I fidgeted, uncomfortable. I didn’t dress like this often, it was more my sister’s domain. Mother flitted about, fussing over my hair and checking my makeup, as did my Aunt.
“It’s simply marvelous how you look in that, my dear,” Rarity cooed, adjusting my veil. “I’m sure he’s simply going to die seeing you.”
“I’d rather he not, you know,” I quipped as I pushed my glasses back up my nose. “I am rather fond of him.”
“I’d certainly hope so,” came a voice from the door to the room I was in. I glanced up and saw a woman in a silver dress under fiery red hair. “You’re marrying my son, after all.”
I smiled at my soon to be mother-in-law. “Is that why you’re dropping in? To see if I’m getting cold feet?”
Sunlight’s mother smiled a grin I grew up seeing and shook her head. “No, just getting a breath of fresh air,” she laughed. “Twily is tearing up every time she looks at him. She’s having trouble believing that our little boy is getting married.”
“And you aren’t?” Mother asked, adjusting her glasses.
“I’m better at hiding it,” she said, turning back to me. “But seeing you, I might just lose it when the two of you are standing up there before Harmony and family.”
Family. It was a definition that was stretched as far as they could be if you really looked at my family. Only two of the women I called Aunts were actually related to me by blood, and one by marriage. The rest were women that my parents had grown up closely with, and even after all these years they were still close friends. More than friends. They were family.
My family.
Things started to fly by in a blur, and I couldn’t focus on anything said until I wound up behind a set of doors in the small church, my Mom standing there with a bouquet of mirabilis and sunflower in her hands. Her hair was bound in a half-up style that had her flame-colored hair hanging down over her right shoulder and the locks on her left tightly pinned back.
“You ready, kiddo?” she asked as she handed me the flowers.
“No,” I said. “I’m just standing here to look pretty.” My heart was beating entirely too rapidly for this. It was just Lighty, standing at an altar, waiting to offer his life to mine for however long we’d live, witnessed by close to a fifty people.
“Breathe, Middy,” Mom said, leaning forward and leaning her forehead against mine. “It’s ok. I’ll be in there with you, so will your mother and Rory will be right behind you.” She gave me a side hug before rubbing my shoulders and back, her hand warm in the slight dip of my gown’s back.
“At least, wait until after the ceremony to throw up,” came the purring voice of a Siren. I turned to see Aria, but not the Aria I knew. She was much fitter, her body moving a lot like my Aunt Rainbow’s would. An athlete’s body, honed through years of effort. “That way, that pretty dress doesn’t get messed up.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. “I feel so much better, now.”
Music filtered out as the Siren slipped inside.
“It’s time, Starry,” Mom said, taking my arm. I hadn’t heard her use that nickname in years. “You and I are the last two to enter.”
I took a deep breath, and memories started flashing through my mind.
A Christmas break on the mountains.
A summer trip to Appleloosa in Euquestria.
When he proposed to me in our families’ house in Canterlot, witnessed by Aunt Cadence and Uncle Shining.
“Let’s go,” I said, putting a firm grip on my nerves.
The music changed to a more traditional theme as we slowly walked down the aisle. I saw Aurora and Ebony perk up, turning to look at me in their bridesmaid dresses, the silver sashes glimmering slightly in the light filtering in through the windows. The red gowns were simply cut, just as my dress was. They were perfect, designed by a trio of the best designer I knew.
I’d explain that, but you’d have to accept that multiple universes were involved.
Sunlight stood there in his tuxedo, silver tie and red vest fitting him like they were tailor-made. And, knowing our families, they likely had been. His Best man, Tea Leaf, stood just behind him, hands crossed at his waist, but my eyes only glanced at him as I drank in the sight of my fiancé. He had a midnight primrose for a boutonnière, the yellow flower bearing dual meanings for us. A night-blooming flower that held the color of sunshine.
It just seemed right.
The officiant started to speak as Mom gave my hand over to the man across from me, and I was awash in memories again.
The beach where we had met.
The fireworks flaring over us as I tentatively reached over and laced two fingers into his.
That kiss near the stepping waterfall.
And every wonderful moment since.
“Midnight?” a voice cut through.
I blinked, looking at the pastor who looked back at me with an expectant look. Lighty had an amused look on his face.
“I asked if you do so take this man to be your husband, for better or worse, and so on.” the kindly older man said, trying to remain serious, but you could see the twinkle of laughter in the crinkling of his eyes.
“I do,” I said, squeezing Sunlight’s hand for a moment.
“And do you, Sunlight Shimmer, take this woman to be your wife, for better or worse…”
“I do,” he said, not letting the man finish his sentence.
“Well, then,” he said, glancing at Tea Leaf and Aurora. “The rings, please?”
I took the ring from Rory, sliding it onto his hand. The engraving on the band reflected his cutie mark. “With this ring, I thee wed,” I said. “Forsaking all others, and bestowing it along with all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands. As it has no end, neither shall my love for you.”
Sunlight took my hand gently, and slid a band onto it bearing three stars. “With the giving of this ring, I give you my promise that from this day forward, you shall not walk alone. I have no greater gift to give. May my heart be your shelter and my arms be your home. May you feel deeply loved, for indeed you are.”
I smiled as I felt a small sting build up behind my eyes. I felt the love washing through me, figuratively from my sister behind me and literally from Sunlight before me through the light bond we shared.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the officiant said with a smile. “You may now kiss the bride.”
