“‘Rising Star Cancels Tour, Flees Manehattan,’” Rarity read aloud, turning the newspaper to face her sister. “Sweetie Belle, honestly–”
“What? I’ve met Rising Star maybe twice, it’s not like we’re friends. Besides, she’s always in the papers for something.” Rarity shoved the article a little closer to her sister. The younger unicorn’s face fell as she saw the picture: herself holding on tightly as Scootaloo propelled her scooter out of town at breakneck speed. “I did not cancel my tour, I postponed it,” she grumped. “I told them that. I’ll get back on the road as soon as we have the wedding and I know Spike and Apple Bloom are okay. They said the baby should be born sometime around Winter Wrap-Up, that’s plenty of time to finish the tour.”
Rarity snorted dismissively. “You really should pay a little more attention to your image, you know.”
“I do pay attention to my image, I just pay more attention to my friends. If my audience has a problem with it they don’t have to come.” Sweetie gave her sister a knowing glare.
“What does that look mean?” asked Rarity defensively.
“What look?” asked Sweetie, continuing to glare.
“You’re staring at me like you’re expecting me to say something ugly.”
“Are you?”
“I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Good.” Silence fell between the sisters as Rarity stirred her tea and Sweetie Belle took a swift bite of pancake.
“I really am trying to be reasonable about this, you know.” Rarity said at last.
“Then why are you acting like such a dockhead?” snapped her sister.
“Excuse me?” Rarity gasped, indignant.
Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “Apple Bloom said you hadn’t gotten back with her about her dress or if you’re coming to the wedding or anything. You know the wedding’s in two days. Remember when Namby-Pamby got married? You wouldn’t shut up about that dress for the whole week before the wedding.”
“It’s not my fault she hasn’t brought it over.”
“She hasn’t brought it over because she’s nervous about talking to you! If you really want to be reasonable about this, go talk to her, like an adult!”
“I do not need a lecture in maturity from my little sister!” Rarity said angrily.
“You need one from somepony, and it’s not like Mom and Dad are going to give it to you,” responded Sweetie Belle with equal temper.
“Don’t you talk about our parents in that tone! They don’t know about this, and if you’re smart you’ll keep it that way.”
“Rarity, I love our parents too, but this is just stupid. Just because some distant relative who was dead before we were even born had some kind of issue, so what? It’s got nothing to do with us.”
“Nothing to do with us? That’s why our family had to relocate! It’s why they wound up in Ponyville! That’s why I never-”
“Why you never really fit in with those snobby Canterlot unicorns? Because you really do care more about your friends than your reputation, even though you wish you didn’t?
Rarity stomped her hoof in anger. Her mouth opened, closed, opened, and finally she dropped her teacup and left the house, flipping her mane defiantly. She didn’t start to cry until she was a block away.
***
“Let’s see…” said Twilight, examining her copy of “The Complete Guide to Elopement,” “Decorations, check. Dinner menu, check. Invitations, well, everypony we want to come knows about it, so… check. This isn’t really an elopement, so we can skip the getaway plans and the travel arrangements. I might have to write a ‘Complete Guide to Spur Weddings’ if we make too many more changes, though.”
“Anything we’re missin’?” asked Applejack, standing on her hind legs to pin a scarlet streamer to the wall.
“Well, besides the actual preparation, we still need somepony to officiate.”
“I kinda thought you’d do that,” said Apple Bloom, who was passing ribbons to her sister. She fiercely wanted to do more, but standing on her hind legs made her feel woozy and unbalanced.
“It’s not really appropriate for me to do it, as Best Mare,” Twilight explained. There hadn’t been any question of who would fill that role for Spike. “I could, I suppose, if there’s really nopony else. We don’t want to involve the Mayor, and the Princesses… well, you understand that they wouldn’t want to draw extra attention to this, right?”
“No, of course,” said Apple Bloom. Truthfully, she found the idea of a Princess officiating her wedding to be a bit terrifying. Suddenly, a crazy idea: “Zecora once told me she used to give weddin’s in her country. Do you think she could do one here?”
Twilight tilted her head thoughtfully. “Well, if she’s considered the proper kind of ‘official’, I don’t really see why not. I’m sure I’ve got a book on earth pony ceremony if she’d like to study it.”
“You sure that’s what you want, AB?” asked Applejack. “You know she’ll probably put it all in rhyme.”
“That’s okay. It’ll be interestin’.”
***
Rarity, distracted and upset, didn’t see the unicorn stallion until she’d bumped into him.
“My dear, we really must stop meeting like this.” Rarity looked up to see a pair of wide blue eyes looking back at her, one framed with a monocle.
“Fancy Pants!” gasped Rarity. “What are you doing here?”
“A little business, that’s all. I intended to say hello at the shop as soon as I could. Dear me, you look terribly upset.”
“Oh. It’s… I just had an argument with my sister,” Rarity sniffed and looked away, certain her eyes were red.
“Sweetie Belle is in town? I read that she’d suddenly halted her concert, but the paper didn’t say where she went. Is everything all right?”
“Yes...” Rarity said, so unconvincingly that even Derpy wouldn’t have fallen for it. “No. I just… I don’t know what to do!”
Fancy Pants looked around to ensure nopony was taking undue interest in Rarity’s distress. “Let’s retire to discuss this a bit more discretely, shall we?” For most stallions, going to a private hotel suite with a mare besides his wife would be cause for scandal, or at least snickering. Fancy Pants could play by his own rules. Besides, Fleur dis Lee was already there, playing with their foal, Spats de Lux. Spats and Rarity had met before, and the silver-white colt gave her an adorably polite little bow before he and his mother excused themselves.
“Would you care for some refreshments?” asked Fancy Pants. “There’s hot water for tea, and this hotel’s cucumber sandwiches are quite good.”
Rarity had just eaten, but the little cucumber sandwiches did look tasty, and she was stressed. She popped one into her mouth and crunched morosely.
“I’m not sure how much I can say. It’s… I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
“I understand completely, and I certainly won’t ask you to violate a trust,” said Fancy Pants with a somber nod. “Of course, nothing you say will leave this room, but I understand if you’re still uncertain.”
