Putting Her Dreams Aside

The sun rose on another beautiful Hearts and Hooves Day in Equestria. The weather was mostly clear in the majority of the country, and the only clouds in the sky were heart-shaped, something that the cloud factory in Cloudsdale did only once per year. Couples everywhere, whether together forever or having just met recently for the first time, were gearing up for a magical day of love, friendship, and whatever else they could think of. However, a large number of ponies were gearing up for an event in Cloudsdale that they had been anticipating for quite some time.

Soarin woke up upon sensing daylight in his bedroom. He and Rainbow Dash had opted to stay at their parents' respective houses last night, as they had agreed that they didn't want to see each other until the big moment arrived. As Soarin sat up and rubbed his eyes, a small amount of adrenaline rushed through his body as one certain thought came to the front of his brain. "Wow...Today's the day..." he thought to himself. He was right. Today was the day, the day he would cease being a single stallion for as long as he and his fiancée both shall live. True, they already lived together, as the stallion had just recently sold his cloud home, but actually living together while married was an entirely different story, but he was as eager as ever to get a start on chapter one as soon as he could.

Getting out of bed, Soarin went over to his closet and noticed his formal Wonderbolts suit, including his shirt, tie, and blue jacket. He knew that later that day, he would be wearing that exact outfit while standing next to Princess Celestia as he and Rainbow Dash exchanged their vows. The mere thought of doing so sent a small chill through his body. This was going to be the biggest day of both his and Rainbow's lives.

Rarity hung the seven dresses in a large portable wardrobe and closed it up, making sure there weren't any exposed spots that could potentially ruin their pristine beauty. Aside from Rainbow Dash's wedding dress, there were six bridesmaid dresses for her, her friends, and Spitfire. Instead of having her and the others wear matching sky blue dresses, she got a little creative and made each dress a different color, one for each color in Rainbow Dash's mane. Rarity herself would be wearing blue, Pinkie Pie would be wearing red, Applejack would be wearing orange, Spitfire would be wearing yellow, Twilight would be wearing purple, and Fluttershy would be wearing green, as green was definitely her color in certain forms. Each of the bridesmaid dresses were adorned with fabric accessories of various colors that were sewn on completely instead of hanging loose.

Rainbow had been a bit worried about telling Starlight that she wouldn't be a part of the bridal party, but the unicorn didn't mind one bit, much to the pegasus' relief. Starlight said that she would be just as happy sitting next to Sunburst amongst the others in the crowd.

Rarity was about to go upstairs and get a head start on her hair and makeup when she heard a knock on her front door. She quickly ran over to it and opened it, her smile widening upon seeing her soon-to-be-married pegasus friend. "Rainbow Dash!" she exclaimed, "You're here! Come!" she continued, pulling Rainbow inside and attempting to drag her over to the stairs, "We have so much to take care of before the wedding!"

"Whoa, whoa, hold your horses, Rarity," Rainbow said, pulling herself away from her friend's grasp, "We said we'd all take care of that once we got to Cloudsdale, remember?"

Rarity finally paused. "Oh, you're right," she said, her tone dying down, "I suppose I forgot about that because of how excited I am!" she finished in a higher tone with an excited bounce.

"Haha...I can tell. You got everything you guys need?"

"Oh, absolutely! Our six dresses came out perfectly! Here, take a look!" she said, opening the portable wardrobe with her magic. Rainbow gave a wide grin upon seeing what her bridesmaids would be wearing.

"Wow! Awesome!" the pegasus exclaimed. She then walked forward to get a closer look. "Looks like you kept it pretty simple this time," she continued, "But I like how you made them to match my mane! They look great!"

"Well, I couldn't just make six plain, old, matching dresses," Rarity replied, walking up beside Rainbow, "I simply had to get a little creative, so I decided to take advantage of the fact that you chose six bridesmaids and create something amazing!"

"Well, you've blown me away yet again, Rarity, just like you always do. Thank you."

"Oh, it was nothing, darling. It's always a pleasure to do what I can to make my friends look as beautiful as they can possibly be."

"I thought so. Anyway, I think we ought'a make our way to Cloudsdale. Whaddaya think?"

"Absolutely. I just have to make a quick stop at Twilight's castle so she can cast that cloud-walking spell on Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Starlight, and I."

"Alright! See 'ya there!" Rainbow finished as she turned around and began to leave the boutique.

