//------------------------------// // The Big Day // Story: A Wedding at Twilight // by TheShadou //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash stood at the mirrors in Rarity’s room, staring at herself in the dress that Rarity had made. She had her hair styled for the special day, and was nearly ready for the big event. Now she stood there and waited for Rarity to finish up her final adjustments to the dress. “There. Finished. You’re ready now.” Rarity said as she stood next to Rainbow, looking at her in the mirrors. “You look fantastic, dear. Don’t you agree?” “Yeah. Thanks. It looks great.” Rainbow said as she examined herself in the mirror. She was really impressed with the dress. As usual, Rarity had out done herself. They admired Rainbow Dash in the mirror for a few moments more, then Rarity broke the silence. “Oh! I better go and see how Twilight’s ensemble is coming along.” She turned around and started walking toward the door. “You’ll be fine here until it’s time, won’t you dear?” Rainbow smiled and nodded in response. She was smiling, but underneath, she wasn’t feeling very confident. Rarity smiled back and continued out the door. As she was leaving, she said “This is going to be the best wedding I’ve ever attended! Two of my best friends, starting a wonderful new chapter together. Oh, they’ll be so happy together! Oooo! It’s just so exciting, I…” Rainbow could hear Rarity talking to herself all the way down the hall until the door to the room closed. Normally, she would find it funny, but Rarity’s words only made Rainbow’s mind fall further into its dark train of thought. Rainbow stood in the quiet of the empty room and pondered her situation. Deep down, she wanted to be happy, but all she could feel was worry. Rainbow moved over to the bed that she had slept in that night and crawled up on it. She sighed out loud and curled up, being careful not to ruin her hair or her dress. She stared at the mirrors on the other side of the room, reflecting on the mare she saw staring back at her. Her reflection was hardly even recognizable to her any more. Rainbow knew that she was not herself at all, but she just couldn’t bring herself back from depression and anxiety. In her mind, everything was wrong, and yet, she couldn’t fathom why. She loved Twilight to death and she wanted to be with her, more than anything right now. But everything just felt wrong. Rainbow Dash went over everything in her head over and over again, until she came to one conclusion. She shuddered at the thought, but it persisted in her mind. It was the only thing that made sense in her broken state of mind. ~ A couple of hours later, Rainbow was still lying on the bed, wondering about the choice she felt that she would have to make when a knock came at the door. Rainbow jumped at the sudden noise that broke the dead silence of the room. She lifted her head and looked at the door. “Who is it?” She asked. A deep male voice came from the other side of the closed door, “A member of the Royal Guard ma’am. Princess Celestia sent me to inform you that the wedding is starting in half an hour.” Rainbow quickly looked at the clock and saw the time. She hadn’t realized what time it was until now. Rainbow quickly got up from the bed and began to panic. She didn’t have much time left and she needed to make her decision soon. She paced around the room mumbling to herself. “Miss?” The guard said after a while. Rainbow stopped and looked back at the door. She had almost forgotten that the guard was still out there. “Oh. Yeah, ok. I’ll be there in a minute.” Rainbow announced loud enough for the guard to hear. “Yes ma’am.” He said in response. His hoof steps could be heard as he went back to inform Celestia of Rainbow’s response. Rainbow sighed in relief after she was sure that the guard had left. She glanced around the room and walked over to the mirrors. She checked herself and made sure that her attire was still presentable. After a moment, she nodded and turned toward the door. She hesitated for a few moments before opening the door. Rainbow turned and started slowly walking down the hall. Along the way, her mind raced through all of the possible outcomes of this day. Everything she was worried about came rushing at her and she was at the tipping point. She walked along until she came to the cross section of the hall. Rainbow stopped and looked around her. To her left was the hall that led to the throne room, and the wedding. Straight ahead was another hall that led away from the wedding. Rainbow glanced down each way and she thought to herself, “This is it. It’s time to decide now.” Rainbow glanced down the hall to her left one last time. Her heart was screaming at her and her mind was doing the same. Rainbow shut her eyes tight and ground her teeth. Her legs were shaking and her wings twitched. Everything came down to this moment for her. Rainbow took a deep breath, and took off at a gallop. It was done. She made her choice