The hail of laser fire doesn't seem to be letting up, Midnight humming softly as he reloads his pistols. "Y'know Ray, I'm starting to think these extradimensional pirates are more like extra-dimensional arms dealers..." A ball of plasma lands next to Midnight, and he casually lops off his arm and grows it back, using his removed arm to stick the plasma to the appendage before hurling it back, a loud explosion and some shouts being heard in that direction. 

"Potato, po-tah-to, pirates try to make a profit on whatever they can get their grubby paws on," The human clad in bad boy biker wear replies as he raises a hand. From Midnight’s quills a crate of grenades is yanked out, and pops open. Then the contents float out, and go flying at their enemies. There's a shout as even more explosions go off.

"Might be a bad time to ask as usual, but can I ask your opinion on something?" Midnight peers over the structure he's hiding behind, before flipping over and starting to advance on the bunker and futuristic vehicles being used as cover.

Ray follows, and reloads his shotgun as he says, "Why not, what's on your minds?"

Midnight tosses a palm-sized box over to Ray, before starting to take potshots at survivors, determined to win against the two mercenaries. "You think Cinder will like that?"

Ray thumbs the box open as he props his shotgun on his shoulder, pulling the trigger as one guy tries to sneak up behind them.

It's a simple gold band, with an onyx gem, a fiery red gem, and a magenta gem embedded next to each other, likely to represent Midnight, Cinder, and Looru.

Ray smiles at it and says, "I don't take your spitfire of a wife to be the sort to know fine jewelry, but I think she'll love the sentiment."

"I thought so... so now the big question..." Midnight reloads his pistols before holstering them and unsheathing his katanas to engage in melee combat. "...Will you be my best man?"

Ray raises an eyebrow as he closes the box and drops it into Midnight’s quills. "No other friends you could ask?"

"I mean I could ask Merchant and I'm sure he'd love to... but you're my bestie. Plus I hear the best man is supposed to make the best bachelor's party for the groom~" Midnight slashes through some people that think they can fight him, surveying the area.

Ray smirks, "Ah, now it makes sense." He laughs softly as he lashes out with a chain whip, yanking a man with a minigun towards Midnight.

Midnight sticks his katana forward, running the man through as he catches the minigun in his off hand. "Speaking of the Merchant, I need to call him to start arranging all this..."

"I got a scrying stone at my place," Ray says as he holsters his shotgun across his back, and takes the minigun from Midnight, who gives it up willingly. His eyes glow blue, and the gun morphs to look more wicked as he sprays bullets of blue fire back and forth over their enemies. "We'll give him a call later!"

"Sounds good, I'm sure he'd love this stuff as payment... after we select the choicest cuts." Midnight warps forward, taking care of any stragglers. "...I think that's it! Let's get our loot!"

Ray nods, and examines the minigun. "...I'm keeping this."

"Of course you would." Midnight chuckles softly, and starts looting.

...

Once they finish up, Midnight warps them to Ray's place so he can put his loot away and make the call. While Midnight waits, he calls their contractor, getting their payment transferred to their banks.

Ray puts the minigun in his garage, and gets a crystal ball from his room. He channels some magic into it, and after a quiet conversation he nods before putting it away. 

A swirling blue light forms in the air of the living room seconds after, and then it forms into a hovering top hat. Under it a bald man with sunglasses, a dapper suit, and a gentleman's cane appears. He smiles as he plucks his hat from the air, and puts it on. "Greetings and salutations, my beloved ne'er-do-wells! I hear someone is getting hitched?"

"Indeed I am, and I need to start getting prepared. Well I guess I need to properly pop the question, Looru knows what I'm planning but Cinder doesn't..." Midnight admits.

The man nods, and from his hat he pulls a quill and parchment. Tossing them to the side, they float and, and start scribbling. "Let's see, you'll need a venue of course, that being somewhere to host the event. You'll need a coordinator, decorator, chef, photographer, tailor, and of course the guests! How many are you expecting for attendance?"

"Well my family of course, and their families. Smoke and Spike obviously. Looru's dad. Maybe Aichi and Jycrain, I'll send invitations at least. And whoever else Looru and Cinder will invite." Midnight muses.

"Well we have time to prepare and adjust, most preparations for a wedding take months or years. It's a very important day, people usually spare no expense to get everything exactly right and perfect."

