Ch44: A Ponyville Wedding
With the date of their wedding set, the preparations began. They chose Pinkie as their organizer, seeing as she clearly had the most experience in terms of celebrations in all of Equestria. Applejack and Fluttershy took it upon themselves to care for proper buffet and music, respectively. Markus was handling the invitations, while Rarity was, of course, the only pony who could ever tailor a fitting wedding dress for Twilight.
However, the process of this turned out to be more tedious than Twilight would have anticipated. Numerous appointments to take measurements over and over again, in addition to several fittings followed by the scrapping and re-drawing of designs, until one day, the last made its debut.
“Ow.” One could hear Twilight whine from inside the carousel boutique. Rarity, during her time designing the dress, had grown quite fond of the possibilities that Twilight’s wings and horn presented together. Much to the dismay of Twilight, who had to constantly be on the lookout for Rarity, who would sometimes tighten her ‘wingpouches’, as she had called them, to a degree, she was sure wasn’t at all healthy for her bone structure. Fortunately, Rarity had made the design with Twilight’s pregnancy in mind, so that at least her belly had plenty of room underneath the dress.
“Oh, come on darling.” She cooed, as she went back to work on Twilight’s left wing, “Beauty demands some sacrifice, you know? Besides, with all the… situations Rainbow has found herself in already, I doubt that such a little squeeze could really hurt them that much.”
Twilight was shifting a little in her place. She knew that what Rarity said was probably right, but it didn’t make the position of her wings any more comfortable.
“Yes, I know, but couldn’t you at least give them a little more space? Bear in mind that I do need to get into and out of this dress as well as just wearing it.”
“Oh, darling, there is already plenty of space for that. The only reason your wings are so uncomfortable is because you are so tense. Relax, Twilight, relax.”
Twilight tried the breathing technique Cadence has taught her, but the euphoria, combined with the constant tugging from Rarity made it almost impossible to concentrate.
“I’m trying, but… it just doesn’t work. I’m just too excited, you know?”
“Yes… I can imagine. I just hope that poor Rainbow Dash feels the same way.” Rarity suddenly remarked.
Twilight’s ears immediately flattened against her head. “Are you still mad at Markus because of this?” She asked tentatively.
“Mad? Oh no, darling. Markus is a grown col- euh, man and as a proper Lady, I know that it is purely his decision with whom he wishes to spend the rest of his life. It’s only that I already had fitting designs for both of your wedding dresses, which would have complemented each other in such a fine way. Now it seems that they will sadly never see the light of day.” Rarity lamented, but Twilight wasn’t buying it.
“Rarity, we both know that you would never see the need for a new dress as a burden. Quite the opposite, you mostly see it as a new opportunity for yet a new ‘fabulous’ design as far as you’ve told me.”
Rarity slumped a bit, but kept at her work with the same proficiency nevertheless. “Yes, I suppose you are right, darling. It’s just that… as much as I know that it is his decision, I can’t help but feel bad for poor Rainbow Dash. After all, dropping such a bombshell immediately after his eagerly-awaited return clearly isn’t what a proper Gentlecolt should do.”
“Yes, I know. Even though Rainbow has already given up, I am actually still hoping that one day he will come around and take her as well. But until then, it seems like this is the best outcome we can get.”
“Now, now, darling, don’t just say things like that. You make it sound like you would be forced to marry King Sombra to save Equestria or something like this. No, this is definitely something you should enjoy, even if it came at a certain cost, but as I say, what’s done is done. And speaking of done: I think, we are as well.”
Twilight turned around to look into the mirrors behind her. She took in what she saw from all angles possible and had to admit yet again that Rarity had definitely outdone herself. The dress was by far the most beautiful Twilight had ever seen and she had no intentions in hiding that. She was swirling around on the stage, making the dress flutter along and swing around her legs, once she stopped.
“Rarity, this looks absolutely marvellous! Thank you so much!” Twilight complimented.
“Well, I wouldn’t be Rarity if I wouldn’t strive for the best, now wouldn’t I?” Rarity said, bearing a satisfied smile.
