Shimmer & Blaze

“Hey, uh, ‘Dagi?” I looked up from the balcony I was standing at with wide eyes. “I think I’m gonna throw up,”

“Don’t you dare,” Adagio looked me up and down, then chuckled. “Or if you do, at least aim over the side, and for Nodens sake don’t get it on the suit.”

I chuckled, then paled and clapped a hand over my mouth.

“Do not,” Adagio repeated sternly.

“Trying,” I gasped between my fingers, then swallowed hard. “Written’s Quill… I don’t think I’ve ever been this nervous in my entire life!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment considering it’s my sister,” Adagio put an arm over my shoulders as I took slow, shallow breaths and tried to fight down my nausea. “But you’ll do fine… it’s her I’m more worried about, actually.”

“Why?” I looked up and Adagio just shrugged.

“Aria, Nodens bless her, is a bit of a mess,” Adagio replied blithely. “Trust me when I say that when she gets nervous she makes the worst possible decisions.”

“That sounds ominous,” I grumbled.

“Don’t worry, I set a guard on her,” Adagio patted my back reassuringly, “Tempest will keep her from doing anything too severe.”

That was more reassuring than Adagio probably knew. Tempest wasn’t the type of person to let things go lightly, especially when she was given a task. In the year and change we’d known each other she’d proved to be one of the most consummately professional women I’d ever met.

With that said, the task of wrangling Aria Blaze wasn’t something I would wish on anyone unless I had no other choice.

“So what is this place exactly?” I turned and leaned back against the balcony, trying to get my mind off of my nerves. “When you said you’d handle the venue, I was kind of picturing a church or something, not a cliffside lighthouse.” I looked around then shrugged. “Not that it’s not beautiful, I’ve always loved the coast, and it’s kind of appropriate all things considered.”

“I beg your pardon, but it is a church,” Adagio replied stiffly, then grimaced. “Well, it’s technically a church, or… well, I suppose it’s more a temple.”

I narrowed my eyes.

“Adagio Dazzle, am I getting married in a pagan Sirenic temple?” I met Adagio’s gleaming eyes and she let out a weak laugh. “Wait… seriously?”

“You should be honored!” Adagio shot back. “There’s only three properly anointed temples to Nodens on this whole planet!”

I met her eyes evenly for several moments, then sighed and shook my head. “So let me guess… the person officiating the ceremony will be…?”

“There’s only one remaining Priestess of the Deep Faith, my dear soon-to-be-sister,” Adagio’s grin was shark-like, and I couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

“You’re really looking forward to this, aren’t you?” I stood up and tugged at my outfit to straighten it. “And do I really have to wear this? It’s kind of ostentatious.”

And it was, kind of. It certainly wasn’t what I was expecting to wear to my wedding, although Aria and I had been of two minds when it came to who would wear what, and had bickered about it for weeks. I’d always been a fan of tuxedo’s and nice suits, while Aria thought of them as ‘monkey suits’ and refused to wear one, which of course meant that she’d be wearing a dress instead.

I was really looking forward to that, actually because despite the passage of a year-plus in our relationship, I’d never once seen Aria in a proper dress.

My outfit wasn’t what you’d call typical, of course. It was a Carousel Boutique original, after all. It was ‘Chic, unique, and magnifique’, as its creator would say and, I had to admit, it was definitely all of those things, and then some.

The whole of the outfit was a deep, rich shade of scarlet trimmed with black and gold, and accented with teardrops of amber. Rather than a suit jacket, I was wearing a long jacket almost reminiscent of a mantled duster, shot through with black embossments, and it made me look a bit like the villain of a western.

My hair was pulled back in a ponytail and bound by a small clasp made from white gold with an amber adornment.

The single color that stood out which didn’t match the ensemble was a small amethyst on a choker that rested comfortably at my throat.

“It’s lovely, sister dear,” Adagio smiled and looked me up and down again, this time with an admiring eye. “Remind me to give my compliments to your friend… I’ll have to have her do mine when Octavia and I are wed.”

“A few months, right?”

“Mhm,” Adagio nodded, and for a moment I saw a touch of nervousness break through her facade of calm. “I’ll admit, I’m a touch nervous myself, but-!” She held a hand at the smile on my face, “It’s only because I want to be certain the ceremony will be worthy of my wife-to-be.”

