White Zinfandel

~Saturday~
April 16th, 1 S.R.
Canterlot Royal Palace

"Mom!"

Velvet limped into the palace as her family ran over to her. As Twilight and Shining ran over to help their mother, Orion dropped everything he was doing to rush over. "Oh, hello dearies. How are you two feeling?"

"Mom, you're hurt!" Shining pointed out as he saw an unsightly bruise on his mother's hind leg.

"Velvet!" Orion cried out to her as he nuzzled his wife passionately.

"It's just a broken leg, nothing too serious." Velvet muttered as she collapsed to the ground.

"Twily!" Shining called to his younger sister. The purple unicorn knew exactly what to do.

"On it!"

Canterlot Royal Infirmary
Main Lobby

"Dammit! Azure got hurt!?" Longshot screamed as he and Poindexter were being treated to their wounds.

"He's in the royal infirmary right now. But the doctor says that you shouldn't stress yourselves." One of the nurses answered as she tried her best to hold down Poindexter and keep him from storming out of the room.

"Fuck that! That's our best friend in there!" Poindexter shouted as he tried to shove the nurses away from him.

Longshot waited until the nurse finished wrapping his forehead before making a dash for the door. "Azure! Hang on, buddy! We're on our way!"

"But the doctor said-"

Poindexter finally managed to shove the nurse off of him and joined up with his friend. "FUCK THE DOCTOR! WE'RE SEEING OUR FRIEND!"

Canterlot Royal Infirmary
Room 215

"So what is it looking like, doctor?" Luna asked quietly, taking care on not disturbing the sleeping stallion.

"He's lost a lot of blood. Thankfully, you've got him here in time enough for us to save him." The doctor answered quickly.

"So will he be okay?"

"I know that he will be in critical condition for a while, but give it some time and I am sure that he will start to stabilize."

"Thank you, doctor."

"Anytime, your excellency."

The doctor left the room, leaving behind a comatose Azure and a distressed Luna. She placed her hoof on the stallions head, pushing away any locks of his mane from his face.

"Azure, please be okay."

Canterlot Inner-District
Verdant Praise Boulevard

"NOOOOOO!"

A mare could be heard screaming in a crowded area as medical workers tried their best to remove the bodies of any survivors out of a damaged building.

"Ma'am, we have to clear this area. Please allow us to do our job." One of the supervisors asked her.

"MY LITTLE STAR DUST IS IN THERE! PLEASE, GET HER OUT!"

As she continued to scream and shout at the supervisor, a worker shouted out to him that they managed to uncover the body of a young filly no older than the age of eight. The supervisor and the distraught mother ran over to the little filly to find a worker shaking his head.

"Do you know this girl?"

"That's my Star Dust. She's okay." The mother answered quietly.

"Ma'am, she's not showing any life signs." The medic quietly informed her.

"MY DAUGHTER IS FINE! CHECK AGAIN!"

The medic did as he was requested of him with the approval of his supervisor. Coming to the same conclusion, he tried his best to reason with her. "She's gone, ma'am."

Refusing to accept the truth, she shoved the medic out of the way and held on to her daughter with a distant smile. She started to rock back and forth as she cradled the deceased child. "NO, YOU'RE CRAZY! MY DAUGHTER IS JUST FINE! LOOK AT HER!"

The supervisor turned his head away from the painful sight. "Ma'am... I am so sorry."

~Sunday~
April 17th, 1 S.R.
Canterlot Central District
Town Square Plaza

"STOP THE WAR! STOP THE WAR! STOP THE WAR!"

Chants filled the streets of the city as a large crowd gathered to protest the homes of the members of the parliament. As they continued their demonstration, a commanding officer tried to apprehend an AWOL guard, who led the movement.

"Spaz, what in Faust's name are you doing!?"

"I'M EXPOSING THE CRUELTY OF WHAT THIS WAR WILL BRING!" He shouted.

"Get down from there and help us clean up!"

"NO! I WILL CONTINUE TO EXPOSE WHAT THIS WAR WILL BRING TO US IF WE ARE TO CONTINUE WITH THIS SENSELESS FIGHTING! I WILL NOT STAND, I REPEAT, WILL NOT STAND TO SEE OUR FUTURES TOSSED AWAY LIKE SOME GARBAGE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!"

