Sunset could feel herself starting to hyperventilate as she stared at the twin double doors in front of her. Her hands were shaking, gripping the armrests of her wheelchair with aching strength, and a very small part of her wanted to throw up.

Loudly.

“Octavia, Rarity?” Sunset said in a small voice, glancing up at the pair of beautifully dressed young women that were flanking her.

“Yes, darling?” Octavia replied with a wry smile.

“Are you sure you can’t like, break my legs or something instead?” Sunset asked tremulously. “I… I don’t know if I can do this.”

Rarity shook her head and shot Octavia a glance that said very clearly: ‘I told you this would happen.’

Octavia sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Sunset, dear, you’ve been waiting for this day for literal years,” she said firmly. “You are not backing out now because you got a case of cold feet.”

“I’m a cripple, my feet are always cold!” Sunset hissed back.

“Well, I’m certainly not letting you off the hook with this,” Rarity said as she moved between Sunset and the doors. “After all, I made each of these dresses by hand and I do so hate to have work go to waste.”

Rarity flourished her dress which was nearly identical to Octavia’s save for a few alterations to the color to be more of a match to their owners' complexions.

Both of their dresses were a shade of pale cream, but while Rarity’s had strings of small opals decorating them, Octavia’s had gray pearls, and the rest of Sunset’s retinue who were waiting on the other side of the doors at the far end from where she sat had similar accoutrement to their outfits.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Sunset practically sobbed, her arms and shoulders shaking. “I’m terrified! Why am I terrified!?”

Octavia sighed, then knelt beside Sunset and reached out, taking the redhead’s hands in hers and gripping them tightly.

“Because every time you’ve opened your heart to someone and let them close, they’ve hurt you, and what you’re doing now will let someone in closer than ever,” Octavia said simply, her sharp, mulberry eyes meeting Sunset’s sky-blue ones evenly. “You’re scared because the idea of that happening again is painful, but I promise you, here and now, that it won’t.”

This time Sunset really did let out a sob.

“How do you know?”

Smiling, Octavia raised her right hand where two beautiful rings lay interlocked into one another, one was silver set with a sapphire, the other was gold set with topaz.

“Well,” she said after a few seconds of knowing looks and silence, “I have done this a few times.”

Sunset let out a weak chuckle, but nodded and took a deep, shuddering breath.

“And, “ Octavia continued, “the only reason I’ve managed to do that is thanks to you, Sunset Shimmer,” Octavia stood, her left hand unconsciously caressing both rings. “And, really Shimmer, I understand getting nervous but don’t be so dramatic… you trust Gilda don’t you?”

“With my life!” Sunset snapped, then she forced herself to relax and shook her hands out nervously. “S-sorry, I mean… yeah… with my life.”

“Well, that’s what you’re doing here, isn’t it?” Rarity said with a smile, nodding towards the door and she stepped out of the way. “Besides, weren’t you six just out east fighting for your lives last month?”

“The warlock in Belgrade, yeah, and I’d take that over this kind of fear any day,” Sunset said with a wry chuckle, then shook her head in disbelief. “I’d never realised how dangerous a spellcasting rapper could be… even I can’t cast that fast.”

Octavia laughed along with Sunset and nodded. “He was an atrocious creature, though… I still haven’t let my dear Adagio live down the fact that she out-rapped him, I never knew she enjoyed that kind of music, oh the shame on her face.”

The laughter spread easily between the three of them, and Sunset could feel herself relaxing as she smiled up at the doors. It was almost time… and Octavia hadn’t been wrong, she’d been waiting for this moment for years.

And she’d been the one responsible for putting it off for so long, which had never been fair to Gilda.

Fear was something Sunset knew she had always struggled with; fear of inadequacy, fear of intimacy, fear of abandonment, fear of weakness, and of failure…

But letting that fear rule her life, and letting it impact her relationship with Gilda, was something she couldn’t allow any longer. Gilda deserved better than that, and… and so did she. It had taken Sunset a long time to be able to think like that, to be able to see herself as deserving the things people told her she deserved, and even longer to quit arguing with herself every time something good happened.

Sunset still had that nagging feeling every time something was going right that it would all fall apart, that sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop, but it was weaker now and it didn’t control her.

Not anymore.

“Now about this next part,” Rarity began, reaching behind her and picking up the length of wood from where it had been resting by the door and holding it up to Sunset. “You’re certain you want to try to do this?”

“Yes, Rares, we’ve gone over this a dozen times,” Sunset replied, rolling her eyes. “I am not doing this in my fucking chair.”

“Sunset, you know it’s not-” Octavia began, but Sunset silenced her with a glare.

