//------------------------------//
// Epilogue and Author's Notes 
// Story: Where They Are Joined 
// by Cloudy Skies 
//------------------------------//

	The doors to the Apple family barn stood ajar. It was just a crack, but enough that bright light, hot air, delicious scents and upbeat music all drifted out from inside, banishing much of the winter cold. That the Apple family get-together had been merged with the delayed wedding reception hadn’t put a damper on anypony’s spirits, that was for certain; the cheer and the sheer energy was palpable. So many ponies all in one room, just to celebrate the two of them.

She’d been a little apprehensive of this moment when they sat down to write the invitations. She’d felt uneasy about it when things started to go askew. When she realized much of what she’d said and done could be called untruthful, tantamount to lies, she’d dreaded it.

Now, Applejack felt ready.

It was easy to imagine Fluttershy felt something of the same. The notoriously shy pegasus usually considered anything more than two ponies a crowd, but for the moment, she stood at Applejack’s side smiling contentedly as the pair waited. Separate, they had their reasons for fearing this. Together, they were indomitable.

“I wonder what is taking them so long,” Fluttershy said, scanning the skies.

“You cold? I can head right over to the farmhouse and get you a scarf. I ain't surprised Rarity's late, but no idea what's keeping the rest.”

“Oh, not at all. If you’re cold, I’m sure we could just head inside. I don’t think it matters that much.”

Applejack grinned and shook her head. “I ain’t usually much for tradition, but the exception’s when it’s Apple family tradition. Guests of honor arrive last. Gives the others a chance to get a head start on the cider so we won’t look as silly as they do or something.”

“I, um, that’s lovely, I think?” Fluttershy said, giggling. “Oh, I think I see—”

It was about as far as she got in the time between Applejack and Fluttershy noticing the ponies on approach, and a pink and blue blur not so much landing as it impacted by the door. When the snow settled—a depressing majority of it on Applejack’s body—Pinkie Pie hopped off Rainbow Dash’s back.

While Rainbow Dash was busy catching her breath, the pink pony beamed. She didn’t merely look happy, nor did she simply put on the bright smiles of Pinkie Pie’s that made the world a better place. The earth mare practically glowed, and Applejack half feared the snow would all melt and flood Ponyville.

“Hi ‘Shy! Hi Applejack!” Pinkie said, bouncing up and down so fast she was almost a blur. “Sorry we’re late but we had to do something, or, well, we always do something, but this was a super special something!”

“Hey you two.” Applejack squinted. There was something shiny dangling from one of Pinkie’s ears, but with her frantic movement it was hard to make out exactly what. At her side, Fluttershy gasped and covered her muzzle.

“Is that—”

Sure enough, from one of Pinkie Pie’s ears dangled an ornate cloud earring, complete with tri-colored lightning bolt. Applejack’s eyes widened just as Fluttershy wrapped a wing around her back and pulled her close.

“You’re gettin’ hitched? You ain’t supposed to wear’em right off the bat. Kind of ruins the point,” she said, trying to keep the laughter back. She knew she was grinning like an idiot despite it all, and Pinkie Pie grinned right back.

“Yeah, well, waiting sucks,” Dash said, finally finding her breath and stepping up to Pinkie Pie’s side. “And if people don’t like it, they can go suck a lemon.” She flicked her tail.

“Plus, they’re super shiny! Now we get cake, too, and I can’t wait to tell your mom! She’s gonna be a grandmother!” Pinkie squealed.

“What?” Dash all but screamed—or at least, she tried, but Pinkie grabbed her in a crushing hug that bore her to the ground in a cascade of feathers and snow.

“Oh don’t think that I haven’t noticed that tummy of yours, Dashie, or the way you keep craving sweets,” Pinkie said, nuzzling Dash’s belly. In response, the pegasus went beet red and slack-jawed at the same time.

“We live in a bakery,” she said, squirming to try to get free. “A bake—wait, what? I haven’t put on any weight, have I?”

