043 - A Wedding Between Worlds
Renee had known exactly where she wanted to get married since she was a little filly. If she was in a reasonable mood back then, she would have admitted that it was never going to happen. She just wasn’t important enough, wasn’t connected enough, to have the perfect wedding at the perfect place.
Now was a very different story. When the time had come to chose a location, it turned out she had already been making plans.
The wedding was to be held in the grand hall of Canterlot Castle, the same place the Grand Galloping Gala was held every year. The highest class location in all of Equis Vitis – the place she had set her dreams on. There had hardly been any debate – she said that was where the wedding was happening, and that was where it was happening.
It did help that Daniel didn’t really have any specific place in mind – the SGC wasn’t a very impressive place on the inside, and the other world he had called home didn’t exist anymore. He thought Canterlot hall would be perfect, even though his experience at the last Gala had been… lackluster. Admittedly at this point everyone knew the Gala was a bore because of how regimented and ancient it was – this celebration was being crafted by Pinkie Pie, so it was guaranteed to be better in almost every conceivable way.
It was the day of the wedding. A beautiful, crystal clear day with a slight chill leftover from Winter Wrap Up the week prior. It was early enough in the day to still be considered morning, so not all that many ponies of Canterlot were out and about. The streets didn’t look dead, but they certainly weren’t choked with hoof traffic. It was in this scenery that Reverend Starlight Glimmer found herself as she trotted to the front gates of Canterlot Castle, humming a little tune of worship to herself.
She was not surprised at all when the royal guard barred her entry, as they were supposed to do with virtually anyone. “It’s okay, I’m the Reverend. For the wedding.”
They stared at her blankly.
Rev summoned her invitation and Equis Vitis marriage license. She raised an eyebrow. “This proof enough for you?”
“You’re just… early,” one of the guards said. “That’s suspicious.”
“Yeah, we’ve got to be extra careful,” the other added. “Last time I was on guard duty during a wedding there was a Changeling invasion.”
Rev raised an eyebrow. “I’m early because I’m the ‘officiant’. Plus, I can’t be the first, I’m sure Pinkie’s already there.”
“She’s the only one,” a guard said. “I don’t-“
“REV!?” Pinkie’s squeal smashed into everypony’s eardrums, forcing them to wince. The Pink Party Pony was suddenly standing in the middle of the three of them. “Yay! You made it! You can help me set up!”
Rev adjusted her collar and nodded. “Of course. After I make sure the podium i-“
Pinkie picked up Rev and dragged her past the guards before they could object. Rev didn’t even get to see the rest of the castle; she was dragged through the double doors of the Gala Hall sooner than should have been possible.
The interior looked absolutely gorgeous. The walls were lined with shimmering, crystalline banners with intricate designs that were reminiscent of languages from hundreds of worlds. A larger banner that hung across the ceiling bore a stylized version of Renee’s cutie mark and a symbol Daniel had chosen to represent himself: a point with three lines coming out of it creating a sort of reverse triangle. The symbol was that of a world Daniel had once called home: a world that had been destroyed, Rev knew, long before Earth Tau’ri had made contact with Equis Vitis. Daniel had had a family there, once.
Rev shook her head – today was not a day to think of past tragedies, but to look to the future. Besides the shimmering banners, there were also perfectly trimmed indoor bushes, a number of abstract statues constructed from magic gemstones that filled the hall with a warm color, and a stage with a pew made from a synthetic Earth Tau’ri material that Rev could not identify. It sure looked cool.
“Yeah, Renee was totally here last night,” Rev said. “Do you even have a job to do at this point?” she asked Pinkie.
Pinkie smirked. “You bet it Revvy!” She produced a round table from nothing. “Ka-BAM! Still need tables! Lots of tables! Round tables spread everywhere!”
“It’s a welcome change from dividing the families down the middle,” Rev commented, walking up to the futuristic pew and finding it satisfactory. “Symbolic as it is, we are going to be here a while. And it would make Daniel’s side look rather small.”
“There’s not even any reserved seating aside from the primary table!” She threw a long, rectangular table down at the front of the room, slightly to the side of the aisle that was being created by the other tables. “I’ll push that into a central position later.”
Rev nodded. “Guess I’m sitting there after the ceremony?”
“You bet! I can change it if you want though.”
Rev smiled. “I’ll sit there, don’t worry. Though I will be mingling. I hear you’ve got quite the punch.”
Pinkie smirked. “I mean, I dooo but I won’t be using that punch until after the actual ceremony. Renee would shred me if something went wrong before that.” She shivered. “The wrath of the fashion horse is something you do not want to experience.”
“The wrath of the party pony is worse, from what I hear,” Rev commented, using her magic to lay some tablecloths on the tables.
“Eh, maybe. Probably. Definitely.” Pinkie set up an entire snack table with a flick of her hoof. “But I’m a lot less likely to completely freak out at some drunk pony breaking a chair, or something.”
“Raritys tend to be like that.” Rev summoned silverware from the aether and arranged it in what she hoped was the correct arrangement for Equis Vitis customs – many universes were annoyingly slightly different on that count. Pinkie wasn’t objecting, so it was probably right.
Pinkie furrowed her brow. “You know, normally at this point I’d sprinkle confetti everywhere, but Renee knows what she wants. I’ll just create a different sort of surprise…”
“If I don’t get an explosion of some kind I’m going to be disappointed,” Rev said with a smirk.
Pinkie blinked, then chuckled. “You’re quite the pastor.”
“I’m still a Starlight. I get to be wild from time to time. And it’s a myth that being a Reverend requires being calm, serene, and boring all the time. Joy is one of the fruits of the spirit after all; and being regimented, high, and mighty kinda goes against that.”
“Gotcha.” Pinkie slid up close to her. “Sooooooo… How’s Flutterfree been doing?”
“Of course you know,” Rev said, not surprised in the least.
“She actually told me about her visits, but yeah, I would have known regardless,” Pinkie smiled.
“Well, she’s doing great right now. It never ceases to amaze me how internal conflict can invigorate somepony’s faith. She’s been much more than a passive observer at the service lately ever since she got Lolo.”
Pinkie patted Rev on the back. “You do good work, Rev.”
“Thanks. Though I’m sure she would have gotten through the ‘I’m a vampire’ thing with you girls as well.”
“Eh, the others were kinda treating it like it was no big deal,” Pinkie admitted. “Noooot the best thing to do. She needed somepony to take her fears seriously.”
“She’s a strong mare,” Rev said. “I find it strange how Fluttershys can be both the weakest and strongest individuals across the multiverse. I’ve met ones that would break at the sight of injury, while Flutterfree is ready to take on the entirety of the cosmic cruelty and be nice to it.”
“That’s our Flutterfree all right!” Pinkie declared, completing the setting of the table.
“…Who else knows?” Rev asked. “I’ve been encouraging her to tell everypony, but I know she hasn’t.”
“I know, Applejack knows, Discord knows, and Renee knows. Renee only found out recently, because you came up in wedding plan conversations.”
“Discord’s keeping a secret?” Rev shook her head. “Do my ears deceive me?”
“He’ll do almost anything Flutterfree asks him,” Pinkie explained.
“Should I be preparing a service for them?” Rev joked.
Pinkie chuckled. “Hey. Rev. They’re standing right behind you.”
Rev flushed purple as a grape and slowly turned around. “Why h-hello Discord! Flutterfree! You’re here early!”
Discord just stared at her and blinked while Flutterfree covered her face with her wings.
Discord put a claw to his chin. “You know, I can’t say I’ve ever thought about it that way.”
Flutterfree whimpered.
Rev put a hoof on her shoulder. “Hey, Flutterfree. It was just a joke – though admittedly probably one in poor, gossipy taste. Sorry.”