Midnight nods softly. "Well I guess I should go pop the question then... Can I have a way to contact you?"

He nods, and produces a crystal ball the size of an apple. "I'll lend you a Scrying Stone. Even if you don't know how to use magic, it'll do it for you, and you can contact me."

"Ah, sweet. Thanks Merchant." Midnight accepts it with a smile. "...Alright, time to pop the question. I'd ask for tips but I've already done this once... that doesn't make this easier... Ray, any tips?"

Ray snorts a laugh, and says, "Dude, these women like you for being you, right? So just be you, the guy they love. Whatever you feel is right."

Midnight sighs softly. "Right, of course... Here goes then." He warps back to the mansion and heads inside, hanging up his weapons belt. "Honeys, I'm home!"

There's a squeak, and Looru soon comes down the stairs happily. "Welcome back!"

Midnight smiles and hugs her, giving her a kiss. "Where's Cinder at?"

"Present," Cinder calls from the kitchen.

Midnight looks to Looru. "...Did you tell her?"

Looru shakes her head and smiles. "Are you ready?"

"I think so..." Midnight nods and starts heading to the kitchen, Looru following.

They find Cinder cooking up a storm with heaps of tasty looking food.

"Ah Cinder! You should have told me you were cooking, I would have come to help..." Looru pouts and walks over, starting to try and help.

Cinder lightly smacks her hand with a rubber spatula, and says, "Don't throw off my groove."

"Do you have a minute?" Midnight asks, poking Looru to remind her why they're here.

Cinder looks over her food, and says, "I believe so, what is the matter?"

"Looru and I have been discussing things for a while, and... I think it's time." Midnight explains.

"H-hm..." Looru nods in agreement. "Cinder... I know you love me, and Midnight... and you're Midnight's wife by your customs... but that's not enough..."

Cinder blinks in confusion, using a cloth to wipe her hands as she remains silent, allowing them to speak their peace.

Both Midnight and Looru pull out a palm-sized box, and Looru follows Midnight's lead as Midnight takes a knee and opens the box.

"We want to officiate things... Cinder, you are my wife by the customs of your people. But, officially, will you marry me?" Midnight says seriously.

"Will you marry us?" Looru corrects, looking serious, which has the side effect of making her look adorable. "If... if you're marrying Midnight, you're also marrying me..."

Cinder looks between the two, and then she smiles. Kneeling between them she puts an arm around them both to hug them close. "Hm... You both... I'm at a loss for words… but yes, of course."

Looru perks and cheers softly, hugging Cinder before kissing her.

Midnight smiles and hugs them both happily. "Well then... I guess it's time to start planning the wedding huh...?"

"O-oh right! Hu... what tradition should we do...?" Looru looks worried.

Cinder shrugs softly, and says, "At this point I'm just following your leads. This is important to the two of you, so we'll handle it as you would wish."

"Well... what sort of wedding dress would you prefer?  A traditional one or a Japanese one?" Midnight inquires.

She tilts her head, and considers. Looking to Looru she says, "Whichever style you will wear."

Looru blinks in surprise. "Hu... Well I would want to wear a traditional wedding dress..."

"Very well, then so shall I," she replies simply.

"Ooh, something with a lot of cleavage hopefully~?" Midnight purrs.

Looru blushes and smacks Midnight lightly. "No Midnight...! This is supposed to be the happiest day of a girl's life, she needs to look like a princess!"

Cinder touches her chin and muses, "Most princesses in those books Midnight and Michell read shows a generous amount of cleavage... Is that not right?"

Looru blushes and sweats. "I... I guess if they have that asset..."

"Which Cinder does~" Midnight purrs.

"B-but for a wedding, it's important for us to look our best..."

Cinder nods, and says, "In that case I elect to defer to Looru's expertise."

Midnight pouts. "Aw..."

"You have the honeymoon, Midnight..." Looru giggles at his expression. "Plus we always have sex..."

"Well sure... but I wanna see Cinder's tits jiggling down the aisle..."

Looru sighs softly. "H-hm... well we need to teach Cinder how to walk in heels... so we can also rent or buy her one of these cleavage dresses for your amusement... so she can get accustomed to wearing heels and a dress all day?"

