Apple Jack and Spike's Wedding

The Apple kids were hard at work bucking apples until Apple Jack came over saying, "All right, youngins', you did good today. Now come inside for dinner."

"Yes, Mom!" both Apple Jewel and Apple Shield said.

AJ smiled at her kin. Her oldest, Apple Jewel, looked exactly like her; only her coat was a tad darker and when her daughter smiled at her, she had her husband's fangs. Then, she saw her son, who had more of a darker orange then his sister. He also had his father's eyes and a cute purple buzz cut on his head.

"Yes, Auntie Apple Jack." said a small voice. She turned to see her niece, Apple Butter, who was Apple Bloom and Pipsqueak's daughter. She was like her mother but had a brown spot to her left eye.

"Thanks, Aunt AJ." said a stallion, who was her nephew. He looked like his father, Big Mac, but had streaks of magenta in his mane from his mother, Cheerilee. His name was Apple Sprout.

"You're welcome. Now, get!"

They didn't waste a second and went to the farmhouse. After dinner and cleaning up were over, the huge family sat around the living room looking at old photo albums as a favorite pastime.

Apple Jewel looked through one of the books until she spotted a picture that sparked interest in her, "Hey Mom, Dad, was this your wedding?" she held up the album for all of them to see.

"Well, I'll be. It sure was." said Applejack.

"Best day of my life." said Spike.

"And the worst for me." pointed Apple Bloom.

"Oh, no, it was much worst for me, love." insisted Pip.

"Why?" the kids questioned.

"Well, you see…" started AB.

But Apple Jack said outright, "Why don't we tell them at the beginnin', then you two can have your piece."

The youngest couple nodded and AJ sat in a chair, gesturing the kids to gather around, "It all began when Spike and I made our engagement announcements…"

A flashback to a bright morning in Pony-Ville and Spike was blowing green fire on messages in the middle of the castle throne room.

"There! That should do it!" Spike wiped his claws.

"So, any ideas on where you want to do the wedding at?" Twilight asked.

"We can't decide between here and Sweet Apple Acres." said Apple Jack, "Since they are our homes."

"Hey, Spike," motioned Rainbow, "now that you're playing the groom, who's going to be the ring bearer?"

"AJ and I discussed that last night, and Apple Bloom made the suggestion that Pipsqueak should do it."

"We figured she was right."

Twilight magically got a quill and parchment, "Alright, we got the bride and groom, bridesmaids, ushers, flower girl, ring bearer, and family members. Yup, all you need now is to choose the place to get married in."

Spike burped up a message then, with Twilight magically taking it and reading it out loud, "Dear Spike and Apple Jack, congratulations on your engagement! And because of this special occasion, I would like to offer my services to preside at the ceremony and to host the wedding at the palace. I hope you will consider this and I shall see you all very soon. Sign, Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire."

"Well, I'll be! Princess Cadence wants to marry us in the Empire!"

"This is awesome!" cheered Spike.

"I take it you're taking up on her offer, then?" said Twilight.

"You bet!" both of them said at once.

"Then it's settled." Twilight quickly wrote back to her sister-in-law.

About a week later, the wedding party was on the train.

"You know I could have teleport us there, you know." said Discord.

"Oh, but riding trains is so much fun." Fluttershy pointed out.

"Plus, we got all this extra baggage that you shouldn't have to waste your magic on." said Twilight.

"Uh, I suppose that's a good point."

On the other side of the car, Spike was giving Pip a pep talk, "Okay, Pip, we're almost there. See these two rings? It's important you keep a close eye on them."

"Yes, sir!"

"I mean it. Being ring bearer is no laughing matter, I should know. That's why I'm entrusting the job on to you."

"You can count on me!"

"Good boy." he patted his head.

Apple Jack overheard and told Apple Bloom, "And you help him out, okay?"

"Sure, Sis!"

The train screeched to a halt. Once the car doors opened, Spike and AJ were surprised to see four crystal guards holding two moving chairs.

"What in tarnation?"

"Hello!" Cadence called out and greeted her sister and brother-in-law.

"Where are Shining Armor and Skyla?" Twilight asked.

