Rainbow Dash stepped onto the train back to Ponyville, she picked out a comfortable seat and settled down for a long nap. She smiled as she thought back to when she and Big Mac first started dating.
/*/*Start Flashback*/*/
It was spring of the previous year, late match, and a few weeks after winter wrap-up. Rainbow Dash loved this time of year, as spring always required a lot of clouds to be in the sky. Perfect for napping, perfect for complicated flight routines that required obstacles, and the requests for rain from the nearby farms gave plenty of work for the weather team to do when she actually felt like working.
She lounged on a particularly fluffy cloud, soaking up the sunlight. She heard some ponies talking below her cloud, and her curiosity was peaked. She decided to find out who it was and, peeking over the edge of the cloud, saw that it was Big Mac and Applejack, each carrying a cart full of apples to the market for sale.
“I ’Dunno why you keep saying no to her, Big Mac,” AppleJack said loudly as they walk underneath the cloud Rainbow Dash was sitting on. “Cheerilee has got to have asked you out about ten different times now. Seems like a perfectly nice pony to me, so what’s your problem with her?” She challenged her brother, looking over to gage his reaction.
“She just ain’t the one for me,” Big Mac responded, focusing on pulling the cart instead of his sister’s stare.
“And just who is? I know you took a fancy to Pinkie’s twin for a time…” AppleJack pointed out, nearly startling Rainbow Dash off of her cloud.
“Nnooope, not telling,” Big Mac responded, pulling his cart ahead of Applejack’s and nearly running away as she called after him.
‘Big Mac liked Marble Pie?’ Rainbow Dash thought, stunned. She tried to picture them together, and she had to admit that their shy personalities matched perfectly. ‘They are third cousins though, so that’s kind of gross…’ She reasoned. ‘Besides, he needs someone who will bring him out of his shell, someone who will challenge him, someone who would stick by his side, someone awesome, someone…’ “Someone like me,” She continued her thought out loud.
She frowned, not liking the ‘girly’ direction her thought were taking at all. She knew very well that Big Mac was handsome, loyal, funny, kind and all around a great guy. Most mares in Ponyville had a crush on him, with a few exceptions.
Rainbow Dash was not one of the exceptions, and she knew it. And she really didn’t like the idea that he’d finally set his eye on a special somepony.
“I’m Rainbow Dash, for crying out loud!” She eventually said, standing up on her cloud and taking a defiant stance. “If I want him, I’m not going to sit back like some pansy, I’m going to DO something about it!” She shouted to no one in particular, as the sky was free of pegasai at the moment.
And so she did.
She spent the next several weeks trying to attract the stallion’s attention. She practiced her best stunts over sweet apple acres, gave them perfect weather for growing their trees despite what the schedule said. She even offered to help the eldest apple with his chores, failing miserably but enjoying his company all the same.
Finally, in the second week of April everything came to a head.
Big Mac was at Roseluck’s flower stand, picking out some of her more delicious-looking flowers to put into a basket. Rainbow Dash, who’d noticed him in the market from the air, came landing down beside him.
“I’m tired of waiting for you to ask me,” Rainbow Dash said, getting his attention. “So I don’t care what Twilight’s stupid book says, I’m going to ask you.” She continued.
“Ask me what, Miss Dash?” Big Mac said with a smile.
“Do you want to go on a date with me?” She asked, all smiles and confidence on the outside, but on the inside as nervous as a little filly.
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said without hesitation, smiling.
“Really?” Rainbow Dash said, grinning. “OHMIGOSHOHMIGOSH! That’s awesome!” She did a loop-de loop in the air, then realized that the entire market was staring at her. “I mean, of course you said yes. Who wouldn’t? I’m me, after all.” She said, landing back down on the ground and regaining her ‘cool’.
“I’ve had my eye on you for a few months, if I’m being honest,” Big Mac admitted. “In fact, these were supposed to be for you,” He said, grabbing the large array of flowers he’d paid for from Roseluck’s stand in his mouth and presenting it to Rainbow.
“Did you get daises? They’re my favorite,” Rainbow Dash said, looking at the bouquet and realizing that it was, in fact, mostly daisies.
“Eeyup”
“Want to go on that date right now?” Rainbow said, putting the flowers in her saddlebags and pointing to Sugarcube Corner, which was two houses down from where they were.
“Don’t mind if we do, Miss Dash,” Mac said, smiling at his good fortune.
/*/*End Flashback*/*/
Dash‘s first stop after getting off the train at Ponyville was SugarCube corner. She might not be sure Mac was coming back for their anniversary, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t talk to the one mare who knew everything about parties about planning one for her and Mac.
“Pinkie?” Dash called out as she walked into a nearly empty sugarcube corner, closing the door behind her with a kick and looking around.
“In the kitchen, Dashie!” Pinkie called out, and Dash followed what could only be Pinkie’s voice into the kitchen that smelled deliciously of cakes and other pastries sold at SugarCube corner.
“I needed to talk to you-” Desh got out before a scone was shoved into her mouth. It tasted like apples and cinnamon.
“What do you think? Does it taste good?” Pinkie asked with a bright smile.
“Tastes great,” Rainbow said honestly. Apple and cinnamon was one of her favorite flavor combinations, and was often present in the cooking at Sweet Apple Acres. “I wanted to talk to you abou-” Rainbow Dash started, but was cut off by Pinkie Pie.
“Planning a party for you and Big Mac’s anniversary?” Pinkie asked, taking another tray of scones out of the oven and setting them to cool. She turned to Rainbow Dash only to see her looking astonished.
“You have a Pinkie Sense for that?” Rainbow asked.
“Silly, I have a Pinkie Sense for every party-worthy occasion!” Pinkie beamed. “So you like the scones as the food for the party?” Pinkie asked.
“Wha-?” Dash asked, then looked down at the scones. Apple and cinnamon flavored, and now that she took a look at the scones. She could clearly see the decorations on them. They were triangle-shaped, and half the triangle had a rainbow pattern on it, the other half had a red background with a green apple in the center. “Whoa, Pinkie! They’re awesome!” Dash exclaimed, giving one of her best friends a bone-crushing hug.
“When I plan a party, I do it right! That’s why I’m practicing the food and decorations,” Pinkie explained.
“Remember, it’s-”
“Two weeks from now on Saturday? Got it!” Pinkie giggled, rushing Dash out of the kitchen. “Now go see Rarity! She’s making you a dress!”
“She’s WHAT!?!?!?!” Rainbow Dash’s face took on a horrified expression, stopping Pinkie from pushing her out the door by holding onto the doorframe. “What would she go and do that for?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She tried to run through all of the reasons in her mind why Rarity would get it into her head that Rainbow wanted a dress of all things for her anniversary party.
“Big Mac asked her too. She’s making him a suit, too,” Pinkie said with a grin, finally managing to get Rainbow out of the door and slamming it shut behind her.
Pinkie let out a fit of giggles that lasted around five minutes. “She thinks she’s the one throwing the party but OOOH is she going to be the one surprised!” Pinkie exclaimed to the cake twins, who had just waddled into the kitchen at the smell of baked goods.