//------------------------------// // Chapter 29 – It’s About Time! // Story: The Epic Quest of Ford Mustang // by RoyalRainbow //------------------------------// Chapter 29 – It’s About Time! Later that night in one the castle’s luxurious guest rooms, Rainbow Dash is looking at herself in front of a mirror. Hovering above the floor, she is now wearing the same dazzling, purple gown that she wore on the night that she and Ford Mustang attended at the Grand Galloping Gala one year ago. The same dress that she received as a birthday present from Rarity. Giddily, she twirls her dress around as she happily recalls that special night of hers. She chuckles to herself as she imagines Rarity having an over-the-top fit over wearing the same dress twice in one lifetime. But even if that was the case, Rainbow wouldn’t care at all. It’s still a gorgeous dress to wear, and she is more that happy to wear it again, especially when her coltfriend has something special in mind for their date this evening. Rainbow is still surprised and curious by Ford’s sudden idea for their upcoming date since this morning. She expected that once he was done talking with Princess Celestia and the others, he would finish what he was going to ask of her afterwards. Instead, Ford asked her out on a date so suddenly. Of course, she wouldn’t want to refuse since it gives them an opportunity to make up the time they’ve missed since the malicious intervention of Arrogon the Destroyer. Plus, this may be all just a build-up for Ford’s expected proposal. Not to mention that somepony inexplicably brought her one-of-a-kind dress into her room right after Ford’s talk about tonight’s date, so that must be a promising sign for what’s to come. Breaking out of her daze, a couple of knocks are heard from her door. Immediately, she rushes to the door before composing her excitement as best as she can. Once she calmed herself down, she opens the door and befalls on a wondrous sight before her. Just like herself, Ford is also in his special attire that he wore at last year’s Gala. Yet for some reason, when she was gazing at him, he looks more stunning in that sleek, black tuxedo than his first time in it. But there is something else that is more mesmerizing about him than his clothes. His smile is very casual yet bold. His gentlecolt-like posture is tall and stern. And lastly, his turquoise eyes still have the same gentleness, yet at the same time, they are full of confidence. Rainbow doesn’t often see Ford being so daring before. Usually, he can be timid and doesn’t like show off as much as her. But as of tonight, this new, attractive side of him is causing her to blush like a schoolfilly having her first crush. “Good evening, Rainbow.” he greets her with a modest bow. “H-hey, what’s up?” she stutters in response, which she mentally scolds herself as she wants to facehoof herself for uttering something so lame like that. Reaching in his inside pocket, Ford pulls out a familiar gift. It’s a fully bloomed, white rose with a short, thornless stem. It’s like it was freshly picked out of a garden because its unique fragrance can reach her muzzle. Seeing how the events are repeating themselves, Rainbow brushes a little of her silky, groomed mane aside from her right ear as she asks of him sweetly, “Would you mind?” Gladly, he answers, “Not at all.” Careful as always, he inserts the rose within the gap of her right ear and her mane. Once the flower is set in place, he teases with a smile, “Try not to pluck out its petals this time.” “Only if you won’t break my heart this time.” she kids right back. With his nose touches hers, he reassures her cooingly. “Trust me, that will never happen again!” Rewarding his reassurance, she gives Ford a nice kiss, which causes him to blush lightly from that. At least she is pleased to see him fluster like that to make up for her own brief discomfort before. After the first of many kisses to come, he offers a right foreleg to her and asks graciously, “Well then, shall we?” But instead of grasping his hoof, Rainbow charges to his side and lays a left wing over his back. Mimicking this unique display of affection, Ford takes his right wing and wraps it around her before he gently pulls her closer towards him. Once they are ready, she answers with gleeful certainty, “Yes, lets!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It’s a beautiful night in the kingdom of Canterlot. No longer is the city void of its majestic colors due to Arrogon’s once-everlasting, dark clouds. With the overshadowing curse casted away, the city has return to its shimmering splender. The gaslight streets are filled with laughter and cheer as the lights from the every window and sign radiate a welcoming glow. One shining example is a famous restaurant simply called “Angela’s.” Named after the original owner whose golden mane is as silky as her well-known pasta, this five-star restaurant has received numerous awards and praises over the years for its extraordinary pasta dishes, enriched, tasty marinara sauce, and elaborated dining experience for all to enjoy. After opening the gates to this heavenly restaurant, Ford Mustang and Rainbow Dash marvel at the place’s interior design. The dining room must have been originally built by Pegasi due to its carved marble columns and statues. In the center, there is even a fountain where a Pegasus statue endlessly