Entire And Whole And Perfect, The Service Of My Love
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I Vow To Thee, My Country
Entire And Whole And Perfect, The Service Of My Love
"How does one profess their love for the most beloved pony in all of Equestria?"
Rarity's question broke the companionable silence that filled Canterlot Castle’s war room. A few seats away, Twilight Sparkle looked up from the scroll she was reviewing, her eyes narrowing. "I take it that's not a hypothetical question."
Rarity shook her head. "I'm afraid not, Twilight." She allowed her hoof to lightly thud beside the stack of cue cards on her side of the table. "I have been stymied by my imagination for ages, and time is rapidly growing short. Did you know that the wedding is in less than a week?"
"I hadn't noticed," Twilight replied dryly as she set down her own scroll and gestured to the reams of paper stacked everywhere, turning the room into a fire hazard. "It's not like the entire country isn't in an absolute frenzy over you marrying Celestia. I'm sure all these logistical reports and plans are for some other history-defining event."
"That's just it, isn't it? This may well be the most-watched event in all of history." In her mind's eye, Rarity could see the crowds that would fill the city all the way to its edges, their eyes and ears all turned towards her and her future wife. "Every movement, every action, every word is going to be recorded for posterity, which means that scholars and poets alike shall be studying my wedding vows to Celestia for hundreds — no, thousands — of years!"
"Huh." Twilight tapped her chin. "I guess the vows are the one thing we haven't planned ahead of time. Which is saying something, considering that we've already used this war room as an actual war room to plan out all the invasion contingencies."
"Quite," Rarity replied. "And unfortunately, I seem to have been left completely bereft by my muse in this case. It's just terrible, I tell you. I have never been so blocked on a work of fashion before." She stood up and moved towards her chaise lounge, feeling her nerves begin to fray.
"Is that why you've been borrowing all those books on poetry from the library?"
"The greatest poets and orators in all of history have written about my beloved." Rarity sighed dramatically — it seemed appropriate, given the sheer magnitude of what she was up against. "How am I ever supposed to compete with that? I'm going to be standing in front of all Equestria, sounding like a lovesick teenager next to the sonnets of Spear Shaker or the lyrics of Sapphic Sapphire."
"Actually, most historians these days actually think that Sapphire was writing about Luna, not Celestia." If the situation wasn't so dire, Rarity might have laughed at Twilight's priorities. "For example, she makes references to a 'temple of the holy night,' which makes a lot more sense if she's describing a Princess of the Moon rather than a Princess of the Sun. Furthermore, when she talks about how 'the moon is gone,' it's likely that— I'm not helping, am I?" At least she had the grace to look embarrassed.
"Oh, Twilight, she's never going to believe that I love her with all my heart!" Rarity wailed, collapsing gracefully on the chaise. "I'm going to be left alone at the altar because my very own bride-to-be thinks I detest her!" She closed her eyes and imagined herself bereft and alone in front of all of Equestria, the target of gossip and mockery for the rest of her life.
"After all the time I've spent putting this thing together, if either of you even thinks about getting cold hooves, I'll trap both your souls in a crystalline mandala and force you two to stand in front of Cadance and say 'I do.'"
That got Rarity to peek one eye open to stare uncomfortably at Twilight. "You can do that?"
An adorably sheepish smile crossed the princess' face. "Starlight has some really interesting hobbies that I'm trying to channel into healthier outlets. Theorycrafting helps her get it out of her system, and sometimes she comes up with some very fascinating ideas."
"That is... rather concerning," Rarity eventually settled on saying. "I’ll just be thankful that she's on our side."
"It's a bit terrifying to think about how she almost destroyed everything I hold dear, yes." Twilight cleared her throat. "Anyways!" she said a little too quickly. "It's true that almost all of the most famous literary works in history praise Celestia in one form or another, and that there's basically no hope of you ever coming close to their level of skill."
There's a pause as Rarity processed those words. "Twilight, dear, has anypony ever told you that you have atrocious bedside manners?"
Twilight snorted. "My point is that you're thinking about this the wrong way. There's one thing you have that none of those other ponies did."
"The ability to create an award-winning fashion line with nothing but materials scrounged from my hotel room?" Rarity guessed.
"True love."
Well, that was unexpected. "Darling, even I think that's an incredibly sentimental response."
Still, there was an earnest gleam in Twilight's eyes. "I really mean it. None of those other ponies truly loved Celestia like you do, and none of them know her as well as you do. Even if you can't find the best words to express it, you know that as long as you speak from your heart, as long as you really mean what you say, then she'll love it, and who cares what everypony else thinks?"
