Family Ties

by NightInk

Happy Endings

Luna nearly jumped out of her dress, and Celestia along with her. I think each recognized the voices faintly, but couldn’t quite place them. Everyone in the church looked around confused beyond belief. I knew the protestors, so I was quietly laughing. I know they were too. They slowly appeared in the back of the church, walking slowly forward. The larger figure of the two, the stallion, grew brighter as he came into view. His coat was a deep, total black. It shimmered in the light of his mane, glinting dangerously. His mane was still, strictly speaking, but it shivered simply with its own power. As he came into better view, he glowed with a fierce power, his mane radiating a yellow-ish, orange-ish, red-ish color. His cutie mark was simple, just an orb of light. Even his cutie mark screamed power.

The woman, a strong, clearly powerful mare, stood with a presence easily equal to that of the stallion, though with a more noticeable gentleness. Her coat was just as dark as her husbands, darker even, but her mane shone with a pure white beauty. The light from her made Luna simply shine, furthering her visage as an angel. The woman’s cutie mark was a full moon. There was no other color there, save for the rich black of her coat. As they drew closer, people murmured quietly. The question on everyone’s lips was “Who are these… people?” Luna and Celestia both grew pale as they recognized them, the blood draining from their faces and their mouths dropping.

Luna was able to speak before Celestia. “M-m-m-m… M-m-m-m-m-m…” Ok, ‘speak’ is a relative term. But eventually the words spilled out. “M-m-mom? Dad…..”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ben move swiftly to catch Twilight as she fainted. Fluttershy whimpered and slunk to the ground, terrified. I didn’t blame her. Even I was terrified when I first found them. But they were good ponies, kind at heart and friendly. The bouquet fell from Luna’s nerveless fingers. I caught it, knowing it would happen. She stepped down from the top steps, and I walked down with her, making sure that if she passed out I would catch her too.

She held her fingers out to her mother first. She tried to touch her muzzle, but her hand passed through it. Her hand shot back to her mouth, covering it uncertainly. “M-mom…” She spoke a little more firmly this time, but still with definite fear and wonder.

Her mother smiled. “Yes, dear. It’s really us. We can only be here in a spiritual manner, but we can at least still be here on this most special day of your life. We are so proud of you.”

“Th-th-then why did you object?!” she stammered.

Her father smiled. “Dramatic entrance. Your charming fiancé taught us that.” He gave me an acknowledging nod.
I grinned, but Luna turned quickly on me, then on her father, then back to me. “What did you DO?!?”
I put up my hands in self-defense. “Hey, this was the surprise I mentioned. I couldn’t get them out for more than a day, but I was able to help them for the wedding. Though I thought they were coming tomorrow.”

“I meant your ‘dramatic entrance’!” she cried.

I shrugged. “I just went to a local magic shop and bought them out of flash powder. I coated my wings with it and tapped them together as I approached your parents in their shared spiritual prison. I literally flew to them on wings of fire.”

“One of the most impressive things I’ve seen in a thousand years, and certainly the most impressive courtship tactic I’ve ever seen,” her father said.

Celestia finally found her voice. “Where… how did you find them?”

I smiled. “It was no small task,” I admitted. “Ben was a great deal of help, though. See, after helping to lock Nightmare Moon in the moon, they fell into a deep, magical sleep. This sleep was designed in such a manner that their spirits were locked in a previously unknown part of the Crossroads, unknown even to Ben. We searched everywhere until we found where their spirits rested, and then we had to actually create the proper magics to free them without actually freeing them.”

Her mother smiled sadly. “We can never truly exist in the real world because we are part of a greater plan. There is still great evil in Equestria, and our bodies serve as the bars of its prison. There are far greater powers to fear than Nightmare Moon. She was only able to escape our influence because you, Luna, are so very special.”

Luna sobbed a little. Rarity was still with us enough that her magic appeared in Luna’s eyes and whisked away the tears before they could mess her makeup. Luna quietly put a hand through the muzzle of both her father and her mother, letting her hand pass through them each. Then her body stiffened as she twirled and landed a beautiful punch in my gut. I doubled over as the blow landed, but couldn’t help laughing both at the sudden blow and the gasps of the audience.

“Haha, I was waiting for that,” I groaned. “Though you held back. You should have hauled off and broken my nose.”

“I considered it, but I don’t want you bleeding while we recite our vows. Why didn’t you tell me that you were making something this… monumental?!?” Even she didn’t know if she was angry or ecstatic. I had a 'gut feeling' there was a bit of anger there.

