Chapter 8

You pace around the living room, waiting for Berry Punch to appear from the bathroom with Ruby. It was getting close to eleven in the morning, and you were slightly worried that you were going to be late for the ceremony.

Eventually, the two of them appear and you can’t help but let your jaw drop as you see your mate enter the room. Berry’s mane was tied up majestically, her hooves polished and in dainty sequined red shoes, a very slinky red silk dress delicately flowing over her. She notices your stare, and smiles, blushing gently and trotting over to kiss you, nudging your tie and taking your cap off of your head, hanging it on the door, determined that you wouldn’t be taking it with you.

“You’re beautiful, sweetheart,” you say, nuzzling her. You feel a tug at your sleeve, and look down to see Ruby, in a dress similar to her mother’s, but lacking her delicately styled mane and the foal wearing only the tiniest bit of makeup, “and don’t you look lovely too! Goodness, I imagine the bride’ll be very jealous of two such lovely young mares showing up to her wedding,” you add, moving to ruffle Ruby’s mane, but being dodged.

“Do you have the invitations?”

“Of course, they’re in my pocket,” you reply, smiling and patting your chest, feeling the reassuring resistance of the thick, folded paper inside.

Leaving the house, the three of you board an ornate-looking carriage, holding another couple from elsewhere in town. Looking out of the window, you see several of the carriages, obviously on loan from the castle, trundling through Ponyville, picking up passengers to take to Canterlot for the wedding. Losing yourself for a few minutes, you’re eventually brought back by Ruby, who had fallen asleep on you, whilst her mother chats with the familiar-looking couple in the carriage with you.

The stallion, a deep green pegasus with brown mane, mentions that he and his ginger unicorn were trying for a foal of their own, asking if you and Berry had any tips for new parents. Berry blushes, explaining that you aren’t Ruby’s father, but she gives them the advice that they had been asking for anyway - things such as schooling, the importance of reading to them at an early age and other useful ideas. You then ask how the couple knew the bride and groom, and they reveal that they had been university friends with Cheerilee when she was training to become a teacher, and the mare had shared a room with her during her own training as a nurse.

As your carriage approaches the outer limits of the city below Canterlot castle itself, you notice that once again the Lyre had changed it’s name, now called “The Broken Lyre”, and as usual it looked like it had seen several fights recently - one window boarded up, no doubt through having had a bar stool thrown through it.

Several minutes later, the carriage shakes violently for a few moments as you pass over a set of very rough cobblestones, and you hold on to Ruby and Berry as the pegasus sharing the carriage with you clings to his fiancee. Sharing one of those “what the hay was that” moments, known to males of all species throughout the multi-verse, you both look outside to see the castle gates, realising that the shaking had been from the road leading up to the castle.

Entering the large throne room where the wedding was due to take place, a young colt guides you to your assigned row seats, around three quarters of the way from the front. You notice that there were a great deal of ponies already in the hall, and the stallion and mare you shared the carriage with were sat in relatively the same area.

Sat next to Berry, you shift and slip a foreleg around her shoulders. Waiting for the ceremony to begin, you watch as more friends and family of the couple appear, filling up the aisles in front of where you were.

Finally, with the hall full, the princesses appear, signalling the start of the ceremony and the doors behind you are thrown open. You see Snapshot enter, his armour shining brightly in the eternal sunlight cascading through the stained glass windows of the throne room. With him is an aging, faded magenta mare, who you slowly realise to be Cheerilee’s mother. The guard captain guides her to her seat, sat at the very front, where Princess Celestia bows her head in respect to the mother of the bride, her sister following suit. The old mare returns the gesture, smiling broadly to the two royals.

Snapshot then takes his place in front of Celestia, and two stallions appear from a side door to join him. The first is instantly recognisable as Big Macintosh, who positions himself closest to the groom, adjusting his bow tie. The second stallion is somepony that you do not recognise, an ash grey pegasus in formal military wear, a patch covering his left eye.