Flutterfree removed her wings from her face, revealing her red eyes. “I… It’s okay. I have come across several others of us who are like that. But we’re not. Okay?”
Rev hugged Flutterfree. “Of course.”
Discord glanced at Pinkie. “So, where’s the chaos punch?”
“Not until after, Discord. Think of Renee.”
“I’m thinking of the priceless look on her face.”
“Diiiscoooord…” Pinkie droned.
“I kid. ...Mostly.”
“DISCORD!”
“Fine, fine, I’ll behave.”
Pinkie glared at him. “I better not hear a maybe in there.”
“Perhaps.”
Flutterfree, having recovered from her embarrassment, fixed Discord with an eyebrow raise. “Discord, please behave yourself for Renee’s wedding, ’kay?”
“Okay…”
“Good.”
Pinkie nodded. “Well, if you guys are arriving, I should probably get to greeting duty!” She appeared next to the grand doors of the hall. “ANNOUNCING PINKIE PIE OF E-“ she coughed on her own speech.
“Nice,” Diane deadpanned, trotting into the hall with a camera. She started taking pictures of the decorations.
“I was introducing myself…” Pinkie muttered.
“Yeah you were!” human Pinkie said, appearing behind Diane.
“Oh no! We’re in the same place!” pony Pinkie squealed. “REALITY ISN’T READY!”
“REALITY BETTER GET READY, BABY!” They did a combination hoofbump/high-five.
Diane trotted out of the hall.
“Hey, where are you going?” Rev asked.
Diane forced a smile. “I was just here to check out the decorations as possible inspiration. Wasn’t all that interested otherwise.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Diane waved, then left.
“Yeah, that’s a weird one,” human Pinkie said.
“She’s doing pretty well though!” pony Pinkie added.
“Yep!”
Rev shrugged, turning back to Flutterfree. “So, whenever we talk about Lolo it’s always about how you can cope with what it does. Have you figured out some fun things yet?”
Flutterfree smiled. “Well, besides tapping into the ‘potential’ of everyone around me – still don’t understand how that works exactly – Lolo’s body is very flexible. I can stretch it out for miles and set up ‘cameras’ along the lines to help me see things. So long as nothing breaks them, it works great. By the way, I’m making you glow again.”
Rev looked at her reflection in one of the crystalline statues – her eyes had a soft white glow to them and her cross necklace was floating. “Ah. Just don’t let any actual undead touch me, everything should be fine.”
“Alushy’s going to try to touch you anyway,” Flutterfree commented.
“Alushy has enough durability to survive a holy exorcism by a Pope,” Rev commented. “I am not worried for her sake.”
Flutterfree chuckled. “Sounds about right.”
~~~
The attendees of the wedding slowly trickled into the hall, turning the empty room into quite the bustle of activity. There were guests from every single one of the major worlds – humans from AID, Toph’s team from Lai, some scientists from Equis Cosmic along with Cosmo herself, many Stargate Command personnel, some Asgard, the Joestars, and even Emerald. Notably she was the only representative of the Gem Vein, here more out of curiosity than anything else.
There was also a set of people nobody had seen in awhile.
“Link!” Vivian called, rushing to him. “Oh we haven’t seen you in forever!”
Link smiled, holding Romani tight. “It has been a while.”
Lieshy took her position next to Vivian. “I’ll say. How’s the family?”
“We’re doing well, considering,” Romani said. “Most people don’t realize that we were your friends, so we’ve lived in relative peace.”
“Good for raising kids,” Midna said, appearing out of Link’s shadow. “Bad for adventures. There hasn’t been anything dangerous in a while.”
“You avoided war?” Vivian asked.
Link nodded. “No wars broke out. Ardent stands as a strong alliance… Against anything from other worlds.”
Toph walked up to them. “That might be good. You didn’t get attacked by the University. Your world is probably safe from anything out here, now.”
Link furrowed his brow. “That is right… Still feels wrong though.”
“Don’t I know it.”
“How’s that sword been treating you?”
Toph twirled the Master Sword. “Excellently. I’m basically Queen Luna’s personal General now, so I must be doing something right with the hero’s destiny.”
“I remember when I first met you,” Link said. “You were a stubborn kid.”
Toph smirked. “And now look at me, a stubborn woman. So impressive.”
Link laughed. “Yes. That is exactly what you’ve become.”
“I would ask for a sword duel, but that can wait for later,” Toph gestured behind her. “How about snacks for now?”
“Oh, snacks!” Midna said. “I need exotic snacks back in my life. GIVE!”
Elsewhere in the hall, Vriska was strolling around, whistling innocently. She leaned against a bare wall, glancing nonchalantly at one of the indoor bushes next to her. She smiled at the bush. “Nice get-together, huh miss bush?”
The bush did not respond.
“Do you want me to play stab-the-bush? I’ll enjoy it, but something tells me you wouldn’t.”
“Go away,” Starbeat called from inside the bush. “If people see you talking to me they’ll know I’m here.”
“They’ll just think I’m crazy.”
“I’m pretty sure there’s at least one person in this room that can read minds, probably more.”
“Very powerful psychic.”
“Pinkies just know things.”
“They’ll give you a berth.”
Starbeat groaned. “Look, Vriska, I’m just here to observe the wedding and be part of it in some way. But you and I both know the romance in this area is so strong that I won’t be able to escape it. So this bush is my home. And nobody gets to know I’m here.”
“I found you easy.”
“You cheat at life.”
“It’s only cheating if you get caught.”
Suddenly Jotaro was standing behind her. “Cheating?”
Vriska suddenly took her gaze off the bush and started walking away from the wall. “W-wow! You have good ears there, Jojo! But rest assured, there’s no unfair gaming practices here! Eheheh!”
Jotaro narrowed his eyes. “Hmm…” He glanced at the bush. “Yare yare daze…” He turned and walked away without another word.
Vriska blinked. “…That guy. I don’t get him.”
“He’s observant,” Starbeat said. “And just… so big…”
“What happened to your beeping bracelet? I know it should have just gone off.”
“It’s disabled right now. I’m not giving away my position, that’d be stupid. Now shoo, I have observations to make.”
Vriska shrugged. “If you say so. Want me to bring you some punch?”
“I can teleport it myself.” Vriska heard a slurping noise from inside the bush. “Being a unicorn is nice.”
“Not as good as a troll.”
“Debatable.”
“You wanna debate?”
“Not right now. Maybe later. Can you just… Stop talking to the bush now? ’Kay?”
Vriska shrugged. “Fiiiiine.” She walked away, meeting up with the Pinkies for a chat. She found them talking with Applejack – a very pregnant Applejack.
“How’s it feel to no longer be the only married mare of your friends?” pony Pinkie asked Applejack while Vriska sat down on a nearby snack table.
“Bout time,” Applejack commented. “Y’all are takin’ too long.”
The Pinkies giggled. “Well, don’t get your hopes up for anyone else, we’re still single and expect to stay that way for a while!”
Applejack smirked. “Yeah. True. Hey… Vriska right?”
“Yep! That’s me!” Vriska said, bowing in an exaggerated manner.
“Ah’m invitin’ you to Sweet Apple Acres. If you’re gonna be hangin’ around my friends as much as Ah hear you are, you get to hang with me as well.”
“…Why do I feel like this is going to be some kind of test?”
“It is.”
Vriska smiled. “They’re right, you are the honest one.”
“It’s no small part of me,” Applejack admitted. “Ah would ask you to tell me about yourself, but there’ll be time for that later.”
“Thank gog.”
“Hmm…”
“Did I just lose an Applejack point?”
“Yes.”
“Fuck.”
“Lost another one.”
“Wonder how deep I can dig this hole.”
Applejack smirked. “Oh look at that, you just gained a ‘point’. Good for you.”
Vriska fist-pumped.
In still another location in the hall, Flutterfree and Rev were talking.
