On the eve of their wedding, the royal housekeepers filled Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s tubs with near-scalding hot water and scrubbed them head to hoof of all their dirt and and tangled knots until they glowed like gems. As per custom, neither pony was permitted to see each other until the Unveiling.
All the way in Canterlot’s Western Tower, Scootaloo snapped a gem-studded collar around Rainbow’s neck. At that instance, a ball of ice that has been sitting in her stomach ruptured into a thousand pieces. Cramps and pains suddenly plagued her every joint, and more than once did Rainbow flick a glance at the clear blue sky mocking her from the large picture window. It was times like these where she thanked the Fates for all those times she offered to model one of Rarity’s dresses for a pegasus client, for she might have been pawing at the walls by now otherwise.
“You almost done there, squirt?” she asked, trying her best to sound calm but instead coming off as a tad shrill.
Whether or not Scootaloo took notice, those laxed eyes of her’s have yet to betray her. “Almost, R.D. Just making a few more adjustments.” The young mare danced around Rainbow, making a series of final checkups. She tended to work in complete reticence, outside of her soft breathing.
Rainbow Dash stood before a mirror, looking at the strange mottley-haired pegasus wearing an ivory silk gown staring back. Scootaloo came into view every now and then, wearing her simple lilac gown, but disappeared almost as quickly, somehow spotting a crinkle in the gown or one of the lilyhearts decorating the brim of her veil that had gone askew. Oh Celestia I hope she doesn’t think of me as a big dweeb, she thought with her knees growing weak. Truth be told, the lilyhearts weren’t her idea, but Scootaloo’s, who argued that Applejack would be over the moon when she saw Rainbow walking down the aisle sporting her favorite flower.
A small, reserved part of Rainbow’s muddled thoughts knew this would be true, but the bulk of her imagination was running wild with every possible worst case scenario. She’s gonna see me and laugh. She’ll think I’m some sappy romantic and the princesses will start laughing too! And then my friends and my peers and the rest of Equestria will be laughing at Rainbow Dash: the goofiest Wonderbolt in the history of forever.
“Dash?”
Rainbow receded from her thoughts, suddenly realizing that Scootaloo was done making the finishing touches to her gown and was now staring with an expectant look in her eye. “Oh! Hehe, er, how do I look?”
Scootaloo stepped back, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. “I think you look like you’re about to be married to the luckiest pony in all of Equestria.”
“You think so?” Rainbow didn’t. This dress, it made her flank look wide and her belly pudged. She saw wings that were in dire need of a good preening and her mane just looked atrocious and lazy tied up in a loose braid. When she spoke, she made the effort to cover her crooked teeth, and only when she remembered they were there.
“You’re overreacting,” Scootaloo claimed as she wrapped a hoof around her mentor’s withers. “Dash, look, I know you’re nervous—”
“I’m not nervous,” she cut in, perhaps a bit too abruptly.
“Quiet. You are. And if you’re not, well, then you’re either the bravest pegasus I’ve ever met or just blowing hot air to sound tough in front of a pony that knows you better than you your own name.” She lifted Rainbow’s face with the tip of her wing. “Buck up. You’re one of the fittest ponies around. And besides, do you really think Applejack said ‘yes’ because she cared about your looks?”
Rainbow thought for a moment and tittered at the memory. She remembered the whole ordeal like it was yesterday, when the two princesses met their celestial bodies and Twilight soared through the air, discharging a blast of violet color across the sky just as the moon and sun touched. There, Rainbow held a trembling hoof out to Applejack, presenting her a little box with the gold ring nestled inside. It all went just as she planned, up until the time came to actually say the words, which she completely botched and let half of Equestria hear the squealing crack of Equestria’s Number One tripping over her own words.
And yet, Applejack did not laugh, nor did she jest later that day or later that year or ever.
“I guess you’re right, squirt.” Merriment burst from her lips. “Yeah, you could say that I’m just a teensy bit nervous right now. Thank the princesses you’re here, kid.”
