The morning of the wedding, or rather the renewal of the vows, had finally arrived, and Applejack, plagued only by a small headache, stood in the dressing tent, enduring the fussing and last minute adjustments of her wedding dress Rarity and Twilight Velvet were making.

“Ah can’t believe that yer actually coherent and standing firmly on all four hooves. Not after last night,” Applejack told her mother-in-law.

Velvet rolled her eyes at that. “Yes, ponies are always surprised by that. Here’s the thing: I’m half Neighponese on my mother’s side. Means it really doesn’t take much to get me hammered. On the flipside, though, it also means I can go from stinking drunk to sober as a judge in an hour.”

“Huh, interesting. That must be a neat trick.”

Giggling, Velvet replied: “Saved me a lot of money in college, that’s for sure. I guess I always was a cheap date.”

Grinning, Applejack put two and two together. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with the story ya told me yesterday? About how Shining Armor arrived earlier than y’all had planned which resulted in you and Night Light getting married while still in college?”

Giving her smirking daughter-in-law a bemused look, Velvet levitated over the embroidered Stetson and set it on top of her head, just a little firmer than was strictly necessary. “As I’ve told you yesterday, dear, country ponies don’t have a monopoly on making stupid decisions when they’re drunk.”

Applejack guffawed. “Oh, wait. Lemme guess.” She dropped her voice an octave or two to imitate a stallion’s voice. “Don’t worry, babe. I’ll pull out in time, I swear.”

Velvet began to laugh in spite of herself. “I wish! That conversation never even came up. Not that it would have mattered, even if we’d thought of it. If you’re a) with a guy drunk enough to beg you to wear a sailor uniform upon learning of your Neighponese heritage and b) you’re drunk enough to actually agree to that request, there’s no way either of you are in any condition to put the rubber on.”

The farmpony dropped down laughing, pounding the floor with one hoof. “Ah must say, Auntie, when ah asked if ah could get yer advice about married life from time to time, this wasn’t exactly what ah had in mind.”

“Life is seldom what we imagine it to be, dear,” Velvet replied sagely, watching AJ’s bellowing laughter subside into a mere giggling fit with a warm smile. “Well, in retrospect, this one isn’t a mistake I’d fix even if I had the chance. It all rather turned out for the best, I’m sure you’d agree.”

It was at that moment Apple Bloom entered the tent, and her face lit up when she saw her big sister. “You look amazing, AJ!”

“Thanks,” Applejack replied with a smile. “Did you need something, sugarcube?”

“Spike’s outside. He says he needs to talk to ya something urgent.”

Rarity, who had been rather quiet as a permanent blush had made a home on her cheeks while Velvet had been telling her story, decided to speak up. “Absolutely not! He’s not supposed to see her in her dress until she walks down the aisle!”

“I promise I won’t look!” Spike’s voice could be heard from outside the tent in response. “It’s important.”

“Spike!” Rarity gasped with a quick glance at Velvet. “How long have you been there? How much have you heard?”

“Uhm …”

However, Velvet gave her a calm look and waved her hoof. “Don’t worry about it, dear. I’ve told him that story before.”

Rarity sighed and gave Applejack a dead-pan stare. “You’re certainly marrying into a very sex positive family, aren’t you, darling?”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Applejack replied with a grin. “Listen, if Spike says it’s important, then it’s important to me. Would y'all mind?”

“Of course not,” Velvet replied, already in the process of ushering out Rarity and Apple Bloom. “Let’s give the two lovebirds a few moments to settle their nerves before they have to be out there.”

After they’d left, Spike entered the tent, walking carefully with one arm outstretched in front of him and his eyes firmly clenched shut. “AJ?”

She smiled, met him halfway and took his claw in her hoof. “Ah’m here, honey. What’cha need?”

Watching him dig around the pocket of his tux with a free claw, he pulled out something and held it out to her.

Applejack gasped. “Is that?”

Spike nodded. “Your mom’s ribbon,” he confirmed. “Granny Smith drafted your brother and I to upend the entire attic before we were supposed to do the cake tasting yesterday. Then things got so crazy that I never got the chance to give it to you. It happens to be blue as well. That’s one of those things you’re supposed to have, right?”

With a tear in her eye, she stepped around her husband until she stood behind him. “Open yer eyes, honey,” she said as she draped her braid across his shoulder. “Will ya tie it on for me?”

She could see his head begin to turn in response, then he caught himself as to not upset old superstitions. “Sure.”

As he began to tie the ribbon to the end of her braid, Applejack said: “Things did get crazy last night, didn’t they?” She sighed. “Ah’m sorry. Ah take full responsibility for coming up with that silly notion of putting our marriage on hold for one last night.”

