The Wanderer's Wife

Chapter Four

A stretching sea of leafy green as far as the eye could see, vaguely illuminated by the full moon’s glow. The moat of flowers that surrounded the church, which shimmered in the gentle breeze that blew through the clearing. The calling of a night owl, softly carried by the cool night air. Atop the steeple, Sepia sat silently as she was mesmerised by the scene. Yet in the back of her mind, there were many questions that still plagued her.

Why was it all so perfect? Why was there a church so far from the town? And whose voice did she hear?

The voice… It told me where to go. To come here. Why? Did it know it was here? And it sounded so familiar too! Just like the spirit that—

She pulled the brakes on her train of thought, chuckling to herself as it came to a screeching halt.

Listen to yourself! How likely is it that you have some sort of guardian angel telling you where to run in times of crisis? This is all so crazy… All this over a stupid necklace!

Sepia heard a knocking from behind her and she turned to find Starflash walking up the stairs leading to the steeple. He moved to Sepia’s side and leaned out of the arched window, taking a deep breath of the cool night air.

“It’s a great view, isn’t it?” she asked. Starflash poked his head back and nodded gently.

“Yeah. I’ve never seen a sky so clear. So many stars…”

“What?” Sepia smiled and shook her head. “Typical Starflash… looking at the sky and not the scene.”

“Well…” The unicorn blushed a little. “I can’t help having a talent for stargazing, Sep! I’m dying to bring my telescope here if I get the chance. This is probably the best spot for stargazing I’ve ever encountered.”

Sepia slowly peeked from the steeple window and tilted her head skywards, gazing at the blue and black blanket speckled with glitter above her. As she looked out over the forest, the smile from Starflash’s face faded.

“Can I ask you something?”

Sepia pulled her head back and gave him a curious look. “Oh? What is it?”

“Well,” he started, “we’re pretty high up off the ground and… well… you seem really comfortable..."

A brief silence built between the two before Sepia shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe it’s because it’s so peaceful and gorgeous from up here. It’s like looking out over a whole different Canterlonia.  Or maybe it’s because I’ve still got a little adrenaline left in me from that chase. I never realised that I was so far up off the ground until you reminded me.”

Starflash blushed again, brighter this time. “Right, sorry about that.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said as she looked out of the window again. “It’s—“

She stopped as she squinted, catching sight of something moving in the field of flowers below her. She tapped Starflash on the shoulder and beckoned him to look, and she moved aside to allow both of them to look together. She wasn’t sure at first, but after several moments of strained inspection, she thought it looked like a pony.

“Is that Honeysuckle? What’s she doing out there?”

You’re an idiot, do you know that?

Honeysuckle dropped the dusty, empty sack from her mouth amidst the sea of pink and white flowers and began to pluck the posies with her mouth, placing them into the bag. She grabbed each one with equal contempt, ripping the roots without thought of the process.

All you had to do was to cheer him up. “But Starflash, you did a great job!” What was so hard about that?

She took a small cluster of flowers in her mouth and sliced the stems with her teeth, spitting them into the sack. She paused for a brief moment, letting her anger take control.

And then shejust comes along and makes it look so easy! Of course she would… She’s just that perfect isn’t she? Yes… Perfectly insane! Ghostly ponies, stories about necklaces… And he believes her! He listensto her!

She swiped her hoof across the flowers, sending a great cloud of pink petals soaring in the breeze. For a second, she stopped. She stopped and let the tears form.

Starflash…

“Are you alright Honeysuckle?”

She jumped at the quiet voice from behind her, spinning around with wide eyes. “Starflash! I was just... I was just gathering some of these flowers. I’ve never seen any like these, so maybe they’ve got some special quality about them.”

He looked to her side, near her hooves. “But why are you using that sack? Did you lose your flower basket?”

Honeysuckle nodded. “During the chase.” She paused for a second, noticing his saddening expression. “Hey, don’t make that look! I thought that you did well. I mean, if you weren’t there they wouldn’t have been so slow to pounce, would they?”

“I know,” Starflash said with a sigh. “But it was Sepia who saved us. If she didn’t tell us to turn left...”

Both pony’s eyes drifted away from each other, and they allowed the awkward silence to build again. Honeysuckle slowly moved towards him, placing a hoof on his shoulder.

“Do you remember when you first came to my rescue? When we were young?”

Starflash scratched his head, furrowing his brow before nodding. “Oh yeah. Back in the park. But back then I was hardly a knight in shining armour, was I?”

Honeysuckle giggled, shaking her head. “No, what I meant was that you didn’t need that sword to be brave, did you? You still stood up for me then, didn’t you?”

