LCS: Love Conquers Stupid
It was a perfect wedding. Before the actual ceremony, Aria and Sonata had split the group in half and threw their own separate bachelorette parties, where they’d made a number of poor choices and had a heaping truckload of fun. Then, when the big day arrived, all the dreams that Aria didn’t know she had came true.
The church, filled to burst with all the friend the Sirens had made over the years, was a perfect storm of joy and tears. Aria was waiting at the altar, grinning almost nervously. She was constantly adjusting her tux, pulling at her cuffs, straightening her bowtie. Then, down the aisle in the most gorgeous dress ever conceived came her wife to be. Since Sonata had never known her father, she had requested that Adagio give her away. Arm in arm, the two made their way to the altar, where Adagio smirked in her snobbish, Adagio way, then handed off the ditzy Siren to Aria. Sonata removed her veil, the two said their vows, nobody had any reason the two shouldn’t be wed, their peace was forever held, with these rings the two were wed and the bride was most certainly kissed. Oh, it was the most perfect wedding anyone had ever seen.
At least, that was how Aria imagined it. At the moment, she was still in the planning phase, which was a part of the celebration that she couldn’t be less interested in. To be perfectly frank, Aria didn’t give a single semblance of a bother who sat with whom, or what food was to be served (she knew it’d be tacos, she didn’t care). Honestly, she didn’t care who showed up, either, because she didn’t expect it to be very many. She knew that, in the years since the Battle of the Bands, she had made a fair number of friends, but she didn’t think she made any more than the next socially-inept angry Siren. She didn’t care about wardrobe, she didn’t care about the after-party, and she didn’t care where it was held. As long as she was with Sonata Dusk (soon to be Blaze), nothing else mattered in the slightest.
She was the only one who held that mentality.
“Aria, would it kill you to take this even a little seriously?” asked Adagio angrily. The lead Siren was sitting with her two friends at the kitchen table, wearing the reading glasses she oh so detested while peering at lists and letters and RSVPs. Sonata was listening intently, grasping onto every single word she could. Aria, in the meantime, was reading a comic book while half-heartedly listening, occasionally muttering a “yeah” or “uh-huh”.
“Yeah, I think it would, actually,” said Aria, although she did close her comic and lay it on the table. “I don’t really get why I have to be here.”
“Is that a serious question?” scoffed Adagio. “Are we still perpetuating the idea that Sonata is the dumb one? I think you’ve officially taken that spot from her.”
“Bite me, Dag.”
“Oh, cut her a break, Dagi,” said Sonata dreamily. “She never pretended that she’d be interested in this sort of thing.” She looked at Aria with her biggest, shiniest puppy eyes. “I mean, she’s only getting married to the love of her life. Why would she pay attention to something so insignificant?”
“You are literally the worst person I’ve ever met,” groaned Aria. “Alright, fine, I’ll pay attention. What are we talking about?”
“We were about to ask you who the best man will be,” said Adagio, clicking a pen.
“The what?”
“You are not serious,” said Adagio, shaking her head in disbelief. “That is something you said to get under my skin. Please tell me that you’re just trying to annoy me.”
“I don’t know who my best man is, okay? I didn’t think I’d need to get one!” exclaimed Aria. “I’ve never seen a lesbian wedding before. Until a few weeks ago, I thought you two jokers were going to try and get me in a wedding dress!”
Adagio was happy to yell at Aria a bit more, and she would have, had Sonata not been there to grasp her elbow with a small smile. Sonata thought it was cute how nervous Aria clearly was about the wedding. Plus, the image of Aria in a big, frilly white wedding dress was extremely hilarious, and a little bit sensual.
“It’s okay, we can fix this,” said Sonata. “Think for a second. Besides Dagi, who would you consider your best friend? Someone you trust to be there for you.”
The first person to come to mind was Button Mash, a suggestion that Aria internally beat to death as quickly as she conceived it. She loved the little guy (though she would never say that outloud), but she somehow felt that he wouldn’t be the best fit. She decided that it must be one of the Rainbooms, and a few seconds later, she came to a decision. She whipped out her phone, went down her very short contact list, and tapped the name “Sunny”. The phone rang for just a few seconds before Sunset Shimmer picked up.
“Hey, what’s up, Ari?” said Sunset. Aria could hear the grin in her voice.
“Nothing much. How’s it going with you, Doc?” asked Aria.
“Oh, come on. I’m not even done with my second year yet,” laughed Sunny. “So, what’s the story? Wedding stuff?”
“You have no idea. I need to ask you a huge favor.”
“Shoot.”
“Be my best man?” asked Aria. Sunset Shimmer laughed and laughed, and then she laughed a little more.
“I hope that’s not how you proposed,” laughed Sunset. “Of course I’ll be your best man. When’s the wedding?”
“Yo, Sony. When’s the wedding?”
“The sixth,” said Sonata, ignoring the fit that Adagio was having at that absurd question.
“The sixth,” reported Aria.
“It’s never a good sign when the groom has to ask when the wedding is,” snickered Sunset. Then, she thought on it for a second. “Wait, that’s in two weeks! How are you just now asking me?”
“Because the groom is an idiot!” shouted Adagio.
“Yeah, I’m a big, dumb, stupid idiot,” agreed Aria sarcastically. “Sunny, I’ll call you back when I get more information. Thanks for agreeing on such short notice.”
“What else are best friends for?” Sunset laughed. She bid her farewell, and hung up. Aria slipped her phone back into her pocket, then turned to her fiance and their wedding planner.