“It all worked out in the end, mostly,” he replied. “If nothing else, we’ll laugh about it and have a fun story to tell at some point in the future.”

“Ah should hope so. We’ve got a long ways to go before we can compete with yer aunt’s stories.” When he’d finished with the ribbon, Applejack didn’t move away. Instead she leaned in and pressed her cheek against his back, being quiet for a moment. “Are you … nervous about going out there?”

“A little bit,” he admitted after a moment’s thought. “I don’t think I was this nervous in Las Pegasus, but this is … different.”

“Ah know,” she said. “We gave everypony a bit of a nasty shock when we came back. Half the ponies out there today were pretty hurt, some of them even thought we should’ve annulled our marriage.”

“And some thought we wouldn’t last,” Spike added somberly, “some of them might even still think so.”

“Can’t really say ah blame them for thinking it if they do,” AJ said quietly. “From an outside perspective, … we don’t really make a lotta sense, do we?”

“No, I guess we don’t. Sometimes, I think so, too.”

Applejack swallowed a sudden lump in her throat as her stomach curled up into knots. “Ya do?”

“Sometimes,” he stressed, “when we’re apart. But then I come home, and I see your smile, and everything suddenly makes perfect sense, despite all the chaos.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Ah know what ya mean. Ah’ve felt that way too, on occasion. But maybe a little chaos is what we both needed in our lives.”

Suddenly, a blindingly bright flash of white light engulfed the interior of the tent, causing both of them to clench their eyes shut in surprise. When the flash of light was gone, the tent stood empty.

“Captain! Are you listening to me?”

“Huh?” Spike blinked away the momentary disorientation by passing a claw in front of his eyes. When he looked again, he found himself staring at the worried expression of his loyal subordinate, a brown stallion in royal guard armor.

“Are you alright, sir?” the stallion asked.

“Yes,” Spike replied, shifting a little uncomfortably in his chair. His armor was getting tight around the shoulders again. He’d have to have it adjusted or order a new set soon. “You were talking about the ballistae on the South wall, Master Sergeant. Go on.”

He nodded and continued. “The inspection revealed that they’re in need of serious repair, so much so in fact that they’d have to be substantially rebuilt. Replacing them altogether seems to be the more sensible choice.”

Spike nodded gravely. “I’ll trust your judgment on that. In my experience, saving on the wrong end usually leads to higher costs later, and as unlikely as an attack on the castle is, its defenses should always be in working order. I assume you already had a look around for suitable contractors?”

“Yes, sir.” Of course he did. Spike had expected as much as he produced two parchments from his saddlebag and put them on his commander’s desk.

Spike read the two offers carefully. The first one was from Canterlot’s local artisan guild, a safe bet that had often done work on the castle in the past. The second one was a civilian contractor out of Griffonia. The griffons had gone through a bit of an architectural renaissance in recent years, thanks in no small part to a new trade agreement with Equestria that made it easier for skilled artisans from both nations to work abroad. “Have you vetted this griffon?” he asked.

“Yes, sir. Background checks all came back clean, and she comes highly recommended. But she’s pricier, and she’s only got a small workforce. It’d likely take longer.”

“Hmmm,” Spike went while rubbing his chin, “tell you what: Give the main contract to the artisan guild, but ask this griffon if she’d be willing to join the project as an advisor. Griffons are very versed in aerial combat, and she might give us a few new ideas. If she’s good, maybe we can use her in the future.”

“That’ll be a strain on our budget,” the Master Sergeant cautioned.

“I’ll speak to the Princess about it,” Spike replied, “I’m sure she’d clear the additional funds if needed. If she was here, she’d probably say that giving local artisans work while also strengthening our ties to Griffonia at the same time would be worth a few extra Bits.”

“You’d know her best, sir. I’ll get started right away, then.”

“Anything else?”

“No, sir. That concludes the morning briefing.”

Spike stood up from his desk and addressed the stallion a little more informally. “When I talk to her, I’ll also ask her to approve some additional personnel budget, too. We should really get you a bigger staff to help out with the day-to-day.”

“Frankly, I’d be offended, sir,” the stallion said, shuffling a little uncomfortably, “I can do the work.”

“I know you can,” Spike replied while regarding the stallion with his graying mane, “but you’re not getting any younger, Oak Shield.”

Oak Shield swallowed. “I only wish to serve Her Highness, and you Captain, for as long as my mind and body will let me.”

“And she appreciates your service, old friend,” Spike said warmly while laying a claw on his shoulder and squeezing lightly, “as do I. But mandatory retirement age does not care about sentimentality. It might be time to take some of the load off and pass on your knowledge to the next Quartermaster General. I’m sure there’s somepony in the latest batch of recruits with a head for administration who could learn a lot from assisting you.”

