> All Of Me > by FabulousDivaRarity > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > I Give You All Of Me > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- One year. A year of planning, of shopping, of scouting, of Yes and no questions, of visiting locations, trying on clothes, and sending more letters than any creature should have to. Gallus and Silverstream had spent a year planning their wedding, and picking out everything from where it would be held to the flavor of cake they would serve. Gallus had, understandably, not been as caught up in all the chaos as Silverstream had been. His laid back attitude had balanced out her exceedingly hyperactive one. When she came home stressed about details, he was the one who calmed her. And likewise, when Gallus was a bit too laid back about the decisions that needed to be made by both of them, Silverstream corralled him into making one for them both. The day they had spent a year preparing for was nearly upon them. One more day to go, and then, it was time. Silverstream had insisted on them spending a night away from one another, knowing that if she and Gallus were together that night, she’d keep him up all night long. So, Gallus had spent the night with Sandbar, and Silverstream had had Yona, Ocellus, and Smolder over to their home for a girls night. Since they were all in the wedding, it only made sense. Silverstream chatted excitedly about the wedding- everything from the clothes, to the food, to the location, and how happy she was that all of her friends would be there. When Silverstream had talked herself to the point of breathlessness that evening, they had all decided to turn in for bed. Silverstream had gone to sleep dreaming of the beauty of tomorrow. The members of the wedding parties arose earlier than needed, and all hastened to get ready. Most of the dressing wouldn’t be done until they got to the wedding, but bathing was a necessity. When everyone was clean, they all made their way to the train station and boarded for the stop to Mount Aris. The bride and groom were in separate cars, honoring the tradition of not seeing the bride before the wedding. The other ponies from the small town on the train were all of their old professors, plus Counselor Starlight, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They were the ponies who had been most instrumental to their love story and their family. Gallus hadn’t had any particular Griffons he had wanted to invite to the ceremony, although maybe Gabby might attend anyway due to the Crusaders being there. The rest of the invitees were all from Mount Aris and Seaquestria. Since Silverstream was Queen Novo’s niece, everygriff was coming to the celebration, with Queen Novo herself presiding over the ceremony. Every creature was chatting animatedly about the day ahead. Even the more casual Smolder looked excited. None, of course, was more excited than Silverstream, who looked like she was about to explode, or at least split her face in half with the force of her smile. More than once she pulled her friends in the car into a hug so fierce they were gasping for air by the end. Fortunately for them, they pulled into the station not too long after the last crushing hug. Silverstream screeched joyously and dashed out the doors, flying up to Mount Aris while Smolder and Ocellus carried Yona to fly there. Mount Aris was completely decorated for the wedding. Lights from lanterns emanated from walkways, flowers were everywhere, making it look like a large and twinkling meadow. Silverstream flew to a large building on the mountain, where Queen Novo had set up everything for her niece to get ready for her big day. Gallus and Sandbar retreated to another building to prepare there. Their preparations, though, were nothing compared to that of the girls. Silverstream flew around the bride room, squealing. “I can’t believe it’s finally happening!” Smolder smiled a little. “We can’t either, but if you don’t get ready, It won’t happen!” Silverstream smiled a bit sheepishly. “Right. Sorry.” Smolder and Yona were both bridesmaids today, with Ocellus serving as Silverstream’s Maid of Honor. The three of them got ready easily enough, although Yona did struggle with getting her dress on. Thank goodness she couldn’t trip over her braids anymore or the dress might not have made it. With that done, the three now helped Silverstream to prepare. The gowns for Yona and Smolder were sea green, while Ocellus’ dress was sky blue, to represent both land and sea. The gowns were sleeveless, with v necklines made of silk that tended to shine in the light, like the water of the ocean and the shimmering of sunlight in the sky. And though the dresses were beautiful, it was nothing compared to Silverstream’s. The white gown was aerodynamically sound, designed to be light so that Silverstream could retain her flight. The bodice of the dress was heavily beaded, with some clear beads and pearls as well. The neckline was a v neck like the bridesmaid dresses, but was embroidered with jewels, small jewels sewn in closely together to make it appear as one, but far enough apart to be able to see the slim lines that divided them. The bottom of the gown reached the floor, just barely kissing it. The hemline was adorned with small sequins and pearls. The bulk of the gown itself was white silk, but it had an overlay of sparkling fabric that would catch the lantern light and shimmer like