"OW! Rarity, that hurts!" Rainbow exclaimed, cursing herself for agreeing to this.
"Then stop moving darling." Rarity said sternly, making Rainbow Dash scowl slightly. "I mean really, you want this to be perfect, don't you?"
Rainbow's expression softened into a slight frown. "I mean, yeah, but still.." She looked in the large mirror, not sure how to feel about the reflection. She was standing all dressed in white, in soft fabric that was taking shape into a beautiful dress. "You know I'm not good with dresses..."
"Darling, you want to look good for your stallion, right?"
"I do! But he never complained before, I don't see why I can't just show up in my uniform."
There were so many conflicting emotions going through Rainbow. She had never really been that comfortable in dresses. She had worn them from time to time of course, but she had never really understood the charm or beauty of them. Still, when she looked in the mirror, seeing the dress being fitted out for her, even she could see the appeal. Of course, right now it was just the dress, her mane was not set up yet, she didn't wear a veil or the shoes Rarity had picked out for her, but she could imagine herself, and it made her heart flutter.
Rarity scoffed. "Would you want Pax to show up in his uniform?"
Rainbow thought about it, Pax looked good in his uniform, and it made his wings stand out. Though it was not a Wonderbolt uniform, he still managed to pull it off quite well. "I don't know, don't you think he will show up in one, maybe a ceremonial uniform?"
"Oh dear..." Rarity sighed and shook her head, letting out a sigh. "Of course he won't, his suit has already been made. He has really splurged to make himself look good for you."
Blushing, Rainbow bit her lips imagining Pax in a suit. "Well, uhm.. Did... Did he look good?"
Rarity giggled. "I think you will be quite pleased, but I won't spoil the surprise for you. All I am saying is that he wants to look his best for you, I think it is only fair you do the same."
Rainbow looked at herself in the mirror again, imagining standing next to Pax, her in white, him in black. The image made her heart race, and she placed a hoof over it, still not fully understanding this was happening. She had never thought she would get married, or any stallion would ever have the courage to propose to her.
"I guess... No... I... I want to look good for him as well.." She finally answered, embarrassed.
Rarity smiled satisfied. "That's the spirit darling, now, let us get this over with so we can move on. Just think about something else, where is the groom anyway, is he on duty?"
Rainbow snorted, amused. "After the bachelor party he had yesterday? I doubt it, I imagine he is still licking his wounds back home." She grinned. "I heard they made quite a mess."
Rarity giggled. "I still think we made more of a mess, or at least, you and Pinkie did."
"Well, it was a party after all!" Rainbow grinned, then felt herself relax more.
It was then that the door went up, and in came running three little fillies, also known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They all stopped as soon as they saw Rainbow Dash in her dress. Scootaloo's mouth hung open in pure shock. "You look amazing!" She exclaimed, and squealed.
The other two nodded in agreement, making Rainbow Dash blush. She was not really used to that sort of attention, sure whenever she did amazing and cool stunts she was all about the attention. This however, this was an entirely new form of attention, they didn't look at her as the awesome daredevil of a super cool mare. They looked at her like a beautiful mature mare ready to tie herself to the love of her life.
It made her feel strange, like she had a thousand butterflies in her stomach. On one hoof it felt amazing and exciting, and on the other it made her feel all the more nervous. Rarity seemed to sense her nervousness and calmly placed a hoof on her friend's shoulder.
"Relax darling, Pax fell in love with the loyal daredevil of a mare. Just be yourself."
Rainbow had half expected Rarity to tell her to act like a lady, behave, and for the love of Celestia, keep the dress spotless. Of course, she knew she couldn't be all wild, it was not just her big day, it was a big day for Pax, and maybe most of all, Scootaloo.
She stood there, looking up at Rainbow Dash with excitement in her eyes. Tomorrow she would no longer be an orphan, but her and Pax's daughter. With them getting married the orphanage was more confident of them adopting Scootaloo. The orphanage wanted her to go into a stable home, which was understandable enough.
