The Castle of Friendship was alive with activity as everypony was going to and fro in in the entry hall, Faerie Tail and Thorax giving instructions to the volunteers on what to do, where to put what, what went where, all the madness associated with throwing together the finer details of a holy matrimony. Midnight, Twilight, Blueblood, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie, along with Midnight's griffon friend Doran (who was now a prince of the Griffon Kingdom), and the Prince and Princess of Friendship were more than happy to host the wedding in their castle, sympathetic to the events that had delayed it yesterday but secretly glad they wouldn't miss it after all, though Twilight was admittedly a tad miffed that she wouldn't be organizing it.
The rest of the guests were due to arrive in just over an hour but in one wing of the castle Shining Armor, at the request of Faerie Tail and Thorax, was with Cranky and Matilda, with Double Diamond, Night Glider, Sugar Belle, and Party Favor at his sides.
"Cranky and Matilda, as a Prince of Equestria, it is my honor and privilege to oversee an old tradition to honor your imminent nuptials," the white alicorn prince looked to Double Diamond.
"First, from Double Diamond, Something Old."
Double Diamond stepped forward and held out a somewhat worn jacket that had clearly weathered some time out in the world, "For you, Cranky, my lucky jacket. I've been to almost every mountain range in Equestria, and the one time I went skiing without my jacket I found myself in a very bad place. I want you to have this so that it brings you luck just as it did for me."
Cranky smiled as he accepted the jacket but before he could say more, Shining Armor said, "From Night Glider, Something New."
Night Glider came forward and held out a pristine jewelry box towards Matilda with her wings, "For you, Matilda, this jewelry box, not just a container for your jewelry, but a place where you can keep some of your dearest treasures."
"Thank you, sweetie," Matilda placed a hoof on Night Glider's cheek in a motherly way before she accepted the jewelry box.
"From Sugar Belle," Shining Armor went on, "Something Borrowed."
Sugar Belle came forward, giving both Cranky and Matilda a sweet smile before she levitated a note out to them, and Matilda accepted it, seeing it was a list of ingredients with instructions as Sugar Belle stated, "This is my mother's recipe for Banana Cinnamon Raisin Bread, which will be served along with the catering. I hope when you try it it makes you smile as much as it did my mom whenever she made it for me."
"Oh, Sugar Belle," Matilda couldn't help but shed a tear as she got up and pulled the unicorn into a hug, which she was happy to return and peer over Matilda's shoulder to see Cranky smile at her and she knew the jack was looking forward to trying the bread.
Once Matilda and Sugar Belle parted and stepped back, Shining Armor said, "And last but not least, from Party Favor, Something Blue."
Party Favor walked up to Cranky and Matilda with a cheeky smile and apparently having nothing to offer. For a moment the two donkeys wondered if Party Favor was the 'something blue' he was supposed to present when he levitated some un-inflated balloons. He turned around, blew them up and then very quickly twisted and bent them together, his horn lighting up for a moment, and then a spritzer rising up as he sprayed whatever he was making with the spritzer, the scents of blueberries, cotton candy, and roses becoming apparent in the room, and he turned around to proudly present a bouquet of balloon flowers!
"A little something-something special to serve as a funny memento of your wedding," Party Favor explained with a coltish excitement, "these balloon flowers will never lose their scent, are enchanted never to pop, and they're all yours!"
Cranky and Matilda shared a chuckling smile but found the bouquet of balloon flowers to be really special indeed that made smile and reminded them of Pinkie Pie and Matilda said, "Thank you all so very much. That you went to this trouble just to make our big day all the more special means more than I can put into words."
"And it was free," Cranky added lightly, Matilda elbowing him so sharply he almost hee-haw'd in pain.
The Four shared a proud and happy moment when the door flew open and in walked Rarity who seemed astounded to see them all, "Oh my, what's everypony just doing standing about? We've a ceremony to prepare these two darlings for. Gentlecolts, Cranky, out you go, shoo-shoo!"
Without missing a beat, the unicorn diva herded the stallions and jack out of the room before she turned to Sugar Belle and Night Glider, "Now ladies, with your assistance, let's turn this plane jane into a true vision of beauty!"
Plane jane? Matilda thought with an indignant raise of her brow. But she let it go once she saw Rarity levitate in her wedding dress and the fashionista looked to Sugar Belle and Night Glider.
"Ladies, if you would be so kind, I would welcome your assistance and encouragement for Matilda."
