Shellshock

Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky.

XxX

Name: Echo

Rank: Sergeant

Date: xxx

Time: 1800 Hours (6:00 pm)

Location: Canterlot Garden, Canterlot

"Mare’s and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today…” Celestia was standing under a white archway decorated in an assortment of jewels and flowers. They were standing outside in the Canterlot Gardens. Several plants and trees had been carefully moved to make room for all of the guest.  Not all of them ponies in the traditional sense. There were a decent amount of threstials attending the wedding, including Silver Slash, Duster, and the other surviving Spades from Rook.

"To join this stallion and mare in celestial matrimony.” She continued.

Echo blushed a little at Celestia’s words. There he was, standing in front of the crowd, about to get married to the one he loved.

He was able to find his suit: his deep green Class A dress uniform and black beret with his unit's insignia sewed to the front. His suit was equipped with all of his ceremonial patches and medals and perhaps his favorite piece, a diamond cross over his heart in the same shape of Ember's cutie mark.

Ember looked beautiful in her wedding dress, no expenses were wasted. It was a beautiful fire-like design, matching with her natural color scheme. There were rubies around the rim of the skirt leading up to the part in the dress, where the two trails of gems formed into one, trailing up the blouse of the dress, and separating again around her collar. Her dress glowed in the afternoon sun. She was also wearing her phoenix amulet proudly around her neck and her white ribbon in her mane.

“The bride and groom have written each other vows, which they will now recite to each other,” Celestia said, turning to Echo. “You may begin, sergeant.”

Echo nodded. he had memorized his vows, his hooves trembling with a mix of stress, excitement and nerves. He cleared his throat as he finally managed to recite his vows.

“Ember,” he started to say, his voice was shaky, it was really happening. “From the moment I laid down my life on our first date, you were the fire that kept me going when any other stallion would've given up. I knew I would never love another. You were the only mare that I would ever love, I could ever love. I was just a grunt then. But I knew you were the one. You steal my breath away, you make my heart race, and consume my every thought and every second away from you is a second in hell.” He took a deep breath, trying to keep his thoughts straight and organized. “I would live for you, die for you, and everything in between. Ember… I love you. With all my heart; and I will always be there for you.”

There was a low hum of sighs and aww’s coming from the guests in the gardens. “And now for the bride. Ember, if you would?” smiled the celestial princess, wiping a happy tear from her face.

“Echo…” she started to say; she had memorized her vows also, “I admit my feelings for you were like a fire. It started as a spark, but that burned and burned until my love grew into true and undying love. I admit I was scared of what others would have thought of us if we were together, but those thoughts quickly disappeared the day you saved Pinkie on our first date",  She sniffed as she dabbed a tear with a tissue that she had in her blouse. “You would have given me your heart, done anything to save us that day in the mines. I can’t stand to think of life without you in it. I love you, Echo.”

Soft cries could be heard as mares and even a few stallions and the odd Spade shed a tear to the tenderness of the speech.

"Sergeant Echo…” began Celestia after everypony had started to settle down. “Do you take this mare, to be your celestially wedded wife, to love and cherish, through good times and bad, through sickness and in health, till death do you part?”

“Yes ma'am, I do.” he said with a salute with joy filled tears in his eyes.

“And do you Ember, take this stallion, to be your celestially wedded husband, to love and cherish, through good times

and bad, though sickness and in health, till death do you part?”

Ember looked into Echo's spliced eyes.

“I do.”

“Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, husband and wife! You may—"

Echo and Ember lunged at each other’s mouths; they couldn’t wait a second longer.  They were a married couple now, and the tension between them was getting far too unbearable.

“You…may kiss the bride,” sighed Celestia.