“Octavia would marry you in sackcloth under a bridge, ‘Dagi,” I laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder, and Adagio wilted a little.

“I… I know,” Adagio looked away from me and up at the sky, taking a deep breath of the clear ocean air. “She deserves all the beauty in the world, though…”

“She would say she’s already getting it,” I replied with a chuckle, and Adagio did laugh at that. “Anyway, I’m going to go down to the bar since I’ve got another two hours til the ceremony.”

Adagio eyed me critically. “Tell me you’re not tying one off before your wedding?”

“Hell no,” I shook my head with a frown. “I’m not a hundred percent I can do this sober, I’m definitely not going to risk trying to manage it buzzed.”

I got the evil eye from big sister Adagio for a solid few seconds before she seemed satisfied, patted me on the shoulder, then turned to lean against the balcony alone and stare out over the ocean.

As I was walking away I shot a glance over my shoulder at her, and paused. There was such an indescribable kind of melancholy around Adagio in that moment, and it struck me with the force of a hammer. Maybe it was just because of how old I knew she was, and how many things she’s seen, but the depth and weight of it was almost suffocating in that brief moment.

“Do you miss it?” I asked quietly.

Adagio didn’t reply for a long time, she just continued to stare at the lapping waves, listening to the cries of the gulls the crash of the surf, but finally…

“Every day,” Adagio spoke the words so softly that I barely heard it above the wind.

I wasn’t sure what to say, so I said nothing. I just nodded and turned away, leaving Adagio to her musings and ocean-watching. I gave up my home of my own accord, but they were banished. I chose to remain in the human world even given the option of returning to Equestria, but the sorcery that banished them here would never release them, no matter how much they wished to leave.

And I knew they didn’t really want to leave. Equestria held less than nothing for them, and the human world was where their lovers were, but… I knew a little bit of how they felt.

As I descended the stairs into the large house that was attached to the lighthouse, I found myself missing the great marble towers of Canterlot, and the view of the open prairies that sprawled out from the Canterhorn the city hung from.

I wouldn’t trade Aria for all of Equestria, but I still missed my home.

Pushing the door to the living room open, I was greeted by the sight of Sonata humming happily from behind the long bar that was built into the room. It was small compared to the bar of the Last Note, but the youngest sister of the Siren trio was never happier than when she was behind a bar with the tools of her trade at hand.

The bar itself was attached to the kitchen which lay past a door behind it, and it was where most of the alcohol and any nonperishable foodstuffs were stored. There was no refrigerator though. This place predated the civil war, so it wasn’t exactly up to code, but it had most of the right amenities.

“Seltzer water, please,” I said with a smile that was half of a grimace as I sat at the bar, and Sonata chuckled.

“Cold feet?” She plopped a glass in front of me fill three quarters full of fizzing liquid.

“No, not… not exactly,” I shifted uncomfortably as I picked up the glass and sipped at it. “I’m just… can I really do this?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Sonata raised an eyebrow, and I laughed bitterly.

“Because,” I gestured around us with the glass, “the last time I had the opportunity to commit to something huge, I ended up fleeing to another dimension.”

“It wasn’t exactly like that,” Sonata replied dryly. “I seem to recall dark magic was involved.”

“Just the theoretical stuff,” I grumbled as I took another small drink, then leaned on the bar and sighed. “Can I do this, ‘Nata? Really do it?” I shivered and looked out the window. “This is the real deal… I’m… Written’s Quill, I’m really getting married!”

“Yup,” Sonata put a hand over my arm and smiled. “You’re going to be fine, Sunset, I promise, you’re not just getting my crazy sister in this deal, remember?” I laughed at that and nodded. “You’ll have all of us, me and ‘Dagi, and eventually Octavia too, and…”

I looked up, and Sonata flushed prettily.

“Woah, wait…” I smiled as I tried to meet Sonata’s eyes which she studiously managed to avoid me doing. “Hold up, ‘Nata… are you going to ask-?”

“M-Maybe,” Sonata giggled quietly. “Twilight isn’t big on marriage, but I’m like, a couple thousand years old, so I think I’m allowed to be old-fashioned, y’know?”

