I Thought I Knew Him

by Omegathyst

Rating: teen
Tags: Sad, Drama, Princess Cadance, Profanity, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Sex, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe
Length: 10857

As Twilight learns that her brother is getting married to another stallion, going against everything their parents taught them about gay relationships being bad, Twilight finds herself not only confused about their love but her own feelings as well.

Instead of dealing with the sudden attack of the changelings, Twilight Sparkle faces a dilemma that she is far less prepared for: her brother getting married...to another stallion! And not just any stallion, but her former foalsitter Prince Bolero! The stallion that she had a crush on back when she was a filly! Or at least she thought she had a crush on him, her parents certainly teased her enough when she got older. Nonetheless, how will Twilight make peace with not only who they are, but who she is?

Contest entry for the M/M Shipping Contest.
Contains lots of internalized homophobia, not entirely accepting parents, conflict between family and friends, Rule 63 Princess Cadance, a gay stallion wedding, lesbian/bisexual Mane 6, and a happy ending.
Cover art by JaquelinDreamz

Published 2021-09-22 02:10:00 UTC
Last updated 2021-11-11 05:23:23 UTC

Prologue: The Wedding Invitation

Author's Note

Disclaimer: The negative view towards homosexuality that Twilight and her parents have in no way reflects any of my views, especially since I'm attracted to both men and women myself. With that said, please enjoy the story!

Prologue: The Wedding Invitation

Twilight Sparkle smiled as she felt the gentle sunlight resting on her and her friends as they sat on the picnic blanket, a sharp contrast to last time all six of them were together, experiencing a disastrous gala where none of them got quite what they hoped to get out of it. But instead of panic and anger, there was just the afternoon sunshine and gentle breeze that surrounded the mostly quiet group of friends. The silence only broke briefly when Rarity commented on how gorgeous the weather was, followed by her five friends nodding and smiling.

Then, Twilight’s gaze went past them and to the little dragon brother of hers bolting towards the six mares, scroll in each claw as he ran past her friends and stopped right in front of Twilight. Landing on his butt and proceeding to catch his breath, Spike slowly gave Twilight one of the scrolls.

“Twi...p-please don’t f-freak out,” Spike gasped before he fell over, Rarity and Fluttershy glancing down at him with wide eyes. Twilight used her magic to hold the scroll open and began reading.

"Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot," Twilight frowned as she looked at her friends. "Wedding?"

She shook her head and continued reading.

"I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion…" After Twilight read over all the different responsibilities listed, she finished reading the letter. "See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia. But...I don't understand. Who's getting married?"

Spike stood up, staring at the picnic blanket below him before his eyes slowly met Twilight's, as he gave her the other scroll. As soon as Twilight dropped the first paper to read the second one, Spike got up and took several steps back.

"Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Prince Bolero and...my brother?!" Twilight shrieked, dropping the invitation as if it was poison.

"Your brother's getting married? Congratulations, Twilight! That's great news, right?" Applejack's voice faltered as she took in Twilight's bug-eyed expression and shaking body.

"What's wrong, Twilight?" Rarity frowned as she stepped closer. Twilight collapsed to the ground, putting her hooves over her head as she started breathing fast.

"This can't be happening," Twilight whispered just loud enough for Rarity to hear.

"Oh come now, he won't love you any less now that he's getting married," Rarity reassured her. "Or did you not know about this wedding until now?"

"W-Well, it's not great to find out from a wedding invitation," Twilight lifted her head, and Rarity flinched as Twilight's expression twisted, her ears flattening as she shouted. "But it shouldn't be happening at all!"

“Oh boy,” Spike turned tail and ran off before the others could stop him. All of Twilight’s best friends frowned as they looked down at her.

“I don’t understand?” Pinkie tilted her head. “Is your brother not marriage material?”

“Or this prince?” Dash added.

“How do none of you see it? My brother? With a prince?!” Twilight got up and stomped her hoof as she further raised her voice. “My B.B.B.F.F and my former foalsitter aren’t colt-cuddlers! They’re normal ponies!”

“Woah, hold up there,” Applejack scowled. “What exactly are you trying to imply here?”

“This prince is your former foalsitter?” Rarity gasped.

“And what the hay is a B.B.B.F.F?” Dash scratched her mane with a hoof.

“Twilight,” Twilight broke her staredown with Applejack to look over at Fluttershy, her heart skipping a beat as Fluttershy looked up at her with wide green eyes. “You didn’t mean what you said just now, right?”

Applejack, still glaring at Twilight, put her foreleg around Fluttershy.

“Of course I meant what I said about them being normal,” Twilight smiled, only for Fluttershy to flinch and stare at the ground. “If nothing else, my Big Brother Best Friend Forever would never disrespect me and our parents like that. I’m sure it’s all just a wild prank so I won’t be shocked about the real wedding.”

“Well,” Fluttershy looked up, blinking back tears. “Your brother sounds like a really good pony no matter what.”

“Of course, they don’t just let anypony be part of the royal guard,” Twilight shrugged.

“So let me get this straight,” Rarity began to speak.

“Please do,” Twilight huffed, glaring down at the wedding invitation.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Rarity snapped. “We're helping out with the wedding of not only a prince, but a captain of the Royal Guard?”

“I guess we are,” Twilight spat, getting up.

“Um, Twilight?” Applejack stepped away from Fluttershy. “Maybe ya shouldn’t be going to this wedding. We can tell them you were really under the weather.”

“Do you have bees in your brain?” Twilight’s eyes widened. “I absolutely need to go, either my brother and former foalsitter are planning some silly prank, or they’re throwing their lives away. And for what? Because no mare wanted either of them? C’mon girls, we have a mission to take care of.”

Twilight’s horn fizzled as she teleported out of sight, and as much as her friends wanted to rejoice in the upcoming wedding, they stood still until Twilight was out of earshot. Fluttershy looked over at Applejack and broke the silence.

“She...doesn’t like gay ponies?” Fluttershy whimpered. “But doesn’t she know we’re all-”

“Let’s not worry about that right now,” Applejack sighed. “Our priority is warning this Prince Bolero and his fiancee that they have a big storm comin’ their way.”

“Perhaps Spike already warned them?” Rarity asked as she looked over in the direction he ran off in.

“We can try and ask him,” Applejack nodded. “It’s not like we’ll be able to catch a train faster than the one Twilight will be on. Let’s all pack and meet at the train station in 15.”

“O-Okay,” Fluttershy whispered, watching as the others either walked or flew off in different directions. She flew out of the woodland area, glancing at the Golden Oak Library, and then down at the rest of her friends as they all took off to their homes, steering clear of the big tree.

Fluttershy smiled, feeling determination within her heart, as she flew down to the Golden Oak Library.

