Where They Are Joined

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Epilogue and Author's Notes

Chapter 1

“This shouldn’t be too hard,” Glimmer Tail said. Surrounding the proffered papers with her magic, she idly leafed through them a second time while running the numbers in her head. “I’d put it at about one hundred and fifty-five bits for the pair. The detail on the second piece is tricky, though. Are you sure she can’t come in for study? I want to get it just right."

“The drawings are as accurate as can be. ‘Sides, it’s kind of a surprise.” The orange mare chuckled. “So no can do, partner.”

“Very well, I’m no stranger to that scenario, trust you me.” Glimmer smiled back at her. “We’ll save quite a few bits on the materials on that one at any rate. Rose quartz is cheap this year.”

“I said to spare no expense.” Her customer put on a rather unsettling frown. Glimmer held up a warding hoof.

“And I am not! There simply aren’t too many options for that particular shade of pink. For Celestia’s sake, girl, trust me to do my job,” Glimmer said, adjusting her glasses.

“Well, alright then. I ain’t going to waste time bargaining. I want this done proper. Hundred and fifty five bits it is,” the younger mare said. Glimmer nodded and waited as her customer struggled through the snow-dusted layers of clothing she wore, battling both her scarf and her cloak in her fight to withdraw a pouch from her saddlebags.

“There,” the blond-maned mare said when the bits were finally counted and the counter played host to a shiny mound of currency. “Before the end of the week, y’hear?”

“Two days at most. Business is slow in winter. Thank you for your patronage.” Glimmer Tail crooned as she swept the bits from the counter and into the cash drawer. It made such a delightful clatter she felt compelled to offer her customer a friendly wave and a smile as she made her exit from The Finest Cut.

There were a few words left unspoken, of course. She hadn’t commented on how curious her order had been, or how odd the timing was, despite her good taste. A high-quality set of earrings, the type of which were common in earth pony and pegasus marriages; one was a trio of butterflies in rose quartz and emerald, the other a cluster of three apples done in ruby and emerald. So she’d demanded, and so she’d get.

Glimmer Tail shrugged and trotted back to her workbench, levitating up half-shaped bits of emerald. Customer confidentiality was such a terrible, profitable burden at times. Then again, it wasn’t as if she had an unreasonable return policy.

Perfection was an odd sort of thing. While Applejack had never fancied herself much of a philosopher, the thought stuck with her as she waded through the belly-high snow. It wasn’t snowing for the moment—and bless the weather patrol’s feathers for the clear blue skies—but she was still stuck dragging her saddlebags more than she actually carried them. Her scarf was already frozen stiff, courtesy of the cold air of Ponyville’s outskirts.

No, perfection wasn’t something she’d often been forced to contemplate. It had nothing to do with work ethic; the pony to suggest any member of the Apple family ever did shoddy work or settled for ‘good enough’, they’d be laughed straight out of Ponyville. Instead, it was about being able to take pleasure in the little things. In being able to rest easy with something that was perfect enough.

Regardless, today was special. Today had to be perfect. The kind of perfect that truly was, and not for her own sake. With one single-legged buck, she needed to knock the apple tree clean.

Except the tree got to decide on whether or not the apples would fall. Something like that. Applejack swallowed and exhaled slowly, powering on through the snow rather than pursuing that line of thinking any further. Less philosophy, more walking.

“Are you okay?” a soft voice said from behind. Applejack glanced over her flank to where her marefriend was carefully picking her way after her, following in the furrow left in the earth mare’s wake. Fluttershy’s face was set in a worried frown, but when she saw her looking, she smiled back.

On the other hoof, sometimes perfection was simple and understandable, something constant and magical courtesy of a special somepony else. Sometimes, perfection was a smile from the one you loved.

“Just dandy, sugar.” Applejack shook her head. “Ain’t a thing that could’ve been better. You say this spot of yours is just ahead?”

“It’s just past the trees.” Fluttershy gestured to the snow-laden evergreens of the Whitetail Woods ahead. They could barely see the weather vane that topped Sweet Apple Acres far behind them. “It should be perfect for a little winter picnic. I can walk first for a little bit if it’s a bother wading through the snow and everything.”

Applejack gave a short bark of laughter. “Ain’t that, not at all. I was just thinking. If you don’t believe I think about things sometimes, you’ve been listening too much to R.D. Besides, ain’t like we’re in a rush. Not today.”

Fluttershy giggled at that. “Okay. Just let me know if you want me to carry your saddlebags instead, maybe?”

“You got your own. Which is mighty silly. I told you I could fit all we need for the picnic in mine. I can see from here you’ve barely got anything in those little things of yours.” Applejack cast Fluttershy’s slim saddlebags a frown.

“Oh. Um, well, I—I’d just like to help a little. It’s not fair that you should do everything,” Fluttershy said, a ghost of a stammer creeping into her voice. She re-furled her wings and cleared her throat.

Applejack couldn’t help but laugh. “Sug’, your cheeks are brighter’n those of a filly caught with her hoof in the cookie jar.”

"Sorry." Fluttershy sighed and hung her head until her snout skimmed the snow by her legs.

“But you still ain’t gonna tell me why,” Applejack said. As they spoke, the snow lessened, and gradually the sparse canopy of Whitetail Woods—such as it was in winter—covered their heads.

Fluttershy bit down on her scarf to pull it tighter around her neck, still not meeting her eyes. “I just told you.”

“I mean why you’ve been underhoof during this entire ordeal.” Applejack sighed, smiling still as she brushed the snow from her coat. Here, in the woods proper, the layer of snow was far more forgiving. Pure white powder a hoof’s breadth deep was marred only by the occasional animal tracks.

“I got this here pie I made, fresh with apples imported from down south where winter ain’t touched yet, and then you reveal you got a jar of honey saved up for this.” Applejack scratched her cheek as she tried to think of how many of these little episodes had preceded the big day of their winter weekend picnic. “That, and while I was off securing nice and warm blankets for us, along with a thermos that’d hold enough tea for two, you ran off to ask your little animal friends to find this ‘perfect’ spot.”

Fluttershy smiled. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m going to say ‘sorry’ for that.”

“Sure, but I told you I didn’t mind arranging for everything this weekend, that’s all.”

“And I said the same.” Fluttershy rubbed a foreleg with the other, looking away whilst she protested.

Applejack shrugged, nudging her hat back on her head as she trotted a little closer to where Fluttershy stood her ground. “And when I ask you why you’re suddenly skittish and all, acting like we ain’t shared our lives for over a year now, you ain’t got an answer.”

“There’s no reason. I’m fine.” Fluttershy craned her neck and buried her muzzle in her scarf as she spoke, muffling her voice.

“And that there? That’s a lie. It’s a terrible lie, but you don’t lie to me ‘less you got a real good reason for it.” Applejack bit her cheek and gave her a wry grin. “So right now? I ain’t gonna ask no more.”She leaned forward to kiss the tip of Fluttershy’s snout. Fluttershy made no reply other than to touch their foreheads together.

“Is this the spot?” Applejack said, reluctantly pulling back.

“No, not exactly.” Fluttershy perked up as she spoke. She licked her lips and looked around, as if only just now seeing their surroundings, her ears twitching under her winter hat. After a moment’s contemplation, she spread her wings and took off low to the ground. “This way,” she called, and Applejack was all too happy to follow, kicking up snow as she trotted through the forest.

For what might’ve been a minute, an hour, forever or a second, she followed the merrily dancing snip of pink tail that led her through the wintry woods. Every so often, Fluttershy would confer in hushed tones with a bird or a rabbit before darting off again, knowing Applejack could easily keep pace. Finally, Fluttershy came to a halt, at rest between two trees waiting for Applejack.

It was amazing how well she fit in here. Even at winter and laden with clothes and saddlebags all, Fluttershy looked twice as alive where she belonged. It was part of the reason Applejack had suggested this little picnic. For all that she was beautiful snuggled up by the fireplace in Applejack’s hooves, the way Fluttershy brightened as she got to show Applejack one of her little secrets was beyond compare.

“Here it is,” Fluttershy said. Behind the yellow mare, Applejack swore she could spot green grass, but a wall of pine trees obscured her sight. Only when Applejack drew near did Fluttershy step aside to reveal the hidden grove.

Here, winter was held at bay. In the center of the ring of trees and bushes, a small pond bubbled and smoked, and around it, grass green as summer grew. Applejack stared slack-jawed at the defiant little grove that refused the seasons. In a few hoofsteps, she could step from winter to warmth. A small cough from her side drew her back from her thoughts.

“Um, do you like it?” Fluttershy bit her bottom lip. Applejack settled for a grin as she leaned against her.

“I’m gonna drop all them fancy words and just go with ‘yes’, sugar.” Applejack nuzzled into Fluttershy’s mane.

Fluttershy’s wings half spread, the pegasus leaning back into her attentions. “I’m glad.”

“It’s just about the best picnic spot I ever saw, but I say we get to using it before the pie gets too cold to eat. I’m right powerful hungry now. Don’t suppose you have anything edible in those bags of yours?”

“Not really, sorry,” Fluttershy said, joining Applejack inside the grove proper. Applejack slipped out from her own saddlebags, refusing to let that little confusing nugget bother her. If Fluttershy hadn’t explained herself by bedtime, perhaps she’d ask again. As it was, she had plenty enough on her own mind. It wasn’t as if one could do a terrible job of spreading out the picnic blanket, but suddenly she had four left hooves, and she was sure she’d muck something up.

The very second she’d fished the cloth out from her saddlebags, another muzzle joined hers, grabbing on to the opposite corner. Fluttershy smiled around the heavy blanket, and Applejack smiled back, feeling a rush of affection and anticipation both. Some ponies spent their entire lives chasing fame or fortune. Just then, Applejack caught herself thinking that she’d be more than happy if only she could keep what she had.

A minute later, the two mares sat side by side in the winterless patch, Fluttershy nursing a cup of tea while Applejack chewed her pie noisily and without shame. At least, it started out that way, but Applejack’s chewing slowed down and came to a full stop when she noticed a wild hare sat at the edge of their picnic blanket making big eyes at them. Applejack swallowed audibly and stared back.

“I told them to give us some space today, but he’s really hungry,” Fluttershy said, glancing back and forth between the little critter and the pie platter.

“If you’re lookin’ to feed every varmint in the forest, it’s coming from your share of the pie.” Applejack rolled her eyes. Fluttershy opened her mouth to reply, but Applejack beat her to it, taking one more bite before shoving the remains of her own slice towards the white-coated little thing.

“That was a joke," Applejack said. "But I’m having another slice.”

She couldn't keep up the surly act when she saw the smile Fluttershy gave her at that. The look that her mare gave her. Applejack took a deep breath to try to dispel some of the warmth that crept up on her, a pleasant fuzziness that had nothing to do with the nearby hot spring.

“Perfect,” Fluttershy whispered, her eyes trained on something far off.

“What’s that, sugar?”

“Oh, nothing,” Fluttershy hastened to say, shaking her head. “I’m just very happy. Goodness, that sounds so silly when I say it out loud.”

Applejack let out her breath through her nose and leaned back, inching over so she could rest against Fluttershy’s tummy. The pegasus did not protest in the least, putting her cup down and sitting up to support her. The long tresses of Fluttershy’s mane soon framed Applejack’s world in a pleasant pink.

“D’you know I used to dislike winter? I ever tell you that?” Applejack rolled her jaw, watching the content hare chow down on the last of the pie before bouncing off with its belly big and round.

“Oh? But it’s ever so cozy,” Fluttershy said. “And then there’s Hearth’s Warming Eve, too!”

“Sure, but think of the farm. Nothing to sow, no clearing or harvesting to be done; there’s just about nothing to do. Used to be I was bored out of my skull when winter rolled around. Heck, sometimes it was downright miserable.”

“You seemed fine last winter. Oh dear, did I miss something? Did I not pay attention? I’m—”

“No, no, heavens!” Applejack laughed, arching her head to nuzzle Fluttershy. “That’s just the thing, ain’t it. I may be a hard-head, but somepony’s taken the time to teach me there’s a silver lining to it. I get to spend more time with you.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks reddened, the pegasus’ wings fluttering. Her voice was barely a whisper. “That’s very nice of you to say.”

“You ain’t supposed to thank me. It ain’t a compliment, it’s just how it is. I love you, you silly, silly pony.”

That brought a wide smile back to Fluttershy’s face. Words that never failed to make her reply, three words that were always spoken without fear.

“I love you, too.”

It didn’t get much better than this. Applejack had never been a pony of hesitation or reluctance, but still cold sweat threatened when she realized there was no reason or excuse left to put it off any longer. A comfortable silence settled over the two ponies, and Applejack slowly disentangled herself from her marefriend, reaching over to her saddlebags to retrieve a little box.

“Sugar—”

“Um, I was—”

The two mares paused, looking into one another’s eyes. Fluttershy’s jaw hung half-open, and Applejack froze.

“Sorry, you first,” Fluttershy said, folding her wings. Applejack shook her head, letting go of the little black box inside her saddlebags and turned to face her. It was clear something was on Fluttershy’s mind. While Applejack was about to ask the most important question of her entire life, you couldn’t very well raise a barn unless the ground was solid.

That, or she was secretly glad for a distraction—and twice as surprised when Fluttershy didn’t insist even once. Instead, the love of her life simply nodded in thanks and drew breath.

“I really do love you, you know. Um, oh, goodness, I don’t mean I think you don’t believe me, but, um.” Fluttershy let out a shuddering sigh, her lips trembling as she composed herself. “I’m making a mess of this, I—I’m really sorry, I really am.”

“It’s okay, hon. I know.” Applejack said, simple words that she had spoken so many times to assuage and soothe. Words that Fluttershy now shrugged off, shaking her head.

“No! I mean, yes, but this is important!” A spark of fire crept into Fluttershy's voice as she forced herself to look up again and meet her eyes. The hesitation in the pegasus mare died in an instant, blue-green eyes unwavering and unblinking as they pinned Applejack where she sat.

“Last fall, you spoke about marriage. You said that you would ask me to marry you someday.”

“I meant it,” Applejack whispered before she could even think, unsure of whether or not Fluttershy heard.

“You said you would ask, or that maybe I’d ask you first, and that it would be okay.” With each word, the courage Fluttershy had mustered seemed to evaporate like morning dew before the sun. Applejack had no idea when she herself had stopped breathing; time seemed to bend and warp, slowing down to accentuate every single syllable of her marefriend’s speech. Every single word from the pony who had never before quite looked so beautiful as then.

Tears budded in Fluttershy’s eyes as she forced a final few words out, one of her trembling wings reaching behind her back to hold up a little black box she’d hid in her saddlebags. Inside rested two sets of exquisite earrings, each the likeness of their cutie marks done in gold and gems made twice as resplendent by the words that came with them.

“Applejack? Would you please marry me? If—if you don’t want to—”

“I remember exactly what I said, and I meant it. I meant every darn single word.” Applejack reached up to knock the hat off her head, if only to distract herself from the way her voice trembled. “And I got a right powerful desire to hug and kiss you right now, so if’n you’ll excuse me.”

Applejack leaned forwards, vaguely aware she knocked Fluttershy’s cup over. Hot tea spilled over one of her hindlegs, but she hardly noticed. The earth mare touched her muzzle to Fluttershy’s neck and nuzzled into it, planting a trail of little kisses until at long last she pecked her on the snout, smiling widely.

Fluttershy remained entirely wooden, barely breathing. When Applejack finally managed to calm down enough to look into her eyes, Fluttershy was taking short, shallow breaths, as if she scarcely dared exist at all.

Applejack sighed and locked her forelegs around her neck. “Sugar? That’s a ‘yes’. A ‘yes’, a ‘you bet I do’, and a ‘I’d like nothing more in the whole wide world of Equestria, thank you very much’.”

Fluttershy’s face lit up in a big and bright smile, the pegasus returning the hug in earnest with forelegs and wings all wrapping around Applejack, and for a moment, there was absolutely nothing more to say. The two ponies sank down to lie in each others’ embrace, and Applejack didn’t care that she lay draped half across the pie she’d been meaning to eat. She held Fluttershy tight and tried to calm down, tried to still her heart and calm her breathing—and she loved how she completely failed. Every time she drew breath, she won the rodeo. Every time she exhaled, she wrapped up another year’s applebuck season.

“Um, Applejack?”

Fluttershy’s soft voice barely reached Applejack’s ears. The earth mare reluctantly shifted, coming to rest atop Fluttershy with her head on Fluttershy’s chest and her muzzle resting along her neck.

“That’s my name, sugar.”

“What was it you wanted to say?”

“It weren’t nothing. Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter. Just give me a moment here.”

“Oh. Okay,” Fluttershy said, the quiet settling back in place. After a moment’s pause, Applejack felt familiar and gentle hooves running through her mane. A proposal and a grooming both? The farmpony sighed and rubbed her cheek against Fluttershy’s chest.

“I just hope I didn’t interrupt something. I didn’t mean to. Sorry.”

Applejack chuckled, a low sound that shook both their bodies ever so slightly. “Heavens to betsy, sugar, can’t we just rest for a bit? You just made me the happiest mare in Equestria.”

“Sorry,” Fluttershy said, her breath hot on the back of Applejack’s head as she leaned forwards to kiss. “I was so nervous.”

“Told you. I meant it. Ain’t no doubt in my mind.” Applejack shifted a bit to lay on her belly resting atop her mare. Her smile simply wouldn’t go away. “And you did a right beautiful job of it all.”

Fluttershy made no immediate reply to that, the faintest of blushes adorning her cheeks as she kept running her hooves through Applejack’s mane. As an afterthought, she reached over to slip the hair band off the blonde tresses, letting Applejack’s mane flow free.

“It’s just that it looks a little bit like a tiny black box poking out from your saddlebags, that’s all.” The corners of Fluttershy's mouth turned up in a small smile.

Applejack sighed, but a nervous laugh bubbled to the fore despite her best efforts. She reached up to touch Fluttershy’s muzzle. “Maybe it is, but you’re the one who asked. I’m awful proud of you, and I think I like it better this way.”

When Fluttershy said nothing, the pegasus half hidden behind her own mane, Applejack felt a tendril of doubt brush her heart by. She couldn’t see Fluttershy’s expression, and wondered for a second if she’d said something wrong.

“Uh, ‘least I like the idea of that, but it’s up to you. I don’t know if that’s all demeaning and what-not. We can always—”

Fluttershy leaned down to lock their muzzles in a brief kiss. When they parted, Applejack lay still and breathless looking up at a Fluttershy whose eyes were glistening with wet, yet undeniably smiling still.

“I reckon it’s fine, then.”

Chapter 2

It was always a delight to head out from her cottage knowing all the chores and daily tasks were done. Few things put a smile on Fluttershy’s face as surely as greeting a winter morning’s clear air fresh-faced and bushy-tailed.

“You snug and comfy? Sure you don’t want a cloak or something? I think you left your blue winter cloak here somewhere.” Applejack tossed her head in the direction of the farmhouse they’d just departed. “Mighty cold today.”

One thing was better than stepping out of her cottage ready to face the day, and that was facing it together with Applejack, leaving either of their homes after a good meal.

“I’m fine, thank you.” Fluttershy adjusted her light blue scarf and hat. Rarity insisted they matched Applejack’s red garments, and she’d made the outfits for the anniversary of Applejack and Fluttershy getting together. That alone made them the warmest and most precious clothes she owned.

“Right then. That should be about it.” Despite her words, Applejack made no move. Instead, she tapped a hoof to her chin. “I fixed the roof so the barrels stored behind the barn won’t get wet and rot, and I checked the apple cellar to make sure no varmints’ve gotten in.”

“Twice,” Fluttershy said, stifling a giggle. “You know I could have told you if any of my friends snuck in anyways.”

“And you checked the outside of Granny Smith’s window where she was complaining about the leak and all?”

“That, and the dishes after lunch are all done.”

Applejack gave a small sigh and nuzzled Fluttershy’s cheek. “Guess we’ve really got the rest of the day off then.”

“If you want to wait with this, that’s okay,” Fluttershy said, lowering her gaze. Before them, the farmyard clearing became the road that led to Ponyville. It was a short walk all things considered, but Applejack’s procrastination hadn’t gone unnoticed. They could easily have been done by breakfast, and Applejack knew it too. Fluttershy’s mare-to-be rolled her jaw, lost in thought.

Mare to be. She could think that if she was very quiet about it, couldn’t she? They were engaged, but to think that Applejack was hers? Fluttershy bit her lower lip and leaned against Applejack so their coats brushed together.

“That ain’t it. I just don’t want you thinking I’m nervous. Or that there’s any doubt in my mind,” Applejack finally said, those unwavering pools of green locked with hers, an intense look that would have been a glare if not for the smile. “No, that ain’t it at all. It’s more—huh.”

Fluttershy’s steps slowed to match Applejack’s as the farmpony’s face scrunched up in consternation.

“Did you tell anypony yet?”

“That’s what we’re doing now, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, but I mean before. No talk at all? I kept it on the low down on account of figuring Apple Bloom would burst inside of a minute if she tried to keep a secret, but I figure you’d have told somepony.” Applejack poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue. “Ain’t like I mind.”

“Oh I’m very excited to tell them, of course, but um, well.” Fluttershy’s voice petered out as she lay her ears flat. “I would have told them, but I was afraid they’d be perhaps a little bit too happy, so I only really told one pony.”

