(Two moons later)

"I'm glad you wanted to come out today Luna."

We were walking in the Ponyville park. Me and Luna didn't go out during the day too often. Wherever we went, ponies would stare and point. They were always in search of something big happening between us. I remember about two moons ago, when ponies first found out we were dating, I heard somepony saying, "Give her a week. He's a loser she'll leave him by then."

Nowadays, ponies are all trying to be my friend. It was honestly worse than not having any friends. I knew in the back of my mind that they only wanted to be friends with me because of my connection to the princess. Needless to say, it got old. Quickly.

Now, I must say that by this point, I had more or less forgotten our conversation with Celestia. There were problems to be sparked with that fact but not for a few more minutes.

A few minutes. Looking back, I didn't realize these would be the last few normal minutes of our lives for a very long time.

"You know," Luna started. "I was hesitant to come out today. I feel like we're being watched wherever we go when we go out in the day."

I laugh and say, "That's because we are." I gestured to the entire park. Luna looked around quickly. Ponies tried to avert their gazes but they weren't quite fast enough.

"Yes, well I'm pleasantly surprised at how nice it is out today. Given that it's the beginning of farming season, the pegasi have been making it rain non stop. I should know. Some few stray thunder clouds keep making their way near the castle."

I look up at her. "You know, I bet I can surprise you some more."

Luna tilted her head in confusion. I love it when she does that. It's adorable. "Oh? How so?"

I stopped walking and bowed down in front of her. "Princess Luna," I said looking up. "I know we've known each other for only about four moons. But we promised each other that we would stick together."

"Emerald!" She whispered. "Stop making a scene. Ponies are staring."

"Let them stare," I whispered back. I raised my voice once again. "Princess Luna, I know this is a very cliche line at this point but, will you make me the happiest stallion alive? Will you marry me?" I pulled out a ring that I had on my hoof. I wore things like this a lot so she didn't even notice. It was the perfect plan.

Luna's face was shocked. "I...I..." She couldn't speak. She simply nodded and smiled, with tears running down her cheeks. "Y-Yes! I will!"

My heart stopped and then exploded. I flew up into the sky and yelled, "SHE SAID YES!!!!"

Luna flew up to me and laughed. "Emerald! I said stop making a scene." I laughed and put the ring on her hoof. The ring had a golden band with a giant emerald right in the middle. Luna gasped, "Emerald, where did you find this? It's beautiful."

I smiled. "Just because I've been out of practice for a little while, doesn't mean I don't still know my trade inside and out."

Luna stared at me, "Y-You made this?" I nodded. "This must have taken forever!"

I took her hoof. "Time well spent," I said. She proceeded to kiss me in front of everypony. I'll admit, that part was a little embarrassing. "Oh no!" I felt the color in my face go from green to ghost white. A realization hit me like a truck.

"What's wrong Emerald?"

"We are in so much trouble."

"Come on Emerald it can't be that bad. Nothing can spoil this amazing moment."

Her look of concern grew the more I looked at her. "I know three words that can do just that."

Luna slowly said, "What are those?"

I gulped back a small tear as I quoted,

"Nothing beyond that."

"I can't believe I forgot the one bucking thing your sister told us." We were both at my house. Luna was sitting on my bed and I was pacing back and forth. I grabbed Luna hoof and reached for the ring. "We can take it back!"

Luna pulled her hoof back. "I don't want to take it back."

I pulled back. "We have to take it back."

Luna pulled back and put a hoof on my chest to gently nudge me back. "Emerald!" There was now a very serious tone in her voice. "We're not taking it back!"

"Then what do you expect us to do? I'm half expecting Celestia to barge in through that door right now and kill me on the spot." I begin pacing even faster.

Luna stands up. "We have to go tell her now." Luna continued after seeing my look of shock and confusion. "We should at least be the ones to tell her. All those ponies saw us, somepony's gonna tell her eventually even if we don't."

I nod slightly. When we walk outside however, Cheerilee is standing there. She speaks in a very cheerful voice. Almost too cheerful for my liking. "Congrats your highness. I've known Emerald for a while. He's a... um... great stallion."

My face goes from surprised to completely unamused. "Gee...thanks Cheerilee," I said, very obviously sarcastically. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we have to go."

"Thank you young one. We shall see you soon." Luna was clearly being much more polite to Cheerilee than I had been. But I wasn't in the mood to be criticized right now. There would be plenty of that in a couple hours once we got to Canterlot.

We landed outside of the castle gates. The Luna cast a look down upon the guards and they nodded and opened the gates. We walked up to the giant door in front of us. A familiar feeling was in my stomach. The same one I had about two moons ago when we stood in this very spot.

