t married Candle, but you gave up your whole life for him. You’re family, and if this is what you want to do, then I’m wholeheartedly behind you, hoof and all.”

“Of course I’ll go, if my husband will allow it,” Cloister said. “You two are my friends and friends back each other until the very end, correct?”

“Then you’ll need our help as well!” a voice behind them sang out, and Revanche turned to find Softwing, the gryphoness who joined them so she could live without a G-oriented name; and Fifi, a brilliant tactical mind amongst the diamond dogs who had been treated as nothing more than an unintelligent bicche until she’d joined the Underground. They were Revanche’s friends and they would join in as well.

More voices sang out, more voices joining the fray: Natural Balance, the unicorn. Big Bull the minotaur. Blackwing the pegasus. Gomez Glideflyer the gryphon. And dozens more and more, until she had her assault team, all volunteering to do so, all willing to take a stand amongst their fellow Undergrounder.

Watching from the window, Chaff shook his head at the assembly outside. “Nothing good will come of this. I believe in her, but…this is madness.” Turning from the window and facing another stallion, the commandante of the Weather Underground said, “Keep a rein on your mate, Candlewick. She is one of us now – but I fear she’s channeled her anger at betrayal by Canterlot into a razor-sharp hatred at the Crown that has blinded her so badly, she can no longer see straight.”

Candlewick nodded. “Yes, sir. Don’t worry – I’ve spent all this time winning her heart; I wouldn’t let the mare I love go into a danger she’d never return from. If she can make it work, I’ll make sure she does it so we all live to see tomorrow and avoid bringing the hammer of the Sun Tyrant down on our heads.”

---

“Hey, thanks for joining me for lunch, Shines,” Silver said as the two sat down at a nearby café. “I wanted to go over some paperwork, but also get your opinion on the wedding.”

“We can always worry about the paperwork later, Silver,” the unicorn told him. “So, what’s up?”

“Well, I was wondering if you wanted to be the best stallion.”

“Really?” Shining grinned widely. “Yeah, I’d be honored, Silver! Thanks.”

“No, thank you, Shines. I appreciate everything you’ve done for the both of us – we wouldn’t even be together if you hadn’t introduced us, so I owe you like no tomorrow.”

“So when and where?”

“We were thinking sometime in Octobris, just before Summer Wrap-Up,” Silver said, a goofy grin on his face. “She wanted a wedding on a crystal clear day, just before the weather teams have to start setting up for fall. As to where the wedding will be held, we’ll have to hold it here. She really has no ties to Maneapolis, and as much as she’d like to hold it in Ponyville, the town’s too small to host the kind of event we’ll be having. Plus,” Silver said, his hooves moving around as he animated his conversation, “there’s the fact that Canterlot has a castle and the whole ponytale wedding bit, plus Rarity’s a member of the Royal Family now, so there will be a lot of delegates, nobles and VIPs coming for the wedding. You remember your wedding, right? This one’s going to be a thousand times worse, I’ll bet.”

“We’ll make sure the Weather Service makes those crystal clear skies for that week,” Shining promised. “Last thing you’ll need is some unintended rain to ruin the whole thing for you. And as for the delegates, show stoppers and all that, don’t worry. We’ll get some help planning it. Trust me on this: you don’t want to burn yourself out just planning everything by yourself – I know how that goes.”

“No kidding, stallion,” Silver smirked, “Rarity’s already pulling her mane out trying to make sure that everything’ll be perfect – and she knows all she has to do is look beautiful.”

---

“Mother!” Rarity gasped when her mother insisted the fashionista was not allowed to make her own wedding dress. “How can you even expect that I would let anypony else design my wedding gown? Do you think I’d trust my design to some charlatan like Spooled Thread or Magnifique? This is a special moment in my life and I wouldn’t just let some foal who can barely thread a needle to make my dress!”

“Well, dear,” Pearl said, “are you insinuating that Cardigan cannot figure her way around a sewing machine? She offered to come out of retirement just to make your gown.”

Rarity had the grace to look embarrassed. “Mother, I….”

“It’s okay, dear. I understand how you feel. When the time comes that Sweetie gets married, I wouldn’t have anypony other than you make a gown. But your own situation is unique and the only one I felt you could trust was Cardigan. And when Cardigan found out you were going to get married, she insisted that nopony else even be allowed to come anywhere near the bridal and bridesmares’ gowns.”

The smile on Rarity’s face was angelic. “Well,” Rarity said, “I would at least ask that my own apprentice be allowed to assist, if Cardigan doesn’t mind. This is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion and I would very much appreciate Cardigan taking Diamond under horn.”

“I’m sure they’d both appreciate the chance, dear,” Pearl replied happily.

---

Cardigan clopped her hooves together sharply, the rapping sound cutting across the room in Rarity’s studio; outside, the snow fell, signaling the impending arrival of winter and Hearths Warming. “Diamond, make sure that you do double- and triple-measurements. These dresses are to be my magnum opus, and I shan’t fail!” the elderly unicorn vowed.

“Yes, ma’am!” Diamond Tiara said, adjusting her tape on the length of Sparkler’s back and loin. “By the way, Sparkler, saw the ring that you made for Miss Rarity. That’s great work!”

The unicorn blushed. “You really think so?”

The earth pony nodded, stretching out the tape to make sure the measurement was correct on the second go. “It was really beautiful. I mentioned it to my father and he said he’ll have to stop into Miss Beryl’s shop one day and check out the merchandise.”

“That’s good! Oh, and you should see the wedding bands I’m designing. It’s really interesting to work with red, white and yellow gold and mixing them into bands in such a way that brings out all the colors. I just hope that both Dad and Miss Rarity will like them.”

“I’m sure they will,” Diamond assured her friend. “I’m sure they will.”

On the other side of the room, Cardigan measured Rarity, the tape flowing around the younger unicorn with ease. “As expected, your body is in the prime of youth,” Cardigan sighed. “What I wouldn’t do to be sixty years younger and have your looks, dear.”

“Oh, but you’ll always be beautiful to me, Mistress,” Rarity said with sincerity. “‘Even as looks fade, our inner beauty will buoy us to horizons yet unseen.’”