stars in the night sky. The veil was long enough to cover her face in the front, and trail further than her hair in the back, and would float over her like a sparkling cloud. A small tiara was on her head, borrowed from her Aunt Novo at the Queen’s insistence. It was just big enough to make it’s presence known but not enough to take away from the beauty of the bride. The only other jewelry she wore was her transformation necklace, with her engagement ring still on it. Smolder, in her admittance in their school days of liking cute things, had secretly become good at applying makeup, so she did Silverstream’s. Nothing too fancy. A bit of silver eyeshadow to make her eyes pop, and some eyeliner and mascara. There was no need for lipstick or blush for the bride, because she was beautiful enough as it was. When Silverstream caught sight of herself in the Mirror, she was gobsmacked. Never in her life had she felt so beautiful. As a seapony and then a hippogriff, she hadn’t been particularly concerned with her self image. Considering she had two different forms, she had never really thought about it. But today she took unthinking pleasure at the creature in the mirror before the surprise of what she saw wore off. The Hippogriff in the mirror was lovely, eyes framed with huge lashes that were dark and accentuated her eyes. The silver eyeshadow was subtle but made her eyes pop. And the dress… Well, cousin Skystar was an actual princess, but today she felt like she had stolen that title from her. There was a bit of a dissociative moment when she caught sight of herself in the mirror, and for a half of a second she honestly thought it wasn’t her. When she realized it was she broke into a huge grin and hugged her friends. “Thank you so much, guys! I can’t believe today is finally here!” They all chuckled. “You’re welcome, Silverstream.” Said Ocellus. “We’re just glad to be here.” “We wouldn’t have it any other way!” Silverstream chirped. Smolder managed to get out of the death grip. “Okay, okay. Enough warm fuzzies, we gotta get ready for a wedding!” “Yak say this wedding is best wedding until Yona get married!” Yona grinned. “It’s going to be beautiful!” Ocellus fluttered her wings. “Come on, let’s go see if they’re almost ready to start.” Said Smolder. Just when the three were about to leave, the door to the bride room opened and Sky Beak and Ocean Flow were there. Ocean Flow raced to Silverstream, letting out a happy squeal. “Oh sweetie, you look beautiful!” Ocean Flow grinned. Silverstream hugged her mother tightly. “Thanks Mom!” “I can’t believe you’re getting married! Seems like just yesterday you were following me around the house and playing with the guppies!” Silverstream giggled. “I still like to play with them when I go to Sequestria.” Ocean Flow smiled at her daughter. “You and Gallus will have to come and visit soon, okay?” Silverstream nodded. “Of course!” Ocean Flow hugged her daughter and it was then that Silverstream caught sight of her father. Sky Beak was just barely in the doorway, staring at his daughter. He had spent time trying to prepare for this moment, to see his daughter ready to be given away, but one hundred years of preparations could not have helped him with the actual sight and onslaught of feelings it had given him. His heart had leapt into his throat and his throat tightened around it. A million memories danced before his eyes in the space of a heartbeat. Reading stories to her when she was little, teaching her how to swim in harsher currents as a child, picking flowers with her on Mount Aris when they had returned home, and putting them in her hair. She was all grown up now, poised to start a family and a life of her own. It was surreal, overwhelming, and felt impossible. There were unshed tears making his eyes glisten, but Silverstream couldn’t see them yet. Silverstream went over to him. “Daddy?” She asked, cocking her head to one side. “You look beautiful.” The words were choked with unshed tears, and his voice was uneven. Silverstream beamed at him, but he was still staring at her, his unbroken gaze like beams. “What are you thinking?” “I’m not sure. I feel like I’m losing my baby girl.” He said. Silverstream reached out to him and stroked his cheek. “Daddy, I’ll always be your little girl.” She said, then kissed his cheek before nuzzling him. A few tears ran down his cheeks as he held her in a hug. “Never forget that, Silverstream.” “I never would.” He held a flower in one claw, a white one, and tucked it behind her ear. For a moment, a heartbeat really, they were Daddy and Baby Girl again. Smolder, who had gone out the door with her friends during the sweet family moment, poked her head inside. “They’re ready to start.” Silverstream offered a claw to her father. “Ready?” Sky Beak smiled at her. “Let’s go.” Smolder took that as her cue to yell for every creature to get into their positions outside. She came back when Gallus had gotten to the altar so Silverstream could come out. She, Yona, and Ocellus led the processional, with Ocellus going last. The flower girl was a small Hippogriff that Silverstream had babysat many times over the years, who left a trail of petals behind for the bride. As Silverstream walked with her father down the path that led to the aisle, she marveled at the decorations. Lanterns lit their path, which was lined with trees that had jars with candles lit inside of them hung on branches. Flowers were