Wedding Day
Spike stood in front of the dressing room mirror, his claws trembling as he tightened his bright purple bowtie. Starlight had insisted he’d go with something more traditional, like black, but neither he nor his bride cared much for that sort of thing. He gave his best confident smile at the reflection but his nervousness was on display like a blemish in a homecoming photo.
He felt a cold shiver run down his spine as he looked himself over once more. The dragon hardly felt worthy of the beautiful wedding hall they were in. He always assumed he’d just get married at the castle in Ponyville, but Gabby wanted something more traditional, so the wedding hall in Canterlot it was. He had been waiting for this day for so long, but now that it was here, he had to deal with the constant urge to just run away. Was he good enough for her? Did he deserve her?
“You look great!”
He felt a hoof on his back, interrupting his thoughts, and turned around to see Starlight.
“I mean, I still think a black tie would have pulled the look together a bit more,” she continued with a smirk, “but I guess the purple matches the rest of you.”
“You really think so?” Spike asked in return.
“I know so,” Starlight replied with a soft smile. “She’s barely gonna be able to wait for the honeymoon when she sees you. Trust me.”
Spike let out a chuckle and shook his head. “Thanks. I’m just so nervous, though. Like, I have no idea how to even act when I’m up there in front of everyone. Should I smile or be straight faced? Do I ever look at the crowd or am I just supposed to stare her down the whole time? What if I trip or burp and set the whole place on fire, sending everything into a panic and—“
“Spike!” Starlight shut him up with a quick knock to the back of the head. “You’re picking up the whole ‘overthinking everything’ thing from Twilight. That’s a bad thing. Just… how can I put this?” Starlight rubbed a hoof against her chin. “Just live in the moment. React naturally. This is your guys’ moment. Everything is gonna be great, trust me.”
Spike took a deep breath. “Yeah, easier said than done. I mean, not that you’ve ever let me down before or anything, but just…” Spike brought his claws up to his face. “Just so much can go wrong and I’m really, really, really good at making things go wrong. Just look at my resumè.”
“That is true,” Starlight said with a nod. “But you know what is also true?”
“What’s that?”
“You love Gabby. More than anything. And trust me, she loves you more than anything, too. When we had our girls’ night a ways back, she would not shut up about you.” Starlight chuckled. “Love like what you guys have doesn’t come around very often. So when it does, and it gets commemorated like this on a beautiful night like tonight… the irrefutable laws of the universe pretty much demand that everything goes right. You have nothing to worry about!”
Spike smiled at her and immediately pulled Starlight into a tight hug. “Thanks so much, Starlight. You’ve been my best friend for so long and you still have my back after all these years.”
“Of course, Spike,” Starlight said before releasing herself from the hug. “And despite what common sense would dictate, I’ll always have your back; you know that. But, now that I think about it, there is one thing that you might need to worry about.”
Spike gulped. “W-What’s that?”
Starlight snickered. “Well, I happened to see what Gabby’s wedding dress looks like and more importantly what she looks like in it, and let’s just say you may or may not be completely floored by her. Just try not to drool when you see her walk down the aisle, okay Spike?”
The dragon’s mind began to wander a bit. Rarity, who designed their clothes of course, had refused to let Spike see Gabby’s gown this entire time, so he could only imagine how beautiful it was. Ultimately, however, he shook the thoughts off and gave Starlight a firm nod.
“Got it. I’ll do my best to be emotionally prepared.”
“Good. Now, let’s just go over your lines one more—“
*knock knock*
Spike and Starlight immediately broke off their conversation and turned to the door to the fitting room and saw Big Mac’s head poke through. Spike had chosen him to be the best stallion… best drake… best… whatever you’d call it at a dragon/griffon wedding.
“It’s time, isn’t it,” Spike said with a sigh.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied with an enthusiastic nod. “Full house.”
Spike gulped. “Oh boy.”
Big Mac walked fully into the room and shook his head. “No worries, Spike. If I could do it, so can you. Just be strong, be yourself, and be honest with your feelings. No need to worry.”
Spike smiled. He always loved Big Mac’s good old fashioned wisdom. He was a pony of few words, but those words were usually good ones.
Spike turned his gaze from Big Mac back to Starlight. “Looks like it’s time! Would love to chat more to build up my confidence considering it’s so far down in my soul that the fish at the bottom has never seen sunlight, but I’ve got a griffon to wife!”
“Go get ‘em, tiger!” Starlight said with a wink and a well-timed hoof bump. “You got this!”
Spike steeled himself once more with a deep breath before putting on his best game face. He walked over to Big Mac who was to lead him to his spot on the stage.
He totally had this.
Spike had to do everything he could to avoid looking at the massive crowd that had gathered. All three-hundred seats in the house were filled. Everypony from Snips and Snails to Ember and Yona were there. Spike wasn’t technically royalty, but he may as well have been with how massive this event was. He could feel his claws trembling at his sides as his peripheral vision took in the sight. It’s a good thing dragons can’t sweat or this would be a mess and a half.
