"How long are you gonna be gone?"
Two pegasi lie on a red checkered blanket overlooking Sweet Apple Acres. The sky was plastered with different shades of purple, pink, and red. The only sound in the silence of dusk was that of an owl hooting in the distance.
"I don't know. It depends on how many cuts I make. If I make it into the Wonderbolts I won't be here for awhile. I hate that idea, but it's my dream. Maybe you can come with me?"
Fluttershy nestled her head underneath the rainbow pegasus's chin. She stroked the blue mare's hoof. Rainbow took Fluttershy under her wing. The budding couple stayed that way for a long while in silence before Fluttershy spoke.
"Sweetie, you know I can't do that. Isn't that rushing things a bit? And what about my animals?"
"I know," the rainbow pegasus sighed, "Wow, you look so beautiful tonight. Whoa. To much sappiness. I... Wow."
Fluttershy giggled softly and looked up at Rainbows beautiful magenta eyes. She gave Rainbow a soft kiss on the cheek. Rainbow reacted by placing a hoof and a wing around the buttercream pegasus's neck and kissing her lips gently. She felt a warm tear from her companion's ocean teal eyes.
"Don't cry, Fluttershy," Rainbow said as her own tears mixed with hers. Tears of sadness this time. Fluttershy stroked Rainbow's soft, messy mane, keeping them in a tight embrace. Their lips tasting salty tears.
"Too late," Fluttershy squeaked as her marefriend broke the kiss.
"Hey," Rainbow took Fluttershy's face in her hooves and cleared away the tears, but to no avail as they kept on flowing down her cheeks like a waterfall, "You know what? I won't go. I finally got you and I am not letting go."
"Thats...um...sweet. But I cannot let you do that," Fluttershy swallowed the lump in her throat, "The Wonderbolts are your dream. I can't let you give that up." Fluttershy took Rainbow's hooves from her cheeks and squeezed them.
"Okay. Now, you have a race tomorrow morning. Do you want to race me to that tree over there?"
"Which one? We are in an apple orchard. They all look the same." Fluttershy giggled softly.
"Er. That one. With the giant rock by it. One. Two. Three!"
The pegasi ran off down the hill and through the orange and red trees. Laughter filled the solemn silence of the oncoming night.
............................
Twilight Sparkle sat on the floor of the library, her nose deep in a romance novel. Rarity sat beside her, reading the same novel.
"I cannot believe this has happened!" Rarity exclaimed in frustration.
"I know, Twinkle Coat left Blue Bells. She is going to be sitting in her room for months," Twilight reflected.
"Not the book," Rarity said impatiently, "Rainbow and Fluttershy."
"Oh, yeah. I'm so happy for them!"
"And I cant believe tomorrow morning Rainbow has to leave for tryouts. Talk about timing..." Rarity stood up and walked to the front door.
"Where are you going, darling?" Twilight mocked Rarity's accent.
"Home. I need to find an outfit to wear for the race tomorrow. One that won't attract that icky dirt." With that she walked out of the library, carrying the book with the blue aura of her magic.
"See ya later, Rarity!"
Twilight climbed the stairs to her loft. Spike was already sound asleep in his bed. Twilight brushed her violet mane and climbed into bed. She shut her eyes as she was so rudely interrupted by a loud knock at the door.
"What?!" Twilight exclaimed as she was expecting Rarity to return for something she perhaps forgot. But, instead it was the bouncing Pinkie Pie.
"Hey, Twilight. It's time! It's time! Wake up! Wake up!"
Twilight groaned, "Why?"
"It's time for The Late Night Rainbow Dash Good Luck Send Off and Good Luck Applejack and Fluttershy in the Race Tomorrow Partay, duh!"
"Oh. Okay. Why didn't you tell me about it? I would have made my schedule for tonight, which apparently no longer has 'sleep' on it..." Twilight said.
"I did tell you, silly!"
"When?"
"Now! Hehe!" Pinkie grinned up at Twilight, who was standing on top of the stairs.
Twilight facehoofed and sighed. Typical Pinkie.
............................
Sugarcube Corner raged with the majority of Ponyville's residents. Applejack stood near the refreshment table, sipping a mug of sweet apple cider. Rainbow Dash stood beside her, gulping her own mug of cider.
"Ah can't believe how fast word travels 'round 'ere," Applejack said.
"Yeah, this party's real awesome," Rainbow responded.
"Well, 'bout this here party, too." Applejack gave Rainbow a knowing look.
"What?"
"Oh, nothin', sugarcube. Just, er, you and Fluttershy," Applejack said with a smile.
"Oh, yeah..." Rainbow blushed.
The word of them getting together went around Ponyville in ten seconds flat after it happened. Pinkie saw them through the window and word got around. Ponyville is real accepting of same gender couples since Lyra Heartstrings and Bon Bon announced their relationship.
"Where is she anyways?" Rainbow asked Applejack. "I haven't seen her since sunset because she said she was going back to her cottage to get ready for the party. Not that she needed to. She looked beautiful already."
Applejack chuckled at Rainbow's remark, for she had never heard Rainbow say anything 'sappy', as Rainbow would put it.
Applejack answered Rainbow's question, "Ah ain't sure. She'll be comin', though, Ah'm sure."
A purple alicorn approached them. "Hey, Rainbow. Hey, Applejack. Nice party, huh?"
"Yeah," Rainbow said, worriedly.
"You alright, RD?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, no I just hope Fluttershy is okay."
............................
