A snow white unicorn with a windswept black mane tapped his hooves on the table. He was alone, allowing the knocking of his hooves to echo through the cabin as the airship dusted off and left Canterlot behind. He was dressed in a tuxedo, though by now most of it was unbuttoned and disheveled, the coat several buttons undone and bow tie resting on the oak table before him.

"What are you doing Cypress?" He asked himself as he watched city drift by the window until the motion of the craft put it out of his sight, though unfortunately, not out of his mind. His mind began to drift, as it always did, but not to academic topics like magic or potion making of the last four years but to the events that led him to his current predicament. With nothing but what he could fit in his suitcase and the clothes on his back, he'd bought a one way ticket to the southern edge of Equestria, about as far away from Canterlot as he could physically get without leaving the country. He pulled a small soundstone from his pocket and sucked as much energy from it as he could. His parents would try to get in contact with him to be sure. He needed silence, now especially. Father would understand to be sure but Mother? He couldn't guarantee himself that comfort. Hopefully Andromeda and Father could get her to calm down. She wouldn't and couldn't understand his reasoning for leaving like this. Hell, he wasn't sure he entirely did himself. But here he was, there was no going back now.

"Can I get you anything today, sir?" A voice pulled him from his thoughts.

A stewardess with a tray balanced on a wing smiled at him.

He coughed. "Yes, uh sorry. I understand you have some wines aboard?"

She nodded producing a small menu from her apron. "Yes sir, we carry a few special vintages aboard. I would personally recommend the Black Velvet Northern if you're on a budget but anything on the more... expensive side is definitely worth the price of the glass if you have the money to splurge."

He smiled. "Can I get a bottle of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape?"

She raised an eyebrow. "The... whole bottle sir? We only carry a few aboard for special occasions."

"Yes ma'am. The whole bottle. Believe me... at this point money is no object."

"Alright sir, one bottle of the Châteauneuf-du-Pape coming right up. Will that be all for now?"

"Yes, and thank you."

She bowed before trotting off to fulfill his request. Cypress returned to staring out the window. He gave a small nostalgic grin as the vessel drifted over a small settlement seated around a small river below. It would be a while before he returned there again. How he got to this seat was an interesting event. Perhaps he would have been happier if the series of unfortunate events that led to him being seated in the first class cabin of an airship hadn't happened at all. But they were inevitable. If he wanted to he could be mad at his friends for it but they were really only being themselves. He couldn't fault them for that.

It started when Cloud Burn and Hyacinth, two of his closest childhood friends, showed up at his door and deposited an envelope in his hooves without a word, only a warning that he should see what was in it and to seriously think about what he wanted to do next. He did, but he almost wished he didn't. It was two weeks before the wedding and by now there was no going back. Father had already paid for the event and there was no backing out now. But Cypress knew one thing: he was not going to be getting married.

It really began to strike him when he was getting dressed. He'd always had difficulty tying bow ties and was once again stuck up on that small detail when his sister walked in.

She sat down next to him and let out a sigh. "You're really going to do this, aren't you?"

"Why wouldn't I?" he asked.

Andromeda frowned. "Geez, you're getting married today! Celestia, I feel old now! Uh!"

He laughed. "You feel old? Four years ago I remember walking you home from poker night, you were still in high school. How do you think I feel?"

"Alright I get it." She laughed. "But are you sure about this? I mean, after this there's no going back. The point of no return. The big plunge. Are you sure you really want to do this?"

"Of course. She's the love of my life." Cypress said solemnly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well for starters-"

"Yes, believe me. I know what mom thinks of her, but... Delilah isn't a bad pony. Everything she has and will have, she's earned fair and square. There's no fault to be had there. It's something I admire really. She's gotten where she is through herself and herself alone."

"I guess you're right. But really brother, you are definitely too good for her."

He smirked. "Yes you and mother never stop telling me that."

"Well not just us. Hyacinth does it too."