and there was no going back. “Is everypony ready?” Twilight said after she looked around to see if everyone was accounted for. Nyx, Twilight’s father and the unicorn guard all nodded their heads. Twilight took a deep breath and took her place next to her father. They assumed that Rainbow Dash and her father were ready on the other side of the curtain that separated the two parties and nodded to the guard. His horn lit up and the door to the throne room opened. Nyx, being the flower girl, skipped out the door and began to shake her basket of flower pedals, causing them to spill out onto the floor. Fluttershy queued her birds to start singing the music, and Twilight Sparkle and her father began their walk down the aisle. But the whispers and murmurs of the crowd began to get their attention. Twilight’s father noticed that Rainbow Dash and her father were not walking beside them as planned. Instead, there was no one. Twilight turned her head around and saw that Rainbow wasn’t there. The other door was open, but no one came out. Twilight looked up to her father with a confused expression and he returned her confusion. He turned around and trotted back to the door and peaked around. He was met by Rainbow’s father, who shook his head and looked over at Twilight with worry. Twilight quickly disregarded the wondering crowd and galloped back to the throne room doors. She was confused and she was wanted to know what was the matter. Twilight got to the hall and looked around for Rainbow Dash, but she was nowhere to be seen. She looked over to Rainbow’s father, but he just shook his head. “Oh no. Where could she be? Doesn’t she know what time it is?” At first Twilight was furious, but her anger quickly faded when she began to worry about Rainbow’s safety. “Is she ok? What if she’s hurt? What if she’s lost?” Twilight was losing her cool and she began to panic. She went on with her worried rant until Celestia and Luna, followed by Twilight’s friends, Nyx and several members of the Royal Guard, came out of the throne room to calm her down. Celestia nodded her head at Twilight to reassure her that everything was going to be ok. Meanwhile, Luna found the guard that they had sent after Rainbow and began to question him. Twilight’s friends gathered around Twilight and began to offer her their reassurances. After Twilight had calmed down, Celestia joined her sister, and they began to discuss the possibilities with each other. Twilight joined them and after a few moments of talk, they ordered the guards to head out and try to find the missing Rainbow Dash. Twilight and her friends wanted to join in the search, but the elder Princesses asked that they stay and wait. “If she comes and we aren’t ready, then the wedding might have to be postponed. Let’s leave the search up to the guards.” Celestia explained. Everyone agreed, but Twilight still couldn’t settle down entirely. She needed to know if Rainbow was ok. The group began talking and discussing plans and possibilities. While they talked, Nyx wondered about Rainbow Dash. She thought she had noticed that something was off about her the day before, but she never would have guessed that this would happen. Nyx thought about Rainbow’s behavior and what it could mean before, but now she was certain that she knew what was going on. Though they had asked that everyone stay put, Nyx decided to sneak away and try to find Rainbow Dash herself. Rainbow Dash was sitting under a tree in the castle’s garden. A guard had passed by earlier, but he didn’t find her. She knew that he was looking for her, so she hid from him. Rainbow had been sulking under the tree, thinking about what she had just done. She decided to abandon the wedding and run away. But that was an ‘in the moment’ decision, and she didn’t know what she should do now. All she could think about at that moment was how horrible she felt. She sighed and let her head fall. She felt alone and hurt, but she couldn’t go back. She couldn’t think right anymore. The fear and worry and pain and regret all clouded her mind and rattled her heart like a terrible storm. Rainbow was almost on the verge of tears when she heard a little voice, “Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow quickly looked around to where she heard the voice come from and found Nyx standing there looking up at her. Rainbow straightened up and considered dashing away, but she gave up before she even started. She let her head fall again and looked back at the filly with a look of shame. Rainbow didn’t speak because she couldn’t think of anything to say. She felt like she didn’t have the right to speak anymore. Nyx got closer to Rainbow and ducked her head down so she could look her in the eyes. “Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong?” Nyx asked as soothingly as she could. “Why are you out here?” Rainbow looked into Nyx’s eyes for a few moments before she turned her head away and closed her eyes. She thought about what she should say