Following the Changeling Invasion of Canterlot, Twilight's friends, Princess Celestia and Shining Armor lament over how they failed to protect Canterlot from the Changelings as well for their behavior towards Twilight at the Wedding Rehearsal.
Following the Changeling Invasion of Canterlot, Twilight's friends, Princess Celestia and Shining Armor lament over how they failed to protect Canterlot from the Changelings as well for their behavior towards Twilight at the Wedding Rehearsal.
Canterlot had been spared from the worst attack ever by an enemy force. Many citizens only suffered minor injuries and only a few were considered serious. But, true to form, it did not have to happen. For Princess Celestia, the ruler of Canterlot and her captain of the royal guard, Shining Armor, they could have stopped this invasion had they not treated the one pony that really saw what was wrong with the utmost disrespect unbecoming to ponies of their status.
You see, Shining Armor was to be married to Celestia's niece, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza or Cadence as she liked to be called. Unbeknownst to either Shining Armor or Princess Celestia, Queen Chrysalis, leader of the Changeling race, had snuck into Canterlot undetected and kidnapped the real Cadence and placed her in the Canterlot Caves. She then disguised herself as Cadence to get close to Shining Armor and feed off on his love. When his sister, Twilight Sparkle and her friends came to help prepare for the wedding, she noticed that the Cadence she grew up with was not the same one as she remembered. In Twilight's mind, the pony who was her old foal sitter was not acting like what she used to be and investigated her suspicious behavior.
When Twilight tried to warn Shining Armor about his bride's behavior, Chrysalis had pulled him aside to criticize on his wedding attire and Twilight saw that her brother was getting a migraine which he says came from maintaining his protection spell on Canterlot. In reality, it was a mind draining spell that prevented Shining Armor from noticing anything wrong about his bride-to-be. Realizing that desperate times called for desperate measures, Twilight barged into the wedding rehearsal to warn those closest to her about what was going on. Chrysalis successfully maintained her cover by pretending to cry and causing Shining Armor to scold Twilight severely, take away her role as Best Mare and bar her from showing her face at the wedding. Soon, Twilight's friends followed suit in disgust over their friends actions and as she followed them, Celestia scolded Twilight in the worst possible way by telling her in an ice cold voice:
"You have a lot to think about."
Because of their irresponsible actions, Queen Chrysalis managed to maintain her cover by sending Twilight into the Canterlot Caves and the 'wedding' went as planned until Twilight went on the attack again, but this time, the real Princess Cadence, who was also imprisoned in the Canterlot Caves was with her and what followed was an invasion of Changelings and the power of love between Cadence and Shining Armor being unleashed on them, thus saving Canterlot from further damage and destruction.
But, whilst the damage done to Canterlot was only minor, the true damage that was done had not yet been repaired. That damage was done at the wedding rehearsal and the one who caused it was Shining Armor and Princess Celestia, for they were the ones that could have prevented the Changelings from invading had they listened to Twilight Sparkle, the one pony who truly knew something was wrong about Princess Cadence. Instead, they all came across that Twilight was being too possessive of Shining Armor and that a mare who would act like a foal would not be fit to take part in a wedding ceremony as significant as this.
Boy, were they wrong in the worst possible way.
As Shining Armor oversaw the repairs done to Canterlot, he couldn't help but think to himself what had just transpired over the past 24 hours. It made him realize that he could have been married to a love feeding monster instead of his true love and that he had a chance to escape it, but he couldn't break loose from her grasp and by the time he did, it was already too late. Standing on the bridge where he and Twilight were a few days earlier, he looked up to see Cadence being fitted for her wedding dress with help from Twilight's friend, Rarity. In his mind, how would he face his true bride and tell her what had happened while she was in the Canterlot Caves? How would she react? Would she hate him for what he did to someone whom she used to foal sit? Those were all the questions that were racing through his mind at lightning speed.
However, he had to report to Princess Celestia on the progress of repairs and although he didn't know it at the time, Princess Celestia was also feeling ashamed over her own behavior towards Twilight. As she sat on her throne, Celestia was still recovering from her battle with Queen Chrysalis, a battle that she lost in front of her most faithful student and her friends, her niece and her subjects. Because she was the ruler of Canterlot and all of Equestria for that matter, she thought to herself that maybe she was no longer fit to rule or even be Twilight's mentor. After all, Twilight was the one who returned Princess Luna to her side after 1,000 years on the moon and Twilight was the one who led her friends against Discord and managed to turn him back to stone. So, in her mind, why didn't she listen to Twilight when it mattered most? To be honest, Celestia was monitoring the situation and did not spend very much time with her niece, or so it seemed to be.
"Your highness," said Shining Armor as he entered the throne room, taking off his helmet and bowing down to her. "The repairs are going at a rapid pace; everything should be fixed by tomorrow at the latest."
"That is excellent news, Shining Armor," sighed Princess Celestia, trying to put on a small smile. "We really got lucky this time."
"We did," replied Shining Armor. "But, you know this all didn't have to happen."
"You are absolutely right, Shining Armor," replied Celestia, lowering her head in shame for a moment, before lifting it back up. "Ever since the invasion, I have been feeling beside myself for not heeding Twilight's warnings about Cadence."
Shining Armor looked down at the floor as Celestia got up from her throne and walked down to a pair of stained glass windows depicting Twilight and her friends defeating Nightmare Moon on the left and Discord on the right.
"I understand how you feel, your highness," Shining Armor said sadly. "I guess I am partially to blame for what happened as well. I failed as a brother and as a groom."
"In what way is that?" asked Celestia.
"Well, if you recall back to the rehearsal," replied Shining Armor, turning to his ruler. "I berated Twilight for her behavior towards 'Cadence' and threw her out of the wedding. By the time I realized my error, it was already too late. I was being controlled by the Changelings and they had their invasion in full force."
"Perhaps we all got a little excited," said Princess Celestia, trying to lighten Shining Armor's spirits. "I was not aware about the Changeling Queen being disguised as my niece and like her friends; I also thought it was wedding stress as well."
"I know that too," added Shining Armor. "I just don't know how Cadence is going to react when she learns of what happened at the rehearsal while she was in the caves."