Midnight pumps his fist and looks to Cinder hopefully. 

Cinder really has no opinion, but eyes Looru with concern. "If the idea troubles you then I'll agree to a modest dress."

"...What's important is you like the dress, Cinder... you'll be wearing it all day, pictures will be taken of you in it, you'll be dancing and eating in it..." Looru clarifies. "...If you're okay with having your cleavage out for Midnight, then that's fine... but the most important thing is you're happy to wear it."

"My cleavage wouldn't be exposed just for him," she reminds her. "This is just as much your day as mine. Midnight’s opinion is obvious, but would be being so exposed bring you joy, Looru?" 

Looru blushes at that. Certainly, she liked Cinder's boobs, they were soft to lay on... but she never said such things aloud. "...Well I wouldn't personally do it myself. I wouldn't mind you showing off some cleavage, but probably not so much cleavage like Midnight's probably thinking... Enough to highlight your beauty but not enough to be perverted..."

Cinder nods, and looks to Midnight. "So it shall be."

Midnight cheers softly. "Let's get them picked out then!" He steps outside, and pulls out the orb to call Merchant.

Shortly after The Merchant appears nearby, and says, "Well, that didn't take very long."

"Indeed! Now we need some wedding dresses! Also maybe a sample dress with a lot of cleavage~ And some heels." Midnight smiles. 

The Merchant smiles, and says, "Show me the Brides, let's see what we can do~"

Midnight opens the door. "Hat rack and coat rack are around the corner if you like."

Looru peeks out from the kitchen curiously, blinking. "Who's this...?"

The human man tips his top hat, and says, "A pleasure ma'am, I am The Merchant, the planear peddler, and master of a million parlor tricks! I've been commissioned to provide for your wedding, charmed to meet you." He bows deep so he can take her hand and kiss the knuckle like a gentleman.

Looru blushes, a bit confused still as he does so. "H-hm... So you're doing our wedding dresses then...?"

He nods and asks, "Would you happen to have a mirror we could use? A large one?"

"Well yes... But if we're getting wedding dresses, Cinder and Midnight shouldn't see my wedding dress, and Midnight and I shouldn't see Cinder's." Looru says slowly, walking towards the training room.

He follows, "Sensible, yes. Alright, let's get to work!"

"Maybe start with Cinder's practice dress then?" Midnight asks hopefully.

Cinder looks to him, and says, "Why me?"

"Because I can watch the fitting for the practice dress!" Midnight smiles.

Looru rolls her eyes with mild amusement. "I know my measurements already, I have my old wedding dress. I can get it."

Merchant shrugs, and has Cinder follow him to the training room.

Midnight follows shortly after, quite excited to see the magic happen. He sets up the training room to have a large wall mirror, and several racks to hold materials, clothes, and tools.

The Merchant and Cinder talk quietly between the two of them, the Merchant using Illusion Magic to project dresses of different styles over her body until she can find one she likes, then modify it.

Midnight watches the magic, a bit impressed. He was expecting something to do with intimate measurements, but he supposed magic had no such limits.

Pretty soon Cinder has a simple yet elegant design put together. Something akin to the dress worn by Cinderella, but white and designed as a bridal gown than a ball gown. Add a bridal train and veil, and it's a result Cinder is pleased with.

Looru walks in and pauses. "Ooh... How pretty! @o@" Then she spots Midnight and remembers she's not supposed to see either. "Oh! Uh, is that the wedding dress...? Midnight and I shouldn't be seeing it..."

"It's a draft, we'll discuss accessories and detailing later for the final product," Merchant replies.

"O-okay... If that's the case, you look great Cinder! ^o^" Looru says happily.

Cinder nods as the illusion fades.

"So... even more cleavage version, for now~?" Midnight asks hopefully.

Looru rolls her eyes and giggles. "Sorry... we need some practice heels for Cinder too."

Cinder rolls her eyes, and the Merchant asks, "So what more do you need from me?"

"The heels and... I guess a practice dress. ^^;" Looru says. "But we also need to plan the venue..."

The Merchant nods as he takes notes. "Any particular scenery you desire for said venue? I can provide travel for a fraction of the cost a ticket on a plane or train might."

"A seaside church?" Midnight suggests. "But the party could be at the dojo maybe."

