...and other things that Sunset and Sonata are discussing to add to the reception of their special day! Surely it's all going according to plan?
Sonata has lived in the toxic shadows of her sisters for as long as she could remember. Why does the one they tease as "bacon-hair" interest her so much?
If she was to approach her...Where would it lead her?
And if it led her to the best possible places, then how would the best day of her life play out?
In the shadows, the three watched...Two of the pairs of eyes were fierce, sharp, and locked with utter malice at their target. The third pair was stuck in a transfixed gaze too...But there was no hate. Instead, there was curiosity... And hope.
The three sirens, who spent these days as humans, waited behind the dark corner. They had the perfect view of the group that talked to one another, but their target was a single girl.
Or rather, it was the target of one of the sirens, who kept brushing her hair in and adjusting her appearance using her older sister's makeup mirror.
A groan escaped one of the other sister's lips. "I still don't get it." Aria narrowed her eyes at the blue-haired girl as she leaned against the brick wall. She folded her arms, leaning in to look at her sister with an inquisitive gaze. "What are you trying to do here? Have you thought of a plot to get revenge on Sunset Shimmer? Sonata - you don't do plots. You can't do plots, either."
"Indeed, plotting without getting us in on it?" Adagio growled. "Sonata, this better be one of those plans that only works when your friends aren't aware of it. And even then..." The curly-haired girl crouched to take a peek around the corner, scanning the horizon. She saw Sunset Shimmer, who happily chatted with her friends. "I thought we agreed that we're not going to mess with Sunset and the Rainbooms. Let bygones be bygones...I guess."
Sonata, confirming that she looked decent, gave the makeup mirror back to Adagio. "It's not a plan to mess with Sunset! Well, I mean..." Sonata blushed, twiddling her thumbs as she stood a little closer to around the corner, as if eager to make a step forward. "I just wanna ask her a question, okay?"
"What question would you possibly want to ask Sunset Shimmer!?" Aria growled. "Are you saying that bacon-hair has something that we can use!? You're thinking of asking her about magic, right? Or are you going to try and spy on her!?"
"Nnnno, ehe..." Sonata coughed, rubbing the back of her head. "It's personal, okay? U-Uh, it's not even a big deal, s-so I'll just... Shimmy over to the Shimmer for now and you two can just... Chill here!"
"Literally in a dump!?" Aria barked, kicking the dumpster they stood next to and causing a thud - loud enough to be heard by Shimmer and co., making Sonata retreat behind the wall quickly with an eep. It gave Aria the opportunity to keep pestering Sonata. "Chill here, she says. Yes, nothing like the dumpster for a good bit of sisterly bonding."
Adagio took Aria's initiative, brushing past her, noticing that she was getting too cocky and trying too hard to look like a leader. "So, Sonata - I think you should explain what you're really trying to do here before--"
"..." Sonata's eyes widened with utter shock, her finger pointing at the sky. "IS THAT RENOWNED SINGER BEYOND-SÁYAND ALT-METAL GROUP REVENGED SIX-BEND!?"
"QUEEN!? WHERE!?" Adagio nearly hurt her neck at the speed with which she turned around.
"R6U!? WHERE!?" Aria nearly hurt her neck at the speed with which she turned around.
And by the time they turned around...It was too late. Adagio gasped, putting a hand to her chest. "That...That insolent trickster! Where did she--..."
"Aaawww no..." Aria grit her teeth, for turning the corner...They saw her.
Approaching Sunset Shimmer.
"...Wait!" Adagio leaned in to look, putting an elbow on Aria's head to support her much to the younger sister's annoyance. "The way she used my makeup mirror...Her nervousness...The secrecy--...No...No! Aria! She's...She's trying to...!"
Sonata was lucky and just on time, for during the brief seconds she used to distract her sisters, Sunset Shimmer was already waving goodbye to her friends. It was as if the divine had given her this chance.
"Heeeeeeeey! Sunset!" Sonata happily exclaimed as she approached.
Sunset Shimmer slightly jumped from surprise. Her body was in an odd tinge of conflict, a brief flash of "fight or flight". She was approached by a Siren - but that was just that. A Siren. Her eyes scanned around, hoping to see the other two to foil whatever plan they might've had. Yet, she knew they stood out like a sore thumb. They loved attention. She'd see them a mile away...
Sonata was here completely alone and present on her own accord. Nervously, Sunset tilted her head. She was glad that of all Sirens to approach her, it was this one. Sonata was definitely the nicer of the bunch. "Sonata!? I mean... Uh, hey, Sonata. What brings you here? Alone...? Without the other... Dazzlings...?"
"Jjuuuuust hangin' out!" Sonata giggled, rocking herself on her heels as she held her hands behind her back. "I just saw you and wanted to say hi! You're okay with that...right?"
"...Of course I'm okay with that!" Sunset said. She still felt a bit of unease however. Not that she minded the company, but it was a surprise. She was able to look past her suspicions. Though now, awkward silence ensued.
"So..." Sonata coughed. "...Sunset Shimmer!" Sonata grinned to hide her awkward smile.
"...Sonata Dusk!" Sunset smiled politely with slight nods.
"...Shimmer!" Sonata half-lidded her eyes and crossed her arms, slowly nodding in a "you're cool" gesture.
"...Dusk...!" Sunset smiled patiently, still nodding, albeit slower.
"My main gal Sunny..." Sonata started bobbing her head like the backup dancer of a hip-hop video.
"...M-My main gal Sonnie?" Sunset stopped nodding long ago, her eyes awkwardly looking around, a light grimace of discomfort appearing on her lips.
"..." Sonata continued in a singing tone. "...Shimmy-shimmy yay, shimmy yay, shimmy yaaaa--"
"Sonata Dusk!" Sunset finally barked, causing the siren girl to yelp and jump - standing on one leg and defensively holding her arms up.
"Sorry, sorry!" Giggled the blue-haired girl. She could feel the gaze of the other sirens, who on top of confusion began to feel second-hand embarrassment. "So! Uhm, listen, Sunset...I came here to ask you a question. Is that a thing I can do?"
"Uh..." Sunset rubbed her hair with complete bewilderment. "...Sure?"
"Would you...hypothetically, with a grain of salt and a splash of tabasco sauce, very possibly...wannahangoutwithme?"
The question took Sunset by surprise. One would assume that with two sisters who were near inseparable there, then there would be no need to hang out with others. Maybe things weren't going well with her sisters?
Or maybe...Was the Siren seeking...redemption? A chance to make things right? Was she looking for a friend to help her step out of the darkness?
Sunset wasn't sure she was the right one for this.
Sunset felt a little bad at the fact she hadn't tried it before - to make contact with the Dazzlings. Not that Sunset Shimmer was in the best position to do so mentally - even now she remembered the awful encounter in the hallways when the three bullied her, or their encounter during the time loop incident. At-least, she remembered that Sonata hadn't said much back then, apart from "Too bad, so sad", and the cheeky hip bump...Maybe she was hesitant? She always assumed Sonata wasn't as ambitious or wicked, she seemed more affable. It always appeared that she stuck with the Dazzlings because they were, well, her sisters.
But what if this was just a trap and a step in an evil plan? A prank, at-least?
However, Sunset knew she would be a hypocrite if she rejected the siren for just wanting to get to know her. Her friends gave her a chance - twice even, when they lost their memories of her. How could she claim to be so high and mighty then? She nearly doomed the school once.
Sunset was sure that she was the right one for this. She knew what it was like. And she didn't dare imagine how Sonata would feel if she was rejected.
The whole time, Sonata's gaze was very focused, trying to smile but doing so nervously - looking at the slightest bit of response from Sunset's body language. But then, the moment she saw the other girl's slight smile, Sonata broke into a grin.
"Alright, Sonata. Sure." Sunset said. She would've wanted to give her a disclaimer - to tell Sonata 'no funny business', but she knew what this siren needed to feel good about becoming friends with others. She needed to be trusted.
What she didn't expect however was the sheer excitement Sonata expressed, bouncing up and excitedly shaking her fists while they were clutched to her chest. "Eee! Great! You wanna hit the ice cream store next to the arcade? They brought some new flavors! Ever tried energy-drink flavored ice cream? Or wasabi?"
The redhead tilted her head, one eye opening a little wider than the other. Her interest was piqued. "Nnnno, actually. A-As in, no, I haven't tried them before! I'd love to check it out!...Uh, they do give samples though, right?"
"Dunno." Sonata shrugged, as the two girls turned to start walking down the streets. "But they're offering a "get one cone two scoops, get one cone two scoops free! I think it's a Hearts and Hands day thing."
Sunset immediately blushed. The implication was definitely a little on the nose, but then again...Who could say no to such a good deal? "...Sure, count me in! Uh, let's just get a milk-flavored one if the wasabi one ends up being spicy."
"They got goat-milk! Is that cool with you?"
"Works for me!"
"Eee, great!" Sonata pumped her fists. "Oh, I'm so happy you said yes! Aria and Adagio would call me crazy for getting anything other than chocolate or strawberry."
The two girls walked out of ear shot...
Leaving behind, in the corner, two furious sirens.
"...What was that?" Aria said quietly, but the lack of decibels in her voice was made up for by the sheer flaming fury and ire. "...Sonata is going to hang out...WITHOUT US!?"
"...No, it's worse." Grunted Adagio as she pulled her phone out, immediately looking through Sunset's social media pages. "...Sonata just got asked out. This is code black."
Aria grit her teeth hard enough that were they metallic they would've produced sparks. "Are you saying that Sonata...OUR Sonata...Just asked out Sunset SHIMMER...on a DATE!?"
"...Seems so. Whether or not Sunset thinks of it that way, Sonata always said her ideal first date involved ice cream." Adagio's frown intensified.
Though their amulets were broken, Aria's voice was powerful enough to scare the birds and bystanders, all while causing a nearby car to activate its alarm. "Oooh that...that...DITZ!" Aria shook her fists. "What was she THINKING!? Fraternizing - I mean, Sororitizing with our enemy!"
"Ex-enemy." Adagio groaned, scrolling through Sunset's social media posts on her phone. It was a shame Sunset was so perfect and was even able to turn her most awkward moments into charming ones. It was a dry well for blackmail.
Aria gasped at Adagio's words, pushing her phone down and making intense, close eye contact. "Adagio, Sunset Shimmer and the Equestrian Twilight Sparkle were directly responsible for the loss of our magic. I would rather become mute than have Sonata spend time with her!"
Putting her phone away, Adagio put a hand on her hip and stared at Aria with half-lidded, bemused eyes. "Okay, Aria. Look - Sonata's probably been having...thoughts about what it'd be like to get romantically involved. You and I, as Sirens, both know that "love" or whatever is a fake concept that we can use to exploit to get power and fame. Let Sonata hang out a little with her, then she'll probably realize Sunset is as bland and annoying as all other students in CHS, and in this world. Then Sonata's gonna come back and realize that the best people to spend her time with would be us, and that she doesn't need no romance to feel good about herself. Deal?"
"...Fine." Aria grunted, and folded her arms. "But I ain't happy."
"It'll be fine." Adagio rolled her eyes. "Besides, Sonata never even really talked with Sunset Shimmer. I'm sure she's only approached her since Sunset would be the only one to "give her a second chance". I'm sure there's no chemistry between them and that their first date will be the most awkward thing since being exposed for lip-syncing. And anyways..." Adagio murmured, looking around the corner as Sonata and Sunset disappeared into the crowd of people.
"It's not like one of them's going to propose or something."
"YES!" The siren cried out, jumping up and picking up Sunset Shimmer with surprising ease, starting to spin her around and swirl with her. "A million times yes, Sunset! Yes! For the realziest of realzies, yes!"
Sunset's head was dizzy - long before she was picked up by her lover with superhuman strength. Their relationship was a year strong - plus February's leap day. It was fascinating to her how it all led up to this point. From the day Sonata asked her out on a hangout disguised as a date, it was an intense feat - how strongly and quickly their relationship bloomed. It all began with that first hangout. At first, they met every weekend or so. Then, twice a week. Then, four times. Soon, they met almost daily, whenever the opportunity allowed them.
What Sunset saw in Sonata was that strange abundance of sincerity mixed with a love for the things around her. Of course, Sonata was far from good. She was a siren, after all. At first, Sonata still had that tinge of affable evil - but it seemed to melt away with each date. Sunset could see that she was right about Sonata - for she was completely different away from Aria and Adagio. She practically ran to whatever activity they'd planned, cutting in line to get into the zoo, or vaulting over barriers just to get to concerts faster. Or, she would passionately spend hours tasting every single variety of taco during the Mexican food festival. Sunset had to work hard to keep up with her, but that energy was refreshing.
