//------------------------------//
// Going Big 
// Story: Diplodocus 
// by The Cloptimist 
//------------------------------//

At the exact moment the bells of Cloudsdale rang out for twelve o'clock, a heavy pounding shook the door of Rainbow Dash's old cloud condo, and Rainbow gulped loudly.

Of course she'd be on time, to the second. Of course she would.

Rainbow had allowed herself to go through what she wanted to say, a dozen times. She'd allowed herself to imagine a dozen different reactions, from a hoof in the face, to total forgiveness, to an overjoyed, frantic, fumbling trip to her old bedroom. She'd allowed herself to wonder if Applejack was coming at all, and had managed to stop looking out of the window every two minutes to check. She'd recited her lines, memorised all the most important points she needed to hit, talked to herself in the bathroom mirror, left obvious pacing grooves in the thin cloud layer covering the hallway floor.

But when the time came to open the door, Rainbow found all the words were gone, and her knees weren't working, and her voice was thin and strangled.

"You in there, Rainbow?", barked Applejack from behind the door, and Rainbow shook her head and tried to answer and raised her hoof and lowered her hoof and thought briefly about making a dash for the rear windows. She could be in Canterlot in less than two hours, and from there she could fly to the ruins of Pegasopolis, or to the dragon lands, she'd find a job cloudbusting in some random village in the middle of nowhere and dye her hair and nopony would ever see her again. It would be so easy to just quit now. Run away.

"...I'm here," came a voice from somewhere, and it took Rainbow a moment to realise it was hers. "I'm... I'm coming, AJ. Hold on a second."

She fumbled with the latch, and the heavy door swung open, revealing a frowning Applejack standing on the marble step. Still not comfortable in the sky, even after all this time, thought Rainbow, still, after learning how clouds work, after so many trips to the canopy...

"Well?", said Applejack, and Rainbow's ears perked up in surprise.

"I, uh... Hi, AJ," said Rainbow, and a million more calculations streamed through her mind. Kiss her. Hug her. Stroke her mane. Turn around, see if she follows. Tackle her to the ground. Throw yourself at her mercy. Act cool. Burst into tears.

Rainbow did none of those things.

"You, uh... You wanna come in?", she asked, internally facehoofing at how dumb a question that was, and how timid she sounded asking it.

"Sure," said Applejack, still sounding unhappy, but also a little confused.

"Come on in," said Rainbow, beckoning Applejack inside, closing the heavy door back up behind her. "You, uh, you wanna go to the kitchen? There's no cider, but we could have a glass of wine maybe?"

"Uh... alright?", said Applejack, definitely now more confused than angry. Rainbow screamed at herself for acting like a foal, but that was exactly how she felt, like a nervous filly standing on a podium, trying to look cool in front of her new friends while her parents whooped and hollered in the front row. She made to show Applejack the way to the kitchen, remembered her marefriend had been here for so many overnight stays that half of Equestria had assumed she had moved in permanently, and almost tripped over a particularly thick clump of cloud floating along above the floor. Finally, with intense relief, Rainbow reached the kitchen and slumped herself down in a chair at the table, while Applejack watched her with increasing concern.

"Are you... Is everything okay, sugarcube?", said Applejack, and Rainbow Dash's heart swelled with joy to hear the tenderness in her voice win out over the anger.

"You wanna sit down, AJ?", said Rainbow, finding her confidence, feeling as though the color was returning to her cheeks along with the hope. "I've got a whole lot of stuff to tell you."

"You can start by gettin' me a glass of water, then," said Applejack, and Rainbow nodded and found a dusty glass in the cupboard, running it under the taps to clean it off and fill it up. "Ah reckon it's maybe too early to be drinkin'," added Applejack, and even though Rainbow's back was turned as she filled the glass, she knew Applejack could sense the smile of relief on her face.

"...Here you go," said Rainbow, almost slopping the water all over the pair of them as she over-eagerly presented the glass to her marefriend, who promptly gulped it down.

"AJ...", said Rainbow, looking down at her hooves for a moment before finding the courage to look her marefriend in the eye. "I've... Don't hate me for this, but I've lied to you."

"Ah figured as much," said Applejack, downing the last dregs of her water. "But ah don't know to what purpose."