“I’m excited too, you know that, right? I ain’t spouting hot air when I say I love you and that I want you.” The words led to silence and a meaningful look as sincere as the mare who had spoken them. Fluttershy sighed and again angled herself to lean against Applejack as they walked.

“I don’t understand why you worry so much. Of course I believe you,” Fluttershy said. Applejack gave a short nod at that, licking her lips and twitching her ears in that tell-tale manner she always did when she was thinking. Best to let her think if she wasn’t sure on how to say whatever it was she wanted to say. Fluttershy beamed and continued.

“I hope Rarity isn’t angry with me for not telling her sooner. I really wanted to. It was ever so hard to keep from letting her know every time we met at the spa. I've been sitting on the earrings for a little while now. Trying to, well, I guess I was waiting for the perfect moment, just like you.”

“About that. We still gotta see if we can get a refund on the ones we ain’t using. Those bits could get us a head start on fixing the chicken coop. But I’m keeping the earring you gave me, I’ll say that for sure.” Applejack’s smile widened as they trotted on. Ponyville was coming into view, the snow-laden trees to their sides giving way to a town that seemed tranquil, almost asleep were it not for the foals playing in the snow.

“I think I’d like to keep the one you had made for me, too. Maybe the jeweler won’t mind that we don’t give her back the same set,” Fluttershy said, blushing ever so faintly. Still, if Applejack admitted to a romantic little gesture like that, there was no harm in indulging herself as well.

“I’m sure it’ll work out just fine, sugar. Who’s the one pony you told, anyhow?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, but she never got so far as to reply. She cocked an ear, suddenly aware of a faint whistle which grew by the second, soon accompanied by a cackling laugh.

“Get down!” yelled Applejack, throwing herself towards Fluttershy. The pegasus yelped, and the pair went down in a tangle of limbs and clothes before everything exploded into a soft, white and cold cascade of snow.

Fluttershy and Applejack both popped their heads out from the roadside snowdrift, coming face to face with a riot of colors amidst the otherwise near constant white.

“Hey guys!” Dash said, shaking her entire body and flexing her wings. “I love winter!”

“By way of nothing, I’m gonna go out on a limb here’n suggest the answer to my question is ‘Rainbow Dash’,” Applejack said, shaking her head to dislodge an ample helping of winter-stuff. The earth mare extended a hoof to help Fluttershy up.

“Um, yes.” Fluttershy stifled a giggle and jammed a hoof in her ear to clean out the snow.

“Uh, me what?” Dash tilted her head. “The answer to what? To who’s the most awesome pony ever?”

“You bein’ a menace, for one thing,” Applejack said, spinning on her hindlegs to kick a pile of snow Rainbow Dash’s way. Dash yelped and ducked, still receiving a good helping of powdery white in her face. Applejack grinned as she got her revenge.

“No seriously, what? What’re you guys doing? What about me?" Dash did not relent, barely pausing to wipe the snow from her face.

“Oh hoh, now she’s curious.” Applejack laughed, her grin widening further still. “Well, if you think I’m gonna tell you now—”

“I did it! I asked her!” Fluttershy squeaked more than said, unable to contain herself any longer. The second the words were out of her mouth, she clapped her hooves to her muzzle.

“Way to ruin the sport,” Applejack said, throwing a foreleg around her withers. “But yeah, that’s about it.”

Rainbow Dash’s face split in a grin, the pegasus bolting over to punch Fluttershy on the shoulder, at which the other mare winced.

“Awesome! See, I knew you could do it, even if it took you forever!” Dash laughed, beaming so brightly it brought a blush to Fluttershy’s face. It was short-lived, though. Dash’s mirth disappeared not half a second later when she fixed Applejack with a stern frown.

“You said ‘yes’, right?”

“Of course I said yes, you complete and utter—” Applejack groaned, the rest of her words lost as Dash whooped, pulling into a standing loop that blew snow every which way. Fluttershy giggled and shook her head at the spectacle.

“Best. Thing. Ever! Okay, okay, does this mean I get to tell Pinkie now?" Dash said.

Fluttershy bit her lip. “Um, well, we were going to let ponies know today, so maybe not?”

“Aw come on, what’s the big deal? I’ve been keeping quiet for weeks, and Pinkie’s starting to creep me out! She knows I’m hiding something, but she doesn’t know what.” Dash stuck her tongue out. “Seriously, I tried to throw her off by baking her a cake and pretending that was the surprise, but I don’t think it worked.”

“You baking a cake? That’s surprising to me it is.” Applejack snickered before schooling her features. “Naw, that’s great.”

Dash opened her mouth, looking like she might protest, but she deflated right after, her head low. “Yeah, well, it was gonna be a cake. I don’t really know what to call the thing I ended up with. But hey, she ate it anyway!”

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad,” Fluttershy said, though she took care not to meet Rainbow Dash’s eyes. It was a transparent little lie; she’d seen first-hoof Dash’s attempts at cooking unguided and unaided. Before she and Pinkie got together, the best the brash flier could manage was something best described as an assault on a kitchen.

“She said it wasn’t nearly as bad as the baked bads,” Rainbow Dash said in a voice that suggested possible agreement.

Applejack cleared her throat. “Yeah, well, either way, it kind of is a big deal, this whole telling people we’re getting married thing.”

“Oh. Yes, that, too. Um, if you don’t mind.” Fluttershy pawed at the snow.

“Frankly, even if you do mind.” Applejack said. “You ain’t telling Pinkie. C’mon R.D., give us this.”

“Aw fine, whatever.” Dash held up a hoof. “I’m busy anyway. I gotta head over to Rarity’s and get some new oven mitts.”

Applejack was quiet for a moment before replying. “I ain’t asking why, this time. I remember last time, and this is me not asking.”

“Pinkie Pie baked them into a pie,” Dash said, her mouth worked into a thin line.

“Couldn’t you just—” Fluttershy began.

“And then ate them.”

The silence held for a few seconds while Rainbow Dash scratched the back of her head.

“Right. So, I’m gonna go see if Rarity feels like making a pair of very gross oven mitts. Or two. Or ten. This is awesome, I’ll catch you later to get the full scoop!” Dash whooped and took off, the powerful flier’s wings carrying her away before much more could be said on the issue.

“I couldn’t not tell her,” Fluttershy said, setting the pair walking again. In their short pause, it had started snowing again, great big flakes drifting down from on high.

“On account of you being old friends and such, that makes a bunch of sense. Guess that unlike some, she can keep a secret, too. Rare skill in this here town, I’m thinking.” Applejack chuckled.

“Mhm. Last week during her flight practice, she wanted to try for a low-flying sonic rainboom to celebrate the wedding day, but I managed to talk her out of it.” Fluttershy giggled at the memory. “She said it would look really neat, or, well, um, awesome, because it would send the snow scattering for miles.”

Applejack grinned. “I was gonna say that sounds mighty dangerous, but it’s not like that’s gonna stop that R.D. You think we should hold the wedding in winter and all?”

“Oh goodness, that’s right, we really need to start thinking about setting a date, don’t we?” Fluttershy said. Finally they crossed the bridge that spanned the frozen brook. Sugarcube Corner rested straight ahead with its twin signs; three balloons and a rainbow lightning cloud, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash’s cutie marks on display above the store.

“You in a rush now, sugar?” Applejack reached for the door.

“Oh, no. Or, I mean, yes.” Fluttershy shook her head, trying to find words that made sense. “Kind of? You know what I—” she said, only to realize Applejack had already slipped inside and turned around again, the farmpony’s head poking out from the door.

“Sugar? I’m just poking fun at you.”

“That’s not very nice at all.” Fluttershy lay her ears flat and pouted. She scarcely had the time to sit down in protest before Applejack trotted back out and planted a kiss on the tip of her muzzle.

“Sorry about that. Of course you’re right. We’ll talk about it tonight if that’s okay with you? Besides, you can’t blame me too much. I’m in a good mood all because of you. Now let’s go give Pinkie Pie the good news!”

Fluttershy nodded, nuzzled Applejack, and squared her shoulders before following her inside. The interior of the shop hadn’t changed much after the Cakes sold the Corner to Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, and the shelves all around were lined with fresh-baked goods of all kinds. The weather probably explained the lack of customers, but the faint smells of butter dough and blueberries wafted in from the kitchen, betraying the pink proprietress’ presence. As if that wasn’t enough, Pinkie Pie’s voice drifted through the doors that separated the shop from the kitchen proper, raised in song.

—grab some cinnamon and let it fly, vanilla too? Come on let’s try—

“Pinkie Pie!” Applejack's call brought the high-pitched voice to a halt. Mere seconds later, Pinkie’s flour-covered head poked out. The earth mare beamed with unbridled delight.

“Ooh! Customers! Friends! Friendsomers! Hi, you two! What can I do you for? Oh, that’s fancy-talk for ‘are you hungry and do you want something to eat’, by the way.”

“We’re not really here to eat,” Applejack said, glancing over at Fluttershy. “D’you wanna tell her?”

It seemed that the earth mare shared a little of her trepidation and excitement, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The loudest thing in the room was the swarm of butterflies in Fluttershy’s stomach.

“Oh? What’re we talking about? You’re not wearing helmets, so you’re not here to play extreme indoors hoofball.” Pinkie frowned and bounced over the counter, shaking the worst of the flour from her mane.

“Um, we’re just here to say.” Fluttershy paused to bite her lower lip. She ground the floor with a hoof.

“Oh now I definitely ain’t saying it, it’s all on you.” Applejack smirked, shifting to lean against her. Suddenly, it was all Fluttershy could do to hold back a bubbling laugh and a grin. Pinkie blinked and leaned closer, her neck stretching impossibly.

“We’re getting married!” Fluttershy blurted.

Pinkie Pie just stared, her head slowly tilting degree by degree, and her eyes adopting a faint squint. “You’re a gecko’s merit? That doesn’t make any sense at all! For a second I thought you said you were getting... married.”

The intervening time and space may as well not have bothered with trying to keep Pinkie from sweeping her two friends up in a crushing hug. One moment, Fluttershy was confused at Pinkie’s words. The next, her face was buried in the pink fluff of her friend’s mane.

“You’regettingmarried! That’s amazing! That’s fantastic! That’s the best thing I’ve ever heard!” Pinkie all but screamed, letting go and bouncing around in tight little circles. Fluttershy collapsed to the floor in a daze, Applejack sitting down at her side in the eye of the giggle-storm.

“I guess it’s a good thing we decided to come here first,” Fluttershy said. Even if Pinkie Pie could be a little loud, her enthusiasm left her feeling warmer still. Applejack laughed and nodded her assent.

“I don’t expect it’ll be like this every step of the way. I intend to make it back home before dinner. How long do you think it’s gonna take her to calm...” Applejack’s voice trailed off. Her words was the only noise to be heard, and Fluttershy followed her marefriend’s eyes to where Pinkie Pie sat calmly perched on top of the confectionery’s counter. Pinkie Pie had procured a quill and a notepad and scribbled merrily away.

“—down.”

“Um, Pinkie Pie? What are you doing?” Fluttershy said, standing back up and taking a tentative few steps towards the ominously calm mare.

“Oh! Sorry. Should I do a little more cheering?”

“Uh.” Applejack scratched the back of her neck.

“I’m so super sorry, I’m really excited for you guys and this is totally the best thing that has ever happened!” Pinkie squealed, the width of her grin testament to her sincerity. “There’s just so much to do!”

“I don’t understand,” Fluttershy admitted. Pinkie tilted her head and slipped off the counter to wrap her forelegs around Fluttershy’s neck in a soft and gentle hug, moving on to hug Applejack next whilst she spoke.

“Well duh, you’re the best, super-cutest-most and neatest ponies in the whole wide world, and if you’re getting married, hitched, looped, hookin’ up big time—why, then we have to make it the biggest, best and loudest party ever!”

“Uh, sure.” Applejack reached up to scratch her head through her hat. “Though we ain’t hardly even thought much about—”

“I need to start thinking about cakes, muffins, cupcakes and sweets, and we probably need some boring non-sugary things too, like sandwiches and stuff! Oh, and we need to ask everypony! Not just the rest of the gang and Spike, I mean, of course they’re coming, but I need to send a letter to mom and dad, and I’m sure the others will want to, too! And then we need to check with Cheerilee, Lyra, Bon Bon—oh, and the Cakes! I’m sure they’d love to come! Oh, who else?”

Fluttershy giggled. Normally, the mention of so many ponies would make her a little nervous, but even if it was a bit much, Pinkie Pie seemed so very happy. It would almost be a shame to protest.

“Um, I’m sure that would be lovely, Pinkie Pie,” Fluttershy said. She bit her tongue while trying to work out how exactly to explain that they hadn’t set a date, much less discussed where they wanted to hold the wedding.

“—Derpy and Dinky, oh gosh, how could I forget Scootaloo? She has to be there! I’m sure I’m forgetting somepony here.”

“Uh, sugar?”

Fluttershy finally tore her eyes away from Pinkie. Applejack was giving her one of those small smiles that could mean anything, but the rather chaotic backdrop of Pinkie’s antics made it hard to make out much more than that.

“Sorry?”

“Could we, uh, talk for a bit?”

Fluttershy’s heart sank, and it was all she could do to keep her wings and ears from drooping.

“Of course. I—is something wrong?”

Applejack stole a quick glance over at Pinkie Pie, and her smile widened an inch until it could truly be called just that. “Not a thing, sug’, but we best find somewhere a bit more quiet. Think we can head over to your place, maybe?”

Letting out a little sigh of relief, Fluttershy nodded, and finally, it seemed that Pinkie Pie had clued in to the conversation going on without her.

“Are you having secret sneaky talky times? You’re not very good at that. You’re supposed to do it when nopony’s listening.” The pink pony took a single decisive bounce in their direction. “Are you guys okay?”

“Don’t you worry none, but I think we’re just gonna head home for a bit,” Applejack said. “We’ll be back for a bite a bit later if you don’t mind. Got lots of ponies to talk to yet. How’s a snack at the corner sound before we get on with it?” Applejack turned to Fluttershy as the pair made for the door.

“That sounds wonderful,” Fluttershy said, though part of her was still searching for a crack in Applejack’s smile.

“Aw, okie-dokie.” Pinkie pronked ahead to hold the door open for them. “It was nice to see you, and I’m really happy for you! I don’t get a lot of customers before the Hearth’s Warming rush, so I just bake a lot, and when I bake a lot and get no customers, I have to eat a lot, and that’s not just fun and games, you know!” Pinkie leaned against the open door and sat down on her rump to give her tummy a skeptical glance. “It would go better if I had help, but somepony’s been out all day. I don’t know where—oh! Rainbow Dash!”

Fluttershy squeaked and backed up behind Applejack fearing a repeat of earlier today, but the Rainbow Dash who landed in front of the confectionary was most certainly not laughing. Dash looked more than a little worried. The pegasus shook her wings before folding them, her ears pinned back.

“Uh, guys? I kinda goofed up,” Dash said.

Applejack blinked and turned to glance over her own flank at where Fluttershy sat. “Sugarplum? I don’t think this is the kind of problem that warrants hiding.”

Dash sighed. “Not so sure about that. Listen, when you said—”

Pinkie Pie gasped. “Is the problem that Applejack has the cutest little pet name for Fluttershy ever? Because she does! Did you hear that? She called her sugarplum! I want to be a sugarplum too!”

Fluttershy blinked and blushed, and Rainbow Dash made a little gagging noise.

“No, and that’s totally lame,” Dash said, grimacing at Applejack. “No offense.”

“Yeah, none taken.”

Pinkie crossed her forelegs. “I want a pet name too! Or, well, a new one. Not just the things you call me when we’re alone, like—”

Rainbow Dash plugged Pinkie Pie’s mouth with a hoof, her cheeks tinted red. “Right. So, problem!” she said, her voice cracking as she locked eyes with Fluttershy. “Remember when you told me that I couldn’t tell Pinkie? Well, I didn’t. Also, Pinks? That’s way gross,” she added, pulling back her hoof which was now dripping with spittle. Pinkie Pie grinned unapologetically.

Fluttershy giggled. “We kind of figured. “Thank you.”

“But I told Rarity.”

“Consarn it, Rainbow!” Applejack groaned.

“I didn’t mean to! She just kind of pried it out from me! I mean, I’m happy for you guys, and she asked why I was so happy, and, come on, you know how Rarity can be!”

Fluttershy leaned forward to nuzzle Dash. “It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

Rainbow Dash drew back and shook her head. “I wasn’t worried when she squealed so loudly I nearly went deaf, but she ran off to see Twilight, and I have no idea what’s going on now.”

“Oh. Um. Okay,” Fluttershy said, clearing her throat as she sought Applejack’s eyes. There were no answers to be had there; the earth mare blinked and shrugged.

“Maybe we should go have a look?” Fluttershy said.

“I—well, yeah. I guess that’s a good idea.” Applejack paused to puff out her cheek, slowly letting out her breath. “Sort this mess out. We can talk later. Now I could really use a rest, and we ain’t barely done anything all day.”

Fluttershy giggled and rubbed her cheek against Applejack’s neck, only now noticing that Pinkie Pie was grabbing a scarf from behind the door, and Rainbow Dash was patiently holding the door open. At a questioning glance, Dash shrugged.

“I don’t know what she was on about, but I still need to get that new pair of oven mitts,” she said, clearing her throat. “And I mean, you were gonna tell her anyway, but, uh, yeah. Sorry.”

“And I’m not staying here alone!” Pinkie said.

“Uh, hate to burst your bubble, but you were here by yourself when we got here,” Applejack said.

“Yeah, for almost an hour!” Pinkie said, nodding solemnly. “It was terrible. Let’s go!”

Sometimes, Rarity scared Fluttershy a little. Sure, it wasn’t the terribly scary kind of scary—the one that made her want to run and hide under her bed—but it was a kind of scary that led to silence and wariness all the same. She expected Pinkie Pie to be loud, startling, and sometimes a little bit crazy, but that was Pinkie Pie for you, and Fluttershy wouldn’t have it any other way.

Rarity, on the other hoof, had a tendency to surprise ponies in ways that were genuinely surprising, and apparently Fluttershy wasn’t the only one to think so. The four ponies stood abreast in the Ponyville Library’s generous doorway, watching the fashionista dart back and forth around the library’s main floor. The area was a battle zone.

Maps of areas both rectangular and square were dotted with markers and notes, while ribbons and reams of fabric in every color imaginable—and a few more—hung from walls and shelves. Designs and plans filled the library with more loose paper and parchment than even Twilight Sparkle could manage on her craziest of study days. Said librarian stood off to the side, mute after opening the door.

“So, what exactly are we lookin’ at, here?” Applejack finally said.

“Fun?” No sooner had Pinkie uttered the one single word than did she gallop Rarity’s way as if the promise of entertainment was some black hole the gravity of which she couldn’t resist.

Twilight cleared her throat, her eyes still on Rarity’s back where the other unicorn levitated up dozens of napkins, eyeing them one by one. Rarity still hadn’t even noticed their arrival.

“Well, uh, Rarity heard, so she rushed over here to begin to plan—oh my gosh, and I’m being rude!” Twilight whipped around to trot over to the group of three. She seized Fluttershy in a hug, then Applejack, smiling brightly at the pair. “What I should have said first was of course congratulations, you two!”

“Oh, thank you,” Fluttershy said, dipping her head.

“Thank you kindly.” Applejack grinned. “Was meant to be us who told you, but I guess that ain’t happening.”

“Said I was sorry,” Rainbow Dash muttered.

Applejack sighed and nudged Dash in the side. Fluttershy opened her mouth to protest, but Applejack didn’t seem particularly vexed. Rather, Applejack leaned against Dash.

“Stop fretting. It ain’t a big deal, and I ain’t mad. Now what’s this here about? Should we be worried?”

Twilight rubbed one foreleg with the other and stole another glance towards Rarity. With Pinkie Pie’s help, she’d moved on to sketching a wedding cake, the layers of which were well past innumerable and into the territory of the ludicrous. Apparently, they planned to fit an edible version of the entire Sweet Apple Acres atop, with Fluttershy’s cottage and edible marzipan weasels surrounding it.

“Worried? Well, I’m not sure, I haven’t heard back from the Princess yet. We obviously won’t get the main chapel, but the palace has many smaller gathering rooms, and there are at least three chapels within walking distance.”

Fluttershy and Applejack exchanged glances. Still, Fluttershy forced herself to maintain her smile to match Twilight’s.

“Uh, Twi?” Dash said when it was clear nopony else was going to say anything, but she barely got a word in before a gasp rang out from the other side of the room. As quickly as decorum allowed, Rarity trotted over to join them.

“There you are my dears! Twilight! Why did you not tell me they had arrived? Oh, well, I should have inferred or asked Pinkie, but—my word!” Rarity's smile reached for her ears as she nuzzled Fluttershy and briefly hugged Applejack. “You two will look lovely together! That’s not to say you don’t look lovely right now. Simply marvellous! And I insist you let me make the dresses! In fact, I already have some wonderful ideas. Have I ever commented on how well your colors compliment each other?”

“Chapel?” Applejack said, the one word spat worth with enough force to draw everypony’s eyes—but not enough to derail the conversation.

“Um, quite often, actually,” Fluttershy said. “Thank you.”

“Seriously, what’s up with the, uh, well, everything?” Rainbow Dash said, gesturing to the room at large. Rarity followed her hoof and shrugged.

