>”You’re never going to get it on if you don’t stop fidgeting.”
>Luna smacks your hand away from your tie as she continues to fiddle with it.
“I had it right the first time. You need to calm down.”
>”I am calm. It is you who must behave. This day will not be ruined by little mistakes.”
“It will if you don’t let me fix it myself.”
>You manage to escape her grasp and fix your tie.
“See? Done.”
 
>”If you just let me do it-“
“We’d have been here past the ceremony.”
>”Don’t use that tone with me. You may be a prince, but not of this land.”
“Boo hoo, cry about it later.”
>She scoffs at you and exits as Acus enters.
>”Trouble with the bride?”
“Women… How do they work?”
 
>”So turns out the noble prince really did get himself hitched. What a thing.”
“Thanks for coming back. I know we didn’t leave on the best of terms.”
>He rests his hand on your shoulder.
>”Don’t worry about it. I was out of line.”
“Really? You do? Did you turn over a new leaf when I wasn’t looking?”
>”Something like that. This is your day, take it for what it is.”
“Thanks Acus, truly.”
>”Just don’t be pissed when shit hits the fan.”
 
>You wave off the seemingly drunk bastard.
>He’s like a completely different person now that he’s back.
>Not that you don’t like it, it’s just a bit odd for the great barbarian to show a human side.
>You shrug it off and continue prepping for the wedding.
>”Well look at you all nice and fancy.”
>You turn to meet Twilight who was already in her dress.
>Stunning would be an understatement.
 
>You give her a tender hug, combing your hands through her mane.
“I missed you.”
>”Me too.”
>You reluctantly pull away from the embrace, returning to your own attire.
>”You didn’t come to the library last night.”
“I’m sorry about that. Luna had me in another pinch of hers going over last minute design choices. You understand.”
>”Yeah… I do…”
 
>Not that tone again.
>You take a knee and look right at Twilight.
“There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll be the same man after that I am now. I’ll be here. Trust me.”
>Tears well up in her eyes anyways. She’s not so convinced.
>You lean in and kiss her ever so gently.
“I’ll be here.”
>She sniffs, smiling back at you.
>”Ok.”
 
>You give her one last hug before she leaves.
“Everything’s set right?”
>”Yes, we’re just waiting on you and… the bride.”
>It pains you to hear her speak that way.
>You have no idea what she must be going through.
“I’ll see you there.”
>”Don’t keep me waiting.”
>She exits the room, taking your joy along with her.
 
>You finish dressing yourself, tucking in your pants, and cleaning yourself up.
>The ceremony has a strict no weapons policy, so you make sure to take those out of the equation, but what they don’t know won’t hurt them.
>You sit down, and try to relax.
>You have no problem charging into a battlefield, but here? You’re as timid as Fluttershy.
>This isn’t exactly the type of situation you’re used to.
>The door swings open and Flash steps in.
>”Anon, we’re ready for you.”
 
>You stand up and follow him, leaving everything behind.
>The two of you wade through the wave of ponies in the castle.
>”Congratulations Anon. It’ll be an honor to call you my prince.”
“Thanks Flash. I’m glad you’re here for me.”
>You step into the grand hall where Flash stays behind.
>”To the Future,” he salutes.
>You return it and slowly walk down the aisle.
 
>You spot your men on one side, Acus at the front, being your best man and all.
>At the other side stand the mane 6, except Fluttershy who’s on the balcony with her birds.
>Luna and Celestia haven’t arrived yet. Celestia is to come in last, while Luna is to follow you shortly.
>You reach the end and stand before the altar, Twilight directly across from you.
>Fluttershy’s birds go on cue, signaling Luna’s entrance.
>All eyes turn to the doors as Luna begins her arrival.
 
>Three fillies burst from the entrance sprinkling an assortment of flowers on the ground.
>They hop around playfully, not even fully comprehending the events they’re attending.
>Behind them, Luna walks head held high toward you.
>She too looks remarkable as her dress sways from side to side.
>What her attitude lacks, her sheer elegance makes up for.
>A thousand ponies would kill for the opportunity to wed such a creature, but you’re the one who’s stuck with the task.
 
>All those niggling doubts creep upon you again.
>It’s for the greater good you continue telling yourself.
>You turn to Twilight, who has done the same.
>She’ll stand at your side through thick and thin.
>If she’s willing to see this through, then so are you.
>Both of you smile, Luna cutting the view between you.
>”Quite the mare isn’t she?”
 
