Feathers Are in Style

by Void Chicken

Tomorrow

Rainbow Dash sat on the floor of Carousel Boutique's storefront with her back against the wall, trying not to look as excited as she felt. Rarity sat next to her, the very image of calm. Both ponies wore a sweatshirt with the hoods up over their heads. Just in front of them sat Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, with Fluttershy a few feet behind. Spike stood in the corner at the far end of the room.

Rainbow spoke up. "We have a really big announcement."

Behind the trio, Rainbow could see Fluttershy grinning from ear to ear behind her hooves.

"A very important one, at that," Rarity added.

"Must be a hoot if it got you to wear that, Rarity," Applejack commented. Pinkie nodded vigorously.

Twilight spoke up, "I'm sure it's important if they called us here to tell us."

Rarity rubbed at her shirt. "Indeed, it is related to our current choice of... outfit."

Fluttershy vibrated like she was threatening to explode.

"Well, out with it, you two," Applejack said.

Rainbow looked over at Rarity. "All right, babe. One, two, three!"

She reached up and whipped back her hood as Rarity did the same behind her. Their earrings glinted in the light.

"We're getting married!" they shouted together.

Twilight gasped. "That's wonderful!"

Applejack stomped her hooves. "Well congrat—"

Fluttershy cheered, flew straight up, and hit the ceiling with a loud bonk. She floated back down and smiled sheepishly at the couple, rubbing her head.

Pinkie Pie took a deep breath, pulled three party horns from her mane, put them all in her mouth, and emptied her sizable lungs through them. Then a large banner that Rainbow hadn't noticed earlier unfurled across the ceiling, scattering streamers and confetti across the room. The text "Congratulations on your engagement!" was written in purple and blue across it, with the couple's cutie marks at either end.

Rarity glanced at Rainbow, who shrugged in response. Fluttershy looked just as confused.

Before she had any more time to consider, Rainbow found a pink foreleg around her neck and Pinkie's head between Rarity's and her own. Pinkie squealed and pushed Rainbow's and Rarity's heads together.

"Eee I can't believe you're marrying each other! You two are so in love it's adorable!"

Rainbow set her forehooves against Pinkie's ribcage. "Yes, Pinkie." She gave a push to no avail. "I'm in love with her." She pushed again. "That's why we're getting married."

Pinkie released them, leaving the pair stumbling. "When's the wedding? Is it going to be at Town Hall? Can we come? Will there be cake? Dancing? A DJ?"

"Pinkie," Twilight admonished. "It takes a long time to plan a wedding and they've only been engaged for..." She looked to Rarity.

"I dunno," Rainbow answered for her. "Twelve hours?"

"Twelve hours," Twilight continued. "They wouldn't have anything set in stone this early."

"Well, I do have somewhere in mind," Rainbow said. "I know this cliffside in Fillydelphia, lots of grass. Awesome view of the ocean and when the sun sets over the mountains, the lighting is awesome." She motioned towards Rarity. "She wants to see it first, but I know she'll love it. Oh yeah, there's the one other thing we gotta get out of the way early. You got this one, babe?"

Rarity stepped forward. "Twilight, seeing as you are a princess, I assume you could officiate our ceremony, and we'd be delighted if you would."

"Me?" Twilight turned red. "I mean, I'd be honored to. I'll have to read up on the exact procedure, but of course I'll marry you." She paused. "To each other."

"Awesome!" Pinkie called. Upbeat music played from a record player that Rainbow knew wasn't there fifteen seconds earlier.

Rarity grabbed Rainbow's hoof and pulled her to the center of the room. For several minutes the two danced together. Sometimes face to face, sometimes side by side with Rainbow's wing over Rarity's back.

Once Rarity got tired, Rainbow split off and pulled Fluttershy aside.

"Hey, thanks a ton for helping me out," she told her.

"It wasn't any problem at all, Rainbow. I'm glad we could help," Fluttershy replied.

Rainbow shook her head. "Not just the proposal. I mean everything you've done for me over the past year."

"You're very welcome, Rainbow." Fluttershy smiled.

She looked Fluttershy in the eyes. "I gotta ask one more thing, though."

"Whatever you need, I'll give it a try."

"I want you to be my best mare at the wedding."

"Oh!" She looked away. "I-I don't know if I can."

Rainbow bumped her with a wing. "Come on, Fluttershy. Would I ask you if I thought you couldn't do it?"

Fluttershy's smile returned. "You're right. I'll do it."

"Thanks, Fluttershy. You're the best."

Rainbow's gaze landed on a dim corner of the room. Spike had been so quiet, she had completely forgotten that he was there, sitting in the corner with his knees to his chest and his head low. She slowly walked over, partially to give her time to think of what to say and partially to delay the inevitable.

She sat next to him and said the best introduction she was able to think of: "Hey."

He didn't move. "Congratulations," he growled.

Thanking him didn't feel like the appropriate response. Instead, Rainbow asked, "Are you okay?"

He looked up at her, his eyes landing on her earring. "I lost. You won." He looked back at the ground. "I should have figured. You always win."

"Spike." Rainbow searched for words. "She's not... I mean, I didn't..." She took a moment to think. "I mean, love isn't a competition. You don't win a pony, you know? I didn't get this"—she tapped her earring—"in a race or because I figured out some love spell or something."

"I know. I was just..." Spike paused. "Part of me was always hoping... wishing that..."

Rainbow finished his thought: "That we'd break up?"

Spike's claws dug into his legs. "It's an awful wish. She'd be so upset if you left her. You're the reason she's happy now. It's just... so..."

Glancing at Spike's hands, Rainbow saw they'd formed into fists. "You want to hit me?"

