Chapter Text
It started out as most ‘normal’ days did. The sun high up in the sky, spreading its comforting warmth over Ponyville. Birds chirping their little song in a language only they knew. A bunny hopping there. A butterfly flying here. Winona running around, chasing after nothing in particular as Twilight set down the checkered blanket on the naturally bright green grass.
Rarity set down the picnic basket whilst Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie took their seats and began to place the items from the basket onto the blanket.
“It is gorgeous out. Just gorgeous!” Rarity exclaimed in her elegant tone as she sipped her tea. Pinkie Pie gave a nod with a smile, pouring a cup of tea for herself, whilst Applejack took a sip of water and Rainbow Dash munched on her sandwich.
In the background of the birds singing and little animals scuttering around the area, little but fast feet scrambled towards the ponies. Twilight Sparkle picked up a red juicy apple, this being her first meal after spending all night studying, no sleep and no late-night snacking. She was about to take a bite, when the footsteps finally reached the group.
“Twi...light! ...I...have...Lemme just…” Spike breathed deeply, trying to catch his breath. Cardio was a lot for a baby dragon to do, especially one with teeny tiny legs. In between his panting, he let out a loud belch - a tied-up scroll coming out of his mouth as he did so.
Twilight grabbed the letter, removing the little ribbon and opened it, her eyes skimming through the letter quickly before finally speaking out loud. “‘Dear Twilight, I am sure you are as excited as I am about the upcoming wedding in Canterlot’ Wedding?”
She exchanged a confused look with her friends, before continuing. “I will be presiding over the ceremony, but would very much like you and your friends to help with the preparations for this wonderful occasion. Fluttershy, I would like you and your songbird choir to provide the music.”
Fluttershy gleamed. “Oh my goodness! What an honor!”
“Pinkie Pie, I can think of no one more qualified than you to host the reception.”
At that moment, Pinkie Pie bursted out into a double cartwheel - when did she learn gymnastics? No one knew. “Hip, hip, hooray!”
Twilight let out a chuckle. “Applejack, you will be in charge of the catering for the reception.”
“Well, color me pleased as punch!” Applejack exclaimed in her usual country flair.
“Rainbow Dash -”
Rainbow let out a yawn as Twilight continued reading. “...I would very much appreciate it if you could perform a sonic rainboom as the bride and groom complete their "I do"'s.”
That caught the blue pegasus’s attention as she leaped into the air, “yes!” punching the air with her hooves.
“Rarity, you will be responsible for designing the dresses for the bride and her bridesmaids.”
Rarity gasped. “Princess Celestia wants me to” She let out some unintelligible sound “...wedding dress? For a Canterlot wedding...I, ah, ooh, oooh!”
She dramatically fainted with Applejack quickly putting a pillow for her head, since everyone knew how much Rarity hated touching the bare ground during her theatrics.
“And as for you, Twilight, you will be playing the most important role of all: Making sure that everything goes as planned. See you all very soon. Yours, Princess Celestia.” the purple unicorn finally finished reading the letter, but she was still confused, turning the letter front-to-back back-to-front. “But... I don't understand. Who's getting married?”
Spike gave an innocent smile and a little guilty chuckle. “Oh, wait! Uh, I was probably supposed to give you this one first.”
He took out another scroll, giving it to Twilight.
“Princess Celestia cordially invites you to the wedding of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and…” Twilight let out a big gasp “My brother?!”
“Your brother?” the other ponies asked, confused. When did Twilight Sparkle have a brother?
“All this time I thought you were an only pony.” Rainbow Dash remarked, hovering mid-air.
“Same here. We all thought it.” Pinkie Pie added.
Twilight rolled her eyes. “Good to know.”
“Well I guess congratulations are in order! Your brother is getting married Twi, that is amazing news!” Applejack exclaimed, wrapping her leg around Twilight’s neck.
Twilight let out another eyeroll, using her magic to make the letter disappear. “Yeah, great news. That I just got from a wedding invitation!”
She walked from Applejack’s side hug, now in a ranting mood. “Not from my brother, but from a piece of paper! Thanks a lot, Shining Armor. I mean, really, he couldn't tell me personally?”
She picked up a sandwich at that moment, moving the bread on top, speaking in a deep but goofy male voice. “Hey, Twilight, just thought you should know I'm making a really big decision that changes everything. Oh, never mind, you'll hear about it when you get the invitation.”
The five ponies and Spike all looked at each other, a teensy bit concerned with Twilight’s spiralling.
And the spiralling was still going on, but in her normal voice now. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza? Who in the hoof is that?!”
Fluttershy took one for the team and finally spoke up, now that the spiralling was over...potentially over. “Um, Twilight? Are you okay?”
Twilight sighed. “Sorry, it's just that Shining Armor and I have always been so close. He's my B.B.B.F.F!
Every pony and dragon raised their eyebrows at that line.
Twilight rolled her eyes once more. “:...Big Brother Best Friend Forever?”
“Ohhh!”
Twilight began her little sad stroll once more. “Before I came here and learned the importance of friendship, Shining Armor was the only pony I ever really accepted as a friend. We did everything together, sharing food and dreams, and we would never even fight. We’d solve our issues quickly and easily, no harm done. He even taught me how to fly a kite.”
She sighed. “I just don’t understand why he couldn’t have reached out himself to tell me. He tells me everything. Even after I moved to Ponyville, he still kept me updated with all his life events and I did the same…but to not mention that he was engaged or about to get married?”
She kept her head down, the ache in her heart growing each second. Applejack came up to her and gave the down unicorn a tiny smile. “As one of your P.F.F.s…”
Another round of raised eyebrows.
“Pony Friends Forever.” the orange pony clarified, getting a round of ‘Ohhh!’ from the others, before continuing what she was going to say. “...I wanna tell you that I think your brother sounds like a real good guy.”
Twilight still kept her head down. “He is pretty special. I mean, they don't let just anypony be captain of the Royal Guard.”
Rarity let out another excited gasp, her eyes widening at this newfound information. “So let me get this straight. We're helping out with the wedding of not only a princess, but a captain of the Royal Guard?”
“I guess we are.” But no one picked up on the sadness in Twilight’s tone as Rarity began her ‘ohh, ohh, ohh!”, once again dramatically fainting whilst Twilight used her magic so Rarity fell on the pillow.
Meanwhile, everyone had broken into excited chitter chatter, which sounded like dolphins squealing.
A royal wedding?
Which they were in charge of?
This was going to be the best wedding ever.
But Twilight could not ignore the ache in her heart nor the sudden sharp pain in her gut, almost as if someone had stabbed in the area.
Would it really be the best wedding ever?