One Bolt, Moving Forward
“Totally no pressure, right? Absolutely no nerves! We’re just closing in on the date, and it’s easily the biggest date of our lives thus far! It’s not like it’s some big life-changing event that will represent the biggest step ever in moving forward, right?” Boltsinger continued his rambling as he paced through the music room, Abu swinging from his stiff, outstretched tail. “We need to make sure everypony arrives on time, get to Canterlot for the rehearsal and ceremony, make sure that the music is on point… Rarity’s done with the outfits, right?” he asked the monkey, moving his tail to hang the simian in front of his face. He received a shrug and a squeak in response. “I don’t know! I haven’t seen them yet!” He planted his rump on the floor, holding out a wing for the monkey to hang from. “Am I gonna have to go through another one of those ‘mane treatments’ with Rarity? There’s just… so much… I’m just glad Twilight is as organized as she is… She’s got it handled, right?!”
In the library, Twilight sat on top of a pile of books, chewing on the pink stripe of her mane. “How do I not have this handled?! It’s my own wedding, darn it!” She sifted through the dating book, trying to find as much help as she could to no avail. She had brought in a number of books regarding the individual parts of it, but still found herself too frantic to really concentrate. “We’ve all put a wedding together before! And so much of it has already been set up! Why is this freaking me out so much! I mean, all we have to do is…”
In the music room, Boltsinger’s face tensed up with realization. “The biggest thing left to do now, is…”
“Come up with our vows!” the two simultaneously exclaimed.
An hour later, Boltsinger trotted through the halls, mumbling softly to himself while casting a focused gaze forward. He went through several ideas as a pink Unicorn trotted up beside him.
“Hey.” she greeted, looking ahead with him.
“Hey.” he automatically replied.
“Whatcha doing?” she asked.
“Thinkin’.”
“Thinking about…?”
“Wedding is coming up. Gotta come up with vows. How are vows so darn difficult?”
“It’s basically talking about your feelings, and that’s always hard.”
“Sister, you are preaching to the choir.”
“So, whatcha gonna say?”
Boltsinger tilted his head, confused. “I thought we just went over this… I don’t know. Wait a minute... This feels familiar…” He stopped, turning his head to see Starlight’s smiling face. His eyes lit up, smiling from ear to ear. “Starlight!” he cried, lunging into a hug. “It’s good to see you!”
Starlight reciprocated the embrace, patting his back. “Well, I couldn’t possibly leave you without your Best Mare so close to the big day, could I?”
“You’ve got a point, there.” he stated, resuming his walk. “So, I take it Sunburst made it, too?” Starlight nodded, walking alongside him. “What about Shining Armor and Cadence?”
“And Flurry Heart!” Starlight added. “Shining Armor and Cadence are at Rarity’s getting fitted, and Sunburst is watching the foal here.”
“Excellent!” Boltsinger said, jumping into the air and hovering a bit before landing again. “So I really just have to worry about…” He hung his head, racking his brain. “Vows…”
“Well... good luck with that.” she told him, patting him on the back and trotting ahead. “I’m gonna go say hi to Twilight!”
Boltsinger kept his pace, weakly raising a wing, waving a farewell as his mumbling resumed.
Twilight continued to sit atop her books, furiously chewing on the pink in her mane. She had floated a number of quills and parchments over, trying to write something down, but pulling away every time. In truth, everything else for the ceremony was set up. Celestia was to preside over the ceremony, everypony who was invited had RSVP’d, and her friends had every aspect of the ceremony and reception covered. It was just the vows that she wasn’t sure about.
Twilight let out a groan of sheer annoyance. “Why is writing up some vows so hard?!!” she shouted, bringing her hooves up with a momentum that tossed paper everywhere.
“Probably because you’re talking about your feelings, and you think too much to put those into words very well.” a mare’s voice stated from the entrance. “Bolt is worrying about the same thing. I guess you two really rubbed off on one another!”
Twilight looked at the source of the voice, completely forgetting her worries as she recognized the face of her student. “Starlight!” she yelled, diving into the Unicorn. “You’re here!”