"Ta-taaa!" Rarity responded as she reclosed the wardrobe and prepared to leave, as well.

The amount of activity at Cloudsdale Gardens was very high. Multiple pegasi, plus a few alicorns, were making last-minute checks to ensure that the decorations were exactly how Rainbow and Soarin wanted them. Twilight, having already cast the cloud-walking spell on at least twenty ponies, put herself in charge of making sure everypony was doing everything correctly. She was already wearing her purple bridesmaid dress, along with a circular crown of white daisies that had a golden lightning bolt, identical to the one on Rainbow Dash's cutie mark, on both the left and right sides. All the bridesmaids would be wearing an identical headpiece, and Rainbow Dash would be wearing one, as well.

While Twilight was busy with the business in the main garden, the rest of Rainbow's bridesmaids, along with Rainbow herself, were getting ready in one of the female dressing rooms. They had each agreed to style their hair the exact same way it was for the royal wedding, as they couldn't think of any other style that was more formal. Spitfire, on the other hoof, kept hers the way it was, for the most part. Rarity frequently checked to see if they were all doing theirs right, making absolutely sure that there wasn't a single split end or area of asymmetry to be seen.

"Uhh...Rarity?" Applejack said, looking a bit concerned, "Are 'ya sure you're okay with me wearin' orange? I mean, doesn't this look like it blends in with my fur too much?"

"Nonsense, darling," Rarity replied, "I think you look fabulous in that dress! Plus, you have red accents that match your cutie mark and hair bands!"

"But I ain't wearin' my hairbands."

"Well, that's true, but you have no reason to be concerned, Applejack," Rarity continued, pulling a mirror out from the corner and holding it in front of AJ, "I don't think Rainbow will have any objection to how you look right now." AJ looked at herself in the mirror and decided that Rarity was right. Everything from her dress to her mane seemed to work out.

As for Spitfire, she seemed unsure of her looks, something that Rarity took into account as she glanced over to the Wonderbolt captain and saw her frowning. "Spitfire," the fashionista said, walking over to the pegasus, "Is something wrong? You don't look happy."

"Oh, it's nothing, Rarity," Spitfire replied, her smile returning, "I'm just not used to wearing dresses. They don't usually agree with me, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, I definitely know what you mean, darling, but I think you look wonderful! That vibrant yellow dress and bright orange accents go with your fur and mane perfectly!"

Spitfire looked at herself in the mirror again, then back at Rarity. "I guess you're right, but still..."

"I understand, Spitfire," Rarity finished, laying a hoof on Spitfire's shoulder.

"Hey, Rarity?" Rainbow Dash said, standing behind the unicorn. Rarity turned around and found Rainbow Dash with her mane in it's usual style, albeit wrapped in two golden hairbands. "I think I'm ready."

"Splendid!" Rarity exclaimed, "Oh, I can't wait to see your complete look! Ahh!!!" she squealed while clapping her hooves together, "Let's head into the changing room, shall we?"

"Sure," Rainbow finished.

Soarin and his groomstallions were just finishing up getting dressed for the ceremony in the male dressing room. While Soarin was wearing his formal Wonderbolts suit, the others were wearing tuxedos with jackets that were the same shade of blue as Soarin's. Braeburn had foregone his hat and Big Mac had done the same with the plow attachment from his neck. They didn't need to do as much 'getting ready' as Rainbow and her bridesmaids, and most of them had already finished getting ready, aside from the earth ponies grooming their manes.

"So, Soarin," Thunderlane began, "Today's the big day. How do you feel?"

"Well, as you can probably tell, I'm really nervous," Soarin replied, "But I'm trying to keep myself happy as best I can."

"What's wrong, dude? Seriously, you can tell me what's on you're mind."

Soarin sighed. "Well, I've had my eyes on Dashie for a long time, and I always dreamed of this day, and I'm thrilled that it's finally here. However, I wish it could have happened under different circumstances. All I wanted to do was date her for a while and then pop the question when I felt the time was right, but I couldn't do that. I got her pregnant right after she achieved her lifelong dream, and at that point, I felt like I was obligated to ask her to marry me. I couldn't just be her coltfriend for a while and then knock her up and never see her again."

"I hear 'ya, Soarin," Thunderlane replied, "And I don't think you're the first stallion to go through this exact same scenario."