“Don’t mention it. You’re like my big sister, R.D. We’re supposed to look out for each other and junk like that.” Scootaloo turned to clear the bureau of loose scraps of silk and ribbons.
Looking at herself once more, Rainbow failed to see anything wrong with her. The dress was just tight around the belly because she was too stubborn to let Rarity make that last double-check measurement. Her hair was for once gleaming like a proper rainbow as it swayed in the sunlight, and her teeth didn’t look that crooked.
“Just forget your worries,” Scootaloo said with that laid-back mentality she used to tackle every problem imaginable. She continued as she slipped her hoof into a lilac slipper and laced it up her hind leg, “Everypony is here today for you and A.J. Come on, a little smile won’t hurt’cha! I mean, you’re getting married for Celestia’s sake!”
The realization hit Rainbow Dash like a wall to the face. I’m getting married! “Bag! Scootaloo, hand me my bag!”
The mare never looked up from tying her lilac slippers as she reached for the bureau and tossed Rainbow a brown paper bag, crumpled from overuse. Rainbow ripped it open and breathed into it. And breathed. And breathed.
In the farthest of the Eastern Towers of Canterlot, Applejack looked disapprovingly at the groomed cowpony in the mirror, tracing the milk-white strap that ran across her belly. Her face pouted as she did the same from the other side. “I dunno, Apple Bloom.” She stood on her hind legs, frowning at the wavy lacing on her gown and how it moved the way it did. “Are ya sure I can’t do a tux?”
Apple Bloom gnawed on her chapped lip as she gave the dress a close examination. “Super sure,” she muttered.
“Hmph. Doesn’t really feel all that practical.” Apple Bloom seemed to have ignored her, or just failed to notice she was being spoken to as per usual when in “the zone.”
Trotting across the room in her little lilac dress, the young earth pony approached her sister with a can of perfume in her mouth. She wordlessly sprayed Applejack in a cloud that almost choked her with the spice of cinnamon apples. “Granny would’ve hogtied and served ya fer Hearth’s Warming Eve if she saw ya standin’ on that altar in a flippin’ tux,” she said as it cleared.
Applejack smiled a sad smile, and spoke as her hoof inattentively played with her ponytail. “Think she’d be proud?”
“Of course she would!” cried Apple Bloom, lifting and placing and lifting again the white stetson atop her sister’s head. A pure white it was, complete with the standard wedding veil held down by ruby-forged apple pins. “You remember what she said when you told us you finally had a special somepony?”
“How could I not?” she laughed, and together the two sisters said, “‘Well it’s about gall-darned time!’” Applejack kept laughing long after Apple Bloom stopped and was intent on fluffing up her forelock of golden hair. The merriment did not last, as the memory quickly brought only a pain in Applejack’s heart that caused her knees to hurt. “Gosh A.B., I miss Granny.”
“We all do, sis,” she said, softly. “But these things happen. And Granny swore that Grim Reaper would come for her any day now for almost six years.”
“You remember what she said when he finally did show up at our door?” asked Applejack, already snorting with laughter.
“Do I?” Smiling, the duo said in unison, “‘If you took any longer I’d be deader than you, Youngin’!’” Once more they were laughing, in near hysterics even; Apple Bloom had to turn away from Applejack twice because she was laughing so hard. They dared not bring up Granny’s ranting as Grim led her out of Sweet Apple Acres, in which she claimed to have known Grim’s great great grandfather and swore he was five-times the Reaper that Grim was.
But as soon as it ended, the younger Apple promptly reminded her sister, “I think Granny woulda whapped you with a wooden spoon if ya turned down Rainbow Dash. She’d probably fight her way out of the Afterlife single-hoofedly, if just t’ get one good whack in, right behind the ear.”
Applejack got phantom pains from the thought, but smiled happily all the same. “She would do that.”
“Without a doubt.” Apple Bloom reeled back, looking over her sister with a smirk of satisfaction. “Pretty good, if I do say so myself. I can make even you look good in a dress!”