“Well, technically speaking, it’s Divine magic, not divine gifts,” Rev said. “Sure, I have holy spells and enchantments, but they’re not really miraculous. You can trace them back to a source.”
“Oh, like Thrackerzod?”
“Precisely, except of the Divine flavor rather than the other… unsavory types.” She bit her lip. “I mean no offense to Thrackerzod, but what she is and what she does, while not the worst type of blasphemy, is pretty bad.”
“I’ve seen what she does. It is pretty disgusting. But she uses it for good.”
Rev nodded. “She is an interesting case, I have to admit. Not sure what to make of her, to be honest. She’s technically worshipping some thing to get the power she does, but her physical body and mind allows her to deviate from the essence she is derived from. I’m honestly a little curious if that’s possible for a true Demonic presence.”
Flutterfree blinked. “You ask the deep questions, don’t you?”
“Yep. Regardless, back to my point – I get my Divine powers from a source, this is true. You might even call the plane of existence it heralds from a ‘Heaven’. I do not worship the ‘god’ within though, he’s just a pale shadow of the real thing. But I still get power from the ‘Heaven’ through what’s basically a loophole in the way eldritch-type magic works.”
“That’s… a little confusing.”
“You bet it is. There’s a prevalence of gods in the multiverse. When you run a church you have to be very careful about what your doctrine actually is. Like, if you’re me, make sure you’re always describing the God who is the creator of the entire multiverse and exists outside it.”
“How do you know, though? We’ve run into lots of priests who are sure their powers come from a higher power of some kind. But most of them probably come from Divine sources like your own.”
Rev smiled awkwardly. “We don’t know, not really. There’s a lot of different answers to that question, but I prefer the one that goes something like this: ‘Well, all these Divine sources were created by God, so technically all the powers also come from Him, albeit indirectly’. Admittedly, this opens a loophole for ‘evil’ and ‘Demonic’ powers in some cases, but that’s how it is even with non-eldritch powers. Basically you can’t really tell for certain because we have limited mortal minds, but in most cases it doesn’t matter. Use your powers to be good and serve. And if you’re aware of where they come from, don’t pretend they come from God Himself. …Even if everyone is going to assume that.”
Flutterfree raised an eyebrow. “Constant problem for you?”
“The amount of people who want to worship users of Divine power is absurd,” Rev muttered. “It’s why I virtually never use any unless there’s some serious Demonic presences around.”
“…What are Demonic powers like?”
Rev smirked. “Dangerous question, Flutterfree.”
“Oh, should I-“
“No, you’re curious, and I should answer. I think you’ve run across a true Demonic presence, once. By the name of Algernon.”
“…Really?”
“I’m not certain, but from what I heard it seems that way. True Demonic presences are nothing like the impossible-to-comprehend beings like Majora. Neutral Eldritch things are as varied as humanity itself. Demonic things… they’re often an attempt at a different sort of impossibility. Pure evil. But given how evil cannot exist without good, and how many people disagree on what pure evil is, the attempt just doesn’t work. You get beings that are physical manifestations of vices that make no attempts to hide what they are – and then you get things like Algernon.”
“Why do I have the feeling the Algernon-like Demons are much worse?”
“That’s because they are. The highest Demonic presences of that kind can fake anything perfectly. Being a friend. Being a hero. Being a lover. They can get into your head with or without magic powers. They may have lots of different motives, but the primary one is to turn people to their side, and to keep them away from anything Divine or holy. They revel in death, destruction, lies, and...” she shook her head. “Just like there are shadows of God in the multiverse, there are shadows of Satan. And some of those shadows… They can build themselves up in a world, flawlessly acting like a perfect individual with no faults. They’re not called fathers of lies for nothing. And then… They can do whatever they want.”
Flutterfree shivered – but then set her face. “But we’ll face them.”
Rev smiled sadly. “Normally I’d encourage you in that. But… they know exactly how to turn confidence against you. I myself was fooled by one wholeheartedly, despite my unwavering faith.” She looked into the distance, memories of the past haunting her. “I’m not sure there’s any advice I can give for dealing with one once they set their eyes on you besides pray.”
Flutterfree nodded. “Got it.”
“Let’s talk about something that isn’t related to the possible corruption of everyone from all angles,” Rev said.
“How do you think Renee and Daniel will be as a married couple?” Flutterfree asked.
“I’ve seen their love,” Rev said. “It’s not a holy one, but it’s a strong one. They’ll be happy, and I don’t need to be a Pinkie to be certain of this. I’m honored to be chosen to officiate it.”
“You’re welcome,” Flutterfree said, smirking.
“Yeah. Thanks.” It was at this moment Rev saw danger coming directly at them.
Nova was marching right at them, the smile on her face clearly plastered on.
Rev turned to Flutterfree. “Just keep talking,” Flutterfree told her. “So, any special plans for your words during the service?”
“I’ll keep it mostly the same,” Rev said, regaining her composure. “I’ve removed the religious language from their vows, but that’s about it. I did consider ‘man and pony’ for a while, but ‘man and wife’ works better, I think.”
Nova arrived. “Oh, the wedding vows? I take it you’re going to bless them?”
“Yes, of course,” Rev said, feeling her stomach tighten into a knot. “One of the things I’m allowed to do.”
“Riiiiiiight…” Nova said, taking a few steps around Rev. “I guess that’s right. I am still a little surprised Renee didn’t ask Celestia to officiate.”
“It was partially Daniel’s decision,” Rev explained. “Weddings are regularly performed by the local pastor on Earth Tau’ri, and I’m the local pastor here, so… Yeah. This is a combination wedding, after all.”
“You operate in Ponyville.”
“The pastor they know,” Rev said. “And don’t worry, I’m not going to give a sermon here. Just remind them of the importance of marriage and all that stuff.”
“Mhm,” Nova said. “You have to admit, it looks suspicious. Almost like you were recommended, or something.”
Flutterfree raised a hoof. “I recommended her, Nova. She’s a good friend.”
Nova twitched. “Really?”
“Yes. Really. I know she makes you uncomfortable, but she’s a good pony. She won’t outshine Renee like Celestia would, and most of the people here know her from around Ponyville.”
Nova glanced at Flutterfree suspiciously. Flutterfree’s crimson eyes didn’t falter.
Rev put on a smile. “Let’s not put a divide between each other. This is a wedding, and you two are friends. We don’t need to walk over each other’s hoo-”
“You think you’re so high and mighty aren’t you?” Nova said, turning to Rev.
Rev’s smile vanished. “No. I am no better than you.”
“Oh, is tha-”
“OH LOOK WHO IT IS!” Flutterfree blurted with excessive volume. “ALUSHY!” She used Lolo to wrap around Alushy’s wing and drag her closer – not that Rev or Nova could see this action. “Alushy, have you met Rev? She’s going to be performing the ceremony.”
“Ah. The resident holy warrior,” Alushy said, smirking. “I hear rumors that you can blast a mean holy laser.”
“Er…” Rev recovered quickly. “Yes, I can. I’d rather not, though.”
“Oh come on, just a little thrust. I’m sure I can handle it.”
Rev slapped her. “How’s that?”
Alushy rubbed her cheek. “Not what I meant but I like your spirit!”
Nova walked closer, raising an eyebrow. “Alus-”
“Sh sh sh, Nova, Nova, take a few seconds. Breathe.”
“Wha-”
“I SAID BREATHE, BITCH!” Alushy shouted at Nova.
Nova was unfazed by this. “Bitch? Me?”
“Yep,” Alushy confirmed. “You were being enough of one that Flutterfree pulled me into the conversation to defuse it. imagine that, me, pretty much the most chaotic thing other than chimera-snake-boy over there, called to defuse a conversation.”