“Quoting from Sonnet Cycle’s A Mare Ages Gracefully will get you nowhere, young lady,” Cardigan said with a smile, “though I appreciate the thought.” Cardigan then measured Rarity’s crest and neck to get the veil correct. “Still, you’ve always been a fetching young thing, so I suspect your beau will be beating off other suitors with spears and lances at the ready, hmmm?”

“More like I’ll have to do that for him: my Silver is quite the catch, if I must admit,” Rarity purred. But she soon sighed and admitted, “I just wish I had more time to spend with him. Since we announced the wedding plans, things have been at a fever pitch, and save for dinner or sleeping, we haven’t had much time for ourselves.”

“That’s a shame,” Sparkler, having overheard, told her. “I was hoping that you and Dad wouldn’t get frazzled over the wedding plans.”

“Well, Sparkler, dear,” Rarity said, “at least I know I’m not the only one suffering fittings today.”

---

“Y’know, I coulda sworn it was almost yesterday that we were all here gettin’ fitted in tuxes,” Noteworthy told Thunderlane while they were at Rickrack’s. “I’m tellin’ ya, the girls’re gonna start gettin’ ideas if we keep this stuff up, you know.”

Big Mac shook his head. “Nuthin’ wrong with that. Ah’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout poppin’ the question to Fluttershy, an’ this jest makes it sure that Ah’ll be doin’ jest that.” Though he kept it to himself, Mac thought about how much things had changed. At first, when Noteworthy had started dating Applejack, the russet stallion was hesitant about it. But despite his marenizing history, there was something about the farmmare that engendered a change in Noteworthy’s behavior and while he continued to be a cad, at least he was a faithfully monogamous one. “It givin’ you any ideas fer you an’ AJ?”

Noteworthy blanched. “Mac, I love your sister, but I am not the marrying type,” he insisted.

Thunderlane patted his friend on the back and said, “Notes, if you want to keep your head attached, you’ll just shut up from this point. I’m sure the girls want us alive to escort them to the wedding.”

“Whut Ah’m curious about, truthfully, is who’s got th’ job o’ pickin’ out a date for Twi?” Mac asked. The three stallions looked at each other and sighed; they knew how bad things had been that last time and none of them wanted her to go through that again.

“Well, I have a suggestion,” Notes said. “When I was performing in Canterlot a couple of weeks ago, ran into an old friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in years. His name’s Paraffin Wax, and he’s apparently working as an assistant chandler at the candlemaker that’s across the street from the jazz bar I play at.”

“Oh, great – are we going to run into another situa—”

Notes shook his head. “Naah, me an’ Parry? We had some good times. There was this couple of hot twins that….” He suddenly saw the look in Mac’s eyes and decided discretion was the better part of valor. “You know what? Never mind that detail. But I can assure you that Parry’s straight. Anyway, I hadn’t seen him in years since I moved here from Manehattan and he and his sister Whitesail had to go back to Norflank because of their parents. But unless he’s married – and I kinda doubt that since his big sister was the somewhat jealous type at the time – he should be good to go. I’ll even let him know he’s gotta behave, ‘kay?”

“He’d better, or else Ah’ll….” The look in Mac’s eyes was serious.

“Hey, I’ll swear on my sax if ya want, big guy. I’ll set them up, and it’ll be no problemo.”

---

“Um, yeah, sure,” Paraffin Wax said a couple of days later over lunch. “Though…if she’s such a bigwig like you’re saying, Notes, shouldn’t she have dozens of suitors waiting on her fore- and hindhoof?”

“Look, Twilight Sparkle might seem like she’s some untouchable unicorn destined for alicornhood or some jazz like that, but trust me: she puts one hoof up and down just like the rest of us. She’s a cute but shy little thing, and if you treat her right, well, just might be your golden ticket, Parry.”

“I dunno, man. Wouldn’t want to screw it up with the Princess’ protégé. You want the Sun Ty…er, Princess, on your case if you screw up?”

“Have some faith, stallion,” Notes said. “Twi’s a hottie, and I’d go for it myself if I wasn’t already spoken for. You’ll be fine.”

Paraffin sat there for a few minutes, as if thinking the whole thing over. Finally, he said, “Yeah, okay, I’m interested in meeting her. But if I’m in trouble, I’m telling her to come after your plot, got that?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever. If that happens, I guarantee my girl’ll be pounding me into the side of a barn long before that.” Notes looked at the clock on the wall. “Well, I gotta get going to my gig. I’ll let Twi know you’re interested and I can introduce you two this week. I’ll get the bill. Talk to you later, bro!”

Paraffin left the table shortly after, leaving a decent tip for the waitress. Heading back to work, he walked down an alleyway where both Revanche and Spinnaker were waiting. “Well, how’d it go?”

“Paraffin” shrugged. “Okay, I guess. Notes is going to set me up on a date with this Twilight Sparkle and then I figure after a few dates, she’ll ask me to the wedding. Then I can be in position to deal with any potential problems from the ground.”

Revanche looked at Candlewick with concern. “Be careful, love. You’ll be right next to the Sun Tyrant herself, and she even suspects something’s the least bit wrong, you’ll be in terrible danger.”

“I’m not concerned. Once I found out that Noteworthy’s involved, it made me think as well – if an old friend like him, who was very much a playcolt when we were younger—”

“Don’t remind me,” Spinnaker said, rolling her eyes.

“—can suddenly find himself wrapped around the hoof of one of Rarity’s friends?” Candle asked, the look on his face determined. “What are those Elements? Saviors of society or pacification control? It makes me wonder who else needs saving, and…well, it’s worth the effort.”

Revanche leaned forward and kissed her beau. “Just, please be careful. Rarity might be powerful, but Twilight Sparkle’s supposedly even more so.”

“Don’t worry,” he told her with a smile. “I’m not just doing it for the Underground…I’m doing this for us.”

---

“Finally! A chance to relax together at last,” Rarity said, snuggling next to Silver on the couch. They had just sold his apartment and moved everything in just in time for winter. They were alone in the manor, Diamond having gone back home for the Hearts and Hooves holiday weekend, leaving the two lovebirds alone with wine, chocolate and other entertainments. They made the most of that time alone, and even though it was late winter, the house had been filled with enough sweetscent that Rarity had to open a window.