Scootaloo needed a stable home, and neither Rainbow or Pax could give her that as single parents. With Rainbow being a Wonderbolt and Pax being a police officer, it would be hard to make it go around if they were alone with her. But now, after tomorrow, they would be able to have a stable family, and Scootaloo would officially be their daughter, and Rainbow, her mother.
She loved Pax, she loved Scootaloo, there were no buts about it, she was simply nervous about all of this new responsibility. Could she really handle it all? She'd like to think she could handle anything in the world, but she had no experience being a mother, let alone a wife of someone.
Still, her heart was willing, she wanted this, wanted to be with Pax for the rest of her life. Rainbow wanted to give Scootaloo a home, a loving family, someone to tuck her in at night and tell her everything is going to be okay. She deserved that, heck, they all deserved some happiness in their lives.
"Ow!"
"Sorry!"
The house was quiet, except for the small snoring coming from the living room. Pax Light, a Pegasus stallion, laid on the sofa and was half asleep. He was tired, he had a small migraine, which had been worse just a few hours ago.
Pax was a blue Pegasus with a slightly darker blue mane and tail, nothing that really stood out really. On his flanks was a cutie mark of a golden shield with silver wings on each side, something you would expect of a royal guard mostly.
He was tired, the night before he had been out with the guys, partying, drinking heavily, going to bars and clubs, everything he had seen on the other side as a police officer, now he had been part of that crowd and he was feeling horrible. Not because he had been part of them, but because he had been drinking a lot, partying a lot, enjoying his last day as a free stallion.
Pax was not even sure how he got home last night, he certainly didn't fly, and he was pretty sure by the end of the night he could hardly walk straight. He imagined Big Mac had been the one getting him home, he was Rainbow's friend's older brother, someone he had gotten to know during his time in Ponyville. They had become friends pretty quickly and now he was going to be his best man at the wedding.
Pax was thankfully off duty today, and for the next few weeks, so he had plenty of time to recover for tomorrow. Rainbow was staying with Applejack for tonight, so other than a kiss and an affectionate nuzzle this morning, he would not be seeing her before tomorrow at the wedding.
The same went for Scootaloo, she would be spending the night at Sweet Apple Acres as well, having a slumber party with her friends, having their own little party as soon enough she would be adopted and have a new family. Pax wanted to be a good father, he had seen Scootaloo at her lowest point, had the chance to make her life hell when he met her the first time. As a cop, he was sworn to uphold the law, but also to think outside the box and to try to find the best solution. For Scootaloo it meant a stern talking to, and a warning.
It was only soon after Pax would meet Rainbow again, it was their second meeting, she was playing with Scootaloo, or training, as they called it. Scootaloo had called Pax something, and to Pax's surprise, Rainbow scolded her. It was not something he had counted on, especially not with how their first meeting went.
Of course their relationships grew after that, little by little, until he and Rainbow finally got together, and he got closer to Scootaloo. Scoots was acting out, given she was an orphan and she was dealing with her wing condition, she had a lot to prove. It took some time, but he, along with Dashie, were able to find that sweet inner filly they knew she could be.
Her friends, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom, had a lot to do with it too. Still, both he and Rainbow knew what she really needed was a family, and so, they decided to adopt her. But with them not living together, and them not being married it meant the officials were afraid she would be in an unstable home where one of them could just leave.
Pax understood and so did Rainbow. Thankfully, Pax at that point had already decided to propose to Rainbow, that was a day he wouldn't soon forget, somehow still feeling all nervous about thinking back to it now. He had managed to propose to her in front of all of Cloudsdale, something caught on the cloud cam, a moment of triumph for them both, despite the punches he got from her in embarrassment/happiness.
Finally, he fully awoke, he was still tired, but didn't want to sleep anymore. His throat was a bit dry, no shocker there, he hadn't been drinking anything all day. Finally though, he made his way to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water, he had barely got the glass to his lips when a sudden knocking at the front door interrupted him.
"Nooooo, not now," he groaned, letting out a deep sigh and was about to take a sip again. The knocking continued, much his annoyance. "Alright, alright, I'm coming.."
Going to the door, Pax cursed himself for not sleeping up in his bed, but then again, he had just pretty much been laying there ever since he was put there by Big Mac, who was the one at the door.