“Clearly, these are plans for the cake, for the reception, for seating—oh my word, is there something I’ve forgotten?” Rarity clutched her chest.

“Cake’s too big. It’ll fall if somepony sneezes. Oh, yeah, and other’n the fact that we ain’t set a date yet?” Applejack said, voice flat.

“Oh yes, about that!” Rarity perked up even further. Fluttershy took a step back as Rarity rounded on Twilight. “Did you hear from the Princess yet? Surely she has something available for us. Ah well, that for later. I need to make sure Pinkie’s cake design is inoffensive.”

Twilight cleared her throat as she watched Rarity trot back to the drawing board where Pinkie busied herself with colorful markers. The unicorn’s eyes lingered, but at last, Twilight tore herself away.

“It’s a bit much, I guess. I’m sorry. She barged in the door here a little while ago and asked if I could contact Princess Celestia, and, well, uh. She was just so happy when she heard about you two.” Twilight dropped her gaze, fidgeting.

“Biggest party ever!” Pinkie cheered from over by the other side of the room. Rainbow Dash re-furled her wings and glanced back and forth between the two groups of ponies. Applejack stood quiet with her eyes closed, but Fluttershy couldn’t very well say nothing at all. It was hardly how she’d imagined the whole wedding business to happen, but Twilight’s smile wavered, teetering on the brink of collapse.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Fluttershy said, leaning over to touch her snout to Twilight’s. “I mean, I think it sounds very nice.”

Twilight’s sigh of relief was loud, but louder still was the silence from Applejack. Her marefriend bit the inside of her cheek while she locked eyes with Fluttershy. Her face was blank and unreadable for a second, and then a smile slowly spread across her muzzle. Before she said a single word, Applejack leaned over to nuzzle Fluttershy, draining away tension that the quiet pegasus hadn’t known was there.

“Alright then,” Applejack said. “First, I wanna have a look at that cake.”

No, winter wasn’t so bad at all. Applejack let out a quiet sigh of contentment as she felt Fluttershy’s wing seek out her back, curling around her withers while they leaned against one another. With so little to be done on the farm’s grounds, it was that much easier to decide to spend the night at Fluttershy’s cottage and feel no guilt about chores undone.

Perhaps there would come a day when they would find a different way of going about things, but they were both grown mares. For all that they shared freely of their lives, Fluttershy wasn’t about to give up on her animal care practice and her herb garden—and Applejack wasn’t about to say goodbye to her family just yet.

Besides, it made these quiet evenings special. Applejack closed her eyes and ground her muzzle against Fluttershy’s cheek, earning a little giggle. They both loved their predictability, their safety and stability; perhaps that was part of why they worked so well together. Still, when there was a choice, the decision to have a night at Fluttershy’s cottage for just the two of them, that was variation and plenty excitement for the both of them. Fluttershy’s tea cup and Applejack’s cider mug both stood empty between them and the crackling fireplace, and the evening wind set the cottage creaking in a way that was as intimately familiar to Applejack by now as the apple-themed blanket swaddled around them.

“What was it you wanted to talk about?”

Fluttershy's voice was a low murmur. Applejack cracked an eye open to find Fluttershy didn’t look nearly as sleepy as her tone suggested. In the scarce and flickering light of the cottage’s main floor, Fluttershy’s stare was the only thing that did not waver.

Instead, Applejack was the one who averted her eyes and sought out the dancing flames as she thought. She knew Fluttershy wasn’t weak. She’d thought so, once, and she’d been shown time and again how wrong she was. Quiet strength. The shows of force when it truly mattered.

And she’d seen that Fluttershy looked happy when they were discussing the wedding plans. Applejack had no intention of poisoning the moment. She smiled as she turned back to nuzzle Fluttershy.

“Ain’t a thing. I figured it out, so forget you that, sugar,” she whispered back, despite there hardly being any reason to be quiet. Angel was upstairs, and the critters who wintered in her cottage were notoriously hard to bother. Fluttershy nodded her head a fraction of an inch and smiled back, tension draining from her body. Finally Fluttershy rested back against her, and the wing that had apparently left Applejack at some point pulled her closer.

“I was just afraid that something was wrong. You know, when people say, um, ‘we need to talk’, it’s usually something very bad, and we haven’t really had any big arguments.”

Applejack nodded. “Except that time I scared off those otters you sent over to help with the north fields.”

“Oh. Um, I wasn’t mad. I really wasn’t, and it was my fault for not letting you know.”

“It’s a done deal, don't you bring that up again.” Applejack grinned.

“I guess. I’m glad. I got a little worried today, but I suppose it’s just one of those little worries that I can’t shake.” Fluttershy gave a voiceless little giggle that shook her body. Once again, Applejack nodded.

“Yup.” Another white little lie. Except it wasn’t. Things were complicated when it came to her friends, and twice as complicated when it came to Fluttershy, to her love, and to the mare who was and would be hers.

It was about making perfect what wasn’t. Now, they had a date. Two months from now, mere weeks before Hearth’s Warming Eve, they would be wed. That thought never failed to stir something whenever she thought it, anything from excitement to contentment. Now, curled up with Fluttershy, it took a different shape. Another word sprung to mind.

“It just feels right,” Applejack said. Simple as that. Simple and amazing, and every day she got to stand shoulder to shoulder with Fluttershy and look out over Sweet Apple Acres with her—or help her with some of the things important to Fluttershy for which she felt wholly unqualified—she would count herself the luckiest mare in Equestria.

“I know,” Fluttershy said, and Applejack thought she saw something glisten in the corners of her eyes. The fact that Fluttershy didn’t even ask what she was thinking spoke volumes.

Applejack wrapped a foreleg around Fluttershy’s neck and hugged her close. On the nearby table, a small black box waited. The only thing that mattered. More than Rarity’s wedding dresses. More than Rainbow Dash’s air show and all the cakes and party preparations Pinkie could muster. More than any wedding chapel or a dozen of Princesses.

So what if some of the details around their wedding weren’t exactly how she had planned them? Moving the wedding was no big deal. A little chapel in Canterlot wasn’t a problem. She had the love of her life. Canterlot, she could handle. She could make it perfect still.

Chapter 3

To the left of the train car, the snow-covered mountain crags whisked by. Beyond the glass to Fluttershy’s right, the larger part of central Equestria barely seemed to move, heedless of the clickety-clack of the train’s passing. Frighteningly fast, but also painfully slow, and Fluttershy sat sandwiched in the middle.

There was a lot to be thankful for and a lot to be happy about. The past two months of their engagement had been absolutely wonderful. If somepony had ever written a book on what it was supposed to be like, neither Applejack nor Fluttershy had read it, and that was fine. The romance novels that graced Fluttershy’s shelves never quite seemed to deal with what came after first love. As such, they’d simply decided to carry on as usual, except now Fluttershy’s every day had begun with an extra spring in her step and a flutter in her heart.

Well, that, and they’d both been forced to visit Rarity’s boutique almost daily for dress tryouts, not to mention all the extra training sessions Dash had scheduled while she tried to come up with something new to celebrate. In her own words, the sonic rainboom was ‘old news’.

And then there was the ongoing process of trying to convince Pinkie Pie that no, neither Applejack nor Fluttershy needed any help practicing their "smooching" techniques, and yes, they did, in fact, sometimes kiss. The tips of Fluttershy's ears heated up as she remembered one of Applejack's attempts to prove to Pinkie they had that particular item covered.

Perhaps not exactly the same as usual, then, but it wasn't all bad.

It was just that ever since this morning, ever since they had begun packing and started their journey to Canterlot, it had been scary, too. Fluttershy’s heart beat faster and made her want to hold on to something—preferably Applejack—but it wasn’t just exhilarating in a good way. No, it was genuinely scary scary too.

She couldn’t even tell exactly what it was that frightened her about the whole ordeal. Fluttershy sat on a comfortable padded bench in a train car surrounded by her best friends, all of whom were laughing and chatting. It had the same amount of frightening traits as a warm hug from Pinkie P—she paused to correct herself. A warm hug from her mom, then.

“Hey, Equestria to Fluttershy!”

Fluttershy blinked and rubbed her eyes. Twilight was talking to Rarity, who was masking a giggle with her hoof. Applejack and Pinkie Pie sat by one of the windows watching the Canterlot mountains pass by—and Rainbow Dash stood in front of her, staring.

“Sorry, I think I missed that.”

“I said ‘Equestria to Fluttershy’. What’re you being all quiet for? I mean, more quiet than usual, anyway.” Dash cocked a brow before flapping her wings once, expertly landing at her side on the bench. “Cold hooves?”

“No,” Fluttershy said. “It’s scary, but it’s very nice, too.”

“Heh, guess I can’t blame you this time.” Dash poked her with a wing.

“I still can’t believe I actually managed to say it. To ask her,” Fluttershy said, lowering her voice a tad. Applejack had been so very proud, she didn’t want to disappoint her by letting on exactly how hard it had been to muster the courage.

“I can. I totally can.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, and Fluttershy dropped her gaze to the floor on instinct. There was no follow-up this time, though. Not even a nudge on the shoulder.

Fluttershy lay her ears flat against her head. “Sometimes, I think you expect more of me than I do."

“I dunno about that, I just know you’ve done some pretty amazing things, and this is really cool. Forget the whole hurricane deal. This takes guts. You can do whatever you want.” Dash leaned over to tap their heads together, the bold pegasus’ face split in a wide grin.

“Maybe,” Fluttershy said, though she didn’t really feel it. At least, not until she finally lifted her eyes and they fell upon Applejack and her gathered friends.

She couldn’t do anything alone, but as long as she had Applejack, she wouldn’t lack for courage. As long as she had all her friends, she could do anything. Perhaps it wasn’t all that weird that she’d managed to find the strength to reach for the thing she wanted the most. Suddenly, it wasn’t half as scary. As if she could hear her thoughts, Applejack looked over her shoulder to smile at her. Fluttershy flexed her wings, smiling back.

“Oh, we’re coming up on the station!” Twilight called from the windows by the other side. Fluttershy had hardly noticed that the mountains had been replaced with the elegant and tall buildings of central Canterlot, but she certainly felt it when the train began slowing down. Pinkie zipped over to stand by Twilight and Rarity.

“Ooh, look! Wagons! Do you think they’re here for us? I wanna ride in the blue one!”

“I do hope so. We did request some aid for all our baggage, after all,” Rarity said.

Applejack chortled. “You mean you needed somepony to carry your bags. Some of us packed light, you know.”

“It’s for your benefit!” Rarity said, tossing her mane. “I’ve brought—”

“Come on.” Dash cut through the din, hovering towards the end of the train car. “Let’s just go. You can complain later.”

Pinkie bounced after her. “Ooh. Can we say go say hi to Mr. and Mrs. Twilight’s Mom too while we’re there? I’ve only met them once or twice or thrice but they’re really nice!”

“I’m sure we’ll see them at the wedding,” Rarity said. Fluttershy turned at a noise just in time to see Applejack staring out the window with a near-inaudible huff. She followed her eyes, but there was precious little to see out on the platform beyond a smattering of ponies, none of which she recognized.

“Um, a bit for your thoughts?” Fluttershy said as the two brought up the rear. Applejack paused by the car’s door, shaking her head.

“Not thinking about much.” Applejack leaned over to nuzzle into Fluttershy’s mane. The pegasus nodded in return, closing her eyes at the contact.

“Hey! Lets go, lovebirds!” Dash called. Applejack groaned and trotted outside, Fluttershy following with a blush on her cheeks. Dash was apparently entirely impervious to the irony of her complaint given that Pinkie Pie was wrapped around her neck giggling. Beyond the platform, a small crowd had gathered to watch; the two carriages were almost fully loaded, guardponies and porters wrestling with the prodigious amount of bags they’d brought. Fluttershy craned her neck to see if she could spot her own pair of saddlebags in the mess, suddenly regretting not simply wearing them all the time.

“The wedding ain’t for a few days yet, so hold your horses, we ain’t in a rush,” Applejack said, giving Rainbow Dash a half-hearted glare that the pegasus shrugged off. Dash disappeared inside one of the carriages along with Rarity and Pinkie Pie, leaving Applejack and Fluttershy to join Twilight in the rear carriage. Not a minute later they were off, Fluttershy sinking into the plush cushions. The calm and quiet lasted only for a few seconds, broken not by words, but by Twilight’s expression. The unicorn was grinning widely.

“Sugarcube?” Applejack said, apparently having noticed the exact same thing. “You okay there? You’re kinda creeping me out a bit.”

“I haven’t told you the best bit. We’re not actually going to the Quiet Gardens Chapel.”

Fluttershy tilted her head. “I thought we were staying at the palace?”

“Oh, we were. I mean, we are. But! The wedding won’t be at that little chapel. See, Pinkie Pie came by the library last week, and she was worried that there wouldn’t be enough room.”

Applejack knit her brow. “Twi? What exactly’re you saying here?”

“Oh, it should be big enough, shouldn’t it? It’s just us and our families and a few more friends,” Fluttershy said.

“Sure, but Pinkie had so many ideas for the decorations, and she couldn’t bear the idea that it wouldn’t be the biggest and best wedding ever, and then Rarity came by saying she agreed, as did I; we only want the best for you, not second best. Long story short, we wrote a letter!”

Applejack said nothing, leaving Fluttershy to say that single little word to uncover the next piece of the tale.

“Oh?”

“Uh-huh! We wrote a very nice letter to the princess about how these things only really happen once, and she agreed! I, um, may have been a little vague in my first letter because I didn’t want to impose, but long story short, she moved another function scheduled for Saturday back a bit, and now we have the Canterlot palace chapel all to ourselves!”

Twilight was beaming so brightly, she could barely sit still. The unicorn wiggled in her seat, but the silence stretched on past what was strictly polite; Twilight blinked and fidgeted, and again Applejack said nothing. The earth mare’s lips were pursed and her legs stiff. If anything, she was looking at Fluttershy out of the corners of her eyes.

Fluttershy cleared her throat and rubbed one foreleg with the other. Somepony had to say something. It wouldn’t be all that bad, surely? Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding had been wonderful, and while it was perhaps a little too big for her tastes—and the spotlight had never done anything but terrify her—she was sure it’d be fine so long as she had Applejack by her side.

And she did, didn’t she? Applejack studiously inspected the fabric of the carriage’s benches.

“Um, oh. That’s wonderful,” Fluttershy said, sitting up.

“Is it too much?” Twilight's grin drooped alongside her ears. “I’m sorry, we probably should have asked you two, but we wanted it to be a surprise. Oh gosh, I should have waited with telling you until we were all gathered, too. Rarity will be so disappointed.” She sighed, peering over her shoulder as if though she could see the other unicorn through the carriage wall.

“It’s fine, it’s very nice of you,” Fluttershy hurried to say, and when she turned to Applejack, she could see her smiling, too. Finally it seemed the earth pony was over the shock of the news.

“Mighty impressive of you. Guess first things’re still first, so we should see about getting quartered in the palace, huh?”

“Right! And it looks like we’re here,” Twilight said, peering out the carriage’s window. They were slowing down, and outside, the single largest cluster of spires and buttresses in all of Canterlot waited.

“Alright—no, those two go in the dressing room, those four go in the forechambers, and the rest are for my personal chambers.” Rarity's hoof was a blur, the unicorn rapidly pointing to parts of the huge pile of bags deposited near the palace’s service entrance. Fluttershy couldn’t hold back a giggle. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had taken off the second they were through the gate, and Twilight had gone to announce their arrival to the Princesses, leaving Fluttershy and Applejack with Rarity and the majority of their luggage.

“Um, I can probably carry my own saddlebags,” Fluttershy said, dipping her head in thanks to one of the two porters who were giving the mountain of luggage a very distressed look. When nopony protested, she trotted over to sneak the familiar butterfly-emblazoned saddlebags out of the pile and safely onto her back. She cast a quick look inside, just to make sure everything was okay.

“—no, not those, the wedding dresses are in those, careful!” Rarity sighed, wiping her brow. “I think I might just faint, this really is too much.”

“If it helps, the wedding dresses you made are wonderful, and we are ever so grateful.” Fluttershy had no desire to get involved with the particulars of logistics, but Rarity had simply outdone herself this time, and thanking her second, a third or a twelfth time couldn’t hurt.

“I might not be one for all that fancy stuff, but I gotta admit you did fine work there,” Applejack said, tipping her hat at Rarity. “Far as I’m concerned, I owe you a big one.”

“Oh, think nothing of that. It was my pleasure,” Rarity said, trotting over to join the pair. Under her watchful eye and careful directions, the luggage gradually disappeared, and before long, the three ponies were left alone in the large and bare hall. It had little of the pomp and grandeur of the Palace’s main entrance or throne room, but the marble-and-gold hallways were lined with plush carpets even here.

Applejack shook her head. “Sorry Rarity, but you ain’t dodging this one. When this is all over and done with, I’m finding a way to make it up to you. And to the rest of you all, for that matter. Twi’s been organizing the seats and the reception and everything, and I hear R.D.’s been busting her chops in the air. Pinkie won’t hardly let me help out in the kitchen. I’m not rightly sure that I’m too happy about that, mind you.” She frowned at that last bit.

Fluttershy giggled and nosed Applejack’s withers. “And now they made sure we have the biggest and nicest place in all of Canterlot for it all, too. Thank you so much.”

Applejack tensed up a little at that, taking a deep breath before slowly letting it out again, and Fluttershy couldn’t quite tell why. Rarity, for her part, smiled brightly and fluffed her mane.

“Well, I do believe I speak for all of us when I say we’re happy to assist."

“Yup,” Applejack said.

Fluttershy quirked a brow at Applejack. Her marefriend—no, her fiancée—had never been much of a chatterbox, but she got the distinct feeling there was something she wasn’t telling. Her jaw was a little taut, and her tail held lower than usual. Little things that all added up.

“There you are!” came a voice from further down the hall, Twilight approaching at a brisk trot. “I looked everywhere; I even found Pinkie and Rainbow before you guys, but you haven’t even moved!”

“Always the last place you look, huh.” Applejack grinned.

“Technically, everything is.” Twilight said.

“Regardless, whatever is the matter, dear?” said Rarity, tilting her head slightly.

“Oh! Right! The princesses want to have dinner with us!”

Fluttershy hid her face behind her mane. “Oh, oh goodness.”

Applejack laughed and nudged Fluttershy in the side. “Sugar, we’ve saved Equestria how many times now? Ain’t no sense in you being all scared around them any more. Come on, if they’re going to be the ones to wed us, we best go say hi.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Fluttershy said, nodding her assent.

“I must admit I feel ambushed,” Rarity said as they followed Twilight down the hall. “Dinner with the princesses before we’ve even unpacked? I haven’t even had the chance to find a dress for the occasion.”

“I think that’s exactly why they asked us right now. They don’t want to make a big thing out of it,” Twilight said with her most winning smile. “You know you always look great.”

A smirk tugged at the corners of Rarity's lips. “Well, I suppose you have a point, flattery or no.”

“No big thing, right.” Applejack echoed Twilight’s words with a lopsided smile and a small sigh.

“Right down this hall, and, uh.” Twilight cast her eyes about. Despite it being in the middle of the day, the halls were almost deserted; one of the less used wings, then, Fluttershy supposed. “Right. This way!”

“What’s the point of having a big castle if they don’t use all of it? They could make this part a hoofball court or something,” Applejack said. “An indoor garden?”

“I’m sure it’s just due to the holidays coming up,” Rarity said as they passed by a pair of guards. No sooner had she spoken than did the halls open up a little, palace staff bustling to and fro, and a moment later, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash fell into step with them.

“It’s just the staff area. It’s busier in the evening,” Twilight said. “Anyway, the reception area and the embassy dining room is this way!”

“Ooh. Embassy!” Pinkie said, beaming. “That’s amazing!”

Applejack quirked a brow. “Let me guess. You ain’t got a clue what that means, do you?”

“Nopey-dopey, but it sounds super fancy!”

“Applejack?”

The mare so named halted, as did they all, Fluttershy casting her head about looking for the source of the voice. Not far off, a stallion they had just passed by halted, grinning widely.

“It is you!” the bright red stallion said whilst trotting over. Applejack smiled back, leaning over to give the other earth pony a brief hug around the neck. On his flank, a pile of apples and a ladle suggested what Applejack confirmed.

“Cousin Apple Soup!” Applejack said. “Well, I’ll be. Guess you got that position at the palace kitchens, huh?”

“Sure did! What brings you out here? These your friends?”

“Yup. This here’s Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.” The stallion nodded to them each in turn while Applejack rattled off their names. Finally, Applejack turned to Fluttershy at her side, resting her head against hers. “And this here’s Fluttershy. My fiancée.”

Apple Soup sketched a little bow before Fluttershy. “Well, and there you are. That just about makes you my favorite pony for the day. A right pleasure to meet you.”

“Um, thank you. I don’t think we’ve met, but it’s nice to meet you. Hello.”

Applejack cleared her throat. “Listen, you girls go on ahead. I need to have a word with my cousin here. Embassy dining room, right? I’ll find you all lickety split, just you see.”

“Sure. I’m hungry anyway.” Dash shrugged, and the others nodded their agreement or waving their goodbyes to the Apple family chef, who waved in return. Fluttershy lingered.

“You go on, sugar. I’ll be right along, promise,” Applejack said, nosing Fluttershy on the rump. Fluttershy nodded mutely and trotted off to catch up to the others.