The dress was then properly stowed away so it wouldn’t get damaged by accident before the day of the wedding. A day that was now merely a week in the future.
One week later, the day had finally come. The day on which Twilight and Markus would finalize the contract that would bind them for their remaining lifetime. Twilight was ecstatic. Ever since she was a little filly, she had imagined this exact moment. She would be standing in front of the large doors of the throne room in Canterlot, Princess Celestia standing behind her and giving her congratulations, while her groom was waiting for her entry, on the other side of these doors.
“Twilight? Are you ok?” Rainbow asked from behind her, as she stood in front of the Town Hall in Ponyville, ready to step inside, where her groom was waiting. Twilight looked around and gave Rainbow a hesitant smile, before she looked forward again and stepped forth.
The doors swung open and revealed the decorations that had been put into place. The whole room was painted a pure white, from the floor to the very ceiling. On each side of the walkway, which consisted of a long, red carpet, one could find multiple round tables which had the chairs placed around them. On the tables were glasses and plates already prepared for the buffet that would come after the actual ceremony.
The whole ceremony was scheduled to be in the evening, so that both the sisters could attend without much discomfort. Speaking of them, they sat at the very first table in the back on the right, looking from the entrance. Her friends, including Mystic, were sitting directly on the other side of the walkway, taking the other table that would be closest to the young pair.
Directly behind them sat Twilight’s parents, as well as Shining Armor and Princess Cadence. Since Markus didn’t have any relatives in Equestria, the seats that would normally be held by them were occupied by Derpy and Dinky, as well as the CMC. The rest of the seats were then filled with, what looked like, the rest of Ponyville.
Finally, up in the very front, there stood her groom. Markus. He wore a simple, white suit with a black bowtie. In front of him stood Mayor Mare at a podium, upon which there lay a book, which was opened to a page which seemed to be somewhere in the middle, if not exactly so.
When Twilight started walking down the red carpet, Markus turned around and smiled at his future wife. Twilight smiled back, although it was hard to see through the veil that covered her face. She placed herself directly beside him and they both now looked forward, where the Mayor began to speak.
“Markus Becker, will you take the here present Twilight Sparkle as your rightful wife, be loyal and faithful to her until the very end?”
“Yes, I will.” Markus answered.
“And Twilight Sparkle, will you take the here present Markus Becker as your rightful husband, be loyal and faithful to him until the very end?”
“Yes, I will.” Came Twilight’s answer.
“Thus, with the power bestowed upon me by the royal sisters, I hereby declare you husband and wife. To finalize the oath, you may now kiss the bride.”
Markus knelt down to Twilight and freed her of the vail. They both smiled at each other for a moment, before they both closed their eyes and leaned in closer. Twilight could feel his moustache tickle her snout, before finally, their lips—
Suddenly, the door burst open again and a low, booming voice echoed through the hall.
“Impostor!”
Both, Twilight and Markus jerked back and looked at the doors. Twilight’s eyes shrunk down to pinpricks, as she saw who interrupted them. It was a red-coated unicorn stallion, easily the same height as Princess Celestia, with two large, black patches on the sides of his barrel, a black horn and a mane and tail that seemed like it was made up of a flowing, black mist that slowly dissipated towards the ends. What was most disturbing about him, however, were his eyes, as they, too, were completely black.
He started moving. Slowly, deliberately. Each step kicked up a small cloud of the same mist that seemed to emanate from his mane. Twilight’s friends, as well as Shining Armor and Mystic stepped in to block the path of the Stallion, excluding Rainbow, who was still standing beside Twilight and placed herself directly in front of her.
The stallion stopped in front of the barricade and leaned down to Shining Armor, who was standing in front.
“So… You are willing to stand before me to protect your loved ones, even though the cold grasp of fear is already becoming visible in your faces? A chivalrous act, it is indeed, however you need not fear me, for I do not intend on harming anypony present.” The stallion spoke in a voice that would’ve reminded Twilight of her grandfather, were it not for another disturbing feature that just became apparent. While the stallion did indeed talk, his mouth did not move.