"Howdy, how ya feelin'?" He asked in his deep voice.
The sunlight annoyed Pax, so did the birds in the sky, so did living. "I feel terrible, I guess that means it was a fun party?"
Big Mac smiled. "Eeyup."
Pax grinned a little. "That's something at least, come on in." The two stallions walked inside the house Pax and Rainbow had gotten together, and the two made their way to the kitchen. "Some coffee?"
"Eeyup."
Pax got to work, but glanced back at Big Mac once or twice. "How come you don't have a hangover?" Pax asked, turning around to face the accused. "Do you apples have some sort of clan secret or something to avoid the hangover or something?"
Big Mac simply chuckled. "You should come to one of my family get together, then we can talk about hangovers."
"Ergh, no thanks, I'm good.." Pax replied and shuddered. Once the coffee was ready, he placed the mugs on the table and joined Macintosh. "So, shall we go through tomorrow then?"
"Eeyup."
"By the way, thank you again for letting us use your barn for the party, we really appreciate it."
"Eeyup," Mac replied again and took a sip of his coffee. "Least we could do fer ya."
They started talking about the wedding, Big Mac's family had really done an amazing job, providing everything from the food to the drinks, and of course on the family friend discount. Pax hadn't turned to his dad for help, neither had Rainbow, they wanted to pay for the wedding themselves.
Rainbow's friends had been awesome in their support and help, Pax figured without them the wedding would be much more complicated, and so he was thankful to every single one of them. This was going to be a special day, and their friends seemed to do everything they could to make that happen.
It was going to be awesome...
The day was here, it started early in the morning with Sweet Apple Acres getting ready for the wedding. Other than a nice breakfast, Rarity spent a lot of time with Rainbow Dash to get her ready, there was only a few hours to do so after all.
Rainbow's parents arrived early, her mother of course started to help out, getting Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and of course Apple Bloom in their tiny dresses which had been made by Rarity too. The hours passed one by one, the guest arrived little by little and the closer to the ceremony Rainbow Dash got, the more she just wanted to scream in both excitement and terror.
The wedding itself would be held in the barn, which had been cleaned and prepared for the ceremony. Bow Hothoof, Rainbow's father, would walk her down the aisle, something every dad dreamed of, and dreaded.
More guests were arriving at the barn, only minutes left, each second felt like it was either going too fast, or too slow. Standing in Apple family house, Rainbow trotted back and forth several times trying to calm herself down.
"Alright Rainbow, you can do this.. You can do this.." She took deep breaths, but her heart felt like it was about to explode. "You are an awesome mare who has faced everything from impossible stunts to the baddest villains of Equestria. You can do this!" She stood proud, proclaiming her confidence, only to lose it all a few seconds later when she deflated. "Oooooh, I can't do this, I'm going to die.."
"You're not going to die silly," a gentle voice said. Looking up, Rainbow spotted her mother trotting towards her, wearing a beautiful dress.
"Mom?" Rainbow tilted her head. "What are you doing in here?"
"I came to check in on you of course, I know you must be scared." She smiled.
"Me? Scared?! Phah! I'm fine mom, I'm the element of loyalty, a Wonderbolt! I'm.. I'm.." She deflated again. "I've never been so scared in my entire life." she finally admitted, letting out a long sigh.
Smiling gently Windy Whistles trotted closer and put a hoof under her daughter's chin, lifting gently to make her look at her. Her smile was enough to bring one of Rainbow's own out. "It’s perfectly normal sweetheart." Windy noted, moving to her daughter's side and pushed her gently towards the mirror. "Just look at yourself."
Rainbow did so, and it was like for the first time, she really saw just how grown up she looked. Normally her mane was messy, now it was neat and smooth. She wore a white dress, which fit perfectly, her veil attached to an elegant golden tiara which matched her golden shoes for her hind legs.
She was stunned, hardly recognizing herself, she had no idea she could look so beautiful, so mature. Was this how Pax saw her? Given how they first met and how their relationship developed, she could hardly see what made him fall in love with her.