Trust Twilight to have a logical explanation for a fairytale response. "Hmm," Rarity said, cupping her chin. "I do suppose that a gift is more about the thought put into it than the bits you paid."
"See, I knew you'd get it!" Twilight smiled. "So, what do you think Celestia would care about in a wedding vow?"
"Well, Celestia already knows the depths of my love for her and why I love her so," Rarity mused. "We have no secrets between us when it comes to our feelings, after all."
"That's good to hear," Twilight said. "Communication is important in any relationship. Maybe you should think about what's going to change when you get married?"
"I suppose I'll be a princess after the wedding." The concept still hadn't really sunk in for Rarity. To have spent all her life trying to be a lady, and then to become royalty...
"You're going to make a fantastic princess." There was no uncertainty in Twilight's voice, and Rarity loved her for it.
Rarity covered her sudden influx of emotions with a laugh. "Oh? Not that I don't agree that I'm the absolute belle of the ball at any social event, but what makes you say that?"
"You're the Element of Generosity," Twilight replied, "and I think that gets at the core of what a princess is meant to be."
"How do you mean?"
"A princess is a servant of Equestria, right?" Twilight waited for Rarity to nod before continuing. "Well, that means that she needs to be willing to give up everything if required. You know Celestia would sacrifice herself in a heartbeat for this kingdom, and you'd be right behind her the entire way."
"I suppose I could vow to die for Equestria," Rarity said, "but that seems a bit dark for a wedding, no?"
"Probably," Twilight admitted. Before she could say anything further, there was a knock at the door. "Come in!"
The door opened to reveal a short Earth Pony with a clipboard held in her hooves. "Princess Twilight, Rarity," she said with a respectful nod as she entered the room, effortlessly dancing around the maze of paperwork that surrounded them.
"Raven." Rarity nodded back as Twilight waved at Celestia's personal assistant. "It's good to see you."
"Same," Raven responded, "but I actually need to speak with the princess. The feather flu's put more of the staff out of commission that we expected, and we need to figure out how much outside help we'll need to hire to get everything done on schedule."
Twilight sighed. "Great, another fire to put out right before the wedding." She shot an apologetic glance at Rarity. "Sorry, but I think this might take a while for me and Raven to sort out."
"Don't apologize, darling," Rarity replied, rising from her chair and preparing to leave. "I'm ever so grateful for all the help you've been giving me in planning this event." She turned to face the other mare in the room. "You too, Raven. I'm sorry for the burden that this wedding has placed on you and the rest of the staff."
"Don't be," Raven replied. "You make Princess Celestia happy, and for that, we're all happy to make this day special for both of you, no matter what."
She smiled wearily, but there was a fire in her eyes. "Even if I can't remember what sleep feels like anymore, you have no idea how honoured we are to be part of this. All of us. Glaze Roast has been having the time of his life planning the menu, Feather Duster considers it a personal challenge to make sure that the entire castle is pristine on the big day, and Grass Roots is channelling her inner sculptor in preparing the gardens for the reception.
"You and Princess Celestia have both given so much for us," Raven said. "Let us give you something in return."
Tears threatened to form in Rarity's eyes, and she held them back with sheer force of will. "Thank you, Raven," she whispered. "I promise I'll do my best to deserve all of this." She trotted over to the other mare and gave her a quick nuzzle, and after Raven stiffened at the sudden contact, she reciprocated the gesture of friendship. "Now then, I'll leave you two to put out this particular fire."
"Do you want to talk about your vows after?" Twilight called out as Rarity walked towards the exit.
Rarity glanced at the piles of papers stacked around her, each one written by a pony who wanted this wedding to be a success. She noted the bags under Twilight and Raven's eyes, and she thought about how much everypony loved Celestia, and how much that love was reciprocated right back.
She had called Celestia the most beloved pony in Equestria, but she knew that Celestia had also earned that tile, and that it was not unrequited. And she understood what Celestia would value in a wedding vow.
Rarity smiled. "Thank you, Twilight, but I think I'll be just fine."
The wedding wasn't perfect, but it didn't matter, because the bride was.
It didn't matter that a minor delay with the procession had resulted in Rarity showing up five minutes late, because when she laid eyes on Celestia in her dress looking every bit the perfect blushing bride, the world melted away for a moment until they were the only two ponies that mattered.
And then reality reasserted itself when Sweetie Belle nudged her forwards, and Rarity found it to be even better. She smiled at her sister and her friends following behind her, who had all been so excited to help with the preparations, and had stopped more fires than they'd started for once.