"They're back at the palace, awaiting for your grand arrival." she pointed to Spike and Apple Jack.

"Our grand arrival?" the couple both said.

"Indeed, you see, when we received your announcement, I knew my people would want to see their hero getting married, so I had to offer my services to help with the ceremony."

"Wait… that's right!" exclaimed Spike, "You're marrying a hero!"

"Of course I am. Who saved me from that giant Timberwolf?!"

"We must hurry; the parade is starting." Cadence motioned.

"Parade?!" they all said.

"I've never been in a parade before!" Apple Bloom said with excitement.

"Me, neither!" Pip shared the excitement.

"We never had a parade for our wedding…" Discord complained.

His wife merely shushed him.

Cadence gestured to the chairs, "For the Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious and his bride."

"Well, AJ, shall we?" Spike offered his arm.

"I… don't know. I mean, is this really necessary?"

"Apple Jack!" yelled Rarity, "This is a great honor! I suggest you take it!"

"Yeah, AJ!" Rainbow flapped, "How many ponies can say they're getting married and had a parade to go with it!"

"Please, Big Sis; this is my first parade and Pip's, too!"

Applejack gave an unsure look and finally sighed, "Alright…" she took Spike's arm and both were lifted into the chairs.

The trumpets sounded off and a great cheer arose as the crystal ponies watched from the street sidewalks when they saw their dragon hero and his pony bride coming down. Cadence and Rarity were walking right behind them, so were Twilight and Flash, then Discord and Fluttershy, Rainbow and Soarin', and Cheese and Pinkie, with Apple Bloom and Pipsqueak jumping up and down.

Spike waved to his adoring fans then when checking up on his fiancée. He noticed she was squirming and was holding her hat close to her face in embarrassment.

"You okay, AJ?"

"Fine! Just fine!" she gave him a fake smile.

"AJ…" he crossed his arms, "We both know you're the worst liar in Equestria…"

"I'll tell you when we're at the castle; I don't want to spoil this moment for you."

"This moment belongs to the both of us." she took her hoof and lifted it high in the air.

The ponies cheered more loudly.

She smiled at her dragon, keeping close to his side and not daring to let go. They both waved to the crowds.

When finally making it in the privacy of the castle, they gathered in the room with couches.

Twilight took out her pad, "Now, the wedding is tomorrow afternoon and the guests will arrive in the morning."

"With Big Mac and Cheerilee bringing over Granny Smith and the rest of the Apple clan coming over." said Apple Jack.

Twilight stated, "Right, you two go ahead and relax. The rest of us will start setting up the throne room for the ceremony."

"Thanks." said Spike. Once their friends left, Spike turned to his bride, "So, what happen back there?"

"I was scared… I've never been put on display for something like that. And it occurred to me that I have to live up to my husband's name here… You're a huge hero to the Crystal Empire, and what does that make me? A simple country gal from an apple farm."

"But, AJ! You're way more than that! You're the Element of Honesty, Pony-Ville's rodeo champion, you tie with Rainbow as the best athlete, and you can defeat just about any monster in the Everfree Forest!"

"Spike…"

"And let's not forget you bought us time to even find the Crystal Heart! You made sure the Crystal Ponies were happy enough to power the heart when I brought it to Cadence! I think it's safe to assume we both saved the Empire that day…"

Apple Jack was speechless for a moment, "Spike… That's about the sweetest thing you've ever said to me."

"Now don't go Rarity on me. We both know why I left it alone with her…"

"You told me she was your fantasy girl, but I was the real deal… I never forgot those words…"

"And don't ever forget them… because it's the truth… I love you, Apple Jack."

"I love you too, Spike." they got closer and into a kiss.

"Let's go out onto the balcony. It's hot in here."

"Spike, that's got to be your worst pick-up line yet."

"No, really, I'm starting to sweat."

"By all means." they moved out to feel the cool breeze, but their moment was short-lived when some pony below shouted out.

"Look! It's the Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious with his bride!"

The other crystal ponies gathered around and waved and shouted to the couple.