“No, Tavi, I get what you’re saying and it’s not about… about being crippled,” Sunset said firmly before taking another deep, calming breath. “I’m doing this for me… to prove to myself that all the work I’ve been doing these past several years hasn’t been for nothing… to prove that I can make progress.”

“It’s been, what, six years since the accident?” Octavia said quietly, one hand coming to rest on the handle of Sunset’s chair. “The doctor said-”

“I know what he said and I don’t give a damn,” Sunset said stiffly. “Just… let’s do this, okay? If it goes wrong then… then at least I tried.”

Rarity and Octavia glanced between one another and shared a long-suffering smile. They had long since grown used to Sunset’s stubborn nature, something that not even being with the notoriously patient and phlegmatic Gilda for all this time had succeeded in tempering.

Gilda had her own streak of stubbornness, of course, but it was more like the stubborn nature of a mountain or a particularly obdurate boulder.

Sunset had momentum, while Gilda had inertia.

“Well, you’ll have someone to catch you even if things go wrong,” Octavia said finally, “now, I do believe we’ve kept our friends waiting for quite long enough, don’t you?”

Sunset grimaced but nodded as she settled the wedding veil over her face. “Okay… yeah, let’s do this before I throw up on my dress.”

‘Don’t you dare,” Rarity hissed in a deadly voice as she moved to open the doors as Octavia sent a text to Penny and Vinyl letting them know to start.

The moment the doors began to swing open a punk rock rendition of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March began to play throughout the small open plaza.

Warm, late spring sun shone down over the gathering of friends and family, found and otherwise, on either side of an aisle, and a fair breeze blew gently across them.

On the left-hand side of the aisle there was a small army of extremely rough-looking Marexican men and women, all of them beaming and looking extremely excited. At the furthest point from Sunset on the left but nearest to the aisle was Tempest Shadow and her wife, Summer Wind, and Tempest was already shamelessly bawling.

To the right was probably a strong third of Sunset and Gilda’s graduating class from Canterlot High, and Sunset couldn’t help but feel her heart swell at the sight.

From the heart of the crowd, Score was giving her a broad smile and two thumbs up.

After Score had graduated he’d gone on to become a physical therapist, and a damn good one, specifically to help Sunset as well as other people like her, and beside him were Hoops and Dumbbell looking equally pleased.

Off to the side was a sound system setup where Vinyl was manning the station next to Penny who was grinning back at Sunset while playing the March medley she’d put together for the occasion.

To the right of the altar was Adagio Dazzle, who was waiting for both her wife and Rarity to join her, while to the left of the altar was Aria Blaze, looking handsome in her fitted tuxedo, Applejack in her Sunday best, and Bar Hop in a pure white suit, his dark skin and darker tattoos standing out in contrast.

And at the head of the aisle, in front of the altar, was a sight that nearly stopped Sunset’s heart.

Gilda stood, tall and broad-shouldered, and her gold, hawkish eyes were misty as she stared down the aisle back at Sunset. She was wearing a sharply pressed suit, deep black with edgings of deep midnight blue, which had been tailor-made for her by Rarity. Her dark skin fairly glittered under the warm sunlight, and only the barest trembling of Gilda’s hands betrayed her emotions.

Her hair was still ragged, and she kept it short, though not as short as when they’d met, and the pair of them had learned long ago that no amount of product or effort would keep it tamed. The snow-pale strands drifted faintly in the wind and although Adagio had done her level best to give her a presentable appearance, Sunset thought at that moment that there was probably nothing to be done that would hide the fact that Gilda was just too much of a thug at heart.

And Sunset loved it.

A quiet, happy gasp escaped Sunset’s lips as tears filled her eyes and she lifted her hands to her cover her mouth. A small part of her was terrified that she was about to start crying, right then and there, because she knew that, if she did, then she wouldn’t stop for a good while.

“Stiff upper lip, darling,” Octavia whispered, settling a firm hand on Sunset’s shoulder and squeezing. “Now go get married, why don’t you?”

Sunset nodded rapidly, not trusting herself to speak, then she reached out a hand to Rarity and gestured.

Nodding, Rarity held out the length of wood for Sunset to take.

It was just under a meter and a half long with a tightly bound leather grip that Sunset closed her hand around, feeling the surety of the solid wood. The material itself was aged teak, dark and heavy, and down the length of it was spiraling Equestrian script that had intricate spellwork woven into it to lend a touch of strength and stability to the one holding it, making them difficult to move.

Octavia moved behind Sunset and pushed her forward until she was right at the beginning of the aisle. Then, with a deep breath, Sunset planted the short staff into the ground in front of her, shifted the legs of her chair, unlocking them and moving them to the side so her feet were resting against the ground, then Sunset levered her strength against length of teak and pushed.

