Conclusion: in which everything starts out weird and fast, goes boring and then surprisingly turns into a nice and warm midnight; even if it was cold before...

Alternative Title: weddings are overrated as long as you don't have the right ponies...

Or ain't the one who is getting married-

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Requester: -Starsong_Shine-

Request: Why not writing a one-shot about the wedding of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor? You know, when Dash and Soarin dancing. Like an AU of what happened. If that make any sense-

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Oh don't worry hun it made sense alright.

Hope you'll like it!

Art by KikiRDCZ from DeviantaArt

One-shot and cover by -_Rainbow_Dash_-

References: MLP:FIM Season 2 Episode 25 and 26, A Canterlot Wedding

MLP:FIM belongs to Hasbro

Dash was officially bored at this point.

I mean who wouldn't if you were in her... horse shoes? Bride's maid dress?

Who knew royal weddings could get this boring?

Okay, don't just think that she is being snotty right away, because she really had a good reason for her boredoom.

Don't get her wrong, the week started out really fun actually, as fun as preparing for a wedding could be until the real action started that is. I mean, you didn't get the chance to see your friend's brother who was the captain of the royal guards getting ready to marry the love of his life that also happened to be the princess of love herself who "also" happened to be your very friend's babysitter when she was a filly, everyday.

Pretty hard to sink in, right? Well, that wasn't even the half of it.

And then you learn all of this while you're having your usual hangout with your 5 bestest friends in the world, try to sink them all as fast as you could, and then see your friend getting sad about the fact that she didn't even know any of this until the very moment a letter showed up while you and your 5 bestest friends in the world were having your usual hangout.

Yeah, the feeling was mutual. Dash knew "exactly" how her friend felt.

Not even having the chance to think about the irony of this situation, like also how she and her 4 bestest friends in the whole wide world didn't even know about the princess babysitters and royal guard brothers, they comfort their friend in a way that makes her feel like she is in a show with her 5 bestest friends in the whole wide world and it was time for them all's sad musical number; her very friend's especially.

The name of that would have totally been BBBFF.

It didn't seem "that" exciting at first; though she secretly hoped that Wonderbolts will be there. I mean, it was the wedding of literally the captain of the Canterlot Royal guards.

And let's be honest, Dash and weddings? What was she, a firework?

Okay yeah, maybe she was. But she didn't even know about this till they arrived there.

Oh right, she and her 5 bestest friends in the whole wide world packed their stuff immediately and hopped on to the next train to the very city that the wedding was going to take place in, Canterlot.

And of course Spike was there in every moment, did she even have to mention that?

Besides, he knew about all this princesses and royal guards stuff; but Dash didn't, so it wouldn't hurt to not mention him in her flashbacks about the whole situation.

Why did she even explain this to herself anyways? Wait, where was she?

Ah yes, so they went to Canterlot and it was totally normal just like the last time they visited there, except there was suddenly a magic barrier that didn't let anypony inside unless the guards gave you permission to enter it.

What was the big deal anyways? Royal weddings were overrated, as long as Wonderbolts weren't there or anything interesting happened... Or you weren't the one getting married. Except, of course, it was good to keep the barrier there to protect the citizens from the real dangers such as the possible attacks from evil beings regarding the wedding of a princess and not from some paparazzis that were trying to get through the end of the month and needed some juicy gossip for it.

Dang it, she was getting off topic.

No wait actually, she wasn't. But it sure looked like that since the events that had occurred were so weird and so out of line that nopony would have been able to link them together if one were to tell them all separately.

She was only telling the events that happened "later on". Kind of like giving spoilers, if you wanted to put it that way.

Okay, so she and her 5 bestest friends in the whole wide world went to Canterlot, got through the magic barrier that was up by "actually" her very friend's royal guard brother. They got out, her very friend who was actually Twilight said something about seeing the love of the royal guards' captain himself who was -ironically even- the princess of love herself, and without even having the chance to ask her what the hay they were going to do; Twilight disappeared.

Only to come back and say that her sister-in-law-who-was-her-babysitter-when-she-was-a-filly-and-did-not-tell-about-this-to-any-of-her-five-bestest-friends-in-the-world was not acting like herself.

Oh by the way, she told all of her concerns about it after Dash and her 4 bestest friends in the whole wide world spent a whole day with the said sister-in-law also known as Princess "Mi Amore Cadenza". And Twilight also spied on all of them while they were getting some tasks to do for the wedding.

Dash wouldn't have accepted any of this if it wasn't the wedding of a princess. What did that mean? It meant that Wonderbolts were going to be there 100%!

Well, they had to if the brother that was getting married didn't have any grudge against the winged military that Dash oh so much wanted to be a part of.