An unseen organist begins the wedding march, and the doors at the back are thrown open once more. All heads turn to see Cheerilee walk slowly down the aisle, accompanied by her father, with the train of her pure white dress flowing a short distance behind her. Following the pair are three bridesmaids, you recognise the first as Ditzy Doo, and the second as the town librarian, but the final mare is unfamiliar, and you assume that she is a member Cheerilee’s family.

When Cheerilee reaches the front of the room with her father, she takes her position parallel to Snapshot, her maids lining up behind her, her father helping her mother to her hooves. They all bow their heads to Celestia and Luna, before the tall, white alicorn begins to speak,

“Before we start, it is my duty to ensure that the bride has her mother and father’s permission to leave the family to begin her own.”

“She does, your majesty.” Cherilee’s mother and father answer, simultaneously.

“Thank you, please, be seated,” Celestia replies warmly, waiting for the two ponies to take their seats. Once they are sat down, she addresses the audience, “Good afternoon everypony, my sister and I would like to thank you on behalf of the happy couple for attending the castle this day. It has been a fair time since we have performed a military wedding ceremony in tandem, and we are truly thankful to have you all with us. Snapshot, please remove your sword, and pass it to your best stallion.”

He obeys, allowing Macintosh to take the weapon, who places it at his hooves as dictated by tradition. Celestia speaks again,

“The act of marriage is a sacred bond. The pair of you are promising to not only be mating partners for life, but also to support each other equally as friends, promising to be there for each other in sickness and in health.” She then turns to Luna, and nods, encouraging the younger royal to speak her part.

“Cheerilee, do you promise to love and care for Snapshot, even if his duties take him away from your side for prolonged periods of time?”

“Yes, your highness.”

“Snapshot, do you promise to love and care for Cheerilee, even if your duties take you away from her side for prolonged periods of time?”

“Yes, your majesty.”

“To all of the friends and family of Snapshot and Cheerilee, will you do your best to support the couple, to the very best of your ability?”

“Yes, your Majesty,” everypony in the hall responds, even Ruby, sat beside her mother, replying to the question.

Luna moves back to Celestia’s side, and the taller of the two addresses the couple again.

“I understand that you have chosen to prepare a short few sentences of dedication for each other, you may speak them now.”

Snapshot speaks first this time,

“Cheerilee, you are the only mare that I have ever truly loved. You were there for me when I lost my own family, even though my grief would eventually cause us to fall out of contact for several years. When we were reunited, three years to this day, I felt my heart burst with joy once more, and I realised that you are the one, my soul mate, the mare that I would die for. As your husband, I promise to love and obey you as much as I can as a mortal pony.”

Cheerilee blushes, tears welling in her eyes,

“Snapshot, to say that you make me happy would be an understatement. I had searched for love for so long, and never realised that I’d already found it all those years ago, until I saw you, handsome and grown up, talking to my class - a stallion so respectful and honorable. I truly promise to stay by your side as long as I can, I love you...”

She dissolves into tears of joy, and Ditzy moves to her side, holding her. You can see that Snapshot is trying his hardest not to cry himself, a single tear slipping out. Eventually, Cheerilee regains her composure, and Celestia speaks once more.

“It is my honor to formally marry you, before all of these onlookers who wish you both well, may your love be timeless, may your lives together be happy! I pronounce you, Snapshot and Cheerilee, to be stallion and wife!”

The couple stand, staring at each other for a few seconds, and the princess’s eyes light up.

“And you may kiss the bride.”

Snapshot immediately raises a hoof, gently lifting Cheerilee’s veil and bringing his lips to hers. Several seconds pass, and as the two finally part, a cheer erupts from every pony in the hall.

As the organist strikes up again, you see Macintosh pass Snapshot’s sword back, and a group of six pegasus guards file in to line both sides of the aisle, raising their wings and allowing the new couple to pass beneath them as they leave, soon followed by Big Mac and Ditzy, then Cheerilee’s parents, and the rest of the wedding party.

“Mares, stallions and foals, the wedding party, as well as close family and friends, will be attending a banquet in honor of the bride and groom. We shall reconvene at the wedding reception, which is taking place near Sweet Apple Acres. Goodbye for now!” Luna adds, before walking away with her sister.

Next Chapter: Chapter 9 Estimated time remaining: 31 Minutes