• Published 4th Oct 2015
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Of Flame and Shadow - Garuda IV



Dark Flame was a young stallion of the mining village, Stonewall. But after a dragon thought to be of myth attacks, Dark becomes the only survivor and now attempts to remake his life. However, his past isn't willing to let him go so easily.

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Chapter 86- Wedding Planning

With three days before the big day, Dark and Twilight were called by Celestia to help oversee the wedding preparations for their wedding to make sure they were to their liking. Of course, with it being just a few days away, their friends, Spike, Soul, the Crusaders, and Sunset and her group, all decided to come along with them. This also included Fissure and the Dazzlings, seeing as it would be better for the latter to come along than for them to be there at the castle all alone. However, there was one important thing they had to do first.

Before sunrise in Twilight's castle, Twi and the others were in their rooms trying to apply the dye to themselves. It took them all a while, but after an hour, they were all finished and had gathered their things to meet the others in the lobby. The first to show was Twi, with her coat now a midnight-blue, and her mane a lighter shade of purple. She also wore a long blue dress coat to help hide he wings, which also gave her a scholarly look to her. The next was Dash, who now had a sea-green coat and bleach-blond mane, which made Rainbow cringe as she was reminded of a certain brother of one of her friends, who had a job in mane therapy. Next were Pinks with a light-gray coat and a darker-gray mane, and Shy with a light-green coat and yellow mane. And lastly were Rares in a sky-blue coat and silver mane, and AJ, who had her coat dyed yellow, and her mane a light-green, but refused to give up her hat.

While all of them had their coats and manes dyed, they didn't touch their cutie marks, figuring that nopony would bother with them. With everyone now ready, they left the castle and locked it down before they all made their way over to the train station. Once they got there and bought their tickets, they waited at the platform for the train to arrive.

"So, Twi, how are you feeling?" Rarity asked, watching as Twi turned her head back at the clothes she was wearing.

"If you're talking about how I'm feeling in these clothes, then I'm good," Twi happily replied. "It's very soft and comfortable."

"And your wings? Any pinching or discomfort?"

"None whatsoever."

"Good to know."

A few minutes later, their attention was drawn towards the sound of the train approaching. Once it pulled in to a stop and opened its doors, they all began making their way inside. However, before they all made it in, Sunset glanced off to the direction of Canterlot and noticed something strange about it.

"Hey, Twilight?" she called, grabbing Twilight's attention before she boarded.

"Yes, Sunset?"

Sunset pointed a hoof. "What's up with that pink thing surrounding Canterlot?"

Confused, Twilight turned to look at what Sunset was talking about. When she did, she saw that Canterlot was encompassed in a giant pink bubble. Recognizing what it was, Twilight frowned.

"That's Shining Armor's shield spell," she explained, gaining Twi's attention.

"My brother?" Twi asked.

"Technically speaking he's my brother, but yes, that's his doing."

"Wow. He must have a lot of magic if he can pull that off."

"He does, but he hasn't done something like this since his wedding to Cadence."

"Why would he need to shield Canterlot in a barrier that big?" Sunset asked.

"A threat was made at the same time as their wedding," Twilight went to explain. "After they received it, Shining casted a protection spell similar to that one all around Canterlot to prevent them from entering. However, what we didn't know was that they had already infiltrated the city, and replaced Cadence with an imposter. Thankfully, as you can all see, everything turned out good for us in the end."

"You talking about Queen Chrysalis' changeling invasion during Shining's and Cadence's wedding?" Dark asked, having picked up on their conversation.

"Yeah. I just got done telling it to them."

"Okay, but why? Not that it's not an interesting story."

"Because apparently Shining is doing it again right now in Canterlot."

Following the direction Twilight was pointing, Dark soon saw Canterlot off in the distance with a familiar pink barrier around it.

"... huh. How the heck did we miss that? And how long has that been there?"

"Most likely, Princess Celestia is wanting some extra security for the wedding."

Letting it end there, Twilight walked boarded the train with Dark, Sunset, and Twi following after her. With them all seated now in the train cart, the doors closed and the train started to roll out. After a few minutes of waiting for the train to get up to speed, some of them started to move about the cart. Thanks to Spike who packed some board games to play, most of them managed to keep themselves preoccupied while the others opted to just remain seated and watch.

