The entire town couldn't stop cheering for me and Zecora as we walked down the walkway towards the exit. Somehow, and I suspected I had a nerdicorn with staticnet access to thank for this, they knew about the rice throwing tradition because the gathered crowd of Ponies threw rice at us as we walked out. I was laughing at that as was Zecora. I couldn't help it.
When we reached the outside, I spread my wings, intent on flying my new wife towards the reception, but she surprised me by spreading her own wings and flying a few feet off the ground with amazing ease. Turning to Rainbow, the prismatic Pegasus gave me a wink and a grin. "She learns faster than you, private."
I rolled my eyes and smirked as I took Zecora's hand. "Then let's fly, sweetheart. We have a meal to eat and a party to enjoy."
She smiled back and squeezed my hand back. "Come fly with me," she said as she pulled me higher into the air. As she did so, she took the bouquet in her hand and flung it behind her. I heard a number of shouts, and then a groan of embarrassment.
Looking back behind us, I saw that Rainbow Dash had somehow managed to catch it. She was looking at the flowers and blushing hard. "Why me…?" she muttered.
"Call it instant karma for mocking my husband, my dear Miss Dash," Zecora said in a teasing tone, eliciting a laugh from the surrounding crowd.
Laughing along with them, I flew up and joined Zecora and the two of us slowly flew towards my, or rather our, house. The Ponies followed close behind us, talking animatedly. Many Pegasi were flying alongside us, offering us their congratulations and wishes for a long and happy life and marriage. Just like my body, my heart soared even higher and higher at each platitude. I lost track of how many Ponies I thanked, and judging from the plea in Zecora's eyes she felt the same way.
Finally, we reached my front gate. I landed near the edge, opened it, and stepped through. Gemini and Mica immediately took up guard positions on the inside as the two of us walked in and directly over to the front table where my bride and I, along with our bridesmaids, groomsmen and the two Princesses would sit. I pulled the chairs out for all of them, then took my seat last. I watched as the Ponies poured in from either the gate or flew in above it. The tables were empty of food but not of plates, bowls and silverware. It took them a few minutes to come in.
As they were doing so, I felt an arm go through mine. Looking to my right, I saw my new wife looking up at me with a smile on her lips and tears in her eyes. I grabbed my handkerchief and began dabbing at her eyes. "Happy enough to cry, my dearest?" I asked with a wide smile.
She nodded. "That, and I don't want this day to end."
I leaned in and kissed her tenderly. "The day might come to an end, but our lives will be forever changed."
She leaned against my shoulder, relaxing and sighing contentedly. From her side, I heard a few of the Ponies making a "D'awww" sound. I turned and smiled at the Mane Six, Scarlet and the two Princesses who were all looking at me with the widest smiles on their faces. Rarity spoke first. "You two look perfect together."
"Eeyup," Big Mac said from my left in agreement.
"I feel perfect with her," I replied, running my hand through her long flowing mane. She relaxed at my touch and made a small humming sound. This elicited another round of "D'awwws" from the mares at the table. Even the Princesses got in on it.
Looking out at the crowd, I saw that nearly everyone was seated. A few more stragglers were running through the gate and finding last minute seats. I leaned my head against Zecora's own and relaxed, closing my eyes and enjoying the moment with her. We sat like that for probably a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity of bliss. The eternity was broken, however, when someone jabbed my arm. Looking down, I saw that Spike was poking me. "Everypony's here, Dad," he whispered.
I slowly nodded then turned back to Zecora. "Baby, it's time."
She slowly and reluctantly sat back up, opening her eyes and looking out at the crowd. "Who would have thought that the Ponies who once ran away from me would be sitting here celebrating our wedding?" she softly said.
