Chapter 6: What is Marriage?
Chapter 6: What is Marriage?
Rainbow darted through the skies above Ponyville, racing to get to the safety and security that was her home. Though the culprit behind her hectic day had been found, it didn’t solve the fact that the entire town was expecting to hear the official announcement that she and Mac were engaged. The chaos that would come from all of it made Rainbow groan in utter dismay as she flew high above Ponyville.
I should have hit him harder, Rainbow thought, her mind coming back to Braeburn and his big mouth. She could already imagine Scootaloo and the other Crusaders asking to be her flower fillies, Twilight getting all wrapped up in planning the ceremony, and—knowing the Apple family as she did—Granny Smith had probably sent out the announcements already. Imagining the entire ordeal made Rainbow scowl; soon she would have to go to Rarity to get fitted for her dress, then figure out how to decorate the whole thing and who they were going to invite!
Rainbow’s eyes widened as her mind caught up to where she was thinking. What the heck, Rainbow?! Mac didn’t propose to you! You're not getting married! She thought, desperately riding her mind of the bouquet arrangement. That was for other mares! The only thing she should be planning was how to secure her place in the Wonderbolts.
Yet, something about that nagged at her, manifesting itself into a nausea pooling in her stomach. Rainbow tried to push it all away, to think of something else, anything else. Flying with the Wonderbolts, hanging out with her friends, beating up bad guys and other cool thoughts wandered around the front of her mind, but that queasy knot stayed, demanding her attention, demanding her to dwell upon it.
“Argh!” Rainbow shouted, shaking her head hard as she rolled through the air. “Stop thinking about it!” she shouted to herself, as she broke out of the roll and started to glide. “Other mares think about this filly stuff! I don’t!”
Growling in pure frustration, Rainbow Dash looked ahead and saw her house come into view, a place where she could free herself from these annoying thoughts and feelings. Redoubling her efforts, she sped towards home to open up a few ciders to whisk her troubling thoughts away.
Those hopes were dashed when a familiar yellow pegasus came into view, sitting on her doorstep. Rainbow ran a hoof down her face in frustration at Fluttershy looking around serenely, as if it was not odd to wait at someone’s door for them. Sighing, she already knew what Fluttershy wanted and decided to get it over with.
Swooping down, she landed behind Fluttershy, causing the timid pegasus to flinch. “Rainbow Dash, I didn’t hear you at all,” she said, her voice quiet and pleasant as ever. “I heard the news, and I wanted to come congratulate you and Mac in—” Rainbow Dash walked right past her, unlocking the front door and shoving it open.
“Inside. Now.” Rainbow spat, stalking inside and leaving a very stunned Fluttershy in her wake. The pegasus gave a nervous look around, like a small animal checking for a predator, before walking inside after Rainbow.
“Rainbow? Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked as Rainbow Dash collapsed on the sofa, letting out a loud grunt as she did.
“No, Flutters, I’m not!” Rainbow growled, reaching for a pillow and placing it over her head like the shell of her faithful turtle. “You and everypony else thinks Mac and I are getting married and now expect some huge wedding!” Rainbow rolled over onto her back, now pulling the cloud pillow over her chest, glaring angrily at the ceiling above.
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side, a few strands of her pink mane falling into her face. “So… you and Mac aren’t getting married?”
Rainbow let out an exasperated sigh, nodding to the question before pulling the pillow over her face completely. Fluttershy watched Rainbow for a few silent seconds, eventually speaking again in her calm voice. “Did you turn Macintosh down?”
Rainbow gave out a loud, primal roar as she bolted upright and threw the pillow across the room with her sudden rage.
Fluttershy gave out a high pitched ‘eep’, ducking as the pillow hit the wall behind her with a soft thud and fell to the floor with an even softer one.
“If Braeburn hadn’t run his big stupid mouth, I wouldn't be in this mess!” Rainbow growled, getting up from the sofa and marching into the kitchen. She ground her teeth together, her ears flat against her head as her eyebrows furrowed together.
As Rainbow marched off, Fluttershy started to sit up again, her blue eyes shimmering in concern as she watched Rainbow. “Then Mac never proposed?” As she spoke, Rainbow’s head snapped back at Fluttershy with a glare she previously saved for those pestering her.