And best of all, Sonata supported Sunset in everything she did. Not that Sunset was as eccentric as her now-fiance, but she could see that Sonata tried hard for her too, including the very difficult moment when the nature of their relationship was revealed to her friends. It was awkward for Sonata - her sisters had beef with them after all. Yet, the worst of it was the expected skepticism from Rainbow Dash and Applejack. Thankfully, at-least Applejack was convinced after she pulled Sonata away for a talk, though the siren couldn't help but feel that the apple farmer played the role of the stern, threatening dad whose daughter she had asked out to prom night. Rainbow Dash warmed up to Sonata too, seeing how genuinely happy Sunset was.
Sunset felt good around this siren. Whatever bad history there was, it seemed to melt away the moment the two gazed at one another and smiled. There was something - something from which Sunset felt her heart flutter around Sonata.
And Sonata in turn, felt the same. Sunset fascinated her. She was sure that this was all a lost cause the moment she approached her, thinking that there was no way she'd say yes - though she believed in the phrase 'you miss every shot you don't make'. An attempt was better than bottling it up and never venturing. Sonata's happiness couldn't be measured then when Sunset agreed, and it certainly couldn't be measured now.
After all, Sonata still cherished the fact that Sunset gave her two kinds of chances - a chance for redemption, and a chance to get closer. At this point, the siren considered buying a lottery ticket.
What Sonata earned was a partner who was into whatever idea she had. Adagio was always uninterested in Sonata's interests, while Aria seemed to bicker over minor things. Sonata cherished her sisters even if it seemed their relationship wasn't so easy, but yet, she always felt that she couldn't be herself, whether it was to keep up her appearance as the ensnaring Dazzling "number three", or to appear evil enough to make sure she didn't make her sister look tough.
But Sonata was so comfortable with Sunset. What kind of girlfriend would agree to go to a zoo on a whim just because she saw a cute tiger plushie in the store? What kind of girlfriend would agree to go to a concert where the singer was a holographic AI from overseas, who played intense metal? What kind of girlfriend would be okay to wait for her to try out over 40 different taco flavors in one afternoon?
Sunset Shimmer, that's who.
And so what if she had to reciprocate? She was only happy to do so, because Sonata never felt such a way before, and it was only right to return this wonderful feeling with the girl she adored...Even if it meant having an oddly intimidating heart-to-heart with the cowboy-hat wearing friend.
Their relationship started out from simple exchanges - Sunset showed Sonata how fun video games were, and Sonata showed Sunset how many different flavors of tacos there were. Then, they shared each other's ambitions - Sunset's desire to make the world a better place and contribute something great to the world, while Sonata wanted to learn how to actually sing and become known. Then, they shared each other's fears and insecurities - Sunset's fear of being alone, and Sonata's fear of never being able to be herself.
And now, they were taking the biggest step yet. To share their lives.
"Oh, Sunset Shimmer!" Sonata put her down, and then swapped places, instead hopping right on Sunset to hug her and cling onto her from the front. "I love you so much!"
"I love you too, Sonata Dusk!" Giggled Sunset as she held her, able to keep up. "I'm so glad you said yes! Oh, I'm not dreaming, am I? Cause if I'm dreaming, you gotta pinch me right--YEOWCH!"
Sonata recoiled as she had one of Sunset's buttocks gripped between her thumb and index finger. "...Oops. Well, you're not dreaming, Sunset!"
And yet, Sunset couldn't have been happier. "I'm not dreaming! I'm not dreaming!"
Excitedly, Sonata jumped off, and the two girls happily bounced in one spot. They cupped one another's hands and held them, bopping up and down.
"Okay, so!" Sonata leaned in with millimeters between their foreheads. Of course, it was a little silly to see each other's faces so up-close, but it didn't matter when they were lost in the vast galaxies of one another's eyes. "How are we gonna do this? We're gonna have a wedding, right? I mean, I do wanna show everyone that I'm like, the luckiest siren in Equestria AND this world!"
"Yes!" Sunset spoke excitedly, voice in higher-pitch than normal. "I'll ask Pinkie Pie if she and the other girls can help us organize it! I know it's gonna be a little tough and I know that it's gonna be a bit of a challenge, but my-, no, our friends can make it work!
"Awesome! Who are you thinking of inviting? What kinda style are we gonna go for?"
"I think we can invite my friends and your sisters, plus anyone else you'd like! It's...not gonna be anything super big, and I dunno if I can get us something really big on a budget, but--"
"No need. I'm happy to do it however you want! And I'll invite my sisters..." Sonata said, though the back of her head flooded with the thoughts of how that would go...
"...Let's spill the beans to them for now?" Sunset proposed. "I-If you want, I can come with you to tell the Dazzlings?"
The siren shook her head. "I'll do it myself, don't worry. I uh, know they're not too warm to you yet, eheh...O-okay, let's tell Twilight and the others, first?"
"On it!" Sunset's fingers were already typing away a single message into the group chat. To meet them ASAP in the park.
***
The six waited for the words with bated breaths. They were told there was an announcement. They wondered what it could have been - whether it was an invitation to a big party, the announcement of a musical project, or whatever else it was. The excitement was strong enough that Rarity's manicured fingernails were already jagged with her teeth marks, and Rainbow Dash already tied her hair into a ponytail from rubbing her head so much.
And then, it was time...Sonata and Sunset said it in unison:
"We're...getting married!"
The six pairs of eyes widened to dinner-plate widths.
"YOOOOO!" Rainbow Dash's mouth was agape and her hands on the back of her head, like a soccer player who saw the finest goal in her life.
"Darlings!?" Rarity gasped, eyes immediately filling with tears as she covered her mouth - like a model who saw that she'd wear the finest dress ever made.
"YES!" Fluttershy's reaction was unexpectedly hyper and even a little tomboyish, her fists double-pumping, like a momma bird who saw her young learn to fly.
"EEEEEEEEEE!" Pinkie Pie was vibrating like a phone being called by an angry mother, as excited as someone who was invited to the most legendary birthday party of the century.
"GREAT SCOTT!" Twilight blushed and put a hand to her mouth, like a scientist who discovered the answer to the world's most complicated formula.
"Whoa!" Applejack was, as expected, as excited as an Apple farmer who's blessed with a bountiful harvest. "Well I'll be!" She exclaimed. Applejack was unable to resist. She was the first one to approach them, and use her large, muscular arms to grab both Sunset and Sonata into a big hug. "'Ah can't believe it, girls! A'hm so happy for the both of y'all!"
"Rarity, a-are you okay?" Fluttershy softly smiled at the purple-haired girl, who wiped away the tears from her eyes.
"Y-Yes dear." She smiled past the tears of joy. "It's just...so romantic! So novel-like! So...so cute!"
Twilight quickly gathered her cool, appearing rather calm and collected on a whim. "Ahem, well I predicted all of this, y'know! My calculations never lie about these things, eheh..."
The girls exchanged hugs. Even if a year ago they'd be hesitant to approach Sonata, the siren found herself blessed with encouraging embraces from the other girls. Even Rainbow Dash, who was the last to be convinced, pulled her into a bear hug - though she wasn't able to lift her up nearly as well as Applejack did.
As they all simmered down, Sunset addressed them once more. "Right, so here's the thing. I will need some help organizing this whole wedding. It's tough, and I really need someone I can trust, who I know will do it amazingly. So, if you girls don't mind...I was wondering if you six would be down to help? I mean, you don't need to, but--"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Exclaimed the pink-haired girl as she bounced up and down. "Yes yes yes yes yes! Sunset, Sonata, we'd LOVE to help you set it up! I'll supervise the whole thing, is that cool with everyone? Oh, and I'll do catering!"
Applejack wrapped one arm around Pinkie. "'Ah'll help ya with that! Matter of fact, dependin' on when we have the whole thing happen, ah'll have Gala apples on them trees! We always keep em' special to sell for events and stuff since they're so rich' 'n' all, that'll be the best stuff 'ah can put on tha' tables! And I'll get the finest cider we've been workin' on too!"
"I can do decorations!" Fluttershy beamed with joy. "My avian friends are really good at coordinating that kind of stuff! They have an eye for shiny and pretty things!"
"Leave the hauling to me!" Rainbow grinned, pointing at her chest with her thumb, and sporting a big grin. "You need an athlete to carry all the tables and chairs and stuff like that! And I'll move all the stuff you need in seconds!"
Rarity was practically dancing and spinning with the images of the romantic day that was to come. "My role shall be obvious! You two will sport the finest dresses! And so will the bridesmaids! Of course, not as fancy as the brides', but, it shall still look gorgeous!"
Twilight was already on her phone, typing away notes for her to use. "I'll take care of the technical stuff! We'll need music, weather monitoring, fridge and freezer temperature regulation, reduction of outside sound pollution, and other micro-calculations that are invisible - but nonetheless important for us!"
"You guys are the best!" Sonata exclaimed, bouncing up and down, though then she slowed down. "I'm...I'm really sorry about the way me and my sisters acted towards you when we met..." She said. It truly was such a painful thought - that she was once mean and against these amazing people. Sunset smiled reassuringly, gently brushing Sonata's hair.
"Water under the bridge!" Rainbow Dash gently nudged . "It's not a biggie anymore. What matters is that we're all good now, and that you and Sunset are gonna be happy together!" She cheered. "Now, girls - we better start work!"
"Yup!" Pinkie surprised everyone when she had already written a booklet-sized text, some thousand words strong, detailing just how this wedding was going to pan out. "I'm gonna get this plan ready in a few days! We're gonna have this whole wedding done in a couple months or so! Probably three, but that's the longest I'm calling it!"
"Three months, huh?" Sunset put a finger to her lips. "I think that should work! We'll have things officially ready by then! We're gonna have a lot of work too...Agh." Sunset rubbed her forehead. "I hate that I feel like I've forgotten something..."
"If you forgot it's probably not important!" Sonata smiled. "Okay girls, so, I kept this secret from Sunset, buuuut...I had a treat for you all!" She said, pulling out a ticket from her satchel - only to reveal that seven more were behind it. "This was a bit of a coincidence, since I didn't know that Sunset was gonna propose today! I had these tickets for all of us to enjoy a day out in the theme park! I hope Six Banners is a good one, I haven't been there yet since Adagio always said no, but it has that funny commercial with the dancing old guy, and any place with an ad like that's gotta be cool!"
"Oh my, darling, you shouldn't have!" Rarity gasped.
"Oh, but I should!" Sonata smiled wide. "I know I kinda came in like a hurricane twice into your guys' life, so I definitely want you to know that I'm really thankful for giving me a chance...Uh, actually the way I phrase this sounds like I'm onto some manipulative plot and I'm gonna spin this around in some way, so lemme just stop overthinking and uh...Let's go ride some rollerco--"
Sonata was interrupted. Sunset leaned in to hug her, and the others brought it in. Six more pairs of arms were now hugging her, and Sonata was in the middle of this sea of closeness.
The two happiest moments in her life happened today, mere hours between one another.
She shed a tear of joy, and smiled.
A few months later...
Twilight was excited. She had placed a camera that oversaw the venue. Some days ago, it was all empty. But now, things were being placed. Decorations, utilities, tech - all of it was coming into its proper place, a puzzle being constructed. What did bother Twilight a bit upon reviewing some of the footage was the fact that there was a rainbow-like blur half the time. Rainbow was a little too fast...
It was a day before the wedding - early afternoon. Pinkie Pie, slightly stumbling as if she had recently learned to walk, went to and fro with a clipboard, with Sunset walking alongside her.
"Okidoki, so let's review! What're we thinking about the reception menu's final draft?" The pink-haired girl asked, writing down ideas on a paper...Though for whatever reason, her hands weren't particularly deft with the pencil, as if she wasn't used to writing with one. "Cake's ready, but what about the stuff apart from the main menu? Cherrychimichangas? Tri-flavor eclairs? Dessert pizzas? Ice cream? You wanna have pinatas with candy in them?"
Sonata was in charge of answering the question, Sunset too busy directing the others. "All of that sounds good! Oh, also, we gotta have tacos. I mean, we already used a drawing of a taco in a veil on the invitations. So yeah - we're putting tacos on the menu!" She said with sheer glee and complete confidence - this was merely a fact for her. "...Maybe make 'em with bacon? I mean, just so you know this is Sonata's and Sunset's day, you dig?"
"Bacos! Got it." Pinkie giggled. "Okay, I'll have everything ready soon! We'll get everything cooked today - we wanna keep things as fresh as possible!"
"You're the best, Pinkie!" Sonata giggled. "You really understand me with my food stuff."
"Wwwhat can I say~?" Pinkie shrugged with a wide smile, shaking her head with utter pride and confidence. "We're not so different, you and I!"
They were then approached by Sunset - she looked frantic and with a few hairs out of place, yet she kept up her confidence. "Thanks so much for helping organize the wedding, Pinkie." Sunset smiled. "I know that you haven't really planned one before, but this is kind of a party, isn't it?"
"It's got the same steps, give or take!" She giggled. "And I think I'm getting the hang of it! All I gotta do so far is replace the colourful balloons with flowers and stuff, and have more white colors! I hope you don't mind though, I did put a few party cannons that are connected to pressure plates on the floor. Uh, we haven't invited anyone elderly or with heart problems, right?"