to the little filly, but nothing seemed to come to her. Nothing that didn’t sound like a sorry excuse. She waited for Rainbow to respond, but when she was only met with silence, Nyx decided to try something else. She thought about Rainbow’s situation for a bit and thought about how lonely she must have felt. Rainbow Dash sat there desperately trying to think of something to say, when she felt a little hoof touch her leg. She turned her head and saw that Nyx was now sitting beside her and was trying to comfort her. Nyx was smiling up at her a comforting smile. Rainbow looked at the filly for a moment before relaxing a little. She smiled a thankful grin at Nyx before unfurling her wing and wrapping it around her to pull her closer. They sat there for a few minutes while Rainbow calmed down. She didn’t feel alone anymore, and her head started to clear up. Though she was starting to feel better, Rainbow was still holding on to all the worries that had been plaguing her mind since she had gotten to Canterlot. But now that she had calmed down, she felt ready to answer for her actions. Rainbow looked down at Nyx, who was watching her patiently. She sighed and thought about what to say. “I guess I should explain myself.” Rainbow watched for a response from Nyx before continuing. She just sat there however, waiting patiently for Dash to be ready to talk. So Rainbow decided to explain why she was out in the garden. “I just… I just feel like… ugh.” Rainbow couldn’t find the right words. Her head was clearer but her heart still raged on. Now that she was calm, she started hating herself even more for what she did. “Its ok Rainbow Dash, you can tell me.” Nyx said with a reassuring tone. Rainbow smiled at Nyx and took a deep breath. “You see, I… I feel like I’m… not good enough…” Rainbow flinched at her own words, as if they had stung her. Rainbow waited for a moment, not sure what to expect would happen next. She waited with baited breath for Nyx’s response. Finally Nyx said, “Why would you feel like you’re not good enough? Good enough for what?” Rainbow didn’t even think twice about her response. She had been keeping all of her troubles to herself, until that moment. “Well, I mean, I feel like I won’t be a good wife for Twilight. She the most amazing pony I’ve ever met and I love her so much and I want her to be happy, but what if I can’t make her happy? What if she would be happier without me? And what about me being a princess? That’s just crazy! Me, a princess? What would I even have to do as a princess? I’m no good at royal duties and all that. And what about you? I never thought about being a mother before. What if I mess up? You’re too…” Rainbow trailed off when her mind caught up with her mouth. She looked at Nyx, regretting how she had just spilled out all of her emotional problems. Nyx sat there, somewhat amazed at the long confession she had just heard. She thought for a few minutes and decided what here next words would be. Finally, she broke the silence. “Rainbow Dash, you don’t have to worry about not making mom… I mean, Twilight happy. She is already so happy with you. She loves you very much, and I know that she always will. And I know that she would sad if she wasn’t with you.” Nyx said, sincerely. “I think that you would make a great princess. You’re already a good leader, and if you have trouble, then Twilight would be there to help you. Trust me, she’s a good teacher.” Nyx said that last part while thinking back to all of the times that Twilight had helped her and taught her new things. Nyx paused for a moment before continuing, “Also, I think that you would make a great mother. I’ve been really excited since we started getting ready for the wedding because, not only would Twilight get to be married and be happy with you, but I would also get you as another mom. You defiantly can’t mess up too bad because Twilight will be there for us. She’s always been there, and she always will be.” Nyx finished by hugging Rainbow’s leg and smiling up at her. Rainbow sat and thought for a while. Nyx was right about all of it. Suddenly, everything seemed to feel right, and now, more than ever, she wanted to marry Twilight Sparkle. “Your right, Nyx. I am pretty awesome, but, even if I do mess up, Twilight will be there for me, no, for us!” Rainbow said with her usual confidence. Nyx’s face lit up even brighter when she saw the old Rainbow Dash return. She had been missing the Rainbow who would confidently face the world, and brag about it when she did. The two ponies jumped up and Rainbow said, “Alright, let’s go…” She stopped herself when she remembered that she was out in the garden because she had ran away from the wedding. “Oh, right.” Rainbow said in a disappointed tone. “What is it?” Nyx asked. “We’re out here, and not in there. It might too late.” Rainbow explained. “Oh yeah…” Nyx said sounding melancholy. “But it might not be too late! There’s still time!” She quickly responded feeling hopeful that