Its All in the Eyes

by IamSquillium

Chapter 11: Time for a Wedding

Author's Note:

HAHAHAHAHA fuck me. I'm so sorry

Finally the big day had arrived. The cake was ordered, the flowers delivered, the guests seated in their chairs, and the band at the ready. As the sun crossed closer to the horizon, the band started to play its canon, the sound of music filling the clearing. After all the months I’d been waiting for this moment, I found that I still couldn’t quite contain my excitement. It almost seemed surreal as my mare stepped out in the back of the clearing accompanied by her father and started to walk down the aisle of chairs. The ponies gathered for the ceremony gasped as they got their first look at Sunset in her stunning white gown. My smile could only grow wider as I watched her walk toward me, her mane and veil billowing in the light breeze that seemed to persist eternally in the clearing.

The altar was set at the base of the tree where, so long ago, Sunset and I had our first date. The same tree where I’d proposed to her. Now, it was the tree where Sunset would finally be mine forever. The very thought brought a bigger grin to my face as I patiently waited for the mare of my dreams to reach the altar. For what seemed like centuries I could only watch as she walked forward, and my stomach filled with butterflies as I realized just how much I needed her to be with me. When she finally reached me and I took her hand, I couldn’t help but meet her eye.

The world around us faded, and we were left in a sea of black as our minds connected. I felt the flood of joy and peace flood over me, threatening to drown me in the best way imaginable. The hope for the future, the certainty of her commitment, and the love in her heart. The love that strove to outshine the stars, the love that burned brighter than the sun and flowed swifter than a river. The love that, in itself, seemed to live and pulse in the very essence of our souls. In that moment, as Sunset and I met eyes, the butterflies seemed to take flight within me, lifting me up past the troubles of this world and taking me out beyond the skies. My nerves faded, and I knew that this was what Sunset truly wanted…what I truly wanted. To be together.

Sunset and I faintly heard the voice of the minister through the darkness, and we snapped back to attention as we realized he was addressing us.

“Mr. Shining Heart and Ms. Sunset Rains, please proceed to the alter” he asked in a nervous voice. Looking around, we realized that we must have been lost in our own little world for a while. Sunset’s father had already taken his seat and the bride’s mares were nervously hoofing at the ground. Coughing a bit, Sunset and I turned to face the minister, walking up the platform to meet him in front of the alter.

“Mares and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness the union of two ponies. Their love is undeniable, their loyalty unquestionable. They share a bond the likes of which many could only dream.” He paused for a moment, eyeing our matching cutie marks, before continuing. “Marriage is a special bond. It is a way of saying that you will always be there for one another, that you will see past their flaws and even come to love them. It is a way of showing an eternal commitment to the pony you care about the most in this world. It transcends even death, and reaches beyond the grasp of our minds. It is a lifelong commitment, and one which should not be taken lightly. It is therefore my duty to ask; Sunset and Shining, do you promise to love one another until the end of your days and beyond?”

We grinned at one another.

“Absolutely!” we answered in unison.

The minister nodded curtly at us, motioning for the ring bearer to come up. The minister took the two “rings” in his hooves before continuing.

“In that case, I would like to present you with the signs of your promise.” He stated before handing Sunset a small ring and me a delicate golden tiara.

While marriage between two ponies of different types was certainly acceptable in Equestria, it was not exactly common. Due to the stereotypical working differences of the three species, many ponies chose to marry others of the same type. This presented a problem when Sunset and I had picked out our permanent wedding bands, as a unicorn typically wore theirs on their horn and a Pegasus normally wore a headband of some sort. We had finally agreed to use our customary types, but had gotten them custom-made to match one another. Mine was a simple gold band studded all the way around with small gemstones while hers was a golden tiara, the band studded with gemstones and the crown intricately wrapped around a large diamond.

“These signs of marriage are proof of your love. They serve to show the value and delicacy of the love we celebrate today. As they are exchanged, the call to mind the full and faithful exchange of trust and loyalty between two loving ponies. Mr. Heart and Ms. Rains, if you will!”

We both grinned as we put our “rings” on one another, Sunset sliding mine over my horn and me placing hers gently on her head. We turned back to face the minister as he continued.

“Now, all of you here are gathered because you have in some way impacted the lives of these two ponies, but none so much as their parents. Therefore I ask of you, the parents of the bride, do you give your daughter’s hoof in marriage to this stallion?”

