It is never easy planning a wedding. Princess Cadence can attest to that.

Both Applebloom and Diamond Tiara knew that this was going to be a emotional roller coaster ride when Bloom proposed to her. And it's not like they've never been to weddings before. They know what has to go in to it; they have to hire a caterer, hire a photographer, make sure everyone's seated well at the reception, hire a D.J....

it's no wonder brides to be go insane every time they get married.

There's at least one thing they agreed on; who's going to be the bride and who's going to be the groom. Tiara, since she went though all so much, is going up there with the white dress and a veil. She deserves it with everything she went though with Green Star and Silver Crown.

Speaking of them, Green Star was sent to a psychiatric ward up in Baltimare in order for him to get help. His bunk mate, a mare named Screw Ball, has wrote to them both about his progress and introduced herself. Apparently, she's been there since she was born, thanks to her mother being sent there while preggers and now she's there until the docs are 100% certain she's not crazy. Tiara and Bloom didn't really care about Screw but it's nice to hear that Star is getting help for his anger. Silver Crown should meet her father at least once and going to a psych hospital will do that.

Speaking of Crown, she's growing up a normal, ordinary, healthy Unicorn foal. She has some spurts of magic but that happens, according to Applebloom and all the baby sitting she did for Pound and Pumpkin. Other then that, she's a ordinary 3-month old Unicorn foal. No tendency's towards anger or any Gryphon attributes like claws or a lion tale.

While we're talking about babies, Snowdrop and Zim had there's, a colt they named Ice Flower.

Now if Tiara and Applebloom can keep their cool until the wedding, everything will be fine.

.......

Yeah, that's not going to happen.

"What?!?!?!" Applebloom exclaimed, having gotten the bill for all of the food that will be at the reception. "2,000 Bits! For a simple wedding dinner!?"

Tiara took the bill and looked at it. What she read made her face melt and her tiara fall. "That is pricey!"

2,000 bits is enough to buy a small city. "This is insane!"

"Well, you did tell the caterer that you are nobility." Snowdrop said, nursing Flower. "I suspect he jacked up the price."

"But 2,000 bits!" Applebloom continued exclaiming. "Even the Princess' would agree this is Highway Robbery-no, not a Highway Robbery, a bank heist!"

Zim walked in from the kitchen, carrying a tray with a tea kettle and cups on his back. "Is it too late to change caterers?"

"Deathly." Tiara said. "The wedding's in less then a week. It's far too late to change now." The familiar sounds of a crying filly reached her ears. "And speaking of changing." Tiara got up and headed upstairs. "Be right back."

Applebloom stopped her freak out and watched Tiara walk up with a smile. "She seems to be doing well with the mom business." Zim commented.

Applebloom warmly chuckled. "Yeah. She's really gotten into it."

"I thought she was going to be freaking out or crying." Zim said while pouring a cup.

"Me too." Applebloom laid down on the couch and sputtered, feeling downbeat from all this planning. "I expected her to be crying or bawling 'i give up'. Yet, not once did i hear it. Not even little sniffles from the bathroom."

"Well, that's good."

And Applebloom wasn't lying. Tiara was getting into this mother business. She sat in a rocker chair, humming while she fed Crown with a bottle. After several minutes of sucking, Crown stopped eating, yawned, then fell asleep. Tiara smiled and sang a lullaby to her.

"♪hmm.... hm-hm-hmmmm-hm.... hush now, quiet now, sleep now baby mine. time has come to go to dream land...hmm... hm-hm-hmmmm-hm...♪"

Tiara kissed crown on the forehead as she kept on rocking. This isn't turning out to be so bad after all. Although Crown does leave some very smelly and unnatural 'gifts'. Thank goodness Applebloom spent all that time babysitting foals like her niece Peppy.

Tiara wanted to have a outdoor wedding, and a outdoor wedding they are having. There's no spots in Trottingham itself to have it, so they had to leave the city to a nearby forest. With this, they have enough room for all their friends and family. the reception was to take place in a nearby clearing.