“How exactly did you and Sunset Shimmer become best friends?” asked Adagio.
“She’s a demon, I’m a dirtbag, we have a lot in common,” answered Aria, being only mostly sarcastic. "She used to help me suppress the urge to be evil. Besides you two jerkwads, she was the first real friend I ever had."
“That’s sweet. Tell her to work that into her speech,” said Adagio, running her hands through her hair tiredly. “Especially the ‘she’s a demon, I’m a dirtbag’ thing.”
“Speech? I didn’t say anything about a speech!” said Aria. She yanked up her phone and started flipping through her contacts. “I better warn her…”
“Ari, I’m sure she knows,” said Sonata. She calmly took Aria’s phone from her. “Aria, you are literally the only person in this entire scenario who doesn’t know what they’re doing.”
“Well, this is my first marriage, you butt,” growled Aria, snatching her phone back. She was kind of annoyed by how well Sonata was dealing with the impending weight of being married. She was calm, and nearing the point of coherency. Aria really selfishly hated that Sonata was being more mature about this than her.
“Same here. Adagio’s the real expert here,” said Sonata with a sly grin. Adagio rolled her eyes rather impatiently.
“I told you, I never married that guy,” she explained. “I don’t even know how that lie got to this point. It was originally that he seduced me, which is equally untrue. Probably more untrue. He was just some guy who thought he could get a little bit of fame by saying he bagged the hottest girl at school.”
“We’ve been to a hundred schools, Adagio,” snickered Aria. “Maybe more. You have never been the hottest girl at any of them.”
“Well, at least I didn’t lose a fight to a girl in a wheelchair!”
Aria blushed fiercely with embarrassment, while Sonata sat back in her chair and giggled.
“That’s not true!” argued Aria. “That never happened, someone made that up.”
“We were there, babe,” giggled Sonata. “I think Adagio still has the video, actually.”
“How was I supposed to know that she knew aikido?! Who teaches a paraplegic martial arts?!”
Adagio, laughing while she did, rose from the table and left the room. She was gone, upstairs, for a bit, then she returned with some sort of tape in her hand. She gestured for the girls to follow her to the living room, where she pulled out a machine that rivalled the Sirens for age: A VCR. She slipped the tape into the ancient machine, flipped on the TV, and pressed play. Then, she grinned sadistically, and fell onto the couch next to Aria and Sonata. On the screen was Aria and some girl in a wheelchair, who seemed to be yelling at each other outside of a school.
“Aria, I swear to God, if you hit this girl…” said Adagio, offscreen somewhere.
“She wants a piece, she can get a piece!” snapped the video Aria. She ran forward to punch the girl. In one deft movement, the disabled girl grabbed Aria’s wrist, hit her in the gut with her other hand, and flipped her, hard, onto the concrete. Aria groaned loudly, someone offscreen (Sonata, as it turned out) screamed, and Adagio laughed and laughed.
"Where did you get this tape?" demanded Aria.
"I was holding the camera, stupid," said Adagio, her voice still loaded with amusement. "I'd forgotten about it for a long time, I'm glad it still works."
"Why do we still have a VCR?" asked Sonata.
"Because Adagio can't let go of the past," grumbled Aria. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll get rid of that freaking tape.” Nobody anywhere could’ve ever predicted what happened next. It was an event that happened so rarely that even those who witnessed it still believed it may be a myth. Legend stated that it only happened once every couple of eons, and only when the whole of the world had appeased each of the elder gods.
Adagio complied with a request from Aria.
“Very well. I’ll get rid of it,” said Adagio. “I wouldn’t want to annoy you too much just yet. That’s the wife’s job, if I recall.”
“What?” said Aria and Sonata. Adagio got up, popped out the tape and, using a technique she had learned after studying her dear friend Pinkie, slipped the tape into her massive poof of orange hair.
“Well, I better go. I only have your wedding to plan,” sighed Adagio. She shook her head in disappointment at her friend’s uncaring demeanor in regards to the wedding, then headed for the door. As soon as the door shut behind her, Sonata tackled her fiance, pressing herself down against her chest.
“It’s happening!” squealed Sonata excitedly. “I can’t believe it! Two weeks, and then we’ll be married!”
“And I’m already starting to regret it.” Aria leaned forward and pecked Sonata on the lips. “How do you feel?”
“I can’t even explain it. I’ve never been so happy in my entire life! Just think, Aria,” sighed Sonata wistfully. “After all we’ve been through together, the three of us, we end up together forever. Us, of all people! When we got banished to this place, I never thought that we’d get to live happily ever after. Especially not with each other.”
Neither of them could’ve seen it coming, the two of them together. Besides them being probably the two most unlikely to end up with a happy ending, Aria never really wanted one. She never thought she deserved one, being what she was and what she did. When they were still along their dark path of feasting on the negative energy of others, Aria didn’t know or care how they would end up. All that mattered was feeding, causing turmoil, growing stronger.
Times have certainly changed.
“You look like you’ve got something on your mind, babe,” said Sonata. “Is there something you wanna ask me?”
“Something has been eating me, I guess,” said Aria with a small smile.
“You know you can ask me anything.” They kissed again, and an evil thought came to Aria’s mind.
“So, we’re getting married and all, but… If we meet someone better, do we get a mulligan?” asked Aria. The look on Sonata’s face was equal parts confusion, disgust, anger, and amusement. It made Aria laugh, and feel a little bad, as well. But, mostly, she found it to be hilarious.
“You’re so not funny,” said Sonata.