pours water out of its jar. As the Pegasus couple hover towards the attendant’s desk, several of the ponies at the restaurant gape and awe at their arrival. Once Ford and Rainbow approach the counter, the female attendant is also startled by their appearance. “Excuse, ma’am.” Ford says to her politely. “We have a reservation under the name ‘Ford Mustang’ I believe.” “Oh! Yes of course!” the young mare responds in a slightly squeaky voice. “We have a table all set for you! Please, right this way!” Following the young mare, Ford and Rainbow hover slowly with hoof in hoof as they are led to their reserved table. As they pass through the dining room, other guests and servers continue to stare speechlessly at the recently famed heroes of Equestria. Dash and Mustang took notice of the awestricken silence, but they didn’t care. Still, the two couldn’t help but break into subtle giggles from seeing the ponies’ gawking faces. On one side of the restaurant with an outdoor balcony in the nightly background, there is a big, round, candlelit table with a cream-colored linen covering it, a couple of neatly folded red napkins, and a semi-circled booth that serves as its seating. Once the attendant leads them to their specially arranged table, Ford allows his marefriend to enter first and sitting herself on the booth’s cushiony seat before he scoots himself in and joins on her right side. As the mare attendant leaves and returns to her station, a unicorn waiter jumps with graceful haste as he prepares to take the couple’s orders. “Greetings, madam and sir. And welcome to Angela’s. May I start you two off with a drink this evening?” “Rainbow, what would like you?” Ford asks her. Dash scans through her menu quickly and her eyes widen at a familiar item on its list. With a keen smile, she orders, “I’ll have sparkling cider.” “I’ll have what she’s having.” Ford concurs with her choice. “In fact, you’re welcome to bring the whole bottle for us.” “Very good.” the smiling waiter bows to their selection after writing down their orders. “I’ll give you some more time on making your decisions while I fetch your drinks.” Before he takes his mannerly leave, the waiter turns backs and adds with an all-knowing grin on his face, “Oh, and as a special reminder, everything is on the house tonight.” With a smile matching that with his server’s, Ford responds, “Thank you, sir.” After their waiter disappears, Ford looks back at her gorgeous date and as he smiles widely over Rainbow’s astonished expression on what their server just said to them. Once she breaks out of her shock, she asks bewilderedly, “Okay, I have to know, how did you manage a table for us so quickly?! Usually you need to make reservations within a month advance for a place like this! And for that matter, how did you convince them to serve us a free meal?!” With a very shrewd smile, he blows a puff of air onto his hoof before he smugly rubs it against his tux as he wittily boasts to her, “Well, when you’re a renowned hero of an entire country like myself, you tend to get paid for your heroic deeds in the end.” While she is amused by Ford’s mocking display of swagger, Rainbow knows that there is more to it than what he is letting on. For now, she shrugs it aside and retorts with a chuckling grin, “As cute as that was, you better leave the boasting to a professional like me.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- One hour later, the two Pegasi have just finished their salads, a basket of softly toasted garlic bread, and their first bottle of sparkling cider. Their demolished salads were pretty much equivalent to the Caesar Salads that Ford favored back on Earth. True, he blurted it out by accident as he failed to realize that the name of the Equestrian counterpart’s salad is different than Earth’s, but Rainbow Dash was there for the quick recovery and made a proper suggestion for both of their salads. As they gorged themselves on bread, cider, and salad, Ford started off their long-overdue conversation with tales of his adventures. While they wait for the second bottle as well as their big meal, Ford excitedly carries on with his latest story about his grudge match with the Inferno Dragon King. “So there I was! Lying on ground and completely at the mercy of Wagner!” “Un-huh?” Rainbow nods eagerly as she leans in closer. “But the dragon wasn’t going to back down as he prepares this monstrous fireball to finish me off for good!” “Yeah?” “So I had to think fast! I needed to prepare the ultimate counterattack for his crushing fireball technique! But before I can pull it off, I needed to wait for the right moment once he launched the thing! And once that fireball was coming in close enough towards me…” “Then what?! Then what?!” she demands excitedly. With a wide grin, Ford caps it off by saying, “… I used my Draconian Magic to fling that enormous projectile right back at Wagner, thus ensuring my victory and his support after that!” After a hearty chuckle, Rainbow comments with amazement, “Wow, I’ve got to hoof it to you, Ford! You really had one crazy adventure! I mean with the Timberwolves, giant snakes, and even fire-spewing dragons! I’m kind of jealous that you got to have all the fun to yourself! I mean, I don’t have much to say on my behalf! I had to spent weeks being cooped up in Arrogon’s dungeon!” Taking a break from his storytelling, Ford takes several gulps from his tall glass of ice water. Once he rehydrates himself, he is about to continue where he left off, but he stops himself once he notices Rainbow’s disturbing silence. Her usual cheerfulness is replaced with a very disheartening expression as she aimlessly stares down. As the concerned Mustang is about to question her sudden change of disposition, Rainbow beats him to it with a question of her own. “Ford… can I tell you something?” Of course, Dashie.” After exhaling out a heavy sigh, she begins in an unusually nervous manner, “When I was being turned into Arrogon’s personal plaything, I tried to put up a good fight with his mind games for as longer as I can, but my will was beginning to break down overtime during our ‘private sessions.’ I think what hit the final nail on the coffin was being reminded on how I was never going to see you again when I really thought that you were dead for sure! Eventually, I started to lose fragments of my own memories: my dad, my friends, my dreams as a Wonderbolts, my own name, you!” Noticing the uneasiness in her voice, Ford tries to stop herself in a gentle way, “Rainbow… you don’t have to continue…!” “Ford… please just… listen to what I have to say first. It’s really important I get this off my chest.” Understandably, he nods in silence as he allows her to continue. But as she was struggling to carry on, Ford lays a soft forehoof onto hers as he patiently waits for her to take as much time as she needs once she is ready to go on with the rest of her story. After calming herself down with another sigh, she continues where she left off. “Once I lost all of my memories, I was somehow trapped in this unknown abyss. There was nothing but darkness everywhere I turned. No sights. No sounds. No ground. Nothing. Absolutely nothing! It was like the worse case of dying out of sheer boring! Eventually, I lost count on how long I was stuck in there! I flew constantly and screamed out for anypony to hear me! But nopony responded back! I don’t always admit this to myself… but… I got scared, Ford! Like really scared! I’ve got so scared from being trapped in there for so long that I couldn’t help myself from whimpering like a little foal! It was truly the worst thing I’ve ever experienced in my life!” As she admits her fears to the attentive stallion, she couldn’t barricade her emotions any longer as constant tears pour out of her eyes. Gently, Ford pulls his trembling marefriend close to him with his left wing wrapped around her. With the stallion’s wing shielding her from the outside world, she lets go of herself while she muffles her cries into his silky suit. While Rainbow presses her sobbing face into his chest, Ford lays his head of her softly combed mane as he lightly cradles her in his strong wing. When she is calm down enough, Rainbow persists on to Ford’s surprise, “But then… while was I crying to myself, I finally heard something for the first time in like forever! There was… somepony calling out to me, asking me to remember on what makes me who I am! Even though I didn’t realize on who or what that pony was talking about, it gave me some hope on knowing that there was somepony looking out for me! And suddenly, a golden ray of light breaks through the void and was pulling me out of there! As I was enveloped in its comforting warmth, my memories started coming back to me all at once! And next I knew, I was in your hooves and looking at your gorgeous eyes and smile!” Lifting her head up, Rainbow stares into Ford’s astonished eyes as she displays a beaming smile for him. To his relief, he can no longer see the fear in her tearful eyes. Instead, they are now showcasing her undying gratitude, joy, and admiration for the stallion that has risked his life and limb for her. “And it was you all along… you came back and save me! So… thank you, Mustang… for everything!” Her sentimental words touch him to the very core of his soul. Leaning forward, he honors her brave statement with a soft kiss on her lips. What remains of her trembling earlier has quickly vanquished away once their lips come into contact. The somewhat electrifying kiss is enough to daze the two of them for a brief moment of their time together. After their lips gradually separate from one and another, Rainbow breaks into a spontaneous giggle as she starts to wipe her tears away, “Sorry, I guess I overdid it on the waterworks, huh?” As a way to reassure her, Ford kisses her on the forehead before replying softly, “You have nothing to apologize for, Dashie.” Then, with the use of his teeth, he pulls out a handkerchief from the jacket’s outside pocket and offers it to Rainbow. Gladly, she accepts the kind gesture from him before using it to soak up her remaining tears. As Dash recovers herself, Ford thinks to himself that it’s only fair that she knows his own fears during his recent adventures, “You know… I may not know on what it’s like to be trapped within the dark corners of your mind, but I’ve got really scared on several occasions too during my training with Hindel.” After drying up all of her tears, Rainbow responds with wide-eyed surprise, “Really? But you’ve made your adventures sound so awesome!” “Trust me, they may be something to look back and laugh about, but it wasn’t all fun and games for me.” After a brief chuckle from his own remark, Ford carries on in a more serious tone. “Remember when