This specific spot was chosen because of it's gorgeous view of a lake. It's said that if someone get's married here, they stay together forever. And if they time it, they can get hitched when the sunset hits the lake. That'll make it even more romantic.

Now if only the two of them can survive the trials of wedding plans.

"What? What do you mean you're out of azaleas!?" Tiara exclaimed to the florist. He had arrived with the flowers ordered for the wedding. Tiara ordered azaleas and ended up with lilacs.

"Un, Sorry ma'am, but all of the azaleas were taken to another wedding 3 days ago and we never came around to refilling our stock." a stallion said with a clear John Ratzenberger accent. "And we're out of roses and tulips too. Only flowers we have left are lilacs. If you want, i can put in a order and get them to you in... 3 to 4 weeks."

Tiara can't believe this. It's like she's the victim of a horrible prank. "I need them in 3 to 4 days! Don't you understand, i'm--" She was interrupted when she saw that the ice sculpture of a swan was melting, being in the direct light of the summer sun. "No no no no no!" She ran past the florist and to the ice guys. "What are you two doing!? This thing is melting!"

The two pegasi looked at the sculpture and saw that it was, in fact, melting. "Well, how do you like that." the Gryphon said like a complete and utter idiot. Tiara's mouth hung open at their complete stupidity.

This is turning into a nightmare.

Nearby, fast asleep in her stroller, Crown slept the day away. Tiara brought her out here because she didn't want to be far away from her in case Crown needed her. Applebloom couldn't look after her because she was in Manehatten, which is just a 2 hour train ride away, inviting Silver Spoon and Babs Seed.

Crown slept soundly, not hearing the hooffalls that came to her. "Such a strong willed girl." A stallion Unicorn as black as night with a red cape and a dark curved horn approached and looked at her with green eyes with red iris' and purple fire coming out of the sides approached her. "A complete opposite of her father. If i already didn't have someone else in mind, you could've been my scion."

He leaned in and whispered to her. "No matter, my grandniece. Soon, your cousin Starlight and i... we shall change everything. and you and all your other siblings will have a part to play." He kissed her on the forehead. Where he kissed her, a mark appeared that quickly went away.

Tiara left the wedding to those idiots, needing a much needed break. "Man... i cannot work with those dunderheads. They got everything completely wrong. Ugh, why isn't Applebloom here to help me with this?"

She walked to the other side of a tree to get Crown, only to duck back behind it when she saw the dark unicorn. He was walking away, like he wasn't near the stroller. Curious about him, Tiara followed.

The dark unicorn walked out of the trees and into a small clearing. Using his magic,he turned his cape into wings. Tiara peeked out from behind a tree and gazed at him. "Who the heck is this clown?"

The unicorn, having heard her, turned and saw her. Tiara didn't move when he looked, feeling a shiver go though her soul. both parties didn't say a word to each other. In the end, the unicorn flapped his 'wings' and took off, disappearing into the sky above.

"Who... was that?" Tiara gasped. She never saw that Unicorn in town before- not then, not in Ponyville, not ever. But something about him felt familiar. More importantly, what happened to Crown? Tiara ran to the stroller and found her still sound asleep. He must've been just passing though, but who the heck is he? Maybe her father has some answers.

"Hey there T!"

Applebloom approached her fiancee and kissed her on the cheek. She then turned her attention to little Crown. "Hey there, Crowny. how are you doing?" Crown woke up to the sound of Applebloom's voice and saw who she considers her father looking at her. she laughed and reached up to her. "Oh, you just woke up. Sorry." She picked up Crown and held her tight.

Tiara watched her and smiled. Applebloom is doing such a good job being Crown's other mother. T's so lucky to have Applebloom in her life. But that wasn't much to distract her from that mystery pony. "Hey, Applebloom."

"Hmm?"

"When you walked here, did you see a mysterious pony?"

"Mysterious Pony?"

"Yeah. foreboding and frightening and all around scary?"

"No. I saw no one like that. Unless one of the wedding planners made Crown cry."