I took Luna's hoof in mine as I took a deep breath and softly opened the door. As Celestia saw Luna, her face lit up. "Hello Luna! What brings you around at this time of day?" Her joy did not last long however, because she then turned her sights to me. She glared and said, "Oh. I see. Him."

Luna shrank back a little from her sister as Celestia continued to speak, "Have you finally decided you've had enough of him?" A look of disappointment flashed on Celestia's face as Luna shook her head slightly. "I see. Then why have you brought him before me?"

"W-Well sister, you see..I...um..I"

"Spit it out Luna I don't have all day."

Luna shrank back at the sharp tone of Celestia's voice. I stepped forwards and said, "Your highness, Luna has agreed to allow me her hoof in marriage."

Almost immediately after the words left my mouth, I heard the sound of Celestia slamming her hoof down upon the arm of her throne. She stood up and walked over to me with a burning fire in her eyes. "What was the one rule I had for you that day?" She shouted at me.

"Nothing beyond that."

"And what the buck makes you think that my word means nothing? What? Do the rules not apply to you? Is that it?"

Luna stepped up and softly said, "N-No sister, it's not like that. You see I..." Her words were cut short as Celestia's horn glowed a bright white. There was a white aura around Luna's mouth and it could no longer move.

I stomped my hoof on the ground. "Leave her alone!"

"Why should I listen to you?"

I stomped on the ground again. "You know what Celestia? You're completely wrong about the entire situation." There was no going back now. I had begun my rant and now, I had to finish it.

"You're trying to control your sister's life but you forget that, as a princess, she has just as much authority as you do. You sit here, and take advantage of how she doesn't want to disappoint you again, and she is left doing whatever you want. It's emotional manipulation is what it is! And now, thanks to some outdated ideal of yours from thousands of moons ago, you're going to rob her of what she would consider to be the happiest day of her life."

Celestia's shock at my retaliation caused her to lose focus on the spell she was casting over her sister. The spell dissipated and I ran over to Luna. "Are you okay? I asked, kneeling on the ground beside her. he nodded and I said, "How about this? We get married tonight!"

Luna looked up at me in confusion. "Could we do that? I mean weddings don't just happen! They take a lot of preparation."

I nod and say, "Just leave it to me! If Cranky and Matilda could do it, then so can we." Luna chuckled softly as she remembered the fiasco that was Cranky and Matilda's wedding. I stand up and bring Luna towards the door. Before we leave, I shoot another look back at Celestia, who is still fuming with anger. "The time has come to make your choice princess. We are getting married tonight in the Ponyville town square. We would be honored if you would attend. You can choose to be the kind of pony who will support her sister in all endeavors, or you can be the kind of pony who won't even show up at her own sister's wedding." I turn away with Luna and without looking back say, "The choice is yours."

I was running around Ponyville for the rest of the day collecting ponies who could help us put together an entire wedding in just a couple hours. In the end though, we had the entire thing set up right in the middle of town. As I stood up on the altar, I could see that almost everypony was there. Twilight and her friends sat right up in the front row. They were smiling, even at me!

My mind swam with thoughts about the past three moons. I couldn't believe how fast I had gone from invisible to the most popular pony in all of equestria, save the princesses of course. I watched in sadness as Luna continuously scanned the crowd. There was no sign of her sister anywhere. I stepped down from the altar with a scroll in my hoof. I handed the scroll to spike. "Please send this to Princess Celestia." Spike nodded and in a flash of green flame, the scroll had disappeared.

I stepped back up and stared into Luna's beautiful eyes. We then heard the voice of the pastor as he began speaking. I tuned out most of his speech until her got to the good part. "Do you, Princess Luna, take Emerald Shine, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, till death do you part?"

Luna smiled as a tear of joy ran down her cheek. "I do."

He turned to me. "Emerald Shine, do you take Princess Luna, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health till death do you part?"

"I do."

"By virtue of the authority given to me by the town of Ponyville, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Let's just say, he didn't need to tell us twice. But this time, kissing Luna felt different somehow. I felt a tingling sensation rise up through my hooves. It continued to rise all the way up to the top of my head. I now realized that me and Luna were rising above the ground. As we broke the kiss, I was engulfed in a green light. I could now feel the sensation rising above my head. My head was spinning. I couldn't keep track of everything around me. A blinding flash of light flew through the entire town as I floated downwards.

I landed on my hooves next to Luna. But the faces of the ponies in the crowd were different. That's when I began to hear gasps.

As every eye in the square was focused on me...

Celestia sat in her throne room. She tapped her hoof, bored, on the side of her throne. She suddenly looked up as she heard the familiar sound of a letter materializing in front of her.

She floated the letter up with her magic and opened it. There were only seven words in the letter. But they infuriated her more than ever.

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