But now, just relaxing with wine and poring over catalogs, they planned their honeymoon, trying to figure out where the best place to get away from it all would be.

“No, no, no! Neighagra Falls is just too, too overdone, dear!” Rarity said, nixing the idea. “Too many crowds, too touristy, too much…it’s just too much, if I’m making sense. What about Manehattan?”

“Not much else to do there but shop, dear,” he said, and she pouted as a result. “Isn’t the point of a honeymoon supposed to be fun for the both of us?”

“I can think of ways of making it fun for you,” she purred wickedly, tracing the line of his muzzle with a dainty hoof.

“Rarity….”

She giggled. “Okay, you win.” She then grabbed the next catalog and looked at it for the merest bit of a second before tossing it away. “Pass.”

“What was it?” he wondered.

She quote the catalog’s title: “‘A Getaway in Beautiful, Wonderful Pearis’.”

He looked at her. “Pass,” he firmly agreed. Both of them weren’t about to desire reliving that hell anytime soon.

The pair continued to look at various locations, from picturesque Rainbow Falls to adventurous Eyrie City, from a cabin in nearby Shetland Valley to the distant dunes of Saddle Arabia, from the placid quiet of Oatmaha to the bright lights and beautiful shores of Los Pegasas. Each suggestion brought up was shot down in quick order for a dozen reasons from the mundane to the critical, from the pointed to the pointless, from the good to the bad and everything in-between:

“Hoofalulu?”

“Too touristy, darling; we’d never have any time for ourselves between one tour to the next. What about Seaddle?”

“Place is always cold and rainy – when did you start enjoying that?”

“You do have a point, dear. San Caballo?”

The playful banter – occasionally punctuated by drinks of wine or playful kisses – continued until both of them looked at the second to the last catalog. “What about Roam? Cadance was born there – which is why she has a Roaman name as opposed to the rest of her family—”

“She doesn’t talk about her parents or siblings much,” Rarity noted. “She barely knows them, as she was raised by Celestia.”

“I know, but she’s been to Roam a dozen times, so she can recommend whether it’s good or not.”

“Well, why don’t we have dinner with Shines and Cadance later on this week and see if they suggest it?”

It was two days later when the four finally met, very appropriately, at a Roaman restaurant. It was also referred to as a Bitalian restaurant, but the reason for that wasn’t clear until Cadance had explained that during the Warring States Era, a small nation of pegasi and unicorns attempted to set up a nation for themselves on a small island just off the Northeastern Continent. The nation of Bitaly had not lasted long, eventually becoming part of the Kingdom of Saddle Arabia – which in turn eventually was semi-absorbed back into Equestria proper – and most had forgotten the history of the ancient nation, which had eventually become known more for its capital, Roam, than anything else, and eventually Roam had become the metonym which the island was referred to.

“And Celestia says I’m named after the first two queens of Bitaly, Queen Mi Amore and her daughter Queen Cadenza, the former of which founded Bitaly and the latter of which ended it when she married King Wolfram to merge her nation into that of Saddle Arabia. For some reason, my mother apparently thought it was a good idea to dredge up the past when she foaled me in the hospital there instead of the Taj Mahoof, where the rest of my siblings were born an—” Shining set a gentle hoof on her own and she sighed. “Sorry. It’s still somewhat of a sore point with me.”

“Anyway,” Shining said, hoping to steer the conversation away from his wife’s anger before she exploded again, “you wanted to talk about Roam itself?”

“Yeah,” Silver said, looking at Rarity, who was eagerly nodding. “We were considering spending our honeymoon there and we wanted to know if y—”

“Of course!” Cadance said suddenly, her concerns forgotten. “You really didn’t even have to ask, you know! We don’t get as much use out of it as we’d like, so of course we’ll be happy to.”

Both unicorn mare and earth pony stallion looked at the married couple with confusion. “Be happy to…what?”

“You mean you…Oh!” Cadance giggled. “Sorry – I really don’t know where my head is tonight. For my twentieth birthday Celestia bought me my own villa on the seaside. My parents complained since Royal lands in Saddle Arabia are supposed to belong to my family, but Celestia put her hoof down and so I still own it outright. Unfortunately, with everything going on in life, I haven’t had as much time to go there as I’d like, and so I lend it out to the family as necessary. Luna recently borrowed it when she needed some time away after the whole windigo crisis, so it’s well upkept and if you want to borrow it, by all means.”

“Cadance…I-I’m touched,” Rarity said, smiling. “I don’t know what to say.”

“We’re family, Rarity,” Shining spoke for his wife. “You don’t have to say a single thing. In fact, you don’t have to do a single thing than to be happy – the both of you, together.”

The rest of the dinner was spent pleasantly talking about plans, as well as some suggested sights and the like. Shining recommended several museums and archeological attractions, while Cadance gave tips about intimate, well-regarded restaurants and some shopping. There were also some other ideas about things to do in the area, such as the Piazza del Olio di Oliva, the Villa Poniphilli, the Trotvi Fountain and the Spurnish Steps. There were enough things in the ancient city to keep both lovers busy for days, and Cadance recommended they take at least a couple of weeks off to enjoy it all.

“Thank you once more, you two,” Rarity said with a fond smile. “Silver and I shall cherish every moment.”

“Then a toast to your future?” Shining suggested, picking up his glass of wine. The others did the same, toasting to love and long lives together.

---

It was only their third date, yet Twilight somehow knew she was in love.

When the initial blind date was set up by Noteworthy, she didn’t want to chance it; while she didn’t have the bad feelings about AJ’s coltfriend that many of the others had, her “relationship” – if you could call it that – with Life Bloom soured her on relationships. Still, both AJ and Fluttershy had insisted that she at least try it, so she went for it…and that turned out to be the smartest move she ever made. Paraffin was charming yet friendly, debonair yet approachable, well-learned and wise yet approachable in all the ways she’d never really learned in life, even after all these years. By their second date Twilight knew empirically that she’d want to see more of him and when he put his wing around her at the concert they’d attended this evening, she knew she’d finally attained that goal that seemed so impossible for her: she had a special somepony.