I told you about my first petrifying encounter with the Basilisk? Well… after Hindel saved me, I broke down… hard! It was the most aggravating defeat I’ve ever faced since I lost you over to Arrogon! I wasn’t just scared on the fact that I almost died! I was scared that I would have failed everyone that matters to me the most, include you, Rainbow! Even during my final trial in regards with my dragon powers, I thought that I wasn’t going to make it out of there alive!” Just like how Ford was there to comfort her, Rainbow returns it in full support as she rests her reassuring fore hooves over his. With a comforted smile, Ford happily continues in a more uplifting tone, “And yet, every time I’m back in a corner, just thinking about you was enough to raise my spirits high and keep pushing forward! I guess what I’m trying to say here is that no matter what kind of jam I was in, you were always there to give me all the strength and courage I need to carry on with my journey! So… in a way, I’m the one who should be thanking you, Rainbow Dash, for being there when I needed you the most!” Her fluttering heart skips a few beats from hearing on how much of an inspiration that she is towards her affectionate stallion. Quick as a flash, she grabs Ford by the neck and pulls him in for a very deep kiss. Surprised at first, he eventually gives in to her energy-draining affection as his wings firmly embrace her. As their making-out session is just getting started, the two are interrupted with a proper “Ahem” by their returning waiter, who is accompanied by a few helpers. Each of them is slightly embarrassed from what they were just witnessing. Realizing that they were unintentionally being watched by the staff, Dash and Mustang quickly give each some room before the waiter addresses himself to the blushing couple. “I’m terribly sorry for interrupting you, but your dinner has just arrived. Enjoy.” As the server bows before the Pegasi, one of the helpers lifts up the lid that was covering the main dish, which was transported by cart. Next, the two Pegasus assistants use their mouths to carry the large dish’s handles and place it before the couple. As the steam fades away, Ford and Rainbow eye hungrily at the grand feast they ordered. Inside the gigantic shallow bowl is Angela’s famous angel hair pasta topped with its chunky, flavorful marinara sauce. And piling on top of that are dozens of thick slices of eggplant, covering with more marinara sauce and gooey parmesan and mozzarella cheese. This monstrous entrée is one of the most popular dishes in Angela’s: Eggplant Parmesan! As the steaming aroma reaches their nostrils, Ford and Rainbow couldn’t help but drool over their enormous, mouth-watering meal. With their wide eyes fixated on their pasta, Rainbow is the first to break from their trace as she exclaims with hungry anticipation, “I don’t know about you, Ford, but all this sappiness is making me hungry!” Following suit, he agrees with a hearty chuckle, “Agreed! Let’s eat!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Throughout their shared meal, Ford and Rainbow’s taste buds are in pure ecstasy. The angel hair pasta that made this restaurant famous in the first place is heavenly silky and fulfilling as the two Pegasi slurp it up with joy. The thick marinara sauce that slender noodles are drenched in is made with freshest and tastiest vegetables such as tomatoes, onions, garlic, herbs, and spices. The sliced eggplants are cooked with the right amount tenderness. And the cheese is melted to perfect consistency. Everything about this place regarding with its food and atmosphere is truly heavenly! Despite how messy their meal can be, the couple is well-equipped with the large red napkins tied around their necks and covering them up. Either way, they don’t care much if any sauce gets on their fancy clothes as they are too distracted by how scrumptious their dish is. In the midst of their meal, Ford mischievously pulls an ultimate Disney cliché by slurping up one end of Rainbow’s strain of pasta and stealing a kiss from her. In return for that cheeky move, she playfully licks some of the leftover sauce from Ford’s cheek, which earned her a nice blush from her coltfriend. In the end, they've enjoyed their dinner thoroughly. All the way down to the very last strain of their delectable pasta. “Ahhhh… best… meal… ever!” she praises gleefully as she licks her lips ecstatically. After wiping his muzzle with a napkin, he pouts to her with a teasing smile, “Aww… better than the ones I cooked for you?” Responding to his little joke, she rephrases herself with a reassuring grin, “Okay… second best meal ever.” Later on, it has become awfully quiet between the two. Taking advantage of their silence, Rainbow scoots closer to the seemingly obvious Mustang while she displays a wide, shrewd smile on her face as she hopes to hear what she’s been waiting for the entire day. “Sooooo….” “So what?” he perplexes to her. “So isn’t there anything important you wanna ask of me?” she adds as she flashes a winning smile for him. Ford takes a moment to think about this as Rainbow prays to herself that he would get the obvious hint. Finally, he brightens up as he answers, “Actually, there is one thing that has been on my mind for quite some time…” Rainbow holds her breath as she anxiously waits for Ford to continue where he left off this