>You ignore her and face the altar.
>”Not many have had the will to stick around with her for so long. She must be special.”
>Her voice is hushed to avoid suspicion.
>It’s becoming harder and harder to just ignore her while she calls you on the carpet.
>”You love her don’t you?”
“More than someone like you would know,” you whisper.
>”I’m glad for you,” she says almost expressing sympathy.
>She might actually be able to feel such things after all.
>”I’m glad for both of you.”
“So am I Luna. So am I…”
 
>The music reaches its apex, and the there’s silence as Celestia stand before you both.
>You and Luna nod at Celestia, signaling your full commitment to the ceremony.
>She clears her throat and begins the ceremony.
>”Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Princess Luna and Prince Anon of Glaemar.”
>This is it. The most important decision of your life and it’s not even of your own accord.
>Just stick it out Anon, it’s just words. It changes nothing.
 
>”For many years we have lived at ease with the land of Erreda, but today will change all of that.”
>”Today we will join hands with those across the great sea, starting with the two before us.”
>”The strength of their commitment is clear. The power of their love, undeniable.”
>You contain your laughter at the irony of those two statements.
>”Princess Luna, do you take Prince Anon to be your husband, to care for and cherish, in sickness and in health?”
>”I do.”
 
>”And do you, Prince Anon, take Princess Luna to be your wedded wife, to care for and cherish in sickness and in health?”
>You look back to Twilight, who nods her head.
“I do.”
>Spike brings up the rings, Celestia hovering them accordingly.
“I hereby pronounce you husband and wife. “
>The two of you kiss, and the crowd goes into an uproar.
>A loud crack tears you two apart, a rainbow scorching across the sky.
>Damn, you just lost ten bits.
 
>Pinkie jumps in the air her voice booming over the others.
>”Let’s get his party STARTED!”
>Suddenly boom boxes. So many boom boxes.
>The place becomes a mess of clattered ponies.
>Luna looks at you and smiles, “Go find your girlfriend.”
>You give her an unexpected hug before you dive into the crowd in search of Twilight.
>The other ponies don’t make things any easier on you.
 
>You sift through the crowd until you stumble upon Rarity and the rest of the mane 6, but no Twilight.
>”Darling, shouldn’t you be with Luna?”
“No. Do you know here Twilight is?”
>”I’m afraid I don’t. Though I don’t blame her for going.”
“Going where?”
>Rarity shuts up, realizing her slip of words.
>What the hell is wrong with her?
 
“Pinkie? Fluttershy? Rainbow Dash?”
>None of them say a word.
“Applejack, please, where’s Twilight?”
>”She wants to be alone right now Anon.”
“I know her. Just tell me please.”
>She looks away from you, avoiding your gaze.
>”She’s outside in the courtyard.”
 
>You thank her and take off down the castle corridors.
>You’ve basically got the castle memorized by now so it doesn’t take long to reach it.
>You step into the courtyard, looking around for the missing Twilight.
>There doesn’t appear to be any sign of her, but Applejack isn’t a liar, so she’ll be here.
>This was too much for her to bear; you knew she shouldn’t have come.
>Especially at the kiss, that’s probably what threw her over the edge.
>You hear a sob coming from the hedges.
>The one thing you can’t stand…
 
“Twilight!” You call out to her.
>The sobs stop, but only for the moment. She can run, but she can’t hide.
>You continue your search which has narrowed down to one section of the yard.
“Twilight!”
>Another sob breaks through and you head for its source.
>You find a medium sized fountain closed off by the grove surrounding it.
>At its side sits Twilight. A few tears dripping into the water’s base.
 
>You don’t say anything as you move up behind her and embrace her.
>She doesn’t struggle, but you unleash the dam that has been building up within her.
>You hold her all the while as she releases her tears on you.
“I’m here Twilight. I’m here.”
>So you sit there with her curled up in your arms.
>The tears start to subside and she seems to be a bit better.
“You alright?”
>”Now I am…”
 
>You nuzzle her neck and scratch behind her ears, Twilight emitting several coos.
>You rest your head against hers, her mane brushing against your skin.
“Let’s skip the party. Just forget all about it.”
>Twilight looks interested at the proposal.
“We can just sit in the library, drinking cocoa, and look at the stars.”
>You look in her beautiful violet eyes.
“Would you like that?”
>She nods and brings her face into your shoulder, rubbing your neck affectionately.
>Everything turned out better than expected…
 
>You help Twilight up and both of you walk to the castle.
>On to warm chocolate delights and other nightly wonders.
>You pause at the entrance as your platoon of soldiers come marching out.
>One of them hands you a slip as you walk inside.
>”New orders sir.”
>You salute him and unravel it while you walk.
>By direct order from the king blahdy blahdy blah…
>The fuck is this?
 
