Halfling

by Dee Pad

Epilouge Part 4: Whole

Halfling
By Dee Pad
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Epilogue Part 4: Whole

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Winter looked herself over in the mirror, turning her head to the right, then to the left. Her ivory coat was shining like snow in the midday sun, and her crimson mane looked as though it had been pulled straight off the top layer of a rainbow. She didn't typically overdo it with beauty products, but the stuff that Rarity had offered her was clearly doing work. She was almost worried that she was going to blind everypony with how radiant she looked.

But by far the most noteworthy aspect of Winter's face right now was the smile across her lips. She'd been grinning ear to ear since she had awoken that morning. She was actually a little concerned that her persistent smile was going to cause permanent damage to her cheekbones, but she just couldn't stop herself; she was just too elated to not smile.

Because today was her wedding day.

Rarity stepped up beside Winter, looking at the pegasus's reflection as well. "You look positively stunning, darling! Just imagine how good you'll look when you put on your dress."

Winter could barely contain her excitement. She'd worn the dress a couple of times already, but only to help Rarity and Chamella while they were working on it. Today was the real deal. After she put it on today, she was going to get married.

The bride-to-be stepped away from the mirror, taking a deep breath to steady herself. Rarity—as well as three of Winter's four bridesmaids: Chamella, Derpy, and Autumn—watched as the mare started pacing circles around the living room of the Apple family's farmhouse, where they were preparing for the ceremony. But despite her seemingly nervous behavior, once more, the smile never left her face.

"Getting anxious, sweetie?" Winter's mother inferred.

"Sorry," Winter said with no attempt to suppress her glee. "But I just can't sit still! I'm too excited!" she exclaimed with a giddy hop.

Autumn nodded with a giggle. "I know just how you feel. I was pretty much the same way on my wedding day."

"I guess it's just a matter of time now," said Chamella. She looked out the window of the farmhouse, from where the alter that Applejack and Big Macintosh had built for the wedding was visible. The changeling noted that a rather large crowd had already begun to populate the area, taking up seats on the many folding chairs lined up on the grassy meadow. She could even clearly see Princess Celestia and Princess Luna amongst the other ponies. "There's a lot of people out there. And they just keep coming."

"You'd think the bride would be more nervous than the maid of honor," Rarity commented with a chuckle, noting Chamella's apprehensive tone.

Derpy walked up alongside Chamella, squinting to focus her vision on the crowd outside. She took notice of several ponies with cameras, some of which were speaking with Shade and the princesses near the alter. "From the looks of it, there are a lot of news ponies here, too."

Winter gave a simple, dismissive shrug. "Well, it's not like we weren't expecting that. We'll just have to deal with it."

"I'd imagine they're more interested in Shade and Chamella than anything else anyway," Rarity added. "Besides, if they get too pushy, we have royalty here to keep them in line. There are certainly benefits to having Canterlot's most elite attend your wedding. Oh, speaking of which, have you and Shade discussed where you'll be going for your honeymoon? Canterlot would certainly be a scenic locale."

Winter nodded with a grin. "We talked about a few places, Canterlot being one. I even thought about Las Pegasus."

"Oh, how exciting," Rarity remarked, though she looked unsure about the choice. "Although, I wouldn't exactly say that Las Pegasus is synonymous with romance. Excitement and thrills, most definitely, but perhaps not somewhere I'd see people going for a quiet and intimate trip."

"I only thought of it because it was the place Shade pretended to be from when we first met him," Winter elaborated. "I just thought it might be interesting for him to see it for himself. Not really a great reason to honeymoon there, but maybe we'll go there eventually."

"So where did you decide to go?" asked Derpy.

"Cloudsdale."

Derpy and Rarity both exchanged puzzled looks. The unicorn voiced her confusion. "Well, no offense to your hometown, but I wouldn't quite call it exotic, particularly because it's so close to Ponyville.

"Yeah, you can literally see Cloudsdale from Ponyville," Derpy said, pointing a hoof out the window.

"Plus, as I said, it's your hometown," Rarity continued. "Wouldn't you rather go someplace you've never been before?"

"Actually, it's more about Shade," Winter answered. "And Shade's never been to Cloudsdale. I figured it'd be nice to show him the place where I grew up. After all, I've been to the Changeling Kingdom twice; I think it's time he visit my home."

"And it's just convenient," Autumn interjected. "While they're out enjoying their romantic getaway, they can leave Snowflake with his grandparents."

Derpy tilted her head, a thought coming to mind. "Come to think of it, can Snowflake even walk on clouds? I mean, he has wings, but changelings can't walk on clouds, right?"

"Dad was pretty quick to put that to the test shortly after he was born," Winter clarified. "He can walk on clouds. I guess being half pegasus is good enough. But Shade'll need a cloud walking spell before we go."

"Well, it wouldn't be my first choice—again, no offense—but as long as you two enjoy yourselves, I suppose it'll be lovely either way," said Rarity.

At that moment, the front door of the farmhouse opened up and Twilight Sparkle entered to join the rest of the bridesmaids. However, she was not alone. Following close behind her was another alicorn, but not Celestia or Luna. It was Princess Cadance, her pristine, pink coat garbed in a fancy, blue dress. Her long mane of pink, purple and creamy white streaks was just as well maintained and silky smooth as Winter's was, if not more so, and topped with her golden crown.

Winter let out a surprised and elated gasp upon seeing the princess of the Crystal Empire. "Princess Cadance! I-I wasn't expecting you to be here. It's an honor."

"Twilight invited us," Cadance explained.

"Sorry I didn't ask first," Twilight apologized to Winter.

The pegasus shook her head fervently. "No, no, it's fine. This is amazing actually! Now my wedding is going to have all of the alicorn princesses in attendance! How crazy is this?!"

Cadance giggled in amusement at the other mare's child-like excitement. "Well, we were thinking that it might be a good idea for us to come. You know, given our history with the changelings. We thought it would be a nice gesture of good will and help people who might still be on the fence about you guys become a little more accepting."

"I'd certainly appreciate that," Chamella said with a bashful grin.

"And, to be honest, I've been curious ever since I heard that you and Shade were having a baby, so I've been looking for an excuse to come out here and see him," Cadance added.

"Have you seen him yet?" Autumn asked her.

The pink alicorn nodded. "We were just talking to Shade and got a chance to meet the little guy. And I must say, he is just too adorable," she laughed.

"Quite true," Rarity agreed with a giggle of her own. "So where is Shining Armor, then?"

"He's still talking to Shade and my aunts," Cadance responded with a tilt of her head in their general direction. "Speaking of which, I should probably get out of your way; you look like you're in the middle of getting ready. I just wanted to give you well wishes before the ceremony."

"Thank you, Your Highness. And you're free to stick around if you want," Winter told her.

The alicorn smiled amicably. "I appreciate the offer, but I just need to see Snowflake's cute, little face again. I'll leave you girls to it."

Cadance gave a friendly wave as she ended her brief visit and stepped outside again. The other mares bid her a temporary farewell as Twilight closed the door for her. The lavender alicorn then turned to the group with an eager grin.

"Now then, the ceremony'll be starting shortly. So, shall we get our dresses on, ladies?"

"Oh, actually, I want you to do me a favor first, Twilight," Winter requested. She made a brief trip into the farmhouse's kitchen, returning with a thin case lined with black velvet, and held it out to the alicorn. "I just want you to hold onto this for now."

Twilight raised a curious eyebrow. It was clearly a jewelry case, and was adorned with a large capitol "K" written in elegant cursive. "What's this?"

"It's something I want to give Shade. I'll let you know when I need it, okay?"

Although intrigued by what may be inside, Twilight pushed back her nosiness; if Winter wanted to tell her what it was, she probably would have. She gave Winter a friendly smile. "Sure thing." She then whisked it away with her magic, the case disappearing in a flash of pink.

Winter gave Twilight a grateful grin, then turned to the rest of her bridesmaids and Rarity. "Great! Then let's do this thing!"

***** ***** *****

The area around the alter was buzzing with activity as countless ponies were trying to find seats, or simply conversing about this historical event that they were attending. Winter had specified that, since Shade didn't really have any family outside of Chamella, there would be plenty of room to seat anypony who was interested in coming. And come they did. There were not only residents of Ponyville in attendance, but many people from out of town as well. Whether it was the pony-changeling wedding, or the presence of Equestria's princesses that attracted the crowd was debatable, though it was most likely a combination of both.

Shade had already been approached by many awestruck citizens; some of them excited to meet a friendly changeling, while others appeared to still be somewhat wary, but he was doing his best to be welcoming. Included amongst the guests were also many of Winter's relatives that had come from Cloudsdale. Shade had quickly become the center of attention within their circle, which was to be expected considering that he was about to become a part of that circle. That being said, the number of unfamiliar out-of-towners was definitely bigger than those of Winter's relatives. This wedding was starting to look as though it was a public affair as opposed to a family gathering as weddings more often were.

To accentuate that, there were a number of reporters and photographers present, as well. Shade had been dealing with them all day, having been bombarded with question after question and blinded by countless camera flashes. The only reason he was able to get any respite was due to the presence of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna; although that may have both been because of their natural authority and distracting the reporters who had questions for them, too.

Shade looked out over the crowd again from his elevated position at the alter. He was looking forward to this wedding almost as much as Winter was—or perhaps "almost" was relative in this case—but seeing all of these unfamiliar faces was admittedly making him a touch nervous. The last time he had been around such a large group of strange ponies was when they had been invited to the Grand Galloping Gala; that was over a year ago, and he was wearing a disguise back then. Shade couldn't help but notice that every time he looked out toward the crowd, it always seemed like there were several people staring back at him. Most of them would look away immediately upon meeting the changeling's gaze, though Shade couldn't tell if that was out of embarrassment of being caught staring, or because they were weirded out by him.

