Author's Notes:

Twilight is Magic read order

And we began again.

bigger chapters this time around. (of course that means less updates)

this time expect everything and anything to happen

As always, leave your comments below.

Six months ago, Firestar, the Commander of Cloudsdale military forces and by tradition, the Commander of Cloudsdale itself; suffered injury in the campaign against the Titan Cronus. While attempting to save the life of a wounded soldier, the Titan shattered her back legs with its fist. Every bone in them reduced to powder by the hit. It was only due to Prince Radiant Star’s quick response that she was able to survive the battle at all.

After extensive surgeries and magical treatments, they were able to save her legs, owed in no small part to the magical help of Princess Luna, Cadance, and Shimmering Night. Who each took it in turn to augment her doctors’ natural healing magic with their alicorn magic. While they saved her legs, the doctors told Firestar she would never be able to walk again.

Anypony who knew Firestar could tell you that the fastest way to get her to do anything was to tell her she could never do it. She took to her rehab like a mare possessed. Firestar blew right past what the doctors said she should be able to do. Several times she would stumble and fall, several times the pain was almost too much for her to take. Each time, Prince Radiant Star would catch her as she fell.

Radiant was her rock, her motivation to do the impossible. Radiant achieved the impossible for her; he went against his natural talent and limitations in order to save them both. His love for the mare allowed him to protect them both from a Titan’s bulk crushing them when it fell. For the first time in his life, Radiant Star managed to cast his father, Shining Armor’s, shield spell. It was a mark of his love for her that he achieved such a feat.

Many rumors spread about the two, as the son of Princess Cadance, Radiant was a prime target for rumors and his obvious romantic interest with Commander Firestar was the talk of the nation. Three months ago, Firestar finally had enough of answering the question about when they were going to be married. She called a press conference and told everyone that they would get married when she could bucking well walk down the aisle to her own wedding.

Most wrote it off at that point. It was an impossible dream for her that they figured the two were using as an excuse never to marry. Not Firestar, for her it was the goal line she strove to pass every single day of her life. Her motivation to get up in the morning and she poured her heart and soul into that goal. Radiant was the world to her, their love for each other was nothing short of magical. She knew that she would walk and they would get married. Nothing else mattered to the mare as nothing else was that important in her life. As such, two months to the day of her press conference, Commander Firestar took her first, unsupported step.

It had a one-in-a-million odds of ever happening, but when you roll the dice, sometimes you get lucky. She immediately scheduled the wedding for one month out.

History would come to know the wedding as the most secure ceremony ever. Commander Firestar’s office passed a mandate to all of Cloudsdale that every active pegasi who did not get an invitation to the wedding would be on patrol duty. For the first time since its creation, Cloudsdale was empty. Every pegasus knew either of the Commander’s temper first hoof or from the accounts of others. As always with such rumors, a lot of them were blown out of proportion. Several claimed that she would throw ponies out of her office through unopened windows. Nopony really took it seriously. Save those that actually went through such treatment, the doctors that healed them, and the ponies that replaced those windows. For Firestar’s part, she did not care what any rumor said about her, as long as they obeyed her orders.

Obey they did; it did not matter that some of the rumors were true and some were not, what mattered was that they existed at all. The guest list was a mile long, inviting every pony that could come. However, nopony wanted to be off guard incase yet another event occurred during the royal wedding. Equestria did not have a good record of accomplishment with those; as such, every other pegasus in Cloudsdale volunteered for guard duty, and that was not counting the Cloudsdale militia, which was on the highest alert.

The Cloudsdale military combined with the civilian reinforcements, the crystal pony guard, and the royal guard created the most secure location in history. Despite the record turnout for the wedding itself, nopony got within a hundred hoofs of the Crystal Palace without three different guards stopping and questioning them at least three times. The guards searched every piece of luggage three times and confiscated anything suspicious. They pulled the Wonderbolts’ themselves off the hunts for Tartarus escapees to provide security for the palace itself.

Of course, not everypony was happy about the security. As Rainbow Dash was making her feelings about it painfully clear to Twilight Sparkle in no uncertain terms.

“If we get stopped one more time, I'm going to lose my bucking mind.”

“Rainbow, you will do nothing of the sort.”

“Twi… I've had it with this. We are bucking princesses for Luna’s sake. We shouldn’t have to put up with this sort of treatment.”

“Rainbow Dash, you know why they are doing this. The guards stop everypony; everypony's ID is checked. There are no exceptions.”

“Ugh… Fine…” Rainbow landed next to Twilight. For the time being, only the security detail could fly in the Crystal Empire. In truth, Twilight suspected that it was her friend’s predisposition always to be off the ground that caused them to be subject to so many security checks, well that, and Rainbow’s golden wings. Although, Twilight would have to add another idea to her list of reasons, almost everypony who stopped them also wanted an autograph from the two. Twilight did not exactly understand that last part. Rainbow told her they were famous, but she had no idea they were this famous.

Twilight smiled as she looked over at her friend’s pouty face. ‘Rainbow sure is cute when she gets like this.’ She thought to herself. Twilight had yet to talk to Rainbow about it but she felt a growing attraction to the mare, something only Princess Cadance knew anything about. Several times in the last few months, Twilight actually built up the nerve to ask Rainbow out. However, each time she would chicken out at the last minute.

‘Today,’ Twilight vowed to herself once again. ‘After the wedding, I'll ask her.’ Cadance told her to follow her heart, that there was absolutely nothing to fear from doing so. It was good advice, sadly every time Twilight went to do it her heart wanted to run away in fear.

Twilight had made some wonderful friends in the past six months. Ever since her accident, she knew not who she was. It mattered not; she had Rainbow by her side every step of the way. Truly, Twilight doubted a more loyal pony existed. Despite Rainbow’s tough exterior and in-your-face attitude, she was nothing but a big softy at heart. It seemed like there were two sides to the mare, her public face that she put on for everypony else, and the side she only showed Twilight.

Of course, Rainbow Dash was not the only pony Twilight met. There were several colorful characters she now counted as the best of friends, including, but not limited to: A half pony dragon hybrid that went by the name Ataxia. Her parents, a fabulous dress designer named Rarity, and her faithful dragon husband who oddly spent most of his time transmogrified as a pony, Spike. Her sister-in-law, Princess Cadance; who use to be Twilight’s foal sitter when she was younger. Princess Luna, one of the rulers of Equestria. Princess Shimmering Night, a new ruler that took over when Princess Celestia died.

While Twilight had yet to meet the next three, she also heard a lot about Princess Aurora Flash who now served as the ambassador to the Griffin Empire and the two griffins in charge of the empire, Siros and Icarus, The latter being the son of the former, and the current Emperor.

Of course, she could not forget the two ponies whose wedding they were here to see. Prince Radiant Star, her nephew and Commander Firestar; the former Captain of the Wonderbolts, recently promoted to the Commander of all of Cloudsdale.

“Equestria to Twi! Hello, anyone in there?!” Twilight blinked several times as Rainbow waved a hoof in front of her face.

