Chapter Eighteen
Little Things
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It was a little odd that someone who had once sprouted wings and flown on her own should still be so enamored by flying on an airplane, but Rainbow always loved it. She sat in the window seat and watched the clouds roll by beneath them.
“I swear, you’re such a kid sometimes,” Lightning Dust said as she watched Rainbow stare out the window.
Usually Rainbow and Fluttershy sat next to each other on planes, but Fluttershy had wanted to sit next to Lemon Zest this time. Rainbow was a little confused, but it was a chance to get some relatively one on one time with Lightning Dust.
At the moment, that meant telling her off. “What’s wrong with enjoying the scenery? How often do you get to be above the world like this?”
“I mean yeah, it’s cool, but how can you be interested in clouds and stuff for so long? You’ve been staring out of that window for pretty much the whole flight.”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, because there’s so much else to do.”
Lightning held up a book. “Catch up on some reading?”
It was true that Rainbow had picked up reading since being in a band. It wasn’t something she used to do a lot, but spending hours every day on a tour bus had expanded her interests as she continuously looked for new ways to pass the time. But still… “Come on, you can read any time. A view like this doesn’t come every day.”
“No, just a couple of times a year. Honestly, doesn’t it lose its appeal after all the times we’ve flown back home?”
“No.” Rainbow turned back to the window. Maybe it was because she had once been able to fly on her own that she enjoyed flying on a plane so much. Watching the clouds below her reminded her a little of what that had been like.
Lightning Dust just chuckled and shifted in her seat. “Well, I can’t wait until we get there. We’ve gotta be almost home now right?”
Rainbow reached into her pocket and pulled out her crumpled up ticket. She unfolded it and checked the time. “Yeah, ticket says we’ve only got another twenty minutes or so.”
“Sweet. I hate these cramped seats and not getting to move around. Give me a tour bus any day.”
Even with her love for the view, Rainbow didn’t disagree. Still, sometimes flying was the best option. “If it means more time relaxing at home, I don’t mind it. Driving would take up most of our week off.”
“Yeah, I know.”
The tour was currently stalled on the other side of the country with a week gap between shows. That happened from time to time, and when it did, the band liked to head home to visit with friends and family.
Well, most of them did. “I’m just gonna sleep all week,” Lightning said as she stretched out.
Rainbow smirked. “Yeah, your sister gonna let you do that?”
“Well… no, probably not.” Although Lightning and Indigo Zap were very different, they did spend a lot of time together. Lightning Dust was older, but she seemed to look up to her studious younger sister in a way. Between the two of them, Indigo had been good at things like school, landing a position in Crystal Prep while Lightning had gone to a public school.
“Speaking of family, how are things going with yours?” Lightning asked.
Rainbow shrugged. “Same as always. They come out to see us when we play Everton, but they don’t really get the whole thing, you know?”
“Yeah, I hear that. Same with my family.”
“Whatever.” Rainbow smiled. “I got Fluttershy. That’s all the family I need, you know?”
Lightning punched Rainbow’s arm. “Spoken like a true wimp.”
Rainbow laughed and pushed Lightning back. “Nothing wimpy about caring about your sister, you jerk.”
“Yeah yeah.” Lightning swatted away Rainbow’s arms. “Glad she’s making it to shows again.”
“Yeah.” Rainbow’s smile fell a bit. She was still worried about that. Fluttershy had definitely overdone it on Rainbow’s birthday a couple days before, but in the two shows they’d done since, Fluttershy had shown up and kept her drinking responsible. “So like, this is gonna sound weird, but I think Lemon Zest is keeping her in check somehow.”
“Why is that weird?” Lightning asked. “It’s pretty obvious something’s going on between them.”
“What?” Rainbow arched an eyebrow. “Pretty sure I’d know if they were dating.”
“I’m not saying they’re dating or whatever, just you know, something.” Lightning craned her neck to see Lemon Zest and Fluttershy a few rows in front of them. She and Rainbow could only see the back of their heads, but it looked like Fluttershy was laughing.
“I don’t know.” Rainbow shrugged. “I mean, yeah, they’ve always been weirdly close, you know. But that’s just how the two of them are. Besides, does Lemon Zest even like girls?”
