How Yer Folks Got Together

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

A Wondrous Wedding

The picnic had been set up and the three of them sat on the spread out blanket. Little Green took a bite of her sandwich as her parents finished their most recent story. She considered what she was told as she chewed, questions starting to form in her mind.

"Whuh duh--"

"Greenie!" Applejack snapped. "What did I tell you about talkin' with your mouth full?"

The filly's ears pulled back as she gave an apologetic look to her mother. Chewing a little more, she finally swallowed before trying to talk again.

"Why did you say you were scared though, Mama?" she asked.

Applejack shifted, looking at the intertwined trees.

"As I said, my folks knew each other since they were foals. And I may not be as big into them cheesy romance novels as Rarity, but I have read some, and had heard the fairy tales growin' up like most ponies." She turned toward her husband. "I love your Pa, and I did then too." She then turned to look at Little Green once more. "But I had always imagined that the pony I was gonna be with the rest of my life would be one that I fell in love with almost instantly."

Getting up, Applejack moved over to her daughter, placing a hoof on her side.

"If I had waited for that, not only would I have missed out on being with him, but we never woulda' had you either."

A small smile pulled at Little Green's lips as she leaned into her mother. As she did, a new question came to mind.

"So, if your folks got married here, why didn't you and Papa do the same?" she asked.

That got a snort of laughter from Soarin, which got an eye roll from Applejack.

"If it had been up to her, we would have," Soarin explained. "Just a small group, including immediate family and close friends on both sides."

"Why didn't you?"

"You've seen the wedding photos," Applejack said. "Two 'celebrities' of Equestria -- a Wonderbolt and Element bearer -- gettin' married? The press alone would have been too much for this place."

"Don't forget Rarity," Soarin pointed out.

"Like I could ever forget," Applejack huffed, rolling her eyes. "Still, it worked out for the better. Not only did I not have to worry about a bunch of strange ponies wandering around the farm, but we were able to have a lot more ponies show up, including more of the Apple clan and the princesses."

"Can you tell me about the wedding?" Little Green asked.

The parents shared a glance with each other.

"Well, there ain't much more to tell," Applejack said. "The wedding went pretty much how it was supposed to that day."

"Which I hear is actually pretty rare for wedding around here," Soarin teased with a smirk. As Applejack turned to glare at him, his smirk grew wider and wings flicked at his side. However, considering some of the past wedding she had been to, she could not really argue.

Instead, she turned back to Little Green.

"Anyway," Applejack continued. "The day of the wedding..."

*****

It was a cool autumn day in Ponyville, with clear skies above and a gentle breeze blowing through the town. A large crowd was gathered outside of Town Hall: possibly the largest crowd the town had ever seen. On one side of a red carpet was a large group of mostly earth ponies with marks of apples, the occasional other fruit, and a few baked goods. On the other side was a group consisting primarily of pegasi, with most of them wearing military dress uniforms. Near the back and on both sides were ponies of every type with cameras, notepads, and audio recorders, with tags marking them as press from Canterlot, Cloudsdale, and even as far as Appleloosa and -- surprisingly to some -- Manehattan.

Not far from the waiting crowds was a small tent where Applejack was getting ready. Last minute touches were being applied to her make-up. Although not by her choice.

"Just a hold still a moment longer, darling," Rarity said as she worked the mascara brush with her magic. "We're almost done." She let out a sigh. "Just think of how perfect you will look going down the aisle."

Applejack rolled her eyes as best she could while holding still. She did not want to risk the wrath of Rarity this close to the wedding. As great as the unicorn was at being The Maid of Honor, and as helpful she had been with the wedding preparations, there were also times where she could be downright terrifying.

"There we go," Rarity said as she pulled the mascara brush away. "Absolutely perfect. You look wonderful, darling."

Applejack gave herself one last look over in the mirror. She barely recognized herself. Her cowgirl hat was gone, replaced by a cap and the attached wedding veil. Her long blond mane was not in its normal tied style, but braided and pinned up to the back of her head. A light pink blush and eyeshadow had been applied, hardly noticeable, but creating enough of a difference to draw a pony's eye.

Then there was the dress. An original "masterpiece" that Rarity insisted on making, even with all the other things she did as the Maid of Honor. It was not actually white, but a very light and creamy yellow, based on the interior color of an apple. Applejack and Soarin's cutie marks were embroidered along the bottom of the skirt, with a single jeweled version of each attached to the collar.

