//------------------------------// // Chapter 6: The Ceremony // Story: The Best Man // by Alaborn //------------------------------// The Best Man  By Alaborn  Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work.  My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc.  I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.  Chapter 6: The Ceremony Saturday, June 27, 2020 Ponyville, Principality of Equestria                   Evan Sedmak awoke just after dawn with a smile on his face.  The sky outside was clear, birds were chirping, and his little brother was getting married.  He wasn’t ready to break out in song, but there was joy in his heart.  But it was nothing compared to what his brother was surely feeling.                 He headed downstairs, finding that he wasn’t the only early riser.  A number of ponies were already awake, chatting over tea, coffee, and pastries.  One busy little dragon was attending to the guests.                 Evan, however, wasn’t ready to eat.  He headed outside and took to the skies, flying at a leisurely pace around Ponyville to limber up, before heading to the gym.  Several familiar faces greeted him, and he worked out again.  He exercised his legs, and when Bulk Biceps warned him not to skip his wings, he agreed to try it.  That particular exercise involved sitting at an angle on a special weight machine with his wings strapped in.  The weights were on a cable behind him.  After he was done, he looked to see how much he had lifted.  There was no way he should have been able to lift that much.                 He felt the pleasant ache of a good workout as he returned to the castle.  After a shower, Evan donned his tuxedo shirt.  He was surprised he could button the shirt using only his mouth.  He looked to the bow tie, and wisely chose to leave it to later.                 By the time he was done, the castle was abuzz with activity.  The visiting ponies filled the dining hall and surrounding rooms.  Evan found his brother and parents seated together.  His mother was wearing a lovely dress, while his father and brother both looked like him, wearing only their tuxedo shirt.  Dirty plates, covered in syrup, were pushed aside near them.                 “Good morning, sleepyhead,” Janine said.                 “Pretty sure I got up before you two.  I went to the gym,” Evan said, flexing his muscles.  “How did you two sleep?”                 “Surprisingly well,” Christopher replied.  “Everything was so quiet, and this body, while still old, didn’t come with my normal aches and pains.  But it still feels wrong.”                 “If you’re like me, it will soon start feeling normal,” Evan said.                 “There should be more pancakes coming out soon,” Janine said.                 Evan could see into the kitchen, where Spike was busy cooking, aided by several other ponies.  It looked like some of the guests who had finished breakfast were chipping in and helping out.  Sure enough, Spike soon came out of the kitchen, carrying a plate of pancakes that looked nearly as big as him.                 Spike dropped the plate of pancakes on the table, between the Sedmak family and another group.  Jason levitated two pancakes onto a clean plate.  “How many do you want?” he asked Evan.                 “Start with two, and we’ll see from there,” Evan replied.                 Jason waved to attract Spike’s attention.  “Hey, have you seen the princess?” he asked him.                 Spike shrugged.  “Not sure.  I know she’s up; her door’s open and her bed’s made.  She’s probably reviewing her wedding checklist.”                 “Could you look for her?  It’s not normal for her not to be here, with the guests,” Jason said.  “And could you make sure John is up?”                 “I don’t know, I’m kind of busy here,” Spike said.                 “I’ll help out in the kitchen,” Janine volunteered.  “I’ve been making pancakes all my life.”                 “Well, okay,” Spike said.  He headed out.                 Janine headed to the kitchen.  Evan and Jason watched their mother work.  She dropped a few pancakes, but with the other ponies helping her, she got the hang of manipulating a spatula with her mouth.                 A few minutes later, Spike returned.  “Hey, Spike!” Jason called.                 The little dragon walked right past them at a rapid pace.  “Nope nope nope nope nope,” he muttered.                 “Spike?  Spike?”  Getting no response, Jason jumped up from the table and ran off towards their rooms.                 Evan abandoned his breakfast and chased after his brother.  “What are you doing?” he asked.                 “I’m going to see what’s going on,” Jason replied.                 “Where are you going?”                 “I’m looking for John,” he said.  “I think his room is not far from ours.”                 The enormous castle had a remarkable number of spare bedrooms on their floor.  Most had their doors open, with the beds showing signs of use.  Jason headed to one where they couldn’t see inside; the door was open just a crack.                 Jason quietly pushed the door open and looked in, and Evan poked his muzzle in behind his little brother.  They found John, still asleep.  They also found Twilight Sparkle, asleep and spooning with John.  One of the alicorn’s wing covered John as they lay atop a disheveled bed.  And with the heavy smell in the room... well, if ponies were anything like humans in that respect, it was clear exactly how they had spent the night.                 “Dude,” Evan whispered.                 Twilight Sparkle stirred, and nuzzled John affectionately.  “Good morning,” she said.                 John’s eyes blinked open.  