“I... I’m not quite sure what you’re saying.”

“What I mean is that you don’t have to be Canterlonia’s greatest swordspony to prove you’re brave. That certainly helps, but...” She sighed. “You don’t have to prove yourself to us. I already know that you’re going to be the knight in shining armour you were, back when we first met.”

Starflash nodded, smiling and chuckling at her. “Let’s hope so. Anyway, why don’t you come back inside? Sep wants to tell us what we’re going to do now.”

Honeysuckle raised her brow, picking up the sack of flowers in her mouth. “What? Why?” She raised her voice slightly through the cloth. “Why is she in charge all of a sudden?”

Starflash stepped back at her outburst. “Woah, wait a sec! It’s not like she’s in charge! She’s just... well.. she’s a bit wiser than I am.” He noticed her apologetic look and moved closer to her. “What’s the matter, Honeysuckle? You’ve been acting really... I don’t know... snappy lately.”

She tried her hardest not to look at him, but after an awkward silence she shot him a glance while smiling slightly. “I’m fine. I’m just tired, that’s all.” She faked her best yawn, dropping the sack which she quickly picked up again. “I need some rest.”

“Alright. Let’s head back inside then. Those timberwolves might come back, and we don’t want to be out in the open, do we?”

Honeysuckle shook her head and shuffled behind Starflash as he made his way through the field, towards the doors to the church.  Before she reached them, she stopped as she noticed a small, purple patch near one of the corners of the doorway; a small cluster of purple mushrooms with long stems. She stared at them for a few seconds, gritting her teeth.

Why can’t I just tell him?!

She crushed the patch underneath her hoof, leaving nothing but a violet stain on the grass as she made her way inside.

Sepia sat in front of the modest wooden altar, gently clearing her throat as Starflash and Honeysuckle sat together on a pew right in front of her. A small cloud of dust formed in the air as they seated themselves, and once the consequential coughing subsided, Sepia began.

“Okay, so here’s what I know so far. Yesterday, I was tasked with researching this curious necklace.” She poked the jewelry around her neck, shaking it slightly. “After hours upon hours of ploughing through books, looking for an answer, I fell asleep by accident.” She blushed a tiny bit as she paused, but she quickly resumed explaining the situation. “That’s when I had that bizarre dream, where I was in the field with the white mare.”

“Yeah,” Starflash cut in. “Could you tell us a little more about that?”

“Not a lot happened, to be honest. I couldn’t see her face, and she was wearing a cloak. When I tried to inspect her, I awoke. I decided to return home, only to see another spirit— the same spirit— standing in the plaza! I followed her to the old forest, but I couldn’t go on. I believe that when it leapt from the cliff, it continued to run. It came here.”

Honeysuckle snorted. “So let me guess... If we stay awake for long enough, I’ll see this ghostly pony too? How wonderful... I’ve always wanted to spend the night holed up in the middle of nowhere to see something that doesn’t exist!”

Sepia glared at her, breaking contact as she saw Starflash’s confused look. “Well like it or not, we’re stuck here for the until morning. Anyway this church is in near perfect condition, yet it’s definitely over five hundred years old. The design and obscure location support that, but it looks almost new! And there’s something else that’s bugging me too... What does this place, if anything, have to do with the white mare?”

“Maybe she passed away here, but she left without fulfilling a task or something?” Starflash wondered. “Or maybe she has some sort of agonising regret that she wants to correct, or she was robbed of her life in the most horrific way imaginable!”

The hall fell into a brief, eerie silence as he finished talking, placing an uneasy atmosphere on the three ponies. Sepia shook her head, giving Starflash a disapproving look. “It’s possible, but let’s not think about it that way. Whatever the reason is, I’m sure it’ll present itself soon.” She stepped down from the altar and pointed towards the doors to the church.

“In the morning, we can decide whether we should investigate this place further or if we want to head back to Geldingstone. Looking from the steeple, the way back to town is in the opposite direction from the mountains. It’s lucky that this church has one actually.”

Sepia yawned, stretching her back and legs as Starflash did the same. “Well,” he said, “I think it’s about time we hit the hay. Don’t you agree Honeysuckle?”

She didn’t answer. She was stroking her chin with her hoof whilst giving Sepia an inquisitive look. “Can I ask you just one thing Sepia? Why won’t you let me or Starflash wear that necklace? I mean, surely if there’s a reason for you seeing that spirit, as you claim to, it must be the necklace. After all, you said that you only started to see it after you put the necklace on. So why not let us have the chance to see it?”