Dash hoped he didn't.

Right, Twilight said she spied on all of them. Well, she technically didn't but it was heavily hinted when she started to talk about basically everything they did and talked with the princess.

Well, at least she spied on Pinkie, Applejack and Rarity. Who are Dash's three bestest friends in this whole world. Fluttershy said she didn't even see the princess that much, since Shining Armor himself went to see her about the wedding's choir. Something about Cadence having a headache and not feeling well after that rehearsal with one of her birds singing out of tune. Meanwhile Dash didn't even talk with any of the ponies who were going to soon-to-be-married. Because Princess Celestia herself came and requested her about the Rainboom for the wedding.

Yes, that's the part with her being a firework. In the middle of a day since the wedding was going to take place while the sun was up. Great.

Good thing her Rainboom looked better at sunlight.

Well, at least she had a chance to show off her skills to the Wonderbolts this way. She hoped that Wonderbolts would be there.

Now try to imagine how shocked Twilight must have looked when she disappeared for awhile and came into the castle room Rarity was working in for the bridesmaid dresses, only to see that Dash and her 4 bestest friends in the world were now the new bridesmaids because the odd behaved princess wanted them to.

But also try to imagine how astounded Dash and her 4 bestest friends in the world were when they saw Twilight barge into the very room they were all in for the rehearsal of the very important royal wedding, and see her corner the princess, who was going to get married, in a corner and start listing some stuff she did that showed that she was evil; while smiling like a mad pony.

Yeah, Rarity and Dash had a hard time closing their mouths for a long while.

And then what happened? Well, Princess Celestia, also the one who knows both the-bride-to-be and her student the most, scolded her and even her own brother practically told her to not come to his wedding. And not knowing any better, since no pony told any of this to them before, Dash and her 4 bestest friends left with the others since they never saw Twilight like that before and the princess.

And yes, Spike was there too.

Oh, then it turned out Princess Mi Amore Cadenza was actually an evil queen in disguise named Chrysalis who also had an army of changelings which were creatures who fed on love, when Twilight came with the real Princess Cadance and stopped the real wedding.

And so the rest was action. Until Dash and her friends fought their clones and made their way to the very same throne room that the royal pair was going to get married, only to see Princess Celestia in some kind of cocoon and powerless. Not to mention the changelings outnumbered Dash and her bestest friends and the Changeling Queen Chrysalis was sure of her victory.

But, how come Dash was able to think about all of this? Not to mention while being present in the actual wedding?

Well, it was because Princess Cadance broke the spell, that the evil queen casted on him to brainwash Shining Armor, with their true love and suddenly the royal duo was surrounded with a pink, magical light and started to hover, forming a heart shape, and blasted all of the changelings away.

And after all of this, Dash and her best friends went up to Twilight to tell her how sorry they were for not believing at her. She forgave them so quickly, and Dash thought at the time how selfless and amazing her friend was for doing this. But then something dawned on her, they actually had every reason to not believe her, witnessing just what she had done since they came to Canterlot was enough proof of it.

She didn't say she had a brother, she didn't even mention about princess babysitters, she started to say that the princess she knew was acting different but they didn't even know how she acted normally yet alone how she acted when they turned their backs to her. Luna's stars, even Princess Celestia didn't believe her! Her prodigy, her student! And she was the one who knew the princess better than everyone, being once her teacher too, so what were they supposed to do when they saw their friend corner her sister-in-law during her wedding rehearsal and saw that princess herself was disappointed at her?

Oh, since she was thinking about stars now, where was Princess Luna all this time again?

Ugh, Dash had a lot in her mind already, she passed this one into the pit of her thoughts that she couldn't bother with right now. Where was she again?! Oh, right.

Well, in this case, no pony was guilty or in the wrong. If Twilight were to hold a grudge against them, then she would have been the one at fault but she forgave them too, so all of this was pointless, Dash thought.

And Dash knew Pinkie knew this too, she saw how both of her and Pinkie's face changed when Dash once realized all of this, but they both didn't utter a word because they knew they didn't need to.

Everypony assumed just because Pinkie was bubbly she didn't notice anything, such a mistake that was for thinking this.

But none of this was actually the reason why Dash wanted to get a bit nostalgic and think through all of the events that took place in the span of this 4 days, Dash was still bemused how they managed to handle all of the wedding's planing in one day not to mention twice, no not even close.

Dash was thinking through this events to see how much she put up with because of one thing she wanted to do, or rather, see.

Okay, maybe she was really excited about the whole Rainboom she performed for the wedding, but the real reason she was here wasn't here.

And she was starting to think if all of this has been worth it.

Where were the Wonderbolts?