Applejack came galloping down the hall just as they rounded the last corner leading to where Twilight said the dining hall waited. The powerfully built pony had barely broken a sweat from the run, but Fluttershy could tell she was still tired.

“Right, sorry about that,” Applejack said as she slowed down to a trot and eventually came to a halt.

“What did he want, anyway?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Obviously, they were just catching up,” Rarity said. “Working at the palace must lend itself to quite a lot of interesting tidbits. Rumors. Gossip.” Her eyes positively sparkled at those final words.

Applejack blinked and looked from Rarity to Rainbow Dash. “Uh. Yeah, sure. Seems that he heard we were comin’ on account of one of my relatives working here as a guard, so now the whole family’s coming down on us for the wedding.”

“Weren’t they coming already? Oh no, was my guest list incomplete?” Pinkie gasped.

“Extended family.” Applejack sighed. Twilight and the others shared smiles and quiet chuckles, while Fluttershy walked a little closer to Applejack, lowering her voice to a whisper.

“I thought most of them weren’t coming because it was too far, or because it was inconvenient for them,” Fluttershy said, though she instantly regretted it. Applejack looked over at her then, pain in her eyes quickly giving way to a faint smile.

“They were coming to visit next week when we were having the huge family get together before Hearth’s Warming, remember?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Of course. Sorry, I, um, I think I just, well, never mind.”

At the glow of Twilight’s horn, the tall doors swung open with an almost ominous lack of sound, admitting the six friends. Fluttershy had never before seen this room, a chamber that looked like a merely-huge dining hall with a single, long table, unpretentious by palace standards. A large hearth dominated the wall opposite, and the windows were of crystal glass. Princess Celestia sat near the middle of the table with Princess Luna at her side as the only two ponies seated.

Fluttershy jumped as a sharp sound rang across the chamber, an earth pony standing behind the door slamming his hoof down on the stone floor.

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, sovereigns of Equestria, greet the Elements of—”

“Yes,” Celestia said, interrupting without raising her voice. “I think we’ll do without that today, thank you, Clarion Call.”

“Your highnesses.” The stallion bowed deeply and stepped forward, slipping out the door once the six mares were well inside the room.

“And here I thought I was the one who was slightly dated,” Luna muttered. “Greetings.”

“Indeed, hello everyone. Good to see you all again,” Celestia said, her smile warming the room more surely than any blazing hearth ever could. Fluttershy re-settled her wings on her back; the Princesses could be a little intimidating sat upon a throne, but they were hardly strangers any more, and without anypony else around, she breathed a little easier. Except, there was still that one little thing—

“Um, don’t you usually sit...” Twilight trailed off, voicing Fluttershy’s exact question as they all came to a halt before the grand table. The unicorn indicated the edges of the table where plates and cups had all been arranged, clearly intending for somepony to sit.

Celestia followed Twilight's hoof-gesture. “Ah, yes. Usually, though we don’t use this dining hall much outside of small receptions. It might be expected of us to sit at the heads of the table, but Luna had a very good point."

Princess Luna cleared her throat. “It’s hardly a day for sister and I, that is all. These days belong to you two, so we thought perhaps you would like the honors.”

Applejack raised a brow. “Sit opposite so we’d have to shout at one another? That sounds a little silly.”

“Applejack!” Rarity gasped, while Twilight made a strangled little noise, but outside of that, Luna merely shrugged before Celestia added to it with a chuckle.

“When you say it like that, it does sound like an odd custom for ponies who so very obviously want to be together, does it not? And let me say congratulations, you two,” she said. Fluttershy resisted the urge to hide behind her mane as her cheeks heated up, dipping her head in a little bow as she said her thanks. Dash and Twilight gave her a nudge and a grin while Applejack said her thanks as well, the six friends making for the table.

“Regardless, one of you should take the position of honor. It is only right,” Luna said. “Dinner should be here presently.”

Applejack paused mid-stride, opening her mouth and closing it again before wheeling around. She leaned close to Fluttershy, putting her forehead against hers.

“Sugarcube, I ain’t much feelin’ up for this here silliness,” she said in as low a whisper as the farmpony could manage. “You sit at the end, okay?”

Fluttershy nodded quickly. Again—or perhaps still—there was that certain weariness to Applejack’s voice and expression both. “Of course. Um, are you okay?”

Applejack’s reply was a simple smile that bordered on a pained grimace, shortly followed by a nuzzle. A moment later, the earth mare trotted up to take her place by the side of the table, leaving Fluttershy to sit at the head. Luckily, nopony made a big fuss of the whole thing, and there wasn’t exactly much ‘honoring’ being done. Already Princess Celestia was talking in hushed tones with Twilight on her left, while Pinkie Pie regaled a faintly frowning Princess Luna with some story or other that Fluttershy couldn’t hear—mostly because Pinkie interrupted herself with giggles every three seconds.

“If it’s celery purée and that other yellow gunk, I’m gonna fly out one of those windows and look for a hayfries stand,” Rainbow Dash said. Fluttershy giggled.

“It’s considered a delicacy, you know."

Dash looked thoroughly unconvinced. “Maybe you like it after all that time you spent modelling and everything, eating at fancy places, but I say hayfries are a delicacy.” She crossed her forelegs. “Doesn’t ‘delicacy’ just mean ‘tasty’ anyway? I’ll go with the hayfries.”

“It was only a week or two, and I still don’t really like it,” Fluttershy said. Dash shrugged, though both ponies perked up at a noise.

From a door set in one of the room’s shorter walls, two unicorns entered, each levitating a host of platters ahead of themselves. The conversations around the table slowly petered out while the dishes were laid out before them; salted asparagus, sauteed and spiced potatoes and a host of other vegetables soon lined the long table. Pinkie Pie opened her mouth and leaned forwards looking like she was about to devour a plate of grilled carrots before it even hit the table, but right before she closed her jaw around it, the plate was enveloped in a sheen of reddish magic and whisked away. Twilight shot her a glare.

“I would call for a speech, but you must all be very hungry from all the stress of the day,” Celestia said, letting her gaze wander across the assembled ponies. “Congratulations again, and please, help yourselves.” She’d no sooner motioned to the table than Rainbow Dash shot out to grab the plate with the asparagus, Pinkie Pie’s hooves hitting the table a split-second later.

“Too slow!” Dash cackled. Pinkie Pie’s reply was a pout, the pink pony making big eyes at her until the grin died on the pegasus’ face. Seeing her moment to strike, Pinkie nabbed the vegetable-laden plate back.

“Not cool,” Dash said.

“Now there’s table manners,” Applejack said with a sedate smile as she helped herself to the potatoes.

Rarity sighed. “Girls, please."

“It’s quite alright.” Celestia, who seemed content to watch, smiled. As an afterthought, she reached out with a foreleg to nudge Luna’s jaw shut. The moon princess shook her head and cleared her throat, frowning faintly.

“Ah. Yes. Indeed. It is quite the thing. Pass the carrots, would you?”

Fluttershy waited patiently for the asparagus to pass her by, helping herself to a pair and adding a few spoonfuls of grilled potatoes when Applejack offered them to her. More so because of Applejack than the potatoes themselves, really. She hardly touched the food, though; Fluttershy found herself stealing little glances at Applejack whenever she could, and the rest of her time was spent trying to make sure she wasn’t obvious about it.

It was silly. She spent a great deal of time looking at Applejack for all manner of reasons: because she wanted to look at something that made her happy; because she wanted Applejack to know she loved her. It wasn’t hard to find an excuse, and now that they were getting wed, she was rapidly running out of reasons to feel like she should ever do anything else.

Yet now, she found herself looking for something very specific. She wasn’t letting her eyes roam the earth mare’s powerful body. She wasn’t admiring the blond mane, or thinking about how she looked even more beautiful when she let her mane and tail flow freely. She wasn’t letting herself drown in those brilliant green eyes or in the way Applejack would smile and lock eyes with her when she caught her looking; no, she was looking for a crack in that smile. She was hunting for something elusive that she was certain was there, somewhere.

Applejack would never, ever lie to her when she asked her outright, but Fluttershy had to wonder if this was one of those questions she didn’t want to ask. Fluttershy nudged the untouched plate, staring at her own hooves.

“Not hungry?”

Celestia’s voice cut through the din without interrupting it, one of the solar ruler’s brows quirked. Fluttershy made no reply other than a minute shake of her head.

“That’s okay, but at the very least, you could take off your saddlebags? You don’t look very comfortable.”

Fluttershy blinked and twisted her neck around to confirm what Celestia suggested; she’d forgotten that she was still wearing her saddlebags. Reaching down, she undid the straps and slipped out of the bags, placing them at her side.

“Sorry, I guess I just forgot,” Fluttershy said, idly stroking the saddlebags.

“She ain’t hardly let them out of her sight, and I don’t blame her. I’m not keen on losing those either,” Applejack said, her eyes slipping down to follow Fluttershy’s foreleg to where it met the saddlebags..

“Then I’m guessing that’s where you keep the earrings.” Celestia tilted her head, and Fluttershy nodded.

Pinkie Pie giggled whilst spooning sugar onto her potatoes. “Oh wow, Princess and detective?”

“Pft, I knew that too," Rainbow Dash said, leaning back.

Rarity dabbed the corners of her mouth with a napkin. “That’s because they told you, dear. Hardly a feat of deduction.”

“It’s interesting, really, how some customs surrounding marriage have changed, while others remain the same,” Luna said, pushing her plate towards the center of the table and rolling her neck. “Earrings are still being used?”

“For the last fourteen hundred years or so, that’s been the most common tradition among earth ponies, and many of the pegasi,” Twilight said, smiling as brightly as she only could when the topic shifted to something about which she’d no doubt read a host of books.

“Fifteen hundred and twelve. I presided the first wedding where they were used.” Luna speared a single pea with her fork. Twilight deflated an inch.

“That’s well and good,” Applejack said, slowly rising to stand. “And I hope I ain’t too rude if I leave you to that discussion and everything, but I’m plum tuckered.”

“Of course,” Celestia said, nodding her head in a brief little bow.

“Maybe we should try to find our room?” Fluttershy said. “I’d love to stay and talk, but...”

“You mean your rooms,” Luna said, stressing the plurality. “While we’re on the topic of customs and such, I understand tradition for modern weddings is that the bride and groom, or, well, bride and bride as it were, are not to see each other before the wedding.” She turned to give Celestia a meaningful look.

“I didn’t want to presume, but I did arrange for two chambers if you should require them, yes,” Celestia said.

“Actually.” Twilight straightened up and looked the tiniest bit smug as she cast a quick glance Luna’s way. “The tradition is not so much modern as it’s a revitalized expression of a six hundred year old unicorn custom based on the Feast of Veils, a harvest feast in a unicorn-earth pony settlement across the western sea.”

“I see. Well, that may be,” Luna said, brow furrowed.

“It’s very much in vogue now, regardless of the ponies getting married, you’ll find,” Rarity said.

Fluttershy’s neck almost hurt from trying to keep up with the speakers, but three ponies seemed very much disinterested in the topic. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash added little to the conversation, instead fully engaged with a game of tic-tac-toe; when and where from Pinkie had procured the miniature game board, Fluttershy had no idea. Where they were mostly quiet save for the occasional giggle or Dash’s complaints when she lost, Applejack was deathly silent. At least until she wasn’t any more.

“So y’all set us up with separate rooms ‘cause some old unicorns couldn’t stand to look at each other?” There was a slight edge to her voice, just enough that the conversation ground to a halt.

Twilight glanced askance over at the mute princesses before replying. “Um, well, it’s just a custom. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding hardly went as planned, but it’s a very popular tradition! It’s supposed to heighten the anticipation and—”

“Yeah, I heard you. Assuming and thinkin’ and whatever else.” Applejack sighed, rising to all fours. “Fluttershy and I, we’ve slept in the same bed for the past year ‘lest there’s a family of badgers needing to hide at her place or whatever, and that’s plenty good for me.”

Fluttershy opened her mouth to say something, to say anything, but Celestia beat her to it. The sun princess wore a patient smile, shaking her head ever so slightly.

“Applejack, I’m sorry if—”

“It’s some silly unicorn thing.” Twilight’s eyes widened when Applejack cut the princess off, but the earth mare went on. “We ain’t exactly got horns to put rings on either, now do we? We earth ponies, we’ve one tradition, and that’s one heck of a party after we’re wed and done.”

The tension at the table was almost palpable. Or at least, that is what one would think to look at Rarity and Twilight. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash looked up from their game, and Luna wore the selfsame frown, yet Celestia seemed unfazed. Still, Fluttershy rushed to plug the silence.

“I think they just mean that it’s popular now. We pegasi, we, um, we have some traditions too,” she said, but her voice came out barely a whisper.

Applejack closed her eyes and hung her head. “Actually, never mind that all. I’m gonna go take a nap. In my own room, or whatever it is. Tired after all this travellin’, I’m sure you understand.” She turned around and made for the door without looking back.

“Okay,” Fluttershy said, though she doubted anypony heard it but herself. Perhaps she just thought the word. It was infinitely more quiet than the sound of the door closing in Applejack's wake.

“Oh don’t take it to heart, darling. I’ve seen it before,” Rarity said, putting her glass down to reach out and rub her shoulder. “Everypony gets a touch of cold hooves. It’s such an important thing, how could you not?”

A murmur of assent went around the table, the ponies going back to their meal. Fluttershy nodded mutely, trying to let those words into her heart. Applejack was easy-going most of the time, but everypony had their prickly moments. It should explain well all the little things that made Fluttershy wonder, but pressure in her heart grew, bit by bit. Without even thinking, Fluttershy reached out to hug the saddlebags with the little black box to her side.

Chapter 4

The palace was darker at night than Fluttershy had expected. Hours after dinner, the halls that shone in the daylight were gone, replaced by deep interiors lit only by firefly globes, and for all that they made the polished floors glitter where they struck, they were far and few between.

“The room’s just down the hall there,” Twilight said, crossing her neck with Fluttershy’s in a brief hug. “Thank you for your help unpacking and going through the lists and everything. Tomorrow’s going to be crazy, so I guess we better get as much rest as we can. I still can't believe Celestia cleaned out the entire wing for us.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and nodded. If the darkened castle halls were a little frightening, the idea of the entire palace crawling with ponies there to see her and Applejack was downright terrifying. Steeling herself, she closed her eyes and breathed through her nose. She would have to be brave for Applejack, and for all her other friends besides.

“Okay, well, good night,” Fluttershy said, turning.

“Good night.”

Twilight's hoofsteps echoed and faded as the unicorn disappeared in the opposite direction. Soon enough, the only sound was the clops of Fluttershy’s own hooves against the cold stone floor. When she reached the end of the hallway, she had to wonder at how quickly the darkness had stopped being scary in favor of so many other things. She knew the day after tomorrow was sure to be the happiest day of her life, but in the wake of Applejack’s departure, questions had kept popping up, and she couldn’t answer half of them.

Fluttershy reached for the door on the left. It had to be one of these two doors.

The happiest day of her life, and she had to believe. She had to know that it wasn’t just her—

“Fluttershy! Hi!”

Fluttershy squeaked, immediately coming face to face with a beaming pink face on the other side of the doorway. Rainbow Dash lay resting on a bed inside the chamber, waving over the rim of a book, and the heat of the warm, cozy room washed over her.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bother you, I was just looking for my own room,” Fluttershy said, backing away, but she’d taken no more than two steps before Pinkie’s forelegs reached out and yanked her inside, scooping her up in a crushing hug.

“Nuh-uh! First, I get to hug you and ask you if you’re half as excited as I am even if I know you’ll say no if you know what you’re talking about, because I’m really, really excited!” Pinkie said. Fluttershy made only a token protest, and soon enough Pinkie let go, depositing her on the floor and closing the door behind her.

“Um, and then?” Fluttershy's eyes wandered the room. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had wasted no time in getting comfortable here. Balloons dotted the ceiling, forever locked straining against the unyielding stone, and the fireplace opposite of the large bed was crackling with flames that left the room almost oppressively hot.

“And then I tell you that you’re very silly, because your room’s on the other side of the wing!” Pinkie said, scratching her head.

“Yes, well, I know,” Fluttershy said, nodding. “And yes, I'm very excited.”

“Hey Fluttershy,” Dash called, turning a page. “You gonna be okay tomorrow?”

“Oh, yes. Why wouldn’t I be?” Fluttershy trotted towards Rainbow Dash to sit at the plush carpets by the bedside. Pinkie Pie followed, pronking along and taking a great leap when she neared the bed. Rainbow Dash yelped and rolled away just as Pinkie crashed onto the spot where she’d lay a second before, liberally scattering pillows and blankets all over the room. Fluttershy winced as a pillow visited soft and barely-noticeable doom on her head.

“What the hay was that!?” Dash's voice cracked the tiniest bit.

“It was a hug!” Pinkie said, her head popping up from behind a mound of pillows.

Rainbow Dash gave an exasperated sigh and put her book on the bedside table, though Fluttershy could see her lips were curled up in the beginnings of a smile.

“Pinks? That wasn’t a hug, that was an attack. You are so asking for a pillow fight.”

“Oh? Oops. Silly me.” Pinkie giggled.

“I should be going anyway,” Fluttershy said, backing away towards the safety of the door. Pillowfights were one thing. Pillowfights with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were something else. Rainbow Dash paused with a pillow in her mouth, the pegasus’ body crouched low to the ground.

“Oh, yeah. Wait, uh, hang on,” Dash said just as Fluttershy reached for the doorknob. “What’s up with Applejack? I tried to talk to her but she was all grumpy and busy and whatever.”

Fluttershy winced. Rainbow Dash’s eyes were trained straight at her, and the humor in her oldest friend was gone in a second. A pillow bounced off her head, but Dash just shrugged it off, just like she ignored Pinkie Pie biting onto her tail and worrying away like Winona with one of her chew toys.

“You okay?”

Fluttershy nodded, simple as that. Behind Dash, Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Of course she’s not okay, she’s great!” Pinkie said, hopping up and down on the bed with reckless abandon. “This is going to be the best wedding ever! It’s going to be fantastic and a lot of other words I haven’t even made up yet!”

Again, Fluttershy nodded, smiling at Pinkie Pie. “I’m sure it’s going to be just wonderful,” she said. Dash poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue and nodded back ever so slowly, her eyes never leaving Fluttershy.

“Right. Cool,” Dash said, and that was that. Fluttershy slipped out and closed the door behind her just as Pinkie Pie’s shrieks of laughter filled the air. Dash pounced on her marefriend, but even after she left them behind, Fluttershy couldn’t shake that stare. Rainbow Dash knew her better than most. Possibly better than even Applejack, in some ways. Fluttershy reached for the door opposite of the two ponies’ room, but paused. There were so many things she wanted to ask, but they all lead to the same ridiculous, silly notion which she knew was wrong. She should ask, but she knew she wouldn’t, for fear that she’d get the answer she so desperately did not want.

Fluttershy sat down the cold floor. Without thinking, she nosed her saddlebags open and fished out the little black box that held the key to her happiest of moments. How long she spent staring at its contents, at the quartz butterflies and ruby apples, she did not know. Hours might have passed while she did not so much as think. They seemed to glitter even though there was barely any light to reflect.

“What’s up?”

Fluttershy stiffened at the voice, but the second she recognized it as Rainbow Dash, she let out a deep sigh. Fluttershy closed the box and put it back inside the safety of the saddlebags.

“Where’s Pinkie Pie?”

“I distracted her. Told her we’re playing hide and seek,” Dash said. A second later, she gave a violent sneeze. When Fluttershy turned, she saw the other pegasus was almost entirely covered in white feathers.

“She won the pillow fight,” Dash added. “Seriously, what’s up?”

“Lots of little things. I’m sorry. I don’t really want to talk about it,” Fluttershy lied.

“Yeah, I don’t know about that. Applejack interrupting Princess Celestia was weird, I didn’t think AJ had it in her, but Rarity’s probably right. Nerves."

Fluttershy could feel more than she heard Dash move closer. A slightly darker shadow crept up on her when Dash stood close enough to touch, and it helped a little.

“Maybe. It doesn’t explain why she didn’t tell her family about the wedding.”

Dash made an inquisitive noise, and that little “hmh?” was enough. The words tumbled forth faster than Fluttershy could stem the tide, and it was all she could do to keep her voice low and quiet.

“Apple Soup didn’t know about the wedding being this weekend, and I don't think the other Apples around Equestria do, either. I never really asked why because she invited them to a get-together later. We wrote the invitations last month, planning a big celebration. It was ever so nice.” Fluttershy smiled at the memory, two whole evenings spent writing letters to every Apple in Equestria.

“Applejack, she’s, um, she’s kind of the Apple family’s darling, so the wedding is a really big deal. I—I didn’t think too much about it at first, but it doesn't look like she wants them to come. I don’t understand. Big Mac, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom are coming tomorrow with Spike and everypony else. I don’t understand why she didn’t tell Apple Soup and the rest.”

Rainbow Dash’s stepped in front of her, frowning. “What, you think she doesn’t want them to know?”

“No! I mean, yes? Maybe? Like I said, they’re invited later, but I don’t understand, and there are all these other little things. I can tell when she’s not happy. That’s—of course I can, and she’s not!” Fluttershy swallowed.

“So you think she’s ashamed or whatever? That doesn’t make any sense!” Dash's eyes were hard and her features set. She turned around to glare at the door opposite of her own room.