everywhere and every color, creating a rainbow of beauty and wonderful smells to match it. When they passed a large tree, the aisle was finally in sight as the music began, drums and trumpets heralding their arrival. Silverstream turned to walk down the aisle, and lost her breath at what she saw. There stood Gallus, in a black suit jacket with a rose pinned to it. Sandbar was by his side, and she knew that from the mane color nearby, but she only had eyes for him. The eyes of the crowd of Ponies, Hippogriffs, and one Griffon went to Silverstream, who Looked at them for maybe a moment to try and appease them, before her gaze went straight for Gallus. He was looking at her in a way she couldn’t quite explain. She tried to sort out the emotions she found in his eyes. Love for her, happiness at the day itself, pride that he was marrying her and not somegriff else, and poignant hope. She assumed it was hope for a family and their future together. Gallus was fixated on Silverstream. He had waited for this moment, anticipated it, prepared for it, but now that it was here, the reality came crashing over him. From this day on, he wouldn’t be alone. Today, he would have a family. Today, he would marry his special somegriff. Today, his most desperate hope and dream were coming true all at once, and it gave him an onslaught of emotions. Happiness, love, contentment, hope, worry, pride, awe, and incredulity. It mixed into a wave that crashed over him. Then, she was in front of him. Silverstream kissed her father one more time, and he her, before he took her claw and put it in Gallus’ talon. He looked at Gallus with a smile and a nod before going to sit with his wife in the front of the audience. Queen Novo stood behind the couple, who looked at her, and she smiled at them before addressing the crowd. “Hippogriffs, Seaponies, Griffons, Dragons, Changelings, and Ponies alike. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the celebration of the wedding of Silverstream and Gallus! Were it not for the defeat of The Storm King and our return to Mount Aris, this union may have never come to pass. This unification signifies not only the triumphant return of the Hippogriffs to our homeland, but also the union of two different kingdoms, and most importantly two hearts.” Said Queen Novo with a smile at the couple. Then she continued on. “Love is hard fought and sorely won. It is a gift we give to one another, that leaves us soaring higher than we ever thought possible. Love is never easy. It can be like trying to swim against a harsh current, but we know if we persist we will be stronger for it. Gallus and Silverstream have shown their persistence, their ability to overcome together, and the strength they have by showing their love for one another, both here and everywhere they go.” Queen Novo paused a moment, letting those words sink in. Then she spoke. “Now, we will commemorate the ceremony, in front of all those important to the couple, with their vows. Silverstream and Gallus have written their own vows to share. We will begin with you, Silverstream.” The Queen looked at her niece with a smile, to which Silverstream smiled back before looking at Gallus. “Gallus. On the day I met you, I did not know you would change my life the way you have. Becoming your friend was one of the best things I ever did, and It was the best decision I made, because it led me here, to stand before you today and give you my heart and the rest of my life. You aren’t just my special somegriff. You’re my best friend. You’ve helped me conquer my fears, given me courage, and more happiness than I ever thought I could have. You opened my eyes to different ways of life and thinking, and you’ve shown me just how much you care. I cannot think of anygriff I would rather spend the rest of my life with than you. I will love you, respect you, care for you, and honor you every day for the rest of my life. Love is a journey, and I am happy to have you by my side for it. And I will always fly through that journey with you. Today is the start of the rest of our lives, and I couldn’t be more excited to start it with you.” Queen Novo turned to Gallus. “Gallus, it is your turn.” Gallus nodded and looked at Silverstream. “Silverstream, I like to think of myself as a pretty cool Griffon. I don’t get emotional or sappy about things, and I know how to control myself and my feelings, but with you, I don’t know how to do that. Every time I look at you I feel things I don’t think I have words for. Sometimes I think I’ll go crazy because I don’t know how to handle it. But then you smile at me, and everything seems okay again. I’m not good with words, but I am a Griffon of action. I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much I care, even if I don’t always have the words to say it.” Queen Novo nodded. “And now, the vows.” Queen Novo looked at Silverstream. “Silverstream, do you take Gallus to be your husband, to love him, to cherish him, to be faithful to him, and to protect him all the days of your life?” Silverstream beamed. “I do.” Queen Novo turned to Gallus. “Gallus, do you take Silverstream to be your wife, to love her, to cherish her, to be faithful to her, and to protect her all of the days of your life?” Gallus nodded. “I do.” Queen Novo addressed the crowd. “We will now seal the spoken vows with the Seapony tradition of touching salt water to one another’s lips. The act of touching the