Confronting Two Stallions

Author's Note

FINALLY, I finished the second chapter! 😂

Only three more chapters to go lol

Confronting Two Stallions

As Spike ran to the Golden Oak Library, the mares’ arguing still ringing in his head, he grabbed the closest empty scroll he could find and unraveled it, grabbing a pen and writing in the scroll. Though his pony sister preferred elaborating quite often with big words when it came to her letters, Spike decided on writing a very short letter:

Dear Prince Bolero and Shining Armor,

Twilight is not happy, watch out.

From,
Spike

Spike closed up the scroll and blew green fire on it, sending it to Canterlot castle. He nearly pissed himself as he heard Twilight teleport into the castle, and ran out the door before she could see him. Bolting to the train station, he hoped Twilight would pack his belongings as well. As he arrived, he noticed the only one to already be at the train station was Applejack of all ponies. She stared off into the distance with a dark green suitcase with apple patterns at her side, giving a long deep breath before she looked over at the dragon.

“Ya told ‘em?” Applejack asked.

“Y-Yes, I did,” Spike nodded, feeling his head begin to hurt as he glanced back at the library. “Listen, you can’t tell her. I’m not trying to take sides here...they’re both family to-”

“Say no more, sugarcube,” Applejack sighed. “I understand exactly how ya feel. Ya did what you could, just leave the rest to them.”

Fluttershy landed in front of the Golden Oak Library, flinching as soon as she opened the door. Various books, clothing, and other items were flung across the library and into an open suitcase that was close to the door. Stepping inside, surveying the area until she found Twilight stomping around her bed, Fluttershy flew to her side and took a deep breath before speaking.

“Twilight,” Fluttershy smiled despite the unicorn not making eye contact with her as she threw everything on her nightstand into the suitcase. “Don’t think of it as two stallions getting married, think of it as your brother and former foalsitter finding love! With each other! Isn’t that exciting? Why, I’m sure that-”

Twilight lit her horn up, causing the open suitcase to close, and teleported out of sight. The suitcase disappeared as well, and Fluttershy stared at the empty space where Twilight used to be. Her shoulders dropping as she frowned, Fluttershy flew out the library to pack her stuff at the cottage. Flying to the train station with only a decently-sized handbag for her travel stuff, she landed beside Applejack. Rainbow Dash and Rarity were on their own bench, the former talking about her Sonic Rainboom and the latter about her dresses, while Pinkie bounced in place as she waited for the train to arrive. Twilight was far away from the others, her ears flattened to her head as she grumbled out of earshot.

“Fluttershy,” Fluttershy jolted at the touch of the farm mare’s hoof on her shoulder, then went still as she looked at Applejack. “Logic isn’t on her side for a change, let her learn when her brain lets her.”

“Right,” Fluttershy sighed.

“It isn’t your responsibility,” Applejack assured her, her hoof trailing lower down Fluttershy’s foreleg. Feeling her wings beginning to unfurl, Fluttershy blushed as Applejack’s hoof began to reach her own and oh Celestia what is happening-

The train appeared, and Applejack scowled as she pulled her hoof back and got up, tugging her suitcase along as she made her way towards the train. Twilight teleported into a corner seat of the train with her suitcase beside her, and the rest of the Mane 6 got into the train, Fluttershy trailing behind with a clear blush on her face as she eventually sat down next to Applejack. Fluttershy slowly unfurled one of her wings and rested it on Applejack’s back. Twilight frowned as she stared at the two of them.

I’m sure it’s just Fluttershy cooling off Applejack’s attitude from earlier. I mean, what was her deal anyway? Doesn’t matter, need to focus on the situation at Canterlot. It has to be a prank! Shining Armor wouldn’t just turn on our parents like this, they didn’t tell us stuff for the heck of it, they were real values that guided us into adults! They were saving us from pain!

Twilight’s mind went back to the imagery of two stallions she saw as a filly out and about in Canterlot with her family. The details of what they looked like were too vague to comment on, only that they were together and smiling, kissing each other on the cheek and forehead. Having remembered how mommies and daddies create foals, Twilight frowned as she looked up at her parents.

“Why are they kissing each other?” Twilight asked, already feeling her body tense at the expression on her father’s face. Night Light glared at the two, guiding Twilight away from the pair as Twilight Velvet did the same to Shining Armor. Shining Armor stared after them even as he walked farther away, until he tore his gaze away to scowl at their mother. Now Twilight had to know the answer, and Night Light’s glare melted away as he glanced down at his daughter.

“Er, sometimes stallions don’t become daddies and are very lonely and sad,” Night Light told her. “So they settle for another stallion. You like chocolate ice cream, right?”

“I love chocolate ice cream!” Twilight grinned, feeling her body start to relax.

“Well, imagine if you got broccoli instead,” Night Light said. “You wouldn’t like it very much, but you’d still eat it if you had nothing else. That’s what those stallions choose to do when they don’t have mares.”

“Huh,” Twilight’s ears perked up as she heard Shining Armor speak. “Those stallions seemed pretty happy to-OW!”

Twilight Velvet bumped into her son, causing the stallion to stumble and glare at his mother less subtly than before. Night Light leaned over to his wife, whispering to her before turning back to his daughter.

“Not everypony is willing to accept that loneliness drives stallions to date stallions, and mares to mares,” Night Light told her. “So don’t go around telling everypony that, they can be pretty mean when faced with the truth. You and your brother need to be better than that and find ponies to have foals with. A mare won’t give you happiness or foals.”

“Dad, she’s too young to even think about that,” Shining Armor snapped. “If you like foals so much, why don’t you two have more?”

“That’s enough!” Twilight flinched at their father raising his tone, Night Light walking past his wife to approach Shining Armor. “Velvet, walk Twilight home. We’ll meet you there.”

Twilight felt her voice dying in her throat as Night Light walked another direction with Shining Armor following him. What was Shining’s problem? Dad was trying to teach her the importance of having a family.

As Twilight thought back to it, it was as clear as day what Shining Armor was thinking. That deviant brother of hers was sympathizing with them! That was when Prince Bolero had just started his foalsitting sessions with her, did he like him then?

Well, if anything was clear to her parents, it was that Twilight had taken a liking to Prince Bolero. Sure, she didn’t really feel those fuzzy butterflies that she was supposed to feel, but her parents said she had a crush on Prince Bolero, so it must be true! Right?

Back when she was still a student at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and old enough to not need a foalsitter anymore, Twilight would sit at the dinner table with her family and talk about how her day went. While friendship wasn’t her strong suit at the time, she always brought up her classmate Flashy Dazzle, a mare with a rose pink pelt and a long dark brown mane. Those dark green eyes paired with her dark red glasses were...Twilight shook her head, it didn’t matter how they looked. Her parents would interrupt her explaining what Flashy and her studied together, and prompt her to ask out Prince Bolero. The first time they did this, Twilight vividly remembered her brother spitting his drink.

“Honey, wouldn’t you just love living in a castle as a Princess with such a sweet stallion?” Velvet smiled at Twilight, and Twilight pictured an invisible pony yanking each side of her lips to create such a forced smile like that.