“I mean, fair,” I allowed with a laugh. “You think she’ll go for it?”

“Probably,” Sonata poured herself a seltzer water and raised it. “Guess we’re all getting married now, huh?”

“Not today,” I clinked my glass to hers. “Today is mine.”

“Also fair,” Sonata took a sip of her drink and then froze as something in the attached kitchen fell over with a loud crash. “Oh, dammit.”

“What?” I stood up with a frown. “What’s going on?”

Sonata looked over her shoulder with a scowl.

“The shelves are kind of ancient,” she explained as she set her drink down, “so stuff in there falls over a lot, sorry… can you give me a hand?”

I chuckled and set my drink beside hers. “Sure thing, it’ll keep me busy.”

I shrugged the long coat off of my shoulders and hung it from the old fashioned carved coat stand nearby, made sure my hair was pulled back and secure, and made ready to wade into the dusty back room.

“Alright, just mind the…” Sonata trailed off as she opened the door, “...the fuck?!”

We both stared through the door to see my gremlin of a fiancee gripping two bottles of strong red wine by their necks, half-dressed, with a look of wide-eyed panic on her face.

“SHIT!” Aria shrieked, then turned tail and leapt out the window she had apparently come in through.

There was a dull thump as she dropped a half-story, along with the sound of a bottle shattering, followed by muffled cursing. I ran over to half hang out of the window and watch as she stumbled out of the bush that had broken her fall clutching one whole bottle and the broken remnants of a second, then sprinted clockwise as Tempest rounded the opposite corner in a furious temper and immediately dropped to a knee, hands gripping a gun in a perfect marksman’s pose, and pulled the trigger just before Aria could clear her line of fire.

My eyes went wide as Aria spasmed and dropped the alcohol, jerking in place for a moment before keeling over backward.

Tempest stood and shook her head, sighing, before tromping over and picking Aria up, slinging her over her shoulder, and making her way back towards the far end of the house where Aria was supposed to be getting ready.

“What… the fuck?” I said as I pulled my head back into the house and turned to look at Sonata who was just shaking her head in weary resignation.

“Sorry you had to see that,” Sonata put a hand on my shoulder and steered me back to the bar. “She’s fine, the voltage is low… Aria’s just small.”

“That was a surprisingly well-executed takedown,” I admitted in a daze as Sonata led me to my seat and sat me down. “What… what did I just see, exactly?”

“Heh, we~ll,” Sonata smiled sheepishly as she leaned against the bar beside me. “If you thought you were having nerves over this, Aria has been this way for the past two days.” She jerked a thumb towards the kitchen where Aria had made her great escape. “That’s like, the fourth attempt…”

“At what?” I stared Sonata in dismay. “Escape?!”

“No!” Sonata laughed. “She’s just trying to get drunk.”

“Uh… why?”

“It’s how she deals with panic,” Sonata explained as she took a sip of seltzer water. “We’ve all got our vices,” Sonata swirled her drink and watched the bubbles rise. “I mean, she’s not as bad as ‘Dagi at least… big sis is a messy drunk.”

“Oh, I remember,” I grumbled into my glass. “So what… Aria’s drinking because she’s scared?”

“She’s scared of letting you down,” Sonata filled in, turning to meet my gaze, her eyes were so much like her older sisters, and yet not. They were more… alien, than Adagio’s. “Aria loves you like crazy, emphasis on crazy, and she’s terrified that she won’t be enough for you in the end.”

“Yeah, well, that’s the crazy part,” I snorted quietly as I finished my seltzer. “Aria is the perfect amount for me.”

“I know,” Sonata said with a smile. “And she knows it too, she’ll be there when it counts.”

“And be sober, hopefully,” I added, and Sonata nodded judiciously.

“That’s Tempest’s job, and Temp doesn’t fail,” Sonata pointed out, to which I had to nod in agreement. The Head of Security of the Last Note had an impeccable record.

Aria having an issue with her nerves wasn’t entirely news to me, I’ll admit. She’s always been more brittle than Adagio, and less flexible than Sonata, which meant if enough pressure was applied in a single place she had a tendency to snap rather easily.

My Aria…

She was as strong as she was weak, if that made any sense at all.