He returned the nuzzle and gave Twilight Sparkle a peck on the lips.  “Morning.”                 Evan gasped.                 Twilight Sparkle’s ear twitched, and she turned to look at Jason and Evan.  She looked at John, then back at the brothers, then back at John again.  “Eep!” she squealed.  Her horn lit, and she teleported away.                 Jason stormed into the room.  “Dude!  You banged the princess?” he shouted.                 “I, uh, wouldn’t phrase it like that, but, uh, yes?” John replied.                 Jason stepped closer to John.  “How could you?”                 “How could I?  Why shouldn’t I?  She’s a woman... mare, whatever, and she’s free to do whatever she wants!”                 When Jason inched forward again, Evan reacted, pulling him out of the room.  Only once he did that did he realize how he had pulled him out, by the tail.  That must be how ponies did that, he realized, but at that moment he didn’t care about that, or the hairs in his mouth.  He stamped his hoof and looked Jason in the eye.  “Stop it.”                 “What?”                 “John is your friend,” Evan said.  “He’s a friend that’s known for years you’ve been in a relationship with a pony.  Did he ever criticize you for that?”                 “Well, no, but....”                 “So why are you criticizing him?”                 “But the princess....”                 “If you have a problem, talk to her,” Evan interrupted.  “You’re in tight with her, right?”                 “Yes, but....”                 “Jason, you’re getting married today.  Focus on that.  Go help your groomsmen get dressed or something.  I’ll talk to John.”                 Jason huffed and walked away, his hooffalls echoing loudly through the hallway.                 Evan returned to the bedroom.  “So, you and the princess?  How’d that happen?” he asked John.                 “Well, last night, we watched Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and we were talking about the movie afterward,” John said.  “It started with talking about all the interesting magic shown in the movie, and then we got to talking about the differences in the wizard world between Britain and the U.S.  Twilight Sparkle brought up the tragic forbidden relationship between Queenie and Kowalski, which was a big difference between the two worlds, and she seemed particularly interested in it.  I asked if there was any sort of restrictions on her, on account of being an alicorn.”                 “And?”                 “The short answer is no.  But Twilight Sparkle talked about how everyone treated her differently after she became an alicorn, and she bemoaned the fact that no one treated her like a mare.”                 Evan looked at John twisting his hoof in circles.  “I know there’s more.  What happened next?”                 “I sort of said I thought she was a wonderful mare, and after she asked a few more questions, basically confirming I really felt that about her, she pounced me.”                 “Whoa.”                 “That was my thought, too.  At first I thought, ‘I can’t do this; she’s a pony, and I’m a human.’  But then I remembered how she was smart, witty, passionate about learning, and adorably nerdy.  It’s what I’ve been looking for in a girlfriend.  So I went along with it.”                 “For quite a while, I’d guess.”                 “You don’t even know.  It was like she had read everything there was about sex, and wanted to try it all.”                 “Wait.  Do ponies, like, last longer or something?” Evan asked.                 “It wasn’t that different, really.  But she knew spells, man.”                 “Like pony Viagra?”                 John laughed.  “I guess I should have called a doctor, because I’m pretty sure it lasted more than four hours.”                 “Dude.”  Evan raised a forehoof.  John stared for a moment, and then imitated the gesture.  Evan gave him a brohoof.                 “Nice.  But right now, you need a shower,” Evan said.  He sniffed the air.  “Seriously.”                 John nodded, and scurried out of the room.                   It was a beautiful summer day in Ponyville, warm with a slight breeze, and not a cloud to be seen.  Evan mused about how convenient weather control must be as he waited on one side of the park with Jason’s groomsmen.  In a nearby tent, Jason waited with their parents.  On the bride’s side of the park was a similar setup; Rose was inside with her parents, with the bridesmaids waiting outside.  He glanced in that direction, and noticed April Showers looking at him.  He glanced away.                 Along the green, benches were set up, benches filled with seated ponies, most wearing some manner of clothing.  Dresses, collars, and suits were all visible, but true to Rarity’s words, no one was wearing pants.                 Evan glanced back to John, Digger, and Rock Crusher, looking dapper in their tuxedos.  Even the two burly earth ponies cleaned up nicely.                 Music sounded, coming from a single pony, a gray earth pony who was somehow managing to play a cello with hooves.  The music was unfamiliar, but it managed to sound like wedding music to Evan.  That was the cue for the wedding to start.                 The first pony to head down the aisle was an adorable earth pony filly with a wreath of violets in her mane.  In her mouth she held a basket filled with flower petals, and she spread the petals across the aisle as she walked.  Following her was a cute earth pony colt in a tuxedo; a pillow with a bracelet and a ring was balanced on his back.                 That was Evan’s cue.  He walked to the aisle, meeting April Showers, and started down the aisle at her side; the mare lightly brushed his wing with her own.  