It wasn't hard for her to think of reasons she loved him, Pax was kind, smart, funny. He was loyal, a hard worker, followed his heart and wanted to do right by the ponies around him. It was something she had seen when he spent time with Scootaloo, a filly who preferred the streets instead of the orphanage, a filly who needed a break from things, a break that Pax gave her.
Pax wasn't perfect of course, nopony was, he was stubborn, but so was she, so who was Rainbow to judge? He was a bit of a stickler for rules, and was reckless more often than not, something she knew a thing or two about as well, except for the part about rules.
Whatever the reason, Rainbow was happy he wanted to spend his life with her, happy they had found one another, that fate had brought them together.
Windy chuckled. "Feeling better?"
Rainbow took a deep breath and smiled at her mother. "Yeah, I think I do."
"Some reflection is always good before one's big day. I almost jumped out the window on my day.” The two shared a laugh, then embraced one another.
"I love you mom.."
Windy gave her daughter a squeeze. "I love you too Rainbow. I love you so much and I am proud of you."
The two stayed like that for a little while before they let go, her mother smiled, beaming with pride. "I should get out there, your dad should be here soon. Good luck!"
"Thanks.." Rainbow was left alone to get mentally ready for a final time, taking a few deep breaths she let herself relax. She was still excited of course, not to mention nervous, but she wasn't scared, not anymore. She knew full well, no matter what happened, she would have her family, her friends, and in a few minutes, a husband and a daughter.
A small knock caught her attention, and it was her dad, looking nervous, but was beaming with as much pride as her mother had just a few moments ago. "Wow, you look beautiful.." She took a deep breath, trying to hold back the tears of joy. "My little girl, all grown up.."
Rainbow chuckled, trotting up to her dad and hugging him. "Aww, dad, come on."
The two of them shared an embrace, just like Rainbow and her mother had just moments ago. Bow took another deep breath, stepped away, and took a moment to look over his daughter. "You are really all grown up, mature, and ready to take on the greatest adventure of all.." Quickly he wiped away some tears. "How are you feeling?"
"Nervous, but excited," Rainbow replied, taking another deep breath to calm her heart as she knew it was almost time.
Bow chuckled. "Just like me, I almost jumped out of the window."
Smirking, Rainbow stepped forward and hugged her dad one final time. "I love you dad."
"Sob." Bow smiled and embraced his daughter. "I love you too shooting star.." Another moment passed before Bow and Rainbow let go. "It's time, come on." Both of them took one last breath, and walked out.
"Okay, okay.. Things are fine.. Things are great.." Pax mumbled to himself, feeling as nervous as he had ever been. He stood at the altar they had put up, Big Mac behind him, giving him support when needed.
"Eeyup."
Or as much as he could give. The barn was filled up with ponies from town, friends, family, and even some Pax didn't know, or hadn't met, like the princesses, which made all of this even more insane to him. He wasn't only marrying the element of loyalty, which pretty much secured his marriage, but the rest of the element bearers were here, along with the princess of the sun, the moon, and of course the princess of love.
The princess of friendship herself, Twilight Sparkle, a friend of both of them, were the one holding the service, something she had taken weeks to prepare herself for. Spike had let Pax know that he was not sure who was more nervous about the wedding, them, or Twilight.
"Not sure what I am most scared about Mac, getting married or being shot." Pax admitted, making Big Mac chuckle.
"As I recall you've already been shot, I reckon that's more dangerous than marriage. So this should be a piece of cake fer ya." He noted, making Pax shrug.
"Not sure if that's true or not," he admitted.
"You love her, right?" Mac asked suddenly, catching Pax off guard.
He looked back at the red stallion, not hesitating in his answer one bit. "Of course I do, I love her more than anything."
"Now, ah haven't ever been married, but ah imagine you feel exactly what all grooms have been feelin' throughout time. It's a big step, marrying, starting a family, ya already have Scootaloo. It's a big responsibility, so you should feel nervous." Mac explained, making Pax look back at him with a raised eyebrow.
"What are you saying?"
Mac smiled. "It's right to be nervous, because those who are know what a big decision this is, and yet you're going through with it, because you really do love her."
Pax smiled a bit. "Thanks Mac, I feel better. Thanks for being here."
