Fallen Eagle

Chapter 61: Another Canterlot Wedding Part 2

Phew, so I'm glad to finally have this chapter complete! I really, really tried to get this chapter out as soon as possible, but life continued to get in the way. However, it's complete and I hope the wait was worth it. Anyway, I suppose some people may want me to say a few words about the Season 6 finale. Well, you can watch my review of it on my YouTube channel, but in a quick summary, I freaking LOVED the finale.

Sassymouse: There will DEFINITELY be more Luna/Ivan buddy buddy scenes in the future! I really love writing them as friends. Also, here's the bill for my hearing aid!

headreviewer mk2: Oh there was definitely heightened security, even more than the last wedding. I just didn't think it was worth mentioning since it was all about Luna and Checkered.

dixie: Thanks...I really can't believe the drive I still have to finish this story, and that a lot of people are still staying here. And Checkered kept it from Luna (even though he loves and trusts her) because it's REALLY a sensitive issue for him. Which is pretty much why he works hard to be the best at racing and why he treats his fans like family; he doesn't want others to feel like a burden or abandoned.

WarHusky2000: Well, the reception is here!

Monkeyboy0118: Wow, thanks man. I'm glad my stories can make people happy as well as entertain.

SquirtlePWN: Thank you very much! I've been jotting down ideas for their vows EVER SINCE Checkered was created to make sure they were perfect and not bland or by the book. Especially since she's marrying an Earth Pony which we know some unicorns see as the lowest class of ponies, they had to be special. And because I really wanted to show these two characters really love each other. As for Blueblood, I needed to show that yes, he's changing the way he sees the world, but he can't just do a 180 immediately. I want him to develop at a natural pace. And just in case you have doubts, he 100% wants to learn how to be a leader like his two aunts and earn the title of prince. He's really sorry for how he's acted previously and wants to turn over a new leaf

SkullSlim690: Thank you

NoOne: You're welcome bro!

OBSERVER01: Well, I have some ideas for Trixie...

ShiningShadow1965: I can tell you right now that Blueblood has nothing to do with being a traitor. His intentions on becoming a leader like his two aunts are 100% true.

That's all I have to say guys. Please review this chapter as always, and I hope the extra wait was worth it, especially for you FlutterCord and Sparity fans... ;)

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(Castle Gardens; Ivan's POV)

Once Luna and Checkered were officially married, and the Wonderbolts minus Rainbow did their flyover, it didn't take long at all for everyone to move on out to the castle gardens where everything was already set up. Though, since it was Pinkie who'd planned everything for the reception, it wasn't shocking at all for things to shift that quickly. However, things couldn't move on to Luna tossing the bouquet or Checkered removing her garter just yet. "Hold on everypony!" Cadence announced as we'd barely started to file everyone into the area. "We can't move on until every guest is here!"

"Oh my Celestia!" Lyra exclaimed, hanging a foreleg over Bon Bon's back while the line of guests continued to pour in, "I hope I can catch Princess Luna's bouquet!" She squealed in excitement.

"Uh uh!" Bon Bon shook her head. "You're already married to me; you can't catch the bouquet!" She countered. I personally never believed that mumbo jumbo about the pair that caught the bouquet and garter would be next in line to get married. To each other or different partners though depends on which superstition you believed.

"Oh you're no fun, Bonnie," Lyra stuck out her tongue. Her earth pony wife scoffed and rolled her eyes, squeezing Lyra tighter with her own foreleg.

"That's not what you told me last night," she purred. Okay, now was about the time to cover Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle's ears, but thankfully Rarity stepped in and didn't actually change the subject. The seamstress played off Lyra's original statement.

"Then leave some room for the singles, darling," she politely pushed past the unicorn and earth pony couple. "Momma's going to catch her a princess bouquet!" She gushed with big blue eyes.

"Or you know, those who aren't married?" Soarin suggested, giving Rainbow a little shove. The cyan mare's cheeks faded to light pink before she shook her head, glaring at the Wonderbolt captain.

"Don't get any ideas, Soar," she warned.

"Aw, I'm just havin' a little fun, Dashie," Soarin tickled his wing under her chin. Albeit playfully, Rainbow's face fell flat before she lightly smacked her boyfriend's wing away, yet still leaned up against his torso.

"Maybe we should get Luna to throw it to Cheerilee," I whispered to Applejack, who began snorting and trying to contain her laughter.

"I-Imagine the look on Big Mac's face!" She snickered in the direction of the unsuspecting couple. Luckily though, Granny Smith and obviously Applebloom fully supported accepting Cheerilee to the Apple family. And if they allowed a vote from me, I'd be all for it.

"Hey Twily," Shining Armor gently nudged his little sister. "Why don't you try catching the bouquet?" He asked, clearly doing it just to push the alicorn's buttons. Twilight's eyes immediately expanded in shock as she took a quick look at Flash Sentry who was standing beside her.

"Sh-Shining! You know I-I don't believe in that superstition!" Twilight stuttered, darting her eyes from side to side as a few beads of sweat rolled down the sides of her face.

"Well if you don't believe in it, then what's there to get so worked up about, little sis?" Shining grinned, relishing in pulling Twilight's leg. The purple mare searched around for a legitimate answer, but found none.

"Maybe because she doesn't want certain some ponies to make a big deal about it?" An unlikely hero for Twilight voiced their opinion. "Especially since she and Flash Sentry have only just begun repairing their relationship?" Discord added, sipping some punch. Ah yes, the draconequus was referencing Lyra and Bon Bon's wedding where some mare named Rose Luck caught the bouquet, and her friends and Pinkie went apeshit over it. Hopefully whoever catches the bouquet and garter won't be bombarded by their friends. "What?" Discord rose a curious eyebrow when nearly everyone who'd heard him just stared at him.

"We uh….just didn't expect that answer out of you," Flash admitted.

"Are you feeling okay?" Spike asked.

"Oh," Discord rolled his eyes, "I pull fun at ponies and I'm being too mean; I try to help save a friend from embarrassment and suddenly I must be on my death bed!" Obviously he was joking; Fluttershy even giggled at his response.

"Well, he's not wrong," Twilight confessed, rubbing at her shoulder. Flash moved to place a gentle hoof upon his marefriend's back, but a certain pink pony slipped in between them, wrapping her forelegs around both Twilight and Flash's necks.

"Aww, don't worry guys!" Pinkie squeezed the alicorn and pegasus. "We're your friends; we wouldn't make too big a deal if you caught the bouquet or garter!" Both the mare and stallion struggled uncomfortably in Pinkie's iron grip, yet they were still able to cast disbelieving looks at Pinkie Pie.

"Maybe some of you wouldn't," Flash replied flatly.

"Come on, Flashy!" Pinkie grinned. "I only got excited about it with Rose because she believes in it. If it happened to any of you girls, I wouldn't drag it on if it annoyed you or made you uncomfortable." At that point, both Twilight and Flash tapped Pinkie on her sides with their wings. "Oops, sorry!" She sang before releasing them.

"Honestly, it's better to have friends poke a little fun at you than not knowing what strangers believe in," I remarked, scratching behind Applejack's ear.

"And sometimes family," Twilight added, squinting her eyes at Shining Armor.

"Just because you're all grown up, a princess, and have a coltfriend doesn't mean I won't stop having a little fun with you, Twily," Shining chuckled reassuringly. "Besides, you don't seem to mind when Cadence does it," he added with a quick ruffle to his sister's mane.

"Even if it is just for fun," Flash replied, slowly putting his wing around Twilight's back, "I still like the pace we're going at, Twilight." The princess giggled and leaned in closer to the orange pegasus, nuzzling herself against the crook of his neck.

"Excuse me?" A familiar British-like accent called out.

"Dr. Whooves!" Twilight exclaimed happily. I suppose she was glad to finally change the subject. She gave a quick nuzzle to Flash's cheek before approaching her scientific colleague and shaking his hoof. "Glad to see you made it. I apologize I couldn't say hello to you earlier."

"Oh it's quite all right your highness," the scientist shrugged. "A small break from the lab is just what I needed. Though, I'm not interrupting am I?"

"Nah, we're just waiting for Luna and Checkered to do the bouquet and garter thing," Spike pointed toward the couple with his thumb. Dr. Whooves looked toward the bride and groomed and hummed.

"Right, right, of course!" He grinned. "I just wanted to come by and let you know that I have successfully reverse engineered the long range radio system from your craft, Mr. Cougar!" The stallion announced, pointing a hoof at my direction. My mind blanked for a second before the memory of him coming by Applejack's house came flooding back. Honestly, ever since that particular morning, so much had happened to our group of friends that I'd forgotten that Dr. Whooves was poking around with my jet's radio and my portable two-way radio. But, just as I was about to say anything, Twilight's loud gasp interrupted me.

"Oh no!" She quickly slapped her hoof on top of her head. "Doctor, I'm so sorry I haven't been able to-"

"Ms. Sparkle, there's no need to apologize to me. I understand how important your duties to Equestria are," he waved his hoof around. "It'd be unfair to expect you to drop whatever it is you're doing in order to help me," the stallion assured her.

"I know, but you did ask if I could help weeks ago, and I've just been so busy lately helping other friends, helping with the wedding, and plus I have my own personal student to teach," Twilight explained.

"Student eh?" Dr. Whooves appeared intrigued. "As in a student of science perhaps?"

"No, I'm helping her learn about how to make and…..keep…..friendships," Twilight trailed off, her head slowly lowering to the ground.