And the tears finally broke free as his lips covered mine. I threw my arms around his neck as he held me. When my eyes opened, I saw our parents behind him, the strange doubled effect nothing new to us now.
And I saw Mom nodding at me, a few tears of her own glimmering.
I love you, she mouthed.
I smiled and nodded back.
Author's Note
Artwork by Rarijack Country Couture on Tumblr
I lounged in the chaise as the sun went down over the water. My glasses were tinted all the way to a deep crimson, but they didn’t dull the beauty of the sight. My hand was twined with a lanky young man on the chaise next to me on the veranda of the stilt cabin we had rented.
The red and golden light of the sunset glittered across the water of the bay that made up the bulk of Hello Tropics’ many attractions. It held a lot of special memories for me, both from my childhood and the strange chance meeting with this lovable goofball next to me. I glanced at our hands, seeing the light glint off the rings on my left hand, one gemstone and one carved with my cutie mark on it. I was strangely content at this moment.
“Penny for your thoughts?” Light whispered into my ear.
“It’s weird,” I said, leaning down and nestling my head back against his shoulder. He had on the usual attire for the resort, a loose button up shirt and swim trunks. I was wearing a one piece swimsuit and a sarong, shifting colors of dark blue and warm yellow. It blended perfectly with both of our skin tones, and it also seemed to mark another turning point in my life, subconsciously copying our parents in wearing something that either matched or wove our two colors into each other. “For years now, I felt restless and unsure of where I belonged. Now not only do I have a standing offer at Aunt Sparky’s school, I also seem to be attached to this odd hunk of a man who I thought once upon a time was attracted to my sister.” I glanced up into his sky-blue eyes. “It’s weird to me to be so content right now.”
His eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled. “I think I know what you mean,” he said, shifting slightly to wrap both arms around me. I don’t know why I felt so safe in his embrace. “I remember how much you panicked near the end of the vacation when we met. But just like I said, things turned out pretty well in their own time.”
I sighed happily. “Yeah,” I whispered. “You were right. Don’t get used to me saying that, though.”
“Yes, Professor Sky,” he snickered. I laughed along with him.
“I like the way that sounds,” I whispered, more to myself than anything. He wisely decided to remain silent, studying the building.
“I’m surprised they managed to build this in less than a year,” he commented. “Just setting the pilings alone would have been a massive undertaking. And making sure that the building was always above tide levels, even during rainstorms. The engineering of this is amazing! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. I mean, Oxy helped with some of it and she’s a genius with that kind of stuff.”
I patted him on the shoulder. “Your Aunt Dagi designed it after her house,” I reminded him. “So any design errors or the like would have been worked out before she presented it to the resort for them to build four more. Besides, would you really have wanted King’s Island? That’s kind of Mom and Mother’s thing, you know.”
“Well, we do have some nice memories there,” he said. “But this seems more like us. A bit more authentic, if that makes any sense.”
“I know what you mean,” I said, standing up from the oversized chaise, pulling him up as well. “A link to our roots while branching out a bit on our own.”
He slid his hands down and pulled me closer, his easy smile making me feel lighter than air as I remembered he was mine, now and forever. Just like I was his. I reached up and linked my hands at the wrists around his neck.
“So,” he said, voice soft. “Any ideas on what to do while we’re here?”
“I have a few,” I replied with a shift of my brows, turning my contented smile into one that hinted at mischief. “Maybe even one or two you’ll enjoy, Mr. Shimmer.”
He held his hands up in mock surrender. “Do go gentle on me,” he laughed.
Laughing, I pulled him close and kissed him hard,all the restraint from the last day or two bleeding out into it. As he held me, I slid his shirt down his shoulders, letting it fall to the deck. I reached down with one hand to undo the knot that held my sarong on.
“Middy,” he said, between kisses. “Slow down, we’ve got…”
His voice trailed off into a cry of surprise as my shove sent him down into the bay, following a moment later.
“Hey!” he sputtered as he surfaced. “That was crazy, this isn’t the lagoon!”
I stroked over to him as we both bobbed in the water. I looped my arms around his neck, tapping a bit of magic to keep floating. He didn’t seem to notice. I shook my head as I looked into his eyes.
“One, magic,” I said. “I just managed to marry you, Sunlight Shimmer, you really think I’d damage you this quickly like that? Shame.”
He blushed a little.
“Two,” I continued, leaning into him, the awareness of his emotions that our close proximity brought being an interesting sensation. “You told me once that almost every good memory of this place involved the water. That it called to you, or the like.”
I pulled his face close to mine as his hands stopped trying to help tread water and captured my hips again.
“I just want you to start having some with both your loves,” I whispered, cheek grazing his in a nuzzle. “Besides, a moonlit swim with your bride might be enjoyable. You really want to pass that up?”
He shook his head, his eyes closing as he returned the nuzzle. So many of our little gestures were mixes of both human and pony cultures. Touching foreheads, human. Nose rubbing, pony. Everything had an equivalent and with as much time as I had spent as a pony in my life I was surprised how many he was familiar with.
“Maybe next time, though,” he whispered into my ear before he nibbled on the earlobe. “You could suggest a swim instead of shoving me into the water? Just once?”
I shivered at the contact, but I wasn’t easily distracted.
“Maybe one time couldn’t hurt,” I teased, tracing a line down his chest.
“One time.”