Starlight laughed, putting her foreleg around the glomping Princess. “Yep! You two definitely rubbed off on each other.” She got up from under her. “You even greet the same way. Although you’re a bit more aggressive about it.” Twilight laughed, immediately going into questions on how life in the Crystal Empire had been. The two headed to the foyer, sharing news the entire way. “So, right after I leave Ponyville, some big event happens that threatens all of Equestria? I swear, I miss all of the fun these days!”
“You wouldn’t miss out if you came back…!” Twilight suggested, leaning in and fluttering her eyelashes.
Starlight smiled, pushing her former mentor back. “I’m perfectly happy with where I live, Twilight.”
The Princess of Friendship let out a giggle as they rounded the corner to the foyer. “Well, it was worth a shot. Shall we go to Rarity’s to check on my brother and Cadence?” Starlight nodded, the two mares making for the exit.
In the dining room, a giggle reverberated off of the walls. Two orange stallions sat on either side of a high chair. Boltsinger moved away an empty jar as Sunburst brought forth flash cards.
“So, Flurry, what do you see in this card?” Sunburst inquired, floating one of them up to her.
“Pony!” She exclaimed, raising her hooves.
Sunburst smiled wide, pulling the card away. “That’s right, Flurry Heart! That card had an Earth Pony on it!” He brought another card forward. “What kind of pony is on this one?” he continued as the Pegasus returned.
“Horn!” The filly called out, pointing her hoof at Sunburst.
“Exactly! It’s a Unicorn, like me!” He confirmed, replacing the card with a new one. “And this one?”
Flurry pointed an excited hoof at Boltsinger. “Wing! Wing!”
Boltsinger beamed, leaning in and nuzzling the filly. “You’re right! It’s a Pegasus, just like me!” Flurry giggled as Boltsinger brought something out from under his wing. “And this…” he placed a moderately-sized chocolate chip cookie in front of her. “... is a smart cookie for the smart cookie!” Flurry squeed with glee, picking up the dessert with her magic and chomping down happily.
“I don’t know how you got so good with her so quickly.” Sunburst pointed out. “It took me a lot of consistent time with her to get where I am with her now.”
“Don’t sell yourself so short.” Boltsinger replied. “I mostly just listened to Twilight’s advice and worked from there. You had to learn it all the hard way.”
Sunburst smiled, adjusting his glasses. “Thanks.” He took a lingering look at Flurry. “I guess that’s the kind of advice I should expect from a prince, huh?”
The Pegasus’ head recoiled, thinking about his friend’s words. “Prince? What do you mean, prince?”
Sunburst raised a hoof informatively. “Well, you’re marrying a Princess. That means you’ll become a prince, just like Shining Armor did.”
Boltsinger’s eyes widened as his jaw fell as far as it could go. “... I see…” he started. “... I never really thought of that…” He shook his head rapidly, trying to get the thought out of his mind. “So, uh… The girls are going to be doing some… uh… spa stuff tomorrow. Big Mac and Discord are gonna come by, and we’re gonna be doing a ‘guys night’. You up for joining in?”
“What exactly does a ‘guys night’ entail?” Sunburst wondered.
Boltsinger grinned. “Only the best role-playing game of all time!” he declared, spreading his forelegs.
Sunburst looked at his fellow stallion with an excited expression. “You don’t mean Ogres and Oubliettes, do you?”
“Eeyup!” Boltsinger confirmed. “With a Discord twist!” he explained the way that Discord spiced up the game. “So, you in?”
“Of course I’m in!” he shouted, nearly falling out of his chair.
Two days later, the throne room was full of ponies. The Element-bearers sat in their thrones, while Boltsinger sat in his usual spot between Twilight and Applejack’s thrones. Cadence, holding Flurry Heart, sat next to a cowering Fluttershy, giving her words of encouragement for her upcoming performance, while Sunburst and Starlight sat together between Spike and Rainbow Dash, talking about various things. Spike, Pinkie Pie, and Discord debated what was going to go down for the bachelor party, while Applejack poured over recipes for ‘the best darned apple treats a pony could make’ with Big Mac looking over her notes. Rainbow Dash simply sat and read some Daring Do while Rarity put all of her attention into a sketch for the decorations to be set up at the ceremony proper.
“You look… distracted.” Shining Armor mentioned, putting his hoof on Boltsinger’s shoulder.