“I mean, I’d prefer becoming a Princess because of my magic,” Twilight replied, her mother’s smile disappearing as she spoke. “And then the ma-I mean stallion could live in my castle!”

Twilight shook her head, she only slipped on her words that night because it’d be cool to have mares live in her castle. As friends! And in a way, with five mares as her dearest friends, she got exactly what she hoped for. Their friendship meant more to her than any stallion could. Twilight froze up.

But that doesn’t mean I’d date a mare!

“Woo! We’re here!” Rainbow Dash shouted over Twilight’s cluttered thoughts, zooming past the other ponies as they started to get out of their seats. Half of the ponies glared in the pegasus’ direction, while the other half grinned from ear to ear as they whispered about getting to see Rainbow Dash. As the rest of the Elements of Harmony got up, the ponies talked even more, Nightmare Moon’s name slipping into their conversations as Twilight got up and teleported out of the train before a single soul could speak to her. Landing in front of several members of the Royal Guard, Twilight dusted herself off before she got on her four hooves and spoke to him

“I’m here to see my brother, Shining Armor,” Twilight said. “It’s urgent.”

“We know,” one of the Royal Guard spoke, and those two words sent a sharp jolt throughout Twilight’s body. “Hoof us over your suitcase, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Why do you need my-hey!” Twilight shrieked as one of the unicorn guards tugged her suitcase towards them with their magic. As five of them began to open her suitcase, Twilight lunged. “Give that back!”

“Hey!”

Just as one of the Royal Guard members jumped in between Twilight and the other guards, the group of guards froze and looked over their shoulders, spotting Shining Armor in his full golden armor as he galloped towards them. The members of the Royal Guard jumped back many hoofsteps away from the opened suitcase, and Shining Armor rushed to Twilight’s side as he glared at his subordinates.

“What is the meaning of this?” Shining spat, his eyes moving left to right over the wide-eyed guards. “Somepony better tell me!”

“Captain, you said that your sister might be a threat,” one of the Royal Guard ponies spoke up. “We were going to check her suitcase for weapons and neutralize her.”

“Are you all seriously that...she’s my sister,” Shining facepalmed. “I just needed you guys to talk her down, not whatever shit you were trying to pull just now.”

“Oh,” the guards blushed and averted their gazes from their captain and his sister. “Our apologies, Shining Armor. And Twilight Sparkle.”

“Ooooooh, I get it now,” Twilight’s eyes widened as a small smile appeared on her face, glancing up at her brother. “This is part of the prank, right?”

“What prank?” Shining frowned.

“That you’re getting married to a stallion!” Twilight laughed, not looking at the guards as half their jaws nearly dropped to the ground. “Okay, show’s over guys. You can get back to whatever you do, and Shiny can tell me who he’s actually getting married to. It is royalty at least, right? Oh, is it Luna? No wonder you’d go to this extent to pull a prank like this, the only pony that our parents would want you married to less is a stallion-”

“Twilight, please stop talking for five seconds,” Shining snapped before glancing at his guards. “She’s just horsing around, get back to work.”

Any possible protest that the guards’ had died in their throats as they looked away from Twilight and left in different directions away from the two unicorns. Twilight frowned as her heart started racing again, the brother that she’d known her whole life...she had to be wrong about this. It couldn’t be that-

“This is a prank, right?” Twilight’s ears flattened as her lip quivered. “You wouldn’t really do this to Mom...or Dad...or me? Right?”

“Twilight, for fuck’s sake,” Shining glared at her. “It’s not doing anything to anypony. This marriage is not only to somepony I’m able to love, but a pony I do love.”

“How could you do this?!” Twilight cried out, causing her brother to take two steps back. “That’s a load of horse shit and you know it! There’s so many mares out there that’d love to have you, and you gave up! And let’s say in some wild hypothetical that you actually are happy, does that automatically make this right? Our parents told us this was wrong, and you’ll be embarrassing us in front of all of Equestria!”

“Twilight,” Shining took a deep breath before he spoke. “Just because our parents tell us something is wrong doesn’t mean it is wrong.”

“Oh, so because you’re some hotshot captain, you think you know more than our parents. The ponies who’ve been alive longer than us!” Twilight scoffed. “Even though I’ve learned so much throughout my life, I still don’t assume I’m smarter than our parents!”

“Twilight, you are smarter than our parents though, you’re smarter than me,” Shining pointed out. “You’re Celestia’s student, have you forgotten that?”

“That doesn’t matter! We’re supposed to marry mares!” Twilight blurted out.

Shining shut up, staring at Twilight as she turned red in the face.

“I m-mean, you’re supposed to marry a mare and I’m supposed to marry a stallion!” Twilight corrected herself, feeling her blood boil as she snapped. “Where the fuck is Prince Bolero?!”

“He’s in the castle,” Shining sighed. “But if you so much as raise your voice at him, my guards will escort you on a one-way train ride back to Ponyville. Got it?”

“Whatever, I know how to open his eyes without yelling,” Twilight huffed, walking past Shining Armor as she made her way towards the castle. As Twilight left, Shining Armor looked ahead and saw five mares gawking at the display.

“I take it you’re Twilight’s friends?” Shining gulped. “I don’t have to deal with five more of you giving me that talk, am I?”

“Sugarcube, of course not!” Applejack trotted over to the stallion and wrapped her forelegs around him in a hug. “Ah’m so sorry about that, she didn’t even ask how you were, let alone congratulate you!”

“Congratulations by the way,” Rarity said as she stood by Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie rushing over to join them.

“I don’t care who fucks who, I’m just excited to do a Sonic Rainboom,” Dash grinned, before her smile faltered. “I still get to do that, right?”

“Yes, you do,” Shining smiled for the first time since Twilight arrived, and even gave a small chuckle as the mare pumped a hoof in the air.

“Awesome!” Dash shouted.

“C-Congratulations,” Fluttershy smiled. “But you still want all of us at your wedding? After what we just watched?”

“Well, besides Prince Bolero, Twily is the most important pony in my life,” Shining explained. “Part of the reason I told her about the wedding through an invitation was because I knew she needed time to process it. Celestia, who knows what disaster she would’ve caused if she found out just now and not earlier.”

“But Shining Armor,” Applejack frowned. “Ah overheard what y’all were saying about your parents, how could she not even bat an eye about the turmoil you must’ve gone through growing up with those kind of folk, knowing who you are now?”

“Applejack, you have to understand that they told us it was a choice for years,” Shining told her. “And with Twilight being a sheltered bookworm until recently, how was she supposed to know otherwise? I...I hoped she would’ve accepted it enough to be my Best Mare, but I should probably ask Celestia or Luna instead.”

“Darling, is there anything we can do?” Rarity placed a hoof on his shoulder.