Apple Jack gave her fiancée a glance as Spike shrugged while giving her a cheesy grin.

That night, the girls were AJ's guest room, fitting for their gowns. She told them about her worries from earlier and how she still had some of them.

"Is that all that they're going to see me as? The Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious's wife?"

"Sounds like it." said Rainbow.

The rest of the girls gave the Wonderbolt a glare.

"I wouldn't worry about it so much, darling. Besides, this is your wedding! You should be feeling happy! And for once, I can put curls in your hair!" she rubbed her hooves.

"Oh, no! You're not touchin' my hair! I like it the way it is!" she started getting chased by the dress designer.

"Apple Jack, I insist! This is a formal occasion! You want to look good for Spikey, don't you?!"

"That's Spike to you, missy! Since he'll be married to me, I expect you to use his real name!"

They giggled as Rarity still kept chasing her.

Down the hall, the boys were having their tuxedo fittings. Spike told them what AJ told him.

"You know," said Flash, "I felt that way, too, when I was getting married to Twilight. I was this lowly guard that wasn't noticed. It wasn't until we got engaged that I was put in the spotlight."

"True, but you knew what to expect." said Spike, "AJ and I never expected this and she always liked keeping a low profile."

A knock came, and Shining Armor entered the room, "Cadence and I have been talking and there's something we need to tell to you."

"Alright," Spike sat down, "tell me."

"The kingdom has been asking us what your plans are going to be after you get married and that they wondered if you're going to live here in the Empire."

Meanwhile, Cadence was just telling Apple Jack this.

"What?!" the cowgirl gasped.

"It's true, ever since your engagement to Spike, they've been wondering if you two were going to live here now."

"I… I… I don't know what I can say."

"The crystal ponies want their hero to be near them more. As their princess, I must take their interests to consideration. But the choice is yours and Spike's alone."

"She's right, Apple Jack." said Twilight.

Applejack looked at the window seeing the Empire and saw the crystal statue of Spike. These ponies really love their hero… She sure would hate to disappoint these ponies; after their horrible history with Sombra, they deserved to have the dragon that helped saved them all living among them. And Spike… He does love being a hero… She saw how excited he was in the parade; she shouldn't have to deny him the chance of being praised for something good that he did.

"AJ?" Rainbow questioned.

"I think… we should live in the Empire." she told them face-to-face.

The mares gave her shocked faces.

Spike gave his answer, "Wow, that is pretty big of them to ask, but I wouldn't decide anything until I talk to AJ."

"Good call." the three married guys said.

Then Spike spotted a clock, "Shoot, I can't talk to her until after the wedding tomorrow."

Discord put his arm around the dragon, "Oh, trust me, that's the best part."

"I sure can't wait for that, then." said Soarin'.

"When are you guys going to pop the question to your girls?" Flash asked both Cheese and Soarin'.

"When the moment is right." answered Cheese.

"I'm waiting, too; Rainbow isn't really the romantic type, so I'm trying to propose to her without making it seem cliché."

"Proposing to Fluttershy was way easy. I told her I was meeting her for tea, and then I surprised her with a candlelight dinner and made my proposal."

"The day I proposed to Twilight, I took her in the gardens of the Canterlot castle, over by the roses."

"And last week, I made my proposal to AJ. We did a walk in the apple orchards where the apple blossoms were blooming, and there, I took out the ring."

"So hopefully, we gave you boys a couple of ideas." said Discord.

"You know… I think you just did!" pointed Soarin'.

"Really?!" they all said.

"How?" asked Cheese.

"Nah-nah, I'm not revealing anything. I can't have Dash knowing…"

They gave him disappointed looks.

"You can't be serious!" demanded RD.

"I am," said Apple Jack, "it'll be my weddin' gift to him."

"But, Apple Jack, are you sure?" questioned Fluttershy.

"I'm sure."

"Oh, Apple Jack," said Rarity, being touched, "this is so noble of you."

"I guess I pick it up from him. Being the noble dragon he is…" she gave out a yawn.

Cadence said, "I'm sure you are tired. You had a long day and will even have a longer day tomorrow. We should all get rest."