"Nope." Said Applejack who was walking nearby with a crate of cider in her arms. "Just don't do it at 'mah weddin', alright? I am gonna invite Granny."
Pinkie beamed with excitement. "Oh! Have you found the lucky guy or gal?"
The farmer blushed, especially as Rarity was approaching. "Focus on tha' weddin', Pinkie?"
"Daaaarliiings~!" Rarity cooed. "Perfect news! The dresses are complete! I must say, I'm quite proud with how they came out. Though...It does pain me that I cannot make them all look equally gorgeous, on the account that the Bridesmaids should never outclass the bride - or - brides...Anyhow, would anyone like to try them on before the ceremony?"
The first to approach was Twilight, who raised a finger. "I'm down! The technicians are calibrating the gear anyway. You did include the proper breathability and ventilation, right? I'd hate to sweat in that thing."
"Of course! Let's get it on you!" Rarity smiled, taking Twilight's hand and walking off. "Six bridesmaids on Sunset's side is a challenge indeed, plus the two brides, but that does not mean I'll slack off to make you look gorgeous! Well, not as gorgeous as the brides...Ah, such a tough restriction..."
As the two walked off, Sunset frowned. She remembered a topic that Sonata had avoided. She turned to her, and held her hand. "Hey, Sonnie? About the bridesmaids...Are your sisters coming? I mean, you never mentioned how they responded to the invitation."
Sonata frowned on the spot - her smile washed away with the tide of memories of what happened. Indeed, she remembered what happened - but she refused to remember those words. She avoided the memory of what her sisters said to the strongest fault, so much so that not even the writer could conjure them in this paragraph - much like a Lovecraftian horror that could only be described as "so horrible it's not describable at all".
They looked at her with dagger-eyes, taunting and jeering her, calling her foolish...Calling her hopeless, and calling her inept. How could she marry Sunset Shimmer? How could she...abandon them?
...Sonata never got a hard "no" on the invitation. It was all implied, but when she asked the question of inviting them, they merely brushed her off and ignored her.
...She wondered if, once she stood at the altar, would her side of Bridesmaids be...
Empty?
"...T-They uh..." Sonata regained a wavy smile. "They...They said they'll try to make it, if uh...if they can!"
Sunset balled a fist. She grit her teeth underneath her lips, but...No. She had anger issues - and this was not the time to express them. She pulled Sonata in close, and allowed the siren to rest her head on her chest. Not that Sonata was anywhere close to crying, but she'd never say no to allowing Sunset to comfort her.
At-least, Sunset thought, it was time to regard the happier side of things.
"Oh Celestia..." Sunset wrapped one of her arms around Sonata as she held her. With a soft smile, the other girl turned her body to Sunset and placed one hand on her waist, before completely resting her head on Sunset's shoulder. "I really can't believe this is happening...U-Uh, in a good way, I mean!"
"Don't worry, I gotcha..." Sonata giggled, her voice regaining a happy cadence. Then, her eyes widened a little. "Uh, wait a sec, timeout...Y-You revere your principal as a deity?"
Sunset giggled at the words, shaking her head as she patted Sonata gently on the head. "No, I mean the alicorn. You know, Princess Celestia..."
"Hhhhuh. I actually didn't know the principal in this world is a princess in yours. She wasn't around when I got flicked across space and time, I guess..."
...Then, the sound of a plate shattering in Sunset's head.
And ironically, Sunset's eyes became as wide as dinner plates.
Sunset pulled away from Sonata, holding her by the shoulders and looking at her with wide, wide eyes. "Wait...Celestia...Princess Celestia! Sonata! We totally forgot to tell Twilight and the others!"
Sonata felt flashbanged by Sunset's words going from calm and soothing to frantic. "Uuuuh, but we already told the others! They're right here organizing the wedding, aren't they?"
"No! I mean, the other others! On the other side of the mirror!" The fire-haired girl exclaimed, rummaging through her backpack. "Uh, gimme a sec! I got just the thing! You see, Twi's given me this handy lil' thing. There's no reception across dimensions, but there's...THIS!"
Sonata's eyes widened in surprise - for Sunset pulled out a book with her own cutie mark on the cover. Sonata couldn't help but shake her fists with excitement, eyes beaming at the thing. "Oooooh! Cool! A book!...Does it say how to send messages across dimensions?"
"Even better." Sunset giggled, opening it. "See, Twi gave me this thing to stay in touch with her! Leeemmmeee just open up a blank page and..."
Sunset took out a pen and wrote down a few paragraphs, apologizing sincerely and hoping that on a short notice, Twilight would still be able to attend. She put the final period on the last sentence, and proudly smiled. "Okay! Crisis averted! Now let's just get a response!"
"..."
"..."
"So, are we gonna continue planning the wedding?" Sonata asked, rubbing her head and looking around like an idle video game character.
Sonata shook her head, eyes glued to the book. "Just a sec, let's get a response from Twi! She usually answers quickly! It never takes her more than two minutes to open the book - it usually gives a quick vibration to let me know she opened it..."
And so, they waited...And waited.
"...Is it night time in Equestria?" Sonata proposed, leaning in to peek at the book with her hands clasped behind her back.
Sunset tried hard to ignore the bullets that ran down her forehead. "No, it shouldn't be...Uh...Oh wow, she really can't open the book right now, huh? I-Is she busy with Princess stuff...? I feel so stupid now, I really forgot she's so busy these days...And ever since she's started to take over Celestia's and Luna's place..."
"Hey, it's okay!" Sonata smiled. "Hey, I got an idea!" Sonata raised a finger to the sky. "Why not just go through the portal, then? You said the mirror was in her castle, right? So we can just, pop in and tell her! I mean, it'd be better to tell her in person anyway, right?"
"...Actually..." Sunset looked at the book, and finally closed it. "You're right, I do think it'd be better if I actually came to her personally to let her know, but...are we gonna have enough time?" Sunset mumbled. "The wedding's tomorrow!"
"I'm sure we'll be fine!" Sonata waved a hand. "Come on, how much time can it take to just pop in, tell her, and pop back in?"
Sunset put the book away, and nodded with confidence. "I think it's definitely a great call, Sonata. Twilight hasn't really seen you since, well, y'know, the first time, but she'd be happy to see you knowing that we're cool now!"
Sonata was smiling wide, but in time, the lips curved downwards. "Though, uh...On second thought..." She lost herself in thought. The last time she'd been to Equestria was the moment when she was given the magical boot out of it.. "You really think they're gonna be happy to see me?"
The quiet response and fall in mood had not gone unnoticed by her fiance. Sunset frowned too, coming close to take one of Sonata's hands into her own. "Hey, I felt really awkward when I had to go meet Celestia after I left Equestria. We didn't leave on good terms either."
"...But uh, I'm pretty sure I got a bit of a bigger issue here." Sonata coughed. "You weren't one of the three sirens who was terrorizing the coasts of Equestria and Mount Aris, though, were you?"
"Trust me on this, Sonnie." Sunset clasped her fiance's hands. "I've told Twilight that you've turned a new leaf. I mean, one of our mutual friends is a unicorn who took out an ancient spell and nearly caused a time-loop catastrophe that almost destroyed all of Equestria. Now she's basically one of her closest friends. There's a chaos god, too. Oh, and don't forget - our version of Vice Principal Luna nearly doomed Equestria to eternal night. So, I think you're good!"
"Okay! Well..." Sonata turned to the girls organizing the wedding. "Let's let them know! I hope they'll manage the whole thing without us..."
***
Sunset and Sonata stood before their friends, who formed themselves in an attentive half-circle, each listening to what the couple had to say. That they had to travel to the other dimension to relay the news in person.
"Wait a second." Rainbow Dash tilted her head. "But why do you gotta go through the mirror to let them know? I mean, didn't alicorn Twilight give you that book messenger thing-whatever?"
Applejack intervened with a cough. "Ahem. Dash. Remember the one time you recorded yourself doing a handstand for three minutes while balancing a soccer ball on your feet, all while recitin' tongue twisters?"
"Yeah! That was rad, wasn't it?"
"Yea. 'Ah sure thought so, sure...When you came through 'mah window at 3 AM - knowin' 'ah wake up at 6 - just to show it to me on your phone."
"You had to see it with your own eyes though!"
"No, 'ah saw it on your screen, Rainbow Dash. Anyways, lemme ask ya this. Why didn't ya choose to just send it instead?"
"Well, cause it's way too important for me not to show you in person!"
"..." Patiently, Applejack smiled and gestured to Sunset and Sonata with her eyes. Rainbow Dash needed a moment to think, before her pupils slightly shrunk and her mouth opened.
"Ooooooooh. You know, yeah. Now that I think about it, telling your close friends and mentor about this is a pretty big deal. You got me."
"...Not to mention, Twilight still hasn't responded." Sunset added. "I don't wanna risk it - and I do think that telling her in person is a more sincere move. Girls, can you do everything without us? I know it's a tall order, and I feel dumb for forgetting everything and putting it until the last moment..."
"Sunset Shimmer." A voice spoke up - a soft one. All were surprised that Fluttershy was the one to speak. "You're not dumb! Anyone would've gotten overwhelmed with something as serious as a wedding! We won't let you down, and we'll have everything down to a T! Right, girls...?"
"Yeah!" Pinkie Pie leaned in, wrapping one arm around Fluttershy with the biggest grin, then pulling in Applejack with the other one. "We got this wedding in the bag! Or, uh, basket! You two go on ahead, and you'll come back to the most fun party - uh, wedding the world's ever seen!"
"Thanks, girls." Sunset nodded.
"Yeah!" Sonata squeezed her fists to her chest. "Man, you guys are the best! Thank you all so much!"
"Don't mention it!" Rainbow Dash said, immediately heading over the recently-arrived Vinyl Scratch to help carry her equipment. "Now go get the egghead from the other side of the mirror! And let her know that we've missed her! Just 'cause we have our own Twi doesn't mean we've forgotten her!"
Smiling with gladness, they both nodded. They walked off, headed to the school that wasn't too far away by foot. The portal was, after all, still there.
***
"You ready?" Smiled Sunset, looking at the portal as she held Sonata's hand. The blue-haired girl swallowed, but took a step forward to stand beside her fiance all the same.
"Nope!" Giggled Sonata. "But I'm never gonna leave your side, bestie!"
The words coaxed a chuckle from Sunset. "I'm pretty sure we're a little beyond besties at this point?"
"Wait...So you're saying bestie isn't the highest form of admitting love?"
Sunset felt the adorableness of the siren, but she knew she was a little nervous and was stalling. She turned her head with a patient and loving smile. Sonata looked at her with her big smile, and then simmered down. "R-Right. Let's go! Just follow my lead..."
The fiery-haired girl stepped forward first, still holding Sonata's hand as she led her in. It was like stepping through the surface of water...A flash of white that accompanied the travel. It was all ordinary...Sunset gasped, barely able to get her sense of balance. It wasn't too long since her last visit, but it still felt jarring at times to adjust from hands to hooves. As she kept stepping through, she paid attention to the sensation in her hand, knowing that the moment it went through the threshold, Sonata would begin transforming.
And so, the blue-haired girl stepped in...At first, when her hand moved in, things were normal. But then, Sonata felt a tightness. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Sonata squirmed in panic, as if she was stuck. The walls were too narrow, the passage was impossible...She just had to squeeze and move...just...a little...further...
CRASH!
The white flash struck both girls.
Then, the tightness disappeared. Sonata felt complete relaxation and ease. Whatever was attempting to squeeze her gave out, unable to withstand.
Neither of them understood what happened. Moving through the portal was a disorienting move. But now, they were on the ground - a sudden feeling of grogginess struck them. There the massive Siren lay beside the little orange pony, both stunned and dazed, but cuddling together...
Sunset felt groggy. She had no idea what it was like inside of a washing machine - save the one time Rainbow Dash challenged her to get on one of those whacky roller-coasters that was absolutely not worth the nausea. She felt like she was chewed and spat out - which may have literally been the case with the mirror. But why did it happen? Why did the mirror that she was relatively familiar with do something like this? Nothing was out of the ordinary before...
Sunset rested her head on the large softness. At-least wherever she landed it seemed to be comfortable. She took the time to think and get the facts together. They were supposed to be here to tell Twilight about the wedding...She scanned the horizon and saw...
Her fiance - laid on the floor and massive. But she didn't care about the change in her shape and appearance - she knew exactly who it was. Sunset ran up to the siren with panic, immediately running her hooves over her scales to check for any damage. "Sonata! Sonnie, are you...are you okay!?"
"Yeah..." Sonata grunted, shifting awkwardly around the room. "Peachy as peach tacos, just...wow, I haven't been in Siren form since ages, I--"
Then, the very large crimson eyes opened, looking right at the little pony beside her. Although Sunset was with the woman she loved most...She still felt like a little fish that was just spotted by a shark.