Shining Armor felt his heart being tugged towards the castle, remembering the first day that Prince Bolero came to foalsit his younger sister. The way he laughed and allowed his love to flow from him to the ponies around him, the way his soothing voice calmed Twilight and did the opposite to Shining Armor, sending his heart into overdrive and bringing heat to his face as he stammered whenever Prince Bolero so much as looked at him...Shining Armor couldn’t understand why his parents reacted the way they did when he poured his heart out about Prince Bolero, but Twilight’s reaction?

“No, nothing besides what Celestia already asked of you in the letter,” Shining sighed, blinking back the tears in his eyes as he walked towards the castle...

Twilight’s slow walk had turned into a full-on gallop as she slammed the doors open and stopped just several hoofsteps away from Prince Bolero. The pink alicorn, taller than both Twilight and Shining, had his mane of violet, rose, and gold colors short enough to stop just below his muzzle. Twilight felt her blood boil as the prince grinned at her! She opened her mouth, only to remember Shining’s words. Taking a deep breath, Twilight channeled all her emotions in the look she gave towards her former foalsitter.

“What did you do to my brother?” Twilight growled.

“Well, a lot of stuff, but that’s not for me to get into detail about, especially not with his sister,” Bolero rolled his eyes as he chuckled at Twilight. Twilight growled, how could he possibly be so…

Wait.

“You must be a changeling!” Twilight gasped. “You and Shining Armor! Why else would the two of you be trying to piss me off? This is just some plot to turn Celestia’s student against her own family and friends!”

“Ouch,” Bolero frowned. “All these years, and you think I’m trying to turn you against your brother? I suppose there’s one way of proving that I’m the real prince, but...oh aunt Celestia, I can’t believe I’m singing this song again.”

Prince Bolero sighed, before dancing in place and singing.

“Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” Prince Bolero concluded the song by facepalming himself with his hoof, the chuckles of the guards echoing throughout the room. “Oh goodness me, the guards will never let me live that down. Do you believe me now, Twilight?”

“But I d-don’t get it,” Twilight was shaking now as she stared at the stallion she thought she knew. “If you’re the Prince of Love, why couldn’t you just marry a mare?”

“Twilight, as the Prince of Love, yes, I’ve pursued both mares and stallions in the past. But the pony that I want to marry is your brother, and if he wants that to, then why are you so upset?” Prince Bolero asked.

“Because why does he get to love whoever he wants, but I can’t?!” Twilight snapped, causing the guards to walk closer to the two ponies.

“Twilight?” Any smirking or chuckling was gone now, Prince Bolero’s eyes widened as he reached a hoof out to the mare. “What do you mean by that?”

“I...I…” Twilight felt her face getting hot, every coherent thought wiped into nothing as tears rolled down her face. Images of Flashy Dazzle repeated like a vicious cycle, refusing to free her from the joy and shame and joy and shame and joy and shame…

Twilight sobbed as she turned around and bolted out of the castle.

Relentless Anger

As Shining Armor approached the castle, he felt Twilight bump into him, the stallion stumbling to the side as Twilight ran off. Instead of hearing screaming and cursing, Shining’s heart dropped as he heard sobbing. Prince Bolero rushed over to his fiancée, staring ahead at Twilight as she ran past the Royal Guard.

“What happened?” Shining asked.

“Darling, I have no idea,” Bolero deflated as he rested his head on Shining’s shoulder, the unicorn wrapping his hoof around Bolero’s neck. “There’s somepony out there that she doesn’t get to love maybe? She just seemed upset that you got to be with me...you don’t think she wanted to have me, do you?”

“No,” Shining shook his head. “She might say that, but I was at the dinner table each time our parents told her that she liked him. They were telling her who she liked.”

“Seems like them not coming to the wedding was for the best,” Bolero sighed. “But how come they didn’t give us the same treatment Twilight is giving us? Why not just show up and derail everything?”

“Because the one silver lining they see is that I’m getting married to royalty,” Shining admitted. “They said ‘Well, if you want to throw away love for a fancy castle, we’re not going to stop you.’”

“Ouch,” Bolero winced. “Don’t they know I don’t even have my own castle yet?”

“It doesn’t matter,” Shining shook his head, and Bolero spoke after several seconds of silence.

“Should one of us go after her?” Bolero whispered.

“No,” Shining’s expression tightened and his ears flattened as he stepped away from the embrace. “We both need time to breathe I think.”

Over the next few days, Twilight reluctantly left her hotel room several times to see how Prince Bolero was getting along with her friends, running off whenever her former foalsitter turned around and tried to talk to her. She was on the edge of her seat, waiting for him to perhaps lash out at one of them for getting their preparations done wrong, and then she could teleport to her brother and tell him how awful his fiancée was. After all, if the obvious wasn’t going to get him to stop this wedding, maybe she could come up with another reason entirely. But Prince Bolero complimented the dishes that Applejack prepared, adored the decorations Pinkie had set up for the party, told Fluttershy that the birds’ melodies were the most harmonious sounds he’d ever heard, praised Dash’s flying skills, and most of all, told Rarity that the wonderful dresses she was nearly done with were for her and her friends, the bridesmaids themselves.

Twilight could vomit her lunch if she had eaten any, or breakfast if she had eaten that...when was the last time she’d eaten again? She felt her insides boiling nearly 24/7 that she hadn’t slept for two days, let alone ate. After all, she told herself, if she was going to have such evil thoughts of mares rampaging around in her head, she didn’t deserve either of those necessities. Not until she could make this right for their parents.

“Twilight...when was the last time you ate, darling?” Rarity frowned as they sat at a table outside of a café, sipping away at their drinks. While the other mares had colorful and fruity beverages, Twilight was glaring down at her glass of water. Hearing her name, Twilight looked up to see Rarity’s wide blue eyes staring at her. Those eyes only served to make her heart race more, and Twilight gritted her teeth as she slammed her hoof on the table.

“No!” Twilight barked before she buried her face in her hooves, shaking.

“I’ll get her something to eat,” Fluttershy whispered in Rarity’s ear, pushing her seat back and flying back to the café.

“Hey guys,” Spike walked towards the table, freezing up as he saw Twilight shaking in her seat. “Um, I’m gonna be at the bachelor party soon in case you guys need me, so…”

“Wait,” Twilight ceased shaking, sitting up straight in her seat as she glanced at Spike over her shoulder. “Will there be strippers there?”

Twilight could see it now, a mare that was simply too much for her brother to resist, and he’d finally come to his senses and break up with Prince Bolero. Her heart fluttered in her chest at the thought, it certainly had nothing to do with the vivid imagery of the imaginary stripper and her pink pelt and dark eyes-

“Don’t worry Twilight, there won’t be any strippers there,” Spike chuckled. “Bolero knows I’m still a child, he wouldn’t invite me if there were any.”

“Celestia-dammit!” Twilight snapped. “How could my own little brother, let alone my best friends, be perfectly fine with my brother and former foalsitter throwing their lives away?! And for what, some feelings they think they have for each other?”