she was right. “But what about Twilight? Do you think she’s mad?” Rainbow asked felling concerned when she thought about Twilight getting upset with her. “Maybe, but I don’t think that she’s too mad. She was worried that you might have gotten hurt more than anything.” Nyx said, trying not to think about how scary Twilight was when she was angry. Rainbow thought about the same thing. But she dismissed the thought when she decided that she needed to go back anyway. “Alright, let’s go then.” She said before turning around to run back to the castle. She stopped quickly to pick Nyx up and carry her on her back. ‘They could go quicker that way,’ Rainbow thought. Rainbow began the run back, thinking that running would be better than flying, seeing as how her dress wasn’t made with quick flights in mind. While she ran, Rainbow thought up a question for Nyx. “Hey, how did you know where to find me anyway?” “One time, I was feeling bad, so I went and found a tree where I could be alone to think. But while I was there, a friend of mine found me. At first, I wanted to be alone with my thoughts, but she came along and helped me to feel better. So I thought that you might have needed someone to come and help you feel better, too.” Nyx explained from Rainbow’s back. “It feels bad to be alone.” She said while she thought about her past. Rainbow thought about what she said, and smiled. Nyx really is a good pony. Twilight and the others all waited in the throne room for news of Rainbow Dash and Nyx. No one realized when Nyx had disappeared, but now Twilight was nearly frantic with worry. They had all moved to the center of the throne room to try and calm ponies down when they all started to worry about what could be wrong. Just then, Rainbow came running into the throne room with Nyx on her back. Everyone began to talk and point out that they were here, But Twilight was the loudest when she saw them. “Rainbow! Nyx!” Twilight shouted in equal parts glee and relief. She began to run in order to meet them, but she hadn’t seen them until they were almost there. Once Rainbow stopped in front of Twilight, she suddenly found herself in a crushing hug. Twilight hugged Rainbow tightly for a few moments, then she nuzzled Nyx while she was still on Rainbow’s back. After a few more moments, Twilight pulled away from Rainbow, and Nyx jumped down from her back. Twilight was glad for their safety, but now that that was over with, she began to give Rainbow Dash a confused look. Twilight picked her words before saying, “Rainbow Dash, what happened? Are you ok?” Rainbow nodded and smiled weakly at Twilight. Twilight looked her over and decided that she did indeed look fine. Next, she asked, “Why weren’t you here?” She asked. But when Rainbow Dash was silently looking at her with guilty eyes, she began to suspect. “Did you… Did you run away?” She asked, starting to sound hurt. Rainbow lowered her head and looked down at the floor. She hesitated for a minute before nodding. Twilight gave a small gasp and leaned back, like she was suddenly pushed back by Rainbow’s response. She stood there in disbelief before saying, almost whispering, “Why?” Rainbow’s heart sank when she heard Twilight’s question. She could feel the pain in Twilight’s voice. She knew that she would have to face up to this, and she knew that Twilight would be hurt. Rainbow winced at the pain in her heart. She had hurt Twilight Sparkle, the love of her life, and that was more painful to her than anything she could have imagined. But now, she needed to make it right. Now was not the time to be scared or worry about herself. She needed to explain herself, in front of everypony. Rainbow closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She raised her head up and exhaled. She opened her eyes and met Twilight’s gaze. “Twilight. For the past few days, I’ve been keeping my true feelings to myself. I kept everything bottled up inside and I didn’t think about what that might do. So when the time came for me to come out here, I chose to run away.” Rainbow said in a serious tone. She paused for a moment to think, but quickly continued. “I was feeling bad for myself. I kept thinking that I wasn’t good enough. I kept thinking that you would be better off without someone as lousy as me.” She paused again to think about what she just said, but she quietly snorted at that statement. “Now I know how selfish and stupid that was. I want to do things right and I want you to be happy. But I also want to be happy, and I want to be happy with you, Twilight.” Rainbow stopped and watched Twilight’s response. She didn’t know what she expected her to say. Twilight stood there for a while, completely silent. She just stared at Rainbow, and it was making her feel uneasy. Rainbow thought for a little bit before saying, “I’m sorry that I left you here and ran away. Can you forgive me, Twilight?” Twilight stood there for just a moment longer before she took a step toward Rainbow. She raised her