"Hey Twilight, are you okay?" I asked with concern. I've seen her manage stress really well with the breathing techniques Cadence showed her, but I've never seen her do this before. "Need a drink?" I added.

"No, no; I'm fine," Twilight held up a hoof. "Doctor Whooves, I think I may have an idea that could benefit everypony!" The alicorn squealed with excitement.

"O-Oh! Do go on then, Ms. Sparkle," the scientist sounded unsure if he should be interested or put off by Twilight's ebullience, leaning a bit back from the alicorn. No one knew what Twilight's game was, so we just sat back and let it play out.

"Starlight, could you come over for second please?" Twilight asked her unicorn student who was mingling with Trixie near the snack table.

"What is it, Twilight?" Starlight trotted over, leaving Trixie by the snack table for the time being.

"Starlight, I'd like you to meet my fellow scientific friend, Dr. Whooves!" Twilight introduced. "And Dr. Whooves, this is my personal protege, Starlight Glimmer!" As polite as an Englishman from my world, Dr. Whooves smiled and graciously held out a hoof to shake Starlight's. However, upon realizing that Twilight was introducing her to a friend of Twilight's, Starlight looked a bit timid.

"A pleasure to meet you, Ms. Glimmer."

"Uh…h-hi," Starlight muttered, her hoof trembling as she grabbed ahold of Dr. Whooves' and barely shook it. "W-what did Twilight say your name was?"

"Dr. Whooves," the earth pony replied incredulously, raising an eyebrow at Starlight's lack of confidence. "Though, if I may ask, what troubles you, my dear?" He asked so kindly.

"Sorry Doctor," the light pink mare apologized. "I-I've just had trouble in the friend department before."

"I'm just trying to assist in her studies by introducing her to potential new friends," Twilight quickly explained before the doctor could even ask.

"Well, on the hooves practice is the best practice there is!" Dr. Whooves exclaimed triumphantly. "And if Princess Twilight believes I could help you, Ms. Glimmer, then by all means, you may consider me a friend," he grinned.

"Oh! Th-thank you," Starlight wiped some sweat from her brow nervously.

"You know, Doctor, Starlight also managed to travel some twenty-odd years back in time," Twilight threw in nonchalantly. The mare might as well have told him his lab was being foreclosed on because I swear the tan colored stallion had the exact same facial expression that Doc Brown had when Marty McFly told him about his knowledge of the Flux Capacitor.

"B-by Celestia's mane!" He blurted in astonishment. I'm not too sure how many other guests had heard them, but if they did, they paid us no mind. "How in Equestria did you manage to accomplish such a feat, my dear!?" Starlight uncomfortably shifted her eyes around and bit her lower lip. She didn't appear too thrilled that she had to bring up her act of evil.

"I've uh….you know…been pretty talented with magic? I resurrected an old spell by Starswirl the Bearded," she gulped. I didn't blame her that she left out the important fact of why she resurrected the spell; I barely knew the stallion myself, so I had no way of knowing how he'd react even with Twilight's stamp of approval on their pending friendship.

"Mom," Applejack, Starlight, Flash, and I were close enough to hear Spike whispering to Twilight. "How does Starlight making friends with Dr. Whooves help him?" Twilight simply ruffled her son's spines without breathing a word, holding his head in place so he could watch.

With a hearty chuckle, the good doctor politely placed a hoof on Starlight's shoulder. "Ms. Glimmer, have you ever given any thought in joining the world of science?"

"I-what?" Starlight blinked, puzzled by the out of nowhere question.

"I do believe science and mathematics can explain things far better than magic, however, I do not dismiss the immense capabilities that magic itself has," he explained. "Combining the two, having them work hoof in hoof, is the best chance to make life as best as it could be. And as you can see, I'm quite the limited one when it comes to magic, hence why I loved collaborating with Ms. Twilight here," the doctor pointed to the alicorn. "But with her royal duties, and having to teach you on her free time, I was wondering if, when you yourself have time available, you would like to become my part-time lab assistant? Not just for working on time travel, but with other experiments and inventions I work on, such as these radios I've reverse engineered?"

"Me? You really want me to have a role like that?" Starlight did a double take.

"Well, my last lab assistant was recently promoted to Postmaster of the Ponyville Post Office, so she's had far less time to help me. Plus, since your instructor wants you to make new friends, this could be a good opportunity to help you," Dr. Whooves added. Starlight looked back at all of us for some advice on what to do. The only thing Twilight did was grin gleefully and nod her head.

"Um….sure," Starlight said as she turned back to the stallion. "It sounds like it could be fun," she added, offering him a grin of her own.

"Haha! Excellent, excellent!" Dr. Whooves cheered. "I'm sure Ms. Twilight will show you were my lab is located; stop by whenever you can, my dear." The doctor held out his hoof once again. This time Starlight shook it with a little more confidence on her face, a small smile showing up.

"Thank you, Doctor," she said.

"Oh please, as my assistant, you may call me Emmett."

"Okay…Emmett," Starlight corrected herself.

"Now, I do believe you all were mingling amongst yourselves; I'll just go enjoy the rest of this lovely reception your friend planned," the pony of science winked at Pinkie Pie before trotting off to the snack table.

"Didn't see that happenin'," Applejack scratched the side of her head.

"At least Starlight made a new friend," Fluttershy pointed out. "Good call Twilight!" She complimented. However, not everyone was particularly happy. Starlight whirled around, looking ready to explode at Twilight.

"What….was….that….Twilight?!" She demanded, snorting steam out of her nose and glaring at her teacher.

"W-what do you mean?" Twilight jumped, her ears flat on her head. "I-I just wanted to help you make new friends!"

"I get that, but couldn't you have pulled us to the side in private to talk about it?" Starlight asked in a hurt voice. "I mean, did you have to put me on the spot in front of everypony for that?"

"Oh…." Twilight realized her faux pas. "I'm sorry Starlight, I just saw an opportunity for both you and Dr. Whooves to help each other that I didn't want to pass up."

"Still, couldn't you have asked him to meet you later and have me wait with you while everypony else was busy?" Starlight started to calm down. "You know I'm still getting used to this; I made friends with Trixie because it was just the two of us with nopony else to make a big deal about it or judge my performance."

"Uh, nopony here would've judged you, Starlight," Spike replied assuringly.

"It's okay Spike," Twilight gently put her hoof to his chest. "It's reasonable that Starlight was scared to be put in the center of attention for that. She needs to learn at her own pace, not the pace I want her to learn. And I shouldn't try to force her into a friendship," Twilight solemnly walked over and slowly held out her hoof. "I'm sorry I've been such a horrible teacher today, Starlight," she apologized. Starlight actually let out a long, winded sigh before accepting Twilight's hoof.

"At least you have my best interests at the height of your concern," Starlight replied. "And I forgive you, but I honestly am looking forward to being friends with Dr. Whooves," she looked back over at the stallion, "if I can somehow help him accomplish something. I've never worked too much with science before, but trying new things is what friends do…right?" She asked to a sea of nodding heads.

"Oh, just you wait!" Pinkie squealed. "Helping a friend finish something is one of the best feelings in the whole wide world! Well, other than mastering the theremin," she shrugged.

"Hey, think of it this way," Rainbow's scratchy voice cut in. "You're getting the hang of this faster than Dickcord over here," she jabbed her hoof in Discord's direction.

"And just when did friendship become a competition, cripple?" Discord asked in a low growl, getting close to Rainbow's face, only for the mare to blow a raspberry at him. "Harrumph! I'm on my best behavior and get no respect for it," he grumbled. Fluttershy appeared to open her mouth to reassure him or something, but the blaring the royal trumpets cut her off.

"All right, finally!" Vinyl cheered, getting anxious about the two of us playing the song for Luna and Checkered. Well, I'd select the song and she'd actually play it.

"Thank you for your patience, mares and gentlecolts," Celestia announced as soon as the blaring of the royal trumpets died down. Luna and Checkered were standing side by side, just patiently waiting for the next step in their wedding. "And now, the lovely couple will now follow through with the traditional tossing of the bouquet and removal of the garter!" The Princess of the Sun concluded before galloping her way into the crowd with a giant grin on her face.

"Is it really fair for family members to try and catch it?" I leaned over and asked Twilight.

"Technically there's no rule against it, though I can see why some would disapprove of it," she shrugged. Pinkie Pie, however, shushed the both of us, having just as big a grin as Celestia.

"Here goes!" Luna exclaimed, lighting up her bouquet with her silvery magic. Even before she threw the damn thing, I could feel a tenseness in the air. About 99% of the mares in the crowd leaned forward, eyes locked on the bundle of flowers like a hawk on a mouse. Since there weren't too many guests at Lyra and Bon Bon's wedding, there wasn't a ferocious scramble for Lyra's bouquet. Though since this was Luna's, it might turn into a feeding frenzy. With a mighty heave of her magic, Luna tossed the flowers into the air toward the crowd. Somehow, some way, all of the guys in our group of friends simultaneously took a step back just as the bouquet arced its way directly toward us. Discord even yanked Fluttershy back and put himself in front of her so she wouldn't be in the line of fire.

"IT'S MINE!"

"I WANT IT!"

"OUTTA MY WAY!" Came the mad and rabid cries of the female guests as they lunged for their desired treasure like a shark going in for the kill.

