Small, thick fingers delicately traced the edges of her dress, smoothing out any and all tiny imperfections in the satin fabric, trying to distract their owner so she wouldn't have the instinct to put them near her teeth. The once form-fitting gown now felt tight; suffocating even due to her nerves getting the better of her. Swallowing became a tad harder as Alphys waited in silent agony for the signature organ to start up. As much as she was lost in this pit of wired nerves, she was far from upset. Sure, she was a tad anxious, but when wasn't she? Well, that was a question she had asked herself all her life up until six months ago.

If Alphys had been one thing, it was self-conscious. Even if every other monster was built to be in different shapes and sizes, Alphys could never find self-satisfaction in any part of her. Her voice was too nasally, her back slouched, her color was just hideous, she was too plump, and so on and so forth. The list was pretty much endless, thanks in no small part to seemingly judgmental gazes of nearly everyone around her. As much as her few friends hand encouraged that it was all in her head, she always had this feeling that everyone she came across just knew her. Try as she might, no over-sized lab coat was going to make her countless imperfections disappear, so it seemed reasonable to think that she was better off if no one saw any of her at all.

That was until she began to date Undyne.

Undyne seemed to have this talent of making all of Alphys' perceived problems just disappear into thin air. She couldn't recall a single bad word about her to come from the fish's mouth, and it wasn't until a good year into the relationship that Alphys realized that she just had nothing bad to say. This in itself was astonishing, as even when she had lied to her, to everyone, she still came back because she genuinely cared about her. Whenever she called the flustered monster "funny" or "fantastic" or even "beautiful", she meant it, a revelation that shook the smaller monster to the core. Not only that, but she believed every single word of it. Adjectives such as "gorgeous" or "stunning" had never been associated with the dinosaur in her life, and yet Undyne stated it as if it was just basic facts. Alphys believed her when her partner doted her and told her how beautiful she was, only because she felt beautiful around Undyne. It made her realize that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with the woman that made her feel so loved and special.

At first, she had grown flustered at the idea, embarrassed that the idea had even come into her head. Surely someone as outgoing and boisterous as head of the Royal Guard wouldn't want to be tied down to the introverted scientist. No amount of anime ships or relationship advice sites could ever make her see otherwise. Of course, the guard herself had to take action first, popping the question in the tranquility of their home, as she knew Alphys would have liked. There was no hesitation in Alphys' response; no chewed fingertips or shaky knees. She felt a love she hadn't known could even exist, and she tearfully embraced her partner with a passion she hadn't experienced before. All these feelings stemmed from Undyne.

Back in the present, Alphys' breathing hitched when she heard the first strikes of the organ keys. This was her cue. She straightened up slightly, foldimg her hands neatly just as Asgore had instructed. Without much hesitation, she pushed past the old wooden doors and to a scene she had only thought she would witness in her silly fiction writings. The pews were delicately done up in stunning white decor and each row was stocked with friends and people she cared about, dressed in their dresses or suits that seemed like nothing in comparison to her gown. At the altar, with a warm expression across her otherwise perfect face, was Undyne, the woman she loved. Everyone simultaneously looked back at her, giving her gleaming and encouraging grins at the sight of Alphys. She had the instinct to look back at them through her veil just to see their encouraging smiles or the rare sight of Sans in a tuxedo, but her eyes were trained on the only monster that mattered to her at the moment.

Undyne watched the lizard begin to make her way down the aisle, decorated with soft petals thanks to Frisk. She never took her eyes off of Alphys, causing her to resist the urge to run to the altar and embrace the only monster she cared about right now. Undyne gazed at her in a way most women want to be looked at by the ones they love. Self-conscious thoughts of her pigeon-footed steps or a hunched back or scaled yellow complexion just seemed to disappear when she was being beheld by the woman who made her happy in life. No amount of makeup or pretty dresses could make her as beautiful as Undyne made her feel at that moment. She walked with a confidence that was near unheard of when it came to the small monster, because in this occasion, she felt a happiness that overwhelmed any shy feelings she had prior. Undyne herself was a sight to behold as well. Her hair was down in waves of crimson down her shoulders, and she wore a very black vest and slacks with a white dress shirt. She had even gotten a new eye patch and wore a nice yellow tie, carefully tucked into place in a manner that was so unlike her. Dresses had never been the guard's thing. Even so, Alphys still believed she looked nothing less than perfection.

Upon arriving at the altar, she eagerly joined hands with her soon-to-be spouse. As soon as the veil was flipped over her head to reveal her face, Undyne's usual calm smile crinkled slightly in a way that only appeared when she found something funny, as Alphys had come to recognize. It must be from the overly excited grin stretched across the lizard's face. As much as she felt a fool for being unable to control her expressions, she couldn't help it. It seemed as though Undyne couldn't wait either, as her strong hands gave the smaller pair an excited squeeze as she waited for the words to be over and done with so she could finally rip off that stuffy vest and suplex her lover as she ran down the aisle with her. As hopelessly romantic it wouldn't have been, she couldn't imagine it any other way. How many times had those arms carried her to bed when she had fallen asleep at her computer or had been wrapped around her during every late night anime binge? To be out of her arms was one place she didn't want to be.

It was around this time that Alphys noticed nearly half of the opening passages had already been read. While most women would want to savor these moments and pay attention to every word, she couldn't help but get lost in the way Undyne would occasionally mouth "I love you" to her, which always received an immediate mouthed response. It seemed that Undyne wasn't paying too much attention, either. With her focus so concentrated on the love held in just one eye, she couldn't even recall what the monster reading their vows looked like. Speaking of which, here it comes.

Undyne flashed those sharp fangs in exhilaration; she was first. Alphys could feel herself shaking as the words she never thought she'd hear were read to Undyne.

For better or for worse.

For richer or for poorer.

"I do."

Alphys could feel tears begin to bead her eyes. She could barely keep her emotions in check. She could feel Undyne's hands tense as she got ready for the finishing words.

In sickness and in health.

'Til death do us part.

"I do."

Her hands squeezed Undyne's, shaking slightly in relief and just sheer happiness.

"I now pronounce you two husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride."

Not a beat passed before Undyne pulled Alphys in a strong and passionate kiss. Cheers rang through the entire building before the two separated. Alphys couldn't stop the few joyful tears that escaped her as she embraced her new spouse with all the love and passion she could muster. Undyne grinned down at Alphys and promptly hoisted her up into her arms. The smaller monster gave a startled sound of surprise, which soon dissolved into a giggle and a snort.

"Next stop: the wedding cake!" Undyne declared, immediately bolting down the decorated aisle and out the doors. Alphys buried her face into her lover's vest, laughing at the exuberant antics she had grown to fall in love with. This was the woman she knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life with; the woman she loved more than anyone else and would gladly spend another lifetime in the Underground if it meant being with her for the rest of her life. She was the woman she knew to be nothing short of amazing, stunning, life-changing, and just down right beautiful.