//------------------------------// // Preparations // Story: Wedding Of The Millennium // by Eddy13 //------------------------------// Wedding of the Millennium Ch.3 Written By: Eddy13 Proof Read By: FlutterDash7 & Frostfur Edited By: MysteryMare “Wait, let me get this straight.” Spike said in a confused, monotone voice “Princess Celestia and Discord are getting married?” Upon returning to her palace to begin her studying of how a wedding ceremony is carried out, Twilight had informed her assistant of the big event that was taking place in one week. Needless to say, Spike was as shocked at the news as Twilight was when she first heard it. “I know it’s surprising,” Twilight pulled books off shelves telekinetically and looked through them for anything that could help her “but Princess Celestia really seems to love him, and Discord seems to have truly embraced the meanings of friendship and love. So… Well, I guess that’s it.” Twilight and Spike were currently standing in one of the wings of their castle. It turned out that while exploring the palace, the alicorn princess discovered that there was an entire library room in her new home. It was filled with every book that was in her old home, along with many more. She spent over two nights awake counting them just to make sure. Twilight had been quite happy to find such a room in her new castle. She had been worried about how she’d replace all the books she lost when Tirek destroyed Golden Oaks Library. Yet she hadn’t quite anticipated the Tree of Harmony’s power to do this for her. And she wasn’t complaining, though. “Still,” Spike commented as he watched Twilight continue her studies, “I never would've expected Princess Celestia and Discord to end up together. I mean, that seems like the most unlikely match anypony can think of! Like Fluttershy and… and Angel!” “You, of all creatures, should know that love comes in all forms, Spike,” Twilight replied, clearly referring to Spike’s longtime crush on Rarity. As Spike blushed in embarrassment, clearly trying to think of a clever comeback, Twilight came upon the very book she needed. “Ah, here we go. ‘Everything You Wanted To Know About Performing Marriage Ceremonies But Were Afraid To Ask: A Conveniently Specific Guide.’ This should help.” After getting over his blush and figuring out something to say, Spike replied, “I still can’t get over that Celestia asked you to preside over the ceremony.” “Well," Twilight said nervously "I admit that this is a big responsibility, but Princess Celestia seems to think I’m up for the job, and I can’t let her down. Not on this day!” With that, she began pacing around the room as she held the guide book telekinetically. But her attention was soon distracted when she heard the fluttering of wings coming into the room. “Hey, Owlowiscious.” Twilight spoke to the owl as he landed on the perch. “Enjoying the new home?” “Who,” was all the owl said. Smiling at her pet, Twilight went back to her studies. It seemed simple enough, Twilight reading through half of the book in mere minutes. Once she was convinced she had the basics down, Twilight decided to take a break and focus on something else. The lavender mare set aside her studies before pulling a certain book off the shelf. “Now what are you studying?” Spike asked in bewilderment, sitting in one of the various reading chairs that had come with the castle. “Just preparing my own little wedding present for the happy couple.” Twilight replied mysteriously, her eyes never leaving the book. Spike would’ve asked Twilight what she meant by that, but the look in her eyes told him that she wanted to keep this a secret. Instead, he watched as she searched through the book she had selected before coming to a certain page. The purple dragon heard her mutter something about remembering a spell and hoping it would work. Realizing it was best to drop what he wanted to ask, Spike made the decision to change the topic. “So, uh, what do you want me to do?” “Well, at the moment, I’m busy with these books, so I really don’t have anything for you to do.” Twilight then turned away from her book for a moment, glancing up at Spike to make sure everything was alright. Seeing her assistant begin to bow his head in disappointment, Twilight tried to think of a way he could be helpful. Just then, an idea came to her head that would not only give him something to help with, but also make him happy. “If you want, you can go check on Rarity,” The princess stated. “She’s got one of the biggest jobs for the wedding and she could probably use some assistance. Some assistance from… hmm, I don’t know, a young purple dragon perhaps?” Upon hearing the name