Chapter 2: Angels At Dawn

Celestia's sun rose above the mountain peaks with a kind of grace that was impossible to copy. Twilight grinned as the rays of the rising sun purged the shadows from her bed chambers. Light creeped over her face, and her eyes opened. The dawn had arrived. Twilight sat up and looked around her bed chambers. She was in her castle. Twilight looked around her immediate surroundings. The air was cold, and a gentle draft rustled the curtains. Her mind instantly got to work.

"Wait..." She muttered quietly 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 used the magic from her horn to levitate a brush that was sitting on her night stand. A few rough strokes later, her mane is styled in the way she preferred. Then, a wonderful scent slapped her in the face, jolting Twilight out of her sleep-deprived state. It smelled good... It smelled delicious... It smelled like breakfast. Twilight smiled as she slid lazily 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 dropped the brush and exited her room.

"Spiiiike." Twilight chimed cheerfully as she trotted down the corridor leading to the kitchen. "Spike, are you in there?"

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

"Good morning, Twilight!" The little dragon greeted her cheerfully as he carried a bowl of batter to the counter. A golden mist then surrounded the bowl and levitated it to the stove. "Your new friend is great!"

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

The golden mare giggled sweetly at Twilight's befuddled expression. She stirred the batter with a wooden spoon before pouring the pancake mix onto a cast iron plate above the hot stove. Not knowing what to do, Twilight simply stood there, watching.

"Oh... Am I not doing it right?" She asked. Her face was full of concern as she nodded her head towards 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 narrowed her eyes. That wasn't what she meant. Not a single one of her questions got answered. She approached the golden mare.

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

"Sure thing, Twi." Spike said as he collected himself.

In only a short moment, Twilight was alone with Sadri in the kitchen.

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

Twilight quickly took Sadri's hoof and began 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 protested as she tried to resist the pulling.

Twilight was getting frustrated, now.

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

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

"I... I am where I need to be, Twilght... I am with my wife."

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

"I'm sorry?" The purple mare asked as she rubbed a hoof against her ear.

Sadri looked right at her. Her expression was dead serious.

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

Twilight shook her head.

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

Twilight realized instantly that what she said 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 said with her sweet grin. "As for your questions: You agreed to marry me last night... I offered you the sacred elixir. You took it and swallowed it all pretty quickly..."

Sadri giggled as she recalled the happy moment. Twilight remembered too as the memories flooded 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 said, looking happy and embarrassed all at the same time. "I am your wife, Twilight Sparkle, and you are mine. We are to live, love, and grow together as spouses."

Twilight's jaw hit the floor. She moved her mouth as though she was trying to make words, but no sounds came out. Sadri looked at her, her happy expression remaining unchanged. At last, Twilight found 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 said at last.

Sadri's expression instantly melted away.

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

She began to cry. Tears were flooding from her eyes like a broken dam. Twilight felt terrible. The sound of tears attracted Spike.

"Is everything alright?" The dragon asked as he poked his head into the kitchen.

Sadri shook her head as she attempted to dry her continuous crying.

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

Spike cocked his head. He looked back and forth between the golden mare and Twilight.

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

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

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

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

Sadri didn't resist when Twilight began pulling her towards the door. She was too busy crying her heart out to fight back.

"Don't worry, Sadri..." Twilight said to her. "Everything will be alright, once we get all of this fixed."

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

"Oh, Celestia..." Twilight muttered.

Rainbow Dash and Rarity exchanged odd looks. Applejack was the first to speak.

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

Spike ran up to them from behind.

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

Twilight turned to him, and she gave the dragon a deathly stare.

"Wait... Isn't this that mare from the village?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Is she the chief's daughter?"

Sadri nodded her head as she wiped her eyes.

"Y-Yes... I am she of whom you are speaking..." Sadri said glumly.

Rarity looked back and forth between Twilight and Sadri.

"You are... married?" She asked as a huge grin formed along her lips.

Sadri lowered her head, and Twilight tried to avoid her friends' gaze.

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

Every pony was silent. Several awkward seconds pass. It is Rainbow Dash who broke the silence. The blue pegasus exploded into laughter. Sadri cocked her head and watched as Rainbow rolled along the floor.

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

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

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

Rainbow Dash collected herself and prepared herself to speak. Little 'giggles' slipped out as she tried to form words with her mouth.

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

Sadri nodded her head quickly.

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

Twilight held up her hoof to stop them.

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

Rainbow Dash shrugged.

"I may have read a Daring Do book about a village in the Everfree Forest with similar marriage rituals..." She admitted as she resumed 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, a crown-"

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

Twilight looked down. She was still wearing the necklace Sadri had given her. Twilight's cheeks flushed bright red.

"This... cannot be happening... Is there any way to reverse this?" Twilight asked Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow shook her head.

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

***TO BE CONTINUED***