"Yes she does."

She sighed. "If you feel that strongly about this then fine. I guess I'll learn to like the bitch."

"Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine. You'll see."

After finally getting the bow tied with absolutely no help from Andromeda, Cypress and the rest of his family made their way to the church. It was really a large cathedral, one of the largest and most ornate in Canterlot. Stained Glass windows, beautiful granite and marble columns, a magnificent alter, a high ceiling, and seemingly endless rows of pews, it was practically something out of a little filly's fairy tale. Many a wedding had been had here and Father had certainly spared no expense when booking it for the weekend. Before Cypress really knew it, he was standing at the alter, staring at his bride: Delilah. She was certainly pretty. White fur, long flowing blonde mane, bright blue eyes, she looked like a goddess in her dress. She gave a giddy smile his way. Cypress's heart was practically pounding at his sternum as he returned the smile the best he could. He could not deny to himself that he was horrifically uncomfortable. His eyes quickly darted over to his friends and family and their manufactured smiles. He quickly spotted Cloud Burn and Hyacinth who both looked horrifically uncomfortable in their seats before quickly winking at them. For a brief moment, their smiles became authentic. As he turned, he spared a glance at his best stallion: Agate. He had been the one to introduce him to Delilah. Andromeda was right. Now, there was no going back.

"Love is beautiful and deeply spiritual gift, built upon a foundation of trust and mutual understanding. Of patience and tolerance, and above all else, respect for one another." The Priest said with a wide smile on his face. "Friends, Family, all gathered here in the sight of the Gods to celebrate the joining to two beautiful youths, to celebrate two hearts, two families, becoming one. Together, you have watched these two grow from children into successful young adults. Now, we celebrate with them as they take the next step in life together and-"

"Wait, Father!" Cypress said. "I know that this is a bit out of the ordinary but I would like to do something a little different before we continue, if you don't mind."

He smiled. "By all means. Please."

Cypress nodded and his horn began to glow. Up above, a large projector began to descend until it nearly covered the entire far wall of the cathedral.

"Delilah and I have been together for almost four years now. Every day for those four years, I was thankful that she was in my life. Every day since I first met her, the sun has seemed a little brighter and nights not as dark. These past four years have been nothing but an upward spiral that I never wanted to end. I tried for so long to try to describe what our relationship meant to me, what I felt for her. Why, even my sister commented on how special our relationship is."

Delilah gave a somewhat uneasy smile. "Um, babe? What are you doing?"

Cypress smiled. "Delilah, I want to show our friends and family, just what you mean to me. I'm going to show them just how we feel about each other."

"Couldn't this wait till the reception?"

"Believe me, darling. No it cannot."

His horn began to glow and a projector descended from the ceiling.

"Mares and Stallions would you please direct your attention to the screen in front of you? Believe me, it's pretty hard to miss. I would like to give you all a gift. I'm sorry I could not put it into words for how we feel, but I think some images will do."

That got a laugh out of the crowd. What came next, did not. Cypress could hear gasping throughout the church an image shot out from the lens.

Up on the screen, displayed for all to see was a picture of Delilah and Agate, seen through a window, in an act of hard labor, both clearly enjoying themselves. A time and date stamp was on the bottom: two and a half weeks earlier. Cypress shot a quick glance at Cloud Burn and Hyacinth and winked. Both their mouths were dropped to the floor. The room broke out into a flurry of "Oh my gods." Cypress allowed himself to experience a small amount of pleasure at his Father's reaction of, "Holy shit."

Cypress turned to Delilah and smiled. She had a look of terrible shock mixed in with red faced embarrassment and a strange combination of grief and rage.

"Well it is clear how Delilah feels about our relationship." He said. "So I guess it's time you hear how I feel. I think I can finally put it into words now."

He calmly turned to Delilah. "Fuck you. If you don't love someone anymore, just let them go. Don't cheat on them."

