Lyra Heartstrings was completely and utterly spellbound. Sweetie Drops stood before her in a beautiful white dress that matched her own, and just the sight of her made Lyra's entire world go wibbly-wobbly. Words were hard, though thankfully she had a few moments before she needed to say anything but a breathless, "Wow."

"Wow yourself." Sweetie Drops, likewise, was stunned at how good Lyra Heartstrings looked in a wedding dress. A little more practical than her fiancee, however, Sweetie managed a glance at the rest of the wedding party.

Candy Cane stood in the front row in the great hall of Canterlot Castle. Only once before could she remember being this excited and nervous in such quantities. She gazed up at the dais—at her little filly—and a gasp of happiness left her.

Joyce Robertson and Tufts "Tjinimin", too, were standing on the dais. Unlike Lyra and Sweetie, Joyce wore a dusky pink dress that contrasted with her fur, but satisfied her principals that a white dress would be inappropriate for her. Across from Joyce stood her stallion—Tufts.

Tufts was doing his absolute best to disguise the fact he wasn't a pony at all. He had the hooves, the body, and wings to look like a perfect match for Joyce, but he was bat to the bone. Surprise at being asked—with one month until the date—to marry Joyce, Tufts hadn’t hesitated in accepting.

Standing at the end of the hall with the two couples before her, Princess Cadance couldn't keep a huge smile off her face—nor did she want to. "Ladies and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness the union of two couples." There wasn't much else that could have made Cadance happier than being able to marry her friends together.

"The first is Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops. Both are decorated members of the E.U.P. Guard, though each comes from vastly different backgrounds. Yet they have found each other, and through each other have discovered the closest bond any two ponies can share—Love." It was hard not to break into song, but Cadance knew that she'd have to make some concessions for the day.

"The second is Joyce Robertson and Tufts." Cadance hadn't known Tufts for long, but she suspected he had a lot of things he wasn't telling her—though Joyce had assured her that she knew all his secrets. It was almost like having a sore on the roof of her mouth, but the rush of love each felt for the other was clear. "Each are from a more unique origin, hailing from another land before finding life and love in Canterlot. Their devotion to each other is unquestionable, which is why I will be joining them here today."

"Lyra, Sweetie, please step forward."

Teleporting, Lyra knew, would be right out, but it would have satisfied her need to work off nervous energy. Instead of using her magic, she walked beside Sweetie to stand before and to each side of Cadance. "I, Lyra Hearstring—"

"You wait until after I've asked, Lyra," Cadance said, and earthed a chuckle from the gathered ponies. "Lyra, I believe you have prepared your vows?"

Derailed and even more nervous, Lyra nodded. "Do I read them now?"

Sweetie couldn't stop a giggle. "Yes, Lyra."

"I, Lyra Heartstrings, formerly Michael Robertson, swear to protect and honor you, Sweetie Drops, until you can't stand the sight of me anymore."

Expecting something of the like, Sweetie managed to only grin at her fillyfriend's gag.

"Sweetie Drops, you have prepared your own vows?" Cadance asked.

"Lyra," Sweetie Drops began, looking into her love's eyes, "I'm gonna marry you forever and ever."

Confusion quickly changed to giggles, then laughter, and finally Lyra almost fell over at the vow. "Sweetie, you're the best."

"Yeah, I know. That's why you're marrying me." Sweetie leaned forward and pecked Lyra on the cheek.

"Are you two quite done? There's an order to things. We're supposed to have this big speech and things before you kiss." Rebuking or not, Cadance was still on the verge of singing for joy. She sighed. "Well, I guess we should move things along. This is the first wedding I've held in my official capacity. First I must ask, can anypony here today think of a reason why Lyra and Sweetie should not be joined together?"

Starting to lift her hoof, Lyra caught the stare from Sweetie and gave her a grin while lowering it again. "Just kidding."

"Then, as a princess of Equestria, I pronounce you mare—" Cadance used her magic to slip a ring on Lyra's horn, "—and mare." A necklace was placed around Sweetie's neck. She held up a hoof and leaned toward Sweetie, though kept her voice raised so everypony could hear. "Psst. This is the bit where you're meant to kiss."

Sweetie was not about to waste an opportunity, not at this particular moment. Using the indomitable strength earth ponies were known for, she reached out and pulled Lyra against her, and when their lips touched she let out a happy sigh.

The moment was the culmination of several years of adapting and literally becoming a pony. Lyra had "put up with" many odd things, but embracing her wife was something she could throw herself into without a hint of second thoughts. Closing her eyes, she used a foreleg to hold Sweetie while they kissed.