“AnyPONY present? What about the human in the room?” Shining replied defiantly, trying to mask his fear.
The unicorn briefly looked over to Markus, before he gave his answer. “Unfortunately, I have to confirm that he is indeed my target.”
“In that case I am very sorry, but I can’t let you pass.” Shining Armor said.
“That is indeed unfortunate for you, as with that, you have become obstacles and thus need to be removed.” The stallion said, while the black patches on his sides extended out and forwards towards the group in two large appendages.
“AN ALICORN?!” Cadence shouted in disbelief.
The red alicorn’s wings now made their way between the group, where he then shoved them all aside in a single, powerful push. Multiple surprised yelps could be heard, as the defenders were flung to the sides, onto tables, chairs and other ponies. Meanwhile, the stallion continued his stride forwards, until he came to the next line of defence.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders stood defiantly before him in the same way their sisters did previously.
“I’m sorry, but we can’t let you through! Cutie Mark Crusaders Defenders, YAY!” They shouted, pronouncing the ‘yay’ somewhere between a cheer and a war cry.
“That is truly a noble endeavour. Facing an enemy that is clearly superior to save those, one cares about is truly an act one can take pride in.” He said to the fillies. “However, the days in which you can do so effectively, are still part of the future.”
He moved on, stepping over the three fillies and further closing in on the stage at the end of the room. Now, it was the princesses’ turn to protect their subjects. Celestia, Luna and Cadence placed themselves directly in front the fifth alicorn and blocked his path.
“Cease your actions, villain! I will not allow you to harm my little ponies!” Celestia said.
“Oh, dear Celestia, you should know that even you are not enough to hinder me in my objective. However, you may be at ease, for I do not plan on performing villainous deeds.”
With that said, the stallion suddenly de-materialized into an orb of black mist, which quickly slipped past the three Alicorns, before re-materializing directly in front of the stage, atop which Markus and Twilight still stood, with Rainbow directly in front of them as their last line of defence.
“You will not get past me!” Rainbow said determined.
“Rainbow Dash, please, for the sake of your foal, step out of the way.” He said, but Rainbow didn’t budge. He leaned down to her and said in a slightly less commanding voice: ”Rainbow Dash, please, listen to your heart. Is this truly the man, who holds your loyalty as a marefriend and future wife? He, who has abandoned you, what the original would never do? He, who, for the one he claims to be, has a distinct lack of a scar in his face?”
Rainbow and Twilight both gasped and looked up, where they could indeed find no scar in the face of the groom.
“Be assured that today, I am not here to harm innocent ponies, but bring judgement upon the filthiest of traitors.”
The stallion pulled the same trick he had used on Celestia again and placed himself directly behind Markus. From there, he lashed out his hind legs in a powerful kick that sent Markus flying across the room. He reached the door, where he hit his head on the top of the doorframe, jerking his head back from the impact. A loud ‘snap’ became audible, as through the force of the impact, his spine was severed.
“NO!!” Twilight screamed, seeing her love die for a second time. She turned around, blasting the foreign stallion with everything she had. But her spells seemed to be useless. Every spell she let loose only caused a few black hexagons to flare up, which then dispersed the spell in a hemisphere around him.
“Twilight Sparkle, have you yet not caught on? This man has never been the one you had loved.” The stallion said, before de-materializing into an orb again and flying across the room, leaving a trail of black mist in the air. He re-materialized next to the corpse of the wannabe-Markus. “He was just some filthy traitor, trying to make use of you by impersonating the man you loved most.”
He touched his horn to the corpse and it momentarily flared to life with magic, before the corpse began to rapidly deteriorate. The skin peeled away like pieces of burnt paper, revealing another form underneath. It was a unicorn stallion with a grey coat and black mane, who wore a distinct white frock with a crest of a crimson moon printed onto it.
Twilight slumped at this revelation. She had known. Deep inside, there was something poking at the back of her mind this whole time. Yet, her hopes caused her to ignore the feeling, to indulge fully into the faked image that was presented to her.