“You can’t tell her!” Fluttershy hissed. Quickly as she can, she slipped between Dash and the door, wings spread in full. “It’s probably nothing! She’s probably just a little nervous, or maybe she had a plan, I don’t know, but you can’t tell her!”

“If I’m not telling her she’s being an idiot, then you ask her what's up!” Dash shot back, her wings half spread as she lowered her head.

“No, I—I can’t.”

“This is stupid! You know she loves you, even I know that, and I try not to look.” Dash rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out. “You just need to ask her what’s up!”

Fluttershy’s heart hammered in her chest. That one dreadful question loomed again, threatened to be spoken. No rational thought went into her reply, but she could feel her wings go rigid as steel, and her voice was crisp as winter hissed forth from between clenched teeth.

“You’re not telling her,” Fluttershy’s voice said.

Rainbow Dash’s expression softened bit by bit, accentuated by the occasional glance at Fluttershy’s back. She rolled her jaw and took a single step back, nodding very, very slowly, as Fluttershy herself might have done to placate a wounded animal.

“Right. Okay. Whatever. I still think this is a load of gunk.”

Fluttershy looked away and nodded. She had no reply for that. No comeback. Even if she wanted to try to understand everything, she needed to get some sleep. Whatever else happened, what all of her friends had commented on tonight was a simple truth; tomorrow would be very busy.

“I—I should probably get some sleep."

“Yeah. Night.” Dash snorted and turned on the spot, nudging her own door open and slipping inside, kicking the door shut in her wake. Fluttershy took a deep breath before she reached out to open the door opposite.

Though the room had the exact same layout as the one Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash occupied, here there was none of the same warmth. The chambers were dark and cold, and the curtains of the room’s two open windows billowed in the wind. Fluttershy made for her bed, breaking stride only for a second to slip out of her saddlebags.

“Thought we weren’t supposed to see each other before the wedding and all,” Applejack said.

Fluttershy climbed atop the large, plush bed. They’d prepared separate chambers for them, sure, but each of these beds could easily fit a half-dozen ponies. Shivering, Fluttershy slipped in under the covers. Applejack lay facing away from her, a dark and immobile lump.

“I never cared about that,” Fluttershy said. “I don’t like sleeping alone. You know that.”

“Yeah. That and a lot of other things about the way you like to sleep, and sorry to say, I ain’t much feeling like a big spoon tonight.” There was little humor in her marefriend’s voice, but Fluttershy smiled all the same. She wriggled a little closer, resting a foreleg atop Applejack and nuzzling into her mane.

Applejack let out a sigh, still looking away. “So what do pegasi do, anyway?”

“Sorry?”

“You were gonna say something about pegasi. How y’all do this marrying business.”

Fluttershy blinked in the darkness. “Oh. At dinner. Right. Um, nothing much. You know, my mom is an earth pony, and dad is a pegasus, so they didn’t follow any of the traditions. Some pegasi go for a flight together, but I guess that’s stuff you’d expect. Other ponies tie their wings together for a whole day afterwards, but that sounds really silly. And perhaps a little bit sweet." Fluttershy giggled. Applejack was quiet for a long while afterwards.

“I’m sorry.”

Fluttershy nodded, rubbing her snout against Applejack’s neck. Usually she’d say it was okay. That she didn’t need to apologize, despite—or perhaps exactly because that she knew how hard it was for Applejack to admit it when she’d done something wrong.

Except she both desperately needed to hear that word, and she had no idea what exactly went into that apology; whether she was sorry for leaving dinner with a huff, or something else.

“Okay,” was all Fluttershy could think to say back.

The silence stretched on. “I, um. I’m a little nervous too, I guess,” she said, fishing for a reply, for anything. Applejack turned halfway around and offered her a weak smile in return. The terrible feeling in Fluttershy’s chest persisted, but she wasn’t about to assume, to curl up and cry because she could interpret everything in such a way as to come back and haunt her—to be about her. It was even a little selfish, to think that everything was about her.

“Roll over again,” Fluttershy said. “Please.”

Applejack blinked. “Pardon?”

“Roll over?”

This time, Applejack complied, flopping over onto her side again, giving her a curious look that lasted only until Fluttershy sat up and put her hooves to Applejack’s body. With expert precision, Fluttershy leaned over to press down on one of Applejack’s shoulders, rubbing in small circles on one of the major muscles, her other forehoof steadying her as she worked.

“I don’t deserve you,” Applejack said, a languid grin spreading across her face, one that Fluttershy returned.

“Now you know how I feel every time I have a taste of your fresh-baked apple pie.” Fluttershy slowly worked her way down Applejack’s body. She nudged the covers aside, and on impulse, leaned forwards to slip Applejack’s hairband off. Her mane spilled over her body in the darkness, and Fluttershy paused to nuzzle into it.

“Or when we bring out the warm apple cider in the evening,” she said. “Or when there’s little to do around the farm and I wake up in the morning with you hugging me, and I know you pretend you just woke up, except I know you always wake up an hour before me.”

Fluttershy lay her ears flat and shook her head. “Um, sorry. We can pretend I didn’t say or know that. That would be wonderful, actually.” She pulled the covers away completely and ground her hooves into Applejack’s sides. The earth mare gave a soft grunt, but Fluttershy knew it was a good noise. She doubted she could hurt Applejack even if she wanted to.

“Or when you pretend Angel doesn’t annoy you and say nothing until he gets tired and leaves you alone when we have lunch at the cottage.”

Applejack swallowed so heavily, even Fluttershy heard it. She could have sworn she saw Applejack’s eyes glisten as she stared out the window, but her voice was the same confident tone as always.

“Yeah. Well, don’t you use all them nice words today. Need some for the wedding." Applejack breathed out through her nose and lowered her voice a tad. “I’m gonna try harder tomorrow. I love you, sugarplum.”

Fluttershy’s hooves continued their quest, rubbing circles, tapping, scratching and grinding at Applejack until the earth mare was putty in her hooves and her tell-tale soft snores filled the chamber. The time to ask what it was that needed her to try harder came and went.

When at long last Fluttershy’s forelegs began to ache, she refused to let herself think, least of all assume anything. Without a sound, she lay down behind Applejack, wrapping her forelegs around her fiancées neck. It felt entirely insufficient. A second later, a hindleg snuck atop her flank, and her one free wing draped over Applejack’s side, curled around her belly, clutching her tighter than ever.

She’d still said those magical three words. She loved her, and Applejack never lied. That, at least, hadn’t changed.

Applejack cracked an eye open. Panic welled up in her and made her whole body rigid for a split-second before she realized that the sunlight streaming into the room wasn’t cause for alarm. Not today. Even in winter, there were things that needed doing, but it only took a single glance to remember she wasn’t in her own bed. Foreign dark silken sheets on a huge and soft bed, foreign curtains against foreign stone walls, foreign high-mountain winter’s chill streaming in through the windows—and a very familiar warmth against her body.

Memory didn’t flood so much as it painstakingly slowly crept back to her. She’d fallen asleep under Fluttershy’s careful ministrations, that much she knew, yet still she felt stiff and achey. The cause was obvious. Fluttershy was wrapped tighter around her than the bark around an apple tree, the pegasus so tangled with her, she could barely move. Applejack twisted around to peck her on the cheek.

Fluttershy did not stir, instead pulling her closer; her wings were surprisingly strong like that. It was painfully slow work to extract herself from the pegasus’ grasp, and more painful still to slip off the bed and leave her there. Applejack bit onto the blanket and tucked Fluttershy in as tight as she could, giving her a kiss on the snout. The poor thing could have a few more minutes, but there was a lot to do today. Grabbing her hat from the nightstand, Applejack made for the door. Already she could hear noises outside.

She would do better today. She had to. She was the luckiest mare in the world so long as she had Fluttershy, and she wasn’t about to ruin their wedding over some silly notions. Taking a deep breath, Applejack bit onto the door handle and eased it open—

—only to be met by a wall of sound thicker than apple sauce.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stood in the open door opposite amicably chatting away with a pair of strange ponies wearing chefs’ hats, while two other ponies Applejack didn’t recognize stood nearby very clearly trying to get a word or two in edgewise. She just caught a snippet of Rarity’s tail disappearing inside of a room further down the hall, followed by a gaggle of palace staff. The entire hall was packed tighter than the Ponyville market at noon, and she’d barely taken half a step outside before she was accosted by a host of ponies—and one baby dragon—vying for her attention.

Spike beamed. “Hey Applejack! Twilight said she needed to see you as soon as you woke up. Oh, and hi!”

“Uh, hey Spike, glad you could make it,” Applejack said, reaching over to give him a half-hearted noogie. “Will do.”

“Hi!” a young apple-flanked colt butted in. “We heard!”

“Long time no see, Apple Butter—” Applejack began to reply, only to be cut off by an older mare at his side.

"You’re getting married! I mean, we figured, what with the invitations for the party next week and all, but we didn’t know the wedding was here in Canterlot,” she said. “We jumped on the overnight train as soon as we heard!”

“‘Course you did. Heya, Apple Fritter. Right, so I got—”

“Oh, and Rarity wanted to let you know she wants to triple-check the fitting for the dress,” Spike said, the baby dragon holding up hand to count on his claws. “Some of your cousins—”

“Bumpkin’s twice removed,” Apple Fritter said.

“—uh, sure, they wanted to see you down by the entrance because they needed somepony to ask Princess Celestia about more rooms, Princess Luna found some old books she wanted you to look at about wedding customs or something, and finally, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash wanted to check with you about the kitchens.”

“We’re right here, you know,” Dash called above the din, hovering up above them.

“I just wanted your help with the cupcake recipes,” Pinkie said, her head bobbing in and out of sight as she hopped up and down to be seen.

Rainbow Dash craned her neck to see past Applejack. “And I need to talk to Fluttershy. She awake yet?”

Applejack sighed and reached up to rub her eyes. Despite having just woken up, she felt about ready to go back to bed. Surrounding her were dozens of expectant faces, all ready to help her with the best wedding ever. At least, that was how they saw it.

Sometimes, even she wanted something that was truly perfect. It just wasn’t as important as certain other things. Applejack stuck her head through the still-open door. Upon the bed, a yellow pegasus lay outlined in the sharp morning sunlight clutching a pillow in Applejack’s absence, her body rising and falling with her breath. As quietly as she could, Applejack closed the door.

“Let her sleep,” Applejack said. She closed her eyes and breathed deep. That usually helped at least a little. “Right. Kitchens, then I’ll see Twilight about whatever it is. Let’s go.”

Chapter 5

Fluttershy kept her head down and her face hidden behind her mane as much as she could. Barely playing into conscious thought, her tail dragged along the ground in an attempt to make her as small as possible. Even with these precautions, it was hard to avoid attention. She couldn’t take a single step without receiving congratulations from friend, acquaintance and stranger alike.

And they were nice strangers, of course! Everypony from those she knew well like Granny Smith and Rarity’s parents—or even Cadance—via acquaintances like Twilight’s mom and dad, right down to ponies she couldn’t even name, they were all so very kind. Nothing but smiles and well-wishes. Still, she couldn’t help but wish her parents would arrive sooner rather than later so she’d have something more familiar.

Even more than that, she wondered why there was one pony she hadn’t seen at all. The pony she wanted to see more than anything. In fact, she had to wonder if Applejack was the only pony in all of Equestria she hadn’t met and greeted since she woke up a few hours ago.

“—which is why I don’t understand why they only want to run one rehearsal. Practice makes perfect after all. Er, what are you looking for?”

Fluttershy winced, turning her attention back to Twilight rather than sneaking covert little glances every which way in search of Applejack.

“Sorry. I was just, um. Never mind. Rehearsals, is that what’s next?”

Twilight brightened and unfurled a scroll to levitate it at her side whilst sidestepping a string of ponies who passed them by. These didn’t so much as look at them. Palace staff, then.

“I’m glad you asked! Let’s see. Catering and all that is done, and Pinkie Pie is banned from the kitchen. Again. Quarters are booked. We’ve checked on the chapel itself and double-checked the general schedule with the princesses.” Twilight nodded once for every point on her list while Fluttershy’s ears perked up at the familiar laughter of a certain trio of foals. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo zoomed past them, winding around and through the legs of the ponies milling about the hallways. Fluttershy smiled and waved while Twilight went on.

“Next up, Rarity suggested a full rehearsal with dress and all since the wedding itself is tomorrow afternoon. We should head to the chapel’s eastern forechamber right away.”

Fluttershy nodded along. “Sounds lovely.”

“Tomorrow!” Twilight said, smiling brightly. “Aren’t you excited? I just hope everything goes according to plan. I’ve only got a single set of backup contingencies for each step. I’m not sure that’ll do.” The unicorn frowned skeptically at her scroll, as if the once-treasured companion had suddenly betrayed her.

“If you say so, and of course I’m really happy that you’re happy.” Fluttershy giggled. Together they descended a set of grand stone stairs, while Fluttershy silently thanked her stars that Twilight knew where they were going in the maze that was the palace.

It took the pair no more than a few minutes to find the right exit. From there they passed through the small garden that preceded the southern part of the palace grounds. Along clean-brushed cobblestones and past impeccably trimmed bushes they went, up and up through grandiose staircases of pure white stone until finally they passed through the doors to the Sun’s Dance complex. Here was little of the hustle and bustle of the palace, and Fluttershy recognized the narrow corridors Twilight took them through to access the layer below the chapel proper.

Just like the chapel itself, the sublevel’s every room faced the exterior of Mount Canterlot, and here rested the dressing rooms and all that came with them. It didn’t take a lot of effort to locate the exact room they were headed for; Pinkie Pie’s laughter bounced down the carpeted hallway. Twilight chuckled as they made for the door, and Fluttershy upped her pace a little, perking up at the familiar sound.

“There you are! We’ve been waiting and waiting,” Rarity said when Twilight and Fluttershy strode into the large and airy chamber. The white unicorn sat brushing her own mane, looking rather exasperated.

Racks of clothes lined the back wall, and a massive, elaborate vanity dominated the wall opposite. At least, racks of clothes would have lined the back wall were they not mostly toppled over on the side. Even more distressing, the mass of dresses, shirts and other accouterments was moving. Fluttershy took a step back towards the door just as Rainbow Dash’s head surfaced. The pegasus bared her teeth and dived right back into the soft sea of clothes.

“Uuh?” Twilight asked. Fluttershy blinked.

Rarity shrugged and walked over to the vanity, idly rearranging brushes and other mane styling tools. “They insisted on helping Fluttershy get ready, and while that’s sweet of them, well, have you ever tried to keep them still in a room with no entertainment for over five minutes?”

“I’m sorry for being so late for, um, this,” Fluttershy said by way of apology. Rainbow’s head popped up again, this time with a pink tail in her mouth, the pegasus tugging and worrying away at it until she realized she had an audience. Pinkie peeked out from under a dress as well, giggling.

“Hiya. I’m a shark!”

“Uh, hey guys,” Dash said, scratching her head. Once she’d let go of Pinkie’s tail, Pinkie grinned hugely and disappeared in the clothes-pile. A second later, Dash yelped and was dragged under.

“So, at any rate.” Rarity cleared her throat. “I had some ideas if you want your mane done up in a different style, perhaps? Not that you need to do much, goodness,” she said, beckoning Fluttershy over and reaching out to run a hoof through her mane. “You have a gorgeous mane as is.”

Fluttershy dipped her head at the compliment. “Um, I really liked what you did for the gala, but perhaps something a little simpler?”

“Of course, dear. I know you and Applejack both appreciate the simpler approaches to styling. Now, let’s start with getting you into the dress.”

Rarity stuck her tongue between her teeth and covered the nearby dress form in her magic, levitating over the wedding dress that had become so very familiar to Fluttershy over the past few weeks: an elaborate white dress with pale green borders that matched the crystal brooch that secured it at her chest. Rarity smiled to herself when the layers were settled across her back and Fluttershy’s wings were snuck through the holes made for them. She beamed twice as bright when she fastened the ornamental butterfly behind Fluttershy's ear. A moment later, she levitated up a brush, a pair of scissors, and a can of hairspray.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy said, trying her best to look towards the unicorn by the door without turning her head. “Didn’t you say you had to go talk to the princesses next?”

“Oh, uh, yes,” Twilight said. “I just set off twenty minutes for a break, and I thought I’d take it here. Spike is having lunch anyway. I like watching Rarity work. I—uh, I hope I’m not a bother?”

Rarity arched a brow. "Oh, hardly. I don't mind," she said, very obviously trying to hide a little smile, but Fluttershy caught it.

Fluttershy dropped her eyes to the ground and stifled a smile of her own, clearing her throat. When Rarity levitated over the four shoes that went with the dress, she hesitated a second before she slipped into them, raising her legs one by one to secure the straps with her mouth.

“About the whole rehearsal thing, um, maybe we could... do less of that, right now?”

Twilight made a strangled noise. “Practice is essential! How else will we know everything will go according to plan?”

“Oh come now.” Rarity clicked her tongue. “It’s really their choice. Still, do you mind me finishing styling your mane now, at least? The dress is a fit, but we don’t know how it will look with a different mane style.”

“I’ve tried the dress on twice already,” Fluttershy said, locking eyes and trading smiles with Rarity in the mirror. “It’s lovely.”

“Ah, well, yes, that’s true. It’s your prerogative of course. I suppose you’ve had a busy day already.”

“Applejack and I both,” Fluttershy said, a frown crossing her features. “Where is she, anyway?”

“Applejack? Oh, she’s in the other dressing room, of course. She said she’d be delighted to let me do her mane tomorrow, but at the moment she was rather preoccupied. With what, I cannot imagine.”

“I met some of the Apple family coming down the hall earlier. I think she sent them away. They said something about her wanting to be left alone,” Twilight said.

“Ah, well, she can certainly handle herself,” said Rarity.

Fluttershy’s body sagged. At some point, everypony had apparently decided that Fluttershy was weak, and that Applejack was strong. She sat here surrounded by almost all of their shared friends, and what did that say about her? She licked her lips and tried not to let it show.

“Actually, maybe we can do this later, too? I think I just need a little break.”

Twilight and Rarity did not hide the glance they exchanged, but there was no hesitance in Rarity’s agreement. She put the brush down on the vanity.

“Of course, dear. I’m going to get some lunch of my own, and while I’m at it, I’ll make sure Twilight eats something as well. How about that?”

Fluttershy nodded her thanks and waved at the two unicorns as they made their exit. Twilight muttered something about her real lunch break not being for another forty minutes, but Rarity brooked no complaint and ushered her out.

“Want us to leave too?”

Fluttershy turned at the unmistakable voice, Pinkie Pie sauntering over while Rainbow Dash hauled the last of the terrorized furniture upright.

“Maybe? I—I don’t think so. I just need a little break from wedding things, I think.” Fluttershy leaned down intending to undo the straps of her shoes, but decided against it. It wasn’t the dress’ fault, any of this, and it was ever so pretty.

“Aw, that’s okay! Sometimes, it can get a little too exciting. There are so many ponies out there, have you seen them?” Pinkie all but squealed. “I had to do a little song about it when I woke up, even if Rainbow Dash didn’t want to do the chorus with me.”

Rainbow Dash took wing and crossed the room, coming to land next to Pinkie Pie with a sigh. “Yeah. Because I was trying to sleep.”

“Silly, you can’t sing while sleeping!"

“No, I can’t sleep while singing.” Dash bumped into Pinkie’s flank with her own, at which the earth mare merely giggled. With a shrug, the pegasus made for the door. “Let’s give Fluttershy some space.”

“Actually, if you don’t mind—” Fluttershy said before she could quite stop herself. Dash and Pinkie halted as one and turned, heads tilted.

Fluttershy took a deep breath, her eyes on the floor as she tried to force the words out. “Maybe I lied a little. I think I could use some, um, rehearsal on something.”

“Oh! I can go get Rarity and Twilight and let the others know they need to get ready in the chapel!” Pinkie called, beaming.

“No! I mean, that is, no, please, I just, well.” Fluttershy sighed and scuffed the ground. There was no reason for these words to be hard—but then, that was the crux of the issue. She closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe steady, though she was sure her cheeks would ignite from the sheer heat she felt. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the rustle of her dress when she raised her head again.

“I just need you to pretend you’re Princess Celestia, asking me if I Do.”

Pinkie Pie tilted her head further until she teetered at the brink of toppling while Rainbow Dash shrugged.

“Sure,” Dash said. “Dibs on being Celestia or Luna or whatever.”

“Aw, okay. I’ll be Scootaloo!” Pinkie said.

“Or, you know, you could be Applejack,” Dash said. “Because that actually makes sense.”

“Aw, but who’ll be Scootaloo? Scootaloo will be there! I asked her!” Pinkie pouted, her lower lip trembling ominously. Rainbow Dash didn’t even go for a second round of protests. Instead, she calmly hovered over to the vanity, picked up a can of orange hairspray, and put it on the ground near the middle of the room.

“There’s the squirt. You’re Applejack, and I’m Celestia because I have wings,” Dash said, simple as that.

“But you don’t have a horn!” Pinkie cried.

Despite herself, Fluttershy giggled. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie never failed to make her smile, but when ‘Celestia’ stood before them, that laughter felt very far away again. Even Rainbow Dash jamming a mane curler in her mane to serve as horn didn’t so much as earn a smile any more. When ‘Applejack’ stood beside her, the knot in her chest grew.