“That’s the thing, though,” Rarity said, grabbing another sandwich. “It will leave this room. That is, there’s no way for it to not get out. And I promised I would try to… to be accepting, and I am trying, but I’m still so afraid…”
Fancy Pants didn’t fully understand her rambling, of course, but he’d had some experience in these matters and made some swift deductions.
“Is your sister involved in some kind of scandal?”
“My sist- well, indirectly.”
“And you are afraid that when the news gets out, your association will cause the scandal to rub off on you?”
“Yes, exactly!” Rarity said, letting out a sigh of relief. “You have no idea how glad I am that you understand.”
“I understand very well,” said Fancy Pants sternly, raising his unmonocled eyebrow, “but frankly, my dear, I am surprised at you. I would have thought that you of all ponies would have figured it out by now.”
“Figured out what?”
He leaned in closer to her, and Rarity felt her heart give a little flutter. Though he had made it quite clear that he was spoken for and any deeper relationship between them was simply out of the question, she couldn’t help but find him extremely attractive.
“High society is stupid.”
If Fancy Pants had suddenly revealed himself to be a changeling, Rarity would not have been more surprised.
“Not all of the ponies making it up, of course. But haven’t you noticed how simple-minded they are, how easy it is to manipulate them with a few words? They hang on my every utterance, and what have I done to earn such respect? Perhaps my family has a bit of fortune which I have managed to increase, but there are many ponies who have done far more with far less.”
Rarity sat there, mouth agape, as Fancy Pants expounded on the fallibilities and the hypocrisy of Canterlot’s elite.
“In all our discussions, haven’t you realized that even as the nobles condemn the ‘uncouth’ behavior of the lower classes, very few would not leap at the chance to shed the shackles of propriety and engage in such behavior themselves? Many do, behind closed doors. Those who ridicule them for it do so all the more because they are envious of their freedom.”
“Why do you think I’m telling you this?” he said at last.
Rarity shook her head, speechless.
“Because I’ve long suspected that you had the potential to overcome the trappings of the elite. You can rise above the influence of the masses and become the mover, rather than the moved. I have an eye for these things,” he waggled his monocle deftly. “Of course, you wouldn’t get there all at once. You would need a helping hoof to get you there, and somepony to guide you through those first few years of glamour. I myself was lost for a time, in the great game of gossip and scandal and power. I heard myself described as ‘ruthless’ on more than one occasion, and I’m not proud to say that the label fit. My moment of truth came when I was forced to choose between my status and Fleur. She is not from the most glamorous of backgrounds, and when word got out that my favored assistant had something of a checkered past, well, the pressure was on to be rid of her.” Fancy Pants took a sip of tea and looked out the window, watching his wife and son pass by. “I considered it, but I ultimately refused. I had not realized the true depth of our affections at that time, but I saw no reason that her past should have anything to do with our present. I will not pretend that the choice was easy, but I knew that I could not live with myself if I exposed her to further shame or hardship.”
“What happened?” asked Rarity timidly.
“I had to pull a few strings, and call in a few favors. My reputation waned considerably, and I feared, more than once, that I would be out of the game altogether. Soon enough, however, high society became distracted with the next bit of inane gossip and left me be. Within a few years, it was like it never happened. After all, had you ever heard of that particular scandal before?”
“But…but… but what if what they did was wrong?”
“Was it wrong? Did they hurt someone, or commit a crime?”
“There’s not a law about it, exactly,” Rarity’s mouth twisted as she tried to think of a way to explain without giving away too much.
“And nopony was harmed?”
“Not directly, but…”
“Every action has consequences we don’t see. Don’t blame your sister’s friends for that.”
Rarity sat for a moment in abashed silence. Fancy Pants said gently, “Don’t you remember the garden party, shortly after we met for the first time, when you risked looking a fool in front of the elite for the sake of your friends? You showed me then what kind of pony you truly are, and I have faith that you will make the right choice again. You may of course count on my support.”
“You don’t know what you’re promising…” Rarity said, almost whispering.
“Perhaps. But this is, how do they say it, not my first rodeo. I have full confidence that you will come out on the side of right.”
“Thank you, Fancy Pants. I need to take care of something now.” Rarity stood, grabbing another sandwich for the road. “Actually, I’m going to be busy for another day or two.”
The unicorn stallion stood up and walked her to the door. “I must return to Canterlot tomorrow evening, but I’m glad we had this talk. Do write to me, won’t you?”
“Of course.” The two shared a brief, friendly hug before Rarity set off for Sweet Apple Acres.
***
“Applejack?” Rarity called, nearly startling the earth pony off the roof of the barn. “Oh, I’m so sorry, are you all right?”
“I’m fine, I’m fine, I was done up here anyway,” Applejack said, coming down the ladder. “What can I do ya for?”
“I’m actually looking for your sister. Is she around?”
“Nah, she an’ Spike went to run a couple errands. What’s up?”
“Oh. Is… is that a good idea? In her condition, I mean.” The first thought that had flickered through her mind was what they might get up to, alone together, and she tried to squash it. Not your business, Rarity.
“She’s fine, she ain’t goin’ far, an’ Spike’s there to keep an eye on her. I appreciate you askin’, though.” Applejack wasn’t quite sure what was going on in Rarity’s head, but she could tell that the unicorn was carefully choosing her words.
“I just wanted to remind her that she really should bring her dress in this evening, so I can get started on fitting it for her.”
“I’ll remind her when she gets back. Thanks, Rares.” Applejack gave her friend an understanding smile.
Rarity smiled back, feeling a great sense of relief. That had gone more easily than she’d feared.
“Are you doin’ okay? You look kinda tired.” asked Applejack.
“It’s been quite a morning. But I think I’m seeing things more clearly now. One of my Canterlot friends – Fancy Pants, you remember him? – is in town and he helped me put some things in perspective.”
“You didn’t-”
“No, of course I didn’t tell him anything specific. He knows that Sweetie Belle is somehow connected and I promise that’s all I told him.” Even if he’d come to some accurate conclusions, Rarity sincerely doubted he’d ever guess the details.
“Well… all right,” Applejack said uncomfortably.
“Even if he knew, I trust him. He’ll be a good support for us, you wait and see.”
***
“Ah, Apple Bloom, what a lovely surprise!” said Zecora as she opened the door of her hut. Apple Bloom was there alone; Spike had, with some reluctance, gone on to the market without her. “You are always a sight for sore eyes. Is it an errand which brings you by, or did you stop to just say hi?”