“Defuse a…” Nova blinked, finding that Flutterfree and Rev were no longer next to her and had moved to opposite sides of the room.
Her left eye twitched. “I wasn't done yet…”
Alushy lowered her glasses. “You’re telling me. Something’s got you livid.”
“She’s brainwashing Flutterfree, that’s what. I just know it.”
“That’s pretty cool, actually.”
“No it’s not!” Nova blurted. “It’s insulting to her life and will ruin her. She clearly can’t see this, so I have to do something.”
Alushy facehooved. “Welp, good luck, wedding crasher.”
“What?”
“Nothing. I said nothing,” Alushy grunted, walking away.
~~~
Renee was sitting in her dressing room. She stared at herself in the mirror – she had no more makeup on than she usually did, which was to say just mild eyeliner and the eyelash extensions. This was twofold – she was probably going to burst into happy tears at some point, so she didn’t want her entire face to be ruined, and because overdoing the face would take away from the sheer magnificence that was her dress. It was a brilliant white decorated with almost a hundred tiny blue diamonds. The silken fabrics that made up the outfit were arranged in such a way to make it appear that the dress was glowing, even though there were no light sources within the folds of the fabric.
“Evening,” she called behind her. “Read me the preparation checklist again.”
Eve saw her lips move in the mirror. “Dress?”
“Check,” Renee said.
“Mane?”
Renee examined her complex intertwined braids that twisted around in helix-like patterns in some places; it certainly looked complete to Renee. “Check.”
“Tail?”
Much the same as her mane, though only the edges of the luxurious hairs were visible near her back hooves due to the dress. “Check.”
“Jewelry?”
Her ears were pierced with the finest sapphires she could find. “Check.”
“Hooves?”
Sparkling. “Check.”
“Horn?”
She rubbed her polished horn. “Check. You know, sometimes I envy the sharpness you alicorns get in your horns.”
Eve looked up at her horn. “Never really noticed.”
“You wound me, darling. As the years go on you just get larger and more impressive. I’m waiting for your mane to start flowing any day now.” Renee commented.
Sweetie Belle, the only other pony in the room, spoke up. “Don’t eastern unicorns have pointed horns?”
Eve nodded. “That is true. Anyway, next on the list… cleanliness spell.”
Renee nodded, lighting her horn and casting a spell on herself. “I knew I forgot something. With all that punch around, I have to be on my best guard.”
“I don’t,” Eve smirked.
“Yes, so good to be you.”
Sweetie Belle blinked. “Uh, why don’t you have to be concerned Eve?”
Eve blinked. “Oh. I guess that’s technically a secret. Sorry, Sweetie, didn’t realize.”
“Okay…?” Sweetie Belle said, confused.
“Sorry Sweetie,” Renee said, slightly embarrassed. “I guess we forgot you don’t know everything. Rest assured it’s not a secret about you or your friends. Just something we don’t want any of the villains knowing.”
“You sure talk about it rather openly for being that big of a secret.”
“We’re ponies,” Eve said. “We’re kinda bad at lying. Unless you’re Nova.”
Renee smirked. “At this point I should counter with all the times I managed to deceive and get away with it, but that’s not exactly something a lady should brag about, so instead I’ll just remind us that Pinkie has big secrets she never tells us.”
“But when there’s a secret she can tell she’s likely to explode into a dozen pieces at any moment.”
“That was a day, wasn’t it?” Renee smirked. “Remind me to let Pinkie know ahead of time if I’m pregnant and make her hold it in for a day, just to see how she does.”
The two mares stared at her.
“I kid, I wouldn’t be that cruel.”
“That’s not what we’re staring at you for,” Eve said. “It’s-“
“Dear, I know it’s not going to be like that, I know how biology works even if half the universes we come across haven’t the foggiest idea.”
“Exaggeration alert,” Sweetie commented.
“Thank you Sweetie Bot,” Renee ribbed.
Sweetie rolled her eyes.
Renee continued her thought. “Regardless, it probably wouldn’t be good for me to have foals anyway, seeing as my job is exceptionally high on the ‘time required’ and ‘danger’ spectrums. I’m half expecting an assassination attempt or something in the next hour.”
“Pinkie confirmed our lives aren’t in danger today,” Eve said. “She was certain. She rarely gives me her certainties.”
“Probably means her certainty doesn’t matter much then, hrm?”
“That does seem to be how it works.”
“That still makes absolutely no sense to me,” Sweetie muttered.
“Ah well, not something to question today,” Renee asserted. “She’ll tell us when she’s able to. Right now I’m about to get married. Renee Jackson has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?”
“You will have a nice ring before the day is out!”
“Amusing,” Renee deadpanned. She took a breath in, and released. “Eve?”
“Yes?” Eve responded.
“Thanks for everything. Thanks for keeping me calm up until this point. Thank you for showing me the multiverse that led to this moment. Above all, thank you for being such a good friend all these years.”
Eve blushed. “Aw… Renee. You do-“
Renee pulled her into a hug. “You mean… So much to me… Stars, I’m already crying…”
Eve magically wiped the tears off of Renee’s face. “You should save those for the groom, Renee.”
“RIGHT! To the hall!”
“The ceremony doesn’t begin for another twenty minutes,” Sweetie said.
Renee twitched. “I need ice cream to fuel my nonexistent patience, now!”
“Way ahead of you,” Eve and Sweetie said at the same time, each producing a gallon of ice cream they had brought separately.
~~~
Daniel examined his outfit. It was… sort of a tuxedo? In a way? It had long tails of fabric coming off the back that dragged behind him, and orange stripes all over it that resembled a combination of stargate glyphs and tree shapes. He knew it was supposed to contrast the blue and white of Renee’s dress, but he still felt a little silly. The collar was larger than he was used to, the tie had a lot of symbolic designs he wasn’t sure made any sense, and the buttons were just as black as the suit itself making nearly impossible to put on.
He wasn’t sure if he was some sort of reject vampire or a tropical bird.
“How do I look?” he asked.
“Like a great warrior, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c declared.
“Like the mannequin of a clothing designer,” O’Neill described.
“That doesn’t tell me anything.”
“Oh, you mean your appearance. You look like a Phantom of the Opera reject.”
“Gee, thanks Jack.”
O’Neill tipped his hat. “Glad to be of service.” O’Neill was in his full dress uniform, hat, medals, awards, and all, giving him quite the impressive stature. Teal’c had opted for a standard tux rather than traditional Jaffa ceremonial dress, which probably would have made Renee freak out.
There was silence in the room for several seconds.
“Daniel Jackson, you are perspiring,” Teal’c observed.
“Surprise, surprise…” Daniel said, trying to adjust his collar to allow more breathing room. “I mean… What exactly is it she sees in me?”
“Danny boy, if you’re just asking that question now you’re in hot water,” O’Neill observed.
“No, I mean, I know why in that sense, I mean… Why me? Why not some high society type? Or… Or…” he started breathing too heavily to talk properly.
Teal’c put a hand on Daniel’s shoulder. “Daniel Jackson, you are a man who has saved millions of lives countless times, not with violence, but with words. You are a warrior, yes, but not a warrior in the way most understand. You seem meek and uncertain on first glance, obsessed with things that don’t matter. But to those who know you, we see a heart that cares deeply for everyone. Even those who may not deserve your trust get it. It is this heart that Renee sees – the heart of a gentle lion.”
O’Neill blinked. “I was going to say he’s got nothing but good timing, but that works too.”
Daniel raised an eyebrow. “You’re great at providing support, Jack, hope you know that.”
“I’m just gettin’ you to loosen up a little. You’re going to go out there, be the most dapper dashing Daniel imaginable, and you’re going to marry that pony.”
“I am?”
“You are!”
Daniel took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Not if I pass out from nerves first.”
“They have spells for that, I believe,” Teal’c offered.