However, thanks to how much fun they were having, they quickly lost track of time, and before they knew it, they phased through a wall of pink. With everyone feeling the tingling sensation running through them, the Equestrians knew that they'd just passed through Shining's barrier and were now entering Canterlot. While Spike, Rainbow, and the Crusaders were all helping packing up the games, Sunset's group looked out the window as they saw the ivory-whites and golds of Canterlot. Awed at the sight of the city, they were all taken by surprise when they felt the train jerk as it slowed to a stop. Collecting themselves, they all got their things and began making their way to the doors and waited for them to open. When they did and passed through them, they were greeted with the sight of dozens of royal guards standing guard all around the place. And there, at the center of the boarding platform, Cadence stood there waiting for them, accompanied by a group of her crystal guards, and some of Celestia's royal guards.

"Cadence!"

Seeing her sister-in-law again, Twilight ran over to her and was greeted with a hug. Once they parted, they both broke into their old greeting dance and shared a laugh.

"It's great to see you again, Twilight," Cadence said before smiling as her eyes drifted downward. "I see that you've gotten a bit bigger since I last saw you."

Knowing what she meant, Twilight looked down to her grown belly and smiled. "Yeah. It has been a while, huh?"

"It has... so?"

"So?"

"Do you know if it's a colt or a filly yet?"

Twilight rubbed her belly with a hoof. "We do, but I think I'll wait to show you and Shiny with mom and dad."

"Oh?"

"I wrote to them before we left, so they want us over for dinner tonight. We'll tell you all then."

"Okay." She then looked past Twilight and saw Dark coming up to them. "So, how's my soon-to-be brother-in-law doing?" she asked with a hug.

"Doing good, Cadence," Dark replied with a hug. "Although, I have to admit that I'm a little nervous."

"About the wedding?" she asked, getting a nod from Dark. "It's perfectly understandable. A week before our wedding, before I got captured of course, Shining was so nervous about it that he tried to busy himself with his job."

While the three of them laughed, they didn't notice that Sunset and Twi had joined them with Spike and Soul. As they came down from their laughter, they took notice. Especially Cadence, as she took a look at Spike and blinked a few times to make sure she wasn't seeing things.

"Spike? Since when did you grow up so big?" Cadence asked in surprise.

"About two months ago," he answered as they began making their way to the castle while the guards accompanying them relieved them of their luggage.

"Did you hear about the three teen dragons that came to Ponyville?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from Cadence.

"Yes, we did. So, it was that long ago huh?"

"Yep," Spike replied.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're finally starting to grow up in body." Cadence paused and smiled when she saw Soul. "And how have you been doing, Soul?"

"I'm doing good," he answered.

"Good. So, are you excited for the wedding too?"

Soul nodded vigorously. "Yeah. I can't wait for it!"

"Neither can we," Cadence chuckled before noticing the others. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your names."

"Oh... right, sorry about that," Sunset said before she cleared her throat. "My name is Sunset Shimmer, and these are my friends and fillyfriend."

Cadence tapped her chin in thought. "Sunset Shimmer... hmmm... where have I heard that name before...?"

"Remember when I went through the mirror into that other world to get my crown?" Twilight reminded her.

"Oh, right! She's the one that stole your crown, who you later befriended."

Sunset rubbed the back of her head. "Yeeaahhh. Not one of my proudest moments."

"That's fine. Everything turned out alright in the end. By the way, it's nice to finally meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too, Princess."

"Please, just Cadence. By the way, who are your friends? They look... familiar."

"I would hope so. After all, they're my world's version of Twilight and her friends."

Cadence blinked before turning to Twilight. "Really?"

"She's right," Twilight confirmed. "All six of them are me and my friends."

Hearing that, Cadence took a moment to look over the six ponies. While it was clear that they didn't share any of their coat or mane and tail colors, what they did have were their eyes and cutie marks. As Cadence continued to look them over and began also noticing their manestyles and posture, her eyes soon came into contact with another pair, one who was looking at her with a scrutinizing eye. And while Cadence didn't recognize the mane and coat colors, the eyes and cutie mark gave her away.

"Tw-Twilight?" Cadence unsurely asked.