Dash tapped her right hind hoof rapidly on the ground as she finally finished her time traveling through her mind and came back to the very thought that made her so. She took another sip from her apple cider which she was holding with her left wing, and heaved out a dejected sigh.

After performing her Rainboom and moving to the garden with her best friends and all the royal guests, Dash of course started to look around for even a glimpse of navy blue through the crowds. And you would think at least somepony would wear navy blue and make her at least have some kind of hope it was one of the Wonderbolts. But nope! Not even one pony wore navy blue to the wedding.

She saw that her friends were reuniting for no reason that she knew of as she also realized she finished her drink and the poor fancy glass looked like it was this close to getting crushed by her.

She leaned back to the buffet table she was standing in front of, this night was not going towards the way she wanted it to, hoped to, go.

She closed her eyes, tilting her head to the beautiful night sky that looked like it was also dressed up for the royal wedding that she was at, ignoring the faint music the DJ was playing and the clip clops of the hooves that was around her.

"Rough night, huh?"

Dash's response was already ready, a "Tell me about it." was waiting at the tip of her tongue the second she heard the nearing sound of the hooves that was coming toward her. But she wasn't preapared for the voice that asked the question that's answer was as awfully obvious as the other pony's attempt to converse.

She fluttered open her eyes as they were wide with shock and shined with joy, her head stopping to face the stars and instead facing the stallion that was in front of her.

"Good thing you made it better then, huh?" Dash replied back slyly as the pony in front of her chuckled a short, but amused laugh at her response.

His closed eyes from his laughter that made the mare facing him more happier as the seconds passed, opened again to face the smaller mare that was compared to him, and stare at her in the eyes.

"Nice to see you again, Rainbow Dash." He hold his right wing towards her politely.

"You too, commander." Dash replied back as politely as him, with a hint of joyful relief in her tone, as she also brought her right wing to shake his'.

"Well, considering the position we are in right now, I wouldn't call myself that, Miss Bridesmaid of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza." Soarin added with a little smirk tugging at his features as if he wasn't already strikingly handsome in his navy blue colonel shirt with his golden badges adorning his shoulders and chest.

Dash snorted at his response, glancing up at the flowers that made themselves at home on her rainbow colored mane and turned her attention to his forest green eyes.

"Element of Harmony would be more suiting though, don't you think?"

"If you called me by my name like I told you to, I wouldn't call you that."

Dash rolled her eyes at his somewhat goofy expression, though he was right; they have been through this already.

"It's hard calling my superior Soarin, you know?"

"So should I change my name now?" Soarin mocked an offended look until Dash finally gave in and let out a short chuckle.

"No pony said that now, did it?" Dash added smartly after her chuckle.

"Well, no pony said I was your superior, yet; now, did it? The stallion replied right back at the petite mare as he took a place next to her to also lean at the buffet table, careful to not knock of the punch bowl that was a few inches behind them.

Dash rolled her eyes with a fake, crushed look, "How cruel of you to bring this up, Soarin..."

He snorted at her expression, as she started to put her right hoof over her forehead, muttering "the pain" over and over.

He noticed her left hoof and the empty glass she was holding as he turned towards the buffet table, took a glass for himself, and helped himself a glass of punch while replying to her.

"Let's say it's my fault then, hmm?" He directed his eyes to her glass, a silent offer of if she wanted a glass as well before she scrunched her face a little, saying she used this to drink cider and wasn't going to use it for punch too, before returning to answer his question.

"Something we can both agree on, I will say." She hoofed the glass to him as he put his own onto the buffet table so he can refresh her glass.

"Not the first time though, you should admit." He returned her glass to her before taking his' and leaning back to the buffet table.

"Can't argue with that." She stopped short after saying this, realising she agreed with him again before they both burst into genuine laughter.

"Seriously, I'm so glad you are here." She added as she glanced up at him who was at her right, showing him a little smile.

Soarin returned back her smile with his own, before teasing her, "Glad to see me or a Wonderbolt?"

"Well, it wouldn't change anything because I know you are the one who always attends the weddings."

"True, perks of being a fangirl?"

"A proud one, mind you."

They gave a chuckle at this without breaking eye contact, Dash calming down first to say something important.

"I'm serious, I have been searching for you so long I'm not even going to pretend I didn't." She shook her head at him, showing him how disappointed she was.

He gave an apologetic look at her remark, "Well, I know how it feels to be alone like this in royal weddings; no pony to talk to and all."

Dash snorted at that, "Believe me, it sucks more when your friends find their relatives and run off, throws themselves at buffet tables and the fancy cakes though that I can understand, and wants to swoon over the royal family's zoo and leave you alone."