Joyce was almost at the point of stretching out her wings and flapping in excitement. Her little girl was married, and she was about to be as well. It hadn't been as sudden a decision as everypony had thought. Her heart had been captured by Tufts, and it had only taken her getting her mind on board too to know she wanted to be with him for all her days.

The men of Joyce's past were nothing but pale shadows of the love Tufts showed her, and his continued support of both her daughters was icing on the cake. She cleared her throat and looked at Cadance.

Almost bouncing with excitement, Cadance turned her full attention to Joyce and Tufts. There was still something odd about Tufts that she didn't understand, but their love for one another was indisputable. "Joyce, Tufts, please step forward."

Tufts strode forward at Joyce's side. He could feel the potential in Princess Cadance, and though it worried him that she'd see through what little protections cloaked his origin, the former bat god was grateful that she was still smiling so brightly. "Your Highness," he said, and dipped his head.

Knowing protocol from her time working for Princess Celestia, Joyce dipped her head and repeated the honorific.

"I don't want to hear that from either of you ever again, alright?" Cadance waited for Joyce and Tufts to nod back. "Tufts, I believe you've prepared vows?"

Nodding, Tufts turned to look at Joyce, and the rest of the room fell away. Nothing mattered at that point in time other than his beloved. "Joyce, since the day I first laid eyes upon you I have known that we would be together." He swapped to Thestralian, which is why he could say everything he wanted to. "I gave up godhood for you. I handed my power away and count it well spent, just to remain at your side. I would give it all away again in a heartbeat—I would even give up a mango just to know you love me back."

"A mango? Really?" Joyce asked in Thestralian.

"But of course. Two? Now that would be a stretch."

Cadance looked between them and cleared her throat. "Was that both of you?"

"No. Just Tufts." Joyce looked at Tufts and didn't see a pony so much as a person. He was a little bat, a literal flying fox, and also this pony—but he was more. "Tjinimin, Tufts, I love you, not what power you have or had. Being with you makes my heart soar, and seeing the way you care for my girls has made them our girls. You saved millions of people, but I could forget that in a heartbeat if you'd be my mango."

Tufts' lips curled so much that he showed off his fangs. He didn't—couldn't—wait for Cadance to finish the ceremony. Stepping forward, Tufts reached a wing around Joyce's shoulder and neck and pulled her in for a kiss.

"IfanyponyobjectsnogreatInowpronounceyoustallionandmareyoumaynowkiss!" Cadance belted out the words in a rush, not pausing for breath or punctuation when actions were speaking louder than she could ever hope to. Panting a little, she felt a prod on her shoulder and turned to see Lyra's golden magic fading as the mare herself stepped up close.

"Cadance, you better believe I'm going to be your bridesmaid when you finally talk Shining into standing up here," Lyra said.

A flock of butterflies filled Cadance's chest and she almost floated away with the force of their wings fluttering. Her eyes strayed to the crowd where Shining Armor sat. "Maybe I'll have to ask him. I was trying to leave it up to Shiny, but he's the kind of stallion that needs a prod now and then—I think."

"He's in good company." Lyra noticed that Shining was the only member of his family in attendance, despite her having invited Twilight and their parents. "So now what?"

"Dancing," Sweetie Drops said. "Lots of dancing, and then snuggling. Then maybe more snuggling."

Lyra's ears perked up and she turned to Sweetie. Every nerve in her body urged Lyra to kiss Sweetie, so she did. There was a thrill to it that she wanted to check a second time, so she kissed her again. And again. And again.

Stepping to the front of the dais, Cadance spread her wings to draw the attention of everypony to herself. "If everypony would like to retreat to the dining hall, lunch will be served shortly."

"Wait." Joyce stepped up to stand beside Cadance. "There's something important that must be done first." Lifting a wing, she waggled her bouquet of flowers.

Joining her mother, Lyra turned around while holding up her own flowers with her magic. "You know, Mum, I never thought I'd be doing this."

"Lyra—Michael—I never thought either of us would be doing this. It doesn't mean I'm not the happiest bat in Equestria right now." Hefting the bouquet to get a feel for its weight, Joyce started to make ready to throw. "On the count of three. One. Two—"

"Three!" Lyra wasn't just a giddily-happy mare tossing her wedding flowers over her shoulder—she was a trained soldier. The flowers sailed toward the target she'd already chosen, and despite every attempt by other ponies to catch them, the bundle seemed to jink and jive around in the air until another trained soldier caught them by reflex.