Just then, Princess Cadence entered the throne room having finished being fitted for her wedding gown. She was surprised to see her aunt and future husband looking so forlorn on the days leading up to her wedding. At the same time, she could hear what was going on from outside the throne room.
"Is something wrong Aunt Celestia?" she asked, completely oblivious to what happened at the rehearsal. "You and Shining Armor seem to be worried about something and I couldn't help but overhearing what was going on."
Shining Armor knew that as much as it was going to hurt, he had to tell Cadence the truth. So, he turned to his future wife and took an enormous gulp as Cadence stepped towards them.
"Well, Cadence," he began, stepping over towards his bride-to-be. "I was not aware that you were down in the Canterlot Caves and that we all thought that you were suffering from pre-wedding stress."
"But, that doesn't explain why you both look upset about something," added Cadence, her voice growing impatient. "You both are not telling me something and I would like to know what it is."
"Cadence," continued Shining Armor. "The only one who knew that you were not acting like yourself was Twilight and she tried to warn us at the wedding rehearsal that it was the changeling queen disguised as you. I thought she said those things because she was being possessive of me and that I haven't seen her for so long. As a result, I reprimanded her and told her to forget about being Best Mare and that she shouldn't even show her face at the wedding."
"I am also to blame too, Cadence," added Celestia, as she stepped towards her niece. "I told her that she had a lot to think about when I really should have stayed behind to help her."
This made Cadence's heart sink as she stood there, shocked and wide-eyed by what her loved ones had just said to her. While she was in the caves, the most important pony in her life beside Shining Armor had been verbally scarred by those closest to her including the stallion she was going to marry. She also couldn't believe that her own aunt, who had adopted her as her own niece had put her own wedding ahead of the threat and allowed her subjects to be put in mortal danger.
"What?!" she gasped, horrified by what was happening in front of her. "How could you do such a thing to Twilight when she was trying to protect you all? You know her just as much as I do! I was her foal sitter, for pony's sake!"
"We know you were," protested Shining Armor. " But, we were not aware that you were the changeling queen in disguise. I wish I could take back everything I said to Twilight, but I can't. I can't change back time like my sister does."
"Shining Armor," cried Cadence, tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes. "I thought you loved me."
"I do love you," he cried as he walked over to her in an effort to calm her down. "I do love you for who you are. It's just that we all made a terrible mistake and that I promise you that it will never happen again."
But Cadence was still not buying it. Hearing that the one important pony in her life who brought them together was kicked out of the wedding made her very upset and angry. Shining Armor hated to see her angry and being the princess of love, Cadence was responsible for spreading love throughout Equestria. But, this was not spreading love, this was spreading hate.
"How can I marry you when something like this has happened?" asked Cadence, slightly angry, her voice rising as she pushed him away with her magic. "Twilight is the one pony who brought us together when I was her foal sitter so many years ago. We wouldn't even be together if it weren't for her and when we needed her most, this is how you both repay her? By kicking her out of the most important day of our lives?"
Overcome with emotion, Cadence turned away from Shining Armor and began to sob quietly. She was hurt and her time in the Canterlot Caves were nothing compared to this. True, the Changelings disrupted their wedding day, but this much was worser than anything she could have imagined.
"Cadence," interjected Celestia, walking over to her hurt niece and placing a wing over her. "You have to understand that the Changeling Queen had us all fooled, even Twilight said so herself, but Shining Armor and I both understand the hurt we caused Twilight was not forgivable and that if weren't for Twilight, the entire Changeling invasion could have been stopped in its tracks and that we could have gone down to the caves and rescued you. But, just as Shining Armor failed as a brother and as a groom, I failed as a monarch and as a teacher. All we can ask you for is for your forgiveness and that whatever happened at the wedding rehearsal will never happen again, we swear on our lives."
Cadence then stopped crying and turned to face her aunt, who was showing hurt in her eyes just as much as Shining Armor. As she saw her aunt have tears well up in her eyes, Cadence pulled her close and hugged her tightly as a sign that although Celestia failed to heed Twilight's warnings as much as Shining Armor, she was willing to forgive her.
"Well, Aunt Celestia," replied Cadence, calming down as she broke away from Celestia. "You did teach me once that I sometimes have to forgive and forget. I guess I have to accept what happened at the rehearsal and that I am glad to be standing here today on the verge of marrying the stallion of my dreams."
"But Shining Armor," added Cadence, looking at him dead in the face. "I cannot marry you unless Twilight is in the wedding again. No Twilight as our best mare, no wedding. The choice is yours."
Shining Armor took in this statement very seriously as he was the one who told Twilight not to show her face at the wedding. Now, his entire wedding to Cadence was going to rest on the fact whether Twilight would accept his apology for his behavior towards her at the wedding rehearsal. Cadence walked out and slammed the door behind her as Shining Armor looked down once again at the floor.
"What am I going to do?" he said to himself as Celestia watched. "I don't know how I am going to face my sister about this. I said some very mean things to her, more so than anything in my entire life. How are my parents going to react to this as well? I can't let them know of what I did to Twily. They would never forgive me for it."
As Shining Armor said what he needed to say, he took an enormous gulp and realized that he was going to have to face his sister, the pony who was really trying to protect him from a love absorbing monster disguised as his future wife, for the first time since that horrible day that his relationship with her was nearly destroyed by his own doing and that Canterlot nearly fell to that race of love absorbing monsters. Even Princess Celestia would have to face her most faithful student one way or another and she would have to beg Twilight for her forgiveness. But, much like her Captain of the Guard, she knew that something needed to be done. After all, she was the one who told Twilight that she had a real wedding to put together. And she was determined to make sure that her most faithful student was in the wedding, back where she belonged.
"What is important is that Twilight forgives us for our actions," said Celestia, once again walking over to the stained glass window of Twilight and her friends defeating Nightmare Moon. "Not all of my subjects may forgive me for my actions, but it really doesn't matter. Twilight is more important to us right now."
Although they were all in another room getting refitted for their bridesmaid dresses, Twilight's friends could overhear what was going on and that they all would have to face Twilight sooner or later.
It wasn't going to be easy for all of them, but it would have to be done, one way or another.