Fluttershy leaned against Applejack and smiled as she calmly picked up the conversational reins again. “I don’t think we can really complain about what ponies should and shouldn’t do with their weddings, anyway,” she said, though it was hard to tell exactly who she addressed.

“Right you are about that, sugar,” Applejack said, scratching at her own snout before leaning over the two-pony pile before her. “Anyway. Finally wore her down, Pinkie?”

Pinkie squeaked, dragged down into the snow just as she was about to reply. A moment later, Dash stood up and brushed herself off. Now, for the first time, Applejack could clearly see the matching balloon-trio earring in her ear. When she saw her looking, Dash tilted the ear forwards, either with pride or in challenge.

“Hey, I said we could just get another pet alligator or whatever, but if this is what she wants,” she said. Pinkie popped up beneath her, neatly interrupting her by lifting Dash up on her back and twisting her head around to look at the pegasus from beneath.

“Oh totally! But you were the one who asked—”

“Anyway! Sorry about being late and all. We should probably head on inside, huh? Let’s go, Pinks!”

Dash hopped off Pinkie Pie and sailed over to the door, nudging it open, only to pause when she realized Pinkie wasn’t following.

“Are you embarrassed?” Pinkie asked. A deliciously simple question. Dash did not so much as bat an eyelid.

“No. I just think this sappy stuff is silly. Come on.”

Pinkie Pie planted her tush on the ground and crossed her forelegs. Applejack took a single demonstrative step back, for a second fearing that she’d have to bear witness to some sort of terrible argument or some such. Fluttershy bit her lower lip.

Rainbow Dash sighed, splayed her ears and half spread her wings.

“Come on, snugglebutt?” she said, looking very much like she wanted to be anywhere else doing anything else.

“Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie Pie said, up and bouncing past them, the couple disappearing inside. Applejack stared through the gap, her eyes lingering until she found Big Macintosh on the other side. The stoic stallion nodded at her and gave the door a tug ‘lest the winter chill ruin the party, and they left it at that.

“Makes you wonder,” Applejack said, once more letting her eyes wander. She was sure she could spot two shapes moving further down the road, approaching at a leisurely walk.

“Sorry?” Fluttershy tilted her head.

“Oh, it’s just that, well, I like to think I’m a fairly dependable and reliable pony, most of the time.” Applejack hummed and leaned down to rub her forehead. “Don't mean to boast and I won’t say I'm quiet, but I don’t make a fuss ‘lest there’s a reason.”

“I think almost everypony would agree to that,” Fluttershy said, brow knit for a second before she offered a smile, rubbing her cheek against Applejack’s neck. The farm pony closed her eyes and leaned back, grinning still.

“And if you don’t mind me saying, and I mean this in the best possible way, you might just be the sweetest and most gentle pony in all of Equestria,” Applejack said, throwing a foreleg around her mare’s withers.

“I—I don’t know about that, but that’s very nice of you. Um, but why?”

“If the two of us managed to make a bigger mess this whole wedding business than a dozen pegasi in a kitchen, it makes you wonder what Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash’ll cook up, s’all.”

Fluttershy laughed. It wasn’t anything that could be covered up as a giggle, but a full laugh that echoed Applejack’s own for a good few seconds before she reached up to cover her mouth—only to set to laughing again.

“Oh goodness, you shouldn’t say such things,” Fluttershy said, prodding her in the side, but she smiled still. “I can’t wait to be there, no matter what they decide.”

“Me too, sugarcube, of course.” Applejack chuckled. No sooner had she spoken than did the distant sounds of conversation betray the identities of the two ponies wandering up the well-trodden snowy path to Sweet Apple Acres.

“I understand that you, ah, tried your best.” Rarity’s voice drifted over the farmyard.

“I’m glad you noticed! I’ve seen all the things you can do with makeup, and I thought I’d try my hoof at it,” Twilight said.

