My Evening Star

Twilight grins as the rays of the rising sun purge the shadows from her chambers. Light creeps over her face, and her eyes open. The dawn had arrived. Twilight sits up and looks around her bed chambers. She was in her castle. Twilight looks around her. The air was cold, and a gentle draft rustles the curtains. Her mind gets to work.

"Wait..." She mutters to herself. "I... I was in the village... How much did I drink at that party?"

No pony was around to answer her questions. Twilight uses her horn to levitate a brush that was sitting on her night stand. With a few rough strokes, her mane is in the style she prefers. Then, a wonderful scent slaps her in the face, jolting Twilight out of her sleep-deprived state. It smells good... It smells delicious... It smells like breakfast. Twilight smiles as she slides out of her bed. She figured Spike must have been making something in the kitchen. He often got up early to help with morning chores. Twilight drops the brush and exits her room.

"Spiiiike." Twilight chimes as she trots down the corridor to the kitchen. "Spike, are you in there?"

Twilight stops in the doorway. Spike was in the kitchen, but he wasn't alone.

"Good morning, Twilight!" The little dragon greets cheerfully as he carries a batter bowl to the counter. A golden mist surrounds the bowl and levitates it to the stove. "Your new friend is great!"

"S-Sadri?" Twilight gasps. "What are you doing here? Why are you in Ponyville? Why are you in my kitchen?"

The golden mare giggles sweetly at Twilight's befuddled expression. She stirs the batter with a wooden spoon before pouring the pancake mix onto the hot stove. Not knowing what to do, Twilight just stands there, watching.

"Oh... Am I not doing it right?" She asks, nodding her head to the pancakes. "Your dragon helped me with the ingredients to the best of his abilities, but I do not know how you prefer them... I am sorry to disappoint you, Twilight..."

Twilight narrows her eyes. That wasn't what she meant. Not a single one of her questions got answered. She approaches the golden mare.

"Spike, can you leave us alone for a few minutes?" She asks.

"Sure thing, Twi." Spike says as he collects himself.

In a moment, Twilight is alone with Sadri in the kitchen.

"Why are you here?" Twilight asks again. "Won't your father be worried? Won't the village be worried? I need to take you back, right now."

Twilight takes Sadri's hoof and begins dragging her towards the door.

"I cannot return to the village, Twilight, and my father will not worry. I am where I need to be." Sadri protests as she resists the pulling.

Twilight was getting frustrated, now.

"What do you mean? Where do you need to be?" The purple mare demands.

Sadri's cheeks blush bright red as her eyes dart back and forth between Twilight and the floor.

"I need to be with my wife..."

Twilight cocks her head. She wasn't sure if she had heard Sadri correctly.

"I'm sorry?" The purple mare asks.

Sadri looks at her. Her expression was dead serious.

"My place is beside my wife." Sadri states. "I... I was hoping to please you with a big breakfast, but all I have done is angered you..."

Twilight shakes her head.

"Wait, Sadri. Slow down. I am your... wife? Since when? When did I agree to marry you?"

Twilight realizes instantly that sounded a lot more rude than she had intended.

"I... I'm sorry, Sadri. I didn't mean it like that. I just woke up, and-"

"That is alright, my Twilight." Sadri says with her sweet grin. "You agreed to marry me last night... I offered you the sacred elixir. You took it and swallowed it all pretty quickly..."

Sadri giggles as she recalls the moment. Twilight remembers too as the memories flood into her mind. She was at the bar when Sadri approached her with a sweet-tasting liquid.

"After that, we danced in the rings of bonding. My father blessed the marriage as we danced... To finalize the contract, I offered you my family heirloom. When you accepted it, we... we were wed..." Sadri says, looking happy and embarrassed all at the same time. "I am your wife, Twilight Sparkle, and you are mine."

Twilight's jaw hits the floor. She moves her mouth as though she was trying to make words, but no sounds come out. Sadri looks at her, her happy expression remaining unchanged. At last, Twilight finds her voice.

"This... This is unbelievable... I... I didn't agree to marry you... I didn't know. Sadri, you are a wonderful mare a-and a great friend, but... but I can't be married to you." Twilight says.

Sadri's expression melts away.

"You... are not pleased with me?" She asks as tears begin swelling in her eyes. "I... I thought... you were pleased with me when you accepted my proposal... I thought..."

She begins to cry right there. Twilight felt terrible. The sounds of tears attracts Spike.

"Is everything alright?" The dragon asks as he pokes his head into the kitchen.

Sadri shakes her head as she attempts to dry her continuous crying.

"N-No, little dragon..." She sniffles. "My wife is displeased with me..."

Spike cocks his head. He looks back and forth between the golden mare and Twilight.

"That not good. Who's your wife?" He asks.

His eyes follow Sadri's hoof as she points to Twilight. The purple alicorn smacks her hoof against her forehead. This was getting out of hoof. She needed to stop it before it got any worse.

"No way..." Spike gasps. "Twilight, you got married?! That's awesome!"

"It was a misunderstanding, Spike." Twilight explains. "We aren't married. I'm going to take her back to her village and get this straightened out."

Sadri doesn't resist this time when Twilight drags her towards the door. She was too busy crying her heart out to fight back.

"Don't worry, Sadri..." Twilight says to her. "Everything will be alright."

Twilight uses the magic from her horn to open the door. Standing in her way, is her five closest friends.

"Oh, Celestia..." Twilight mutters.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity exchange odd looks. Applejack is the first to speak.

"Uh... Howdy, Twilight. Who's your friend?" She asks.

Spike runs up to them from behind.

"This is Sadri, Twilight's wife!" He exclaims excitedly.

Twilight turns to him and gives the dragon a death stare.

"Wait... Isn't this that mare from the village?" Rainbow Dash asks. "The chief's daughter?"

Sadri nods her head as she wipes her eyes.

"Y-Yes..." Sadri says glumly.

Rarity looks back and forth between Twilight and Sadri.

"You are... married?" She asks.

Sadri lowers her head, and Twilight tries to avoid her friends' gaze.

"Y-Yes, but my wife is displeased with me..."

Every pony is silent. Several awkward seconds pass. It is Rainbow Dash who breaks the silence. The blue pegasus bursts into laughter. Sadri cocks her head and watches as Rainbow rolls along the floor.

"Twilight married the village princess!" She screams with laughter. "Oh, this is too perfect!"

"Rainbow Dash, what are you talking about?" Twilight demands.

"Yeah, Rainbow. Spill it." Applejack agrees.

Rainbow Dash collects herself and prepares herself to speak. Little 'giggles' slip out as she tries to form words.

"Twi, did... did you drink the special elixir?" She asks.

Sadri nods her head quickly.

"She did!" Sadri says excitedly. "She did drink the elixir I offered her!"

Twilight holds up her hoof to stop them.

"Wait... Hold on, every pony. Rainbow, how do you know about this?" The purple mare asks.

Rainbow Dash shrugs.

"I may have read a Daring Do book about a village in the Everfree Forest with similar marriage rituals..." She admits as she resumes her laughing. "It's actually really interesting. When a villager finds a potential mate, they present that potential mate, that's you, Twi, with a rare tonic. If that is accepted, you become engaged. Sadri, did you give her a ring, crown-"

"I gave her my family necklace." Sadri says, pointing to the jeweled broach around Twilight's neck.

Twilight looks down. She was still wearing the necklace Sadri gave her. Twilight's cheeks flush bright red.

"Is there any way to reverse this?" Twilight asks Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow shakes her head.

"No way, Twi. This bond is for life. You and Goldilocks here are married, for better or for worse."

***TO BE CONTINUED***