“No! He didn’t propose! Mac didn’t propose to me in any way! We are not engaged and we are not getting married!” Rainbow shouted, her words filled with an unrelenting rage unfairly directed at the pegasus before her, who looked ready to fly away.
Rainbow took in a deep breath and started to count to ten, before letting one out slowly and evenly. “I’m sorry, Fluttershy, it's… it's been a really long day…” Rainbow sighed as she turned back to the kitchen and reached for the handle of the refrigerator. “All day ponies have been grilling me about something that didn’t happen, and it's getting on my nerves!” she lamented, opening the fridge and reaching for a pair of plain-looking brown bottles with her wings, filled with Apple Family cider.
She popped the top off one with incredible ease, before taking a long sip of the perfect drink to help calm her. As she pulled the bottle from her lips, she tossed the other bottle to Fluttershy. Rainbow didn’t notice that Fluttershy had not been expecting the bottle and had avoided the object as it landed silently on the cloud floor; luckily the floor had been enchanted not to let such items fall through, one of the necessities when living with an earth pony coltfriend.
Dash took another swig of her cider as she reentered the living room and began to pace around, her mind swirling in thought so much that it was impossible to stay still. Pacing had always helped her think; she was used to constantly moving, and when she had something on her mind she needed to move. She had never even noticed it, until Mac pointed it when she accused him of being psychic for knowing when something was bothering her.
“Today started off so great! Mac had made me pancakes and promised me a nice dinner, only for Rarity barge it and start measuring me for a wedding dress! Next the Cloud Twins boobytrap my locker with confetti cannons and wedding pictures, wanting me to hook them up with some Apple stallions at the wedding! I thought being partnered with Thunderlane would give me some peace but even he is on the wedding bandwagon planning my bachelorette party—which does sound awesome—but he still thought Mac and I were getting married!
“After work, I wanted to get back at Rarity, but I got tackled by Pinkie Pie, who is probably off doing Luna knows what to Caramel, so I could be dragged into the gossip meeting of Cupcake and Matilda, which results in them fighting over whose husband is best! Finally, I get to Rarity’s and ready to get my revenge when it turns out Braeburn was the one shooting his trap off telling the whole town about the proposal that. Didn’t. Happen!”
The rage had returned to Rainbow Dash as she downed the rest of the cider she had and slammed it down on the coffee table. “Now everypony thinks that Mac and I are getting married! Heck, I bet Celestia and Luna are already picking out gifts for a wedding that’s not happening!” Rainbow couldn’t hide her anger, her right eye twitching in frustration as she went to get another cider from the fridge.
During the entire episode, Fluttershy had sat on the sofa, the unopened bottle between her forelegs, taking in everything Rainbow had said and watching her reactions. As Rainbow pulled out another pair of brown bottles, Fluttershy rose her hoof up to speak, but, before she could, another bottle of cider was thrown to her, making her duck once more.
“I didn’t even know it was freaking Hearts and Hooves day to begin with! All I wanted today was to sleep in with Mac, have a great breakfast, go to work and then hang out with him tonight! Now, everypony is expecting us to go running through the streets shouting about getting married and making some spectacle about it, when in reality nothing will happen!” With that, Rainbow took another swig of her cider before she started to pace around the living room again, ears flat against her head as she glowered.
Moments passed in silence as Fluttershy watched Rainbow pace around the room, looking only at the floor as she did so. Being friends with Rainbow for so long, Fluttershy had seen Rainbow in ways that not many others had. She had seen Rainbow at her highest like when she had made it into the reserves, and at her lowest as when she was kicked out of flight school. She knew the characteristics of her friend’s emotions and when something was truly bothering her, even if Rainbow didn’t.
“Rainbow,” Fluttershy said, her voice a bit louder this time, causing Rainbow’s ears to twitch and her to look up. “I understand that you're angry about everypony getting involved in your private matters, but… I don’t think that’s what you're mad about…” Fluttershy cringed slightly, as she could feel Rainbow’s retort coming.