I held my breath, doubt creeping into my mind for a reason I couldn’t explain. “We do!” they stated in unison as they fought through the tears pouring down their muzzles.

The minister nodded. “And do you, Mr. and Mrs. Heart, give your son’s hoof in marriage to this mare?”

“We do!” they managed to choke out. I let out a sigh of relief upon hearing these words.

“In that case, I see no reason why this marriage is deemed unacceptable in the eyes of Celestia. If there is any pony who can show just cause why these two ponies should not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace!” he paused comically for effect after speaking these words, and was greeted with silence.

“Well in that case, I would ask the groom to rep-”

“HOW’S THIS FOR JUST CAUSE BITCH!” came a shout from near the back of the clearing. Sunset and I whipped around, along with the rest of the gasping congregation, as the voice echoed around in the ring of trees.

There he was, a ghost from the past, furiously standing in the back of the clearing with malice in his eyes. While seeing Sunset’s ex was certainly enough of a shock, there was another detail that was even more alarming.

The flash of light speeding toward my chest.

Everything about the spell spoke of evil intent. It flashed a bright red as it darted toward me, and it seemed to seethe with darkness. Time seemed to slow as it got closer and closer, radiating its deathly glow onto the faces of the ponies gathered below. Before I could even bring myself to form a counter-spell, a shout drew my attention. I watched in horror as a sunset blur darted in front of me, facing the spell with its forelegs spread wide open.

“SUNSET DON’T-”

But it was too late. I watched in shock as the spell collided, throwing her off her hooves and past me where she crumpled in a pile on the platform. There were screams and shouts, but the fell on my deaf ears. In this moment there were only two ponies in the world who mattered to me, and I was determined to drop that number to one.

As my rage bubbled over, my horn lit up and I was brought up off the ground. Sunset’s ex stared in horror as I flew higher, my eyes beginning to white out in a magic more powerful than anything he’d seen before. He tried to run, but I caught him in an unknown spell, holding him tight where he stood. I could faintly hear my voice boom out in a scream full of hatred.

“YOU’RE NOT RUNNING THIS TIME! HOW DID YOU GET HERE!”

“You zapped me here Shining, remember. I showed up outside Ponyville a few days ago, but three years in the future” he whimpered, desperately trying to break away from me.

“OF COURSE. WELL TRUST ME DICK, I WON’T MAKE THAT MISTAKE TWICE. YOU’RE DONE RUINING LIVES THIS TIME!”

And with that I lit my horn once more in a spell that flowed through my mind from seemingly nowhere. There was a flash that blinded every pony gathered and which could be seen from the Canterlot towers. By the time the light faded, all that remained of Sunset’s ex was a pile of smoldering ash.

The force of the spell threw me backwards against the base of the zapapple tree where I lay slumped before remembering the other pony I needed to check on. Barely thinking, I rushed over to where Sunset lay in a heap on the platform. By now, most of the ponies had fled and were on their way back to Ponyville. The rest of the ponies were desperately trying to flag down help.

“SUNSET, SUNSET DON’T YOU DARE BE DEAD!” I pleaded as I skid to my haunches next to her, rolling her onto her back when I heard her moan under her breath.

“Sunset, are you alright, does anything hurt? Sunset please answer me!” I begged.

Her nose twitched a bit and her eyes shot open as she let out a bone-chilling scream of agony.

“SHINING PLEASE HELP IT…OH CELESTIA IT HURTS PLEASE!!!!!”

As quickly as I could I flared my horn, draining the last of my magic as I cast the same spell which I’d used so long ago in another incident involving her ex. I sighed in relief as Sunset’s cries slowly died down, but I knew she was too injured for the spell to heal her. Small bolts of deathly electric energy passed between her limbs, proving that the spell she’d taken was still working inside her.

“There Sunset, is that better?” I asked, my voice cracking on the last syllable as I tried to choke back my tears. I wasn’t blind, and I could tell that the spell was slowly killing her. Mine could only hold it back for so long, but at least it was numbing her.

“Yes Shining. I-I can’t feel a thing. T-thank you.” She desperately tried to smile, but it was in vain. Letting out a huge sigh, she asked, “Shining, I’m going to die, aren’t I?”

I knew that she’d see right through my lie, but that didn’t stop me. “No Sunset, you’re not. There help on the way, and they’re gonna’ fix you up. They’ll take away all the pain, I promise!” I looked into her eyes, unable to tear them away from hers. She saw right through me.