Soarin looked more and more guilty while Dash listed what her friends have been doing, "I wish the royal guards didn't keep me occupied that much now, like I wished they didn't before too but now I feel more guilty."

He gave her his sad and somewhat dorky smile again as Dash kept up her act, "Yeah, shame on you for leaving a friend hanging like that."

His face suddenly light up and it looked like the next thing he was going to say was so great that he couldn't wait, that explained why he almost snorted in his punch and Dash suddenly turned to him in alarm.

After reassuring her that he was in fact alright and not drunk, Soarin gave Dash a charming look that Dash saw so many times during this wedding, "More like leaving a beautiful lady without a company."

Don't get Dash wrong, she was a mare that wasn't fazed with this kind of comments in general, since she only heard those words always directed at her best friends more and the ones saying it would always be some wannabe flirts.

Not from a second in command of your and apparently the whole land's favorite flight team and directed at you.

Not to mention he did a full look over at her rainbow dress that hugged her waist and fell down on her figure like how those rainbows fell gracefully from Cloudsdale to the the skies of the other lands, the ends of her rainbow falls meeting with puffs of clouds.

So cut her some slack when her cyan coat suddenly wanted to change her cheeks' color to cotton candy pink when she heard his playful comment.

She gave him a side glance, her glass' tip never leaving her lips. Before eyeing the ponies next to them and seeing some curious looks directed at her companion from some of the mares nearby. She rolled her eyes before stating the obvious, at least to her, out loud.

"You say that while you, yourself, look like you're trying to outshine the groom himself."

Now it was Soarin's turn to change colors because it wasn't everyday your friend complimented you, apparently. Especially when they do this because you did so to tease them.

He looked towards the aforementioned stallion that was gazing at his bride that was standing next to him, with such love that it was enough to make you believe in the feeling itself, really; before turning back to the cotton candy cheeked mare next to him to respond back and also push the thoughts of the feeling he just witnessed away.

"Now that you mentioned it, don't you think I look like my pal Shining Armor, a little?"

Dash's little smirk that appeared on her face while she was looking at Soarin didn't leave her face as she glanced momentarily at the said groom before turning back to those forest greens.

"I guess you can't ignore some similarities, but now that you pointed out this, I will try to see who resembles the bride." said Dash, already eyeing the crowd of the mares around the garden, maybe accidentally missing out the ones that was staring at the stallion next to her seconds ago.

And not knowing anypony around the garden that they were in, also thinking none of the ones she didn't know didn't resemble the said princess anyways, Dash turned back to her own friends.

"Well, Applejack is a big no." Dash said as she turned her gaze around and away from her friend, who was talking with one of her relatives that had a violin on their hoof and Dash figured she was telling her friend about the instrument, to find another of her friends.

"The pie maker one? Yeah, she doesn't even match in the slightest." added Soarin as he curiously watched Dash.

The cyan mare's eyes fell onto Rarity, who she didn't mention in her rant about how her friends left her since her reasoning was more or less same as her's.

Not the flirty looks part though, Dash's wasn't on the same page as her friend as she saw her conversing with one of the oh so popular ponies that she adored.

"Well Rarity doesn't look like her in the slightest, maybe the eyes and the cutie mark?"

"What's princess cutie mark?"

Dash gave Soarin an incredulous look.

"Did you not study your lesson of 'royal princesses' Soarin? Which we have, like, three?"

"Well I know what they do and all but I don't look at there, you know." Soarin rolled his eyes with mock betrayal.

"Good point." Dash added with a silent 'I guess' at the end before giving Soarin a proud look, that definitely said what a gentlecolt he was.

"It's a blue, diamond heart surrounded with golden colored... marks? Fancy marks?" Dash tried to explain, being lost at words at the end of her explanation.

"And Rarity has three diamonds as her's." She added right after, trying to show her point.

"Well still, she doesn't match with only those."

Dash pursed her lips, looking for her other friends that she noticed was just together a few seconds ago until she started searching for them.

Her eyes landed on Fluttershy, who was trying to council a squirrel, "Fluttershy has pastel pink colored mane and... well she, uuh..." Dash tried to find something else as Soarin once again followed her eyes and found who she was looking at.

"Yeah... nothing else."

"Okay you are right. Wait- There's Pinkie." exclaimed Dash after seeing her bubbly friend. Who was eyeing the cakes, which Dash couldn't say anything against. She understood her even if it was up until to some limit.

"The one ogling the cakes as if it's her groom?"

Dash rolled her eyes in an attempt of an annoyed expression, trying to fight back the little smile creeping on her face as she tried to show Soarin she was mad at what he said, even though he didn't mean any harm to it.