"I know, right?" I said as I stood, grabbed a glass and spoon and tapped at it, enhancing the sound it made with a bit of my magic. The sound of talking began to die down and everyone gave me their attention. When all was silent, I took a deep breath. "Hello, everybody!" I waited for the greetings to die down before I continued. "My wife and I are really happy to see all of you here. It means a lot that everyone here can share in the magic of this special day for us." There was a thunderous applause that followed which even moved the glasses on the tables. I held up a hand for silence, and it eventually calmed down. "I'm sure a lot of you are eager to eat something, so I'll try and make this brief." Laughter spread through the crowd briefly. Then came my little joke. I reached underneath my chair, brought out a scroll and let it fall. It fell to the ground and I looked at the top as if I was reading something. Clearing my throat, I opened my mouth to say something, stopped, looked out at the crowd, then began crumpling up the paper and tossing it away, much to the apparent relief of the crowd. "All my wife and I really want to say is thank you for taking the time out of your day to come and spend the day with us. Celebrating our union with the town and the Ponies who have made us both feel as welcome as one of your own is a dream come true. And now, let the feast begin."
I held up my hands, both of which began to glow with my signature magic. There was a flash, and the once empty tables were suddenly filled with food. Those seated at the table looked in awe at the variety of dishes. There was, of course, Baked Jollhoof Rice, Fried Noodles, Sandwiches, Egg Rolls, Salads, Deviled Eggs, Mashed Potatoes, Bread Rolls, Vegetarian Pizzas, and even some of the Veggie Burgers that Scarlet had created were included among the Farasi and human dishes. There were bottles of wine for the adults and barrels of cider for everyone. There were large pitchers of ice water on the tables as well.
"You got that from Harry Potter, didn't you?" Twilight asked as she and everyone else at the table began to fill their plates with food.
"What, and Luna got that Princess Bride reference out of thin air?" I retorted, giving the now embarrassed Twilight a smirk before turning to Luna. "When did you watch that?"
"During Zecora's bachelorette party," Luna replied with a cheeky grin. "I was hoping to include the little lisp, but Celestia told me it would be inappropriate."
"And nobody would get the reference anyway," Celestia added.
"No, but I've been thinking about that," I said with a wry grin. "I've been considering starting a weekly movie night here for anyone who wants to experience human cinema."
"How so?" Twilight asked excitedly.
"Well, you do have projector technology, albeit one that relies on film and isn't quite digital," I explained. "I might construct a movie theater here in Ponyville, bringing some of the technology for more modern day projectors from Earth to make the theater."
Everyone at the table looked excited at the prospect. Down near one of the tables, I saw Sunset looking up. "If you need help choosing movies that Ponies might like, I'm your mare."
I looked down at her and chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind, Sunset, thanks."
"I wouldn't start with Lord of the Rings or anything with too much violence," Sunset said.
"Oh of course not," I agreed. "I'm thinking more along the lines of Disney movies first."
"Good idea," Fluttershy said with a small smile.
"Oh I can't wait!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Movie dates will become a thing here too! And then there will be so many lovey dovey couples around there'll be weddings galore and those parties will be so fun to plan and-"
"Hush there, Pinkie Pie," Applejack chuckled, putting a hoof on the excitable party Pony's lips to silence her.
"Well, in a sense she's right," I said. "On Earth, movie dates became quite common. Not as much now, but they're still a thing. It's a great first date option because after you go see it, you can head down to a restaurant and talk about the movie itself. It's a good way to break the ice."
"I look forward to enjoying a movie in this future theater," Luna said. "And you said it is a movie night?"
"Nighttime is the best time for it, in my opinion," I said. "Everyone's done working and needs a way to unwind before bed. And there's no better way than to just relax and enjoy some entertainment."
"Wait, why not use the Ponyville Theater?" Rarity asked.
"I actually visited there once," I replied. "The chairs aren't really that comfortable and the wiring there is a few decades out of date even by Equestrian standards. I could blow the circuits if I tried to install a projector."
Before anyone else could continue the conversation, I heard the sound of the house door opening. Turning, I saw Phlogiston walking out with Ember behind her. Phlogiston was holding a wide eyed and curious looking Aurora who was looking around. The others who followed did so looking a bit nervous, although Sonata looked more excited. I wasn't surprised that Chrysalis hadn't come out, so I decided to save some food for her, especially the meat dishes that had been prepared especially for me and any other omnivores who would come.