>You stand there staring at the letter dumbstruck.
>”Anon?”
>She nudges you, but you don’t respond. You can’t respond.
>”Anon what’s wrong?”
>The letter falls from your hands, drifting towards the cold floor.
>He wouldn’t… That bastard!
>You run as fast as your feet can carry you, leaving Twilight behind.
>You just hope you’re not too late.
 
>The room where the ceremony took place is mostly empty.
>A few ponies chit chat, but you’re not concerned about that.
>You peer out of one of the windows into the grounds which seems to be where the party has moved to.
>You slip into the crowd who’s too far gone to even register you.
>This is just a prank right? There’s no way he’d do something like that.
>No… This is just something he would do.
 
>You spot Luna conversing with Celestia at the edge of the crowd.
>For once you’re relieved to see her.
>At least you don’t see… Acus…
>He stands a ways away from them, but he’s close enough for you to care.
>He notices you and tips his mug before he downs the entire thing.
>Setting it down, he begins to walk towards the princesses, a shimmer from his coat catching your eye.
>No, not today you mother fucker.
 
>Moving through the crowd you attempt to intercept him.
“Excuse me. Pardon me.”
>The closer he gets, the further you are. Bull shit.
>You ignore subtly and push the ponies out of your way.
>A few yell at you for being rude, but you could care less right now.
>This is bigger than them, and you won’t let him off easy.
>Acus reaches the princesses you hot on his tail.
 
>”King John sends his regards.”
>He reaches into his coat as you collide into him.
“Not on my watch!”
>Both of you are thrown down the hill, still entwined as you fall.
>His punches are erratic but devastating, while yours are precise but weak.
>He rolls on top of you when you reach the bottom of the hill and proceeds to beat you down.
>You cover your face, but that leaves your stomach exposed.
 
>After a minute of beating he slows down still pinning you underneath him.
>”Orders are orders. We have a job to finish.”
>You spit a wad of blood in his face.
“Fuck you Acus.”
>He smiles, “As you wish.”
>You punch him in the balls once more, weakening his position.
>He falls to the side gripping his gonads as you get up.
 
>It doesn’t take long for him to follow, withdrawing a machete from his coat.
>How did he get that thing into the party at all?
>”You’re going to pay for that. You don’t have your father to save you now.”
“Screw him. No one is going to ruin my life anymore.”
>He charges and swings, missing by a mile.
>He’s used to brute strength instead of finesse.
“Come on, just try to get me. I won’t even move this time.”
>He charges again bringing the machete down from above.
 
>You step to the side as his knife imbeds into the ground leaving him open.
>You grip his arm and stab him in the armpit with your blade, twisting it around for good measure.
>”You said… won’t move.”
“I lied,” you whisper to him as he falls backwards.
>You move in for the finishing blow, stabbing him at the back of his neck.
>He tenses up only to fall lifelessly to the side.
“May Tartarus take you swiftly comrade.”
 
>You fish through his clothing taking out a letter of his own.
>It was the same as the other, the king’s seal imprinted on the corner.
>That bastard will pay for this.
>A few guards come by and drag Acus away.
>You thank them for the help to which they don’t respond.
>Were you being too sarcastic?
>You trudge back up the hill battered from your scuffle.
 
>Twilight helps you once you reach the top, allowing you to use her body to balance yourself.
>”Did I read that letter right?”
>You point to yourself and laugh lightly.
“It certainly seems that way.”
>”ANON!” Oh god not that voice. “You have some explaining to do.”
>The party seems to have been dispersed after your little show.
>The mane 6 and the princesses take you back inside in the castle.
 
>You’re taken to the formal chambers where you first met with Celestia.
>You feel like a prisoner inside these walls, you just hope you aren’t treated as one.
>Celestia carries a letter of with her; probably the one Twilight gave her which you dropped.
>”I’m going to have a few words with your King.”
>That doesn’t sound good; things are turning out a lot worse than expected….
>”Explain,” Luna says without her bout of anger.
“I wish I could.”
 