Applejack deadpanned. “Har-har. Careful now, lil’ one. I’m still your older sister and employer.” A grunt in response. Glancing over she saw her sister was now applying blush to her cheeks.
She did not care that Apple Bloom was only half-listening nowadays, with the other half forever lost in the clouds. Most of the time, if it didn’t concern her or her interests, Apple Bloom would only nod and smile but add little more to the conversation, such as right now. “So ya know what you’re gonna do for the Exchange?” she randomly asked, tying up the laces to her hoofwear without ever looking away from the ground.
The Exchange. “I know what I’m doin’.” Applejack’s heart skipped a beat or two at the thought of it. When just a filly, she never thought she’d actually get excited over the prospect of such an odd tradition. Sharing an intimate gift with your other half on the altar, like a song or act, or simply just a few heartfelt words after the swapping of Marks to “bind their souls into one” just didn’t thrill her like it did the other fillies. But ever since she and Rainbow found each other, which is ironic considering Rainbow is the last pony that should invoke such feelings, a grand wedding in Canterlot appealed to her like the idea of a pot of gold.
“Any idea what Rainbow Dash’s gonna do?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Apple Bloom. She really wanted to do a sonic rainboom, but the princesses said it wouldn’t be appropriate to leave the mosque during the Exchange, regardless of the intention. So who knows what she’s gonna do?”
“Whatever it is, watch as Rainbow completely botches it.”
Applejack knew from the crooked smile she was flashing her way that Apple Bloom was messing around, trying to get a reaction out of her. But she felt the need to address her doubts all the same. “I’d love that more than all of the sonic rainbooms she’d do in a lifetime.”
Apple Bloom, who was fixated on tying the end of her braid with her old pink bow, looked up from her work with a quirked brow. “And why in Equestria would ya love that?”
“Because . . .” Applejack sat down, removing her hat and placing it over her heart, “. . . because it’d be Rainbow Dash being Rainbow Dash.” She blushed at Apple Bloom’s rolling eyes as she turned away to resume fixing her braid. “Besides,” she continued, rising, “I think my Exchange will go down in history, for better or for worse.”
“It’s still my idea,” Apple Bloom sang to her bureau mirror.
Applejack tittered. “I had that idea long before you were born, baby sister.” She rose a hoof to fluff her wavy forelock of mane, turning to look herself in the mirror as she did so. She stared long and deep into her own pools of green. This’ll be great, she told herself. This’ll all be great. But as the seconds ticked by, the longer she looked at herself the more her smile faded and ears wilted. “This is it, isn’t it?” she muttered.
Apple Bloom stepped beside her sister and wrapped her in a one-legged hug. “You bet yer keister it is.”
“Apple Bloom, if I’ll be honest with you, and myself . . .” She hesitated. Almost immediately her younger sibling urged her on with a reassuring squeeze around the withers. “I . . . I’m nervous about the future, Apple Bloom. Now don’t think fer a second that I don’t trust Rainbow Dash. I love her to pieces, you know that. But . . . what about the path before us? Where do I see us in ten years? What if—” her eyes widened and her voice quivered, “—what if it doesn’t work out? What if I muck it up? What if I muck it up but she thinks she mucked it up?”
Apple Bloom stepped before her sister, staring down all the fears and doubts with her glimmering gold-and-red eyes. “Now don’t think that for a second, A.J. Ya hear me? You two are perfect for each other, ya know that? Yes,” she placed a hoof on Applejack’s sleeved shoulder, “there’s grimy parts in every relationship. But a strong one, like the one you and Rainbow share, can only clean the grime and make that spot sparkle as you tackle each problem t’gether.”
The young pony suddenly found herself locked in a tight embrace with her sister, and the scent of cinnamon apples radiating from her soft ringlets of hair was stronger than ever. “Thanks, sis. Dunno what I’d do without ya.”