right hoof up, paused for a moment, and continued to wrap her hoof around Rainbow’s neck. Twilight pulled her in and hugged her. “Rainbow Dash, I can’t believe that I never noticed before. You were feeling down and I wasn’t there for you. I was so caught up in the wedding plans that I couldn’t give you the attention that you needed. I should have been a better friend and companion, and I’m sorry that I let you down. Could you ever forgive me?” Twilight said this while embracing Rainbow Dash. Rainbow wasn’t expecting to hear Twilight say any of that, nor did she expect an apology from her. She felt like arguing that Twilight didn’t need to apologies to her, but she figured that that was an argument she wasn’t going to win. So she pulled back and said, “Yeah, I forgive you, Twilight.” Twilight smiled and replied, “Thank you. I forgive you as well.” Twilight giggled and continued with, “And from now on, I promise to always be there for you, whenever you need me. I’ll try to be the best wife I can be.” Rainbow Dash smiled as well and replied, “And I promise that I’ll talk to you about my problems, and I’ll try my best to help you with yours. And I’ll be the most awesome wife that you could ever want.” Twilight giggled at Rainbow’s confident promise. Then the crowd awed and cheered for the two mares. Celestia motioned to the fathers of the two mares. They both walked up beside their daughters and motioned for them to follow. The four then began to walk the rest of the way down the aisle to the altar, where Celestia and Luna where waiting and where their friends had resumed their positions on either side. Nyx skipped ahead with her flower basket and showered peddles onto the carpet. Once Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash were at their places, their fathers took their leave and joined their wives in the audience. Twilight and Rainbow watched them leave before turning their heads to face Celestia and Luna. Celestia glanced at each of them before quietly asking, “Are we all ready?” Twilight and Rainbow both nodded their heads. “Well then, I…” “Oh! Wait just one moment!” Rarity suddenly interrupted. She got close to Rainbow Dash and used her magic to fix a few out of place hairs and straighten a crinkled area on her dress. After she was done, Rarity backed over to her spot and whispered, “Sorry.” Celestia nodded and announced, “We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of these two ponies, Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash.” She looked down at the two standing before her and asked, “You two have already made your vows?” They both looked at each other, then back to Celestia and said, “Yes” in unison. Celestia nodded again and continued, “Then may we have the bands?” Spike presented the pillow that had the two golden bands. Celestia levitated the bands from the pillow and held them in front of her. Twilight and Rainbow Dash both raised their right hoofs and held them up, pointed at each other. Celestia then levitated the bands onto each mare’s raised hoof, and slid them on. Rainbow and Twilight, once each ring was around their hooves, proceeded to touch the ringed hooves together. Celestia glanced at Luna, who took a step forward and levitated a velvet sash and wrapped it around Twilight’s and Rainbow’s connected hooves. Then, together, Celestia and Luna said, “We now pronounce these two mares, Married.” Luna unwrapped the sash and lifted it up with her magic. Twilight and Rainbow smiled and came together in a beautiful kiss that was illuminated by the twilight of the sunset that shone through the windows of the grand throne room. After the kiss ended, the audience all began to cheer for the newlyweds. Twilight and Rainbow turned to face their audience and proceeded to trot out the door. After them, came their friends, followed by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Finally, the audience began to follow them out to the outdoor area that would serve as the dance floor for the couple’s first dance. After the dance, the party began to kick into full swing. Everypony was dancing and having a grand time. Rainbow Dash and her friends were all gathered around each other conversing and dancing when a familiar voice came out of nowhere. “Congratulations, friends!” They all stopped what they were doing and looked around for whom the voice belonged too. Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and Discord appeared out of thin air. He floated in air for a moment with his arms spread open and a big smile on his face, then he touched ground. “Hello, everyone! It’s so good to finally make an appearance. I was waiting forever to final show my mug again.” A mug appeared in discord’s claw that depicted a big red heart shape surrounding an image of Discord. On the other side it read, ‘World’s Best Draconequus.’ Discord drank something from the mug before snapping his fingers and making the mug disappear. He then slithered around into the air above the ponies and said, “I wanted to make my grand entrance sooner, but there seemed to be some sort of commotion and it just didn’t feel right if nopony was paying any attention.” He slithered a circle around Rainbow Dash before he fell into a moping pile around her. “But let’s not dwell on that. Today is a happy day, indeed. Two of my best friends are getting married! Huzza!” Discord slithered back up to his ‘feet’ and began to celebrate the occasion by dancing and throwing rice into the air. Twilight interrupted by saying, “Discord, we just had the wedding.” Discord froze in the air, and so did the rice he was throwing. Only his head moved when he looked at Twilight and asked, “You did?” “Yeah, didn’t you know what time it was? We even had the ceremony late.” Twilight said in response. Suddenly, this rice disappeared and Discord fell down to the ground. He crawled up to Twilight and got in her face and said, “Oh no. Oh no! Have I missed it? Am I too late to the party?” He disappeared from in front of Twilight and reappeared in front of Rainbow Dash. He picked Rainbow up and squeezed her close. “Oh woe is me. I missed the big ceremony. How could I forget the time on such an important day?! Ohoho. Woe is me.” Discord fake cried while he held Rainbow with one arm and held the other up to his face and mimicked a dramatic performance of despair. “Oh! Wait a minute, I didn’t miss the ceremony at all.” Discord dropped Rainbow Dash and pulled a big pocket watch from a coat that just appeared on his person. He threw the watch over his shoulder and continued, “In fact, I was right on time.” Rainbow sat up from being dropped and said with an annoyed voice, “Then what was with all that ‘woe is me’ stuff.” “I was expressing my true feelings and what not. I believe it was ‘I’ll talk to you about my problems.’” Discord wrapped his paw around Rainbow Dash and he stretched his claw out and wrapped it around Twilight. Then he pulled them close to himself and said, “Those were some truly touching vows you girls made to each other. Brings a tear to my eye.” He pulled a tissue out of thin air with his tail and wiped away the tear the formed in his eye. Then Discord disappeared and reappeared a few steps away with big sunglasses, a scarf and a red jacket on. He put his paw up to his forehead, as if to shade the sun from his eyes, and scanned the crowed. “Well, I think I’ll go mingle now. Tata.” Just then, Twilight said, “Discord. We’re glad you could make it.” “Yeah, thanks for coming.” Rainbow said after Twilight. The rest of the ponies all chimed in their own thanks, following Rainbow. Discord stood on the ground and lowered his sunglasses to peek over them in surprise. He smiled sincerely at them and waved. Then he regained his ‘composure’ and took off into the crowd. They all watched him leave while Fluttershy and Nyx both waved after him. “Bye, Discord.” Nyx shouted. “Bye.” Fluttershy said after. They all stood there for a little while longer before Pinkie Pie said, “Hey do you guys think that it’s about time to head back to Ponyville, and get the celebration going there?” Everyone looked around at Pinkie Pie, then at Twilight and Rainbow Dash. It was about time that they started heading back home. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash had gone around and said their farewells. Then they went up to the carriage that would take them home. Twilight watched Nyx climb into the carriage, then she looked around at the crowd and waved one last time before climbing in. Twilight poked her head out of the carriage and threw her bouquet into the crowd. Some of the mares scrambled around to try and catch it, but it never fell to them. Instead, Discord hovered above with the bouquet in his claw. He smiled, mockingly, down at the ponies and did a little dance in the air. Next, Rainbow Dash began to climb in, but she stopped and looked up at the castle. She thought about the events of the past few days. She thought about when she first arrived in Canterlot and how much more alive it had seemed. She thought about the rehearsal and about the night she had spent without Twilight. Finally, she thought about the previous hours of the big day. She remembered all of the events of the day and smiled. Though she did some things that she had come to regret, Rainbow knew that she would always hold all of these memories dear. “Rainbow Dash, are you coming?” Twilight’s voice sounded from the carriage. Rainbow looked inside at her wife and nodded. She climbed inside and took a seat next to Twilight. As they watched the carriage leave, Pinkie Pie shouted, “We need to get back to Ponyville, pronto so we can welcome them when they get there. The five remaining friends all nodded in agreement and ran off to the train station to catch the last train to Ponyville. In the carriage, Rainbow heard Pinkie Pie shout and now she shuffled in her seat. Rainbow shouted, “Woo-Hoo! Let’s get back to Ponyville so we can party all night long!”