        Sepia covered the necklace’s decoration. “Because it’s not a toy, it’s not an attraction for a fair and it’s fragile and personal to somepony,” she replied flatly. “This needs to be studied, and it’s my job to study it. I’m sorry, but neither of you can wear or play with it.”

        Honeysuckle tutted, shaking her head. “What? You don’t trust us with it? You don’t me or Starflash with your artifacts or work?”

        “Hey, I understand what she’s saying,” Starflash said. “It’s alright Sep. If it’s that important then I won’t bug you for it.” He smiled at Sepia, and she noticed Honeysuckle’s irritated look. She couldn’t help but smirk a little.

        “Thank you,” she said, smiling back at him politely. “Now, I suggest that we get some sleep. There are some hassocks under the pews that’ll make good pillows and there are some sacks for bedding lying around. I know that it’s not exactly ideal, but I’m getting used to sleeping rough.”

        She trotted towards the doors and made herself comfortable on a small pile of dusty sacks. She positioned one of the cushion-like hassocks under her head and curled herself up, like a cat preparing to sleep.

        “We’d better go and make our own beds then,” Starflash said, trotting to a cupboard near to Sepia. He grabbed some of the sacks magically and levitated them towards the front of the hall. “Good night, Sepia.”

        Just before Starflash reached the spot where he planned to bunk down for the night, Sepia spotted Honeysuckle trotting up to him with a nervous look on her face.

        “Umm, Starflash,” she said quietly, a slight quiver in her voice. “I’m a little... umm... scared of sleeping here. Can I sleep next to you?”

        Sepia’s eyes shot open at the question, and Starflash nodded without hesitation. “Of course,” he said. “Just grab some more ‘bedding’ and make yourself comfortable.”

        Sepia groaned almost silently as she closed her eyes, thinking about how Honeysuckle had managed to pull off such a cheap trick. As she heard somepony trotting past her head, she rolled her eyes as she heard a faint, sweet-sounding yet mocking whisper.

        “Good night, Sepia.”

“Where is she?”

A faint, worried voice awakened Sepia. It echoed about her, and she opened her eyes slowly. She found herself in the same, dusty surroundings that she left behind: the rows of pews, the stained glass window, the two ponies at the front of the hall...

Starflash? Honeysuckle? What are they doing?

She stretched her legs, blinking a few times to wake herself up. Walking towards them, she looked about the hall. It was still as bright as it was as they first entered.

Is it morning? Did I sleep in or—

She paused, squinting at the ponies near the altar in front of her.

Wait, what the—?!

She rubbed her eyes furiously, and they shot open as they saw two completely different ponies. One of them, coloured a very pale sky blue with a cream mane, stood at the altar’s base whilst shuffling their hooves about. The other, however, was slightly taller and coloured in a striped black and white pattern. As Sepia moved closer, she noticed that this pony had no cutie mark and its mane was knotted and decorated in a most curious, almost tribal fashion with red and blue beads threaded throughout it.

“Fear not Valour, do not despair. I hear her voice ringing on the air,” he said in rhyme and rhythm.

“Are you sure?” the blue stallion asked, a hint of nervousness in his voice. “What if she forgot? No, that’s impossible. We spent the entire day... no, the entire week talking about it! Maybe she’s—”

“Will you calm yourself Valour?” a gruff voice growled. Sepia’s head, along with the two ponies next to the altar, turned towards a pew at the front of the hall. Sitting on it was a broad, brawny creature with the head and claws of an eagle. The other half of its body was that of a lion.

“How can I stay calm?” Valour replied, rushing towards the griffon. As he did so, he passed straight through Sepia without breaking form, making her yelp slightly. “We planned this night for so long! She can’t just forget, can she?!”

The creature snorted, lounging back onto the pew as he picked up a pair of boxes to his left, dangling them by the ribbon they were tied with. With his other claw, he stroked his grey-feathered chin. “Then I suppose you won’t be needing these then?” he said with a sly grin.

“Very funny,” the unicorn responded, turning away from him. Sepia could only watch in awe at the conversation, finally plucking up the courage to say something after a tense silence.

“E-E-Excuse me. Can you hear me?”

None of the strangers acknowledged her. Just as she was about to reach out and touch the unicorn, her eyes were distracted by a faint glow coming from beneath her. As she searched for the source, she gasped as she grabbed hold of the necklace; the decoration was pulsing with a white light.

“Valour, please, you must not fear. The lady is coming, she draws near,” the striped one said. Valour turned to him, slightly flustered.

“I hope you have some zebra wisdom to help with nerves... Oh Serenity, where are you?!”