"Getting cold hooves?"

Shade turned his head to find Daily Scoop walking up the steps to the alter. He raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What?"

"Cold hooves," the journalist repeated. "As in, having second thoughts about this whole wedding thing. It can be stressful, I know. It's not uncommon for somepony to feel the anxiety hit a boil on the big day."

Shade let out a sigh, shaking his head. "No, it's nothing like that. I just... get a little uneasy in front of crowds."

Daily followed Shade's gaze over the large group of ponies, then back to the changeling, who was awkwardly adjusting the blindingly white bow tie of his blindingly white suit. "I guess that makes sense for a shapeshifter. Or former shapeshifter. Or whatever sounds least offensive. By the way, you haven't been talking to any of those other so-called 'journalists,' have you? This story's supposed to be my big exclusive."

"I haven't really had time to talk to them, especially when they're all asking me questions at the same time. Thankfully the princesses are here to play interference."

"That's for the best," Daily claimed, casting the stink eye at a few reporters who happened to be looking in their direction. "They're vultures, the lot of 'em."

Shade shrugged dismissively. "Well, I'm gonna try to ignore them for as long as I can anyway." A small smile spread across his lips, looking much more even now that his left fang had grown back. "I want to focus on Winter and me. That's what this is all about."

Daily couldn't help but smirk. "You're a real romantic, aren't you? I can see why she likes you so much."

The changeling blushed slightly. Trying to ignore the comment, Shade glanced over his shoulder to look behind him. Further back on the wooden platform of the alter was Nimbus holding baby Snowflake while he spoke with both Princess Luna and Shining Armor. The pegasus stallion was dressed up in a tuxedo of his own, though the traditional black as opposed to Shade's bright white tux. The baby colt in his hooves was also dressed for the occasion, though due to difficulties getting the rambunctious tyke into a pint-sized suit, he only wore a tiny, red bow tie around his neck. Luna was wearing a rather elegant, dark purple dress; with the starry pattern around the hem, it resembled the sky at dusk, matching her midnight blue mane and tail quite well. Shining Armor's outfit was the same red, decorated military uniform that Shade had seen him wear when they last met at the Grand Galloping Gala; Shade assumed it must have been something that Canterlot's soldiers wore at special events.

Shade had already been chatting with both Shining Armor and Princess Cadance earlier before the latter left with Twilight to go see Winter. They both seemed to take quite an interest in Snowflake, but Shade couldn't help but feel like there was more reason for their enthusiasm than just the fact he was a half-breed, but Shade didn't think much of it. He was happy to see them here, though, and they both agreed that it would be good for relations if they attended.

Wanting to take his mind off the crowd until the wedding began, Shade approached Nimbus, Shining Armor, and Luna. Taking notice, the alicorn gave Shade a smile.

"I trust you are excited, Shade," Luna inferred enthusiastically.

The changeling nodded. "A little apprehensive about the size of our audience, but yeah."

Shining Armor chuckled. "If you think this is a big crowd, you should've seen our wedding."

"I did," Shade deadpanned.

"Oh... Uh, right." The unicorn awkwardly cleared his throat. "I just meant that the size of this crowd is like a small dinner party compared to our wedding. Even barring the, you know... other 'guests.' No offense."

Shade let out a quiet, regretful sigh. "I don't think I'm in much of a position to take offense."

Shining Armor could sense yet another apology incoming, so he raised his hoof to interrupt. "You need to stop beating yourself up over that. Water under the bridge, right?"

Shade gave him a grateful grin. "Right. So how did you deal with your wedding jitters?"

"Jitters?" Shining Armor turned his gaze up as he thought about the question. "I don't really think I had any jitters. I guess after being brainwashed by a changeling queen and the whole city having to deal with an invasion, getting married was more of a relief from the stress. So, I guess I can't really help much in that department. You know, unless Chrysalis decides to crash your wedding, too."

"I'd rather she didn't," Shade chuckled. "Though she did help us out when we were out there."

Daily Scoop's ears perked up suddenly. "Uh, what? Chrysalis—as in, Queen of the Changelings, Chrysalis—helped you? Why? With what?"

Shade paused awkwardly, having forgotten for a moment that Daily was there and realizing his little slip up. He breathed a sigh of resignation, kind of tiring of all the secret-keeping. "Alright, fine. If you really want to know what happened in the Changeling Kingdom, you just have to promise to keep it to yourself for now. So no mentioning it to anypony, and no articles about it, got it?"

Daily hesitated for a few seconds, her eyes glancing to the other three ponies present. Luna and Shining Armor were giving her stern glowers, so it was safe to assume that they'd already been informed of the whole situation, and she certainly didn't want to upset the royals. With a disappointed groan, Daily nodded. "Okay, I promise."

"We went to the Changeling Kingdom because a changeling showed up in Ponyville and kidnapped Snowflake," Shade explained, finally coming forth with the information.

Daily looked surprised, quickly glancing to the infant in Nimbus's hooves. Just looking at him, one wouldn't tell such a thing had occurred, as he seemed perfectly content, though he was probably too young to really understand. Daily turned back to Shade. "Seriously? That's... pretty horrible. So what exactly happened out there?" she asked, resisting the urge to take out her notepad.

"I'll spare you the details, but the gist of it is that the changeling who took him was trying to usurp Chrysalis," Shade told her. "So we had a common enemy and helped each other out."

Daily waited eagerly for more, but when Shade stayed silent she quirked an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"Uh, yeah."

The unicorn grimaced, looking more than a little disappointed. "That's what you've been so secretive about? You guys went neck deep into changeling territory to save your kid's life! That's a story most people'd be telling their grandkids! Why were you so reluctant to talk about that?"

Shade was confused by her reaction, hesitating a little. "Uh, well..."

Luna stepped forward to interject. "Shade and Winter simply worried that the news of a young pony being abducted would incite panic and fear of another invasion. An understandable assumption to make, in my opinion."

"I suppose," Daily responded, though she sounded unsure herself. "But hearing that you went to such lengths for your child might convince people to trust you more."

"She has a point," said Shining Armor. "I was definitely impressed when I heard about it from Twilight. Sounded like it would make a good story for you, Ms. Scoop."

Daily shrugged, her disappointment still showing. "Eh, I'm sure it was harrowing and all, but I don't think anypony'd be interested in reading a story like that."

Shade raised an eyebrow, but wasn't going to argue with her. "Uh, if you say so."

Shining Armor looked past Shade and Daily, noticing Cadance coming back from the farmhouse. With a grin, he started toward her, giving a quick look back over his shoulder. "Hey, there's Cadance. I'm gonna go mingle with her until the wedding starts. Good luck, Shade."

"Thanks," the changeling responded with his own smile.

"I suppose the ceremony is going to be starting soon," Nimbus assumed. "Winter and the other ladies have had plenty of time to get ready, so I suspect they'll be coming out shortly. Are you ready, Shade?"

The changeling inhaled deeply, letting the breath out slowly before looking Nimbus in the eye with confidence. "Yeah, I'm ready."

Nimbus nodded, managing a small grin himself. "Good. If you're going to marry my daughter, I only want to hear the utmost certainty."

Shade smirked, casting an assertive look back at him. "With all due respect, I'd be doing this with or without your permission, 'sir.'"

There was a moment of silence between the two stallions as they stared at one another. Nimbus almost wanted to laugh at Shade's attempt at challenging his authority, but held it back. He'd never admit it, but he had come to respect Shade more and more since he met him. He was practically glad to know that somepony like Shade was marrying his daughter—but, again, he'd never say that to his face.

"Looks like they are indeed ready," Luna interjected, pointing a hoof toward the farmhouse.

Sure enough, the group of mares were exiting the building and starting to make their way over to the outdoor setup. It looked as though the four bridesmaids were huddled around Winter, doing a good job obscuring her from view. Rarity had told Shade previously that it was considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride in her wedding dress before the wedding, so he assumed that that was the reason for their odd formation. Although, at this point he had to wonder if that was entirely necessary considering they were just about to start.

Out in the crowd, Princess Celestia noticed the approaching mares as well and called out for everypony to take their seats. All of Winter's relatives sat to the left of the aisle, but didn't even take up half of the seats that were set up. Every other guest just found an empty seat and filled it.

"Pardon me," Nimbus said, mostly to Princess Luna, as he left the alter to go meet up with Winter. On the way, he passed Snowflake to Fluttershy since his parents and grandparents were all going to be up on the stage during the ceremony.

Daily Scoop made to hop off the stage and take her seat, as well, passing a smile over her shoulder. "Guess I'll take my seat. Good luck, Shade."

Shade nodded and smiled back. He took another deep breath in preparation. It was finally happening. He was getting married. It was only moments away now.

It took a few minutes, but everypony finally found their seats. Winter's family and close friends of her and Shade were seated up front, but the rest of the seats were occupied mostly by neighbors and the media. The only people not seated were Shade and Luna, who were still standing at their posts up on the stage, Spike and Nimbus, who would be walking with Twilight and Winter down the aisle respectively, and, of course, the bridesmaids and the bride herself. Additionally, there was the four pony ensemble from Canterlot that Pinkie Pie had hired to provide the music, who had now begun playing their instruments at Princess Luna's cue to begin.

With the music playing, the wedding had officially begun. The bridesmaids began making their way down the aisle toward the alter, with Derpy being the first. Admittedly, it looked a tad awkward to see the bridesmaids walking by themselves, as Shade didn't have enough groomsmen to walk alongside all of them. Regardless, Derpy had a big smile on her face. She and the other bridesmaids were all wearing the frilly, light pink gowns that Rarity had designed, with a flower motif around the collar and hem.