“Twilight…” Applejack growled, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash flinching as they saw the farm mare’s daggers-for-eyes.

“What? I’m not going to pretend I’m okay with them turning into a pair of freaks,” Twilight spat the last word, but her glare disappeared as Applejack got up, slamming her hooves on the table and knocking over half the drinks as she sharply exhaled. Twilight nearly pissed herself as Applejack focused her glare on the unicorn.

“What is your problem?!” Applejack yelled. Fluttershy, who was flying back to the table with a scone, dropped the plate as she flew over to Applejack.

“Applejack, breathe,” Fluttershy begged her, placing her hoof on Applejack’s shoulder. Pinkie and Dash placed their hooves over Applejack’s hooves as the earth pony closed her eyes and inhaled. Letting out a much slower exhale, Applejack opened her eyes and looked at the rest of her friends before looking at Twilight once more.

“Gay ponies are much closer than you think, Twilight Sparkle,” Applejack said. “Celestia, I’m outta here. Dontcha dare talk to me until you’re able to use that brain of yours again.”

Twilight opened her mouth, but thought against it as Applejack got out of her seat and took off. Processing what she said, Twilight frowned as she looked at her remaining friends.

“She’s talking about my brother and former foalsitter, right?” Twilight asked. “Who else could she be talking about?”

Twilight didn’t fail to notice as Fluttershy’s face turned red underneath her yellow fur, her ears flattening as she looked away.

“I better go rehearse with my birds one more time…” Fluttershy barely spoke up loud enough for Twilight to hear.

“Oh yeah, I better stretch out my wings,” Dash added.

“And I need to make sure the dresses are perfect,” Rarity got out her chair, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flying after her as they left. Twilight looked over her shoulder, and saw that Spike was long gone, which only left her at the table with Pinkie Pie, who somehow salvaged her beverage during Applejack’s outburst.

“Pinkie...you understand, right?” Twilight felt her world crumbling around her, was she losing her friends in pursuit of the truth? Was it even the truth if it tortured her every waking moment?

“I understand more than you do,” Pinkie gave a small smile. “I know exactly what’s going on, but only you can find the answers. I still love you, Twilight.”

Pinkie got out of her table, and instead of taking off with everypony else, walked towards Twilight and wrapped her forelegs around her. Twilight buried her face into Pinkie’s chest fluff, smelling the intoxicating scent of strawberries and cream, as she began to sob.

“Hey, has anypony seen Twilight?” Fluttershy whispered to her friends as they walked down the aisle, the Princesses as well as Shining Armor and Spike waiting for them.

“Who the fuck cares?” Applejack huffed. “Ah’m sorry, Fluttershy, ah don’t mean to be rude towards you, but ah ain’t exactly hopin’ on her being here.”

While Rainbow Dash and Rarity leaned close and grinned and giggled as they talked about the ceremony, Pinkie Pie looked over her shoulder to see the doors they just walked past closed without any purple unicorn opening them. Feeling strands of her mane start to deflate, Pinkie took a deep breath and gave her best grin as she turned back to the ponies and dragon in front of her. The strands’ curliness reappeared, and Pinkie even gave a bounce as she pushed down the thoughts of Twilight in her room alone.

They took their place at the stairsteps, and the doors opened, Prince Bolero not in his wedding tux, but still causing his fiancée's heart to nearly beat out of his chest all the same. Grinning as his walk turned into a gallop, Prince Bolero rushed to Shining Armor’s side and pressed his muzzle against his cheek, pulling back as Celestia took her place between them.

“This is where I say a few words, and the two of you will read your vows,” Celestia explained. “And then you’ll get the rings from your best mare...Luna over there. Prince Bolero, I can’t express just how happy I am that you’ve found somepony to marry. Congratulations.”

“Th-Thank you Auntie,” Bolero wiped a tear from his eye. “It means a lot that my aunts are here to celebrate this occasion.”

Shining felt his heart twisting inside of his chest as he listened to the exchange, before looking at the five, not six, mares at the stairsteps.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but has anypony seen Twilight?” Shining asked.

Twilight stood right outside the door, her mane and tail disheveled and her eyes red as she had stopped hyperventilating. She almost, almost, stayed at the hotel room and allowed the mistake to happen. But no, she wouldn’t let the longing feelings towards Flashy and her best friends keep her from doing what needed to be done. Glaring at the guard ponies, the two of them backed away from her and the doors. Turning around and giving the doors the hardest back kick with her hooves that she could possibly give, the doors slammed against the walls and caused dents in them as Twilight turned back around and stormed into the room.

“I’m here! But I’m not going to stand next to him! And neither should you!” Twilight pointed a hoof at her brother, who looked like a deer in headlights. Celestia and Luna glanced at each other before they looked at Shining Armor.

“I’m sorry, I...I don’t know why she’s acting like this,” Shining stammered as he glanced at the two Princesses.

Prince Bolero felt his blood running cold as he stared into Twilight’s venomous gaze, how far was she willing to go to stop their marriage?

“Maybe we should just ignore her, at least until the practice ceremony is over?” Bolero attempted to chuckle, his hooves shaking as he grinned at his aunts.

“Twilight, what is the meaning of this?” Celestia demanded to know. “Is there something you know about my nephew that I don’t?”

“Celestia, I thought you of all ponies would understand!” Twilight gawked. “Shining and Prince Bolero can’t be happy together! They’re two stallions! You don’t have to indulge their charade just because you don’t want to hurt their feelings!”

Celestia’s eyes widened as she felt her blood boiling hotter than the symbol of her cutie mark, Luna turning to glance up at her sister.

“This is the pony you chose as your student?” Luna gasped, before she spoke again in a lower tone. “Does she even know your history of lovers?”

“Not now, Luna,” Celestia hissed.

“Twilight, this is getting out of control,” Bolero stepped down the stairs to meet Twilight, who stomped her hoof and stood her ground. “If you hate me and your brother so much, why did you even come here?”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she gasped.

“I never said I hate you two!” Twilight protested.

“Well you didn’t have to,” Bolero snapped. “Hope this is exactly what you wanted Twilight, because I’m not going to make my fiancée choose between me or his sister.”

Bolero bolted out of the room, and Twilight took a deep breath. Sure everypony was going to be pissed, and Twilight felt as though her heart might be breaking into a thousand pieces, but this is what needed to happen. Yes, Twilight kept telling herself, they need to go through this heartbreak now to end up with mares that’ll make them truly happy.

Twilight braced herself as she turned around and met her brother’s unrestrained glare.

“This is for your own g-good, Shining Armor,” Twilight’s voice wobbled as she felt tears coming back to her eyes. “Don’t you s-see? Being with him only caused you p-pain!”