“Twi, we’re being stopped… Again…” The frustration in Rainbow’s voice was evident, Twilight felt sorry for the mare, this was the seventh time this hour that the pair was questioned, and that did not count the trip to the train station to pick up Rarity, Spike, and Ataxia only to find out they were delayed. The three would be arriving on the next train. At this point, even Twilight had to admit it was getting old.

“ID please.” The crystal pony guard said.

“Silver Blade, you know who we are.” Rainbow growled back at him. “We were at your graduation ceremony for Luna’s sake.”

“ID, please.” Silver Blade replied.

“For bucks sake.” Rainbow went to get her ID out from her bag. Then she stopped, Rainbow lifted her head at the crystal pony with a wicked grin on her face.

Twilight noticed this in her friend. Something bad just happened in Rainbow’s mind. Something that was going to cause a whole lot of trouble very soon, and Twilight just knew it would somehow involve her.

“Rainbow, whatever you’re thinking, please don’t do it.” Twilight whispered to her friend.

Rainbow simply winked at her, which for Rainbow is the same as saying that whatever was going to happen had already happened, reality just had not caught up to it yet. It was not in any one's power to stop it at this point.

“Tell me Silver Blade, what sort of air guard is in place right now?”

“That information is on a need to know basis.”

“Is that so? Because to me it looks like there are only three teams of pegasi flying overhead with two Wonderbolts keeping watch. Now tell me, is that enough guards for this area?”

Silver Blade became very suspicious as Rainbow raised both of her golden wings; the stallion looked like he was getting ready for a fight. Twilight could only hope he was not that stupid. “Miss, I need to see your ID now!”

Twilight mouthed a silent ‘sorry’ before what came next.

“Oh, I don’t think you need to see my ID, but I’ll do you one better; let’s put the air guard to the test.”

Twilight could only watch in horror as Rainbow picked her up and took off straight up. The gust of wind created by Rainbow’s wings knocked over the Silver Blade and every pony that was standing next to him. Twilight tried to scream for Rainbow to stop, but the sudden G-forces took the breath from her mouth.

Rainbow began laughing as she flew straight up; the pegasi teams started mobilizing to this unexpected threat in the center of town. As Rainbow flew above the clouds, she gingerly placed Twilight down on one.

“Rainbow, what do you think you are doing?!”

“Relax; I’m just going to have some fun for a minute. Then we can head to the palace.”

Twilight laughed at that, when Rainbow wanted to ‘have fun’ it normally implied a lot of property damage and the possibility that somepony would soon be injured. However, even she had to admit that it would be somewhat interesting to watch. “Be back in five, ok?”

“Five? C’mon Twi…”

“Five minutes.”

“Fine.”

Rainbow shot straight down into the group of guards that had made it halfway up to their position, knocking most of them a few hooves out of the air before they managed to catch themselves.

Twilight actually found herself laughing at some of Rainbow's antics. She half suspected that Rainbow was doing this on purpose just to impress her. She found herself blushing at that thought. ‘Does she like me too?’ Twilight questioned herself as Rainbow flew circles around an ever-growing number of pegasi that flew over to stop her.

Twilight laughed as the pegasi attempted to surround Dash, as they all moved in at once, the golden winged mare disappeared. All the guards collided with each other in their attempt to catch her. Twilight was not the least surprised when she heard a voice coming from behind her.

“So let me ask you Silver Blade, who is that on the cloud right there?”

Twilight turned around, while she was not surprised to see Rainbow there, she was surprised that Rainbow was holding the pony who questioned them before.

“I’m just doing my job.” He cried out.

“That’s not answering the question Silver Blade, I asked who that is.”

“Twi-Twi-Twilight Sparkle.”

“And who am I?”

“You’re crazy!”

“No, that’s not my name… You might want to hurry up; my hooves are getting tired of holding you.”

“Please don’t drop me!” The stallion shouted.

“Say my name.” Rainbow grinned at the panicking earth pony in her grips.

“Rai-Rainbow Dash!”

“There you go, now what is our title?”

“You’re both princesses!”

“See and you got all that right without our ID.”

“Rainbow, that’s enough.” Twilight had found some amusement, but it was quickly getting to a point where Rainbow might take it a little too far.

“Fine.” Rainbow said with a sigh.

In the blink of an eye, Rainbow returned Silver Blade to the ground and rejoined Twilight on the cloud. She landed next to her and wrapped a wing around the alicorn. Twilight enjoyed the warmth more than she could ever say. “So, how long until they find us?” Twilight asked.

“Oh that ship has sailed you two.”

They both turned to the newcomer who spoke. It seemed one of the guards actually had the presence of mind to go and tell Princess Cadance what was going on. Twilight shrunk in the golden cocoon she was wrapped up in, suddenly embarrassed to be seen like this by her friends. Rainbow simply blew the princess a raspberry and held Twilight even tighter.

Cadance landed next to the two with an upset look on her face. “What was that all about?”

Rainbow simply smiled at her. “What? I was just testing the guard defenses. I have to say, they won’t stop much in the way of an attack.”

“Rainbow, nopony could stop you in the air.”

“Yet they all felt the need to stop me every five bucking minutes to ask for an ID!”

Cadance face-hoofed, mainly at her lack of foresight to predict such a problem, but also at the stubborn streak Rainbow would constantly remind everyone about. “Rainbow… It’s called a security precaution. Everypony gets checked. There are no exemptions.”

“And this is the result of such a rule; besides, tell me how many ponies have golden wings for Luna’s sake!”

Cadance laughed at that, as much as she did not want to admit Rainbow was right, well… well she was right. No amount of magic or changeling tricks could clone those wings. They were uniquely Rainbow’s. That being said, such antics should not be encouraged.

However, looking at the two now. Cadance could not help but see what they used to be: Rainbow standing strong, unwilling to let her wife come to any harm or trouble. Twilight cooped up into Rainbow’s wings, simply enjoying being in the embrace of the mare that she loved. It was the epitome of love in Cadance book; she could no more stay mad at Rainbow for her antics than at the sky for being blue.

A smile crossed her face as she looked at the two. “C’mon you two, let's get to the wedding.”

Cadance took flight, followed by a confused Twilight and Rainbow Dash, who looked around waiting for the other horseshoe to drop. When none came, she was able to relax a little and enjoy the sites.

The crowd stretched for miles in every direction. They were all here for the wedding of Radiant and Firestar. The last time Rainbow saw a crowd this big was for her three (much to her chagrin) public weddings to Twilight… that memory was unwanted right now, so she tucked it away in a box marked ‘later’, a box that was quickly filling to capacity.

Rainbow tried to think of something, anything else. She noticed the wedding would take place directly under the Crystal Palace. With the Crystal Heart serving as the backdrop for the two lovers when they said their I-do’s. Even Rainbow had to admit; it was a romantic way to get married. While only a handful of ponies would actually be able to see it, the entire thing would be broadcast by magic over several large screens around the palace. When it was over, the two newlyweds would head off for their honeymoon. An event Rainbow was sure would not be for the young. Of course, thinking about those two and what they would soon be up to only served to remind Rainbow about memories of her and Twilight being together. Memories that quickly became erotic in nature. Yet those memories always brought a smile to her face.