The groomsmen and bridesmaids followed, and they all took their places at the front.  At the center stood Twilight Sparkle, wings outstretched, wearing a crown with a jewel that resembled her cutie mark, along with a gold peytral and gold hoof coverings.                 There was a pause while everyone got into position.  Evan glanced at John; he was carefully not looking at Twilight Sparkle.                 The music that had been playing stopped, and a new piece started in its place.  At that point, Jason started down the aisle, followed by their parents.  Jason turned and stood facing the crowd; their parents took their seat up front.                 The music changed again, now playing the pony equivalent of Here Comes the Bride.  Finally, Rose appeared, followed by her parents.  The mare’s dress was simply stunning, with embroidery that called to mind her namesake flower.  She wore a single red rose in her mane.                 The music stopped, and Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, folding her wings to her side.  “As Princess of Friendship, I bid you welcome, each and every one of you.  Mares and stallions, fillies and colts, ponies and humans.  We have all gathered to celebrate a very special day, the joining of Stone Arch and Rose Trellis in the bonds of marriage.  When they asked me to perform the ceremony, I was honored.  Love may be the purview of my sister-in-law, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but what is love but a very special kind of friendship?                 “And the friendship and love between Stone Arch and Rose Trellis is special indeed, as it is a love that crosses the barrier between worlds.  The human world may not see magic in the same way as we do, but both worlds understand the most powerful magic of all, the magic of friendship.  I am overjoyed to see their love bloom.                 “The bride and groom have elected a simple ceremony, in the earth pony tradition.  And so, we will begin.”                 Twilight Sparkle paused and lowered her head.  She then removed her hoof coverings, using her mouth rather than her magic.  It looked like a deliberate action to Evan.                 She raised each hoof in time and planted it on the ground, and then raised her head and spoke.  “Today we stand with the fertile earth under our hooves, and Celestia’s life-giving sun over our heads.  Earth and Sun.  These are the only things any earth pony needs to bring forth new life.  And so we stand, with Earth and Sun, to celebrate the union of two ponies, continuing the grand cycle.  May their love have deep roots and bear fruit.”                 Twilight Sparkle turned to Jason.  “Stone Arch, do you take Rose Trellis to be your wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until the great earth claims you once more?”                 “I do,” Jason said.                 “Do you, Rose Trellis, take Stone Arch to be your husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until the great earth claims you once more?”                 “I most certainly do,” Rose said.                 “Rocky Top, please present the rings.”                 The colt stepped forward and knelt.  Rose raised a forehoof.  Jason picked up the bracelet, using his mouth, and put it around her leg.  Then, Jason lowered his head.  Rose picked up the ring in her mouth and slid it down Jason’s horn.                 “I now pronounce you stallion and mare,” Twilight Sparkle said.  “You may....”  She was preempted by the couple skipping ahead to the kiss, a move that was greeted with raucous cheers and loud stomping of hooves by the guests in attendance.                 “Party!” one mare shouted, followed by a boom that sounded like a cannon.  Jason looked back, and saw a pink mare, standing over a smoking cannon.  There were suddenly a whole bunch of new decorations on the trail leading back to the castle.                   There was an impromptu party after the ceremony was over, but soon, the gathered ponies headed back to the castle, where the evening’s celebration would be held.  Their destination was the same ballroom where Evan had taken dance lessons the previous day, but it had been decorated in the interim.  Flowers, bunting, and banners with the couple’s cutie marks decorated the walls, and tables and chairs were arranged on the edge of the dance floor.  Off in one corner, a string quartet was getting ready to play; Evan recognized one member of the quartet, the gray earth pony cello player from the wedding.                 While guests filed in, other ponies worked to bring out refreshments.  There was punch and several varieties of desserts.  Fortunately, there were no cannon to be seen inside the room.                 Evan felt a wing brush his own.  “Hey there,” April Showers said.  “You ready to dance?”                 “As long as you don’t mind my pitiful dancing,” he replied.                 She smiled back at him.  “I really don’t care about the quality of the dancing, just the dancer.”                 Once everyone arrived, the music started playing.  At the start of the second song, Evan watched Jason take the stage with their mother, while at the other end of the floor, Rose did the same with her father.  As the song ended, the newlyweds separated from their parents and embraced on the dance floor.  The spotlight was on them alone as they shared their first dance as husband and wife.                 Evan felt a touch on his wings and looked back.  April Showers had intertwined her feathers with his, a sensation like lightly holding hands.  She smiled at him.                 