Apple Bloom rubbed her sisters back and nuzzled into her shoulder. “Probably go plum crazy with nothin’ to do.” When they pulled away, a clamorous song rang across Canterlot; only silver, they knew, could pitch such a harmony, and one that was loud enough to be heard all throughout Canterlot could only be made by the Twin Great Bells, located at the apex of the Wedding Hall.
“Wedding bells.” Apple Bloom smiled, turning towards her sister whose face was like that of curdled milk. “C’mon, sis. Destiny’s a-waitin’.”
Ten years rolled by, but the Wedding Hall looked no different than it did the day Princess Cadence and Shining Armor were married. The same could be said for Canterlot, as the glassless windows all around gave ample view of Equestria’s capital. In fact, the whole scene, from the grand faded-gold ribbons waving from the ceiling to the hall filled with what is likely half of Equestria, looked as though the Fates got lazy and just recycled the same wedding from ten years ago. Even the bridesmaids bore a striking resemblance to the ones of the Royal Wedding, as on the steps below Rainbow stood Scootaloo, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. They wanted to talk with her, Rainbow knew. Especially Pinkie, who looked ready to burst into song right on the spot.
However, looking around, Rainbow Dash noticed just a few minor differences. A section upfront on the leftern-most row of ponies was entirely full of changelings, with Queen Chrysalis in tattered greens and blacks seated at the head could be considered a small change. Looking at her still gave Dash shivers; if she knew what irony meant, she’d likely be in hysterics right about now. On the opposite side of the hall sat Rainbow’s Wonderbolt team, all whispering words of encouragement she could not hear or resisting the urge to holler for their captain. She knew they wouldn’t embarrass her; Fleetfoot was there, as second in command and second best friend, keeping them in line with one hell of a stink eye.
Looking beyond the ocean of ponies were tapestries on either side of the door from which the bride would enter, each bearing either the symbol of an apple trio on an orange field or a cloud with a colored lightning bolt on a cyan field.
Of the four princesses gathered at the altar, Princess Twilight stood on the rightmost side, beside Celestia, just mere feet away from Rainbow. Flanking her was her apprentice Sunset Shimmer and Spike, who has grown so rapidly over the years so that when he stood on his hind legs like he did right now, he was a head taller than his best friend and boss. Both accomplices looked dutiful, well-dressed for the occasion, with Sunset in rust-colored silk emblazoned with a rising sun and Spike wearing a tuxedo jacket. The tired wrinkles that began to form under Twilight’s eyes failed in blemishing her regality, and she smiled as broadly as ever when Rainbow looked her way.
Princess Celestia stood on the highest step, wings spread and appearing as magnificent as she ever did in a glittering gold-silk dress sewn by only the finest of Equestria’s tailors. The darker sister stood on her left, looking just about as grim as you could imagine. Her look was only amplified when she wore purples and blacks for special occasions such as this. And finally there was Princess Cadance, assuming her role as the officiate for the wedding, as per expected by the Alicorn Princess of Love. Her husband and acting Crystal Guard captain, Shining Armor, stood behind her, still as a sentry alongside the aptly named Flash Sentry, one of the few non-crystal ponies in the Guard.
The mutterings amidst the gatherings were silenced when the hall’s massive doors swung open. Rainbow saw the princesses all raise their heads and flare their wings open, and as if this had been practiced a hundred times over, the entire crowd behind Rainbow shifted as one, turning towards the door. Her stomach turned at the sound.
Pinkie couldn’t contain her excitement any longer; she got up on her hind legs and cupped her hooves around her mouth, screaming, “Yeah Applejack! WOO!”
Oh my gosh this is it. Rainbow turned. From the threshold and down the red carpet she marched, with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Rarity in tow all dressed in lilac. Whether she was nervous or not, Rainbow couldn’t tell beyond the veil that covered her face. Oh my gosh oh my gosh. Rainbow’s knees ached; she swallowed and exhaled like a fish out of water, trying her best to drown out that fateful wedding hymn with the catchy Wonderbolts Theme.