Spike was standing on the right side of the stage, the place on the left empty, awaiting his bride. Immediately to his right, standing at the podium was the pony that had been there for him since day one. Normally Celestia would handle the wedding overseer duties, but Twilight had insisted, nay, demanded to conduct the services.
Twilight calmly leaned away from the microphone and toward Spike, just close enough to where he could hear her whisper. “You ready?” She asked with audible excitement in her voice.
Spike turned toward her and nodded. “Yep, or at least as ready as I can be.”
Twilight couldn’t help but release a small squee. “I’m so so so happy for you.” She wiped away a small tear from her eye. “You’ve grown up so much so fast, I just…” She sniffled. “I’m just so proud of you and what you’ve become.”
Spike fought to hold back tears of his own as he looked at her. “Thanks Twi. I’m so lucky to have you in my life, and now I get to add another member to our family.”
Twilight nodded and let out a small sigh. “Okay, enough of that for now before I have to break out the tissues.”
A bell donged throughout the room, signifying it was time to start. Twilight gave Spike one last soft smile before returning back to the podium. It was now time for the bridesmaids and groom stallions to walk down the aisle. They wanted to keep it as simple as possible so each of them only chose two of their closest friends.
A soft piano ballad began playing in the background courtesy of Vinyl Scratch as the first duo began to walk down the aisle.
Big Mac and Gilda appeared from the door at the back end of the room. Big Mac donned a black suit with a purple tie to match Spike whilst Gilda was wearing a lovely black dress that complimented her feathers just right. The trim was outfitted with purple lace and there was a beautiful purple sash decorating the midpoint. If this was the direction Rarity went just for the bridesmaids, he could only imagine how Gabby looked. He assumed the designer would have gone for something white given its tradition, but Rarity was never one for just following trends.
Spike couldn’t help but smile as the two made their way to the front. Seeing Big Mac in a suit was always a strange sight and seeing Gilda in a dress was even more shocking. They both looked fantastic, however.
As they reached the front, they both smiled at Spike, Gilda moving to her spot on the left and Big Mac to the right. Of course, Big Mac couldn’t walk by the dragon without giving him a quick hoof bump. It was the same move Spike made when he was Big Mac’s best dragon.
Once they settled into their spots, the next duo appeared. Spike could only cross his claws that nothing too crazy would happen, especially given how… animated the next two could be. He was sure they wouldn’t do anything embarrassing though. You know, mostly.
Discord and Silverstream slowly began making their way down the aisle, Silverstream donning a wide smile while she looked over the crowd. Meanwhile, Discord had his usually cocky grin on his face with his head held high. They were both wearing the same outfits as the previous couple and both pulled it off exceptionally well.
As they got near the end of the path, Discord couldn’t help himself but to wink at Fluttershy who was sitting in the front as if he was reminding her that he could still be serious when he needed to be. As they broke apart at the end, Discord walked a bit closer to Spike than they had rehearsed and dropped a few words of wisdom of his own.
“Don’t mess this up, my boy,” he stated. “You only get one shot after all.”
The dragon rolled his eyes but smiled all the same. If that was the limit of Discord’s antics on this day, he was okay with it.
At this point, the piano melody changed to the traditional tune that had been played at as many weddings as Spike could remember. This could only signify one thing…
Gabby was about to enter the room.
Spike steeled himself as the door in the back began to open. He waited with baited breath and after a brief moment his eyes were laid upon the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.
There she stood. The creature he loved most in the world was standing on the other side of the room and he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Starlight wasn’t kidding about how beautiful she’d be, but even with her warning he was mystified.
Her dress was a deep black with purple lacy trim just like the others, but this one was longer, drooping to the ground in the back. It also came with the purple sash in the mid-section but also had ribbon snaking around the neck. The breast area was what could only be described as a spiderweb style black lace with a purple cloth stitched underneath. To cap it all off, she had a small purple bow placed on her head which tied the whole outfit together.
Suffice to say that Spike was indeed floored.
She was walking down the aisle with Grandpa Gruff. The old geezer had somehow managed to keep surviving all these years to see this moment, but vowed to put his crankiness on hold for the duration of the wedding.
Spike knew he must’ve looked awkward just staring Gabby down the entire way, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t pull his eyes away from her. He didn’t want to. Not ever.
Gabby, for her part, was visibly shy, a rare occurrence for her. She primarily kept her gaze locked to the ground in front of her as she moved toward the front. When she finally arrived, Gruff took an empty seat that was awaiting him and Gabby slowly stepped onto the stage.
Now that she was right in front of him, Spike couldn’t believe how she managed to look even more beautiful. She brought her eyes from the ground back up to look into his. They locked gazes for but a moment, just taking in the beauty of the scene they found themselves in. It was as if they were telling each other their feelings without having to say a word.
Then Twilight’s voice cut through the silence.
“Good evening, everypony!” She began. “Thank you so much for gathering here on this day as Spike and Gabby take the first steps toward their new life together.”
The crowd began to applaud at Twilight's statement. Even a few hoots and hollers could be heard in the background. After a few moments it died down so Twilight could continue her speech.