He nodded, albeit a little begrudgingly. “Speaking of which, they’re out on the training grounds this morning. You mentioned that you wanted to observe the new recruits, and your schedule is open right now.”

“I think I’ll do that. Thank you, Oak Shield. Dismissed.”

As Spike made his way through the halls of Canterlot Castle, his purple armor gleaming whenever the morning light hit it through the windows, he gave nods towards the guards who would come to attention at his passing and greeted the civilian staff with a smile and a friendly word.

When he entered the training grounds, he could hear the clang of steel against wood, followed by the firm voice of a young mare. “Get up! Try it again!”

Keeping back for a moment, he observed a young pegasus recruit with a lance affixed to his armor charge at a wooden training dummy under the orders of his instructor. His lance struck the shield of his opponent, but the dummy was designed to swing around and hit the attacker on the ass with a wooden sword if they weren’t fast enough, and so it happened in this instance as the recruit was smacked on the flank, fell forwards as a result and ate dirt.

“Again!” the mare in the silver armor that denoted her status as an officer bellowed. “We’re not breaking for lunch until you all get this right!”

Spike decided to remain in the shadows for a bit, watching as the young recruit attempted the exercise again and again, being rewarded with a face-plant each time, and he could hear the mare grow more frustrated with every order. “Again! Charge!”

“Yes, Lieutenant!” the stallion replied in a clear voice in spite of sounding winded.

It was about this time that Spike had seen quite enough. “Belay that!”

The mare rounded towards his direction, clearly angry at having her order countermanded out of nowhere. But when she saw Spike emerge from the shadows of the castle, she immediately came to attention. “Attention, recruits! For the Captain of the Royal Guard!” A good dozen recruits behind her came to attention as well.

Spike walked up calmly, paused for a moment to let his eyes sweep across the unit and said: “Stand easy. And how are the new recruits coming along, Lieutenant Flurry Heart?”

The alicorn with the multi-colored mane peaking out from her helmet grimaced ever so slightly. “They’re a bit of a lost cause, sir.”

“That so?” Spike asked and walked past her. He pointed at the pegasus who had done so poorly. “You there. Come here, son!”

The pegasus walked up to him apprehensively.

Spike mustered him for a bit, then dropped to one knee to appear less intimidating. He still wasn’t on eye level with the pony, easily towering two heads above him even crouched down as he was. He fastened a buckle on his armor that had come loose and adjusted the crooked helmet on his head. “What’s your name, son?”

“Tepid Tread, sir.”

“Tepid,” Spike said, “I noticed you keep bracing only at the last second. Don’t do that.” He turned to Flurry Heart and said: “Perhaps another demonstration is in order, Lieutenant. Charge the target.”

Flurry saluted. “Yes, Captain!”

“Watch carefully,” Spike instructed the pegasus.

She got into an immediate fighting stance, narrowed her eyes and broke into a full gallop, striking the revolving target’s bulls eye with her lance with a resounding thwack, sending it spinning several times but never in danger of receiving that first return blow.

“You see that?” Spike asked while Flurry made her way back without any sign of being winded, “she braced herself from the get-go, through the entire charge, and more importantly she kept herself braced. Always follow through on your attack. Charge through the enemy, not at them.” He pointed towards the target and said: “Pick a spot behind the dummy and don’t stop until you get there. Can you do that for me?”

Tepid Tread nodded firmly. “Yes, sir!”

Spike smiled and stood up, putting his hands behind his back. “Charge!”

The recruit attacked the challenge with newfound purpose. His aim was a little off, and he struck the target with nowhere near the force Flurry Heart had achieved, but he did manage to follow through and not get smacked on the behind. When he realized this, he whirled around with a huge grin on his face and made his way back to his comrades who were stomping their hooves in applause.

Spike moved over towards Flurry Heart. “Perhaps they’re not such a lost cause, after all.”

Flurry Heart blushed and lowered her head in embarrassment. “Yes, Captain. I can see now that the fault lies with their instructor. … I’m sorry.”

He leaned in a little closer so he couldn’t be overheard by the rest of the unit. “We don’t have to say sorry when we’re learning. You’re still learning, too. Teaching a skill is very different from knowing a skill. Patience goes a long way, little one. It’s what sets the officer apart from the soldier. When your father agreed to let you train here instead of with the Crystal Guard back home, I promised him I’d teach you the difference.”

She seemed to take that advice in, taking a deep breath while stretching out a hoof in front of her that immediately reminded Spike of her mother, and finally lifted her head. “Yes, Uncle Spike.”

Spike smiled and straightened out his posture. “Carry on, Lieutenant Flurry Heart,” he said as he walked off.