"Well... that's why I asked you up here," said Rainbow, fidgeting.

"Seems like as good a time as any to come clean, then," said Applejack, belatedly taking off her hat and setting it on the table, and Rainbow thought she saw her hooves shaking slightly, and wondered if she'd imagined it, and realised the room had fallen silent, and started talking to fill the empty space.

"So. Okay. Uh... So you know I love pranks, right?", said Rainbow, attempting a smile which vanished immediately as soon as she saw Applejack's face fall, and her grip on her hat tightening. "No! Wait, that's not - I didn't mean-"

"Rainbow Dash," snarled Applejack, "have you been playin' me for a fool just for a danged prank? I swear to Celestia, if Pinkie Pie jumps out of that cupboard, ah'm going back to the surface right this second and-"

"It's not a prank!" yelled Rainbow Dash, startling herself as much as she startled Applejack, who sat herself back down in surprise.

"Ah'm listenin'..."

"You know me better than anypony in the world, AJ. You know I do stuff by the seat of my pants most of the time. The only things I was ever any good at planning were flight stunts, and pranks."

"Reckon that's true enough," said Applejack, without a smile, and Rainbow continued.

"But for... well, for a long time. The longest time, really. Since the first time we... I mean, since you and Rarity..." Rainbow cleared her throat. "For a long time, I've had another plan. It took a while - and I mean like years - to get a lot of the details together, and some stuff I always figured I'd just make up as I went along as always, but other stuff I had planned out, and it was always a big secret, and the only way I could keep it a secret was to think of it like an epic prank. Like the most epic prank ever. But it's not a prank. I swear."

"You swear, huh? Ah swear, you better start with the whole explainin' part of this here explanation, on account of quite frankly it ain't makin' things any clearer so far," drawled Applejack, and Rainbow allowed herself to wonder if she sounded less angry than she had a few minutes ago.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath. "Go big or go home, right?," she said, and this time Applejack definitely hardened. "You know, I read your letter over and over. And, yeah, at first I felt like you were kind of mocking my life's work. I know Rarity got bent out of shape about you doing that, even when you didn't mean to. Yeah," she said, reading Applejack's look. "Yeah, I talked to Rarity. I'll get to that later. But right now I want to talk about 'go big or go home'. Cos I think you need to know something about that."

"And what would that be?"

"You're wrong."

"This is a terrible apology," snorted Applejack.

"...You're wrong about me," said Rainbow Dash, growing more confident as she got louder. "Being with you is the biggest adventure ever. The most epic quest, the number one prize, the greatest victory, whatever you want to call it..."

Rainbow Dash turned her back to Applejack again and walked over to the window, looking out at the vista of the cloud city spread beneath them. Applejack looked up at her, silhouetted against the windowframe, wings not quite fully tucked away, the multi-colored reflections of the rainbow waterfall shining through the glass onto her marefriend's curves.

"Everypony always thought I liked mares, even when I didn't really understand it myself," said Rainbow. "You know I wasn't looking for anything. Or, I mean, I didn't know I was looking. But then when you took up with Rarity, everything just made sense, and I let myself dream, and I let myself want the biggest win ever, and it was terrifying because I don't like going into anything not believing I can totally win, but..."

She turned to look at Applejack, eyes meeting across the kitchen.

"I already won, AJ," said Rainbow. "I already went just about as big as I could go."

Rainbow slowly let out a deep breath, continuing before Applejack could say anything. "I always knew you hated me risking my flank, and I always loved that you knew not to try and stop me doing it anyway," she said. "But I think you also know... if you ever asked me, I'd stop tomorrow. Because I love flying, but... ugh, I'm sorry if this sounds really lame, but I love you more."

"Ah love you too, sugarcube," said Applejack, softly. "But ah don't understand what any o' that has to do with any o' this."

"The big challenge. That's why I love to fly fast, win races, do epic stunts... fight for Equestria. It's the thrill of beating the biggest challenge anypony can throw at me."

"You're sayin' ah was a challenge?"

"No," snorted Rainbow. "I'm saying, the biggest challenge wasn't a race or a stunt or a prank or a battle. It wasn't even finding the courage to admit I liked mares, or to ask you out."

"...We asked each other -" began Applejack, but Rainbow quieted her with a raised hoof.