Rainbow swore she was going to scream when the music got louder, and felt that familiar sensation building up in her eyes. No! I’m not crying! You’re Rainbow ‘Daring’ Dash! What would your team think? They would—
Rainbow’s ears wilted: as she ran yet another ludicrous scenario in her mind, looking at her team she saw nearly the entirety of it wiping tears from their eyes. They were proud of their captain, and all that did for Rainbow was make her feel like a fool.
Suddenly she felt something brush up against her cheek. It was soft and warm, and emitted the quiet hum of a levitation spell as it dabbed away her tears before they shed. Rainbow knew better than to turn around, away from the bride, but that didn’t stop her from stealing just a quick little peak. She saw it: the hankie encased in a soft magenta glow pull away from sight. Thanks Twilight.
The music swelled at last, a moment Rainbow thought wouldn’t come sooner. Applejack stood at the top step, looking at her wife-to-be through a meshy wedding veil. The music died down and the audience took their seats.
Princess Cadance stepped forward, her crystal crown bathing the two ponies in prismatic light, and she spoke in her loud, beautiful voice, “Friends, we have gathered here today, from the farthest corners of Equestria, to witness the binding of two Elements for which we strive every day to perfect. Loyalty, Honesty, will today be joined as one; one heart, one spirit, from now until the end of their natural born days, forever and ever. If there are any who do not believe these two should be joined in matrimony, please, under the light of the princesses and with the Fates as your witness, speak now.” She waited three seconds for any objections before proceeding. “Very well. And now, my little ponies, the Unveiling.”
Rainbow swallowed a rock in her throat. She took a small step forward, Applejack did the same.
Rainbow made an effort to lift her hoof and weakly raise the veil like it were carved out of stone. When it fell over her white stetson, Applejack and Rainbow cast loving smiles at one another’s prism-lit faces. A hearty blush glowed beneath Applejack’s freckles, and she smiled softly. Her delicate curls were like gold in Cadance’s rainbow light.
The Unveiling was a cruel joke in Rainbow’s mind. They forbade her from seeing her bride-to-be for an entire day, and then they finally unshackle her when she has to lift the veil in front of everypony, look into her eyes for several, agonizing seconds and then try her best not to cry.
And surprise surprise, holding it back was really hard, and Rainbow let out a choking sob that resonated throughout the hall. Several ponies in the audience, her friends included, aww’d and murmured for her sympathy, but that just made it worse. Thankfully the waterworks didn’t go anywhere beyond that; she forced down any future sobs and allowed Princess Twilight to wipe down her face once again.
Of all the craziness going on in her head, the one thing that stood out in Rainbow’s mind was how Applejack was faring. Was she just as nervous? Did her chest explode at the sight of her bride-to-be like Rainbow’s? There was no telling with the crimson adorning her face and her glossy eyes, Rainbow knew. None at all.
Cadance spoke once more, smiling down on the two of them, and suddenly Rainbow was wondering how she felt about all this. “Applejack, Rainbow Dash, it is time to swap Marks.”
With his head held high, Spike walked around behind Twilight, behind Sunset and towards Rainbow. He stopped before Cadance, in between the brides and bowed, presenting them a small velvet pillow clutched in his hands. Two pins rested on it: one a little red apple, the other a thundercloud discharging a rainbow-colored lightningbolt. The ponies reached for their respective marks.
When Spike bowed again and returned to his place beside Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack took another step closer. Rainbow pinned her cutie mark to the brim of Applejack’s stetson. The cowpony stuck the apple on the strap crossing over her lover’s shoulder. Rainbow could see Rarity weeping quietly from the corner of her eye.
Cadance bowed her head to the couple, and the other princesses followed suit. “Love is a powerful thing,” she continued, “but it’s also very priceless. If broken, it can be hard to mend. Do you, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, vow to love each other and care for one another, through thick and thin, through good times and bad, until the end of your days, forever and ever?”
“We do,” they said as one.
Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, suddenly looking bound and determined. When she spoke, she sounded more like a princess and not the goofy bookworm that moved to Ponyville all those years ago. “Love is born from friendship. Friends are the most important things of your lives, and losing them is just a faster way to lose yourself. Do you, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, vow to cherish one another’s friendship and the friends of others, through thick and thin, through good times and bad, until the end of your days, forever and ever?”
“We do.” Now it was Luna’s turn. Looking just as stern as Twilight but, oddly enough, there was a humor in her eye that gave Rainbow the impression that this was Twilight’s first wedding. Laid it on there a little thick, Twilight.
“The sun lowers, and the moon rises. Darkness comes, and evil things are borne in such. By night, there is evil that could threaten your lives. Do you, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, vow to protect one another from such evil, through thick and thin, through good times and bad, until the end of your days, forever and ever?”
“We do.”
Finally, it was Princess Celestia[s turn to speak. Her wings flared high, her head rose, and the sunlight glaring in from the window behind her dominated Cadance’s rainbow light and bathed the two ponies in a resplendent glow. “With the sun comes health, prosperity, and all that which life flourishes in.” As she spoke, the light slowly died and the prismatic glow from Cadance’s crown returned. “Do you, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, vow to preserve one another’s happiness and nurture each other’s good health under my light, through thick and thin, through good times and bad, until the end of your days, forever and ever?”
“We do.” Suddenly Rainbow Dash found her foreleg locked with Applejack’s. When her other half noticed this, she flashed her that cocky smile of her’s that said, “You really couldn’t resist, could ya?” Rainbow couldn’t think of anything to say or do besides smile dumbly.
With the vows sworn and sealed under the Light of the Princess, Celestia folded her wings and the other princesses followed suit. Cadance’s horn flickered a mild pink warmth and she tapped it gently on Rainbow’s head, then Applejack’s. Suddenly their bodies felt tingly, but the feeling dissipated as quickly as it came to be replaced with an intense beating in their bosoms. Rainbow was immediately overcome with the urge to just yank Applejack in and plant her lips with a long, warm kiss. But she knew it wasn’t time yet. This was just a charm cast by the Love Princess to “get their hearts pumping.”
“And now,” Cadance said, “the Exchange commences. Who would like to go first?”
“I . . . I would like to, Your Highness.” Rainbow’s voice came cracked, which she promptly remedied with a cough into her hoof.
Cadance gave a dainty bow of her head. “Very well, Rainbow Dash. Proceed.”
Rainbow looked into Applejack’s eyes. Already she felt her face growing hot. The whole world was holding its breath, she knew; it was leaning in like an expectant little filly, waiting for Rainbow to make a big blunder of her Exchange. Stupid wedding rules not letting me do a sonic rainboom . . . I knew I should’ve taken up those poetry lessons, but nooo! I had to be stubborn and say that stuff was for Twilights and losers.
After a drawn silence, when she finally found the words to speak, she managed to talk with total clarity. “Applejack . . . I know that I’m not the brightest pony around, nor am I the most at-ten-tive—” thanks a ton for that one, Twilight, “—or the most responsible, but I promise I’ll do my best to become a better pony. And I’ll care about you and I’ll listen to your problems and take care of your family like it was mine. All that stuff. I . . . I’d walk Equestria and back for you Applejack. I just want you to know that.” By the time she finished, Rainbow’s face was like magma, red and glowing. But so was Applejack’s, and her eyes were welled and more than a few d’aaws echoed throughout the audience.
Now it was Applejack’s time to Exchange, and then their souls will be bound as one.
She didn’t say anything right away, and immediately Rainbow feared her amazing Exchange touched Applejack in such a way the she could not speak. But then she saw Big Mac emerge from the frontmost section of the assembly, preserved for the families. The bulk of it was Apple Family, and a few of them were already whistling and howling as Macintosh carried over a covered something to the altar. He marched up the steps beside Applejack’s bridesmaids and stopped at his youngest sister.