“Well, I’ve actually got somethin’ to talk to you about-” Apple Bloom started to come inside, but Zecora stepped in front of her.
“I will join you in the fresher air,” said the zebra, coming out. “Too many potion fumes in there. For your precious cargo we cannot risk; my brews are far less important than this.”
Apple Bloom hadn’t really considered that before, that potion fumes might not be good for her baby. She was still getting used to this whole pregnancy thing. She felt a sudden panic: had she worked at Zecora’s since she’d conceived? She hadn’t had much time to spare since spring started, but she’d managed to slip down once or twice a month, to fix up the potions that (she’d thought) would keep her from the situation she was in now. Surely those couldn’t…
“I didn’t wish to frighten you,” said Zecora, sensing her visitor’s tension. “Just make you aware. Perhaps I am taking needless care. Still, better safe than sorry, they say. What brings you to my hut today?”
Well, what was done was done. Zecora didn’t seem too concerned, so Apple Bloom would try not to be either. “I was wonderin’ if… maybe you’d want to marry me an’ Spike. I mean, say the words an’ stuff. If it’s not too much trouble.”
Zecora looked at her strangely for a long moment. Then she lowered her head in a dignified bow. “You do me great honor, more than you know. Are you sure this is how your wedding should go?”
“Well, Twilight can’t do it ‘cause she’s Spike’s Best Mare, an’ we don’t really want to get the Mayor involved, an’ askin’ the Princesses… that ain’t gonna happen. But you told me you’d done some weddin’s back in your country, and I thought maybe, if you want to… I brought a book about earth pony traditions, it sounds about right to me.” Apple Bloom produced it from her saddlebag, and Zecora took it gently.
“Though my people use different rites, I shall study it with all my might. It would be no trouble, but my great joy to marry you and your beloved boy.”
“Thanks, Zecora.” Apple Bloom gave her a hug. There were many things she wanted to say to her mentor and friend of so many years, but somehow she was confident that Zecora understood them all through that hug.
“Twilight told me there’d been couples like me an’ Spike in your country. Is there… anythin’ you can tell me about what I might expect? You know, about the birth an’ all?”
“There are ancient tales of children like yours, tales of love and tales of war. One was a healer, sweet and wise, anothera warlord, to this day despised,” Zecora sighed apologetically. “But for advice about their birth, the stories hold little of worth.” She looked her young friend directly in the eye. “I will not lie: in some stories, the mothers die. But in others, they live, so do not despair. I am certain your chances are more than fair.”
Apple Bloom gritted her teeth and nodded. That was something she’d been trying very hard not to think about.
“What about… after? You know, raising her?”
It took Zecora a moment to respond, and Apple Bloom half-thought she might not do so at all. “A half-dragon’s strength is great indeed, though they can sometimes share a dragon’s greed. Their lives are often very long; they can do much to be remembered in story and song. But she will be a person, like you or me, and none can predict her destiny. Raise your child to be kind and true: the rest is up to her, not you.” She put a gentle hoof on her young friend’s shoulder. “Don’t place burdens of the past on the shoulders of this lad or lass.”
Apple Bloom nodded again. It seemed like sound advice.
***
That evening, Apple Bloom worked her way around to the back door of Carousel Boutique, her mother’s carefully wrapped wedding dress slung over her back. She’d nearly forgotten about the dress – or perhaps she’d wanted to forget, rather than deal with whatever Rarity’s problem was. But it needed to be done, and Applejack had told her that the unicorn seemed to be coming around. Apple Bloom took a deep breath and knocked. At once, the seamstress opened the door and peered at her guest over the top of her sewing glasses.
“Here for your measurements, then?” asked Rarity. Perhaps it was Apple Bloom’s imagination, but it sounded like a tone used for customers she didn’t dare to offend but didn’t especially like.
“Er… yes?”
“Well, don’t just stand there. Come in already.” The earth pony did so, nervously. What was going on in Rarity’s head?
“Hmm,” went the unicorn, levitating the dress and carefully unwrapping it, looking over every inch with a critical eye. It was a rather plain, egg-white dress with a pink band across the saddle area and only a few carefully placed frills and accents. “Well, I suppose its simplicity is part of its charm, and there was obviously more than a little care put into the stitching. Here, let’s slip it on you and see how it goes.”
The dress was, unsurprisingly, rather tight around the middle, but it draped nicely across Apple Bloom’s hindquarters and the shoulders needed only a little tightening. Rarity worked in silence, measuring and marking with pins.
“Um… Rarity, are you – Ow!”Apple Bloom yelped as Rarity accidentally poked her.
“Shh! Focusing!” hissed the unicorn.
Apple Bloom kept her mouth shut until Rarity spoke again.
“Excellent. I’ve made some marks and should have it done by tomorrow evening. Do try not to grow any wider in the meantime, all right?” Rarity helped her take off the dress and placed it on a sewing table.
“Is that all?”
“About the dress, yes.” Apple Bloom tilted her head and stared at Rarity, who seemed to have a question caught in her throat. Finally, after a bit of coughing and hemming and hawing, she got it out. “Is he good to you?”
“Huh?”
“Is Spike good to you? Does he treat you like a lady?”
Apple Bloom couldn’t help but smile. “More’n I’d like sometimes, I ain’t really the lady type. But he’s good to me. I could see us gettin’ hitched one day even if it weren’t for, y’know.” She nodded towards her own belly.
“Good. That’s… good,” said Rarity stiffly.
“Rarity, I know you don’t like me an’ Spike bein’ together, but... well, it is what it is. We’re tryin’ to do right by each other an’ the family an’ our baby.”
“I know you are,” Rarity said. “I know you’re trying to do the right thing, and I do respect you for it. And I… I want to do the right thing too.” She swallowed, trying to gather her courage. “The truth is, I still have my… my reservations about all this. Has Sweetie Belle told you our… family history with this sort of thing?”
“Kinda. She said somethin’ about an old relative of yours marryin’ a donkey, and it made life so miserable for your family that they had to get outta Canterlot. ”
Rarity grimaced. Trust Sweetie Belle to tell such a cut-down version of the story. “Well, it’s a bit more complicated than that, but I suppose it covers the important parts. Of course, it was a long time ago, and… well, we do what we can with what we’re given. I want to be a good friend to you and to Spike and everypony else. That’s more important, more important than anything. So if I must swallow my pride and endure some gossip… well, so be it.”