"We could probably sell tickets to this," Soarin bumped his elbow into Big Mac's side amidst the chaos. Although I was pretty sure that the infirmary might be getting a few patients tonight, the mares were so fucking crazy about catching this thing that none of them could actually catch it. It bounced to and fro from their hooves, off their heads, and off their backs like all twenty-two football players on the field scrambling for the ball in the Super Bowl. That is…..until one mare in particular leapt up and over the crowd, performing a front flip as she snatched the bouquet out of the air.

"YES! I DID IT! IT'S MINE! ALL MINE!" Rarity squealed and jumped around excitedly on her hind legs, hugging the bouquet close. "BACK! BACK AWAY YOU CANNIBALS!" She growled, charging up her horn at the jealous mares who'd failed.

"Calm down, Rare," Applejack said dryly.

"Yeah, it's just a bunch of flowers," Rainbow agreed while everyone who leapt for the bouquet picked themselves up. "I mean, look all around you; we're in a garden for Celestia's sake!" The seamstress gasped almost as if Rainbow had offended her.

"Well then! You couldn't handle the responsibility of receiving the bride's bouquet!" She harrumphed and brushed a strand of her mane out of her eye.

"Hey, why didn't you go for it?" I asked Celestia, noticing she actually hadn't moved at all since she got out of her sister's way.

"Oh, I just like watching the show that follows," the alicorn smiled knowingly, trying to feign innocence. "I wanted to make sure I had a front row seat," she added with a pat to my back.

"Ahem," Luna cleared her throat. "Not to be too pushy, but is everypony ready for things to move along?" She inquired after sitting down in a chair. Luckily, and I do mean luckily, us guys were a lot more calm and collective about the whole garter thing than the girls were about the bouquet. Although it is tradition, going apeshit over this stuff is a bit immature in my eyes, no matter how entertaining things could be.

Once things had settled back down, Checkered got down onto his hind knees and wriggled his eyebrows at Luna, who blushed in returned. As the stallion reached up and under his wife's silver and blue dress, there was a collective, 'Ooohhh,' from the audience. Only since this was a royal wedding and the maturity levels were a bit higher than the average wedding, it wasn't hard to discern who was making those noises.

"Don't enjoy yourself too much there, Checkered!" Discord commented. "You've already put a colt in her!"

Zap

The draconequus coughed up some smoke after Celestia zapped him with a bolt of lightning for his words. However, Celestia may have acted a bit too quickly for what Discord had said. Luna was making some rather bold comments herself. "Oh ho Checkered! Wait until the honeymoon," she giggled and blushed at the same time before Checkered's hooves reappeared. Without even looking, the stallion flung the garter into the air behind him, instead focusing on locking lips with his wife.

"Heads up!" Soarin called.

"Hey!" Big Mac exclaimed when, out of nowhere, Applebloom tried to push him under the garter so it'd land somewhere on him. My heart rate rose just a bit when I realized that Checkered had tossed the garter in our direction. Even though I didn't believe in this myth about catching the bouquet and garter, it'd just feel a bit weird if I had caught it only recently after walking Luna down the aisle.

"Uh-oh," a male voice expressed once the garment had landed. Since he was standing beside me, I could see how red Spike's face was getting when he reached up and pulled the intimate piece of clothing off of the spines on his head.

"Way to go Spike!" Flash teased, grinning and patting the dragon's back. Twilight even had trouble holding back a snicker or two at her son's embarrassed face.

"Uhhhh," Spike droned as the garter hung loosely in his claws. "What…..what do I do with it exactly?"

"Why you keep it of course, Spikey!" Rarity giggled, running her hooves gently over his head while holding her new bouquet within her magic. "For good luck that you'll find your special somepony," she added. That really didn't help the drake's uncomfortable demeanor as his purple scales continued to turn red. With an audible gulp, Spike nervously darted his around before jamming the garter into the pocket of his tuxedo and downing the rest of his punch. Too bad for him though; all of the girls in our group giggled at just how anxious he was about it. I suppose since it belonged to Luna, it only made him that much more nervous that an intimate piece of clothing came from someone like her. If it had come from Rarity, he probably would've fainted; Twilight….he most likely would've screamed.

"Yo Coug!" Someone announced my shortened callsign. I jerked my head in the direction the voice came from to see Vinyl waving her hoof for me to come over.

"Right," I said in realization that my turn was up. In fact, Luna and Checkered had already removed the chair from the dance floor and were politely waiting for me to move my ass.

"Go on 'n make 'em proud, Sugarcube," Applejack gave me a gentle push in Vinyl's direction. I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before jogging over with practically everyone's eyes watching my every step. I'm sure with the type of 'elite' crowd here this evening, they might not expect much out of my song choice despite Pinkie throwing Cadence and Shining Armor's reception a few years ago. But since the last reception here was a hit, the elites may have brought broader minds. If only they were all like Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis.

"Got the goods?" Vinyl asked me as I fumbled my hands into my pockets in search of my phone.

"Right here," I pulled my phone out of my pocket with a grin. The DJ mare returned my grin, levitating the audio cable over and inserting it into the device's headphone jack. The speakers emitted a tiny amount of crackling as my thumb scrolled through my numerous playlists until I settled on the one song literally everyone was waiting for. With a quick sigh, I looked up at the happy and excited couple waiting to begin their dance, but not before shifting my gaze to Applejack. Of course she was intrigued by the fact that it was a country song, but I was hoping she'd be able to look past that fact and understand why I had selected this tune in particular. While it was strictly about a recently married couple, and a few lyrics would hit home with Luna, the song really could fit any couple. I was crossing my fingers that all of my coupled friends would enjoy it. I gave my girlfriend a wink before turning back to Luna and Checkered, giving them a thumbs up with my free hand before clicking on the song.

And as the first few piano and guitar notes played through the speakers, the midnight blue alicorn and light grey earth pony began their dance. I couldn't deny it whatsoever; seeing Checkered nuzzle into Luna's neck instead of the other way around due to her being taller was pretty adorable.

I see the questions in your eyes

I know what's weighing on your mind

But you can be sure I know my part

'Cause I'll stand beside you through the years

You'll only cry those happy tears

And though I'll make mistakes

I'll never break your heart

I swear

By the moon and stars in the sky

I'll be there

I swear

Like the shadow that's by your side

I'll be there

For better or worse

Till death do us part

I'll love you with every beat of my heart

I swear

I'll give you everything I can

I'll build your dreams with these two hands

We'll hang some memories on the wall

And when there's silver in your hair

You won't have to ask if I still care

'Cause as time turns the page

My love won't age at all

I swear

By the moon and stars in the sky

I'll be there

I swear

Like the shadow that's by your side

I'll be there

For better or worse

Till death do us part

I'll love you with every beat of my heart

I swear

As the bridge of the song hit, and the guitar went into a solo, everyone's jaw dropped and their eyes lit up. Luna's silvery magic crept out of her horn and engulfed both herself and her husband as they continued to twirl and sway around together. The two then slowly levitated off the ground, stopping until they were about ten feet up, still dancing with each other as if nothing had happened. Checkered slipped his forelegs around Luna's neck and stood up on his hind legs, hugging her close. Luna on the other hand smiled warmly and rested her chin on his black and white mane, nuzzling him tenderly while her wings blanketed around his back. The guests cheered, albeit politely, for the couple's display, happy for the two.

This, however, gave me the opportunity I was looking for. While they were all distracted, I managed to sneak away from behind Vinyl's DJ stand and navigate through the crowd back to my friends. I didn't care that I left my phone behind; it would stop playing once the song was done, and Pinkie had records of party music at the ready. A smirk appeared on my face since none of my friends saw me reappear right behind them, especially Applejack in particular. The orange mare was still staring up at the bride and groom, mesmerized by their dance in the sky.

I wasn't even trying to tease her or be sneaky, I just wanted to really show her that the lyrics resonated with how I felt about her. As gently as I could, I put my hand to the back of her dress, massaging her. She jolted in surprise and snapped her head around to see what was happening, only to have my other hand reach up and softly pet the top of her head underneath her stetson. Applejack gave me a weird look because I was suppose to be with Vinyl, but she eventually couldn't help but smile and roll her head around in the palm of my hand.

I swear

By the moon and stars in the sky

I'll be there

I swear

Like the shadow that's by your side

I'll be there

For better or worse

Till death do us part

Quickly, before the song was ready to end, I scooted forward and crouched down in a squat next to Applejack, still scratching at the base of her neck. She took her eyes off Luna and Checkered again to see what I was doing just in time for me to mouth to her the final lyrics of the song.

I'll love you with every beat of my heart

I swear

I swear

The song gradually quieted down with the final few chords until gently fading away into the ever darkening evening, leaving nothing but the sounds of the royal gardens and the hum of Luna's magic to fill our ears. With no more music, Luna and Checkered opened their eyes and levitated back down to the ground, their hooves 'clacking' softly against the cobblestone. Triumphant cheers almost akin to Dale Earnhardt Jr taking the lead at Talladega filled the air. Hell, Discord even whistled loudly for the couple!

The husband and wife had permanent grins on their faces while they approached us, waving to the crowd that was still cheering for them. "That really was a beautiful song, Cougar," Fluttershy complimented me.

"I wholeheartedly agree, darling!" Rarity chimed in with a sweet smile. "If I ever am lucky enough to settle down, do not be surprised if I come for you for a wedding song, dear," she warned playfully.

"When," Spike cleverly snuck in while I tried to conceal a bit of bashfulness from everyone's praises. The dragon's quick word earned him another giggle and a hug from the mare of his dreams as Rarity cooed from how sweet he was.