"The biggest challenge was me opening myself up. I like books. I like trashy romance novels. I like the spa. I like cuddles and kisses. I like being in a relationship. I like... I like being the marefriend. Being your marefriend. You go big and you get to spend your life with the best mare in Equestria, or you go home, alone, because you missed your shot. I took my shot, AJ. I took my shot and I went big, I risked my best friend and it all turned out better than I ever dreamed, and I feel like I've taken on that challenge and I've won and I'm so happy every single day and it's as if nothing can get better and nothing can ever make me scared again -"

A pause.

A deep breath.

"...Until I realised there was still one thing left."

"What are you sayin' to me, sugarcube?"

Rainbow closed her eyes, and let out another long, slow, deep breath.

"Applejack..."

This is it.

(Gulp.)

"Right now. Down at Sweet Apple Acres. That big dinosaur tent? It's full of ponies."

"Huh...?"

"Ponies waiting for us. Waiting for me to take you on my back and fly down there."

"Dashie? Ah don't understand..."

"...In that tent, right now, all our friends and our families... are waiting to see us get married."






Canterlot
Three Weeks Earlier


"Are you sure this is what you want to do?", said Princess Twilight, thoughtfully.

"Yeah. Scootaloo has had this whole trick planned out for, like, a year now. It's stupidly dangerous, or at least it looks like it, which is kind of our thing nowadays - I mean, I know you like that stuff, right?"

"I went to one Washouts show, thirty years ago!," blurted Twilight, and Rainbow laughed loudly.

"Ah, come on, Twilight, I'm joking," said Rainbow. "But it's the perfect opportunity. I've got to go up to the compound and show them how to do some of the moves they'll need. I figured... Well, I can go up there, be seen, have my picture taken, let everypony gossip about what Rainbow Dash is doing, and then after a couple days I can sneak back out, start to prepare everything. It's gonna be fine."

"Are you sure?", repeated Twilight. "Lying to Applejack..."

"It's not lying," said Rainbow, defensively. "I'd never lie to AJ. I just won't be telling her the truth about what I'm doing!"

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, come on!," said Rainbow. "She'll be fine. I promise. It's for a good cause. I know what I'm doing."

Twilight's eyebrow remained unlowered.

"Well, mostly I do. I just... I need some help with the details. Mostly I need a way to set everything up, somewhere Applejack won't look."

"Well," said Twilight, breaking into a huge smile. "Who's the best Princess of Friendship you know?"

"Uh... you're the only Princess of Friendship anypony knows."

"Exactly!"

"What are you saying, Twilight?"

"I had some news to pass on to you. In fact, I was going to call you over here, before you said you were coming to see me anyway."

"Uh, okay? What news?"

Twilight leaned forward in her throne, rubbing her forehooves together with a conspiratorial grin. "Rumors have been spreading in the scientific community about an important palaeontological find, just outside Ponyville. On the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres."

"O-kay....", said Rainbow, trying to feign interest.

"Oh yes," beamed Twilight. "In fact, the site of the discovery is almost right next to your cottage."

"What?"

"Mmhm! It seems that there may well be a complete diplodocus skeleton, buried for millennia beneath the ground. A minor tremor last week caused part of it to move closer to the surface, where some pegasi were able to take pictures from the sky to confirm the existence of the site."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've received word from the Canterlot Museum that they want to send a team out to investigate, and possibly to conduct a full dig. The whole area would need to be cordoned off - in fact, I had a wonderful conversation last year with a tentmaker who wants funding to build the biggest circus tent in Equestrian history, and I promised him I'd look into finding him an opportunity. With a small design tweak, it could easily be the biggest marquee in Equestrian history, and it could cover a huge area, much larger than a dinosaur dig!"

"This... That sounds perfect," said Rainbow, wide-eyed.

"It really does!", giggled Twilight. "Now, I'm expecting them here in a few minutes. I'll sign their permit and have the committee engage the tentmaker right away, and they can be on site next week!"

"Next week?"

"You wanted things to move quickly, right? And this way, Applejack isn't left hanging too long." Twilight fixed Rainbow with a firm look. "I don't want her to get hurt, Rainbow. I know I can trust you."

"Of course you can trust me," said Rainbow, indignantly. "But next week? Can't it wait, like, one week longer? AJ and me are meant to be having a romantic getaway. Or a week in the cottage just chilling out together."