“She fooled around with Indigo that one time,” Lightning said.
Rainbow had forgotten about that. It had only come up once back when they were talking about random hookups they’d each had, and Lemon Zest had admitted to making out with Indigo Zap. Obviously, Lightning Dust had more reason to remember that than Rainbow did.
“So what are you thinking?” Rainbow asked, suddenly taking a lot more interest in how much time Fluttershy and Lemon Zest had spent together over the past few days.
“I’m pretty sure I saw Zest going into Fluttershy’s room last night.” Lightning smirked. “And I didn’t see her come back out.”
“Oh damn. They’re sleeping together?”
Lightning shrugged. “Well, it’s not like I’m stalking her room, you know? Maybe Zest left and I just didn’t see. But you know, it could mean something.”
“They’ve been… cuddly on the tour bus.” That didn’t actually mean as much as it would have for anyone else. Fluttershy and Lemon Zest just did things like that together, even when Fluttershy was with Sonata. Still, at what point did all the little things start to add up?
“The question is, are you going to do anything about this?” Lightning asked.
Rainbow frowned. “Bad things happen when I get involved in Shy’s love life.”
“Yeah, but think about it.” Lightning leaned in. “Shy’s her manager. She’s like, her boss basically, right? She might be hiding this from us because she thinks we’re gonna have a problem with it.”
“That’s dumb,” Rainbow said. “Shy isn’t really our boss. And they’ve been friends for years, you know? It’s no big deal.”
“I’m not saying it is, I’m saying Shy might feel like it is.” Lightning inclined her head towards Fluttershy. “Just talk to her about it. Tell her it’s cool. Bad things happen when you got in the way of Fluttershy’s love life. You could just tell her you support her, you know.”
“Yeah, I guess.” Rainbow watched the back of Fluttershy’s and Lemon Zest’s heads, wishing she knew what they were talking about.
She decided it didn’t really matter. Lightning Dust was right, Rainbow just had to talk to Fluttershy about it. Hell, maybe she could even convince her to pursue a relationship if they weren’t already doing that. Fluttershy could certainly use something to be happy about.
“Attention passengers, please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. We’ll be beginning our descent into Everton International Airport momentarily.”
“Finally,” Lightning Dust said with a sigh of relief. “Can’t wait to stretch my legs.”
Rainbow muttered her agreement, but she wasn’t really thinking of that. All she could think about was Fluttershy and Lemon Zest, and hoping that whatever was going on with them, it would be good for Fluttershy.
She was spared from her thoughts when the plane actually started its descent. She loved watching the ground growing closer, and especially loved the touchdown. The whole airplane shook and roared, which may have made others uncomfortable, but which Rainbow thought was one of the coolest parts of the flight.
Then came one of the most boring parts of the flight – waiting for unloading. People stood and collected their things from the overhead bins, then waited around until they could actually leave. Lightning Dust jumped at the chance to stand up and collect her things, but Rainbow didn’t bother. No point until they could actually move.
Rainbow passed the time by checking her messages. She had a text from Pinkie sent fifteen minutes earlier, which said she was at the airport. Rainbow replied that they just landed and would be out as soon as they could.
After a few more minutes, they finally started moving. Rainbow got up and collected her bag and then followed Lightning Dust off the plane. Once they were in the terminal, they stopped and waited for everyone else. Between both bands and Fluttershy, they made for a large group – nine people in total.
“God, I hate airplanes,” Lemon Zest said once they were all together.
Fluttershy giggled. “She wouldn’t let go of my hand the whole time.”
“Shy…” Lemon Zest blushed.
Everyone laughed, but Rainbow just smiled. Fluttershy sounded happy about that, and that was all Rainbow wanted for her.
Once they were all gathered together, they made their way through the airport. At least they didn’t have to go to the baggage claim. Since they were all returning home and only for a week at that, all of them opted to save some money by travelling with only carry-on bags.
As soon as they were past the security checkpoint, Rainbow and Fluttershy were ambushed into a hug from Pinkie Pie, one of her arms around each of the others. “Dashie! Shy!”