Apple Bloom removed the item from her brother’s back and he retreated back to where the Apple Family sat. Several uncles and cousins were patting Big Macintosh on the back or roughing up his hair, which only served to fuel the audience’s curiosity even further. They were all looking expectantly at the Apples, some curious and a few others confused and whispering with the closest pony. Even Luna and her fellow princesses looked puzzled, save for Celestia, who bore a tiny smirk.
Apple Bloom handed her sister the covered something, and the two exchanged a quiet thanks before returning to their places. Applejack held it up between her and Rainbow, letting its scent be known and allowing Rainbow to realize what it was before she removed the covering: it was a warm apple pie, likely cooked by the Apple Family’s finest bakers not too long ago. Her mouth watered at the reveal of its golden crust and burst of aroma held underneath the checkered blanket.
“Rainbow Dash?” came Applejack’s voice, soft and lovingly.
Rainbow looked up and stared deep into her eyes. “Yes, Applejack?”
Not a second passed before Rainbow found herself stumbling back and groaning as she wiped away chunks of sweet and gooey pie from her face. The room erupted in laughter, though the Apple Family was the loudest most discernable of the bunch, whooping and cheering from where they sat like a band of raucous high schoolers. Ponies roared and changelings hissed merrily while Rainbow scooped up a glob from the floor and hurled it at Applejack, nailing her in the cheek as she tried batting it away, laughing.
Rainbow got to see the princesses’ reactions for barely a second before Applejack leaped towards her and smothered a hooffull of pie in her face; Cadance was chuckling, still standing over them. The two sisters were laughing in their eyes, but no sound passed their broad smiles. Twilight was cracking up, as one would expect, threatening to fall over on the spot had it not been for Spike crouched over beside her, still as placid as he was before. Even Sunset Shimmer was joining in, giggling into her hoof but she blushed and went silent when she saw Flash Sentry looking in her direction as he shared a laugh with Shining Armor.
When the hysterics died down, Rainbow and Applejack were looking into each other’s eyes once more. They screamed of want, of a yearning to hold each other close until the sun went down, but both knew nothing could be done until Cadance decreed that “their hearts beat as one.”
“You have both made an Exchange,” she said. “In the light of the Four Princesses and the Canterlot Royal Court, you have each shared a piece of your souls, so that your heart may forever now beat as one. Are there any final words you wish to speak?”
“No ma’am!” said Rainbow.
Applejack paused, not of hesitation but to swallow the boulder-sized lump in her throat. “No, Your Grace. I’ve got nothin’ more to say.”
Cadance bowed her head, flashing her radiant smile as her horn shone in similar resplendency. “Very well! Applejack and Rainbow Dash, by the power invested in me, the Alicorn Princess of Love, we the Four and the Fates above, I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza of the Crystal Empire, declare your souls bound as one. May your hearts beat as one, forever more, until the end of your days. And now you may kiss, and meld your lives into one, once and for all.”
Rainbow flew into Applejack’s open forelegs, the warmth of one another’s breath felt only for a second before their lips touched. One did it hard, the other returned soft, then swapped. They breathed all the love they had for each other into that kiss, soft yet hard, cool but at the same time fiery. Just a span of three seconds felt like the rest of their lives, and they would’ve been okay with that.
When they pulled away, reality came flooding back, and the hall before them gave hollering ovations for their marriage. Their bridesmaids gave pats on the back or planted kisses on the couple’s hooves as they walked down the steps together.
Author's Note
Me when writing this thing:
So...yeah. This kinda came out of left field. Yep. A sappy AppleDash story. Fun Fact: I'm not an enormous fan of this ship! So why'd I do it? Because the two of them are easy to write, and I liked the feel of the wedding reception during my planning stages more with this pairing than any other.
So yeah. My first (real) and only shot at Romance. I'm really sorry if this didn't turn out so well; I only really wrote this for my bucket list of this site, so there ya go. Feel free to hate me for this lol.
-Apex
P.S. If I didn't die of embarrassment and mustered up my dignity and reappear on this site, there may be a 'Reception' bonus chapter in the future. Heck, I've already got the thing half-written.
