Finding Your Family

Alto trumpeted out a smooth, warbling tune, letting it wash over the crowd slowly. "That's him," whispered Scootaloo to Spike. "Still feeling jealous?"

"Moreso," whispered Spike back. "He's smooth."

Scootaloo chuckled. "Come on, let's go back to the table."

As Pinkie chopped up the rest of the cake, preserving the toppers in case the couple wanted them, Rainbow Dash moved a table full of presents over near the main table. "Okay, Pinkie Pie wants your guests to deliver your gifts themselves, to make it more personal," she explained. "That way, they can offer you your congratulations at the same time, giving you a more in-depth discussion. It'll also hold them accountable for their gifts, so if the same thing that happened at Spike's Bachelor Party happens here, we can immediately know who wasn't paying attention."

First to come up were the Cakes, and Spike already knew what they'd given him. Scootaloo was a bit shocked, at first, that Spike could guess it without looking, but then she remembered that there was an attachment that they'd given him for his Bachelor Party. It was a pretty sweet stand mixer, either way.

Twilight and Thorax had thought about it a bit harder than they had the first time, and while it was still two books that they received, this was a scrapbook of all the pictures Spike and Scootaloo had been together for, along with a second one that was blank. "For all the memories you've made together," smiled Twilight.

"And for all the memories you're about to make," finished Thorax.

Applejack and Big Mac didn't bring a gift, as their donation was in the form of shutting down the farm and opening their home for the day, free of charge. Rainbow had, of course, gifted a Sonic Rainboom. Pinkie had paid for the cake, and Rarity and Fluttershy had made the outfits, giving their gifts before the wedding.

Shining Armor apologised for Cadance's Absence, as well as Flurry Heart's, but royal duties came first, and Spike understood that. They had, at least, sent their love in the form of several jewels, to be enjoyed at the family's leisure, though Scootaloo was pretty intent on keeping some of them.

There were several gifts that were just decorations, which were very welcome. A few vases around the house could provide a splash of colour or at least hold flowers for the same purpose. There were some paintings, too, the most notable being a portrait done by Fanbrush. It wasn't a commissioned painting, so they hadn't sat down to have it painted, and Fanbrush had just done it from memory. As a result, there were a few inaccuracies that were fairly obvious. Scootaloo's horns, for example, were short and black in reality, but were painted as long and light grey. Her spines had also been replaced by Smolder's; an understandable mix-up, as they did look very similar. Still, it was a nice gift that would just have to be replaced with a more accurate rendition. Of course, that one would be paid for, rather than a free gift.

Then there were some other gifts that weren't quite as appreciated as much as the thoughts that went into them. Being able to breathe fire, dragons didn't have a need for toasters, but Spike had bought one, anyway. Now they had five. Also in the mix were two complete sets of flatware, a collection of pots and pans, and three knife blocks, only one of which was actually any good.

A lot of the guests went from giving gifts straight to the dance floor. While the guests seemed to be bobbing at different rates, there were ripples within ripples that aligned exactly at the center of the room.

Suddenly, Scootaloo realized that there hadn't been any saxophone for the last few minutes. She looked up, and Alto had left the stage. She looked around, and couldn't see him amongst the ponies of the crowd. She wasn't sure where he'd gone.

At any rate, the presents had all been opened, and each of the guests thanked for attending. It was almost sunset, and soon, they would be headed home for the night.

Scootaloo stood up and took Spike's claw. "Come with me."

"Are we going to dance again?" he asked.

"No, I'm going to the lavatory, and I need you to help me out of the dress, and then back into it."

With a nod, Spike followed her out of the barn, taking note of the carriage he probably wasn't supposed to see yet, as it said "Just Marr" and had nothing trailing behind it. With a shrug, he went into the house with Scootaloo and then up the stairs to the bathroom.

As they were up there, however, they noticed a peculiar sound coming from Big Mac's room. A pair of voices that Scootaloo knew right away. Spike could only place one, but he knew that Big Mac was down in front of the barn, dressing up the carriage that would take them home. Being close with him, he had a standing invitation to enter his room, as he was guaranteed trustworthy.

The door swung open quickly, and Scootaloo chuckled at the sight. Ember, ruler of the dragons, had slipped away from her guards and made her way upstairs with a stallion, Alto the saxophonist. "Well, would you look at that..."

"It's not what you think!" shouted Ember, tossing Alto into the air with ease. "I was... eating him! That's right! Look, he has bite marks and everything!"

Alto landed on the floor with a loud thud. Indeed, he did have bite marks on his shoulder, and claw marks on his arse pulling him in. He hadn't flown too far, though, as Ember's tail was still wrapped several times around his leg. "H-hi, Scootaloo..." he blushed. "How w-was your wedding?"

"Very memorable," answered Scootaloo.

"You shouldn't be in here," said Spike. "While I appreciate that you were looking for some privacy, and I'm not going to chastise either of you for sleeping together, this is someone's home, and their own personal bedroom. Dragon Lord Ember has a room back at the castle you can use."

Alto's eyes went wide. He turned to Ember. "You're the Dragon Lord?!"

"Thanks, Spike," scowled Ember. "Now he's going to be too scared to make a move for fear that I'll actually eat him..."

She brushed herself off and stormed out of the room, Alto squealing with delight and trying to hide his dripping boner as he trailed after her.

With Big Mac's door closed once more, Spike brought Scootaloo into the bathroom and helped her out of her dress. At first, he turned around to allow her some privacy, but not for long, as she grabbed ahold of his tail. "You know we're married now, right? Plus, how many times have you seen me without clothes?"

"Force of habit," he chuckled. "Besides, I don't want to stare..."