Cinder frowns, "...Must it be a church?"

"Of course! A church is a great place to get married!" Looru smiles, before tilting her head. "...Why, is a church not good for you...?"

"I'll admit it gives me pause. My people have a complicated relationship with divinity."

"If it makes you feel any better, my father will be the officiant for the wedding." Midnight supplies. "He was the one who did everyone else's marriages in my family."

"That does help, that man is well beyond a deity," Cinder admits.

"Oh, now that I think about it, who will walk you down the aisle...?" Looru looks awkward. "Usually it's your dad or father figure..."

"Is that so? Hm... I suppose Beat Sensei is the closest I have."

Looru perks. "Ah, great! Well that solves that... I think Star or Lucy could be the flower girl... or maybe both...? And Mitchell can be the ring bearer."

Cinder simply nods in agreement.

"I asked Ray to be my best man... you know, my partner on my missions." Midnight supplies. "So other than Looru's dress and my suit, all that's needed is to inform everyone and pick out a date."

"Oh! Speaking of, here's my old wedding dress." Looru presents the carefully folded wedding dress to the Merchant. "This is what I wore to Midnight and I's wedding... if it can be improved so Cinder and I don't outshine each other...?"

Merchant smiles and asks, "Matching themes then?"

"H-hm. Grooms usually wear black to contrast with wedding day white, so make sure Midnight doesn't pick out a red tuxedo!"

"I could decorate the suit and dresses with some red flowers if that will make everyone happy?"

Midnight nods. "Works for me!"

Looru slowly nods. "I think that will work... what colors should we tell the bridesmaids and groomsmen to wear?"

"I'm open to suggestions and preferences..." Merchant comments.

Midnight takes a breath, and Looru covers his mouth quickly. "Modest, obviously you shouldn't outshine the brides and groom... red on both sides perhaps, since Midnight and Cinder are both red?"

"Possibly, certain colors send a message though. Red is passionate, yet aggressive, sensual and sassy. Is that the mood you want for the occasion?"

"H-hm... maybe not..."

"How about a red flower like us?" Midnight suggests. "And a nice color like maybe yellow or lavender?" 

The Merchant smiles and says, "Sunshine yellow it is then!"

Looru smiles happily. "I'm getting so excited...! When should we have the wedding?"

Cinder shrugs, "Hm... I'm not sure... Sometime warm I presume?"

"Warm but not hot... Late spring?" Midnight suggests. "Or early summer."

"Either works." Cinder states.

"Well then, I think that's everything that we can do right now." Midnight smiles.

The Merchant rolls up his notes, and says, "Alright, allow me to consult experts, and get this all in order. I assume budget isn't an issue?"

"Nope! A heads up on price would be nice so I can get it though." Midnight says.

"Mm! I can do a bake sale to help out!" Looru suggests cheerfully.

“...That isn’t necessary Looru, Midnight will have it handled.” Cinder says gently.

“Well obviously, but I want to help!” Looru says seriously.

"Weddings are expensive, and the ease of convenience here would usually charge a premium," Merchant says. "Let me poke the experts, and shake out an estimate."

Midnight nods with a smile. "Thanks Merchant!"

He tips his hat, and then magically disappears into it before his hat winks out of sight.

…………………Several months later…………………

Looru studies herself in the mirror, smiling happily. “I love it! You made my hair look so nice!”

Scarlet giggles softly as she steps away to make sure everything looks perfect. “As nice as the first time… I’m still surprised I’m going to your second wedding.”

“H-hm… Me too… I never expected to marry again… it’s a bit surreal.” Looru sweats. “Especially to Midnight again…”

“Well, this is more to celebrate you and Midnight marrying Cinder, right? So technically you’re marrying Cinder. And so is Midnight.” Scarlet smiles.

“True! …I never thought I’d be doing that either though… I still can’t believe after all we’ve been through, this is happening. Actually happening… It feels like a dream…” Looru stands, looking nervous. “...Do you think Cinder is okay with all this?”

“A bit late to ask that. We both know she’s doing this for you.” Scarlet points out, making sure Looru’s dress is pristine. “If she had it her way, she’s already married to you two. The whole theatrics of it is for your benefit.”