“Hey Rainbow?”

“Yeah Twi, what’s up?”

“I just wanted to ask what you were thinking about. You had a really odd smile on your face.”

‘Crap.’

“I was just remembering some memories from before…” Rainbow hated playing that card, but she knew Twilight did not like the discussion going in that direction. The mare lost a lifetime of memories. She did not want to be reminded of that all the time, at least not all the time.

“Oh ok, never mind then.” As Rainbow predicted, Twilight immediately dismissed herself from the discussion.

Rainbow looked at the mare longingly. ‘I will have you back… one day.’

Following Cadance’s advice was the hardest thing Rainbow ever did in her life. She would rather face down ten rampaging Titans then lie to her wife like this. After six months, it still hurt to look at her and not be with her. Every cell in Rainbow’s body wanted to ravage the mare to an inch of her life and then do it repeatedly for a week straight, but she could not. “That Twilight is gone.” Cadance had told her. “If you want your wife back you have to accept that. This is a new pony, one who looks and sounds just like her, one who lost her entire life. Treat her as such; treat it as a new relationship. It will be the hardest thing you have ever done, but you have to let what you had go. If you want her back that is.”

So Rainbow played along. In front of Twilight she ‘pretended’ her kids were not her kids. She ‘pretended’ not to be soul mates for the one pony she loved more than anything else. Those feelings, she stored them in the ‘later’ box in her mind.

Few ponies truly suspected what it was truly doing to the mare. Rainbow was dying a little inside every single day.

Princess Cadance helped when she could. Nightly Rainbow would dream of her wife. They would be together yet again, hoof and hoof, lips to lips. It was the paradise she knew of before Tartarus, before that asshole took Twilight from her. If Rainbow could only have one wish, one that could not bring back Twilight’s memories, it would be to be able to kill that son of a bitch every single day for the rest of her unnaturally long life.

Her thoughts came to an end as soon as they reached the front of the stage. Cadance directed the two of them to their front row seats. They were seats befitting their roles as Saviors of Equestria, Princesses, and family members. Although Rainbow could not help but see the hypocrisy of Cadance’s earlier statements, if everypony was getting ID’d how come nopony stopped to see Cadance’s ID?

She let it go, for now.

“Alright you two, can I leave you here?”

“Cadance, what about Rarity, Spike and Ataxia? Who will get them when they arrive?” Twilight asked.

“I’ll have somepony bring them in for you, ok? They have assigned seats right behind yours. Now the wedding starts in four hours. Can I trust you two not to cause any more mischief during that time.” While Cadance used the term ‘you two’ there was no doubt in any pony’s mind that she was talking about Rainbow, and the fact she stared right at her during that speech was also a dead giveaway.

Rainbow and Twilight simply looked at each other, their non-verbal conversation confirming what the other was thinking. Both heads turning back to Cadance and each raised an eyebrow at her in perfect symmetry. It was Twilight that broke the silence though. “You want Rainbow to sit here for four hours and NOT cause trouble?”

“I’ll bring you one of the Daring Do omnibuses.”

“Make it the first one!” Rainbow called out as Cadance flew away. Heading directly for the library before Rainbow found ‘other’ ways to entertain herself.

“What’s Daring Do?” Twilight asked her friend.

A smile crossed Rainbow’s face. In the six months since the accident, Twilight had focused her time on her studies. Beyond the few minutes Rainbow stole her away, she never had time for anything fun. Rainbow grabbed Twilight's hoof with her own, an action that cause a noticeable blush from the lavender alicorn. “Trust me Twi, you’re going to love it!”

…………………………………..

“Ok, someone is getting roasted alive today!” Ataxia shouted as yet again, another pony bumped into her on the train. It was getting annoying and fast.

“You shall do no such thing. No daughter of mine is going to make a spectacle of herself.”

“Mom… he’s doing it on purpose!”

“Ladies, calm down. Ataxia, look around, this train if packed full of ponies; there is no room for anyone. Everypony just needs to deal with it for the time being.” Spike did his absolute best to try and calm everyone down. After the debacle with trying to board the first train, (an event that almost got them banned for life from ever riding the trains again.) they were lucky to even get seats on this train. Much less still be able to make it to the wedding on time. Rarity was relieved that the outfits for the wedding were already there. Firestar and Radiant each came by her boutique weeks ago for her to work on them. All her designs were good, but these were phenomenal.

“I still don’t see why we're even on this dumb train. I flew from Canterlot to Ponyville to get you two, why can’t we just fly there?”

Spike’s heart jumped into his chest as she brought up this argument again. There was a reason why they could not just fly there, a very, very, good reason. It was just one that he did not want to share with anypony just yet. The conversation going in that direction caused him to rub up against Rarity just a little closer. For most ponies, they couldn’t see it, Rarity spent hours on her looks every day in the mirror; most ponies wouldn’t notice anything wrong with her.

Spike wasn’t most ponies. He lived with the mare every day of his life for the past forty-one years. He knew her better than she knew herself. Old age was finally catching up to the mare. A flight on the back of a dragon would not do her health any favors. As such, he simply came up with an excuse to take the train. Unfortunately, it was one that fell apart under the tiniest bit of scrutiny.

“Tell you what Ataxia, why don’t you go ahead and fly there, we'll stay on the train with our bags.”

Ataxia’s face lit up, she could finally get out of this apprehensive, and if she was being honest, smelly train. “You... you sure?”

Rarity smiled at her. “We're sure, but don’t destroy anything on your way out.”

“Thanks mom!” Casting a quick gravity reversal spell on all the other ponies in the train, the passengers suddenly found themselves on the ceiling of the car, most with grunts of pain as they hit their new floor. Rarity face-hooved as she watched her daughter leisurely stroll to the connection between cars and jump off the train. Out the window she saw her transform in midair and fly off.

The rest of the passengers soon found their gravity had re-righted itself and once more fell to their floor of the train. Their grunts of pain were accompanied by a plethora of “sorrys” from Spike.

Rarity realized her mistake far too late. ‘I should have also said, do not hurt anypony too.’

………………………………………

“Are you sure I should be coming?” Icarus looked at Aurora, a pleading expression in his eyes, as the griffin was looking for any excuse he could find to fly back to the empire

Both Aurora and Siros turned to the young emperor. Alone in the carriage pulled by two griffins the three of them were the representatives of the Griffin Empire. Well that was their official function anyhow. In reality Siros was a good friend of the family and Aurora Flash is Prince Radiant’s cousin, in addition to being a princess in her own right. That meant not only was she expected. She had a front row seat. Icarus was the current Emperor of the Griffin Empire. While he could technically get away with not making a public appearance at such an event, that was not going to fly for Aurora.

