<<372 words
Wedding Bells Part 1: Assumptions and Communication Gone Wrong3,245 words
Wedding Bells Part 2: Jitters2,785 words
Wedding Bells Part 3: 'Till Death Do Us Part3,000 words
Song of Ascension Part 1 (Rewritten): Weaver of Cocoons2,197 words
Song of Ascension Part 2: Mason of the Dead Forest2,222 words
Song of Ascension Part 3: New Digs3,660 words

Wedding Bells Part 2: Jitters

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Aegis’ POV

“I never expected to be taking this path again,” I remarked over my shoulder to Chloe.

The gray pegasus stared at me with a perplexed look for a moment before realization hit her, and she let out a short huff of laughter. “Ugh, don’t remind me,” she scoffed. “You nearly died here.”

I turned back to the path and continued on my careful way, keeping well away from the drop on the left side of the path: the one I had fallen off the last time I walked this dangerous road. This time, Rainchaser had given me her solemn word that she wouldn’t pull the same stunt twice, but I kept myself wary and as close to the cliffside as possible. While I would have rather prefered to stay far away from this particular route, it was necessary to return to Luna’s cottage retreat in the woods.

We both had been surprised when the invitation to Skyblaze and Luna’s wedding had specified a private ceremony near Luna’s private retreat, the same cottage she had loaned the bronies many weeks before for their vacation. I assumed originally that the wedding was going to be held publicly at the castle, like Shining Armor and Cadance’s. Then again, Luna wasn’t the most sociable of ponies, and Skyblaze hated the nobility with a barely-restrained passion.

“Hey! Aegis! You’re holding up the caravan!” Dash’s voice shouted from overhead. Rain had the chromatic pegasus keeping an eye out ahead and above for anything that could potentially hinder our progress. Unfortunately, I think that included me.

I looked back behind me to see Rainchaser, Shift, Storm, Caramel, Twilight, and Applejack following my snail’s pace while the rest of the group advanced far ahead. “There’s no sense in rushing,” I said, turning back to Dash. “Better safe than sorry.”

“You’ll be sorry if you don’t hurry it up!” she chastised quickly before flying forward to the others ahead of us.

Frowning, I picked up my pace again, but not too much. I still wasn’t going to take risks.

“I wish she wouldn’t do that,” Rainchaser voiced from behind me. “I mean, I love her to death, but she can be an impatient hothead to you.”

I shrugged. “She’s not my fillyfriend.”

“Yeah, but she is mine. And so are you!” There was an apparent pause. “...my coltfriend, I mean.”

I stepped over a rock that was in my path. “Love and tolerate, right?” I said, quoting the old motto. “Well, I love you, and I tolerate her.”

Rainchaser groaned. “Fine. You win, tough guy,” she said, staying silent for a while. Her hoofsteps sounded a little harder on the ground than usual. “Why do you think they picked the cottage for the wedding? It’s not exactly the most scenic of places. Or the most accessible.”

“I heard it had something to do with the attacks,” Shift piped up from further back. “A hit on a royal wedding would cause chaos and wreak havoc on the Princess’ special day. Even if the attack didn’t succeed- which it likely wouldn’t have -the Aliyess would still have the satisfaction of butting in on, not only the wedding, but the Hearth’s Warming celebration.”

“Dicks,” Chloe interjected. “I thought Dash and I brought those guys down for good.”

“Evidently not,” I said to Chloe, then replied to Shift. “I didn’t even think about the Aliyess. I thought the reason was more because of the ponies being married.”

Shift made a noise of agreement. “Sky and Luna do shared a hatred of the nobility. I suppose a big, grand, public royal wedding isn’t their thing.”

“As if the last one went smoothly at all, right?” Storm called out, making us all laugh. I noted that Shift’s chuckles were not as enthusiastic. “But seriously, why are we going so slowly? I’m dying of boredom back here!”

>><<>><<

Kind Greetings’ POV

“You’re not serious, are you?” I asked, still in disbelief at the whole situation. Celestia simply nodded and sipped more of her tea. “Not one pony in the castle bothered to come to you about where your sister went?” The Solar Princess shook her head impassively. “Not one pony bothered with the chain of command? That, in the event of a possible security threat, nopony goes to the highest authority?”

Celestia sighed. “Unfortunately.”

I groaned and shook my head. “Back on Earth, there was a dictator that was on his way to controlling the world,” I told her, reciting an anecdote. “In fact, he may have succeeded... if he was woken up on the morning nearly six-thousand Allied ships landed an invasion on the shores of Normandy. His generals were without direction and the entire defense fell, giving victory to the Allies. The same problem happened here, only on a smaller scale. This needs to be fixed, Your Highness. An error like this could cripple the castle’s defense.”

There was a long moment of silence in the throne room as Celestia sipped her tea. She paused, then looked at me. “Why wasn’t this dictator awakened?” she asked.