I straightened out and rubbed my belly. “Well, one it was a surprise. Two, I thought they would be there tomorrow, not today.”

She gasped and began to openly cry. She fell into my arms, Rarity’s magic frantically working to keep her makeup in place. “Oh…Oh god, Adam… Thank you so very much… I… I can’t… I love you so much…”

I rubbed her back, gently shushing her. “I love you to, Luna. With all my heart and soul.”

Her father stepped forward and ‘kissed’ her. “Darling, your groom here came to us to ask for our permission to marry you. I know no other being, man or stallion, who would go to such measures to act right by his bride and her family. Even with his powers, most would have given up once their search took him all over the Crossroads. He is a good, strong man. You and he have our fondest and best wishing blessings.”

She turned her head on my chest and looked at her parents, a smile of truest happiness on her face and tears welling in her eyes almost as quickly as Rarity could clear them. “I love you too, daddy,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

Her mother smiled at her. “Come now, dear. Your husband has written vows for you. I for one would like to hear them.”
Luna smiled and looked up at me. “You didn’t even read them to them?”

I rubbed her shoulders comfortingly. “I wasn’t going to risk you finding them. That’s why I hid them in a pocket dimension within the shower head.”

She laughed and let me lead her back up the stairs to Father Ed, who waited patiently through all the drama with a smile on his face. Celestia took her place next to Luna, and Ben was already done reviving Twilight. We all stood in our places again, and Luna’s parents took their places next to mine.

Father Ed spread his arms and held them in above us before beginning to speak again. “Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today in the presence of gods…”

…

“It is my understanding that the bride and groom have written their own vows. Adam, if you will put the ring on her finger with your vows?”

I turned and took my ring from Spike. It was a delicate looking piece, and had cost me more than I had. I was lucky my parents had helped me out. It wasn’t the ring itself that was expensive, it was the making of it. Rarity had helped me find the gems and precious metals for it, and I paid a jeweler to make it on my design. Luna had done the same with mine. Hers was one of interwoven gold and silver, with a single black obsidian jewel mounted on top. I slipped the ring onto her finger as I spoke.

“My dearest Luna. I love you with all that I can call myself and then some. There is nothing I place a greater value on. I vow, with all my honor and all my love, to honor and to uphold you until the end of time.” I lifted her hand and clasped it in both of mine, squeezing it to add emphasis to my words. “I swear to protect and to obey you. To hold and to care for you. To believe in you…” I put her hand over my heart. “And to love you for eternity.”

She began to cry again, and this time Rarity let the tears fall. She was crying too, though. Father Ed seem caught up in the moment, too, as he used his sleeves to wipe away tears. “Sorry,” he said with a smile. “I always cry at weddings.” The audience laughed with him and us. “Now Luna. If you could place your ring on his hand and recite your vows.”

She took the ring from Spike and placed it on my hand. Like I said, she had gotten Rarity to help her find the materials, then had it made special. It was woven silver and gold like the one on her finger, but the jewel on top was a single, shimmering sapphire. She looked at me, and I could see the love in her eyes. “Adam, my… love. You truly are my knight in shining armor. You have… time and again shown me a love that never ceases to surprise me. I love you with all my heart, and there is no doubt within me that you are the man I want to spend my life with. Life with you is never dull, and you never fail to make me smile and laugh, especially when I need it most. I vow to encourage, learn from, obey, and most of all…” She placed my hand above her heart in the same fashion I had taken hers. “To love you beyond all time and measure.”

The Father wiped his eyes again. I think it had been a while since he presided over a wedding. “I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

Luna leapt into my arms among a chorus of cheers and the thundering of her parents hoof beats. She kissed me with a passion and a love greater than I had ever experienced. I felt her tears running down her face as she pulled me as close to her as she possibly could. I pulled her close in exactly the same manner. I was the happiest man alive or dead. She was a woman beyond anything I had ever dreamed of in youth.

When the kiss ended, I looked at her. “Is it just me, or did you hesitate a little when you said ‘obey’?”

She laughed and just kept smiling. “We’ve been married for ten seconds an already with the jokes?”

“I recall someone saying something about ‘always making you laugh’?” I laughed myself.