Boltsinger inhaled sharply, looking back at the source of the surprise contact. “What? Distracted? I’m not distracted! We had a really good time last night! We played the best game ever in the best way possible and we had a great time and I wasn’t able to concentrate on anything or do anything or think about anything because I was distracted!” He put on the biggest, least sincere smile he’d ever had, quickly shifting to a state of confusion. “... That didn’t come out like I planned…”
“Probably ‘cause you’re distracted.” the Unicorn continued. “Why don’t you tell me what’s got you so…””
“You can use the word. It fits here.”
“Frazzled.” he finished.
Boltsinger sighed, holding up a wing and extending only two of his feathers. “There’s two things…” He retracted one feather. “First of all, I have no idea what to do for my vows. I don’t understand how it’s so hard! I tell her how I feel all the time, but for some reason, this feels different... “ He extended the feather again, pushing his wing forward. “And then something new came to my attention… It should have been obvious, I know, but… In just a couple days… I’m marrying a Princess! Which means… against all expectations, besides maybe Rarity’s, I’m technically going to be a prince! And I have absolutely no idea what all that entails!”
Shining Armor had reared back, unsure of how to respond to at least part of what the Pegasus had said. “So, I’m afraid I don’t have any advice when it comes to your vows. But I know a lot about the whole ‘prince’ thing.”
“That’s a relief…” he said. “So what’s it like?”
“Well, you pretty much are the same pony you were before.” the white stallion explained. “I was a captain of the Royal Guard long before I married Cadence. I basically have to fill in for her when she’s gone, and I attend to things that I have experience with.”
“So, royal guard stuff.”
Shining Armor chuckled, tapping Boltsinger’s shoulder. “You’ll learn as you go. It’s not that big of a deal.”
Boltsinger looked at the map in front of him, his reflection staring back. “I don’t know how much of that I believe, but you are the one with experience.” He turned his gaze towards Twilight, whose face was buried amidst a wall of parchment. He smiled, thinking of the life ahead of them.
Meanwhile, Twilight’s parchment remained completely blank. “I have to get this perfect… So why can’t I think of any words to say?”
“Perhaps the way you feel is beyond words?” Cadence suggested, sitting next to her.
Twilight lowered her papers, looking at the pink-hued Princess. “I don’t know… I’ve told him how I feel before, and I’ve certainly lectured him with a lot of feeling…” She took a deep breath. “He says that I’m the only one that moved either of us forward, but he always forgot something.”
“And what’s that?” the Crystal Princess wondered, putting one hoof on her muzzle and the other on the map beside her.
“He was always the one who poured his heart out first.” she explained, taking a look at the smiling stallion. “The way he feels, and the depth of his emotions… That’s a big part of what had me so…” She let a swooning sigh escape as the next word came to her. “... enraptured.”
“It sounds to me like you have a good idea of how you feel.” Cadence told her, leanng in close. “So why are you having so much trouble putting it to the page? You’ve written speeches before. This shouldn’t be a big deal for you.”
Twilight looked back at her sister-in-law, cocking an eyebrow. “Not a big deal?” she started, turning to face her completely. “Not a big deal?! This is the thing I’m going to tell the pony I love on the day that’s going to bind our fates together for the rest of our lives! What if he doesn’t think I’m sincere? What if I mess up when I’m saying them? What if my own scattered brain prevents me from even saying ‘I do’ during the ceremony?! I have to get this perfect, and I can’t even write down a single word!!! I can’t think of a bigger deal than this!” She hyperventilated, not realizing that she had lunged her head forward with her muzzle a mere inch away from Cadence’s. The room fell silent as all eyes in the room directed themselves towards her.
An orange hoof found its way to Twilight’s shoulder. “It’s okay, Twilight…” Boltsinger began. “I’m nervous, too.”
Twilight calmed down, her breathing returning to normal as she sank into her throne. “I just… don’t know what to say… I want this to be as perfect as possible, but I’m so scared of how it’ll turn out!”
“I know how you feel.” he stated. “I’d like to take you somewhere. We’re gonna be in the vicinity later, anyway, but I think you need to see it just as much as I do right now.” He turned to address everypony in the room. “Twilight and I are going to fly ahead to Canterlot. We’ll meet you all when you arrive, okay?” The pair received confirmations and approval from myriad sources as they made their exit. They headed out the door and took flight the moment the entrance to the castle closed behind them.