“…Of course they do.” He stared at the mirror. “How long do we have?”
“Oh, fifteen minutes?” O’Neill said, glancing at his watch. “Give or take some.”
“I am going to sit here for fifteen minutes and not stress myself out.”
“I believe it is too late for that, Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c said.
“I thought Jack was supposed to be the not-so-helpful one?”
“He just tells it like it is,” O’Neill said, placing his hands behind his head.
“…Great.”
O’Neill shook his head with a smile on his face. “Look, Daniel. I’m not one to get sentimental, or even take much of anything all that seriously even in the face of death, but let me be real with you. You and Renee? You belong. Everyone saw it before you two did. Well, not everyone, but you get the idea. I’m not going to give you some sunny ‘oh it’ll be happily ever after’ crap, but I will say that your life will be a lot worse without her in it. Got it?”
“…Got it.”
“Good. Glad we had this talk.”
“Well it’s certainly done something. I’m a bit too out of sorts to see what it is, but there’s something.”
“Hopefully you won’t figure it out within the next ten minutes.”
“It hasn’t been five minutes, Jack.”
“Eh, I wasn’t sure before. I’m not sure now.”
Daniel sighed. “Teal’c, how much longer?”
“Eleven minutes.”
“Well, suddenly that doesn’t seem like very long at all. Something could still go wrong though…”
“Nothing’s going to go wrong in eleven minutes, Daniel,” O’Neill said. Then he realized what he just said. “Dammit.”
“Jack what have you done?!”
“Let’s talk about something else, Daniel. Like my best man speech. I’m curious how many of your deaths we should actually count.”
“Ja-“
“I’m thinking seven, but there’s a possible eight, maybe nine. Need your opinion. Or else I’m just going to embarrass you by bringing Vala up.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“I would if you don’t calm your ass down.”
“His posterior is not part of his emotional state,” Teal’c said.
O’Neill blinked. “…That was a good one, Teal’c.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t think it’s calming Daniel down though.”
“You think!?” Daniel blurted.
“Need to try something else… have a zat gun?”
“Oh no, no we’re not doing that!” Daniel shouted. “We… We… We…” He slumped down into his chair and held his head.
“Good enough for me,” O’Neill said. “If he’s not back to normal in three minutes we get him an energy drink or something. Otherwise, good work men.”
“I’m the only other one here, General O’Neill,” Teal’c observed.
“I was congratulating myself.”
“Indeed.”
~~~
The ceremony would begin in fifteen minutes or so. Flutterfree was allowing herself to relax a little – she had managed to avoid Nova this long, so she likely wasn’t going to have to actually confront her until after the wedding. Which was the ideal result – she really didn’t want to ruin this for Renee and Daniel. Normally she would just talk it out with Nova at this point, but the timing was terrible.
“I really should have told her sooner, huh?” Flutterfree said to the Pinkies and Vriska – the latter of whom was stuck in her god-tier form because of Flutterfree’s proximity.
The two Pinkies nodded. Vriska blinked. “Told her what?”
Flutterfree paused, considering if she should tell Vriska or not. “You’ll probably figure out soon. If not, ask me tomorrow – I’m going to have to confront Nova before then. Which is to say pray really really hard that she doesn’t blow up at me.”
“Nova can’t stay mad at you for anything,” human Pinkie said. “Well, that’s not entirely true, she’s more angry than the rest of us, but your friendship is much stronger than that.”
“I’d worry about other ponies she unleashes her personal anger on,” pony Pinkie added.
“Yeah… But after the wedding Rev won’t be around, so that probably won’t be a problem.”
Vriska slurped a mysterious blue smoothie. “Hey, by the way, Nova coming right for this snack table. Should we be concerned?”
The Pinkies blinked. “Maybe…” pony Pinkie said. “But she wouldn’t dare try something this close to the ceremony, would she?”
Vriska narrowed her eyes. “She’s got the look of someone with a vendetta. I wouldn’t bet on it.”
Flutterfree began to walk away.
“Hey Flutterfree!” Nova called. “Wait up!”
Flutterfree turned around – Nova’s voice didn’t seem hostile. It seemed like she genuinely wanted to talk to her. Flutterfree decided to wait for her. As she approached, Nova entered Lolo’s field, forcing the ring around her horn to activate a soft striped magical glow on her horn – nothing close to how her horn looked when it really was active, but enough to be visible. “What’s up, Nova?”
“I… I want to apologize about earlier. I interrupted a conversation with a bunch of assumptions that I just… I acted upon in a really jerky way, and that was wrong. What you said was right, she’s just the right choice for the job and I shouldn’t hold some kind of vendetta against her because of my past. I’m… I’m going to have to work past it. It’ll take time.”
“Oh…” Flutterfree said, pleasantly surprised by this response. She smiled. “Apology accepted Nova. I’m sorry for setting Alushy on you.”
Nova nodded. “Yeah… Can you believe I actually went as far as to convince myself you were being brainwashed by her? I mean, that’s just ridiculous – you were just talking. Nothing else going on.”
Flutterfree’s smile faltered. Nova’s own nervous smile faltered in turn. “F-flutterfree?”
Pony Pinkie inserted herself in between the two of them. “Can we not do this now? The ceremony is about to start and-“
“Pinkie, stop,” Nova said. “I want to know what’s going on.”
“But-“
“Nova’s right,” Flutterfree said, shaking her head. “We’re here right now. I’ve… I’ve been dishonest, and not saying anything will just make it hurt more.”
Pinkie nodded slowly and got out of the way.
Nova pleaded with Flutterfree. “…Please don’t tell me it’s what I think it is.”
“It probably is,” Flutterfree admitted. “I’m a part of her church. Have been for a while. It’s only really been serious for less than a year.”
“A YEAR!?” Nova exploded. “You’ve been listening to her stupid SLOP for A YEAR!?”
Flutterfree stood her ground. “Yes. Longer, actually. Quite a bit longer. And it’s not stupid slop, it’s great truth about the nature of existence, and what we’re supposed to be.”
“Holy hell, she really has brainwashed you,” Nova spat. “Haven’t you learned anything from our explorations? These ‘gods’ are just fakes! Spirits, Stars, and Deities that aren’t all-powerful, aren’t good, and definitely aren’t worth devoting our lives to!”
“Nova, that’s not how thi-“
“THAT’S EXACTLY HOW IT WORKS!” Nova shouted. “There’s some being that has POWER and because it has POWER people think it is worthy of their praise. Maybe it even created them! But it NEVER deserves that!”
“This is different. Ther-“
“DIFFERENT? How the HELL is this any different? Flutterfree, listen to me. We’re going to find whatever god it is Rev serves. It’ll happen eventually. Mark. My. Words.”
“NOVA, LISTEN FOR ONE DAMN SECOND!” Flutterfree shouted. Her eyes flashed. Those who could see Stands would have seen Lolo’s spirograph patterns surround her and rotate aggressively.
Vriska dropped her drink. Nova took a few steps back, startled.
“Thank you,” Flutterfree said, returning to her normal calm tone. “Nova, I understand why you hate this idea. You grew up thinking the Stars were perfect beings that watched our every move and controlled our fate toward what was good and harmonious. Then you found the Stars were just like us, except they thought a little differently. Having your entire worldview shattered like that… I know it must hurt. You never talked about it much, but I knew. I’m sorry I didn’t try to learn more about it, that’s my fault. But this… This is a little different. There’s more here than just revering some thing. That book? That Bible? It is the single most common book in the entire multiverse. It exists in almost the exact same form in every one – even in worlds that aren’t human dominated. It talks about more than just legends and stories with morals – it contains wisdom, songs, a history shared by so many. Thoughts on the nature of good and evil, forgiveness, hope, and… and…” Flutterfree wiped her eyes. “There’s a lot there, Nova. I understand it isn’t for you. I hope that may change one day, but…” She shook her head. “It means a lot to me, now. I see in what she teaches a reason for what I do – a reason to help everyone. Hope that it is possible to fight against all the horrors in this multiverse with so much darkness and evil. To me it means that there really is someone up there watching us, and He wants us to succeed and help all these people!”