As the crowed continued to chant in protest, the guard stood against the rally leader. "I gave you an order!"

"YOU WILL NOT HIDE THE TRUTH! I WILL SPEAK THE TRUTH, AND YOU WILL NOT SILENCE ME!"

Canterlot Keeping District
Trinity Clock Tower

"Hey, boss. Come look at this."

A medical worker and his commanding officer surveyed a body on the ground, attached to a pelt of what appeared to be the mix of a pony's hide and a changeling's exoskeleton. "What the hell is this?"

"I can tell you who it was." The medical worker said as he signaled for the officer to come closer.

"From the looks of it, it looks like a changeling skinned to his teeth."

"Look closer, sir."

As he hesitantly stepped closer to the carcass, his eye grew wide as the familiar facial structure matched up with the familiar face of the pelt. Suppressing any sickness he started to feel in seeing who it was, he backed away slowly. "Well goddamn. That's Blueblood alright."

"Should we report this to the princess?"

~Monday~
April 18th, 1 S.R.
Canterlot Royal Palace
Emergency Parliament Meeting

The parliament held an emergency meeting to discuss whether the war would be funded or not. As the shouts and screams of the members, Celestia tried her best to preside over the messy affair.

"Order!"

"NO! Your political outreach has only proved to the other nations that our beloved Equestria is weak." One of the politicians shouted out loud.

"The Griffon Kingdom will never let us live it down." A noble added.

"But the citizens call for peace!" A younger noble argued.

"The citizens don't know what's good for them. They need to be protected. They call for war!" An older stallion rebutted.

"Princess Celestia was right! Peace is the only affordable answer!" A veteran politician called out from the back of the room.

"Peace and love is what got us invaded by the changelings!" Another politician shouted out loud to the caucus.

The stallions continued to argue and fight amongst themselves as their princess held to herself. She could not institute order at a time where angers and emotions were at an all-time high. She cursed herself for agreeing with the changeling queen's request, then disguised as her niece, to have the wedding at an earlier date.

"I am such a fool."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~Aftermath~

---

~Tuesday~
April 19th, 1 S.R.
Canterlot Royal Infirmary
Room 139

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three days have passed since the invasion of Canterlot. Much of the city has undergone some major repairs from all of the damage sustained from the changelings that fell into towers and buildings. Some buildings stood while others were compromised of their structural integrity. More of them were decommissioned for repairs thanks to a conflict involving only two fighters. One of those fighters laid in a hospital bed staring at the damaged Canterlot skyline from her window. Her eyes shifted from building to building, that is until the door opened to reveal three of the closest individuals to her.

"Hey mom." Twilight called out as she opened the door, her brother and her father behind her.

"Still checking in on me every two hours to the dot? I can see you've taken after your father's sense of time well." Velvet said to her daughter as she received a bouquet of colorful flowers from her son.

"Here you go. Just got these from the shop." Shining said proudly.

"Oh, Shining. You didn't need to give me these. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, but I didn't want to leave you in here without flowers."

Velvet giggled at her son as she looked at the window. "Well... the color of those curtains aren't very kind to the eyes."

"And the room altogether is a complete bore." Another voice rang out from the door. The family of four turned to the door to see another family paying a visit, with Rarity taking the lead.

"Rarity? What are you doing here?" Twilight asked, baffled that her friend would pay a visit to her mother.

"I only came to offer my condolences and my thanks. And as you can see, I didn't come alone." She answered as she also gave a bouquet of flowers to the hospitalized mare.

"Hey there, Velvet." Magnus spoke as he held his youngest daughter, Sweetie Belle, on his back.

"Velvet, dearie! You have got to stop throwing yourself in harm's way like that. You could get yourself killed." Pearl joked.

"Close to it, actually. I swear that I was seeing me and Orion getting married all over again." Velvet joined in.

Orion laughed nervously as he spoke. "Just don't walk towards the light."

"I'll keep that in mind." Velvet responded with a chuckle over her husband's nervous demeanor.

"So, when is the wedding being rescheduled?" The young filly asked out of nowhere, causing her older sister to scold her.

"Sweetie Belle-"

Shining interrupted Rarity and turned his attention to the young foal. "Actually, Cadance was going to hold it tomorrow. She and the girls have been really hard at work, especially trying to plan everything in the midst of all of this turmoil. The wedding will be a bit smaller, but I'm sure she's wanting some sort of good to shine in all of this bad news floating around."