“Does this mean you’ll come to the wedding?” asked Apple Bloom hopefully.
“Well… I suppose you must have somepony around who can make last-minute adjustments to your ensemble, and help keep Pinkie Pie from turning it all into a – ” Apple Bloom’s sudden hug cut her off.
“Thank you so much!”
“Don’t mention it,” gasped the unicorn under the pregnant mare’s weight. “But… won’t you extend my apologies to Spike? Tell him I’m sorry for the things I said, and if...if he wants to go back to being friends, I would like that very much.”
“Tell him yourself. It’ll be the best weddin’ present you could give him.”
That night, Rarity had a more restful sleep than she’d had in days.
***
The next morning Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle arrived at Sweet Apple Acres with Pinkie Pie in tow. “Hey, Apple Bloom!” called Scootaloo. “Pinkie says the Cakes are taking the twins to visit some relatives in Baltimare.”
“So I’ve got Sugarcube Corner all to myself! We can have your babridal party after all!” exclaimed Pinkie, springing past Scootaloo.
“I dunno about that, guys,” Apple Bloom said, rubbing her forelegs together. “I was gonna try an’ hit the hay early tonight.”
“Aw, come on Apple Bloom, it’ll be fun!” urged Sweetie Belle.
“I’m too nervous for fun.”
“Too nervous for fun? There’s no such thing!” Pinkie chortled. Apple Bloom looked towards her sister for help.
“I think that’s a swell idea,” said Applejack. Apple Bloom’s mouth turned down. “No use in you mopin’ around here gettin’ worked up all evenin’.
“Exactly!” said Pinkie enthusiastically.
Apple Bloom sighed. “Fine. I wanna do some stuff around here first, though.”
“Of course! C’mon girls, let’s go get ready!” Pinkie threw a hug around Apple Bloom. Then around Applejack. Then around Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle and a very surprised Big Macintosh, determined not to leave anypony out.
***
“There you are!” Spike called. Despite the importance of tomorrow, there was still farm-work to do, and he hadn’t had much chance to talk to his bride-to-be.
“Been lookin’ for me?” his fiancée replied, standing up and shaking a little dirt out of her coat. She’d been lying on the ground in front of a slender young oak tree.
“I wanted to tell you that I’ll be at Twilight’s overnight.”
“What for?”
“Applejack said Big Macintosh was worried that seeing each other before the wedding might be bad luck or something.”
Apple Bloom cocked her head. “I’ve never heard that before. Besides, I’m gonna be at Sugarcube Corner tonight.”
“Well, there’s no point in arguing about it, right? Just one more night.” He put a hand on her back and looked around. “You know, I’ve never been out to this part of the farm.”
“Well, it’s a sorta private spot. This is our burial garden.”
“Oh, I know about those. I didn’t realize you had one, though.”
Apple Bloom had a wan smile as she looked over the plot of land. “It just don’t seem right for farmers like us to have a dead old piece of rock over us forever. Ma an’ Pa are buried right here, under this little oak, an’ Granny Smith is under that elm over there, next to her husband. I like to come out and talk to ‘em sometimes. I figured they’d wanna know that I’m… I’m gettin’ married tomorrow.” She looked to Spike, then rapidly back to the tree, and back to Spike. “Oh my gosh, I just realized that you never met my parents! We’re gettin’ married an’ you never met ‘em!” She got behind Spike and pushed him forward with her head. “Go on, introduce yerself!”
“Er… hi there, Mr. and Mrs. Apple Bloom’s Parents,” said Spike. (What was he doing? This was ridiculous.) “I, um… I’m sorry I never, uh, got to meet you before all this.” (Why was he suddenly nervous?) “But if you’ll, uh, give us your support, I’d… I’d appreciate it.”
“Nope, you blew it.” Apple Bloom said with a smirk. “Bad first impression, they’ll never approve of you now.”
“So, what, do I need to fight your mom so I can marry you or something?”
His fiancée barked with laughter. “I think Pa could talk her down.” She sighed, suddenly serious. “Or maybe it was the other way around. I wish I could remember what they were like together.”
Spike didn’t know what to say to that. He just put a claw on her shoulder and leaned his head against hers.
“We’ll do them one better.”
***
Spike tossed and turned, unable to sleep, the word “wedding” pounding in his head like a drum. Wedding wedding wedding wedding wedding… He almost thought he’d imagined it when he heard the gentle knocking at the library’s front door. His ear-frills perked up at the sound of Twilight’s hooves, and the very faint tinkling sound of magic.
“Rarity?” Twilight’s voice was muffled, but clear enough to understand. “What’re you doing here this late?”
“I don’t want to disturb you, but… I brought something. For Spike.” Another faint tinkling, and a rustle of… cloth? “I do hope they fit,” came Rarity’s voice again. “I had to eyeball the measurements, and I didn’t have much time after wrapping up Apple Bloom’s dress.”
“I’m sure they’re fine. They probably fit better than what we were planning for him to wear.”
“I can make any minor adjustments before the wedding tomorrow. Um… speaking of, are they using the traditional earth pony ceremony, or the modern version?”
“We’re mixing the traditional with the unicorn ceremony. She’ll give him a ring, I managed to dig up my great-grandmother’s sun hat. Why?”
“Oh… if he already has something, then never mind.”
“What is it? He only got the hat because my family doesn’t have many good heirloom clothes.”
“I noticed that Apple Bloom was having some swelling in her ankles, and I found a pattern for these.” Another whisper of magic. “They’re supposed to help, and I tried to make them so they’d breathe and not get her legs too sweaty. I can just gift them to her, it’s not important.”
“No, Rarity, they’re absolutely lovely. It doesn’t have to be something heirloom, especially if it’s practical and attractive. I’ll show them to him tomorrow and let him decide, all right?”
“I suppose that’ll do.”
“You’re coming to the ceremony, aren’t you?”
“I did promise Apple Bloom I would come, but… do you think Spike wants me there?” Spike tensed a bit.
“Of course he does!” Twilight sounded shocked at the very thought.
“I said some… some awful things to him.”