Staring down at the flowers he held in his pink magic, Shining slowly lifted his head and looked at Cadance. His heart raced, then sped up more as he looked into her shocked eyes. Fire kindled, and a smile spread across his lips.

Cadance lost all sense of where she was while she looked back into Shining's eyes. Recognition—her heart knowing that he was the only partner she could ever accept—struck a hammer-blow. The butterflies turned into a tsunami, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza Cadance felt a glimmer of hope that Shining would ask her.

Ponies filed out of the hall around Shining—he barely even noticed that Lyra, Sweetie, Joyce, and Tufts were among them. When everypony was out, he watched Cadance walk toward him. "Cady?"

"Yes Shining Armor?" Each hoofstep brought Cadance closer to Shining—closer to the stallion she'd already resigned herself to loving for the rest of her life.

"We need to hurry if we want to get good seats."

"Shiny? Don't ever change." Cadance walked up to Shining and kissed him while nopony watched. The strength of her emotions threatened to overwhelm her, but it was Shining who broke the kiss first.

"Cady, could you hold this for me?" It hadn't taken much for Shining to work out the right thing to do. In the abandoned hall he passed Cadance the wedding bouquet and lowered to one knee. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza—Cadance—will you marry me?"

Biting her lip, Cadance had to hold back from pouncing on Shining right away. "As if I was ever going to say no. Stand up before somepony sees you." She pulled him to her side with a wing and nuzzled Shining's cheek. "We'll have to talk to Princess Celestia. Royal weddings are not something that can be held in just a year. There's rank to consider, as well as auspicious events."

"But you will?"

Cadance looked into Shining's eyes and saw the same love she felt for him reflected back at her. She didn't need her special talent to know he was the one. "Yes." She didn't expect Shining to faint, however.

Lyra Heartstrings had never felt quite as high on life as she did sitting with Sweetie Drops at the reception. Half the city might have turned up for the party, but she only had eyes for one of them. Her attention was yanked away by a stallion standing beside the table who was looking at her expectantly. "Uh, sorry?"

"Lyra, he asked if you'd like some cider." Sweetie Drops was only marginally less distracted from reality as Lyra was, but that was mostly because of her more grounded nature. She therefore saw two bat ponies and a pegasus making their way through the crowd toward them.

Of course Sweetie recognized both bat ponies, and to make their arrival a little more special, she distracted Lyra with a kiss on the cheek so that when Robin Robertson, Candela, and Dream Thunder reached their table, Lyra hadn't even noticed them.

"I'm glad you got married first, sis," Robin said. "But that kinda puts more pressure on Dream and me now."

"Dream and you? How do you think this makes me feel?" Finding it impossible not to grin from one side of her face to the other, Candela was completely shocked to find Lyra appearing—teleporting—to right before her. "Congratulations, Lyra."

"Candela!" Lyra hugged Candela tight. "We sent invitations, but we didn't get an RSVP from you!"

Dream Thunder joined her mother in hugging Lyra. "Couldn't miss this. Even Princess Screech gave Robin the week off to come."

"She did! Though it was more like an order, and I kinda have a job to do here too. It's good to see you, Lyra." Robin dove into the hug as well.

"Hey, Spud, what's with the tears? I'm the mare signing her life away." Lyra turned her head just enough to wink behind her at Sweetie. "What's that cliché thing? You're not losing a sister, you're gaining one?"

Sweetie Drops could have resisted Lyra's teleport spell had she any intention to do so (or warning), but she was feeling too bubbly and happy to resist her darling's magic. A foreleg, a feathered wing, and two bat wings pulled her into a hug that she quickly engaged in returning. "Wait 'till I tell Mom that she has two more mouths to feed."

Candela was ready to find and hug somepony else now. She gave Lyra and Sweetie one more squeeze. "Excuse me, I have a sister I need to congratulate." She winked and walked over toward the other bridal table. "Joyce Robertson, I—"

"Joyce Mango," Joyce said with a flicker of a glance toward Tufts. "I figured it was a better tie to our new life."

"And I too. Tufts Mango, at your service." Tufts bowed his head and stretched out a wing to Candela, only to have her rush over and hug him.

"Tufts! Equestria's been good to you!" Candela gave Tufts a squeeze before swapping to Joyce. "And to you, Joyce!"

Joyce caught Candela in a hug after she was done with Tufts.

"It's good to see you again, Joyce. So much has been happening back home—" As soon as Candela said it, she blushed and shook her head. "It is my home now. Thestralia is an amazing place, and it made room for Dream and myself."