With aching slowness, Sunset Shimmer stood up from her chair, the lion’s share of her weight held against the staff which was giving off a faint, hearth-ember glow. It hurt, and Sunset grit her teeth against the strain of the effort, but after a moment she was standing.

There was a simultaneous intake of breath from the crowd as they stared at her. Sunset stood tall and proud, her right hand gripping the staff, and her scarlet wedding dress, strung with beads of gleaming amber, was fluttering in the breeze. Her red and gold hair blew around her head like a corona of evening light and, for the first time in a long time, Sunset raised her veiled face and let her chin jut out with a bellicose grin on her face.

Then, without warning, there was deafening applause.

From all corners of the open air garden the crowd as clapping their hands, tears in their eyes and cheers on their lips, the loudest of which was coming from Fluttershy who was leaping up and down in her bridesmaid’s dress and whooping ecstatically.

Amidst the cheers and applause, Sunset felt an arm loop around the crook of her left elbow and she looked to the side to see her Aunt Celestia taking hold of her.

“If you don’t mind me giving you away,” Celestia said with a tearful smile.

“I’d like nothing better,” Sunset replied warmly.

The movement down the aisle was slow as the applause died down, with Sunset having to take small steps to avoid stumbling or tripping on her dress. Her legs didn’t quite move to her command, and both Score and Doctor Tourniquet had been honest that this was probably the most movement she would ever get out of them, but Sunset didn’t care.

Even if they were right, she had still done it.

She was standing under her own power, even if she did have to lean on a staff to manage it.

Then, as if she’d teleported, she was suddenly standing in front of Gilda, Celestia had left to take her seat beside her quietly crying sister, Luna, and Sunset’s heart was pounding a thousand beats a second, and her stomach was swimming with butterflies.

Her knees were practically knocking together and Sunset was fairly certain it had nothing to do with her spinal injury.

With infinite care, Gilda reached out and lifted the veil from Sunset’s face, revealing a teary face that was wearing a wide, deliriously happy smile.

“Hey there pretty lady,” Gilda said softly, and Sunset sniffled and laughed a little.

“Hey,” Sunset replied shyly, tears falling down her cheeks as she did.

A soft clearing of the throat came from beside them, and Sunset and Gilda both blushed as they looked over at the cloaked and hooded figure standing on the other side of the altar between holding a heavy book.

Princess Twilight Sparkle pulled the hood from her head, and she smiled at her two friends before settling the large book onto the altar.

“Mind if I start?” Twilight asked wryly, and Gilda chuckled but nodded.

Princess Twilight squared her shoulders and looked out past the happy couple and over the crowd before formally laying a hand on the tome which bore the image of the Elements of Harmony.

“Friends,” Twilight began, “family, and all those who stand today in witness of this blessed event, thank you for coming!”

A small cheer rose up from the crowd, and Gilda reached out to take Sunset’s free hand.

“I’ll keep this short and sweet since these two have written their own vows,” Twilight nodded to Gilda and Sunset, then extended both of her hands to them, one to each. Sunset transferred her staff to her other hand and took one and Gilda took the other, and Twilight smiled. “Unto the both of you, I invoke the grace of harmony, that you shall always be honest with one another, loyal to one another, kind to one another, share laughter with one another, be generous with one another…”

A faint, prismatic light seemed to fill the air, and everyone in the crowd could feel it, like a gentle presence had suffused the world, and Twilight’s hair began to shimmer and twist with crepuscular light.

“By this invocation, we are made known,” Twilight finished, “now, under the gaze of Harmony, please make your vows.”

Gilda took a deep breath as she let go of Twilight’s hand, turned to Sunset who swapped her staff back to her right hand, and opened her mouth. For a few moments, nothing came out and then Gilda made a small choking sound and swore under her breath.

“C-Crap… I swear I knew this,” Gilda said quietly and Sunset laughed softly.

“Go ahead, Gil,” Sunset said happily. “I made you wait for six years, I’ll wait all week if I have to.”

Gilda shook her head then took another breath and gripped Sunset’s free hand with both of hers and nodded, meeting her sky blue eyes and matching the redhead’s smile.

“Sunset Shimmer,” Gilda began, her voice thick with emotion, “you… you’re the most beautiful girl I ever met,” both women laughed softly as Gilda wiped at the corners of her eyes. “Before I met you I was kind of a mess, and not like you… you were a hot mess, I was just a regular one, savvy?”

Sunset, along with half the crowd, burst out laughing, and the bride-to-be leaned on her teak staff as she rode out the giggles while Gilda waited patiently.