“You know Spike doesn’t hold grudges like that. He’ll forgive you, I’m positive.”
Spike had heard all he needed to. A single warm tear ran down his cheek. Something inside him wanted to stay angry at her for the things she’d said, but he just couldn’t. Of course he forgave her. Of course.
In the morning, he finally got to try on Rarity’s gift: a fine silk shirt, just barely off-white, and a brown satin vest, both considerably nicer than any of the outfits he had. They even fit pretty well. The other present, the possible wedding token, was a pair of fine horseshoes attached to long, firm lace socks. Spike immediately decided on them to give his bride: certainly better than that tacky old sun hat.
“You look great!” said Twilight enthusiastically. Spike gulped. He thought he looked pretty good, but remembering what the outfit was for… it felt like his heart was churning and his stomach was pounding.
“I feel terrible.”
“You just need a good breakfast. Take those off and let’s go have something nice, my treat.” Twilight said, helping him hang them neatly.
“I don’t think I could hold anything down.”
“You need to eat something or you won’t make it to tonight. Come on, get-”
Spike threw up.
***
Scootaloo woke up to a nasty retching sound coming from the restroom.
“AB, you okay in there?” she called. She was almost disappointed at how refreshed she felt for the early hour: last night’s ‘party’ hadn’t been very energetic nor lasted very long. Not that she begrudged her friend for needing her rest, of course, but still.
“No,” came the miserable reply.
“Morning sickness?”
“Cold hooves,” Sweetie Belle answered for her friend, sticking her head out from around a corner, levitating a tray of cinnamon buns.
“I can’t,” came Apple Bloom’s voice through the restroom door. “I can’t go through with it. I’m not ready, I’m so not ready, I can’t get hitched. I ain’t even got my cutie mark, I’m still tryin’ to get my life figured out an’ now it’s all fallin’ apart!”
“It’s not that bad, AB.” Scootaloo said soothingly. “I mean, when you think about it, what’s the worst that could happen?”
“Me an’ Spike could wind up hatin’ each other an’ being stuck together for years ‘cause we’ve got a kid who don’t fit in anywhere an’ I never get my cutie mark ‘cause I’m too busy takin’ care of her an’ I wind up takin’ it out on her an’ she grows up with the worst parents in Equestria an’ turns into some kinda criminal.”
The subsequent silence was so thick that even the crowing of a distant rooster seemed muffled by it.
“Ooookaaaay,” said Scootaloo. “That was the wrong question.” She looked to Sweetie Belle.
“What she meant was, haven’t you told us about what a great guy Spike is?” Sweetie Belle ventured.
“Yeah, but it’s different when you’re livin’ with him!”
“Is he bad when you’re living with him?” Scootaloo’s voice took on a suspicious tone.
“He snores an’ ... an’ he cleans up and puts stuff away where I can’t find it!”
“So he snores and he tries to be helpful?” replied Sweetie Belle incredulously. “Apple Bloom, if those are the worst things you can think of, you are the luckiest mare on the planet and you need to snap him up now.”
“We’ve got cinnamon buns out here,” announced Scootaloo, taking one for herself. “They’re better fresh but they’re still pretty good.”
They heard the sound of the sink for a few moments before Apple Bloom stuck her head out, looking groggy and bed-maned and thoroughly unhappy. “Where’s Pinkie?” she asked, taking a bun.
“She left early to get started on ‘a surprise’,” Scootaloo said, shrugging.
Apple Bloom let out a sigh and bit into the cinnamon bun. It was good, and she might have noticed if she hadn’t been feeling so awful. “It’s just not the wedding I’d imagined. Apple weddings are supposed to have the whole family. I wish Babs was here at least.”
“Is she still studying in Saddle Arabia?” asked Sweetie.
“Yeah… even if we got a letter to her, she’d never make it back in time.”
“She’s gonna be maaaaad when she finds out,” said Scootaloo.
“I know.” Apple Bloom gulped, only partly to keep from retching again. “But I know if she heard she’d drop everything and come running. I can’t wreck this chance for her after she’s worked so hard for it.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” said Scootaloo. “She’d never have taken the opportunity if you hadn’t pushed her. She probably wouldn’t even have her cutie mark at all if not for you.”
“None of us would,” asserted Sweetie Belle. “It’s really not fair that you’re the last of us to get it.”
“An’ now I’m probably never goin’ to.” Apple Bloom felt like crying. The morning of her wedding wasn’t supposed to start this miserably.
“Oh, don’t think like that,” said Scootaloo, patting her on the back. “If you look at it the right way, this actually opens up a whole new world of possibilities.”
“Yeah? Like what?”
“Well, we never did try being Cutie Mark Crusaders Baby Makers.”
Apple Bloom threw up.
***
“Apple Bloom?” Rarity called through the door of the room where the bride-to-be was getting ready. “I just wanted to see if you needed any last-minute adjustments.”
“Come in!” came the reply, followed by an “Ow!” and what sounded like Sweetie Belle grunting in frustration. Alarmed, Rarity pushed the door open.
“What in the world is going on in here?”
“I can’f geh if righf,” Sweetie Belle muttered around the curling iron in her mouth, her horn glowing erratically as she tried to coax Apple Bloom’s mane into shape. Scootaloo was staring at a pair of scissors in her hooves, as though she were terrified of what might happen if she tried to use them. Apple Bloom had tears in her eyes, mostly from having her hair pulled in so many different directions.
“Out! Both of you, out!” Rarity ordered loudly, hurrying the two bridesmaids from the room and shutting the door. “Honestly, dear, I know my sister means well but she’s simply got no head for mane-styling. That’s why performers have people do it for them.” She started untangling Apple Bloom’s mane with a combination of brushing and direct magical manipulation, straightening and braiding it into a single long knot.
“I know,” replied the bride nervously. “But you already went out of your way for the dress, I didn’t wanna… overstep it.”
“Oh, don’t be silly. No customer of mine is going to be less than fabulous on her wedding day, and my friends get a free upgrade from ‘fabulous’ to ‘amazing’. You are going to sparkle out there.”
“Even if there’s only like a dozen ponies to see it?”
“Especially because only your closest friends and family are seeing it.”
“Have you seen Spike yet?” asked the bride tentatively.
“I have.” Rarity said primly. “I think you’ll be rather pleased with how well he cleans up.”