“Hello, Pinkie,” Fluttershy said. “It’s nice to see you too.”
Rainbow patted Pinkie on the back. “Hey, Pinks.”
Pinkie pulled away but kept her arms on each of them. She had tears in her eyes. “I’ve missed you both so much!”
This was the typical meeting with Pinkie, and usually it took a lot to get her past it. This time, however, Rainbow noticed something else that she thought might do the trick. “Pretty sure Gilda’s about to make a move on your sister.”
Pinkie wheeled around in time to see Gilda walking up to Limestone. It was hard to hear them, but it seemed like they both only exchanged simple one-word greetings and blushed. Neither of them would look at the other.
“Look how in love they are!” Pinkie said. She was practically vibrating with happiness at the sight of two awkward dorks.
After a moment, Gilda sighed and gave an awkward one-armed hug to the much shorter Limestone, who blushed even harder and did her best to look like she wasn’t enjoying herself. Then they stepped apart again, looked away from each other, and Pinkie squealed happily.
Meanwhile, other members of their group splintered off to meet with their various friends and family. Lightning Dust was talking with her sister and a woman that Rainbow assumed was their mom, Windfall was hugging his mom and dad in turn, and Short Fuse and Rolling Thunder were both meeting up with different groups of people that Rainbow didn’t recognize.
They said their goodbyes to their friends that were going separate ways, then Pinkie led the remaining group to her minivan. It was a large group, all things considered.
For her part, Rainbow was meeting with her parents for dinner, but frankly, she wanted to spend time with her friends more. Fluttershy, meanwhile, didn’t have anyone else to visit besides her friends. And Gilda was only staying with them long enough for Pinkie to drop her and Limestone off at Gilda’s parents’ house.
The others were a bit unexpected, though. Lemon Zest and Flash both had family they could be seeing first, but they had both decided to spend the afternoon at Sweet Apple Acres.
Although now that she was seeing things in a new light, Rainbow thought she might understand why Lemon Zest had decided to go with Fluttershy. Just another little thing.
“I guess someone else can have the front seat,” Limestone said irritably once they reached the minivan.
“Aww, do you want to sit next to your girlfriend?” Pinkie asked.
“No!” Limestone said quickly. “I’m just being nice! Geez, Pinkie, don’t be weird about it!”
“I call shotgun!” Rainbow said, figuring Fluttershy and Lemon Zest might also want to sit next to each other. She climbed into the front seat while Gilda and Limestone sat in the middle. That left Flash, Lemon Zest, and Fluttershy to file into the back.
“First stop, Gilda’s house!” Pinkie announced as she started the engine. She shifted into reverse and pulled out of the parking spot, then started driving. “So how was the flight?”
“It was fine,” Rainbow said. She glanced into the rearview mirror to see what Fluttershy and Lemon Zest were up to, but they didn’t seem to be doing much of anything. Of course, they were sitting next to Flash, so it wasn’t like they were going to do much.
She did get to see Gilda being oblivious to the fact that Limestone left her hand in between them, ripe for Gilda to hold it. She even nudged Gilda with it once, but Gilda was either completely unwilling to hold her girlfriend’s hand around her friends or she somehow didn’t notice. Rainbow just snickered to herself.
Most of the conversation was the usual post-flight talk about how the flight was and how good it was to be back home. They talked a little about plans, and Flash revealed that he and his dad were heading out in the morning for some sort of antique car show that would take up most of the day, which was why he was going with the others. Lemon Zest just said she was seeing her grandparents that evening and left it at that.
Gilda gave Pinkie directions to her parents’ apartment, which was a decent drive away from the airport. The houses grew shabbier as they got close to it.
“As weird as it sounds, I’m gonna miss this hell hole,” Gilda said. “I mean, it’s pretty shitty, but it’s been home for so long, you know?”
“I know what you mean,” Fluttershy said.
“Oh yeah, you used to live around here,” Flash said.
“I did. It was the first place I ever really felt at home.” Fluttershy placed her hand against the window. “The first place I ever really felt safe.”