Even still, though, there was something about Paraffin that she couldn’t identify, some random quanta that she couldn’t quite grasp. Was she just not a good enough fillyfriend? She knew almost next to nothing about sex – even less than she cared to admit, and while she had no interest in taking their relationship that far just yet, she wondered if that was the norm for other couples. He seemed so wistful when he talked about his hometown of Norflank, enough so that she got the feeling that he was an orphan – from the few times he’d mentioned his twin sister Whitesail, he’d hinted very strongly that she was no longer amongst the living. Twilight made a note to ask Noteworthy about it, but with his schedule and time spent with AJ, she never really had the chance.

And now, here she was, in front of her home – well, technically the home the Guild provided for the Vicemagus – experiencing her first kiss with the pegasus who now owned her heart. There was only one word that Twilight, Knight Elemental Commander of Magic, Grand Duchess Shetland and Vicemagus of the Mage Guild could use to describe that smooch: magical. It was a moment she wished would never end. It was a moment she wanted to tell everypony about – heck, climb to the top of her old tower at the palace and scream it in the Royal Canterlot Voice if need be – but it was an undeniable feeling. She was in love, and she knew he loved her as well.

“Parry…would you like to come in for coffee?” she asked. Nothing meant more to her, than just to cuddle with her beau and maybe practice kissing some more; if she was going to be a good fillyfriend she needed to get up to speed on that quickly.

Unfortunately, he yawned. “Sorry, Twi, but I’m going to be out of town for the next couple of days. Boss wants me to fly to Vanhoover to pick up a batch of special candlewax he has a supplier make. But I’ll be back soon, I promise.”

“You do that,” she said, kissing him again. Almost instinctively, her tail began to curl towards his hindleg, and only her force of will caused it to return back to where it was. She blushed winsomely, both embarrassed by the involuntary action and feeling something she’d never felt in her life before – desire.

Always the gentlestallion, he didn’t say a thing. “Well, I’ll bring you back something, okay?” he said with a wink. “Can’t forget my fillyfriend, now can I?” Kissing her again, he bid her a beautiful evening before he launched himself into the night.

As she waltzed in, she saw Spike sitting there, reading from a book. “Mom and Dad came by looking for you.” He held up a note and said, “They want you to get back to them on something, but I told them it’d have to wait until you got back from your date, to which Dad then demanded to know who it was and that he’d probably ask Shiny to get involved.”

“Oh, ha, ha, Spike,” she drolled, in too good of a mood to deal with her brother’s light teasing.

He gave her a lidded look. “Twi, you know our family doesn’t do things by halves. So, going to tell me how it went?”

“In the morning, maybe,” she said as she virtually danced to the stairs, a mare wholeheartedly in love. She would dream of her Roameo tonight, and sleep blissfully this evening.

“Ugh,” Candlewick said later that night in a bed with Revanche. “Still can’t get the taste of that berry lipstick she wears off my tongue. What is she, twelve?”

“I’m sorry you have to do this,” Revanche said, rubbing her mate’s mane. “Believe me, I don’t like the idea of you kissing another mare.”

He rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I’m not even sure that’s the case. Almost feels like I’m with an oversize filly who thinks she’s a grownup. In any case, I think I’ve charmed her enough that not only can I get her to take me to the wedding as her date, but I might be able to get us access to the defense parapets as well.”

Revanche’s eyes widened. “If you could do that….”

“Canterlot is defenseless,” he said with a grim grin. “We’ll be able to strike a blow against the Sun Tyrant for sure!”

“Well,” Revanche purred, “this calls for a celebration. Care to be with a real mare tonight?” she said, kissing him.

“Thought you’d never ask,” he said, joining in the kiss equally.

---

The months flew by quickly. As the globe rejoiced in the first marriage of one of the Knights Elemental, somehow it was as if the whole planet decided it was, for the most part, going to take a year off from chaos and strife. The changelings seemed, somehow, to keep an ultra-low profile, and other than a parasprite infestation in Alspurquerque, there was nothing major on the plate of the Guards or the Knights Elemental in Equestria. Things settled into a calm, almost lazy methodology.

Instead, the world turned its eyes towards Canterlot and the impending wedding to take place within a matter of weeks. Stadium seating was built along the wedding thoroughfare so that ponies from far and wide could partake in the festivities. The Crown declared the whole week of the wedding to be a holiday, and delegates came from distant countries to offer their congratulations; the hotels were swamped as a result, and even with four new hotels being built within the town, there was no certainty that they would be ready in time, so the nearby towns were also feeling the economic boom that came with such an event.

In Ponyville itself, Mayor Mare, in her last year of office before she was to resign and take a position in Celestia’s own office, gave Rarity the Key to the City. Everypony turned out to cheer on one of their local heroines, a mare done very well for herself, but to Rarity, the greatest gift she already had: her family, seated in the front row, now joined by her husband- and stepdaugthers-to-be. Blinking away tears, Rarity gave a short but eloquent speech that truly proved why she was the Element of Generosity.

But not everything was perfect. The Royal Intelligence Bureau reported rumblings coming from a few of the smaller towns in the Badlands. A manifesto detailing outrageous crimes committed by “The Sun Tyrant and the Moon Dictator”, mailed to the Canterlot Times-Herald, was eventually traced back to the post office in Tacksworn, but nopony could recall who delivered it. A similar copy, mailed to the Manehattan Sun, was traced to the town of Horseshoe Mountain, where the postal clerk swore it was mailed by a zebra mare, but nopony could confirm that rumor either.

And as the days faded into summer and the days flew down to the final moments, there was an excitement, an electricity in the air that practically everypony could feel. Whether it was the magic of love or just a stronger-than-usual coronal effect from the sun – likely caused by the extremely good mood Celestia had been in as of late – one thing was for sure: the upcoming wedding was going to be one to remember.

---

Lotus Blossom and Aloe practically bounced up and down at this latest accolade. The Knights were back once again in their spa, as they always had been before their lives had given them less time to visit, but now, they had brought all three princesses. Nine of Equestria’s most important mares currently shared the mud-bath, and even though it seemed as though it was very crowded, the mares were currently enjoying their time together, and the spa twins were trying to figure out where in the office they would put the Seal of Royal Warrant from the princesses’ patronizing of their establishment.