Applejack missed appointments and dates with her once in a great while. The first time, even if it was after they’d declared their love for one another, she’d panicked and started worrying. It had taken the rest of the day to come down from that sickening bout of fright. Now, so many seasons later, it was hard to dredge up any of those ghosts, to find the source of the doubts she only remembered, but no longer felt.

“Hey!”

Fluttershy blinked heavily. “Sorry?”

Princess Celestia looked down at her, pink mane-curler horn flopping in her rainbow-colored mane.

“You zoned out. I said, do you think this mare is super cool, and do you want to hug her until you’re both sick of it yadda yadda sloppy kisses forever?”

“Yeppers peppers!” Applejack said, her pink mane bouncing as she hopped on the spot. “I’ll even bake her lots of apple-y stuff and kick her trees! Because that’s what I do. I’m Applejack, by the way.”

“Uh-huh.” Dash nodded, turning to Fluttershy. “Great. And you?”

Fluttershy turned to look at Pinkie Pie, eyes that slowly turned green under her stare. Applejack was dependable. She was a rock, and she was true to her in every sense of the word. There was no room for even Fluttershy to fear or doubt.

But those memories cast shadows, and for the first time in years, she wondered, again. She wanted to ask, but she couldn’t without doubting everything they had. She was sure this was what she wanted. Fluttershy was sure. But that was all she truly knew.

“Um, I—I do,” Fluttershy said, the words coming out a weak croak. It wouldn’t do. She clenched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth together while tears welled up. “I do,” she repeated in a whisper. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life!”

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stared, and she let them. They stood open-mouthed, slack-jawed and silent as she sat down on the floor and her eyes glossed over. Pinkie Pie bit her bottom lip, but for once, was rendered speechless. Rainbow Dash said nothing, that same intense look of yesterday back in place.

“I think I just need a moment,” Fluttershy said, the corners of her mouth wobbling. She turned to face the mirror, barely recognizing her own reflection. She knew the dress, but the inconsolable expression on the other pony was strange and foreign to her.

“Please.”

Fluttershy rested her head on the vanity and waited. Hoofsteps slowly receded, and whispers preceded the door’s closing with a quiet click. She willed the tears to come, but nothing happened. She just lay there trying not to think; she tried to let time pass until she and Applejack were married and she’d heard those two words from her fiancée's mouth.

Perhaps she’d have cried if she was completely alone. As it was, she felt more than she heard Rainbow Dash close. When she spotted her in the mirror, she could see the pegasus looked angry, and her wings were half spread on approach.

“Spill it. This is getting dumb.”

“I don’t know,” Fluttershy said. The voice didn’t sound much like her own. The pony who had spoken sounded tired and desperate.

“Yeah you do. Of course you do. You don’t just sit down and whine about nothing, jeez. Not even you do that.” The last words were spoken with that odd mixture of affection and scorn that Fluttershy suspected not even Rainbow Dash knew she used.

“Everypony’s all around me, trying to take care of me, just because you think I need it.”

“Uh, yeah. You’re the one crying by yourself.” The second the words were out of her mouth, Rainbow Dash shut her muzzle with a click and closed her eyes, grimacing as if she’d eaten something particularly sour. Dash moved up to her side and sat down with a sigh. “That didn’t come out right.”

“You don’t know what Applejack is doing,” Fluttershy said, poking at the edge of the vanity. “Because you all think she’s all tough and strong, and that she can take care of herself, while I can’t.”

“Come on, you know that’s a load of junk.” Dash groaned. “If anypony thinks you’re not cool or strong or whatever, then they’re idiots and I’m gonna kick’em. I—”

“But that’s why I don’t know! It’s not about me!” Fluttershy cried, raising her head to thunk her forehead against the vanity. Instead, she was caught by a surprisingly gentle foreleg that denied her. Dash blew air through her nose.

“Then tell me what you do know. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me how I can help! I’ve known you since we were little, and I’m one of AJ’s best friends too. Are you saying this is all on her?”

When Fluttershy didn’t reply, Dash narrowed her eyes until they were mere slits. Finally, Fluttershy had no choice but to put words to that terrible fear. She knew better than to doubt Rainbow Dash’s sincerity. Silence wouldn’t work.

“There’s something she’s not telling me. I don’t know what exactly, so don’t ask me, please, but I already told you I don’t know why she didn’t tell her family, and there’s more, too. She’s sad, or afraid, or worried about something.” Fluttershy sunk to the ground, her muzzle flat against the carpet until she was a heap of white fabric on the floor. Rainbow Dash didn’t look very impressed.

“Then you ask her what’s up. Like I told you to. Jeez, Fluttershy. I don’t like talking about feelings and gooey mushy stuff, that’s your thing, but even I know you gotta talk about stuff.” The blue pegasus’ cheeks were tinted by the slightest of reds, as if even admitting as much was uncool. If only it were that simple. Fluttershy nodded at the simple wisdom of her words.

“Yes. I should ask her what’s ‘up’, but I don’t think I want the answer this time.”

“Because?”

The second Dash had asked that single-word question, her eyes widened. Fluttershy was glad she didn’t have to spell it out.

“Because you think she’s having second thoughts for real. You think she doesn’t want this.” Dash's voice was entirely toneless.

Fluttershy couldn’t even nod. The thought was so abhorrent, she wanted it to just go away even if she knew it wouldn’t. Trying to play hide and seek with this all didn’t change anything. She kept postponing the dreadful conversation, and she didn’t know why. She blinked, and in the split-second her eyes were closed, she saw herself at the altar. She found the words, but when the turn came for Applejack to speak, the earth mare turned away.

Perhaps she’d closed her eyes for more than a split second. Rainbow Dash was almost at the door, striding towards it without a backwards glance. Fluttershy took to the air and worked her wings harder than she’d ever done before in her life, zipping across the chamber to slam her flank against the door and block the exit.

“You can’t!”

“Move,” Dash snapped.

“You can’t.”

“Uh, yes? Yes, I can, and I’m totally going to.”

Fluttershy stared up at those rose eyes, and she had no words. Mutely she begged for mercy, but she didn’t know what to say. Her eyes stung, and her body trembled, each breath more shallow than the last. When Rainbow Dash stopped close enough to touch, she gave up; Fluttershy closed her eyes and curled up with her snout beneath her tail. Better to let the world move on and decide on what happened next without her. She’d had enough.

A hoof ran through her mane. An unpracticed and rough maneuver from a pegasus who was most certainly not accustomed to evening cuddles. Rainbow Dash’s sigh, however, was exquisite, a well rehearsed sound.

“Come on, for crying out loud, I’m not some kind of monster,” Dash said. “Do you think I honestly don’t care about AJ either? Don’t tell her, but she’s cool, too. Almost as cool as me. I don’t know why she’s annoyed, but I’m sure it’s not your fault. Maybe we all goofed up or whatever. Maybe somepony needs to tell her we’re sorry?” Dash snorted, and Fluttershy could feel Dash’s wings rustling before she continued.

“I don’t know. I told you, you’re the one who does all this feeling stuff. You’re awesome, okay? You’re awesome, and come on, she’s totally into you. Even if she is okay, you’re not. You say it’s not about you, but you’re crying! That makes it about you, too!”

Fluttershy sniffled and nodded. That, at least, she could agree to.

“I hate it when you cry,” Dash muttered. “And I kinda wanna kick Applejack now. I don’t have a clue. Just talk to her. Don’t make me say it.”

Fluttershy swallowed and forced one eye open, peeking out from between the strands of her mane and tail to look upon a severely annoyed pegasus who studiously avoided her gaze.

“S—say what?” Fluttershy managed, wiping her snout.

Dash flicked her tail. “‘Please’. Please go talk to her? I don’t want to. I think I need to go fly or do something else that’s less, ugh, sticky.”

It was impossible not to giggle, even if it was a short-lived affair. Fluttershy put one leg up, then the next, slowly rising to stand. She had hundreds of ways to say no, thousands of protests, and millions of ways to beg off this and avoid this one confrontation that could very well be the first fight she and Applejack had ever had. She opened her mouth as she thought, thinking, searching for inspiration, mustering the will to tell Rainbow Dash ‘no’.

Rainbow Dash smiled at her. A simple, genuine smile while she reached out with a wing to touch it to one of Fluttershy’s own. In her oldest friend was none of the doubt Fluttershy felt, only rock solid faith.

“C’mon. Go fix this. I know you can do it.”

“Okay,” Fluttershy heard herself say. Her stomach lurched, she felt nauseous and dizzy all at once, but Rainbow Dash moved to her side. Together, they opened the door and stepped out into the hallway.

“I think she’s right down at the end of the hall to the right. Or the left. I didn’t really pay attention,” Dash said. “Listen, I’m gonna go find Pinkie and the others and let them know something’s up. You’ll be fine.”

“Okay.” Fluttershy licked her dry and chapped lips. Rainbow Dash gave her a nudge on the rump to set her moving, and it was all she could do to maintain the momentum, to keep putting one hoof in front of the other, but it was over all too soon. She stood at the end of the hall. There was nowhere to go but forward.

She couldn’t simply forget to be afraid, this time. Whenever she did something especially brave, she found that it was because she didn’t have time to consider being afraid. Now she had all the time in the world. She cast a last glance down the long, brightly lit hallway, and found Rainbow Dash looking at her from the other end. It was too far away to make out her expression, but Fluttershy liked to imagine she was smiling.

Or tapping her hoof on the floor and wishing Fluttershy would get on with it. Fluttershy took a deep breath and pushed the door open, revealing a room very much like the other dressing chamber, albeit with slightly neater clothes racks on account of lacking a pink and blue tornado to mess them up. Instead of a dejected pegasus sitting by the vanity like a sullen foal who refused to eat her carrots, Applejack stood by the window resting her head on the windowsill. Her wedding dress rested on a mannequin by her side, the lovely white vest and dress pristine. The earth mare turned to greet her once the door closed behind her.

“Told you I’m—oh. Fluttershy.”

Applejack smiled when she saw her, but Fluttershy could now see how it was a cracked and flawed thing, a painted expression.

“Surprised you got away from Rarity’s claws,” Applejack said, adding to it with a chuckle. “You’re looking gorgeous, though. She only let me go after I told her it’s ‘cause I trust her to do a mighty fine job first try in the morning, and... you’re looking like somepony did their business in your breakfast. What’s the matter, sugar?”

Fluttershy blew her mane out of her face and sat. “We need to talk.”

“Heh, ain’t too long ago you told me those words are rarely a good thing.” The corners of Applejack's mouth sagged. “And you still ain’t smiling in the least.”

“I don’t think it’s a good thing at all, no. Why are you hiding?”

Applejack rolled her jaw and peeked out the window behind her. There wasn’t a whole lot to see. Snow drifted lazily down from the puffy white clouds, obscuring the distant lands below. She may as well have said out loud that she didn’t want to speak even a half-truth to Fluttershy’s face.

“I ain’t hiding. I’m right here, aren’t I?”

Fluttershy stared at the back of Applejack’s head, wondering from where she got the nerve to be so bold. Where she'd before struggled to speak above a mutter, she found her voice now.

“You’re not. You’re really not. Why are you sending everypony away? What are you not telling me?”

Applejack deflated and glanced back at her, ears splayed. She opened her mouth, but closed it again with no words spoken. Again and again she tried, her eyes flitting about the place seeking purchase, but Fluttershy knew that Applejack couldn’t lie to her then, not like this.

“It doesn’t matter,” Applejack finally said. As she spoke, she seemed to gain a measure of confidence. “That’s really it. It doesn’t matter none so long as you’re happy. I can handle this. Trust me.”

Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat. She sat very still trying to figure out exactly what the heat that rose to her cheeks was, because it certainly wasn’t embarrassment. When she finally realized what it was she felt, her neck prickled with the tentative beginnings of fear as well; she was angry. She had never before truly been angry with Applejack, but now the smile Applejack offered sickened her.

“Trust you." Fluttershy repeated words that were devoid of all meaning. “How—how dare you? Of course I trust you! I’ve always trusted you, but I know there’s something wrong. I know it, and you do, too, but you’re sitting here by yourself hiding and trying to tell me everything will be okay, and you tell me to trust you? Do you really think I care so little about you?”

Applejack lowered her hat down until it half covered her eyes.

“I know—”

“We both know!” Fluttershy's breath came ever faster. “I know what I want to happen tomorrow. I know that when Celestia asks you to bend an ear, I would love to put my earring in it, to say that I do, and that I love you, because I do.”

Despite her anger, despite the terrible nature of the moment, Fluttershy’s heart lept at the thought. It lasted all of a second until the reality and the doubts came crashing down again. Fluttershy scraped at the carpet with the tip of a shoe.

“I know what I want to say, but I’m afraid of what you’ll say. When you’re acting like this, you make me think that maybe you don’t want me after all. That maybe you’re having second thoughts.”

Applejack gaped. “How in the wide world can you say that? You know I love you!”

Fluttershy looked up to find Applejack standing over her, stuck somewhere between anger and fear, but when their eyes met, all the fire in the earth mare died with a sigh.

“By all things good, sugar, I had my own little proposal ready that very same day, you remember that, don’t you? I ain’t spouting hot air when I say it’s with you I want to spend my days. That ain’t a lie,” she said. Applejack reached out, but Fluttershy backed up a step, nearly tripping over her dress. It would be so easy to hug her and make up, to yield to the need in her eyes and pretend all this terrible business had never happened. Too easy.

“Then tell me why,” Fluttershy said in a voice that almost sounded like a demand. She idly wondered if she should perhaps apologize for her tone, but Applejack did not so much as raise an eyebrow. After a moment’s pause, the earth mare nodded.

“If I’ve made you think for a second that I don’t want this—that there’s something here that’s your fault, then I’ll tell you every darn little thing." Applejack plucked her hat from her head to fidget with it. “You’re gonna think me silly, but I’d rather that than... well.”

It was a humble pony indeed who peered at Fluttershy over the rim of her own hat.

“I ain’t no stranger to crowds and parties and big get-togethers. There’s a reason every single Apple family recipe’s for twenty ponies at least. Still, ever since back when we were talking about telling all our friends, well, I suppose something went wrong up in my head.” Applejack looked particularly sour, averting her eyes for a moment.

“I ain’t ever been grabby, but I suppose I wanted you for myself in some way. When we started telling our friends, it felt like I was giving up a little piece of you. I was looking forward to a day about us. About you and me, because there ain’t the thing in the world I want more than, well. More than you, sugar. To give you an earring that don’t mean half so much as two little words I’m saving for tomorrow.” Applejack looked up at her with ears splayed and reached out to touch Fluttershy's cheek. She pulled it back a second later, swallowing.

“Might be you hate me for it now, and it don’t make perfect sense to me, I just didn’t want to make a big production out of it. I was looking forward to a small wedding back down in Ponyville, to putting a pretty piece of jewelry in your ear and carrying you home and telling you how much I love you. Goodness knows the rest of my family loves you. You’ve charmed the tail off just about everypony you’ve met, and I can’t wait to host one heck of a party, but I thought that just for one day, it could be about us.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes. If any remnant of that foul anger that had visited her lingered, it was surely gone now. Applejack’s voice was so quiet, it sounded entirely out of place on the otherwise confident mare.

“About us, and maybe about me, too. I ain’t never had too much that was mine. Just me and my hat, and that ain’t really mine either.” Applejack shrugged, scratching at one of her knees with a foreleg. Fluttershy swallowed and nodded, waiting for her to continue.

“Didn’t tell my cousins and all for the same reason I didn’t really want to come here. One of the Apple family’s a guard here, and he said he’d heard I was comin’, so then Apple Soup caught wind of it, and before I knew it, they were all coming down on us. I love them all to bits, but this ain’t how I wanted it. It’s getting further and further away from what I thought it’d be, and now it's all so big and messy, I can’t even see the point of it all. Can’t see myself. Can’t see you. Told you it was dumb.”

“I don’t think it’s stupid at all,” Fluttershy said. “I just wish you would have told me. I can tell when you’re happy, and I can tell when you’re sad, you know. When you wake up a little more tired than usual, I put an extra lump of sugar in your morning tea. But even if we’re going to be married, I can’t read your mind. If you can’t trust me to understand, that makes me feel weak, and that doesn’t—I mean, it can’t be like that. If you don’t trust me, what do we do then?”

“It ain’t about being weak. It’s got nothing to do with that,” Applejack said. “You give way to other ponies more often than not. I just wanted to do something nice for you.”

“No you didn’t.” Fluttershy shook her head. “You do nice things all the time, but you were making yourself unhappy for me. That’s not the same, especially not when I care about you. You can let me be the strong one too, you know. You’re always trying to be strong for me, but if you don’t think I’m weak, if you really mean that, you need to let me make some sacrifices. Let me give, too. I don't mind if the wedding is big or small.”

Applejack sighed and scratched her head. “Shouldn’t have taken it into my own hooves, at least. I made a terrible mess of it. I’m sorry about this all.”

Fluttershy resettled her wings, reluctantly nodding. “Maybe, but, um, you know, I could have told you sooner, too. I was just afraid to. I’m sorry too, it’s just that the Applejack I fell in love with, the Applejack I know, she wouldn’t stand for this. She wouldn’t stand at everypony else’s attention when it all made her unhappy, pretending to like some big, noisy wedding when it isn’t what she wants. I don’t want you to change because of what you think I want.”

Applejack bit her lower lip and nodded deeply at that. “Right. Got it.”

“I’m just sorry I didn’t—”

“Didn’t nothing,” Applejack said. Before Fluttershy had a chance to react, Applejack wrapped her forelegs around her neck and hugged her close, and this time, Fluttershy neither pulled back nor protested. The pegasus melted into the embrace and wrapped her wings around Applejack, squeezing her tight.

“Don’t you finish that sentence,” Applejack growled into her mane. “Because you ain’t changing a thing. Don’t you dare change, either. I never wanted you to.”

Outside the crystal-glass windows, the wind whistled and howled, but the room and the two ponies were silent outside of breath and the occasional sniffle. Fluttershy figured those belonged to her, but she wasn’t really sure. For the longest time, they held each other, and for the first time in a long while, there was no pressure on Fluttershy’s heart—except for Applejack’s own chest and one of her shoulder-bones, but that was fine. The world was soft and warm and smelled of Applejack.

“I still say I stepped in it this time,” Applejack said, her voice muffled.

“I could have asked. I was just so scared,” Fluttershy said. Applejack held her tighter, squeezing her one final time before letting go.

“Right,” Applejack said, rubbing at her eyes with the back of a foreleg. “Sugar, I’m a bit lost here. What do we do now? Do you, uh, well. D’you still want to do this?”

"I really do." Fluttershy nodded. Applejack grabbed her hat and squared her shoulders.

“Alright. Well, I tell you this; I can shut up for another day, and once this is all over, I’m going to take you back home—”

“Oh. Oh no. Um, sorry. I mean, no.”

Applejack blinked. “Pardon?”

“If this whole, um, ‘production’ is making you unhappy, then I don’t want this at all, either.”

“But you just said we’re doing this, didn’t you?”

Fluttershy arched her neck to peer over Applejack’s shoulder, staring out the window behind her. The weather had cleared a little.

“I love our friends, our family, and everypony else very much, of course, but I think you’re right. This is our day, and right now, if it’s okay with you, I think I’d rather fly you home to Ponyville myself instead and get married there. Anything, really.”

Applejack laughed and leaned over to nuzzle her. “Sugarplum, if that ain’t the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard, you can call me a pear farmer, but we best let the others know first at the very least. Try to make sure Twilight doesn’t get a heart attack or something. We owe it to them to hear what they’ve to say about it all. Then we can see if we need to find a chariot to Los Pegasus or something.”

Chapter 6

“But I had—I had lists!” A whine crept into Twilight's voice as she galloped alongside them, Spike holding on for dear life around her neck. “Beautiful, detailed lists now made obsolete!”

“I wrote them, you just dictated!” Spike said, giving off a yelp as they turned a corner and he was nearly thrown off.

“I know, I know, and we’re ever so sorry!” Fluttershy said. A moment later, she squeaked when she nearly collided with a palace staff unicorn, ducking under the linens he levitated. The wedding dress’ tail stood out behind her like a flag in a hurricane; she’d had no time to change out of it. Once the idea had seized them, Applejack and Fluttershy started running, and still they ran though there was four of them now. Twilight struggled to keep pace through the palace halls with Spike’s added weight.

“Well, a bit sorry, anyway,” Applejack said, grinning. “You can stay if you want to. We’ll just fly if none of y’all are coming. Left or right?”

“Of course I’m not staying! And, uh, left, I guess,” Twilight said. “I swear, this is the first time I’ve ever thought this place needs less stairs!”

“You try these stairs with shorter legs,” Spike said.

Applejack and Fluttershy shared a giddy laugh as they galloped on, their hoofsteps echoing off the narrow corridor. Fluttershy’s smile never left her. Running felt good. Running and freedom. Running with Applejack. Every so often they'd do exactly this; take off together and simply run through the fields with neither purpose nor end. That they were in halls of stone instead of under the open sky didn’t matter. They were together. For the first time since they’d boarded the train to Canterlot, she felt close to Applejack, and that more than anything told her she’d made the right choice.

In the few seconds of silence, Twilight’s ears drooped. “And I’m sorry too. I guess we all just got so caught up in this. We should’ve known better. I should—”

“Hey guys! We found her. What took you so long?” Rainbow Dash swooped in from a side corridor to take place at the head of the pack.