"... this is so weird," she muttered, just loud enough for them to hear her.

Cadence looked back to Twilight, then back to Twi. "Yeah, it kinda is. Umm, why are you like that?"

"Like what?"

"I mean, why do you and the others all have different colors if you're all duplicates?"

"Did you want copies of all of us around Canterlot?" Twilight skeptically asked. "Because if we did, then ponies might mistake them as changelings in disguise and think that there's gonna be another invasion."

"Good point," Cadence admitted before looking back at Twi. "So then, are you an alicorn too?"

Twi motioned back to her clothes. "Yeah. It's pretty much the reason why I'm wearing this."

"Makes sense. After all, it's easier to hide wings beneath some clothes than it is to hide a horn. Yes, you can wear a hat over it, but it's really uncomfortable and awkward."

"Speaking of uncomfortable and awkward," Dark began, motioning towards the castle gates where he saw Shining standing with Night and Velvet.

Upon seeing them approaching, Velvet ran over to Twilight and embraced her in a motherly hug.

"Oooh. It's so good to see you again, sweetie," she gushed.

"You too, mom," Twilight smiled.

After remaining like that for a few minutes, Velvet broke their hug and whipped her eye from a few stray tears.

"I can't believe that my little filly has grown up and is finally getting married. It seems like only yesterday when I would read you bedtime stories to help you fall asleep. You remember that?"

"Yes, mom, I remember. And I'll be sure to do the same for my little one."

Glancing to Twilight's side, Velvet noticed her that her belly had a bulge to it. Seeing Twilight's baby bump for the first time, Velvet felt a new wave of tears coming on, but was able to hold them back for now. Instead, Velvet cleared her throat and went over to Dark, who stood quietly and patiently by Twilight's side. Soon as she was close enough, she pulled him into a hug.

"And how's my future son-in-law doing?"

"Excited, mom," Dark replied with a chuckle.

"I would think so," Night said as he and Shining approached them, the latter of the two going to embracing Twilight. "After all, it's not everyday that somepony gets married. Hay, some even don't even get to have one."

"And to think, if it wasn't for Twilight, then I would be one of them."

"Darn right, so you better treat my little filly well, or else."

"Oh, Night, lighten up already," Velvet chided before she gave Dark a motherly kiss on his cheek and turned on Night. "After all, in a few days, he'll officially be apart of our family."

"Speaking of 'apart of our family'," Twilight began, "where's Skyla?"

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are looking after her while we came to meet you," Shining answered. "She's been looking forward to see her Aunt Twilight and Uncle Dark again."

"Okay, but if you were all here to meet us, then why didn't you come to the train station with Cadence?"

"Because we were busy, sweetie," Velvet replied.

"Yeah, but enough standing out here. Let's go inside and get you all settled in." Taking lead, Shining was about to lead them in until he noticed that one of them wasn't moving. Looking at her curiously, Shining walked up to her and poked her with a hoof, getting no response in return. "Hey, is she alright?"

Turning to look, Sunset walked up to Twi and waved a hoof in front of her frozen face. Getting no response either, she then poked Twi's side and caused her to tip over. Thinking fast, Sunset caught Twi with her magic and deposited her on her back.

"Looks like she fainted," she told them with a sigh. "I suppose that seeing the pony-versions of her brother and parents, and the news about Twilight being an aunt, was just too much for her mind to handle right now."

"Sorry, but what's going on with the poor dear?" Velvet asked, getting a weak chuckle from Twilight.

"Well, you see, mom.... okay, it's like this..."


In the newly refurbished nursery, Celestia and Luna were watching Skyla as she played with a set of wooden blocks.

"Why didn't we do this sooner?" Luna wondered.

"Do what, Luna?" Celestia questioned.

Luna gestured around the room with a hoof. "This. Why didn't we refurbish this room sooner?"

"Well now, it's not exactly like we needed it before now."

"If we did, then perhaps Cadence and Shining Armor would have brought young Skyla over more."

"Maybe, but with their parents living so close, I think that they'd prefer them to us, which I understand. After all, they're their parents."

"True, but I still find it enjoyable taking care of her." Luna smiled in amusement when Skyla knocked her block tower over and started laughing. "Hey, Tia?"