"We were just mares in the wrong worlds, weren't we?" Joyce asked with a grin. "Have you found yourself a stallion?"

"No such luck on that, though I did bring two with me, but you'll find out about that later I'm sure. I'm just so happy for you all I could explode." Surrendering her grip on Joyce, Candela looked around the room in time to see Cadance and Celestia both walk in. She froze in place. "I still can't believe you're friends with—" She cut herself off when she realized Joyce had already run forward—with Lyra at her side—to attend upon the princesses.

Lyra could barely contain herself. She rushed to Celestia and hugged her, then swapped targets to Cadance. "Thank you both so much. This was perfect!"

"It was my pleasure to let you have the ballroom for a day—as well as two suites." Celestia, in one of the precious few moments in nearly a thousand years, could truly stand behind the smile on her face completely. Her delight in hosting a double wedding for two of her personal friends was not to be overshadowed by the excitement of having Cadance come into her own and flex her magical and royal powers.

"I almost ruined it! I can't believe I stumbled on the words so much, and then I got overwhelmed by Joyce and Tufts—" Cadance made a high-pitched squealing sound, "I'm just so happy for all of you!"

Reaching the royal pair a little behind her daughter, Joyce bowed to both Celestia and Cadance. "Princesses Celestia and Cadance, thank you for—"

"Joyce, this isn't a state formal occasion," Celestia said.

Rolling her eyes in mock annoyance, Joyce glared at Celestia. "Can't you let me be a little formal on my wedding day?"

"She's got you there, Celestia. It's her wedding, so she gets to make the rules," Cadance said.

"Oh, alright." Standing a little straighter, Celestia struck a pose with one forehoof slightly raised. "Proceed."

"Much better. Princesses Celestia and Cadance, thank you for the use of your home and for your time on this auspicious day. My husband, my daughter, her wife, and myself are all extremely thankful on this occasion for the opportunities you have given us." Joyce bowed her head, grinning a batty grin.

"You've been practicing, haven't you?" Cadance asked. "Because if I didn't know better, I'd say you just thanked us for all this and made it explicit you didn't intend to pay in any way."

"Now you see why I hired her?" Celestia reached out quickly with a wing and pulled Joyce to her for a hug. There weren't a lot of ponies she felt comfortable hugging, but Joyce was among that number. "Smart, loving, and funny."

Meanwhile, Tufts had slipped over to Sweetie and touched her shoulder before she walked over to the princesses. "If Joyce asks, I've gone to the little bat's room." The sense of Celestia in the room was more than a little worrying to him—not that he thought she would do something bad, but that she would ask him questions. Tufts didn't wait for acknowledgment before he departed in a direction as physically opposite to Celestia's as possible.

Slipping out of the room weakened the oppression Celestia's aura had caused Tufts, and he took a deep breath and calmed down. "It's not that I'm hiding. I just don't want her to worry about me on top of everything this world already has going on."

"Tufts." Cadance opened the door behind Tufts, almost making him jump out of his skin. He did let off a surprised screech at the sight of her. "What's wrong?"

"I-I'm just looking for the bathroom!" Knowing full well why he was nervous didn't help him not be nervous. The fact was he'd never been nervous before in his life.

"You're avoiding Princess Celestia. Why?" All the pieces had connected for Cadance when she'd seen him leave the room so soon after Celestia had entered.

This was everything Tufts didn't want—questions. The mythology that had made up his initial sense of self had been strong on one point, if he were ever asked a question directly, he would answer it directly. It was one of the few glowing traits his legends possessed. "That's a short question with a long answer. Please, though I would wish the company of my wife on this night, I will spend a little time to explain it.

"I was created neither pony nor human. Magic rushed into Australia seeking patterns. There was a legend of a bat, Tjinimin, and it had been believed for so long and by so many that it had weight for magic to fill."

"You were created by magic itself?" Cadance couldn't believe what she was hearing—only she actually could. "How much magic?"

Tufts slumped and tucked his ears back in defeat. "I will answer those too if you promise not to ask more questions." He waited a moment but got no indication. "Well?"

"This is something to do with actually being asked questions." Cadance stopped herself before she made even that a question. "Very well, but I'll have one last question for you at the end—a short one you can answer easily."

Tufts sighed in defeat. "I was created by magic, but I like to think I've grown beyond that. I only had moments to make the toughest decision of my life—I had to choose what patterns magic would follow. I took the pony shape from your world and combined it with bats."