“Not what I’m mad about?” Rainbow asked, her eyes locked on Fluttershy. “What else is there to be mad about?” she demanded. Fluttershy could feel the anger rolling off of Rainbow, but she had to keep going; she needed to help Rainbow realize what she was angry about.
“I think that you're upset because… well because…” Fluttershy looked up into Rainbow’s eyes, she could feel her confidence wavering now, but she couldn't back down; not when she’d come this far. “Mac didn’t propose. I think, deep down you wanted him to.” Fluttershy shrunk before Rainbow, the last of her will failing her as she waited for Rainbow’s retort.
The fire was ablaze in Rainbow’s mind at Fluttershy’s words. The very idea that she was secretly wishing Mac had proposed to her was filly daydreams, not the daydreams of super mares like her! She was a free spirit; she was not ready to settle down and get married any time soon! If she got married, her entire life would change, and she didn’t like change when it went against her plans to be a Wonderbolt.
She wanted to tear into Fluttershy, to make her regret thinking that she could ever be capable of such uncool thoughts! She wanted all of Equestria to know that she was a tough and ready for action mare who could take on anything life could throw at her.
Slamming her bottle of cider on the coffee table, Rainbow was ready to defend herself from such blasphemy, though as the bottle hit the table with a thunk the fire within her suddenly went out.
Looking down at the bottle of cider, her eyes came to rest on the hoof carved table below it. The table was not made out of clouds like other parts of Rainbow’s home, but instead it was made out of dark brown wood. Wood that had come from a tree that Mac had chopped down and carved into a table for her. And not just a table.
Her magenta eyes looked up from the table and started to take in the room around her, like it was the very first time she had seen it. Besides the sofa, easy chair, and loveseat that she had always had, the rest of the furniture was made of wood. There was a large bookcase across from the sofa that housed her collection of Daring Do books, and even had a space built in it to place her trophies and other awards for the world to see; there was even a table in the far corner with enough matching chairs to host game nights.
All of it had been made by Big Mac in his free time, long before she had even thought about asking him to move in. He had done it out of love, to know that she had something she would always use that he had made. She couldn't even imagine how long it had taken Mac to plan out and carve each piece of furniture; she had never even asked, just accepted it and began using it right away.
Suddenly, it began to dawn upon her.
Her life had already been changed so much by allowing Mac into it, that she hadn’t even noticed it until now. Where posters of the Wonderbolts used to line the walls, now was occupied with pictures of Rainbow and her closest friends, or of Mac with his family; some photos were even of Sweet Apple Acres and of her and Mac together. No longer was it just her home, but instead it was their home.
Earlier thoughts of not wanting to change vanished, for the change had already happened and she couldn't imagine life without them. Asking Mac to move in with her now seemed like the greatest idea she had ever had. Looking back, before he had moved in her home didn’t seem like a home anymore, just a place to sleep and eat when not out. Mac had changed it into a place to make memories, a place, that no matter how many amazing adventures she would go on, she was always excited to come back to.
Then what freedom would she be losing? The freedom to date other stallions if she wanted to? To hell with other stallions! She had her stallion, and his name was Big Macintosh Apple! The greatest stallion in all of Equestria, the only stallion that was worthy enough to be with the greatest mare in all of Equestria, alicorns be damned!
It wasn’t as though Mac was overbearing either; heck, she was the one who was overbearing at times, dragging him out to try new things and to go to new places! It wasn’t as though Mac was expecting her to become the stay at home mare when they got married, whose only concerns were making dinner, doing laundry, and popping out foals. Mac knew what kind of mare she was, and he had even banned her from doing either laundry or cooking when he saw her supposed mad skills at both.
Mac had never once made any indication that he wanted her to become one, either; he knew what her dreams were and did whatever he could do help her achieve them. From timing her laps to working out flight routines, he had always been there to help her. He was also there when she was at her weakest, when she couldn’t be the invincible mare she let the world see, and had held her when she needed to be held or listened when she needed to talk.
As her thoughts began to slow down, Rainbow slowly began to realize that she had stopped looking around the room, and instead her eyes were fixated on a picture of her and Mac. The picture had been taken shortly after they had become a couple, at the end of cider season. Rainbow had an foreleg wrapped around his thick neck, with the other holding a mug of cider. It had been taken during one of the rare moments of her openly showing affection: she was kissing Mac on the cheek, and the big lug had the biggest smile on his face as he held his own mug of cider.