As Twilight's friends heard Cadence leave Princess Celestia and Shining Armor alone in the throne room, they all could not help but wonder why they didn't listen to Twilight when it mattered most. They had always been there for her and she had always been there for them. But, they all had a lot to think about over the recent events that had just taken place. They all had a large amount of guilt to share and even though they were wearing bridesmaid dresses, they certain didn't feel like bridesmaids and that their wedding party felt incomplete in a sense. After all, they were just as guilty as Shining Armor and Princess Celestia. They made the error of putting their excitement for this moment over their friends concerns.
"You know, I couldn't help but ask," said Rainbow Dash solemnly, as she watched the repairs on Canterlot from the window of the Bridal Suite. "Did we really get too fixated on the wedding to notice anything was wrong with Cadence?"
"What'd you think Rainbow?" said Applejack, looking at herself in the mirror. "You heard what the changeling queen said, we were indeed focused so much on the wedding to notice anything was wrong and as a result we not only put Canterlot at risk, but we also may have damaged our relationship with Twilight."
"Some friends we are," grumbled Pinkie Pie, already thinking of how to apologize to Twilight. "I am going to have to throw her a super duper apologizing party when we get back to Ponyville. Trust me, it'll be just like her first night in the library."
This didn't sit well with Fluttershy, who was letting one of her songbirds fly through the room. It was the same one that Chrysalis had yelled at during one of their rehearsals a few days before. However, after everything was all said and done, she didn't feel like conducting the music, let alone help Pinkie Pie throw one of her parties.
"I'm afraid a simple party won't fully heal everything that has happened, Pinkie Pie," said Fluttershy sadly as the bird fell back on her hoof. "You saw what happened at the rehearsal."
"That's true," replied Pinkie Pie, realizing her dilemma. "Shoot."
"Well," said Rarity, who was inspecting her crown that she wore on her head. "Maybe we just start listening to Twilight from now on so that circumstances of this nature don't have to happen again. After all, we went through a similar matter before."
Those words had begun to bring back memories of when Twilight had gone crazy over an overdue friendship letter to Princess Celestia. Twilight had gotten so frantic that she cast a "Want-It Need-It Spell" on her Smarty Pants doll that resulted in all of Ponyville being descended in Chaos.
"That's right," added Rainbow Dash, realizing what Rarity was talking about. "Didn't she have a mental breakdown over a lost friendship letter a while back?"
"She did, y'all," said Applejack, who stared blankly at her fellow ponies. "And we brushed it off thinking that Twilight was getting all trussled up over nothing. It wasn't until Princess Celestia appeared all angry that we realized until too late that Twilight was indeed all worked up over something."
"We all learned a lesson that day, didn't we?" continued Rarity. "We learned to not take a friend's worries lightly and that we have to stop and listen so that they didn't become an even bigger problem."
"Hey, doesn't that also remind you all of something?" said Pinkie Pie, who was also beginning to think back to the Parasprite Invasion on Ponyville. "Something very similar that happened to me and the parasprite invasion on Ponyville."
The other ponies remembered that event as well, as Pinkie had tried to persuade them to find instruments that she would use to lure them out of Ponyville. They didn't believe her at first, but it was only then did they see her with all the instruments that they realized their error.
"Yes, that's true Pinkie," replied Applejack, who was also beginning to think of another event that Twilight went bananas over. "But didn't anyone else remember another time that Twilight was all worked up over nothing, considering a disaster that never happened."
Now, the ponies were thinking about the time that Twilight was fretting over a disaster that she thought was going to happen, but never did. It later got to a point where Twilight had to use a time travel spell to warn her own self to not worry about the future.
"Yes, I did remember that," said Pinkie Pie. "We snuck into Canterlot and Spike kept on eating Ice Cream until he got a stomachache. Twilight sure did go loco in the coco that time."
But, then a strange thought came into Pinkie and her tail suddenly went twitchy as evident by her bridesmaid dress shaking. Her Pinkie Sense was acting up and Rarity did not want one of her already fine works to be ruined.
"Careful, Pinkie," cautioned Rarity, as she used a spell to keep Pinkie from moving. "I don't want your dress getting more damaged than it already has."
"I know that, Rarity," said Pinkie Pie, who suddenly stopped shaking thanks to the spell. "I just had the thought that maybe the impending disaster was in fact the Changeling Invasion on Canterlot."
"How do you know that, Pinkie?" asked Applejack, walking over and raising an eyebrow at her. "Do you have any proof of that?"
"No," she replied, seemingly innocent about it. "I just had the thought and it crossed through my mind."
"Well, proof or no proof," said Rainbow Dash dejectedly. "Twilight was trying to warn us that something about Princess Cadence was off and we ignored it. Instead, we just focused on our individual tasks that we needed to complete for the wedding."
This was a mistake that they all had made on Twilight. Up until this moment, Twilight had been for them as much as they had been there for her. But, when she needed them the most, they turned their backs on her.
"I just don't know how she is going to react when we confess what we were seeing in here at the rehearsal," said Fluttershy, trying to not let her emotions get the best of her. "Especially after all she has done for us."
"Twilight did say we were all fooled," added Rarity. "I would think that message was already across to us all when we were held captive in the wedding hall."
"I know," said Fluttershy dejectedly. "I just feel like there is something about our behavior that will make Twilight see things differently than they already are."
"In what way is that, Fluttershy?" asked Applejack. "What makes you think Twilight will see things differently in us?"
"Well, we were acting like the opposites of our elements of harmony again," replied Fluttershy. "To Twilight, this all makes her think that we were all behaving like the time Discord was here."
"You are absolutely right, Fluttershy," said Rainbow Dash. "We were acting like the opposites of our elements again and Discord wasn't even involved in all of this. It was our doing and our doing alone."
"Do you think our relationship with Twilight will never be the same again?" asked Fluttershy, a small tear trickling down her face. "She helped us out once and that I am worried that she will never help us out of situations like this ever again."
"Aw, Sugarcube," comforted Applejack, coming over to console her friend by placing her hoof on Fluttershy's shoulder. "You know Twilight would not go that far. She cares too deeply about us to even think about going that far."
"But what if she did, Applejack?" cried Rainbow Dash, starting to sound desperate. "Our behavior was just terrible, you know that. I mean we walked out on her when she was truly right, even Princess Celestia walked out on her and we all share responsibility for what we did."
All of the ponies were now starting to feel the agony come to them and Applejack had to be the strong willed mare in the room at that moment.