"Chillaxing," giggled Twilight, and Rainbow rolled her eyes.

"C'mon, Twi, this is serious," she said. "Can't you postpone all of this stuff?"

"Science waits for nopony, Rainbow," said Twilight, acting affronted. "You're all about speed, right? I'm sure you can figure out how to get something important done fast. And without hurting Applejack."

"I guess I'd best get back to Ponyville," said Rainbow, flustered, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof. "Uh... thanks? I think?"

"I'll be here if you need any assistance," said Twilight. "And it's always great to see you, Rainbow."

"I'll see you around, then," said Rainbow, heading out. "...No, wait, whoa whoa whoa, hold up," she said, pausing and twisting herself around to fly back into the throne room just as the doors were about to close. "This dinosaur-"

"A diplodocus," said Twilight, nodding.

"...Did you, like, just find out it was there? Or did you know it was there all along, and you've been waiting for an excuse to dig it up?" Rainbow gasped and placed a hoof on her mouth. "...Or did you put it there? Can you do that?"

"A good Princess never reveals her secrets," giggled Twilight, as Rainbow gawped. "I'll tell you what. Stay for the meeting with the scientists, and we can have dinner afterwards. And then, I think you need to go and speak to Rarity."

"Sure," said Rainbow, smiling.

"And... Rainbow?"

"Yeah?"

"...Congratulations," said Twilight, and Rainbow's smile was wider than anypony had ever seen.






Carousel Boutique
Two And A Half Weeks Earlier


"Your flair for the dramatic is going to break my heart..."

"I'm sorry, Rare. I didn't... I'm sorry. That was bad of me. Before asking you to set it up, I should have thought about-"

"Oh, darling, I don't pine for Applejack any more. I don't pretend our time together wasn't magical, I never have, I simply don't wish to flaunt it in anypony's face now that we've all moved on. And we have moved on, Rainbow, I assure you. It's merely that I cannot abide the idea of Applejack getting hurt again. She's given you her heart, more truly and more completely than she ever did with me. It's a precious gift, her entrusting it to you, and you mustn't take it lightly."

"I know," said Rainbow, looking at the ground. "I don't. I would never..." She mumbled into her wing. "She's everything."

Rarity paused for a moment, looking at Rainbow Dash, before smiling broadly and trotting over to her wall planner.

"So, if we are to do this, I must set some conditions," she said, as markers and stickers levitated around the chart. "Firstly, the deception must not go on any longer than is strictly necessary to make all of the arrangements."

"Sure!" said Rainbow, beaming. "So does this mean you'll do it?"

Rarity raised her hoof to indicate she wasn't done talking. 

"Secondly, upon your grand plan being revealed, you will make it absolutely clear to everypony that this was indeed your grand plan, and that I had nothing to do with the concept."

"Okay," said Rainbow, still smiling. "I can do that. Anything else?"

"These... palaeontologists," said Rarity, "are not only to be sworn to absolute secrecy about the very obvious wedding preparations going on around them, but they are not to interfere with those preparations. Or tramp their muddy hooves all over my décor."

"If you can keep the visible stuff away from the eggheads for as long as you can, that'll help," said Rainbow. "We can work at night. Put up false walls. Hide as much as we can. I dunno, you're the expert. But sure. Is that everything? Will you do it?"

"Lastly," said Rarity, fixing Rainbow with a glare, "if Applejack shows any signs of distress, or discovers what we're up to, you must confess at once."

"No," said Rainbow Dash.

"I beg your pardon?" said Rarity, surprised.

"No," said Rainbow, more firmly. "I don't wanna hurt AJ. I never want that. But this has to be done right. I've had this plan, or, well, kinda had it, since forever. It's gonna be my wedding too, and the number one thing I want is for it to be perfect. And I know just how to make it perfect. I... It has to be like this. It's no good just me proposing and us taking months and doing rehearsals and all that Cadance and Shining Armor stuff. I need you to plan a big Big Mac and Sugar Belle wedding, and I need to keep AJ away from it long enough for you to get that done."

"I don't understand," said Rarity.

"I'm not sure I understand either," said Rainbow, "but I feel like I know what I have to do, and this is it. And I need your help. Because I need for it to be perfect, and in my dream vision, you're the one who makes things perfect."

