//------------------------------// // Simplicity // Story: A Simple Marriage // by Tavi n Scratch //------------------------------// The bells of the Canterlot chapel ring with a sweet tune. Vosare was somewhere else, getting herself ready for her big day, our big day. A wedding, the perfect setting for something to go wrong. At least that is what I used to think, but now I hope only for it all to go smoothly. I really wish I could go see her now, but she’s extremely superstitious. Apparently it is bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the ceremony. Certainly wouldn’t want any of that. I can only think of four characters from all of my novels who ever got married, three of them died, how ironic. My friend stood behind me. “There’s no going back after this.” I’ve made my decision. Although what he said was true, today felt more like a beginning than an ending. From this day forth I will be spending the rest of my life with the most beautiful mare there is. Somepony walks in and tells me the ceremony will be starting soon. I feel my heart race as I finish the last of my preparations. Even after all the time we’ve been together, she still manages to set my heart aflutter. Although I’m often bold and loud mouthed, in both speech and writing, around her I find myself to be soft spoken and timid. I take my place in front of the pulpit, anxiously waiting for it all to begin. Anticipation is not really something that I’m used to, thinking back on it I’ve had a lifestyle of mostly instant satisfaction. I’ve never really had to wait for anything, but this time, the wait was worth it. The organ begins to play, signifying her arrival. The doors open to reveal the most magnificent pony in all of Equestria. She is wearing a stunning gown designed by my friend Rarity specifically for her. I would have thought it impossible to make her any more beautiful, but there she is, more fantastic than ever. My mind ran through a list of every adjective in my writer’s vocabulary, but none of them could do her justice. A beauty too astonishing to describe with mere words. She strides down the aisle, the grace of an angel. It’s still impossible to believe she is mine. Our eyes meet and she gives me a bright smile that instantly fills my stomach with butterflies. I am the luckiest stallion in the world, I have no idea what I could have done to deserve this. Happiness, something I thought was fake, a myth, but that was before I met her. Perspective is a powerful thing. I am now standing directly across from her. I’m stuck in the mindset where I still can’t comprehend this as fact, I will soon be married, and I will be with her forever. Whenever she looked at me with that smile, I just melted. That unsure, loveable grin left me, a writer of many words, speechless. I say my vows with all of the sincerity that I can muster. I will cherish her, now and forever. And I will love her, til death do we part. Death. A concept that never really caused me to wonder about my time here, like it does for most ponies. I see it simply as a barrier, an event that occurs between this life and the next, just like birth separates our past life and this one. I find myself strangely surprised when she speaks “I do” as if I though for some reason she would say no. As if, even after all that we’ve been through together, she still might say no. I’ve never experienced self doubt, well before I met her that is. I was always confident, taking pride in my work, fearing nopony. Yet she could reduce me to a puddle of shaky knees and incoherent babble. “You may now kiss the bride.” She looks up at me, a shy twinkle in her eyes that somehow managed to make her look even more beautiful. Those stereotypical words. I always tried to avoid cliches, they tend to weaken the writing. However, sometimes, if well placed, they can create a genuine emotion. We kiss, and the world around us melts. All that is important is her, and now she is mine. Nothing could possibly make me happier. Scope can change emotion. From one ponies perspective you can see love, or from another’s you can see hatred, jealousy, or even indifference. But, if you back up and see the entire scene then you get facts. Somepony on the street could hear the bells and think, “Oh, just another wedding.” Where I think, “Today is the best day of my life, I can be with Vosare for the rest of eternity.” And if you look at it all then you see two ponies in love, making a choice and a commitment. She begins to giggle and breaks off for just a second, “I love you.” The words make my heart skip, and I kiss her once more. Even after countless times, I still feel fireworks go off every time our lips meet. There’s another cliche for you, fireworks. But no matter how cheesy it sounds, its the only description that I’ve been able come up with that can even remotely explain the feeling. We run out of the chapel, my wing draped over her. Ponies cheer and throw rice and flowers. Your typical wedding fare. Only one of my novels ever had a happy ending. It seems the popular crowd prefers a sob story to a happy one. I don’t get why though, now that I have my own happy ending I wouldn’t want it any other way. We climb into a carriage, our destination is somewhere off in the countryside. Our plans simply include a calm, romantic, candlelit dinner, just the two of us in a little cottage, far away from any cities or towns. A quiet place in the countryside. And then we’ll enjoy a night of being newlyweds. Vosare is quite a simple mare. I had the money to take her anywhere she could ever dream of, but she simply wanted somewhere where it could be just the two of us. It’s just one of the countless reasons I love her. As we rode towards our destination, she fell asleep on my shoulder. She must’ve been exhausted from preparing for the wedding. I gently place my wing over her, careful not to wake her. I held my new wife close to me. I will be spending the rest of my time with this pony. And in all honesty, I couldn’t be more delighted.