Turning to her sister, Celestia saw a softer look on Luna's face. "Yes?"

"... have you ever perhaps thought of finding a nice stallion and settling down?"

This wasn't something that Celestia had expected to hear. Granted it was a topic they'd talked about, but not since before Luna's banishment. Clearing her throat, Celestia collected herself before answering.

"I'll admit that the thought has crossed my mind a few times," she admitted.

"Then why not act on them?" Luna questioned. "After all, as a Princess of Equestria, it shouldn't be too hard to find somepony for you."

"It's precisely for that reason that I chose not to."

"Pardon?"

"We are princesses, Luna. Or, to be more precise, alicorns. So if I were to find a nice stallion to settle down with, then most likely, I'll end up outliving him and have to watch him slowly die of old age."

Luna's ears wilted. "I see... and now I'm starting to wonder about Cadence and Shining Armor."

Celestia smiled. "With the magical progressions being made, I'm sure something will come up. But, until such a spell is found, I'll just sit back and wait. After all, I've waited a long time already, so what's another thousand years or so?"

"If you say so."

Celestia maintained her smile before it turn into a smirk. "Although..."

"Hmm?"

"Just because I may not be seeking a relationship, doesn't mean that you can't."

Luna turned away from Celestia to hide her blush. "Wh-What dost thou speak of?"

"Don't try playing innocent with me, Lulu," Celestia teased. "I saw the look on your face when Craven burst through those doors. You like him, don't you."

Luna snapped back at Celestia with her face a deep crimson. "I do not!"

Celestia gave her a half-lidded smirk. "You were starting to drool, dear sister."

Unwilling to continue this, Luna let out a "Hmph" and looked away from her sister, and back to Skyla, who stopped playing and was not giggling at Luna.

"By the way," Celestia continued, "how is he anyway?"

Luna looked back to her with an appalled look. "Are you suggesting that he and I-"

"Oh, no. Sorry, Luna. That's not what I meant by that. What I meant to ask was how he's been since he arrived here?"

Luna felt herself calming down a bit, along with the heat in her face. "He's been rooming at the Coliseum."

"Oh?"

"Turns out that he's finding himself rather at home working there as their newest gladiator."

"I see. He hasn't been causing any trouble, has he?"

"Not really. He's caused some injuries during his matches, but that's to be expected of that place. Other than that, I wouldn't be surprised if he would take a shot at Dark's title soon."

"Really?"

Luna shrugged. "I've seen him fight in a few of his matches. He's both brutal and graceful with those weapons of his. And that moustache," she finished with a shudder.

Celestia was about to comment on Luna, but before she could, her ears perked up at the sound of multiple hoofsteps approaching. As they got close, she began to pick out the voices that accompanied them and smiled.

"Sounds like they're here," she announced. "Oh, and don't worry, Luna. I won't tell them about your secret crush... maybe."

"He's not my crush," Luna said through clenched teeth.

Smiling innocently, Celestia picked up Skyla and sat her on her back. Moments later, the door opened to Shining, Cadence, Night, Velvet, Twilight, Dark, and their friends, minus Sunset and Twi, the former of whom decided to stay back in their room and watch over her. Seeing them walking in, Skyla flew off of Celestia's back and went straight for Twilight, who caught her in her magic before beginning to nuzzle her.

"Twala!" Skyla happily squealed.

"Hello, Skyla," Twilight returned with a kiss on her cheek, causing the young foal to giggle.

"She's missed you guys a lot," Celestia told them with a smile.

"So I've heard."

Feeling like she'd gotten enough love and attention from her aunt, Skyla looked to her side. When she did, she escaped Twilight's magical grasp, flew over to Dark, and latched herself onto his face.

"Dar!"

Standing there, Dark remained still and chuckled as he let the little filly nuzzle his face.

"You're gonna make this a habit for greeting me, aren't you?" he asked, getting a happy squee from her in response.

Hearing the cooing and giggling from behind him, Dark rolled his eyes in good nature and used his magic to gently pry Skyla off of his face. Without giving her any time to fuss over being removed, Dark began to nuzzle against Skyla, eliciting a pleased coo from her. That was, until she started squealing in laughter as Dark suddenly started blowing raspberries against her tummy. Hearing the laughter coming from her and everypony around him, Dark ceased his cute assault and waited for her to calm down.