"Another source of good news." Twilight added. "The Parliament has taken a vote earlier today."

"And?" Rarity asked intrigued.

"Well... fifty-one percent voted for the funding of the war while the other forty-nine voted against."

A long pause came after Twilight's statement. The silence was then broken by Velvet. "That doesn't sound like good news."

"No, the good news is that Celestia vetoed the motion as it was voted in. And as you know, only a two-thirds majority can override a veto from the princess. The same fifty-one percent still voted to uphold, but failed to sustain it. So the so-called war is dead in the vote."

Velvet felt relieved that her son was no longer going to be put in the face of danger. "Oh, thank the heavens! I don't have to see my son march out like my husband did."

"No war for us, no more casualties. End game. I like it." Orion agreed with a smile.

"Actually dearie, it was the citizens of the city who pressured the politicians to vote no to the war." Pearl added as she walked beside the bed.

"Well that's even better." Shining answered.

Twilight turned her attention to her friend. "So... I have a question, Rarity. How did you and Shining come to know each other?"

"Well, Shining was my foalsitter."

"WHAT!?" Twilight shouted as she tried to comprehend the fact that her friend was being looked after by her older brother. "He was your foalsitter and you didn't even tell me?"

"He often took care of me when my father had to play in the hoofball games."

"Oh, I see. So you were the one that he went off to see."

Rarity laughed as both Velvet and Pearl rolled their eyes, knowing the real reason why his absence was frequent during the games. "Of course, darling. Why would he ever-"

Velvet interrupted Rarity, pointing out something that piqued her interest. "I notice that you and your mother both use nicknames for the ponies you speak to."

"I beg your pardon?" Rarity asked with a quirked eyebrow.

"Pearl uses the name 'dearie' when she speaks. You use the name 'darling' whenever you address somepony. Just something interesting that I've noticed."

"You notice everything, mom." Shining deadpanned.

"You don't get far in my line of work if you don't. Hell, you may not even live."

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Magic works the same way. Even a small detail or a miscalculation could cause a spell to backfire. Incidents like that are severely life-threatening."

Shining then rubbed his head, remembering the strife he had to go through when he had to cast the protection spell over the city. "I... kinda know where you come from with that."

Rarity looked at a nearby clock on the wall and panicked at the hour shown. The day grew late into the afternoon hours. "D'oh, just look at the time! I have to run back and get to these dresses! Adieu to all!"

As the families shared their farewells, the Belle family parted ways with the Sparkle family. As they walked through the hall, Sweetie Belle grew curious in the relationship that her older sister and Shining shared.

"Hey Rarity, Shining Armor was your foalsitter, right?"

"A long time ago, yes."

"So... do you think he'll take care of me too? Maybe he could tell me how to get my cutie mark in self-defense!"

Rarity stopped walking for a moment and thought of all the drama of their being together would cause. If anything, a close interaction with Shining would cause her to become uncomfortable. It was already vexing that he needed to meet with her for a run-through rehearsal. The wedding tomorrow was going to be an abridged ceremony, due to security reasons. But for her to spend more time with Shining would cause more issues than it would solve.

"Perhaps."

Canterlot Royal Infirmary
Room 215

Luna stood by the bed of her lover. She looked at his expressionless face and grew uncertain of his health. She feared that at any given moment, he would die, leaving her alone. But her fears were soon displaced by the call of another stallion, Azure's best friend. Poindexter and Longshot also accompanied him.

"Princess."

"Prince." Luna responded, much to Shining's displeasure.

"I haven't been married yet, so that title doesn't apply to me."

Luna turned her head to him. "You will be considered as such come tomorrow. I call you that so that you will be prepared."

Shining kept his eyes on the serene appearance his friend showed on his face. "Okay, I can understand that."

"Funny thing, Azure actually said that he thought that being called captain was a little weird." Poindexter said as he pointed to the still figure in the bed.

Shining nodded his head in agreement. "True, it's a little unusual when it starts, but at the same time, the feeling can be exciting. But it can also be scary."

"Accountability." Longshot summarized.

"Precisely." Luna answered. "Those in power are held accountable for the well-being of their subordinates and comrades."