The two ponies lingered in the air above Ponyville. Boltsinger waited as Twilight caught up. He took her hoof as they turned towards their destination in the distance. “So, first of all, what’s got you so worried?” he queried, the two starting towards the mountainside city.
Twilight sighed, catching up with ease. “I can’t come up with anything to say for my vows…”
“Me, too.” he replied with a small chuckle. “It’s really kind of silly when I think about it. It’s not like I can’t think of my feelings. I just… I guess it’s kind of like writing lyrics to a song.”
Twilight tilted her head, looking below at the stallion. “Lyrics? But you’ve done so many heartfelt songs that everypony loves!”
“Indeed I have.” he admitted. “And every last one of them took a long time to prepare, and was one that somepony else wrote and I just… made use of. Putting words to music myself? That’s something I’ve never been able to do.” He performed a barrel roll around the Princess, adding an aileron roll as he went. “I’ve got all of these wonderful feelings in me…” he flew upside-down beneath his fiance, spreading his forelegs. “I just never know how to fully express them. I love to sing, though, so if I can find something that at least approximates what I’m feeling, I’ll utilize it.” He righted himself in the air, rising up to fly next to her. “I suppose lyrics come pretty naturally for you. I mean, you and the girls break into musical numbers all the time! I only wish I could be that spontaneous!”
“But that’s just how we get a big lesson across sometimes!” she stated, flailing her forelegs. “Or how we over-dramatically emphasize how we’re feeling or what we need to do!”
“And it lets you put those feelings into words that shows the extent of your emotions.” he reminded her. “And you six are so in sync through it all, it’s crazy! So, why don’t you just do what you’ve always done with your feelings?” He flew in front of her, moving backwards and looking her straight in the eyes. “Say what’s in your heart.”
Twilight stopped and landed on a nearby cloud, putting her hoof to her muzzle. “I never thought of it that way. Normally when songs happen, it’s spur of the moment. Half the time I don’t even know that we’re… well… singing. I’m just getting a point across.”
“Exactly. Make your point, naturally, like you always have.” he affirmed, landing next to her. “Nopony, especially not me, will judge you for speaking from the heart at your own wedding.” He lifted off again, turning around and offering his hoof.
She took the hoof happily as the two continued their flight. “You know, musical or not, you’re pretty good at expressing your own feelings when you have to.” Boltsinger waved a hoof in front of him in denial. “I mean it! When you get emotional, you really get emotional! I’ve seen you pour your heart out in ways that I can only dream of! All I can do in those situations is give a lecture, and those sound prissy or angry most of the time… The sheer amount of feeling you put into your… well, feelings, always manages to leave me breathless.”
The stallion smiled warmly at the mare as they neared the city. “I don’t know why we didn’t talk to each other about this from the start.” his gaze lingered on her for several moments as their flight continued.
She laughed and directed her eyes forward. “Well, if we communicated that easily, things would get boring, and we’d never learn any friendship lessons!”
Boltsinger laughed in return. “Spoken like the Princess of Friendshi--”
CRASH!
Another arrival in Canterlot, another smash into a wall. Boltsinger unceremoniously fell onto the balcony below, groaning in pain as his Alicorn companion joined him at his side. She lifted his head, making sure he was alright as he opened his wobbly eyes.
“It’s okay, Prince Lulu, I won’t fly away! My dreams are broken, after all!” He droned, putting his hoof on Twilight’s foreleg.
“I thought he had gotten past this habit…” a mare’s deep voice started from the room beyond. Out of the shadowy chamber, Princess Luna appeared. She stepped forward and took a seat next to Twilight and her fiance. “Does he not look where he is going when he flies with you?”
“We were having a pretty in-depth conversation.” Twilight explained. “He was pretty distracted.”
Luna smiled as she looked at the stallion she met so long ago on the very balcony upon which she sat. “I can imagine, what with the celebration coming up. How are you faring?”
The Princess of Friendship patted her delirious husband-to-be on the head. “Everything is prepared… except for us. He said he wanted to take me somewhere here in Canterlot, but I don’t think he can lead me there in this state…” She spread her wings, bringing them together on either side of his muzzle as his eyes returned to normal.
