//------------------------------//
// Older 
// Story: Older 
// by James Pwyll 
//------------------------------//

"Go, Rainbow! Do those loopy-things! Triumph over those clouds! And also...whatever other flying cheers I'm supposed to be cheering right now!" Rarity's spirit was willing, but alas, her experience just wasn't into it. 

Rainbow didn't mind however, as she simply smirked while performing all of her usual stunts. Flips, spins, and everything in-between. The young Wonderbolt was the undisputed Queen of the skies right now. But all good things came to an end eventually, and she came down for an impressive landing, sweeping aside her multi-colored mane to one side with a triumphant look upon her face. "Not bad, eh, Rarity?"

Her unicorn friend clapped her hooves together, looking utterly delighted over the spectacle she'd just been given. "Oh, indeed, Darling! Those were quite the moves today! You've been practicing more than usual, I suspect?"

Rainbow waved her off. "Nah! Just my usual stuff." A pause, and then she continued.

"Well...maybe I have been squeezing in a few extra sessions here and there."

Rarity giggled, beckoning Rainbow to come and sit next to her. Rainbow, of course, was in no way hesitant to do so, given the tempting spot Rarity had set aside for them. This open green field was already nice to look at, but Rarity had arranged for a traditional red-and-white picnic blanket, complete with basket filled with delectable goodies to eat. With a growl of her stomach, Rainbow cackled to herself before making her way over. Setting herself down, she took hold of a small triangular cucumber sandwich Rarity offered her, before swiftly downing it in a single bite. Rarity was naturally a bit more refined in her table manners, choosing instead to take tiny bites of her own sandwich. Rainbow, reclining down onto the picnic cloth, sighed with contentment.

"I tell ya, Rarity, this is the life! Good weather, a friend here to watch me fly, doing my stunts with no problems, it just has it all!"

Rarity smiled to her. "I couldn't agree more! After all the work I did at the store in Manehattan yesterday, I was more than ready for a relaxing day today."

Rainbow laughed again, but before she had the chance to say anything, she was suddenly struck with a look of discomfort. Then her face became a concerned one, as she glanced to the side to make sure Rarity wasn't looking. She wasn't, focused instead on a glass of water, so Rainbow quickly sat upright, reaching down and nursing a particular spot on her right hind leg. Unfortunately, Rarity's distraction didn't last forever, as she soon noticed what her friend was doing. "Rainbow? Is something wrong with your leg?"

Realising she'd been caught, Rainbow immediately started speaking in a more frantic and borderline panicked way than before. "Oh! Um...it's nothing! Just massaging the muscles, ya know? Always good to keep em nice and relaxed for those big moves, right?"

Now, Rarity had known Rainbow for many years now, and so it took little time at all to realise that she was hiding something. And Rainbow, for her part, knew just as quickly that her feeble excuse for an explanation wasn't going to cut it. So, after letting out a long sigh, Rainbow again looked down to the leg she'd been focused on.

"It's just...I've been feeling a bit of a tweak down there lately. Nothing painful, but it's started to linger a bit after my practice sessions."

Rarity looked to her with concern. "Not something serious, I hope?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Nah. Went to the Doc at the Wonderbolt headquarters about it a few days back. Trust me, it's not gonna affect my flying anytime soon."

Rarity still looked worried. "But...?"

It was clearly something Rainbow didn't want to talk about, yet she knew already that Rarity only had her best interests in mind by enquiring like she was. After looking to her leg again for a time, the blue mare started to look, of all things, saddened. "It's just...things like this never used to happen to me, ya know?" She paused, turning briefly to Rarity. "Little aches and pains? That never happened back in the day. When Twilight first moved here to Ponyville, I'd never known something like this." A frown appeared on her brow as she looked to her leg again. "Now? Now, I get them here and there more than I like to think about."

Rarity, reading between the lines on this one, knew exactly what needed to be asked next. "And I'm guessing little things like that aren't the only issue on your mind?"