The guys turned their attention back to the bed-ridden Captain. Shining grew saddened by the thought of his friend being hurt because of a trick Chrysalis played on him. He turned back to the princess, who was equally concerned. "So is there an established date on when he's getting out?"

"The doctor said that he's stable, so three weeks with the aid of magic. Months without." Luna said quietly as she continued to pet her guardian, stroking his mane.

Shining sighed in relief at the doctor's news. "Great to know."

Poindexter looked to the soon-to-be prince. "Oh yeah. Question."

Shining already knew what he was going to ask. He was going to ask about his inability to do anything at the wedding. Before he could even ask, the former-captain gave an answer for him. "I already know. I got tricked. We all did. To think that Chrysalis would so far as to take Cadance's place to do all of this was... vexing."

"Nonetheless, she is no longer a threat. But I will say that the wedding will be scrutinized by some skeptics in the constituency." Luna warned.

The groom shook his head, dismissing her warning. "Forget the politics. Me and Cadance just want to walk down the isle and completely put all of this behind us."

Luna smiled at the stallion's carefree attitude, making her feel more comfortable. "I agree."

"Just like you want to stand by Az and see to it that he's going to be okay." Shining added.

"My faith in him is strong. I trust that he will make it. He's stable and he's very strong. He'll be fine." Luna said with a smile.

Shining and his friends bowed before Luna as they dismissed themselves from the room. "Okay. Well, I'm going to go and check on the preparations."

"Hold up, sir prince!" Longshot mocked as the door closed behind them.

"Stop calling me that!"

Luna turned away from the door and to the comatose stallion. She continued to stroke his mane slowly as she tried her best to remain calm over his current condition. But deep inside, she knew what would really convince her that he was going to be okay.

"Azure... Wake up."

Canterlot Royal Palace
Royal Chapel

Later that evening, Shining attended a rehearsal with Rarity while Cadance was busy with the set up of the reception. As they continued the rehearsal, the fashionista walked him through the wedding step by step on what was going to happen tomorrow.

"Okay, and you walk down the isle like so."

"Okay."

After a brief pause, Rarity turned her attention to the isle, back to the entrance doors of the chapel. "And you look at Cadance. And after she reaches the alter, the two of you look to the princess."

"Alright." Shining said as he stood by his mock bride, Rarity.

Standing beside the stallion, she imagined herself in Cadance's position. Her mind wandered to a vision of her and Shining standing in front of the princess as they exchanged their vows. She bowed her head and closed her eyes as her dream came true. "And we wait for the princess to place the rings on our h-" Rarity awoke from her vision as she blushed in embarrassment, accidentally letting her imagination become vocalized. "I mean... your horns. The horns of you and Cadance."

Shining paused the rehearsal for a moment and turned to the snow-white unicorn mare. "Rarity, are you feeling okay?"

Still feeling embarrassed from her flub, she lied to him. "Why of course, darling. I've never been better."

As she started to turn away, Shining walked over to her, trying to get her to look him in the eye. "I think something's troubling you."

"Is it that obvious?" Rarity asked as she turned away, back to the direction she faced earlier.

"Is it? How about neon signs saying 'problems this way'?" Shining said as he pointed to Rarity.

"I'm fine. Let's continue this rehearsal." Rarity shot back, growing annoyed over the stallion's persistence to know what had bothered her.

Shining began to get angry and stepped in front of Rarity's view once more. "Well, I don't want to continue if you're going to get an attitude."

"I don't have an attitude. I just want this to be over with." Rarity argued, stepping up to the inquisitive stallion.

"Just tell me what's wrong."

"There's nothing wrong!"

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying."

"You're a zebra trying to pass as a chimera. It's obvious."

"Just leave it alone and look at the alter." She commanded as she tried to shove his face in the direction she wanted him to look to.

Shining shoved her hooves away and stepped towards her. "Just say it."

"No."

"Say it."

"No."

"Please?"

"NO!"

"Look, I'm just trying to help."

Rarity growls as she screams at the stallion, determined to get off the subject. "I don't need your help, and I don't need you saving me!"

"I want to save you!" Shining shouts back.

"Do you!?"

"Yes!"