"Now listen, y'all," said Applejack now level headed, trying to calm them down. "For the last time, Twilight said it wasn't our fault and the Changelings fooled us all. What is more important right now is that Twilight is with us in the wedding again."
"Yeah," said Pinkie Pie, leaping about the room excitedly. "After all she has done for us; we all would like nothing more than to have our Twilight back. This wedding wouldn't be the same without her."
Then, Rarity had to spoil the anticipation when she remembered that it had to be Twilight's own brother to make the final call on her being in the wedding.
"Now, remember," said Rarity, stopping Pinkie Pie in her tracks once again with her magic. "It has to be Shining Armor to bring her back in. He was the one who threw Twilight out of the wedding in the first place."
This did not bode well with the other ponies as they each began to get into more and more despair. Rainbow Dash was dejected and worried over the fact that she had become like Gilda the Griffon, who had disowned her as a friend for not being cool like her. She was also an aspiring Wonderbolt and she had always learned that the code of the Wonderbolt was to never leave a friend behind.
It seems now that particular code was not being followed, thanks to her.
"You're right," sighed Rainbow Dash, her hopes being dashed. "It does have to be him that makes the final call and that is something we all have to wait for to happen."
"I just hope after all that has happened," said Applejack, wanting all of this put to bed as much as everyone else in Canterlot. "Shining Armor makes the right call and we can move on with our friend as his Best Mare again."
Unbeknownst to them however, Shining Armor was overhearing what was going on and left to resume his royal guard duties, taking in what he had just heard Twilight's friends say to each other.
In his mind, at least, he knew that in the end, the only one who could repair what happened at the rehearsal was himself and himself alone. So, he went back and knocked on the door of the bridal suite and Rarity opened the door.
"Oh, Shining Armor," she gasped, upon seeing him at the door. "What can we do for you?"
"There is something I need you all to do something for me," he said.
So he went on to tell his sister's friends of his decision to save his wedding to the love of his life and return the one pony who meant so much to them all back where she belonged on his big day.
While her friends were at the castle and her brother was overseeing the repairs to Canterlot, Twilight and Spike were at her former home helping Twilight's parents clean their house up after the invasion. The house wasn't damaged very much, but much to the chagrin of Twilight's father, Night Light, the changelings had damaged his prized garden. Aside from that, there was no harm done to the Sparkle household.
After a long day of cleaning, Twilight, Spike and her parents went into the living room before Twilight was to leave for Shining Armor's house. During the time Twilight was over with her parents, she had still not told them about what had happened at the wedding rehearsal a few days earlier. Now, the time was right for Twilight to tell them the truth, however, Twilight Velvet and Night Light had somewhat suspected that something was amiss when their daughter was not at the first wedding.
"Twilight," said Twilight Velvet, who was concerned that her daughter was not at the wedding. "There is something your father and I were meaning to ask you in regards to why you were not at the initial wedding ceremony. Did something happen to make you not want to come?"
"We just want to see if you were all right," added Night Light, who joined them on the sofa. "It was not like you to miss something as important as your own brother's wedding."
Twilight knew that she had to tell her parents the truth, as much as it was going to hurt for all of them.
"As a matter of fact," said Twilight Sparkle, who took an enormous gulp before speaking. "Something did happen at the wedding rehearsal the day before that resulted in me not being at the initial ceremony."
"What happened?" asked Twilight Velvet, who was now starting to become concerned for her youngest child. "Please tell us, Twilight."
"Yes," added Night Light, who was just as concerned for Twilight as much as his wife was. "We need you to tell us."
Taking another enormous gulp, Twilight told her parents the actual truth, not knowing how they were going to initially react.
"Well," explained Twilight, trying to hold back tears. "You eventually saw that 'Cadence' was really the Changeling Queen in disguise and I tried to warn Shining Armor that something was wrong with 'Cadence' and that she was not who she really was. I must have acted really foolish because I barged into the wedding rehearsal and called her 'evil' without any proof or evidence to begin with."
At that moment, small tears began to fall from Twilight's eyes. Twilight Velvet used her magic to give her daughter a handkerchief and Twilight used it to dry her eyes. The pain of what happened at the rehearsal was beginning to show in Twilight's eyes and her parents knew it.
"It's okay, Twilight," she said, pulling her daughter towards her. "We're here for you. Go on."
"Well," sniffled Twilight, starting to choke up even further. "He went on to say that the wedding wasn't important to me and that he told me to forget about being his Best Mare and that I shouldn't even show up to the wedding at all."
At that moment, Twilight laid her head on her mother's shoulder and sobbed heavily as her father wrapped his hoof around her neck. This was something that had never happened before in their family and the parents were shocked and disgusted by what had happened to Twilight.
"Oh, my little girl," cooed Twilight Velvet, as she hugged her daughter tightly. "Don't cry, it's okay. We are so sorry for you."
"We are going to be here for you, my child," whispered Night Light, joining his wife in consoling their daughter. "We always will be here for you."
"I was only trying to protect my brother from an evil monster disguised as my foal sitter," sobbed Twilight. "Not trying to ruin his wedding in any way. I love him and that I would never live with myself if he made such a foolish mistake. I've known Cadence since I was a little filly and even if she would get stressed out, she would never take her anger and frustration out on us or anyone for that matter, even if it was pre-wedding stress, she would never do that. The only one being evil was the Changeling Queen as the fake Cadence and the real Cadence would handle anything with grace and dignity, even her own wedding."
Spike was also beginning to feel for his friend. After all, he also walked out on Twilight with the others and this was a moment that he was starting to regret greatly. He was her number one assistant and friend and to walk out on her was the biggest mistake of his young life.
"I know how you feel Twilight," said Spike, his scales drooping at the sight of his best friend crying in her mother's arms. "I should have been there for you instead of walking out with the others."
"No, Spike," said Twilight, facing her assistant with her eyes wet with tears. "You did the right thing by leaving me alone in the wedding hall."
"How could you say that, Twilight?" gasped Spike, shocked by what his friend had just said to him. "I'm your number one assistant and I swore to be there by your side no matter what. Instead, I left with your friends because I was scared that I would be treated horribly like you and be considered a traitor in the wedding party."