“Yay for running!” Pinkie chimed, coming up on them from behind. “Hi Spike! Oh, this is the best. Come on, Rarity! Move those legs!”

“I did not come to Canterlot for sports!” Rarity said, though the unicorn made good speed catching up to them. “I came for, well...” she drew breath, seeking Fluttershy and Applejack’s eyes both. “I think I may have lost sight of what we came here for. Can you ever forgive—”

Applejack grinned, and Fluttershy smiled brightly back at her. At Rarity, Twilight, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie all.

“No more talk of that,” Applejack said. “We ain’t blameless none of us, but we got us a train to catch!”

Dash whooped and sailed ahead while the press of ponies in the hallway thickened. Still they ran, Applejack scattering all but the most obstinate with her yells of “give way!” and “coming through!” Fluttershy muttered apologies as they forced their way through the palace halls, but she couldn’t keep from laughing with the rest of them as well.

Just like that, they were out and galloping past bewildered palace guards. Still they did not slow. Canterlot was shrouded in a thick layer of snow, and the sun reflected brilliantly off it, bathing the city in light. Despite it being mid-day, the streets were bare enough that the six ponies had free reign. Applejack and Fluttershy didn't have to look at each other to take it as an invitation to run full tilt.

“Do we,” Rarity squeezed out amidst breaths, “—have a plan? I mean, outside of ruining one of my finest creations.” She gave Fluttershy’s dress a critical look. “Rainbow Dash wasn’t very specific when she told me of what was going on.”

“We got a train that leaves in twelve minutes, we ain’t got time for a plan!” Applejack said.

“All those delicious cakes and all the food.” Pinkie cast a forlorn glance over her shoulder. Already the palace was disappearing behind other buildings. Her pout was short-lived, instantly drowned out by a smile the likes of which only Pinkie could pull off.

“But that’s okay, because it’s not nearly as important as you two! Well. Maybe nearly, but it’s not! I didn’t mean to—”

“Seriously. No apologies,” Applejack said, her gaze forward. “Pinkie, when we all get this sorted, I’m gonna bake you an apple and cherry pie so big, you won’t be able to move for a week, but only if you guys all stop tryin’ to apologize. It’s fine.”

“You heard her! No apologies!” Pinkie cried.

“I thought you were talking about going on a diet,” Dash said, grinning as she pulled into a simple corkscrew above Pinkie Pie.

“And I thought you said you thought that was a terrible idea, and that Pinkie flank was fine,” Pinkie said, swishing her tail. Rainbow Dash made no reply, her cheeks a deep red and her eyes tracing the tail with every swish.

“I still feel a little bad about the Princesses though. Um, will you be okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy said. Twilight’s brows knit together in thought, but the unicorn eventually nodded.

“I bet she’ll understand. We’ll just tell her the truth. I’m starting to think that’s usually the best idea.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you for years,” Spike said, and Twilight at least had the grace to blush.

Rarity sniffed, wearing a decidedly wan smile. “Well, I'm happy for you two. As much as I appreciate the glamour that went into this all, I know where my priorities lie. That said, it’s a shame we can’t get the Princesses to officiate all the same.” She paused, bit her lip and shook her head. “Well, no. Apologies. I wouldn’t presume—”

“That doesn’t count as an apology!” Pinkie said, her eyes wide. “You have to say sorry for it to count, right?”

“Actually, I think it’s a little sad, too. It would be ever so nice for the Princesses to be there,” Fluttershy said, and Applejack gave a single sharp nod.

“I hear you, sugar. Don’t suppose we’d get them running with us today though. I’m sure Mayor Mare can sign it and everything.”

Twilight exchanged glances with Spike, slowly dropping to the back of the group. Fluttershy couldn’t quite hear what they were talking about, but Twilight looked very shrewd as Spike fished a scroll out from wherever he kept them. Fluttershy had no time to ask; the second she turned around, Dash let out a whoop, pointing ahead.

“The train station, and the train's still here! We made it!”

To her right, the snow-covered mountain crags sailed by. To the other side, beyond the glass and far below, Equestria seemed to lie almost entirely still. Movement and a lack thereof. A growing sense of contentment and a feeling that all was well just now; Fluttershy sat in the middle, and she smiled. The train car was largely quiet except for Applejack’s soft snores. She’d fallen asleep leaning against Fluttershy, drooling on the snowmelt-dripping dress, and Fluttershy had no intention of waking her.

They had the train car to themselves, and Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had happily seized an entire row of benches, but whatever they had planned to do with the space had given way to quiet talks, and then a nap. Rainbow Dash lay sprawled out atop Pinkie Pie as if she were trying to cover as much of the pink mare as possible.

On the next bench over, Rarity dozed, and Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle at how she snored just as loud as Applejack. Twilight had apparently noticed the same thing, smiling at the snoozing unicorn. Spike lay asleep at her hooves cradling the saddlebags Fluttershy had entrusted him with, but when Fluttershy caught her eye, Twilight quietly cleared her throat and schooled her features.

“I suppose we’re all tired,” Twilight whispered. “Uh, now that Pinkie is asleep, can I say that I’m sorry? For my own sake?”

“If you like,” Fluttershy said, resting her muzzle atop Applejack’s head. “But you don’t have to. We could all have done things differently, but it’ll be fine now. I’m sorry for all the guests, though.”

Twilight giggled. “I’m sure they’ll appreciate the romantic qualities of you two eloping like this. I know Rarity is pretty excited. Besides, Celestia and Luna are inviting everypony to stay at the palace until Hearth’s Warming Eve if they want, so I don’t think there’ll be any hard feelings.”

“Oh. That’s wonderful!” Fluttershy said, immediately clapping a mouth to her hoof in case she’d been too loud. Nopony seemed to have stirred, though. She lowered her voice just in case. “I know mom and dad won’t mind much. Their wedding was a little, um, different, too. Wait, but—if you don’t mind me asking, how do you know that? I didn’t see you talking to the Princesses when we left.”

“Ah, uh, um.” Twilight scratched the back of her neck. “You know. I heard. I, well. Rumors?”

“I guess you and Spike sent her a letter,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, I saw you two talking. Is, oh, oh goodness, was that a secret? I’m so sorry!”

“No!” Twilight giggled, shaking her head. “No, no you’re right, it’s no secret, and that’s exactly what we did.”

“Oh. Okay. That’s nice.”

Twilight grinned. “Yeah, that’s us, nice. I really should try to get some rest, too. We woke up crazy early, and since the train’s not direct, we won’t be back before late afternoon anyway.”

“I just hope Mayor Mare is still at the town hall when we get there.”

“Oh, I’m sure that will work out.” Twilight yawning and stretched while wearing the oddest little grin. Fluttershy smiled back and closed her eyes, her breath falling into rhythm with Applejack’s as she joined her in sleep.

Only to wake up again at a small noise. She was sure she’d fallen asleep, but she couldn’t tell for sure. Everything was as it had been when she decided to nap, or close to; Applejack had nuzzled into her mane and Twilight muttered in her sleep, but two ponies were missing. The door to the car behind them closed with a click, and Fluttershy could have swore, were she a pony given to such things, that she saw a tuft of pink disappear before it did. When she peered out the windows, she could see Ponyville in the distance and closing fast. She must’ve slept for quite a while, then.

Curious despite herself, Fluttershy gently eased Applejack down to lie against the padded bench. Quiet as she could, she followed, but she didn’t have to go far; before she even reached the door, she could hear muffled voices from outside. Through the door’s single dirty window, she could see Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash’s heads in the space between their train car and the next.

“I can’t believe we fell asleep,” Dash said. “It’s your fault. Your mane’s too soft!”

“Aw, I’m sorry.” Pinkie giggled, sounding very unapologetic. “We still have plenty of time though!”

Dash raised a brow and peered over at Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy ducked, fearing for a second she’d been spotted. Rainbow Dash snorted through her nose.

“The train’s gonna be in Ponyville in ten minutes. That’s a lot of time?”

“Sure! For Equestria’s fastest most awesome flier, that’s forever—no, wait, two forevers!” Pinkie said. Rainbow Dash spread her wings and refurled them, a small grin spreading across her face.

“Yeah, well, fine. But even if I can do this in one minute each way, that’s eight minutes to get everything ready."

Pinkie Pie bounced. “That’s eight minutes more than I need, and I got you to help me, too! We only get one chance to fix things,” she said, narrowing her eyes at Rainbow Dash. “Fix things without saying sorry, because I think they’re both getting really sick of those words by now, and I am, too! It’s like when you say banana four times, and suddenly, it doesn’t sound like banana any more!”

Dash shrugged. “Well, sure, fix things, but I never voted for Canterlot in the first place,” she said, lowering herself down a bit. “Hop on.”

Fluttershy wasn’t quite sure she could handle more surprises or well-wishes from her friends, and part of her wanted to burst out and ask them what they were planning—but at the same time, more than anything, she trusted her friends. She put back down the hoof that had been questing for the door handle.

Said friends were being particularly quiet, though. Pinkie Pie stood very still, pouting, and after a few seconds, Dash came into view as she stood back up.

Pinkie Pie's ears lay flat against her head. “I didn’t mean to be an inconsiderate stupid-pony. I just got a little excited. Again.”

Fluttershy’s forelegs itched, but Rainbow Dash hugged Pinkie Pie tight before she could break her cover and do the same to hug the hurt out of her voice.

“I know. My fault too. Jeez, sweets, I didn’t mean it like that, and you know it,” Dash said. “Can we just go?”

Pinkie Pie held the hug for all it was worth, and when they parted, she was beaming like Pinkie Pie was wont to do. She gave Dash a brisk nod.

“Okie-dokie, but I still want a new pet name.”

Rainbow Dash groaned and rubbed her face.

“Huggypie?” Pinkie said. “That’s a good one!”

“I’ll call you whatever you want if you just get on.” Dash braced against the deck, and Pinkie Pie giggled as she clambered atop the slightly more irate pegasus.

“Fluffykins?” Pinkie said, wrapping her forelegs around Dash’s neck. “Oh, no wait—”

Dash took off with a blast that rocked the train car ever so slightly, a solid rainbow contrail leading off the ground and pointing a straight line towards Ponyville, and in the air lingered an echoing cry of “snugglebutt!” Fluttershy giggled to herself and trotted back to wake the others, resolving to act surprised no matter what the pair had planned.

The sun merged with the horizon, casting a soft orange glow across the town that made it look as if the dense blanket of snow was on fire. Ponies walked to and fro on whatever business they usually did at such times, and generally, it had all the makings of a normal Saturday in Ponyville. It wasn’t, of course, and the differences didn’t end with the soaked and messy wedding dress Fluttershy wore. The town hall waited ahead. Normally, the Ponyville Town Hall tended to loom over her, Fluttershy found, but for the moment it merely waited. Patient and full of promise.

“Well, here we are. Ponyville Town Hall,” Twilight said.

Rarity paused to deposit her emergency travel brush back in her newly coiffed tail. “And you’re absolutely certain this is what you want? We could always find the time for this tomorrow, you do realize.”

Fluttershy looked to Applejack, and Applejack looked back at her, smiling and giving her a little nod as if to say it was up to her. Or perhaps, more to the point, that they now both had the same answer.

“Now is fine,” Fluttershy said.

“Tomorrow’s Sunday anyway, so Town Hall's closed.” Applejack said. “I’m sure Mayor Mare’d have no problems with signing papers and all that stuff if we told her what it was about, but there’s no sense in making a lot of noise when we don’t have to. I’ll pay the bits to have the dress delivered from Canterlot so I can wear it tomorrow if you want to have a picture taken or something, but we’ll fix all the small stuff later. This one’s for us, and I’m hankering for taking my mare here home today.”

Fluttershy’s cheeks tingled in the most delightful way. She leaned over to nuzzle Applejack, earning smiles from the two unicorns and a gagging noise from Spike, as was the norm.

“It’s just perfect,” Applejack said, though her brows were knit. “Except for one thing. Or, well, one thing and two ponies. Explainin’ this all to Granny Smith tomorrow’ll be a doozy, but where the hay did R.D. and Pinkie go off to?”

“Oh, ah, they went on ahead,” Rarity said, affably clearing her throat.

“Yes. To ask Mayor Mare if she had time, because, um, they’re closing very soon, so we just wanted to make sure.” Twilight's smile was far too wide. Applejack narrowed her eyes.

“Oh come on guys, just go inside,” Spike said, hopping off of Twilight’s back and making for the door. Fluttershy bumped Applejack’s rump with her snout before following.

“I’m sure it’s fine,” she said. A terrible and wonderful excitement was starting to build in her, and she wasn’t quite sure how much longer she could keep from laughing for no reason at all—or bursting into song.

“Just’ve had it with secrets for a while, don’t mind me,” Applejack said. She huffed and flashed a tired smile, but still she followed. Fluttershy barely had the time to consider the fact that the town hall doors were closed before Applejack pushed them open. They were almost always open during the day.

On the bright side, Fluttershy didn’t have to work very hard to feign surprise. Applejack was halfway to turning left in search of the mayor’s office off in one of the side chambers when she halted.

The center of the town hall’s main room was barely recognizable under all the decorations. Pearly white banners arced from pillar to pillar, framing a bright red carpet that ran all the way from the entrance to the middle of the room, where a small wooden altar had been placed. Flowers every color of the rainbow occupied mismatched rows of vases lining the walkway, giving the appearance of a very small, very intimate, and very colorful chapel. Rainbow Dash was tying a knot on the last of the banners when they entered, and Pinkie Pie stood by the altar chatting amicably away with two other ponies, those being Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

“Uh. Did we ruin everything again?” Rainbow Dash called from up ahead. “They’re being quiet and creepy.”

Fluttershy’s heart leapt at the sight, but still she said nothing. She sought Applejack, and fear didn’t even have the time to take hold this time. The earth mare wrapped her forelegs around the three ponies she could reach, and a second later, Pinkie Pie surfaced in their midst, pulling Rainbow Dash in when she hovered a little too close to the hug in progress.

“Far as I’m concerned,” Applejack said, leaning across all their friends to nuzzle Fluttershy. “You all are the best.”

“It’s wonderful,” Fluttershy said by way of assent, sighing contentedly.

“Uh, I’m gonna find a pillow or something for these, then,” Spike said from safely outside of hugging range, the saddlebags over one arm.

“I told you I sent a letter,” Twilight said, splaying her ears. “I’m glad.”

Rarity nodded. “Though it should be said, if you wanted to do this tomorrow, that would have been fine, too. We simply needed to know you were sure.”

Pinkie Pie nodded vigorously. “Oh, and we need to know if we need to be not-sorry about not-saying that if you want, there’s a party over at the ‘Corner, too! This only took Dashie and me three minutes. We spent almost twice as long making decorations for the afterparty!”

“I’m sure we can handle that. Some sarsaparilla and something to nibble on to go at least,” Applejack said. “Long as there ain’t gonna be no more apologizing.”

Fluttershy splayed her ears and lowered her head a smidgen as she looked up at the princesses, very much inclined to disagree with that last bit. “Maybe we should be the ones to apologize? We didn’t mean to leave like that, except we did, kind of.”

The words earned a soft chuckle from the princesses stood not far off. Celestia shook her head.

“Not in the least, dear. Even though I am sure we have a lot to talk about some other time, my sister and I are needed back in Canterlot soon. Still, in your own time, and however you’d like to do this.” Celestia dipped her head. Twilight was the first to break off and trot for a single bench set close to the altar, and Rarity, Spike, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie followed after.

Fluttershy swallowed and rolled her shoulders, rubbing one of her shoes against the carpet; it was the world’s most important little catwalk to walk. A moment later, she felt a weight against her side. Applejack leaned against her and nuzzled into one of her ears as she whispered.

“I hear the unicorns, they all walk up the aisle one by one and make a big fuss, and us earth ponies, last I heard somepony did it all traditional like, it was all about relatives handing you off and making long-winded boring speeches. What about you pegasuses, sugar?”

Fluttershy took a deep breath and let it out, rubbing her cheek back against Applejack. Celestia and Luna both smiled patiently, and their friends all waved and grinned. Pinkie Pie’s huge foam mitt didn’t strictly match the decór, but it did make Fluttershy smile.

“Well, they’re usually held in the clouds,” she whispered back. “Traditionally, each pegasus holds a performance doing their best tricks and everything before they land and say their vows. I think that’s how they decided who was strong, way back when, but now it’s just a formality.”

“I’d love to see the place that could survive Rainbow Dash’s wedding, then.” Applejack chuckled, closing her eyes for a moment as she lowered her voice further still, her voice a rumble that set Fluttershy's heart on fire.

“Reason I’m sayin’ this is that none of these sound right to me. Our day, remember? So I say we walk down there together. I don’t care much for anything but the fact that I love you.”

Fluttershy didn’t quite trust her voice to say much beyond echoing those three words.

“I love you too.”

She knew she was a mess. Her dress was unsalvageable, and it was a wonder Rarity hadn’t fainted from the state of her mane after all the running and panicking of the day, but never before had Fluttershy felt quite so beautiful as when Applejack pecked her on the cheek and started them down the aisle. Applejack herself seemed to glow, too; her hairband had nearly fallen out, her tail was dripping wet, and Fluttershy couldn’t bring herself to point out that the coat on right side of her muzzle was matted with drool from her nap. She looked radiant. Together, side by side, they marched.

Immediately, a twitter began, a single bird’s call soon joined by others. Still moving, Fluttershy craned her neck to look up at the rafters of the hall, though she already knew what she’d find just from the song. Dozens of her little bird friends—all those who stayed for the winter—were singing the most beautiful little wedding march she had ever heard.

“They don’t speak Pinkie Pie as well as they speak Fluttershy,” Pinkie Pie said in an exaggerated whisper from the front while grinning wide. “But they understand cake just fine!”

Fluttershy hid her smile as they finally approached the altar. Applejack angled herself to walk a little closer to Fluttershy, touching against her through the dress while making sure not to step on it. For a moment, Fluttershy imagined she saw Applejack shoot Princess Luna a wry grin, and the moon princess return a faint frown, but when she blinked and Applejack and Fluttershy both stopped in front of the two Princesses, both parties were smiling. The song quieted down, and a few of the little birds hopped down, jostling for better position on the banners.

“Dearly beloved, best of friends.” Celestia voice was clear and loud, ringing across the spacious hall. “We are gathered here to bear witness to the union of these two loving mares, and let none doubt their commitment to each other.”

Celestia gave a short nod and looked to her sister. Luna straightened up and continued where she had left off.

“Let all those who object say their piece now, or forever hold their tongue. Let all those who join these two on their journey through life together bear witness to this crowning moment.”

Over by the bench, their friends said nothing. Rarity bit her lower lip and visibly trembled, Pinkie Pie bounced in her seat, Twilight smiled, and Rainbow Dash curled a wing around Pinkie Pie while nodding at Fluttershy. The only one who moved was Spike, the baby dragon hopping off the bench to reach for a pillow on the floor, but Celestia stayed him with a raised leg.

“Would either of you like to say a few words?” Luna said. Fluttershy nodded, having waited for this exact moment.

“I would,” she said, fidgeting with the crystal brooch of her dress. “If it’s no trouble?”

“I think that if there was ever a time it was trouble, this is not it,” Luna said. The Princess of the Night looked down at her and graced her with a small smile. “This is the time for words.”

Fluttershy scratched her sides with her own wings and cleared her throat. She hadn’t planned this. She had, in fact, deliberately not planned this, because she feared it would be twice as hard to try to recite something as it was to just talk. For a moment, she feared she’d made a mistake, feeling a dreadful tightness close her throat. All she needed to do to find her voice again was to look to her side.

“I’m here, sugar,” Applejack said, and that was enough.

“I—I love you,” she said, for once intimidated by words she’d long since grown comfortable with. An infinite weight surrounded it all, yet at the same time, it did not weigh her down. It supported her. It would not let her fall. Applejack patiently waited.

“I love you, and I always have. You’ve always been there for me and supported me. I think you’re one of the best friends anypony can have. You protect me, but you never look down on me. You don’t let me hide under the bed when something needs doing.” She paused and suppressed a giggle and a blush both, remembering how that had been an all too literal thing at times. Applejack grinned, no doubt remembering.

“I don’t know what my life would be today without you, but, um, well, I think that’s why I’m here,” she said, breathing out through her nose. “I don’t want to know. Never. I love you. You’re beautiful in every way, and—” she let out a shuddering breath. “I love you.”

There was a rather distinct and loud sniff from the bench.

“I ain’t one for speeches,” Applejack said, biting the inside of her cheek. She glanced up at the princesses, and grabbed her hat in a hoof. “But there’re a lot of things that I thought I wasn’t for, and I was wrong. Good gravy, I’ve been wrong a lot, lately,” she said with a low chuckle. Her eyes left Fluttershy’s as they roamed up and down her body until the pegasus quite frankly almost felt a little self-conscious, but when those sharp green eyes once again met hers, one of the corners of Applejack's mouth tugged upwards in a grin.

“I feel like the simplest pony ever sometimes, ‘specially standing next to you, but you keep telling me I ain’t. You keep showing me I ain’t. You give me a reason to wake up in the morning that ain’t my family, and though I love them with all my heart, it’s different. It tore at me to see you once thought you were some weak and frail little mare, just like it makes me happy to know you know better."