Following behind Derpy was Twilight, who was accompanied by Spike wearing a specially-made tuxedo, the two linked hoof and claw as they came down the aisle. Autumn was behind Twilight, and was already visibly holding back tears and her smile shaking.

Finally, there was Chamella. Although the maid of honor, she wore the same pink dress as the other bridesmaids. Her long, purple mane had also been styled into a braid hanging over one shoulder, likely at the insistence of Rarity. Interestingly, this was probably the first time Shade had seen her without having her face at least a little obscured by her hair, her pink eyes completely visible and accompanied by a small, fanged smile. She cast a few sidelong glances at the crowd on either side of her. She was garnering a lot of attention from the out-of-towners, which made her all the more aware of her more revealing hair style. Still, she managed to smile despite all the eyes on her, though couldn't keep a slight blush off her cheeks.

The bridesmaids stepped up onto the alter, taking their positions to the left side and opposite Shade, while Spike stood behind him. Shade took a brief moment to look across at Chamella. His best—and first—friend smiled happily at him. They didn't say anything to one another, but Chamella's expression made it evident that she wanted to say congratulations. There was a quick second where her eyes drifted away and down the aisle, as though there was something else on her mind, but she just looked back at Shade and smiled again.

The calm music that had been playing in the background went silent for a moment, but quickly started up again, louder and a different song. At the musical cue, everypony looked over their shoulders toward the far end of the grassy aisle.

And when Shade's eyes followed theirs, they landed on her.

Now standing at the end of the aisle was Winter, her foreleg interlocked with her father's. Even with the distance between them, Winter's beauty couldn't escape Shade's sight. Her white wedding gown was just as brilliant as her soft, alabaster fur, and certainly more pleasant to look at than Shade's tuxedo. The pristine whiteness of the dress almost made it look like a natural part of Winter's figure, and flowed along her body like a blanket of fresh snow on a gentle hillside. As they were holding the wedding outside, Rarity had ensured that the dress wasn't too long, the hem barely brushing against the tips of the blades of grass, but not enough to dirty the garment. Although subtle in its design, there were maple leaf outlines sewn in gold on the skirt of the dress; the thin threads were barely noticeable, but the golden stitching shimmered in the midday sun. Upon the bride's head was a white veil, holding her crimson mane back and out of her face, though the mesh of the veil was pulled back, giving the guests—and more importantly, Shade—a clear view of her face.

And that was where Shade's sight was fixated. As beautiful as she looked in the dress that Rarity and Chamella had made for her, nothing could compare to the beauty that Shade saw within her amber eyes. However, he did notice something odd; Winter wasn't wearing the necklace he'd given her. Even though she didn't wear it very frequently anymore in order to keep it safe, it surprised him that she wouldn't wear it at their own wedding.

Winter and her father began walking down the aisle together. The whole way down, all eyes at the wedding were focused on her. It felt strange to be the center of attention like this. Or, at least, it would have if that were something to which she was paying attention.

But while all eyes were on her, her eyes were on Shade. Not for a single moment as she walked down the aisle did their shared gaze disconnect, their eyes transfixed on one another. They may as well have been the only two people there, because at this particular moment, they were all that mattered.

The walk down the aisle felt like both an eternity and a fleeting moment, but eventually it came to an end. As they made it to the wooden stage, Nimbus escorted Winter up the short steps to the alter, making sure she didn't trip on her dress, even with how comparatively short it was. Before letting her go, Nimbus looked his daughter in the eyes for a moment. He said nothing, but smiled proudly and gave her a loving kiss on her cheek. The two could already hear Autumn amongst the other bridesmaids holding back her emotional tears and sniffling quietly. Nimbus finally let his daughter go, turning around to take his place behind Shade. But as he walked past the changeling, he paused and looked him in the eye, as well. Again, he said nothing. He didn't smile either, but placed a hoof on the groom's shoulder for a brief moment. Shade simply gave Nimbus a grin; he knew what the stallion wanted to say, and nodded to acknowledge it. Satisfied, Nimbus removed his hoof and took his place as one of Shade's two groomsman.

Shade's and Winter's eyes met once more. Even if they wanted to, neither one could keep the smiles from their faces. There was so much they both wanted to say to each other, but they knew that would have to wait for a short time. After all, Princess Luna had a job to do.

The bride and groom turned to face the alicorn. The princess smiled and nodded as she materialized the flash cards that Twilight had done up for her. She cleared her throat and opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated for a moment. With a slight blush, Luna discreetly moved the first card on the stack to the back, the nearly embarrassing slip up prompting a quiet, stifled giggle from the bride, and an amused eye roll from Twilight.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here on this most momentous of days to join Shade and Winter Maple in matrimony," Luna began, having decided to add her own flair to Twilight's writings. "Their union—that between a pony and changeling—will hopefully one day usher forth an everlasting peace between our peoples. But more than that, we are celebrating the unwavering and immeasurable power of love. Through circumstances both joyous and stressful, happy and harrowing, the love between these two individuals has proven to be not just strong, but unbreakable."

As Luna continued, Twilight couldn't help but feel a touch uneasy. She leaned over to Autumn, quietly whispering. "Is she ad-libbing? I didn't write most of that."

Autumn, who was still wiping away her unending stream of happy tears, smiled at the lavender alicorn. "Either way, it's beautiful," she sniffled.

The crimson pegasus managed to tear her eyes off of her daughter long enough to look across the way at her own husband. He was already staring back at her, looking awfully stern for somepony watching his daughter get married, though Autumn knew the look was simply meant to be a reprimanding glare for talking while Princess Luna was performing the wedding. Regardless, Autumn smiled at him, prompting him to smile back, both due to the memories that were stirring up, and how proud they were of Winter.

Thankfully the ceremony was running more smoothly than the rehearsal, though that wasn't to say it was going entirely smoothly. Despite how romantic it was for the friends and family of the bride and groom, there was still a fair amount of quiet murmuring coming from some of the other guests, not to mention some scribbling, note-taking, and camera flashes from the media ponies.

However, even though Twilight frequently glanced out at the somewhat disruptive crowd, Shade and Winter were completely unbothered, smiling happily as they listened intently to Luna, and occasionally casting loving looks at one another through the corners of their eyes.

Luna paused for a moment and grinned. "At this time, the bride and groom shall exchange their vows," she announced, followed by a quiet sigh through her nose now that she could finally take a break.

Shade and Winter turned to face each other. However, while Shade's smile held firm, he couldn't help but notice that Winter's seemed to falter slightly as she looked back into his emerald eyes, as though she were nervous about something.

Winter let out a long breath to compose herself. "I guess I'll go first. Shade..."

With just that one word, Winter's voice caught in her throat. Her excitement and nervousness were at odds, and the words she'd been going over in her head for the past several weeks had suddenly started to hide themselves from her. She took another breath, then took a moment to gaze into Shade's eyes as she had so many times in the past. She could tell from the way he was looking back at her that he knew something was bothering her. Regardless, he continued to smile comfortingly at her. Just that caring and loving expression was enough to help ease her mind, but staring into his eyes also reminded her of all the reasons that she loved him, all the reasons that they were getting married right now.

Winter's smile returned, her words coming back to her. "Shade, when I first met you, I never imagined how much my life would change. I didn't really know who you were, or even what you were, but still I felt something between us. We were both new to Ponyville, so it almost felt natural for the two of us to come together."

Her smile dropped for a moment as she continued. "But finding out you were a changeling was probably the biggest shock of my life—well, at the time anyway. But even though I felt heartbroken, it was the things you said to me that helped me realize that it didn't matter what you were, only who you were. And who you were was the person I loved more than anything." As her smile returned, there was a slight hint of amusement on her face. "You know, most people would have probably questioned whether this relationship was worth it after all the stuff we've had to deal with. I think I've had more brushes with death in the two years I've known you than most people would in their whole lives."

That comment elicited some curious whispering from the crowd, particularly from the reporters, but Shade and Winter had no issues ignoring them.

"When I thought about that, I was a little surprised, to be honest. Never once through all of that did I ever consider our relationship to be a problem, and I never will." Winter glanced out at the crowd, her eyes falling on her son sitting in his stroller next to Fluttershy before turning back to Shade. "We've been through too much for us to give up on this relationship now. Even if the people here were still unwilling to accept a changeling into their society, it wouldn't matter to me; we belong together, whether the world wants it or not. And with that in mind..."

Winter looked over her shoulder at Twilight. Understanding the silent gesture, the alicorn nodded with a smile. With a quick flash of magic, Twilight produced a thin, square, case lined with black velvet and passed it to Winter. Shade immediately recognized the case; it was the same one that Winter kept her necklace in.

Winter held the case out to Shade. Though she had a smile on her face, that nervousness that Shade had detected earlier seemed to have returned. "I have a little gift for you."

Shade grasped the case with his neon green magic, but Winter didn't let go, resisting his pull and preventing him from taking it. The changeling raised an eyebrow as Winter's smile fell and he released his grip.

"Before you open it," she started with a pensive gulp, "I need to explain something. I don't want you to interpret this the wrong way, so when you see it, just let me explain my reasoning, okay?"

Shade was confused, but he had no reason not to trust her. "Uh, okay."

Winter finally let him take the case, and he opened it carefully. What Shade saw was pretty surprising: it was, in fact, Winter's necklace. However, it wasn't just one necklace, but two. The diamond snowflake had been cut in half, separating the two asymmetrical halves, both now affixed to thin, silver chains.

Shade looked back up at Winter, surprised, confused, and a little shocked to see what she had done to the gift he gave her. "Winter, what did you—?"