"It's okay, Spike," said Twilight, placing her hoof on his head as she sat there taking in ragged breaths. "It was not your fault. You were and are still going to be my number one assistant regardless of what happened."
Although reassured by his friend's words, Spike still could not help but feel guilty for what he did to his best friend when she needed him the most. Instead, all he thought about was the bachelor party that he was planning for Shining Armor.
"I can't believe Shining Armor would do this to you, Twilight," said Night Light, who now had a hint of disgust in his voice. "I thought I taught him once that two wrongs never make a right and the words he said to you were quite possibly the meanest so far. He should be ashamed of himself for what he did to you and our family."
But, Twilight was not willing to let her brother take the fall for what had happened. As much as it hurt, Shining Armor was not to initially blame for what had happened. It was Chrysalis and her changeling hoard. Nevertheless, what Shining Armor had done to his only sister was very unforgiveable.
"Don't be too hard on him, Dad," replied Twilight, lightly sobbing trying to protect the colt who kicked her out of the wedding. "It wasn't his fault. He was fooled like everyone else."
Night Light knew that Twilight did not want him to go bananas on Shining Armor, regardless of what had happened at the rehearsal. As much as he wanted to give him a piece of his mind, he couldn't do it for the sake of his daughter. He didn't want her to be in much pain as she already was in.
"That doesn't matter my daughter," said Twilight Velvet, bringing Twilight back to her for another embrace. "You know how important it is to your father and me that you would be your brother's Best Mare. Nothing would make us happier than to see both of you standing at the altar awaiting Cadence to come walking down the aisle towards becoming a member of our family."
"Well, can I at least talk to him myself?" asked Twilight. "Before I came over, he asked me to see him and Cadence tonight at his house to talk to me about something important. It's the first time since the invasion that we have seen each other and I don't know how things are going to work out between us."
"Well, just remember," said Night Light, once again letting her daughter go from her embrace. "You have the support of your mother and me if things don't work out. We both love you and your brother and that the wedding is the most important event in the history of this family. But, I want you to know that if Shining Armor doesn't let you back in his own wedding as Best Mare, your mother and I will force him to reinstate you."
"Well, I should be going now," said Twilight, calming down as she got up from the sofa and turning her attention to Spike. "Spike, can you stay here and help my folks continue to clean up the mess the changelings made?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said, saluting his friend and Twilight walked to the door where she hugged her parents and started to make her way towards Shining Armor's house with her assistant and her parents watching from the front door.
"I just hope Shining Armor understands what he had done," whispered Twilight Velvet, who then looked towards her husband. "This isn't like him at all."
"Don't worry," he replied, still wanting to teach his son a lesson. "Knowing our daughter, I think he will realize what he did soon enough."
There was no looking back now for Twilight, she was going to reconcile with her BBBFF and was not sure how everything was going to turn out. But, it would only be a matter of time now before the critical part of the healing process would take place that would repair the symbolism of what the Canterlot Royal Wedding was supposed to be.
After a long day of overseeing the repairs done to Canterlot, Shining Armor returned to the home that he and Cadence shared since their engagement and sighed heavily as he sat down on the sofa. The recent events were still weighed on his mind and the words he had said to his little sister haunted him in his brain. He knew and Cadence knew that Twilight was what held the wedding together and when he told her not to show her face at the wedding; it really in a sense destroyed it. After all, Twilight was important to both him and Cadence, as they all grew up together. Twilight even considered them to being the first pair of friends she ever had made, long before she became Princess Celestia's student and when she moved to Ponyville to do her studies on friendship.
Now, he was full of guilt and now that Cadence had learned of his deception, he was worried that he ruined his own wedding now that a primary symbol of his wedding was gone and that one symbol was his own sister.
"I just hope Twiley forgives me for what I did to her," Shining Armor said to Cadence as they awaited Twilight's arrival. "The things I said to her at the rehearsal were some of the worst things that had ever came out of my mouth. I'd just hope you'd both find it in your hearts to forgive me for what I did."
"Remember what I said to you, Shining Armor," replied Cadence calmly as she turned to look at her husband-to-be. "I am not going to marry you unless Twilight is back in the wedding and I want her to be next to me just as much as you."
But, before he could think any further, a knock was heard on the door and Shining Armor got up and opened the door to find Twilight standing right in front of him. Shining Armor tried to hide his guilt and his worried expressions as he'd let his sister inside.
"Hi, Twiley," he said trying to put a smile on. "We weren't expecting to see you until later."
"It just so happened that I was out and about," she replied as she walked into the house. "I visited mom and dad and helped them cleaned up the mess that the changelings made to the house when they invaded. Spike is still over there keeping them company."
Twilight then took notice of her brother's worried expression and as they sat down on the couch, Shining Armor tried to find the words he wanted to use to apologize to his sister over his behavior at the wedding rehearsal as he and Cadence sat down on each side of her.
"Yes, Twiley," he said nervously. "I am glad to hear that they are okay. Anyway, can I talk to you about something?"
"No, Twiley," he said, but Cadence tapped him with her wing and lighted nodded at him. "Well, yes. There is something I need to talk to you about. It's about what happened a few days ago at the wedding rehearsal that has been on my mind as well as Cadence's."
Hearing the words 'wedding rehearsal' began to weigh heavily on Twilight's mind as well. It was the most remorseful moment in her life that when all was said and done nearly destroyed her relationship with her brother.
"I know what you are going to say BBBFF," Twilight said, sensing what was on her brother's mind. "But you had every right to be angry with me. I barged into the wedding rehearsal calling the thing disguised as 'Cadence' evil without any evidence or proof to back up my claims."
This caused Shining Armor and Cadence to look at each other with shocked expressions. Both of them knew that Twilight was the victim at the rehearsal and yet, she refused to admit it.
"No, Twilight," he said, trying to be honest with his sister. "We all made a terrible mistake that day, even your friends and Princess Celestia made a terrible mistake. I'm your brother and I should have listened to you and because that monster had absorbed so much of my love for Cadence, I couldn't see that you were only trying to protect me from someone who does more harm than good to me."
"But in a sense," added Cadence, putting a smile on her face. "What happened was a good thing because you found me in the Canterlot Caves and saved me from my imprisonment down there, Twilight, although you were still believed by the changeling queen when you first found me. I had been down in the caves for a long time and that if it weren't for you, I would have been dead and Shining Armor would have been married to the Changeling Queen instead of me."