“I doubt that she’s going to leave such a brave and confident gentleman such as yourself,” the griffon jested. As soon as he had finished, a faint creaking echoed throughout the hall. Sepia, along with the others, turned to face the doors to the church. When the room was silent once more, she and Valour gasped at who had emerged.

A fragile, graceful-looking unicorn stood in the doorway, her rosy pink mane masked by a white veil. Her coat was a pearl white colour, unblemished and pristine, and her eyes were a clear pink too, lighter with her hair. To Sepia, they seemed to give a faint sparkle. The unicorn moved towards the altar with delicate steps. Sepia stepped out of her way as she walked down the aisle, and the pegasus noticed the mare’s cutie mark: a love heart with angel wings coming from it, beams of light shining from behind it too. The mare gave a gentle smile to Valour as she stood face to face with him.

“Sorry I’m late,” she said, her whispery voice soothing to Sepia. “Leaving without being seen was somewhat difficult.”

Valour’s nervousness seemed to have subsided. He smiled back at the mare, taking her hoof in his. “Serenity! I thought for a second that you wouldn’t come.”

“Surely you didn’t think that I would abandon my love at the altar?” She laughed, stroking his face with her hoof. She brushed the veil behind her head. “I just wanted to wear at least one piece of a wedding dress, only to make this moment a little more special. It’s a shame that we couldn’t get the full outfits, or a cake, a party or even somepony to watch.”

Sepia glanced back to the empty pews. Except for Starflash and Honeysuckle, both of whom were sleeping soundly next to a wall, the hall was totally empty. It was just her, the two unicorns, the griffon and the zebra. She turned back towards the couple at the altar.

“It doesn’t matter,” Valour said. “We have each other and that’s all we need to make this night perfect. You know our families would never approve of this, being two ponies of different worlds.”

Serenity laughed a little. “Then let them disapprove. There’s nothing wrong with a humble flower pony like myself wedding a courageous, valiant knight, is there?”

All eyes turned towards the griffon who sharply cleared his throat. “While we’re young, if you please? We don’t want to keep this up all night. I have important business to attend to so—”

“Leonardo, we know the hour is late,” the zebra cut in. “But their love must blossom, so you shall wait!”

Leonardo the griffon grumbled something under his breath, crossing his eagle arms as he allowed the two lovers to exchange sweet words again. Sepia listened with fascination to every single one they whispered to each other. She did not notice the sound of hoofsteps behind her.

“What are you looking at, Sep?”

She jumped slightly, sighing with relief as Starflash smiled at her. She wiped her brow and turned back towards the couple at the altar.

“I’m looking at... Wait, you can’t see them? The ponies or the zebra or the griffon?”

Starflash raised his brow. “No... Are you fully awake or are you sleepwalking?” he asked jokingly. Sepia rolled her eyes.

“Well can you see the strange glow? Look where it’s coming from!”

She took the necklace’s decoration in her hoof and thrusted it in his face. He flinched, but once he noticed the white light coming from the orb his eyes grew wide.

“Woah... What is that?!”

“You tell me,” Sepia replied. “You know as much as I do.” Her ears perked up, and she turned to Starflash with a wide grin. “Put it on.”

“What?”

“Put the necklace on. You’ll see for yourself!”

She removed the necklace and dangled it in front of Starflash. Valour, Serenity and the others vanished instantly and silently, much to her surprise. Cautiously, he caught the necklace with his magic as she backed off. But as soon as she released her grip on the chain, the light from the decoration died. Starflash placed the necklace around his neck, staring at the altar that Sepia was looking at. After several quiet moments, he gave Sepia a concerned, quizzical look.

“Uh, Sep,” he said, as if he was trying not to sound harsh, “I don’t see anything.”

It took a few moments for Sepia to register the statement, but once she did she began to panic slightly.

“W-W-What? Nothing?! But... But you saw the glow! And—” She stopped, letting herself become flustered before recomposing herself. “Why can’t you see them?”

        “Relax Sep. I still believe you, but I really don’t know what’s going on.”

He removed the necklace and levitated it back towards Sepia. She reached out to touch it, but once she made contact the gem began to glow once again. Both ponies gasped in awe as their faces were illuminated by the white light once more.

“This thing...” Sepia whispered, tightening her grip around the chain. “But... why is it only glowing when I touch it?"

She replaced the necklace around her head, and the others around the altar appeared before her instantly.

“—so we should start the ceremony now. After all, we don’t want to be found missing in the morning, do we?” Serenity asked Valour. He nodded, allowing her to take her position in front of the altar so that she was standing face to face with him. She turned and nodded to the zebra once the was comfortably quiet. “Mochi, if you please.”