"Cougar," Luna said as she and Checkered finally arrived. "We cannot thank you enough for that." The princess didn't even hesitate to throw her forelegs around my shoulders once again and hug me.

"I never had any doubts," Checkered added, chuckling at his wife's tight grip around me. "But, Lulu was right to ask you, Cougar. Do you think you can talk to your friend over there about making a copy of that on record for us?"

"I'll….ugh….ask Vinyl about it tomorrow!" I choked before Luna let me go.

"I kind of wish you came here earlier in time for my reception," Cadence giggled, holding her hoof up to her muzzle. Twilight appearntly took a little offense to that, doing a double take at her sister-in-law. "Oh, you were perfect, Twilight," the Princess of Love ruffled Twilight's mane.

"WHOO-HOO!" Pinkie Pie cheered, jumping to her hind legs on a refreshment table. "Crank it up, Vinyl!"

"In due time, of course," Luna smiled. "As for now, enjoy yourselves!" She exclaimed, wrapping her foreleg around Checkered's neck and hoisting up a cup of punch.

"Yer a genius, Sugarcube," Applejack told me once everyone had gone to get some more refreshments or get on the dance floor.

"I told you you'd like it, hun," I brushed a loose piece of her mane out of her face before planting my mouth onto hers.

---

(Halfway through the party; with Discord)

The lord of chaos grumbled to himself, his back leaning against the main refreshment table of the reception party. Discord's eagle talons were curled around a cup full of punch while his lion paw drummed itself on the tabletop behind him. Sometime had passed since Princess Luna and her husband, Checkered Flag, had their first dance, and the reception was now in full swing. 'I suppose Moonbutt will force us to address him as prince in formal settings from now on,' Discord rolled his yellow and red eyes, his thoughts keeping him company as his friends were busy partying.

He needed a break for himself, even at the cost of not spending time with Fluttershy. After the bride and groom's dance, and the couple's dance, Luna had the idea of having the guests dance with those that they did not accompany to the wedding. Of course some ponies were happy with their new dance partners, such as Flash Sentry with Princess Cadence, Spike with Celestia (after having danced with Rarity which left him a tad speechless afterwards), Prince Blueblood with Trixie, Cougar with Luna, and so and so forth. Despite Discord's happiness at getting to share a dance with Fluttershy, he was unfortunately stuck dancing with quite possibly the only pony that actually frightened him: Pinkie Pie.

"I swear that mare is purposely skipping some medication," the draconequus said under his breath, sipping his drink. "Hmmm," he frowned, bringing up his lion's paw and snapping his fingers. The purple colored drink turned a shade darker before he took another sip. "Much better," he licked his lips as the now spiked punch refreshed him. Sure, he liked having tea most of the time with Fluttershy, but he didn't mind having something a little stronger every now and then. Still….he hated being away from Fluttershy, even if he got to spend all morning with her and her songbirds. 'I do need to give her a proper thank you for taking me as her personal guest,' Discord tugged at his goatee. Casting his gaze around, his eyes locked onto an entrance into the garden's maze. He knew how excited his pegasus friend was about animals; the gardens were filled with exotic creatures she'd fawn over. Plus, everyone was well aware that Fluttershy enjoyed peace and quiet. "Aha!" Discord exclaimed, getting the perfect idea to spend some one on one time with his favorite pony. "A quiet little stroll under Luna's night sky should suffice for Fluttershy," he said to himself.

"You know, talking to yourself is a sign of insanity," Trixie said to the draconequus with a raised eyebrow, levitating numerous peanut butter crackers onto a plate. Discord frowned at the illusionist and flipped the plate over, spilling the snacks onto the ground.

"Look who's talking, Ms. Third-Pony point of view," Discord replied dryly, purposely stepping onto the crackers while Trixie watched on in horror, gasping. Quickly downing the rest of his drink, the mystical being turned and began to scan his eyes around the reception party area for his buttery yellow friend. Sure, he'd been keeping a close eye on Fluttershy and her friends when he was relaxing by himself, but it was easy to lose sight of them in the crowd. It didn't take long, however, for the draconequus to spot the distinguishable light pink tail and heart-shaped mane of Fluttershy across the way of the reception. She appeared to be talking to someone, most likely Rainbow Dash or Rarity, but Discord neither saw nor cared at the moment.

Not wanting to wade through the crowd like a lost tourist, Discord simply snapped his lion's paw and disappeared in a flash of magic. "Oh Fluttershy?" He called out her name once he reappeared behind her. However, with how loud the music was, and the fact that the pegasus was speaking to Rarity and Spike, she didn't hear her chaotic friend at first. "Ahem," Discord clapped his eagle talons and lion paw together without hesitation.

"Huh?" Fluttershy gasped as a light blue bubble materialized right around her, Rarity and Spike. The latter two had actually seen Discord appear, but his impatience didn't grant them the time to alert their friend of his presence. "Oh, hello Discord!" Fluttershy greeted after turning around to see the draconequus occupying the bubble. All noise outside the bubble was muted, giving the foursome some peace and quiet from the music and other guests.

"Just couldn't wait for her to be done talking to Rarity, huh?" Spike scoffed.

"Oh please, I just thought you three would want to hear each other a little better," Discord tried to fib convincingly.

"Uh huh," Rarity squinted, not falling for Discord's lies.

"Well I just as easily could've cut you off from her," the draconequus pointed out. "But I didn't. I just simply wanted to see Fluttershy about something and thought I'd give you the common courtesy of finishing your chit-chat without any distractions," he explained. A couch suddenly appeared with the four, which Discord happily sat upon to patiently wait out the conversation.

"Oh! Actually we were just about-" Fluttershy began before Spike held up a hand.

"Is that…..Rarity's couch?" He asked incredulously, cocking an eyebrow at the lord of chaos.

"WHAT?!" The seamstress shrieked, eyeing the piece of furniture closer. Discord nonchalantly shrugged and picked up a large bucket of popcorn from underneath said couch, tossing some into his mouth.

"You've fainted countless times onto this old thing, so I had to see what the fuss was all about, and my my is it comfy!" He leaned forward and purposefully dug his butt into the cushions to leave an imprint. Spike leapt in between Rarity and Discord to keep the mare from ripping the draconequus' goatee straight from his jaw.

"If you get a single kernel in my cushions!" Rarity snarled, flailing her forelegs about.

"Fear not dearest Rarity," the popcorn and couch disappeared with a snap of Discord's eagle talons. "Your couch won't be harmed at all this evening; you may finish your talk with Fluttershy now," he granted permission to the three.

"Actually, we were just finishing up," Fluttershy giggled at her friends' antics. "I mean uh, if you don't have anything to add, Rarity?" She asked.

"I honestly could use a drink right about now, darling," Rarity groaned tiredly, rubbing her hoof about her eyes. "You can go on with Discord if you'd like." At this point, Spike perked up with a grin, offering the mare his hand.

"Mind if I lead the way, Rarity?" He asked politely, though Discord and Fluttershy could spot a hint of timidness in his voice. Somehow, probably from her frustrations with Discord, Rarity didn't seem to notice this.

"Oh Spike, you'd be my hero!" Rarity exclaimed, accepting his hand with her hoof, allowing him to lead her out of the bubble and to the punchbowl, leaving Discord and Fluttershy alone.

"So," Fluttershy didn't hesitate, "what did you want to talk to me about?" She asked innocently with her usual warm and friendly smile. Discord was busy giving Spike a double thumbs up and a cheesy grin before realizing Fluttershy had said something.

"Oh, ahem," he cleared his throat into his lion's paw. "Well, I was just wondering….the party's been going for some time now, and I wanted to know if you'd like to take a little breather?" He suggested, tapping his talons and paw together.

"Ooh, what did you have in mind?"

"I don't believe anypony else had wandered off," Discord looked behind at a pathway that led to other parts of the royal garden. "Would you mind a nice, quiet stroll through the garden?" 'Just the two of us?' His thoughts added for him. "Besides, don't you think it's getting to be a bit warm being around all these other ponies?"

"Now that I think about it, I have been feeling a little warm lately," Fluttershy admitted. "But I think a quiet walk in the gardens with the two of us is just the break I needed," Fluttershy smiled in relief. Truthfully, she wanted to get away from the bigger crowd herself, even though she'd spent the majority of the reception with her friends.

"Wonderful!" Discord cheered before catching himself. "Ahem, I mean, how lovely," he cleared his throat before clapping his talons and paw together. In an instant, the noise cancelling bubble popped, and the pegasus and draconequus vanished from the reception party, reappearing in a seemingly empty part of the castle gardens. The first thing that Fluttershy noticed, besides the cool air that felt like heaven on her fur, was she could hear crickets chirping!

"Oh my, it sure is more peaceful," she exhaled happily, enjoying that the music was now a good distance away and wasn't giving off a rumble in her chest from the beat. She took a look around at the beautiful scenery, taking in how serene and calming the noises of the garden at night were. However, when she gazed down toward the end of the pathway Discord had teleported them to, Fluttershy felt a little heaviness in her heart.

"I think it could use just a little touch of chaos," Discord said flatly, leaning his elbow on one of the many statues in the garden. "But I suppose what Luna and Celestia do with the place is…..passable," he shrugged. "Is something the matter?" Discord asked, noticing that Fluttershy had sort of a sad look on her face as she slowly trotted past him. "Are you feeling a bit famished, Fluttershy?" A plate of vanilla cream cookies materialized into Discord's lion paw.