I nudged Zecora, who turned and looked at the newcomers with me. I stood and walked over to them, smiling. "You decided to join us after all," I said happily.
Phlogiston beamed and nodded. "It's not every day that your Emperor gets married," she said. "I'm just sorry that I missed the ceremony."
"I'm sure Scarlet recorded everything on her phone," I replied as I looked down at the still awestruck Aurora. "And how did she behave while we were gone?"
"She was playing a lot with Auntie Adagio and Auntie Sonata," Phlogiston said with a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Don't call me that," Adagio grumbled.
Sonata just giggled. "Hey, I think it suits you," she said, giving Adagio a nudge with her elbow.
Aria just groaned. "Morons…" she muttered.
By this time, the guests had begun to take notice of the newcomers and were looking a bit nervous themselves. Not wanting to break the good mood, I stepped forward back to my chair and held up my hands for silence. "Allow me to introduce some more guests that Zecora and I have invited personally." I turned and gestured for everyone standing on my porch to come forward. There was a brief moments hesitation from them before Ember, standing tall and proud, walked forward and stood on the platform where the main table stood. I looked out at the crowd. "This is Princess Ember of the Empire of Aelyssia. She is the Hand of the Emperor, meaning that she is like a regent to the Empire. It is thanks in part to her actions that the war between the Dragons and Ponies was averted."
I then gestured for her to take a seat at one of the empty chairs at the main table. She did so, still sitting tall and proud. I then gestured to Phlogiston, who came forward with Aurora still in her claws. "This is Lady Phlogiston of Aelyssia. She is, well, I suppose you could call her a wet nurse. She has been taking care of this little cutie who was born very recently. The baby's name is Aurora. Phlogiston has been staying with me ever since Aurora was born." I gently took Aurora and lifted her up for everyone to see. "Isn't she just the cutest child you've ever seen?"
The crowd all smiled and some even giggled at the cute sounds that Aurora was making. The little hatchling laughed as she looked out at the Ponies and tried to reach out to them. I eventually handed Aurora back to Phlogiston and then gestured for her to sit down. I then gestured to the Sirens. "These three might look human, but they were once three Siren Princesses in the old Aelyssian Empire. They were banished far away and underwent this metamorphosis. They will be returning with me to Aelyssia on the first of the new year. Their names are Adagio Dazzling, Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk."
As the three Sirens took a seat at the table, I walked back to my chair. "These are my honored guests, so I ask that you please treat them with all courtesy. That is all. Please enjoy the meal."
The Ponies at the tables resumed their eating, but I did notice a few looking at the newcomers with some nervousness and curiosity. I kept an eye on the newcomers for a little while longer. Sonata seemed to be the most eager to eat. I had included some meat dishes on the main table for myself and for the others if they had joined us.
"Jeffro, dis party needsh shome moosic," Pinkie Pie suddenly said with a mouthful of food.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, little miss chipmunk," I chuckled as I pulled out my phone, opened my music, and began searching through my My Little Pony themed playlist. I smiled as I found a song that would definitely fit the mood. I cast the spell which would allow everyone to hear it in stereo, then stood. Once more, the crowd lowered their voices and focused on me. Smiling, I said, "As everyone here is aware, my old world created an entertainment for children called My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. It describes the adventures of the Elements of Harmony and at the same time teaches children good moral lessons on how to be a good friend. The television show was so popular that more than children became enthralled by the characters and the stories told. Many creators on my world began creating works of music and art based off of Equestria. I want to share some of the music from an amazing composer who created a number of pieces based off of this world. I think he'd be proud to know that his music is being heard by the Ponies he so adored." And with that, I hit play.
Marcus Warner's composition, Friendship Is Magic, began playing all around us. The Ponies tilted their heads and listened with curiosity as the music grew in intensity. Before it got too loud, I quickly informed the crowd what the title was. They all smiled at that and ate in silence as they listened to the orchestral piece.