Fluttershy paced around her living room. "Oh, Angel. I can't go to the party. I will only cry hysterically. I'll make a fool of myself. I finally get my Rainbow, and...oh, such bad timing."
Angel pushed the bashful pegasus toward the door.
"Okay. I'll go. For Rainbow, I will go!"
Fluttershy trotted out of the door, confidently. She suddenly turned around to enter her cottage again, only to find that Angel has locked the door behind her.
"Okay, I'm going."
Fluttershy sang a lively tune to cheer her up again. The goodbye she had to say tomorrow was unbearable. Despite the tune, her heart sank. Soon, she found herself at the door of Sugarcube Corner. She knocked politely, but no answer.
Maybe nopony's home. I'll come back tomorrow.
Just as she was about to leave, the door swung open. She found herself nose to nose with Pinkie Pie.
"Oh, goody, you made it! I made punch," she said as she bounced back into the building and disappeared in the crowd of dancing ponies.
Fluttershy barely entered the Corner when her marefriend embraced her tightly. "I'm so glad you came."
"Me, too." Fluttershy dug her nose in Rainbow's mane and inhaled the scent of clouds and rain.
"Aww," said every voice in the room. The embracing mares separated and blushed. Fluttershy cowered under Rainbow's tail when she noticed everypony was staring at her. The onlookers turned back to their party as Twilight approached the two.
"Hey, Fluttershy. You ready for Running of the Leaves tomorrow?
"Um...no...not really..."
"I'm sure you'll do great," Twilight attempted to boost Fluttershy's confidence.
"Yeah, totally," Rainbow grinned at the still cowering mare.
Fluttershy stood up and brushed alongside Rainbow. Rainbow had a hard time focusing as she felt the intimate gesture.
"Good luck with the tryouts, Rainbow," Twilight hugged her friend and returned to the dance floor.
A slow song began to play.
"May I have this dance?" Rainbow asked Fluttershy. Fluttershy nodded.
The pegasi positioned themselves and Rainbow took Fluttershy's wing in hers and nuzzled the yellow mare's cheek. Fluttershy returned the gesture and the pair burried their noses into each other's mane.
Fluttershy whispered in Rainbow's ear, "I'm going to miss you so much."
"No, none of that now," said Rainbow, "Let's just be here." Rainbow felt the threat of tears in her eyes.
............................
The party ended with tears in everypony's eyes. Rarity's mascara was running wildly and she was trying frantically to make it neat with a hankercheif she was holding with her blue magic aura, as more tears escaped her eyes.
"Ah didn't see ya in there, Rarity," Applejack's voice said from behind her.
"Oh, I couldn't face anypony. I was crying in the bathroom. I was too sad for Rainbow and Fluttershy. Oh, my mascara! DON'T LOOK AT ME!"
Applejack chuckled as Rarity ran toward the boutique, leaving a trail of tears behind her.
Applejack is not one to cry, but tonight was different. One of her best friends was leaving in the morning, for Celestia knows how long? She pulled her hat over her eyes and let a few tears fall into it.
Pinkie was in the worst state. She was sobbing so hard that she had a hard time breathing between sobs and waving goodbye to her party guests.
Twilight was last to leave the Corner. She was crying quietly. "Goodnight, Pinkie," she said as she walked out of the door.
"Good night, Twilight," Pinkie barely got out between sobs.
............................
The two mares were still dancing inside, even though there was no music playing anymore. Pinkie walked solemnly into the mess left over from the party. She noticed her friends were still dancing in eachother's wings. She lowered the volume of her crying and tiptoed past them to go upstairs. When she thought they were out of earshot, she began sobbing loudly again.
Rainbow and Fluttershy broke their dance and walked silently out into the streets of Ponyville. Luna's moon was shining in the shape of a thin smile.
"The stars are lovely this evening," said Fluttershy. Her voice cracked a little.
"Yeah," Rainbow said, "but they're nothing compared to you."
Fluttershy grinned. The mares continued to walk late in the night and soon found themselves on the small bridge in front of Fluttershy's cottage. The couple leaned on the railing and overlooked the gardens.
Rainbow took Fluttershy's hoof in hers and used the other hoof to stroke Fluttershy's long, pink mane. She swallowed past the lump in her throat. Fluttershy spoke before she could.
"Rainbow," she sighed, "I've waited forever to get you, I will wait for you even longer, now that I know I have you."
"Who knew I would ever feel like this in my life?" Rainbow said as Fluttershy's teal eyes trapped her in a universe where only the two of them existed. Rainbow kissed Fluttershy deeply and passionately.
Fluttershy felt Rainbow's warm lips intertwining with hers. Rainbow moved her wings to Fluttershy's cutie mark. Fluttershy pulled the cyan pegasus even closer to her. Rainbow's lips wandered Fluttershy's face, as Fluttershy gasped nervously, but continued to let Rainbow kiss her neck. She returned the gesture and it was Rainbow's turn to gasp softly. Neither of them wanted to let go.
It was inevitable as Fluttershy was the one to break the embrace.
"Get in for me, Dashie. Be a Wonderbolt for me."
"And you, you win that race. Aw, man! I'm crying aren't I?" Rainbow's tears began to stain her face. Fluttershy reached up with her hoof to whisk away Rainbow's tears.
Tears flooded both of their faces as Fluttershy hugged her marefriend and smiled, "I'll be here when you come back."
"I'll see you soon, Fluttershy." Rainbow kissed Fluttershy gently on the lips once more and soared into the sky toward her cloud home. She spelled 'Forever' in the sky and circled it with a rainbow.