"Well, she has a pink coat and has blue and yellow, well golden? Anyways, in her cutie mark. Princess also has pink in her mane."

"But princess has more than pink in her mane." Soarin pointed out, still continuing this topic of who resembled the princess.

"Well, Twilight has more than one color in her mane." Dash added sheepishly as she saw her friend talking with the royal pair, a high chance of it being her umpteenth congratulations on their wedding.

It was now Soarin's turn to give Dash an incredulous look as he tried to see if she was serious, Dash still giving him that sheepish look.

"Okay forget about the last part-"

"Why isn't the one resembling the princess is you?" Soarin asked as he glanced to his left while sipping his punch, away from the multi colored mare, before he turned back to her.

Dash was giving him a look that showed it was confused, curious and maybe a little bit amused-? Soarin couldn't put his hoof on the last one for sure, but a part of him did.

Seeing as she was waiting for an explanation, Soarin took yet another sip before speaking, "Well, you have multi colored mane just like her and your eye colors are kind of smiliar and, and- your cutie mark has blue and yellow in it too...?" His voice faded away a little at the sight of her face growing a bemused smirk on her also little, but cute face.

She leaned fully to the table then, faced the crowds of ponies in front of her, swaying her glass a little around to add some more affect to her next words.

"I think you are trying too hard." she took a sip, with her amused smirk still on her cute little face.

If Soarin's cheeks didn't turn into the colors of the candy apples that they sold to little fillies and colts during him and his friends' flight stunts, maybe he would have noticed the same color change on the petite mare's cheeks sooner, while he turned away from her and scratched his neck with his left hoof.

While looking away, the built-up stallion saw one of Dash's friends, was it Pinkie?-, walking up to the DJ's booth.

The booth was nothing special, it was a metal blue colored one that was stationed on a platform with both sides having huge speakers, for the played songs to reach anypony in the garden. It was also right next to the center of the garden, that the royal couple was standing at, and provided them a clearer hearing range.

He turned around to tell her about what her friend was doing when he also noticed that Dash was looking over at one of her other friends, was this one named Spike?- he wasn't good with the names who belonged to cretures and ponies he didn't interact with, as the baby dragon pointed to the center of the garden where the royal pair was standing at and waved his claw to tell her to come around to the center.

"Ah, I guess it's time for Twilight's surprise now." Dash replied back to Soarin, while thinking back to when she saw them before-they probably reunited a few seconds ago to ask Twilight when she was going to sing her wedding gift piece and didn't bother calling Dash over since she was in a sour mood- and saw his expression faltering a little at what she said.

She cocked her head to her left as she was facing him, about to ask him why his mood suddenly dulled when she suddenly realised 'why'.

"Yeah, no. I'm not going to leave you alone to just search for you for hours again. Don't worry." Dash rolled her eyes in mock annoyence at him while not fighting-even a little- with the warm smile that bloomed on her face, as she took his left hind hoof into her right one to drag him towards the center of the garden, that smile never leaving her face.

And it looked like it was contagious too, since Soarin had one of his own on his face that could rival Dash's at how genuine it was.

Dash took her place next to her friends as Soarin faltered a little at the back, they both heard Pinkie yelling something about "getting the party started" as a jumpy but soft beat started to blast through the speakers from the DJ booth that Pinkie was also in it.

The winged pair saw the groom's little sister, Twilight, take the microphone and start singing her surprise gift for the royal pair.

Love is in bloom.

Everypony started to bop their heads at the beat as Soarin watched Dash from the sides of his eyes.

A beautiful bride,

Twilight turned to look at her sister-in-law but none of Dash nor Soarin was paying attention to her anymore, knowing her presence just by listening to the lyrics that sounded like they came right from her heart as Soarin started to fully gaze at Dash's closed eyes and her joyful smile as she stopped bopping in one place and started to swirl around.

A handsome groom.

Soarin found her joy spreading over him now as he closed his eyes this time and started to move towards Dash, who was the one gazing at him now.

Two hearts becoming one.

Both Dash and Soarin now were right in front of each other as they both opened their eyes and gazed at one another, still bopping to the beat.

A bond that cannot be undone because,

They now started to not only bop their heads to the beat, but also their whole bodies as they went up and down, while smiling and chuckling so joyfully, so warm, so lovely that they forgot all the other ponies that surrounded them.

Were they important at this moment, anyways?

Love is in bloom...

Soarin gazed at the laughing mare that was swirling around him, who looked this close to flying around him and not swirl like that as her wings fluttered open and closed back with every turn she took around him, while Soarin remembered the expression his friend Shining Armor was making at the love of his life.

Were his eyes Shining just as much as his friends'?