"Just remember," he playfully warned, "if you're going to keep latching onto my face that, then I'm going to keep blowing on your tummy, okay?"

Seemingly unfazed by his warning, Skyla laughed and reached her hooves out for him again. Sighing, Dark lowered his head and allowed for her to get ahold of him again before she started to crawl up his head and sit herself behind his horn. As she got herself comfortable and squealed in delight, the sounds of snickering could be heard.

"Heheh. Nice hat you got there, Dark," Dash teased before sharing a hoof bump with Rainbow.

"I think it's really sweet and adorable," Shy commented.

"Does this happen often?" Rares asked.

"Pretty much every time," Cadence answered, taking Skyla off of Dark's head and placing her on her back with a nuzzle.

Taking this moment, Celestia walked up to Twilight and shared a hug with her.

"It's good to see you again, Twilight."

"You too, Princess," Twilight replied with a small nuzzle.

"How are you feeling? Any pre-wedding jitters?"

"If by that you're asking if I'm nervous, then I am. But, I'm really more excited than I am nervous."

"Good to hear. I know that a lot of ponies are looking forward to this wedding."

"And a few who have some complaints about it," Shining added with a snort of annoyance.

"While that may be true," Luna began, "they won't be attending, so there'll be no need to concern ourselves with them."

"Speaking of ponies who'll be attending," Celestia spoke, looking over the unfamiliar ponies, "I don't believe that I've seen any of you before. Tell me, Twilight, are they new friends of yours?"

Twilight looked back at her friends in disguise. "Oops. Sorry, Princess, I didn't tell you."

"Tell me what?"

"You see, I invited my friends from the human world over to the wedding as well. However, we didn't want for everypony to see that there are two of us here, so they dyed their coats and manes."

"Okay, but if they're all your friends, then what about Sunset and your other self? Did they not come as well?"

"Twi kinda fainted when she saw mom, dad, and Shining, and heard about Skyla being my niece. She's currently resting in her room, and Sunset is there watching over her."

Celestia smiled softly. "I see. In that case, I'll let them rest for now."

Twilight nodded before she and the others began to follow Celestia and Luna out of the nursery.

"She said that she's looking forward to seeing you again, and is hoping to spend some lost time with you, Princess," Twilight told her.

"I would be more than happy to have her with me, Twilight," Celestia warmly replied. "Oh, and her fillyfriend too if she wishes."

"I'm sure they'd like that."

Continuing their way down the halls, Luna looked back to Rarity as she trailed behind her.

"Before I forget," she began, "Rarity, I am pleased to inform you that the wedding clothes you've prepared have all arrived safely and are in the tailoring room."

"Oh. Well, thank you, Princess," Rarity thanked. "I shall get started on them later today."

"Very well. Also, while you're working on them, you'll also have our royal tailors there to assist you however you see fit. Considering that this was your project to begin with, you'll be taking the lead on this, and the others will follow you."

Rarity gave a polite bow. "Thank you for this, Princess Luna. I promise, I won't disappoint you with the dresses I've made."

Dark glanced at Rarity. "What about the suits?"

"Yes, the suits too."

Entering the dining hall for some lunch, they each took a seat at the table with Celestia and Luna sitting at the head. With everyone seated, the kitchen staff brought out their meals.

"So, what's on everypony's agenda for today?" Celestia asked. "After all, the final preparations for the wedding won't need to be covered until tomorrow."

Before any of them could answer, the doors opened up to Sunset and Twi. Seeing them walk in, most of them got up to see how Twi was feeling, but were assured by her that she was alright and just needed some time to take that information in was all. Letting them be, they returned to their seats before Celestia walked up to the two of them.

"They told me what happened," she explained. "How are you feeling?"

"Better I suppose," Twi groggily replied.

"Well, if there's anything that you need, just say."

"Thank you, but I'll be alright. It was just a little too much for me to take in was all."

Celestia nodded before turning to Sunset with a nuzzle. "And how are you doing, Sunset?"

"I'm doing good, Princess, than you," Sunset replied with a nuzzle of her own.

"Twilight told me that you were hoping to spend some time with me?"