And yet, she never failed to see the sweetness and adoration in those eyes. Sonata's pupils dilated. She was gazing at the most precious thing in the world.
"Eeee! Sunset!" Sonata cried out. Due to her Siren appearance, her voice was much louder, with more of an oomph and boom. She coiled her body around the little pony who yelped in surprise - but she had no other way to express a hug. "You look so, so cute as a pony! Why didn't you tell me you looked like the most plushyable thing!"
"P-Plushyable?" Chuckled Sunset nervously as she was squeezed.
"Y'know, the kind that I can easily make you into a marketable plushy!"
"Right...Whoa!" Sunset, after making sure that Sonata was okay, finally registered the sheer size of her fiance. She towered her several times, where her own size was barely the same as her head, and nothing else. "Sonata, I...had no idea Sirens were this huge!"
"Yyyeah..." Sonata rubbed her neck with her hoof. "I forgot we used to be house-sized sea monsters...You ever have one of those "something is smaller than you remember moments", except it's the other way around, and with your own body? Yeah. Weird, ain't it...? Uh...reckon there's still a way for me to be little spoon in this world?"
"I definitely think that'd be a bit more than I can chew..." Chuckled Sunset Shimmer, trying to orient herself on the hooves she was no longer used to. "Hang on...When we got here, I heard a shatter and...Oh nooo, no no no...!"
Immediately, the fiery unicorn turned to the remains of the portal - reduced to a myriad of glistening glass pieces.
"The portal..." Sunset put her hooves on the back of her head, eyes wide open with shock. "It...Must have shattered when you entered!"
"Oh come on." Sonata grumbled. "We're not that far into our marriage for us to make mean jokes about one another! I mean, we're not even past the marriage phase either."
Sunset felt distracted - the implication that she offended her partner a lot worse than the mirror being shattered. "W-What? N-No, Sonnie, I didn't mean it that way! I-I mean, it's because of your size!"
"Oooh, so we're even starting with the fat jokes now?"
"Sonnie!" Sunset cried out - to the point she may as well have started to cry. Immediately, Sonata started laughing softly, and placed one of her hooves on Sunset's.
"I'm pulling your leg! Uh, hoof, now." Said the Siren - perhaps feeling a little more mischievous now that she was back in her original siren form. Sunset sighed, looking at her fiance with a 'seriously?' gaze. Releasing the tension through her nostrils, Sunset softly smiled and leaned in to give Sonata a loving peck on the nose, before turning to face the portal.
"Oh Celestia..." Muttered Sunset. She realized that she was assessing the situation much calmly thanks to Sonata's interrupting joke. Something about that mischief really helped her stop hyperventilating and yelling. Still, the dread never left her. "This is NOT good, not one bit...I have no idea how to even fix this thing..."
"I-I uh..." Sonata grinned awkwardly, displaying each tooth like a neatly placed, razor-sharp knife, lined up diagonally. "I can...put it together! Yeah! Just...Just gimme a bit! This is like uh..." She slithered over to start sliding the pieces together. And yet, no dice. "Oh crêpes, it's shattered for realzies, huh...?" Gulped the siren, using her hooves to try and put more pieces together - but with the little control she had over them she merely shuffled the shards around and mixed them further.
"I had no idea this would happen." Sunset whimpered, sitting beside Sonata and trying to piece the glass together. She knew subconsciously this wasn't going to work, but it was a way to console herself and cope. "I mean, seriously, who even designed this portal!?"
As Sunset fixed the pieces, she had the time to look at the floor...The floor...
"Wait..." Sunset's head craned up as she looked around her. The floor...It was not what she remembered. The walls, the windows...She knew Twilight Sparkle. She'd never renovate her castle...
Unless they weren't in Twilight's castle.
"Oh no." Gulped Sunset, stumbling over to the nearest window on her hooves. "Oh no oh no oh no oh no--Oooooh nooooo!" Immediately, she hid her face in her hooves, moaning into them in despair. "Oh this is a disaster!" Stumbled Sunset through the room. "Okay, don't...don't panic, Sunset! You know two Twilights, so you know how little panicking helps in cases like this..."
...
"Oooh no, I'm panicking." Sunset grit her teeth.
"H-Hey, it's okay! It's okay, Sunset! I uh, I-I can fix the mirror!" Sonata blushed, looking over at the myriad of pieces. "I mean, u-uh, you get me some golden glitter and we'll get some kintsugi magic goin' on!...That means "fixing broken objects with gold"! See, Aria said I couldn't think of clever song titles, so I just went on the internet and looked up some stuff I can randomly pick out to see if it was a good song title. What do ya think?"
Sunset was sweating bullets - but she didn't want to interrupt her fiance all the same. Finally, when she was done, she sighed. "No, it's not about the mirror, Sonnie...Why are we in Canterlot!? I thought we'd be in Twilight's castle! Why was the mirror moved here!?"
Sonata slithered up to place her head right beside Sunset at eye level, looking outside at the city below with her. "Wow, the Twilight here has her own castle? Sci-Twi really got the short end of the stick, huh?"
"Things are different in a world of magic, y'know." Sunset sighed, and found the resolve to smile after feeling Sonata's proximity. The darndest things that Sonata said never failed to make her smile, even if absurd and not always appropriate. "...I guess Twilight was too busy too since she became Princess and started working to take over Celestia's post after she retired...She woulda given a heads up otherwise..."
"So Twilight being overworked is a universal constant." Sonata murmured. "Okay, well, I heard unicorns can teleport and whatnot, so I'm sure we'll run into her or someone who can fetch her for us--"
"No, hang on!" Sunset stood in-front of Sonata before she could leave the room. "Hold up, listen - Canterlot is the most secure place in Equestria! Sonata, I-I hate to say this, but I don't think anyone in the castle got the memo that you...well, aren't gonna hypnotize anyone! Or, uh, anypony! A-Anyway, I don't even think they know you lost the vocal powers - and I really don't know if they know what a siren is either!"
"But can't I just...introduce myself to them?" Sonata asked, no worry in her face as she waved her hoof dismissively. "If I tell them that I'm Sonata, the friendly Siren engaged to the cutest girl across both dimensions, then--"
But Sunset shook her head and hands. "I don't wanna risk causing any issues...The last thing we want is them suspecting that you've hypnotized me, and are now holding me hostage. If they knock us both out and put us in the dungeon, how long do you think they're gonna keep us? Or how long do you think we'll need to convince them that everything's okay!? We still gotta keep back to the CHS world before the day's over. Look, lemme just do the talking, uh...Here!"
Sonata was surprised with the sheer strength of the pony as she was pushed forwards, right into a large walk-in utility closet. Sonata had no idea how she'd fit in, but thanks to her slender and elongated shape, Sunset was able to practically roll her fiance up and into the closet, so that she occupied the entire volume with her enormous siren body.
"Here, just stay put and don't make a peep, okay?" Sunset frowned, putting a hoof on Sonata's muzzle. "I'll be quick! I promise!"
"Okay, Sunny...I love you!"
"And I love you too, Sonnie." Sunset smiled. She closed her eyes and brought her face to Sonata's, and the two shared a quick nuzzle. Giving her a loving peck on the nose, Sunset carefully closed the closet door, and set out to seek Celestia.
Then, for Sonata, there was silence and darkness. It was far from comfortable. The walk-in closet was sizeable indeed, but left little room for the Siren that was already coiled and pressed up to each corner. The massive sea-serpent only had the company of a lightbulb hanging above on a wire. It gave her the slightest tinge of entertainment, gently flicking it with her hoof and watching it swing to and fro, until the wire snapped and the warm glass orb fell to the floor, lost beneath Sonata's coiled body. With that, she was left in total darkness.
She spent hours in there...Days? Months? Years? A millennia?
In reality it has barely been ten minutes, but to a hyperactive soul such as Sonata it definitely felt like an eternity. Just where was her fiance? How long would it take to navigate a gigantic recently-renovated castle to find one huge alicorn?
As hope to get this done with quickly flickered...Noises outside! Sonata's eyes opened wide. Someone entered the room...Could it be...?
She could hear a female voice muttering something, muffled through the door. Tension and boredom clashed - Sonata was hopeful that this wasn't someone else, but even more hopeful it was finally Sonata. And when she heard the knob of the door being turned, there was that spark of joy. She was, for whatever reason, convinced. After all, who'd need this closet? All there was were some brooms, mops, and cleaning chemicals.
Sonata was smiling pre-emptively when the door opened, and light rushed into the dark crevice. "Sunny! How'd it...go...U-uhm..."
It was a mystery to the siren - why did Sunset Shimmer look like a maid? Different coat and mane colour and all...
Oh. This probably might have not been Sunset Shimmer at all.
The maid's large eyes stared down the razor sharp teeth. Her hooves became wobbly and spaghetti like, breath struggling to choose whether it wanted to be still or hyperventilate at rapid-fire speeds. The dragon-like face came ever closer to her, looming over her and casting a shadow.
...
"...Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii." The siren softly and awkwardly said, trying to appear harmless - but looking very harmful as a result. "...How you dooooiiiinnnn'~...?"
Her lips quivering and snot running down her nostrils, the maid clutched her mop like a soldier facing certain death - close to her heart. She closed her eyes, and squeaked... "And I was just a week before retirement..."
In the end, Sonata only wished that the maid would faint before she was able to let out a shriek ear-piercing enough to crack the crystal baubles on the chandelier.
***
Sunset hated that Canterlot castle was a maze. She had no idea what room she was in, and which wing she was in either. As much as she was concerned, every wing was the same. And since the siege, so many things have changed. Who was reorganizing these corridors?
She was sure that the passage to the throne was just around this corner--
Pomf!
"Oof!" Sunset gasped, the wind knocked out of her lungs as she felt herself hit a wall. That being said, the wall was in the shape of a white alicorn. Sunset was lucky that most of the guards were away helping reorganize and help Canterlot after the siege, or otherwise she would have had a pile of them on top of her - since as much as slightly bumping into the princess was an assassination attempt in their eyes. However, realizing just who she ran into, Sunset's eyes opened wide, and a smile appeared on her face!
"Sunset Shimmer!" Celestia beamed with joy, using her magic to levitate Sunset up to her hooves.
"Princess Celestia!" The fiery unicorn happily ran forwards and pulled the alicorn into a tight hug, despite having to step on her tip-hooves and slightly levitate herself to make up for the height. Celestia leaned her head down and wrapped a hoof around Sunset, pressing her closer.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, dear?" Celestia said with warmth in her words, pulling away from the hug afterwards. "It's always great to see you! Uhm...You didn't expect to appear in Twi's Castle, did you?"
"J-Just a little..." Sunset nervously coughed. "I, uh..."
"Hm." Celestia nodded. "I'm sure she hasn't informed you. Poor Twi has been engulfed in all that's going on. She's been moving some of her things from the castle in Ponyville to Canterlot, preparing to settle here. She's a bit reluctant to leave Ponyville, so I can understand her. A part of me feels she'll levitate the whole town to Canterlot." She giggled.
Sunset watched with anxious eyes. It now made sense why they were in Canterlot.
"So, uhm...Princess Celestia, here's the thing...I had a really important thing to say to you and Twilight, and I really wanted to do it in person, so...T-The issue is, uh...Look, the news is a bit of an outta-left-field thing, and there's also the fact that I may have come with another visitor..."
"Oh! A visitor from the human side?"
"Mmmyeah, but they're actually kind of a uh...local from here too. Can you please, please come with me? There's a lot I need to explain and show you...Just...please don't freak out when you see her?"
The alicorn had a most-knowing look. Something was definitely up. "My, my, Sunset Shimmer. You're so thoughtful to get your teacher into an adventure on an otherwise boring afternoon."
***
"In the name of the Princesses!" The guards barked as they tried to poke at her with their spears, and yet, the Siren slithered along the ceiling. "Stop at once!"
"No, you!" Sonata barked. She tried to use her voice, but without her magic, her best attack was the ability to make the guards cringe as they in-vain tried to throw their spears at her, chucking them and getting them stuck right between the eyes of a portrait of Princess Celestia.
The alicorn murmured. "Sunset, cover your ears? I haven't used the royal Canterlot voice for some time now...Forgot just how much I have to hold back for it to be proper..."
Grimacing and immediately nervous over the words, the unicorn did her best to cover her ears as tightly as she could.
Then, the voice that came was loud enough to brush the manes of the guards. "CEASE THIS!" Exclaimed the loud booming voice of the Princess, producing a slight shockwave. It made everyone in the room drop everything, including Sonata dropping herself, as the massive Siren fell from the ceiling with a thunderous thud - all while looking at Celestia with wide, surprised eyes.
"...Can Principal Celestia do that too!?" Sonata said past the ringing in her ears, making her yell. Sunset Shimmer could only shrug. Sonata shrugged in return. "Well, I definitely know who to take vocal lessons from if she does!"