"No, none of them did that. ugh... i don't know. maybe i was seeing things. i could swear i saw him before somewhere."

Applebloom scrunched her mouth to the side, not really sure what Tiara is talking about. "If you say so." She returned her attention to Crown for a moment. "Oh! i forgot. Babs Seed and Silver Spoon can't make it on friday."

"Aho, man." Tiara was really hoping her best friend back in Ponyville could come. "why not?"

"They're having their own in a couple of days."

Tiara couldn't help but go, "awe! They're having a wedding too? Man, the Apple family has some odd timing."

"Tell me about it." Applebloom muttered. "And they'll be on their honeymoon at the same time we have our Wedding so... no Spoon and Babs at ours."

"Oh, man." Tiara sat down. "i was hoping my best friend would be here. and i can't go to hers, either. Geez, this sucks."

Applebloom's not arguing there. She was hoping Babs could come as well, and she knows Tiara misses her best friend Silver Spoon something fierce. She mentioned something about that some time before Crown was born. If only there was some way she can cheer Tiara up about this.

Then she got a good idea on how to cheer Tiara. It's so great, it's foolproof.

Her curiosity about that pony gaining ground over her wedding plans, Tiara had to ask her father Filthy Rich if he knew that Unicorn. As with every Wednesday, he's his study reading both financial reports and the daily paper. Tiara knocked on the door, getting his attention.

"Tiara? What's going on? is somethign wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong dad, i just have a question."

"A question?"

Tiara nodded then walked in. "earlier today, i saw a mystery pony that... Faust, i swear i met him before. Dad, did you ever meet a black stallion Unicorn?"

"Black Stallion Unicorn?" Filthy Rich thought for a moment. "Hmm.... I know a number of black ponies that are stallions and Unicorns."

Time for more info. "Well, he has a red cape that can transform into wings, and red and green eyes with purple fire coming out the sides. His horn was curved and dark red- blood red, i guess."

Rich shook his head. "Still nothing. Maybe your eyes are playing tricks on you. I know you've been working hard on this wedding. I remember when i was marrying your mom. I stayed up so long, i saw a Hydra outside my window. Which is odd because i lived in Dodge Junction at the time and Hydras are nowhere near there."

Is that it? is she hallucinating? She has been staying up late planning this wedding. "Yeah... maybe you're right, dad. Maybe i need a nap. I'm gonna catch a few Z's. See you later, Dad." She walked out and headed for her room.

When Rich heard the door down the hall close. "Sombra... here?" he put the paper down and sat back, holding his head. "I thought he was dead for the past 40 years. Where was he all this time? I didn't hear from my cousin since that incident with Celestia and his home town." He looked out the window. "Sombra... where have you been all this time? What have you been doing?"
...

"Do you really want to know?"

Rich jumped in his seat when he heard Sombra's voice. The Dark King walked out of the shadows and into plain view. He looked more sinister but it was the same Sombra Rich remembers 40 years ago.

"Sombra... you are alive."

"Alive and kicking, as the kids these days put it."

"What are you doing here?"

Sombra walked out and to a nearby bookcase. "A Uncle can't be here for his own grandnieces wedding? That's blasphemous, don't you think?"

"That's not what i meant. I-- we thought you were dead. Me, Velvet, Shimmer, Tabitha, Malice, Sunshine, even Tulip. We thought you were dead. What exactly happened? Speaking of which, why do you look like that?"

Sombra expected that question to be at the forefront, not 4 questions in. "Celestia happened. Some idiot called her, telling her i was using my powers to cause trouble, when it was the exact opposite. When she heard what my power was..." Rich's shadow came out of the floor, scaring him. "She attempted to kill me, without even giving me a chance to surrender. I fled and lived in hiding. And as for how i look, let's see you live in a abandoned castle out in the middle of the arctic, honing your skills."

Rich's shadow went back into the floor, giving him a sense of relief. "Princess Celestia really tried to do that?"

"Almost succeeded, too. I was planning on returning a 15 years ago, but the Humans arrival and all the messes that followed put that to rest." Rich remembers those clear as day.

