For a second there, Applejack thought Rainbow Dash was about to take off. The mare's wings stretched out, the stiff feathers' tips fluttering in the breeze.
But, to her relief, the petite pegasus merely stood there and chuckled.
"Eheheheheh..." Rainbow tossed her mane, obscured in the shadows of the fallen evening. "You r-really think so?"
It took Applejack's neurons a few seconds to fire and remind her just what compliment she had given. "Know so," Applejack reinforced, nodding. She felt confident. Bold. So—"You doin' alright lately?"
Rainbow's wings twitched. "Uhhhh... s-sure!" Her voice cracked extra hard. "What... makes you ask that?"
Applejack immediately regretted asking. She realized how delicate and fragile the bridge was that she had decided to traverse. One step too heavy and she might collapse entirely. "Was just wonderin'." True to herself, she decided to produce the truth. Funny how difficult that had become. "I hadn't seen you since the weekend of the gala. And when I last did—"
Applejack's voice trailed off. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she couldn't afford to be totally honest. The very thought of it nauseated her. But remembering how drunk and frail and precious Rainbow Dash had become nauseated her even more—or, more accurately, sharing that fact with Rainbow Dash frightened her to the point of throwing up. How could she tear the pegasus down when she didn't even know how far she had fallen? It felt horrible, like stomping in the skull of a newborn, flightless foal. Applejack lingered for bit longer than she had expected, and she hoped to pick herself—and her voice—back up before the mare in front of her became any wiser. She only prayed that the time wasted wasn't tell-tale enough.
"Well, anyhow..." Applejack smiled nervously in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. "This was a nice little evenin' we all had, wasn't it?"
"Yeah..." Rainbow's voice was just as wispy as Applejack's, and somehow that was a welcoming thing. "It totally was. I wouldn't mind if—"
Rainbow Dash was rambling. Applejack could tell. She was mortified that she had done something to make Rainbow uncomfortable. After all, it wasn't very common for her to ask so many questions—especially out of nowhere. And if she knew it, Rainbow must have too. She had to cover for the moment. She had to do something to let the silly scamp know that this was something purely friendly... purely platonic. Applejack trusted on instinct.
But... she had momentarily forgotten that her instincts had changed.
As a result, she was too late to stop what was already happening. Before she wknew it, she was reaching over to hug the mare—petite wings and all. It wasn't until a few seconds into the gesture that Applejack realized just how selfish it was. But—for the briefest of moments—she didn't care. All of the preciousness of that sacred moment in the alleyway had come washing back, only devoid of all the melancholy. It was just as tender and warm and special as she had remembered, worth a million feathers locked up in a million boxes hidden away in a million vanities.
"Just know that if ya ever need anythang, from any of us, we're just a cloud-hop away, ya hear?"
That was all Applejack needed. Celestia knows, it was more than Rainbow needed. Nevertheless, Applejack drifted back from the hug... but she did something even more selfish along the way, and even though a part of her suspected it would happen, it set her insides on fire all the same: she brushed a few of Rainbow's bangs with her fetlock. The silk-soft reality came slamming back to her consciousness, and it took her a few seconds to compose herself. However, at the end of the warm breath, she was smiling... and giving more words as faithfully as she could:
"Yer a loyal pony, but we're loyal too. We're all there for each other, and that includes the most awesome pony in town." She winked, finishing the deal. "So don't become a stranger, ya hear?"
"Uh... no way, AJ..." Rainbow replied quickly. "We'll never be strangers. You can bet your farm on that!" Even in the darkness, Rainbow's ruby eyes glinted with bravado. Applejack instantly felt silly for ever thinking she could even accidentally slip something past her loyal, quick-witted friend.
"Good night, sugarcube," the farm mare said. "Don't let the cloud bugs bite." She laughed nervously, then turned around with swift purpose. Surely Rainbow Dash was flying away without hesitation, but the mare had done enough. She wouldn't linger around this time to watch the event unfold.
Besides, she had to out-trot the suffocating guilt of what had just transpired. Minutes later, stumbling into Sweet Apple Acres, she discovered that she had been almost successful.