***
Sunset's eyes constantly paced between three things. The huge Siren who had coiled herself and sat by her side, her Mentor sitting on the opposite side of the table, and the cups of tea before them. Sunset felt beads of sweat run down her forehead...
But all was cool once Celestia had the warmest smile on her face, leaning in. "I must say, Sonata - it is a pleasure to finally meet a Siren. And I must also add..." She winked towards Sunset's direction. "She's very lucky to have someone as adorable and sweet as you."
"Aw, thanks so much, auntie Tia!" Sonata giggled, drinking her tea with a loud slurp. Sunset's heart sank for a moment, but she did not understand that Celestia's smile grew bigger as a result. Nobody ever called her "auntie Tia" except for the little unicorn students at her school. At-least Sunset got the message when the alicorn giggled, and levitated the teapot.
"More tea, dears?"
"Actually..." Sunset raised a hoof. "We uhm, wanted to talk with Twilight? Oh, and you as well! We just, had no idea the portal was here..."
"No issue at all. She should be free just about now. Lemme just..." Celestia smiled softly and levitated a paper from the other side of the room. Writing on it with a quill, she fired a spell at the paper. "As long as Spike isn't away from her, she should be here any se--"
"I'M HERE!" She appeared in a flash. "What's happening!? There's an emergency!? Which villain is coming this time!? Is there a declaration of war from--"
"Twilight!" Sunset exclaimed. Twilight screamed believing she was being ambushed, but she had no way to prevent herself from being glomped by the heat-seeking missile that was a Sunset Shimmer who'd spent months not seeing her.
***
"I'm so sorry about the book!" Twilight apologetically clasped her hooves and held her to her forehead in a pleading manner. "Since I've been moving my stuff, I misplaced it!" She said. "Uh, just a sec..." She closed her eyes, and her horn began to glow...And then, it appeared on the table right before them. Twilight sighed in relief. "There it is! I made a spell to fetch specific books if I can focus on their name and appearance...I'm so sorry, it really flew out of my head and--"
"No, I'm sorry!" Sunset tried to calm her, gently motioning with her hooves to get her to cool down. "It flew out of my head, I really should've contacted you sooner..."
Twilight smiled softly, and turned to Sonata. "And, Sonata! It's great to see you! I-I've never seen a siren before! I-I mean, not in your original form!" She said. Sunset had already told her that she was in a relationship, and Twilight's earlier suspicion always clashed with her interests in different creatures. Now though, she was more than excited to see the huge sea-serpent before them.
The large dragon-like girl giggled, covering her grin with a hoof. "Glad to see you too! Sorry about our first meeting...But hey, it's all bridge under the water! Uh, water under the bridge!"
"You're fineee! I've gotten through redemption for all kinds of creatures. Y'know how it is with friendship, heh. So, uh...How's things back on your side, Sunset?"
***
As they continued mingling however...it was time.
Sunset felt a tinge of awkwardness and nervousness, to have the colossal Siren who was the love of her life sit right beside her with her big goofy smile, all while she was faced with one of her best friends, and her mentor - both of which awkwardly sat by side looking at the magic-less Siren.
"So the uh...the news is that..." Sonata gulped. She was stalling, but then she felt the gentle flapping against her back. Sonata used one of fins on her arms to tap her fiance on the back, and encourage her - all while she had such a big toothy smile, that Twilight faintly created an invisible protective barrier above her head to avoid getting drooled on.
...
Sunset sighed. Now or never.
"Sonata and I we...We're getting married!"
Twilight's eyes widened.
Celestia's eyes widened.
Twilight rose to her hind legs.
Celestia rose to her hind legs.
And Celestia cried out... "LET'S GOOOOO!"
And Twilight cried out... "HUH?"
"Twilight, whatever do you mean by "huh"!?" Celestia was the first to speak, her smile huge as she approached Sunset and Sonata both. With levitation, she gently moved the limbs of the travelers each and held the two girl's hooves, turning her head from Sunset, to the massive grinning Siren who loomed above her. "Oh, I'm so happy for you two! This is amazing!"
"Yeah!" Twilight wasn't against it, that much was clear. But boy, she was confused beyond words. "Just...Wow! I'm really amazed! Thank you two so much for actually coming here!"
"And I was wondering..." Sunset added. "Could you two maybe come? Maybe invite the other girls? You know, there's room for another bridesmaid...And, Princess, could you be there too? I mean, if you want, that's--"
"Perfectly fine by me. I'd love nothing more than that." Celestia smiled warmly, bringing her head down. Sunset fondly smiled in turn, and the two adoringly touched foreheads, before receding.
"Me too!" Twilight exclaimed. "You can count on me! I got just the dress - it should transform once I step through the portal, too! And, for real - it means so much that you guys told us yourselves! S-Sure maybe the book would've been better to prepare us in advance, but hearing it from you here is just...wow!"
"Oh, it was nothing." Giggled Sonata. "Just, took us a...a broken mirror that we need to go back through...Eheh..."
"Not to worry." Celestia promptly gulped down the rest of the tea, and brushed off the cookie crumbles off of her face. "I think I know who's capable of fixing the portal. Matter of fact, he ought to be in the castle as we speak. Twilight, walk with me?"
***
Celestia walked with a skip to her hooves, humming various songs she had heard over numerous weddings she attended. By her side, Twilight walked with eyes that stared off into space, totally surprised and shocked over what she'd heard - even if positively. "...Wow. Sunset Shimmer marrying Sonata Dusk..." She muttered. "You know, I've prepared to see all kinds of pairings in my life but this one really takes the cake, huh...?"
"Twilight." Celestia sighed, shaking her head. "Fluttershy is dating the literal embodiment of chaos. Let's agree that your friends marrying powerful non-pony creatures isn't anything new. And besides...please let at-least one of my students get married before another cataclysm hits Equestria. Please?"
"You really know how to uh...lay the facts out on me."
"Mm..." Celestia nodded as they walked. "...So are you proposing to Tempest Shadow or Flash Sent--"
"Princess!"
A little later...
Sunset explored the room. They were ironically in a sort of lounge - a place to relax, with various bookshelves. She wondered if this was Twilight's touch - to add books to rooms that may have otherwise been without them. She explored the titles, noticing that the books were all fiction. Perhaps it made sense for a place designed for relaxation. After a moment however, she felt the buzz...The book was written on. She levitated it, and opened to read what Twilight told her...
She pursed her lips. This was interesting news.
'I'll let her know. Waiting on you here.' Sunset wrote back. She turned to see Sonata, who was sitting in a corner reading a magazine-shaped booklet. Curiously, the pony came closer with her head tilted, curious and wondering what was up. "Sonnie? Everything alright?"
Then, the siren put the comic book down. Seriously, Sonata narrowed her eyes at Sunset as she spoke. Her voice was low - devoid of its high-pitched bubbly-ness. Raspier. Grim, and without joy. "Whether we live or perish, it isn't a big issue. If you focus on being alive, you develop fear. Your eyes become clouded. But if you have no such feelings...you are capable of fighting to the end of the world."
Sunset could only blink in utter confusion. "S-Sonata...? Are you...okay?"
"Oh, yeah." The high-pitched, happy cadence of the siren returned as put the comic book away. "Just quoted one of the characters from this. It's about an office worker who becomes a pirate! Aria always poked fun at me for reading it, kept complaining that comics are for kids, even though these aren't, like, exactly comics. And even when she did take a look at the pages she always complained and said stuff like - "no way someone's gonna take a girl pirate in daisy dukes seriously".
Sunset sighed in relief. Her fiance was holding up it seemed. "We uh, we have an idea. The portal can be fixed."
"Cool!" Giggled Sonata. "So, are we going for the superglue tactic, or...?"
"Kiiinda. You see, there's somepony who knows a thing or two about mirrors...But you're not gonna like it."
"Oh? Why's that?"
"Does the name...Starswirl the Bearded ring any bells?"
"Uh, is he the guy from that duo guitarist group where the guys have giant beards?"
"No, no...not exactly...He's..."
"Yeah...?"
"...He's the guy who banished you and your sisters to the other side of the mirror."
"I'm not fixing the portal." The bearded stallion said. He folded his hooves and shook his head, like a foal refusing to eat his vegetables.
"Hey, what gives!?" Sunset shouted at him, barely restrained by Twilight. "What do you mean!? Can't, or won't!?"
"Either." Sighed the bearded stallion. "It's for the greater good! Besides, you're from Equestria. It's best keep the balance of the two sides of the mirror. I've learned of one incident that happened during my absence, when Celestia couldn't help but help herself to meddling in the affairs of another reality. Have you not considered the effect you might already have had!? Or perhaps the effect you might've had on your counterpart, if there is one?"
"Starswirl." Sternly, quickly said Celestia. She approached him and ushered him off to the side, away from earshot. "Listen to what I have to say." The alicorn now spoke quieter to make sure that others couldn't hear her, but it made her voice all the more intimidating. "They're getting married, and they need to return home. I'm sure that's as good a reason as any to fix the portal, don't you?"
"Hmph." Starswirl sighed. "Celestia, do I need to remind you, of all ponies, what happens when you find lovers from other dimensions?"
"Starswirl." The alicorn rose a brow as she towered above the older unicorn. "I at-least haven't used other dimensions as a dumping ground for Equestria's problems. Care to remind me how an entire school came under threat of three Sirens with hypnotizing powers?"
"Well, what would you have me do? Turn them to stone!?"
"At-least that way we have tabs on them. I am still doing my best to draft a plan to redeem those three." Celestia said, her tone not faltering, and neither did her firm gaze on her mentor. "Oh, and Starswirl, you shouldn't forget that Sonata is from this world, too. So your argument is a little...misplaced, softly to say."
"You just don't understand!" Starswirl exclaimed. "The three sirens are strongest when they are together! We are weakening a dangerous group of creatures! What if they return their magic!? You know the elementary lessons of magic, Tia! Magic cannot be destroyed nor created, just like energy - it can only move through different currents. Do you understand what I mean? You can never say never to this."
As the two argued, they turned their heads to the sounds of hoofsteps, and the sound of slithering - both Sonata and Sunset approached, though the siren stayed behind her fiance. "Starswirl, I just need you to understand this. Tomorrow should be the happiest day of my life. I'm asking you as somepony who needs this. I need this as help. I need to return to my friends!"
"And I'm telling you as a guardian of Equestria that I'm not fixing the portal!" Humphed Starswirl. "What if this is all just a plan to get the siren to steal a magical artifact to bring back to the other side? Do you want them to have another chance at brainwashing your school, Sunset Shimmer?"
"Wait, you really think I'd spend a whole year going on dates and getting close to Sunset just because I wanna grab like, an artifact?" Sonata put a claw to her lips. "Wow. Maybe I should've been the one who made evil plans back when we still wanted world domination..."
"Sonata is NOT trying to manipulate me, Starswirl!" Sunset wagged her hoof at him. "We love one another, and we are trying to get to our wedding! And didn't Twilight Sparkle prove you wrong with everything you were complaining about when you returned?"
"Okay." Sighed the stallion. "I see you're stubborn. Do you know what sirens are capable of, Sunset? Entire fishing villages and fleets disappeared because they spent years of their lives as slaves for them. They had no remorse nor care for who they targeted. What makes you think your fiance isn't just playing a long game? It's in their nature, Sunset. We worked hard to banish them, and I'm not going to risk my efforts."
"Okay, I see..." Sunset sighed. Celestia felt a tinge of heartbreak, seeing that Sunset seemingly acquiesced...until she saw that look in her eyes. Sharp, and determined - only appearing normal and calm on the surface. Oh yes. She knew what Sunset was about to say. "...So, Sirens are evil. What about ponies?"
"Hmph. Well we certainly have a better track record." Starswirl muttered. "Yes, our diversity is good, but I don't recall any particularly heinous villains in the past, sans Cozy Glow, being ponies."
"A better track record, huh?" Sunset grunted. "Do you know what I did when I was there, Mister Starswirl? I went there to bully, manipulate, and brainwash a whole school into submitting to me. I acted like a monster, and was deadset on returning to Equestria to show my teacher the monster I had become."
"Not to mention..." Celestia added. "Starswirl, what Stygian went through wasn't entirely his fault, either."
By now, Starswirl was unable to look anypony in the eyes, his gaze cast to the side. "..."
So, Celestia continued. "Villainy only appears when with distrust, hate, and fear. Sunset worked hard to prove that she's better than she was when she was lost to those negative feelings. But if you keep it up like this, you'll prove that no matter who you are - you never change. That's really the lesson you've learned after brushing off Twilight Sparkle when she returned you from eternal stone slumber!?"
Starswirl exhaled through his nostrils. "...I.." And sighed once more. "Very well. I will at-least look at the portal to see if there's something I can do."
As Sunset believed that the matter was resolved however...She noticed something was off. The massive shape of blue was no longer in the room. Sonata was not here. Curiously, she looked around...And she saw the little blue fin that was just sticking out of the closet door. While all others were distracted with the mirror, Sunset quietly walked over and opened the closet.
