//------------------------------// // Epilogue, Part 2: The Purple Wedding, Now With 100% Less Death // Story: Spike Finds Love At Last // by Soothing Stone //------------------------------// After the Summer Solstice, after the several months of planning and replanning and re-replanning, the day was finally here. Much like Hearth’s Warming Eve, it felt a day that would never come, and then it came out of nowhere. Royal wedding days tended to bring a special kind of reaction from everypony. Down at the castle’s reception room, Twilight was dressed for the occasion. She wore a simple white wedding dress(designed by Rarity, because there was no way she was turning down a chance to design TWO royal wedding dresses), but when she looked at herself in the mirror, she had to stop. This was finally happening for her, and she was overwhelmed by the bride that looked back at her in the reflection. Rarity was there with her, along with her other friends, and she came by to check on the wedding girl. “What’s the matter, darling? Are you feeling nervous? Do you need a moment to compose yourself?” “I need a moment,” the princess admitted. “It’s just, I can’t believe this really is happening. I’m about to marry Spike, and I couldn’t be happier.” “You could be happier, you know,” Pinkie butted in. “You’ll say your vows, you’ll eat fancy wedding cake, and then you’ll actually be married to Spike. Isn’t that more fun than just waiting to get married?” Twilight laughed a bit. “I suppose you’re right. Thank you all so much for helping me out over these years. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” “Hey, don’t let us hog all the glory,” Rainbow Dash commented. “You are the princess in the group. Honestly, I had Rarity pinned for the first to get married, but I didn’t think you’d be the second. Always figured Fluttershy would be next.” “My time will come,” Fluttershy smiled calmly. She turned her thoughts to Discord for a moment, but she reminded herself what she was doing today. “Hey, doesn’t matter to me if I’m taken or not,” Starlight said. “Even if I’m ‘alone’, I’m not really alone when I have you all as my friends. Although, it helps that I hit it off with Sunburst.” “Alright, girls, this ain’t a competition,” Applejack spoke up. “We’re here to make sure Twilight has the best wedding possible, and that’s what we’re gonna do, ya hear?” “Right. Just got carried away.” “Me too. I couldn’t be happier for Twilight.” “So, should I stop all my hidden confetti cannons? Oh right. I forgot where I hid them.” “Let’s just focus on point here. We’re not gonna mess this up or have another changeling invasion here.” In another area of Ponyville, specifically the Town Hall, Spike was adjusting to the sight of himself in a tuxedo. Granted, it wasn’t his first time wearing one of these things, but it felt different for very obvious reasons. He adjusted the tie to make sure it fit well, and he looked all over the jacket to make sure there weren’t any wrinkles. He was joined in the room by two very familiar friends. “Don’t worry about your outfit, Spike. You look really good,” Thorax interrupted. “I’m sure Twilight will love it.” “Is anybody else noticing that a dragon is wearing a tuxedo?” Ember said. She had grown a few inches in the last few years. “Seriously, it’s weird seeing a dragon wear clothes like that. Is this some Equestrian custom for weddings?” “You could say that, and it feels pretty nice,” Spike thought. “I’m not going to screw this up, right? I wouldn’t be able to live it down for the rest of my life.” “You might have messed up a few times here and there, but this isn’t one of them,” Thorax commented, giving him a bump on the shoulder. “And she said yes, right? That means she wants to do this with you. Just let it happen and see where it goes.” “Yeah, whatever he said,” Ember added. “Just be yourself and I doubt it will go wrong. You were Dragon Lord for a minute, after all.” “Right. I can pretend to be myself pretty well,” Spike nodded. “I just got to focus on her and only her, and we’ll be husband and wife before I know it. You know what, I got this.” After the pre-wedding jitters were in the rearview mirror, the stage was set. The wedding ceremony would begin momentarily, and not a moment too soon or late. Here went nothing. Two guards opened the door to Twilight’s castle. The princess held a bouquet of flowers in her hands as she walked down the carpet to the ceremony, her heart pounding in her chest.. Her friends joined her in the back, wearing their own dresses that matched their color schemes. Pinkie had a blast throwing flower petals all over the carpet, probably more than she needed to. Despite knowing this was a royal wedding, the princess was overwhelmed by the huge crowd that greeted her. Ponies, griffons, and a few hippogriffs filled up every street of Ponyville to