The Reception
To have a wedding thrown in Canterlot, at the very palace itself, was undoubtedly one of the highest marks of prestige and importance. It was an opportunity presented only to royalty and, in this case, those who had done many a great feat for the kingdom of Equestria. While both mares were different in many ways, there was no doubting the love they had for each other. A love discovered when fate had brought them together in a group that wielded the Elements of Harmony against many a threat, love tempered through many trials both domestic and epic, a great love shared between two ponies that were now joined in holy matrimony by the wise ruler Celestia in front of their family and friends.
Their best mares, split evenly with Twilight and Fluttershy on one side and Applejack and Pinkie Pie on the other, were both over joyed as their friends pledged themselves to each other and sealed it with a tender kiss. Cheers came from the small crowd as well as flashes from cameras when it was all done and all that was left was for the happy brides to enjoy their wedding reception in the banquet hall before heading off on their honeymoon to Manehattan.
“Finally! I can’t wait to get this thing off!”
Or head to the changing room to take off their formal wear so they could cut loose and really party. Priorities.
Rainbow Dash had zoomed out of the grand hall and to the changing room, already having removed her wedding veil and was set to work on the dress when her fiancé turned wife, entered and closed the door behind her with a huff.
“Really now, Dash. Must you hurry out of the lovely wedding gown I spent so much time making for you?”
“Ugh, Rares, you know it’s not my style! It’s so not cool! I mean, if you hadn’t went on about how you worked picking just the right fabric and gems… and daring me to wear it if you wore a tux? That’s not fair when you know I can’t turn down a dare.”
Azure eyes rolled for a moment as a light, playful smile game to their owner’s face, the white unicorn approaching Rainbow Dash and stopping her from fussing with the dress further by gently nuzzling her cheek.
“Oh? Is that so? Because it seemed to me that a certain pegasus gave in fairly easily when I asked~.”
As Rarity predicted, this elicited a small blush from the cyan mare, who crossed her forelegs and huffed in a non-serious attempt to save face.
“Hey, I argued.”
“Hardly. I’ve seen you really argue when you butt heads with Applejack over some contest or another.”
Another harrumph that really did nothing to confirm or deny Rarity’s allegations. Which was fine. The fashionista found her Wonderbolt’s ‘cool act’ adorable. With an incredibly attractive, coy smile, Rarity moved so that she could claim Rainbow Dash’s lips in a kiss. Soft at first but growing in passion until they had to part, the mares breathless and slightly flushed.
“… its’ possibly the only day I’ll get to see you in this dress. Looking so beautiful in a way I have never seen before. Please. Let me savor it, darling?”
“Okay.”
As if she had even needed to think about it. Rainbow had found that she lived to see that smile. Not the flirty one, granted it was sexy, or that over the top one when she got really, really excited about something, even if it was very cute. It was that one smile that was just… awesome. It showed how happy she truly was in a way that all those other smiles just couldn’t compare. It was the one she had on now hearing Rainbow comply to her request that made the pegasus’s chest feel all warm. So with a smile and a sigh to make it seem like this was such a drag when really it wasn’t, Rainbow picked up her veil, which Rarity promptly picked up in her magic and placed on her head. While the white unicorn was busy adjusting it and her dress, Dash took the opportunity to smooth out her wife’s black tux and fix her tie slightly.
“Ready, darling?”
“Yup! I wanna get at that cake and food! I’m starving!”
Meanwhile at the reception, many a friend and family member of the newly wedded couple were chatting away as they waited for Rarity and Rainbow Dash to enter and cut the cake. The two sets of parents were having a jovial conversation, the mothers chatting about the wedding while Hondo Flanks and Rainbow Blaze, Rarity and Rainbow’s fathers respectively, were more boisterous, already planning out holiday family get togethers, who would beat who at Hoofball, and Hondo looking forward to receiving a copy of all the pictures Blaze had been taking on his camera.
Between his camera and Pinkie Pie’s, it was doubtful that even one second of the wedding had gone undocumented.
The cutie mark crusaders, looking adorable as ever in their wedding outfits, were perhaps the loudest group in the hall, competing for the title with Hondo and Blaze. While Applebloom had played her part as a flower filly, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were downright ecstatic over the fact that they both had gotten to carry and give the rings to their older sisters. Initially they had thought only one of them would get the task but before anything crazy could happen… well, technically it already had since they had already started a sort of strange ring bearer competition to see who was more fit for the role. So in this case before things could get crazier (and Sweetie Belle had apologized for saying that because she was the only one blood related that she should be the one to carry the rings), Rarity and Rainbow Dash had stepped in and decided they both would do it together.
When Rainbow Dash and Rarity finally entered the banquet hall, the small crowd gave a cheer for the couple and more soon followed as the two mares cut the cake. With that came the official start of the reception as Octavia Melody and her troupe, with the help of Vinyl Scratch, started off a lively tune that was both refined yet with a catchy beat. A sort of dubstep with classical that none would think to combine yet worked well together. Sort of like the happy incident long ago when the famous candy making siblings Cocoa Powder and Peanut Crunch accidentally mixed chocolate and peanut butter together to create the fantastical tasting peanut butter chocolate cup.
