Rainbow Dash smiled beside herself as she and Fluttershy walked down the trail through Whitetail Wood. The quiet, gentle breeze and the warmth of the midday Sun were refreshingly normal, which was exactly what Rainbow needed after the craziness of the past few days. Judging by the smile on Fluttershy's own face, she felt the same way.
Something at the base of a nearby tree caught Rainbow's eye, and she trotted over to get a better look.
“...Hey, Fluttershy – you said 'blue flowers', right?”
“Hmm?” grunted Fluttershy, hurrying up to her side. She took one look at the small flower patch before breaking into a wide grin. “Oh, yes! These are perfect!”
Rainbow smirked as her fillyfriend started excitedly picking a choice selection of the blue flowers and stashing them in her saddlebag. It was cute, how she got so worked up about a little thing like this, or anything relating to her animals, really.
When she'd finished, Fluttershy laid a quick, grateful kiss on Rainbow's cheek before continuing down the trail. Smiling doubly wide now, Rainbow followed her.
“You know, you really don't have to do this,” said Fluttershy, glancing about in search of more flowers. “I need about two-dozen to make enough ointment for Harry's rash, so it's going to take a while. I know you think this is boring.”
“Are you kidding?” said Rainbow. “After all that craziness last week with Twilight's coronation and our cutie marks getting all messed up, I need an afternoon where I can just spend time with my fillyfriend and do something boring.”
That got a giggle out of Fluttershy. “Well, I guess you can stay then.”
They fell into companionable silence for a while. Rainbow watched with a gentle smile as Fluttershy bounced merrily along, humming quietly to herself. She caught Rainbow looking a couple of times, each time offering a quick, sheepish smile before averting her eyes.
As Fluttershy bent down to pick up a couple more flowers, a curious thought crossed Rainbow's mind. “How'd you learn all of that anyway?” she asked.
“Hmm? The formula for the ointment?” said Fluttershy. “Twilight loaned me a book called 'Supernaturals'. It's really very interesting--”
“Yeah, yeah, reading's cool, but I meant all that stuff you know about animals,” Rainbow explained. “Seems like you know pretty much everything there is to know about 'em.”
“Oh... you mean like knowing to feed them when they're hungry?” said Fluttershy sweetly.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow as the demure pegasus shot a smile back over her shoulder. Was that a tease?
A moment passed before Fluttershy shook her head and went back to picking flowers. “I just know it. I've always known it. It's my talent.”
“Mmm,” grunted Rainbow, staring at the butterfly cutie mark on her fillyfriend's flank. “Yeah, dumb question, I guess.”
Rainbow wasn't really sure why she asked in the first place. It was just 'on her mind', she guessed, after having been put in a position where she actually needed some animal empathy and had none to hoof. Fluttershy's job was harder than she thought...
When the yellow pegasus had finished her gathering, she shot Rainbow an awkward smile before the two of them fell into step again.
“Hey,” Rainbow said, deciding to change the subject to something more interesting. “I never thanked you for saving me from that cooking pot.”
Fluttershy giggled again. “They wouldn't have hurt you. They were only trying to let you know that they were hungry.”
“Uh huh,” said Rainbow sceptically. “But still, those ropes were pretty tight. I owe you one.”
“Don't be silly,” said Fluttershy, shaking her head with a smile.
“I mean it!” Rainbow pressed. “You've gotta let me take you out for dinner or something, to pay you back.”
Fluttershy smiled warmly. “Oh, you really don't have to do that. After all, most of the time, you're the one who's saving me. And you've never asked me to 'pay you back'.”
“Wait, 'most of the time'?” Rainbow repeated, creasing her brow. “What're you talking about?”
Fluttershy waved a wing casually. “Oh, you know, like when you scared off those timberwolves last week, or when you protected me from the changelings at the royal wedding.”
“Well, yeah... But I think you're forgetting that you've saved me a bunch of times too,” said Rainbow.
“Maybe just once or twice,” muttered Fluttershy, hiding her smile behind her mane.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Once or twice, huh? How about that time you tamed that manticore in the Everfree? Or when you stared down that dragon? Or that time you caught me when Discord was messing with my head--”
“That one was more of a team effort,” said Fluttershy timidly.
“--And then there was the time I got my head stuck in a cloud,” Rainbow continued. “And the time Applejack tied me to a tree... Huh--” She paused, coming to a sudden realisation. “--Y'know, I think you've actually saved me a bunch more times than I've saved you.”
“Oh, that can't be right,” said Fluttershy, though she seemed to have trouble coming up with any argument beyond that.
“Pretty sure it is,” said Rainbow, performing a quick sweep of her memory to double check. “By my count, you're ahead by at least three saves... I'm starting to think I owe you a little more than one romantic dinner. We're gonna have to come up with something else...”
Fluttershy made to argue again, only to freeze when she saw the suggestive smile on Rainbow's face. The demure pegasus hesitated with her mouth part open for a long moment, before forcing her eyes forwards again in an adorably vain attempt to hide her reddening cheeks.