“So everythin’ is okay with… I mean, between you two?”
“We’re fine.” Rarity let out a sigh, not wanting to say it, but knowing she should. “The truth is, I think part of me was… jealous.”
“Of me? For Spike?” Apple Bloom asked in amazement.
“Not physically, mind you,” Rarity added hastily. “I’ve never thought about him that way at all. But I liked the attention he gave me. Then that dried up, and he started giving it to you. I felt… betrayed, I suppose. I know it’s silly, but there it is.”
“No, I think I get it,” said Apple Bloom, not quite sure how to feel about this. “But why are you tellin’ me?”
“I just wanted to be honest with you. The things with my family, and high society's views... those are where most of my attitude came from, I think. But as I thought about it, I found that something was still bothering me, and that I still had this… this resentment. I wanted to get it out and clear the air. I want to do the right thing, by all of you.”
“I know you do.” When Rarity had finished fixing her hair, Apple Bloom gave her a quick nuzzle on the side of her neck. “You’re really tryin’, an’ I promise I’ll try not to make life any harder for you.”
“I’m grateful for the thought, but don’t let that stop you from asking me for help if you need it, all right?” Apple Bloom nodded her agreement. “Now, come on, let’s see if we can track down those bridesmaids of yours.”
***
Twilight looked over the gathering ponies, checking attendees off in her head: Herself and her five friends, obviously. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Big Macintosh. Nurse Redheart. Zecora. Adding Spike and Apple Bloom, that made thirteen all told. She did another head count: one, two, three, four… wait a moment, who were they? Twilight felt her heart leap to somewhere in her throat. A strange unicorn and pegasus were standing in the middle of the barn, around where the wedding guests would assemble to watch.
“Excuse me,” she asked the eggshell-colored pegasus on the right. “Do you have an invitation? This is a private event.”
“Not exactly, Twilight Sparkle,” answered the mare in a very familiar voice. “But surely you don’t mind us crashing the party, do you?”
“Princess Celestia?”
“Who else?”
“And I,” came Luna’s voice from the azure-coated unicorn
Twilight glanced around nervously. “Does anypony know you’re here?”
“Well, we’ve had to explain ourselves to a few of the other guests. I’m surprised none of them got around to telling you yet, actually,” Celestia said casually. “No, we winked out from our private chambers. We do not expect anypony to come looking for us.”
“Cadance extends her sincerest apologies,” said Luna. “The distance would be too difficult for her to traverse in such a short time.”
“I understand completely,” said Twilight, well aware of the difficulties in long-range teleportation. “But why…I mean, not that you shouldn’t be here if you want to be, but…”
“This is a historic first for Equestria. The marriage of a dragon and a pony, and a spur wedding at that. Of course we should be here.”
“This is… rather fun,” Luna admitted. “It’s different being a guest at a clandestine wedding. Ordinarily I am asked to officiate them.”
“I hope I didn’t offend you by not asking. After what we talked about in Canterlot –“ Twilight shuddered; it was still a raw memory – “I didn’t think you’d want to. I’m sure Zecora wouldn’t mind if you wanted to take over.”
Luna waved a hoof nonchalantly. “No offense taken, Twilight Sparkle. As I said, I’m enjoying the experience of being a guest for a change. Besides, it would not be right for me to take this from your zebra friend after she’s worked so hard to prepare. I’m rather looking forward to seeing what she comes up with.”
***
“Spike, it’s time,” Twilight said. “Think you’re ready?”
“Guess I’d better be.” Spike replied, taking a deep breath and running a hand over his frills. They sprang up again immediately, stiff and tense.
“Getting cold feet?”
“I’m nervous. I’m really nervous. No – I’m straight-up scared. But I won’t back out. I won’t.”
Twilight put her cheek to his. “I know you won’t. Apple Bloom could do a lot worse for a husband.”
“She could do a lot better, too.”
“She’d be an old maid by the time she found him.” Twilight opened the door for Spike and went ahead, letting him join his soon-to-be wife at the end of the barn.
While not as well-read as Twilight, he’d skimmed enough romance stories to get the impression that a bride on her wedding day was supposed to be unusually stunning. And Apple Bloom did look splendid, there was no denying that. Her carefully braided mane formed a perfect line down her neck, a single blossom of Heart’s Desire sat behind her ear, and her usual pink bow had been moved to the bottom of the braid, elegantly topping the arrangement. But there was also no denying that she looked uncomfortable and a little queasy.
“You okay? You’re shaking,” Spike whispered to her out of the corner of his mouth, gently placing a claw on her side.
“So are you,” she whispered back.
“I’m just a little nervous.” Understatement of his lifetime, there.
“Just a little? I feel like I’m about to wet my dress.”
Spike could hardly contain his laughter, amplified by nerves. “Let’s hope Zecora keeps it short, then.” Together they started moving towards the front of the barn where the zebra was waiting for them, wearing a headdress that was clearly exotic but not ostentatious. Spike nodded to Twilight as he passed, and Apple Bloom to her family – she idly noticed that Big Macintosh was staring straight ahead towards Zecora. Probably trying not to cry, the big softie.
“To the friends and family dear, I thank you all for gathering here,” began Zecora when they were in place. “While we come in secret, and with haste, let us not put this time to waste. A wedding should be a happy day, and though this is not the perfect way for these two to make a marriage seal, we have all seen that their affection is real.” Zecora looked towards the gathered audience, a few of whom nodded agreement. “The wedding will start with bride and groom speaking from the heart.”
Spike swallowed. He’d been dreading this part. It was against etiquette to write down or memorize a speech for this, though it was basically impossible not to at least try and plan out some points beforehand. For all the good that had done him, since he couldn't seem to remember any of it now.
“Everything’s happened so fast,” he started hesitantly, “and I… I won’t pretend I’m not scared. But I’m going to do right by you, I swear. I feel… I feel right, when I’m with you, and I feel like I belong. So no matter what comes, I want to be with you, and belong to you, every step of the way.”
Apple Bloom’s blush turned her yellow cheeks pink. It took her a moment to compose herself for her speech.
“I, uh… wow.” She swallowed, flustered. “I mean, you’re… you’re the sweetest guy I ever met, an’… I wish we coulda taken our time too. But I think… it’s gonna be okay. ‘Cause I feel right when I’m with you, too. You’re like a piece of me I didn’t know was missin’, an’ if you’ll have me, I’ll stick with you forever.”
