Why is she so sad…? What’s wrong, Twilight?

Fluttershy glanced back at Rarity, quickly realizing that her other four friends, Spike, and even Princess Luna, who stood with them, had similar concerned looks on their faces. Even Pinkie Pie’s mane had deflated when she saw Twilight’s lack of a smile on her face during this- what was SUPPOSED to be- momentous occasion of the young princess’s life. Then, as if knowing that the yellow mare was staring, Princess Luna turned to meet her gaze with a knowing look.

The blue alicorn gestured with her head, to the stallion that stood on the other side of the altar. Fluttershy looked, and to her shock, saw that Flash Sentry had a similar look of concern and...regret?

What’s going on? Fluttershy remembered just the previous day, when Flash and Twilight had been nuzzling each other lovingly with smiles on their faces. Though Fluttershy had never seen them kiss (her already-broke heart would’ve turned to dust at the sight) or show any open signs of affection besides nuzzling, she thought that she had seen it in their eyes. They seemed madly in love with each other just yesterday...

Everyones’ thoughts were interrupted when Princess Celestia finally stepped up to the couple, her wings raised in a polite gesture so as to call for complete silence in the grand hall and everypony’s attention.

“Ladies and gentlestallions,” She began, “we are gathered here today to witness the royal union of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Lieutenant Flash Sentry in marriage. They have been through many ups and downs, but to this day their bond to one another has endured through it all.”

At that last part, everyone was sure that they saw Twilight and Flash glance at one another with a look of mutual...discomfort? Fluttershy couldn't help but feel that something was off, but it was all she could do to even gaze at the scene before her- Twilight’s wedding to the Royal Guard pegasus.

“Flash Sentry,” Celestia turned to Flash, who on instinct straightened up immediately to attention, “do you take Twilight Sparkle as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold through better and through worse, until death do you part, for as long as you both shall live?”

“I do.” Flash said, his voice melancholic. Then, to the continually-added surprise of everypony at the altar, he lowered his head, murmuring two other words that only they could hear, “I would.”

Celestia looked at him with a gaze that was a mixture of all kinds of confusion, but only for a moment before she turned to Twilight, repeating the vows.

“Twilight Sparkle,” She said, “do you take Flash Sentry as your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold through better and through worse, until death do you part, for as long as you both shall live.

There was a moment of silence. Her fellow princess’s words seemed to only cause Twilight’s frown and head to droop lower and lower, her expression the same unhappy one mixed with a look of deep thought. Finally, after a few seconds of silence, Twilight looked up and met Flash’s eyes.

He gave a subtle shrug, his look seeming to ask the alicorn, “Are you sure?”

Twilight raised her head high, and finally spoke.

It was not two words, but one.

“No.”

The audience’s immediate reaction was an assortment of shocked gasps, surprised murmurs, and five certain mares who stood at the altar agape as they watched their best friend turn to address both her intended groom and her former mentor.

“I’m sorry, Flash, but this isn’t right. I can’t marry you.” Twilight said, turning to the guard stallion and bowing her head in apology. Flash only nodded sadly, looking as if he already knew.

“Whyever not, Twilight?” Princess Luna asked, the first of the altar crowd to get over her shock, looking at Twilight as if the youngest alicorn

Twilight turned to her, shifting her gaze down the line of her friends and fellow princesses. On the other side, Shining Armor- Flash’s best stallion- stood at Cadence’s side. Both of them looked surprised, but only to the point where they had their eyebrows raised and not the jaw-dropping reactions that her friends had.

Was it just her, or did Fluttershy notice that Twilight’s gaze landed on her a second longer than everypony else.

Quit deluding yourself! her mind told her, you’re starting to hallucinate, now!

“I can’t marry Flash Sentry,” Twilight answered Luna finally, “because I don’t really love him.”

More murmurs from the crowds, but only a few as everyone else sat in stunned silence. Fluttershy couldn’t blame them. This whole thing had been planned by both bride and groom for more than a month, and now the Twilight was suddenly changing her mind at the last second.

Here’s your chance! Her mind screamed, this time in SUPPORT, Tell Twilight how you feel!