“This is a dream come true!” Lotus squealed in delight.

“Yes, yes! A dream beyond compare!” Aloe agreed, squeeing.

The two danced around their spa, both bouncing around merrily in joy and the change in fortunes this would bring for them.

Watching from a distance, Rarity grinned slightly. “It’s good to see Lotus and Aloe so happy. I know their business has taken a downturn since Fluttershy and I don’t come as often as we used to, so…well, it’s just nice to see old friends smile.” She then turned her attention to Twilight. “And speaking of smiling, dear, why don’t you tell us all about your new beau?”

“Paraffin?” Twilight said dreamily. “He’s…he’s absolutely wonderful, Rarity. He’s the perfect gentlestallion and he makes me feel so alive,” she said, “and though my parents haven’t met him yet, Shiny and Spike like him. Plus, he’s even offered to help with the wedding, setting up some special camera and scrying magic locations from the parapets – I wish I’d thought of that.”

“Seems like you’re quite taken with this young stallion,” Celestia commented, happy to see her protégé find somepony at last.

Twilight nodded. “But this isn’t about me, though. We’re here for the bachelorette party.”

“And I have everything set!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I’ve got the punch – along with stuff to spike the punch – at the Corner, plus cakes and pies and we got a couple of dancers from Strippendales – though I had a hard time putting temporary poles in the store – and Twist has the day off, though my sisters will be helping! Oh, and I made it mares only, just like you wanted! Oh! And I remembered to invite the ones on the list that you wanted! O—”

Applejack whistled appreciatively. “Strippendales? Ain’t that those…y’know…uh, ‘fancy dancers’?” The farmmare blushed, a rare sight.

Cadance nodded, an enigmatic smile on her face. “Yup. Went to this one show with a couple of friends of mine for another bachelorette party, and….” A sudden thought came over the Princess of Love and she went over and whispered something into Fluttershy’s ear. The result was a half-uttered Eeep! as the pegasus dived under the surface of the mud as the same time she squeaked in embarrassment.

“We can’t! Do you realize how much of a scandal that’ll cause for Celestia and Luna?” Twilight said, aghast.

“Aw, c’mon, Twi!” Rainbow said, laughing. “If you’re gonna make your stallion happy you have to know about this kind of stuff!”

“Rainbow!”

“I’m in agreement with Twilight,” Rarity said, leaning back against the edge of the mud bath. “I wouldn’t want you to be scandalized on my account, Celestia.”

“I wouldn’t worry about that too much, Rarity,” Celestia said, a soft smile on her face. “I think a lot of ponies forget that while I might be an avatar and a princess, at the end of the day, I’m still a mare, and I have needs and desires no different than any other pony.”

Twilight looked at her mentor in stunned silence, then whispered under her breath, “And that’s something that’s going to cause me mental trauma for a while.”

---

Meanwhile, over in Canterlot, a bachelor party played out at a bar.

“You know, isn’t it good to be coming to this bar for a good reason for a change, li’ bro?” Goldie said, a wide grin on her face before she called out, “Hey, Grampus! ‘Nother couple, over here!”

“Lassie, ye’ll drive me outta me own bar, ye will!” the bartending stallion shouted back.

“Don’t worry!” the pegasus shouted to him. “The Crown’s paying for this whole thing anyway!”

“I am?” Shining said, looking at Goldie suspiciously.

“Well, your highness, you were the one who suggested we hold the bachelor shindig here….” she teased. “Besides, do I look like I carry around the kind of cash to pay for all the drinks of our units?”

Shining Armor looked around at the various patrons in the bar. With a few noted exceptions, all of them were composed of guardsponies that knew Silver or members of Silver’s own unit. All of them, happily drinking away and chatting, all glad to take a break and congratulate the stallion on his coming day.

Shining sighed. “Fine, Crown’s paying for this. Maybe I can convince Celestia to write it off as a morale-boosting expenditure,” he mused, knowing that probably wasn’t going to be the case.

“See? And that’s why you’re the best friend a mare could have, Shines,” Goldie said, playfully giving him a peck on the cheek.

“Hey, saw that – you know Princess Cadenza is gonna be jealous!” Wheatstalk teased.

“Would you rather that I kissed you?” Goldie said, batting her lashes. The stallion made a kissy-face in response, and then both laughed at the joke. However, the look in their eyes hinted at something else.

“Hey, you two – it’s Silver’s big show here. You two can plan your own wedding later!” Shining said, embarrassing both ponies. Turning his attention back to the stallion of the hour, he asked, “You ready for this? Just two days from now.”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Silver said. “Been looking forward to this moment for a long, long time.” He drained his mug and said, “Hey, Grampus! Get me another!” Turning back to Shining, he said, “And hey, it’s not like anything’s going to go wrong.”

“You really think so?” Shining said, a smile coming to his lips as he lifted his own mug. “Let’s see: at my wedding, I got mindjacked by the Queen of the Changelings, my own sister thought that everypony – including me – hated her and my fiancée was locked away in a cavern in the underground mines deep below the castle. Celestia got taken out by Chrysalis, Luna’s forces were kept busy until they were overwhelmed, and Twily and the others couldn’t get to their Elements. If it wasn’t for that Power of True Love spell that Cadance used to magnify my anti-changeling barrier, Canterlot would be the biggest hive in history.”

“Yeah, I guess. But look at it this way: Cadance was willing to adjust her wedding plans when all the dust settled. With Rarity, I’m thinking I’m only going to get one chance.”

“Well, I guess we should get you a double, then, huh?” Shining cracked. “Hey, bartender! Make his a double, then give me a double, then give both mine and his to him!”

---

Finally, the day of the blessed event came. By the time Celestia had brought the sun to bear, the stands were already starting to fill with hundreds of ponies and other Equestriani subjects. Dignitaries and nobles, given their own special seating, had yet to arrive, but instead sent servants to reserve the seating for the lower-ranked ones. The delegations from the various countries were ready to make their presentations, and, upon waking up, one recently-married princess felt just a bit out of sorts that her own wedding hadn’t been this big until her husband had assured her that, sadly, she hadn’t seen the initial stages of those lining up for the wedding…and unwittingly being prepared for the assumed slaughter by the changelings. She then nodded and smiled once more, adding her love and blessings to the day – which she’d already intended to anyway.