Not only was she looking forward to this event, she wanted Icarus to be there as well. For multiple reasons, in increasing order of importance these included but were not limited to: Wanting to improve relations between Equestria and the Griffin Empire. Wanting to change Icarus’s reputation. Wanting company for the event. Wanting Icarus to make a good impression on her family. Wanting the father of her unborn child to be by her side when she finally told her mom about it. About little Orion Knight. The son she never planned on, but now? Now she could not imagine a life without him. Him and his father. Even if Icarus was still an ass.

“You’re here because we need to show solidarity with the Equestrians.” Siros gave his normal political answer.

“You can’t do that?” Icarus responded. Aurora knew that wouldn’t work. Not with a griffin as stubborn as Icarus was.

“You’re here because I want you to be with me when I tell my mom about Orion Knight.” Aurora rubbed a hoof over her stomach. It was obvious to anypony who looked at her now, she was five months pregnant. While she wasn’t sure what it would be like to give birth to a hippogriff, she knew Rainbow would not take the news well. However, the chance to tell her before now never came up. It seemed as if the Gods themselves conspired to stop the two from having any chance to talk in the last few months. Her one saving grace is that Rainbow placed nothing above her family. She would both hate and welcome this piece of news.

Well that, and the fact that Aurora was not looking forward to this conversation. Rainbow would not be happy about finding out this way. Aurora always had a special relationship with her mom. A ‘pegasi only’ club the two shared simply between them. As much as she wanted to not do this, she put it off for far too long already. It was time for Rainbow to know, and it would be better for the pony… griffin that was responsible for it to be there to face the music with her. Rather than have Rainbow tear right through all of Warclaw looking for him. After the dragon war, it was something that the Griffin Empire could do without.

“Ok.” Came his reply. Icarus was a stubborn jackass at the best of times, but he was quickly learning not to argue with the pegasus. Something Siros was infinitely grateful for.

“Hey Aurora, isn’t that Ponyville?” Siros asked as he pointed to the left.

“Yes… it looks amazing.” Aurora stared in shock at her hometown. Almost every building was restored to its original state. Minus some construction still going on in the outskirts. And the dock on Night River, the town was almost back to normal.

“Rarity, you do some amazing work.”

“I heard she's designing the outfits for the wedding too.”

Aurora looked at her griffin. “Yes she did, she also designs every piece of clothing I wear.”

“Really?”

Aurora nodded at the Emperor.

“So, I have her to thank for the negligee?”

Aurora smiled again as Siros stared off into the distance, tactfully acting as if he did not hear that particular comment.

“Well, remind me to send her a huge thank you card.”

…………………………………………………

“Prince, for the last time, you need to hold still.”

Radiant stared daggers into the stallion, he still could not believe that he had to go through this, again. It was the same damn stallion that pulled rank on him before his first date with Firestar. Yet again, he was at this pony’s mercy. Force to deal with every little pinprick the pony dealt to him. Radiant wanted to throw him out of the room, by way of the window. However, according to his mom, he'd gained a few pounds in the last few weeks. Radiant tried to tell her that nopony would notice, that she was being insane, but Princess Cadance would not let her son be married without him looking his best. As such, without Rarity here to make the adjustment herself, again he had to deal with this stallion poking him with needles all the while demanding he ‘be still’.

A thought occurred. “What’s your name anyway?”

“The prince wants to know my name?” he said as he stabbed another pin a little too far into the uniform and right into Radiant's skin.

“That’s what I asked isn’t it?” Radiant growled through the pain.

“Forgive me, prince. My name is Best Fit. Nice to be formally introduced.”

‘Best Fit? Maybe he should be called Sadist Fit.’ Radiant thought as Best Fit poked him with yet another needle.

“Are you done?” Radiant asked, his patience worn to the bone, the same bone the last needle ended in.

“That should do it, prince. Take a look.” Best Fit gestured to the full-length mirror in the room.

Before he went to glance in the mirror, Radiant looked himself over once. He was amazed that there were no bloodstains on his uniform. How such a miracle could occur was a mystery he would never solve. Radiant walked over to the mirror, what he saw made his jaw drop. He always looked good in uniform. A fact no small amount of mares failed to let him know. Now? Now he was a knockout. Somehow, Best Fit found a way to improve on Rarity’s work. Something he would have sworn was impossible before seeing it himself.

“What… what did you do?”

“Me, I did nothing, whoever designed that outfit is a master of their craft. I simply had to adjust it for the extra weight you put on.”

“I’m not getting fat.”

“Sorry, prince?”

“I’m not getting fat!” Radiant yelled out. Tired of this game already.

“I never said you were, prince. It seems as if your legs have grown a little in size though. I think your new exercise plan is paying dividends.”

Radiant smiled at that, ever since Firestar took her first step, she put them both through the hardest training she could think off. He loved every pain-filled minute of it. It did not matter to him what the two did together, as long as they did it together. While she could not do the same weight he did, that did not stop the prince from pushing his limits. Firestar vowed to beat him one day. He knew in his heart that day would be here soon. Firestar’s daily improvements were extraordinary. She was a mare possessed now that she had an objective to work towards. It was Radiant’s job to constantly move that goal post, to make her work for it. He would do it gladly, even if it did lead to this situation.

“Are you nervous, prince?”

Radiant tore his vision from the mirror and looked at Best Fit. He was going to tell him that they were not that close, that he should not be asking a prince such questions, but… Radiant could not bring himself to do that. ‘Am I nervous?’ Radiant asked himself, ‘It would make sense if I was. I am about to marry the most beautiful mare I have ever seen.’ He thought about it, for the first time since this all occurred, he thought about everything Firestar and he went through. Everything they experienced hoof and hoof together. He thought about how she made him feel, how great it was simply to be in her presence. How he would wake up to her every single morning, how he looked forward to simply seeing those blue eyes. How he would stay up as late as he possibly could simply so he could watch her sleep. The answer came to him clear as day. He was never more certain about anything in his life.

“No, Best Fit. I'm not nervous.” Radiant adjusted the medallion on his uniform with his magic. It was his final punctuation on the outfit. The same one his mom told him Shining Armor wore on their wedding day.

Best Fit smiled to the prince. He knew the answer to the question before he ever asked. He just wanted to help his prince know it as well. “She's a lucky mare.” Best Fit said as he gathered his supplies and headed out the door.

“On that I have to disagree with you, I’m the lucky one.” Radiant told him as he left.

“As the prince says.”

………………………………………….

Ataxia loved the feeling of flight. The wind flowing through her scales felt amazing to the mare. Better than sex even… Ok, maybe sex was better, but this was a very close second. At times like this she truly felt free to be herself, to let herself go. Of course, there was one problem with being by herself. That problem was her thoughts; somehow they always knew when they could ambush the mare. Striking when she least suspected it. As they began replaying in her mind, it was easy for the mare to remember why she never took the time to consider things before, why she was a doer and not a thinker. Thinking SUCKS.

“You're the monster.”

