Finding Purpose

by Archangel of the Silent

4 months later

Twilight was alerted to her fianceé's presence by a sudden shift in the wind. Out of courtesy and humor, she pretended to ignore it. As her lover drew nearer to her, the alicorn began to blush and giggle. "You know, Dash," she said, turning around. "It's bad luck to see a bride before the wedding."
"You never expected me to wait that long, did you?" Rainbow Dash nuzzled her love. "I just wanted to see your dress."
The two shared a gentle yet passionate kiss. "I didn't expect you to wait at all," Twilight said as she pulled away. Leaning closer, she whispered into Dash's ear, "you shouldn't have waited at all."
Twilight took a long look at the cyan bride-to-be. She had finally let herself get "girlied-up" as Rarity had called it. She had straightened and tied her mane so it was no longer the rugged mess it usually was, making it appear much longer that usual. Draped in front of her ears were two golden, olive leaf shaped ornaments, connected to each other by hook-and-eye, and was clipped to her mane- the same clip she'd worn to the Grand Galloping Gala so long ago. Fluttershy had insisted that both the mares wear flowers in their manes, being Fluttershy. For her part, lining parts of her mane were a series of small yellow, pink, and blue flowers. She ware a dark pink dress and had adorned four gilded horseshoes, extending just past her hooves. All the nights the couple had spent stargazing, and Twilight had never seen anything so beautiful.
Rainbow shared such opinions of her love. She too wore flowers, lining the pink streak in her mane, these ones blue, purple, and red. She wore a dark blue dress with white accents and horseshoes with a pink six-point star on the front. She wore a crown, a replica of her physical element, magic- this was, after all, a royal wedding. While she was thankful to Rarity for all her hard work on making the wedding perfect, she thanked herself for being able to get "girlied-up" on her own.
The lovebirds leaned in close for another kiss when Rarity came crashing into the room. "Rainbow Dash," she yelled. "There you are! It's bad luck to see a bride before the wedding, haven't I told you this? Besides, Fluttershy's freaking out in your room, and you're going to need to comfort her- she is your best mare. Hello, Twilight." That was the first acknowledgement she was given since the white unicorn barged into her room. "I'd imagine Cadance is also wishing to speak with you. She should be in the sanctum already. Why don't you go there?" With that, Rarity left, pushing Dash along with her.

The wedding began on Celestia's command two hours later. "Mares and gentlecolts," she began. "We have gathered today to witness a most favored union of Princess Twilight Sparkle and her partner, Rainbow Dash." Twilight was already standing front-and-center. Dash would be escorted down the isle. As she turned to the door, she took note of the sanctuary they were in. It was filled to the brim with various nobles and others of official capacity. Fluttershy was standing across from Twilight, waiting for the bride to come up the isle. Cadance was next to Twilight, with Luna and Celestia upon the stage. The other three of the group of friends had gotten front-row seats, with Twilight's parents next to them. She had hoped Rainbow Dash's family would show up, despite their protests, but ultimately was dissapointed. As she finished taking stock, the door in back was opened by two unicorns, one of Twilight's guard, the other of Celestia's, to reveal the soon-to-be Princess Rainbow Dash.
She walked down the isle, with Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom scattering flower pedals over the walkway, happy to have a part in the wedding. As she approached the alter, she heard Twilight whisper to her, "You're not about to spring it on me that you're the queen of the changelings, are you?" prompting a small elation from all those close enough to hear it.
To the couple, the wedding was a blur. Celestia said a few words, they said their vows and "I do's", and shared a kiss in front of thousands. They could have been alone for the same thing. The wedding itself meant nothing. The marriage meant nothing. They had each other, and that would last forever. After the kiss, their eyes full of tears of joy, they simply gazed into each other's eyes they saw before them. While they did, and the sun was almost fully set, the two happiest ponies in Equestria could only find three words for each other. All other words they might have said at that point would have been irrelevant now. The ring meant nothing. The crown now adorning Dash's head meant nothing. They had each other.
"I love you," they whispered into each other's ears.