Applejack leaned over to nuzzle Fluttershy. “I'm happy to spend the rest of my days reminding you in case you forget, because I love you too.”

“You’re not supposed to kiss yet!” Pinkie called from the bench. Fluttershy giggled and barely had time to see Dash wrestling her to the ground behind the bench. However she silenced her, Pinkie’s one visible leg twitched, and Rarity, Twilight and Spike all rolled their eyes or pointedly looked away.

“Moving on,” Luna said, clearing her throat.

“Then I ask you,” Celestia said, spreading her wings to form a halo behind her back. It was as glorious as it was scary when the Sun Princess stared down at them from by the altar, her pose rigid. “Fluttershy. Do you take Applejack to be your mare, to love, protect, cherish and care for her until the day the sun stops rising?”

Fluttershy half-spread her wings and turned on the spot to face Applejack in earnest. She feared she would stammer and wondered if she’d choke, but they were the easiest words she’d spoken.

“I do. I really, really do. I promise,” she said, biting her lip.

“And you,” Luna said, her dark wings spreading to mimic those of her sister. “Applejack, do you take Fluttershy to be yours to guard and love, to make her cause yours from now and until the stars are ended?”

Applejack turned as well, reaching up to cup Fluttershy’s muzzle with a hoof.

“I do,” she said, her voice low but strong, as if challenging the world to protest. The world could have ended then, and Fluttershy would have been content. Instead, Spike cleared his throat, a red silken pillow held over his head upon which rested the two pieces of jewelry. The earth mare bared her teeth and leaned down to gingerly seize the ornate crystal apple earring, stalks and all, grinning around it.

“Sugarcube,” she said, and Fluttershy was all too happy to lower her head. A second later, she felt Applejack’s warm breath on her ear. A tingle raced up and down her spine as the cold metal touched her, followed by a click. Slowly she raised her head back up to touch her nose to Applejack’s.

“Mine,” Applejack whispered, a word spoken with relish. Fluttershy nodded, a useless affirmation that still made her mare smile. The pegasus leaned down for the other earring, seizing the beautiful gold-lined trio of rose butterflies, and Applejack dipped her head to bend an ear for her.

She could’ve dropped it. She could’ve fumbled and missed the hole, giving Applejack an unpleasant surprise. A number of equally ridiculous scenarios played themselves out in Fluttershy’s head, but none of them came to pass. By hoof and mouth, the earring clicked into place, a shining golden trinket that matched Applejack’s coat and mane well. Fluttershy’s heart skipped a beat when Applejack drew back, grinning at her.

“Then we pronounce you wed, in the eyes of those present and all of Equestria, by Sun and Moon,” Celestia said. “You may kiss.”

And so they did. The room held its breath as Applejack ran a hoof through her mane. Their muzzles met, finally sealing the union.

The room then promptly let it out again as Pinkie Pie cheered, drowning out the others’ sniffles and sobs.

“Go Fluttershy! Go Applejack! That was fantastic; do us next!” Pinkie hooked a foreleg around Rainbow Dash’s neck.

“Uh,” Dash said. “That’s—uh. Hey, flowers! We forgot the flowers! Applejack! Fluttershy! Flowers!”

Fluttershy reluctantly let go of Applejack, giving her snout a parting lick. Applejack grinned and returned the lick before she glanced over her shoulder. Every single person in the room was looking at Rainbow Dash where she was trying to hold Pinkie at bay with her forelegs.

“What the hay are you on about, R.D.?”

“The flower toss! The one who catches it, yak yak, next to get married, right?” That made Pinkie Pie pause. Dash darted over to one of the flower pots and yanked out a bouquet, zipping over to the newlyweds right after.

“I suppose that’s one unicorn tradition that won’t do us any harm,” Applejack said, nodding at Fluttershy whilst the others all got up. Rarity daubed at the corners of her eyes with a napkin, and the two princesses stepped back, obviously deciding to sit this one out.

“You wanna do the honors?” Applejack said.

Fluttershy nodded and leaned forward to take the bouquet in her mouth. She cast a final backwards glance to make sure all ponies were ready; Pinkie Pie seemed intent on jostling for position even when nopony else really minded giving her space. Dash didn’t even look at the flowers, instead grinning at Pinkie Pie. With a final shrug, eager to get over to Sugarcube Corner for some food and then back home, Fluttershy flicked the bundled flowers over her shoulder, giving way to a very crisp silence before she had the time to turn around.

The silence was helped by Rainbow Dash having seized Pinkie Pie in a kiss, the brash flier’s wings spread over the startled and unprotesting pink pony. The flowers themselves hovered mid-air over the little group’s head, surrounded by a magical aura. Or rather, by two magical auras.

Twilight’s red and Rarity’s blue intermingled, the two unicorns’ magic vying for control of the flowers. Both of them initially focused on the bouquet, but after a second, Twilight’s gaze wandered, her brow set in a frown not unlike when she was busy with a particularly delicate experiment. With a slightly brighter glow of magic, she pulled the bouquet closer to the two unicorns, and then simply let go. Rarity stumbled and looked up, shaking her head to clear it as she held aloft her prize.

“Ah, you didn’t have to—”

“Incidentally,” Twilight said, clearing her throat and licking her lips, sounding very much like she’d practiced one line very carefully. “Did you know that among the Llama tribes of the Arothian Peaks, bouquets are given from one party to another in hopes of romantic prospects, rather than randomly thrown?”

“Yes, well, catching one did not seem to do much,” Rarity said after a brief pause, a faint blush and a smile on her face as she turned the bouquet around in her grip.

“Mmrfph,” Pinkie Pie chimed, finally surfacing for air.

Applejack grunted and shifted the weight of the load on her back. It was far too cold to be out without so much as a scarf, and while she’d happily carry three barrels of apples on her back on a good day, it was something different entirely when the load shifted and wasn’t properly secured. Adding to this, the path to Sweet Apple Acres’ farm house hadn’t been trod for days, so she had to plough the snow more than she simply walked it. That it was late at night and she could barely see for all the snowfall, that was an afterthought.

Yet still she grinned, and complaining was the furthest thing from her mind.

“Ain’t no such thing as a ‘little’ party for Pinkie Pie, I guess,” she said, half to herself. “Worth it to get to see Princess Celestia dance, even if it was for only a second. You okay?”

“Oh, it was wonderful, but um, you know, I can probably walk,” her cargo said. “Or—well, I can carry you a little bit, too. It’s no trouble.”

“No way, no how.” Applejack laughed. “I dreamed of carrying you over the threshold myself, and that’s what I’m gonna do. ‘Sides, that dress must be mighty cold, what with it being wet and all. You’re shivering.” Finally she stepped into the farmyard proper and made for the farmhouse’s door.

“I didn’t want to complain, but my legs are a teensy bit cold. Or, well, a lot. I can’t really feel them,” Fluttershy said. Applejack could hear her ears drooping, and Fluttershy’s head came to rest atop of hers.

“Thought we’d agreed we couldn’t read each others’ minds.” Applejack nudged the door open and eased the pair through, doing her best to make sure Fluttershy didn’t hit the sides.

“Sorry,” Fluttershy said, though Applejack heard the giggle hiding beneath the surface.

“Also, I thought we were done with apologies for today,” Applejack pressed, kicking the door shut. “Sugarcube, if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were just fishing for hot chocolate and a hug.”

“Oh goodness, I was thinking I’d at least help out making the hot chocolate,” came the reply. Applejack snorted and nodded, noting that the farmhouse was not only quiet, but cold and dark as well. She had to suppress a small surge of guilt for not minding; it was all on account of their silliness that Big Mac, Apple Bloom and even Granny Smith were in Canterlot, but it wouldn’t do to let an opportunity go to waste.

When the fire in the common room’s hearth was crackling and they both had large, steaming mugs of hot chocolate, Applejack finally sat down. Sure, she’d planted her flank on cobblestones, benches and stones all over Equestria as of late, and she’d travelled more in the past few days than she had the month before that, but in a sense, she hadn’t truly rested in a long, long while.

Applejack cracked an eye open without really remembering closing them. Fluttershy sat still, swaddled in blankets and staring into the fire, the earring’s crystals glittering with reflected light. She was tired, yes, but stronger than any weariness was a deep-seated feeling of peace. She knew now that she had the only thing she would ever need, and she doubted the contentment she got from that would ever fade. On a whim, she nudged the blankets aside, sneaking a hoof in under Fluttershy’s left wing. The pegasus mare raised a brow, but complied wordlessly, spreading her wing out in full.

Finally given free access, Applejack reached up to support the wing with one leg while she nuzzled in between the delicate feathers. Immediately she was rewarded with a soft sigh. Fluttershy sank down onto the floor while Applejack ever so gently bit down on the feathers, running her teeth along their full length.

One by one, she cleaned and rearranged the feathers to what she hoped was perfection. It had been far too long since she’d helped Fluttershy with her preening, but it was pleasant enough work. Dating a pegasus—now being married to one, she corrected herself with a private smile—led to certain skills she’d hardly planned to learn.

Judging by the noises from her side, she hadn’t quite lost her touch. Amidst the soft breathing and muttered directions to lay the feathers so or so, a couple of noises escaped that were best described as throaty little warbles, others mewls. By the time Applejack wiped her muzzle and moved on to the other wing, she had to use both forelegs to prop it up, and she half suspected Fluttershy dozed off every now and then. When she was done and let go, the fireflies of the little mantlepiece lamp were tired, the fire burned low, and their drink had long since gone cold.

Quiet as she could, Applejack snuck out from the covers and added a log from the bin by the hearth to the fire. When she glanced out the window, she saw nothing in the absolute darkness except the reflection of a beautiful and tired pegasus smiling back at her.

“We probably need to write everypony letters,” Fluttershy said. “Telling them we’re ever so sorry.”

“Mm,” Applejack intoned, trotting back to lie at her side. She rested her head against Fluttershy’s neck. “Tomorrow. Tomorrow we can start using that damnable word again.”

“And tonight?” Fluttershy nuzzled in between Applejack's ears.

“Tonight,” Applejack muttered. “Good grief that feels good, don’t stop. Tonight, I’m gonna fall asleep next to you here, and hope to wake up exactly like this.”

Epilogue and Author's Notes

The doors to the Apple family barn stood ajar. It was just a crack, but enough that bright light, hot air, delicious scents and upbeat music all drifted out from inside, banishing much of the winter cold. That the Apple family get-together had been merged with the delayed wedding reception hadn’t put a damper on anypony’s spirits, that was for certain; the cheer and the sheer energy was palpable. So many ponies all in one room, just to celebrate the two of them.

She’d been a little apprehensive of this moment when they sat down to write the invitations. She’d felt uneasy about it when things started to go askew. When she realized much of what she’d said and done could be called untruthful, tantamount to lies, she’d dreaded it.

Now, Applejack felt ready.

It was easy to imagine Fluttershy felt something of the same. The notoriously shy pegasus usually considered anything more than two ponies a crowd, but for the moment, she stood at Applejack’s side smiling contentedly as the pair waited. Separate, they had their reasons for fearing this. Together, they were indomitable.

“I wonder what is taking them so long,” Fluttershy said, scanning the skies.

“You cold? I can head right over to the farmhouse and get you a scarf. I ain't surprised Rarity's late, but no idea what's keeping the rest.”

“Oh, not at all. If you’re cold, I’m sure we could just head inside. I don’t think it matters that much.”

Applejack grinned and shook her head. “I ain’t usually much for tradition, but the exception’s when it’s Apple family tradition. Guests of honor arrive last. Gives the others a chance to get a head start on the cider so we won’t look as silly as they do or something.”

“I, um, that’s lovely, I think?” Fluttershy said, giggling. “Oh, I think I see—”

It was about as far as she got in the time between Applejack and Fluttershy noticing the ponies on approach, and a pink and blue blur not so much landing as it impacted by the door. When the snow settled—a depressing majority of it on Applejack’s body—Pinkie Pie hopped off Rainbow Dash’s back.

While Rainbow Dash was busy catching her breath, the pink pony beamed. She didn’t merely look happy, nor did she simply put on the bright smiles of Pinkie Pie’s that made the world a better place. The earth mare practically glowed, and Applejack half feared the snow would all melt and flood Ponyville.

“Hi ‘Shy! Hi Applejack!” Pinkie said, bouncing up and down so fast she was almost a blur. “Sorry we’re late but we had to do something, or, well, we always do something, but this was a super special something!”

“Hey you two.” Applejack squinted. There was something shiny dangling from one of Pinkie’s ears, but with her frantic movement it was hard to make out exactly what. At her side, Fluttershy gasped and covered her muzzle.

“Is that—”

Sure enough, from one of Pinkie Pie’s ears dangled an ornate cloud earring, complete with tri-colored lightning bolt. Applejack’s eyes widened just as Fluttershy wrapped a wing around her back and pulled her close.

“You’re gettin’ hitched? You ain’t supposed to wear’em right off the bat. Kind of ruins the point,” she said, trying to keep the laughter back. She knew she was grinning like an idiot despite it all, and Pinkie Pie grinned right back.

“Yeah, well, waiting sucks,” Dash said, finally finding her breath and stepping up to Pinkie Pie’s side. “And if people don’t like it, they can go suck a lemon.” She flicked her tail.

“Plus, they’re super shiny! Now we get cake, too, and I can’t wait to tell your mom! She’s gonna be a grandmother!” Pinkie squealed.

“What?” Dash all but screamed—or at least, she tried, but Pinkie grabbed her in a crushing hug that bore her to the ground in a cascade of feathers and snow.

“Oh don’t think that I haven’t noticed that tummy of yours, Dashie, or the way you keep craving sweets,” Pinkie said, nuzzling Dash’s belly. In response, the pegasus went beet red and slack-jawed at the same time.

“We live in a bakery,” she said, squirming to try to get free. “A bake—wait, what? I haven’t put on any weight, have I?”

Fluttershy leaned against Applejack and smiled as she calmly picked up the conversational reins again. “I don’t think we can really complain about what ponies should and shouldn’t do with their weddings, anyway,” she said, though it was hard to tell exactly who she addressed.

“Right you are about that, sugar,” Applejack said, scratching at her own snout before leaning over the two-pony pile before her. “Anyway. Finally wore her down, Pinkie?”

Pinkie squeaked, dragged down into the snow just as she was about to reply. A moment later, Dash stood up and brushed herself off. Now, for the first time, Applejack could clearly see the matching balloon-trio earring in her ear. When she saw her looking, Dash tilted the ear forwards, either with pride or in challenge.

“Hey, I said we could just get another pet alligator or whatever, but if this is what she wants,” she said. Pinkie popped up beneath her, neatly interrupting her by lifting Dash up on her back and twisting her head around to look at the pegasus from beneath.

“Oh totally! But you were the one who asked—”

“Anyway! Sorry about being late and all. We should probably head on inside, huh? Let’s go, Pinks!”

Dash hopped off Pinkie Pie and sailed over to the door, nudging it open, only to pause when she realized Pinkie wasn’t following.

“Are you embarrassed?” Pinkie asked. A deliciously simple question. Dash did not so much as bat an eyelid.

“No. I just think this sappy stuff is silly. Come on.”

Pinkie Pie planted her tush on the ground and crossed her forelegs. Applejack took a single demonstrative step back, for a second fearing that she’d have to bear witness to some sort of terrible argument or some such. Fluttershy bit her lower lip.

Rainbow Dash sighed, splayed her ears and half spread her wings.

“Come on, snugglebutt?” she said, looking very much like she wanted to be anywhere else doing anything else.

“Okie-dokie-lokie!” Pinkie Pie said, up and bouncing past them, the couple disappearing inside. Applejack stared through the gap, her eyes lingering until she found Big Macintosh on the other side. The stoic stallion nodded at her and gave the door a tug ‘lest the winter chill ruin the party, and they left it at that.

“Makes you wonder,” Applejack said, once more letting her eyes wander. She was sure she could spot two shapes moving further down the road, approaching at a leisurely walk.

“Sorry?” Fluttershy tilted her head.

“Oh, it’s just that, well, I like to think I’m a fairly dependable and reliable pony, most of the time.” Applejack hummed and leaned down to rub her forehead. “Don't mean to boast and I won’t say I'm quiet, but I don’t make a fuss ‘lest there’s a reason.”

“I think almost everypony would agree to that,” Fluttershy said, brow knit for a second before she offered a smile, rubbing her cheek against Applejack’s neck. The farm pony closed her eyes and leaned back, grinning still.

“And if you don’t mind me saying, and I mean this in the best possible way, you might just be the sweetest and most gentle pony in all of Equestria,” Applejack said, throwing a foreleg around her mare’s withers.

“I—I don’t know about that, but that’s very nice of you. Um, but why?”

“If the two of us managed to make a bigger mess this whole wedding business than a dozen pegasi in a kitchen, it makes you wonder what Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash’ll cook up, s’all.”

Fluttershy laughed. It wasn’t anything that could be covered up as a giggle, but a full laugh that echoed Applejack’s own for a good few seconds before she reached up to cover her mouth—only to set to laughing again.

“Oh goodness, you shouldn’t say such things,” Fluttershy said, prodding her in the side, but she smiled still. “I can’t wait to be there, no matter what they decide.”

“Me too, sugarcube, of course.” Applejack chuckled. No sooner had she spoken than did the distant sounds of conversation betray the identities of the two ponies wandering up the well-trodden snowy path to Sweet Apple Acres.

“I understand that you, ah, tried your best.” Rarity’s voice drifted over the farmyard.

“I’m glad you noticed! I’ve seen all the things you can do with makeup, and I thought I’d try my hoof at it,” Twilight said.

“Ah. Yes.” Rarity cleared her throat. The two unicorns finally strode into view, and when Applejack saw what they were discussing, her face ached from the effort of not laughing, grinning or even smiling.

Rarity nodded at Applejack and Fluttershy in passing, flashing a brief smile. “My point is—hullo, dears—that sometimes, less is more.”

“That’s a common—or, well, no, that’s actually a very uncommon mathematical misconception,” Twilight said, tilting her head. “I applied every single technique related to makeup that I could find.”

“Precisely,” Rarity sighed, one of the corners of her mouth turned upwards in a lopsided smile as she regarded the rather catastrophically colorful and messy landscape that was Twilight’s face. Testament to what the two had fostered ever since the wedding, her face barely twitched at all.

“I’m flattered, but do let me take you to the restroom and give you a few pointers before we join the party in full,” Rarity said as the two brushed past. The sounds of song and music were louder by far with the barn door open again.

Applejack snickered. “If that ain’t love, I don’t know what is.”

“I think it’s sweet!” Fluttershy said, folding her wings. For a second, the party washed over them from the other side of the threshold, and neither of them spoke, but there was really rather little to detain them, now.

“Are you scared?”

Applejack had expected they were words she herself would speak, but they belonged to Fluttershy. The earth mare simply shook her head and nudged her hat back on her head.

“Nah. We’ve had our moment, haven’t we? If they want to celebrate us, I say we let them, but I’ve got what I wanted.” She leaned over to nuzzle one of Fluttershy’s ears, careful not to touch the delicate earring.

Fluttershy closed her eyes for a moment and twitched her ears, the tip of one of her wings running along Applejack’s back before she nodded and set them moving.

“Me too.”

And they lived happily ever after, consarn it. Damn, I've waited a long time to say that.

Hi. First, I want to say thank you for reading. Thank you both for reading Where They Are Joined, and also again for taking the time to read these author's notes. Well, unless this is the last sentence you bother reading because you just caught on to the fact that the story is over. That leaves you with one out of two thanks, you silly person. Before I thank other special ponies and talk about stuff, let me talk about this continuity:

If this is the first story you've read in this continuity, and if you're at all curious, this is the third story in a very loose series starting with Where Earth Meets Sky. WEMS is also an AppleShy story, loosely followed by Where Your Heart Is (which is PinkieDash). I've taken care to make each story stand on its own four legs, but they do reference each other and such. Feel free to check them out if you need more AppleShy or PinkieDash in your life.

This particular story, though, would not have existed if not for three specific people. Granted, there are probably a lot of other people whose existence was required for this fic to be; I don't think I'd have been in a position to write this if not for Mr. Tesla, or grandfather Google (gdocs is crack, help).

Point is: Thank you. Thank you, Kits, Corma and TAW. Without these three titans, these three literary juggernauts, I would be in a ditch somewhere around the first few paragraphs covered in vanilla sauce, crying and singing bawdy songs for which I do not have the voice. These guys're the best at pointing out what works and what doesn't, at catching the stupids, and pointing out when I incorrectly use the word "daub" instead of "dab" as I have for the past two fics. As a bonus, Kits is an artist, and has provided cover art for every single damn one of these three fics. Kits, you're a champ. Go check his DeviantArt out.

Finally? Well, this is "the end". The WEMS-continuity has seen three (and a half) fics, and ever since I finished the first fic, I knew I wanted to write a pony wedding. At times, it's been an almost uncomfortable urge to "finish" things and give the ponies the conclusion I wanted, and at other times, I've been giddy with the anticipation of writing some of these scenes. WTAJ was a treat to write, laden with so many confrontations as it was.

As always, please leave a comment if you'd like to tell me something you liked-or-didn't. I answer every single mail I get at cloudyskieswrites@gmail.com , too. It's always helpful to know what people thought. If I learn of something you thought worked, that's useful information for my next fics. If I'm told of something you didn't like, and why, I can consider whether that's something I need to watch out for next time I write.

Again, thank you for reading. Onwards!