With a snarl, Rarity pushes the stallion with all of her strength. Caught off-guard, Shining lost his balance and fell to the floor, raising up to angrily feud with the mare that assaulted him. But before he could say anything, a familiar feeling pressed against his lips. Rarity held no quarter as she desperately sought to devour him. His mouth still open from the shock, he unwittingly allowed the mare access to his tongue. With fervent gasps of air, Rarity's lips smacked as she parted from his.

"Then save me now." She whispered, her voice becoming unsteady in it's tone.

"Your highness." Answered Shining, not questioning the mare.

He returned the lustful gesture with his own flame of desires ignited. He didn't know what had caused her to become so heated, but he knew that it was far different from what Cadance would give to him. Cadance often asked or demanded her kisses from him, but this mare, she simply took what she wanted. It was distasteful and it was greedy... and he loved it.

Rarity tried her best to dismiss the stallion. She knew that if he continued to pressure her, she'd throw herself at him. He had a charm about him, even in her foalhood, that made him fun to argue with. The more she argued with him, the more she wanted him to herself. This self-destructive habit now took a turn for the passionate as her body matured, with her desire to be with him transcending into a desire to mate with him.

Rarity backed away into a nearby pillar to support herself. As she retreated, he matched her step-by-step, making sure that their lips never parted. She tried to turn herself around, only for him to wrestle her and hold her chin to his, making her even more angry with him. And just as she grew angry with him, she only wanted to commit lustful acts with him. She gasped loudly as the foreign sensation of a stallionhood pressed against her pristine posterior. Shining grunted impatiently as he held onto her, wanting everything she was offering, yet he knew that they couldn't fulfill their wishes in the chapel, where anyone could simply walk in.

Panting loudly with flushed cheeks, she grasped the marble pillar she leaned against. As she felt him starting to grow closer to her virgin slit, she cried out behind a foreleg, muffling her moans. "Now. Do it."

"Here?" Shining asked, shocked that she would overlook a more private place.

"Yes." She pleads longingly, pressing herself against him.

"Now?" Shining asked as he aligned himself to enter.

"Just take me already!"

Shining found the mare's soaked entrance with the help of her magic guiding him. She increased her grip on the pillar as Shining took his time with his entry. He felt the tip of his stallionhood sink into her heated sex. Finally, after all the dreams that teased him, he curled his foreleg around her waist as he started to sink further in.

"R...Rarity?"

Shining and Rarity looked to each other in shock as they knew that neither of them spoke. Turning their head to the back of the chapel, Shining jumped off the mare he mounted, hiding his member behind a coiled backleg. "Twily?"

"Twilight!?" Rarity shouted in conjunction as she held her tail between her legs to cover up her sex.

The purple mare stood in the doorway for a quick moment before shaking herself out of the shock and galloping down the hall. "I have to go."

"Twilight, come back!" Rarity shouted after her, wanting to reason with her.

As she left, Shining felt frustrated over the fact that he was so close to living out his fantasy. He didn't know which was worse, the fact that he allowed himself to become so infatuated with the mare that he decided to ram her to the floor or his little sister catching him in the act. Though it didn't take much convincing to notify him that it was the latter.

"Fuck. I screwed up... Again."

Canterlot Royal Palace
The Hall of Unity (the hall leading to the Royal Chapel)

The purple unicorn trotted at a hastened pace as she wore a deep blush on her face. She tried her best to convince herself that there was going to be a wedding tomorrow. But she couldn't erase the memory of her brother trying to take one of her friends for a ride, let alone her allowing it. As she continued down the hallway, Rarity ran beside her.

"Twilight, just listen to me."

Ignoring the fashionista, Twilight carried on as she spoke to herself loudly, blocking out her friend's voice. "Plans for the wedding, yes. I should be looking for those, not my brother."

"Twilight, please hear what I have to say."

"Then I'll have to check on the cake, the decorations and then I'll go check after Fluttershy and her birds."

Rarity felt anger building on her already-built frustration of being so close to having herself relived of the nine-year itch that only Shining could scratch. As Twilight continued on, Rarity felt her magic manifest in her horn. All the while, the frustration, combined with the surmounted anger, unleashed a powerful blast that transported her body before Twilight, shouting directly in her face. "TWILIGHT SPARKLE, LISTEN TO ME!"

Twilight fell back in surprise of her friend teleporting before her. She grew confused. "H-how did you... You were..."