“You’re so laughing, though,” chuckled Aria. Sonata slapped her chest playfully, more than used to her fiance’s sense of humor. “Okay, I’m gonna be serious now. I don’t know if you can tell, but-”
“You’re scared out of your tights?” asked Sonata.
“I don’t wear tights anymore,” said Aria evasively. Sonata peered at her with a look that said “cut the crap, you know what I meant”. “Yes, babe, I’m terrified.”
“Why?” It was a genuine question. It was a good question. But, as it was one that Aria couldn’t really find an answer for, it annoyed her all the same. For a few seconds, Aria simply stared blankly, trying to work out how best to express her thoughts.
“It’s just… You know I love you, right?” sighed Aria. Even after all the time the two were together, she still felt a little odd saying that. “I wanna give you my all, babe. You deserve the best, and I want to give it to you. But, like… What if I’m a bad wife? Or husband or whatever you’re gonna call me?”
“You’re going to be the perfect wife-sband, Ari,” promised Sonata. She pressed her finger against the tip of Aria’s nose. “Stop worrying about what you might’ve done before you got better.”
“I wasn’t sick. Just messed up a little,” said Aria. “And I don’t think you could call this ‘better’. I just made a joke about having a free do-over on our wedding. That is not something that a normal woman who is going to be a normal wife says.”
Aria got really upset when she heard Sonata laugh, just as much of her annoyance directed at herself as Sonata. Aria couldn’t believe how open she was being, nor could she understand Sonata’s apparent mocking of her feelings. That said, it was classic pot-and-kettle, and Aria could hardly justify her anger for long.
“Aria, you are somewhere close to fifteen hundred years old,” Sonata reminded her. “You were best friends with Al Capone. You’re a half-fish, half-horse monster that feeds on the negativity of others.”
“There a point to all of this?”
“But you can also paint. You can take care of pets. You’ve gotten into a bagillion bar fights, for me,” continued Sonata. “And, being honest, you can be a huge jerk sometimes. You are anything but normal. I didn’t agree to marry you for normal.” Sonata kissed Aria on the forehead. “I agreed to marry you for Aria.”
“Ugh, you’re so much better than me!” groaned Aria. “You’re not supposed to be handling anything more maturely than me, pretty sure it’s against the law. Quick, complain about something dumb so I can feel like an adult again!” Sonata giggled, but tried her best to comply.
“Uh… Okay, well, Adagio’s gonna be complaining for ages,” said Sonata. “She’s really annoyed that her boyfriend isn’t coming.” Aria raised an eyebrow in surprise.
“Seriously? Emo-Freak thinks he can skip my wedding?” scoffed Aria. “What’s up with that?”
“Oh, maybe it had something to do when you threatened him with a knife and shouted ‘Don’t even think about coming to my wedding’?”
Aria thought back, failing to remember what Sonata was talking about at first. Eventually, Aria managed to piece together what her fiance was referring to.
“Honestly, when is that guy gonna develop a sense of humor?” said Aria.
“You pinned him to the wall and held a knife over his groin,” pointed out Sonata.
“He kicked my dog,” Aria said, as if that somehow defended her point.
“Okay, first off: Achilles is Dagi’s dog,” Sonata reminded her. “Second, you were plastered that night, because someone thought they could down six Jagers and then cut some cake.” Sonata tapped Aria’s nose again, firmer this time. “Third, he totally tripped and apologized right after. You over-reacted.”
“As usual, apparently,” grumbled Aria. She ran her hand through Sonata’s ponytail like she often did when nervous. Sonata, having long since learned the signs of a disgruntled Aria, was used to her fiance not confiding in her when she should be. Aria, despite her attempts at overcoming her fear of her own feelings, still had trouble stating what she thought was dumb or pointless. So, as was her nature, she simply dropped the subject.
“So, we still have most of the day,” said Sonata. “What do we do with it?” Aria sighed, then reached into her mental bag of corny lovey-dove things to say.
“I’m cool with this,” said Aria, tapping Sonata’s nose. It was, arguably, one of the sweeter and more heartfelt moments the two had shared. Even if it was slightly awkward and tense, it was pure, directly from their hearts. The moment could’ve lasted forever.
If it weren’t for Adagio.
“Give a nice, big smile for the camera before you start sucking face,” said Adagio from behind her camera. Sonata blushed slightly, while Aria showed her dear friend and her camera her absolute favorite finger. Adagio, who had been listening intently ever since she quietly re-entered the house, shortly after Sonata’ original tackle, just laughed and closed her camera.
The footage she got would do nicely for the wedding.
Adagio was never properly thanked for all the good work she did for the wedding. She secured a nice venue, a hotel near the north of Canterlot, for the ceremony. She aided Rarity in perfecting Sonata’s dress and Aria’s tux, even helping her to model them. She hand-wrote all the invitations, answered all the RSVPs, set things up with the catering company, decorated, orchestrated the positioning of all involved, hired the music, put together a whole presentation to celebrate the coming together of the two largest pains in her neck, and made sure Aria knew what she was doing. She received little to no credit for this, because most people focused on the tiny, little, insignificant mistake she made.
She totally forgot to get a priest.
It was a simple mistake that anyone could’ve made, especially someone as busy as Adagio. She was embarrassed enough at her own shortcoming, and she needed to be scolded for it about as much as she needed a hole in the chest. And, of course, she did end up securing someone to bless the wedding, but it could be argued that the ceremony would’ve been better without one.
