Chapters A Wedding To Unite Them All.
The forest was alive with chatters from the mysterious creatures from the Everfree. Though it was loud, it was oddly relaxing too. Animals lurked in its depths awoken by the moonlight which washed their tainted bodies of the sins that put them there creating pure beautiful life under Luna's terrific sky. They had always appreciated the dark. It was a shame that nightmare moon could not have seen that. For these creatures, it was their morning and she was their Celestia. It was at these hours that the forest became alive.
The village was the opposite: quiet and asleep. Every young foal had listened to their lullabies and were dreaming up their own stories whereas the adults were recovering from the day prior allowing them to make way for tomorrow.
For the souls who remained in the darkness of Luna's brilliant night, their shadows danced upon the closed shops and houses of which they passed. Wether it be that they had to stay late, really late, in the office or had enjoyed a party a little too much, these ponies staggered down the road from the drowsiness or drunkenness that consumed them.
It had been the most relaxed the town had been since its hosting of the new elements of harmony and the princess of friendship. A whole new aura covered the entire town and everyone could feel it.
For one particular pony/ princess though, it had not been quite as peaceful.
Twilight Sparkle paced back and forth along the cold castle floor. Mouth moving unintentionally, trying to tick off her mental checklist that awaited tomorrows events. Her mind was cast on so many different things that it made sleep a difficult task.
It's not like she wasn't used to sleepless nights by now; she frequently went without sleep when either studying or planning a large event. Wether student or alicorn, she had to work long and hard.
This was the first time in a while thought that she had found herself awake during these hours. She had thought that she had outgrown and gone past that point in her life when her worries could get the better of her.
But, alas, the poor pony still wandered, utterly lost and confused as to what could calm her restless thoughts.
Clip clop clip clop clip clop...
What if everything goes wrong? She thought. Though a little exaggerated, it was not out of the picture. The gala was a prime example of what she meant by everything going wrong. That humiliating moment when she and her friends had found themselves the centre of attention for all of the wrong reasons. She didn't blame her friends for what happened of course, the night in general had turned out to be just as bad. That was not something that she wanted a repeat of.
A shudder travelled down her back while the memories of that night seeped into her already troubled mind.
"Twilight... what are you still doing up?"
Pacing finally grounding to a halt, her gaze shot up to look directly into the eyes of her fiancée.
"It's like... three in the morning." Flash Sentry yawned, rubbing his eyes to stare at the state the mare in front of him had wound herself into. Immediately, the drowsiness was pushed to one side and replaced by concern. "Twi, are you ok?"
A deep sigh escaped her lips as she slowly nodded her head. Pacing had taken up a lot more energy than she thought. "Yeah, I'm alright Flash... just a lot on my mind, that's all..."
Flash knew exactly what she was referring to. He hadn't dated her for three years and not picked up on the obvious signs.
"Twilight," his tone took on a serious yet soft tone. "You know you can talk to me about anything. Are you worrying about tomorrow?"
That hit the nail right on the head.
"I have planned this for months, what if it doesn't go to plan? What if something goes horribly wrong and we have to cancel? What if I do something really embarrassing in front of all of the kingdom? What if I-" She was cut off by a kiss.
Flash held this gesture of passion till he felt the mare relax against him. After a few more minutes, he pulled away. "Hey Twilight, calm down. It's all going to be fine. Trust me. Like you said, you have been planning it for months to make sure that nothing does go wrong."
Smiling down at her, he still saw a shadow of doubt in her eyes. She had worked so hard for this. It was his job to make sure that, no matter what, she had the perfect day.
"Look, I will do my best on my part to make sure that everything goes off without a hitch. But you have to get some sleep. There's no point in having the perfect wedding if you're too tired to enjoy it is there?" Flash pulled her into a gentle hug, resting his chin atop her head.
Giggling a little, she replied. "Ok, I cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake into my eye." Twilight followed through with the correct motions with a hoof and looked up to Flash. "Are you going to be ok though? I know that the groom can sometimes have a moment where he begins to have second thoughts..."
"No way, no how! Now stop worrying and get into bed or do I have to tell Pinkie Pie you used her promise in vain?"
"You wouldn't do that... would you?"
"Hmmm... maybe..." he chuckled nuzzling his fiancée.
"Ok, but the apocalypse is on you then." She wrapped up their conversation by giving him a bop on the nose and trotting off to their bedroom.
Tomorrow would be perfect. I mean she had been planning it for ages, right? Yeah, just perfect...
A Wedding To Unite Them All.
"Aj, are you ok?"
Caramel stood outside of the bathroom door, listening to his wife throw up the contents of her dinner into the basin below.
"What do ya think?!?!?!?!?!" She shouted between urges. This had been on and off for the past few days for the couple.