see the big ceremony. It was almost like Ponyville turned into Canterlot for a day. Still, she took a deep breath as she adjusted to all the camera flashes greeting her along the way. Down at the Town Hall, two guards opened the door for Spike’s entrance. Thorax and Ember kept him company as he started the long walk down to the altar. Just like Twilight, he couldn’t believe the huge crowd that showed up for his wedding, and he stopped for a moment from the sheer nerves trying to stop him. He took a deep breath and resumed the longest walk of his life. The altar was set up at the Royal Oaks Memorial Garden as requested. It was a lovely collection of flowers taken from all over Equestria. A small tree was planted in the middle of it, starting to grow where the old one stood. Celestia and Luna were there at the altar, along with Twilight’s family and other friends. As everypony learned to expect by now, Shining was a crying mess, and Cadence brought an extra box of tissue just in case. After what felt like hours, Twilight and Spike could see each other on the other sides of town. They couldn’t stop smiling from this moment, looking forward to it for seemingly their whole lives. By then, the walk felt like it took days to get over with. Rarity, however, almost froze when she caught Spike in his tuxedo. Seeing him so happy to marry another pony was...well, she wasn’t hurt by it. She was perfectly fine with Misty, who was waiting by the altar. The right way to put it is that she wondered how happy he thought he would be with her, and if it matched how happy he was to marry Twilight. From the look on his face, he was. Fluttershy noticed her distraction as they were on their way. “Are you alright?” she whispered. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine. Let’s get back to task here.” On the other hand, Ember was bewildered by the crowd size above everything else. “Is this normal for a pony wedding? I didn’t think this many people would show up.” “It’s a big deal in Equestria for a princess to be married,” Thorax explained quietly. “So Spike’s going to be a prince right after they make their vows.” “Prince Spike, eh? Guess he just finds a way to keep taking positions of power.” Down at the altar, Luna carried the pillow that had both wedding rings on it. She stood by dutifully, but she noticed that Celestia had a tear running down her face. “Sister, is everything alright? I could take over the ceremony if it’s getting in the way.” “There’s nothing to worry about, Luna. It’s just that...my little student is all grown up now…” “Ah, I see what is going on. These are ‘tears of joy’, are they not?” “Precisely. Wait, they’re coming up here right now. Here’s our moment.” The two carpets merged into one in front of the garden, and the lovebirds met each other at that point. Their eyes were also glistening in tears of joy, and they had to do everything to keep it together when they linked up arms. Their two parties also merged into one big party, Ember and Thorax joining the Elements and Starlight right behind them. The couple went up the steps to the altar, as the crowd quieted down for the biggest part of the ceremony. Celestia was well past a thousand years old now, and she delivered many speeches in her lifetime. And yet, this would prove to be her hardest speech to date. At least it was hard for all the right reasons. It would take a lot of willpower to get this done perfectly, but she would find a way. “Citizens of Equestria, Seaquestria, and the Griffon Kingdom, we have come here today to honor the wedding of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her soon to be Prince, Spike the Dragon. I have been with them throughout the years, and I can assure you that their bond is strong, strong enough to face the challenges that life will present them with. No matter what their differences are, they see each other, not as a pony and a dragon, but as their fellow man and woman, and that is why they are here today.” Twilight squeed and turned to Spike to let her know how happy she was. He smiled and nuzzled into her. “Therefore, I have no doubts that they will grow closer in their marriage, and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next chapter of their lives. If anyone has any objections to this union, speak now or forever hold your peace.” Nobody had a thing to say about it for a while. Then, one voice did speak up. “Wait, somebody thought this was a bad idea?” Pinkie gawked in wonder. “Don’t we all think this is the bestest marriage ever? I know I shipped it!” The audience burst out laughing, while Cadence tried to object that her wedding was better. After all, she defeated a changeling queen before the real ceremony even started. “Settle down, everypony, settle down,” Celestia interrupted. “I take that as a sign that nobody will object. Now that we’ve