Tirek’s words played through her head, that damn demon just had to leave its impact on her before he died. ‘I should have just roasted him alive.’ She thought for the hundredth time this week. As the strongest mare in the land who did not have any royal duties (and still had her memories intact), Ataxia was Equestria’s monster hunter. A term given to describe the Tartarus escapees that were free after the death of the God of Death himself, Tartarus. When that son-of-a-bitch was killed, all the worst of the worst were set free. As no one alive had an actual headcount of how many demons there were to begin with, a program was established to deal with the threats that came up.

Ataxia was put in charge of that program. Fortunately, her leadership simply involved being the leader of all hunts (something she had Shimmering Night to thank for). A task she was more than happy to do and more than capable of as well, for Ataxia was a dragacorn. If what Tirek showed her was to be believed, she was the promised creation of Discord, Spirit of Chaos and Disharmony, whom she has only seen once in her life as the draconequus pulled himself one piece at a time from her mouth. That was an event that still caused her to gag when she remembered it.

Of course, it was never that simple, it turns out that Discord is actually the Occulous of the God Chaos, the first of the Primordial Deities, and they created Ataxia to be his Avatar in this world. The whole thing was ungodly confusing and hurt to think of. However, what she could not stop considering was Discord's words in the vision Tirek showed her.

“It will be its destiny to kill all the alicorns.”

That one phrase still sent shivers down her scales. What was worse, she had the power to do it. With the possible exception of Twilight Sparkle who lost her memories after being resurrected by the Gods, and Rainbow Dash who was not an alicorn, there was no being alive that had more power than she did. Ever since she was born ponies told her that her magic power was impressive. From a young age she could use spells that were known only by those who spent years in their craft. She never thought anything about it. For her, it was simply a matter of wanting to do something, channeling that thought through her horn, and watching as it happened. This has only increased over the last year.

In Warclaw she tapped into another source of power, her dragon side. This side of herself caused a transformation that completely changed her appearance and size. The first time she did it, she transformed into a creature twice the length of a pony, purple in coloring, with the features of a dragon: Scales, a tail, and dragon wings. Yet even though her face was changed, anyone who knew her would be able to see Ataxia in it. However, she still had her unicorn horn, her back legs still ended in hoofs, but her front legs were dragon claws. The Dragon Steel Armor her mom designed for her became a part of her form, granting her near immunity to most attacks and an increased flight speed that allowed her to perform the sonic rainboom.

It was a form that has only grown in size and power every time she used it. Her size would grow; her fire would burn hotter and brighter. To make matters worse, it seemed to be a part of who she was. After seeing what Tirek had to show, she gave the demon all the power she had. Yet, that was not enough to get rid of it. When her best friend in the world, Shimmering Night, went to sacrifice herself to save Ataxia. Ataxia found a new source of magic power, one that increased her magic several times over.

To save Night, she tapped into this power and managed another transformation. The damn demon burned to cinders in her fire. Now that was an event she liked to remember, but her stupid memories kept replaying Discord’s words.

“It will be her destiny to kill all the alicorns. To restore disharmony to a world overrun in harmony.”

She would never…. There was no scenario she could possibly consider that would see her hurting Princess Luna, Cadance, Twilight, or Night… She held them all in the highest respect. Especially Night. Shimmering Night was her friend for as long as she could remember. She knew the alicorn her entire life.

Of course, thinking of Night led to some ‘other’ problems. Ever since that hunt, Ataxia could not help but see the alicorn in a very different light. Shimmering Night was taller than Luna now, her flowing rainbow mane, and the lavender coat that seemed to always be perfectly brushed. Her cutie mark consisted of a griffin and a dragon holding up a crown, the subtle curves on her flank, her long, beautiful horn, her amazing fl-

‘Crap.’

“Think about something else, think about something else.” Ataxia spoke to no one in particular. That train of thought never made any stops at locations she wanted to go, well, not in situations like this anyway. Sometimes, at night she would willingly board that train, hoping that Luna was not paying attention. Now, with the wedding in a few hours was not the time to go ‘all-aboard’.

Of course, the Universe has a way of giving us the exact opposite of what we want at the worst possible times.

“Hey Ataxia!”

‘Shit.’

Shimmering Night flew around the dragacorn, performing a small loop around her friend as she did so. Ataxia tried as hard as she could NOT to stare at her friend's flank as she did so, but what her brain wanted and what her heart wanted were too very separate things, and it seemed as if her eyes sided with her heart in this regard. ‘Damn traitors’ she thought as her eyes went places they should not go.

“What… what are you doing here, Night?” Ataxia stumbled over the words as she watched her friend perform several more stunts in the air in front of her.

“Spike sent Princess Cadance a letter letting us know that you were coming early, and well Rainbow already caused enough trouble so Cadance asked me to escort you in.”

“Since when do we need an escort to fly to the Crystal Empire?”

Night laughed. “Well face facts, Equestria does not have the best track record with royal events. First with Cadance’s wedding then mine…”

That caused her to stop laughing. Ataxia could not help but feel bad for Night. Her husband, her ex-husband was lost to them. A revenant possessed the stallion and caused them all to turn against him. It was a mark of its subtlety that none of them even suspected what had occurred until it was far too late to do anything about it. Night accepted her husband, Bright Dawn, was gone. She would never get him back. That did not mean it hurt her any less.

“So Firestar herself oversaw the security to this event, and let me tell you, it’s a little insane.”

Ataxia laughed. “So that’s why Cadance thought I needed an escort, so I wouldn’t lose it and go on a rampage?”

“Was she wrong?”

“Probably not.” Ataxia conceded the point to her friend. If they stopped her enough times, she would get pissed after a while. Then things would simply escalate downhill from there. “So how are we going to get there?” Ataxia asked as the Crystal Palace came into view.

“Well, that’s the part you are not going to like.” Shimmering Night said as she gestured for the two to land near the outskirts of the empire. As they landed she looked over at her friend. “Can you transform back.”

A very confused Ataxia stared at her for a minute. “What are you doing?”

“Just trust me.” Night stared at her; regardless what was going on Ataxia would always trust her friend. However, after she transformed Ataxia suddenly had a bad feeling.

“Night… you’re not going to teleport me, are you?”

Night smiled at her, she was the one put in charge of the magical shielding around the empire. As such, she could teleport the two directly into the center. There was just one problem with her plan. Ataxia hated teleporting. Therefore, Night did not let her friend know, not until it was too late for her to do anything about it anyway.

“Night don’t you dare! Night… Night… NIg-“

In a flash, the two were gone.

………………………………………………..

“How long has it been since you have been here, Rarity?”

“Over six months.” Rarity replied. She had not left Ponyville in all that time, her duties preventing her from traveling around. She had not wanted to go anywhere, not without everything being back the way it should have been, back before Tartarus started all of his shit.

Spike rubbed up against his wife, lending her what strength he could as the mare left the train. He knew there was another reason she had not left Ponyville in that time. His wife was tired; her age was starting to show in her actions and her ability to even travel around. She pressed back against him, transferring her weight against his. A soft coo left her lips as she felt his warmth against her fur.