Camera lights flashed and people cheered. We both turned and posed for everyone, smiling, waving, kissing, all that doo-dah. Ben gave me a hearty clap on the back and the CMC all bounced around and cheered. There was a lot of… well, everything. Cheering, screaming, laughing, everything. We danced. We danced a long time, but the first dance was the best. Luna and I danced for the first time as a married couple to the song “Could I Have This Dance,” by Anne Murray. Luna’s parents danced quite beautifully for being a thousand plus years out of practice. The fact that they were essentially ghosts just meant that they had no restrictions on where they could dance, and they shimmered in the ghostly light of the green flames. I took a dance or two with each of the fillies. Sweetie Bell is a surprisingly good dancer. It’s too bad she doesn’t see her future in music.

Luna danced beautifully, like she had never danced before. I think she had been holding out on me the entire time we were dating, she danced so well. At one point, she let me lift her up and spin her. She took that and spread her wings, laughing. She laughed both at the fun and the expression on the face of everyone there, especially mine. I was dumbstruck by her beauty all over again.

After the dances, we slowly made our way to the reception area. Eventually, we all sat down for toasts. Ben stood and tapped his glass with a spoon to get everyone’s attention.

“It’s my understanding that at this part of the night, we all get the chance to stand and make fun of the groom. We do this because, especially in this particular case, the bride is above being made fun of.” That got plenty of laughs. “I’ve been given the honor as the best man of making the first set of bad jokes and the first toast. The first time I met this man, he was visiting the land of the dead in a visit that was very nearly permanent. He crawled out under his own power from the underworld and promptly fell on his head.” People laughed at that too. Nothing was very weird after Luna’s parents arriving. “And now that I think of it, I didn’t throw you a bachelors party, but really you probably would have accidentally blown up something with your record, so I guess it’s for the best. But he is certainly a great guy. Though with all the crap he’s pulled, it’s a good thing he married a woman as understanding as he did.” Luna kissed me there. He was right. “In all seriousness, though. Adam, you are my best friend. And you, Luna, are a very close tie. I wish you the best of luck in your lives.”

Everyone raised their glasses with a ‘hear, hear’. Ben chuckled and held a hand to Celestia. “And I’d like to pass the baton to the lovely maid of humor, Luna’s own sister Celestia.”

She stood, thanking him with a smile. She faced the congregation, glass in hand, trying not to laugh. “When I met Adam for the first time, it wasn’t even so glorious a meeting as Ben had. The first time we met, he had fallen into Equestria and promptly passed out. When we first actually talked, he proceeded to make my student pass out, make a crude joke, and goad me into shooting him.”

I raised a hand and pointed to myself. “Yeah, and I’ve still got the scar to prove it!”

While everyone laughed, she tossed a playful magical sphere at me. “You’re fine, it’s just a scratch,” she laughed. “While he didn’t necessarily make the best first impression, he’s certainly proven himself a good, strong man, and may even be able to keep up with dearest Luna.” Celestia bent over and kissed her sister on the top of her head. “Luna, you have grown up a lot, even just since you came back to us. I’m sure you will have a beautiful life.”

Most of the toasts after that were similar, people telling a story about either me or Luna, then wishing us well. The next big, noteworthy speech made came near the end of the reception, by Luna’s parents. They stood at the same time, their wings around each other and smiles on their faces. “Luna,” her father began. “You’ve grown a lot from the little filly who made forts out of the palace furniture and tried to use the stars as connect-the-dots booklets.”

Her mother smiled a little wider at the memory. “We may not be able to come back, so we just wanted to tell you and your sister just how very proud of you. Tia, you are a fine ruler, every bit as kind and generous as your father and I hoped you would be.”

“And you, Luna, have beaten great odds and surpassed personal shortcomings to become the mare you are today. And that mare is a very, very impressive one. You two have both surpassed even our high expectations of you.” As her father spoke, the figures of he and his wife both began to fade. By the end of his speech, they were clearly fading back into the spirit world quickly.

Luna stood quickly and went to them, Tia and I fast behind her. “I love you,” Luna said. “Both of you. So much.”

“And I love you too,” Tia added. “Will we see you again?”

Both parents nodded. “Yes,” her mother answered.

“And we will watch you both from where we rest. We know what you do. We have always been proud of you. We love you too.”

With that they faded entirely, leaving behind a shimmering cloud of what can be best described as spirit dust. It, too, faded quickly into the air. Luna and Tia both sobbed once, but then composed themselves. Luna turned back to me and smiled. “God, I hope they weren’t watching us two nights ago.”