Boltsinger sat up, looking around as if something was wrong. “Huh? What? Yes, I want pancakes, Spike!”
“Pancakes?” Luna repeated, stifling a chortle.
The stallion looked around getting his bearings. “Oh… We’re here.” He took a look at Luna. “Good evening, Princess. Did I crash again?”
“Indeed you did, fair Boltsinger.” She confirmed, motioning to the wall above the doorway, which now had two pony-shaped indents situated above it. “I would ask you to crash at least once more if my entryway is to have some semblance of symmetry to it.”
Boltsinger busted out laughing, Twilight soon joining him. “I see Pinkie wasn’t kidding when she told me how funny you could be!” He sat up once more. “Well, it’s convenient that we landed here.” He turned to face Twilight. “This is exactly where I wanted to bring you.”
Twilight looked around, failing to understand the Pegasus’ reasoning. “Why here? The view is lovely, but what does this place mean in particular?”
“Twilight, this balcony, that wall, is where everything began for me.” He informed her, tapping his hoof on the floor below them. “This is where I slammed into a wall and met a Princess. She had a great many questions, and thanks to her concern, I met you… Now, I can move forward. I just… wanted to show you this place from my perspective.” He stood and turned to the Princess of the Night, who had silently smiled at the stallion’s speech. “And, since you’re here, anyway… I want to thank you. If you hadn’t been on this balcony, I’m certain things would be a lot worse for me.”
Luna stood up, stepping forward regally for a moment and taking a deep breath. In that instant, her royal composure fell away, and she beamed, lunging forward and catching the orange pony in a tight embrace that he met with one of his own. “It has been my honor, my privilege, and my pleasure, my friend! May your days from here onwards grow ever happier!”
Twilight flashed a bright smile of her own at the scene before her. She looked at the indents in the wall, imagining just how much that one little impact changed the lives of her and all of her friends. She knew what was coming next, and, for the first time in several days, she didn’t feel stressed about it. All there was, right now, was excitement and anticipation, and she reveled in it.
The next day was a busy one. Everypony in the castle was abuzz. After a pancake breakfast hosted by Celestia came the rehearsal. After that, Twilight and Boltsinger had to check on each individual aspect of the ceremony. Knowing their friends, things were running rather smoothly, but the occasional hiccup did occur. Not all of the songbirds were quite on-key for one of the larger musical numbers, to which Boltsinger offered a hoof to help. Twilight was impressed at his ability to teach the nuances of such an advanced song, but thinking back on who she was looking at, she wasn’t all that surprised.
The surprise came when they visited Rarity. Without revealing any of the dresses she had made, she made her design plans quite clear in her color scheme. She had based it around flowers, and wanted each of the bridesmaids to match a type of flower in the bouquet the bride would carry. However, she was fretting over exactly which flowers to make use of. As soon as the issue was understood, Twilight teleported away, reappearing with the flower book she had received on her birthday. She made note of the colors Rarity had mentioned for each pony and sifted through the book at breakneck speeds. From there, she floated over dozens of flowers, each one perfectly matching the colors her friend had in mind and with a meaning that matched the pony in question. Boltsinger had seen her perform this kind of feat several times before, but the sheer scale of her research and organizational skills never ceased to amaze him.
As always, Apple Family treats and Cake Family sweets were second to none. The menu was set, and the guests began to arrive. Night Light and Twilight Velvet tackled their daughter, swelling up and overflowing with liquid pride while a large number of Ponyville residents arrived at the train station. Among the guests were two ponies neither of them had expected to see.
Brightling and Sparks exited the train, the former catching his sibling in a big hug. “I can’t believe my little brother’s getting married!” He shouted, catching the attention of Twilight’s nearby family.
“I can’t believe he didn’t get arrested…” Night Light commented, casting the yellow stallion a glare.
Shining Armor put a hoof on his father’s back. “Well, helping to save Equestria has a tendency to improve your standing with other ponies. Plus, the Princess of Friendship vouched for him.”
Velvet mimicked her son’s gesture. “Besides, he’s going to be a father, soon. Princess Celestia wouldn’t want to deprive a little foal of its father.”
Night sighed, knowing they were right as Shining Armor stepped up to Brightling. “So, you’re the brother I was told about.”