Fluttershy shook her head to clear that thought immediately. There was still NO way that was happening, especially not right now.

“But Twilight,” Celestia spoke to her former student, more surprised than anypony had ever seen her, “if you do not love Flash Sentry, why did you agree to marry him?”

“It was out of obligation.”

Everyone turned in shock to Flash Sentry, who nodded and said, “It’s true.”

“Obligation?” Rainbow Dash thought for a moment before her eyes widened and she looked at Twilight in disbelief, “Wait, you accepted his proposal because you thought you HAD to!?”

Twilight didn’t say anything, instead giving a small nod of confirmation.

“Nopony would force you to marry someone you didn’t love, Twilight, princess or no.” Rarity said, stepping forward, “Why would you EVER think such a thing like that, darling?”

This time, Cadence spoke up, “It’s because you thought nopony would accept the one you REALLY love, isn’t it?”

Everyone, still in complete shock over what was even occurring at the moment, looked at Cadence before redirecting their gazes back to Twilight. She nodded to, like Rainbow, confirm what her sister-in-law was saying before her head drooped again.

Applejack stepped forward,”Now why in tarnation wouldn’t anypony accept him, Sugercube!?”

Twilight whispered something unintelligible to the rest of them, but Rarity- trained to understand words at that volume, thanks to Fluttershy- gasped at the revelation.

“Oh dear, NOW I understand. How didn’t I see it, before?”

“What did she say?” Fluttershy asked. Wait, did Twilight just flinch slightly?

“It’s not a stallion,” Rarity said, causing another round of gasps, “it’s a mare.”

Applejack’s eyes widened, “I beg yer pardon?”

“Twilight’s a...she ‘runs on the other side of the fence’, so to speak.”

Nopony said a word for the longest time. This newest revelation about Twilight had shocked everyone- except for Cadence and Shining Armor, Fluttershy noticed. Then again, it actually made sense that Twilight’s family- especially her siblings, one of whom was the Princess of Love- would know something like about her. She saw it as both of them stared back at her, and she could see that everything in their expressions was matter-of-fact and-

Wait.

Why were they staring at her?

And why is Cadence suddenly smiling...?

“Twilight,” The Princess of Love looked over at the drooped-over lavender-coated mare and spoke gently, with a hint of excitement in her voice, “Who do you REALLY love? Who would you RATHER marry, if not Flash.”

Twilight raised her head, turning to where her six friends stood, and looking down their line. Wait, why is she looking at all of us? Hold on, does that mean...the one she loves is one of us!?

Before she could even try and answer herself, she snapped out of her thoughts to find herself looking straight into that lovable pair of violet eyes- eyes that made her heartbeat quicken every time she gazed into them.

Eyes that, she realized, were looking at her in that very moment.

She tilted her head, and looked at her other friends, only to find that they were suddenly staring at her, too. Usually, she’d shift uncomfortably and hide in her mane, but for whatever reason found herself unable to do so as everyone, audience and all, turned to stare at her, making her too nervous to even think about it.

She gulped inwardly, and looked back at Twilight.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight motioned her over with a hoof. Like a moth to a flame, Fluttershy found herself slowly walking up to the mare of her dreams until she stood before Twilight, subtly shaking in her hooves and unable to fully comprehend what was happening, yet also unable to look away from Twilight’s beautiful face.

Then, as if she had practiced up until that moment, Twilight sat on her haunches and, reaching down, picked up both of the yellow mare’s front hooves in her own, leaning forward slightly to whisper a few words to Fluttershy.

Just five words, a question.

“Fluttershy,” Twilight lifted one hoof from her grasp to cup Fluttershy’s cheek, “will you marry me?”

Fluttershy’s heart- shattered, but still beating- just stopped.

Author's Note

This is pretty much where the G-Doc I made of this story's original draft ends, so it'll take me awhile to come up with the rest, but still, I hope you all are enjoying this so far (A 5 to 4 like-dislike ratio tells me that I've already made a lot of people mad ).

FLASH: That's because you're dissing me like the OTHER fic, but NICELY.

Shut up, Flash, at least you're not DEAD! (spoiler)

Anywho, I'm going to try and keep working on this. Ciao!