"So... you're coming back now?"

Sombra hid a evil smile from his cousin. "In a sense. But i won't be back for another 2 years. i have something big planned."

"Something big? Like a party?"

"Eh... not... exactly. But it will be one to remember." Sombra walked to where he appeared. "Don't tell the others i'm alive. Not yet, anyway."

"Okay. But what about Tulip?"

Sombra stopped in his tracks and thought about his old crush for a moment. He closed his eyes and breathed heavily before replying, "Tulip too." He walked into the shadows and disappeared before Rich could get another word in.

"Ahh!"

Applebloom yelled at the mess that was the wedding cake. It was a complete disaster with the decorations being just placed on without any planning, and the figures of the bride and groom? they didn't have any in stock. The cake people had to go with a Power Pony figure; the red one, and a Soundwave toy.

Tiara cocked her head to the side, looking at it from a different angle. "Well that's...... that's un..........." By the look on Applebloom's face, they both have the same conclusion. "Horrible. that looks absolutely horrible."

"How could..." She headed to the door and caught up to the cake people who delivered it. "How could you guys mess this up?!"

One of the more gruff ponies pulled out a pencil with his magic and tapped it on a floating clipboard. "Well, you said it was a rush order and this is a rush order."

"a 3 month order! You had plenty of time to make it right!!"

"Sorry miss. But you should've--"

Applebloom slammed the door shut, not wanting to hear anymore. "Faust, can anything else go wrong?" She fell onto the couch and groaned, rubbing her eyes. "I can see why Rarity went insane at her and Uncle Spike's wedding. Wedding's are a hassle to put together."

"No kidding." Tiara said as she sat down as well. "Down there at the site, it was a disaster zone."

Applebloom can see in her mind how horrible it must look. "Ugh.... this has been one disaster after another." Tiara got closer to her future wife and kissed her on the cheek. "This is just a disaster."

"It's okay, Applebloom."

"No it's not. I wanted you to have the perfect wedding and it's being ruined."

Tiara chuckled. "Applebloom, i never wanted a big fancy wedding."

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I never liked large crowds. Why do you think i didn't go to The Royal Wedding? or your attempt to get your Cutie Marks for singing heavy metal?"

Applebloom remembers that and remembers how horrible they all looked in that makeup. She still has nightmares about it. It made her chuckle. "You sure?"

"Yes. As long as i have you and Crown, i'll be the happiest mare there is. At least until someone finds a treasure somewhere and strikes it rich, then i'd be the second happiest mare there is."

That made Applebloom chuckle. "So... what do we do now? Our planned wedding is a disaster and you don't like crowds."

Tiara wondered what to do too. After a couple of seconds, she came up with a idea. "IS Fluttershy still in contact with her parents?"

Zim knocked on Applebloom's door, dressed in his best tux. "Hey Applebloom. Today's the big day! ya nervous?" Applebloom didn't reply. She must be a sound sleeper, Zim concluded. He knocked again. "A.P.? you in?" When she didn't reply, he got irritated. He opened the door and headed right in. "Applebl--"

Applebloom wasn't in. Her bed hasn't been touched at all. "What in the..." Confused, Zim walked out and headed down to the kitchen. Downstairs, Snow was feeding Flower and she wasn't like the food she was being given. "Applebloom in here?" Zim asked.

"No. why?"

"She disappeared. She's not in her room and she's not down here."

"You don't think she got cold feet, do you?"

"I don't think so. i know she was freaking out because of the disasters plaguing the wedding but that's nothing to quit about, right?"

"I don't know. Maybe she just went somewhere."

Zim's not really sure. He took a step and heard a crunch underneath. he looked and saw that he had stepped on a note. He picked it up and read what was written.

"What is it?" Snow asked.

Zim finished it and chuckled. "It's from Applebloom. She and Tiara are in Las Pegasus."

That don't sound right. "Las Pegasus? Why?"

"They're eloping."