of the beautiful unicorn, Spike instantly grew a smile on his face as his eyes went wide. “Go check in on Rarity?” he asked excitedly. “Sure, I’d love to! In fact, I’ll go right now. I’ll be back in a few hours!” And with that, he dashed out of the room and was gone, leaving Twilight to laugh and shake her head before going back to work. At the same time, Rainbow Dash was helping Fluttershy practice for her duties as Best Mare. “Now, it’s very simple.” Rainbow was saying. “All you gotta do is help the guests find their seats when they arrive. Then you just stand beside the groom during the ceremony. Think you can handle that?” “Uh, I think so. But, um, just one question. How do you know all of this?” Fluttershy replied nervously. “Ahem, I went to Cadence and Shining Armor’s wedding! What, did you think I dozed off? C’mon, I’m not like that!” Dash then said with a smirk, “Ok, now that that’s done, you said you’re good? Good, then let’s practice. Let’s hear how you are at directing ponies to their seats.” Gulping, Fluttershy took a deep breath before speaking “H-Hello, there. P-P-Please take your seat s-so that we may b-begin the ceremony.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “You need to sound more confident. What are you so nervous about anyway?” “I’m sorry,” Fluttershy whimpered. “It’s just that, the idea of giving directions scares me.” Having spent so many years with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash knew to handle this gently. “Alright, we’ll work on that later,” she said “We’ll move on to your task of standing by the groom. Show me how you’d stand.” Sighing with relief, Fluttershy stood as tall as she could. It only lasted for a few moments before her legs buckled and she collapsed to the floor. “I’m so sorry, Rainbow!” she cried. “This is a new experience for me.” “What are you talking about?” Rainbow asked. “You’ve been at a wedding before. Remember Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding? The wedding I just mentioned?” “That was different.” Fluttershy admitted, “I was in the back where no one could see me while I was directing my choir. This time, I’ll be up in the front on the altar, in front of hundreds of ponies.” Rainbow was about to reply when Fluttershy’s eyes went wide. “Ooh, I almost forgot. Talking about the choir made me realize that I haven’t talked to the birds or Angel yet about the upcoming ceremony.” With that, she quickly whistled, summoning her song birds to her. “Angel Bunny,” she called out, “Can you come here for a moment?” In a flash, the rabbit bounced into the room, a half eaten carrot in his mouth. “Alright, I’ve got good news, everyone.” Fluttershy spoke to the group of animals, “We’re planning for another wedding!” The birds squawked happily while Angel merely finished off his carrot. “Now then, since I’ll be busy as Discord’s Best Mare, you all will have to listen to Angel. I want you to give him your full cooperation,” Fluttershy continued. The birds tweeted and chirped, telling Fluttershy that they would. Smiling, the Pegasus turned to her rabbit. “Can you lead them alright, Angel?” she asked. The little white rabbit nodded before producing a maestro’s wand and turning to the birds. As she watched Fluttershy oversee her rabbit conducting, Dash couldn’t help but marvel at the way Fluttershy handled her animals, not to mention the way her feathers seem to sparkle in the light… Rainbow Dash shook her head. What was with her all of a sudden? She was feeling really weird whenever she was around Fluttershy, not to mention whenever she was in contact with her. She managed to shake off whatever it was just in time to see a satisfied Fluttershy walking back over to her with a smile on her face before sprouting a smirk of her own. “Don’t have experience leading others, huh?” she asked smugly. “What about that, there? In fact, I’ve seen you commanding animals lots of times.” “Yes, but that’s different.” Fluttershy said. “Animals are a lot more polite than most ponies.” “So, then just be your nice, friendly self and they won’t have a reason to be rude.” Rainbow replied. “And as for you being nervous about being in front of all those ponies, don’t worry about it. They won’t even be staring at you. They’ll be focusing on the bride and the groom. Don’t worry, you’ll be great.” “Well, i-if you say so,” Fluttershy responded before bringing up another subject. “Are you sure you shouldn’t be practicing your sonic rainboom for the wedding?” she asked nervously. “Remember how many times you had to practice it for the Young Fliers Competition?” “Fluttershy, relax. That was in the past.” Rainbow Dash said dismissively. “Since then, I’ve done it so many times I know how to do it easily. Besides, helping you comes first.” “Are you sure, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked. “I’d hate for you to get in trouble.” Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself. It was so like Fluttershy to think about others before herself. That was just one of the things Dash liked about her. One of qualities that made Fluttershy a wonderful friend. One of the reasons she was so amazing… Rainbow Dash shook her head again. There she went again. She had to stop thinking like that. Fluttershy was her friend. Always had been, always would. And nothing was going to change that, especially whatever it was she was feeling. “Rainbow Dash?” “Huh?” the cyan pony was snapped out of her thoughts by a concerned voice. “You just stopped and stared.” Fluttershy spoke in a relieved manner. “I didn’t know what was wrong for a moment.” “Oh, I’m okay.” Dash said to settle her friend down. “I was just thinking about something unimportant. Anyway, you don’t need to worry about my sonic rainboom. It’ll be perfect for the wedding. I promise.” “Well, okay, Rainbow.” Fluttershy was convinced. “If you say so.” “I do say so.” Rainbow Dash replied with a smile, even if it was forced, all the while thinking “I just wish I could say the truth about you”, before shaking her head again. “But enough about me. We gotta get you prepared, Best Mare.” Over at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was in the kitchen, feverishly working on the feast for the reception. After finishing explaining everything to her family, she was both relieved and pleased that they agreed to help out for the wedding. As Granny Smith put it, ‘They’d be pleased as punch to help out the princess’s wedding, even if it is to that ol’ rascal, Discord.’ “It’s been a while since Sweetie, Scoots, and I were flower girls.” Apple Bloom commented as she watched her big sister work. “I think I’ll go tell them the news!” “You do that, Sugar,” Applejack replied as her little sister went out the door. “I’m sure you and your little friends will be great.” She then called out to outside the room, “Hey, Big Mac, we still got plenty of apples from last week’s harvest?” “Eeyup.” “Good.” Applejack put on a satisfied smile as she trotted over to the pantry. “I think I’ll make some apple turnovers for the reception.” Looking through the pantry, Applejack selected the best looking apples and took them to the counter. After washing them, she then proceeded to peel them for slicing. That out of the way, she then took out a small chopping knife to cut the apples into small pieces. Once she was finished, she set the sliced apples aside while she made the batter for the turnovers. “Ooh, dawgie,” Granny Smith said as she watched her granddaughter mix flour, milk, and eggs together. “I never been to one of those new fangled weddings before. I wonder what I should wear to watch the princess get hitched!” “No need to worry yourself sick, Granny,” Applejack said as she added more ingredients to the batter. “You’ll look fine just the way you are. Princess Celestia doesn’t really care how her subjects dress.” “Well, that’s good to know,” Granny Smith said as she sighed with relief. “For a moment there, I thought I’d have to buy a new fangled outfit. Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta help Big Mac if we’re going to have a big enough feast for the reception ready.” With that, Granny Smith left the kitchen. Smirking, Applejack went back to work while thinking to herself I wonder how the others are doing… “Okay,” Pinkie Pie was saying at that very moment as she perused her decorations closet. “What would be the best color streamers? Perhaps colors representing the bride and groom? But what kind? I know Celestia’s white and Discord is her opposite, but black and white would be dull.” She pondered this problem for a few moments before an idea struck her. “Ooh, I know! I’ll use one of every color to represent Celestia’s multicolor mane and Discord’s mixed up body. Glad that’s settled. As for the balloons, I think I’ll go with pink and white. They are such romantic colors.” Her eyes then narrowed. “Now, for the most important part.” she said with utmost seriousness. “What would be the best music?” Walking over to her extensive collection of party music records, Pinkie began going through them, trying to find the perfect songs to play at the reception. “I don’t want to reuse the same songs at Shining Armor and Cadence’s wedding. This has to be Celestia and Discord’s reception all its own. I guess the first place to start is the song that plays during their first dance as