The mood lightened considerably with that. We went back to enjoying ourselves. There were a few games and songs, on top of which Luna and I unwrapped the wedding gifts. We all were happy the rest of the day, until it was time for Luna and I to fly away into the bright blue sky. Luna stopped at the sidewalk, putting an excited arm on mine. “I have to throw the bouquet!”

I laughed. “Well go on, then! Let’s see who’s next!”

The women lined up and began to jostle each other as Luna turned her back and tossed the flowers into the air. There was a bunch of clamor for about five seconds before someone caught it. We turned and found Celestia holding the bouquet and turning rapidly red. We laughed and waved, turning to fly away. Then I had a thought.

“Ben! Come here!”

He made his way through the crowd, laughing all the way. “Yeah, what is it?”

I put a hand on his shoulder and spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear. “Remember the fire joke you used in your toast?”

“Yeah.”

“You’re already dead, and therefore don’t feel pain, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Your robe is on fire. Thank you everyone! Thank you for coming today!”

Luna and I flew away as we heard Ben begin to frantically try and put himself out. She looked back down on the crowd and laughed. “Was that necessary?” she asked.

At that moment, several long strings of tin cans appeared tied to my wings, along with a paper sign saying “Just hitched”. I laughed and nodded. “Yeah, he’s fine. By the way, a white dress? Who are you kidding?”

She laughed with me. “Well, you know, since your big surprise was used up today, I think I want this to be our only wedding. You can’t top bringing my parents back from a realm beyond dead.”

I nodded again and kissed her. “I kind of figured. I’ll talk to the Cakes and get stuff squared away with everyone else. Right now, though, I think we have other plans.”

We smiled and pulled each other close. Perfect storybook ending, right? Waiting for the twist, right? Guess what.

There was no twist. Everything was perfect.

Comments

[NightInk]

2351465 2351540 Haha close you guys, but it's not his parents. You'll have to just keep reading!

[RainbowDragon]

Awwww no twist?

[NightInk]

2351592 Naw, not this time. Maybe in the third mainstream story!

[NightInk]

2352848 Lost it in a good way?

[Backslasherton]

2353646 Lost as in I fell out of my chair laughing.

[RainbowDragon]

2353646 if your planning another sequel to this you've lost your chance to post it

[NightInk]

2355502 Haha yeah, I'd consider that a good thing!

[Meze Diapason]

Will the story continue?

[NightInk]

2570569 yup! Since it's so tough to get HiE stories up (as far as I know. I've been busy recently and haven't kept up), there'll be a bit of a break before the third actual adventure of Adam and Luna. Don't worry, though, it's coming!

[NightInk]

2612398 With how easy it is for them to go between worlds, it makes sense for them to try and stay in good contact, in touch,etc. with the people Adam knows on earth. Like you say, people comparitively dont live long on Earth, and once someone dies, it's tough to find where in the Crossroads they live. And really, you Don't want to be going to Ben every other week saying, "Hey, a buddy of mine just died. You seen him?" After a while, it would make sense for them to live in Equesstria, yes, but for the time being Earth is ok too.

[Mikevae]

I've got tell you that damn near every chapter of your stories make crack a smile that hurts my face with the sheer size, and that all of your stories have been fantastic as of now. Except for mixing up the spellings of loose and lose, irritates me to no end. But other than that, I'm glad you wrote these stories, and hope you continue to for the foreseeable future.

[NightInk]

2826136 That's great to hear!! I'm glad that I've been able to make at least a couple people laugh. I love writing these stories (though I hate editing them for spelling and grammar. Sorry about misspellings and that. I'll try to do better with that.) Half the fun for me is seeing how people respond, so yes there will be more on the way! Though I will say that I will probably not be posting new chapters for anything until at least the end of the summer. I don't have exceptional Internet, so I've been using this time to rewrite and retread my own unpublished work. But I'm still working and still trying to do good work. Thank you (and anyone else who has suffered through reading my stories ) very, very much!!

[Mikevae]

2871651 if you want, I can help proofread your chapters as an editor, it's up to you though

[Dragonfox]

I found the story to be vary good. Adam and Luna have the best of both worlds. I do hope you write More about this Alternate Universe. I just love how he brings the best out of the ponys he is with. It does not mater if they are friend or foe. he has a positive influences on them. Keep up the good work. I look foreword to your next story.

[Aunty Furby]

8766733
XD nice

[Kichi]

So... Should we read this before Stars in the day or is optional?