“The only one in this room causing anypony pain is you,” Shining snapped. “At least our parents had the decency to not show up, you just had to show up and scare away the stallion I loved. Nopony said you had to approve of us being together, but you couldn’t at least tell me you still loved me the same?! Even now you haven’t bothered to tell me that you don’t think of me as less of a stallion!”

“Shining, I-”

“That’s it though, isn’t it?”Shining frowned.“You do think of me as less of a stallion, Prince Bolero too. Please do me a favor, and go home. Treat me like the dirt on your hooves, that’s fine. But if you’re going to treat my fiancée like this, I don’t want to see you ever again. Now if you excuse me, I have a groom to comfort. At least, if I even still have one.”

Shining broke into a full gallop out the doors as he called out for Prince Bolero.

“C’mon y’all, let’s go make sure the Prince is okay,” Applejack galloped after Shining Armor, and the rest of Twilight’s friends and Princess Luna followed. When Pinkie Pie looked over her shoulder, Twilight flinched at the tears rolling down the party pony's face. Fluttershy wiped a tear out of her eye as she rested a wing on Pinkie's back, the two of them turning away as they followed the others. Tears rolled down Twilight’s face after they left, she lost her friends, her former foalsitter, her brother, well...she still had-

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight turned to look at her teacher as she walked by. “I-”

Celestia looked down at Twilight as if she were mud on the floor, and Twilight closed her mouth and gulped.

“You have a lot to think about,” Celestia snapped, turning her gaze away from Twilight as she flew out of the room. Twilight felt the room spinning around her as she struggled to breathe.

This is the truth, so why did I lose everypony?! Why would they commit themselves so deeply to a lie? Unless...no, why would they lie to me? They’d want me to be happy! I was never going to be happy with her, or any of my best friends. Not in that way, so they were trying to...trying to…I just lost everypony I loved and cared about. This isn’t worth it anymore, it never was, if they’re going to get married, I should just leave them to make that decision. Mom, Dad, I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore.

Twilight’s body tensed up, if they lied to her that night many years ago, the night where her heart was soaring higher than it’d ever had...Twilight felt her blood boil as she continued sobbing. What if her heart wasn’t lying to her, and she had been robbed of years of embracing herself, not feeling this relentless anger towards herself every waking moment? But that anger came in waves stronger than ever, how could she chase away everypony she loved?

“What did I just do?” Twilight sobbed, her cries only ceasing as she heard hoofsteps coming closer to her. She looked up, her heart skipping a beat as she looked into his gentle purple eyes.

It was Prince Bolero.

You've Always Known Me

“Bolero!” Twilight wiped the tears from her face as she felt his hoof resting on her shoulder. “But I thought you...thought you…”

“Left?” Bolero shook his head. “No, I just needed to get you alone.”

Twilight gulped, were her parents right about her and Bolero? But she knew if she were the one to lean forward, lock her lips with the Prince of Love, her brother would never forgive her. So she stayed still as Prince Bolero sighed.

“Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t lying, I can’t follow through with this marriage if it’s just going to tear apart my love’s relationship with you,” Bolero explained. “There’s more going on than just us getting married, isn’t there? I can feel the twisted, ugly view of love radiating from you. Tell me what happened.”

Twilight’s ears flattened as her entire body from her shoulders to her hooves began shaking, the images flashing in her head falling together as she began remembering more and more details that she forgot over the years.

“There was a night where me and this mare were studying, and then she kissed me, and I kissed her back. I don’t remember how or why...just that it was the most amazing sensation I’d ever felt in my life. My parents came in, there was screaming, my Dad dragged her away...and my Mom used a spell to fix everything. I would forget that night, and for several years I did, but Flashy would always come back in my mind. And bits and pieces came back to me as I returned to Canterlot. But even now, I still don’t know what happened to her,” Twilight told him. “I h-hope she’s safe wherever she is.”

Bolero’s jaw dropped as Twilight stared at the ground, processing what he had just heard.

“Twilight, there’s nothing wrong with how you felt. ” Bolero asked. “Understand that I know better than them on this, I’m the Prince of Love. Even now, after everything that was said and done. I’d love to be your brother-in-law, Twilight Sparkle.”

Bolero wrapped his forelegs around Twilight and pulled her close, their conflict be damned. Twilight tried to get apologies out that ended up being muffled in her former foalsitter’s chest fur, and Bolero felt a fraction of what she must’ve felt that night, terror plaguing his mind as he imagined having parents like her own, ripping away happy memories to make him into the stallion they wanted. He thanked the stars that he was raised by parents that would actually be there for his wedding, and he felt his heart tugging towards the stallion outside the door. He made a mental note to discuss her story with his aunts later, as he spoke to her.

“Twilight?” Bolero whispered. “My heart belongs with your brother, and with your blessing, I want to go find him.”

“I…” Twilight pulled out of the embrace and looked up at him. “How do I know you love him?”

“You know when you see my face as he walks in the room, the words I speak to him and the energy you’ll feel,” Bolero replied. “I know ponies can’t feel the love inside a room quite like I can, but watch us and you’ll know exactly what I mean.”

“O-Okay, I suppose I need to apologize,” Twilight glanced at the door. “To a lot of ponies, especially you. With what I found out, I just thought you weren’t the stallion my family let into their home. I thought you were taking my brother away from us.”

“Twilight, you’ve always known me,” Bolero pressed his muzzle against hers as he looked into her eyes. “But do you know yourself?”

“I don’t know anymore,” Twilight responded, her voice sounding hollow.

“Well, regardless, I forgive you,” Bolero stepped back, getting up and opening the doors. “So what will it be?”

“I won’t stand in the way,” Twilight decided. “And I still love my brother, that’ll never change.”

“Good,” Bolero smiled gently. “Because that makes two of us that love him. Now come, you’ll need somepony to have your back when you’re apologizing to seven angry mares...and your brother.”

Bolero chuckled as he rested his wing on Twilight’s back, trotting out of the room as Twilight kept up at the same pace. Twilight felt her heart calm for the first time in years, giving a giggle as she smiled at Prince Bolero. Despite the closeness the two were sharing, Twilight became more certain that her parents had lied to her, this wasn’t the same love intertwined with passion that she felt years ago. This was her friend, who was getting married to her brother.

As Shining Armor, the Princesses, and the other Elements of Harmony came into view, Bolero’s horn lit up with a pink aura for a few seconds before the light disappeared. Winking at Twilight as she witnessed the subtle spell from his horn, Bolero and Twilight stopped as Bolero cleared his throat. Shining was the first to turn around, gasping as he bolted over to the two ponies. Bolero lifted his wing off Twilight and met Shining Armor as their muzzles pressed into each other, Shining closing his eyes as Bolero brought his wings out towards him, the tips of his wings brushing against Shining’s cheeks as he grinned from ear to ear. The way he glowed from Bolero’s touch, and the way his tail shook from side to side without regard to anypony else in the room, had Twilight’s heart sinking as she frowned. How had she not noticed how different he was since he moved out from their parents’ place and became Captain of the Royal Guard? He was no longer constantly walking around like it was a funeral, and he smiled, really smiled, in a way she never saw him smile inside their house.