Turning her gaze around, Rainbow looked back at Fluttershy who was sitting there with a small smile on her lips that still reached her eyes and spoke volumes about how happy she was. Fluttershy had known all along that she wasn’t mad about the attention; she never got mad about attention, it was the fact that she had to deny something that she wished was true.
“I… I love him…” Rainbow finally said, her heart beating faster than any athletic competition had ever made it beat before. “I really love him…”
“I know,” Fluttershy said, her smile growing a bit wider at Dash’s words.
In the blink of an eye, Dash was hovering in front of Fluttershy, shaking the other pegasus’ shoulders.
“No Fluttershy! I mean, I really love him! Like… I want to… want to… ” Rainbow’s eyes were wide, darting around the room as though searching for the word that was eluding her. Though jostled by the sudden shaking, Fluttershy never stopped smiling as she watched her friend coming to grasp with her sudden emotions.
“Marry him?”
“Marry him!” Rainbow Dash shouted, pulling Fluttershy into a hug. She didn’t care who heard her, even if it would mean she couldn’t get into the ‘Bolts. “I want to marry him!” She repeated, her voice as scratchy and rough as ever, but full of truth.
Releasing Fluttershy from the hug, she was smiling from ear to ear as she kept her hooves on Fluttershy’s shoulders. “Fluttershy you are the best! To hell with Thunderlane's party, you are my maid of honor!” Rainbow declared, giving the maid to be a slap on the back that knocked the air out of her.
“I can’t wait for him to propose! This mare is going to be forever off the market, and if any other mare tries to get my Apple they have another thing coming!” Rainbow declared, as she flew around the living room like it was the first day of a Disneigh World vacation, before diving through the floor of her home.
As the clouds started to fill in the hole, Fluttershy sat on the sofa with her two unopened bottles of cider. Though she was happy that Rainbow Dash had come to realize her true feelings for Mac, she wasn’t quite prepared for her reaction. Or when Rainbow’s head came popping out of the floor a few seconds later.
“Real quick, Flutters. You don’t have any plans tonight, right?” Fluttershy’s cheeks started to turn bright red at the questions, her hooves now rubbing against one another.
“No… not really. I was just going to sit at home with Angel and—”
“Perfect!” Rainbow interrupted, her smile never faltering. “I kind of promised to find Thunderlane a date for tonight, and, seeing as you don’t have any plans, do you mind going out with him? Could be fun! Thanks!” Without even waiting for an answer, Dash’s head disappeared, and in the window Fluttershy could see a Rainbow streak heading towards Sweet Apple Acres and leaving Fluttershy all alone.
“Oh… oh my…” was all she could say.
Stats
Page generated in 0.018 seconds
Total duration
800 users online
643,087 hits today, 2,280,440 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Okay, this chapter was great. I really liked how Fluttershy was the one who supported and listened to RD's opinions about the incident and how she made RD realize that she wants to marry Big Mac. The ending with RD making Fluttershy act as Thunderlane's date was hilarious.
You hear that Rainbow? That's the sound of Celestia and Luna returning their wedding gifts.
I say the two of them should build a home on the ground together. Would be easier for him that way lol
Welcome to the other side, Rainbow.
And congratulations, Fluttershy, you've won a Thunderlane.
7095932
And if things go right, Rumble might win himself an Apple Bloom.
That was a sweet chapter.
And on a sidenote:
7095806 Good point, we still need information about the cloud elevator that was mentioned in the comments!
XD
Is dash gonna be the one to propose now heh
Now this is scary.
Wonder if you can flood out or burn down a cloud house?
Then again, Twilight's been described as burning the kitchen in a crystal castle...
Well, geez. Now I'm a bit scared for Big Mac.
His mare is on the rampage, now. I hope Rarity and Braeburn were right, or he's going to be in deep trouble.
7099989 Check out my other story Dash Can't Cook for answers to that.
Read Baby it's cold outside. Great story. Is this the sequel?