Author's Note

Bonus Chapter 2!

Where We Started

6 months later

Cadence looked into the mirror at her wedding dress, the shimmering lace twinkled with the intricately placed pearls. In a few short minutes she would be walking down the aisle to get married. Never had she imagined her day like this, without her mother. She still missed her everyday but she also loved her new found family, Samaar would be walking her down the aisle since he was more a father figure than anyone else in her life had ever been. Selena was her flower girl and Rabia her maid of honor, she wanted to honor her mom by having her best friend take an important place in her wedding. Sombra had Tamaar be his best mare. He and Shining Armor had started getting along but Shining was nowhere near wedding status yet. He was just settling in to his new life as a Crystal Empire general, he wasn't like he was before. He still talked a lot, she would give him that, but he had a new sense of respect and honor to him that he had not had when he arrived.

Samaar stepped in through a side door with a smile. "It is time." He walked her down the hall to a set of beautifully decorated double doors and turned to her, "I'm so glad to have you as a daughter." He embraced her softly and kissed her forehead. Once the music started playing he grinned and two guards used their magic to hold the doors open. Detailed decorations lined the ceiling and walls, after the nursery remodel Cadence had taken up quite the hobby with interior design, lilies and pearls on nearly every window, with white ribbons between. It wasn't an extremely large ceremony but not too small either. She wore her mother's wedding dress and her hair in a high bun. The first one she looked at was Sombra. He was blinking and gave a little rub under his eye. Tamaar noticed and gave him a pat on the shoulder. The closer she got, the closer she could see to him tearing up and when she finally reached the altar he just gazed into her eyes, his just slightly glistening. Samaar took one of her hooves and placed in Sombra's and he held it as she walked up the rest of the way. Samaar dipped hia head and walked over to Selena
who was sitting in front of Raksha in the front row, excitedly bouncing her hooves up and down with the small petal basket in front of her. Cadence and Sombra looked over at the little filly who changed their lives forever and she thought back on the memories that had brought them here:

'"I've got one very delicious looking sandwich thanks to the royal chef Crystal Cream and one bottle for a super cute and tiny princess. She tried to be joyful when she was around them but as per normal Sombra just picked his head up and replied, "Thank you."'

"The meeting started off pretty boring. The Crystal Court restating all the laws when it came to foals and orphaned foals. Sombra thought a majority of it was pretty stupid. At the thought he turned to Cadence to see her making the most obscene expression he had ever seen. He looked down to see the foal smiling and waving her forelegs around. Cadence did another and she beamed. Sombra switched her to his other foreleg and started waving it in front of Cadence's face and each time her expression would change. The filly loved it. Sombra smiled with the foal. He reached out to boop her on the nose and she in turn started booping herself. She reached up a foreleg to booking Sombra but ended up smacking him right in his muzzle. He pulled his head back and Cadence started silently giggling."

'"Why couldn't we just paint it black and call it a day?" He said as he groaned, knocking his head into the wall. "Sombra! I just painted that!" She yelled both out of concern for the wall she just finished and now Sombra had a horn and muzzle covered in iridescent paint and tiny crystals"

'"Boo!" Before he shifted again this time behind her causing them both to go tumbling to the ground. He shifted again just before they hit to reduce the impact of the fall. He reshifted them next to the iridescent bucket and pinned Cadence down with the leg covered in black paint from when he stepped in the bucket(on purpose to get even more paint on Cadence). He got a glob of the paint and wondered where he should put it. "Hmm... where should I exact my revenge?" He taunted. Cadence didn't say anything but dipped a few feathers in the bucket and flicked some at Sombra with a defeated grunt. It splattered him his cheek. "That will do." He lifted up her head with the other hoof covered in shiny paint. A quick gaze into her royal colored eyes and he forgot what he was doing. His leg pinning her down loosened up enough for her to get in a sneak attack. She pounced before Sombra could realize what was happening. She pushed him over and rolled on top of him. Her legs out to either side with Sombra below."

"He slid a piece over to her. "That goes to what you are working on." Every so often he would give her peices until Cadence turned to ask him if he was going to help put any together and she noticed he was asleep. She tossed a blanket over him and went back to her puzzle."

'"Got anymore family for me to meet? I'm still tired after last night." Cadence said as she slumped back against the bars. Sombra had noticed she had began to be less dignified and formal around them, especially him. The Cadence he met all those months ago would have looked at this Cadence like a peasant. He was glad to see this side of her. She was kinder, braver, and it took a strong mare to step up and take care of a child."

'"So I had a question I've been wanting to ask?" Sombra said as he slid her over a peice to the section she was working on. "And what is that?" Cadence said, not looking up. Sombra nervously started rubbing the edge of the table. "It's about the Crystal Faire." He admitted. Cadence placed her section onto the main part of the puzzle before turning to Sombra. "What about it?" Sombra was a nervous wreck inside but let out a silent breath before asking her. "I was wondering if you and me could go together?"'