The Wonderbolt smiled. "I just hope this isn't happening to you when you finally pop the question on Cloudchaser," Soarin said, giving his best stallion a friendly nudge.

Thunderlane blushed as Soarin gave him a chuckle. "Yeah...we'll see about that..." the black pegasus said. He then noticed how the sleeves on Soarin's jacket were rolled up like they usually were while his and the others' were fully extended. "Here," Thunderlane continued, reaching a hoof over to Soarin's forelegs and unrolling his sleeves for him.

Once Thunderlane was finished, Soarin looked at his forelegs, then around to the others, who were officially ready to go at any time. He then looked back at Thunderlane and said, "Thanks." Only at that moment did Soarin feel fully ready for his wedding.

"Perfect!" Rarity exclaimed, making one last stitch on Rainbow's dress as she finished modifying the chest and belly to accommodate her pregnancy. Rainbow then looked at herself in the mirror. She was amazed at how she looked, but after several seconds, her smile slowly faded, and she lowered her head slightly. "Rainbow, are you okay?" Rarity asked.

"Rarity, I..." Rainbow replied, not sure of what to say, "...I don't know."

"What's wrong, darling? I'm really worried about you. You seemed the slightest bit nervous all day."

"Well, I was fine earlier, but now that I'm seeing myself fully dressed for my wedding, I feel like everything's happening too quickly. I mean, like, four months ago, I became a Wonderbolt, and then I got pregnant, and now this. I just...well...I'm not sure if I'm ready for this..."

"Rainbow, is that true?"

The pegasus sighed. "N-Not really. Now that I think about it, I think I'm either having minor mood swings because of me being pregnant or because it's my wedding day and I know that I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with Soarin."

"I know it's hard, darling, but you should look on the bright side. Think about how much fun you're going to have with Soarin throughout your marriage. Think about how you'll be able to fly with the Wonderbolts once again after your foals are born. Doesn't any of that make you happy?"

Rainbow looked in the mirror one more time, all while picturing what Rarity just said in her mind. After a while, she smiled again. "Yeah, Rarity, it does."

"I'm glad it does, Rainbow, and might I say I don't think you've ever looked this magnificent in your life."

Rainbow turned and gave her friend a hug. "Thanks, Rarity," the pegasus said, "I'm really lucky to have you as a friend."

"And I feel the same way about you, Rainbow Dash," Rarity replied, breaking the hug and bringing over Rainbow's crown of daisies with her magic and putting it on the pegasus' head, "So, ready for your big reveal?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, then. On my cue." Rarity then opened the door only wide enough for her to step out, and then she left the changing room. She closed the door and tapped the wall to get the other bridesmaids' attention. "Fillies and...well, fillies, may I present our stunning bride-to-be, Rainbow Dash!" She then opened the door with her magic, and then Rainbow walked forward, only to be met by wide-eyed and cheering mares.

"Rainbow, you look amazing!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I never thought I'd see you this beautiful!" Fluttershy said.

"YOU...LOOK...INCREDIBLE!!!!" Pinkie Pie shouted in-between short, energetic bounces.

"Hoo-wee!" Applejack began, "Rainbow, I think you look more beautiful than Rarity for once!"

"I beg your pardon!?" Rarity replied in a slightly displeased tone, her eyes narrowing slightly while her face sported a smile. Everypony else laughed. Rarity knew that her friend was only being playful, but she had to admit, Rainbow was gorgeous.

"Rainbow Dash, I gotta admit, you look better in this than you do in a flight suit," said Spitfire.

Rainbow was a bit surprised to hear her captain say that. "Really?" she asked.

"Yeah," Spitfire replied, "I mean, even though we're pretty athletic, we're still mares. We gotta look beautiful sometimes."

"Yeah, you're right," Rainbow finished.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door to the dressing room. Twilight went over to the door and opened it about an inch and a half. She quickly noticed it was her dragon assistant. "What is it, Spike?" she whispered.

"We're ready in the main garden. Are you?" the dragon replied.

Twilight turned her head around, seeing the rest of the bridal party looking at her and smiling. She then turned back to Spike and said, "Yes. We're ready, Spike. We'll be out in a minute, okay?"

"Okay!" Spike finished as the alicorn closed the door.

"Well," Twilight continued, turning around and looking directly at Rainbow, "This is it."

A small blush appeared on Rainbow's smiling face. It was time.