When Adagio realized, she was in the middle of coaching Aria. Both of them were massive nervous wrecks, though they each managed to hide it fairly well. That was partly due to their refusal to be bested by the other, and partly due to the presence of their best friends. The pair of Sunset and Aria, much like Adagio and Rarity, was a pair that was only natural, but still bizarre to those who were familiar with their history. Still, they managed to not only put all of their past discrepancies to the side, but become the best of friends. It was like the first man to accidentally combine chocolate and peanut butter: an absurd combination that made perfect sense once you tasted it.
“So, Sunny will be there at the altar, waiting for you,” said Adagio, mentally orchestrating the entire wedding from the safe confines of the hotel room shared by Sunset and Aria. Sunset was sprawled out on her bed, while Aria paced the room, reading over her vows. Rarity, who had hardly spoken, was determinedly altering Aria’s suit, trying to get the cuffs just so.
“Then, I’ll go to the back and bring out Sonata,” continued Adagio. “I’ll hand her over, and then-...”
Adagio gasped in shock, then swore suddenly in the native Siren language. Aria, being the only one to understand, raised an eyebrow with a dimension of concern to go along with the confusion that possessed the others.
“Is that how you guys used to talk?” asked Sunset. “I like it. It’s vibrant. Flavorful.”
Adagio swore again, then consistently dropped naughty words of increasing severity. Rarity didn’t know what her friend was saying, but her “Lady Senses” were tingling, and she was sure that whatever it was, it was indecent in nature.
“Adagio, darling, please tell me those weren’t swears,” said Rarity in disappointment. “It’s unbecoming.” Adagio swore three times more, now pacing impatiently, running a hand through her massive poof of hair in annoyance.
“Yeah, those are cuss words,” nodded Aria. “Really bad ones, too. What’s gotten into you, Dag? I don’t think I’ve heard you use that word since I super-glued your hands to your forehead.”
“This is so horrifically terrible, I do not even know where to begin,” groaned Adagio, rubbing her temples. “This complicates things…”
“Is Sonata, like, engaged to someone else?” asked Aria, only partly as a joke.
“No, you idiot, I-”
“Am I engaged to someone else?”
“I’m not even going to dignify that with-”
“Then how complicated can this really be?” asked Aria dismissively. “Nobody’s married already, nobody’s getting cold feet, and it’s legal in this country. Whatever you did, it’s probably no big deal.”
“I forgot to get someone to bless the wedding.”
Rarity actually fainted, and Sunset spent the next two minutes trying to resuscitate her. Aria dropped her notes, staring at Adagio with a blank gaze of confusion. She marched across the room silently and placed a hand on her wedding planner’s shoulder.
“I don’t understand,” said Aria. “Explain it to me. What does this mean for the wedding?”
“More like ‘what wedding?’,” said Adagio gently. Aria tried to remember her anger management techniques, in through the nose and out through the mouth and whatnot. She tried really hard to stop her blood from boiling.
She tried really hard to put Adagio down when she grabbed her by the collar.
“Look, Aria, I get that you’re angry…” began Adagio.
“Yo! Aria, chill!” said Sunset, rushing to Adagio’s aid. “Calm down!”
“This ditz just ruined what was supposed to be the best day of my life!” shouted Aria. “Give me one good reason not to break her frigging teeth!” Sunset Shimmer gently grasped Aria’s shoulder, the gesture so calming and familiar that Aria hardly had a choice but to loosen her grip.
Slightly.
“Look, the two of us combined know roughly nothing about weddings,” said Sunset. “Adagio is your best hope for something that even resembles a proper ceremony. Let her go solve this, okay?”
“I can make some calls, and I swear to God, we move on as scheduled,” promised Adagio. “I'll… I'll call in some favors. Whatever, I’ll get it done.” She locked eyes apologetically with Aria. “I promise.”
Adagio wasn't afraid of Aria. Over the past couple thousand years, the two had engaged in many a fist fight. Adagio was confident, given her record, that she could at least defend herself against Aria.
She wasn’t so nervous and jittery because of what Aria might do to her. She was more concerned by what Aria would do to herself.
“Aria, drop her,” said Sunset firmly. Aria sighed deeply, then released her grasp of Adagio.
“Sorry. I’m really… Really emotional right now. I’m feeling a lot of things I didn’t know I could feel,” sniffled Aria.
“Are you about to cry?” asked Adagio.
“Will you just get your guy?” snapped Aria. “Sunny, go wake up Rarity. I’m gonna hang with Sony before the wedding.”
“It’s bad luck to see the bride before you get to the altar,” noted Sunset.
“I’ll wear a blindfold!”
She didn’t actually go to see Sonata, for fear of cursing and voiding the marriage. What she did do was stroll around the hotel, trying to swallow all of her fears, rational or otherwise. It was hard, seeing as so many of her so-called friends were pouring into the hotel (quite early, too) and scaring her even more. It was hard to forget about getting married when everyone from Princess Twilight of Equestria to Principal Celestia of Canterlot High was congratulating you.
The first hug came from Twilight, which made Aria uncomfortable enough (she still felt weird hugging even Sonata). Then, Applejack, Fluttershy, Crystal Prep Twilight (they didn’t even know each other that well), Lyra, Bon-Bon, Octavia and Vinyl (who were doing the music for the ceremony), and that odd girl with the wonky eyes, whose name Aria never managed to learn. That was weird enough, but then Aria was being hugged by friends of friends, and friends of those friends. People Aria had never even met before. It was all too much for her. She rarely felt this much support or love in her life, and, when she did, it was in private and only from her fiance.