Nova took a step back, tears in her eyes. “She… She’s really gotten to you.”
“It wasn’t her, Nova.”
“Yes it was. I know how this works, Flutterfree! This is exactly how I enslaved that entire village! I used what I believed and clever wordings to get ponies on my side! It didn’t matter if what I believed was wrong or right, I could do it!” Nova spread her hoof. “Don’t you see? She’s just like me!”
Rev grabbed Nova’s hoof. “Yes. I am.”
Nova was startled by Rev’s sudden presence. “…You.” She said, not even trying to hide the spite in her voice. Why did Rev have to be ever so slightly taller than her?
“I am like you,” Rev continued. “I’m impulsive, angry, and I tend to let my ideals shine through my words and shape ponies. This is both a good and a bad thing. But like I keep trying to tell everyone, I’m never the last authority on this matter. I’m just an interpreter. There are other interpreters, other ideas, that should be considered. I think I’ve found the right on-“
“That’s right, you think,” Nova blurted. “I thought too!”
“I made that village too, Nova.”
“Oh good! Glad we have that in common. Then you know what we thought back then? We thought that we’d found the right answer! The right way of thinking about things! But you know what? That’s impossible!”
“Of course it is, I’m going to be wrong about some things, and so are you!”
“EXACTLY!” Nova shouted. “Now listen to me, this stuff? This worshipping of some higher God? That’s stupid! How can you worship something you don’t know is really good? What if you find out someday that you can find your God and realize that, oh wait, he’s an absolute asshole who’s basically clueless!?”
Rev’s expression darkened. “I believe in a God that exists outside the multiverse and is incomprehensible even to the eldritch beings that swim in the Embodiment. I believe that the angels and demons we see across the multiverse are pale, dreamt up imitations of the real articles. I believe we live in a world of lies that needs an absolute beacon of hope.”
“There is no absolute beacon!” Nova shouted. “Look around! I know you traveled the multiverse before coming here – you’ve seen horrors. You know exactly how whatever you think is true can be turned on its head at any freaking moment because things are never the same anywhere! There is no metric, Rev!”
Rev twitched. “Oh, and, pray tell Nova, what drives you?”
“What the hell do you mean?”
“I mean why do you keep going? Why do you struggle against the darkness of the multiverse? What is the point? There’s no truth according to you, Nova. Everything changes. In one place something is evil, and in another it isn’t.” Rev was definitely shouting with malice of her own at this point. “You take this away, everything’s dead!”
“There-”
“There’s what? Harmony? That Tree of yours is just the half-resurrected corpse of a Star and you know it. Fate? Putting your trust in fate?[/i ]Well in that case, some ponies are just doomed to be villains, and some are made heroes. Am I the villain? Am I the hero? Well it’s certainly not my choice, now is it, Nova!?”
“I live because I have my friends! I define my own rules based on myself and them! That’s how, you dense dogmatic bitch!”
“FRIENDS DON’T MEAN AS MUCH AS YOU THINK THEY MEAN!”
“OH WELL I’M GLAD YOU YELLED THAT SO LOUD THE ENTIRE ROOM COULD HEAR IT!”
“I’M GLAD YOU REVEALED YOURSELF AS WELL, NOVA! COMPLETELY HOPELESS!”
“WHO NEEDS HOPE? IT’S JUST A SENTIMENT!”
“DO YOU EVEN HEAR YOURSELF?”
“GO TO HELL!”
“RIGHT BACK AT YOU!”
“DO YOU WANT TO DO THIS? WE CAN DO THIS, RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!”
Rev laughed. “VIOLENCE? HA! THAT SOLVES NOTHING!”
“EVERYPONY STOP!” Pinkie shouted, smashing a gong right in both Nova and Rev’s ears. “THE CEREMONY IS GOING TO START IN A MINUTE!”
Nova and Rev rubbed their ears, not quite able to process what had just happened.
“You two should be ashamed of yourselves!” Pinkie shouted, albeit with less force. “This is Renee and Daniel’s big day, and you are this close to absolutely ruining it! If they came in here to this… It would…”
Nova and Rev hung their heads in shame, their rage gone in an instant. “…I’m sorry,” they both said.
Pinkie nodded, shaking her head. She pulled them both into a hug. “I know. I forgive you, and so does everybody else. But we can’t dwell on that right now – it’s a big day. Nova, go take your seat. Rev, go to the podium. Let’s get through this, okay?”
The two Starlights nodded. They magically cleaned up any tears that had been on their faces and moved to their positions, tired. Everyone in the hall slowly began to sit back down.
Nova sat down next to Flutterfree, looking at the floor.
“Nova…”
“I’ve never been a worse friend than this,” Nova said.
Flutterfree put a wing around her. “…Yeah.”
“You’re… Not mad?”
“I’m still mad. I’m still very mad. But you need this right now.” Flutterfree looked up at Rev standing at the podium. “She needs it too.”
“…What?”
“You hurt her just as bad as she hurt you,” Flutterfree said. “There was never going to be a winner in that shouting match.”
Nova hung her head.
On the podium, Rev realized she wasn’t going to be able to keep herself under control, no matter how much she prayed or struggled. So she lit a horn and cast a temporary spell on herself – forcing herself to gain a serene smile and a calm demeanor.
She felt dirty for using it, even though she realized she had no choice at this point.
Forgive me.
While the drama of recent events was fresh in the minds of most of the people in the hall, it suddenly took a backseat to the event itself. The separation of the fight had come at the perfect moment – right after Rev cast her composure spell, Daniel and O’Neill came into the hall, Daniel taking his position in front of Rev’s podium, O’Neill standing behind Rev. Eve took her position mirroring O’Neill’s on the opposite side, leaving a space for Renee.
Renee herself appeared through the front doors of the hall, walking past all the guests, her father and mother following right behind her, two unicorns that were never more proud in their lives. Renee paid little attention to the crowd for once in her life – she entered with a graceful stroll, but completely forgot to keep it up when she saw Daniel. Her gaze did not leave his until she got to her position mirroring his own. While her parents took their seats at the main table, it became clear that while Renee’s and Daniel’s outfits looked rather ridiculous on their own, the shapes and colors did compliment each other as a whole.
Renee handed the bouquet she held in her magic to Eve and sassily removed her veil with her magic, revealing a smirk. Daniel smirked right back.
Rev cleared her throat. “Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of these witnesses, to join Renee Belle and Daniel Jackson in matrimony commended to be honorable among all; and therefore is not to be entered into lightly but reverently, passionately, lovingly and solemnly. Into this – these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace.” Just to be safe, Rev cast mute on Alushy. The vampire probably wouldn’t do anything, but you never knew for sure with that kind of troublemaker.
“Seeing that this moment is likely to be the most significant one in both of your lives, I ask that you take this marriage as a beginning of your lives together. Today signifies the creation of a new home, a new family. May you be fulfilled by each other’s deep love. May you be overjoyed by the promises you are about to make and the wonders you will experience with life together. Remember that in every marriage, there are good times and bad, times of joy and times of sorrow. Marriage is more than just an arrangement – it is a journey, one as brilliant and tense as any foray into an unknown universe. The main difference is that this journey is enhanced by the love, trust, dedication, and faith you share in one another.”
Rev turned to Daniel. “Daniel Jackson, do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to Renee Belle in marriage?”
Daniel nodded. “I do.”
“Renee Belle, do you come here freely and without reservation to give yourself to Daniel Jackson in marriage?”