Sunset briefly shot a surprised look at Twilight. "She did?"

"Yes, and I must say that I would like that."

"Really?" he hopefully asked.

"Yes. It'll be just like old times. Of course, if you want, you can bring your lovely fillyfriend along."

Not bothering to wait for a response, Celestia turned around to return to her seat. Knowing how embarrassed they were, she hid the small smirk that was starting to form on her lips as she and the others took their seats.

"Now then," she continued, "what was it that everypony was planning for today again?"

"We were thinking of going over to mom and dad's place and spend some time with them, Shining, Cadence, and Skyla," Twilight answered.

"I'm going to be busy finishing those outfits," Rarity replied.

"But I thought that they were finished?" Flutters said.

"For the most part. There are a few last things that I want to add onto them to make them all worthy of a Canterlot wedding."

"Would you like some help with them?"

"Thank you, darling, but I'll be perfectly fine. After all, thank to Princess Luna, I'll have all the help I'll need, should I need it."

Celestia nodded. "And the rest of you?"

"Actually, Princess," Sunset nervously spoke with a raised hoof, waiting until Celestia nodded for her to continue, "while I'm looking forward to our time together, I was kinda hoping that maybe I could see Canterlot first? You know, see what all has changed since I was last here."

"Actually, if it's alright, I wouldn't mind having a look around this marvelous city either," Rares voiced.

"I suppose my sisters and I wouldn't mind coming along as well," Adagio replied for them.

Hearing the others from across the portal agreeing with them, Celestia nodded. "In that case, Luna and I shall have a group of guards accompany you during your tour of the city."

"Thank you, Princess," Sunset thanked.

"But who'll be our guide?" Twi questioned. "I mean, I know that you used to live here, Sunset, but that was a while ago."

"Yeah. There was a lot that I didn't recognize just from our walk from the train station."

"In that case, perhaps I shall show you all around," Luna offered, getting a surprised look from them and Celestia.

"Are you sure that you don't want to retire for the day before night comes?" Celestia asked.

"I am, sister. Besides, it's been a while since I've toured Canterlot during the day."

"Thank you for doing this for us, Princess Luna," Sunset thanked.

"It is of no problem. Now, let us finish our meal and be off. There's plenty to see around Canterlot, especially the Canterlot Coliseum."

Celestia's lips turned into a mischievous smirk. "Are you sure you don't want to go there just to see-"

"I swear, Tia, I will have the night staff cut you off from your midnight cake if you finish that sentence."

"... never mind."


Later after they all finished their lunch together, Night and Velvet led their family over to their place to catch up and spend some family time together, including Dark, Soul, and Spike. While Spike wanted to remain in the castle with the Crusaders, the three fillies convinced him to go ahead and spend some time with his family.

Now inside Night and Velvet's house, they were all sitting around the living room as their conversation turned away from Dark and Twilight's wedding, to their foal. Some time after the subject was brought up, Twilight remembered something that she had packed away in her bags. Excusing herself for a moment, Twilight went up to her old bedroom and fished through her bag until she found what she was looking for. With it in her magical hold, she went back down to rejoin the others before levitating the item over to Velvet and Night. Taking her seat on the couch by Dark, Twilight smiled when she heard Velvet gasp from seeing the ultrasound scan of their growing foal.

"Oh, Twilight, it's beautiful," she said with a sniffle.

"Yes, she is," Twilight agreed.

"You mean you're having a filly?" Night asked.

"Yes, dad, we are."

Handing the photo to Night, Velvet got up from her seat and walked over to Twilight and Dark before wrapping them up in a hug.

"I'm so happy for you two."

"So are we, mom," Dark smiled.

While they were having their moment, Night levitated the photo to Shining and Cadence, who were sharing the love couch.

"She doesn't exactly look like a pony," Cadence noted.

"That's because she's a kirin. As you can see, she'll have a horn and feathered wings."

"Yeah, I can see that now," Shining said nodding.

Cadence glanced to him curiously. "What about your grudge with kirins?"

Shining sighed and shook his head. "She's gonna be my niece, so I can't really complain about it. Besides, after Aero, Fissure, and I found out that those kirins that I killed were all influenced by the same thing that corrupted Sombra, I've been reflecting on how I saw them. If they weren't like that before that thing got to them, then perhaps they weren't all that different from what we ponies are. Well, minus the obvious of course."