“Sonata?” I stared down at my empty cup, turning it this way and that and watching the remaining droplets of water swing around inside it. “Are you sure we can do this?”

“You and Aria?” Sonata looked thoughtful for a moment, then shrugged. “Like I said before, it’s not like you’re doing it alone and, besides, you love her don’t you?”

“Like I’ll never love anyone else,” I swore softly.

“Then you’ll figure it out,” Sonata clapped me gently on the shoulder. “Because you’re the only one in Aria’s heart now, and I’m pretty sure that’s a ‘forever’ thing.”

I smiled up at Sonata who grinned back at me. Sonata was right, it was time to stop second-guessing and just do it. There was no looking back anymore, Aria and I had come way too far for that and neither of us would be satisfied going any less than all the way.

All the way.

I felt a blush creep along my cheeks.

“Hey, ‘Nata…” I stood up and pulled my coat from the stand before sliding it on smoothly as Sonata looked up at me. “Do you think Aria will want… y’know… kids?”

Sonata chuckled. “A year ago I’d have said definitely not, but with you?”

She shrugged thoughtfully, still smiling that odd, enigmatic smile of hers. I always had the mental impression of the Cheshire Cat from her in those moments, that wide, toothy smile floating in midair with feline, inhuman eyes above them, and grinning like it knew something you didn’t and found that fact to be terribly funny.

“We’re all mad here, huh?” I muttered quietly as I tugged the long scarlet coat straight. “Maybe we are.”

“All ready?” Sonata came up behind me and straightened out my collar for me.

“Not even a little bit,” I replied with a weary smile.

“Sounds about right!” I felt her clap both hands on my shoulders from behind. “Now get out there and marry my sister!”

“Yes, ma’am,” I sketched a mock salute as I shot her a wry look over my shoulder, then straightened my ponytail and started towards the door.

“And good luck with Twi’,” I waved a hand without looking back.

Twilight deserved something good coming her way. Whatever she’d told Sonata, I was pretty sure it wasn’t that she disapproved of, or disliked marriage, precisely.

I think she was just afraid of it, and the kind of commitment it entailed. Even if it was all just overly poetic words spoken in front of an altar along with a piece a paper written down and filed away somewhere, it was something embedded in our minds, in our cultural zeitgeist, that weighed on us.

It had meaning because, whether or not we meant to, we gave it that meaning.

For me, at least, I wanted that meaning.

“Look’it me, ma, I’m a real girl now,” I spoke the words softly, and no one heard them but me.

And maybe Nodens.

“Definitely gonna throw up,” I muttered as I stood at the altar.

Adagio raised an eyebrow disapprovingly, and I gave her a weak grin to tell her I was joking.

Well, mostly joking.

The sun was just starting to dip to the horizon. It was four’o’clock, and the ceremony was just about to begin. We stood in front of the door to the main house with a long carpet laid out from the threshold leading up to the altar itself, which was a large wooden table of magnificently ornate make. It bore accoutrements that I assumed was important to Adagio’s faith and to the rite, although given what Aria had told me about Siren ‘weddings’ I could only assume that Adagio had adapted her religion’s rituals to a more human definition, or at least I hoped so.

I didn’t particularly want to engage in a ceremonial battle for domination prior to the vows, especially since I’m pretty sure Aria would win.

“You sure she’s coming?” I gave Adagio a worried glance, and she just chuckled.

“Yes, Shimmer, I’m sure,” Adagio ran her hands through her luxurious mane of orange curls, fluffing it out so it fell gracefully over her back. “My sister is many things, but when it comes down to it, she’s not a coward.”

“I know,” I glanced across the open yard of the lighthouse, taking some comfort in the presence of my friends.

The ceremony itself was small, it was always planned to be that way. Applejack and Rarity sat together, fingers linked, near the front, alongside Twilight and Octavia. Behind them were Princess Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, the last of whom gave me an encouraging thumbs up as my gaze crossed her, and I smiled back, while Rainbow Dash was to the far left of the altar with her guitar, ready to play Aria down the aisle.

Tempest was in the far back looking stern and unyielding, per usual, and her small retinue of bouncers, that looked more like secret service agents than anything, were arrayed around to make sure nothing happened.

Octavia’s former butler, Good Form was in attendance too, keeping everything tidy. Between him and Pinkie I trusted the reception would be one to remember.