As they departed the Vicemagal Manor, Paraffin stopped to kiss Twilight briefly before a thought came to mind. “You know what? I’m wondering if all the photographers and scryers are in position.”

“I don’t see why they wouldn’t be,” Twilight replied. “You were clear on what they needed to do, weren’t you?”

“Yeah, but never count out that one pony who thinks he or she’s a hotshot and wants to break the rules just to get that extra edge over his colleagues,” Paraffin laughed. “Maybe I should go doublecheck. Shouldn’t take long, and I’ll meet you at the Excedra.”

“I can get Rainbow or Soarin’ to do it,” she pouted, putting her forelegs around his. Today was a special day, not only because of the wedding, but also because she wanted to introduce him to her family, both birth and extended. They’d been together for a few months now, and she felt the relationship was getting serious.

“Didn’t you say they already had parts in the wedding leading ceremonial guards?” he reminded her and she sighed, knowing he was right. “Don’t worry – it’s why I offered to help. Just meet me at the Excedra and you won’t even know I was gone.” After a quick nuzzle and kiss, he took to the skies, looking at the crowds lined up on the street bleachers for the grand event.

You all have no idea what’s truly in store, Candlewick thought to himself as he spit out that taste of berry lipstick again. Well, you’ll be thanking us soon enough. After a quick fly-through of the city’s parapets, he then winged his way over to the one closest to the Excedra, the one where they would strike a blow for the freedom of all sentient species and to defeat both the Sun Tyrant and the Moon Dictator.

As he landed, Spinnaker was there, carrying a camera and looking almost like just another pegasus excited to be at the event. “Are all the assets in position?” he asked.

She nodded. “Everything’s ready, and Rev’s hiding in a safety cloudbank – one the Weather Service kept on-hand in case of emergencies. When we give the signal, she’ll make her grand appearance.”

“We’re going to have to be quick about it, though. Rainbow Dash will be on them in a heartbeat, and then there’s my little problem.”

“I thought about that. Blackwing is nearly as fast as Rainbow Dash, and if he tackles her mid-air at the right time it will take her out of the running. And as for your little issue….” Spinnaker reached into a sachel with her wings and brought out a small case, which she hoofed over to her brother. “When the time comes, use two of these at once – she’ll likely be prepared for a single one, but two at once should kill her instantly.”

He took the case. “Iocane – nasty stuff,” he said.

“Cloister does good work,” Spinnaker said. “Just…be careful. The sooner we strike our blow, the sooner we can leave and the sooner you and Rev can get back to your lives – we can all get back to our lives. Best of luck, little brother.”

“Yeah,” he said, tucking the case into his tux’s cummerbund. “You too.”

---

“You know, Father, I don’t believe I’ve ever seen you in a tuxedo before, save for pictures,” Rarity told her father. At the moment, Magnum was fiddling with his tie, readying for the special moment.

Magnum’s hoof went to his muzzle, where his mustache had been up until two days ago; Pearl had insisted he shave it since she wanted him to look at his best, and it was a sacrifice he could afford to make. “Well, it’ll grow back someday,” he said to himself, absently.

“I could give you some extensions from my tail,” she teased. “Had to thin it out to fit through the tail slot, and it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done, ahem, ‘mustache repair.’”

“Wouldn’t match with my coat, Rarity,” he replied right back, trying to keep his voice from cracking. There would be time to recollect and focus on all this later; there would be time for him and Pearl to think back. But best to keep on the here and now, especially as the minutes ticked down.

“So, Father, I was thinking,” Rarity began.

“I would hope so, otherwise all this would be for nothing,” he replied gently and as a result got a gentle zap of magic from her horn – gentle being a relative term –in response. “When did you start using combat-level magic?” he asked, rubbing his foreleg.

She merely grinned in reply, but said, “Seriously, though: do you remember when I was just a little filly? Around the time I got my cutie mark; I was about ten or so, and I asked you what you meant when you said I was destined for great things?”

“You’ve asked me that quite a few times, as I recall,” Magnum mused. “I think you would have figured that out by now.”

Rarity pouted slightly and then added, “It was shortly after the trip to Dr. Bluepill’s, after I was recovered from the Badlands. You and I went out for lunch, and I asked you what had happened and you said I was destined for great things?”

Magnum nodded; like everything with his oldest daughter, it was a cherished memory. “Perhaps,” he said in a teasing tone.

She huffed, then smiled softly. “I understand what you mean, now. It’s because I’m your daughter, yours and Mother’s.” She knew he was going to say something, so she waved a forehoof and said, “Please, let me explain. I know you’ve told both me and Sweetie Belle that plenty of times in life; you’ve even mentioned it to Sky and Persian when you’ve seen them. That’s just the stallion you are. But,” she said, nuzzling him gently, “that’s exactly why: I couldn’t be the mare I am without having had the parents that you and Mother are. And I couldn’t be happier.”

“Even now?” he inquired, a smile wide upon his face and eyes misting with the first glint of joyous tears.

“Always, Daddy,” she said softly and genuinely. For a moment, Magnum saw the five-year-old filly she’d been, then blurred through the years into the mare she’d become. That her fame and fortune had far eclipsed his – and he’d admitted to himself a private envy of that at least once – was immaterial. That she was the pride of he and Pearl was the crux.

He offered a foreleg. “Ready?”

She accepted it. “Just as you taught me, Father.”

The pair departed her home, walking down sidewalk down to the carriage which would escort them to the palace where the wedding would commence. Today, Magnum would give his daughter to the bonds of marriage and the stallion she’d loved for the past couple of years. In a sense, he would lose her. But even in loss, there was much to be gained, he told himself.

As they stepped out of the manor, the first thing Rarity saw was her bridesmares, the five of them standing there – her sisters. Dressed in matching gowns – save, again, for Rainbow, who was in her dress uniform – they looked absolutely radiant and nigh perfect. Saying nothing, they all looked at her as one, giving her fond smiles and the unspoken promise that they would speak later. Giving them a quick wave and a mouthed “Thank you!” both she and Magnum got into the carriage, the bridesmaids getting into the following one as well as Rainbow marched over to her unit and, as per practice, barked marching orders as her unit fell into their escort positions around the two carriages.