Brightling scratched his mane with his wing, looking sheepishly at the towering Unicorn. “I am. And you must be the brother of the bride?”
Shining Armor nodded, putting his hoof around Brightling. “I am. And we have a lot to talk about.” Brightling’s face tensed as the Unicorn encompassed him in magic, dragging him away with his wife in tow.
Boltsinger looked at the two of them as they left, more than a little shocked. “I do not want to know what they’re gonna be ‘discussing’...”
The day arrived. Boltsinger looked in the mirror, his ears low, and a veritable waterfall of sweat flowing down his face. He wore a black tuxedo with silver buttons, featuring a pattern of silver stars connected by white lightning bolts, with his pendant hung decoratively where a tie would have been. His morning was spent with Rarity, who gave him the full mane treatment. For the first time in a year, his mane was straight and streaked instead of wild and messy. Everything was set up. Everypony was more than prepared. Save one. Boltsinger still had no idea what to say.
“She’s got her side covered. She’s a natural at spontaneity!” he started, tugging at the collar of his shirt. “I just need to… do… something…” He puzzled for a moment. He pounded one hoof into the other. “Aha!” Spreading his wings, he whipped up a breeze that shut his door and began his work.
Celestia stood in the room in which all ceremonies were held. The room was filled with ponies of all kinds. Friends, family, and important ponies from all over. Her beloved sister stood beside her, and a nervous stallion stood in front of her, shaking like she had never seen a pony shake before. The ponies in the room chatted amongst themselves until Octavia played an opening note on her cello. The doors opened, the Earth Pony playing two measures of low notes, DJ PON-3 hitting a button on her setup to repeat them as the cellist went into a more elaborate melody. The songbirds began their high melody a few more measures in as the doors opened. First, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo made their way down the aisle, wearing simple white gowns and tossing flower petals every which way. Then, two-by-two, the wedding party made their entrance. Cadence and Shining Armor, followed by Starlight and Sunburst, Fluttershy and Discord, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Big Mac, and finally Rarity and Spike, each with forelimbs linked as they walked down the aisle.
Shining Armor and Cadence wore their normal formal attire, as dictated by Crystal Empire tradition. Sunburst was clad in a black and gold version of his cloak with his mane, tail, and beard coiffed into a sleek profile. Big Mac sported a tuxedo with apple patterns strewn on vines throughout, while Spike a flame pattern, and Discord featuring a little bit of everything all at once. Starlight wore a black dress with white trim, looking as if imitating a tuxedo, but with Rarity’s typical feminine flair, studded with baby blue sapphires along the collar, waist, and the hem of the skirt. Fluttershy wore a dress of alternating shades of pink, a bouquet and crown of pink flowers in the same shade of her Element of Kindness nestled into her mane. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie wore similar frocks in red and blue, the flowers matching their Elements of Loyalty and Laughter to a ‘T’. Applejack’s dress followed the same base design, but the colors were an alternating orange and green, with orange flowers of her own. Fittingly, Rarity wore numerous shades of purple, keeping her outfit in line with those of her fellow bridesmaids, creating a veritable rainbow of flowers and ponies when the five of them stood together. Everypony was in place, and all eyes turned to the door as Night Light appeared alongside the pony everypony was waiting for.
The songbirds began a solo of the traditional wedding march. Twilight Sparkle marched down the aisle, wearing a white gown that bore beautiful silver stars in a constellation pattern along the skirt, Strings of lace lined the waist and hem. The dress had no back, but the front, out of a stunning silver plated necklace that resembled a combination of the ones worn by Princesses Celestia and Luna, flowed down with intricate star patterns and knotwork designs. Each hoof bore a shoe in the same silver as the necklace that flared out in a design that resembled crystalline leaves, with white stockings covering her hind legs all the way up to her haunches. Upon her head was a diamond-studded tiara that held a veil in place, only just barely hiding her face. Her mane was parted on either side, revealing the diamond ring on the base of her horn, with her pendant worn as a hair clip on the back of her head, where the hair on the back of her head and neck was curled in layers. Clutched in her wings was a bouquet of flowers with a single large six-petaled magenta flower, arranged to be surrounded by the same kinds of flowers her bridesmaids and best friends featured, a testament to the Elements of Harmony which they all represented, and her position connecting them all. Shining Armor’s face scrunched up at the sight, tears of pride threatening to fall early as his sister made her way. Celestia looked at her pupil’s brother and immediately shared his sentiment, beads of water beginning to bud from her eyes as she smiled at the marching mare. Gasps of awe were heard throughout the room, while all of Twilight’s best friends offered the warmest smiles everyone in the room had ever seen. Even Rainbow Dash had a hard time keeping a straight face. Boltsinger’s mouth hung open, seeing Twilight in the gown for the first time caused his heart to skip a number of beats. She took her place next to him in front of Celestia, showing a shining smile.