At first, they had theorized that it was a result of food poisoning picked up from a cake that Applebloom lovingly made for them. Though it was 'lovingly' made, their was clearly just not enough love in the world to make it a... um... nice cake. Due to the sheer effort that went in to making it though, both Applejack and Caramel had a slice to show their appreciation for her work.
Their theory was contradicted however when Applejack continued to feel unwell; it should have passed by a week tops. Caramel also didn't fall ill and he had eaten just as much as his partner which disproved their theory.
As the second week passed, they began to become concerned. A doctors visit would be the thing that gave them the answers.
It was a long time waiting in the doctors waiting area. In this time they had: read a few magazines, played a boring game of I spy, complain about the wait and have a quick nap. Celestia was it boring in there!
When their turn finally came up, they ran some routine checks to make sure that she hadn't caught anything too serious or wether she would need treatment. As it would turn out, neither of these was the answer.
Applejack was pregnant! About a month in too. Things had never been so exiting for the couple as they started to prepare for their own filly or colt and they could not have been happier.
"Caramel, get yer flank in here right this instant! Ah swear ah'm gonna kick it from here to Apploosa for puttin' me through this!"
Well, I guess she could have been a little happier.
Slowly, he pushed the door open to reveal Applejack with her head held over the toilet and her eyes closed. She was breathing deep and unsteady gasps of air after the trials that came with having to carry the miracle of life within her. At least her urging had came to an apparent halt. For a while at least anyway...
Caramel walked over to his wife and sat down beside her, allowing her worn out body to rest against his own. As she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, he drew a hoof around her to hold her trembling form.
"Do you want me to get you anything?" He asked kissing her forehead. It was hard for the stallion to see her like this and know that there was nothing he could do but support her.
"Nah, I just want ya to stay here for a while..." Sighing, her emerald eyes glazed over in thought. Either that or complete exhaustion. She was to tired to want anything. Sleep was the only thing that she truly yearned for but was pulled out of her reach due to the nausea she felt.
"Have you told Big Mac about this yet?"
Slowly, she shook her head.
After they had found out about the new member of the family on its way, the first ponies that they informed about it were the other elements of harmony. Each one of them offered nothing but praise and support for the couple taking a huge leap in their relationship. Telling Granny Smith and Applebloom had a similar reaction. They even suggested a few baby names too.
But something about telling her older brother sent a chill down her spine. She knew how protective he could be of his family members. In fact, she faced the same complex when she had announced her relationship with Caramel.
They thought that they had succeeded and that Big Mac had taken it ok until he and Caramel were alone. She still had no idea what Mac had said to her husband. All she knew was that he seemed a little reluctant to get too close on their next few dates and whenever she mentioned it, he cringed.
"Ah keep tryin' to tell him but each time ah say to him ah need to talk, his expression turns sour as a lemon. Ah try to talk but ah just... chicken out."
"That's ok though. We both know how much he cares for you. He is just trying to look out for you."
"That don't make it the least bit easier on mah part." Applejack mumbled turning her head away from his viewpoint to examine the floor. A quiet sniffle made its way to the stallions ears, concerning him further.
"Applejack, what's wrong? If I am pushing you too hard to do this then just tell me!" The silence that stretched on confirmed what he was worried about. In response, he put his hoof under her chin and looked into her eyes. "I promise you that I will go with you to tell Big Mac if that will help."
"Y-yeah. Sounds g-good." Running a hoof under her eyes, she stopped at the sensation of water touched her hoof. For a second she stared at the liquid before nuzzling back into her husband's shoulder. "Stupid hormones..."
This earned a chuckle from Caramel as he resumed the correct position of their previous hug. It was strange to think that in less than ten months, he would be a father. That they would have their own child to raise, play with and teach. A new addition to both of their lives to make new memories and have new adventures with.
"Hey Aj, I know that's it's going to be a bumpy road. But in the end-" There was a small snore that stopped him in his tracks. Looking down to the form beside him, he found a slumbering mare on his shoulder.
He giggled a little to see her like this. For someone who hated to be described as cute, she sure didn't make it easy to not think of her that way.
Carefully, as not to disturb her, he shifted his weight so that he lift her to their bed. Her body was cradled in his arms still blissfully unaware of travelling from one room to the next.
Caramel pulled back the sheets and laid her down on the plush mattress, making her sigh at the aid of the soft fabric beneath her.
Pulling the sheets back on top of her, he kissed her gently on the forehead and hopped in the other side of the bed. He took one more look at the mare before wrapping his arms around her.
"Goodnight Applejack."
A Wedding To Unite Them All.
Rainbow Dash walked into the bedroom.
After a hard day of cloud busting, she was relieved to finally come home to the heated cloud building, wiping her face with a warm smile.