"You created them. You made the bat ponies." Cadance shook her head. "Joyce—?"

"Joyce knows, and I won't hold that question against you, since you had my beloved's best interest at heart. It wasn't easy for her to take in. Luckily for me, there was more magic than I thought initially and it picked another form from myth—the Rainbow Serpent." Curling his lip in a grin, Tufts blew a raspberry, "—to him. Or her. I didn't really work that out. Anyway, they took over Thestralia and I gave most of my magic to Dream Thunder. I'm surprised she's keeping it as well contained as she is.

"Princess Celestia is—I don't know if I should worry, but I do know I don't want to worry her. I am not here to take over or demand my just dues." Tufts rolled his shoulders and brought one claw up to scratch behind his ear. "I just want to love the mare I married and be there for her."

Cadance looked as close as she could, and though she couldn't see more beyond her specialty in love allowed, it was enough for her. "My last question I'll ask, Tufts. Will you ever cause a problem for Equestria?" She spoke with a soft smile on her lips.

"Not if I can help it. I like it here. Just another bat pony trying to live and love."

"Well, it might not be my first action as a princess, but I can make it a promise to you, Tufts Mango. So long as you keep from being a force in Equestria, I'll keep your secret from Celestia—unless I'm asked directly." Cadance winked at Tufts. "Don't think I didn't figure that out."

"You're far smarter than I was led to believe. It suits you, Your Highness." Tufts didn't exactly like the idea of having another pony (and one so powerful) know so much about him, but it was the best he could hope for.

"Thanks, I think. Come on. I'll see if Celestia is still there, and if she is I'll try to lead her outside so you and Joyce can make your exit." Seeing no issue with helping love along, Cadance turned for the door back to the reception.

When she opened the door and looked in, she noticed Celestia looking around. "She's looking for me. Give me five minutes and then come in." She didn't wait for Tufts to acknowledge her. Striding into the room, Cadance lifted a wingtip to get Celestia's attention. "I was just having a little chat with Tufts. Poor pony has an attack of nerves. Perhaps it has something to do with meeting the royalty of a foreign nation?"

Celestia hadn't been ruler of Equestria for a thousand years without having a nose for intrigue, and the odor of it reeked from Cadance. Yet, she nodded. "Of course he does. We should definitely leave them to finish the celebration of their big day." She had to admire Cadance, from Celestia's point of view, a Princess Cadance willing to take on a thousand year old princess in a game of intrigue was much better than the naive filly who got upset whenever her nickname was used. "Lead on."

"Shining asked me." Cadance did her best to hold back the bubbling fountain of excitement that threatened to make her explode in a shower of bliss.

The statement could have meant several things, but Celestia had a good idea that the way Cadance was bouncing with each step she took—almost prancing—that it meant Shining Armor had asked Cadance to marry him. "It's about time. We can't rush this."

Unable to stop her bounciness, Cadance just went with the feeling. She figured she could use the wedding itself as an excuse as to why she looked so excited. "I know that. If we cannot announce it yet, but I'd like to tell my friends at the very least."

Deciding to not leave Cadance without any outlet, Celestia picked the easiest option—ponies she could rely on to keep things quiet. "Lyra and her family are fine, but keep this quiet. Just announcing a royal wedding of this magnitude will result in an event." At the end of the hall she opened the door. "And thank you for coming to me first."

"Don't ruin this moment for me. I finally realized you were right about a lot of this stuff. Don't assume that means I will always play by your rules, though." Stepping through the door into the hallway that led to Celestia's sitting room, Cadance assumed she already knew she was due for a big talk—though she vowed to keep Tufts Mango's secret.

"Good. It's about time I have somepony who will tell me when I'm being an idiot." When Celestia watched Cadance's steps falter at her statement, she laughed—internally.

Nightmare Moon, bat ponies are all kinds of fun, yeah?

"They intrigue me. They are ponies, yet not ponies devoted to my sister. I fear I may have left a bad impression on that one Joyce healed with my magic. I will be seeing that one in her dreams to tell her myself that I shan't threaten her further." Nightmare Moon let out a sigh. "I will be coming home soon, and when I do, I'd like to see many more like Joyce—free of my sister's ways."

So I do this "Ask X" thing. X can be any pony within the story. You can ask them anything and they will definitely, hopefully reply. Keep the questions appropriate to the age-rating of the stories, and they will answer the best question in the author notes of the next chapter. The more votes a comment has the more likely I will get it to the right pony to answer. Try to keep it to one question per post! They will pick one question per chapter.

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