Rarity rubbed her head after a brief pain surged through her head. "I don't exactly know, but I need to tell you something. It's about me and Shining."

"I know. You like him." Twilight answered angrily, raising herself from the ground.

"Well... yes. I do, very much. But what happened in there was a complete accident."

"How was him mounting you after a tongue wrestling match an accident!?" Twilight inquired loudly, causing Rarity to wince.

"How long were you watching?"

"From 'I don't need you saving me'." Twilight quoted with sarcasm.

"Twilight, we try to-"

"Okay. So here's the deal. You tell me everything between the two of you or I will tell Cadance what I saw in there."

Rarity gasped at her friend's threat. "Twilight, you wouldn't."

"Cadance has been like a sister to me, and I would do anything for her. So you would either confess to me, or I'll confess to Cadance." Twilight said, realizing that this brash approach was the only way to get any sort of truth from the situation.

"Twilight-"

"Waiting."

Rarity felt herself sweating bullets as she looked at the condescending glare of Twilight. She already knew how protective she was over her brother, so a lie would definitely set her off. With a deep breath, Rarity took a seat and urged the enraged purple unicorn to do the same.

"...I have had a crush on your brother for a while now. I guess nine years is too long of a crush, but you could say that it all started from a simple bad dream."

Finally finishing the story, Twilight was left in awe over what all had happened to the two of them and what all occurred. Everything about her brother had started to make sense. She now knew the reasons why her brother never spent time with her and Cadance when the games came around, she knew why Shining had to run her to the school like a mad mare. She understood what caused her mother to be sent to the hospital and why her brother was so sad at times. She even knew why Rarity was so persistent in seeing her 'true love, the stallion of her dreams'. But it still left one question to be answered, and to her misfortune, it was the the one that only her brother had an answer to.

"I understand that much. But... what about Shining?"

Rarity stirred her hoof into the carpet as she answered. "I don't know what exactly made him have an interest in me. I just know that when he and I met just last Thursday, we got into a... heated discussion."

Twilight felt sympathy for the seamstress. Rarity had to undergo hardships because of something that was beyond her control. And in the end, it was her crush who managed to do all he could to save what she had. It was a trait of her brother that she grew well-acquainted with. "You know, after hearing your story... I kinda know how you feel."

"You do?" Rarity asked.

Twilight finally decided to swallow her pride. Rarity had told her everything that occurred between her and her brother. It was time that Twilight would disclose some of her secrets to her in return. It was only fair. "I've had a crush on Shining too. You know, big brother being nice to you and then you find yourself being the victim of a love unrequited."

Rarity had heard stories like that in her romance novels, but she never would've expected it from her. It was a bit of a shock to her. "Wow... Um, Twilight."

"Weird, I know. And it took me all the way up to the past Hearth's Warming Eve to confess to him. But we talked and he told me that what we had was a friendship that nopony could ever come between. So he understood where I was coming from, but he also made it known that he only wanted us to remain friends."

Rarity understood the affection that Twilight had for Shining, but there was still one perplexing fact that continued to drive at her. "But he's your brother."

"Can I tell you another secret?"

Rarity gulped as she readied herself for what she may have to say. "As long as you keep mine."

"He and I did it twice."

The snow-white unicorn stared blankly at her friend, choosing not to believe what was disclosed to her. "Excuse me... but WHAT!?"

"The first time, I was in heat. The second time... it was hours before I confessed to him. I know that it's taboo, but if you really wanna go past the benchmark, you should look at-"

Rarity plunged a hoof into Twilight's muzzle, deciding that she didn't need to go any further. "Ah! Not another word!"

As the white hoof removed itself from her muzzle, Twilight smiled. "Okay. So... I guess this makes us even."

"You have secrets from Cadance, and I have secrets from Cadance. Our lips shall remained sealed and our emotions shall remain dormant throughout the course of this wedding."

Twilight grew a devious smile as she teleported a book in front of her. "Hmm... Perhaps there is a way we could both find a means of coping with our loss."

"Actually," Rarity swatted the book out of the way before things got out of hoof. "I think that we should start moving on."

Accepting defeat, Twilight held an inward smile. "Maybe you're right."

The two started to make their way down the hall of the palace as they took to Twilight's next destination, the party planning with Pinkie. Rarity chuckled as she walked.

"But a question for curiosity."

