//------------------------------//
// Freedom 
// Story: What is Love? 
// by Undome Tinwe 
//------------------------------//

"Alright, how about we post Bravo Team on the west side of the castle, and Delta Team to the east side?" Spitfire asked, pointing at the map spread out before them.

Rainbow Dash stared at it for a few seconds before nodding. "Sounds good. Then Alpha Team can still do the airshow."

Spitfire smirked. "You know, we can find a substitute for you, Crash. It's your wedding— pretty sure you're supposed to be walking down the aisle and crying and stuff, not performing."

"And miss out on a chance to show everyone how awesome I am?" Rainbow scoffed. "No way."

"Can't blame you for trying to skip out on the boring parts, I guess." Spitfire rolled up the maps and placed them back in her saddlebags. "Well, that's it for now, then."

"Cool," Rainbow could barely hold in her excitement as she started moving towards the exit from the Wonderbolts Headquarters. "I'll see you next week for practice."

"Actually, we were just heading out to grab some drinks. You want in?" Spitfire asked.

Rainbow shook her head. "Nah, gotta be back at the Castle to help Rarity and Twi with the wedding invitations. I'll catch ya next time."

"Still can't believe you of all ponies got yourself shackled to the ol' ball and chain." Despite her derisive tone, Spitfire still smiled at her. "Then again, can't exactly blame you. I'd almost give up my wings to be with the two hottest mares in Equestria."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "You're gonna fall in love one day, Spits, and it's gonna be hilarious."

"Don't think so." Spitfire flared out her wings. "Nopony's gonna tie this flyer down."

"Heh." Rainbow chuckled. "Good luck with that, ma'am." She snapped off a salute. "May I be excused, then?"

Spitfire nodded. "Go have fun with your fiancées, Crash."

With that dismissal, Rainbow took off, zipping out the door and beelining for the exit. She soared into the sky, basking in the feel of the thermals beneath her wings.

Once upon a time, she would have been content to enjoy the skies forever. All she needed to be happy was the freedom to fly where she wished, to dance in the air and let the wind pull uselessly against her body. It had been the ultimate euphoria.

But now, she had two ponies to fly towards, and the thought of losing even one second of their company spurred her forwards as she cut through the air as fast as she could, making a beeline for the castle. Her only pause was a brief stop at the perimeter to show the guards her identification so she could pass into the restricted airspace.

The balcony of the Royal Bedchambers had some kind of spell around it to stop ponies from getting too close, but Twilight had made sure to make Rainbow an exception to it. As such, Rainbow didn't even notice when she passed through the shield and dropped down past the railings. Bleeding off the rest of her speed, she skidded to a halt right in front of the balcony doors, barely avoiding crashing into them.

When she opened the door, she found Rarity and Twilight already sitting by the fireplace, sorting out a stack of cards. "Hey Rainbow," Twilight said, waving. "How did the meeting with Spitfire go?"

Rainbow shrugged. "Eh, we had to shuffle some of the teams around, but we've got aerial security covered for the wedding and my team'll still be able to do the airshow."

"I cannot believe that you actually, truly intend to perform at your own wedding." Rarity stood up and trotted over towards her.

"Admit it, you're just jealous you couldn't think of something that awesome for our wedding." With practiced ease, she swept Rarity up in her forelegs, pulling her into the air and pressing a kiss against her lips.

"I will admit no such thing." Despite her pout, Rarity's eyes still smiled at her.

A rush of wind signalled Twilight joining them as she flew over, and not for the first time Rainbow Dash was thankful that Celestia had made the Royal Bedroom so big. Wrapping them around her increasingly-large wings, the princess pulled her two lovers close into a tight hug. "Only you two would try to find some way to make a Royal Wedding even more of a spectacle."

"As if you're not having a blast researching those old marriage rituals." Rainbow took a moment to kiss her other fiancée as she teased her.

Twilight melted into the kiss, letting out a contented sigh. "I guess we're all getting what we want out of this," she said.

"Damn straight," Rainbow replied as the three of them settled back down to the ground, still holding on to one another. None of them wanted to let go, to break the physical connection between them, and so they simply stayed as one for a few wonderful moments.

And as Rainbow stared into the eyes of her brides-to-be, she realized that Spitfire didn't understand love at all. True love wasn't a ball and chain shackled to one's ankles— completely the opposite, in fact.

Love was freedom.

Rainbow had thought she'd understood the meaning of those two concepts before. After all, every pegasus knew the joys of being able to fly wherever they wanted to, to escape from their troubles and into the clouds, far away from anypony else that could tell them what to do. Just like Spitfire, Rainbow Dash had assumed that love meant chaining yourself to somepony and letting them dictate your life. 

But then, she'd fallen for the two most awesome mares in Equestria, and the last thing they had wanted to do was tie her to the ground.

What did it matter if you could fly wherever you wanted when there was no place you truly belonged? True freedom, Rainbow now understood, was having the choice to be with the ones you loved, who would accept you for who you were and enable you to soar beyond the stars themselves, to achieve new heights and break through new limitations that you weren't even aware had existed.

After they had drunk their fill of each other's gazes, Rarity cleared her throat. "Well, now that pleasantries are out of the way, shall we begin in earnest?" She extricated herself from the hug and made her way back to the desks. "Twilight and I took the liberty of dividing the invitations up already."

Still looking a little dazed, Twilight quickly shook her head to clear it before adding in, "Right, yes. I'll have to write the invitation to all the various heads of state and other political figures, since I'm the High Princess, and Rarity can do the invitations for powerful ponies in Equestria since she's good at that kind of networking language."

Rainbow nodded. "Sounds cool. What about me?"

"You, my dear, have the most important task." Rarity's horn glowed as she floated over one of the stacks of cards. "These are the invitations for the guests from Ponyville. You write from the heart, without any filter, and they are an audience who will appreciate that."

Of course, her lovers also found ways to let Rainbow shine, to give her the chance to speak from her heart without fear, while still helping out. That was something else Rainbow had learned. Love created opportunities, and what was freedom without the opportunities to take advantage of it?

Rainbow grinned at Rarity and Twilight as she took the stack of papers. "Awesome! Let's get going, then!"