morning. With his fore hooves holding hers, she nearly shakes with anticipation from this grasp as he finally questions her, “Would you like to share a dessert with me?” Shot down like how she used to attempt the recreation of the Sonic Rainboom, she blankly stares at her grinning date as she is utterly speechless by his unforeseen request. Once she maintains her cool composure, she shrugs it off with a soft, giggling smile before she answers, “Sure, why not?” For dessert, they’ve chosen a mega-sized, deep-dish chocolate cookie pie topped with scoops of vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate syrup. From their last item for the evening, Rainbow starts to turn their dessert into a competition. And so, the race is on as each of them takes hefty scoops of the hot and cold treat. At first, it looks like that Ford is taking the lead. However, after he hastily intakes the ice cream, he suffers temporary brain freeze, which Rainbow takes advance of and finishes the last bite of their dessert. With the giant cookie demolish, the two celebrate Rainbow’s victory with a good laugh as they are completely satisfied from their finished meals. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After their dinner, Ford and Rainbow walking down the streets and he leads them to their next activity on the list. As they take their stroll, Rainbow reflects on that unintentional copout earlier. She was certain that Ford was finally going to pop the question by the end of their meals. Still, the night was young and so was she, so maybe their date is far from over just yet. Distracted by her own thoughts, she almost didn’t notice Ford stopping in front of her. Following his glance, she looks up and gasps at their next stop. In front of them is the Canterlot Stadium, and from the looks of it, there is a big show going on in there. Posted around the entrance-way are posters promoting an extraordinary circus troupe, but what really got Rainbow’s attention is circus’s special guest appearance: the Wonderbolts! Renewed with excitement, Rainbow holds on to Ford’s foreleg like an eager foal as they enter the magnificent coliseum. It’s quite amazing that they can set all of this up in such a short span of time, and to make it opened for the general public. However, there is one spot reserve for somepony special tonight in the VIP section. Lead by one of the arena’s attendants, Ford and Rainbow are seated in their specially privileged box, which gives them a great view of the show’s stage. As if on cue upon their arrival, the greatest show on Equestria begins. The acts themselves are very diverse as it features races outside of the usual pony trio. There is an act where buffalos and cowponies engage in daring rodeo routines. After that, there are zebras who performed exotic dances, amazing gymnastics, and acrobatic feats with their rings, balls, and ribbons. And a couple of acts later, there is a certain blue unicorn with a magician’s hat and cape that Ford and Rainbow know all too well: The Great and Powerful Trixie. Despite the unicorn’s usual boasting, she demonstrates great use of her talent by wowing the crowd with her magic tricks and colorful fireworks. For her last trick, Trixie summons up a fiery explosion as it reveals a frightening representation of Equestria’s previous threat, Arrogon the Destroyer! The fiery specter scares most of the audience as it lets out a monstrous roar. Fortunately for the frightened spectators, Trixie is there to save the day as she vanquishes the illusionary monster with ease in one big bang. As the crowd praises the egotistic magician with applause, Ford and Rainbow simply shrug it off with repressed giggles as they did enjoy Trixie’s contribution to the show none of the less. Lastly, the Wonderbolts take the center stage as the crowd cheer wildly for their appearance, including Rainbow Dash. Even though she is an official Wonderbolt herself, she couldn’t contain her shrieks as she relives her days as a fan of her favorite team. With Spitfire stepping forward, she takes a moment to address the pleasing crowd through a microphone, “Good evening, everypony! How do you like the show so far?!” After receiving thunderous cheers as a satisfying answer, Spitfire continues with a gleeful grin, “Well, I’m sure you all know what’s to come next, but before we can get right down to it, we have a special announcement to make first! Tonight’s entertainers are here to honor two of Equestria’s latest heroes! In fact, both of them are here right now as we speak! One of them is somepony most of you already know as the Wonderbolts’ rising superstar! The other one is somepony we owe our thanks to for our recent victory against Arrogon! So please give it up for Rainbow Dash and Ford Mustang!” Suddenly the spotlight shines on the announced couple as ponies applaud loudly for them. Despite how much she loves the attention, Rainbow freezes in place by her captain’s unforeseen announcement. As she timidly waves back to the crowd, Rainbow notices on how calm Ford is from being in the spotlight. Then, she looks back at the grinning Spitfire and she all-knowingly winks at them. Because of that sly gesture, Rainbow starts to assume that all of this has been planned beforehand. Wrapping her mind around this, she gets the impression that the show’s final act might be where Ford will take the opportunity to