It broke her heart.
The sight of the massive Siren - hiding her face in the shadows as she sobbed.
"S-Sonnie!?" Sunset gasped, immediately squeezing herself into the closet so that she could reach Sonata's muzzle. She put a hoof to her cheek, and pressed her face to hers, frowning in deep concern. "Hey hey hey, S-Sonnie! T-They're gonna fix the portal! It's okay, shhh...W-What's the matter, sweetie...?"
But the tears were not shed over the portal. "Sunny...M-Maybe..." Sonata sniffled. "Maybe he's right. I...I might just be doing something manipulative, I might be trying to trick you - but I don't even know it! Maybe it's so deeply rooted in my nature, that all of this is gonna lead up to me doing something stupid and evil. What if I don't change? I-I'm not a pony, I'm a siren - all of this bad stuff could be a part of me from the start, and--"
"Sonata!" Sunset's hooves closely held the siren's cheeks. "Listen to me, please! Look, Starswirl's a grumpy old guy who's from a different time! I mean, he basically had to go through a timeskip over like, what, a few hundred years? You're an amazing person, Sonata - and the fact you've been able to fight against your past means you're also really strong. Please remember that?" She was hugging her face gently, planting soft kisses on her forehead. "You're perfect, and no matter what happens, I'm never refusing to be together with you. You're the best - from the seas, to the human world."
Sonata sniffled, looking at Sunset with wet puppy eyes. "F...For realzies, Sunny?"
"For realzies, Sonnie." Sunset nuzzled her. Wiping her tears with a fin, Sonata found the strength to bring in a smile. She nuzzled back, and giggled when Sonata planted a cheeky kiss on her chin.
"O-Okay, okay..." Sonata sighed, her huge serpent body briefly expanding before contracting. "Okay, then...I-I'm okay!"
Sunset led Sonata back to the room, where things were quiet due to the portal that was being pieced together. However, it took mere seconds before the silence was broken.
"Uuuuh, heya everyooonyyyy-poonyyyy!" Chirped a sudden voice. All turned their heads when they saw the appearance of none other than a pink mare. A pink mare who looked surprisingly on edge.
"Pinkie?" Twilight gasped, though smiled afterwards. "What're you doing here? I thought you were still in Ponyville!"
"Oh, I was just uh..." The pink mare swallowed nervously. Her eyes constantly scanned over the mirror, which she noticed was at the moment shattered, but felt a slight sense of ease noticing that Starswirl was piecing it together. "Y'know, uhm...Well, I uh...Felt that...there was some kinda...party energy from Canterlot and I uh...wanted to investigate!"
Sonata blinked at Pinkie Pie - pleased that this newcomer didn't mind her siren appearance. "Wow. Even the pony Pinkie Pie has a weird sixth sense! It applies to weddings too?"
At the word, the pink pony sprung up like a spring. "A wedding!? I-I mean, of course I knew there was a wedding! Uh, I was just on my way to see, uh, who's getting married!"
They were interrupted by the sound of a cough, and a slight tap on the floor to catch their attention. "...The portal is fixed." Said Starswirl, unable to make eye contact as he held his hat to his heart, not unlike Applejack when she was ashamed. "I've added an auxiliary spell to allow larger elements entering it to retract and bend until they fully pass the teleportation barrier. In other words, Sonata, you'll just squeeze through without breaking anything."
"Yes! Starswirl the Bearded, thank you! Thank you so much!" She exclaimed. Starswirl remembered it like yesterday - the sight of a Siren with her fangs beared rushing at him. He flinched - but didn't back away as Sunset immediately came close...Only to hug him.
"Ahem..." Starswirl adjusted the brim of his hat. "Don't mention it, I guess. Just know I'll definitely be unsealing some of my more potent scrolls if I find out this is a masterplan of some sort..."
"It's a masterplan to steal the heart of the best mare in the world, eheheh!"
Sunset eagerly walked over to the two princesses, smiling eagerly and warmly. "You two guys are gonna come, right?"
"You have my word." Celestia bowed.
"And mine!" Twilight beamed. "I'm sure we can figure something out to take care of the work and responsibilities we've got...Maybe Princess Luna could substitute us? Could see if Starlight might wanna give it a shot, though I'm a bit scared she might use an experimental spell when meeting the festival organizers from Mount Aris...I bet she'd know where Starswirl hid a "automatically plan a festival" scroll somewhere..." She muttered, ears twitching when she heard the stallion exclaim its location in the background - under a potted plant in the forbidden section of the library.
"As long as it isn't Spike." Celestia chuckled. "I mean, I do hope he comes along, as do your friends. It's just that...I'm still humored remembering the silly shenanigans that took place when he tried to solve problems on your behalf."
"I'd be happy if you two could make it." Said Sunset. "Besides, I wonder if you've had the chance to really get to know your doppelganger, and the others..."
"Y-Yeah!" Pinkie Pie nervously smiled as her eyes shiftily looked back and forth. "I would reaaallllyyyy wanna go through the portal! I-I mean, to be at the wedding!"
***
The wedding was perfect. Or rather, it was going to be perfect. Almost perfect.
But perfections always invited blemish.
The figure in the shadows ran through the cover of objects and people with a goal in mind. It was a masterful plan. She slipped through the blind spots - though had to take emergency shelter under a table when the glasses-wearing Twilight Sparkle walked past with a notebook in her hand.
"The wedding is at 87.2% accuracy of our plans!" She said, ordering technicians as they set up the equipment for music, lights, and other activities. "If we lack the remaining 12.8%, then this wedding will be a failure! We're not accepting anything less than 99.1% purity here, people! If you need barometric readings to determine whether or not some of the items should be rainproofed overnight, then worry not! We're looking at clear skies in the next 72 to 96 hours!" She exclaimed. With that, she walked off - and the mystery figure was free to keep going.
Vinyl Scratch happily adjusted the musical equipment at her booth, but as Twilight approached with technical questions, she stepped away, leaving her turntable and laptop vulnerable. Under the cover of the evening, the hooded figure slipped up to the computer, and inserted a USB drive into it. With only a few clicks, she smiled deviously. The deed was done - and the DJ was none the wiser.
Then, it was a matter of the refreshments. To avoid hauling too much stuff, the fruit punch was prepared in advance, being cooled in the refrigerator in the venue's kitchen. The shadowy figure slipped in - and had ease doing so, for the kitchen staff were being distracted by yet another mysterious figure, who had brought up that a health concern regarding rats was to be addressed. In the kitchen, the mystery person opened the large bowl, and looked at the packet in her hand.
Tsar Bomb Sour Candy Powder. The strongest stuff you could buy - and certainly under the table. The infiltrator giggled each second they poured it in, before closing the lid - and slipping out like nothing ever happened.
Finally...The altar. She learned of the secret banner that would be unfurled the moment the two were officially wed. Luckily, the banner was not yet attached, and was rolled up. Sneaking into the supply closet, she had all the time in the world as her partner made sure nobody got close. She rewrote the text to something more appropriate.
When the job was done, it was time to rendezvous with the partner. She took her hood off in the back area, where the large dumpsters stood. Aria Blaze was smiling wide the whole time - too giddy to see where this would go tomorrow.
Then, her partner approached, and took off her hood - from which her large, puffy hair was unleashed. Adagio Dazzle's smile was no smaller.
"You did everything correctly?"
The purple-haired girl nodded. "Yeah, those shoulda been the last big three, along all the other annoying things we've set up already."
"Perfect." Laughed Adagio. "Music?"
"Replaced with something that will make them hate having ears!" Grinned Aria.
"The punch?"
"I put in the most sour candy powder I could find. Their faces are gonna go inwards like black holes!" Laughed Aria.
"Fuhuhuhu~...And the banner?"
"Sonata and Sunset. Happy together forever and ever? More like not meant to be, never and ever.
"Great." Adagio placed her hands on her hips. "And good job on the food, too. What a nasty little idea..."
"...But I didn't touch the food." Aria tilted her head.
"Huh? So the bacon tacos were their idea!? That's a new low..."
Suddenly, a shrill and high-pitched voice cried out right behind them, making the sirens gasp and grimace. "That's not a low! That's called Tacos De Alambre, and they're delicious!" Pinkie barked at them, having popped out from the dumpster.
"Gah!" Both Adagio and Aria recoiled from surprise and shock - but as they backed away, they felt a softness hit them. They bumped into someone. They turned around quickly, faced with both Applejack and Rainbow Dash, who folded their arms and looked with raised brows.
"So..." Rainbow muttered. "Vinyl Scratch showed me a mysterious file on her laptop that replaced Sonata's and Sunset's favourite playlist...Crying baby, smartphone alarm and fork scraping ASMR 48 hour loop!?"
Adagio's eyes were aflame with righteous fury as she turned to Aria, her mouth nearly unhinging from the jaw to deliver the sheer volume of her yell. "YOU DIDN'T EVEN CHANGE THE NAME OF THE FILE!?"
It was surprising to see for once, but Aria winced, covering her face with her hands to try and protect herself from the near shockwave of her words. "A-Ah! W-Well, look, knowing Sonata, it definitely sounds like the title of one of those weird albums she listens to! You know she's always been into experimental pop stuff! I mean, have you seen the names they're calling their songs and bands nowada--"
"Imbecile!" Adagio exclaimed. "Where else have you left your fingerprints on our - no, MY perfect plan!?"
"Ahem..." Applejack coughed. "Actually 'ah knew somethin' was up when you tried hidin' 'round here, Adagio. Yer' uh...hair...It sticks out a lil' bit more than y'think...'Ah thought a Pomeranian escaped the doggy saloon or somethin' till' ah took a closer look..."
"Yeah." Rainbow narrowed her eyes fiercely. "What are you two doing around here sneaking if not to sabotage the wedding after all, huh? What, Sonata didn't invite you guys?"
"We were invited!" Aria shouted with fury.
"Oh, I see." Rainbow Dash scoffed. She folded her arms, leaning in with an inquisitive, raised brow. "Someone's jealous that their sister is getting married, but you're not, huh? Is that it? You wanna sabotage the wedding cause you two are so toxic you can't get along with anyone?"
"Listen here!" Adagio shook her fist, taking steps towards her. "We can have anyone wrapped around our fingers whenever we want to! This has nothing to do with jealousy, you--"
Pinkie leaned in with deep inquisition. "Or are you just really weird and you think that ruining a wedding means "I love you"? Cause there's no language where ruining your wedding means that "I love y--"
Adagio screamed with rage, balling her fists and holding them to her sides, as if screaming at the skies. "QUUUUIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!!!"
The scream had blown the girls of the surrounding mare, they could only stare with wide eyes, including Aria. She wanted to propose that maybe Adagio still had her voice, but this was not the right time. Adagio started to march towards the six, wagging her finger at them. "Listen UP! IAM upset about this wedding! I AM upset about the fact that you're here. I am VERY upset that Sonata decided to marry Sunset SHIMMER, and oh - you cannot believe how upset I am that this wedding is even happening. Do you know why!?" She had backed the five girls against the wall, her finger landing on Applejack's chest, who stood in-front of them protectively. "Because we are saying goodbye to our SISTER!"
"Sayin' goodbye!?" Applejack furrowed her brows, smacking Adagio's hand away. "What's that supposed t'mean!? They're just gettin' married! They ain't leaving town! What on Earth has gotten into--"
"But we ARE saying goodbye!" Aria cried out, shaking her fists as tears swelled in her eyes. "It's my - no...our fault! We made her wanna leave and find someone else to spend the time with!"
"Aria!" Shrieked Adagio. "You promised we won't admit how we fe--"
"I don't care!" Aria yelled. "Does it matter when Sonata is gonna cut us out because she's gonna realize she doesn't need to be around sisters who treat her like a nuisance!?"
"Oh!?" Adagio turned to Aria, now storming towards her instead. "You're one to talk, Aria! You took every chance you had to belittle her and bicker! I at-least tried to keep you two focused on our objective. And yet there you were, yapping and barking at Sonata just because, what, she wanted to visit the zoo? Or she wanted to go to some taco festival?"
"You've never even given her a single compliment!" Aria exclaimed, the two sirens now butting in forehead-to-forehead.
"Have you!? Once!?"
The high tensions were making the air in the room feel like it boiled.
Until, three girls stepped forward. Applejack put a hand on Adagio's shoulder, while Rainbow Dash did so with Adagio.
"Whoa nelly. Dazzlin's. simmer down." Applejack said, removing her hat with the other hand.
"Don't you dare touch me, cowgi--"
"Hey." Applejack hushed, not aggressively, but gently, calmly. "Adagio, right? Listen...'Ah understand you. You both care about Sonata. But y'all are realizin' this only now because we really can't value somethin' fully until it's almost gone. 'Ahm afraid that's...pretty normal."
Aria's tone had gone from furious, to desperate. Bargaining was the current stage of grief. "But we do value her! And the last thing we want is for her to disappear from our lives! Don't you understand!?"
