16. When Sky and Earth Meet

In the few months that passed following the incidents with the tendriculos', Rarity had undergone the rest of the preparations, eager and anticipating the day that they would come into use. Now with her body able to better handle the presence of imbued magic inside, and other specific spells that she and Twilight could use in case things went sideways, she felt truly ready for whatever lay ahead in the near future. Having the support of friends always brought them through the worst, their recent experiences proved that enough.

It was Hearts and Hooves day, which meant a nice day in the countryside for the six to talk and have fun. Rarity had set out the picnic blanket at a safe distance from the lake, to ensure that splashing didn't reach anyone at the sitting of course. Now, all she had to do was wait for the others to join her. Of course, the last picnic they had enjoyed ended with Twilight going insane over her obsessive compulsiveness, and the Hearts and Hooves day in turn ended with her front door being torn off and a giant hole in front of the Carousel. But this would be different, she was confident of that.

Pinkie Pie was the first to arrive, stopping at the very edge of the blanket with a slight wobble before straightening it out and sitting down. "Hey Rarity, nice work! How are you? Good? good? That's good. Always good! Lots of good! So much good!" Rarity was in the middle of setting out the food she had brought, eyes rolling behind the pink sunglasses she always wore. Applejack would be bringing most of it, but she felt it best to bring some too.

The others arrived soon; Twilight was just in time to save the cupcakes from Pinkie's 'taste testing'. Applejack in particular was pleased with that. "Thanks Twilight, gettin' a bit worried that we wouldn't have any of 'em scrumptious cupcakes." Rarity had finished laying out her items, and now watched from her corner of the blanket. Everything was in easy reach, especially with magic, and so long as Pinkie Pie didn't disturb her...

"Watch out!" Ducking just in time as Rainbow Dash came close to knocking Twilight's head off, it took a few moments for Rarity to work out where she had ended up. Fluttershy arrived shortly after with some flowers, a little worried about the landing of her friend. Twilight however was rather more disturbed with the fact that Dash had been so close to hitting her. Though, as she settled down next to Rarity, it was rather clear that something was on her mind.

"Uh, I like what you did with your mane." That was all Twilight could say in the end, her previous complaint didn't seem appropriate any more. The usual scruffiness of Dash's mane was shaped into a more, wild beauty of sorts. A vague resemblance to her brief time as a crystal pony, but not as stylized. Dash was uncomfortable about the amount of attention that had inevitably settled on her, prompting a change of topic.

"So, how's things with everypony? Been busy in Cloudsdale lately, kinda behind on what's up." A few varied answers came from each of the ponies, the Cake twins' first birthday became the main subject in the end. Rarity was more interested in the reasons for Dash's absence as of late. The last two dates she had been forced to cancel because of it, and hadn't stayed long enough to provide an explanation before leaving.

"And I just went kawoosh!" With Pinkie Pie launching herself into the air with an arc leading to the lake, the rest began to eat. An occasional pair of ponies would walk past, to which the group would wave at cheerfully. Fluttershy was reluctant to eat much at first, out of worry that there wouldn't be enough for the others, but as Rainbow Dash and Applejack made their way out to the lake with Pinkie's raft, it seemed that wouldn't be a problem anymore.

"This is good; Applejack and Pinkie Pie did really well with the food. You too Rarity." Rarity nodded to Fluttershy from beneath the small shade of her bandanna. The pink of her sunglasses now had a stronger vibe to them as the landscape brightened at least. Much to her amusement, Pinkie Pie still looked exactly the same, save for the pinkish hue of her eyes. Twilight looked odd to say the least.

"Sooo, Rarity. How have things been for you lately?" She averted her eyes at that moment; perhaps laughing inside at Twilight's colouring wasn't such a good idea at that time. That seemed to be the question that came up a lot, everyone wanted to know how things were. And now it had the implied meaning of how things were with Rainbow Dash in particular. Ever since the incident at Canterlot, their closeness was no secret.

"Oh, things have been fine. Unfortunately with no major events coming up, my working schedule is somewhat, lacking. And as you know, I find it rather difficult to keep myself occupied without a reasonable amount of dressmaking to be done." It didn't seem like the best time to talk about personal things, despite the theme of the day. It would be better to know that Dash was comfortable with talking about that first.

"Yeah, at least in the meantime you've got more time to pursue personal projects. I've been doing a lot of research on the Crystal Empire for example; they allowed me to borrow several books since I don't have any on the city at home." A very slight eye roll came from Rarity, hidden by the glasses. The Crystal Empire, probably the one place she wanted to go to more than any other. Even Twilight had a real reason to visit regularly, while she had to remain at home and manage the empty Carousel.

Pushing the negative thoughts aside, her attention moved to inquiry. "Really? Do tell me Twilight, for I am quite interested. After all, it is the place where..." Chewing on the words for a moment, she realized that what she was going to say had a rather nasty level of sarcasm to it. "I've really wanted to hear more about!" She did her best to smile in the hopes that Twilight wouldn't notice and just continue on, Rainbow Dash however took that moment to nudge her.

"Sure, it all began with..." She faltered in her speech as Rainbow Dash looked at her blankly. Obviously she wanted to talk with Rarity in private, and there wasn't a crucial reason to tell Rarity now instead of later. A quick nod to Fluttershy, and she was on her hooves, ready to go down to the lakeside. "Uh, I guess you two need a bit of time to talk..." It was a very silly observation, but it made the scene a bit less awkward to avoid.

Rarity finally rested her eyes on Rainbow Dash, feeling a bit odd with the silence that had fallen around them. Dash held her hooves together in a warm hold. "I'm sorry I haven't been around, finally getting into the Wonderbolt Academy did mess with our plans I know. But I did get you something while I was in Canterlot on the way back." She reached into her saddlebag to retrieve an object, which almost caused Rarity to faint again.

"Oh Dashie..." She pulled her bandanna away at that moment, letting the purple ponytail hang over her shoulder. Her whole body was starting to shake, and she couldn't contain the urge to hug Dash. The hug itself knocked both to the ground, with Rainbow Dash in particular struggling for air. The really surprising thing about her reaction was the lack of one. She had anticipated such a hug from Rarity upon seeing the gift after all.

"I'll take that as a yes then." She freed herself from Rarity's hold gently, carefully sliding the ring down onto her white horn. "Just remember, no frilly or fancy stuff, at least for me. This is the one time where I'd have to say that small and simple works better than large and flamboyant." Rarity's head was in danger of falling off from her nodding, stopped only by Dash's hoof under her chin.

"Ooh! Rainbow Dash is giving Rarity more jewellery! Teehee!" Pinkie Pie bounced around the two in her usual manner, singing about gems and gold among other things. The remaining three merely watched from the lake's edge. Pinkie's behaviour hadn't broken the moment between Rainbow Dash and Rarity, if that wasn't a sign then what possibly could be?

"Well, looks like there's another wedding in Canterlot on the way. Don't suppose any of you would like to tell me you're a Changeling before we proceed?" Applejack nudged Twilight over her comment, surprised that she of all ponies would be one to make a joke like that.

"Now now Twi, let's not spoil their moment." Still, as she glanced back at the pair, and the amount of food remaining beside them, there was a strong temptation to grab a few morsels for herself. Laughing it off, she looked over at Fluttershy, staring dreamily at the scene before them. Once the sensation of being watched settled in, she shook herself back into consciousness.

"Another, wedding?"