“I truly am sorry to have ruined such a grand day for you, Twilight Sparkle.” Said the stallion, bowing down to the corpse. “However, do not fret, for your rightful husband will return…” He said, while opening his mouth, grabbing the corpse with it and then looking back to Twilight one last time. “…in one year.” He then de-materialized again, before he flew out through the doors, leaving the befuddled ponies behind.
“So… a new alicorn has emerged, huh, aunt Celestia? What do you plan to do now?” Cadence broke the silence that had taken reign over the room.
“As much as I am opposed to this, we will follow the Equestrian tradition. We will seek him out and determine which side he chooses to take. If he chose to side with Equestria, then, per tradition, he will be offered a place within the equestrian royalty.”
“And if not?” Cadence pushed further.
Celestia looked back to Twilight’s slumped form. “Then, we might have a problem.”
Meanwhile, Twilight still hadn’t recovered from the shock she just went through and Rainbow tried to change that.
“Come on, Twilight! You can’t just blame yourself for this whole mess! None of us knew that he wasn’t Markus!”
Twilight twitched upwards, mumbling to herself. “I think, one of us knew…” she then called out to Mystic, who quickly came over to her. “Mystic, say, what does ‘J44’ actually mean?”
Rainbow was confused, but Mystic immediately knew, what she meant. “It means… nothing. It is something I came up with on the go.”
Twilight’s head slumped forward a little, as she heard this. “So you knew, huh? You knew that he wasn’t Markus all along.”
“Yes. I knew.” Mystic said, with a hint of guilt in her voice.
“WHAT?! You knew? Why didn’t you say something?! I thought Markus had ordered you to protect her?!” Rainbow accused.
“BECAUSE… I knew that you would react like this if you found out. The captain indeed ordered me to protect you and that includes your physical, as well as your mental state. I saw how you immediately attached yourself to the fake and figured that as long as I would keep an eye on him, everything would be fine. That and a spy like him rarely comes without a Plan B. Unfortunately, such a Plan B mostly just includes a safe retreat for the spy, for which they might use more… physical methods than just mere impersonation.” Mystic explained.
Twilight slumped again, sobs starting to sound from her. Rainbow quickly went back to her attempts on trying to cheer her up.
“Come on, Twilight! You heard, what that stallion just said. Markus will return in only one year! When he comes back, he will definitely marry you and nothing will be able to stop him!”
Twilight perked up at what she had just heard from her herdmate. “Rainbow… I think, you are mistaken.” She said, smiling to her. “You certainly mean, he will marry us. After all, the one that abandoned you, wasn’t Markus.”
Rainbow stopped for a moment, before tears began to well up in both their eyes and Rainbow smiled back at Twilight. “Yes, he will marry us.”
They grabbed each other in a hug, shedding tears of both, relief and joy, over the danger that has passed, as well as the newfound certainty, that their loved one will indeed return.
Stats
Page generated in 0.022 seconds
Total duration
981 users online
213,944 hits today, 1,872,792 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Is that alicorn markus?
10277956
I believe it might be.
I also knew that the Markus was a fake.
10273022
But the real question is who is that unicorn?
10277963
Kinda figure has the same color mist that markus had
10277979
The unicorn that was disguised as Markus? That was a member of the blood moon cult that Markus 'died' defeating.
10277987
I agree with that.
maybe Parthus the Parasite from Rocket to Insanity?
9:40 it’s Illya Leonov who’s VA for Parthus as well as the Narrator btw, he has an AMAZING voice, :D
i mean come on,
only Illya could say it like that,
What I thought the red alicorn looked and sounded like
10278690
10278813
The 'this' in the Author's notes is a link. Probably should have marked it better, shouldn't I?
Miki, you're indeed correct, that's the right one.
10279427
yaaaaaaaaas, XD Illya's the only one who can talk like that, :3
10279427
I know, but like I said when I saw red and black alicorn I thought of the one from video I showed
Dude, did you just commit the OC cardinal sin of the red and black alicorn? Lame.
Burn them, burn them all......