Winter held up a hoof to stop him. "Just... let me explain. I know your first reaction is gonna be negative considering that you gave me that necklace to symbolize our relationship, and separating the two halves might seem like it goes against that, but... I think it's unfair that I'm the one who gets to wear that symbol. As the necklace represents, there are two halves in this relationship, and we share everything; the joys and the burdens. But on top of that, my thoughts behind this revolve around just how important we are to each other, because... I feel like when we aren't together, it's like a part of me is missing." Winter smiled passionately at Shade, holding his hoof in hers as she gazed into his green eyes. "And that feeling is why I did this. Because it's only when we're together that we're truly whole. Does that make sense? Believe me, I put a lot of thought into this before I did it, so I hope you understand."

Shade took a moment to let that sink in. Certainly he was shocked to see the gift he'd put so much thought into cut in half like that, but he knew Winter had to have a good reason for it. And after hearing her feelings, he couldn't really be upset with her. He returned her smile with equal passion. "I get it, Winter. Don't worry about it."

There was a look of relief in the pegasus's amber eyes. "You're not mad?"

Shade shook his head. "Of course not. After all, I feel the same way. I'm happiest when I'm with you."

"That's good to hear," she said as she breathed a relieved sigh. "I was pretty worried you'd take it the wrong way."

Shade held a hoof to her cheek, gazing deeply at her. "I appreciate the gesture, Winter, and I'll gladly accept it."

"Good. Because, let's be honest anyway: I don't really think the original meaning behind it actually holds anymore."

Shade raised an eyebrow at the statement. "What do you mean?"

Winter stared at him wistfully, remembering the evening that Shade had given her the necklace. The words he spoke to her that day were the words that helped her realize that she was in love. Those words were what convinced her that, even though he was a changeling, she could trust him. But now...

"'How two things that have no right being together can live in perfect harmony.' Do you really still believe, after everything we've been through, that we have no right being together?"

The changeling let his echoed words take root in his mind. Those words were spoken during a time when he cursed what he was and had resolved to renounce his life as a changeling. Despite the emotion he had put behind those words, perhaps Winter was right. As the two of them stood there together, under the flowery arch in front of dozens of ponies who now knew and accepted what he was, could he really say that they had no right anymore?

Shade said nothing, but simply gave Winter a smile to show his agreement, to which she smiled back. Enveloped in his green aura, Shade took one of the necklaces—the left half—and tenderly placed it around Winter's neck where it belonged. Winter then did the same for him, draping the right half around her beloved's neck. Shade took a moment to look down at it, its surface glittering in the sunlight. Winter knew this sort of thing wasn't really Shade's style, and didn't expect him to actually wear it everyday, but seeing the loving smile on his face was enough to validate her decision to split the jewel.

As though on instinct, the two began to lean toward one another, lips prepared to meet.

"Ahem."

The two lovebirds pulled away quickly when Princess Luna loudly cleared her throat, looking around as if they'd been in a trance and had just remembered where they were and what they were doing.

"Getting a little ahead of ourselves, aren't we?" the princess commented with a coy smirk.

Quiet giggles and chuckles could be heard from the audience, eliciting embarrassed blushes from the bride and groom.

"I believe the groom must recite his vows, as well," Luna stated, looking at Shade.

"Uh, right..."

Using his magic, Shade removed a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his tuxedo; he didn't want to risk fumbling over his words during such an important moment, so he made sure to write his vows down. He unfolded the paper and briefly looked over what he had written. His eyes then rose to meet Winter's. She appeared eager, as though greatly anticipating what he'd say. Shade glanced down at the paper again, and let out a sigh.

"You know what?" He crumpled up the paper and tossed it aside, confusing Winter. However, he smiled to reassure her. "There wasn't really anything I had written down that I haven't said before. Stuff about finding a place where I feel like I belong; finding something that makes life worth living. Cheesy stuff like that. But you've heard all that before. Honestly, the only thing I feel like I have left to say is, admittedly, also something you've heard before, but something that I'll never stop saying: I love you."

Shade was right about that; Winter had heard him say that countless times before, but no matter how many times he said it, it always melted her heart. "That's all I need to hear," she responded quietly with a soft smile. "Well, that and..."

Winter turned to Princess Luna expectantly. Recognizing the cue, Luna nodded and looked at Shade. "Do you, Shade, take Winter Maple to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, forever and ever, 'til death do you part?"

Shade looked Winter straight in the eye, and without a moment of hesitation, answered with an entirely certain, "I do."

Winter practically felt her heart skip a beat, as though hearing him say that had shaken off any doubts she may have still had that this was real.

Luna then turned to Winter. "And do you, Winter Maple, take Shade to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, forever and ever, 'til death do you—"

"I do!" Winter received a few odd looks, prompting the pegasus to blush in embarrassment before taking a breath to steady herself. "I-I mean... I do," she answered more calmly.

Princess Luna looked out to the crowd. "And if anypony has any objections to this union, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

This was honestly a moment that Shade had been worried about. With so many strangers in the crowd today, was it possible that at least one of them had come here with the specific intention of voicing disdain?

There was a rather long moment of silence, as though Luna half-expected somepony to speak up, or perhaps at least expecting Pinkie Pie to do something disruptive. However, everypony was doing pretty much what Shade was: just glancing around at everypony else. Seemed most of the people in attendance were expecting somepony to say something, but nopony did, or maybe if they wanted to, didn't due to the presence of royalty. Either way, the meadow stayed silent, though nopony noticed a rainbow-maned mare stealthily sneaking away from her seat.

Satisfied that there were no objections, Luna grinned widely at the bride and groom, knowing that they had arrived at the big moment. The midnight blue alicorn inhaled deeply, and loudly—but not too loudly—made the much anticipated declaration. "Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife! Now you may kiss the bride."

Shade and Winter took only a brief moment to share their elation through silent gazes and barely contained smiles before the happy couple leaned forward to share their first kiss as husband and wife.

The moment Winter's soft, ivory lips pressed against Shade's fanged, ebony lips, the crowd rose from their seats and erupted in cheers and applause. Pinkie Pie even pulled out her party cannon to fire off confetti which rained down over the scene in a rainbow of color.

But that wasn't the only rainbow, as another streaked through the sky overhead, culminating in a massive explosion of color in the sky above. The shock wave shook the wooden stage and the archway, as well as blowing back the manes of all the guests as they struggled to remain upright in their seats.

"Consarnit, Rainbow Dash!" Applejack yelled angrily at the pegasus zooming overhead.

Shade and Winter's lips parted, but remained in intimate proximity. They didn't even cast a glance at the boisterous audience as they reeled from the sonic rainboom, but simply took another moment to stare into one another's eyes, silently sharing in their disbelief that they were now married.

But the day was not over just yet. Finally managing to tear their eyes away from each other, Shade and Winter stepped down from the alter and began to make their way back down the aisle, hoof in hoof, passing by the enthusiastic onlookers who were shouting their congratulations and well wishes. The four bridesmaids and two groomsmen followed behind them, Nimbus taking a moment to retrieve Snowflake from Fluttershy, while Autumn could barely see where she was walking through the happy tears pouring from her eyes.

Twilight stopped to meet up with her friends, and Rainbow Dash touched down with them at the same time, earning herself a harsh scowl from Applejack. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief as the crowd's excitement gradually began to die down and transition into casual conversation again as everypony prepared to make their way to the town hall for the reception. "Well, that went better than expected," the lavender alicorn said as she wiped a few beads of nervous sweat from her forehead. "Princess Luna went a little off script, and Shade and Winter almost did things out of order, but, all in all, that was efficient."

"Perhaps not a word I'd like used to describe my wedding, but it certainly was beautiful in it's own... unique way," Rarity said with a giggle.

"How do you feel about it, Chamella?" Fluttershy asked the maid of honor.

Chamella gave a confused look in response to the unexpected question. "Hm? Oh, uh, well... It was pretty nice to be able to see a wedding that I was actually, you know, invited to. And it was really beautiful and romantic and everything."

"No... regrets?" Rarity asked cautiously.

Judging by the concerned looks on her friends' faces, Chamella could tell what they were getting at. She smiled reassuringly. "I don't think I have any reason to regret anything. Everything that's happened to us has lead to this moment, and this is exactly how I want to see it. I want nothing more than to see Shade and Winter happy. Because they're my friends."

Rarity attempted to scrutinize Chamella's expression for any lingering doubts, but the changeling's smile was unwavering. With a grin of her own, Rarity nodded. "That's good to hear. Now then, shall we make for the reception?"

***** ***** *****

Ponyville's town hall was bustling with activity. The spacious interior of the round building had been set up for the wedding reception early that morning, with several tables positioned around the large room and each elegantly decorated with clean, white tablecloths and a vase of flowers. Similarly to the wedding ceremony, there was no particular seating assignments where there would normally be name cards to indicate who's seated where. One long table was positioned at the far end of the room for the newlyweds and the bridesmaids and groomsmen to sit, decorated similarly, but with the addition of the tall, four-tiered wedding cake that Mr. and Mrs. Cake had whipped up. It was even topped with custom made bride and groom cake toppers; one resembling a pegasus mare in a wedding dress, and the other a changeling in a tux. One more table was set up for all the food that had been prepared for the attendants, sporting an assortment of dishes, including multiple varieties of soups, sandwiches, and pastas.

Unsurprisingly, the hall was fairly crowded. While not all of the wedding's attendants chose to join the reception, as some simply wished to witness the marriage, there were still more people present than perhaps Twilight was expecting when she helped plan the set up; nothing that a few extra chairs couldn't fix, though.

Now that the ceremony was over, however, the curious folks who had shown up to witness it had now returned to trying to approach the newlyweds, as well as the maid of honor. But after the wedding, Shade and Chamella were in particularly good moods and decided to actually oblige and chat with some of them, though Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, having more experience dealing with the media, insisted on accompanying them in case they deemed any questions too personal or inappropriate.