As he withdrew, he heard Flurry Heart address her unit in a much more even voice. “Alright, five minute break. Recruit Tepid Tread, why don’t you tell your comrades what you learned on that last attempt?”

“What happened then, Aunt AJ?”

Applejack crossed and uncrossed her eyes for a moment until they could focus on her work again. She looked over towards the colt with the purple coat and orange mane who looked at her expectantly to finish the story she had been telling.

“Well,” Applejack said with a smile while she resumed her work sanding the wood in front of her, “what happened next was this: As the mean ol’ dragon was batting us around, Fluttershy got really, really mad at seeing her friends being treated like that.”

“Miss Fluttershy? Mad?” Big Sugar asked in awe, as if the very notion of it seemed completely unimaginable.

“That’s right,” AJ told her nephew with a chuckle. “Mightily. About as mad as yer mom and dad were that time ya were out in the Everfree after dark. And so she walked right up to that big, scary dragon and gave ‘im a piece of her mind, she did. Even though she was no bigger than one of his claws, he was the one who ended up cryin’ in that confrontation.”

He gasped. “Did she kick him off the mountain?”

“Nah,” Applejack said, her eyes growing distant at the memory, “the minute he started ballin’, she was the first one to console him. Then she proceeded to lecture him, gently but firmly, about the error of his ways, and he left the mountain all on his own, all peaceful-like.”

“Cool!” The colt grinned and jumped around on the spot. “Can ya tell me another story of the adventures ya had with yer friends?”

“Some other time, youngin’,” she replied, putting the sandpaper down and blowing away the last few wood chips from her little project. She looked it over, nodded at a job done to satisfaction and asked: “What do ya reckon, Big Sugar? Is the crib we built together good enough for yer new little brother or sister?”

“It’s awesome, Aunt AJ! But, aint’cha gonna paint it?”

“Not yet,” she answered. “Ah reckon we’ll wait until we know whether it’s a filly or a colt to decide on a color.”

“Aw, but then it ain’t fully done yet.”

“No work worth doing ain’t ever fully done, sugarcube. Yer gonna be a big brother soon, an’ that’s the kinda work what’s gonna be with ya fer the rest of yer life.”

“I’m ready for it!” the colt declared enthusiastically. “Ah’m gonna be a great big brother! Ah reckon bein’ the world’s best big brother is what’s gonna get me mah cutie mark!”

AJ chuckled. “Well, ya got some stiff competition from yer dad there, kiddo. But ah reckon, if anypony can, you can. Now, what should we do for the mobile?” Getting out a few paper templates from her tool pouch, she spread them out for the colt.

“Rocket ships!” The reaction was immediate as Big Sugar put a hoof on the template of a cartoony-looking rocket.

“Good choice.” There was a clatter of wood on wood which made AJ glance outside the window briefly. She hoofed the template over, alongside a piece of wood and a charcoal stick. “Tell ya what, sugarcube, these old hooves o’ mine ain’t as steady as they used to be. So you trace four of these on the wood all neat, and when ah come back, ah’ll show ya how to cut them out from the wood.”

“Okay, Aunt AJ!” The colt dropped to his stomach and began to trace around the template, his tongue sticking out of his muzzle adorably as he concentrated on the task.

Applejack ruffled his mane as she passed and made her way downstairs from what would be the new baby’s room soon. She stopped briefly to readjust a framed photograph of the last Apple family reunion on the mantelpiece and stepped outside to find a veritable army of workponies loading crates from the barn onto carts.

The young mare overseeing the effort noticed her approach and greeted her with a smile. “Hi, Miss Applejack.”

“Good morning, Diamond Tiara,” AJ replied, “filling in for yer dad again, I see.”

She nodded. “Taking deliveries isn’t my favorite part of the job, but father’s hip is acting up again.”

“Did y'all try that home remedy ah mentioned? Granny Smith always swore by it.”

“We did,” Diamond Tiara said gratefully, “he says it definitely helped a little.”

“Ah’m glad to hear that. Send him our regards.”

“I will,” she confirmed, then adopted a more businesslike manner as she checked the notes on the clipboard she held and the crates on the carts. “You overfilled your order again. Is this gonna keep up for the entire harvest season?”

“We had a good year,” Applejack said, almost apologetically, “lotta sunshine late in the summer. Big Mac is startin’ on the South orchard today. We’ll know for sure when we see the first batch of that. Ah’ll give ya a bulk discount on the excess if ya take it off our hooves. Don’t really know what else to do with it.”

Diamond Tiara’s eyes flashed at the prospect of a good deal, but before she could take it, she clearly held herself back through conscious effort and shook her head vehemently. “Absolutely not! I’m not gonna pay less to have more of Equestria’s best produce to sell. We’ll pay the usual rate. SB just added a third daily express to their schedule. We can have these on the shelves in our Manehattan branches by morning. Those big city ponies love their fresh fruit.”