"I'm sorry Discord," the animal lover apologized with a sigh, stopping at the end of the path and turning back to look at her friend. "I just….didn't realize how special the gardens were to us," she explained, mustering up a smile.

"Special? Us?" Discord flung the plate behind him like a frisbee before disappearing and reappearing beside his pegasus friend.

"I mean our friends and you," Fluttershy corrected, pointing around the bend. Discord removed his orange top hat, popped open his head, and gave a little scratch to his brain before taking a peek at where Fluttershy was gesturing.

"The hedge maze?"

"You know, where we all met you in pony and you uh," Fluttershy paused, afraid of saying the wrong thing. However, she didn't have to worry about finishing her sentence. Discord himself took a few steps forward, his arms hanging loosely at his sides, dropping his top hat to the ground as his ears and even deer antler and gazelle horn drooped sadly.

"Trapped you all in here and tormented you for my own amusement," Discord finished shamefully. Fluttershy sensed the guilt in his voice and was at his side in no time, patting his arm to comfort him.

"Aw, it's okay Discord; it's all in the past," Fluttershy cooed. "I know what you did was…."

"Evil, selfish, cruel, I could go on," the draconequus said lowly, thumbing through a thesaurus before gently sitting down on a stone bench. "I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, dear Fluttershy, but sugarcoating what I did won't help a thing."

"Look at how much you've changed since then!" The pegasus continued her pursuit, flapping her wings until she was hovering at Discord's eye level. "You've made amends with the princesses, helped Cougar adjust to his new life, and made friends with Twilight, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, Applejack, and me."

"Again, I'm grateful that you're trying to cheer me up," Discord clicked his tongue. "But no matter how much I change or what good I do, the past is forever, and nothing we can do can alter that." Fluttershy pouted yet gently rubbed her hoof in between Discord's antler and horn.

"But it isn't fair to you to only focus on your past, Discord," she pointed out.

"But it isn't good to ignore it either," Discord retorted, clenching his eagle claw and lion paw on the stone bench. "As sweet as you are Fluttershy, I was a monster before; anypony who denies it is a fool. I know it happened before we were friends…..but," Discord suddenly took ahold of one of Fluttershy's hooves in his eagle claw, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry for putting you and your friends through that nightmare and driving you apart."

"Oh Discord," Fluttershy removed her hoof, only to eagerly envelope Discord's orange tuxedo and slender frame in a hug. The draconequus froze, allowing a bit of a blush to appear on his cheeks before he patted his friend's back in between her wings. "I forgive you!" She exclaimed happily.

"And…I'm sorry for what I did to you during Tirek's attack," Discord added solemnly.

"But you told me that siding with Tirek was a plan to double cross him," Fluttershy pulled away, looking at her friend in bewilderment.

"Oh it was, but I should've stopped him earlier with Twilight's help before you were all imprisoned, and before I made you cry," Discord's voice seemed to crack a little. "That in of itself should be a punishable crime," he added, looking down at the path below.

"Discord, I forgave you before," Fluttershy gently pushed his head back up with her hoof, "what kind of friend would I be to take it away?" She questioned with a warm giggle.

"You know," he chuckled in reply, standing up from his seat and allowing Fluttershy to let go. "I'm glad I was able to get that off my chest, but I did have a motive for wanting to take a private walk with you, my friend," he grinned.

"Oh?" Fluttershy raised her eyebrow.

"I really wanted to thank you for being patient with me, showing me the true power of friendship, and for taking me as your plus one to the wedding," he explained, raising his eagle claw up to the sky, "but now I suppose it's also a way to apologize for my past mistakes," the lord of chaos swept his eagle claw downward. Fluttershy, however, didn't follow the motion of his claw. Instead, she took a step forward, her mouth nearly becoming unhinged from her jaw at what she was witnessing.

"Discord…." she said in a whispered awe. A few stars above in Luna's night sky began to swirl around like snowflakes blowing in a gentle breeze, flowing down toward Fluttershy and Discord's position. Her teal eyes continued to grow, completely captivated by the beautiful sight as the stars seemed to be forming something. Discord had to use nearly all of his strength to keep from chuckling at his friend's reaction to his plan.

"Ah, there we go," Discord grinned from ear to ear, sighing once the stars came to a stop and forming a stairway up to the sky. "Shall we, my dear?" He bowed gracefully, offering his lion paw to her hoof.

"W-won't Princess Luna mind that we're using her stars?"

'Oh how adorable.'

"Pshaw!" Discord chuckled, "Something tells me Moonbutt's really enjoying herself too much at the moment to care." The draconequus extended his paw out further, waiting for the beautiful pegasus to take it. Inhaling deeply, Fluttershy smiled and put her hoof into Discord's paw. "Fret not, Fluttershy; I'd never allow you to walk on something that would allow you to fall," he promised.

"Oh my," Fluttershy let out a shy giggle after taking her first step onto the star stairway. It was like walking on a translucent cloud, but she knew she wouldn't be looking down for too long or else her fear of heights would take over and ruin this moment between her and Discord. The two climbed the staircase at a respectable pace, trying to soak in every second of this quiet opportunity. Once they were high enough, Discord released his paw from Fluttershy's hoof, flying backwards in front of her so she wouldn't be tempted to look down at the ground below.

"There, that wasn't so bad was it?" Discord asked sweetly, patting Fluttershy's mane to keep her calm. Fluttershy could only smile bashfully at her shyness, lightly swinging a front leg back and forth. She began to giggle once again, however, when she noticed that her hoof swished some of the stars around like water, yet they continued to hold her up.

"This is amazing!" She exclaimed, still playing with the stars as she looked up at her friend. "I can't believe Princess Luna gets to do this every night. I thought just admiring her night sky was a treat, but this….." she trailed off, tossing some of the stars up in the air and allowing them to sprinkle back down around her. Discord couldn't help but stare at the innocent pony, watching as the flakes twinkled all about, giving her a faint but noticeable glow. He wanted to tell her how beautiful she looked, but how to do so without making his true feelings obvious or making her uncomfortable?

"Fluttershy?" His mouth spoke without him realizing it.

"Yes?" Fluttershy's wing flapped some of the flakes away from her eyes. Discord stood with his mouth hanging open, unable to say anything, and feeling like an idiot for doing so as each second slipped on by. And yet, Fluttershy simply smiled at him, waiting with more patience than Discord had ever seen for him to say something.

"Ahem, you uh," he stammered, reaching over with his eagle talon, "you have some in your mane," he pointed.

"Oh!" Fluttershy attempted to brush her mane, but Discord stopped her.

"I wasn't complaining; I think they accentuate your eyes." The draconequus gently moved Fluttershy's mane back behind her ear to show more of her beautiful face, all the while mentally screaming, 'A two bit novel wouldn't say something that lame!' He tilted his head, however, when Fluttershy's yellow cheeks flushed as she pursed her lips and looked away.

"Th-thank you, Discord," the pegasus replied meekly. Discord's heart began to beat faster and faster. He had to think of something to keep the moment from getting any more awkward than it was.

"Can I show you something?" He blurted the first thing that came to mind. Thankfully, Fluttershy cleared her throat and turned back to face him. The blush on her face was slowly fading away.

"Mhmm," she nodded. Sighing in relief, Discord motioned for her to sit beside him, getting down onto his stomach.

"Now, this may seem a little scary, but I promise I won't let anything hurt you," Discord swore on his very life after Fluttershy gently laid down on her stomach as well, her wing barely brushing against Discord's. The pegasus gasped and covered her eyes when she realized that her friend was using his magic to rip a tiny hole within the stars, giving them a view of the gardens, castle, city, and party below. "It's okay," Discord said softly, stroking the mare's wing.

"S-sorry, I don't mean to be such a scaredy pony," the pony's body trembled.

"Fear not, Fluttershy; I've got you," Discord answered in a comforting tone. Feeling safe and secure with Discord's words and his stroking of her wing, Fluttershy slowly removed her hooves from her eyes, looking down at what her friend wanted to show her. "What do you think?"

Fluttershy couldn't believe what she was seeing. "I've never seen anything more…." the pegasus trailed off. "I can't even think of a word to say!"

'Neither can I,' Discord replied in his head, looking at the preoccupied pony rather than the view down below. "Are you still feeling all right?" He questioned, placing his cheek on top of his eagle claw and lion paw, continuing to look at her.

"Better!" The pegasus exclaimed. "I never thought I would be able to see something like this."

"Well," Discord chuckled, "I do try my best to please my friends." The draconequus' grin faded away when he felt something incredibly soft touching his side. Shooting his eyes down, Discord discovered that Fluttershy had scooted closer to him, allowing their bodies to touch. Not knowing what else to do, Discord elected not to tell Fluttershy in fear of making her feel shameful. Rather, the lord of chaos, lifted a wing of his own and blanked it over Fluttershy's back. To his surprise, the pegasus sighed contently.

"Thank you for showing me this, Discord," she said after what felt like an hour of cuddling with her.

"N-no problem," he tried to blow it off. "I'm just happy I could help make your night a memorable one."

"No, Discord," Fluttershy suddenly yet gently slipped from under his wing, standing up on all four legs. Discord quickly patched the hole back up before standing up as well.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for convincing me to take you as my plus one," Fluttershy nervously swung her foreleg back and forth again. "I don't think I would've had as much fun without you here."

"Well, as you've shown me time and time again, things are always better when friends are involved," Discord played with his thumbs, trying to keep focused.