On the other hoof, Winter was a little surprised—and admittedly a touch disappointed—that none of them had approached her. As the bride in the first pony-changeling wedding, she was expecting to get a little more attention. Perhaps it wasn't all that surprising considering most of these people really showed up because of the changelings specifically, but she still would've liked to be included.

"I know I'm probably not the first, but let me offer my congratulations, Winter."

The newlywed bride was approached by one of the journalists, though it happened to be the one she was already acquainted with. "Thanks, Daily," she responded with a giddy grin. "Honestly, I couldn't be happier right now."

Daily chuckled at the enthusiasm in her voice. "I can tell. It's hard to believe that you went through something as harrowing as having your son kidnapped so recently."

Winter paused and stared at Daily for a second.

"Shade told me," the unicorn elaborated. "And, look, I get why you'd want to keep it under wraps. You can trust me to keep my lips zipped on the subject."

"Thanks. Don't really want to cause any sort of panic."

"That's basically what Shade said." Daily glanced around discreetly, then spoke quietly to Winter. "But do you really think the changelings are gonna launch another invasion?"

Winter breathed a sigh. "It might be inevitable. Chrysalis seemed pretty motivated. Of course, she might've just been blowing hot air to intimidate us."

Daily shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, it's probably not a big deal anyway."

The pegasus quirked an eyebrow. "A potential invasion isn't a big deal?"

"Equestria's been prepared for another invasion since the changelings were kicked out of Canterlot the first time. Security's been beefed up over there ever since, so it's not like things would change much with this knowledge. Might be a bit of unrest, but nothing that the princesses couldn't handle with a few reassuring words. There weren't even any serious injuries to anypony when we weren't expecting an invasion. How do you think it'll go now that we're prepared?"

Winter managed a small smile. That actually made her feel a little better about the situation. "I guess you've got a point."

Daily looked at her with an eager grin. "So, does that mean I can report the kidnapping? It'd be great for my reputation as a journalist."

"Don't push your luck," Winter warned her with a slight grimace. "One thing at a time, okay? Why don't you just focus on your current article."

Expecting as much, Daily simply waved the warning off. "Yeah, yeah. Besides, I don't wanna nock all my arrows at once; gotta space out my shots, you know?"

Winter stared blankly for a moment at the metaphor, but ignored it. "Uh, yeah, whatever you say. Anyway, it was nice talking to you, but I'm gonna see if I can pull Shade away from the other reporters for a few minutes. Enjoy the reception, Daily."

"Congrats again," Daily said as Winter slipped into the crowd to locate Shade.

It wasn't difficult for Winter to pinpoint her new husband's whereabouts. There was a mild commotion originating from near the long table at the back, a sizable group of ponies seeming to have gathered around something, and it didn't take a genius to figure what—or rather who. Also, the tall stature of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna made for a useful point of reference, so Winter made her way over towards them, as she knew the princesses were accompanying Shade.

Princess Celestia spotted Winter approaching, her elegant, white wedding dress helping her stand out. She looked back at the paparazzi surrounded her and her company. "I think that's enough questions for the time being, everypony," the ivory alicorn informed them, her voice firm, yet maintaining the soothing comfort for which her subjects have come to know her, like a mother speaking to her children. "I'd advise everypony to find a seat so we can prepare for dinner."

There was a round of quiet and disappointed groans from the group of reporters as they began to disperse, but they weren't going to argue with Princess Celestia.

With the crowd thinned out, Winter could finally see Shade and Chamella, who had been obscured in the middle of the crowd. The two changelings both let out sighs of relief, no doubt glad to finally have some room to breath. "Regretting letting them question you?" Winter asked, giving him a quick, reassuring kiss.

"I didn't think they'd have that many questions," Shade groaned.

"They made talking to Daily Scoop sound pleasant," Chamella added, adjusting her mane so that it partially covered her face again.

"They were at least considerate enough to offer congratulations on your nuptials," Luna said. "But how could they have nothing to say about my performance as officiant? Surely my role in this was at least noteworthy."

"Perhaps they just wanted to spare your feelings," Celestia quipped, fighting back a snarky smile and garnering an insulted pout from her sister.

Winter looked out at the crowd. She noticed that people were starting to find seats and appeared to be eyeing up the spread on the food table. "I guess we should sit down so everypony can start eating. Now that the butterflies in my stomach are gone, I'm feeling a little hungry myself."

The two princesses agreed with a pair of nods, stepping away and taking seats at a table with Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Shade, Winter, and Chamella promptly located the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and they each sat at the long table at the back. Winter and Shade sat beside one another at the middle of the table, while the four bridesmaids sat to Winter's right—Autumn with her grandson in her hooves—and the two groomsmen to Shade's left, which ended up leaving some empty space on the groom's side of the table.

After a few more minutes, everypony seemed to have found a table to sit at, though some conversations continued on. Winter stood up from her seat and lightly tapped the side of her drinking glass with a fork. The high-pitched ringing, though not obnoxious, was loud enough to grab the attention of the conversing ponies. Recognizing the aural signal, they quieted down and turned their attention to the smiling bride.

"Th-ank—"

Winter's voice cracked as soon as she began; apparently not all of the butterflies had vacated her stomach just yet, and she was just now realizing that she'd never actually spoken in front of an audience like this before. She said her vows in front of them earlier, but she had shut out pretty much everything that wasn't herself and Shade at the time. Now that she was staring at all of these eyes staring back at her, her stomach started to knot up again. She wasn't entirely sure if this was stage fright, or if she was just still a little overexcited about being married.

Winter took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and started again. "Thank you all for coming out to see our wedding, everypony. It really means a lot to us. I know some of you were still a little wary about Shade and Chamella, but hopefully, after today, you've seen what I see in them, and I hope you enjoyed the wedding." There was a brief silence, as though the crowd was waiting for Winter to continue. The pegasus fidgeted awkwardly as everypony stared at her, a light blush tinging her ivory cheeks. "Um... That's all I have to say. Enjoy your dinner," she said somewhat quietly, then sat back down.

At that prompt, the caterers began to retrieve the dishes from the food table, delivering the meals to the guests' tables. However, before anypony had a chance to take a bite of their food, the sound of a chair's legs scraping against the wooden floor caught everypony's attention. All eyes looked toward the bride and groom's table again, but this time staring at the female changeling beside Winter that had stood from her seat.

Chamella hesitated for a moment, feeling a touch uneasy about having all eyes on her now, but she managed to speak through her nervousness. "Um, actually, before we eat, I have something I want to say."

The crowd listened intently, but Shade and Winter gave her puzzled, yet curious looks.

Chamella shuffled her hooves bashfully, finding it difficult to look out over the crowd for more than a few seconds at a time. However, she cleared her throat quietly. "So, uh... I-I heard it's customary for the maid of honor to give a speech at the reception..."

Winter looked at Chamella sympathetically, the changeling's discomfort in this situation clearly evident. "Chamella, you don't have to—"

Before Winter could finish, Chamella smiled at her and shook her head. "I-I know I don't have to, but I want to. Ever since you asked me to be your maid of honor, I've been looking for a way to show you how much I appreciate it and really earn the title. But just doing things like delivering invitations, or helping to plan the wedding didn't feel like it was enough. So to show you how much this means to me, I have to use words rather than actions."

There was a short moment of silence as Chamella and Winter looked into each other's eyes. The pegasus gave a small smile, and the changeling smiled in turn. Chamella looked back out at the sea of eyes staring at her, but didn't feel nervous anymore. She had a lot to get off her chest, and no amount of the jitters was going to stop her.

"My name is Chamella," she started, introducing herself to the guests who may not yet know her name. "I came to Ponyville about two years ago now, and that was a scary time for me. Even though the people here were willing to give me a chance, just like with Shade, I still couldn't help but wonder if they were silently judging me."

Chamella could see several people in the crowd—namely, the locals who were already familiar with her—grinning amicably at her, which was helping her self-confidence.

The changeling smiled back at the friendly crowd. "But over time, those people started treating me like I was... well, normal; like I was a member of the community. Even back in the Changeling Kingdom, I had never felt like I was a part of any sort of community, even though I still considered it my true home. The other changelings, save for Shade, were rude, violent, and greedy. So you can't imagine how relieving it was to see how friendly and considerate all the people here were, even though to them I was one of those rude, violent, and greedy creatures. Everypony would greet me with waves and smiles whenever I passed by."

Chamella's smile faded, and her eyes turned down. "Except for one person..."

Winter suddenly felt a twinge of guilt tightening her chest.

"There was one person who seemed to do everything in her power to keep her distance from me. The two of us had barely said a word to each other for the first year that I lived here." Her ears drooped guiltily. "Not that I could blame her. I did some... bad things to her. She had every right to hate me. Even to this day, those things I did are the things I regret most, and probably will be for the rest of my life. And this was even before she outright told me that she hated me.

"It wasn't until recently that, um... certain 'circumstances' lead to us working together, but even then, she was reluctant to accept my help. I, uh... can't really go into what happened, but I will say that she wound up saving my life, and that was the moment that our relationship changed. Just a few weeks ago, that mare hated me with every fiber of her being." Chamella turned to Winter, giving the pegasus a fond and grateful smile. "And today I'm standing here as the maid of honor at her wedding. It's... still pretty unbelievable, to be honest. Lately I've sometimes found myself wondering when I'm going to wake up. So, um... I guess I just wanted to say... thank you. I'm happier now than I ever thought I could be." A slight blush appeared on Chamella's dark cheeks, and she giggled with embarrassment. "Oh, uh, sorry. I kind of made this speech more about me, didn't I?"

Winter shook her head with a dismissive grin. "It's fine." She stood up from her seat, putting a hoof around Chamella's shoulder and addressing the crowd. "I want everypony to know that, while Chamella has done some questionable things in the past, she's put a lot of effort into making up for them." Her ears flattened a little and she gave the changeling a guilty look. "I only wish I hadn't been so stubborn. We could have been a lot happier if I'd've been willing to give her a second chance sooner. And, to clarify, she saved my life more than once. If it weren't for her, I probably wouldn't be standing here right now."