"Fire away." Twilight asked.

"Just how... skilled is Shining Armor."

~Wednesday~
April 20th, 1 S.R.
Canterlot Royal Palace
Royal Chapel

The next day, the wedding had commenced and mostly everything had gone along without fail. Velvet and Orion stood on the front row as they proudly looked up to their son being married off to his bride. Rarity continued to cry at her loss of not being the mare in the wedding gown, but she was supportive of the union, deciding that it was best for her to move on. Applejack looked to the other side of the alter, where a certain guard winked at her. The farm pony wore her hat as a means to hide her face from him as she scrunched her face with glee. Finally, Cadance approached the alter, where both Celestia and Shining Armor stood.

"Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of the real Princess Mi Amore Cadenza-"

"Princess Cadance is fine." The pink princess corrected her aunt.

Celestia hummed in acknowledgement. "The union of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. The strength of their commitment is clear. The power of their love, undeniable."

Celestia turned to Spike, who was at the far end of the row of stallions beside the groom. "May we have the rings please?"

Spike walked up to Celestia, presenting the princess with the two rings of the bride and groom. Cadance had started to cry over what was her dream come true. Shining felt happy that he could make her often denied pursuit, a reality. Celestia took great joy over placing the rings on the horns of the two lovers. "I now pronounce you mare and colt."

As the two stepped out to the outside balcony to display their successful union, the six mares looked at the two as they waived to the crowd outside. Rarity still wiped away tears as she spoke. "They look great together."

"One can only hope that their future is as bright as this beautiful day." Celestia agreed.

Twilight looked at her former foalsitter and her older brother with a teary-eyed smile. "Yeah, they fought for this. It's a victory that they rightfully earned."

Celestia smiled at her student. "This is your victory as much as theirs. You persisted in the face of doubt, and your actions led to your being able to bring the real Princess Cadance back to us. Learning to trust your instincts is a valuable lesson to learn."

Turning back to see the married couple kissing, Celestia held a wing out to whisper to Rainbow Dash to go on with her routine.

"Rainbow Dash, that's your cue."

Canterlot Palace Grounds
Canterlot Royal Garden.

"Hey there, party ponies! I hope that all of you are ready to shake your groove thang because the dance floor will be open in a second! But first, lets start off with the newlyweds, Princess Cadance and Prince Shining Armor!"

After Pinkie made the announcement on the loudspeaker, both Shining and Cadance walked onto the dance floor, much to the cheer of everyone in attendance.

"Don't break your hip, old guy." Orion shouted to his son, stirring up a laugh between his friends.

"Look who's talking!" Shining said before the music started to play in the distance. While the record continued to spin, Shining danced with Cadance, who fell against the stallion, allowing him to lead her. Meanwhile, Luna flew from the sky and landed beside her older sister.

"Hello everypony. Did I miss anything?"

"Nothing at all, Luna." The older sibling answered. As they looked at the bride and groom, the continued to hold their conversation.

"It's great to see those two finally together. I know Cadance has been looking forward to this day for many years."

"And she will remember this day for the years to come. Just as you will when you and Azure take your vows."

Luna felt anxious of the day she would take her own special somepony as her groom. It was a day that was far off into the future, but it was one that she would wait patiently for. Suddenly, a voice called out over the sound system.

"Let's get this party started!"

Luna immediately recognized this song from one of parties out in Ponyville. She remembered that Azure and her both danced to the song the night of the Nightmare Night Bash. "I love this song!"

Twilight caught a microphone from Pinkie and started to sing the lyrics of the song.

Love is in bloom
A beautiful bride, a handsome groom,
Two hearts becoming one
A bond that cannot be undone because
Love is in bloom
A beautiful bride, a handsome groom
I said love is in bloom
You're starting a life and making room
For us

Elsewhere, Poindexter crept beside Applejack as he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Hi."

"Howdy." She answered back.

"Lovely weather today, eh?"

Applejack laughed at his attempt at small talk. "Yeah, it's better than the last time ya said it."

"Soooooo... You wanna dance?" He offered pointing to the dancefloor, where others had started to enjoy themselves.

"Eeenope." A low voice burled out to the stallion. As Poindexter turned around, all he could see was a wall of red fur.

"Oh. Poindexter, this is mah big brother, Big Macintosh."