Maybe their parents weren’t what Twilight thought they were, Twilight shuddered at the possibility.

“Just hold on a minute,” Applejack scowled as she stared at Twilight, taking several steps closer. “We’re just gonna gloss over Twilight nearly ruining the wedding?”

“Applejack,” Bolero dropped one of his wings to his side, still one wing stretched out and cupping his fiancée's chin. “She knows what she did, and if you knew what happened to her, maybe you wouldn’t be so quick to condemn her.”

Applejack opened her mouth for a few seconds, but no words came out as she shook her head and looked the other way.

“I’m s-sorry, girls,” Twilight looked over at her friends, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie smiling at her while Rarity and Rainbow Dash listened with no expression to give anything away. “I...still don’t know how to feel about all of this, but if Prince Bolero makes my brother happy, then I won’t stand in the way. Shining, if this is going to be the pony you spend the rest of your life with...then I’ll be your Best Mare.”

Twilight cracked a smile as Shining glanced at his sister with wide eyes.

“But I’m only doing this once, no divorcing him, okay?” Twilight told her brother.

“Twily, you don’t have to do this if you’re uncomfortable,” Shining stepped away from Bolero’s touch and walked towards his sister. “I know this was a really hard week for you, I’d understand if you still need time to process everything.”

“No, it’s okay, brother,” Twilight reassured him, giving a long yawn before speaking again. “If there’s anything to process, it’s what I told Bolero earlier.”

“Twilight,” Fluttershy flew to her side, resting a wing on her back and pulling her close. “When’s the last time you slept?”

“I, um, am not sure?” Twilight replied, rubbing a hoof through her mane.

“Well, I don’t want my Best Mare to be falling asleep at my wedding,” Shining grinned as a magic aura lifted Twilight off her hooves. “C’mon Bolero, let’s go get her back to her room.”

“Wait!” Twilight cried out. “Do you girls forgive me? Celestia?”

“Of course I do,” Fluttershy flew up to where Twilight was floating and embraced her, Pinkie bounced high enough to nuzzle Twilight’s mane before landing back on the floor. Rarity and Rainbow Dash glanced at each other before the latter flew up and embraced Fluttershy and Twilight in a group hug. Rarity took several steps forward and looked up at the three mares.

“Darling, if you can get a lot of rest and eat something, then consider yourself forgiven,” Rarity told her. “Seeing you like this hurt me more than any words you said, believe me, I’ve dealt with enough comments like those to even be phased by it anymore.”

Twilight tilted her head.

What does she mean by that?

Twilight glanced over at Celestia, who Luna was staring up at intensely.

“Get some rest Twilight, we will talk later,” Celestia told her, her expression blank.

Applejack still didn’t move from her spot.

“Let’s get you to bed,” Bolero trotted to Shining’s side as the two stallions traveled the hallways with a floating Twilight Sparkle in tow. As Twilight drifted off, they opened the door to her room. As they took in the scene, the bedsheets and blanket in disarray, the lamp and pillows on the floor and various writings on the wall, Bolero fixed the bedsheets and pillows back on the bed. He placed Twilight on the bed underneath the covers, Shining leaning against his Prince as he nuzzled his neck. Bolero rested his wing on his fiancée's back, staring at the messy writings on the wall. “Don’t think about mares” and “I need to stop this” were written at least five times each, and “You don’t deserve to eat” and “You don’t deserve to sleep” were written once. But it was the largest writing in the center of the room that caused him to sharply gasp.

Dirty Filly-Fooler

“Bolero, what’s wrong…” Shining turned away from his fiancée, freezing up as he looked at the walls. “Oh no.”

“Did you know about what was going on with her?” Bolero asked.

“I knew they were pushing her towards being with stallions, but I didn’t know that she felt that way,” Shining was shaking as memory after memory started resurfacing in his head, every time Twilight came to his room and told him she had a bad dream, asking him to hold her.

“Just a terrible nightmare,” Twilight shook her head. “Bad ponies making me want to do bad stuff, could you hold me, please?”

Shining was shaking for a different reason now, perhaps his parents needed another visit, and he needed answers.

“We’re not going to leave this stuff on the walls are we?” Shining asked as he looked up at his fiancée.

“Of course not, in fact, I have a better idea in mind,” Bolero smiled as a pink aura lit up his horn, the writings fading away as new words began to take their place on the walls...

After they had spent a good ten minutes fixing the room up, Shining Armor and Prince Bolero walked out of the room and shut the door behind them, with the pink alicorn’s wing still wrapped tightly around his fiancée's shoulders. Then, as they took several steps down the hallway, Prince Bolero stopped in his tracks. An image came to him, how it could’ve been him kissing Shining Armor under his parents’ roof, how they could’ve erased Shining’s memory and fed him lies about Prince Bolero. Sure, it would’ve been easy for him to go to Celestia if that ever happened, but the trauma would’ve been irreversible by that point. Shining looked up at Bolero as he grimaced.

“Dear, what’s wrong?” Shining asked.

“What happened to her was something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy, and that includes her own parents,” Bolero explained, glaring in no particular direction. “I’ll tell you what happened after we get married, I don’t want you to feel anything but happy tomorrow.”

Shining felt his blood run cold at the thought of Twilight getting hurt, but then he processed the rest of what Bolero said, and smirked at him.

“So we’re still doing that, hmm?” Shining pressed his muzzle against Bolero’s neck once more.

“Yep, even though your sister might’ve squeezed a lot of energy out of us, I still want this,” Bolero insisted.

“Good~” Shining whispered, pulling back and staring into Bolero’s eyes. “And when we get back from our honeymoon, first order of business will be visiting her at Ponyville. Hopefully her friends will be there for her in the meantime.”

“Well, I know most of them will be,” Bolero sighed.

“Thank you for not actually running away after all of this,” Shining chuckled. “I don’t know what I would’ve done with myself.”

“Me neither,” Bolero leaned forward, closing the distance with a warm kiss that transcended all the ponies he had kissed before. It was only fitting for a Prince of Love.

The two retired to their separate rooms for the night, with the wedding waiting for them the next day.

Author's Note

I had to finish this chapter and still write the last chapter within less than 48 hours, so forgive me for the pacing. Twilight's backstory was only glossed upon and not told in vivid detail because this is meant to be an M/M Shipping Contest entry, and I needed to spend more time writing the chemistry between Shining and Bolero that has been lacking in the last three chapters.

Will be cracking out as many words as possible in an attempt to finish the last chapter, wish me luck! 😵

But Do You Know Yourself?

Twilight stirred awake from her slumber as her alarm clock went off. Using a stray hoof to turn off the device, Twilight got up from her bed and rubbed her eyes with her hooves as she stared on the writings on the wall. It took her a few moments to realize that the writings were not the ones she had written over the past week.