It was at that point that Rarity felt she was living her own personal fantasy, finally truly coming to pass. As the carriages moved down the road towards the Excedra at a stately pace, ponies began to excitedly point and cheer at the oncoming procession. Others waved flags, and pegasi in the air flew across the path, dropping flower petals and other tokens of well-wishes. Sitting in the center of the open carriage, Rarity couldn’t help but wave to the crowds for her special moment, a moment that could never be topped in her life.

This was just like the dream, like the fantasy she’d had so often in her mind.
But this was better.

Finally, several moments later, as the carriage stopped at the Excedra, Rarity gasped in wonder at the beautiful ancient building. Legend had it that the structure was the last thing remaining from Castle Canteria, the ancient stronghold of the ancien régime of the unicorns, long before the city was rebuilt as Canterlot. In any case, it was a separate building from the main portion of the palace, and tended to be used only for the most formal of ceremonies by the princesses. Under normal circumstances, the ceremony would be held within the Excedra itself as it was for Cadance’s wedding, but due to the much larger crowds and the lack of concern about changeling attacks, the celebration had been moved outdoors.

Upon the temporary podium were the four thrones, arranged with Celestia’s in the center, Luna’s to her right and Cadance’s to the left. Behind them and raised, was a much larger and empty throne; most ponies didn’t understand the tradition, but those in the Royal Family knew it was the symbolic throne for Queen Faust, something Celestia had insisted upon despite the fact it would likely never see use. But now, as the carriage began to pull up to the location where her father would walk her down the red-carpeted aisle to meet her true love, Rarity’s heart skipped a beat.

The others got out first, assuming their positions to the right, with Fluttershy moving into the position of the mare of honor, something they all agreed was appropriate, as she would likely be the next to marry. The alicorns rose from their thrones, stepping forward in their formal regalia; Celestia was clearly playing this for all it was worth, as she didn’t even wear her formal attire while at Cadance’s wedding. Likewise, so did the other two alicorns; thankfully Rarity had redesigned Luna’s attire from the gaudy magenta, yellow and pink nightmare that a previous seamstress had suggested (probably via a prank by Celestia). Shining Armor, as the best stallion, for a change was not in his military uniform, but instead his attire of state as a prince of Equestria. To his left were the other groomsstallions, various friends of Silver’s…and one groomsmare, his sister, Golden Sun.

As Rarity and Magnum walked down the aisle, she took glances at ponies on both sides. On her side, Bon-Bon and Lyra sat, the former crying tears of joy. Next to them were Octavia and her coltfriend Ivory Keys, and then next to them, looking rather sedate for a change, was Vinyl. As they went up the rows, she could see others: the Apples, the Riches, the Pewters, Cheerilee and her coltfriend, and so many other friends and family. On Silver’s side, though she didn’t know as many of them, she could see those she knew: Derpy and her date, Spitfire and her date, and members of his kith and kin.

And in the center of it all, waiting just at the edge of the podium, attired in his dress uniform and wielding Sun’s Blessing at his side, was Silver. With a surety in his step he moved forward to offer her his foreleg. Rarity cried tears of joy, knowing that this was the finest moment of her life, and that she was soon to begin an adventure that held more promise than she could ever hope to have.

“I am trusting you with one of the most precious things in my life,” Magnum said softly to the stallion he faced.

“I am ever honored to have her in my life,” Silver murmured, and in his red eyes shone the glistening of joyous tears as well.

Magnum passed her foreleg to him and as she took Silver’s foreleg, there was a tingle in her body, a feeling that for once in her life, she’d reached perfection. “I love you,” she said to him, a smile on her face.

“And I you,” he said to her. “Shall we go get married?” he asked with a smile, as both moved to the bottom of the podium, where Celestia stood, looking radiant – but not so radiant that she outstripped Rarity, the unicorn noted with a faint smile.

Looking at both briefly, Celestia then spoke to the multitudes, her voice carrying out towards the multitudes below. “Subjects and delegates, dignitaries, nobles and commons, loved ones and friends, sapients and spirits all, we are gathered here to witness the marriage of Ensign Silversteel of the Mithril clan to Rarity, Knight Elemental of Generosity and Duchess Lipizzan, a member of the Royal Family.” She looked at both of them again and quickly whispered, “We’ll get this done quickly, don’t worry.”

Returning her attention to the crowd, she then said the traditional start of the ceremony: “Now, before we begin, I must ask if there is anypony – anybeing out there – who wishes to challenge why these two should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

“I CHALLENGE!”

The voice split the sky, a scream of rage, and Rarity and Silver looked at each other with confusion. That moment was the last moment the calm of the wedding had. Instead, the air was filled with the screams of dozens as the parapets throughout the city exploded in flame, taking down the shield wards. At once, dozens of ponies and gryphons filled the skies above Canterlot.

“We’re under attack!” Silver managed to shout out before a russet blur filled his face and he saw a familiar sight he hadn’t seen in years. “Tiger?”

“I’m sorry, but this is going to hurt,” she said, swinging her wings forward for a point-blank sonic boom that knocked Silver out immediately and threw Rarity back, tearing her gorgeous wedding dress. Summoning thunderheads before her, Revanche snarled, “And now I end you, monster!” firing a blast of lightning towards the stunned unicorn—

—that was instantly dispelled by one very irate princess. “Explain yourself!” she ordered, her voice carrying a commanding tone.

“I do not answer to you, Sun Tyrant,” Revanche snarled, then looking at Luna and Cadance, “Nor to the Moon Dictator or the Lustbringer. I am a free pony and I am here to claim what should be free of your clutches!”

“And what makes you think you have the right to this, my little pony?” Celestia asked calmly, though her voice still carried a regal edge.

“Because if you don’t…the unicorns under my command have the orders to set off bombs we have set throughout the city with the intent to bring this stronghold of evil to its knees,” Revanche said.

“You’re blu—” Shining started to say, but immediately stopped when there was a deep rumble to the east, followed by a black plume of oily smoke climbing into the sky.

“That was an empty warehouse,” Revanche said. “The next one is scheduled to blow up at the Mage Academy.”