Renee squeed for a moment before echoing Daniel. “I do.”
Rev nodded. “Having heard that it is your intention to be married to each other now, I ask you to declare your marriage vows.”
Renee went first this time. “I, Renee Belle, take you, Daniel Jackson, to be my husband – to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, no matter what plane of existence we may find ourselves in, or what the future may hold, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part.”
“I, Daniel Jackson, take you, Renee Belle, to be my wife – to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. And, depending on how the death goes, probably even after that.”
There was a chorus of soft laughter from the room. Renee had to wipe happy tears from her eyes.
O’Neill handed Daniel the rings – one small enough for his finger, one large enough for Renee’s horn. Wordlessly, Daniel placed the large ring on Renee’s horn. Renee took his small ring and placed it on his finger.
Rev stamped her foot in satisfaction. “By the power vested in me by around a dozen different universal legal codes, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride.”
Unlike their first kiss, which had been a mess that collapsed in on itself in a manner of seconds, this one went much smoother, likely because they had gotten practice in at this point. Renee stood up on her hind hooves and slung her front legs around Daniel’s neck, pulling his face to hers. The kiss didn’t last long – only a few seconds – and for everyone watching it still looked a bit odd, but that didn’t change anything about what it meant. It, in a word, was perfect.
“I present to you, Daniel and Renee Jackson!”
Then there was applause – applause from everyone. Many faces had tears in their eyes. Rev removed the spell she had on herself – she wanted her own applause to be genuine.
It was then Pinkie’s party cannon went off – but it didn’t release confetti. Instead, it released small, sparkling gems that descended slowly to the ground, filling the room with a beautiful sight that Renne would have described as divine.
Instead of walking down arm-in-arm, which would have been exceedingly awkward for Renee, Daniel just got on her back and they descended toward their table. They didn’t get far – people and ponies rushed up to congratulate them, to shake hands, and to give encouraging comments.
“Ah see you finally joined me,” Applejack said, managing to get to the front of the crowd despite her currently awkward frame. “Think the others will anytime soon?”
Renee shrugged, upsetting Daniel’s balance but not knocking him off. “Not anytime soon, Applejack.”
“Figures,” Applejack said. “You two have fun now, y’hear?”
“Oh, we plan on it.”
“Speaking of fun,” Alushy said, pushing herself to the front. “Pony. Human. How’s it work?”
“I figured that you, of all ponies, would be the one to know,” Renee snapped back.
“Touche.” Apparently this answer satisfied her, and she left.
Carter went up to Daniel. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this, Daniel. It’s good for you.”
Daniel smiled. “Thanks. I think. I’m not really processing this yet, give me a minute.”
“IS THERE A TIME MANIPULATOR IN THE HOUSE?” Vriska shouted. “I know the answer’s yes. Nobody going to give this man a minute?” No response. “Shame.”
The congratulations and comments just didn’t seem to end – but eventually the two of them got to the table, O’Neill and Eve close behind. Renee’s parents had clearly been wondering if they should have started eating all on their own. But that worry was over, and the festivities could begin.
“Hey Rev!” Eve called. “You joining us at the table?”
“No, sorry,” Rev called back. “I’ve changed seats. After all, Pinkie set this up as a mingle, right?”
Eve smiled back. “Well, see you around then!”
Rev walked across the room, right over to Nova and Flutterfree. She sat down at an empty chair across from them.
Nova stared at her. “So…”
“Nova, after this, we’re going out for drinks,” Rev declared.
“…Drinks?”
“Yes. Drinks.”
“I should probabl-“ Flutterfree began.
“No,” Rev said. “It’s just going to be me and Nova. And probably a lot of cider.”
“Isn’t drunkenness-”
“Yes. It is. We probably won’t drink that much.”
Nova raised an eyebrow. “…Okay, I’m intrigued now.”
“Good. We need to work this out without screaming at each other. But for now…” She turned around to see O’Neill giving his toast. “Let’s listen to some embarrassing stories about how many times Daniel has kicked the bucket, hrm?”
Nova let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah… Yeah I think I could do that.”
~~~
Rev downed an entire keg of cider and slammed it down, the empty vessel making a satisfying thunk against the table’s surface.
“Wow,” Nova said. “That’s impressive.”
“It’s a sin,” Rev muttered, ramming her forehead into the table. “But look at me, it’s how I cope. Absolutely brilliant.”
“I dunno, I think it makes you more relatable,” Nova said, taking a sip of her own mug.
“That might be the point. Sometimes I wonder…” Rev shook her head, trying to clear it. “Anyway, the point. We’re a couple of… Of…”
“Complete assholes?” Nova suggested.
Rev laughed bitterly. “Yeah. I’ll go with that. Complete assholes. That’s us.”
“No argument from me. Almost ruined the day. Had Pinkie not been there…” She didn’t want to finish the sentence, opting instead to take another drink.
“…We need to find a way to live with each other.”
“Normally I’d just say avoid the topic altogether, but…” Nova bit her lip. “Yeah, that’s not going to work. There’s just… there’s no way this...” She shut herself up before she went on a rant again.
“This is definitely a problem. We… Well, we both hate what the other believes, basically. Ding ding, how smart am I.”
“Genius levels.”
Rev chuckled. “I discovered the secret to FTL travel in another life…”
“I did that for… some reason.”
“The best reason. Reasons.”
“…What?”
“Yeah I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore.” Rev laughed. “I don’t even drink much anymore. Usually I’m pretty low stress. But today … Oh today. You had some good points.”
“I… Did?”
“Well, I mean, it is a little ridiculous for me to believe in that big man in the sky th-”
“I did not say that!”
“Shoosh. I’m using metaphors. …And now I’ve lost it. Whatever, it does seem kind of silly, at times. I have no way of getting any proof He’s really out there, and when I do run into something like Him, I know virtually instantly it isn’t Him.” She rammed her hoof into the table and burned a cross-shaped imprint in it with her Divine powers. “See that? That doesn’t come from Him. That comes from some shadow elsewhere in the multiverse.”
“Uh… kay. I think I knew that, maybe?”
“Yeah.”
“You were right about me as well,” Nova said. “It… it does seem kinda hopeless, at times. There’s a lot of happiness and friendship, but those Gems… Sombra… There’s too many gray areas. And I can’t just live by my own defined morals, because those have been proven wrong before. And Eve keeps admitting she’s wrong in a lot of things… It’s like nobody’s right about anything.”
“Gotta love that truth.”
“I just… I guess I do believe that there’s some sort of truth, or harmony, or destiny – probably fate. I can’t live like there isn’t something. There has to be good, there has to be bad, otherwise what am I even doing with my life? Why do I fight so hard? …I really need to apologize to Flutterfree. She found her answer. I walked over it like it was trash.”
“Mhm…” Rev said, examining her empty keg. “I… I don’t know anymore. We’re just going to keep yelling at each other. The only reason we’re not right now is because we’re both drunk and filled with guilt and shame and other unpleasant nasties.”
“Neither do I. Maybe we just need to keep talking until we do know. You know?”
“Don’t know.”
“Like… We agree to meet and talk to each other about the world, the multiverse. And we agree not to get angry about what the other says or believes. That way we can try to understand each other. Think… Think that can work?”
Rev blinked. “Holy potatoes…”
“Holy potatoes? That’s your expletive?”
“I was saying that’s a good idea!”
“I’m still stuck on ‘holy potatoes’,” Nova giggled. “Potatoes. Pff.”
“Yes, yes, laugh why don’t you.”
“Gladly,” Nova chuckled. “…You really think it’s a good idea?”
“Well, even if we don’t end up understanding each other… We could still respect each other. And we wouldn’t do it because we were avoiding certain parts about each other we didn’t like, we would… We would talk about them. Openly. No anger would build up…”
“There will be anger though. But… But we’ll just let it out on the spot so it doesn’t stew and become nasty.”