“I know you two are eager to get things moving,” Twilight said to Spike and Gabby, “but I would like to say a few things.”
The two both nodded in unison.
Twilight cleared her throat and first turned to Gabby. “Gabby, I just want to say that I feel it’s been a privilege to watch you grow up right under our noses. From when you first came to Ponyville as a chipper young griffon looking for her cutie mark, all the way up until now where you dedicate your life to keeping our two species in close contact, you’ve been nothing but a model citizen. I remember when Spike first told me that you two were dating, I was overjoyed! I don’t think he could’ve picked anypony better than you, Gabby. Thank you so much for all you’ve done and I’m honored to welcome you into our family.”
Gabby had a bright smile on her face despite fighting back tears. “Thank you, Princess Twilight. That means so much to me.”
Twilight chuckled. “You can just call me Twilight from now on.”
She nodded vigorously.
This time, Twilight turned her attention to Spike. “Oh boy,” she started, just looking at him. “I’m not even sure where to start. Spike, you’ve been by my side literally your whole life. I’ve gotten to see you grow and mature from a funny, clumsy baby dragon into the drake you are today. You’re kind, caring, loving, loyal… everything I had always hoped you would be. Granted, Starlight and I do still get a kick out of your awkward behavior and ill-timed jokes from time to time, but I can confidently say that you’ve become a fine citizen and an even better friend. Gabby is lucky to have you and I know in my heart that you two will find nothing but love and success together.”
The crowd stomped and cheered once more. Spike, meanwhile, just nodded his thanks lest his voice get choked up in front of everypony present.
“Now,” Twilight said, “it's time for you two to exchange your vows. Gabby, if you would, please go first.”
Gabby nodded and stepped just a few inches closer to Spike, garnering his full attention. “Spike,” she began. “When we first met back in the day, you quickly became my best friend. We did almost everything together, haha. I remember when I got a crush on you, I would follow you around and even make up reasons to come to Ponyville to see you. Of course, it only took you a solid year to get the hints I was dropping.” Gabby chuckled a bit whilst Spike nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “But eventually, when you did, you confessed to me that you felt the same way. From then on, we’ve not only stayed friends, but we fostered something even better. We found love together.” Gabby sniffled and smiled at him. “And as we move forward, I vow to do everything in my power to keep growing that love, to keep growing our friendship, and to support you in any way you need. I do this because there’s no other creature, dragon or otherwise, that I want to spend my life with. You’re the one for me, Spike. I love you, and I plan on it always staying that way.”
Spike just stared at her. His heart was beating at a mile a minute which was in direct contrast to how slow the world seemed to be moving. “I love you, too,” was all he could muster.
“Thank you very much, Gabby,” Twilight said. “That was beautiful. Now, Spike,” Twilight said, turning her attention to him. “Now it’s your turn.”
“Good luck following that,” Discord shouted from behind him.
Spike grinned and shook off the comment.
“Gabby,” Spike started. “When I was just a kid, I never knew how my life was going to turn out. I mean, I was a dragon growing up with ponies. I spent a lot of my younger life confused and as I got older, I really began to wonder what my purpose could be. What my goals were. But, then, in the midst of all that, I met you.” Spike warmly smiled at her. “You were so positive, so focused, you had so much… purpose! You showed me that the world is a beautiful place. You showed me that even when you don’t always fit in with everypony around you, you still have a place in this world. I spent years searching, but I finally found my place in the world: it’s right by your side. I can’t thank you enough for letting me be there and I will never leave you. I love you, Gabby. Please stay by my side as well.”
Gabby smiled back at him, a few tears dripping down her cheeks. She gently reached a claw out to touch his. “I’ll never leave you, either.”
Twilight smiled. “Great work, Spike.” She cleared her throat and addressed the crowd once more. “Now, may we please present the rings?”
The back door opened up once more, revealing Pumpkin and Pound cake, each gently carrying a small pillow with a custom ring on it. They both gently brought them to the front.
Spike was the first and took Gabby’s ring from the pillow. He gently took her front claw and slid the ring on. Gabby did the same with Spike’s ring. They both looked at each other, knowing they were one more moment away from their future.
“Very good,” Twilight announced. “Spike! It’s what you’ve been waiting for. You may now kiss the bride!”
This was it. This was the moment. This was Spike’s chance to—
“Get over here!” Gabby said.
Spike had no chance to be traditional as Gabby pulled him close to her and pressed her beak to his mouth, engaging him in the most passionate, most important kiss of their lives. Spike’s brain wandered as he felt her against him. They were going to be together forever. This was his new life. It was finally happening!
He was married.
Gabby separated a second later and smiled at him with the biggest smile she’s ever had. Spike wanted to say something, but Twilight called it first.
“Spike, Gabby,” she said with a wide smile of her own. “I now pronounce you husband and wife!”
The crowd exploded into a mass of cheers and applause this time as every creature rose to their feet in celebration of the newly married couple. This was it. It was a new life for the two of them. A new adventure. As they both looked into each other’s eyes, they were both thinking the same thing.
They couldn’t wait to see what was around the corner.