Admittedly, not entirely to Applejack's taste, but she did look good and appreciated the effort.

Music began to fill the air.

"Oh, there's our cue," Rarity stated. "I'll see you at the alter. Good luck."

"Yeah," Applejack said. "And Rarity? Thanks for all the help."

"Of course, Applejack. That's what friends are for, after all." Rarity gave one last smile before stepping out through the door.

Left alone, Applejack looked at herself one more time. She took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, letting her nerves calm down.

"Well, sugar cube," she said to herself, "this is it. Time to go out there and get married." She took one more deep breath, lowered the veil over her face, and headed outside.

As she made her way toward the red carpet, the wedding march began to play. Big Macintosh joined her, giving a small smile as he walked her down the aisle. Having him there was a comforting presence, his silent strength helping calm her own anxious feelings. All eyes turned to them as they came down the aisle, taking in the beauty of the bride to be.

For Applejack, however, all of her attention was on one pony: Soarin. The pegasus stood at the alter in his dress uniform, his hair in its natural windswept form (which was something Applejack argued for and insisted upon). His eyes lit up at the sight of her, a smile spreading across his face as his wings opened at his sides.

A flutter of excitement spread through Applejack's chest and stomach as she caught sight of her soon to be husband. Although she could not see it, she could feel herself smiling back.

Reaching the alter, she stood beside her groom, the two of them giving one more smile before turning toward the mayor.

*****

"Wait," Little Green called out. "If you had Aunt Twilight, Princess Luna, and Princess Celestia there, why have the mayor marry you? Couldn't have one of them done it?"

"They could have," Applejack answered, "and I'm sure that they would have been honored. But I didn't feel right asking the princesses to perform the cermony, and Twilight had been helping Rarity and me with the wedding. So it didn't seem fair to have her perform it too."

Turning, she looked at the trees again.

"'sides, the mayor was a friend of my folks and married them. She was very honored to be able to marry us as well. Kinda a way of havin' a connection with my folks even if they couldn't be there."

This got a nod from Little Green.

"So, where were we?" Applejack asked.

"The start of the ceremony," Soarin answered. "Your mother arrived at the alter, looking gorgeous, and Mayor Mare was giving a speech about how..."

*****

"We are gathered here today to unite these two ponies in the state of marriage," Mayor Mare stated. "A celebration and commitment of the romantic love they share for each other. And as I look around, I see signs of how these two are loved by so many others in so many ways: be it family, friends, or comrades in arms. Soarin and Applejack have touched a lot of lives, and I am sure they will touch many more. So here we all come together, joyous to see them take a big step and express their love for one another."

As the mayor continued, Soarin's eyes narrowed as he glanced over to Applejack. Shifting his hips, he swung his tail, trying to give a playful swat to Applejack's dress covered flank.

As soon as he heard the snap of his tail against the fabric, the stallion looked forward, trying to look as innocent as possible. After a few seconds, he caught movement from the corner of his eye. It looked like something yellow was--

There was a snapping sound, and a sudden stinging sensation exploding across Soarin's backside. His eyes bulged in surprise and pain as he clenched his jaw tightly, trying to keep from yelping out in pain.

He could see the smug look on her face, even with the veil blocking it.

After the mayor's speech came the exchange.

From the other side of Applejack, Apple Bloom grinned. Reaching into her own dress, the young mare pulled out a gold-chain necklace with a pendant of Applejack's cutie mark attached to it. Taking the necklace from her little sister, Applejack turned to Soarin and slipped it over his head. It quickly fell into place, the ruby and emerald pendant now resting against his shirt.

Soarin's Best Mare, Spitfire, smirked as she reached into one of her uniform pockets and pulled out a jewelry box. Opening it revealed a silver chain necklace, with a pendant of a golden lightning bolt surrounded by what can best be described as a pair of silver twos surrounding it. Seeing himself smiling in her sunglasses (which he could not convince her to leave off even for his wedding), Soarin took the necklace and turned to place it around Applejack's neck.

"I now pronounce you mare and stallion," Mayor Mare announced. "You may kiss the bride."

Before Soarin could even finish lifting the veil, Applejack grabbed the stallion and pulled him close, kissing him as hard as she could manage.

"Or that works too."

Comments

[Viper Pit]

this was a cute chapter

[dracone]

You can always trust the Apples to follow tradition and put spin on it.

[Yoshifan30]

Well this was a really nice wedding between Applejack and Soarin and it was nice for mayor to do the ceremony of the wedding for the apples once again