You've never been one for keeping track of time. You've been late more times than not, you forgot the season until it bites your flank, and you never remember holidays until you are forced to scramble for a present on Hearth's Warming Eve.
But this day was different.
Your anniversary to what you labeled as, "The Day I Was Born", and you were spending it with the one mare you claim responsible, Rainbow Dash.
She sat across from you inside a very high-end restaurant which had been quiet so far. That's what you like most- the quiet. Unless Rainbow Dash wants to talk, that is.
But on this night, she wasn't. Rainbow was content eating her refined meal, examining the environment, and having casual conversation with you every now and then.
You just might have been overspeculating, since it was only the first ten minutes.
"How'd you pay for all this?" She asked with an adoring smile.
You shrugged with a cocky grin. "Y'know, ways. I have ways. I know a colt."
Rainbow remained proper, finding herself able to not stick her tongue out playfully. "So...I really hate to put a damper on our lovely meal-"
You put a hoof quickly. "No, no. I understand. It is something that should be brought up..." She smiled with reassurance. "School starts soon and we have to get it figured out. I know. Rainbow Dash, I thought about it a lot...and I think you should just...go on campus."
She bit her bottom lip and leaned forward in her seat. "Are you sure....?"
"Yes." You swallowed a lot of something just then, and it wasn't saliva. "I know it's been one of your drea- Hrugf!"
She toppled against you, clutching against you from over the table. That sacrifice deserved a moment, even if it might've ruined your proper dinner.
You smiled and stroked her mane. "My precious gets everything she wants~" You cooed against her before she sat back down.
"Heh..." She looked at you with her big magenta eyes and smiled. "Sometimes I wonder if I am really just in a hospital bed, dreaming all this."
Then I hope you never wake up."
She looked at you with a playful, cocked eyebrow.
"Oh hush, you know what I meant," You both went into a slew of uncontrollable giggles before settling down.
"Ahh, you are so weird sometimes." The pegasus mused with a silly smile.
You looked at her big colorful eyes and didn't notice yourself smiling. "You know you are perfect?"
Rainbow was primed and ready to reply with an all-knowing smirk, but instead she leaned forward. "I'm only perfect because I have you with me."
That made your heart flutter a lot. "You just...don't know. You make me feel like I'm somepony else. I can't explain it...I can't explain how you just...give me everything I need with a mere look. I can't explain anything right now, honestly."
She smiled. "If anypony could, you can."
You shook your head slowly. "No...I can't." You shuffled your legs about slightly, pulling a small black box from your pocket. "Which is why I decided to have something else do it for me."
"Ohmigosh."
"Rainbow Dash,"
"Ohmigosh."
"You are...my everything. I can't live without you-"
"Ohmigosh ohmigosh."
"-I can't feel without you. I can't even see anything without you."
"Ohmigosh!"
"Rainbow Dash,"
"H-...H-...My..."
"Will you marry me?" You opened the box, revealing an insignia necklace with a deep Amathyst gem.
Rainbow Dash had a hoof on her chest as she contained further outbursts of Oh's and Mi's, as well as gosh's, as cute as they were.
You waited patiently with a longing stare into her eyes.
"Yes! Oh, yes, yes I will!" She yelled, leaping into your hoofs.
You grunted in response, wrapping a hoof around her and keeping the necklace high. You nuzzled her neck as you both embraced in the most precious, most valued of moments.
"Don't want to think about it?" You asked with a genuine smile.
She shook her head quickly. "Don't have to. I know you're the one. Just...Don't let me go. Please."
Your heart was everywhere but your chest at this point. Probably exploded out your chest and leapt beside hers. "Never. I'll always be right here, my precious."
And you hugged. For a long time. A really long time. A sway every now and then, a few whimpers, followed by some giggles, but nothing. Not a move.
Until Rainbow Dash backed up finally and sighed. She had the biggest smile you've ever seen. "U-...upon uhm...acceptance, I...have to, well." She turned and plucked a feather from her wing, holding it out for you.
You took the soft, lovely cyan feather with the utmost care. Then you proceeded to place the necklace around Rai-...Your fiance's neck.
You looked at her with a face of absolution and trust. "I love you more than you know."
"But I still love you more."
The cafe remained silent. Long since the two of you started your conversation, the store had been emptied. It was probably past business hours, but with the deep and heated story-telling you and this...'colt' were having, Bon Bon left you at bay.
Rainbow Dash's ex was staring at you in a new way. He seemed to be taking each word in slowly, distinctively and most importantly, remorsefully.
Or so it seemed.
You put a hoof on the table. "Learn anything?" You taunted with narrowed eyes.
He shifted his jaw around as he thought, upon which he nodded. "Ya, I did."
You smiled almost as wide as you did the day you proposed. Almost. "Maybe now you can hold a proper relationship, but even then I don't know."
He swallowed and looked at you with squinted eyes. "But I'm not admitting I was in the wrong. Or apologizing."
Your fumes were threatening to blow from your ears. "Are you pulling my leg?"
"No...but I want to know one thing," He looked all around you -- everywhere but your eyes -- before settling back on your focused gaze. "You still have the feather?"
You brought a hoof up, moving your mane out of the way. There it was, the bright and lively cyan feather that might just have been freshly plucked.
He nodded his head slowly. "I see...So it is true."
Suddenly, an idea formed in your head. "You know what the feather represents, don't you?"
He had a very knowing stare, despite the shaking of his head.
"It represents the life of a bond. Upon its removed from a wing, it remains strong as long as the source is happy. It's used as tradition for a pegasus to use a feather for marriage."
"What are you getting at?"
You brought a hoof up, covering a feathery object underneath. "I don't believe in the magical, spiritual sort of thing honestly, but it makes her happy. But when I saw this..." You moved your hoof away, revealing another cyan feather. It was old and bitter, many of its strands dead and gone. The color remained and it still had some life, but it was merely threads.
Rainbow's ex stared at the decrepit feather, then up at yours.
You leaned over the dying feather. "That was what was in the box she was going to give you."
You witnessed first-hoof the spiral of realization in the colt's eyes as he looked at the feather. He seemed to completely forget anypony was there. Only him and his feather.
His aged, worn-out, worthless feather.
He took it in his hoof and stood from his seat without so much as a word or glance your way.
You watched as Rainbow Dash's ex coltfriend walked out of the store, defeated, broken, dead and gone. Just like the feather given to him a year ago.