As the two stepped off the train they were immediately intercepted by two-crystal pegasi. That alone was a rare event. Pegasi were a rarity in the crystal empire, only thirty-crystal pegasi actually existed in their entire empire, so to have two of them present was the mark of someone higher up causing it to happen.

“Mr. Spike, Miss. Rarity. We are here to escort you two directly to the palace.”

Rarity and Spike each looked at each other and smiled. “Lead the way, good sir.” Rarity replied.

The crystal pegasi directed the two to a shining crystal chariot for them to ride on. The similarities to Canterlot’s golden chariot was not lost on spike. ‘I wonder if they are enchanted with the same magic?’ In another time, one that felt like a lifetime ago, he would have asked Twilight that question. That seemed like forever ago now. Twilight knew enough to function in this world, but all her memories of her friends and family were gone. In truth, Spike did not know if that was a blessing or a curse.

Even if she did not remember them, Spike did. Memories of Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Applejack still played through his head. In addition to memories of the little colt Spike had a hand in raising. It still seemed like only yesterday that he attended Dayspring’s graduation. That the little colt moved the entire crowd with his speeches. It hurt to think about him, to consider that he would never see the colt again. They never even found his body. The gravestone in Canterlot marked an empty plot.

That alone caused his melancholy to return. Rarity noticed this and rubbed up against his muzzle. They needed to stay strong for the others, and more importantly, for each other. Rarity was his rock; she was his reason for living. Spike was Rarity’s muse, her inspiration on what love truly was. They needed each other in every way.

Before they were even aware of it, the chariot came in for a landing. The two stepped off it and looked around. The wedding was to take place directly under the Crystal Palace. Allowing the two lovers to say their vows with the backdrop of the Crystal Heart right behind them. This event even corresponded with the Crystal Fair, ensuring that it would not only be a wedding to remember but that security would be a cluster fuck.

Or it would have been. However, Commander Firestar left nothing to chance in that regard. Every single pony was scanned and double-checked before being allowed anywhere near the wedding. It was only a mark of whoever sent for them that Rarity and Spike got this close without that particular security check being performed on them. Something that was being rectified now by two pegasi and a unicorn coming to greet them.

“Sir, ma’am, please stand to the side for a routine scan.”

Spike sighed. These things were never any fun for him.

…………………………………………………..

“Wait, you’re telling me that Daring Do is a real pony.”

“Yes Twi, that’s what I said.”

“But, that doesn’t make any sense, doesn’t her work always involve secrets? It would be stupid for her to write down everything she goes through. All her enemies would have to do is buy her book to learn everything they needed to know about what they did wrong and what her actions would be. That would be the equivalent of letting your enemies know your playbook ahead of time.”

Rainbow paused at that, she truly did not have a good comeback for why Twi was wrong. Why didn’t Ahuizotl simply read the books to learn what to do next time he fought Daring Do?

“Maybe her enemies were just really stupid?” Rainbow said sheepishly.

“All of them?’

“Hey look, do you want to continue reading or not?”

“Actually, I think we are out of time.”

Rainbow looked up at that; Twilight was right. Looking around she could see that just about every seat was filled to the brim with ponies. Ataxia, Spike, and Rarity had all taken their seats directly behind them. Looking over to her left, Rainbow saw the representatives of the Griffin Empire: Siros and Icarus sitting down with Aurora, who was holding a pamphlet out in front of them. The Princesses: Shimmering Night, Luna, and Cadance were all on the stage, standing next to Prince Radiant. Technically Rainbow and Twilight should have been on the stage as well, however, when Cadance asked them, both of them respectfully declined, for the least that it was already too crowded, but mainly because Twilight did not feel right about taking on such duties yet. She did not want to be known for such things yet.

“How did we miss this?” Twilight asked, flabbergasted that so many ponies could gather around them without noticing.

“What can I say? It’s a good book.” Rainbow laughed. She could never imagine a day where she would have to say that to Twilight.

Cadance smiled at the two, the bonds being formed between them stuck out like sore hoof to the Alicorn of Love. However, now was not the time for that relationship. Cadance was building that framework the right way; every brick lay down perfectly to ensure that it would last a lifetime. Now, now was the time for a different relationship to come to fruition. The one even she never expected. Now was the time to marry her son off.

“Hey, Rainbow.”

“What’s going on, Spike?”

“I just wanted to see how you two were doing?”

Twilight blushed and looked away at the comment. So many times these last few months everypony wanted to know how they were doing, how they were getting along. She knew there was a lot she did not yet know, but surely there was nothing important that was kept from her by now, right? Rainbow would not hide any secrets from her. She dismissed those unwelcome thoughts yet again. For what she had planned after the wedding they would simply get in the way.

Twilight turned to see Princess Luna step up to the platform. Knowing what was coming next, Twilight cast a quick sound dampening spell over the group of friends around her and Rainbow before Luna began to address the crowd.

“SUBJECTS! WE ARE TO BEGIN THE WEDDING AT ONCE!”

Fortunately a pink hoof stopped her from going on as Cadance took center stage. She waited a few minutes as every one's hearing slowly came back from the loud buzzing sensation of an amplified Royal Canterlot Voice going off in the center of the stage.

“Thanks Twi.” Rainbow whispered into her ear. Grateful for Twilight’s quick thinking in protecting her and her friend’s hearing. Just looking around she could see that some of the others had not been so lucky. Every member of the griffin delegation were shaking his or her heads. Trying to get back their ability to hear once more. The same action was being repeated throughout the entire crowd outside.

When it looked like everypony and griffin had regained their hearing, Cadnance began it anew. “As Princess Luna was saying, we are ready to begin the wedding.”

Luna stuck her nose in the air at that, she did not seem to understand that she had done anything wrong. It seemed no pony bothered to inform the princess that the microphone would magically amplify the speaker’s voice several times their normal volume.

The music began playing in the background as every head turned to the marked entrance of the Crystal Palace. First out of the palace came two cute pegasus fillies, each dressed in a pearl white dress with flower bassinets in their mouth. Twilight smiled as they made their way down the aisle, dropping flowers behind them for the bride. Not even Rainbow could avoid gushing when Firestar appeared out of the doorway.

The tan mare walked out of the entranceway wearing a pearl white gown laced with golden trim. A beautiful veil covered her face. Truly, only Rarity could have designed such a gown, for the work was that of a true artisan. Every step she took only seemed to enhance her grace and elegance. Even though she still walked with a slight limp, a testimony to her injury at the hands of Cronus. Her mother, Spitfire accompanied her daughter, allowing the mare to place some of her weight on her for support. While it was customary for the father to walk his daughter down the aisle, Firestar never knew her father. It did not matter to the mare; her mom was the one there for her every day. She would not want it any other way.

As she walked up the aisle, Cadance actually caught her son starting to drool before he was even aware of it. Using her magic, she shut his mouth for him. An action that caused him to give her a silent ‘thank you’ before anyone noticed.