Celestia flared her wings out to their full width, taking a deep breath. “Fillies and gentlecolts, ponies of all ages and kinds, thank you for coming.” She brought her wings back to her default position. “We are gathered here today for a celebration of love between two ponies. One who exemplifies the magic of friendship itself, and one who represents the kind of growth that magic can inspire in all of our lives. Over the past year, these two have lived together, laughed together, and cried together, forming a bond that goes beyond friendship. They stand before you all today to solidify that bond.” She brought her wings forward, putting one on each of the ponies being celebrated. “The young Pegasus, Boltsinger, whose talents have taken him all over Equestria to help ponies in need, and the Princess of Friendship herself, Twilight Sparkle!” At the mention of the Princess’ name, the entire crowd erupted into cheers and stomps of applause. Celestia cast her gaze at the two, giving off a radiance that empowered them. “You may now speak your vows.”
Twilight brought up a hoof, clearing her throat. “I’ve had a lot of time to think about what I’m going to say. But the truth is, as my sister-in-law suggested, the way that I feel right now, looking at you… It’s beyond words. When I first met you, I wasn’t sure what to think. You were so frightened of everypony around you, asking me if I thought you were worth it in the end. I stand by what I said back then. I believe everypony is worth it. And you proved that, over and over again, with the sincerity you’ve shown me, the depth of your feeling, and the lengths you’re willing to go to for somepony important to you, even at a great personal cost. Most of all, you became such a big part of my everyday life that the thought of not having you in it is simply unbearable. I love the way your voice echoes through the castle when you sing. The earnest desire to learn you show when I teach you. The joy you get from a good book or a good time with friends. I’m filled with pride to see the pony you’ve become after just a single year. And I’m thrilled to take the next big step together with you and see what the rest of our lives have to offer!”
Boltsinger wiped away a tear that escaped his eye, taking a deep, staggering breath. “Wow… That was… wow… I-I wish that I… Well, luckily, I was able to prepare something ahead of time…” He extended his wing, sending a gust of wind at the roof, where an air pocket waited. The pocket burst, and the message inside began to play.
“Hello, Twilight! It’s me… About an hour before the ceremony. There’s a really good chance that I’m too shaky and nervous to say what’s on my mind at the moment you’re hearing this, so I probably opened this air pocket right away!” Twilight looked at the source of the pocket, then at the stallion in front of her. He was practically vibrating with how shaky he was, sweat forming a waterfall down his sides. “The way that I feel about you… I’ve said it before, a lot. I love you. More than anypony I’ve ever known. When I first crashed into that wall upstairs, I thought I was nothing. I practically hated myself! I owe you and our friends everything, but you, most of all. I mean, you were the first pony in years to see the full extent of… well, me… and face all of it head-on! The friendship that I forged with you is pure magic, and even through all of the hard times, it’s only gotten better since. You brought friendship into my life… I can never, ever thank you enough. There aren’t enough words in all the books in the world to express how I feel about you… But, if I’m less shaky by the end of this, there’s a song that’s been running through my head for a really long time. You may find it familiar. I think I heard you singing it around the castle sometimes. Hopefully by the end of this message, I’ll have calmed down enough to actually perform it.”
All eyes fell on Boltsinger as he stood there. His shaking had died down considerably, and he slapped his muzzle with his wings repeatedly to get it to completely go away. He looked at Twilight, seeing in her a beauty that was all her own, and put his heart entirely at ease. “Well, you heard what I said an hour ago.” He took one more deep breath. “Here it is…” He began flapping his wings, the room’s atmosphere changing entirely.
“~Life in Equestria shimmers_____!