Her bed was beckoning to her ears as she walked slowly toward her bedroom.
She had never understood the necessity for stairs in her home unless she was hurt or could not fly. However, in her fatigue state, she thanked Celestia that she had included them in her design.
On her way up the stairs, her tail brushed the picture on the wall making the orientation crooked. in this picture, three ponies stood at the entrance to a fairground in Cloudsdale. The edges of the picture were yellowing slightly giving hints that the memory had been preserved in this way for a long while.
Due to the deafness that came from tired senses, Rainbow did not pick up on the small scraping noise that came with the slanting of the frame.
Breathing a deep sigh, she collapsed onto her bed when her legs had finally completed their last task for the day.
Whispers of sleep echoed throughout her thoughtless mind making the world of dreams intoxicated her body.
But that would have to wait...
"You're so cute, you know that?"
Cracking open an eye at the new voice in the room, she smiled as she saw the tall figure ahead of her.
"Hey Soarin," She whispered, closing her eye again, still trying to retreat into sleep. "What ya doing here?"
A chuckle came from the navy maned stallion as he joined her on her bed. A soft feathered wing draped across her side as her body was pulled close to Soarin's, sharing his heat with hers.
"Don't tell me you forgot again. It's date night!" He said, burying his muzzle into her mane."I see you've had a rough day."
"Mmmm you don't know the half of it..."She replied in a breath. Humming in a content manner, she curled up under the feathers that protected her from the cold.
Soarin and Rainbow had been dating for a while now. The press had taken it by storm and there were pictures of the two everywhere you looked. You couldn't escape it. Headlines read for a whole week after: "Rainboom and Wonderbolts Collide! Rainbow Dash and Soarin Officially an item!"
At first it was quite nice that they had publicized their relationship but after a while, it became annoying. So instead of trying to meet up and arrange dates, they would go on a date every Wednesday which would normally entail a home cooked meal and movie; it was too risky to go anywhere too public.
Though it wasn't the most ideal dating plan, they got to spend time with each other. That was good enough for them.
After a few minutes of just snuggling, Soarin spoke up.
"You know, I think you are the cutest mare in Equestria!" Rainbow snorted at his comment.
"I think your getting cute mixed up with cool. Thanks for the compliment though." If it were any other stallion calling her that name, they would be praying to Celestia that they could outrun her (which, to be honest is wishful thinking!).
But Soarin was... different. Whenever she was around him, she just felt... natural. She didn't need to put on a tough act with him.
Soarin smiled fondly at her before pecking her on the lips eliciting a relaxed moan from the mare. "You are cool... but you're cute with it!"
"I'm not that cute!"
"Ok... Ok... my little cutie pie."
"Soarin, your pushing it!" Rainbow looked at the stallion with a cold glare daring him to call her cute one last time.
"Okay okay, I give in! What can I use for your pet name then?"
Dash scrunched her nose up in thought. "How about 'miss best flier in the whole world and can beat Soarin in any race he may proceed to challenge me too' Dash?" She giggled and hopped him on the nose. "Has a nice ring to it if ya ask me!"
"Hey, we have only raced once and that was not even fair!" He claimed with a pout.
"Oh please, you get distracted, you lose." She laughed.
"It's not my fault that pies have an irresistible aroma of heaven!"
Rainbow Dash chuckled heartily and turned to face the stallion. "Sometimes I swear you like pie more than me!"
"No way! Your so much better than pie! I love you much more!"
Noticing what he had just said he looked down at the mare it his arms. She gazed back with wide eyes and an open mouth. It looked almost as if she had been frozen in that position.
To make sure that she understood what he was saying he said again: "I love you Rainbow Dash."
Nothing.
"Rainbow?"
"..."
"Dash? Did you hear me?"
"...Yeah..." Rainbow whispered in response.
"...Well?..."
"...Thanks..."
"Just thanks?"
"..." Rainbow was at a loss for words.
"Do you not love me back?" Soarin stated. His facial expression was about as warm as an ice cube conveying the seriousness of the situation.
"... I ... I just..." Never had she ever felt so small in her life. Tears started to build up in her eyes as she looked upon her coltfriend with a heavy heart. "I have to go..." she spread her wings and took off down the corridor, knocking the crooked picture off of the wall leaving only the stallion to pick it up.
Soarin let out a deep sigh before walking over to the frame. It lay face down on the floor. This peaked his curiosity. Gingerly picking up the frame, he heard a slight tinkling of glass meaning that it did not survive the fall. Turning it over in his hooves, he came face to face with Dash's family.
She had never talked about her family much so Soarin had never bothered her about it but a corner of the picture had small writing on it. A small fillies writing at that. Something that gave a hint as to why she couldn't answer him. Why she couldn't respond his sudden announcement. Fear.
It read: When we were happy.