As it played, I felt something unusual in the air. Nothing dangerous, but something unexpected. The sun might have been shining down on the party grounds, but the warmth I felt wasn't from that. I looked around, wondering if anyone else was feeling said warmth. Everyone else seemed to be waving their heads back and forth as they listened to the music. All except for Zecora, who was looking up at me with the warmest of expressions on her face. Her eyes were sparkling with love, joy, gladness and more as she gently put her hand on my right cheek. Her silky smooth fingers moved my head upwards.
And I saw it. A glowing rainbow orb of light hovering above the property. Dead center above it, in fact. The colors swirled as if they were made of multicolored gasses. I saw every color conceivable, and even possibly some that were new to me altogether. I felt a surge of unwavering love wash over me like a wave, only the feeling didn't seem to go away. In fact, the feeling only seemed to grow. I felt the presence of Zecora leaning against me on one side, and Spike leaning against me on the other. I felt their hands in mine, and the feeling tripled. It continued to grow, and despite me not looking, I somehow knew that everyone was joining hooves, claws and hands. Even the non-Pony guests.
The music that was playing began growing louder, but not so much as to damage eardrums. It seemed to permeate through me and presumably everyone around me. As the song reached the climax, the orb of light seemed to expand and shine brighter than the sun. Despite that, my eyes didn't hurt or burn as I stared into the light. I felt the happiness, joy, and love of everyone else around me. The happiness and joy they felt about the day and the love they felt not just towards me and my bride, but for everyone around them. There was even a brief moment where I felt a feeling of love that the Sirens had for each other. A love bordering on protectiveness and familial bond.
I felt the deep love of the Apple family for each other, a love that honored the loss of Pear Butter and Bright Mac. One that I knew the two would be proud of were they here. I felt the deep bonds of friendship between the Elements of Harmony, the bonds which allowed them to wield the Equestrian artifacts. I felt the bonds between the Cutie Mark Crusaders and their growing crushes on Spike. I could feel the overwhelming love that Spike felt for his adopted family and for me as a father figure. I felt the deep bond between Lyra and Bon Bon and the bond between Octavia and Vinyl. I felt the familial love that existed between Celestia and Luna. I felt every bond of love and friendship and family in the moment that the orb was at its largest.
But above all, the bond that was the strongest in my mind was the bonds of love, romantic love, all directed at me. The strongest belonged to Zecora, and I latched onto it and responded in kind, pouring all my own feelings of love and desire into the bond. A bond that became trinary as I included a crying Scarlet. Her tears of joy only increased, and I felt my own feelings spill out in the form of tears.
As the song came to a close, and the feelings of those bonds slowly faded, I saw the orb decrease in size. A female voice, one I didn't hear so much as feel the words. More importantly, I felt their intent. The words were ones that felt imprinted on my very soul. I would never forget them.
Love one another, as you have been loved. Bless one another, as you have been blessed. Join as one. Sing the song in harmonious resonance.
As the song ended, the orb vanished in a white flash. The spell was broken, leaving me feeling almost empty inside. That was, until I felt Spike's claw and Zecora's hand squeeze my own. I came back to the present and looked around. Everyone was looking stunned and dazed, but at the same time there were lingering smiles on their faces. I quickly paused my playlist and looked over at Zecora. There was a wide smile on her face but there were tears streaming down her face, much like the tears flowing from my eyes. Slowly, I brought her hand up and kissed the back of it. "Zecora…I love you so much," I whispered, breaking the silence that everyone had slipped into.
Slowly, she reached up and wrapped her arms around me, leaning in and kissing me deeply. When she broke the kiss some time later, she said, "I love you too."
With that, the conversation began again, only this time the voices were full of overwhelming emotion. Ponies were hugging each other, kind words were being spoken, tears were being shed, and there was laughter.
Suddenly, from beside me, I heard a wailing noise. Turning, I saw that the sound of crying came from one of the most unlikely sources I had ever expected. There, sitting near the edge of our table, Aria Blaze had her head lifted to the sky, eyes closed, and sobbing like there was no end to her tears.