water to one another’s lips is a tradition come to our land after the days of The Storm King’s rule ended. It symbolized the merging of two worlds- one with another, just as we see two hearts coming together today.” She said. Queen Novo reached behind her to a bowl of salt water, and held it out for the couple. Silverstream dipped in a claw and Gallus a talon, before they pressed them to one another’s beaks, smiling all the while. When that was done, the Queen spoke again. “At this point in the ceremony, custom dictates the couple exchange rings. But we have decided today to add in a special ceremony for Gallus. Gallus is the first griffon to marry a hippogriff, and so is becoming a part of all of our lives by doing so. To honor that, I have a special gift for him.” Queen Novo reached behind her before turning to Gallus, who looked confused. “Gallus, today you unite with Silverstream and in doing so become a part of our collective family. All hippogriffs have been given the choice to stay on land or in the sea with their transformation necklaces, each containing a small piece of the pearl used to transform us during The Storm King’s rule. We wish to give you the same choice. You are the first Griffon to receive your own transformation necklace!” She pulled it out for him. Gallus’ eyes widened, and Queen Novo slipped the necklace around his neck as the crowd cheered and whooped. Gallus took hold of the tiny shell charm and smiled as he looked at it, before he looked back at Silverstream, beaming. “Now, it is time for the exchanging of rings!” Queen Novo announced. “Rings are unending, infinite in their direction, with no stop or end. Love is the same. It is infinite; and like the metal used to make it up, it is precious. The rings exchanged between them will be a symbol of their unending love, commitment, and devotion to one another.” Queen Novo looked to Ocellus and Sandbar. “May we have the rings please?” The changeling and earth pony handed their rings to the hippogriff and griffon, sharing proud glances with them. Queen Novo nodded. “Silverstream, as you put this ring on Gallus, please repeat after me.” “I give you this ring,” Said Novo. “I give you this ring,” Repeated Silverstream as she slid the ring on his new necklace. “To remind you of this day,” “To remind you of this day,” “When in front of our closest community,” “When in front of our closest community,” “We vowed that our love can overcome all things,” “We vowed that our love can overcome all things,” “That our love unites, inspires and celebrates,” “That our love unites, inspires, and celebrates,” “And will continue do so for the rest of our lives.” “And will continue to do so for the rest of our lives.” Silverstream finished. Queen Novo turned to Gallus. “Gallus, as you put this ring on Silverstream, repeat after me.” Gallus slid the second ring onto her necklace and repeated the same words. Queen Novo smiled at them. “And now, we complete the exchanging of the rings with the ceremony of the pouring of the sand! The pouring of the sand is an old Hippogriff tradition, from before The Storm King invaded our lands. Sand in two different containers will be poured into one by the couple, to symbolize their indivisible union. Grains of sand are so small, that none of them would ever be able to be taken out one by one and separated. So be it with Silverstream and Gallus.” Queen Novo placed a jar on the floor between them, and handed them each a vial of colored sand. Pink for Silverstream, and Blue for Gallus. As one, the two of them poured their sand into the jar, with blue and pink sand mixing together. The two empty vials were set aside and The Queen continued on. “Gallus, Silverstream, to make your relationship work will take love. Continue to date each other. Take time to show each other that your love and marriage grows stronger with time. It will take trust to know that in your hearts, you truly want what is best for each other. It will take dedication to stay open to one another—and to learn and grow together. It will take loyalty to go forward together, without knowing exactly what the future brings. And it will take commitment to hold true to the journey you have both pledged today.” Said the Queen, and then she smiled. “Gallus and Silverstream, by the power vested in me as Queen of the hippogriffs, It is my pleasure to declare you husband and wife! Gallus, you may kiss your bride!” Gallus was more than happy to do so, and the crowd roared to life in response, with clapping of hooves (Or in Yona’s case the stamping of them), and claws. Princess Skystar, Ocean Flow, Sky Beak, and Terramar were seated in the front row, with the Princess cheering loudly, Terramar laughing, and Sky Beak and Ocean Flow sharing a kiss of their own through their happy tears. They had another member of the family now, and watched as the bride and groom walked up the aisle together. The reception was held at the beach, so that those who were more comfortable with being underwater could easily return there and not miss anything. The beach was lined with the jars with candles in them, with tables set up for the food, as well as the music. By the time the reception had funneled down from the ceremony, the sun was beginning to set. The two of them collected their well wishes, thanking every creature for their attendance and support. There was food intended for every creature. Hippogriff favorites, and Seapony ones