“Yeah. Not nasty…” Rev looked at Nova. “Tomorrow then?”
“Tomorrow. Though without the cider next time.”
“Yeah, clearly,” Rev muttered, leaning back in her chair. “Ugh… Flutterfree is going to be so disappointed in me…”
“...Hey, welcome to the club.”
“Wait, weren’t we already in that club?”
“I don’t know anymore.”
“Then we should talk until we do know!” Rev slammed her hoof on the table, flipping it over. The two mares stared at the mess they made – but then started laughing.
They got thrown out seconds after that. But they didn’t care – they had begun a conversation that would likely never end.
It was one way to start a friendship.
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The S.S. FluttterCord is ready to set sail, captain!
Forgot your spacings. Weird how it happens for some and not others.
I'm just surprised there wasn't any complement of four knights wearing different coloured armour on Daniels side.
8996031
Boy, and I thought I'm the only one. Well, if it's feedback you want, then I'm gonna give ya a feast ^^
Just to be sure, Earth Vitis humans come to Equestria as humans these days, right?
No need to call Wallflower Blush names, Vriska.
Did we ever learn who Applejack's husband is? Drawing a blank there.
Some of those shadows of Satan sound unsettlingly like Mary Sues...
Not sure what to think about the prevalence of the Bible, especially in non-Earth universes. Given the translations, interpretations, and edits of the Bible that have proliferated in our world alone, multiversal near-orthodoxy seems bizarre.
The drama certainly could've been worse. At least they didn't discuss politics.
I have to love how they decided that Daniel riding Rarity down the aisle was the least awkward option.
And in a far-off part of the multiverse, Mark Watney felt a profound moment of irritation. Given that he was stranded on Mars at the time, it came as no surprise.
In all, a mostly beautiful wedding and the start of what will hopefully be a beautiful friendship. Lovely stuff.
8997274
Yes, ever since disclosure that's been the general way it's done.
Barley I think his name is. Mentioned once. He's really not important.
There is a reason for that, but it has a bit to do with the meta-nature of the story. So minor spoiler ahead: Simply put, the most common and prevalent book in the world has the most Narrative/ka power out of any of them. A lot of denizens of the multiverse like to use this consistency as evidence for them being right, but it can be explained through the simple 'popularity effect'. More thoughts on this subject will be brought up in later chapters.
-GM, master of answers.
the author was hinting to flattefree and Oneel, and also said other fluttershies did get it with discord, but not them, anyway, i wonder how things will change between Renne and Daniel, they could choose being ponies por humans, thete are spells forma that.
Reverend is pissing me off. Blind worship of something in a multiverse where there are malevolent beings literally leeching power off of worship is the stupidest fucking idea ever.
For a multiverse wedding, this was probably the least eventful wedding I've seen/read in a long while. The last one that came close to being this harmless was Tyrion and Sansa, and that wasn't exactly what one would call a happy marriage. I mean this in the best way, of course. It would have been predictable if anything worse than the pastor and a guest nearly biting each other's heads off happened.
This felt like a breather chapter. Things are calm, except for a few personal squabbles the action is at a low. Combined with last chapter, which was an actual training/vacation episode, I'm feeling kind of nervous. I vaguely remember a few of the upcoming chapter names, and they scared me. Now that we've had such niceties for two chapters in a row, they terrify me.
And stories about a deity so petty they make Discord look like a saint. There's literally a story where God sends a bear to maul children to death because they made fun of a bald man. Then there's the burning of Sodom and Gamora, the flood, the tower of Babel (he got mad people were so good at working together and that they wanted to meet him).
Plus, it's the book that inspired the crusades, the slaughter of the native South Americans, and that slave owners have used to legitimize owning Africans.
Then there are the interpretations where only humans have souls, or the arguements (and I've heard this one applied to aliens) that Jesus only came to save mankind, but 'original sin' affected everything, so aliens would all be going to hell anyway.
Also, every religion claims their's is 'the fastest growing' or their holy book is 'the most popular book' it's basically a clickbait article.
8998245
sadly i agree i mean my brother just passed away last month and just found out yesterday that my mom has cancer.....why would an all knowing loving deity would inflict so much pain on me and my family? what did i do to deserve this?
8999233
I'm so sorry to hear that. I lost my godfather/uncle to cancer a few years back and it... pretty much completely destroyed my family.
9006429
Intrigued I am
8998245
I don't remember that one about the bear. Sodom and Gamora were cities filled with horrible people. Babel was not about humans as a whole working together, it was their arrogance in thinking they could reach God through mortal means. The Crusades, genocide, slavery... All because of human misinterpretation. Humans misinterpreted the Bible, and did horrible things. We still do. And, for the record, I'm damn near positive that Christians aren't the widest spread religion. Not sure who holds that title.
9123487
From Wikipedia (which is *probably* reliable in this case)
Religion by millions of followers worldwide:
Christianity 2,420
Islam 1,800
Hinduism 1,150
Buddhism 520
Folk 400
Granted this may be counting cults that like to argue that they're 'part of the religion' but really aren't.
Irreligion (Atheism, Confucianism, etc) is between Islam and Hinduism.
Tao and Judaism are much smaller than all the other 'major' religions.
-GM, master of info.
9463401
I'm of the mind that 'canon marriages for the mane 6' is a laughable idea.
S9 could prove me wrong, at which point I'll go 'crap, I'm not sure I can edit for that...'
-GM, master of RETCONS.
This is an interestsing Narrative...
I wonder how the authors of our Narrative feel to use knowing we are but a book to them, words on a page or a TV series they love, How they react when we reach out and say “We know your up there, watching us or reading our lives, but we do not care, for we will live on.”
The Patter Screamers have awoken, 3812 walks above all Narratives, even his own, and we must prepare for the end... unless someone in the Narrative above us wishes to save us from our inevitable end...
to chose a location. I think you missed an “o” there.
Prior to this chapter, I was suspicious of this Reverend pony... but here, I not only am led to believe she's a Christian pastor, but her little nuggets of wisdom make her a believeable Christian pastor, something that's rather difficult to pull off (guarding against false shepards and all). I'd give you a Super Fave if I hadn't already!
Indeed.
(Sometimes I hate Grammarly.)
Yes, that's what religion does. You have to judge it on the result, not the process. This is coming from an outsider to religion, of course.
9463411
So ...
8997274
8997324
9710554
Short version: Kudos to this story for a reasonable presentation of my religion!
Long version:
I am a Christian, and hav the personal opinion that since MLP is supposed to be morally instructive, it is best if its fanfic is as well. As such I downvote stories that display morals I find bad. Sometimes I explain this in the comments (many authors want to know the reasons for downvotes, so I assume most do). I have been both complemented for my politeness, and spoken against... for posts with little to no diference between them.
So it gives me pleasure to say I can SUPPORT this story for how it handles Rev.
8998245
For most of this I will say that I think 9123487 covered it. The bear I have heard that, given the society of the time, they were probably on the verge of physically attacking him. Even if not, they were being rude enough to be insulting God via his messenger?
As for Sodom and Gamora, I can add more details. For Babel I have heard an alternate theory to the usual one.
I have to say that is only one possible way to go with it, and NOT the most likely one. Some others I can come up with are that there were other incarnations and redemptions for aliens*, they aren' fallen since they aren't decended for Adam and Eve, or they just don't exist (unless one counts angels and demons).
*Sorta like in "The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe" Aslan/Jesus having died for Edmund twice, once in each of those incarnations. I'm not saying that quite right, but I hope it is claer enough. People should tell me if it isn't.
I wonder how Flutterfree reacts when she reads the part in the bible about how god's directions to enslave your fellow man in Exodus and how it's ok to beat your slaves so long as they don't die from it. Heh.