established that, bring forth the wedding rings, Princess Luna.” Luna nodded and stepped forward with the wedding rings. Twilight’s ring was a modified version of the engagement ring, while Spike’s ring was a simple gold band...with a hint of fire ruby, of course. Rarity would have hated to see such a lucky dragon get such a simple ring. Celestia levitated the rings up in the air and came closer to the couple. “Spike the Dragon, do you take this woman to be your wife, now and forever?” “I do,” he said without hesitance. She levitated the ring to his wedding finger and slipped it on. “And do you, Princess Twilight Sparkle, take this man to be your husband, now and forever?” “Yes. I do,” she cheered. Easiest question in the world for her. She held her hand out for Celestia, and before she knew it, she had her wedding ring on her finger. “Then I now pronounce you husband and wife.” Celestia had to do everything in her power to say those words, knowing how poignant they were. Twilight jumped up as soon as she could and kissed Spike. He kissed her back and held her tight, to the applause of the audience in the background. Yet, all the attention didn’t seem to matter to them anymore. All they really cared about was each other, and their enthusiastic kiss only further established that. “I love you so much, so, so much,” she cried. “I don’t ever want to let you down.” “You won’t. I just hope I can do the same for you,” Spike replied with another kiss. “I love you too, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” “Then what are we waiting for?” She tossed the bouquet up in the air, landing in the hands of a very expectant yellow pegasus. “Pinkie’s throwing the afterparty, then we got a honeymoon right after that!” “Yeah, let’s get right to it!” And so the town of Ponyville turned into the biggest party ever, which was saying something considering Pinkie’s other parties. It was a bit overwhelming at times, yes, but it was quite fun, which fit the whole relationship pretty well. Pinkie made a 15 layer cake because of course she did, and Twilight’s friends from Canterlot also showed up. It was quite the way to meet up with Moondancer, introducing her to Twilight’s new husband. The party seemed to go on for a long time, and Twilight noticed the sun was starting to set. “Hey, remind me what time we’re supposed to get on the chariot to our honeymoon again?” Spike glanced at the big clock in the middle of town and couldn’t believe it. “Actually, it’s right about now. You ready to head out of here? I hate to leave, though. It’s so much fun.” “Yeah, but I’ve been looking forward to this honeymoon for a while. Would be nice to spend some time alone after today. You ready?” “You have no idea.” He swept her off her feet and carried her bridal style down through town, all to a still-enthusiastic crowd. She heard her friends and family say all the nice things they could imagine as they went on their way, while he heard Ember and Thorax applaud him on top of that. It might sting to isolate themselves from friends and family, but it wouldn’t be that long of a break away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. A chariot waited for them on the other side of town, manned by four Royal Guards waiting to take them away. Twilight couldn’t stop giggling as she hugged her husband, and he had the biggest smile on his face the whole time. On their way, she couldn’t help but think of how shy and confused he was when they started their practice dates. Time sure changed things along the way for both of them. They arrived at the chariot, and he put her down on her feet, opening the door for her. She stepped inside and waved to the crowd before they left. “Hey, we won’t be gone that long. We’ll be back before you know it!” “I’ll send you letters every single day!” Pinkie shouted back. Spike joined her in the carriage right after, and they kissed each other as soon as they took their seats. The guards realized it was time to go, and they spread their wings for takeoff. The carriage went off into the sky soon after. Ponyville would soon disappear beneath them, along with all their friends and family. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be long until they were back.. Once the wind howled around the carriage, the royal couple pulled away for the first time in a while. “Some wedding, huh?” Spike thought. “I can’t even think about it right now,” Twilight admitted. “I’m just...we are...look at our rings!” She held up her ring and looked down at his. “Do you know what this means?” “I do. I can’t believe it, either. I just…” He stopped and kissed her again. She did the same and stayed quiet with him for a while. They were going to enjoy being in the other’s company as long as they wanted, now that their wedding had finally come and gone. And there was still a honeymoon to look forward to.