When Firestar got to the front, Spitfire moved to the left to take her assigned seat as Cadance began the ceremony in earnest. It was her greatest honor to marry off her son in this way. The only thing she would change about this moment would be for Shining Armor to see it. She knew he would be proud of his son for everything he accomplished and for finally finding the most important thing in his life.

Cadance cleared her throat, a signal to everyone to be quiet. The entire empire complied.

“Before we begin, let’s take a moment of silence to honor the memory of those who are not with us today, but will always be with us in our hearts.”

If there were a pen dropped on the other side of the empire, the entire congregation would have heard it.

When sufficient time had passed, Cadance began in earnest. she had rehearsed this speech more times than she cared to count in the past few weeks.

“Welcome, one and all. How beautiful is the day that is touched by love? May we forever remember and cherish this moment. Marriage is a very special connection for two ponies united for a common purpose, bringing love and trust together into single focus. We've come together in the presence of Love to witness and bless the joining of this stallion and this mare in matrimony. The union of wife and husband in heart, body, and mind for their mutual joy and dedication; for the help and for comfort given one another in prosperity and adversity; and their nature in the knowledge and love." Cadance paused to catch her breath.

"Marriage is not to be lightly entered into, but reverently and deliberately, into this union Prince Radiant Star, my son.” Cadance smiled at him when she said that. “And Commander Firestar have now come to be joined. If any of you can show just cause why they should not be married, speak now; or forever hold your peace.”

Rainbow was sure if anyone spoke up, they would probably not live to see tomorrow.

Satisfied that no one would object, Cadance begin again. “Sooner or later we begin to understand that love is more than some silly word to be thrown around. We begin to know that love is here and now, real and true, and the most important thing in our lives.”

Twilight stole a few glances at Rainbow when she heard that part.

“For love is the creator of our favorite memories and the foundation of our fondest dreams. Without love, we merely exist. With love, we truly begin to live. It is the promise that we always keep, a fortune that we can never spend, and a seed that can flourish in even the most unlikely place. It is the radiance that never fades, this mysterious and magical joy is the greatest treasure of all – one known only by those who truly love.”

Rainbow's heart sank. She knew true love; but it was taken from her in the cruelest way imaginable.

“We're together as friends, relatives, and family to mark the end of one beginning and to recognize officially a new beginning which for Radiant and Firestar serves as a public affirmation of their friendship and their love. A smart pony once said: “The most wonderful of all things in life, is the discovery of another pony with which one’s relationship has a growing depth, beauty, and joy as the years increase.” This inner progressiveness of love between two ponies is a most marvelous thing; it cannot simply be found by looking for it or by passionately wishing for it. It is something that we all must find for ourselves, as it exists both inside and outside us all at the exact same time. You must find both halves in order to become whole.”

A hoof reached to grab Rainbow’s, looking down she saw that it was a purple one. She glanced over to her friend. Twilight was crying while she held her hoof, an action that caused Rainbow to squeeze ever so tighter.

“They want this day to mean something special to not just them, but to you as guests. Those who are married may want to silently renew and reaffirm your vows today by gently taking the hoof of your partner during this ceremony. Others may want to also join hooves and think about what it means to be a friend, for marriage is first a friendship. There are no ties on earth so sweet, none as tender as those you are about to assume. There are no vows as solemn as those you are about to make. There is no institution in Equestria as sacred as that of the union you will form, for the true home is not only the place in which you will live, but it's the dwelling place where each lives in the heart and mind of the other.”

Rainbow realized at that point Cadance was right, all the pain she felt over the past few months, it was all for a purpose. It was all to build that foundation between her and Twilight over again. Cadance was building a steady, strong foundation that would last forever. Rainbow found a rogue tear falling from her eye at that realization. One she did not care if anypony saw.

“Radiant Star and Firestar, true marriage is the greatest of all unions. You should enter into it reverently, consciously, and with full understanding of its significance. The state of matrimony is true marriage only when you base it upon a deep, inner communion of two souls who find completion, each in the other. Today, your separate lives, each with your individual memories, desires and hopes, merge into one life - a new dimension. Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens. A good marriage, it does not just happen; two ponies who love each other create it. In the art of marriage, the little things are the big things. It is never being too old to hold hooves. It is remembering to say, I love you, at least once a day, or being afraid to call your partner an idiot when he, or she, but mostly he, deserves it.”

Laughter echoed through the crowd, accompanied by a blush from Radiant, as everypony knew of the promise Firestar made when they got back together.

“It's never going to sleep angry. It's forming a circle of love that gathers in the whole family. It's never taking the other for granted… for what you take for granted, disappears. It's doing things for each other, not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in a spirit of joy. It's speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways. It's having the capacity to forgive and not bring it up later. It's giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow. It's a common search for the good and the beautiful in each other. It's not expecting the husband to wear a halo or the wife to have the wings of an angel.”

“Even though she does!” a scream called out from somewhere in the back, accompanied by another round a laughter, and this time with a blushing Firestar. An action that only caused the mare to look cuter.

Cadance smiled before continuing. “It's not looking for perfection in each other. It's cultivating flexibility, patience, understanding, and a sense of humor. It's not only marrying the right partner, it is BEING the right partner. Marriage can be a great adventure when it's the outward expression of a great love. Compassion, passion, and courage characterize such love. It allows you to see through to your partner's essence, to willingly be in total support of your partner's well-being, goals, purpose, and spirit; and unwilling for your partner to be less than all he or she can be mentally and physically. Such a love requires that you be totally honest with yourself and your mate, that you ask for what you want, take action even though you are afraid, share your feelings, and listen but leave your partner free to be who they really are. In other words, always love your partner for who they are, not for who you think they should be. Always remember, relationships are something that you must work on all the time, not only when they are broken. Never stop doing the things that brought you together in the first place.”

Rarity broke out in tears at that, Spike gently wrapped the mare up in his hoof and allowed her to cry out on his shoulder. Rainbow could not help but wonder how she held it in for this long.

“We, as your friends gathered here today, accept in you a love that brings out your magnificence, a love that gives you the courage to stand apart and the willingness to stand together. When times call for you to be apart, may you always return to your togetherness in the same spirit of love that you are feeling here today. Most of all, we want that, at the end of your lives on this planet, you will look into each other’s eyes and be able to say: ‘Because you have loved me, you have given me a faith in myself, and because I have faith in myself, I have loved my fellow pony. My life with you has been complete.’"

For Rainbow, those words hurt more then getting punched by a Titan. She squeezed Twilight's hoof even tighter and began crying out loud.

“Radiant and Firestar, will you release the past? Will you only bring those memories, desire, and hopes which will belong to each other, into your future life together?”

At the same time they both said. “We will.”

“Please turn toward each other.”

They both turned toward the other, to no pony’s surprise they were both in tears, or ‘liquid pride’ as Radiant would put it.

“At this time, Radiant Star and Firestar would like to make some personal promises to each other.”

“Radiant Star, do you reach out in love to receive Firestar and choose to share your life with her? Will you promise always to give to her your expression of your ever-growing love? Will you comfort her, be sensitive to her needs, express your feelings with her, listen to her, put your trust in her, and forsaking all others, be her intimate friend and honor her as your equal partner?”