“He...” I blinked, realizing her point. Sharing a glance with Derpy, I continued. “He was known to be mentally unstable and had a short temper. They were afraid of what he would do to them.”

“Precisely,” Celestia replied. “The guard that finally notified me was frightened terribly. While I do love my little ponies, their respect and reverence for me can sometimes be born of fear. As powerful as I am, I’m not surprised nopony was brave enough to confront me.” The Princess set her tea down on the tray, apparently having finished it.

“I’d be scared too,” Derpy voiced. “I mean, if I was the Princess and I just lost my little sister again, I’d be pretty angry.”

I gave my fillyfriend a small smile. For all her little... inconsistencies... she can be very insightful. “I’m glad you got it sorted out before anything bad happened,” I said, turning back to Celestia. “It wouldn’t be a very enjoyable wedding if Canterlot was put under martial rule when we got back.”

“If the way the Guard handled the present situation is any indication, I fear for Equestria if they were to run the country for even a single day,” Celestia chuckled. “Of course, I did not call you here to criticise our security measures, Ambassador. I hope you have gathered anything you need for my sister’s wedding.”

“Right here!” Derpy chirped, tapping the two suitcases she and I packed with our formal attire. The action caused them to topple over like dominoes. “...oops.”

Celestia and I let out a quiet laugh at this, then the Princess proceeded to lift both cases in her magic. “Then we will depart immediately.”

Before I could respond, we were enveloped in a bright, yellow light. For those that are inexperienced in travel by long-distance mass-teleportation, I will say this: while possibly the fastest route from point A to point B, it’s extremely uncomfortable on the stomach. Though not nearly as jarring as the portal from Earth to Equestria, my bowels still churned and my footing became unstable as I instantly went from standing on a marble floor to wobbling on the uneven, snow-covered soil.

“Wow... tingly...” I heard Derpy giggle.

It took several moments for my eyes to adjust to the change in environment. When I was finally able to get my bearings and stabilize my stance, I noticed Celestia had teleported us to the crest of a hill overlooking the cottage and the nearby clearing. I knew for a fact that Skyblaze and Princess Luna were in the cottage with Shining Armor and Cadance, respectively, helping them get ready.

As for the clearing, Princess Cadance and Shining Armor’s task of setting up the space for the ceremony had not been wasted. A large length of white cloth was laid out from one end of the clearing to the other, substituting an aisle. I trotted closer to the area, and found a large masonry arch swooping over one end of the cloth, decorated with hanging, flowering vines with silvery petals and golden sigils of a language I didn’t recognize. Peering at the runes, I could have sworn they were shimmering ever so slightly.

”Haesdr fuiln, ruirr shuailan, nardailaiar delrran.” I turned around as the melodic voice chanted behind me. Princess Celestia walked up beside me and looked up at the runes. “An Archaic matrimonial blessing,” she explained. “It means ‘hearts bound, souls adjoined, destinies tangled,’ if translated literally. It’s symbolic of the essences of the bride and groom being bound together.”

“I see,” I answered. “So... it’s a metaphor, then?”

“A metaphor?” she asked, confused. “Whatever for?”

Before I could clarify my question, I was interrupted by a nearby voice of excitement. “Auntie! You’re just in time!” Cadance’s voice carried across the clearing as she hovered in from above and landed nearby. “Your sister is having those annoying pre-wedding jitters, and I can’t get her to calm down.”

Celestia looked at Cadance with a perplexed expression. “I would think settling her nerves about being married would be easier for somepony who has experience,” she stated, motioning to the pink alicorn. “I’m not sure there’s anything more I can do that you haven’t done.”

“No, it’s not that, I just...” Cadance hesitated for a moment. “I think you would be more used to the Royal Canterlot Voice than me.”

“I see,” Celestia chuckled. “I will see what I can do.” With a final nod, Celestia opened her wings and lifted off, flying toward the cottage, leaving Cadance and I in the clearing.

I turned to Cadance with an inquisitive look. “What about Skyblaze?” I asked. “Any jitters on his end?”

“Of course,” she replied. “But he settled down once we gave him a little coffee.”

I rolled my eyes. Typical Skyblaze. Giving the Princess a nod, I walked off to see if I could find Derpy before the others got here.

>><<>><<

Skyblaze’s POV

I opened my eyes...

Before me was a great expanse of endless night sky, colored deep purple and dotted with the occasional puff of cumulus. There was no ground below me, nor emptiness above; an endless and limitless sky, surrounded by a velvet blanket covered in tiny stars like diamonds. In front of me, the moon shined with a great white light, illuminating the entirety of my world of only-sky.

I flew toward that moon, basking in its silver glow, feeling the breeze on the tips of my feathers. Gravity had no power here. Clouds brushed at my hooves, playfully licking my fetlocks as I passed. Floating free through the slightly-shifting air, I dipped and dived and rolled, just enjoying the freedom of flight.