The girls agreed and said their good nights.

The big day came that sunny morning. Already, the wedding party had their breakfast and had gone to get ready. Pip and Apple Bloom were already dress-up and watched the rest of the older ponies making a big deal to finish on time.

"Since my big sis and Spike are still busy, want to go look around?"

"Sure!"

"Oh, wait; do you still have the rings?"

"Here!" he took them out of his pocket.

"Wow, that one sure is shiny!" she looked at the jeweled ring, "I didn't think my sister likes jewels that much."

"Actually, I think this one's Spike's."

"Oh… Well, it's still shiny. I like it."

"Excuse me!" rushed a crystal pony carrying a huge plant.

Both Apple Bloom and Pip had to duck. Once the pony passed them, they stood up sighing.

"That was close!" she said.

"Oh, no!"

"What's wrong?"

"The rings! I must've dropped them!"

"You lost the rings?!"

"I didn't mean to! They must've dropped when that pony came at us!"

"We got to find them or my sister can't marry Spike!"

They rushed after the pony they saw and sure enough, when they found the pony going downstairs with the plant, its leaves were carrying two rings. Apple Bloom was about to shout "stop" when another pony carrying two boxes brushed against the plant. The rings fell off and clanked down the steps. One ring went one way while the other ring went the other way.

"I'll go after Apple Jack's ring; you go after Spike's!" Apple Bloom said.

"Right!" Pip agreed as the kids took their separate ways.

Pip ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. At a moment like this, he definitely wished he was bigger. He finally spotted the sparkly ring; it was heading straight for the dessert table in the castle kitchen. For such a small ring, it had a way to jump on the middle of the table and landed on a heart ice sculpture copying the crystal heart. Poor Pip tried to get to it, but the kitchen was bustling with crystal pony chefs and cooks.

Apple Bloom caught up to the plain ordinary golden band, but to her luck, it moved again when a pony accidently kicked it. A castle door was opened by another pony and the ring went outside to the Crystal Stadium. The former crusader saw track ponies practicing their sprints; she caught a hint of gold on the tracks and with a determined look on her face, she ran on with the runners.

Pip had trouble crossing the traffic of ponies moving around. He then saw a stack of cushions and jumped on them. Unfortunately, since they weren't stable in the first place, they fell. One of the cushions fell on the dessert table, throwing pastries into the air and smacking into ponies' faces. The ice sculpture tipped over and the ring went bouncing off again.

The sprinters were nearing the end of their lap and to their surprise, a young red-haired filly went racing passing them. Apple Bloom had the ring in her sights and was about to grab the ring with her mouth until another problem occurred. A blue bird was flying by until it spotted the shiny thing and nose dived to grab it. Apple Bloom screeched to a halt as she saw the bird carrying the ring away.

The ring jumped into the banquet hall where the reception was to take place and a band was rehearsing. There was a piano player, a cello player, and tuba player, and a flugelhorn player. The ring found its way onto the stage of the performers. It caused the flugelhorn player to lose balance and the instrument flew out of his hoof. It broke the open piano stand and with a clank, a key broke off and flew to the cello, on which it broke the string. The key then played tiddlywinks with the ring and it landed into the tuba, on which the player had a hard time blowing. Pip knew then he couldn't get the ring out and would need help, but who could he ask?

Apple Bloom chased the bird from the ground, following it around the Empire. Her legs were getting tired and felt like giving up, but then the bird rested on top of a nest that was on top of the Crystal Empire Library. There was no way she could reach up there. She needed help, but who could she get?

Pipsqueak explained to Twilight about the whole situation and begged for her help to get the ring out of the tuba. With a nod, Twilight used a spell to break up the tuba and the ring came popping out! It would have bounced again, if not for Twilight grabbing it with her magic and handing it to Pip.

"Now don't lose it this time."

"I won't!" he quickly put it back in his pocket.

Apple Bloom pointed out the place to Fluttershy. The pegasus used her bird call and got the blue bird's attention. Using her charm on the bird, it complied to her beckoning and went back to retrieve the ring, which landed it at Apple Bloom's feet.

"Thank you, Mr. Bird." said Fluttershy.