Looru gulps a little. “S-so maybe we should cancel…? I don’t want to force this onto her…”

“Looru, relax. If she didn’t want to do this at all, she had plenty of time to voice it. Now stop stressing and get ready!” Scarlet giggles. “You’re walking any second now!”

Looru squeaks when she hears the music coming on to announce the bride, hurrying to the door and taking a breath. “Well then… wish me luck!”

“Good luck.” Scarlet smiles softly.

…

“I hate it.” Cinder stares at the mirror, sitting patiently as a purple hedgehog woman tends to her hair.

“You grew your hair out for this, insisted on this. I spent hours practicing to perfect this style for you, I will not let it go to waste. Besides, you look absolutely radiant!” The hedgehog insists. She seemed to be in her early 40’s, making sure Cinder’s hairstyle looked perfect. “That and your makeup makes you look like a dainty flower!”

“I meant the makeup. I’m a warrior, I shouldn’t wear something that will come off so easily. Plus I despise looking so weak… how did Looru do this, Rhythm…?”

“Don’t lose your nerve, Cinder. Midnight made sure to pull out all the stops for this day for you and especially for Looru's sake.” Rhythm takes a step back and nods. “There. Don’t fuss with yourself.”

Cinder sighs softly. “I don’t know why we need to do all these formalities… Midnight is married to Looru, and Midnight is my mate by echidna traditions… with Looru as the first wife, a ceremony like this is too grandiose…”

“Again, for Looru’s sake. She insisted on a ceremony like this, I remind you. What was it that Midnight told me…? “Looru says that every girl deserves to have a wedding day, and Cinder is no different.” So grin and bear it for Looru.” Rhythm insists.

Cinder slowly nods, staring at herself in the mirror. “...For Looru. I’ll do this for Looru.” She pauses as she hears the music coming on to announce the bride. She takes a deep breath to steel herself, standing. “It’s almost time.”

Rhythm nods and smiles as she adjusts her own hair and dress. “Just use your meditation to stay calm. This is all for show, you said it yourself, you’re already married to them. This is for appearance.”

“...Thanks Rhythm. Beat is lucky to have you.”

“You know it! He’d leave his head somewhere if it wasn’t attached to his shoulders.” Rhythm tuts softly.

Cinder chuckles softly, before swallowing as she hears the announcement for the bride once more. “...It’s time.”

…

Midnight tugs softly on the collar of his black suit with a red flower on the breast pocket, watching everyone in attendance. Smoke and Spike were there, standing as groomsmen, though Spike didn’t look all that pleased wearing a suit. Smoke makes sure he doesn’t ruin the outfit though, smacking him softly. Shadow and the Merchant were also in attendance, and as promised Ray was the best man. 

On the bride’s side, Luna and Connie were bridesmaids, as were Mina, Rouge, and Alice… Alice also didn’t seem too pleased to be there. But she was a friend of Cinder, and Cinder was quite insistent she be there… likely to watch her squirm since the girl absolutely detested Looru. As planned, everyone was wearing a nice creamy yellow with a red flower.

Nicholas, Midnight’s father, was acting as the officiant once more, as he did for Looru and Midnight’s wedding.

In the seats were Miru, Light, Saeko, and Eclipse in the front row, plus Jolt, Springer, Riza (Luna and Connie’s daughter), Apogee (Luna and Connie’s adopted daughter), and Handy on the other front row. Filling out the rest of the seats was Ivo (At Luna’s request) and the Sonic Team.

Star walks down the aisle, spreading flower petals happily as the flower girl. Following behind her is Mitchell as the ring-bearer, carrying three wedding rings. They take their places, and the bride announcement music starts.

The door opens, and Looru steps out with Chiye. She’s dressed in a white wedding dress with nice red roses in her veil, not too fancy, but fancy enough to make her look radiant, and her hair was done up to look quite elegant as opposed to the slight mess her hair usually is day to day. Chiye is smiling happily as he guides Looru down the aisle once more, and up to the front with Midnight before taking his spot.

Looru smiles shyly at Midnight, blushing when he winks at her. But then they turn as the bride’s announcement music starts once more, to show off the true bride in this wedding reception.