Zecora nodded. “Your words ring true, and were well said. Do you have the gifts, to show all that you are wed?”
Spike reached into his vest and pulled out the horseshoes and stockings. With some fussing and fumbling, he helped Apple Bloom get them on.
Apple Bloom reached into a hidden fold of her dress and pulled out a ring box. The silver ring inside had originally been meant for a unicorn’s horn, and it lacked any sort of gem or even a setting for a stone. She looked a little bashful as she delicately picked it up in her mouth and slipped it onto Spike’s finger.
“With your gifts exchanged, and with great pride, I announce you joined. You may kiss the bride.”
Neither Spike nor Apple Bloom was ever really sure who started the kiss: somehow, it just happened, and they were only faintly aware of the tremendous cheer and the sound of a small cannon somewhere near them.
Dinner began promptly: something sweet, something sour, a bitter herb, a pretty flower. Apple Bloom liked the sweet wedding cake (Pinkie's "surprise" from that morning: double-layered in red and purple, ringed with gems, a few of which were genuine and the rest were clever candy counterfeits;) and even the sugarless lemon sorbet had a face-puckering charm to it. The bitter herbs (endive and horseradish) she didn’t like, though she reckoned that she wasn’t supposed to. But the pretty flowers she couldn’t get enough of. She supposed it must have been a pregnancy craving: they were rather bland despite being very pretty, yet she couldn’t seem to stop eating them. Everyone in attendance took at least single blossom from her bouquet as part of the dinner, but the bride ate the majority: at the end of the meal there was merely a heart-shaped mass of stems and leaves. That’s what she held for the photograph her sister took, nuzzling Spike against the setting sun.
As soon as the ponies had eaten their fill, the crowd cleared the floor to make room for dancing. The bride found dancing a little difficult with the unaccustomed weight in her middle, and she still tired out more easily than she used to. Still, she and Spike managed to get through a couple of tunes from Pinkie’s gramophone. Somewhat higher-pitched and faster-paced than she’d expected for her wedding music, but really not that bad. Even when she had to sit down for a while, it was fun watching her friends and family enjoy themselves. She noted that Big Macintosh seemed to get an awful lot of requests to dance. Perhaps it made sense, him being the only stallion in attendance, but it was still pretty funny watching her shy big brother being asked by Nurse Redheart and Pinkie Pie and even Zecora. He seemed to trip over his own hooves an awful lot when dancing with Zecora.
Once the gramophone had been played out, Sweetie Belle got up for a solo performance. It was something Apple Bloom had never heard before, and she suspected that Sweetie had written it just for this occasion.
As she wrapped up her song, a faint rumble could be heard from outside the barn, like quiet thunder.
“I didn’t think we had a storm planned for today,” said Twilight, looking around.
“We don’t,” Rainbow Dash said, frowning.
Sweetie Belle, closest to the doors, cracked one open and peered outside.
“Sweetie Belle! Miss Belle!”
She hastily slammed the door shut again.
“What’s going on? Who are all those ponies outside?” asked Spike, having caught a glimpse of them through the door.
“Reporters,” said Sweetie in a cold sweat, “Paparazzi. Why are they here?”
Apple Bloom felt her limbs go cold. “Are they looking for us? How’d they find out about the wedding?”
“Didn’t you hear them?” said Rarity. “They’re looking for Sweetie Belle.”
“How’d they know I was here?” gasped Sweetie, close to tears.
“It probably wasn’t hard to guess, with a little asking around. You haven’t exactly bothered to keep a low profile,” Rarity replied matter-of-factly.
“Better question,” said Applejack, “is what do we do about ‘em?”
All eyes instantly turned to the princesses, who shook their heads simultaneously.
“Finding out we were here would only encourage them to pry further.”
“Let me handle them,” said Rarity. She shook herself, cleared her throat, and stepped outside gracefully.
“My darlings, I am so flattered you would come out for this little showing, particularly when I tried so hard to keep it secret,” she said in a tone of perfect sincerity, “but I’m afraid the new designs simply aren’t ready for a public reveal yet.”
“What’re you talking about?” called one of the paparazzi. It was a pretty substantial crowd; she couldn't quite tell who had said it.
“I know it’s disappointing,” Rarity continued nonchalantly, “I’m quite frustrated myself, but the way the stitching crumples when it moves, ugh, no, it just won’t do. But I’d never have seen that if I hadn’t done this little practice run.”
“We want to interview Sweetie Belle!” “We know she’s in there!”
“She can’t come out in that dress, haven’t you been listening? Not to worry, Rarity fans, your favorite fashionista has merely hit a snag. A minor bump on the way to bigger and better things!” She flipped her mane playfully towards the sky, selling it for everything it was worth.
While Rarity kept the crowd distracted, the flying ponies in attendance helped the newlyweds out the barn window.
“My sister is changing,” they heard Rarity say in a scandalized tone. “There’s no way I’d ask her to come out half-dressed, especially after she was such a sport to run down here. I was running so terribly behind schedule and I desperately needed a model.”
“She left mid-tour to model dresses?”
“Oh, I asked her not to, but she insisted. She’s such a wonderful sister, even if we don’t always see eye-to-eye. She’ll be getting back on the road quite soon, never fear!”
That was all the newlyweds heard before they managed to slip into the back door of the main house. They looked at each other for a long, tense moment.
“Do you think anypony saw us?” asked Spike.
“I don’t think so. I saw a couple camera flashes but I’m sure they were just takin’ pictures of Rarity.”
They held each others’ gaze just a second longer before bursting into peals of nervous laughter.
“That was… that was… I can’t believe that happened,” Spike gasped.
“I can’t believe I somehow managed not to wet my dress.” Apple Bloom wiped tears from her eyes. “Speakin’ of…” Spike started helping his wife (his wife!) out of her dress. “That was crazy,” Apple Bloom said, shaking her head. “That wedding was crazy. This… this whole day has been crazy.” Spike looked at her, suddenly unsure if the tears were just from laughter.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah. I just… I don’t really know what to feel right now. Everything’s just kinda…” she made a vague motion with her hooves and let out a deep breath. “Crazy.”