A few of the dancers and staff from the Note were in attendance too; Mixer and Highball were in the crowd, being good friends with Sonata, along with Kickstep, Foxtrot, and Sweets, who had all been dancing at the Note for some time now. They were the closest things to bridesmaids that Aria had, being some of her longest running coworkers, and I considered them to be friends.

“It’s time,” Adagio said softly, drawing my mind back to where I was standing.

“Okay, here we go,” I licked my lips and nodded to both her and Rainbow Dash, who flashed me a smile before beginning to play.

As the first chords began, the door to the house opened, and my heart stopped.

Aria stood on the other side of the threshold, the veil not quite covering the brilliant blush on her face as she took her first steps forward. The dress was a shade of soft lavender, and it was long, silk, and strapless, and hung perfectly over her slight form allowing it to billow in the gentle ocean breeze that carried her long, purple locks with it. There were accented traces of aquamarines the color of the clearest ocean water sketching designs like crashing waves and rolling tides across the dress’s surface, and as it rippled it caught the light just like the sea.

She clutched a bouquet of rare Wisteria blossoms to her chest as she strode forward. I could hardly breathe, and it was taking all of my willpower not to start crying and to keep my knees from knocking together.

Through it all, the whole two functioning brain cells left to me after finally seeing her in her wedding dress were only managing to give me a single coherent thought.

“Oh no, she’s hot,” the words tumbled out, and anything left behind them died forgotten as I lost my ability to speak, but I could see Adagio grinning proudly.

I took a deep breath, and put on my most winning smile for her, and as I faced her I knew for certain that I hadn’t managed to keep the tears off of my face all the way. I could feel the faint trickles of heat tracing lines down my cheeks.

She was so beautiful.

Aria’s chin was held high and proud, and her gorgeous, amethyst eyes flashed with that same dangerous confidence I’d fallen in love with when I watched her dance for the very first time. Her stride was measured and even, and the gown was made of alternating folds of silk and some strategically arranged semi-sheer fabric that gave glimpses of her long, lovely legs.

Before I could get a hold of myself, she was there. Aria stood in front of me, Wisteria blossoms held between us, and those sharp, gleaming gems staring up at me.

And she was afraid.

Well, in fairness, so was I.

With shaking hands, I raised her veil and revealed her face fully, and I realised she was crying too, and only the fabric of the veil had hid the tears.

Adagio cleared her throat softly from between us, and we both turned to face her as Rainbow Dash stopped playing. Adagio raised both hands with her palms up as if in prayer, closed her eyes, and began to intone something in Sirenic.

It took me a few seconds to realise it was a prayer. A prayer to Nodens, the First Will, and the Progenitor of the Siren race if their mythology was to be believed. I supposed it wasn’t all that different from the Equestrian belief in Written Word, the first Alicorn, who wove the world into existence with her quill.

Maybe Nodens was a contemporary.

The prayer finished after a moment, and Adagio lowered her hands.

“By the Deep do I invoke the cold grace of Nodens,” Adagio began in a solemn voice, “by Will, Oath, and Gift, I bind those who stand before me, for it is Will that has brought them together, seen them through trench and trial, and strengthened them as the ocean depth strengthens the scale.” I felt something unnameable pass over me, and I had the most absurd sensation that there was something unimaginably ancient regarding us. “Now as Will has bound them to the world, by Oath do they bind themselves… speak, now, your Oaths.”

I turned from Adagio to meet Aria’s eyes, and she smiled weakly up at me.

“A-Aria,” I started, reaching out to put my hands over hers. “I love you so much… I c-can’t even keep my voice steady, and it feels like my heart is going to pound right out of my chest,” Aria bit her lip, trying to keep her tears in check as she nodded silently as I tried to remember the words Adagio had taught me. “But I give you, now, my Oath, by Sea and Sky, by Moon and Lightless Depth, that I shall stand beside you from now til the end of all things,” I gripped her hands hard as my voice cracked and tears started falling in earnest. “Til the final tide washes all the earth away, and, as the moon moves the tide, I swear this Oath that only you shall move me.”

Aria took a slow, shuddering breath, freed one hand to wipe at her cheeks, then nodded shakily.