“Woo-hoo! Now this is a party!”
Cheered Pinkie Pie as she cut a rug on the dance floor with Spike, Celestia and Soarin. The party loving pony had done her utmost to give Rarity the wedding she had wanted and had definitely gone all out on the cake with Applejack’s help. Vanilla butter cream frosting on the outside with a zap apple colorful cake on the inside!
While many enjoyed themselves and danced along with the brides, there were those who sat out. Such as Twilight, figuring that she should wait until Rarity had cleared the dance floor before trying her version of the funky chicken that had way passed the expiration date. However she was not alone as Applejack and Fluttershy were with her to keep her company as they took in the sight of the princess of the sun doing the electric boogaloo.
“I have to say, I’m glad things went so smoothly.”
Both Applejack and Fluttershy nodded their heads in agreement, remembering very vividly the drama that had gone on in this castle during Cadance and Shining Armor’s wedding. A small look of shame came over the blonde mare’s face as she looked over to Twilight.
“Still cain’t apologize enough fer that.”
Of course the Princess of Harmony was quick to smile in a way she hoped would alleviate that small guilt that Applejack still seemed to have.
“And I’m still going to say to you that it’s alright, Applejack. We talked and settled that matter a long time ago. Everything worked out.”
“Yeah…”
Then a slightly mischievous smile came over Twilight’s face as she changed the topic to something more cheerful and fitting for this day.
“So, this give you any thoughts about your own wedding?”
At this the blonde cracked a smile and gave a light snort.
“You kidding? Day Ah get hitched, ain’t gonna be no fancy do’s, just gunna get married in the barn n’ have a real hootenanny to celebrate. What ‘bout you ‘Shy?”
Of course now that their shyest friend had the spotlight on her, for a moment she was like a rabbit that had been spotted before a light blush came to her cheeks.
“Oh, um. I wouldn’t want anything too big. Just something simple. Really, I’d just be happy to be married to the person I love…”
“Mm, after Rarity and Rainbow Dash announced they were getting married, it really started to make me think about this more than ever. I mean, depending on who I would marry, there’d have to be a specific place, a specific day that would have meaning to both of us, I’ve already thought up a variety of possibilities based on what my future partner’s possibly personality and likes may be…”
And Twilight was off, describing scenarios of what the weddings and honeymoons would be like depending on the factors. Normally such a ramble would be hard to sit through but to be honest Twilight’s thoughts were so sweet and even romantic that both Applejack and Fluttershy could not help but listen without interrupting.
“Looks like they’re having a good time.”
Having had the first dance, Rainbow Dash had gone back to the table to start making a plate of food. One side of the cake had plenty of slices taken out yet strangely enough the other side looked untouched and gave a strange illusion that the cat had not yet been cut into. Rarity glanced over to see three of their friends smiling, with Twilight chatting away about something, which made the fashionista smile softly.
“Mm-hm. It’s quite a reception, I have to say that Pinkie Pie has truly outdone herself this time.”
“Yeah, she followed all of your plans like, exactly I think.”
“Oh? I had no idea you’d been following along with all of my plans.”
A sly smile sent the Wonderbolt’s way made Rainbow Dash grin and roll her eyes lightly as she loaded up her plate with fancy sautéed mushrooms with seasonal vegetables and a hayburger. Nothing but the finest of combined cuisines made by Celestia’s world class chefs under Pinkie and Applejack’s direction.
“Hey, I pay attention to stuff that’s going on with you. Besides, I had to make sure you didn’t stress out too bad over this.”
“Well, making sure we had the best wedding was important to me Dash…”
“I know, I know! And I cared because it was important to you. But come on Rares, I’m just happy we got married. Cause you know…”
A raised brow from her wife made Rainbow Dash squirm a bit, it was obvious that saying mushy things in public still made her a little uncomfortable, but she was overcoming it like a champ.
“You’re the most important thing to me, you know? And if doing all this fancy stuff makes you happy, then I’m happy. But by the end of the day we’re finally married and that’s the best part.”
A bright smile came to Rarity’s lips as she leaned in and nuzzled her wife. Of course this got the attention of Rainbow Blaze and Pinkie Pie, who were on it so fast it was surprising they weren’t two of Equestria’s best paparazzi ponies as they captured more shots of the happy couple. Pulling back since Rainbow Dash was probably starting to feel embarrassed, Rarity was surprised when a moment later the mare had wrapped her arms around her, wearing that wonderfully confident (and sexy) look on her face as she stared right into the cameras.
“Dunno why you guys are taking pics! We’re so awesome we’re gonna last forever!”
Hearing that caused Rarity to giggle softly as she leaned into Rainbow’s embrace. While some would say the pegasus was being far too cocky, the unicorn couldn’t say she would say the same thing. This wasn’t a romanticized (and admittedly over the top) fantasy of a prince sweeping her off her hooves or a dream of a dashing hero saving her from some peril. This was real, and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind that no matter what the future had in store for them now, she would always love her brash, loyal, adorably cocky wife for the rest of her life.