Twilight had to smile at that because after all, had in not been for Chrysalis' flaw of putting her in the Canterlot Caves, Twilight would not have found Cadence and the Changelings would have taken over Canterlot.
"Cadence is right, Twiley," said Shining Armor. "However, when I initially told you to forget about being Best Mare and not show up to the wedding, it was only after I had left you alone that I made a grave mistake that had destroyed the wedding and I ran back to the wedding hall to apologize. But by then, I saw you disappear into the floor and afterwards, I saw the changeling queen walking towards me and I demanded to know what she did with you and Cadence. Instead, she blasted me with evil green magic and made me forget what I saw."
"Nevertheless," said Twilight, nervously trying to defuse the situation and continue to put the blame on herself. "You did what needed to be done and I think it's time we all moved on from all of this and get on with the wedding. You two have a big day tomorrow and I think it's time you got some rest. What's done is done and things worked out better, don't you think?"
Twilight was just about to leave, when Shining Armor realized he had to do what he needed to be done in order to save his wedding.
"Twilight," he called and his sister stopped before she could reach the exit and turned towards him. "Before you go, there is something I need to do before our wedding."
So, Twilight walked back towards her brother and former foal sitter and saw that Shining Armor took another enormous gulp almost as if he wanted to tell her something important.
"What is it?" Twilight asked as she walked back towards them. "Is there something I need to do before tomorrow? I am pretty sure I checked off everything."
"I'm pretty sure you got everything on your list," chuckled Shining Armor. "Except for one thing."
"Yes?" asked Twilight, but she was not expecting what she heard her brother say next as Cadence got up from the sofa and walked over towards him.
"Twiley," said Shining Armor, as he placed a hoof around Cadence's neck. "Cadence and I are not going to proceed with the wedding unless we have you as my Best Mare."
The gloves finally came off as Twilight gasped and her eyes began to well up with tears upon hearing those words. With this appointment, she would be where she wanted to be the most on her brother's big day: at his side as his Best Mare. She walked over to him and hugged him as she cried tears of happiness.
"I'll take that as a yes," laughed Shining Armor.. "You know that the wedding is not complete without you there, Twilight."
"I know that," sobbed Twilight, burying her face into his chest. "There was a moment in all that chaos, that I thought you will never love me again."
"Twiley," sighed Shining Armor, as Twilight looked up at him while he stroked her mane. "I may have lost my head, but I want you to know that I will always love you, no matter what."
But, Twilight was also not expecting to hear what Cadence said to her next. Little did Shining Armor realize that Cadence had a role for Twilight just as he had for her.
"Twilight," said Cadence. "I know this is kind of an inopportune time and that this is kind of last minute, but I would love it if you would be my Mare of Honor as well. I can think of no one else better than you."
Things couldn't get any more better for Twilight as looked towards her former foal sitter and future sister-in-law with happy tears flowing out of her eyes.
"I would be so honored, Cadence," she sobbed, throwing herself into Cadence's arms. "This means a lot to me, really it does."
"Just consider that as my way of saying thanks for getting me out of the caves," chuckled Cadence. "You know, if it weren't for you, Twilight, we would not be celebrating our wedding the way we wanted it to be. I know you will be at your brother's side, but we want you at our side on our big day."
"Just remember, Twiley," said Shining Armor. "I will always love you, LSBFF."
"Me too, BBBFF," cried Twilight. "Me too."
So Twilight and her first best friends continued to hug each other out now that Twilight was back into the wedding as her brother's Best Mare and her future sister in law's Mare of Honor. There was still more apologizing to go, but for now, Twilight got back what she needed most: the good graces of her brother.
"He is my big brother, best friend forever And now we'll do everything Together."
When Twilight left Shining Armor's house the night after the invasion, she felt like the luckiest pony in Equestria having been not only reinstated as her brother's Best Mare, but also her former foal sitter and future sister in law's Mare of Honor. It was a big responsibility, but it was like Shining Armor had said, the wedding would not take place without Twilight there and that was the biggest mistake that they all had made. When Twilight returned to her former home, she could see her parents and her assistant, Spike standing right outside the door. They were all nervous over how Twilight's meeting with Shining Armor and Cadence went, but judging from the enormous smile they saw on Twilight's face, they could all see that it went well.
"So, how did it go, Twilight?" asked Night Light, hugging his daughter. "Is everything all right between you and Shining Armor?"
"More than all right, dad," replied Twilight hapily. "I'm not only his Best Mare again, but I am now Cadence's Mare of Honor. Isn't that exciting?"
Twilight let off an enormous squeal of delight to show her happiness to her parents. Her mother, Twilight Velvet, couldn't be more proud of her daughter's two appointments for her own son's wedding and with happy tears forming in her eyes, went over to hug her daughter.
"Twilight, we are so proud of you," she said. "We knew that your brother would come around eventually and look at what happened. You are back in the wedding where you belong."
Just then, Spike burped up a scroll from Princess Celestia and Twilight read it. After skimming through the note, she turned to her parents.
"It's my friends," she said to her parents. "They want to show me something up in the bridal suite."
"Well, we'd better get going," said Spike and she hugged her parents goodbye and soon followed her baby dragon assistant back to the bridal suite where Twilight's friends were waiting.
Meanwhile, Rarity was putting the finishing touches on what was to be the dress Twilight would wear in the wedding as both Best Mare and Mare of Honor. Looking out a window, Rainbow Dash could see that Twilight was coming at a rapid pace towards the suite.
"Twilight's coming and she looks excited," said Rainbow Dash excitedly. "Boy, is she going to be surprised for what we got for her."
"I can't wait to see the look on her face when we give her what we got here," exclaimed Pinkie Pie, trying to maintain her excitement. "She's going to love it!"
"Here she comes, y'all," said Applejack and stepped back from the door and it opened to reveal Spike and Twilight entering. "Time for the magic to begin!"
"I got your message, girls," said Twilight. "Now, what is it you want to-."
Twilight stopped dead in her tracks and gasped mid-sentence to see what looked to be a magenta dress with a star broach in the front on a dress form with a string of pearls and a cluster of flowers on its head. Looking at the dress, Twilight could not help but shed a few tears of happiness upon looking at it.