propose to her. Getting her hopes high once again, she bears a very wide grin as she eagerly waits for the finale to begin. “And now, without further ado… THE WONDERBOLTS!” Once that was said by Spitfire, a group of Wonderbolts fly above the arena as their roaring wakes let loose several fireworks. Immediately afterwards, more Wonderbolts enter from all sides as they go through their spectacular routines. While the flyers carry on with their daring stunts, they are accompanied by additional pyrotechnics, which is lead by the Great and Powerful Trixie once again. While Rainbow Dash silently awes over her favorite tricks from her aspiring team, she could hardly contain her excitement for what she has been is expecting. For the Wonderbolts’ grand finale, six of them fly towards the center before they sharply pull up while they leave trails of stormy clouds. As they spiral upward in a synchronizing fashion, their cloudy streams nearly come close to each other until their magical sparks start to fly from close proximity. And once they time it just right at such a high altitude, the Wonderbolts split apart, and the friction of their combined wakes creates a widespread explosion of magical lightning, followed by Trixie's multitude of colorful fireworks! The crowd eyes the vivid spectacle with amazement and wonder as they give a round of applause for the circus’s final act. As the ponies are completely dazzled by the aftermath’s glittering sparks showering down gently, Rainbow vigilantly fixates her eyes toward the sky as she expects something else to be happening right now. However, as most of the audience takes their leave from the stadium, Rainbow grimly starts to realize that the show is truly over. And once again, her expectations come crashing down. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back on the streets, Rainbow Dash is once again lost in her thoughts during their leisurely walk. She thought for certain that Ford was going to prepare that special surprise during the show. Maybe he would have the Wonderbolts use skywriting to write up Ford’s proposal. Or maybe, her coltfriend would have pulled out a ring right in the end. But no, he didn’t do any of that. Maybe she is reading this all wrong from the beginning. Maybe Ford just isn’t ready to take that big step in their lives after all. “Hey Rainbow?” Snapping out of inner thoughts, she turns her head and faces Ford, who’s softly expressing concern over her. “Is everything alright? You’ve been awfully quiet since the end of the show.” Masking her face with a broad smile, she reassures him greatly, “Yeah, I’m totally fine! I was just thinking on how I could have pulled off those slick moves myself with ease! All the same, seeing the Wonderbolts like this was great as always!” Despite showing her appreciation, Ford isn’t buying all of that as he replies discouragingly, “I was just worried that I might have disappointed you in some way tonight.” To show that she means well, she playful nudges him out of his doubts as she comforts him with her trademark smirk, “Are you kidding me? This night has been totally awesome! Dinner at Angela’s! A spectacular show featuring the Wonderbolts! Everything has been going better than I’ve expected! Trust me, Ford! You’ve never disappointed me!” she says with complete conviction before kissing him on the cheek. “Not one bit!” Touched by her comforting affection, Mustang uses his right wing to pull her in and nuzzle her closely. After their nuzzling embrace, she suddenly shifts to a halfhearted smile as she subtly hints her honest expectation, “I guess I was hoping that this night of ours wouldn’t end just yet.” With a clever smile, Ford leans closely into her ear as he coos to her in a soft whisper, “And who says it has to?” Her ears perk up before she quickly faces her grinning coltfriend with a hopeful smile. “You mean… there’s more?” “Mm-hmm! Just one more stop for us, and this is exclusively just for the two of us!” “Really? Well, where is it?” Smirking widely, he extends his foreleg and answers, “You’ll have to take my hoof and see it for yourself.” As commanded, she eagerly takes his hoof and he gently lifts her off the ground before they take flight towards their next destination. High above the city of Canterlot, the Pegasi pass through the clouds before they take a soft landing on one of them. After they get comfy in their plushy seats, Rainbow perplexes as if something is supposed to happen. “Okay… so now what?” she asks puzzlingly. Not wanting to give away the surprise, he says simply, “Just sit back and enjoy the show!” Following Ford’s gaze, she looks up to the dark blue sky as she expect to see something. Sure, it's clear tonight with only a few small stars scattered across the nightly canvas, but there is nothing else to gaze at. But just when Rainbow is about to question the smirking stallion on what they are supposed to look at, something starts to catch her eyes finally. One by one, more stars to make their appearances as they twinkle brighter the the old ones. As the countless stars flicker like festive lights, various, multicolored dust clouds spread in all direction as they gently dance and spiral around each other. Despite their unification, the splashes of colors don’t truly blend together as their abstract formation creates a unique spectrum of harmonizing hues. Eventually, the