A beautiful bride,

"No."he thought as he gazed at her eyes once she stopped swirling around him, which he was doing too to not miss her face while she did, and smiled a huge smile. Now him closing his eyes that shined so strong with one feeling only.

I can bet on anything mines are shining brighter.

A handsome groom.

It was now Dash's turn to look at the stallion in front of her that she has been waiting all this night, no, all this days to show up and at that moment, she knew that if she was going to get a chance like this to spend time with him after every magical attack, she would fight over not only changelings...

But the whole Equestria, if this is going to be my reward everytime.

I said, love is in bloom...

Dash and Soarin were now slowing down their pace, even if the beats weren't, as they both stared at each other with nothing but a little smile on their faces, forest green boring into magenta roses. Soarin smiled that huge smile again, his eyes nothing but shining stars as he closed them again and gave a chuckle that made his head tilt up to the skies a little.

As if he was trying to show them how to twinkle, even if his eyes were closed, though that didn't mean they didn't shine just as much, if not more, like that too.

Dash went down, and looked up at Soarin, at how happy he looked, at how he still pulled of that somewhat dorky smile when he was glowing like that. At how his wings also fluttered open like hers during their dance. And then her eyes shined, now they were the ones rivaling Cadance's, Shining's, hay- maybe even Rarity and Fancy Pants'. But she didn't know if hers rivaled Soarin's, as she didn't know if his' rivaled hers.

You're starting a life and making room, for us...

And in that moment, a light just shined through both Soarin's closed eyes, and Dash's focused ones that were fixed on him, they didn't know if that was the photographer pony that was taking pictures to sell to the ponies that wanted to keep their memories of the night with them, or if it was something else. But either way, it really didn't change anything, because something did happen right then, maybe before then, maybe times ago, though whenever that happened, they realized it now.

They continued dancing together, picking up their paces again as Dash even mouthed some of the lyrics of the song her friend was singing, and that was just it for a moment. Just pure joy and fun, they were at each other's company and they enjoyed every bit of it.

Dare they think, it was...

Perfect.

Was this how they felt like too?-

But before even having the chance to think about it, Dash's name was suddenly called by her bubbly friend, while her other friends were waving at her to come over, waiting for her.

Dash stopped dancing as she looked towards her friends, slowly standing up as she saw why they were calling her, while a bitter smile made its way to take over the previous, blissful one.

Yeah.

Maybe it was too perfect.

She didn't want to, but she still made eye contact with her companion that also was standing firm and still like her after glancing at her friends, looking down at her small figure with eyes that matched her bitter smile.

"Newly weds are taking off," she said with a little chuckle, trying to lighten things up before she continued, "I need to see them off with my friends."

This wasn't the part they both were sad at, no; they weren't sad about their moment getting ruined too... Okay maybe they were but it wasn't the bummer that was going to come next.

Dash shifted her weight from her right to left, her mane sliding through her shoulder from her left side a little at the movement as she looked up at Soarin with hopeful eyes.

"Then we will be going to the bachelor's party."

Please, please please please. Please say yes.

She saw his face, she knew the answer, but she didn't care; one slight hope, she held onto that one slight hope that was his response through his words.

"Will you come?" She didn't want to see him look more guilty and sorry with each passing time. It just didn't sit right after seeing his little, joyful smile just a few seconds ago.

Soarin heaved out a sigh that felt heavier than anything else he ever knew, he didn't even have a say in the matter, they both knew that. But...

When you look at me like that, how am I supposed to say it?

He knew if he opened his mouth, he wouldn't give a response right away, so for a last attempt of getting confident enough to look her in the eye, he smoothed his mane with his left wing, talking mostly behind the said limb.

"You know 'Bolts don't do any of those Dash." He swallowed, "Attend the wedding, come back. No more unwanted attention. Or else Spitfire will cut my head off." he replied semi-jokingly, trying to lift the mood up a little, again. He didn't want to leave in a sour note, not after a night like that. only Celestia knew when they will get the chance to see each other like this again too, he didn't want to leave while knowing he was the one that left while making both of them sad. While knowing he left her sad.

Dash's bitter smile completely disappeared, and she glanced at the ground for a second. She sometimes wished that Wonderbolts didn't get that much attention for reasons of her own. One of them was this. But she lifted her gaze back to him, with a little smirk on her face as she gave a little, hopeless shrug. She understood the circumstances though.

"Can't butt heads with the captain, right?" Yes, she didn't want it to end like this. But...

Soarin gave her a smirk of his own, were his badges not shining that much anymore? "Yeah, not a smart move I'd say." Well, if they weren't, then Soarin was certain Dash's flowers didn't look that at home on her mane anymore.