The bird tweeted and went back to its nest.

"Now, the next time there's a problem like this, come straight to us, okay?"

"Don't worry, I will."

The throne room was gleaming as guests gathered for the ceremony to begin. Cadence sat on top of her throne while the groom and his ushers were on her left, as the bridesmaids were on her right. Shining Armor and Skyla were in the front row with Big Mac, Cheerilee, and Granny Smith.

The wedding march sounded off and two crystal guards opened the doors. Apple Bloom jumped in throwing the flower petals and Pip was right behind her carrying the rings on a pillow on his back. Once they took their places near the altar, the crowd turned to the entrance. Two crystal ponies had palm leaves covering something; as they lifted them up, it revealed Apple Jack. Spike smiled widely while his ushers were slack-jawed. Never had they seen the cowgirl like this.

She started walking down; her gown was as simple as they come, nothing fancy. However, her blond mane was up with her veil on top and part of the veil went over her eyes. When she reached the end, she smiled at her dragon as he returned the smile.

Cadence spoke loudly and clearly, "Mares and gentlecolts, today we celebrate a love so special that you don't have to be the same species to feel it. Spike and Apple Jack, your love grew over time. What started as a friendship slowly turned into love. You've been tested to see if your love would prevail, and it did… Now, I believe you would like to say a few words to each other."

Spike started, "AJ, we didn't have love at first sight like most couples, but I believe we have something better… Whenever I'm in trouble, I can always count on you to get me out of it…"

"I didn't feel our connection right away, but I sure am glad as to when I did… I want you to be happy, Spike… That's why… We should live in the Crystal Empire…"

The crowd murmured in excitement while the boys were shocked, even Spike, who went speechless.

"Spike?" Cadence questioned.

He shook out of his shock and sputtered, "Are… Are you sure? Because I was going to talk to you about it after the wedding…"

"I'm sure. You love being a hero… Especially since you are my hero…"

The girls awed to the statement.

"Oh, AJ…" he took her hoof, "What about your happiness? I refuse to live in a place that's going to make my wife unhappy… As you said, I love being a hero, but I love being your hero more…"

The girls awed again. Discord took out a hankie and wiped his eyes. He passed it to Cheese, who was sniffling.

Cadence smiled, "So, I take it your decision is…"

Spike said, "Home. We belong back in Pony-Ville."

"You said it!" AJ agreed with near tears of joy.

"Looks like it's the perfect time for the rings…" she turned her head to Pip, who moved to her. Cadence magically took the golden ring on a chain and placed it around Apple Jack's neck. Then, she put the jeweled ring on Spike's claw, "I now pronounce you Mare and Dragon."

The guests applauded and cheered as Applejack and Spike moved into a passionate kiss.

"Wow…" breathed Apple Jewel.

"Whoa…" said Apple Shield.

Apple Butter and Apple Sprout nodded dumbfounded.

"So…" Apple Jewel pointed, "You were given a choice to live in the Crystal Empire because Dad was a big shot, but Dad didn't want that."

"That day, he really was my hero." she gave her husband a loving glance.

Spike returned that glance, "And it was the best choice I made. Your mother was happy, I was happy, and we gained you two in the process."

"And that's a good thing, right?" said Apple Shield.

"You're darn tootin' it is! Come here, you little squirt!" she grabbed hold of her son and started to tickle him.

Spike did the same to Apple Jewel and pretty soon, it became a tickle-fest for the whole family.

AN: That's three! Just three left! The more I think about it, Spike and AJ are more for each other than people think. Rarity may have caught Spike's eye first, but AJ will be the apple of his eye in the end. They've got so many connections: Spike doesn't have parents (since Twilight more or less took him in) and Apple Jack's parents are nowhere to be seen. The show has given us hints of them being a possible couple in the future, having 'Spike at Your Service' being the biggest hint of them all. So, sorry, Spirarity, but I think Spike would be afraid to stand up to his wife. At least with AJ as his wife, they would work something out as a team like any other couple should. Okay, with that said, Rainbow, get ready to put on a wedding dress because you're going to get married next!