Winter pulled Chamella in closer, giving the changeling a grateful hug.

"Maybe you should have married her!" a certain pink pony jokingly called out from the crowd, earning some amused laughter from the guests. Even Winter and Chamella got a kick out of it.

"Ahem."

The crowd's attention was drawn to the stallion beside Shade. With all eyes on him now, Nimbus rose from his chair, his expression rather unreadable.

"Not that I want to interrupt this heartfelt moment, but I believe the groom deserves some of the attention. And as the closest thing to a best man that Shade has, I have some things to say about him."

Shade found himself feeling a tad nervous on reaction. Even though he knew Nimbus had warmed up to him over time, his terse tone didn't inspire confidence.

"When I first met Shade, I despised him."

And that first comment didn't really help either.

"I refused to trust him, and was certain he was going to take advantage of a naive mare like my daughter."

"Thanks, Dad," Winter groaned sarcastically.

"And when he revealed what he truly was during a childish outburst, I was even angrier. But also confused. He was a changeling, one of the creatures that had recently attacked our kingdom, and yet my own daughter—and even my wife—were willing to trust him. I had a hard time wrapping my head around that." Nimbus's eyes shifted away from the crowd momentarily, looking somewhat guilty. "I'll admit, I may have been a pretty... No, very judgmental person at one point in time. But if there was anything or anypony I'd be willing to change myself for, it's my daughter. So, for her sake, I gave Shade a chance. I'll skip all the miscellaneous details and just say that, as I got to know him a little more, I began to see what it was Winter saw in him; somepony with morals and sensitivity that I imagined wasn't common among changelings, if not a little temperamental at times."

Nimbus looked over towards his grandson being held in Autumn's hooves, a fine crack of a fond smile creasing his lips. "But it really wasn't until I found out that Winter was pregnant that I started making an real effort to like him. After all, if he was going to be the father of my grandchild, I needed to make sure he was the best damn father he could be. I reluctantly accepted the fact that he was going to be a part of my family, and the apprehension and worry that was filling his head didn't exactly fill me with confidence."

Nimbus's gaze then fell to the changeling himself. Once more, Shade had difficulty reading his face, but he couldn't help but notice a slight glint in the stallion's eyes. Shade had seen that glint before on rare occasions; it was a hint of respect.

"But I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same way when I found out I was going to be a father. So it was more than just my love of my daughter and future grandchild that lead me to help him. I knew what he was going through, and it was the first time that I felt like I could relate to him. And today, Shade has not only quelled my worries, but exceeded my expectations by risking his life to save his son. Not to say that he doesn't have a long way to go, but he's taken several steps in the right direction."

Winter smirked at her father. "So that was basically the long-winded way of saying that if even somepony who hated Shade as much as you could learn to like him, so can everypony else, right?"

Nimbus turned his nose up with a huff. "I put a lot of thought into that speech, sweetie. I'd appreciate it if you didn't downplay it."

Winter nodded with a loving smile. "Sorry. That was very nice of you, Dad."

"I really appreciate that, Nimbus," Shade said with a grateful smile.

Nimbus gave him an acknowledging nod and sat back down in his seat. "I know I've given you a hard time in the past, but I believe in giving credit where credit's due."

Chamella let out a quiet sigh of relief, turning Winter's eyes towards her. "At least he took the attention off of me," she murmured. "It might've been hard to tell, but I was a nervous wreak during my speech."

"Trust me, I know how you feel," Winter chuckled.

The bride was about to announce that everypony could begin eating now that the unexpected speeches were done, however, out of nowhere, one of the many reporters sitting amongst the crowd stood from his seat with a hoof in the air. He didn't even wait for permission to speak.

"Excuse me, but what's this business about lives being saved and harrowing experiences? Is there something happening behind the scenes that we should know about?"

Shade and Winter exchanged concerned looks, not entirely sure how to respond to the sudden inquiry. It was true that Chamella and Nimbus's speeches had dropped a few hints about their little "excursion" to the Changeling Kingdom, but they still believed that this wasn't the time or place to talk about that publicly. The problem was how they could evade the question without arousing suspicion.

But it would seem their problem would end up solving itself as Princess Celestia addressed the reporter in a curt, yet gentle manner. "This is not a press conference, it's a wedding reception. If you have anymore questions that you haven't already asked, I suggest you hold onto them for later."

The bride and groom breathed sighs of relief. They would have to thank the princesses profusely afterward for all of their interference in regards to the media.

Unfortunately, it appeared the patience of the journalists had worn thin, as another stood up to voice his concerns.

"With all due respect, Your Majesty, it sounds like these people are hiding something from us. I think if they want us to trust them, they need to be upfront with us."

Chamella gulped nervously. That was pretty much what Daily Scoop had said to her some time ago, but now it was sounding even worse considering they had multiple reporters here to gang up on them. And if even the word of the princesses wasn't enough to diffuse them anymore, who could?

"Pardon me."

It looked as though another journalist was about to throw their hat into the ring, but much to Shade and Winter's surprise, it was Daily Scoop that had rose from her seat. For a moment, they were both a little upset. After showing them some sympathy, was she really about to side with the media that she herself had berated?

"My name is Daily Scoop, and as the official journalist appointed to cover this wedding, I've gotten a chance to get to know these folks a little over the past few weeks. And, I'll admit, I got a little forceful with my questioning, digging in places they would have rathered I left untouched. And believe me, I thought the same way as all of you," she said, pointing to the group of other reporters. "They sounded like they were hiding something, and I got pretty suspicious. But the thing about that is that it wasn't just the two changelings that were seemingly keeping information from me; it was their friends, their families, their neighbors. Everypony I talked to around here—including the princesses—seemed to be in on it, but refused to say anything. So unless this entire town is conspiring with Queen Chrysalis and the changelings, it sounds like they all trust them enough to want to protect them from people like us."

"That's exactly right," Rarity chimed in. "Shade and Chamella have done nothing wrong, and if we want to present ourselves as being better than Queen Chrysalis, we need to be willing to accept those who do not want to live under her rule anymore. If we don't give them a second chance, then are we really any different than the villains who attack us?"

Princess Luna nodded. "Well said. I, for one, am a strong advocate for giving second chances to those who truly desire change. Equestria will always provide refuge to those who seek it, so long as those individuals are willing to abide by our rules, laws, and way of life. That is to say love, care, and make friends," she said with a grin. However, that grin quickly transitioned into a judgmental glower. "If you cannot accept that, then perhaps it is you who does not belong here."

Celestia gently placed a hoof on her sister's shoulder. "Luna, there's no need for that."

The princess of the night took a breath to steady herself. "My apologies. It's just that I know how vicious the media can be towards those who were once considered Equestria's enemies. I simply ask that these people give Shade and Chamella the benefit of the doubt as they once did with me. Is that too much to ask?"

There was a moment of silence after that, but one reporter pensively raised her hoof despite Luna's previous outburst. "But what exactly is this secret they're keeping?"

"Private is what it is," Twilight answered from the bride and groom's table. "And we'd all appreciate it if you would all respect their privacy. Treat them as you would treat anypony else. Their lives don't have to be an open book for everypony to read."

The reporters were suddenly backed into a corner. Pretty much every local pony in attendance was giving the journalists the stink eye, making them feel more than a little outnumbered. The media ponies reluctantly sat back down, disappointment painting each of their faces. Whether or not they were actually moved by the words of Shade and Chamella's friends, or if they had simply given up and realized that they weren't going to get any information wasn't clear, but either way it was nice to see them give it a rest.

Shade cast a grateful smile out at the crowd. "Thanks for having our backs, everypony. It means a lot that you'd be willing to stick your necks out for us."

"We're simply protecting our own," Princess Celestia said with a motherly smile. "But I feel this little digression has caused more harm than good, as I'm worried the food has gone cold by now."

"Yes, we've been on this tangent far too long," Luna agreed boisterously. "Let us dine and celebrate the joyous union of these two individuals as we came here to do!"

Luna raised her glass, prompting everypony else to do the same, including the reporters. Shade and Winter did as well, but looked at one another as opposed to the crowd. As they clinked their glasses, the two newlyweds shared a kiss, and the guests finally received their meals. With everything said and done in regards to the bride and groom, the people gathered in the town hall began to engage in idol conversation as they enjoyed their food, leaving any reservations they may have had on the back burner for the time being.

***** ***** *****

It was an odd feeling: the day seemed like it had lasted ages, yet at the same time, only a few moments. It was hard for Winter to believe that her big day had practically come to an end already. She normally enjoyed the comforting, iridescent glow of the evening sunset, but on this specific evening it felt a little bittersweet. It was almost as though a part of her mind expected her wedding day to last forever, as illogical as that was. In a way, it was reminiscent of when she and Shade had first said they loved each other; it was wonderful and romantic in the moment, but then they were just expected to go back to acting normally. The moment was over, and now it was back to their day-to-day.

Winter let out a wistful sigh, leaning her head against Shade as the pair walked home from the town hall, and baby Snowflake having drifted off to sleep in his stroller after a long and noisy day. Despite her slight disappointment that the wedding had to end, she still found herself smiling. It wasn't like this day wouldn't be forever ingrained in her memory. She was elated to have done all this, even though she had made sure to tell Shade that they didn't have to do it at all. Really, all of this was just for show; she'd have been just as happy without a big, fancy wedding ceremony, and she didn't expect their lives to really change much just because they were husband and wife now, though the public might see otherwise.