“Follow your heart” and “Be more compassionate towards yourself” were written several times on the wall, “Forgive yourself” and “Love triumphs over hate” were written once. And then there was the main words in the center of the room.

“Wonderful Pony”

Twilight gripped the blankets before she dropped them, burying her face in her hooves as she broke down into tears.

Twilight had washed her face and put on her full wedding outfit by the time she walked to her brother’s side, with Celestia, her friends, and many other ponies waiting for Bolero to come through the doors. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had already galloped down the aisle with baskets full of flower petals, and the Prince of Love was expected to enter the room at any moment. Fluttershy was off to the side with her birds, waiting to give them the signal to sing. Twilight looked at her brother in his red suit, and nudged him with her foreleg.

“How exactly did you even get the Prince of Love to marry you, anyway?” Twilight asked.

“Well, I told him that not only would he be getting a husband out of it, he’d be getting a wonderful sister out of it too,” Shining told her.

“Does he still believe that?” Twilight frowned as she stared at the doors ahead.

“Of course he does,” Shining gulped as he remembered those words that were once in the center of her temporary room. “Twilight, how are you feeling this morning?”

“Well, it’s been a lot better than yesterday,” Twilight sighed. “Especially with the sweet words my big brother wrote for me.”

“Well, I definitely agree with everything that was written,” Shining smiled. “But it technically wasn’t me who wrote them.”

“Then who did?” Twilight tilted her head, and as she put two and two together, the doors opened, revealing Prince Bolero in his royal purple tux as he walked down the aisle, a big rainbow flower adorning his short mane. Twilight glanced over at her friends to see Rarity in tears, Applejack glancing at her as she put her hat back on. As Applejack smirked, her signature hat mostly unnoticed, Twilight smiled. Perhaps after the wedding, Applejack will have softened up towards her. Twilight took her eyes off the farm pony before she caught her staring, realizing that the butterflies she felt years ago were coming to the surface as she stared at Applejack’s toned legs and long blonde mane. Twilight gulped, shaking her head and looking at the rest of her friends. There was Fluttershy, who joined the others and didn’t hesitate to look into Twilight’s eyes and grinned from ear to ear. Pinkie, wearing a golden dress with her mane tied back, winked at Twilight and caused heat to rush to the unicorn’s face. Twilight looked away from her friends and at her future brother-in-law as he joined the top of the platform near his aunt and facing her and Shining Armor.

“Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Prince Bolero and Shining Armor,” Celestia smiled and nodded at the two stallions. “Shining Armor, we will start with your vows.”

“Thank you Celestia,” Shining glanced at her before turning to look at Prince Bolero. “Prince Bolero, before I met you, I was just a colt that had little more than his O&O buddies at school. And then not only did you start foalsitting Twily here, but you started talking to me, even as the most popular cheerleader tried again and again to make her yours. And then at the Fall Formal, you chose me over her, even after you two were announced King and Queen. I’m telling everypony this because that magical night? I couldn’t speak of till today. Certainly not when I still lived under my parents’ roof, and now? I can scream my love from the balconies, they can’t stop me now. So thank you, Bolero, for not only helping me embrace myself, but for being there when ponies made it harder. I vow to do the same for you, and prove that you made the right choice for the rest of my days.”

Twilight winced, looking down at the floor as Prince Bolero began his vows.

“Shining Armor, one of my favorite ways you love me is the fact that you refer to me as your sister’s former foalsitter or fiancée before referring to me as royalty,” Prince Bolero explained. “In that cheerleader’s heart was nothing but young lust, but you? You had so much pureness in your heart as you just wanted to always be at my side. It brings me so much warmth to know you want to spend the rest of your life with me, and I vow to take care of you and prioritize you even when the royal life isn’t easy.”

In the few seconds of silence, Celestia glanced at Twilight before looking back to the two stallions.

“The strength of these stallions’ commitment is clear, and their love is undeniable,” Celestia smiled before she looked at Twilight. “May we have the rings, please?”

Twilight looked up to meet Celestia’s unreadable gaze, and the unicorn used her magic to place the rings on top of the couple’s horns.

“I now pronounce you colt and colt!” Celestia grinned, stepping back as Bolero lunged forward and kissed Shining Armor.

Twilight felt her heart jump in her chest as she saw them kiss for the first time, but instead of feeling the cold wave of disgust washing over her, all she could feel was a calm warmth as she realized that it happened. They were married, despite her, and Twilight didn’t have to worry about her brother anymore. Especially not when she could feel their energy from where she stood, hot and fiery, yet calm and sweet at the same time. She was trying to pick the imaginary speck in her brother’s eye when she had a log in her own, and now the real problem in her heart was clear.

“Rainbow Dash, that’s your cue,” Celestia said as she leaned towards the pegasus.

Rainbow Dash grinned as she launched herself off the balcony and soared high, a Sonic Rainboom of many colors bursting into the sky. As Shining Armor and Prince Bolero walked out of the room to start the reception, Celestia walked beside her student.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia spoke, and Twilight flinched as she looked up at her teacher. “Your brother spoke to me about how your parents raised you, I’m not going to pretend that it’s a perfectly good excuse to rip into your brother for finding love…”

Twilight looked away, bracing herself.

“...but I’m relieved to see you turn around in time for the wedding,” Celestia admitted. “I don’t even know what lies they might’ve told you, they probably own the historically inaccurate books that claimed that I only bedded stallions.”

“Wait, what?” Twilight stopped in her tracks, and Celestia looked over her shoulder as she stopped as well.

“Ponies will tell themselves what they want to believe, I suppose,” Celestia rolled her eyes before gently smiling at Twilight. “This doesn’t change anything, does it?”

Twilight felt her heart race as she processed what she just heard, and looking into Celestia’s soft gaze, she was confident about one truth in the sea of confusion that she was still lost in.

“No, of course not,” Twilight caught up with Celestia, walking beside her close enough for their pelts to brush against each other as the two mares followed the married couple.

As Prince Bolero and Shining Armor stepped outside and began to dance, Twilight stood outside the door and watched them. She felt Celestia’s wing resting on her back, and didn’t dare to move it away. The intoxicating excitement rushed throughout her body, and she didn’t stop it nor indulge it. She let the feeling exist as it was, and in that moment, her loud thoughts ceased into silence.

Author's Note

Thank you lovely people for reading this through to the end! I'm just super proud that not only did I finish this in time, but it ended up being the longest contest entry I've ever written. Regardless of what happens, I'm thrilled to have garnered such praise and helpful feedback in the comments, especially from my sweetheart ShinyStarBoi. Yes, when I'm not backed up with other contest projects and hiatus stories, I'll definitely work on a sequel to this. I will give you only two words for what to expect next: Queen Umbra.

I will post more commentary about this story, and future stories, on my blog. So if you're not following me already, please do if you're interested in my future stories! 😃