Rainbow frowned. She didn’t like to dwell on those days, but she supposed it was good that Fluttershy was able to think about them more fondly. It had been a complicated time for her, to say the least.
“Yeah, well, onto bigger and better things.” Gilda grinned. “I’m finally making enough money to help my parents move out of here. We’re gonna look for a new place for them this week.”
“A house with a yard?” Fluttershy said with a smile.
“Hell yeah,” Gilda agreed.
She led Pinkie to an old rundown apartment building. Pinkie pulled into a parking spot, then Gilda and Limestone got out. “Thanks for the ride,” Gilda said on the way out.
“Have fun, you two!” Pinkie said as she waved them off. They both blushed and turned to head into the building.
Flash took the chance to move into the middle seat, while Lemon Zest and Fluttershy stayed in the back. Rainbow tried to keep an eye on the two of them without being obvious, but she didn’t notice them doing anything other than Lemon Zest scooting so she wasn’t in the smaller middle seat.
“And now, on to the party!” Pinkie drove out of the parking lot and towards Sweet Apple Acres.
“So, Pinkie,” Flash said as they drove, “how have you been since CHS?”
“I’m good!” Pinkie said. “I’m a manager at Sugarcube Corner now.”
“Oh really? That’s perfect for you.”
Pinkie had worked part-time at Sugarcube Corner back in high school, which soon became full-time afterwards. They didn’t have many managers at the small sweet shop, but she managed a promotion shortly after Bitchette started touring.
Rainbow smirked. “Yeah, Pinkie gave up the rock and roll life for a respectable nine-to-five gig.”
“Uhm,” Fluttershy started to say something, then stopped. Rainbow turned to face her, but only saw that she was doing something on her phone.
A moment later, Rainbow got a text message. She checked it to see it was from Fluttershy. ‘Do you think we should ask Pinkie to drum on the album?’
Rainbow smiled and put away her phone. “You still play the drums at all, Pinks?”
“Here and there,” Pinkie said. “I still keep my drum kit set up in my room for whenever the mood strikes me.”
“Me and Fluttershy are working on an album together.” Rainbow turned to see Fluttershy, who was smiling. She turned back to Pinkie. “We were thinking, you know, neither of us play drums. Do you think maybe you would want to record with us? It’s just an album, not something we’re gonna be touring with.”
Before she could say anything, Lemon Zest spoke up. “What? Dude! They won’t even let me hear those songs.”
“They’re, uhm, not ready yet…” Fluttershy said. It wasn’t really like them to be so secretive about the stuff they were doing, but Rainbow understood why. The lyrics Fluttershy had been writing were really personal and direct, more so than any of the stuff she wrote with Bitchette.
“I’d love to!” Pinkie said. “If Lemon Zest is okay with that.”
“Oh yeah, I didn’t mean it like that.” Lemon Zest put her arm around Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I just really wanna hear this new stuff they’ve been doing.”
“Uhm, maybe I could play some of it for you then.” Fluttershy blushed a little. “If Dash doesn’t mind.”
Rainbow shrugged. “It’s cool with me.”
What did it mean that Fluttershy offered to play some of their new songs for Lemon Zest? Was it just because she asked, or was there more to it? Then again, Fluttershy could have asked Lemon Zest to drum on the album, but she chose Pinkie…
Whatever. Rainbow would figure out what it all meant when she got the chance to talk to Fluttershy about it. Until then, it was just little things that may or may not add up to something else.
“I didn’t know you two were working on something together,” Flash said. “If you need any help, I’d be happy to lend you a hand.”
Fluttershy seemed less open to sharing it with Flash than with Pinkie or Lemon Zest. “It’s, uhm. Sort of a personal project.”
Rainbow smirked. “You know Shy could be like a one-woman band on her own, right?”
“Really? I knew you played guitar a little, and I know you sing of course.”
“Well, I don’t play drums…” Fluttershy said. “And I like writing music with Rainbow more than doing it on my own.”
“I haven’t heard you sing in, like, forever,” Lemon Zest said. “God, if I had your voice, I would never stop singing.”
Fluttershy smiled a little, but she didn’t reply. Rainbow decided to pull some of the focus off of her, figuring it might be a little much for the reserved woman. “Yeah, well, she’s not me, but you know. She does alright.”