lively, vibrant painting is completed as the newly created nebula continues to dazzle the two Pegasi with its sparkling stars and softly shifting colors! Entranced by the interstellar cloud, Rainbow’s pupils gradually grow so large that they almost overlap the rest of her astonished eyes. In the midst of her speechlessness, she manages to take a moment to express her growing astonishment, “Ford… this is just so… so… amazing! I’ve never stars like this before!” “Hmm… well… I think there’s something else missing here.” he ponders for a bit. “Really?” she chuckles with disbelief as her eyes are continuously glued to the nebula. “What else can make this night ever more perfect than it already is?” “Right here.” Abruptly, Rainbow Dash catches a new twinkle in her eyes. But the shimmering glitter didn’t come from the sky itself; it was coming from a sideways glance. Once she turns around to see where that shimmer came from, she looks down and becomes completely petrified while letting out a silent gasp. Speechlessly, she gazes at the thing responsible for the latest sparkle that caught her awestricken eyes. In Ford’s fore hooves is an opened jewelry box with a shiny, golden bracelet nestled inside. And in between of the hoof-ring’s crafted wings is a sparkling diamond whose shimmering splendor reflects the dazzling colors of the nebula. At long last, he finally reveals on what has he originally intended to do for a very long time: the Prismatic Diamond Ring! In the midst of her frozen posture, Rainbow could hardly believe that this is finally happening. Even though she expected this moment to happen throughout the entire night, Ford Mustang still manages to catch her off-guard when she was distracted by the nebula. In fact, the surprise was so effective, that her incredulous eyes start to get watery from this life-changing event she is in while her mind starts to go on a nearly endless cycle over a certain catchphrase of hers. Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! Ohmygosh! OHMYGOSH!! “Rainbow Dash… will you--?” And once again, Ford never gets a chance to finish his proposal. Only this time, it is Rainbow Dash who causes the latest interruption as she hastily pulls the stallion in for a very deep, heartfelt kiss! Despite being drawn into this swift, tender affection, Ford’s nerves quickly melts away as he finally receives the answer he has longed for since the night of their first anniversary. Locked into this increasingly warm embrace, they continue to hug each other tightly for as long as they can as they silently rejoice over their newly established engagement. At last, their lips break into a soft, smacking sound before Ford catches his breath and retorts with a chuckle, “Dangit, Dashie! Can’t I just get one proposal done without any further interruptions?” After chuckling along with him, she grins in response, “Then say it!” Once he clears his throat, he pulls the gorgeous ring out of its box and presents it to the emotional Rainbow Dash while he boldly issues his proposal one last time, “Marry me!” Despite each of them knowing what her answer is going to be, Rainbow is getting choked up as a few happy tears emerge from her emotional eyes. While she is unable to say it just yet, she nods her head rapidly before she is finally able to speak up in a tremblingly excited voice, “Yes!” At once, she pounces on him like a hungry tigress before she steals another breathtaking kiss from her pinned-down Mustang. While it may not be as long as their previous one, it is still enough to leave them completely breathless after that. Lying on top of Ford, she anxiously asks of him, “How did arrange all of this in one night?” With a very wide smirk, he happily answers her newly appointed fiancée, “Let’s just say the gods were in my favor.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Earlier this Morning in Ford’s Guest Room… “And what do you have in mind for us exactly?” Celestia smiled broadly even though she had a pretty good idea on what Ford has in store for them. With a grin reminiscent to his dragon master, Ford answered simply, “…To help me finish what I’ve started!” “And I take that this has something to do with your disrupted anniversary?” “Yes, Princess Celestia. So I was wonder if you can recommend me some places I can take Rainbow out for our date in Canterlot in evening. Preferably dinner and a show afterwards.” With a gentle smirk, Celestia said, “I think I might be able to arrange something for you and Rainbow Dash. And there’s no need to worry about money. I'll have everything taken care of!” Then, he turned to Celestia’s younger sister and asked of her, “And Princess Luna, I have a request that requires your special talent.” “What is that you wish of me, Ford Mustang?” “At the end of our date, I want to us to be in a scenic location before I finally propose to her. So in our secluded spot amongst the clouds, I was wondering if you can create a one-of-kind nebula for us!” Luna blinked a few times from this surprisingly colossal request before she asks softly with a deadpan face, “And I have free creativity over this?” “As long as it has shimmering stars and vivid colors, then yes, of course you do!” he shrugs with approval. Once she is able to get over her immense shock, the Princess of the Night flies up with overwhelming joy as she proclaims her enthusiasm over her task in a loud