“You brought out the fuckin’ best in me, babe,” Gilda continued, not even bothering the fight the tears that had begun trickling down her cheeks. “When I’m with you I feel better, I feel like I can be better… before I met you I didn’t have any friends, I was pushin’ away anyone who gave a damn about me, and hell… I wasn’t even really livin’ or breathin’, y’know?” Gilda took a deep breath and met Sunset’s eyes again. “But then I met you and suddenly I could breathe again, and that night when I was holdin’ you, after your nightmares… that was when I knew I was screwed, ‘cause when I was holdin’ you suddenly my whole world felt right again, and I knew I was never gonna let you go.”

Sunset let out a small, tearful gasp, but nodded, her own cheeks streaked with tears.

“So here’n now, I’m makin’ that promise again,” Gilda said firmly, breathing in deep and straightening out. “Sunset Shimmer, I’m never gonna stop lovin’ you, and I’m never gonna let you go, savvy?” Gilda reached out and laid a hand on Sunset’s cheek, and Sunset leaned against the warmth of Gilda’s broad hand. “I’m gonna love you forever, babe… now until the end’a time, it’ll be you’n me, sickness’n health, richer’r or poorer’r… magic or not, you’ll always have me.”

“That’s all I ever wanted,” Sunset whispered out in a choked voice.

Twilight gave Gilda a firm nod, her eyes practically swimming as she turned to Sunset and signaled for the redhead to give her own vows, and Sunset returned the nod before taking a deep breath of her own, trying to claim back some semblance of calm so she wouldn’t just break down mid-vow.

“Gilda Grimfeather,” Sunset began, “I am such a bitch.”

Peals of laughter sounded from the crowd and Gilda chuckled quietly.

“For six years I’ve tested your patience,” Sunset continued, gripping Gilda’s hands tightly. “For six years I’ve kept you waiting, you wonderful, beautiful woman… and you’ve waited faithfully for me for all that time,” Sunset’s fingers tightened around the grip of her staff, “and all because I refused to be the woman who couldn’t walk down the aisle to her wife on her own two legs… something that I know is selfish and that I know you wouldn’t have cared about, but I cared and I don’t think anyone else would have waited as long as you did for me to pull my head of my ass.”

“I’d wait forever if I had to, Sunshine,” Gilda said quietly as she smiled.

“I know,” Sunset replied with a small nod. “So that’s why you won’t have to wait for me ever again, Gil… I’m done making you wait, I’m done being scared because of things that have happened to me in the past,” Sunset took a shaky step forward, so she was leaning against Gilda’s broad chest and stared straight up into the dark-skinned woman’s shining golden eyes, “I’m safe with you, Gilda Grimfeather, and I always will be, and I know that, so I’m swearing to you, here and now, that I will always be by your side, I will always support you, and I will always, always love you.”

Gilda wrapped her arms around Sunset and she hugged her tightly.

“For as long as you’ll have me,” Sunset swore as she cried, “I will always be with you.”

Twilight swallowed thickly and held out both of her hands, settling them on the pair’s shoulders and gripping them firmly.

“So mote it be,” Twilight said in a raw voice. “I now pronounce you bound in soul, graced by Harmony, together in life and death alike unless willfully forsaken, may your souls be forever entwined.”

Then Twilight let out a slow breath, smiled, and nodded to the pair.

“Well?” Twilight asked wryly, “do I have to say it?”

“Yes,” Gilda and Sunset said giving Twilight a synchronized glare, and Twilight laughed.

“You may kiss the bride!”

Sunset’s staff clattered to the ground as she slung her arms around Gilda’s shoulders and Gilda pulled the young woman into a tight embrace. Their lips met with gentle ferocity, curving against one another with the familiar intimacy of two people who had been together for a long time, who knew one another well and yet still burned for each other.

With the ease of strength and years of practice, Gilda swept Sunset off of her feet and spun her around, their lips still pressed together, and all around them the crowd clapped and whooped with happiness.

Above them, the sun shone and all around them, the two orphans were surrounded by family as the world glistened with hope and heart.

There would be storms in the future, but not today.

Today the only tears were ones of happiness, and the only cries were of laughter.

Slowly, Gilda lowered Sunset to the ground and the two young women smiled up at one another.

“We did it, babe,” Sunset cried quietly. “We really did it!”

“Hell yeah we did,” Gilda agreed tearfully.

Gilda Grimfeather and Sunset Shimmer leaned against one another as the world turned around them, and for a time everything was quiet, everything was bright, and everything was good.

All things come and go, all things change.

All things but this.

For when the sun has gone out, all has gone dark, and all else has faded to nothing, three things shall remain.

Faith, Hope, and Love.

And the greatest of these is Love.

“I love you, Gilda Grimfeather,” Sunset said softly, as she leaned against the taller woman.

“Love you too, Sunflower,” Gilda replied as she buried her face in Sunset’s hair, taking in a deep breath of lilacs and cherries. “Now’n forever.”