“Shining, I can…feel it. It’s like a clock, ticking away inside of me. There’s…” she stopped the tears starting to pour down her muzzle as she choked out the words. “There’s not much time left…”

I looked around desperately. One of the ponies left seemed to have sent someone to get help, and they were all backed away from Sunset and I, giving us our space. I turned back to her, tears threatening to form in my eyes as I realized it was too late. When I did, I felt Sunset’s forehoof gently brush against my cheek.

“It’s alright to cry you know” she said, smiling weakly up at me as she desperately tried to smile. The sight broke something in me, and the dam holding back my tears broke. They fell like rain onto Sunset’s heaving chest.

“Sunset, why’d you have to do it” I pleaded, looking into her eyes through the tears and finding my answer.

“Because, I knew I couldn’t live without you Shining. I couldn’t stand to lose you, especially not on our wed-” She was cut short as a stronger blast of magic rocked through her, making her cry out in pain. I held her closer as she screamed, pleading to the universe that she wouldn’t have to feel the pain.

When she finally quieted, she looked pleadingly at me. “There’s not much time love.” She whispered as our eyes met. I gasped suddenly as I felt a pain rock through me, but at the same time I saw Sunset’s muscles relax. She stared at me wide-eyed as I tensed against the pain.

“HOLY SHIT SHINING WHAT ARE YOU DOING” she gasped in a louder voice.

“OH CELESTIA I DON’T KNOW!” I replied as I forced the pain under control.

“Did you just freaking do that!” she asked, watching as the pain rocked through me. I realized then what I was feeling as bolts of magical energy started to pass from Sunset to me. “Did you just numb me?”

“It would seem so!” I managed to get out, smiling a bit when she looked at me disbelievingly. She was going to say something, but was distracted when she saw a rainbow fly up from the waterfall behind me.

“Shining it’s starting!” she gasped, making me turn to watch the clouds suddenly appear to obscure the setting sun. The rainbow flew into the clouds before flashing back out as lightning. We’d planned our ceremony so that our kiss would match up with the zapapple’s appearance, but obviously our ceremony had gone a bit astray. I turned to her, noticing for the first time just how pale she’d gotten. As I looked into her eyes, I could feel the fear.

“Shh,” I said, placing a hoof on her lips before she could say anything. “You don’t have to be afraid Sunset. I’ll stay here with you through all of it, I swear. Just…Just count with me?” I pleaded as the air filled with the familiar colours which had so long ago set my soul on fire with love. This time there was no joy in them. I could feel the pain draining from my body, and Sunset’s life with it.

“Alright” she nodded weekly, her coat seemingly ablaze in the colors up above.

“Ten” I said, my voice shaking as I looked at her. I could barely believe this was the same pony I had seen so many years ago on our first date, crippled and weak as she was. I could see the fear in her eyes

“Nine” she added with a half-smile, the tears on her cheeks triggering my own.

“Eight” I fought through the tears, gently stroking the tiara on her head as I cried.

“Seven” she was fighting to keep her voice level now, and I could see her fighting against the numbness that was engulfing her limbs.

“S-six” I held her close, feeling the uneven beating of her heart as my tears wetted her fur.

“Five” her hoof was starting to slip, and her tears were slowing now. She looked at me in desperation as her wings went limp at her sides.

I took a huge gasp of air before I managed to continue.

“F-Four” the lights around us were starting to fade, along with the color in Sunset’s cheeks. She was pale white now, and her heartbeat was barely noticeable in her chest.

“Three” She choked out before leaning up to me. “And you may now kiss the bride” she whispered before her head fell back, her eyes locked on mine.

“T-Two” I stuttered as I leaned my muzzle down toward hers, my tears splashing against her cheek as our eyes met one last time. There was something in them that I couldn’t quite recognize, but there was also something very definite. There was a sense of peace and calm that flowed through her, a sense of acceptance.

“Goodbye, Shiny” was the only response I heard as Sunset’s entire body went limp in my hooves. I leaned down to kiss her, but it fell on unmoving lips. As the last of the pain from the spell slipped out of me, it was replaced my own. I went numb, collapsing and crying onto the silent chest of the one pony I’d loved. As the last of the lights faded around me, I slipped out of consciousness and into a world of blissful blackness.