It wasn’t the first time that a picnic between Twilight and her best friends had been interrupted. Actually, it was starting to become something of a recurring theme. This time it was the arrival of an out-of-breath Spike which disrupted the meal.

“What’s wrong, Spike?” Twilight asked, reaching out to steady the huffing little dragon with a hoof.

Wordlessly, he held out a scroll and continued to fight for oxygen.

Twilight took the scroll in the pinkish glow of her magic. The seal was already broken, so she merely unrolled the paper and began to read. “It’s an invitation to a wedding in Canterlot,” Twilight summarized as she scanned down the note. “We’re all invited. It’s in three days and-” Her mouth dropped open in shock. She barely managed to gather the composure to gasp, “What?! Sh-shining Armor?!”

“Who’s Shining Armor?” Rainbow Dash asked, drifting closer to peer over Twilight’s shoulder at the invitation.

Twilight glanced up to reply, “He’s my brother, Dash, you know that.” Receiving a blank look from the pegasus, she looked to the others and found the whole group staring at her incredulously – with the exception of Spike, who had gratefully accepted a paper bag from Pinkie and was breathing into it.

Speaking for everypony, Applejack asked, "You have a brother?"

"Of course I do! I talk about him all the time," Twilight prompted, her brow furrowing in disbelief. "Don't I?"

Her friends shook their heads, looking perplexed.

“Oh. Well, yes, I have an older brother named Shining Armor, and apparently he’s marrying my old foalsitter.” Twilight raised a brow, gazing into the middle distance as she thoughtfully muttered, “Actually, that explains a lot.”

Dash, still reading over Twilight’s shoulder, blurted out, “Your old foalsitter is a princess?”

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," Twilight clarified, “though she always went by Cadance when I was small.”

“Just a moment, dear,” Rarity said brightly. "You have another princess among your acquaintances? And your brother is marrying her?" At Twilight’s nod, the white unicorn sighed and said in a sad, tired voice, "Oh, Twilight Sparkle, whatever am I to do with you?"

“It’s not like that,” Twilight said defensively. “I haven’t seen her since before I got my cutie mark. For that matter, I’ve hardly seen Shining Armor since he joined the Royal Guard, and even less since he became a Captain.” As Rarity began to look severely pained, Twilight slumped sadly. “And now we’ve grown so far apart that he tells me he’s getting married by sending an invitation. I didn’t even know they were dating.”

“Well, let’s look on the bright side,” Applejack said, laying a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “The wedding is in three days, right? Why don’t we head out tomorrow morning and get a jump on things? You can reconnect with your brother and your old foalsitter before the ceremony, and all of us will be there to support you. Right, gals?”

Rarity’s “Of course, darling!” and Pinkie Pie’s cheerful “Absolutely!” were somewhat counteracted by Rainbow’s morose whine of “Aw, do we have to?” Applejack glared at the lone dissenter, but received only a sulky look in return.

“I love weddings,” Fluttershy said quietly, her eyes darting from Rainbow Dash to Applejack a little nervously. “Everypony is always so happy and the dresses and flowers are so pretty.”

“And this will be a royal wedding,” Rarity sighed dreamily. “The gowns won’t just be pretty, they’ll be magnificent!”

“Oh, Oh!” Pinkie Pie was practically vibrating in place. “And then Twilight’s brother will be married to a princess and Twilight will be in-laws with Princess Celestia! Won’t it be amazing to be related to the princess, Twilight? You already have so much to talk about so that’ll make family reunions a lot less awkward! Oh, will that make you a noblepony? Like a princess or a duchess or an earl-ette?”

Twilight chuckled. “It doesn’t work that way, Pinkie.” She smiled at her friends and said, “Thank you, girls. You’re right. Now is the perfect time to rebuild my relationship with Shining Armor. Let’s go to Canterlot!”