After the second song finished, the bridesmaids and groomsmen took the stage for the next dance.  Evan stumbled at first, but April Showers helped him get his footing.  She wrapped one wing around him, and nudged his other wing; Evan took the hint and wrapped it around her.  It all felt quite intimate.                 Looking around the dance floor, Evan didn’t see the other pegasi doing the same with their wings.                 The formal dancing only lasted half an hour.  The music then changed to popular dance music, bringing more ponies to the dance floor.  This dancing lacked the same closeness; ponies mostly danced near each other.  It was rather like a human dance club.                 Evan took a break, heading to the tables in back, piled with food.  He grabbed a slice of wedding cake and a goblet of punch.  After polishing off the cake, he stood at the edge of the dance floor, goblet gripped in his pastern, and watched a most horrifying scene.                 “They weren’t kidding when they said she couldn’t dance,” he muttered as he watched Twilight Sparkle flailing around the dance floor.                 “Oh, we all knew that,” April Showers said as she pulled up next to Evan.                 “I mean, there’s bad dancing, and then there’s jumping around like you’ve got a weasel trapped in your pants.”                 April Showers giggled.                 Evan turned to the mare.  “Say, April Showers, do you bring May flowers?”                 “Oh?  You want me to bring my sister?  How kinky.”  She leaned in and whispered in his ear.  “Want me to go get her?”                 Evan choked on his punch.  “No, that was a joke!  A human joke.”  He sighed.  “I should have guessed May Flowers was also a pony name.”                 “You’re cute when flustered,” April Showers said.  “You know, there’s nothing like a wedding to put a mare in the mood.”  She smirked at him.  “See you later?”                 As she left, April Showers flicked her tail across Evan’s muzzle.  She then joined her friends on the dance floor.                 The party continued for hours.  As time passed, the crowd thinned, and the remaining ponies were more inclined to spend their time talking than dancing.  Only the crazy pink pony who used the cannon was still going at full speed.                 Evan looked around the room.  The princess was still there, along with some of her close friends.  But many of the guests had retired for the evening, his parents included.  Only the wedding party was still hanging around in full.  April Showers spent much of the evening with her friends, but Evan noticed she kept an eye on him.                 Jason and Rose were seated at a table, looking rather tired, though that didn’t stop them from nuzzling each other.  Rose spotted Evan, nudged Jason, and motioned in Evan’s direction.  They spoke briefly, and then both got up.  Rose walked over to the princess, while Jason went over to Evan.                 “How are you feeling?” Jason asked Evan.                 “I was going to ask you the same thing,” Evan said.                 “Physically tired, emotionally exhausted, but with enough left to say goodbye to everypony and then spend the first night with my wife.  Once Rose gets done with her errand, we’ll look to getting out of here.”                 “Errand?”                 “She’s getting the princess to reverse the contraceptive spell.”                 “Contraceptive spell?”  Evan processed what that meant.  “You’re going to, already?”                 “We’ve wanted foals for years, but we agreed we needed to wait for the meeting between our worlds to happen.  Once it was clear nopony and no one would do anything foolish after the meeting, we decided to try after the wedding.  Next year, if all goes well, you’re going to be an uncle.”                 “I am not ready for that,” Evan said.                 “That’s my line,” Jason quipped.  “No one’s ever really ready for kids.”                 “So, contraceptive spells?  Is that a common thing?” Evan asked.                 “Pretty much all the mares get them, if they’re not looking to have a foal with their special somepony,” Jason replied.  “So, no worries, if you wanted to spend the night with a certain mare....”                 Evan glanced across the room to April Showers.  “I don’t know if I can,” he said.                 “Look, Evan.  It’s my turn to give the brotherly advice,” Jason started.  “You have to look at the person inside.  Earlier today, a good friend of mine pointed out that I’d been guilty of the same thing, and you called me out on it too.  He was right.  You were right.  I only know April Showers a little, but she seems like a wonderful person.”                 Evan looked again at April Showers; the mare met his gaze and smiled at him.                 Jason leaned in and whispered.  “You’ve got to try it.  It’s like your first time all over again.”                 Jason gave Evan a quick hug and rejoined his wife.  April Showers then headed over to Evan.                 “So, when do you go home?” she asked.                 “Tomorrow, sometime.  Whenever the princess is ready, I suppose.  And you?”                 “Even though I live in town, the princess was kind enough to provide all the ponies in the wedding party with rooms for the evening,” April Showers said.  “Although, it seems like such a waste to make two bedrooms dirty, when the beds are plenty big enough for two ponies.”  April Showers smiled and traced a feather down his neck.                 Evan made his decision.  “I was just thinking my own bed was big enough for two,” he said.                 She wrapped a wing around him.  “Then let’s continue this celebration in private.”