"Does she...know you value her?" The blonde girl asked. Immediately, silence followed.
"Look..." Rainbow sighed. "Just, think of it this way. You guys are just makin' it worse for yourselves. What Sonata needs right now is to know that she's actually being supported from her side of the family too. Nobody wants to play soccer and then look at the benches to see they ain't got any fans cheering them on! What, can you three imagine singing without an audience too? How do you think she's gonna feel when her side of the chairs at the altar is empty?"
"Wow, Rainbow Dash..." Gasped Pinkie. "You...that was impressively said! And...poetic!"
"Oh, thanks. I picked up on the dramatic speakin' skills." Rainbow grinned, proudly folding her arms. "Sunset's been showin' me this stuff called "Mango". Not sure why they called comics after a fruit, but, hey, it's cool stuff! Just wish they actually had some color, though...And didn't force me to read them right-to-left."
Applejack coughed to get things back on track. "Dazzlin's, let's be honest. We're growin' up, ain't we? We're moving forward with our lives. I ain't wanna say we're moving on from anythin', but we are movin'. Girls - how long've you been tryin' to, y'know...mess around with ponies? Tryin' to take over the world n' all that? I ain't sayin' just 'cause you lost your magic you had to give up, I'm sayin' that in between makin' the audience hypnotized 'n feeding off of hate or whatever that green stuff you used to take from people when they were upset...Have y'all never thought of finding the next things to do with life? Real love? Makin' a real career and tryin' to learn how to sing so that y'all don't have to rely neither on magic nor fancy-shmancy tech? Y'all can't punish Sonata for wantin' progress in her life, sugarcubes...Y'all should be happy for her, 'n happy with her!"
"What she said!" Rainbow exclaimed. "Adagio, Aria...Your sister has been hoping all this time that you'd support her! And if you didn't do it before, why not start now? This is the moment she needs you the most! Ever!"
"And elephant in the room where the elephant ain't supposed to be - I grew up with three sisters!" Pinkie said, finally vaulting over the dumpster to stand beside Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "They're definitely different from me in a lot of ways, and they might think I'm a lil' cooky! But even when I left the rock farm..." She said - briefly causing confusion for the other two since they never heard of a rock farm before, nor Pinkie working on one. "...Even when Limestone mumbled at me for my choice, she never once said she was against what I wanted to do in life! Sure, the rainboo--, uh, fate brought me and my friends together, but if my sisters weren't there for me, I dunno what I woulda done!"
"So, what do you say, Dazzlin's?" Applejack took a step forward. "What say we make things right? 'Ah dunno if you sirens got your own way of doing sibling love, but you've got a chance to turn things around! Be the sisters you knew you wanted to be deep inside! 'Ah know it's true - y'all were just being tough to one another to keep each other competitive and determined, but there's no need for that. Please, girls...For Sonata?"
Adagio didn't care that they were in the dump. Literally and metaphorically. She sat down with her back against the filthy metal of the dumpster. "...I..." Adagio put a hand on her forehead, her world was breaking. She thought that she was alone in this sea of regret and misery - realizing just how much of a child she was...
But when she felt Aria's hand on her right shoulder as she sat by her side, it was all clear.
She cherished that she felt that hand on her right shoulder...
And she felt immense misery that she didn't feel a hand on her left shoulder.
It became clear to Adagio that by doing this - by doing these horrible acts against the happiness of her sister - that she would never feel that hand on her left shoulder. And if she continued as she did, maybe in the future, the one on the right would disappear too.
The tears that budded in Adagio's eyes were too much, and she immediately turned right - to wrap her arms around Aria. She didn't care how humiliating she looked - to sit in a dumpster and start sobbing...But the fact she was able to hold her sister in her arms made it all worth it.
"I-I'm so sorry, Aria!" She said in-between hiccs and sniffs, leaving a warm wet spot on Aria's neck with her tears. "I...I-I'm the worst sister ever...I-...I never should've been so strict! I never should've put our plans or our power above you! I'm so sorry, I--"
But then, she felt two arms wrap around her in turn.
"...I'm sorry too, sis." Aria quietly said, keeping her eyes shut to make sure none would see them glisten with tears. She breathed deeply and slowly, doing everything she could to not sob. If one sister had broken down, the other had to stay strong. That much she at-least knew. "We messed up...big time. I guess we were so embarrassed to admit we went overboard with how we did things that we never even thought about talkin' about it..."
Adagio gasped for air - the crying too intense. "I...I'll never treat you the way I did ever again, Aria. I promise you...You're more important to me than magic. I-If we're just gonna be living normal lives without our magic, so be it! I just...I just want to be with you and Sonata!"
Aria's hug became tighter as she hid her face in Adagio's shoulder and hair. "I'm gonna make t-things right too, sis. I...I have to make up for all that bickering and taunting and teasing and bullying I've put Sonata through, and all the times I tried to fight you thinking that it mattered which one of us is the leader..."
The two sat like this for a moment, gently rocking back and forth. Their voices were too broken to sing - but they imagined it both. They both knew that in their heads, they sang one of the first songs they had composed when they lurked at the bottom of the ocean - just three sirens with the seas to be their oyster. But it was not a song of ambition and conquest. Merely, it was a song to show that they three were here together - and that they were one.
With time, the two calmed down, the sobs less frequent, and their voices more clear - but much lower in pitch, and a little nasal due to the buildup of snot in their nostrils.
"...I love you and Sonata so much, sister." Adagio said, reaching over Aria's shoulder to wipe her nose with her own arm, not caring how filthy or gross she looked.
"I love you two too, sis..."
...
They pulled away and smiled at one another. Their eyes were dry and slightly red, neither were able to stop themselves from chuckling. Mascara ran down Aria's eyes, while constantly rubbing her head against Aria made Adagio's puffy hair dotted in stray strands.
"...G-Gives me an idea..." Adagio found the strength and positivity to chuckle. "Let's try a glam rock thing later...? Your makeup kinda looks like you play guitar for Smooch. That's...the one where their members got that black-and-white face paint, right?"
"R-Really?" Aria laughed, wiping the crystalized tears off her eyes. "I didn't know I look that bad with runny mascara...Uh, your hair gives me an idea too. Think we might try an 80's thing...?"
Adagio blushed as she saw her own shadow, hair so messy that she could see all those strands that made it look as if a cat had messed with it. "As long as we don't look too much like clowns, s-sure. Ah..." Adagio was about to comment on how much of an embarrassing show they must've made in front of the others, until she looked around and realized they were alone. "...Oh. Guess they've chosen to give us some space..."
"...Hey!" Aria gasped. "W-We gotta..." She immediately stood up - but realizing she did so by herself, immediately leaned down to help Aria up by her arms, allowing the two sisters to stand before one another. "We gotta tell them what we did! I-I don't know how much damage we've done, but if we work really hard, t-then we can probably fix things!"
"Y-You're right!" Adagio exclaimed. They ran out of the dump area - but the moment they turned the corner, they were met with Applejack, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash - who were on their phones. When they saw the two siren girls, they all smiled.
"Well here they are." Rainbow smirked. "The best siren sisters in the world - here to make Sonata's wedding the best thing since padded sports shoes?"
The two were smiling, but they knew they were in the wrong. They hung their heads lower, now meek and ashamed. "We're so sorry for everything. We..."
Applejack stopped them by waving one of her hands. "S'alright, sugarcubes. We've been on our phones contactin' the prep group. Vinyl's restored the original file. Banner has been remade - somepony took a gander at the store rooms. Also we found which chairs have been tampered with to collapse."
"There's more, though!" Aria grit her teeth, blushing hard. She had to confess - as unpleasant as it was - but she had to remove all her and Adagio's mistakes. "Fruit punch - sour candy! W-We gotta make a new batch!"
"Don't worry!" Pinkie bounced up and down. "Twilight called me to report that the hue of the punch has changed to a shade of lighter yellow, implying the presence of acidic substances that can be correlated to sour candy - though she states her hypothesis may also imply the presence of intense citric acids not found in nature." She gasped, having said the whole thing in one breath - but doing her best to report on Twilight's words. "That's okay, though - I placed an emergency punch preparation kit in-case Sonata overdoes on grape juice!"
"There's...still a lot more." Aria sighed. "Sorry...I'll fix it..."
"We'll fix it." Smiled Adagio, stepping forward and holding a fist proudly. "We're not going to let a single bad thing happen on Sonata's day!"
"No..." Rainbow immediately walked over, and placed both arms around the sirens' shoulders. We'll fix it. Matter of fact, we're glad you two are on-board! Sonata might say stuff like she wants bacon pancakes or a pinata, but we need someone who knows her so well that we can put in more stuff that she likes without having to ask her! You take care of making this wedding perfect for Sonata, and we'll make it great for Sunset!"
"That would be great!" Said Adagio. "O-Okay, how much time've we got!?"
"'Ah don't want anypony skippin' on sleep." Said Applejack. "But, we can have all the others go home and time, while we take a few hours overtime to do the last prep bits. What do ya think?"
"Let's go!" Aria said. "Sonata - just hang in there. This is gonna be the best day of your life!"
The two doves sat with their curious gazes, tilting their heads and blinking as they watched the strange two-legged, clothed creatures frantically walking around the venue. Only when they heard Fluttershy say the word wedding, they understood. The two doves politely nodded at one another and flew off - the only seeds here were those of love, and they weren't considered to be all too nutritious.
Powered by sheer nervousness, Sonata was using her lap as the drumkit for the sickest drum solo of her life. Rarity only wished that the improvised drum-beat that put John Bonham's Moby Dick drum solo to shame didn't happen while she helped adjust the finer laces and details on the gorgeous wedding dress.
"Sonata!" Rarity yelped, seconds before the Siren's desperate search for a drum cymbal would have led her to Rainbow Dash's rump, who stood facing her with her back as she helped Pinkie Pie place cups and glasses on the trays that would be carried to the guests.
"Sorry, sorry!" Sonata blushed. "I-I'm not anxious at all! Cool as a cucumber set on fire!"
"Nonsense, you're looking perfect Darling..." Said Rarity as she applied mild makeup and fine touches to Sonata's gorgeous, flowing white dress - the design of which contained minor nautical themes.
Fluttershy muttered as she helped brush Sonata's hair into a fine, flowing style with slight curls, perfectly fitting some of the shell-like patterns on the dress. "Uhm, Rarity, I think she's worried 'bout more than just the dress."
Sonata turned her head quickly, getting it stuck on the brush. She yelped in pain, and Fluttershy's hand gently guided Sonata to look forward. The siren sighed softly. "I'm not worried at all! Worried? Where do you see worried? A-Ahah, I'm not--...uh...I'm not worried at all..."
The fact she was worried was as clear as a limestone spring. There was however a different factor they were all oblivious to. The true reason.
Sunset closed her eyes and imagined it...That her half of the altar had nobody but her. She was the only one - and it was the mark of the fact that there was nobody. Nobody but her.
Then, there was movement. While Sonata was distracted staring off into space, the other girls looked at one another and nodded. It was time. Fluttershy let go of Sonata's hair, and Rarity finished her adjustments to her dress. They left the room, and Sonata barely realized it.
But when they entered the room...Sonata felt it in her heart. There was a resonance, after all - and the presence of her sisters was unmistakable.
That's why the moment that she felt that sensation run along her spine...She immediately stood up and turned around. "G-Girls!?" She cried out.
"Sonata...Hey..." Adagio hung her head with shame. "There's something that I wanted to say..."
Aria stood stunned, a hand to her mouth. "W-Wow you look amazing..."
"Not that. I-I mean, she's not wrong, but..." Adagio coughed. "Sonata, we're...We're so sorry for everything that we sa--"
"You guys made it! You're here! T-Thank you! I-I was so worried you wouldn't come, I...D-Don't be sorry, you two. I could never be mad at my sisters!" Sonata said, sobbing tears of happiness as she clutched the two Dazzlings close. Though it stung the both of them that they had mistreated such a gentle soul, they also felt happy that they finally reunited, and that their sister never held the grudge that would have terminated their bond.
"We didn't mean to act so stupid, just..." Adagio shivered, carefully using her arm to wipe the snot off her nostrils before it seeped onto Sonata's pristine dress. "...I have so many things I wanna say that can wait until the wedding is over, and it's just that...I...We were really scared that this was the final nail in the coffin. That you were gonna stop being around us once you've found your happiness with--"
Sonata laughed past her joyous tears, a soft and hearty one. "Girls, what gives? I'd never leave you! For realzies! Just 'cause I'm married doesn't mean I'm gonna forget about you! I'm still a Dazzling! What, do you think that once two people get married they get joined at the hip? Cause that'd be really weird and a really bad B-Horror movie. I-I mean c'mon, the whole anatomy horror genre's moved on from that kinda stuff."
"Sonata you precious dork." Aria chuckled. For the first time in a long time, she had a wide smile on her eyes. A genuine one. Not a malicious and evil one as usual. "You...Y-You're gonna keep singing with us, right? You know that I can't get my voice right when you're not singing..."