Life in Equestria shi-i-ines!
And I know for absolute certain___
That everything is perfectly__ fine…~”
Twilight gave a small gasp, recognizing the lyrics and tone instantly. “Hey, that’s my song!”
Boltsinger’s goofy smile came to full view. “I know! I told you I heard you singing it! Anyway, here’s my refrain!” Cue another deep inhale.
“~Life in Equestria sparkles____!
Life with you by my side shi-i-i-ines!
And I know as long as I’m with you___
That everything… is perfectly…~”
“Fine. It’s just fine.” he finished, completely relaxed as he looked her straight in the eye. As the stallion ceased the flapping of his wings, the entire crowd, wedding party included, erupted into cheers, louder than he had even heard during his days in Las Pegasus. “So… What do you think?”
Twilight gave a solemn nod, stepping closer to him. “It was beautiful.”
“Indeed it was.” Celestia confirmed. “Now… I suppose asking you if you’re ready for this wouldn’t do much good, after what we’ve all heard today.” Each pony, dragon, and Draconequus simultaneously nodded. “Very well, then. Have you anything to seal your vows with?”
Boltsinger spoke up first. “Twilight gave me this pendant long ago. I never take it off if I can get away with it, and its meaning gets stronger with each step I take with her. I think it’s the perfect symbol.”
Twilight turned to her teacher and nodded in agreement. “I feel the same way about this.” She pointed to her own pendant shaped like her Cutie Mark. “He gave it to me on Hearth’s Warming, and the way it was designed lets me wear it all the time, even when a necklace is impractical! Plus, even though it started off as ordinary jewelry, I think some of his magic may have rubbed off on it, so I always have a little bit of him with me no matter what! I can’t think of a better symbol, either!”
Celestia closed her eyes, acquiescing to their idea. “Then it’s settled! It is my greatest joy and honor to pronounce you… Husband and wife!”
The cheers came again as Twilight and Boltsinger faced one another. Boltsinger brought his wings forward, lifting the veil that only just barely tried to cover her face in the first place. The two ponies brought their foreheads together and gazed into each other’s eyes, each imagining the life ahead of them and the many adventures it would bring. They closed the gap between their awaiting lips, cementing the bond they had established before all of Equestria as their pendants began to spark and shine. Their wings began to tingle, shooting straight up and going stiff as their Cutie Marks began to dance in their individual ways. They separated their kiss as Rainbow Dash sped out of the room, following the cyan mare as quickly as they could. From outside, everypony in the castle heard a booming thunderclap, where an orange streak with a blue lightning bolt flew beside a purple streak with a pink stripe. Rainbow Dash quickly passed the two, a Sonic Rainboom lighting up the sky as they disappeared into the distance.
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Nice ending was a real enjoyable story. I look forward to the sequel.
Nice ending i chose to favorite this story after a reading a few chapters and when i read a few more i chose to track it so im ready to read the sequel when it comes out
I have really enjoyed this, the ending was great and I loved every moment.
8892475
i understand
Based on some of the feedback ive seen, Ive decided to read your fic. In all honesty, ill probably download it to my kindle and read it while I have down time. Ill comment and let you know my thoughts when im done. I look forward to what sounds like a hilarious story. :)
I have finish this story and I love it. off the part 2
9306488
Pretty much, yeah. Unwitting exercise has its benefits.
9338217
9338221
Yeah, that expression fits pretty well. I had this story out long before that special came out, though, so it's a pretty happy coincidence.
And who knows? Maybe there's a restricted section full of some of Twilight's epic fan fiction? We don't know what all she keeps in that library, after all!
9339886
The slow burn is the best kind!
9341605
She still hasn't stopped talking since that chapter. Sometimes she's hard to understand, but now that I have a Pinkie-centric story arc going, (you'll see more of that later) I can hear her a little more clearly.
9343498
Herding is the last thing on my mind. I'd much rather have something believable play out, and herds are just not that.
9343599
Not gonna lie, I'm really enjoying your comments. And there's no reason to be surprised. This is Twilight Sparkle we're talking about!
9485538
To answer your hairbrush question... I lost count at 50.
Like the cover art
11502973
I think you might be right. I've been due for a re-read lately anyway so I can fix stuff like that. Thank you!