“Ah. Yes.” Rarity cleared her throat. The two unicorns finally strode into view, and when Applejack saw what they were discussing, her face ached from the effort of not laughing, grinning or even smiling.

Rarity nodded at Applejack and Fluttershy in passing, flashing a brief smile. “My point is—hullo, dears—that sometimes, less is more.”

“That’s a common—or, well, no, that’s actually a very uncommon mathematical misconception,” Twilight said, tilting her head. “I applied every single technique related to makeup that I could find.”

“Precisely,” Rarity sighed, one of the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a lopsided smile as she regarded the rather catastrophically colorful and messy landscape that was Twilight’s face. Testament to what the two had fostered ever since the wedding, her face barely twitched at all.

“I’m flattered, but do let me take you to the restroom and give you a few pointers before we join the party in full,” Rarity said as the two brushed past. The sounds of song and music were louder by far with the barn door open again.

Applejack snickered. “If that ain’t love, I don’t know what is.”

“I think it’s sweet!” Fluttershy said, folding her wings. For a second, the party washed over them from the other side of the threshold, and neither of them spoke, but there was really rather little to detain them, now.

“Are you scared?”

Applejack had expected they were words she herself would speak, but they belonged to Fluttershy. The earth mare simply shook her head and nudged her hat back on her head.

“Nah. We’ve had our moment, haven’t we? If they want to celebrate us, I say we let them, but I’ve got what I wanted.” She leaned over to nuzzle one of Fluttershy’s ears, careful not to touch the delicate earring.

Fluttershy closed her eyes for a moment and twitched her ears, the tip of one of her wings running along Applejack’s back before she nodded and set them moving.

“Me too.”





And they lived happily ever after, consarn it. Damn, I've waited a long time to say that.

Hi. First, I want to say thank you for reading. Thank you both for reading Where They Are Joined, and also again for taking the time to read these author's notes. Well, unless this is the last sentence you bother reading because you just caught on to the fact that the story is over. That leaves you with one out of two thanks, you silly person. Before I thank other special ponies and talk about stuff, let me talk about this continuity:

If this is the first story you've read in this continuity, and if you're at all curious, this is the third story in a very loose series starting with Where Earth Meets Sky. WEMS is also an AppleShy story, loosely followed by Where Your Heart Is (which is PinkieDash). I've taken care to make each story stand on its own four legs, but they do reference each other and such. Feel free to check them out if you need more AppleShy or PinkieDash in your life.

This particular story, though, would not have existed if not for three specific people. Granted, there are probably a lot of other people whose existence was required for this fic to be; I don't think I'd have been in a position to write this if not for Mr. Tesla, or grandfather Google (gdocs is crack, help).

Point is: Thank you. Thank you, Kits, Corma and TAW. Without these three titans, these three literary juggernauts, I would be in a ditch somewhere around the first few paragraphs covered in vanilla sauce, crying and singing bawdy songs for which I do not have the voice. These guys're the best at pointing out what works and what doesn't, at catching the stupids, and pointing out when I incorrectly use the word "daub" instead of "dab" as I have for the past two fics. As a bonus, Kits is an artist, and has provided cover art for every single damn one of these three fics. Kits, you're a champ. Go check his DeviantArt out.

Finally? Well, this is "the end". The WEMS-continuity has seen three (and a half) fics, and ever since I finished the first fic, I knew I wanted to write a pony wedding. At times, it's been an almost uncomfortable urge to "finish" things and give the ponies the conclusion I wanted, and at other times, I've been giddy with the anticipation of writing some of these scenes. WTAJ was a treat to write, laden with so many confrontations as it was.

As always, please leave a comment if you'd like to tell me something you liked-or-didn't. I answer every single mail I get at cloudyskieswrites@gmail.com , too. It's always helpful to know what people thought. If I learn of something you thought worked, that's useful information for my next fics. If I'm told of something you didn't like, and why, I can consider whether that's something I need to watch out for next time I write.

Again, thank you for reading. Onwards!