She took another step forward, and from the corner of her eyes she saw Raven darting about, no doubt dealing with a thousand minor crises that were popping up right at this minute. She would have to talk to Celestia about giving her a vacation after all this.
Another step, and she perked up as she picked out Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash from the crowds. Each of them had a different part to play in making this day special, and had been scattered about the palace throughout the morning, but for this one moment, they were all together to celebrate the next step in her life before returning to their posts.
She could feel the eyes of all of Equestria on her, but every time she felt like she couldn't take another step under the weight of their stares, she found another face in the crowd, another pony who supported her and whom she knew she had to be strong for.
Finally, she made it to the stage, where all of the princesses were waiting for her, including her future wife. Celestia smiled down at her, flanked by Luna and Twilight. "I see you're keeping up with your trend of being fashionably late?"
"Of course, my love," Rarity replied, willing herself to speak casually and ignore the rumbling crowds around her. "You know I could never pass up the chance to make a dramatic entrance." It would be improper for them to touch right now, but oh, how she longed for even a quick nuzzle with her heart's desire before they had to continue the ceremony!
"I will admit, I was about to send the guards out to find you." The final notes of the wedding march were fading, forcing Celestia to whisper so as to not be overheard. "Considering how these things go, I was half-expecting you to have been kidnapped or embroiled in some battle for the fate of Equestria. Again."
"That does sound like me, yes," Rarity replied. "Fortunately, it was only a minor tear in Scootaloo's dress that I had to mend." She shot Celestia a playful smirk. "You didn't think I’d get cold hooves at the last moment, did you?"
Celestia smirked right back. "I've seen the binding spells that Twilight's been working on. I'm pretty sure she has several wards set up to teleport you back here if either of us tries to run." Her smile faded. "I also know you'd never leave me. I love you, Rarity."
"My heart is yours, Celestia, now and forever." The music ended, and Rarity shot Celestia one last smile before they both turned to face the mare standing beneath the wedding arbour.
Cadance smiled and cleared her throat before speaking in a voice that was amplified across the whole palace. "Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Princess Celestia and Rarity."
The crowd was silent now. Even in a world that had seen the introduction of four new alicorns and one royal wedding within a mortal lifespan, everypony knew that they were witnessing something special, something that was truly unique — the marriage of the Sun Princess herself. Rarity felt the weight of history pressing down on her as she listened to Cadance speak, until she could hardly breathe under the pressure.
"I have seen for myself the bountiful love these two ponies have for one another, and there is no doubt in my mind that they will bring much happiness to each other and to those around them for years to come. May we have the rings, please?"
From the side, a young alicorn filly flitted up towards them with a pair of horn rings resting on a pillow held in her hooves. Rarity and Celestia nodded in thanks to Princess Flurry Heart as they picked up their partners' rings.
"The brides have chosen to write their own vows for this ceremony," Cadance announced. "Princess Celestia?"
Celestia was positively radiant as she stood proud before Rarity, utter sincerity etched onto every part of her face. "I, Celestia, take you, Rarity, to be my lawfully wedded wife. I stand before this nation and swear that I will love and cherish you with all my heart, and that you will be remembered for all eternity. I vow to fight for our love every single day, and come whatever adversity may befall us, I shall keep you in my thoughts at all times."
The tears were flowing freely as Rarity lowered her head and allowed Celestia to place the golden ring on her horn. This weight she bore gladly, as it felt more right than anything else she had done in her life. She looked up into ancient eyes that held more love than any mortal could comprehend, and with a steady voice, she spoke her own vows.
"I, Rarity, take you, Celestia, to be my lawfully wedded wife. And before this nation, I swear to love and cherish every single day I have with you, and to make you proud to be my wife. I vow to serve the ponies of Equestria by your side with all of my heart and soul, and to love them as they love you. For you are Equestria and its ponies, and to love you is to love them as well. I swear that I will give everything I have to you, and to Equestria, and I that I shall do so gladly, now and forever."
Celestia was crying too as Rarity set the ring on her horn, and the unicorn knew in her heart that she had chosen the right words. For she had spoken from her heart, and made a vow that would mean more to Celestia than any promise to stay with her for the rest of her life.
"By the power invested in me as the Princess of Love, I now pronounce you bound in matrimony!" Cadance leaned forward and whispered softly enough to not be heard by the audience. "This is the part where you finally get to kiss in public."
Rarity grinned, and with a smile on her face and love in her heart, she embraced her bride and became the newest Princess of Equestria.