This was how Sonata made Aria feel everyday: loved, confused, protected, and endangered, all at once. In thousands of years, Aria had never been more confident and simultaneously insecure. It was ripping her apart. Every hug felt more like a knife to the chest. It was a wonderful, once in a lifetime feeling. A lot of people never got to feel this. Aria should be ecstatic.
Then why did she hate it so much?
There was an hour left, and Aria’s intense fear showed no signs of diminishing. In fact, it seemed to be growing. Questions kept bouncing in her head, chipping away her excitement and replacing it with dread. She was going to ruin it, she just knew it. Some way or another, she would find a way to ruin her relationship with Sonata. It didn’t matter that the two had been together for almost seven years by this point. Aria just knew that it would happen. The two would break up, hate each other forever, and it would be all her fault. She didn’t want it to happen. She didn’t want to put Sonata through all of that. The sooner she got out of Sonata’s life, the better. Her decision, to her, at least, was obvious.
Thirty minutes from the wedding, Aria ran to her room. She told anyone who would ask that she had to get dressed, which wasn't a total lie. She did have to get dressed, just not in her tux. When she got there, Sunset was waiting to coach her through the next step. Aria ignored her, grabbed a suitcase, and started flinging spare clothes into the bag.
“In a few minutes, we…-” Sunset only now noticed what her friend was doing. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Being a huge coward,” said Aria flatly. Sunset Shimmer glared at her, going as far as to grab her by the wrist, near threateningly.
“No. You are not leaving her at the altar,” said Sunset. “You can't do that to her. That's not fair.”
“Life isn’t fair, she'll learn to get over it.” Aria yanked herself from Sunset’s grasp, then kept on packing.
“What do you want us to tell her?” said Sunset angrily.
“Tell her that she was an idiot for dating me, and she should’ve never said yes,” grumbled Aria. She was basically slamming her clothes down by this point. It was lucky for everyone involved that she did, or else she wouldn’t have flung her favorite jeans with such ferocity, and the piece of paper she had folded in her back pocket wouldn’t have flown out. This paper was possibly the most important piece of paper in Aria’s entire life.
A note from Sonata. Aria read it quickly once, then twice more. She began to cry, quietly
“Alright, alright! Come on, let’s get suited up,” Aria growled. “I’m being stupid. Let’s go.” Sunset looked at Aria with a mix of concern and contempt. She had never seen Aria change her mind so quickly.
“What just happened?” asked Sunset.
“Look, if you don’t want to be part of this anymore, then don’t be,” said Aria. “Otherwise, we gotta go. I wasted a lot of time today, and I gotta get moving.”
“I’m with you Aria, but you gotta learn soon that not everyone is your enemy,” said Sunset. “Stop doing that Aria thing where you snap at people for no reason. I’m your friend, and I’m just trying to help.” Aria snorted annoyedly, which basically solidified Sunset’s point. “This is your problem. You’re scared, I get it, but you need to start talking it out.”
“I don’t know how to talk, okay? That’s not my thing.”
“Well, you better learn.” Sunset crossed her arms across her chest. Over the years, she had learned that the only way to get through to Aria was to be as stern, stubborn, and aggressive as she was. “Cause what you’re doing, not communicating, that is the quickest, most surefire way to ruin a marriage.”
For whatever reason, that really annoyed the groom to be. Maybe it was Aria’s natural distaste for authority, but she just hated the way Sunset was talking to her. Like she was a child. Like she needed guidance. She was over 1,700 years old, goddamnit, and she did not need this chick, who was 23 at best, to tell her how to live her life. Sunset Shimmer was an infant in Aria’s eyes. She was tiny, insignificant. Aria had seen men and women like Sunset come and go, in what felt like the blink of an eye. Sunny wasn’t so special. She was just a girl.
Which was why her words carried so much weight.
“No offense, Sunset, but what do you know about marriage?” scoffed Aria. She turned away and dropped onto the bed. She was officially too stressed with the day to continue standing. Sunset just kind of laughed, but not exactly in a humored way. It was pained and dark, kind of like the two friends themselves.
“Never met my parents, have you?” said Sunset rhetorically. Still, Aria flinched slightly in shock. “Oh, come on, it’s not that bad.”
“Sorry. I didn’t know.”
“Yeah, that’s cause I never told you.” Sunset lowered onto the bed to Aria’s side. “Guess I gotta practice what I preach.” Silence fell over the two, both girls getting a hold of their thoughts. Sunset decided that she’d be the first to talk, since Aria would happily stay quiet until forced to open her mouth.
“It was my fault that my folks split,” said Sunset. Aria gave her a look that was as close as she could get to kind, empathetic compassion. “Yeah, people tell me all the time not to think like that, but it was. They used to argue about me, what I should do next in terms of my schooling. Dad wanted me to keep pushing forward, but Mom thought I was going too hard. They fought all the time, and they just grew distant.”
“That’s all it took for their marriage to fall apart?” asked Aria. Sunset laughed that dark, slightly agonized laugh again, then fell back onto her back.
“Well, it might’ve also had something to do with my mom sleeping around and the domestic violence,” admitted Sunset. “But none of that happened before the question of what I’d do came up. Ya know, in a way, my whore mother and wife-beater father are the ones responsible for you ending up with Sonata.”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, if it weren’t for her inability to keep her legs closed, my dad wouldn't have hit her, they wouldn't have split, and I wouldn’t have gone so mad for power,” she explained. “I thought that, if I was able to become a strong unicorn mage, I’d be able to force my parents back together. I started rushing to get power, and I ended up getting booted here. If it weren’t for me stealing Twilight’s crown, she never would’ve come here. If she didn’t come here, she wouldn’t have beaten me, and I would’ve just been a tyrannical high school senior.”