"D-do you mind if I do something?" Fluttershy sputtered in a squeaky voice.

"Do something?" Discord raised an eyebrow. His friend had never sounded so vague before.

"It…it's just a thank you," Fluttershy explained.

"Oh come now, you don't need to thank me for this," Discord crossed his arms. "This was my thank you and apology to you because you're my friend." His explanation didn't stop Fluttershy, however, from gently flapping her wings and raising her off the stars until she was eye level with the draconequus.

"I know….but still, it's a sweet gesture that I want to recognize," she countered sweetly.

"If you must," Discord sighed, snickering the animal lover's enthusiasm. "What did you have in mind? A hug?" He stopped when Fluttershy took in a deep breath, as if she were preparing to receive a shot from a doctor, and floated closer to his face. "Ooh, a secret! I do love-" Discord rubbed his hands together before his whole body froze like Han Solo in carbonite from Fluttershy's warm, soft lips pushing against his cheek.

His eyes glazed over as his mind tried to jumpstart back up to process what was going on. He had lost all feeling in his body, but Discord blinked his vision back to see Fluttershy pull away from his cheek, her face holding a sheepish smile and cheeks growing pinker by the second. The draconequus began breathing again, bringing his paw up to his cheek as a tingling sensation began to radiate from the spot on his cheek from the kiss to the rest of his mismatched body.

"F-Fl," Discord stuttered, attempting to get his mouth working again. All of a sudden, he let out a cheerful laugh before falling onto his back, the stars cushioning his fall, and babbling like an idiot. A few flakes ascended from where Discord had fallen, slowly twinkling back down around the draconequus.

"Hehe," Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at her friend's reaction. 'At least it didn't scare him,' she thought to herself, covering her muzzle with her hoof. The pegasus calmly trotted to Discord's side, sitting down on her haunches to wait out his reaction until he returned to normal…..at least Discord normal. "I….I hope that didn't cross a line," she muttered when Discord's giggling had begun to die down.

"No, not at all," Discord wrapped his lion arm around the tiny pegasus' body and pulled her closer to him. "You wouldn't want to see if your friends miss us, would you?" He asked incredulously, hoping that he'd get to spend the rest of the night with her until it was Fluttershy's bedtime. The pegasus actually took a look down through the starry floor, moving a few out of the way with her hoof.

"….No, I think they're having a good time without us. Besides, I don't think anything else tonight will be better than right now," she replied sweetly, allowing Discord to pet her mane. Sure….it was just a friendly kiss, a thank you for opening up to her and helping make the night even more memorable than she ever could dream. 'Not tonight,' she shot down the part of her that wanted to confess to Discord, 'it's already perfect. Don't take a chance at ruining it and your friendship,' her conscience advised, which sounded a lot like Twilight's voice.

"I humbly agree," Discord concurred, moving some more stars out of the way to allow Fluttershy a view of nearly all of Equestria.

"Enjoying yourselves, are we?" A voice from behind startled the duo. Fluttershy yelped and spun around to find none other than Princess Luna with somewhat of a smug smile on her face.

---

(End of Reception; with Spike & Rarity)

"Well, that certainly was a fun time, wouldn't you say, Spike?" Rarity asked her dragon friend. After many hours of dancing and celebrating the marriage of Princess Luna and the now Prince Checkered Flag, the reception was declared over. All of the guests politely filed out of the garden and returned to their respective homes with the exception of special friends of the princesses who were granted rooms for the night in the castle, having put in a hard day's work to make the wedding come together.

"I'll say!" Spike agreed, slinging his tuxedo jacket over his shoulder as he walked side by side with Rarity down one of the many corridors of Canterlot Castle. Much to Spike's surprise, the mare he'd harbored a crush on for years had asked him to take a walk with her after the festivities had ceased, and before they would head off for bed. "I think it's safe to say that Cadence and Shining Armor's reception has been beat!"

Rarity giggled at the drake's enthusiasm. "I'll be honest, I was just a tad skeptical about the music for the evening, but Cougar proved he can be trusted with musical selections," the seamstress admitted, recalling her pledge to their human friend about music for her own wedding someday.

"I never doubted him for a second after what he did for us at the Gala," Spike ran his hand through the green spines on his head, flicking some sweat off. "Phew, it is nice to cool off though," he added. The unicorn beside him shuddered, having suffered a few beads of sweat of her own at one point in the evening. "How do you think Fluttershy faired with Discord?"

"Well, it really isn't any of our business," Rarity pursed her lips together as the duo rounded a corner, "but at any rate, Fluttershy trusts Discord more than anypony, and let's be honest Spike," she turned to face the drake, "Discord cares more for Fluttershy than anypony else, so I don't think anything bad happened. I'm sure they probably went for a casual stroll or just talked."

Spike put his free hand up to his chin and rubbed it, thinking. "That really doesn't sound like Discord you know?"

"Like I said Spike, as much as I would love to hear the details from Fluttershy, only she can tell me when she wants to. Maybe he did just go for a quiet stroll, something more suited for her," Rarity suggested. It sounded almost alien to Spike. Discord acting mature and doing things for others? He'd spent a lot of time with Fluttershy before, but from what the dragon could recall, the draconequus always had a hint of doing something for himself whenever he'd hang out with the meek pegasus. But, Spike supposed that if Rarity would agree to dance with him, then Discord having something in mind solely for Fluttershy wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

"Rarity?"

"Yes Spike?" The unicorn smiled at her friend, happy to hear what he wanted to talk about. She had actually grown a bit concerned when he ceased talking for a moment during their walk, anxious that the fact they were alone was making Spike feel nervous.

"Did you have fun tonight?" Spike asked. The question immediately puzzled Rarity; she'd just mentioned that the night was a fun one indeed. Why would he ask her if she already told him?

"…Why yes I did, Spike," the seamstress answered, unable to stop from raising her eyebrow in confusion. "But you know I just told you that, right?" Spike sighed and turned away from Rarity, rubbing at his neck with his free hand.

"Well, yeah," he admitted almost shamefully, unable to look at the unicorn. "I just meant if you had fun when we….you know," he insinuated, almost as if he were talking about something dirty.

"Danced?" Rarity said for him, her confusion turning into a bit of worry. "Is there something wrong, Spike?"

"No, no," the dragon finally looked back to assure her that's not what he was getting at. "I wanted to make sure I didn't disappoint you when we danced around others," he explained. Rarity couldn't help but let out a sharp giggle. She wasn't laughing at Spike; she thought it was rather adorable how he was worried he may have disappointed her in some way when it couldn't be further from the truth.

"Don't forget, Spike, you and I danced at the Grand Galloping Gala last year," Rarity quickly replied to avoid hurting his feelings due to her unintentional giggle, adding a reassuring smile. "You were a fine dancer then and tonight, and I had fun then and tonight." The unicorn said with her 'sweeter' voice that she knew made Spike melt, just to put him at ease.

"Yeah…but this time I asked if you'd want to dance with me before the day of the wedding even took place. You knew you were gonna dance with me, and I just wanted it to be perfect for you; you deserve a perfect dance." Rarity truly didn't expect that answer from Spike. In fact, the statement made a blush creep it's way onto her cheeks. Feeling flattered, the seamstress gently put a hoof onto Spike's shoulder, making the duo stop walking.

Rarity giggled again, "You're honestly the best dance partner I've ever had, Spikey," Rarity admitted with a bat of her eyelashes.

"Hehe, thanks Rarity," Spike gulped from the close proximity. "Thanks for dancing with me," the drake added with a timid grin. Rarity slipped her hoof from his shoulder, and the two began walking down the hallway once again.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all, darling. This wasn't just a fun night," Rarity revealed, "This was honestly one of the most fun nights of my life." Spike's heart jumped at his crush's admission. "And I'm glad I could share this date with you."

"Date!?" Spike exclaimed, stumbling over his feet. The poor dragon was about to trip due to his embarrassment when his body was enshrouded with Rarity's blue magic, holding him in place.

"Spike are you okay?" Rarity helped stand him back on his feet, patting his back.

"I-I'm fine," Spike allowed his heart rate to decrease to normal. "But, tonight wasn't a date; we just danced together," he clarified, slowly shifting his gaze to the unicorn comforting him. "Right?" He added apprehensively. He had no idea why Rarity abruptly declared that tonight had been a date between the two. If anything, he was afraid of himself accidentally calling it a date and having Rarity believe he was getting the wrong idea.

"Well, no…not technically," Rarity looked away, mentally berating herself for putting Spike in an awkward position. She wanted to slap herself for nothing thinking about what she wanted to say and avoid making her friend uneasy. "But we did spend the whole reception together, even when we were in the company of others," the fashionista reminded him. Spike's eyes began to wander, copying his thoughts as he analyzed the events of the night. He found Rarity's hoof gently cupping his cheek, pulling his head back in her direction until he was staring back into her brilliant sapphire eyes. "It can be our little secret; nopony suspected nor accused us of having ulterior plans for the evening. However, because I had so much fun with you tonight, I'll always consider it a date," she smiled sweetly, removing her hoof from the dragon's purple cheek.

"O-O-Okay," Spike sputtered, biting on his lip.