"We thought that a Best Mare and Mare of Honor needed to look the part," said Rarity, presenting the dress to Twilight. "So, we all worked together to make this for you, Twilight. What do you think of it?"
Twilight soon remembered that Fluttershy had a freaky knowledge of sewing because she also helped her and the others finish Rarity's Gala Dress as a way of apologizing to Rarity for them nearly ruining her fashion career when they wanted her to change their Gala dresses from elegant and beautiful to ugly and repulsive. Now, Twilight could see that her friends were returning the favor.
"I, I don't know what to say," stuttered Twilight, at a loss for words as she turned her attention from the dress and towards her friends. "This is amazing, I love it! Aw, you girls didn't have to do this."
"We had to Twi," said Applejack, taking off her stinson hat. "We knew better than to abandon you like that when you tried to warn us about the fake princess. We all feel really bad for what we did and we all wanted to make all up to you in any way we can."
"We're so super sorry," said Pinkie Pie remorsefully. "I wanted to throw an apologizing party for you when we returned to Ponyville, but I was talked out of it."
"Twilight," added Rainbow Dash, placing a hoof on her shoulder. "You are the best friend a pony could ever ask for. You were always there for us when we needed you and if it weren't for you, then maybe the wedding we have been so excited about would not have happened the way any of us would have wanted it to be."
"We could not imagine anypony else filling in your shoes," said Applejack, placing her hat back on her head. "Who else besides you Twilight could be both Best Mare and Mare of Honor at the same time at a wedding as big as this?"
Twilight could hardly believe what she was hearing as it seemed that while she knew that they were fooled by Chrysalis, she knew that her friends were deeply sorry for what they did to her at the rehearsal and that they would not let one little thing like that change how they felt about her.
"I'm so touched by all of you," said Twilight, wiping away a tear and overcome with emotion once again. "First you all make me a dress to wear in the wedding and now this? I thought I said to you all that you were all fooled."
"I wouldn't say we were fooled," said Rarity. "More of being bad friends, you might say darling."
"That's right," added Fluttershy. "We were all being very bad friends and that was a mistake we all wish we could take back. But, we are all glad you were there for us when we needed you."
"We all had the honor and privilege of working with someone as wonderful and as caring as Princess Cadence," said Applejack who then got a small glare from Rarity and chuckled slightly. "The real one that is, of course."
"Indeed so," giggled Pinkie Pie, remembering the chicken dance they did while preparing for the wedding reception. "Why she even does the chicken dance so well and she is so fun to be around."
"I'd bet you are so lucky to have her in your life for so long, Twilight," said Rarity, shedding a happy tear away just like her friend. "Your brother chose a beautiful mare to spend the rest of his life with."
"Well, I could only say that this is the beginning of a new chapter for all of us," said Twilight. "It seems that everything that has happened has only made our relationship and bond stronger than ever."
"Absolutely, Twilight," replied Applejack as she and the others advanced towards her. "It had to just take a little time for that to happen. Come here, y'all."
The five mares and Spike gathered around Twilight and they all hugged around their friend in a tight embrace.
"We love you, Twilight," said Fluttershy, who became the latest to be overcome with emotion.
"I love you too, girls," cried Twilight and they all stayed in that embrace for a good long while as from a tower just above the bridal suite, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna looked on with happiness in their eyes, for they knew that Twilight had once again saved Canterlot and all of Equestria from grave danger. However, there was something else that Celestia was thinking about and as they walked back inside, Luna could not help but wonder what was troubling her sister.
"Sister, I cannot help but wonder," said Luna, as they walked back into the throne room. "Ever since the Changelings were defeated, you've been acting differently than your normal self. Maybe it is because your subjects are now despising you for failing to protect them."
"That doesn't matter, Luna," replied Celestia, trying to hide her feelings. "What does matter is that Cadence is back with those she loves and that Twilight is back in the wedding where she belongs."
But the Princess of the Night could still see that her sister was hiding something and she was determined that Celestia tell her the truth. They walked past the stained glass windows of Twilight and her friends defeating Discord and Luna's alter ego, Nightmare Moon. Luna looked back at her sister and could see that she needed to come clean.
"Sister, you are hiding something from me and I need you to tell me what it is," demanded Luna, her voice slightly raising and Celestia walked back to her throne and sat down on it. The events of recent had weighed heavily on her mind and knew that Twilight's time would soon come.
"Luna, Twilight has already proven to me that she will soon be ready to become one of us," explained Celestia. "She still needs to learn more about the magic of friendship, but her time will soon come. She trusted her instincts and succeeded whereas I failed."
Luna was shocked and amazed by what her sister was saying and could see the pain of her actions deep in her eyes. Celestia's actions may had ruined her reputation in the eyes of some of her subjects, but it didn't seem that important to her.
"Ever since I became her teacher and mentor," continued Celestia. "I have always sense that Twilight would one day be one of us. Unlike Sunset Shimmer, she is dedicated to learning the magic of friendship and soon she will spread her magic of friendship throughout all of Equestria as a princess. But, for now, she needs time."
Luna was shocked and wondered just exactly if her sister was telling the truth about what was to come in the near future. But, despite everything she had said to Luna, Princess Celestia knew that she herself would have to face Twilight next and somewhere in her mind, she knew that it was not going to be easy in any way.
But in her mind, she was going to preside over her niece's wedding with a clear conscience and that she knew that Twilight learned another lesson on friendship; something of very deep importance, and it would only be a matter of time before that lesson's revelation was revealed.
The day of the real wedding was a glorious day in Canterlot and all the ponies were finally looking forward to witnessing and celebrating Princess Cadence and Shining Armor's marriage. All of Canterlot had been repaired and those who suffered minor injuries were healed of their wounds. Twilight had spent the morning with her friends getting last minute preparations done with Cadence. Everything had to go right and after everything that had happened, it was no wonder that everypony was thinking the same thing.
Perhaps no one was looking forward to this day more than Twilight Sparkle, who was now her brother's Best Mare and her future sister in law's Mare of Honor. It was a few hours before the wedding and Twilight was alone in the bridal suite getting herself ready for the ceremony, while her friends were helping Cadence get ready. She was wearing the magenta dress her friends made for her and she was putting her mane into curls. As she had just finished getting ready, a knock was heard at the door.