A slow nod from Rainbow. "Yeah," she replied solemnly. "It's other stuff too. Every weekend I try to fly all around Ponyville as part of my practice. I used to only take about a minute tops to do a whole circuit. Now that time has doubled, or I have to try twice as hard to keep it at one." She glanced upwards, to the sky. "Old tricks and stunts that used to be no sweat for me now take even more effort than they ever have done." A grimace came to her. "And my Sonic Rainboom? Sure, that was never the easiest thing in the world, but it's like I'm having to put almost everything I've got into making it happen."

Rarity gave her a soft look, reaching forward and placing her hoof upon her shoulder. "Rainbow...I realise this isn't something you want said to you outright...but it's something that needs saying regardless." Taking a deep breath, Rarity did indeed say it outright. "You're getting older."

Rainbow responded as she'd expected, looking away, even though it was obvious that she had an unhappy expression right now. Undeterred, Rarity continued. "You're always going to be an athlete. But things won't always be as easy for you as they used to be. Things will be more difficult. Things you never would have thought twice about doing." She smiled. "But for what its' worth, I'm glad you're willing to open up to me about it."

Rainbow shook her head again. "This totally sucks though! Rainbow Dash can't...ugh...slow down! I always knew I'd get older, obviously, but having all this stuff come with it? No! I never wanted that, but now it's happening!"

Rarity nodded. "I understand how you feel."

Rainbow looked to her incredulously. "Oh yeah? How?"

Rarity arched an eyebrow. "You'll no doubt have noticed all those times when I've worn glasses during my dress-making?"

Rainbow thought on that, blinking a few times and scratching the back of her head. "Er...yeah?"

Rarity placed her hoof just to the side of her right eye, pointing to it. "Tell me, Rainbow...did I used to wear glasses when I first started making outfits here in Ponyville?"

Rainbow appeared to be thinking hard on that, and as her memories passed through her mind, her eyes started to widen. "I...no, I don't think you did."

A firm nod from Rarity.  "Quite. My eyesight was rather sharp in my early days. But the arrow of time points ever forward, and after a while it began to fade." She offered Rainbow a sympathetic look. "Much like yourself, I was distressed at the notion. For a while I even denied that there was a problem." A quick laugh. "Trust me, Darling, that kind of thing led to nothing good."

Rainbow looked to her with some interest. "Oh yeah? What happened?"

Rarity sighed. "Oh, I ended up poking myself with my own sewing needles, and more than once."

Rainbow stifled a chuckle, earning her an irritated look from Rarity. "The point is...I understand how difficult it is to know that things aren't as easy as they used to be. Age may grant wisdom, but it always comes with far less pleasant additions also."

Rainbow folded her forelegs, snorting grumpily. "Ugh! Life's supposed to get better as it goes on! This doesn't feel better!"

Rarity nodded again. "We all feel that way. But, for those like you or I, we never let that stop us, do we?"

Slowly, Rainbow looked to her, smirking a little. "No...I guess we don't."

Rarity looked up, pointing straight to the sky. "I guarantee you'll be ruling the clouds above for many a year yet. After all you've done, nopony would ever think otherwise, no matter what little aches and pains you get."

Rainbow, as before, started to look a touch sad. "There'll be a time I'll have to stop though."

Rarity looked to her with softness. "Yes...there will." Reaching under her chin, Rarity guided Rainbow's face so the two were looking one another right in the eye. "And then you will look back on the life you've led...and smile, knowing it was a worthy one."

Rainbow considered that, and while she and Rarity both knew it didn't completely alleviate the unpleasant feeling the former had been experiencing over all this, they at least agreed that the sentiment was a good one. So, silently, the two mares moved closer for an embrace. It was a pleasant moment, but one that eventually came to an end, as all things did. Rainbow, now feeling at least somewhat better than she had been, reached for another cucumber sandwich, downing it in one go yet again. Giggling, Rarity looked to her with curiosity. "So...care for another spot of flying practice?"

Chuckling, Rainbow shook her head. "Nah, I think I've done enough for one day. I'm not as young as I used to be after all."