husband and wife. But what would be best?” “I believe that decision should be best left up to the one getting married,” Came a voice from behind Pinkie. Whirling around, the pink pony saw none other than Discord standing behind her. “Well, if it isn’t the lucky-ducky draconequus himself!” Pinkie said cheerfully. “What brings you here?” “Just thought I’d check in to see how the reception host was doing and while I was at it, thought I’d help pick out the song I would dance to with Celestia.” “Well, how about this one?” Pinkie pulled a record out to show Discord. “Hmm,” The spirit of chaos pondered before shaking his head. “Nah, that doesn’t suit my tastes.” He then looked through the records before pointing at one. “How about that one?” “I don’t think so.” Pinkie replied. “That’s Shining Armor and Cadence’s song. I wouldn’t feel comfortable letting somepony else having it.” “Fair point,” Discord agreed before continuing to search before a certain record caught his eye. “Ooh, this one looks nice.” “Tale As Old As Time?” Pinkie asked before thinking it over. “Yeah, you know, that’s perfect. The lyrics even fit you and Celestia. Well, the main song is taken care of. How about helping me find some more?” “I’d be honored,” Discord replied with a bow. For the next half hour, Pinkie and Discord went through song after song, selecting and rejecting certain titles. “Well,” Pinkie eventually said. “I think that covers the music. Now to get back to decorations.” “Well, you do that,” Discord replied. “Since it seems my work is done here, I think I’ll check on the others. Take care!” And with that, he vanished, leaving Pinkie to continue her preparations while he secretly made one of her balloons into a talking banana. “‘Sup, Pie?” “I’m so glad Princess Celestia gave me her measurements!” Rarity said over at Carousel Boutique. “It saves me the trouble of guesswork. Now, let’s see if I have everything I need.” Rarity looked over the area around her. She has chosen her best white fabrics, gotten out a special Princess sized-mannequin, and her sewing kit was right by her side. “Well, it seems everything is here,” Rarity said out loud, “Looks like I’m ready to begin.” First she placed a good portion of fabric on the mannequin’s back. Then she carefully selected another type of fabric and placed it on top of the first piece. She looked over the setup for a good minute before shaking her head. “No, no. This simply won’t do,” she said before removing the second piece of fabric. “I must say, this would be much easier for me to accomplish if I had a little help.” Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door. Using her magic to set down her sewing supplies, Rarity trotted over to the door and opened it, revealing it to be none other than Spike. “Hello, Rarity.” The purple dragon proceeding to bow. “Why hello there, Spike,” Rarity replied cheerfully. “What brings you here? Shouldn’t you be helping Twilight?” “Twilight said she has things covered and suggested that I come help you with your contribution to the wedding,” Spike explained. “Well, that’s very thoughtful of you, Spike,” Rarity said as she moved aside to let the dragon pass. “I could certainly use some help. Do come in.” Spike followed Rarity into the shop and up to her work area where the unicorn was still troubled as to how to begin the wedding dress, at least until inspiration struck her. “Spike, could you be a dear and fetch me a roll of frills?” she asked politely. Wanting to do anything to please his crush, Spike quickly ran off to the back room and came back with a bundle of frills in record time. “Here you are, Milady,” he curtly commented. “Thank you kindly, Spike,” Rarity replied sweetly as she telekinetically took the roll. The unicorn then carefully threaded her needle before proceeding to sew the frills along the bottom of the fabric. “Oh, yes, this works magnificently!” she cried as she worked. “When I’m done with this gown, Princess Celestia will be more alluring than ever!” “Anything else I can help with?” Spike asked eagerly. “As a matter of fact, yes!” Rarity replied as she worked. “Be a dear and send out an order for silk. Make sure they know what it’s for. When they hear of the occasion, they’ll send it as soon as possible.” “I’ll get right on it!” Spike saluted before producing a parchment and quill. “Things seem to be going smoothly so far.” “Indeed, Spike,” Rarity agreed. “I’m quite confident that this… “Will be…” Rainbow Dash assured Fluttershy. “The…” Applejack said as she popped her turnovers into the oven. “Best…” Pinkie Pie cried as she inflated balloons. “Wedding…” Twilight smiled as she looked through her books. “EVER!”