booming voice, “Fear not, Ford Mustang! For in honor of your valor against Arrogon and your devotion to Rainbow Dash, I shall turn tonight’s canvas into my masterpiece!” After somewhat cringing over Luna’s thunderous proclamation, Ford pleads to her softly, “Just… be sure to keep it between the four of us, okay?” Embarrassed slightly over her exaggerated shouting, she sheepishly expressed her regret as she made a soft landing, “Oops… my apologies, everypony.” Lastly, it was Discord’s turn. “And where do I fit in this grand scheme of yours?” “Oh trust me Discord, I have a task that is just as equally important as the other two.” “And that would be…?” “You have to make sure that no one knows about our date tonight, nor will you allow anypony to follow us, no matter what!” “Well that sounds rather bor--!” Abruptly, Discord’s expression shifted from boredom to subtle worry. “Wait… does this include Pinkie Pie?” “Especially Pinkie Pie!” Ford acknowledged with a nod and a growing, mischievous grin. As this caused the uncertain trickster to be lost for words, the nonchalant stallion continued to slyly push Discord into his favor, “Of course, I understand if you can’t handle one pink, over-the-top party extraordinaire all by yourself. After all, this is Pinkie Pie we’re talk about. But hey, if you too intimidated by this one little pony, then I won’t press you any further into this matter--!” As the Alicorn sisters took joy at witnessing Ford’s unforeseen trickery, Discord made up his mind and retorts with an egotistical smirk, "Oh, so you think that I, Discord, Master of Chaos, can’t handle one particular pony on my own, do you? Very well, I will accept this challenge! But only because it will amuse me into proving just how wrong you are from underestimating me!” With a huge smirk, Ford declared to the trio, “Then it’s agreed!” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back on the clouds, Rainbow is snuggling very closely to Ford as she states her immeasurable astonishment from hearing the origins of his master plan, “I can’t believe that you managed to do all of this just for me!” “I would go to great lengths just for you, Dashie.” he responds sentimentally. With a chuckling smile, she adds, “Well you certainly know how to take your sweet time and keep a mare waiting.” “What can I say?” He shrugs casually. “I tend to have a flair for the dramatics sometimes.” With the hoof-ring still clutched in his fore hoof, he presents it to Rainbow once more and simply asks of her, “May I?” Still astonished by all of this, she briefly loses her voice, so she nods her head to express her overwhelming approval. Willingly, Ford lightly grasps her left foreleg and gently slides the precious ring on to her hoof. Once that is completed, she lovingly gazes at the shimmering gemstone as she adores its rich brilliance. “It’s so beautiful!” she compliments with an awestricken smile. “How did you get such an awesome ring like this?” “It was… given to me by Hindel.” he replies with sad hesitation. Remembering on how Ford explained the dragon’s sacrifice during their dinner conversation, Rainbow lays a comforting wing on his back while she sympathizes, “He really was a good friend to you, wasn’t he, Ford?” “Yes, he was.” he replies softly as he looks at his dragon-shaped Cutie Mark. “He’s done so much for me, that if it wasn’t for him, I would never be here to share this important moment with you.” he says as his fore hoof caresses her ringed foreleg. “Well, I’m not going to forget Hindel for what he has done for us. And I’m certainly not going to forget this awesome night of ours either! Because right now… I’m the happiest mare alive!” she expresses sincerely while bearing a tender smile towards Ford. “I love you, Rainbow Dash.” “I love you too, Ford Mustang.” Almost simultaneously, they close their gap for a softer kiss this time. Their pressed lips are locked on to each other’s as they plop onto the cloudy mattress. Eventually, they take a break from their latest kiss as they look up to the stars and enjoy the magnificent sight of Luna’s nebula. While they stargaze, Ford notices something unusual in the interstellar cloud above them. Within the amassed, sparkling cloud, there is a shape that vaguely looks like a dragon. The dragon-shaped cloud has a familiar golden color, and not only that, but its silhouette bears a recognizable smirk. And just as Mustang imagines the nebula’s head being similar to Hindel, the cloudy interpretation of his dragon master suddenly winks at him with a twinkling star in place of its eye. Ford blinks a couple of times as he assumes that his eyes are playing tricks with him. Once he gazes back up to get a better look at it again, the golden cloud no longer resembles his dragon friend. Coincidence or otherwise, Ford just smiles to himself as he presumes that Hindel has never truly left him. “So…” Mustang turns his attention back to Rainbow Dash. “You want to go back to our room?” “Nyeh. Let’s just stay here for the rest of the night.” she replies as she nuzzles closely to Ford’s body. “I’m pretty comfortable as it is right now.” With his fiancée using his body like a soft, life-size pillow, he takes up on her idea as his large wings wrap around her like a warm blanket. After a contended sigh, he snuggles up to his future wife before blissful sleep takes hold of them. “So am I, angel. So am I.”