“You wouldn’t!” Twilight said, flaring her horn—

—only to be stopped as a voice behind her held two spikes to the side of her face and said, “Don’t, Twilight.”

She knew that voice and she gasped in shock. “Parry?”

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” he told her in an even voice. Turning his head slightly, he told Revanche, “Get going. We’ll handle it here.”

Picking up Silver and hoofing him over to Spinnaker, she looked at Candlewick. “Be careful, my love.”

“I will,” he told her, as Twilight started to shiver, knowing she was being betrayed.

“You’re not going to get away with this,” Celestia stated. “Every guardspony is on the march right now and they’ll stop you.”

In response, Revanche summoned another thunderhead and with a quick flick of her wing, fired a jag of lightning. The bluish-white arc of electricity tore through the sky, impacting against and shattering a brand-new stained glass window that had been installed just yesterday in the palace – one of Rarity and Silver, standing as husband and wife. “You might be able to stop me…but will you be able to stop every bomb? Will you be able to save every life that could be in jeopardy now?”

“Tiger?” Goldie stepped forward, stunned to see a pony she hadn’t seen in ages, one who’d changed so drastically from the foalhood friend she’d been. “Tiger – what’s going on? What happened to you?”

“Goldie!” Though her voice was soft, the sound in Revanche’s voice was that of a mare in utter disbelief as to what she was seeing. “But you…you…!” Rage suddenly formed in her eyes as she turned to face Rarity. “YOU DID THIS!” she screamed at Rarity, who was just recovering from the earlier blow. “YOU NECROMANTIC HARRIDELLE!”

Rarity had no idea what the hell this strange pegasus was going on about, but she didn’t take the bait. “What did you do with my Silver?” she asked, knowing she wasn’t going to like the answer.

“Freeing him from your tyranny, you—” She stopped speaking, as Rarity suddenly charged up her horn, red spellfire encasing the appendage.

“You’ll return my fiancé, if you know what’s good for you,” Rarity snarled, and anger building.

“Oh, no,” Revanche said, suddenly smiling. “No, if you want him back, you’ll play my game, monster. I give you one week to find us. Come alone, or there will be a…penalty.” With a beat of rusty-colored wings, Revanche pulled herself into the air, ready to depart. “It will be just you and me – hoof to hoof. I’ll see you then!”

“Oh no you don’t!” Rainbow snarled as she launched into the air to take the offender down. Instead, she was hit by a black-and-yellow blur as Blackwing moved in to take down his opponent as planned. The two tumbled forward, crashing into a section of the bleachers, scattering innocents caught in the wake of the blow.

“Remember, monster – you have one week.” And with that, Revanche flew off into the distance. And as she did, explosions started to go off throughout Canterlot as the bombs began detonating, giving her a chance to escape. Seconds later, dozens of other pegasi and gryphons, some carrying non-flying species with them, departed as parts of Canterlot gave way to fire and mass hysteria began to set in.

Celestia looked at the attackers as they disappeared into the distance, as a determined look etched onto her face. “Rarity,” she bent down to nuzzle the white pony, “We’ll….” The Princess of the Day suddenly stopped as she saw Rarity, embracing herself, trembling. “Rarity?” she asked, as a spell seemed to be broken and Fluttershy moved to her friend’s side. Nopony else moved, as the rest of them cornered Twilight’s traitorous coltfriend.

“Silver….” Rarity sobbed, watching the shapes in the distance fade away. Wrenching herself free from Fluttershy’s grasp, she fell down the steps, her forehoof lifting as she stretched out symbolically to grasp him. “SILVER!” she screamed uncontrollably. “BRING HIM BACK! BRING BACK MY SILVER!” she roared towards the empty sky as Magnum moved to his daughter’s side in an instant, followed in short by friends and family on Rarity’s brightest day…as it turned into a hellstorm.

---

“She’s coming to….” a voice said, with some relief. Rarity opened her eyes and found her mother sitting next to her on her bed in her manor. As Rarity sat up, Pearl looked at her daughter and said, “How are you feeling?” Rarity didn’t answer – her haunted eyes said everything there was to say. Pearl said nothing more, instead embracing her daughter as Rarity sat there, numb.

After a few minutes, the younger unicorn let go of her mother and said, “Where’s everypony?”

Pearl clucked her tongue against her teeth before speaking. “Your father is out helping with the rescue efforts. The terrorist bombs…they ended up setting them off after they departed…they injured a lot of ponies and….”

“Mother?”

Pearl wiped tears from her eyes. “Cardigan’s daughter, Bramblepatch – she’s in the hospital right now, was caught in some debris from a nearby explosion. “Your apprentice, Diamond, she tried to shield her, but….” She sighed. “Thankfully, nopony was seriously injured that we know of, but….”

Rarity sat up. “What?”

A worried look came over Pearl’s face. “Rarity, you just—”

“No, Mother!” she snarled as she got out of bed. “My day has been ruined!” Rarity rushed to the nearby windows and flung them open, witnessing the damage done to the city she now called home. Fires spread across the whole of the town, and the bleachers and other festoons of her bright day were a distant memory as several of them were carbon-scored from smoke, charred and burnt, or still aflame. Dozens of pegasi filled the air, dragging rainclouds in a line from the local reservoirs and distant Cloudsdale, while flashes of light below indicated unicorns helping.

She knew that Canterlot had paid a heavy price on a wedding day once more, and that the love of her life was now in danger. And suddenly in the back of her mind was the vicious grin of a smiling pegasus as she spoke once more: “No, if you want him back, you’ll play my game, monster. I give you one week to find us.”

“This isn’t over yet,” she spoke to the air, her anger getting the better of her. “Do you hear me, whoever you are?” Rarity’s screams were unheard by a Canterlot that was otherwise occupied with pulling itself free of the hell that had been caused, but she didn’t care. This was between her and the one who dared attempt to thwart her happiness. “This isn’t over yet! IT. IS. ON!”

Comments

[DreadedCandiru2]

Holy shit!! She really does think Goldie died!! I just that she was just confused but.........

[Kage no Brony]

Well.

That escalated quickly.

Also, now Celestia and Luna know there's a rebellion afoot.

Time to go hunting.