“B-By my Oath,” Aria took a small step forward, joining our hands so we were both clutching the blossoms of Wisteria, “I swear that I shall be your Moon, that I shall hold you in my grasp eternal, and that my light shall never fade from your face,” her voice was gentle and I’d never speak with such love and fragility in the presence of others, and I could see what it was costing her to let herself be seen like this. “I swear now this Oath, that my life is yours, as yours is mine, and no one else shall take them, and that I shall guard your heart by voice and song, that never the twain shall fall.”

We gripped each others hands tightly for a moment before nodding and finishing the rite.

“By Oath we stand,” we spoke in unison.

“Nodens has heard thy Oaths,” Adagio intoned, and though her voice was steady, I could see the tears of joy in her eyes. “By Will you have come to this place, by Oath do you stand, and by Gift you are bound.”

I reached into the pocket of my jacket at her words and drew out a slim band of pure white.

“This is made from a metal called Solerrum,” I said softly, “and legends say it was once part of the armor of Queen Adamance Unyielding, the first Monarch of the Unicornian Kingdoms,” Aria raised her hand, look of surprise on her face as I fitted the ring onto her finger. “Only ten of these rings exist, and they’re for when royalty get married which, since I’m technically Princess Celestia’s daughter by adoption, it means this counts… uh, surprise?”

I smiled nervously, and even Adagio looked shocked, although she recovered significantly faster than Aria who was still staring gape-mouthed at me. I probably could have picked a better time to tell Aria that Princess Celestia was going to be her mother-in-law than at the altar, but then again I’ve never been particularly famous for my timing.

Infamous, maybe.

“Uh…” Aria worked her jaw a few times before remembering to breathe, then she swallowed thickly, and nodded. “R-right, uh… the immortal Pony Sisters are now my direct family… c-cool…”

“Aria… the ring,” Adagio hissed under her breath, and Aria nearly leapt in place.

“Right!” Aria fumbled through the folds of her dress before pulling out a ring of deep, seastorm green metal. “So uh, jeez, how am I supposed to follow that?” she grumbled as she held up the ring a little sullenly, and I smiled as I raised my hand to hers. “T-this is made from Deepsteel, s-specifically from a few fragments of my old armor from when we were banished.”

As Aria turned the ring over I realised there were tiny red gems studded along the outside of it, catching the light with blood-red luminance that seemed to emit from within.

“Aria are those…?” I breathed, barely willing to believe it.

“The very last pieces of my Heartstone, yeah,” Aria took my hand and slipped the ring on my finger. “Because your hands are the only ones that will ever hold my heart.”

Her voice broke at the end, and tears started falling down her cheeks. That broke me too, and I started to cry along with her as we held onto each other. I could hear the sounds of tears from the audience, and I glanced to the side to see even Adagio was openly weeping.

“T-Then by Will, by Oath, and by Gift,” Adagio said through her tears, “I pronounce you both forever bound.” She sniffled and wiped at her eyes, “and as the humans say: you may kiss the bride!”

I pulled Aria into my arms, and our lips met with passion and fury. I melted against her as she threw the bouquet into the crowd, then looped her arms around my neck and shoulders to pull herself harder against me. My hands came to rest on her slender waist as we drank each other in, and for a moment there was nothing else in the world but the pair of us.

Our friends cheered, and Adagio was clapping gently beside us, and I could hear woops of happiness sounding off all around us.

But none of that mattered.

All that mattered was the woman in my arms.

My Moon and Song, my beloved Aria.

As we parted, I stared down in her eyes, and she smiled tearily up at me. Those enticing, cupids bow lips curved up into the happiest, most genuine smile I’d ever seen on her face. There wasn’t even a trace of her usual sarcasm and vitriol, just pure and unadulterated happiness.

“I love you, Red,” Aria sobbed.

“I love you, Ari’,” I cried back. “We made it!”

“Yeah, we did,” she laughed, then buried her face against my chest. “Honeymoon next, right?”

“Right,” I agreed as I hugged her tight.

“Good,” Aria snuggled against me in a surprising show of affection given we were still surrounded by people. “Because I already bought the gingham dress.”

It took a moment for me to remember what she was talking about, and when I did, I just started laughing.

“God damn it, Aria.”