Yep, they were. They flew there on Helios during the night and made arrangements with Fluttershy's mother's, who work as part-time bridesmaids at a wedding chapel, to get married there. As Las Pegasus was a gambling town, it was hard finding the fanciest one. They did find one and they liked it. Mostly because it was themed on the inside and it was a theme that spoke to a 3 month old filly.

the theme: Care Bears.

"You build it, they will come." Applebloom sighed, looking at the wall decor.

"Can we get on with this?" The Parishioner, dressed as Luck Bear, irritatingly said. "I got another wedding in 10 minutes." Fluttershy's mother's gave him a stern look but he didn't notice it. One of them was holding Crown, who was cooing and eating one of her hooves.

"Right right." Tiara and Applebloom headed over and gathered in front of him.

"Okay, before we begin, do the Bride and un.... Bride have any vows they'd like to share?"

"Yes. we do." they both said. Applebloom pulled out hers and went first.
"Tiara... i cannot think of anyone else i can be with other then you. You are just the most amazing mare out there and i love you for it. You are smart, wise, funny. and you have the most amazing smile and hair i'm jealous of and... i got like 4 more lines about this, so i'm skipping ahead." She did that and went ahead 2 cards. Tiara chuckled warmly. "Okay... Tiara, we may have had a rough spot when we were fillies but to me, that was paradise because it was you. I loved you then as much as i love you now and that will never, ever change. As long as i am with you, i will do everything i can to make you and Crown very very happy. i love you and i never want to be apart from you.

Tiara sniffled as her eyes started to water. This is going to be tough to top.

"Applebloom... You are such a dweeb and i love that. When we were fillies, i may have hated you but now... now i see that was a horrendous mistake. Cause now, i see the most amazing mare right in front of me, wanting to spend her life with me. and the reason for the hate was because i was jealous. I was jealous about your big family. i was jealous that you had great friends. i was jealous that you... were you. But now that jealously has washed away and turned into love, undying love i have for you. I love you, Applebloom, with every beat of my heart and every breath that i take. I love you and i wish to be with you forever."

That brought a tear to everyone's eye, including Cannon and Rise. "It's a Kodiak moment."

They weren't expecting to hear Rise's voice. They looked and saw their whole Trottingham friends gathered at the entrance. "When did you guys get here?"

"Just now. And i must say, it took forever to find you." Cadence said.

"Aunt Cadence?!" Applebloom exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"What, i wasn't going to miss my nieces wedding, was i? The others couldn't make it and they send their apologies; Pinkie Pie found the Mirror Pool and now there's a whole horde of Pinkie's invading Ponyville."

Applebloom softly chuckled. It's always something, but a horde of Pinkies? Faust help them. "It's okay. Sounds like they're dealing with something worse then Discord and Chrysalis combined so i can forgive them."

"Well come on! Get married already!" Rise exclaimed, getting very very impatient.

Both mares rolled their eyes and chuckled. They looked at each other's eyes and smiled. "Are we ready?" The Parishioner asked. They both nodded, not looking away from each other. Cadence walked up and, at his gesture, took his spot and job. "Okay. Applebloom, do you take Diamond Tiara to be your lawfully wedded Wife, so long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"And Diamond Tiara, do you take Applebloom to be your lawfully wedded... un, husband, so long as you both shall live?"

"I do."

"Then be the power vested in me as Princess, i now pronounce you WIfe and... un... Wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Now together forever, though eternity and beyond, in the eyes of their friends and family, Applebloom and Tiara kissed the best kiss of their lives.

Outside, Sombra looked it. Off to the side where no one would find him, he watched as his niece got married.

"It won't be long now." He looked to Silver Crown. Her forehead glowed with a mark for a brief second. "Not long at all... Soon, everything will change."

He disappeared in a puff of smoke as Applebloom's and Tiara's friends applauded.

"Starlight... Silver Crown... together, we will all change the world...

and the Universe itself..."

Author's Note

bet you guys weren't expecting that twist with Sombra and Tiara, did you? remember, in this little universe of mine, Season 3 and beyond don't happen as the humans arrive just a couple weeks after Armor's and Cadence's wedding.