The main foyer of the Castle of Friendship looked amazing! With Faerie Tail and Thorax's direction, everything had come together. Any minute now the ceremony would start and the wedding guests were all murmuring amongst themselves, Sombra stopped an argument between the Sisters about the gift they had brought for the wedding by showing he'd made to sure to bring it after Luna left it on the counter, Cadance was trying to cam Shining Armor as the occasion was getting to him, which Cadance explained to Hayseed Turnip that Shining often cried at weddings, and Ditzy was proudly looking upon the "flowers" she'd prepared for the wedding to make up for her blunder with the invitations, Lyra and Bon Bon were having some kind of tense moment that quickly passed and they shared a BFF hug, and Dr. Time Turner Whooves was feeling under-dressed, having had to resort to a scarf instead of his suit that he'd forgotten to get back from the ponies he'd bowled for at the bowling alley the other day. His wife and daughter both assured him he looked like a million bits. The Harmonic Twelve were all seat as well, Pinkie and Cheese smiling so happily for Cranky and Matilda, Rarity promising them the bride was going to be a absolutely lovely, Twilight and Midnight were sharing a moment of their own, glad to have Cranky and Matilda's wedding in their castle and both were thinking perhaps their own wedding wasn't that far off in the future.
And Cranky was so awed by how everything and everyone had come together to make this day possible that he almost forgot how nervous he was feeling until his Best Beast, Stephen Magnet, pushed him forward, saying "Now get in there and marry that donkey!"
Octavia and her friend and roommate, Vinyl Scratch, played a very interesting blend of their favorite genres of music to produce such a unique melody of 'Here comes the Bride' as Mayor Mare took her place, Cranky standing where he needed to be, and then all eyes turned down the wedding aisle as the doors opened to reveal Matilda, and Rarity had been right about what a sight she was!
Her hair was styled into intricate curls with strands of pearl holding it all together, her trailing gown was decorated with white velvet butterflies and shimmered like mother-of-pearl in an abalone shell, and with every step she took down the aisle Cranky could gain an increasingly clearer view of the love of his life through her wedding veil. In that moment, Cranky felt all doubts and hesitation fall away, leaving only a heartwarming conviction.
This had always been his quest. From that moment so long ago when he'd decided to search Equestria for the donkey he loved (missing her note), only to lose sight of it after years of fruitless searching and then in a strange turn of events he found her in the very place he'd meant to live the rest of his life alone! And then Midnight gave him and Matilda a second chance to grow old together, and despite a few more shaky steps along the way here in this moment his beloved was taking those steps to join him at the altar.
Once the bride stood before the groom, Cranky looked to Mayor Mare who nodded, and he reached up to lift the veil. What he saw looking back at him was a sight so beautiful it made up for all the donkey had been through ten times over. He resisted the urge to kiss here then and there as Mayor Mare began.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of Faust to join these two in holy matrimony. As I look around this room I can only imagine at how... uncomfortable Cranky must be" - Having noticed Cranky kept pulling at the collar of his suit, Mayor Mare resorted to a little humor to lighten things up a bit before she resumed - "But I also see so many individuals, not only ponies, from all trots of life brought together by love. Cranky searched practically all four corners of this great nation of ours to find Matilda. And no matter what obstacles kept them apart, love would finally bring them together just as it has brought all of us together now.
"It's remarkable to me how a story like Cranky's search for Matilda could fill this foyer with such a unique collection of beings! It makes you realize that everyone is the star of their own story, and how everyone has a role, minor or significant, in the stories of others that finds a way to enrich each other's stories with the experiences they share, whether the parts they play be big or small.
"Were it not for everyone in this castle and many more who could not be here today, Cranky and Matilda's lives would not be as full nor vibrant as they are. And so, in front of all of these loved ones, Cranky, do you take this donkey to be your lawfully wedded wife?"
"You bet I do," replied Cranky with a soft yet warm smile.
"And do you, Matilda, take this donkey to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
Tearing up but keeping it together, Matilda smiled as she happily said, "I do!"
"Then I am proud to say, I announce you jack and jenny!" Mayor Mare declared, "You may kiss the bride."
The moment the two donkeys' lips met with deepest joy, everyony in the room rose up in cheer and happiness for the newlyweds so excitably that nopony (except for Dr. Whooves) noticed the "flowers" Ditzy had prepared for the ceremony were lighting up brighter and brighter until the zoomed upwards in exquisite explosions of light and color!
"AH-HAHAHA!! OF COURSE! THEY NEED LOVE TO IGNITE! HOW COULD I HAVE MISSED IT?!?!"
The surprise fireworks didn't really phase the newlyweds but they looked on without a doubt that they would remember this moment long after they'd grown old. Again. Together.