Cypress smiled to himself at the audible gasp that came from someone on Delilah's side of the pews. He then turned to Agate and socked him in the face, sprawling him onto the floor, allowing the satisfaction of the moment to flow through his veins. He felt his heart beat quicken. "And fuck you for screwing my fiance."

He then turned to face the now silent crowd of ponies. The calm of the moment overtook him as he spoke.

"Well, thank you everyone for coming today! There's refreshments and food outside on the grounds and the bar is open all night. Myself, I have a ship to catch. Thanks for coming."

He turned and trotted off the alter. He felt the faintest of touches on his shoulder as he passed Delilah before the sound of her weeping into one of her bridesmaid's shoulders reached his ears.

"Cypress! I'm sorry!" Agate called after him.

Without stopping, Cypress plucked the projector from the air and tossed it back at the alter. The sound of it shattering on the stone was almost musical.

"Well hey! Fuck you too then!" Agate responded.

Cypress smiled to himself and began undoing his tie before he stepped out of the church and slammed the doors behind him. A carriage was waiting outside with a white coated mare sporting a crystal blue mane leaning against it. A galaxy was on her flanks. Andromeda.

"Thought you could slip away that easily?" she smirked.

"Yeah." He smiled back.

"That was-"

"Really messed up? Overly malicious? Vindictive in a way that's not up and coming of the top graduate of Canterlot University? Yes believe me, I can already hear mom yelling at me."

"I was going to say fucked up, but yeah, that works too."

"How'd you get out here so quickly?"

"Teleportation. We, uh, just learned at University. I think I have the same teacher you had."

"Mr. Brights?"

"Yup."

"Well, he's a good professor. He'll do you well if you pay attention."

"I will." His sister nodded. "So... what's next for you?"

Cypress turned and stared out at the sky. It was beautifully clear with the faintest of clouds speckled in the distance.

"Don't know yet. But considering my life has just fallen apart, I think I'm leaving. Need some time to get away from it all, you know?"

"Your life hasn't fallen apart-"

He shot her a glare.

"Okay, yeah, it has. Anypony can call what just happened in there a life falling apart. So where are you off to?"

"Not sure yet." He said. "Just booked a flight to about as far away from here as I could physically get. After that, who knows? I just need some time to myself you know? I need to run away, get some perspective on things. Delilah's been such a big part of my life for so long now that I'm not really sure where I stand anymore. I think I need to find myself again, and I can't do that here. Too many memories here now."

He stared at the ground.

Andromeda sighed. "Alright. If that's what you want I won't stop you."

"Thank you. Try to make mom and dad understand. Don't worry about my friends, they'll understand better than all of them, but just... don't let them worry about me."

"Well I think dad will be fine. He couldn't stop laughing as you walked out. But I'll work on mom for you."

"Thanks sis."

"You're welcome." She said stepping out of the way. Cypress climbed into the carriage.

"One more thing." Andromeda asked. "Do you know when you'll be back?"

"No clue. But I'll write you and the poker night crew when I can."

"Alright."

The carriage began to roll away. Cypress smiled and leaned out the window. "Feel free to hate her now!"

The sound of Andromeda laughing was the last thing he heard as the carriage drove towards the shipyards. A few short minutes later and his airship was visible. Freedom awaited as he climbed aboard.

"Sir?" A familiar voice asked.

Cypress jumped and turned from the window. The stewardess had returned with a bottle and a glass balanced on a tray.

"Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Just as you asked." She smiled.

"Ah, yes thank you very much." He said levitating the bottle and glass to the table.

"Will there be anything else you require for the flight?"

"No, uh, I think I'll be fine. Though, uh, do you have any soundstones with music on them?"

"Yes we do. What would you like?"

"You pick. Something with a classic flair to it. I'm feeling a bit happy today."

She smiled. "Of course sir, I have just the thing."

Cypress nodded. "Thank you."

He smiled. Hopefully getting away from home would do some good. Hopefully. The border awaited.