It didn’t seem to work, since Fluttershy herself seemed determined to put herself back in the conversation. “Your voice is nice,” she said to Lemon Zest. “I like listening to you sing.”
Lemon Zest shrugged. “I mean, I guess I’m okay. But not like you, Shy.”
“Your voice is super pretty, Shy,” Pinkie added.
“You always sang harmony with The Rainbooms,” Flash pointed out. “I don’t know if I ever heard you sing lead.”
“Come on, give us a show!” Lemon Zest said.
Fluttershy blushed. “Uhm… maybe another time.”
“We could never convince Fluttershy to sing more than a line or two lead,” Pinkie explained. It was true. Even after Rainbow had stopped trying to dominate the band as the only lead singer, Fluttershy only ever sang backing vocals, or in the group vocal songs.
“Feels like forever ago that we were playing in the Rainbooms,” Rainbow said wistfully. “Those were good days.”
“I liked being in the Rainbooms,” Fluttershy agreed.
“Of course!” Pinkie said. “We had so much fun back then!”
They passed the time by talking about their high school bands. Lemon Zest had never been in a band before Bitchette, but the others all had.
That conversation took them the rest of the way to Sweet Apple Acres. Pinkie pulled up as Flash was giving an a cappella rendition of one of his old songs. It was definitely a little obvious that the lyrics were written by a teenager, but he sang it well.
He wrapped it up as Pinkie turned off the van. “Hey, you’re pretty good!”
“Thanks, Pinkie,” Flash said.
“Yeah, you and Lightning could sing together sometime,” Rainbow said as she undid her seatbelt. “Maybe after the tour is over, you could take over my vocals if we don’t start another tour together.”
Flash opened his door and got out, then turned to Rainbow with a grin. “Lead guitar and lead vocals? Not all of us are that egotistical you know.”
Rainbow got out of the van and shoved him playfully. “Yeah yeah.”
“Well, I think it’d sound nice,” Fluttershy said as she and Lemon Zest got out as well.
“Well look who it is!” Applejack called from the porch, putting an end to the duet conversation.
“Hey, AJ!” Rainbow called back. They each walked over to each other, meeting halfway. Applejack held out her arms, so she and Rainbow hugged each other roughly. “Good to see you.”
“Same to you.” Applejack pulled away and smiled. “Not often we get a big rockstar to grace our humble orchard.”
“Aww, come on, AJ.” Rainbow smiled and scratched the back of her head.
“Hello, Applejack,” Fluttershy said as she walked up to their friend. The two of them hugged as well, then Pinkie popped up to hug both of them at the same time. Rainbow took a few steps away for safety.
“Figured y’all might be a bit hungry after the flight, so I thought we could break out the grill.” Applejack gestured for the others to follow her and made the way to the back. “Stocked up on hotdogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers.”
Fluttershy smiled at the last option. “Thank you.”
“Great, I’m starving,” Lemon Zest said.
“We kinda skipped breakfast to make the flight on time,” Flash added.
Applejack nodded and led them to the grill. “One of you wanna get this going while I get y’all some snacks to hold you over?”
“I can work the grill,” Flash said.
“I’ll help!” Pinkie said.
Fluttershy followed Applejack to the house. “I’ll help you get the snacks.”
Pinkie and Flash worked on getting the grill set up, which gave Rainbow an unexpected chance to talk to Lemon Zest. “So, uh… how’s Shy been doing?”
“She seems pretty good,” Lemon Zest said with a smile. “These past few days have been kinda nice, actually.”
“Cool.” Rainbow glanced around, but Flash and Pinkie were both busy stacking charcoal in the grill. “So… you think things are gonna continue between you two like this?”
Lemon Zest shrugged. “I guess. Why?”
“I just, you know. I want you two to be happy.” Rainbow smiled. “I’m just glad it’s working out.”
Lemon Zest smiled as well. “Thanks, Dash.”
Applejack and Fluttershy were quick to return with chips, dip, and sodas in hand, which the hungry musicians all gathered around. Pinkie and Flash managed to get the grill going as Applejack went back inside to get the rest of the food to cook.