And it was surprising to both of them that they weren't once more bombarded by questions from the intrusive reporters once the reception was over. They chose to believe that they were actually showing some respect for their privacy, though they noticed that none of the journalists seemed prepared to leave town, so they were expecting to be hounded again tomorrow after their supposed "grace period" was up. The two had had a quiet discussion during the dinner about whether or not they should just divulge what had happened in the Changeling Kingdom just to satiate the relentless hunger of the media, but elected to maintain their stance on it; their wedding day was not the time or place for that.

And in the end, it was for the best. All of the anxiety and excitement from the day's events had taken their toll. Though she hadn't done anything physically strenuous, Winter felt quite drained. And even though she didn't want the day to end, she found the idea of finally lying down in bed and getting some sleep oddly tantalizing; especially if it was next to her new husband.

"Shade! Winter!"

The couple hadn't gotten to say a word to one another on the walk home yet before somepony else called out to them from behind. Turning around, the pair saw Daily Scoop trotting briskly to catch up to them, and Chamella was flittering through the air behind her, though she appeared to be having a little difficulty with her bridesmaid's dress on.

Admittedly, both Shade and Winter were a bit exasperated upon seeing the unicorn again, as they really just wanted to get home. But being in a good mood, Winter cast a smile at her. "You need something, Daily?"

Daily shook her head as she slowed to a stop near them, Chamella alighting beside her. "Not really. Just wanting to offer my congratulations again and let you know that I'll be heading back to Manehattan tomorrow."

The two raised their eyebrows slightly, both a little surprised to hear that. She'd been around consistently for the past few weeks, so it was going to seem oddly quiet without her around.

"Really?" Shade said. "I figured you'd stick around as long as the other journalists were still here."

Daily scoffed with a smirk. "Are you kidding? I need to get back and find a publisher for this article before everypony else gets one out first. Besides, I had the privilege of getting some one on one time with all of you. Those other slowpokes don't have the kind of info I do."

Winter glared rather sternly at Daily. "You better not be thinking of saying anything about Snowflake's kidnapping in that article."

Daily flicked a hoof dismissively. "A promise is a promise, don't worry about it. I just mean all the details about your relationship and stuff. Trust me," she said looking between Shade and Chamella, "this article's gonna paint you guys in a good light. If people don't trust you two after this, I'll eat my notepad."

"I hope so," said Chamella with a touch of doubt in her voice. "Those reporters still seemed like they were looking for reasons to not like us."

"Hey, I did the same thing, remember?" Daily reminded her with not a drop of guilt in her tone. "But once they know what they wanna know, it'll all cool off. Guess you'll just have to tough it out 'til then."

Shade flashed her a grateful grin. "In any case, I wanna say thanks for sticking up for us at the reception."

"Yeah, I didn't want to have to sit there the whole time with their interrogating glares drilling into us," Winter added. "So, thanks."

"Don't mention it," Daily responded with another dismissive wave, though accompanied by an accomplished smirk. "Like I've told you guys already, I want peace with the changelings, too, and this is the first—" She paused glancing down at the snoozing infant in the stroller. "Er, second big step toward that."

"I guess all that's left is to see how well the article goes over, huh?" Shade surmised.

Daily nodded. "Mm-hm. Considering I have the blessings of both you guys and Princess Twilight, I have confidence that it'll go swimmingly. Besides, I feel like I'd be putting myself into some seriously hot water if I decided to write something slanderous at this point."

"I think we can trust you to do us justice," Shade reassured her.

"I'll hold my breath," Winter added with a touch of doubt, but smiled anyway.

Daily adjusted her satchel. "Well, I guess I should be going. I'm sure you two have a romantic night ahead of you, and I don't wanna bother you any longer," she said with a suggestive wink. The journalist gave the sleeping tyke in the stroller a light pat on the head, then waved goodbye as she turned to head back to her carriage. "I'll be sure to visit again soon. There's still a lot I want to ask the three of you. Congrats again, and I hope your lives are bit less stressful from here on out."

"Feathers crossed," Winter chuckled as she, Shade, and Chamella bid Daily Scoop farewell.

Chamella turned to her two friends and their son, grinning happily, but didn't say anything. Her expression elicited a curious eyebrow raise and a smirk from Winter.

"Something on your mind, Chamella?"

The female changeling's face shifted at the question, as though she forgot she was still there. "Oh, uh, not really. I really just wanted to say congrats again. And thank you again for... well, everything. I—"

Winter raised her hoof, stopping Chamella short. "I know, Chamella. You did a pretty good job explaining how you felt at the reception."

Her maid of honor smiled with a bashful blush. "Yeah, but I really can't say it enough. I know this was your big day, but it's still a pretty big deal for me, too. With us being friends now, and you choosing me as your maid of honor, and seeing my best friend get married to the mare he loves... I just feel so... lucky, you know?"

"I know how you feel," Shade said to her. "I've pretty much felt that way since I came here." He glanced at Winter with a fond smile, then to his sleeping son. "And even more the longer I've been here."

Winter rolled her eyes with a small grin. "Alright, Shade, everypony's gone home, you can cool it with the sappy stuff."

"Sorry," he chuckled with a light blush. "But on that note, I guess we should be getting home, too, huh?"

"Oh, sorry for keeping you," Chamella apologized. "I'll just head home myself."

As Chamella was turning back to return to Carousel Boutique, Winter reached out to stop her.

"Hold on."

Chamella gave her a quizzical look, and Winter wheeled Snowflake's stroller to Shade.

"You go on ahead, I'll catch up," the pegasus told her husband before looking back at Chamella. "I just wanna talk to Chamella a little, girl to girl, okay?"

Shade raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her. "Alright, but don't be too long." With that, he gave Winter a quick kiss and began pushing Snowflake home, leaving the two mares alone.

Even though she was more than happy to have Winter as a friend now, Chamella still couldn't help but feel a little pensive now that the two of them were alone. There was a somewhat serious expression on Winter's face, and Chamella had come to associate that with some sort of stern talking-to.

"Is something wrong?" Chamella asked, concerned not only for Winter, but herself as well.

Winter opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated, breaking eye contact. She was reluctant to speak what was on her mind, worried not only about possibly making the moment awkward, but also about the answer to the question she wanted to ask.

"I need to ask you something," Winter finally said. "And I want you to be totally honest with me. Do you... Do you still love Shade?"

Chamella blinked, staying silent for a few moments. That wasn't quite the question she was expecting. "I..."

She felt a little guilty that she wasn't able to provide an answer right away, and feared that Winter would interpret her hesitation as an admission. But now that she was asked the question, she couldn't just not give an answer, especially at such an important time.

Chamella's ears folded back slightly, and she glanced away. "I'm... not really sure anymore."

Winter tilted her head, a bit puzzled by the answer. Admittedly, that response did make her feel a little hopeful, but she still wanted a little more. "What does that mean?"

The changeling took a few seconds to find the words to express herself—something she'd been doing a lot lately. "Well, I do still love Shade, of course. But I can't tell anymore if I'm in love with him."

"Is that the honest truth, or are you just worried about how I'd react if you said yes?"

Chamella shook her head. "If I still felt that way about him, I think I wouldn't feel so happy about your wedding. I'm not jealous of you, like when I first saw the two of you together and—" She paused. The two mares stared at one another for a moment, neither feeling particularly pleased to recall the event to which Chamella was about to allude. "But... I don't feel jealous anymore. Now, seeing you two together makes me happy and a little envious."

"Envious? But you just said—"

"What I mean is... I don't want Shade, but I kind of want what you and Shade have."

Winter couldn't help but smirk, a little amused by the implication. "Wait, are you saying you want a boyfriend?"

The changeling's black cheeks flushed a dark red, flustered and embarrassed. "Uh, n-not necessarily. I want the sort of happiness you have, b-but I don't think that specifically requires..." She trailed off, taking a second to compose herself. "I guess I'm really just trying to say that I'm happy with the way things are. I still care about Shade a lot, I don't think I could ever stop caring about him, but I'm fine with just being a part of his—no, your lives," she declared with a smile. "I think I'll be happy as long as the two of you are happy. Is that the answer you were hoping for?"

Winter smiled back at her. "Not exactly the answer I expected, but one I think I can live with." She wrapped a hoof around Chamella's shoulders, pulling her maid of honor in for a hug, which the changeling happily returned. "Just remember: you might be done with your maid of honor duties, but your job as a godmother is gonna last for a long time. Think you can handle that?"

After the hug ended, Chamella looked Winter in the eye, her smile persisting. "I'll do my best. I promise."

Winter nodded, satisfied by that response. "Good. Then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye. Enjoy your wedding night," Chamella bid her as she turned to leave.

As Winter watched Chamella head back home, she inhaled a long breath through her nose. Chamella still seemed a little unsure of her feelings; her response, while reassuring, still had some hints of uncertainty. Of course, she knew that a person wasn't just going to get over their feelings simply because somepony asked, but knowing the lengths that Chamella was willing to go to help and protect not just her, but Snowflake as well, Winter strongly felt she could trust her—something she definitely wouldn't have found herself thinking just a few weeks prior.

But on one's wedding night, one should be focusing primarily on their new spouse, and Winter had instructed Shade to return home without her. Thinking about it now, how awkward must Shade feel to cross the threshold of their home by himself on their wedding night? Winter couldn't help but blush with embarrassment at her own lack of forethought and made to catch up with Shade at a brisk pace and apologize.

Her wedding dress kept her from running as fast as she wanted to, but the house wasn't too far away. As she approached her home, she slowed down, breathing a sigh of relief and smiling as she looked toward the front door. Shade was standing there with Snowflake, watching her and waiting before going inside, wearing a similar smile of his own.

Winter's smile became more of smirk as she walked up to her new husband. "You just can't help yourself, can you? Always gotta be the romantic," she said to him, her somewhat mocking tone masking the fact that she actually greatly appreciated it.