SB, Applejack knew, was Silver Belle, the logistics company Silver Spoon and Sweetie Belle had founded as a joint venture. They had refrigerated train carts going all across Equestria these days. “Well, thank ya kindly. Expect an extra barrel of special reserve come cider season.” Applejack smiled and shook her head lightly. “Ponyville apples straight from the tree to Manehattan super markets in less than 48 hours. Modern technology sure is amazing.”

“Well, none of that would be any use if it wasn’t for all the hard work you put in here at the orchard.”

“Alright, that’s the last one! Yer good to go, DT!” An energetic voice made them both turn as a fit young mare with a red mane jumped off one of the carts. “Oh! Hey, sis!” Apple Bloom greeted her older sister as she joined them. Then she walked up and gave Diamond Tiara a kiss that AJ thought went on just a little longer than it should in public.

When AJ tactfully cleared her throat, Diamond Tiara blushed, hastily signed the delivery sheet and passed it over to her. “Rich's Barnyard Bargains thanks you for your business.” As she turned to follow the delivery carts back into town, she gave Apple Bloom a wink in passing. “See you tonight.”

“Eyup,” Apple Bloom replied with the goofiest of grins and stared dreamily after her as she left.

After a few moments, Applejack commented wryly: “Ya know, ten years ago ah would have bet my last Bit that one of ya woulda strangled the other by the time ya both graduated.”

Apple Bloom chuckled and turned to look at her sister. “Times change, sis.”

“Don’t ah know it. Ah take it, y’all gonna be coming home late?”

“Probably. Don’t wait up for me.”

“Ah’ll still set a dinner plate for ya regardless, just in case. Ya working the West orchard today? Need a hoof?”

“Nah,” Apple Bloom said confidently, already beginning to trot off, “the new farmhands are comin’ along nicely, don’t need the constant supervision. Ah can manage them. See ya, Applejack!”

Applejack looked after her little sister for a moment, allowing herself a moment of pride at seeing the young mare she’d become, until a shout from the second story of the farmhouse called her attention.

“Aunt AJ! Ah’m done with the tracing!”

“Comin’, sugarcube!”

Spike stood in the statue garden of Canterlot Castle. For some reason, he’d felt restless all day. But he couldn’t quite put his claw on what the reason was, yet he kept thinking about it, so much so that he barely noticed the sun being lowered behind the horizon.

It was only when someone cleared their throat behind him that he noticed he wasn’t alone anymore and turned around, standing at immediate attention. “Your Highness!”

The purple alicorn with the star-filled ethereal mane walked up to him with an annoyed expression and tapped his armored chestplate with her hoof. “Don’t do that. It’s bad enough that we have to stand on ceremony in public or the throne room.”

Spike relaxed his posture. “Sorry, Twilight. I always seem to default back on my own basic training when I know there’s new recruits about the castle.”

“Well, I won’t have it here, when it’s just the two of us.”

Spike nodded with a smile and held out his arm for her as they departed for their customary evening walk through the gardens. He updated her on the events of the day, getting immediate approval for the additional funds to refurbish the castle defenses, even though he knew Twilight was just humoring him, since Twilight herself, or Luster Dawn if necessary, was a far more effective defense than any ballista. They went on to exchange news of the progress of their respective protegees, Flurry Heart and Luster Dawn, with some pride. But when the news of the day had been told and commented upon by the other, Spike went quiet.

After they’d walked some time in silence, Twilight abruptly stopped. “Spike, what’s wrong? You seem pensive tonight.”

Spike also stopped, looking at the worried expression on her face. She never failed to see straight into his heart, even when he deliberately kept it closed in order not to burden her. “I dunno,” he said with a melancholy sigh, “I’ve just had the weirdest feeling all day, like there’s something … missing from my life? You ever get that feeling, Twi?”

“No,” she replied after a moment’s thought. “All my little ponies are doing well. I’ve got my friends to rely on, a brilliant student to keep me sharp, and a little brother to protect me from any danger, real or imagined.” She underscored that last bit with a playful jab at his armor. “What else could I possibly want for?”

He considered that and found that he had all these things, too. And yet … “What about love? A special somepony?”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Please, you sound like my secretary when she’s feeling chatty on a slow day. I’m happy as I am. Not that I’m categorically opposed to the idea. But I haven’t met the right stallion or mare yet. For all I know, they haven’t been born yet if they’re out there.”

“I wonder if Celestia ever … you know?”