"I understand, Shiny."

"So, what now?" Twilight asked.

Shining looked at Twilight with a mixed look of regret and pride. "I've already had word sent out to our neighboring nations. If there are any kirins scattered around, then the Crystal Empire will give them a safe place to live if they chose to."

Dark looked at Shining in surprise. "Really?"

Shining nodded. "They may have been responsible for killing my squadmates and Silica, but in the end, they were innocent kirins who were being influenced by a powerful evil. I may not be able to take back what I did to them, but I can still help those that are still around... that is, if there are even any more kirins left."

Glad of him, Cadence began to affectionately nuzzle Shining. "I'm really proud of you, Shiny. And you won't be alone in this. I'll be right there with you if this should work."

"Thanks, Cadence," Shining sighed in relief before nuzzling her back. "That really means a lot to me."


The next day was busy for everyone. With the wedding in just two days, ponies were working on trying to finish everything that there was in time. While Pinkie worked on the decorations and final arrangements for the wedding and reception, Rarity continued on some last-minute adjustments to the dresses and suits, along with Flutters, by her insistence. Applejack was busy coordinating the kitchen staff on what to make, and in some cases, how to make it. With them busy, Night and Velvet had Spike, Soul, and the Crusaders over to keep an eye on them while the adults were busy.

While they were all doing that, Twilight and Dark went through the castle to check in on the wedding preparations together, along with checking in with both the castle staff and the guards. They also visited each of their friends and were perfectly content with what they all had going on, just as they figured. However, during their checks, they couldn't find any trace of Shining, Cadence, Rainbow, Sunset, their human friends, or the Dazzlings. They even with to Celestia to ask if she'd seen any of them. As it turned out, she did know where they were, but wasn't going to tell them and instead gave them this look as if she was trying to hide something from them. Getting nowhere with Celestia, Twilight and Dark thanked her before they left to continue their checks.

The following day, the eve of the wedding, felt extra long as the excitement and anxiousness started getting to them. However, even so, there was still plenty to do. By the time they were done with the final checks on the wedding preparations, and going through the wedding rehearsal, it was already almost sunset.

With the sun ready to set, and everything in preparation for tomorrow finished, Dark and Twilight stood on the balcony to their room in the castle, silently enjoying the sight in silence before there was a knock on their door.

"Yes?" Twilight called.

"Yo, Twilight," Rainbow called, "mind if I come in?"

Hearing her friend, Twilight used her magic to open the door and let her rainbow-maned friend in.

"Hey, Rainbow. Where have you been lately? We were looking for you and the other girls yesterday and today, but we couldn't find any of you, and Princess Celestia wouldn't tell us."

Rainbow snickered. "Actually, that's why I'm here, Twilight. Me and the girls are waiting for you in the ball room."

Twilight gave Rainbow a curious look. "The ball room? Why?"

"You'll just have to wait and find out."

Not wanting to say anymore, Rainbow waved for them to follow her and began leading Twilight and Dark down the hallways. Remembering the directions, they managed to arrive within a few minutes. When they did, though, Shining was standing in front of the door, but he wasn't alone. Along with Shining were Discord, Anvil, Iron Guard, Steel Hoof, Kite Shield, Big Mac, First Strike, Fissure, Night, and...

"Wait. Pyre? What are you all doing here?" Dark said in surprise.

"We found the materials we needed to contact mother and father," Pyre went to explain. "So, since we got done quicker than we thought, we figured that we'd come and stay for your wedding tomorrow. But, Aero, Aques, and I will need to go right after the wedding is over with."

"That's great to hear, Pyre," Dark began as he looked over the other males," but what are the rest of you doing here?"

"We're here for you, Dark," Shining answered for them, getting a nod of agreement from each of them.

"Okay, but what for?"

Night walked up to Dark and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Son, we're here to take you to the Crystal Empire to celebrate your last day as a free stallion."

Author's Note:

Sorry this one took so long, but besides having my own version of Zephyr Breeze to deal with, there was also Thanksgiving. Anyway, hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.:pinkiehappy:

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