They exchanged jokes and caught up with one another and how everyone was doing. Being the newbie to touring, Flash had the most to say about it. Conversation came easily to the group and everyone had plenty to eat.
After lunch, they went into the basement to continue hanging out without being in the hot summer sun. They made plans for what they’d do during the week, with Applejack deciding to take the majority of it off from work to spend time with her friends.
All in all, it was a great day. Nothing too special, just friends hanging out and having a good time. But then, it was the little things that were supposed to make life worth living.
And best of all, Fluttershy seemed to really enjoy herself. It was the happiest Rainbow had seen her since Sonata ditched them.
The only downside was that there wasn’t a lot of time. If Rainbow had her way, they’d be hanging out late into the night, but she and Lemon Zest both had family to see. Still, they kept finding reason to put it off.
“So uhm,” Fluttershy asked towards the end of the day, “how are things in Equestria?”
Rainbow bit her tongue as she always did when Equestria came up. She wished Fluttershy would just leave it alone; nothing good ever came from talking about that.
Applejack also looked uncomfortable, adjusting her hat as she often did when nervous. “Well, there’s actually some news…”
“Oh?” Fluttershy put on a smile that Rainbow suspected was forced. “Good news, I hope.”
“It’s great news,” Pinkie said, but she looked to Applejack uncertainly.
Applejack took a deep breath. “It is, but… I don’t know if it’s something you wanna hear.”
“Applejack, whatever it is, you can tell me.” Fluttershy rolled her eyes, and even Rainbow almost believed her. “I’m not still hung up on Sunset. That was three years ago.”
“Well, if you’re sure.” Applejack kept her eyes fixed on Fluttershy’s. “She’s engaged. She’s gonna be gettin’ married to her world’s Twilight and Fluttershy.”
Rainbow’s mouth fell open and all she could do was stare at Fluttershy.
“Oh. I see.” Fluttershy somehow smiled. “How nice. I didn’t realize that three ponies could get married over there.”
“I don’t think it’s a legal marriage,” Applejack said. “They’re doin’ the ceremony and everything, but I don’t think they’ll be married like Twilight and Fluttershy are.”
“But they’re all super excited about it,” Pinkie said. She sounded excited as well, although she didn’t quite manage her usual pep, and she kept her eyes fixed on Fluttershy.
Fluttershy nodded. “Well, what really matters is that they will be to them.” She shifted her smile into a grin. “And I guess we all know who the maid of honor is gonna be.”
Applejack smirked and shifted her weight. “Yeah, that’d be me.”
“Do they have a date yet?”
“They do, but I don’t remember what it is offhand. A good few months away.”
“November sixteenth,” Pinkie said.
Applejack smiled at Pinkie. “Well, there ya have it.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I’m really happy for them.”
Rainbow could hardly believe how calm Fluttershy was doing when all she wanted to do was scream. How could Applejack tell Fluttershy about something like that?
“Wow, it’s so hard to imagine her settling down,” Flash said. He wasn’t smiling at least, although that could have just been out of shock.
“Yeah,” Rainbow said gruffly. “Imagine that.”
“I think it makes sense,” Pinkie said. “They all love each other so much. They’re going to be really happy together.”
Rainbow didn’t usually get angry with Pinkie, but this was proving to be an exception. She couldn’t keep all of the bile from her voice when she said, “I’m sure they will be.”
“Ya know…” Applejack’s tone grew uncertain, and Rainbow wished she would just shut up and not say whatever she was about to say. “She’d probably really like it if y’all showed up.”
“Uh, I think we’ll pass,” Rainbow said.
Fluttershy nodded. “Dash is right. We haven’t talked in years, and it could just make things awkward.”
Applejack looked like she was going to press it, but mercifully she didn’t. “Yeah, alright. I just had to offer.”
“And we appreciate it,” Fluttershy said, although Rainbow doubted that was true for either of them.
“You okay, Flash?” Lemon Zest asked.
Flash shook his head and smiled. “Yeah, it’s just… so wild to imagine how Sunset’s life has gone. Really happy for her though.”