“Yeah, and Adagio wouldn’t have caught whiff of that Equestrian magic, cause there’d be no Equestrian magic to sense.” Aria was getting it now. “And then we wouldn’t have lost, and I might not have ended up with Sony.”
“Exactly. You know, you’d be surprised of the sort of things that happen due to something apparently unrelated,” said Sunset. “The universe is big. It’s vast and complicated and ridiculous. And sometimes, very rarely, impossible things just happen and we call them miracles.” It was a touching moment, and really good advice. Aria might’ve found time to feel moved by it.
If she didn’t recognize the quote.
“Since when did you watch Doctor Who, ya nerd?” asked Aria. Sunset snickered.
“Since when did you watch Doctor Who? Dork.” Aria smiled slightly. Sunset’s slight embarrassment and guarded retort made Aria feels as if things might actually be normal.
“Thanks for sharing that with me,” said Aria. “I think this might help me understand what the heck to do next.”
“Don’t thank me. Friends confide in each other,” said Sunset. “Remember, Sonata may be your girl, but she’s also your friend.”
There was a knock on the door, followed by said door flying open, and a flustered pair of wedding planners stormed into the room. Rarity, so much in the zone that she had no time for words, just grabbed Aria by the wrist and began dragging her limbs around, to get the last few measurements required.
“I have a priest, the presentation is set up, and everyone is seated,” said Adagio. “All we need to do is get you and Sunset in suits, and then we can start. I triple-double checked, in true Twilight Sparkle fashion, to ensure that I forgot nothing this time. I am so, unfathomably, ungodly sorry, I-”
“Shut up for a sec,” said Aria. “You did a good job here. It’s gonna go smoothly. Just freaking enjoy it, okay?”
“But-”
“Not asking. I’m telling you. Time for you to start taking orders, Dag,” said Aria, even as Rarity was ripping her clothes off. “This is your baby. Soak it in, okay? Try to catch the bouquet, and don’t kill Rarity over here for it. That’s all I need, a murder at my wedding where I’m not convicted.”
“Now, I’m glad you feel that way, but I don’t think you understand the whole situation,” said Adagio sheepishly. “In order to get a priest on such short notice, I had to dig deep. She’s not a professional, per say, but she’s totally legal.”
“I don’t care. She can’t be too bad, can she?”
It was a perfect wedding. The weather was perfect, sunny and clear. The venue was perfect, just outside the hotel and in front of the pool. The turnout was perfect. Aria stared down the perfect aisle of perfect seats in perfect awe, taking in the sight of all of her friends, the food, the massive cake that Pinkie Pie had apparently spent three days to make (her effort was very much so appreciated). There were Sonata’s favorite tacos, a large projector screen displaying a slow slideshow of Aria and Sonata, both before and during their budding romance. To the left was the band, headed by the epitome of “opposites attract”, Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch. Dead in the center, just before the massive round pool, was a large white gazebo was where Aria was meant to take her position. Beneath the gazebo stood the priest, who was a familiar face.
This was the only part of the wedding that was not so perfect.
“Are you serious?” asked Aria as Sunset deposited her beneath the gazebo, in perfect view of all her friends. Sunset was by her side, hand on her shoulder and nervous grin on her face.
“Who else? Who else could possibly sanctify the marriage between two ancient beings of myth?” said the priest, none other than the magician (and, apparently, priest) Trixie Lulamoon. She was dressed as you’d expect: in full wizard cape and hat. “You should be thanking Trixie for agreeing on such short notice, Jezebel Blaze. Truly, the Great and Holy Trixie has quite a busy schedule, and-”
“Shut up for a sec. You hear that?” asked Aria. It was the first few notes of a song. “That’s the start of ‘Here Comes the Bride’.” And so it was, albeit a slightly altered, modernized (and, Aria would argue, better) version of the original.
Aria could see Sonata making her way from the hotel’s doors just a few yards away, and she lost breath immediately. She was gorgeous. Clutching a bouquet of lotus, her dress was a soft shade of sea green, and thin, curtain-like. In terms of shape, it more resembled a long salsa or cocktail dress, but with a bit of frill around the wrists and neck. She, of course, wore a veil, but Aria knew that Sonata wouldn’t be wearing much makeup. She could just imagine a bit of sapphire eye shadow and faintly blue lipstick. Adagio didn’t look bad herself, dressed in a similar (less extravagant) dress with a color scheme best described as inferno-like.
“Whoa,” said Aria breathlessly.
“Good job, Aria,” said Sunset, patting her friend on the shoulder. “Most people wouldn’t be able to lock down a hottie like that.”
“Yeah…” Aria whispered. The march was slow, but Aria preferred it that way. It gave her time to straighten her tux, and to make sure she knew exactly what she’d say. Also, she was able to drink in the sight of all of her friends: the former Rainbooms in the front row, and Applebloom’s group of Crusaders behind them (among whom was Button Mash, who gave Aria a thumbs up from his seat). Then was Principal Celestia, V.P. Luna, and Dean Cadance from Crystal Prep High School. Adagio’s boyfriend actually did make it, seated beside his two best friends in the back. Silver grinned and winked knowingly at Aria, who couldn’t help but snicker.
Soon, Sonata was upon her. Adagio handed her off, then retreated slightly, smirking in her snobbish, Adagio way. The music cut, and Trixie did what she did best.
She put on a show.