Setting down on a flatter piece of cirrus, I gazed once more at the moon. Its light now seemed to shimmer, reacting to my acknowledgement. With a smile, I called out to it, “I know you can hear me, Lulu! You know it’s bad luck for the groom to see the bride on their wedding day!”

“It is also considered ill fortune to fall asleep before the ceremony on the same day,” Luna’s voice rang out from all around me, echoing in the empty sky. Looking to one side, I watched a shining, silver silhouette of my betrothed land next to me, dimming to reveal Luna herself alight in glimmering white. “You did that on purpose, you naughty colt. Taking advantage of my command over dreams is not something I’ll readily allow you to do in the future.”

I made a face of false offense. “Take advantage?” I replied. “You’re the one who’s spying on my dream in the first place, liar!”

“Alright, you caught me,” Luna admitted, nuzzling my forehead. “But you still fell asleep on our wedding day. Not enough excitement for you yet, my love?”

“No, I’m plenty excited,” I told her, returning the nuzzle to the underside of her chin. “I just wanted to talk, that’s all.”

“Then talk fast, my dear. Somepony is bound to find you sleeping sooner or later.”

With a long sigh, I looked up at my dream-moon. It shined with the same light as Luna’s apparition within my dream. “I don’t think Celestia likes the idea of us being married,” I told her. “Sometimes I catch her giving me this... look, before she goes back to her regular expression.”

“My sister is being overprotective,” Luna assured me. “For her, I’m still the same helpless form that remained after the Nightmare was defeated. Occasionally I’m still her little sister, though merely ten years younger.” She looked pensive for a moment. “I suppose I’m now another millenium younger than her, if you include my stasis on the moon.”

I nodded, thinking about her words. “Just what I noticed. Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions.”

A small kiss pressed itself onto my cheek, making me giggle a little. “Or you are still nervous about this,” Luna whispered. “I know you better than most, Skyblaze. You’re not one for long-term commitment, and eternity is the longest one could imagine. Immortality and ascension to godhood aside, you fear being tied down to me.”

“Ha! Kinky.” I let out a laugh as she slugged my shoulder. “No, it’s not that... I mean, being with you for eternity; it makes the whole ‘alicorn’ thing less intolerable,” I told her. “I think I’m afraid of being tied to the world, life clinging to me like a parasite.” Shaking my head, I looked into her eyes. “If death is a part of life, what does that make us? What’s living without death?”

Luna sighed tiredly. “These are deep thoughts, my love,” she replied. “Methinks you are putting too much effort into one of many ways to look at it. Life, after all, is not something to be completely defined with words. Especially for immortals.”

“I can’t help it. Me not over-thinking something is like a pony without legs.”

My fiancé chuckled at this. “Hopeless, you are.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks for the support,” I muttered. Suddenly, a loud BOOM rang through my dream. From above, I could hear a muffled voice calling my name as everything around me began to gradually fade. “Looks like Ben found me.”

“Then our time is spent,” Luna stated with a nod, then kissed the top of my head. “I love you.”

Smiling, I returned the kiss. “Love you too. See you at the alter.”

>><<>><<

Rainchaser’s POV

“For Celestia’s sake, I can’t believe this stallion...” Ben muttered to himself as he poked Skyblaze’s slumbering form again. “Skyblaze! Wake up, you lazy bum!”

I had to laugh as Ben continued jabbing the sleeping pegasus. “He’s out cold, Benny,” I told him, then glanced outside the dressing room into the cottage hallway. “Hey, do you know where the frying pans are in this place?”

“I’M AWAKE! I’M UP!” Skyblaze jolted up as soon as I uttered the name of my weapon of choice. The indigo stallion grinned innocently, trying to appear as awake as possible to avoid a terrible fate. “...I totally didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

“How did you manage that, anyway?” Shining Armor asked. “You just had two cups of coffee half an hour ago.”

“One does not drink coffee as often as I do without forming a chemical addiction. If anything, it probably helped me sleep.”

“You still fell asleep on your wedding day,” I pointed out. “Isn’t that, like, bad luck for the rest of your marriage or something?” I thought about this for a few moments. “Damn, if you’re going to be married for eternity, you definitely don’t want that kinda curse.”

“You’re not helping,” Sky grumbled.

I shrugged. “Just saying.”

“Alright, that’s enough. He’s awake,” Shining Armor stated, turning to Skyblaze. “You should be getting ready. You’re getting married in an hour.”

“That’s our queue to leave, Ben,” I said to the green earth pony, turning to head out the door. “Good luck, Sky.”

Skyblaze nodded. “Thanks. I’ll need it.”

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Author's Note:

Markus: Dude, we should get cover art for this thing. Why don't we have cover art?

Skyblaze: Can you draw worth a damn?

Markus: Um, no?

Skyblaze: Do you have time to learn how to draw?

Markus: No, but--