“A few times,” Twilight told him, which came as a bit of a shock to the dragon. “Every two or three centuries or so. We talked about it once. There’s always a certain sadness to her when she talks about ponies close to her she’s outlived that I’ve learned to recognize over the years, so I didn’t press her too much on the details. But she told me that she regretted nothing, that she loved the first one as deeply as the last one, and they were all special to her, and that the prospect of pain shouldn’t keep you from being happy in the present.”

Spike thought about that, realizing that his own lifespan as a dragon put him in a circumstance that wasn’t too dissimilar from an alicorn’s. “Yeah, that certainly sounds like the kind of advice she’d give.”

“If you’re looking for love, it shouldn’t be too hard for you,” Twilight teased with a little more levity in her voice, “in case you never noticed how all the maids in the castle swoon when you walk through the halls with those broad shoulders of yours.”

Spike chuckled at that in spite of himself. “I have noticed that on occasion, yes. I’ve tried dating a few times, but maybe my special somepony hasn’t been born yet either.” He shook his head, and then his face fell. “Or worse.”

“Worse?” Twilight asked.

Collecting his thoughts, Spike said: “Sometimes … I have this fear that I already met her, and that for some reason I let the chance pass by me without even realizing it. Like, I turn around sometimes to tell somepony about my day, somepony other than you I mean, expecting her to be there, but she isn’t. Does that make sense?”

Then he suddenly went quiet and began to stare off into the distance, his eyes going wide.

Darkness had already fallen over Sweet Apple Acres when Applejack stepped out onto the lit porch while carrying a tray of lemonade. She smiled and proceeded more quietly when she saw the picture in front of her.

Big Mac was kneeling down on the ground, gently stroking the mane of his son who had fallen asleep on the front steps.

“He wanted to stay up until ya got home to greet ya,” she whispered.

As Big Mac looked up, he met her with a complicated expression on his face.

“Welcome home, honey,” Sugar Belle said as she also emerged from the house.

At her voice, the colt beneath Big Mac’s hooves stirred and blearily looked up. Then he smiled. “Dad, yer home.”

“Eyup,” Big Mac said with a smile.

“Alright then,” Sugar Belle said in a motherly voice that brooked no argument, “ya greeted yer father. Now it’s time for bed.” With that, she hoisted their son on her back.

“Aw,” Big Sugar replied with a yawn that betrayed him. “But ah’m not sleepy yet. Ah wanted to show dad the crib Aunt AJ and ah made together.”

“You can show him in the morning. Your dad had a long day. Let him have his rest. Good colts should be in bed by now.”

“Okay, mom,” he replied. “’Night, dad.”

“Eyup.”

“I’ll get him tucked in before I heat up your dinner, dear,” Sugar Belle declared.

Even as Big Mac made a step toward her, Applejack offered: “Let me help.”

“Stop it, both of ya,” Sugar Belle told them in no uncertain terms, one hoof stroking unconsciously over her extended belly. “I told you this last time: I’m not an invalid, I’m just pregnant. You both had a long day. Put your hooves up for a bit. You’ve earned it.”

After she’d left, Applejack looked at her brother. “Thirsty?”

“Eyup,” came the hoarse answer.

She poured him a glass of lemonade as he sat down in the rocking chair on the porch and hoofed it over to him before pouring herself a glass and settling into the other rocking chair.

Big Mac almost drained his entire glass with the first gulp, sighing happily and smacking his lips after a long day of hard labor.

“Ah reckon ah almost got it to taste the same as Granny used to make. Ah wanna get as close as ah can before ah forget what hers tasted like,” she said after a sip of her own, “but ah guess it ain’t ever gonna be exactly the same.”

Big Mac turned to her, regarding Granny Smith’s neckerchief she’d taken to wearing only recently. “Nope.”

They both sat in a comfortable silence for a while, listening to the evening concerto of the cicadas, until Applejack said: “Good harvest in the South orchard today?”

“Eyup.”

“Lotta work to do then, long hours in the coming weeks?”

“Eyup.”

Applejack nodded. “Ah’ll take yer shift tomorrow then, and ah ain’t gonna take nope for an answer. School starting up next week. Gotta spend what time ya can with yer family.”

Big Mac looked like he was about to argue, but then settled into a soft smile. “Thank you, sis. Appreciate it.”

“Eyup,” Applejack replied simply. “Ya see Apple Bloom when ya clocked off tonight?”

“Eyup.” He turned his head towards the distant lights of Ponyville and indicated them with his chin.

“Feh, straight into town to be with her marefriend, huh?” She chuckled. “Gonna spend the night again, ah reckon. Probably gonna be an even more frequent occurence when there’s a newborn foal keeping the house awake at night.”

“Eyup.”

Another silence ensued, only broken by the occasional sip of lemonade by either of the siblings, until Applejack went: “Are ya happy, big brother?”

“Eyup.” His answer carried with it a questioning tone of what she was getting at.