“Dear fans of Trixie and her greatness, we are here, primarily, to witness the amazing performing skills of the Blessed and Honorable Trixie,” said Trixie. “However, a small few of you, not knowing that Trixie would be here, are instead her to see the binding of two as one. The ending of two lives to become a single life. The union between two ancient friends, Sonata Dusk and Jezebel Blaze!”
“I’m gonna kill her,” muttered Aria. Sunset chuckled slightly, knowing that Aria’s statement was less of a joke than it should’ve been.
“Before these two otherworldly souls may become as one, proof of their devotion must be shared with all!” declared Trixie. “And, as such, the Orthodox and Magnificent Trixie orders a reading of vows.”
Sonata cleared her throat and stepped forward. She had no cards in her hand, having spent the last three weeks tweaking and memorizing her vows. She didn’t need them.
“Aria, before the Battle of the Bands, we’d been through it all. You’ve saved my life more times than either of us could count,” recited Sonata. “We’d lived together for over a thousand years. Every hardship or rough patch any two people could have, we got through it. But it wasn’t until almost seven years ago did I meet the real Aria Blaze. The woman who will do anything to make me happy. The woman who can do just about anything she puts her mind to.” Sonata sniffed, trying to keep back the tears. She failed. “The woman I fell in love with. I can’t remember my life without you, and I don’t want to. I want to spend every waking second of our lives by your side. I’m so glad that you’re giving me that chance. Nothing in my life has ever felt more right or true than when I look up and shout to the sky ‘I love Aria Blaze’.”
Sonata was properly in tears now, as was the entirety of the audience. Even Trixie was touched enough to remove her hat and place it over her heart. Aria froze for a second, unsure of whether or not her speech could even compare. She had another moment of weakness, and the idea of running away flitted briefly in her mind. Then, she remembered Sonata’s note, and the idea was beaten to death.
“Alright, so you guys all know I suck with words,” said Aria. The audience chuckled. “So, to cause the least amount of pain to everybody, I’m gonna try to keep it short.” She stepped forward and smiled nervously at her almost-wife. “Sony, I couldn’t tell you when I decided that I wanted to be with you. It just sort of happened. I wish it would’ve happened a lot sooner, though. Without you, I’m pretty much nothing.”
A soft, floating “Awwww!” rose through the crowd, which caused Aria to blush slightly.
“Y-yeah, I mean… You took a grumpy, worthless, waste of space loser, and you turned it into… Well, something. You turned me into a good person,” stumbled Aria. She was 100% improvising here. “If it weren’t for you… I don’t even know what I’d have done. In a lot of ways, you saved me from myself. And… And I know I don’t deserve you. I don’t get scared of people, unless they’re you, Sonata. I almost ran away today.”
The audience gasped, and Aria felt as if she might’ve ruined the whole affair. Still, Sonata didn’t look upset. If anything, she looked expectant. Even if she was mad, she wouldn’t have scolded Aria, because she knew Aria would’ve done enough of that to herself.
“I know, that sucks, but it’s the truth. I was scared,” continued Aria. “I was terrified of disappointing you. I didn't want to ruin what we had. I was so scared of messing up that I was gonna pack my bags and run to… I dunno, Canada, maybe. I threw a pair of jeans in my bag, and this piece of paper flies out.” She withdrew a sheet of paper. “It was a note you left me. You wrote it a while ago. I was out of the apartment for whatever reason, and when I got back, Dag had dragged you to hang with some dude she was with.”
Aria sniffed. She was crying in front of everyone she knew, and she didn't even care. With shaking hands she unfolded the note, cleared her throat, and read it out loud.
“Ari, I just wanted to say how much I miss you, even if you’ve only been gone for a couple of hours,” she recited. “I miss you so much. I wish I could be with you all the time. You make me feel like a gilded pearl sitting in milk chocolate. I’m so glad we met. I’m always thinking about you.” Aria chuckled, then folded up the note. “Okay, so the pearl thing makes zero sense, and there’s a ton of spelling errors, but your heart is in the right place. And, like, I found it again, and I realized that, if you’re willing to be with me every second of every day, well, I better make it worth your time.”
Aria nervously stepped back. Despite her attempt to keep it short and sweet, her vows went on longer than Sonata’s. Still, Sonata smiled a happy, watery smile and nodded. Aria sighed in relief. She hadn’t messed up too horribly.
“How horribly sweet,” said Trixie. “Truly nauseating. In any case, now would be the time for this ceremony to end, should it be fated to do so. If anyone, other than Trixie, can show just why these two cannot be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace.” Nobody spoke, which slightly annoyed the priest Trixie. “Now is the time… No? Fine. Who has the rings?”
“That’s me,” said Sunset. She stepped forward, a velvet pillow in her hand. Sitting atop it were two bands of glistening white gold. Aria daintily lifted one of the rings, turning it over in her hand.
“I, Aria Blaze, give to you, Sonata Dusk, this ring,” said Aria. She took Sonata’s hand in her own. “As a symbol of my commitment to love, honor, and respect you. As this ring has no end, neither does my love for you. I, Aria Blaze, take you, Sonata Dusk, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life.” Aria slipped the ring onto her new wife’s finger. “With this ring, I thee wed.” Sonata laughed happily, taking the other ring.
"I, Sonata Dusk, give to you, Aria Blaze, this ring, as a symbol of my commitment to love, honor, and respect you. As this ring has no end, neither does my love for you. I, Sonata Dusk, take you, Aria Blaze, to be my wife. I promise to be true to you in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, through sickness and health. I will love and honor you all the days of my life. With this ring, I thee wed.” She happily placed the ring on Aria’s finger, grasping her hands in her own.