The zebra took up his position behind the altar, clearing his throat. “Is everyone ready, shall we begin?” Mochi asked. He turned to the griffon. “Leonardo, watch for when the gifts are brought in.”

Leonardo rolled his eyes, drumming his claw once on the tiny, brown boxes that lay on his lap. Once the echo had died, Sepia slowly sank onto the pew at the front of the hall as Mochi began the ceremony.

“Tonight we witness unity,

Between Valour and Serenity.

For these two lovers, hidden from sun,

Shall join as halves and form to make one.

Their love is clear, their passion pure,

Throughout their lives, feelings shall endure.

Together they shall weather the tide,

Pain and toil, they shall take in their stride.

They shall now exchange their sacred vows,

Valour, please, your time is now.”

Valour nodded to the zebra. He looked into Serenity’s eyes and smiled. “Serenity, I promise that I will protect you and love you until my last breath. I promise that I will never falter in my duties and that I will provide you with whatever you desire. I will never say anything to hurt you and I will never abandon you in times of need, and I will uphold the honour of both your family, your home and you. This is my vow, Serenity. I shall always follow it.”

Silence filled the room before Serenity began her vow, looking into Valour’s eyes. “Valour, I promise you that I will remain by your side in times of peace or turmoil. I promise that I will smile with you in times of happiness, comfort you in times of sorrow and aid you in times of danger. I will always listen to and support you, and I will always remain loyal to both you and your desires. This is my promise, Valour. I shall never break it.”

Sepia jumped as she felt something prod her on the shoulder. She glanced backwards, and Starflash flinched at the evil look she gave him. “Stop it! You’re ruining the ceremony!”

“Alright, alright,” he whispered, stepping back from her as if she was ready to pounce on him. “Tell me when ‘they’ are finished.”

She nodded, waving him away dismissively. Her attention turned back to the ceremony as Mochi beckoned Leonardo to the altar.

“Now you shall both receive a symbol most grand,

A necklace crafted by our noble artisan.”

Leonardo groaned, stretching his lion legs as he slid from the pew. He grabbed the two tiny boxes with a wave of his tail and he made his way to the couple. Each unicorn was given one of the cases, Valour receiving one wrapped in white ribbons and Serenity taking the one with blue ribbons. Leonardo trudged back to his seat whilst grumbling something to himself, and both Valour and Serenity opened their boxes as they laid them on the floor.

“Serenity, I gift this necklace to you as a symbol of my affection.”

Sepia’s eyes widened as she gasped; from the box, Valour levitated a necklace identical to hers in every way. The milky-white decoration, the delicate golden chain... She galloped up the the altar and held out her own necklace next to the one Valour held. They were a perfect match.

“What? What’s happening?” Starflash whispered, trotting up behind her. Sepia ignored him completely, dumbfounded by the sight of two identical necklaces dangling side by side. She dodged out of the way as Valour levitated the one that he held towards Serenity, and the white mare threaded her head through the loop. Looking down, she levitated another necklace from her own box, almost the same as the one she had received. This one, however, had a blue orb as its decoration.

“Valour,” she said, “I gift this necklace to you as a token of my love.”

Valour bowed his head as Serenity placed the necklace around his neck. The two stepped towards each other so that they were almost touching, allowing the orbs to dangle within inches of each other. For a fraction of a second, each decoration glowed with a dim light in the colour of the stone of each necklace. Mochi raised a hoof to the air.

“The necklaces show an unbreakable tie,

An eternal romance, it shall never die.

Not even time shall separate their bond,

Together forever, they shall be one.

I wish you both eternal bliss,

The ceremony is complete. You may now kiss!”

As soon as Mochi finished, both unicorns leaned close as their lips almost touched each other’s. But just as they were about to wrap up the ceremony, they faded away almost instantly in a rising mist. Sepia blinked, a brightening light irritating her eyes; the sun was shining through the stained glass window behind the altar. She remained totally silent as she took in all that she had seen.

“Oh? You two are up bright and early, aren’t you?”

Sepia and Starflash quickly turned towards the doors to the church. Honeysuckle was standing there with an inquisitive look on her face, and the morning sun was beaming through the doorway behind her. She trotted up to the altar. “You weren’t thinking of leaving here without me, were you?”

Starflash chuckled. “Now why would we do that? We’re not that heartless, are we Sepia?”

The pegasus completely ignored him. She slowly moved, practically lumbering, to the nearest pew and collapsed onto it.

“Sep? What’s the matter?” Starflash asked, rushing over to her.

“I know what this necklace is, Starflash. But now, I have more questions than answers.”