>”Why would he do this? Didn’t he want to see this deal through?”
“Peace isn’t a well known word where I’m from, but too much war leaves a stain on his record.”
>”What’s that supposed to mean sugarcube?”
“It means this isn’t something I’m surprised he’d do. He just needed another way to start a war without causing suspicion.”
>”But why try and make a wedding in the first place?” Pinkie chimes in.
“I don’t know. It probably worked best for him I guess.”
 
“If Acus hadn’t been my best man…”
>”Then he wouldn’t have been able to reach the princess.”
“That old coot’s smarter than I thought.”
>Luna’s still a bit on edge from the ordeal.
>”How can we even trust you now, after this?”
>You give her the ‘really’ look and stare at her.
>”If it wasn’t for him, you probably would have been lying on the bottom of the hill instead of Acus.”
“Thanks Twilight.”
 
>”Perhaps, but this is all a bit too convenient how he shows up at the last minute to rescue me.”
“I only learned about it when my men found me and gave me a letter like this.”
>You toss it to Luna who inspects it herself.
“You can just ready my mind if you want; I had no idea what was going to happen. I’m sorry.”
>”Do not be. I know you speak the truth.”
“Thank you, it means a lot.”
>The door screeches open as Celestia walks through.
 
>”Your king was less than receptive. He claimed to know nothing of the order.”
“Sounds just like him.”
>”He took the accusations as a personal blow to his person. Things didn’t turn out well…”
>He never was a good liar, he tends to cover his tracks with anger.
“Him and his damned ego.”
>Celestia silently agrees with you and nods.
>”I’m afraid we’ll have to cut your honeymoon short. We are now at war with Erreda.”
 
“W-what?”
>”Princess, you can’t be serious?”
>”Isn’t that a bit much sister?”
>”It was not my choice, if we had dropped the charges he would have been sated, but I would not do so.”
“War… with Erreda. Have things gotten so bad?”
>Twilight comforts you, but that’s not what you need right now.
>What you need is justice.
>Rope. Where are you?
 
>”I will arrange for you to be escorted to the docks. A boat has already been chartered to take you back home.”
“No.”
>Celestia looks surprised, as does everyone else.
“I’m not running back home now. My life is here now, not back in that piss pot.”
>Celestia nods, Luna smiles. The others still churning their mental wheels.
>”Do you really wish to stay?” Twilight asks wholeheartedly.
“Yes.”
 
>You finish packing your things and stow them onto your back.
>”Today’s the day huh?”
“I’ll be back before you know it,” you reassure her.
>It’s been a couple months since the failed assassination of Princess Luna and Celestia.
>A couple months spent training for the coming war that rested on the horizon.
>And now, the time is finally upon you to pick up the sword to defend your home.
>Equestria, your new home.
 
>”Why can’t I come with you? I could help; I’ve been practicing my magic everday. I-“
>You silence her with a kiss.
“I could never forgive myself if something happened to you Twilight. I need you here.”
>She bows her head, “Okay,” she says depressingly.
>You lift her chin up and smile.
“Give me something to look forward to alright?”
>She forces a smile of her own, “Okay.”
 
>You walk out of the castle joining your contingent of troops.
>Your personal unit is small, but they get the job done.
>They were hand picked and trained under you, so they’ll do you proud.
>Ponies watch solemnly from the streets as they see your force off.
>Sorrow fills the city’s streets, a few ponies hugging their husbands as they’re ushered off to war.
>This land is a land of peace and harmony, not of war and chaos.
>Your enemies will pay for their transgression.
 
>You pass outside the castle meeting the rest of your force.
>You recognize one of the unicorns as your second-in-command and approach him.
>He salutes you, “Shining Armor reporting for duty sir.”
“At ease, are your men ready?”
>”They are sir. We’ve been training hard everyday. Orders sir?”
“Where have the Erredians disembarked at?”
>He pulls out a map outlining the current fields of war.
 
>”Last I heard King John disembarked at the north east shore. Celestia is moving to meet them in three days time.”
“Where’s the rest of his army?”
>”They’ve taken hold of the shore and another unit has been sent west towards the castle.”
“We will meet them then. Who’s in command?”
>”One Ulsted sir.”
“Ulsted? It’ll be nice to see him again.”
 
>”Sir?”
>You sigh and look towards the open road.
“Move out!”
>You and Shining Armor lead the march to war.
>”Who’s Ulsted sir?”
“He’s a hard-assed son of a bitch. Older brothers tend to be that way.”
>Shining Armor thinks you’re worried, how wrong he is.
“Let’s go say hello.”