"I don't know..." said Rarity, frowning. "I hate the idea of deceiving Applejack."

"Me too," said Rainbow. "But I promise - I promise, Rarity, look at me, I promise - I'm so gonna make it up to her if she says yes."






Sweet Apple Acres
That Morning


Pinkie Pie paused mid-sentence, just long enough to take another huge breath that seemed to visibly inflate her like a balloon.

"...And we couldn't let you know what was happening until right up to the very last minute because otherwise it would spoil the surprise and someone would go and tell Applejack and then all of this was for nothing! But Rainbow said it was super important that we keep it a secret and that I should treat it like the bestest surprise party in Equestria ever, and that she couldn't figure out how to keep it a secret and also make sure that everypony she knows and loves could make it to the wedding, because what if somepony is out of town or has plans or decides to go and tell Applejack anyway? And I just laughed, kind of like this, hahahahahaha! Because it was almost like she didn't know me at all and yet she knows how me and Cheese both have super powers when it comes to planning surprise parties and this is like the biggest surprise party ever just like Rainbow said, and I was like, is she serious, does Rainbow not realise who she's talking to, because after all she's asking ME whether I can get all these invitations out to everypony and make sure they come along, and that's ridiculous but even if it was a good question, which it isn't, by the way, but even if it was, well, Fluttershy is getting Discord to help, and to behave himself this time, and Rarity already has the outfits ready, but there's no need to bring a gift and there's going to be a big party afterwards but Rainbow said Applejack will probably just want to dance and I've already got this amazing honeymoon planned for them but obviously it doesn't work if you don't go because the wedding has to be perfect and it won't be perfect if you aren't there so please oh please say yes, it's not a real question though because I already know you've made up your mind to come along and you're almost as excited as I am, I can tell, so... yay!"

Pinkie slumped to the floor for a moment, panting and exhausted, before springing back up and seemingly re-inflating in mid-air.

"...That's really nice," said Petunia Paleo, "but Sugar Belle won't be back with Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh for another ten minutes."

"Oh, I know," said Pinkie, wiping the sweat from her brow and pulling a cupcake from somewhere in her mane. "I just wanted to practice, because I have exactly eleven minutes before I'm due in Appleloosa."

She scarfed the cupcake down in one bite, paper and all. "...The Wonderbolts are flying me there," she said, answering Petunia's unasked question while spraying her with crumbs.

"...Oh, and I wanted to invite you too, of course. You really helped, even without knowing it. And what palaeontologist could resist going to a wedding next to the site where somepony once found a real life diplodocus skeleton?"






Rainbow Dash's Old Kitchen
Present Day


"...and meanwhile, I invited you up here, and... well, that's it. That's everything."

Silence.

Applejack poked at her hat on the table, and stared at her hooves, and watched the tiny flurries of cloud scudding across the kitchen floor.

The silence went on.

Rainbow looked intently at Applejack, but Applejack didn't look up, instead just wordlessly pushing her hat around the table.

The silence went on some more.

Finally, Applejack looked up, and Rainbow Dash half-expected that hoof to the face she'd been worried about earlier.

"But... ya ruined the surprise?", she said, bewildered.

"No I didn't," grinned Rainbow Dash. "I know you too well. I know if I sprung this on you in front of everypony, without giving you the chance to back out, it wouldn't be a proposal at all."

"But..."

"You're the most amazing pony in the world and you deserve the best wedding ever. And you also deserve not to have to spend months worrying about all the stuff that goes into staging the best wedding ever. See, AJ... I know you like big gestures. You always have."

"What?! You know that ain't -"

"No. You secretly love it when I show you how much I love you. You just don't like having big surprises rear up at you with no warning, where you feel like you're just playing a part in somepony else's big day."

"Ah do not..."

"You do too. It's easier for you to pretend you just don't like being made a fuss of, that you don't enjoy being the center of attention, rather than get your hopes up for a perfect day and then have it ruined by other ponies and their expectations and their... stuff. But I've seen the way you look when you're being awesome winning a rodeo trophy. I've seen you when Rarity asks you to model something you actually like. I've seen you when I'm, uh... giving you some special attention. And I wanted to make you feel that way with this, too."