She gave him that tiny smile again, "Until next time then." She lifted her left hoof for a shake. Yes, she didn't want it to end like this, but it was worse if it were to end with a sad farewell. The night was one hay of a good, no- awesome one right? Maybe even magical... So why would they part with a memory of a heartbreaking 'goodbye'? It wasn't fair to any of them.

The navy blue maned stallion returned Dash's tiny smile, that looked like it had so many emotions, so many things she wanted to say but kept inside herself, so to prevent them all spilling out, she tried to fit them all into that one tiny smile. That one tiny smile that Soarin knew better than anypony else, just like her.

He took her hoof with his right one, but didn't shake it. Instead, he lifted it up to his face, momentarily glancing under his eyelashes to Dash's face that was getting more pink and confused by the second before he closed his eyes shut and planted a chaste kiss on her hoof.

"Until next time." he replied back, still holding her hoof in his while lifting his head and looking down at her.

She slipped her hoof back to herself slowly, not that she wanted to nor would admit it to anypony... Maybe other than him, as she was started walking backwards to her friends with tiny little hoofsteps.

Soarin gave her a two feather salute with his right wing, while a small smirk made his way on his face, "Bye Dash."

She gave him a yet another smile as she too, saluted him, "Bye Soarin."

And that was it, she turned around, walked towards her friends and Soarin turned his back to her, walking back to his colleagues to inform them about his departure from the very wedding that was at it's end.

Dash arrived at the scene of Twilight talking with the newly weds and took her place next to her friends and Spike, ignoring their stares for the moment.

They stopped talking, Twilight retraded back to her friends, and Shining got into the carriage that was going to take them back to the castle before Princess Cadance suddenly poked her head out of the carriage's window; indicating she forgot something before she throw her bouquet of flowers over her head, at the direction of the young mares behind her.

A lot of them tried to get ahold of the bouquet but in the end Rarity managed to get it with a crazed smile, and yelling 'mine' before she realized what she was doing. And because everyone's but Dash's attention was on the bouquet, no pony noticed that one red colored rose petal fall onto Dash's mane, getting snuggled between her flowers on her hairpiece, which they looked like they started to get a little livelier after the rose petal's appearance.

They waved back from their place as the carriage took the newly weds far away from the castle's garden by the passing seconds; was Soarin getting far, far away like this too? Dash wondered, but not with a so sad tone rather more in a melancholy one.

Now that the carriage was gone, Dash knew she didn't have anymore reasons to ignore her friends' stares that bore into her, their eyes wide open with excitement and the nearing tease comments that were to follow her next words.

"Well..." Dash turned on her horseshoe to face them, "Shoot."

Pinkie finally started to jump around like she just had the greatest thing happen to her as her eyes shined with literal sparkles and her face had the biggest grin ever, "Oh my gosh,
Dashie! You took, like, forever to get here and leave his side! Is he also changeling that's trying to feed on your lov-" Dash cut Pinkie off after she hovered a little and stuck her hoof in her mouth.

"Yeah, except you Pinkie Pie." She added as Pinkie sadly sunk into the ground, like a deflated balloon, Dash's hoof still in her mouth. Her crazy mane looking just like a deflated balloon too.

"Well ain' that somethin' you don' see everyday?" Applejack finally chimed in as she lifted her hat a little, snickering all the while.

"While I normally found the scene I witnessed just now so surprising that I still need some time to sink it in, I seriously can't stop myself from commenting about the fact how... cosy you two were being with each other Dash." Twilight also commented as she started to lean towards her friend a little more to get a reaction out of here, but only thing she got in return was a blank stare.

Fluttershy stood remotely quiet throughout the whole thing as Rarity got between Twilight, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, "Well, I know how fascinating it is to tease your friends about their 'relationships' with other ponies, I think you should all give it a rest for now; till tomorrow at the very least." said Rarity as she moved next to Dash.

Applejack snorted at this while Twilight rolled her eyes with a humorous smirk on her face, Pinkie still giggling from the background about how Dash and Soarin parted ways.

"Can't belive Rainbow got to dance with some fella tonigh'." Applejack teased as Twilight added, "Not something you would even think of, guess Canterlot's magic is really taking a tool on her, huh?"

They both started to laugh while Spike snickered only a little, Fluttershy now looking at her childhood friend with a knowing smile plastered on her face, before Rainbow hooked her arm around Rarity's shoulders and looked at the laughing duo with a smirk of her own.

"Well, the only thing I'm seeing is that me and my girl Rarity here got to dance with some very handsome and respected studs while you guys sat on your single flanks during the whole wedding." Rarity smirked as well during Dash's response to their teasing friends, before she started to laugh at her last statement.