The doors open once more as Cinder steps out with her martial arts master Beat, a prismatic furred male hedgehog with dull olive eyes. As Cinder didn’t have a father, and Orion had sadly passed away long ago, Beat was perhaps the closest to a father figure she had. He was smiling proudly as he led Cinder down the aisle, Cinder doing her best to not trip in the heels she’s wearing and make a fool of herself. Still, her white wedding dress with red flower petals sewn into her bridal train, and dreadlocks pulled into an elegant bun with chopsticks made her look almost like an asian beauty, completely different from her usual appearance. At the front, she steps up to Midnight and Looru with a shy expression.

Midnight picks up his jaw, recovering his smile as he gives her a gentle nod. Cinder blushes and looks at Looru, smiling as she admires Looru as well.

Scarlet and Rhythm take the bridesmaid’s side as Nicholas smiles and starts.

“We are gathered here today to witness a most holy union of three loving individuals. My son, Midnight, has selected yet another girl to love… In addition to Looru, they together have decided to bring a third into their holy union, Cinder. We gather around them now in this wonderful place, and we look on with love and hope as these two begin their new life together as one. ” Nicholas smiles.

Nicholas turns to the congregation and continues, “Marriage is a sacred institution in our culture. It’s a tradition of partnership, of trust, and of dependence on one another to navigate the sometimes stormy seas of life. People have said that marriage requires things like work, like commitment, and like sacrifice - and certainly all of those things are true. No matter what it looks like in the end, however, a healthy marriage always needs a solid foundation.

“It begins with love, to be sure, but what does that mean? People say they love chocolate, is that the same as the love we need for a solid marriage? Of course not. The love we need comes from being willing to make those sacrifices. The love we need comes from being committed to working through everything together, and maintaining open communications - even when it is difficult. The love we need makes the work it takes to maintain it all worth it. On top of that foundation of love - a mixture of work, sacrifice, and commitment - we can build things like trust and intimacy, and all of the beautiful things that make a marriage worthwhile.”

Nicholas turns to the three. “Midnight, Looru, Cinder… are you ready to proclaim that foundation of love for one another in the sight of the heavens and these witnesses?”

Cinder hesitates for a moment, discreetly looking to both Looru and Midnight. But when she sees them both nod, Looru with excitement and Midnight with conviction, she also nods solemnly.

Nicholas nods with a soft smile before turning to Midnight. “Midnight, do you take Cinder’s hand in marriage, and once again take Looru’s hand in marriage, to be your lawfully wedded wives? Will you honor and cherish them; love, trust, and commit to them, through joy and pain, sickness and health, and whatever life may throw at you all, until death do you part?”

Midnight nods with a smile. “I do.”

Nicholas turns to Looru. “And Looru, do you take Cinder’s hand in marriage, and once again take Midnight’s hand in marriage, to be your lawfully wedded spouses? Will you honor and cherish them; love, trust, and commit to them, through joy and pain, sickness and health, and whatever life may throw at you all, until death do you part?”

Looru swallows, her cheeks flushed. “H-hm! I do!”

Finally, Nicholas turns to Cinder. “And Cinder, do you take both Midnight’s and Looru’s hands in marriage, to be your lawfully wedded spouses? Will you honor and cherish them; love, trust, and commit to them, through joy and pain, sickness and health, and whatever life may throw at you all, until death do you part?”

Cinder steels herself and nods seriously. “I do.”

Nicholas nods and says aloud, “At this time, Midnight, Looru, and Cinder will exchange rings. The wedding ring is symbol of binding. A symbol of attachment and of belonging, not of possession, but of partnership.”

Midnight clears his throat, a bit nervous as Mitchell presents the rings, and he takes one. “...It was never my intention for this to happen… when I first awoke from my pod, I came to this planet looking for love. The first I felt I could love… was Cinder.”

He gives a lopsided grin. “She absolutely hated my guts, I was a perverted man and she wanted to be seen as a warrior not a woman. I kept trying to whoo her, and over time, disgust turned to tolerance.”

Cinder nods in agreement, watching Midnight and letting him continue as she holds out her left hand to let Midnight slip the ring onto her finger. Looru was admittedly curious about the whole timeline of this.

Midnight rubs his neck awkwardly. “But then… Looru came into my life. It was a whirlwind romance, I swept her off her feet and the rest is history… well, so you’d think. We got married, and had a wonderful child named Miru.”