"I was under the impression that crossing the threshold with your new spouse was one of the big moments of a couple's wedding night," he responded.

Winter giggled at him. "Rarity really gave you the full run-down, huh?"

Shade opened the door and gestured to the interior. "Shall we?"

The pegasus lifted her alabaster hoof, offering it to her husband who happily accepted, holding it in his own dark, hole-riddled hoof. Using his magic, Shade gently pushed Snowflake's stroller into the house first, with the newlywed couple passing through the doorway right afterward, hoof-in-hoof.

The two spent a few moments just staring into one another's eyes. As lovely and heartwarming as the moment was, they both couldn't help but feel a touch of awkwardness.

"Sooo... Do things feel any different to you?" Winter asked Shade.

The changeling hesitated. "Are things... supposed to feel different?"

She gave him a look of uncertainty. "I dunno. I thought they might, but to be honest, outside of how exciting this day has been, now that we're back home, it just feels... kinda normal again."

"That's a good thing, though. Right?"

Winter shrugged, but flashed a grin. "I suppose. I mean, I was the one who said that we didn't have to do all this. And I even told Twilight that the wedding was just something I wanted to do for the heck of it. I guess I never really expected our relationship to actually change at all—I already love you with all my heart and more. But I guess I do get to call you my husband now, and just saying it still makes me tingle," she said with a girlish giggle.

"Well, either way it was fun," Shade commented with a smile. "Too bad we only get to do this once, huh?"

"We could get a divorce and then remarry, if you want. But that's a lot more paperwork than I'm willing to deal with right now. Maybe in a few years," Winter joked with an amused smirk.

Shade glanced out the window. He noted the orange tint of the sky. It was certainly nice of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna to perform a sunsetting in front of all of the wedding guests, but even so, the stars were only just starting to become visible. The smallest hint of purple and the bright, white glow of the top half of the moon could be seen past the green hills on the outskirts of town, signaling the coming night, but it wasn't quite what one would call "late" just yet.

"You know, there's still some time left in the day. Is there anything you wanna—mmph!"

Shade's question was cut off by a pair of lips suddenly pressing against his, their gentle softness offset by the vigor behind them. As unexpected as the kiss was, Shade made no effort to dissuade Winter, leaning into it himself as Winter wrapped her hooves around his shoulders.

After about thirty seconds, Winter finally broke the kiss, though made sure to maintain the mood she'd created by giving Shade a sultry gaze. "We're gonna need those extra hours," she whispered seductively.

That suggestion wasn't something Shade was willing to argue against. However, there was one thing he felt they should deal with first. He glanced at the stroller still sitting next to them. "I think we should get him to bed first," he said, tilting his head toward Snowflake.

Winter released Shade from her loving embrace, giving her sleeping son a loving look. "Right. Don't wanna get ahead of ourselves."

Unfastening the stroller's safety belt, Shade carefully lifted Snowflake up with his magic, and the two parents carried their baby up the stairs to the little tyke's nursery.

Shade gently lay his son down inside his crib, and the pair simply stared down at the snoozing infant with the utmost fondness. It was still unbelievable to both of them that the little guy had gone through so much hardship at just a few months old. His behavior was completely normal, and he didn't even have a scratch on him from the ordeal. To him, all of that nastiness may as well have not happened at all, and he wasn't even going to remember it when he got older. And now, after all of that, he just slept soundly with not a care in the world. And Shade and Winter couldn't be more thankful.

Shade cast a sidelong glance at his new wife. Winter was contentedly staring at their son with a motherly smile. She reached a hoof into the crib and tenderly stroked Snowflake's head as he slept peacefully. A question came to Shade's mind as he observed how much Winter had changed as a mother over the course of this experience. From her deep-rooted concerns during her pregnancy, to her overprotective approach after he was born, to the much more normal and tolerable mother she was currently, Winter had been put through the emotional wringer lately—so much so that she was actually attending weekly therapy sessions—and it seemed like Snowflake had become somewhat of a security blanket for her; she just seemed so much more calm when she had him with her.

Shade hesitated before asking his question, but felt compelled. "You... wouldn't be interested in having another one, would you?"

Winter gave Shade the harshest glare he'd seen from her in a long time. "Don't even. This one has resulted in enough trouble on his own. I'd probably wind up pulling all my hair out if we had another," she told him firmly as she started for the bedroom, Shade following behind her. "Which is also why you'll be using protection from here on out, and I don't wanna hear any complaining about it."

Shade simply chuckled quietly as they entered the bedroom, closing the door behind him. He had a feeling that would be the response he'd get, but just wanted to make sure.

Winter walked over to the vanity, removing her necklace to put it back into its case. She paused for a moment when she looked at it. There was a brief moment where she felt a touch of panic when she saw only half of the gemstone hanging off the silver chain, but quickly remembered that that was her doing. She also briefly wondered if she did the right thing by splitting it in two. Winter glanced at Shade, who was busy removing his white tuxedo. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief upon pulling off his bow tie, as though it had been slightly choking him the whole time. But seeing the other half of the necklace hanging from his neck, Winter couldn't help but smile. She felt too strongly about her reasoning for doing what she did. She really did feel whole when she was with Shade.

Winter placed her half of the necklace inside its velvet-lined case, then retrieved Shade's half to join it. Then, following Shade's example, Winter removed her wedding dress. She took one more extended look at the gown before hanging it in the closet. It was still a little hard to believe that the wedding was over, but even harder to believe that she was actually married now.

The pegasus turned to the bed. Her husband had already climbed under the covers and she was eager to join him. With no lack of energy, Winter hopped into the air with a flap of her wings, landing directly on top of Shade and eliciting a surprised "Oof" from the changeling. Any complaints he may have had about her rather aggressive approach were stymied by Winter's lips, eagerly kissing him as she lay on top of him.

"You're getting a little worked up, aren't you?" Shade managed to say between forceful kisses.

"Hey, I'm just in a good mood after such a great day. It's our wedding night; how can I not be a little excited? Besides, I've really been needing this, so don't ruin the mood."

Shade held his hooves out defensively. "I'm not complaining, just making a comment."

Winter gave him a sultry grin. "Good, because we've got a looong night ahead of us."

She leaned down to plant another kiss on Shade's fanged lips, but the moment their lips touched, a shrill, high-pitched whine pierced through the baby monitor on the bedside table.

Winter's head hit the pillow under Shade's head with a groan, her body going limp with frustration. "You have got to be kidding me..."

Shade let out a quiet sigh, but couldn't help but smile with mild amusement. "I'll take care of it. Just wait here."

Winter reluctantly rolled off of Shade, allowing him to get up and tend to their wailing baby. She lay there with her hooves splayed out, staring up at the ceiling with a somewhat disgruntled glower. Yet she also couldn't help but smile a little as she watched her husband leave the room to do what a father does best.

"Guess this is why most people get married before they have kids."

The End

Comments

[Edguy0009]

Aww what a sweet ending.
Will you make another sequel or is this it?

[TexasDragon1995]

SIGH

Well, that's that. Beautiful ending to a great story. Overall, I loved it! At the time, I was unsure of how long it took for them to reach Snowflake in the hive and felt like it was dragging. But when they all finally got home it was like the biggest relief anyone could feel. So I now really respect you for writing so much on the part of the hive. I respect how much work you've put into this. Very well done.

Most of the time, I would say there should be a sequel and the author should continue. But honestly, this was one of the few stories that I read where I wouldn't be unhappy if it ended right here. It just feels complete. Though I wouldn't object to a sequel, obviously.

Great work here and hope to see more from you. Keep up the good work my good man

[Dee Pad]

9254381

9254522
No plans for another sequel right now. I wanna focus my efforts on other story ideas I've been playing around with.

[Edguy0009]

9254722 Take your time and if they don't work out.

[TexasDragon1995]

9254722
Absolutely. Do your thing

[Admiral Stoic Rum]

This is why you have da an nan watch the youngin while ye go a bangin

[Titan Commander Sebaste]

And so the series comes to a close....
Let's hope Snowflake can keep out of trouble as he grows up!

I honestly enjoyed reading the saga of Shade and Winter, as such, I give thisa solid 10/10!

[harts fire]

a grate Ending to a super story.
in a way i am kind of supersized chrysalis was not watching if only from a distance.

[ThatNoobPony]

What a sweet and satisfying ending to the story.
A wish you luck with writing new stories. (Whatever about they be)

[Slavenger Karl]

I just wonder - would a theoretical sequel be alternate universe and if we could see a segment from Snowflakes point of wiew. I always found stories where a young character goes to school to be somewhat fascinating.

[Teraunce]

This was a beautiful ending even if you left threads open for a sequel that I would also love to see someday.

[Luckysweep]

10637408
To be fair, the racial jabs about Shade being a unicorn is really the only thing that taints him. If those lines were to be rewritten to be critical of his lifestyle then it could work.

[Witchery]

Ah, a beautiful ending to a beautiful story. Just finished reading it and its prequel, and l loved it.

[DezzarTac]

A fine final finale!
I fell behind on reading this way back in 2018, and I'm not-so-secretly glad that there isn't another sequel lined up.
I'm happy that Shade and Winter get to keep their own Happy Ending. It's so beautiful

[Arctic Soul]

Normally I don't comment on books, but I had a few things I wanted to say about this one. First and most importantly, it's a fairly good story and I'll probably end up rereading it in a few years. The only negative thing I wanted to bring up was the use of the word 'tyke' throughout the story. I don't know why, but every time I read that word it completely jarred me out of my reading state. I know that it was used correctly in every instance I can remember it being used, but for some reason it just didn't work for me. I guess never really hear that word being used irl, so it feels off to me. But none of this matters anyway, just a small gripe that was bugging me and I wanted to get off my mind. It was a great book, and I would love to see more of it if you're up to continuing the story any further.