Worried, I stood to check on her, but Adagio and Sonata were faster. The two stood and gently lifted Aria by her arms. Sonata looked over at me and nodded. "We'll take care of her," she said softly as she and Adagio led the still sobbing Aria back to the house.
Nodding towards them, I slowly sat back down. There was something in Sonata's tone that said I could trust them. I turned back to look around. I next looked at Spike, who was looking up at me with the widest smile on his face. "I love you, Dad…"
"I love you too, kiddo," I replied as I wrapped an arm around him. As he leaned into the hug, curiosity got the better of me. I turned to look at Celestia. "Do you know what just happened?"
Celestia, who was in the midst of hugging Luna, looked up at me with tears coming from her own eyes. Quickly she dabbed at her tears with a napkin. "I think…I think that was another form of the Fires of Friendship," she replied.
"Did you hear the voice?" I asked.
She nodded. "I don't know who or what that was, but I don't think it meant us any harm."
"Me neither," I said as I turned to the crowd. Slowly, I poured a glass of wine for me and Zecora then poured a glass of cider for Spike. With that, I grabbed the glass and stood. I raised the glass. "My friends, in light of the events that have just transpired, I want to raise a toast." I smiled and waited while everyone poured themselves a glass of either wine, cider or juice. When they had all raised their glasses, I cleared my throat. "I know this is going to sound corny, but I wanted to raise a toast to everyone here. This has been the best day of our lives."
Here, I looked down at Zecora, who smiled up at me and promptly stood. She continued. "The feelings that I felt here will be ones that I will hold most dear."
"I am gonna sound so corny for saying this," I said with a smile, "but right now I don't care. To the magic of friendship!"
As we all drank the toast, I felt a sliver of the same feelings I'd just experienced. Today was quickly turning into even more of an unforgettable day for me.
The rest of the day was equally as unforgettable as the appearance of the orb. Dessert was equally as amazing as the early lunch we celebrated. The Cakes had baked one of the biggest wedding cakes I had ever seen. Bon Bon had made some exquisite candies of various types, and I'd brought some Earth candies for the guests to enjoy, like Skittles, M&M's and various snack sized candy bars.
My first dance with Zecora was to a slow-moving instrumental song composed by Octavia herself, one she'd called Love Conquers. Everyone's eyes were on us as we danced on the temporary dance floor built for us. Our practice paid off, especially since we'd gotten some instructions on classical dancing from Trisha who'd come to visit a few days prior to help us. She was happy for us and extremely apologetic that neither she nor her friends could attend the wedding despite me having invited them. Apparently they all had volunteered for a charity event at Pendragon Presbyterian Church and didn't want to break it. I told her that charity was something important and encouraged her to do so.
After a few other dances, including a traditional Farasi dance and a group dance, Pinkie Pie practically dragged me and Zecora to a large pile of wedding presents. She hardly gave either of us time to enjoy the presents that we did unwrap or unbag before shoving the next one into our hands. This didn't last very long, however, as Pinkie was dragged away by Applejack and Rainbow Dash. That didn't dampen her spirits, however, as she was practically hopping for the entire time that Zecora and I were opening presents.
We were given plenty of different presents from everyone, from a discount certificate from Ponyville Landscaped for any work on my property to twelve barrels of various apple products from the Apple family. New furniture, clothes, books, even toys for foals from the owner of the local toy store were only samples of the gifts that we were given by all of Ponyville's citizens and its businesses.
Near the end, I spotted a small present that was sitting a bit out of the way from the others. I approached it and lifted it up. It felt heavy in my hands. Walking over to the nearest table, I set it down and opened it, only to see a lovely Aloe Vera plant, along with a small booklet on how to properly take care of it. I looked all around the wrapping paper to see who might have sent it, only to find a small message written in a very beautiful script that read Congratulations on your wedding, W.B.
W.B.…? Who could that be? I thought as I looked around the gathered Ponies who were watching. Suddenly, I spotted a lock of dark green hair moving behind the Younger Golden Apple tree. Turning, I handed the plant to Zecora. "Hang on, I'll be right back," I said as I turned back to the tree and walked up to it. Clearing my throat, I called out quietly, "Hello?"