"Exactly darling, my mood is too good to be ruined by teasing or getting teased so I'm not going to make you all ruin it." Rarity added as she revealed the reason why she wasn't also teasing Dash, yet.

And Dash completely understood her, because that was the exact reason she had too.

She had a great night, but it wasn't over even if the reason that made this night amazing left a little while ago, she wasn't going to sour her mood and remember this day as a upset memory.

She saw her friends starting to talk about how this was a great wedding and not the one with the evil Changeling Queen as they all bursted into laughter after Spike mentioned that the bachelor's party he planned was much better than the wedding itself.

She was going to go to that bachelor's party and rock that thing with her friends by her side.

"What are we waiting for then?" She finally interrupted the silence that was trying to take over as she and her friends' laughter started to die down, "Aren't we going to that bachelor's party?" She added right away after seeing her friends giving her expectant looks, a sly smirk on her lips.

"Oh right! Dashie, isn't Soarin coming with you to the party?" Pinkie asked, -as she didn't even have trouble remembering the stallion's name and it wasn't because of her antics this time, more it being Dash talking about him quite a lot- as Dash gave a little, defeated but a happy sigh before she turned to her friend.

"Nope, being a Wonderbolt and all. Paparazzis are at their tails all the time." They all now started to look at her with sympathetic eyes as they also tried to search her face for any signs that she just wanted to call it a day and leave. But no, she was more than ready to go that party.

"Get going everypony! I don't want to go there only to see it being full of ponies and not having any space to even stand on, let alone dance!" She exclaimed as the cyan mare started to give a little push towards her friends, while they all laughed at her and began to trot over to where the party was taking place.

Dash faltered a little behind the group, coming next to Fluttershy as she noticed how her childhood friend didn't say anything and just smiled at her with nothing but a look that said she knew more than she showed during the whole conversation she had with the others.

Fluttershy nudged Rainbow's shoulder as she slightly took out something behind the belt of her bridesmaid outfit, and handed it to her friend who was at her left side with her right wing.

"I supposed you'd want this." She added in a soft voice that had traces of teasing in it as Dash took the thing that was hidden in her friend's butterscotch wing with her left one, before Fluttershy trotted next to Pinkie Pie and they started to talk about the castle's flamingos.

Dash cocked an eyebrow at her friend's odd behaviour, before returning her attention to the thing she took from her friend, that settled inside her left wing now. She open her feathers and revealed what was inside, and her eyes shined that same light that stars were getting really jealous of tonight, her tiny but full of meanings smile climbing at her lips eagerly.

In her left wing, sat a freshly taken polaroid, with it's background fading into pink because of the lights from the DJ's booth and saw how there was also a crowd at the background too.

But what had her attention was the center of the polaroid, the center that had two dancing pegasi in it. Two dancing pegasi that looked so, so happy.

She saw how Soarin had that huge smile she had been gazing at all night long, and how his head was lifted upwards after his little chuckle, showing off the stars how his eyes shined brighter than them that it came to the point Dash stopped looking at the sky all together and just at him.

She saw how his badges shined proudly on his navy blue shirt that made him look more than charming from any other stallion that was at the wedding tonight.

And then she saw herself, she saw the same bridesmaid outfit that she had seen a dozen times thanks to Rarity's fitting sessions, saw the flowers that had been sitting on her head all this time during the night, and how they were still neatly in place even after all that dancing she and her companion did.

But then she turned her focus onto her face, she saw that tiny smile she had now, she had those eyes that shined while looking at Soarin just as Dash had while looking at the polaroid now.

She had the same awestruck look she had then on her face this time too, and it was only because of the mere sight of him in a photo?

No, Dash knew it wasn't that. Well, at least not only that. She knew why she was smiling that tiny smile now.

It was because this was the moment she realized, they realized that something did change.

And it captured that moment so well, and so on time that Dash wanted to just thank that photographer, that was only taking photos to get a chance like this to make the other pony pay a lot to buy the polaroid that captured a significant moment that was only known to the pony in it and only special to the pony in it, so much.

Dash owed Fluttershy a lot.

She ahuffled and fluttered her wings before starting to flap them swiftly but in a graceful way that only she managed to pull, before she started to hover from the ground to the not-so-bright-anymore skies, just above her friends' heads.

It was just a feeling but, she felt her heart melt as if she just knew that Soarin was smiling that huge smile again, while looking at the exact same polaroid she was holding.

And followed her friends to the bachelor's party to see where that was going to take her to. With that significant tiny smile on her face, again.

Until next time...

The End.

~}8373 words

Thank you so much for reading my one-shot that was requested by -Starsong_Shine- !

♡ Happy Birthday Star ♡, I hope you will like it!