Finally looking at the stallion's face, he started to back away slowly. "Oh... heh heh... hello."

"Eeyup." The larger stallion said with an unchanged expression on his face.

"I'm sorry for not introducing myself. I should've looked for you first, cause big brother always knows best, you know?"

"Eeyup."

Feeling nervous from the series of one-worded answers, he offered to take his leave. "So... I guess you'll be dancing with your sister?"

"Eenope!"

"Oh. Well, I guess I can go on ahead and leave you two to your conversation then."

As Poindexter turned away, he felt a hoof turn him back around. "Hold it right there, partner."

As Big Mac called him out, Poindexter started to get anxious. "Uh, did I do something wrong?"

"Eeyup. Ya don't ask a mare fer a dance an' leave her hangin'." Big Mac said as he pushed him towards Applejack.

Feeling relieved, Poindexter released a held breath. "Oh! So I guess I had to make my acquaintance."

Feeling himself being tugged away from the orange farm mare, he soon met with a bright-green elderly mare with a mane silvered from age. "Yer darn tootin, young feller! Ya best on mosey on over here an' show this old timer a good time 'fore ya fixin' ta dance with ma granddaugher!"

Applejack chuckled. "Well, how 'bout it? A dance with the Apple Family will get ya well-acquainted."

Giving in, Poindexter decided that there was no harm in having fun with the family. He took on the offer. "I suppose it can't be all that bad."

"Yeee-haw!" The elder mare shouted as she yanked him into a whirlwind to tango with her.

A younger filly walked beside the farm mare, shouting out to the stallion. "Careful now. She may be old, but she's a bit fresh on the dance floor."

As Granny Smith pulled the stallion into a dip, he called back to the filly. "Thanks for the warning!"

As Cadance and Shining started to make their leave to the honeymoon suite of Cinquième Ciel, one of the most prestigious hotels in all of Canterlot, Twilight held the door to their carriage open. Shining ran towards his younger sibling.

"Twilight! None of this would've been possible without you, little sis. Love ya, Twily."

"Love you too, B.B.B.F.F." Twilight said as she hugged her brother before he and his new wife took to the hotel. As they entered the carriage, Shining turned to Cadance.

"Ready to go?"

Cadance looked down to notice that she was still holding the bouquet. "Oh, I almost forgot!"

The pink princess maneuvered herself past the stallion, placing her plot right in front of his face. Shining gave it a quick slap as she tossed the bouquet backwards in response from the shock. She glared at her husband as he looked back to her with an innocent look.

"MIIIINE!!!" Rarity shouted as she leapt into the air, pushing away three others for the bouquet. As she caught it, she found herself being stared down by three other mares. She chuckled nervously as she held the bouquet of flowers in her magic.

"Aha ha... I guess this belongs to you?"

Canterlot Royal Palace
Hall of the Two Sisters.

The two princesses made their way to their respective rooms as they continued to smile. The clock showed that the midnight hour had long passed as the two royal siblings laughed from the memories that they shared with many others in the party.

"What a lovely evening!" Celestia said happily as she and her sister recovered from their laughing fits.

"I've haven't had so much fun since the night of the Nightmare Night Bash! This was a wonderful, wonderful night.

"Yes. I know that Azure would've enjoyed himself." Celestia stated, unwittingly causing her younger sister to become saddened by his absence.

"...I know he would have."

Celestia realized what she had said and offered to apologize. "Luna?"

"I'm sorry, I guess I feel a bit lonely from his not being there."

Celestia placed a hoof to her sister's chin. "Luna, you don't have to blame yourself. In fact, you should be thanking yourself for what you did. You saved him from death and you managed to even risk your own life to do so. I think that exempts you from any self-doubt."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

"Princess!" A third voice called from the darkness of the hallway. A stallion in medical robes called out to the two princesses. "A thousand pardons, your highness."

"Doctor. Is something wrong?" Celestia asked.

"Well... there's been numerous cases of stallions contracting an infection from wounds received from the changeling attack reported in today. We knew that the two of you wished not to be disturbed at all, but I think this case warrants your attention."

As Celestia received a list of the infected patients, Luna turned to the doctor. "What are you saying?"

Celestia grew dismayed upon reading the list. The smile that she once wore turned into a frown of despair. "Well, to safely put it, Azure is one of the ones infected."