I heard a gasp and then a familiar head popped out from behind the tree. Wallflower Blush locked eyes with me and froze. "Ah, um, I…hello."
I smiled down at the shy Unicorn mare. "Did you give us that Aloe Vera plant?" She nodded shyly, hiding a bit behind her mane. Boy, she could give Fluttershy a run for her money in the shy department, I thought. I knelt and held out my hand to her. "Thank you for the gift, Wallflower."
"You remember me?" she asked in alarm as she looked at me.
"Of course I do," I replied in a reassuring tone.
She looked down at my still outstretched hand at that, and shied away temporarily before she returned and placed her hoof in my hand. I shook her hoof gratefully. "You're…You're welcome," she said. "I hope you and your wife enjoy it…"
"We will," I said with a final shake as I let go of her hoof. She seemed reluctant to let go, but she did. "Oh, did you ever manage to replant that Neighhon bonsai tree?"
She looked startled. "You remember that too?" I nodded. She then added, "Well…I did manage to save it. It's growing in my greenhouse now."
"I'm glad to hear that," I replied with a smile as I stood. "Sorry to cut this short, but my wife and I have more presents to open and a certain pink party Pony would explode if she had to wait even more."
Wallflower giggled in an extremely cute voice and held her hoof to her mouth. "Ah, yes, I can imagine. And congratulations once again."
"Thanks, and thank you for the gift."
We parted ways and I went back to where Zecora was now opening something else. It took us a little over an hour to open every single present, and by that time the front of the yard had been cleared of tables. There were a few tables nearby with leftovers of food and dessert, but in the middle of the lawn was a massive pile of wood. This was one of the traditions of Farasi that I especially liked: a bonfire. Pinkie gathered up all the wrapping paper and stuffed it into the bottom of the pile in record time and folded the gift bags and set them on the porch swing.
Much like the cutting of the cake was done by both husband and wife in human culture, which we had done earlier, the lighting of the fire was done traditionally by a torch held by the husband and wife of Farasi culture. No magic was used. Instead, the two of us had to start a fire by using flint and tinder.
It took us a few minutes but eventually we lit the torch and approached the pile of wood and paper, our hands on the wooden torch. As we lowered the flaming stick, we looked at each other and, in Farasi, spoke the traditional words, "As this flame ignites a brighter flame, may the flames of our love only ever grow."
We both stepped away and the flames spread quickly thanks to the paper within. Soon, the wood caught fire and the flames reached up higher and brighter. I took the time to look around at the gathered guests. They were spreading apart now, getting into smaller groups. Some were surrounding Phlogiston and Aurora and were cooing over the latter, calling her cute. Others were talking with an increasingly uncomfortable looking Ember, and the children had started up a rousing game of tag. This included Spike, who was running around and laughing as he played with the children his age.
I felt a hand slowly intertwine with my own. Looking down at my new wife, I smiled, leaned down and kissed her. Despite my earlier words, I too didn't want this day to end.
Eventually, however, the day did have to end. It was five o'clock by the time the party had wound down and most of the guests had gone home. My closer friends stayed behind to help clean up the rest of the party grounds and to help me and Zecora put our new gifts away. I knew there wouldn't be time to put them away properly until I got back from Aelyssia, but Scarlet, who had elected to remain behind, promised that she would take care of it.
The sun had set by the time everything was cleared away and the lawn looked pristine again. Our fridges were both bulging with leftover food despite the fact that we'd let Ponies take home leftovers. I decided that Zecora and I would take some of that food with us, if not a majority of it, when we left.
It was just past seven when I lifted Zecora up bridal style and carried her up to my, now our, bedroom. The look in her eyes told me that she wanted the night to be just as good as the day. Her arms were around my neck and she was running her hands through my hair as I opened the door with my magic. I stepped through and closed the door. Setting her on the bed, I cast a noise cancelling spell around the bedroom.
As Best Princess once had said, the night would last forever.