"That's not..." said Applejack, but Rainbow Dash shushed her with a hoof, and was rewarded with one of the biggest blushes she'd ever seen flush across her marefriend's face.

"C'mon now, AJ. It's me and I know you and it's all gonna be OK. So... this is your surprise."

"A big spectacle of a weddin'?"

"No. Just this. Just... this. Here. Me telling you about it. Spoiling that surprise. The 'big spectacle' is for... them," she said, gesturing vaguely with her hoof. "They all get to feel like they played a big part in our secret wedding and whatever, and it means a lot to everypony, and blah blah blah. It's all really sweet. Sure. But the real surprise... that's a secret for us. From me, to you, and from both of us. And that's because... if you don't like it -"

- Rainbow Dash screwed up her face for a moment before finishing - 

"...then it's history."

"What?!"

"You heard me. If you don't like it... if you don't wanna do this... I'm telling you now, from the heart, that that's OK. If you don't want it... I'll take the blame. I'll say I made a mistake. I messed up the proposal. I said all the wrong things. I'll tell all of the people down there it was a dumb idea. My dumb idea. Again." She paused, and smiled. "You know they'll buy that." 

Applejack snorted in amusement, and Rainbow allowed herself to give a hopeful, sheepish smile, before continuing.

"...But I mean it, AJ. I did this because I thought you'd kind of love it. But if you don't... that's OK. You didn't ask for this, and you shouldn't feel pressured into it just for me. I'm not that conceited. It's just... Hey, look at me, okay? It's just I already got to do the big reveal. I got to see the look on your face. That look! Yeah, like that!," she grinned, as Applejack blushed furiously again. "Like I pulled the ultimate, most awesome prank of all time, except it's not even a prank, it's about seeing the pony I love light up with her eyes all wide. Yeah, just like that," she smirked, and nudged Applejack in the ribs.

Applejack held up a hoof.  "Okay. Quiet down a minute," she said, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples for a moment, before looking up at Rainbow again. "...So, let me get all o'this stuff straight here. Y'all stayed away from me for more'n a week, pretendin' you were doin' somethin' else...?"

"Yep," beamed Rainbow.

"You planned this whole thing, even knowin' how ah make a point of sayin' ah don't like to be made a fuss of?"

"Mm-hm," nodded Rainbow, smugly.

"You worked so hard to keep what you were plannin' a secret, you dragged mah ex-marefriend into it...?"

"Uh-huh," said Rainbow, a little less confidently.

"You got Twilight to lie for ya? And even after ah wrote you sayin' how low that left me, you couldn't see fit to come clean because it would spoil yer big surprise?"

"...Yeah...?", said Rainbow, shrinking into herself a little.

"And now, you're sayin'... just before you set me up to take a ride down to the ground and just before ah walk into a tent full o'mah friends and family waitin' to see us... yer ruinin' the surprise on purpose, just so as if'n ah should say to you, right here and right now, that ah don't want any of this, ah can just turn and walk away, and you ain't gonna be sore about it? You ain't gonna feel even the slightest lil' bit peeved about this whole state of affairs, if'n your ornery ol' marefriend here gets mad at you for doin' somethin' you got expressly told she don't want you to do, and if'n she turns tail an' up an' stomps away? Is that what you're sayin', Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash looked up into Applejack's eyes, to be met with that piercing emerald gaze she'd seen so many times before, looking straight into her soul.

Always that same look. Didn't matter where. On an epic adventure, locking eyes mid-battle; out with friends, catching her eye and sharing a knowing look; waking up in the morning, brushing her beautiful blonde mane out of her face... always that same look, the look that left Rainbow feeling so small and so grateful AJ was on her side, with no option but to tell the truth.

Like now.

"...Yeah," said Rainbow, slowly, all trace of the smirk gone. "I guess I am."

AJ looked at her a moment more, raising an eyebrow, and Rainbow refused to look away, digging her rear hooves into the mist, standing firm.

Slowly, a smile crept across Applejack's face, gradually getting wider and wider, until she looked just like she had that first day all those years ago, that day, the day, the best, greatest day of both of their lives. Until today.

"Well then, sugarcube, let's go get married," she grinned, and Rainbow almost knocked over the table in the rush to take her outstretched hoof.


The End