“Ugh. You two nauseate Trixie with your public displays of devotion,” groaned Trixie. “But, Trixie has no choice but to continue. With the power vested in the Spectacular and Saintly Trixie, she now pronounces you… Wife and wife? You may now kiss the bride.”
The guests cheered as the two came together, locking lips in a long passionate kiss. After a few moments, they broke apart, both possessed with a strange sort of energy, the sort that came from starting the newest chapter in their lives. Sonata haphazardly chucked her bouquet, which Rarity caught with no competition (everyone in attendance knew better). Without a word to anyone, Aria and Sonata made their way away from the altar and to the pool. Without bothering to change, they waded into the pool, to the general confusion of everyone that wasn’t Adagio or the Twilights.
“Uh… Dag?” asked Sunset, as the two swam across opposite edges of the pool. “What’s going on?”
“It’s a Siren wedding tradition,” explained Adagio. “They swim on opposite sides, which represents their lives before meeting.” The two met at the top. “Then, when they meet, it symbolizes their marriage and binding. Then, they do laps around the pool or body of water, which represents their lives with each other for all of eternity.”
Sunset watched in wonder as Sonata and Aria completed their first lap around the circumference of the pool. It was a sweet, lovely tradition that had no real equivalent in the human (or even the Equestrian) wedding ceremonies. Sunset smiled happily for her friends. The binding between the two was official, and it seemed like there would be nothing but good times ahead.
Sonata kissed Aria gently on the cheek. She’d never been happier in her entire life.
“Together forever?” said Sonata. Aria grinned, then kissed her new wife again.
“Definitely.”
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That was ADORABLE!!
6728951 Glad you enjoyed, because I loved every second of writing it.
Okay, where to begin. This -->
WRITE IT!!!
Okay, on to the rest. This story was something I was looking forward to, being a fan of the original and a massive Aria and Sonata shipper (Ariata or Sonaria... whatever)
Pacing is well done, the story flows naturally. Everything is well done but the two aspects that propel this to 8, 9 or even 10 outta 10 status is the humor and interactions of characters.
Aria is written brilliantly, she the tough girl we saw in the movie and is also given a must wider and believable character. Adagio stressing over the wedding, even working with Rarity, all feels on point with how I imagine those characters interacting.
Some of the comedy in here had me in stitches. The blindfold line with Aria, the best man section, hell even Trixie was funny.
Another big thing that sold me was the romance. I believed it, Aria was a human and Sonata loved her and her faults. Very well done.
This.... WAS AWESOME! my heart has been dragged. i loved this entire chapter. the wedding was just AMAZING, especially the ending. thats so... augh, WONDERFUL!
This story, your writing, it has da magicks!
and uhm... yes, id like a SunLight story... even though I often ship Sunata, each permutation of sonata with someone or Sunset with someone draws my interest. i can't wait to see where THIS story goes, let alone that one. keep the wonderful writing up!
Super sweet I look forward to seeing whats in the future for our favorite siren couple.
6730315 Aww, thank you so much for your kind words of praise. I think the reason these stories work out so well is because I write Aria and Sonata like they're either extreme of my personality. In any case, I'm very glad you enjoy.
Aria's Mobster Adventures (working title) is definitely a possibility. I nee more crazy things to write, anyway.
6730745 Sunset Shimmer has recently become something of an obsession of mine, so stories involving her and Book Girl are an inevitability by this point. Glad you liked the story.
6730863 As do I, amigo. Can't wait to see you for the net chapter.
6731221
Woohoo! you could say i have a Sunset obsession. its what lead me to enjoying Sonata more than i already did from the movie. so ill no doubt be glad to see what you come up with there!
6731219 I'd pay to see Aria being Capone's friend. Maybe even running the business while he's behind bars.
Also, I'd love to see a SunLight story from you too.
LIQUID PRIDE!!
media.tumblr.com/4a119776eaa5dc8cde5e13c8b593d7dd/tumblr_inline_mj1mk8W61p1qz4rgp.png
Seriously though, that was a great piece. Hell, even without the rest of LBS, this chapter alone would make a fantastic one-shot.
In celebration of Aria and Sonata's union, I offer this song, which always makes me think of their ship (and which I could totally see Sonata singing at the reception,
):
6731866 Glad you feel that way, cause they're probably going to happen when I'm done with this and I get some of my crazy one shots out of my head
6731906 Gah! That is twice in the past week that someone suggested something RWBY-related without knowing I am the biggest RWBY fan this side of the Milky Way (in fact, I just started putting together a crossover of sorts)! I often listen to Boop and Dream Come True when working on these chapters. I'm glad you enjoyed, and hope you continue to do do.
6731966 YAY!
Never fear! Father puddinghead is here!
Aria wanted to be Canadian, please
I thought Aria was the "wife-sband".
7430332 yeah, wife-sband should have totally stuck
Also loved the story so far, and wondering how the rest will go after this chapter.
I must say though that I pity them. I'd rather have someone not ordained do my wedding. Trixie is just the worst! (in this story)
Seriously, if a hasty courthouse marriage certificate would have worked, than so can this wedding without an official priest!
(sorry, just trixie really spoiled an otherwise perfect wedding
)
7856165 Yeah, Trixie sorta did ruin everything, and that's why the wedding was perfect. Nothing about any wedding (or love, for that matter) is truly perfect. Flaws make it all real.
But, yeah, Trixie really is the worse.
It makes sense. Trixie can get booked as entertainment and officiant al at once. Double the revenue streams.