“I know it wasn’t kind of the wedding you really wanted…”
“It was fine, honestly it was. I’m still hopin’ on the big one after the baby’s born.” She let out another deep breath. “Maybe by then I can afford you a proper ring.” Apple Bloom shuffled her hooves, embarrassed. The farm wasn’t suffering, but an expensive ring would be, well, expensive. Spike put an arm around her shoulders.
“It’s absolutely perfect. I can’t accidentally eat a stone that’s not there, can I? That was really smart.”
His wife smiled, reassured.
“I tried to add a little somethin’ though. Look on the inside.”
Spike pulled the ring off his finger and examined the reverse side. Looping around the silver band in fine, tiny letters were the words “No Matter What.”
“Well, that was a heckuva show,” said Applejack as she came in a few minutes later. “Rarity finally convinced ‘em to leave.”
“Do you think they’ll come back?” asked Apple Bloom nervously.
“I doubt it. I’ve never heard such smooth talkin’ in my life. She nearly got me believin’ this whole thing really was just a setup to model dresses. Sweetie Belle said she’ll probably take off tomorrow, to get ‘em outta your hair. She asked me to tell you sorry for not stickin’ around. The Princesses offered to wink everypony back home in case some reporter’s still lingerin’ round.”
“That was really nice of ‘em,” said Apple Bloom.
“They also left you these.” Applejack said, producing a rolled paper scroll. “Apparently, they’re weddin’ papers with a royal seal. It’s proof positive you ain’t an unwed mother, at least legally speakin’. That does mean comin’ out as married to Spike, but you got the Princesses’ support at least.”
“Well, it’s good to have if we need it,” said Apple Bloom, then she yawned.
“Sounds like somepony needs to turn in,” said Applejack.
“I’m o –” Another yawn. “-ookay, you’re right.” It was still late evening, not quite full night, but it had been a big day. She turned toward the stairs, and Applejack gave Spike a nod and a motion of her hoof, telling him to follow. Not that he needed the encouragement. He followed Apple Bloom upstairs to her room, opened the door, and -
“Where’s my stuff?” she cried.
Her room was entirely bare. The bed had no sheets, the bookshelves were empty, and there was nothing in any of the drawers or closets. Alarmed, Spike ran to the guest room and found it similarly gutted.
“Applejack?” he called down the stairs, “I think we’ve been robbed!”
Applejack’s laughter floated up the staircase. “No, we ain’t been robbed. Come back down here.” Spike and his bride went downstairs, and Applejack pointed them towards a room Spike hadn’t been in yet. This was clearly the master bedroom, nearly twice the size of any other in the house. Spike and Apple Bloom’s things had been neatly relocated inside. The bed – a full Princess-sized canopy bed – was made and some of the streamers from the wedding were hanging from its beams.
“We… we get Ma an’ Pa’s old room?” asked Apple Bloom, her voice catching.
“Makes sense for the married couple to have the biggest room, don’t it?” Applejack said with a smile. “That’s the real reason why we wanted you two outta the house last night. Big Mac an’ I’ll get outta your hair for tonight, so you got the house all to yerselves.”
The two older ponies said their goodbyes – Applejack wished them a goodnight with a wink, and Big Macintosh simply nodded, blushed and looked away. He’d been acting sort of funny since the ceremony, Spike thought. Maybe he was still flustered from Zecora asking him to dance. That had been a sight.
“How’re you feeling?” asked Spike, getting into the bed beside his new wife. It felt strange being in such a large and unfamiliar bed
“Tired,” she said truthfully. “I’m still kinda in a daze.”
“Me too. Shining Armor told me it took him months to get used to the idea that he was really married.”
Apple Bloom smiled to the bedspread while Spike helped take the bow out of her mane.
“Do you wanna…” she started quietly, almost nervously.
“What?”
“Well, my brother an’ sister did give us some space for a reason…”
“Are you sure you can?” Spike’s voice showed only concern.
“I can try. I wanna do it. I wanna do this right.” She rolled over to kiss him, and he responded gently, then with growing fervor.
Spike woke up some time later. Apple Bloom was resting easily beside him, one hoof draped across his chest. He was glad to see her so much calmer. She’d been so upset just a little while ago, when she hadn’t been able to perform, unable to get her body to respond the way she wanted it to. The desires and responses that came without thought or effort during heat could sometimes be brought forward consciously, with practice, but tonight it just hadn’t worked. Spike had felt some frustration, of course, but no anger. It had been a long day, she was tired, and who knew what the pregnancy was doing to her. A hot bath and a soothing joint massage (Spike had gotten quite good at those) had gone a long way towards calming her down, but her disappointment at not having her ideal wedding night was clear.
Spike felt for her, but for himself, he had no regrets. Not even physical ones. Spike brushed a hand gently across her cheek, knocking off a tiny piece of frosting from their wedding cake. He blushed, remembering, and saw the little smile turning up the corner of her mouth. Whatever she was dreaming, he hoped he could make her reality just as sweet.
“I love you,” he whispered. “Keep smiling like that. I want you to keep smiling like that forever.” He put an arm protectively around her, feeling sleep start to overtake him again. No matter what, he thought to himself, I want her to smile. Just for her to be happy…
***
Hot Scoop gently unpinned a just-developed photograph from its drying line. The Sweetie Belle story looked like a bust. There wasn’t a forbidden lover or a blackmail scheme or some wrenching family trial, just a misguided attempt to help her sister.
Or so it appeared. The whole thing sounded rather fishy to Scoop, but he’d heard of celebrities doing crazier things. But he’d noticed something out of the corner of his eye as Rarity had yammered on, and hastily snapped a photograph. Now perhaps he could get a better look. He brought the photograph out of the darkroom.
A pony and a dragon, the former clearly in a bridal dress, the latter dressed rather fancily. Scoop knew about the dragon living in Ponyville, of course. Years-old news. But their expressions were nervous, furtive, and there was something about the way they’d moved in the brief moment he’d seen them…
Hot Scoop wasn’t quite sure what to make of this. What were these two doing sneaking around? Did somepony actually get married in that barn? Then who was the groom? The dragon? Hot Scoop almost laughed out loud as he thought of it. Why in the world would a dragon marry a pony? What would that even be like?
But something was going on here, and Hot Scoop would find out what.