“Every day of my life.”

“Firestar, do you reach out in love to receive Radiant Star and choose to share your life with him? Will you promise always to give to him your expression of your ever-growing love? Will you comfort him, be sensitive to his needs, express your feelings with him, listen to him, put your trust in him, and forsaking all others, be his intimate friend and honor him as your equal partner?”

“I promise, even if he is still an idiot.”

“These spoken commitments to each other are the alignment of your words, which speaks boldly of your intentions... and your actions, which speak louder than your words.”

A cute little pink filly came up from the side, she held a pillow up in a magical field from her horn, when it looked as if her spell was about to cause the rings on the pillow to fall off, Twilight used her magic to slightly straighten the pillow. She was grateful nopony noticed; she did not want anything to take away from this special day.

“These rings are circles and a circle is the symbol of the sun, the planet, the moon, the universe, of wholeness, perfection, peace, and of unity. Like circles, your rings have no beginning and no end, and in the sacred tradition of marriage, rings have come to symbolize eternal love and the endless union of body and mind. These rings will be worn by Radiant Star and Firestar to show to the world their love and commitment to one another. May the presence of these rings always remind you of the eternal love you have pledged and the devotion you willingly share with one another from this moment on. Let us pause at this time to offer these two our silent blessings.”

After a moment’s pause, Cadance began again.

“These rings, now blessed, are a symbol of your love and faithfulness. They seal the vows of marriage and represent a promise of forever love.”

“Radiant Star, please repeat after me. I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, with all that I am, and all that I have. I honor you from now until forever.”

“I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, with all that I am, and all that I have. I honor you from now until forever.”

“You may now place the ring on her hoof.”

As Firestar lifted her hoof, Radiant took the ring from the pillow with his magic and slid it over her hoof. Earning an, ‘awe’ from the crowd.

“Firestar, please repeat after me. I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you,”

“I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you,”

“You may now place the ring on his horn.”

Radiant lowered his horn as the pegasus picked up the ring with her hoof and slid it down, however, it did not make it all the way down. A little nudge from Cadance’s magic caused it go the rest of the way, earning a slight giggle from the crowd.

“Now that Radiant Star and Firestar have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hooves, and the giving and receiving of a ring, I now pronounce you wife and husband, in the name of the Princess of Equestria, and the harmony we all stand for. May those whom love have joined together, let no one put asunder.”

“You may now seal your promises with a kiss.”

Radiant lifted Firestar’s veil and lost himself in her eyes. Her light blue eyes were an ocean to the stallion, one he would willingly drown in every day of his life. He realized, at this time that this was the greatest thing he has ever done. No decisions would ever compare in importance to this one. Everything in his life would simply be a reflection of this event and he would not want it any other way. The stallion swept up his mare in a kiss. While it was nowhere near their first, it was the most important one of his life. Moreover, he made his feeling reflect this in the passion he placed in it. The Crystal Heart’s spinning increased ten-fold behind the two,

When it was over, when they finally broke apart and Firestar was able to regain her footing, even Princess Cadance looked impressed. She quickly found her words and continued the ceremony.

“Mares and stallions: It is my pleasure to introduce to you, Prince Radiant Star and Princess Firestar, for the first time as husband and wife!”

The entire congregation erupted in thunderous applause as once again, Radiant swept his bride up in his magic and kissed her. The light and love from everypony there caused the Crystal Heart’s spinning to increase yet again, as it reached critical mass it let loose all the energy it had absorbed. The power channeled through the Crystal Palace and spread its energy all throughout Equestria, Transforming every pony present (at least temporarily) into a crystal pony.

Radiant and Firestar ran down the aisle into the waiting chariot at the back of the coronation. The wedding bells began ringing in the distance, barely overpowering the shouting from the crowd. One of the flower girls passed Firestar a bouquet of roses she took in her wings. As they boarded the chariot, Firestar turned around and threw it with all her might.

The two took off into the sky. Fireworks accompanied their departure from several well-practiced maneuvers from the Wonderbolts, who refused to let their former captain get married without a proper send off.

“Hey, Rainbow?” Twilight whispered into Rainbow’s ear.

“Yeah Twi, what’s up?”

“Can I ask you something, in private?”

“Sure, let’s go upstairs.”

As the two got up and headed into the palace, Rainbow looked around and smiled when she saw that a blushing Ataxia had actually ended up with the bouquet of flowers. From the look on her face, she seemed to think it would bite her.

Rainbow and Twilight walked past the wedding reception set up for the VIP guests in the palace. It was an event for friends and family to enjoy when the wedding was over. She frowned as Twilight took her into a side room, one that would ensure the utmost privacy.

‘Oh, no… what did I do now?’ Rainbow started going over the list of things she did over the past few months that Twilight had yet to find out about and started crossing off things that she might have found out about by now… there was quite a lot on the list.

Twilight shutting the door behind them interrupted her thoughts. Had Rainbow been in a different state of mind she would have thought Twilight’s skittery behavior was actually cute.

“Well, Rainbow… I brought you here 'cause I wanted to ask... I wanted to ask for a while now actually but I could never bring myself to do it. I wanted to bring you here because I want to…”

Rainbow placed a hoof on the lavender alicorn’s shoulder. “Calm down Twi, just come out and say it.” She said with a comforting smile on her face, one that made Twilight’s day just to see directed at her. "You know you can tell me anything."

“Will you go out with me?”

Rainbow’s jaw dropped at that.

“Sorry, forget I said anything!” Twilight went into full on panic mode as she tried desperately to remember the teleportation spell to get away as fast as possible.

‘I blew it, she doesn't see me like that, why did I do that!’ she yelled at herself as she finally remembered the right sequence to cast it.

A slight flick on her horn from a blue hoof caused that spell to fizzle and die. Twilight looked up in shock as Rainbow’s hoof came away from her horn. “Twilight, it would be my greatest honor to take you out on a date.”

Twilight’s face lit up with an ear-to-ear smile as Rainbow hugged the mare with all her might. Tears started falling from Rainbow’s eyes as she whispered a silent ‘Thank you’ to Princess Cadance.

……………………………………………

“Can we go now?”

Aurora hit Icarus once again as he asked the same question.

“If you ask that one more time, I will tie your wings behind your back and throw you from the top of the palace. Now help me find my moms.”

“Fine.”

Siros simply smiled as he accompanied the two up the stairs to the palace. They saw Rainbow and Twilight enter the palace but did not know where they went.

“Remember son; do not make any mention of them being related to Aurora.”

“Yeah, yeah I remember.”

As the group rounded the corner they almost ran head first into Twilight and Rainbow who chose that moment to come out of the room. A permanent grin seemed etched into Rainbow's face.

One that fell away when Rainbow’s eyes fell on her daughter’s stomach, her eyes darted from Aurora, to Siros, to Icarus, back to Aurora, back to Icarus, back to Aurora, back to Icarus, and finally stopped on her daughter.

“You’d better be getting fat.”