too, of course, but also selections for Griffons, Ponies, Dragons, Yaks, and Changelings. The tables were set up in a buffet line, and every creature could take what they liked. They all sat on the beach with plates, and sat in circles. Silverstream, Gallus, Terramar, Ocean Flow, Sky Beak, Queen Novo, Princess Skystar, Ocellus, Smolder, Sandbar, and Yona made up the biggest circle. The others were smaller, with Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Applejack, Starlight Glimmer, and The Cutie Mark Crusaders at another. Seaspray oversaw the other Hippogriffs on the beach, and the Seaponies had eaten in the water. They all had talked excitedly, flying high from the romance of the wedding. Gallus and Silverstream in particular felt like they were floating in a daze. Throughout the whole of their dinner, they both kept some sort of physical contact with one another in some fashion. Their friends and Silverstream’s family asked about their plans for the future, her family especially. Where they would live now was the most popular question. But they brushed it off every time it came up. They would cross that bridge when they came to it. The wedding cake was on one table, and when dinner was done, Gallus and Silverstream cut it together. A vanilla cake with buttercream frosting taller than anything Pinkie Pie herself could have baked inside of Sugarcube Corner. The two of them cut their cake, and then shoved pieces of it into one another’s beaks, laughing the entire time. Toasts were made shortly after, with different drinks for everyone. Queen Novo, Ocean Flow, Sky Beak, Terramar, Ocellus, and Sandbar, Yona, and Smolder all made speeches. Queen Novo reflected on how their union would strengthen not just the two of them but everygriff in Seaquestria, Mount Aris, and Griffonstone. Ocean Flow and Sky Beak said how proud they were to have raised such a wonderful daughter, and how their family would be even better with Gallus in it, earning a smile from the Griffon. Terramar said how excited he was to have a brother now. Sandbar and Ocellus both had similar reflections on how lucky they were to have seen them grow from the beginning. Smolder kept it short and sweet, saying how happy she was for them and how she couldn’t wait to see what happened for them in the future. Yona ended things with the words that Yaks made the best best friends, and now the two of them would make even better ones together. The music came on not too long afterward. Every creature ended up, whether by conscious decision or not, making a large circle on the dance floor. But no creature danced yet. When Gallus and Silverstream finished eating, the circle parted so they could get through, and the music of their first dance song came on. Gallus and Silverstream clung to one another, Moving slowly together on the floor. The moment was like something out of a still in time. They wished the moment would stay forever, but even the greatest ones could not. But for as long as they had it, they would live in it. Occasionally one of them thought that they should say something, for this would be remembered forever, but ultimately decided against it. This was a moment where they didn’t need words. When the song ended, they barely noticed. It only came to their attention when the crowd clapped. They didn’t separate until Gallus was tapped on the shoulder. He turned to see Sky Beak, now his Father-In-Law, standing there with a smile on his face. “Mind if I cut in? I’d like to steal my daughter away for a dance.” Gallus, though not wanting to let go of her, did not interfere, and nodded, letting him have his turn. The music changed, and Sky Beak took his daughter in his claws. The amount of love he had for her was so intense, so blinding, he couldn’t fathom it. His daughter would be able to someday, when she had a miracle smile up at her. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and looked into her eyes. There were so many things he wanted to say to her, so much he wanted her to know, but he couldn’t tell her everything because if he tried, he would be talking forever. But the way she looked back at him told him that she understood. He smiled at her, and she at him, and then the song ended. One more special dance was in place before the dance floor was crowded. Ocean Flow shared a dance with her daughter, relishing in the moment. There were no words for the amount of pride that filled her at who her daughter had become and how she was taking the first steps into the rest of her life. She was so intensely proud of what she and her husband had created. She loved her so much. And when their song was over, Ocean Flow kissed her daughter and the dance floor filled. Every creature danced. The party lasted well after normal hours. Splashing, cawing, and laughter and merriment followed. Eventually, though, it wound down, and Gallus and Silverstream were sent off with a cacophony of goodbyes, cheers, claps, squawks, and well wishes. Queen Novo herself had arranged their transportation. They would spend their honeymoon visiting different places. Equestria, Yakyakistan, The Changeling Hive, Griffonstone, and the Dragonlands. Going different places would give them a good idea of where to live someday when they chose to put down roots. As their carriage took off, the two of them looked at one another with a love that couldn’t be put into words. It was the start of the rest of their lives.