"You bet!" Sonata smiled wide. "I'm gonna keep singing with you! The only thing might change is that Sunset gets to be on the backstage. That's fine, right?"
Adagio pulled away from the hug. The three sisters held their hands in a circle. The crying was over - now, they looked at one another, inspired and hopeful for their futures. "I'd be willing to have a swarm of wasps in the backstage if it meant you staying with us, Sonata."
"...Hey!" Aria gasped. "H-Hey, y-you're ready, right? We gotta change into our dresses! We...Uh...Hey Sonata, y-you did want us to be your bridesmaids, right? The...the offer's still on the table, ain't it?"
"Y-Yeah!" Sonata gasped. "R-Rarity! Fluttershy! You guys can come out! We've had enough room for our sister reunion! Help two sirens out with getting their dresses on, would ya!?"
***
"Aaaand...Done!" The otherworldly Twilight smiled, having gotten used to having hands against over the short period of time she's already returned through the mirror. "Sunset, you look amazing!" She said with glee and joy, holding up a mirror for the girl.
Sunset blinked more-often to prevent crying. She too was on the verge of joyful tears just by seeing the sight - herself in a white dress. This one was made by Rarity too - and modified to have phoenix-like symbolism, with flames and rose-like patterns hidden deep in the details. It was her special day, and it was here. "Thanks, Twi. And, you too, Twi."
"Don't mention it! And, indeed, you look a-mazing!!" The other, local Twilight adjusted her glasses. "I must say, my fellow doppelganger, your attention to detail is astute! You've applied the Golden Ratio to nearly every part of her appearance! How do you manage to do that without any instruments? It's surely not possible to eyeball the Fibonnaci sequence!?"
"I had no idea I did that!" The other Twilight responded. "But I guess the more heart you put into it rather than estimating it all the time, the better it works?"
The two would have gotten into a long but friendly debate - but that was not the time. Sunset stood and looked at herself in the mirror for a long time. She felt only halfway complete. The only other missing part was the other girl - in a white dress of her own. Oh how much this day excited her, and yet...how much it made her nervous.
"The big day, huh..." The alien Twilight asked, leaning in with a caring smile. "It's a big event, I know...Are you feeling okay?"
"Do you need extra oxygen?" The local Twilight asked, standing side-by-side with her counterpart. "I-I got some oxygen canisters if you'd like! Who knows when the trees ultimately cannot keep up with the constant CO2 emissions, after all!"
"Or if you'd like..." The interloper Twilight proposed. "I got some books to teach how to take care of anxiety attacks?"
"I'm ready..." Sunset smiled, gently furrowing her brows. "Let's get this show on the road." She said, and broke into a grin as she faced the two Twilights. "The biggest catch is waitin' on me at the altar!"
***
Sunset gazed toward her side. There the bridesmaids stood, lined up and smiling - eyes wet with happy tears. Even Rainbow Dash was teary-eyed, who leaned in to use the puffy bit on Applejack's dress's shoulder to wipe her tears...Applejack thought it was endearing, until with an elephant-like noise, Rainbow blew her nose into it, make Applejack quickly swat the other girl on the back of her head. Pinkie couldn't help but chuckle, and her snort was pig-like.
Sunset adored these doofuses.
And Sonata...Although there weren't too many people on her side, she felt immense joy when she saw that shade of orange and purple. Her sisters. They came, and they were here for her - each smiling. Aria and Adagio both nodded at her when they made eye contact. They were proud - and despite the tears in their eyes - they refused to let that make them look in any way unstable. They stood tall and proud for Sonata. They were here for her, after all.
The rows were not full of all-too many guests. The Elements of Harmony sans Twilight sat at the benches, wearing rainbow-colored bracelets on their wrists to avoid confusion in terms of who was from what side of the mirror. They would have felt the experience was more jarring if it wasn't normal for all the whacky things they'd gone through over the years of their friendship.
Though, moments earlier, while none saw, the Pinkie Pies swapped the bracelet, putting things in their proper places. After all, they couldn't pass up the opportunity to split the wedding planning.
As the two brides stood by the altar...They were so focused on looking at the guests and bridesmaids, that they didn't even see who was going to officiate this union.
"Ahem..."
When all turned to see who was at the center of the altar, the officiant.
"Principal Celestia!?" The glasses-wearing Twilight gasped.
"Princess Celestia!?" The otherwordly Twilight gasped.
"Princess." The Celestia smiled. Then, she winked over to Principal Celestia, who sat at the very back of the seats. The Princess wore a garb a little similar to a tunic the kinds of which would be worn by a Greek goddess. The Principal was in the back, pointing finger guns at her dashing twin.
With that, Princess Celestia leaned in to the bridesmaids. Since there weren't too many guests, they had the ability to be flexible. "Y'know, I think you all forgot that every wedding needs an officiant..."
"...Oh!" The bridesmaid Pinkie Pie covered her face in shame. "Sorry, I forgot...I didn't know parties need someone to declare it's a party!"
The girls giggled. Celestia smiled warmly, and pulled back to stand at the podium before the altar. She coughed a little, standing tall and signaling with her eyes towards Sunset. The two girls nodded and regrouped their thoughts. They cupped one another's hands, and looked into each other's eyes.
Princess Celestia cleared her throat. "Family and friends, thank you all for coming today! We've gathered here to celebrate this wonderful moment! Today, we are here to unite two brilliant souls - Sunset Shimmer, and Sonata Dusk. I'd like to preface by saying that I've had the honor of being Sunset Shimmer's teacher. And I think I'd like to address the elephant in the venue..." She smiled, making Fluttershy look around in fear that she had forgotten to send one of her elephant friends back after he'd helped. "...That I also stand here as an alien. But I do believe that since these two are essentially Equestrian citizens, then it's not too peculiar for me to wed them, is it...~?"
"Go on, go on~." Principal Celestia laughed, waving her hand a little and making the guests and bridesmaids laugh and giggle. Smiling back, Princess Celestia continued.
"There was once a turbulent time. For all parties involved. I won't go into details. As they say - if you know, you know. But I want to highlight this - because love is like a stone..."
Maud Pie smiled.
"From one side..." Celestia said. "It may be rough and coarse. But one needs a second look within to see the sparkle of a fine diamond within it. I would like to thank all of you who have come here - for understand the value and importance of second chances, and knowing that even when it seems too late to fix things..." Her eyes briefly gazed at the Dazzlings. "It never is."
Aria and Adagio both blushed and smiled, rubbing their own shoulders.
Celestia giggled, and continued. "I'm proud of all of you. And I am proud of Sunset Shimmer and Sonata Dusk for taking this big step together - with foot or hoof - or whatever other dimension they'd like to hop to next."
Another round of giggles and laughs came. Finally, it was time to get to the point.
"These important steps forward matter because they are done together." Celestia continued. "And I would like to embed this fact into the very stars themselves - that from now on, Sunset Shimmer and Sonata Dusk will make their steps as one, together. Sunset Shimmer..."
Sunset stiffened and blushed.
"Do you take Sonata Dusk as the one with whom you will share your path - to always support her, cherish her, honor her and be by her side until the last petals have fallen and the last roots have withered, so help you Me?"
"I do." Sunset's hands held Sonata's a little tighter.
Princess Celestia's smile rose halfway.
"And you, Sonata Dusk. Do you take Sunset Shimm-"
Sonata was already bouncing, "I do, I do, I do--"
Celestia's smile fell halfway.
The siren blushed and giggled, grounding herself and staying still. "Sorry...!"
Celestia's smile rose halfway. "Do you, Sonata Dusk, take Sunset Shimmer as the one with whom you will share your path - to always support her, cherish her, honor her and be by her side until the last petals have fallen and the last roots have withered, so help you Me?"
"I do!" Sunset bounced up and down again.
Celestia's smile was raised to the fullest.
"Sonata Dusk and Sunset Shimmer, I now pronounce you wife, and wife. You may kiss the bride."
The two white-clad girls leaned in close to one another. But there was no kiss yet. First, Sunset smiled, whispering into Sonata's ear.
"...Yeah. I'm ready." Sonata snorted softly with laughter.
They knew exactly what they spoke about. It was time to mark today as a great day. They closed their eyes...
Softness met softness, warmth met warmth...The lips met one another.
And confetti met the hair of the two brides - as a barrage of party cannons set up by the two Pinkie Pies shot in tandem with the fireworks set up by Twilight and the rice thrown around by the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who treated the baskets as graduation caps, throwing them into the air and forcing the guest Rainbow Dash to grimace and duck as Scootaloo's basket nearly fell back down upon her.
"I knew double the Pinkie meant double the party cannon." Sunset smiled - though she had little time to speak as Sonata pulled her back for an encore - an even deeper and more intoxicated, adoring kiss.
The cheers were thunderous, the happy sobbing and the clapping drowned out everyone's thoughts. But that didn't matter much. Sonata and Sunset's thoughts were louder and clearer than any other they've had in their lives.
This was the best day of their lives.
***
It had been an hour since the kiss. The time to be sappy and sentimental was over. With two Pinkie Pies at the helm, there was no way that this wasn't going to be a great party. The two groups of identical girls used this as a chance to meet one another, and immediately they began with conversations and challenges - Rarities discussing the differences between four and two-legged designs, Fluttershies discussing animal breeds, Twilights talking science and magic, and the Applejacks and Rainbow Dashes unsurprisingly starting athletic challenges.
None noticed the strange fact that the two Pinkie Pies however did not seem all too surprised to see one another, almost as if there was a sense of familiarity.
Princess and Principal Celestia hung around the back, both drinking punch - though the Principal occasionally added a slightly orange-brown, mysterious liquid into her cup and her counterpart's.
As they continued to mingle and chat, Sunset and Sonata walked before all the guests, happily talking and laughing over the shenanigans they had got over before returning to this world from Equestria...
At some point however, Sunset Shimmer turned around to be faced with...
The two other sirens.
"Sunset Shimmer..." Adagio and Aria stepped closer to the other girl - their eyes narrow and looking into the very core of her heart, almost causing the siren-like features of their eyes more prominent. Sunset squeaked and felt herself about to take a step back.
But then, Aria gave Sunset a playful nudge, and Adagio a playful hip bump. "Do take care of her. She's limited edition." Adagio laughed softly. "C'mon, Aria. Let's see if these "bacon tacos" are all they're cracked up to be."
"Do you think someone's ever unblessed a marriage over bad food at a wedding? Just to weigh the options..." Aria proposed as she followed Adagio.
Adagio shook her head, the two heading out of ear-shot. "...Aria, since Sonata isn't leaving us, you do realize you don't have to be like her, right?"
Sunset smiled warmly. Sonata approached her and hugged her arm, resting one head on her shoulder. Sunset used her other hand to fix her hair, and gently pet her. "This day is the best thing that's ever happened to me, y'know that Sonnie?"
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Sunny." Sonata giggled, nuzzling her wife's shoulder. Sunset smirked.
"Touche..."
"...You think that other universes got us doing this, though?" Sonata asked, a finger to her lips. "I mean, y'know, the fact we met does feel more like some kinda what-if dimension where someone decided to put us together. What if this is like, a one in a quadrillion universe? 'Cause if that's the case, I'm gonna buy ten lottery tickets tomorrow, okay?"
"Hmm..." The question made Sunset scratch her head, as the two gazed at their friends who happily spent the time together.
"You know what?" Sunset smirked. "I'm sure there's universal constants that can show we're meant to be together. And if I can prove 'em, I'll let you know."
Sonata pointed at the various food items in the bakery. "That one...This one...And...that one!"
"Right away, miss!" The baker smiled, and began to put the foods into a brown paper bag.
Sunset Shimmer put her arms on her hips, raising a humored brow and smiling at Sonata. "So you're actually choosing pear jam over apple, huh? Applejack might go back in time and prevent us from marrying if she finds out, y'know..."
"Eeeeeeh..." Sonata spun her hands in a 'wheels are turning motion'. "I'll just tell her I was offered to listen to Pearl Jam and misheard 'em."
"Good luck, sweetie. The only way you'll stop her is if you ask Rarity to tell her to calm down. I swear, they've been together for what, eight years? Already feels like they're an old couple..."
Sonata's eyes widened in contemplation. "So since our 10 year anniversary's passed, does that mean we're dinosaurs?"
"Fossils." Sunset giggled. As they waited for the baker, her gaze lingered outside...
...And that's where she saw the two women holding hands. One with hair like bacon tied into a ponytail, and the other with blue and short hair, holding a taco in the other hand while dressed in a business blouse.
"...Hey, Sonata?" Sunset asked, eyes glued to them before she'd lost the sight in the crowd.
"Yeah?"
"...I got to thinking. Turns out there's universal constants after all."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Said the siren, too distracted by the food that was being handed over to her.
"..." Sunset chuckled, and shook her head. "Us being together, and you loving tacos."