Miru whoops and claps, Light rolling her eyes as she gives Miru a deadpan expression.

“...But, I never stopped visiting Cinder. Tolerance, turned into understanding… and understanding, into acceptance. Then came the fateful day… I should have come clean, confessed I was married… but Cinder… I worked so hard to win Cinder’s heart. I won’t go into the details, but… that was the day Saeko was conceived, and Cinder became my second wife according to the customs of her people…”

Cinder bows her head, looking regretfully as she peeks at Looru. Looru was tearing up a little, recalling her feelings when she first met Cinder and Midnight confessed all this.

“...I kept telling myself it was okay, I was an Ultimate Lifeform, I could do anything! But lying to you both… it was torture. I had Light with Looru, Eclipse with Cinder, Mitchell with Looru… as the kiddos grew, I started to wonder if keeping you unaware from each other was truly the best idea… After all, Cinder is an echidna… her people allowed polygamy.” 

Midnight wipes a single tear, trying to keep himself composed. “…That’s when Ray came in, and told me to rip off the bandage. If I couldn’t choose one and abandon the other, then I would need to tell the truth and risk losing both of you… and I was so scared I would. I could see the betrayed look on everyone’s faces. I could tell that you both hated me for keeping this secret, blaming yourselves for trusting me. It was unbearable.”

He takes a breath, clearing his throat as he shakily slips the ring onto Cinder’s ring finger. “...I should have lost both of you. I should have lost all of my children, and become alone once more. But… against all odds… you both agreed to try this out. You decided to give each other, and me, a chance. I had broken your trust, but you both knew that the kids needed to have a father… I’m grateful… truly grateful… to have met both of you… and I vow, as long as you will still have me… I will protect you both. I will keep the children safe. I will give everything I can give to both of you. And as long as you both love me… I can do anything.”

Looru is of course touched, tearing up a little. But she carefully wipes her tears away as Cinder clears her throat, keeping composed as she says her vows.

“On my very life I swear to have and cherish you both, and every day prove that I am worthy of the love and trust you have given me as I return it in kind. For so long as we share our lives together, I will love you both. For without you I am but a fragment.” Cinder states solemnly, as she takes a ring and slips it onto Looru’s finger. A bit short and sweet compared to Midnight’s, but it got the point across.

Looru meekly grabs the final ring, Mitchell retreating to his spot. “...I was so devastated when I first met you, Cinder… I was confused, and hurt. I was wondering what I did wrong, and if Midnight was lying when he said he loved me. The way he looked at you, I knew he was in love with you…”

Cinder remains silent, swallowing softly. Looru continues as she slips the ring onto Midnight’s finger, “...I only stayed because Midnight insisted that you weren’t replacing me… that he wanted both of us. I didn’t know if I could believe him, and I didn’t want to get in your ways. You’re so strong Cinder, I was afraid you would hurt me. But even when you started visiting, trying to make things work, you never raised a hand against me. You were always so gentle, treating me like I was made of delicate glass. And as I got to know you, I started to understand why Midnight cared so deeply for you… you have gone through so much in your life. Midnight gave you the strength to be gentle, to realize that not everything had to be solved with violence… and just as he came to the conclusion that you weren’t a monster, so did I.”

Looru pauses for a moment, trying to compose herself. “You see yourself as a monster, someone that doesn’t deserve our love… but that’s not your decision to make! We both love you, I love you! And so… I vow to always love you both, no matter what may come. And I will become stronger, so that you two won’t have to keep protecting me!”

Midnight chuckles softly as Cinder cracks a small smile of amusement.

Nicholas chuckles softly as well. “Having proclaimed your love and commitment to one another in the eyes of these loved ones, and with the power vested in me, I am so happy to pronounce you husband, wife, and wife! You may kiss!”

Midnight lifts both of their veils, and all three come together to kiss one another as the congregation claps and cheers for them.

Nicholas smiles softly and turns to the congregation. “Thank you all so much for joining us in this special moment in Midnight, Cinder, and Looru’s lives. They ask for you all to join them at the Shorehaven dojo for a reception.”

And with that, Cinder scoops up Looru bridal style as Looru squeaks and blushes. Then Cinder grunts in surprise as Midnight scoops her up in turn, carrying both to the limousine to head to their first reception, together as a true singular family.

The End