Rarity knew that no amount of reassurance from her would be enough for Spike. All she wanted to do was help him relax a little more around her instead of acting like a puppy afraid of a thunderstorm. And no, she wasn't annoyed that Spike would sometimes babble on when in her presence or become a little clumsy; she found it pretty cute to be honest. But at the same time, she felt a little saddened that Spike felt he had to put himself through all of that in fear of her finding out about his crush on her. As his friend, Rarity wanted to help him calm down and have nothing to hide nor fear from her. And yet….there really was only one way to help the poor thing. Sooner or later, he needed help with this; a time like this seemed perfect. After looking around to make sure nopony else was watching nor listening, Rarity glued her eyes right onto Spike's green ones and set forth her plan.

"Spike, would you be a dear and do me a favor?"

"Uh, sure, what can I get you?" Spike did seem to return to normal if only to try and not disenchant her.

"Oh, it's nothing I want you to get for me. It's just something I need you to tell me," Rarity explained. Feeling a tad baffled, Spike only nodded in reply. "Spike, please tell me your true feelings for me," Rarity stated bluntly. Spike's jacket instantly slipped through his fingers and slumped to the marble flooring.

"F-F-Feelings!?" Twilight's son choked out, coughing up a bit of black smoke. Rarity took one step forward, just to try and ease him into her request, but with how freaked out Spike was, he only backed himself up into the window, trapped between it and his crush. "Rarity," he put on a faux smile, "I-I-I only like you as a friend. N-Not that I don't think you're beautiful or-" the seamstress plugged his mouth up with her hoof.

"Spikey, just calm down," she firmly ordered. "Trust me." The drake obeyed, sucking in a deep breath of air through his nostrils before gulping. "Please, Spike, don't deny it. It's obvious to everypony in Ponyville, even to the princesses and Checkered Flag, that you have secret feelings for me." With a defeated whine, Spike slumped his body against the glass, hanging his head in shame. He put his hands to his face as if trying to hide his embarrassment.

"Rarity….I can't," he admitted. "I just, I just can't," the drake repeated, pausing in between his confession. "We're already good friends; I-I don't want to-" Spike attempted to explain, but the mare in front of him wasn't having any of it.

"Spike Sparkle!" Rarity exclaimed, stamping her hoof onto the floor in front of Spike, shutting him up. It wasn't her outburst that got to him, it was what Rarity called him. No one Spike had met, even his mom, had ever used Twilight's last name when talking to him. "You tell me your feelings for me this instant!"

"W-why?" Spike managed to croak out.

"Because we're already good friends as you pointed out," Rarity took a sharp breath, relaxing a bit before continuing. "I don't want you to feel like you have to hide anything from me or feel embarrassed simply because you have a crush on me," she explained sweetly, stepping back to give Spike some space and air. Rather than try to force it out of him, the seamstress remained silent to allow the reptile to gather his thoughts. She even tenderly ran her hoof over the spines on his head the way he liked it when he was smaller.

"Rarity," he sighed, licking his snake-like tongue over his lips, "I honestly didn't tell you by now because I tried to explain it back when my greed went haywire and you stopped me from confessing." Rarity cooed, slipping her hoof from the top of his head back down to his cheek. Despite having to explain his crush to Rarity, Spike couldn't ignore her because he knew she trying to help him get over his fear of her knowing. He gave her his full attention, looking her straight in the eye.

"Yes, I already knew back then," she giggled softly at the memory, "but please Spike. You only tried to come clean because you didn't know if we would make to the ground safely. I want you to tell me right here, right now, under normal circumstances. We're friends, you have nothing to fear." With a gulp and a few shaky breaths, Spike conceded.

"R-Rarity….I-I…"

"Come darling, you're doing so well," Rarity encouraged, taking one of Spike's hands in between her front hooves, massaging it gently.

"I love you!" He barked in a squeak, face red and sweaty, eyes clenched tightly. Spike honestly had no idea what to expect in reply from Rarity, but that's really what frightened him most.

"Oh Spikey-Wikey!" She called him by the pet name she'd rewarded him with from what seemed like ages ago to the two of them. Rarity looped her forelegs around Spike's body, pulling him away from the window and hugging him tightly. "I'm so proud of you! Was that so hard, sweetie?" She asked him with a satisfied smile.

"Yes!" Spike exclaimed, looking as if he were about to vomit. Upon hearing his answer, Rarity immediately released him, knowing that it was best for him to get whatever else he needed off his chest. "It's hard admitting to someone you love them because it's impossible to know what their reactions will be! I just….didn't want you to be creeped out and avoid seeing me because I'm a dragon and not a stallion…."

Rarity's mouth nearly dropped to the floor. "Spike!" She glared, "Forgive my language, but only a heartless bitch would do something like that to a friend. If we had just met and you told me, then yes, I would be a little put off by it, but avoid you? Perish the thought! I appreciate that you got to know me at first, became my friend, and never once expected me to return your feelings or anything at all. I for one respect that you made the decision to keep it under wraps as long as you felt, and was content on being a valuable friend and helping hand to me. You should be proud of the young dragon you are, and Twilight should be proud of how you've come up. And honestly….I'm thrilled to know about your feelings for me. Out of all the stallions, and even some mares, who have asked to court me, you actually care for me and my feelings instead of my status, money or body. If anypony were to have a crush on me, I'm happy it's somepony as respectable and trustworthy as you."

Spike stood, dumbfounded at the mare's speech. Even though it was all true, he didn't know what to say, think, or do now with Rarity's admiration for his maturity with his crush. Especially how she's glad to have somepony love her for her instead of material possessions, status symbolism, or sexual desires. "Rarity?" He smacked his lips open and closed a few times, scrambling through every inch of his brain for something to say.

"Yes Spikey?" The mare blinked at him, but in his mind she intentionally batted her eyelashes.

"Wh-what do we do now? I mean, now that I know how you feel about my feelings? I don't expect you to return them or anything, but this doesn't change our friendship does it?"

"Of course not, darling. You'll always be my Spikey-Wikey," Rarity grinned, levitating his jacket back onto his shoulder. "To be honest, all I wanted to do was help you get over your fear. However, I hope to not disappoint you-"

"I think we should sleep on it and let it sink in first," Spike quickly said, offering his own toothy grin. "I mean, I don't want you to feel obligated to give me a chance just because I confessed; it wouldn't be fair to you."

Rarity bowed her head, giggling before looking back up at the dragon. "I think Cadence should add 'Trustworthy' to your title in the Crystal Empire," she hugged the drake again, nuzzling her head into his chest. "Come now," she said after the two parted, "I'll walk you back to your room," she offered Spike one of her forelegs. He gladly yet gently took it, walking with her down the corridors once again. Except now, he felt….free. Free of the fear that had plagued him for so long; free from the strain of trying to hide how he felt to Rarity. Even if they would remain friends and never try their chance at dating, Spike was perfectly fine with that. Just knowing she wasn't repulsed or creeped out by his feelings overjoyed the young dragon.

In fact, Spike felt so relaxed that the walk was over before he even realized it, feeling much quicker than when their walk after the reception began. A little part in him was disappointed that it was over so soon, but the more mature part of him reminded him that he'd taken a big step tonight, and he'd never have to worry about anything with Rarity again. "Well, good night Rarity," Spike exhaled, opening the door to his own room. "Thanks again for dancing with me and helping me stand up to myself," he thanked her, releasing her foreleg.

"Anytime darling. I'm glad you don't feel like you have to hide anything from me," she smiled. The duo stood in the middle of the doorway, waiting for something else to happen. Rarity honestly was waiting to see if Spike had anything else important to say, but that appeared to not be the case.

"So, I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow," Spike darted his eyes around, hoping he wasn't forgetting something important.

"Indeed," Rarity nodded. "But as you know, Spike, you were such a gentledrake tonight, and that deserves to be rewarded," she cleared her throat. Spike blinked several times, unsure of what the mare meant before she did it. Rarity cupped Spike's cheeks and gently put her lips to his, kissing him goodnight. He had been kissed like this by Rarity before, but it was a short peck at the Gala for defending her from Blueblood. This, however, was something he'd never dealt with before. Not wanting to make a fool out of himself, Spike politely put his hands onto Rarity's shoulders, unsure of what else to do besides return the favor.

Finally, Rarity pulled away, satisfied that she'd given Spike the reward he deserved with a smile on her face. Spike pulled away just as soon as she did, hoping to not prolong it longer than she wanted it. "Sweet dreams Spikey-Wikey," Rarity whispered to him, taking a step back and closing his door with her magic before venturing down the hall to her next destination.

Spike put a pair of claws up to his mouth, allowing the tingles to radiate throughout his mouth and chest. Feeling a bit weak in the knees from the emotional rollercoaster of the past few minutes, Spike fumbled to his bed, dropping his jacket on the floor and not even bothering to remove anything else from his scaly body, collapsing his head onto his pillows and facing the ceiling. He lay quiet with his own thoughts before muttering something to himself, "Why are mares so complicated?"

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(Ivan & AJ's room; Ivan's POV)

"Oh God, what a day," I groaned, flopping down onto the queen sized bed in my and Applejack's room for the night. The wedding and reception had been huge successes; the bride and groom were happily married at last, and I was just fucking beat.

"It was all worth it though, Sugarcube," AJ climbed onto the bed with me, snuggling up close and putting her hoof on my chest. Even though my entire body was sore from having to stand a lot all day, having my girlfriend gently massage my chest with her hoof helped everything relax.

"Yep, Luna and Checkered are married, everyone had fun at the reception, and I got to spend all morning with you," I brought my hand around AJ's neck and lightly scratched behind her ear. "Perfect day," I added, kissing her nose.