'"Why did you wipe off your eye makeup?" She asked, both confused and concerned as she noticed his nervousness. He rubbed his leg up and down his other foreleg. He felt bare and open and he did not like it. His hair was also pushed back and tied to one side. "Mom thought it looked nice." Cadence clicked her tongue and shook her head. "This isn't you. Come on, let's go fix this." Now it was Sombra's turn to be confused as she dragged him off to his room."

'"You ever think we will see a sky full of stars sometime in our lifetime?" Sombra asked curiously as he gazed up at the permanently hued sky. Cadence pointed up, "If you look really closely you can see faint little twinkle up there." Sombra squinted but he definitely saw a little shine. "Like a crystal sky up there?" He said with a little chuckle. Cadence pushed her head into his shoulder and scoffed at his lame pun. Sombra could help but look down at her, his eyes a little wide at the gesture. "Your hair is soft. I think I'll rest here for a little while." She mumbled, lightly nuzzling him. Sombra heavily resisted the urge to nuzzle her back, he was still unsure about her feelings and didn't want to make things awkward between them. He didn't want to lose her. He settled for resting his head above hers. Now that she couldn't see him he let his blush go and smiled."

"The umbrum subjects gasped and started cheering at their sacred place being replicated here. Cadence excitedly looked over to Sombra to see him stare up at the moon. "Suprise." Cadence half-sung, very pleased that it went off without a hitch. Sombra blinked a few times before turing to Cadence and wrapping around her in a tight hug."

"As they both grew accustomed to it Cadence leaned in closer. She nuzzled the side of his neck to the sounds of the violins with Sombra slightly shocked at first quickly warmed up and rested his head on the back of hers. Cadence eventually wrapped her foreleg around Sombra's as they swayed with each other to the music. When the song stopped and they stopped spinning Sombra leaned into her. They gazed into each other's eyes as they were so close together they could feel the other's breathing. Cadence's eyes only left his own to gaze towards his lips. Sombra's eyes widened at the realization but he quickly and lightly dipped his head."

"She squeezed her eyes shut and blinked a few times. "Selena really misses you too." She lightly chuckled to herself. "You know her first word was Sombra." That broke her. She started sobbing and leaned into him. She wrapped her forelegs around one of his as she nuzzled him. Each time he slumped back down. "I miss you!" She nuzzled his neck. "I can't lose you too." She breathed in his familiar scent. "I haven't done a puzzle since and I barely leave the castle. I can't do anything that reminds me of you without the though of forever doing it without you." She let go of his foreleg to squeeze into his neck. She sobbed, "I can't imagine a forever without you in it."'

"He nuzzled his mother back and when he saw Cadence his eyes lit up with joy. He climbed up and crawled to the edge of his bed as she walked up to him. They gazed into each other's eyes both saying how much they missed the other. When they reached the edge of the bed Sombra hugged her deeply. Cadence, shocked at first, immediately reciprocated. They didn't hear the healers, or Rabia, they were in their own little world. Cadence pulled back with a smile before Sombra leaned in and kissed her. Cadence's lips tasted like crystal berries, sweet and spicy all at once. Sombra tasted like smoke, like addicting, rough, hard, smoke, Cadence was hooked. Cadence brought up a hoof to caress his jaw, the fluffy beard feathering her. Cadence hadn't had nearly enough when he pulled back. He let his forehead rest against hers. "I couldn't imagine a forever without you in it either."'

Cadence hadn't realized it but she had tears down her cheeks. She motioned to Selena to come up there, the excited little filly running up and nuzzling her chest. She gave her a kiss on the top of her head and whispered, "I'm so glad to have you as a daughter." And she sat down between Cadence's forelegs.

Sombra wiped under his eye again. "If we don't start this ceremony we are all going to be crying." The officiant chuckled before he he began reading from the book. With two quick "I do's" he declared that Sombra may now kiss the bride, he pulled Cadence and Selena in close and gave Cadence a passionate kiss. After they broke away they nuzzled Selena who let out a loud giggle.

"Come on Mom and Dad!" She raced down the isle, "We gotta do the reception!"

They held the reception in the ballroom, normally they would have suggested the area under the castle but Cadence wanted to have more intricate decorations that just weren't suited for outdoor weather.

"This looks gorgeous Darling." Sombra said as he marveled the display on the ceiling, she had really outdone herself.

"It's not everyday you get married, especially not to the love of your life." Cadence said as she pulled him into a light embrace.

"Well now everyday after you get to be married to him and I with you." He rested his forehead on hers, ready for whatever future had in store for them.