“Ya never get the feeling that something, or someone, is missing?”

“Nope.” He regarded her for a while. “This ain’t about me, is it? Are you happy, Applejack?”

She considered that for a while, feeling like she should have seen the question being turned around on her coming. “Ah’m … not sure. Ah feel like ah should be. The farm’s doin’ well. Ah’ve got all mah family here with me, all hale and hearty. What do ah got to complain about? And yet, ah feel like something’s off.”

She kept pondering this weird feeling for a while, until she caught something from the corner of her eye and her eyes went wide.

Spike stared with wide eyes at the ghostly apparition that had appeared in the dark garden. No, not a ghost. As he looked, he realized that the white of the translucent figure was not like that childish imagination of a ghost that looked like a bed sheet. It was a wedding dress! And the face of the mare was veiled not by the spectre of death, but by a veil that cascaded down from a … cowboy hat?

“Twilight, do you see that?”

“See what?”

Spike turned to her to see a look of confusion on her face, then back to where the figure had appeared. But it was no longer there. Spike cried out, made a step towards where the mare had stood and found sudden tears falling from his eyes, though he had no idea why.

“Spike, what’s wrong?”

“I … I’m not supposed to be here,” he answered with a lump in his throat. “This … this isn’t right. I have to find her! I have to go to her!”

There was a pregnant pause until the answer came. “Yes, you do.”

Spike took another step forward, then stopped himself, turning back to Twilight who was watching him with a smile on her face and tears standing in her eyes. “What about you? Flurry Heart? Everypony? I have responsibilities here.”

“We’ll be alright,” Twilight assured him. “Whatever else happens, I know you’ll see to that. Don’t throw away the happiness in front of you for what could be.”

Spike came back and hugged her fiercely, tears streaming freely and his voice sobbing. “I love you, big sister. I’ll always love you.”

“I know, and I’ll always love you,” she replied, her voice equally blubbery with tears. “Now go on, little brother. Find her, and be happy.”

Spike stepped back and nodded to her one last time. Then he turned and ran. He didn’t know where he was running, but he knew that he wasn’t running from something. He was running towards something, and that something had such a powerful pull that he would never stop running until he reached it.

Applejack stood from the rocking chair with a start, watching the translucent figure that had appeared in between the closest trees, standing on two legs, and … wearing a tuxedo with a top hat and comically large bow tie.

“Applejack?”

The concern in her brother’s voice made her turn around to look at him, worry written all over his face.

While turning, a few tear drops she didn’t remember shedding had fallen and landed on the wood at her hooves.

She tried to look for the figure again, but it wasn’t there, and that realization made her heart constrict in an icy fear as she felt her knees wobble. “This ain’t right,” she whispered, almost to herself. “Big brother, there’s someone missing from this family.”

“Eyup.” When she looked at him again, she could see large tears well up in his eyes.

“Ah gotta go get him,” she said with a sob.

“Eyup.”

She walked up to him and wrapped her foreleg around his neck, their foreheads touching as the tears fell from both their eyes. “Yer gonna be okay, ain’tcha? You, and Sugar Belle, and Big Sugar, and the baby, and Apple Bloom?”

“Eyup. Y’all will make sure of it, ah know it. But first, ya gotta make sure y’all be okay yerself.”

“Love ya, big brother.”

“Love ya, sis. Now go. Ma and Pa would be sad if ya missed this chance.”

Sniffing, Applejack nodded, steeled herself and tore off into the darkness of the night, running. Running towards something, someone. She didn’t know how long it would take her to get there, but she knew nothing in the world would stop her at this point.

A blinding white light made both of them wince for a moment, and Applejack was the first to open her eyes. “Spike!”

Hearing his name being called, the dragon turned around. His breath caught and they looked at each other for a moment before flying into each other’s arms. “Applejack!”

They remained like this for a while, not speaking, simply holding each other and feeling the warmth, until another voice broke the moment. “Oh, boo! You figured it out too quickly.”

Turning, the couple finally managed to take in where they actually were. Everything was white, with no tangible floor or ceiling or walls, yet they seemed to be standing on solid ground. And there, just a few feet away, stood the one other entity in this ephemeral space.

“Discord!” Applejack all but snarled, moving a step forward yet careful not to let go of her husband. “What in tarnation did ya do?”

The draconequues shrugged, his paw and claw upturned in a mollifying gesture, as he floated with his legs crossed in front of them. “Hardly anything, really. I just took the chance to give you the wedding present I had prepared early.”

“Poofing us into another reality where we forgot each other was your wedding gift!?” Spike demanded, a little belligerently.