"And how!" The mare exclaimed joyously, resting her head into the crook of my neck and peppering it with tiny kisses.

"I told you you would like Luna and Checkered's song," I bragged. All throughout the reception, I had numerous ponies, mostly friends of Fancy Pants and Fleur-de-lis, come up to compliment me about the first dance song. But as one would guess, my favorite compliment was Applejack's.

"An' Ah told y'all that yer a genius, Ivan," she sighed, scooting even closer to me and hugging her leg around my torso. "But it is nice ta relax after all that; just you 'n me." I carefully removed the stetson from her head, setting it onto the nightstand, and running my fingers through her soft and damp mane. It didn't bother me whatsoever that her mane was a tad sweaty; I honestly thought a girl who wasn't afraid of sweat under any conditions was sexy.

Although cuddling with Applejack was nice and relaxing, we were both burning up in our formal attire, and I just wanted to cool off. I slipped my hand down the back of Applejack's neck, massaging it and her back in the process as my fingers searched around for the zipper on the back of her dress. "Uh, Ivan, what are ya doin' there Sugarcube?" AJ raised her head up to look me in the eye.

"Just trying to help you cool down is all," I explained. "And I know you'd like to get out of that dress as soon as possible." My index finger and thumb found the zipper, but I didn't even move it until she said I could.

"Uh-huh, or do ya just wanna see me without it?" She raised an eyebrow, catching onto my little game.

"A little from column A, and a little from column B," I shrugged, smirking at the mare. Try as she might, Applejack couldn't hold her serious face for long before she snorted, chuckling as she nodded, allowing me to unzip her. Unlike the movies where it took about half a minute for a guy to unzip a girl, I swiftly opened up the back of her dress in the blink of an eye, surprising her.

"Wanna get ta the show that bad huh?" She blinked in surprise at how fast her dress became loose around her shoulders. "Ya rascal," she winked before pushing herself off the bed and sitting on the edge. Getting into our bout of teasing, I twisted my body onto its side to watch her. Applejack looked over her should back at me, eye half-lidded as she slipped her dress off her shoulders one at a time. Considering she'd never had anyone to do this for, and some ponies rarely wore clothing, she was going to milk this for all it was worth.

Once Applejack slipped her forelegs out of the dress, she slowly pushed it down her torso until it was at her waist, all the while giving me a sly look over her shoulder. She stood up on her hind legs with her foreleg steadying herself on the nightstand. The dress slipped off her body with a little shake of her rump, giving me quite the view, especially since AJ bent downward to pick up the dress and toss it aside onto a nearby table. Rarity may not like how it would wrinkle like that, but at this point, who cares?

"Gettin' any ideas there, partner?" A devilish grin spread across her face as she climbed back into bed, pushing me onto my back and straddling her body over mine. She bent her head down and playfully began to nibble at the base of my neck.

"….Maybe," I moaned as she reached the sweet spot. I moved my hands up and rubbed my fingers down her back, making her moan as well when I kissed her ear.

"Heh, like what?" The mare raised her head and brushed her lips against mine. We exchanged a few short pecks for about a minute before I gently pushed her head back down so her ear was back in front of my mouth. My gentle breathing on her ear made her shudder something fierce. Giving her one more kiss to her ear, I opened my mouth and whispered.

"Like….I could use a shower," I replied with a smart aleck grin.

"W-what?" Applejack pulled her head back to give me an incredulous look. With her caught off guard, I quickly yet gently lifted her up and slipped out from under her body, allowing her to drop back on her hooves on the bed. I had to bite my tongue to avoid bursting out into laughter from her jaw dropping open as she spun around.

"Remember?" I asked, walking toward the bathroom as if nothing had happened, "we didn't get a chance to shower this morning," I opened the door and turned to face her. The look of bewilderment on her face had changed to a look that said, 'Ah'm gonna kick yer butt,' complete with furrowed eyebrows, clenched jaws, and a frown that bared her teeth. I knew doing that to her probably wasn't smart, but I had a plan. "So, see you in about ten minutes hun," I winked, opening and shutting the door as fast as I could.

With little time, I flung the shower curtain open and twisted the knobs on. The shower roared to life as I began to strip the tuxedo off my body. Button after button, piece by piece, I put every article of clothing into a nearby hamper until I was down to my underwear and black socks. A cloud of steam wafted by, indicating that the heat of the water was at the perfect temperature. I noticed that the mirror was fogging up by the second. With not too much time left, I slipped my thumbs into the waistband of my boxers when a cool rush of air hit me like a semi-truck.

I peeked over just in time to see Applejack standing in the doorway before she slammed the door shut, a glaring yet determined look carved into her face as her tail quickly locked the door. Skin tingling from the rush of cooler air, I cracked another smirk and crossed my arms over my chest. "Need something, hun?" I asked in an innocent tone. The orange mare only narrowed her eyes at me, squinting them until they were mere slits. She even snorted for good measure, showing off that she was none too happy with me.

Stomping forward toward me, Applejack reached up with one of her forelegs and removed the hair twist from her mane, letting it fall loosely behind her neck before doing the same with her tail. The two red twists were tossed off to the side as the mare stopped right in front of me, rearing up on her hind legs and planting her hooves right on my chest rather hard. Despite the heat of the shower, I could really feel the hot breath from AJ as she continued to snort at me through her nose like a bull. "Y'all get yer butt in that shower," she ordered, pushing her hooves against me. "Right now," she added, slipping one hoof down to my boxers, ripping them down my legs and freeing my penis to the steamy air and causing me to shudder.

"N-now?" I continued my game, my smirk faltering.

"Or else Ah'll just drag ya in there myself if Ah have ta," she threatened, tracing her hoof over my abs. "Ya ain't gettin' me all worked up 'n just leavin' me like that." I couldn't keep it up anymore; her cold, hard voice was taking over the rational and logical side of my mind, replacing it with nothing but love and lust. Holding up a finger, I took a step back from AJ and kicked my boxers away as she collapsed back to the floor, eyes still squinting at me. I flung my socks off my feet and stood naked in front of Applejack, ready for whatever she wanted.

I reached over and slid the shower curtain open, stepping under the cascading fall of the warm shower water, waiting for my girlfriend to follow. "Back against the wall," she sneered, stepping in herself and closing the curtain with her tail. The showers inside the castle were pretty massive, even by my human stature. There was room for at least two or three other couples if need be. But, wanting to get right to making love with Applejack, I obeyed her command, pressing my back against the blue and silver tiles of the wall. The mare's eyes slid down, looking at my crotch as she licked her lips before looking back up. She stood back up on her hind legs, allowing the water to wash over her entire body, getting me even more excited while she proceeded to put her hooves back on my chest, ramming her mouth onto mine.

"Oh…yeah," I moaned as we opened our mouths and let our tongues wrestle for dominance, but….this mare had a different idea in mind. She all of a sudden ran her hooves on top of my shoulders and pulled her mouth away from mine.

"Get ready Sugarcube," were the only three words she gave me in warning. I had no time to comprehend what she meant because she immediately leapt up and snaked her forelegs around my neck for leverage and placed her rear hooves on the tiles behind me, straddling my body. My hands instinctively moved around to hold her so she wouldn't fall, grabbing her rump to support her. "Mmmm," she groaned as my fingers dug into her firm flesh.

"A-Applejack!" I exclaimed, trying not to moan too loudly as her stomach was grinding against the underside of my member. The mare in question had one hell of a smug look on her face, but that only turned me on even more.

"Ah'll teach ya ta get me excited 'n leave me high 'n dry," she growled into my ear, lifting her waist up and lining up our private areas. She wasted no time once the tip of my penis prodded at her entrance and generously slid down until junior was buried inside her. I couldn't handle the pleasure anymore and slid my right arm directly under her rump for support and moved my left hand up behind her neck before I shoved my tongue back inside her mouth.

Applejack moaned victoriously, having successfully seduced me, even if it was apart of the little game I'd cooked up. With my arm supporting her, Applejack rose up until just junior's head was still inside her, dropping back down until our hips connecting with a sensual smack. Our breathing intensified until we'd have to take quick breaths of air in between kissing, all the while I'd move my own hips to match her thrusts.

Eventually, we stopped kissing and rested our foreheads together, giving each other gentle thrusts to extend our love making before we'd be spent. "I-I-I love you," I muttered in between breaths. Even with the warmness of the water, which added to erotic nature of our session by making her fur even softer and warmer, it felt much colder compared to the heat of our combined breath as we wheezed.

"Ah know," she replied, giving me a smirk as our lips softly met once again, further strengthening the love and trust we had in one another. I wanted today to last forever; I got to walk one of my best friends down the aisle to her husband, all of my other friends had the time of their lives at the wedding and reception, their was such a strong presence of unity amongst all of us at the castle, and I got to end it in the best way possible. I only hoped the rest of my friends' nights ended as happily as mine.

End Chapter 61

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So just in case some people are wondering, the scene between Discord and Fluttershy is very similar to Dixie Darlin's story, The Most Chaotic Emotion. Since she and I are good friends, she granted me permission to pay homage to her story within my own story, so I didn't steal anything :P Hope I did you proud, Dixie!

The song featured in this chapter is 'I Swear' by John Michael Montgomery

Also, just in case anyone is interested, next chapter will NOT feature Ivan nor Applejack whatsoever. There are two scenes that I cut from this chapter (because it would've drug on had I not cut them) that will be combined into a short chapter, and yes, they are EXTREMELY important to the story, so don't skip out!