“You know, she asked about you not that long ago,” Applejack said. “I’ll have to tell her ya stopped by.”
“Yeah, say hi for me.”
Although Rainbow had wanted this day to continue just minutes ago, now she desperately wanted it to end. “We should probably get heading out. Got dinner with my parents tonight.”
“Yeah, that’s fair,” Lemon Zest said. “Looking forward to seeing my grandparents too.”
“Alright,” Applejack said. “Well, it was nice seeing you all. And we’ll have a blast this week when we get together.”
“Of course,” Fluttershy said.
They made their way out of the basement, back into the summer heat. Fluttershy took a step away from the others. “Uhm…”
Rainbow knew exactly what she was thinking. “Need a minute?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Want some company?” Lemon Zest asked.
Fluttershy surprised Rainbow by smiling and saying, “Sure, that sounds nice.”
The two of them walked off in the direction of Sky’s grave. Rainbow was pretty sure that Lemon Zest didn’t know where they were going, or else she probably wouldn’t have asked about joining.
“Actually, can I talk to you for a minute?” Flash asked Rainbow. “Er, in private?”
Rainbow had to pry her eyes off of Fluttershy, but it was for the best. This was extremely personal to her, and she needed this time free of Rainbow nosing into her business. “Yeah, sure.”
She followed Flash away from the others and watched as he shifted in place nervously. “You pissed about Sunset as I am?”
“Hmm?” Oh, it’s not that.” Flash took a deep breath. “I was actually thinking – wait, why are you pissed about Sunset?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Because she just ditched Shy then goes off to get married to another version of her instead. Tell me that’s not messed up!”
Flash frowned. “I guess you have a point. I try not to think about it. The whole other dimension thing still throws me for a loop.”
Rainbow kicked at the ground. “Yeah, that’s pretty out there. Anyway, what was on your mind?”
“Well… I’m not sure if this is the best time to ask, but…” Flash swallowed. “You know, we’re in town for a while, and I was thinking it might be cool if we kinda… went out and did something together?”
“Did something?” Rainbow grinned. “Hold on, are you trying to ask me out?”
“Uhm. Maybe? Is it working?”
Rainbow laughed and punched his arm. “Geez, you’ve got to work on your pickup game.”
“Is… that a no?”
Rainbow rolled her eyes, but while she did, she thought about his proposal. That was about all the time she needed before she said, “Sure, why not? We can go on a date.”
“Really?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Don’t make a big deal of it. But yeah. You’re a pretty cool guy, and we get along and stuff.”
Flash grinned. “Alright!”
“So what did you have in mind?”
“I dunno, I was thinking dinner and a movie?”
Rainbow laughed again. “God, you’re predictable. But yeah, okay. Dinner and a movie. It’ll be fun.”
“Cool.” Flash grinned, and it was easy to see the realization dawn on him that he hadn’t thought out the rest of the conversation. “So… I… guess we should go back to the others?”
“Yeah, alright.” Rainbow led the way back, and soon Fluttershy and Lemon Zest joined them. Rainbow couldn’t help but smile when she saw they were holding hands.
Truthfully, Fluttershy had crossed Rainbow’s mind when Flash asked her out. Not that she wasn’t looking forward to the date for its own merits, but a little extra reason didn’t hurt. Because if she had a date, Fluttershy couldn’t come with her. And if Fluttershy couldn’t come with her, then she’d have to spend the day doing something else. And Rainbow had a pretty good idea what she’d wind up wanting to do.
“You ready to go, Shy?” Rainbow asked.
Fluttershy nodded. “Yeah, let’s go.”
They followed Pinkie back to her minivan and climbed in. Rainbow debated giving up the front seat to sit next to Flash, but decided he could wait until their date for behavior like that. Besides, then Fluttershy might have wound up not sitting next to Lemon Zest, and Rainbow couldn’t have that.
Rainbow was looking forward to her date, but what she was looking forward to even more was the chance to talk to Fluttershy one on one and exchange the details about what was going on in their respective love lives. It felt like something was finally looking up again.
Because in the end, if Fluttershy was happy, that was all that really mattered.