Spike started. "Huh?" He looked up at her.

"You've been mad at me forever now. I get it if you want to hit me. I'd want to hit me." Rainbow opened her wing to show him her ribcage. "I won't do anything back. It's kind of sensitive though so if you could—oof." She winced at the impact. "You pack quite a punch for such a little dragon, you know that?"

For the first time that night, a faint smile showed on Spike's face. "You know I held back."

Rainbow let her wing drape itself over Spike. "What, you think I can't take a hit? I've been smacked around by, like, huge monsters and stuff." Taunting him into hitting her harder didn't seem like the best idea in the circumstances. Neither did letting on how much it stung.

After a moment, Spike ran the backside of his hand across Rainbow's feathers. "You're a lot softer than Twilight is."

"I keep telling her to use the wing shampoo but she never listens." Rainbow smiled.

Spike turned his head. Rainbow followed his line of sight to Rarity, who had started talking to Pinkie Pie. "You're going to make sure she's happy, right?" he asked.

"That's the plan."

"You better."

They sat in silence for a moment. Spike stood up. "I need to tidy up the castle. And do some thinking. I'll see you around." He turned to leave.

Folding her wings, Rainbow got to her feet as well. "All right. If you need to talk some more, gimme a holler."

Rainbow returned to Rarity. Pinkie looked as enthusiastic as ever over whatever the discussion was. Pinkie bounced away as Rainbow approached.

She took a breath to clear her mind. "I think we made progress, babe."

"That's good to hear," Rarity said. "I've been making a few arrangements for the wedding in the meantime."

Rainbow nodded. "Can you imagine? Me walking down the aisle next to Dad in a wedding dress, you in your suit at the altar watching me." She closed her eyes and smiled at the mental image.

"Oh," Rarity said, causing Rainbow to open her eyes and look at her again. "I assumed that I would be wearing the dress with my father and you would be at the altar in a suit."

Rainbow got annoyed. "I want to wear the dress. Why can't I wear a dress?"

Rarity spoke slower as she thought. "It's a matter of, ah, levels of... sophistication. I am a proper lady and you are... you."

Rainbow opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again and patted Rarity on the back with her wing. "You know what? We'll work something out."

The music filling the room stopped, and a slower song played. Rarity smiled and walked backwards towards the middle of the room again. Rainbow followed. Rarity placed her head against the side of Rainbow's neck, and her partner repeated the motion.

Rarity moved back and forth, her hooves landing in time with the music. Rainbow moved along with her, even if her own hooves had substantially less rhythm. She smiled all the same at the feel of Rarity's coat and the warmth of her body against her face.

Rainbow thought only of the moment, not caring how she looked in front of the rest of her friends. Only one thing mattered to her right then, and she had it. She would have it forever.

The song was much too short, and when it ended, Rainbow stepped backwards and planted a kiss on Rarity's lips. Rainbow smiled at her, but Rarity's smile looked just a little uncertain.

"What's on your mind, babe?" Rainbow asked.

Rarity glanced at the others. "Can we talk in private, Rainbow? Outside?"

"Sure thing." Rainbow turned her head towards the other ponies. "Don't mind us, girls. We'll be right back."

Rarity walked outside into the chill, closely followed by Rainbow. Small white flakes drifted down from the clouds above. One landed on Rainbow's snout and she looked up.

She gave a nervous laugh. "Sorry, babe. Had to make up for yesterday being clear." Rainbow thought for a moment. "Is this about the dress? Because I can wear a suit if it means that much to you."

Rarity walked in the general direction away from downtown. "No, I just wanted to talk about the future."

Rainbow trotted to catch up. "Hey, I'm always down for some future talk with my fiancée. What's up?"

"I feel like... sometimes this all feels like a dream." Rarity stopped to touch her earring.

"I hope I don't wake up then," Rainbow replied. "No nap is worth losing this."

Rarity resumed walking. "We'll be married in a few months."

Rainbow got a little spring in her step at the thought.

Rarity went on, "The next day, we're going to wake up next to each other. And then... things are going to be just like they are now, won't they? We'll be wives instead of marefriends, and that's it. There's nothing really left."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." She situated herself at Rarity's side. "Being your wife forever sounds pretty sweet to me. Besides, it's only a matter of time until there's some other threat to Equestria we all gotta fight to decide the fate of all ponykind. That'll keep things interesting."

"That's true." Rarity walked in silence. "But there is one very special thing that'll be there for Equestria's next apocalypse."

Rainbow was sure she knew, but she couldn't resist. "And what's that?"

Rarity stopped and Rainbow turned to face her. "You, of course." She raised a snow-covered hoof and bopped Rainbow in the nose.

Rainbow smiled. "We've been together for all the other ones, babe."

"Yes, but we haven't been together." Rarity resumed her walk. "We'll be fighting with a connection we've never had before."

Rainbow walked up at her side again. "It's going to be awesome being heroic with you from now on."

They walked for a few minutes together in silence.

Rarity finally spoke again. "Since I was a little filly, I'd always thought of myself as the hopeless romantic. You were the brash pony who always did whatever she wanted, no matter how anypony else felt. But then this whole relationship happened. You asked me for that first date. You said you loved me first. You asked me to marry you, even after you were so uncertain of the prospect."

"It just felt right," was all Rainbow could think to reply with.

"After all this time, Rainbow." Rarity shook her head. "You're still a mystery to me."

Rainbow pranced forward. "We'll have the rest of our lives to figure each other out, babe."

Comments

[RainbowXFlutters]

It would be cool of you wrote a little side story about how Spike feels through the whole ordeal of Rainbow and Rarity getting together and then getting married.