“Tsk, tsk.” Discord waved one finger. “What you saw was a glimpse of the road not taken. Normally, mortals don’t get an answer to the coveted question of ‘what if.’ There’s that trite thing married couples always say to each other: ‘I can’t imagine my life without you.’ Now you can, and you don’t have to wonder anymore. It’s a rather priceless gift, wouldn’t you say?”

Spike and AJ gave each other a sideways glance. “So this was …?”

“… a future in which you listened to all the neigh-sayers in your life,” Discord concluded.

AJ shook her head. “Why show us that? Why not show us our actual future together?”

“Now, that would be telling.” Discord laughed. “What would be the fun in that? That’d make your life together rather boring, wouldn’t it? Though it’s quite clear, you’d do alright by yourselves. The other road … well, no spoilers.”

“An’ what's that supposed to mean exactly?” Applejack demanded. “Are ya saying that something bad happens if we stay together?”

He shrugged in response. “I’d say that’s for you to find out. Maybe marrying each other will lead you down the path of eternal misery.” He deliberately paused to let that sink in for a moment. “Or maybe the worst that happens is one of you stubs a toe in ten years time.” He raised his lion’s paw, ready to snap it at a moment’s notice. “Now then, I’ve already given you the first part of your gift, here’s the second, if you want it. You know my powers. I could make it so that weekend in Las Pegasus never happened. That future you saw would come to pass and …”

““NO!!!””

Discord blinked, then smirked at the couple who were frozen with wide eyes in a near jumping motion, hoof and claw stretched out as if to physically restrain the Lord of Chaos himself if he tried to snap his fingers. Lowering his paw slowly, he could see the two of them breathe out as he smiled. “No takers, then?” he asked in wry amusement. “I only offer this once, you know.”

Spike and AJ looked at each other, and as soon as their eyes met, there was no worry, only confidence. Everything made sense. “I mean, what’s the worst that could happen?” Spike asked.

She snorted in response. “How would ah know? Maybe one of us does somethin’ so stupid that it breaks the universe?”

Spike instantly recalled that one time he was chasing Starlight Glimmer through the time-stream with Twilight, seeing all the horrible versions of Equestria where one villain or another had won. Then he envisioned a world without Applejack in it, and there was no contest. He shrugged. “Eh, we’ll make it work.”

Applejack nodded. “Yes, we will.” Turning back to Discord, she added: “No deal, sugarcube.”

Discord raised an eyebrow and turned to Spike. “Is that your final answer?”

“Final answer, Discord,” Spike replied without a hint of fear or hesitation in his voice. “We’d rather face an uncertain future together than take the safe route alone.”

“Then what are we waiting for?” Discord exclaimed, slapping his knee and raising his eagle claw to a snap. “You two have a wedding to attend!”

A flash of blinding light later, Spike and AJ found themselves back in the dressing tent alone and breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, that was crazy, huh?” AJ asked with a laugh.

“Sure was,” Spike agreed before a funny look crossed his face. “Boy, that guy would make for an awesome Ogres & Oubliettes game master. I wonder what he does Thursday nights.”

They hugged again and shared a tender kiss. Everything suddenly seemed right with the world as they gazed lovingly into each other’s eyes.

Then, Spike grimaced. “Shoot, I guess I broke the rule, after all. I wasn’t supposed to see you in that dress.”

“Shmokus Pokus,” AJ scoffed. “Who gives a horse apple about some silly superstition? Besides, it doesn’t count anyway. You ain’t seen me in my dress before the wedding, because we’re already married.”

Spike laughed. “I guess we’re just a couple of overdressed idiots, then.” He stepped back to admire the dress in full. “Worth it, though. You do look gorgeous in that, honey.”

“Come here, you,” she said with a smile, tugging on his tux to pull him into another kiss, a kiss that lasted for much longer than the first one, and her smile curled into a grin when she felt his claw rub her flank over the fabric. “Ya know, the fun part will be taking this off at the end of the day.”

“Can’t wait,” Spike said breathlessly in between going back for another kiss in which her tongue had already moved to meet his. “We should be getting out there soon,” he managed to mumble. “I don’t know how long we were gone, but we’ve kept them waiting for a long time.”

“You’re right,” AJ said, pulling back, falling into his eyes and going back in for another kiss while also rubbing up against his front and getting an immediate and hard response. “So they can wait for another fifteen minutes to half an hour.”

Over at the wedding venue, where the seated guests were waiting and starting to get restless, everypony turned their heads as the tent behind them suddenly burst into green flames at the top.

“Oh, for pony’s sake,” Twilight said with a face-hoof, sitting in the front row, and then shouted in the direction of the tent: “Do I have to flameproof all of Ponyville for the two of you!?”

The End.

Author's Note

Alright, anybody who had a bet going over whether or not I would ever finish this story: Time to pay up!

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-Daedalus Aegle