"Come in," she said and the door opened to reveal her mentor, Princess Celestia, walking towards her. Twilight was not expecting to see her mentor so soon, but Celestia had a good reason for it. Despite everything she had said to Luna the night before regarding Twilight's future, the real damage between her and Twilight still had to be fixed right here and right now.
"Hello, Twilight," she said, seeing how lovely her faithful student looked in her wedding attire. "You look beautiful."
"Well, thank you," Twilight replied bowing to her and blushing slightly. "It's not every day someone as important as you gives a nice compliment. My friends worked very hard on this dress, you know."
Twilight then used her magic to put on the string of pearls and flowers on her head, completing her look for the wedding.
"Actually, Twilight," said Celestia, taking in a heavy sigh. "I wanted to talk to you about something that happened a few days ago at the rehearsal."
But, Twilight had already knew what Celestia was going to say. She was going to bring up the moment that they all walked out on her in that moment of despair and agony. First her brother, then her friends, now her mentor and it was still coming.
"I know what you are going to say, princess," answered Twilight, knowing what Celestia was going to say. "Everypony has been so apologetic to me lately after what happened at the rehearsal. My brother and my friends and now you."
"The reason we have been feeling so apologetic towards you Twilight," said Celestia, looking down at Twilight, with remorseful eyes. "Is because we ignored the one pony who knew something was wrong with Cadence and that was you. I knew better than to leave you alone in the wedding hall like that. I am just as fallible as anypony despite being a princess."
"Well," replied Twilight, not knowing what to say now. "I would normally say that you had every right to leave me alone. I bursted into the rehearsal without any evidence to back me up and we both know that Cadence would never act like that."
"I know, Twilight," said Celestia. "I was so caught up in monitoring a situation that was already in Canterlot that I didn't take notice. You are right, we have both known Cadence forever and that even if she did act the way she acted towards everyone, she would have kept it to herself and come to me and Princess Luna."
Princess Celestia sighed heavily at what she was going to say next. Twilight could see tears forming in her eyes, which she never expected her mentor to show.
"Twilight," she said sadly. "I know I angrily said to you that you had a lot to think about for your actions at the wedding rehearsal. But, I guess I was the one who had a lot to think about and because we did not listen to you, the Changelings had invaded Canterlot and I failed to protect my subjects from the Changeling Queen in front of them all at the fake wedding. Whereas I failed you, Twilight, you did not fail me and that is something I and all of Canterlot and Equestria will always be grateful for."
It seemed that this apology was enough for Twilight to take in and much like before, a small tear came down her cheek much to her concern as she didn't want her light makeup to be ruined.
"Thank you, Princess," said Twilight as a small tear came down her face. "I know I acted like a little jealous foal in the eyes of you and everypony else, but I guess now you see that I was only trying to protect the ones who are so close to me because I care about you and that I could see that when the fake Cadence failed to recite our friendly greeting that we always shared from our days when she was a foalsitter, I knew then that some evil force was controlling Cadence and that if I could force that being to show herself, then maybe I could've revealed to everyone that the pony being Cadence was not who she said she was. But, I guess it all backfired as you all saw."
"How did you know about that?" asked Celestia, surprised by this new confession by her faithful student.
"Well, actually," said Twilight. "I could tell that the fake Cadence's magic aura was green and Cadence's true magic aura was blue. I could also note that the fake's behavior was not like Cadence's and that the original bridesmaids must have seen right through her disguise and were going to tell you about it, but then the Changeling Queen must have sent them down to the Canterlot Caves before they could do anything themselves."
Celestia was wondering herself what had happened to the original bridesmaids when they mysterious disappeared and slightly knew that Shining Armor was not telling the truth when he berated Twilight at the rehearsal, much to the horror of herself and Twilight's friends.
"However," continued Twilight, remembering the flower bouquet trick that Cadence used on the bridesmaids. "Cadence and I did find them trying to block our way out of the caves and we had to throw an abandoned flower bouquet to distract them."
"Well, what matters is that they are back where they belong," said Celestia, placing a wing over Twilight. "They are in Canterlot Hospital and will be discharged in time for the wedding reception later tonight."
"Speaking of the wedding reception," interjected Twilight, stepping back from Celestia. "I have a song that I have been working on called 'Love is in Bloom.' It's my wedding gift to my brother and Cadence. I am going to sing it later at the reception."
"I can't wait to hear it, Twilight and I know you have a beautiful singing voice," said Celestia, smiling happily. "But, I just want you to know that we are all sorry for what we did and that we would not be having the wedding we all wanted if it weren't for you, my faithful student."
Just then, a guard knocked on the door and beckoned to Celestia that the ceremony was nearly ready to start.
"Well, we'd better get to the wedding hall," said Celestia, knowing that the real wedding was about to begin. "It's time to finish what we started, thanks to you Twilight."
Twilight blushed slightly again as she and her teacher and mentor hugged each other once more and made their way towards the wedding hall, with Celestia realizing that she still had one more important thing to say to Twilight.
A little while later after a short and beautiful ceremony, Celestia was standing with Twilight and her friends as they watched Shining Armor and Princess Cadence wave to the crowd of ponies below. Celestia placed her hoof on Twilight's shoulder and the student turned to her teacher.
"This is your victory as much as theirs," she said to her faithful student. "You persisted in the face of doubt and your actions to your being able to bring the real Princess Cadence back to us."
Twilight couldn't help but smile happily as her mentor said those words of gratitude. It was like Celestia had said to Twilight before the wedding, that the wedding would not be what it was if it weren't for her.
"Learning to trust your instincts," finished Celestia. "Is a valuable lesson to learn."
By the time she finished her sentence, Shining Armor and Princess Cadence kissed on the balcony and Celestia knew that one certain blue Pegasus had to still complete her task. Seeing her brother and new sister-in-law kiss touched Twilight's feelings and a small tear of happiness formed in her eyes.
"Rainbow Dash," she whispered to the blue rainbow haired pegasus. "That's your cue."
Stripping off her bridesmaid dress, Rainbow Dash took off and unleashed a powerful Sonic Rainboom for all of Canterlot to see and flew down fast back towards Canterlot filled with excitement over the success of the wedding.
"BEST WEDDING EVER!" she cried as a rainbow trailed behind her.