"Eeyup."
It was at that moment the music started, everyone in the barn hushed and Pax stood a bit up straighter, trying to make himself look more confident and handsome. Every pony looked to the back, and first came the cutie mark crusaders, led by Scootaloo, the three fillies dropped flowers on the way towards the altar. They looked adorable, and Scootaloo looked up to her soon to be dad, and seemed to hardly be able to contain herself.
The three fillies were followed by the main event, Rainbow Dash walking down the aisle, escorted by her father who stood tall and proud. She looked to her friends, who all stood at the left side of the altar, while Pax and Big Mac stood to the right, Twilight waited for them in the middle, looking happy for Rainbow Dash.
Of course, her eyes quickly landed on her soon to be husband, Pax Light, the stallion who had almost arrested her, the stallion she had almost punched, the stallion she had given her heart to. He looked handsome in his tuxedo, stood tall, admiring her as much as she did him. It made her blush, but she did not avert her gaze from him.
She took the final steps, then stopped as her father looked to Pax. "Take care of her for me son."
Pax smiled, nodding, but did not speak. The two locked eyes, and even if they didn't speak, so much was said between them. All the fears that had plagued them for hours and hours on end suddenly, in one moment, vanished like a river had washed all their fears away. As they stood there before one another, the final moments before they were husband and wife, they fully knew what they wanted, and none of them had been more sure about anything than they were now.
"Ahem." Twilight cleared her throat, gaining their attention, as well as the entire barn's. She looked to them both and whispered. "Ready?" Both nodded, and Twilight suppressed a squeal, this was her first time leading a wedding. "Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the long awaited union between Pax Light and Rainbow Dash."
There were a few chuckled in the crowd, and some even started to sob, like Shining Armor and Rarity. "The road they have traveled on has been long, and it has not always been easy, but like always you have shown love is stronger than any force in the world, and you have endured whatever trial that has come your way." Twilight wiped a tear away with her wing, clearly happy for her friend. "Pax, you have asked to say a few words to Rainbow Dash, so if you please."
Pax nodded, looking to Rainbow who looked surprised. Looking into her eyes, he smiled and took a deep breath. "Rainbow, ever since I met you, I knew you were a special mare. Not just because of what you represented, but because of who you were. You are kind, loyal, strong, way stronger than me I think." Rainbow smiled, wanting to kiss him. "You make me want to be a better pony each day, you light up any dark days I have, make me laugh when I'm sad, and you will have my heart now and forever. You give my life color, and I love you."
More ponies started to sniffle, and Rarity had to pull out a handkerchief. Pax didn't expect Rainbow to have a few words of her own, but he was pleased when she smirked and winked at Twilight, signaling she had something to say as well.
"I'm, I'm not good with words," she started. "I'm not stylish, not always the best mannered or the most humble mare in the room.. You're stickler for rules, you like order, I'm not sure I will ever understand how I got so lucky in you." That earned a few 'aww's' here and there. "You make me feel safe, happy. With you, I always know everything is going to be okay, I guess what I am trying to say is.." She wiped some tears away. "I love you, so much, and you bring my life color too, and you will always have my heart!" She smiled, but tears of joy were in her eyes, making more ponies cry at the beautiful display.
"Well said, both of you." Twilight said, turning to Big Mac. "The rings please."
"Eeyup." Mac stepped forward, holding a red silk pillow with two golden rings.
Twilight used her magic, making them both levitate to their hooves, which they held out. "I now pronounce you mare and colt."
Nothing more needed to be said before Rainbow leaped forward, wrapping her hooves around Pax's neck and kissed him passionately, making the entire crowd cheer. Rarity started to cry while Applejack threw her hat in the air. Every pony gathered were ecstatic, and as soon as their lips left one another, Scootaloo leaped into their hooves.
Both laughed and the three shared a hug. Pax then looked at Rainbow. "I love you.."
Rainbow laughed, giving him a peck on the lips. "I love you too.." Another hug and another kiss, Rainbow looked at her beaming friends, her proud parents, her happy soon to be daughter, and lastly, but certainly not least, her husband. "
"Best wedding ever.."