“O-oh, look – more flowers!” she said loudly, darting forwards even as the words left her mouth.
Rainbow let out a chuckle of her own. “C'mon, 'Shy,” she pressed, smiling at the back of her fillyfriend's head. “There's gotta be something I can do for ya.”
It was a little mean to tease her like that, maybe, but it was really awesome to see that cute little blush of hers.
For her part, Fluttershy pretended to pick flowers for a moment, before steadily slowing to a complete stop. The silence held for a few seconds longer, until she finally spoke up in a quiet voice.
“...There is one thing.”
The smirk died on Rainbow's face as soon as Fluttershy's serious tone reached her ears. She took a few steps closer to her motionless partner and tried to keep her own voice steady. “...Name it.”
Fluttershy sank back onto her haunches, with her back still facing towards Rainbow. “Make me a promise,” she said.
“Huh?” Rainbow grunted intelligently. “A promise? Like what?”
“Just say that you'll always save me,” Fluttershy finished, hanging her head a little as she did.
Rainbow came to a stop at her partner's side and tilted her head in bewilderment. “I don't get it. What d'you mean?”
“...You've always been there to save me,” said Fluttershy. “And I've always tried to be there for you. Whether it's when we're on adventures or just--” She broke off and shook her head. “--It's always been like that, and I love it that way. I just... want it to stay like that forever.”
Rainbow's mouth moved soundlessly as she took in the words. Forever. She'd never really thought about it like that. Even before they started dating, she and Fluttershy had always... been. If Fluttershy fell, Rainbow was there to catch her. If Rainbow needed to talk, Fluttershy was there to lend an ear. The thought of losing that was... well, almost unthinkable.
“Why would it change?” said Rainbow cluelessly. “What brought this on, Fluttershy? Did I say something stupid again?”
“No, it's nothing like that,” said Fluttershy, meeting her eyes in what was probably supposed to be a reassuring gesture.
Rainbow shrugged impatiently. “Well, what then? You know I can't fix stuff if you don't tell me what's up.”
Fluttershy sighed and hung her head. “...I don't know,” she muttered, drawing a circle on the ground with her hoof. “Everything's changing. The Crystal Empire. Discord... Twilight--” She closed her eyes. “--Why can't things just be simple like they used to be?”
“Oh...”
“I just want to know that you're not changing too,” said Fluttershy quietly, as if she was afraid of the words. “I want to keep my Rainbow Dash – who's always there to protect me, and look after me when I'm feeling poorly, and... a-and kiss me when she thinks nopony's looking...” Her cheeks reddened madly at that last part, but she didn't make any more effort to hide or shy away.
Rainbow didn't know what to say. “That's what's been bothering you?” she breathed, face falling into a solemn frown. “I... I didn't even notice.”
“It's okay,” Fluttershy muttered.
Rainbow shook her head and narrowed her eyes. “No, it's not. How long have you been worrying about this?”
“...A while,” she near-whispered, lowering her head a little more.
With a huff, Rainbow collapsed to her haunches beside Fluttershy and let her gaze fall to the ground. “I'm sorry, 'Shy. You know I suck at this stuff. I wish I didn't, but--”
“It's okay,” said Fluttershy again. “It's always been like that, and I really don't mind. You're always there when I really need you anyway. That's why... I just want you to promise.”
There was another pause before the two of them looked up together and met one another's eyes. It was one of those little coincidences that normally would've been cute or awkward. This time, Rainbow wasn't sure what to feel...
“Promise, please?” Fluttershy pleaded.
Rainbow opened her mouth, closed it, then impulsively leant in to press her head up against Fluttershy's. “Of course I promise, 'Shy. I'm not goin' anywhere, no matter how complicated stuff gets. And I'm pretty sure that I couldn't 'change' if I wanted to.”
Fluttershy hesitated, but a smile made it's steady way onto her lips.
Encouraged, Rainbow found a smile of her own. “Hey, even if Twilight turned us all into princesses and gave us uber magical powers like hers, I bet I'd still be just as terrible at all this 'feeling' stuff.”
Fluttershy actually giggled at that. “Oh my, you don't think she'd actually do that?”
“Probably not. But, if she did, it still wouldn't change the way I feel about you,” said Rainbow coolly. She paused for effect, then pulled back so that their snouts were just a hoof's distance apart and smiled with confidence. “You know I love you, right?”
“Mhm,” grunted Fluttershy with a little nod. “And I love you too. Even if you are kind of bad at... 'this feeling stuff'.”
Rainbow chuckled. “Hey, a joke. Look who found her nerve again!”
Fluttershy smiled wider and lowered her head in embarrassment, but she didn't break eye contact. Then, much to Rainbow's surprise, the demure pegasus leant forwards and kissed her deeply.
Rainbow was quick to hide the fact that she'd been caught off guard by returning the kiss. That, she felt, was as good a way as any to reinforce her promise.
When she thought about it, she really knew where Fluttershy was coming from. All around them, people were growing and learning, and pretty much everything was changing, in its own time. Normally, you didn't notice, because you were changing too. But drastic changes – like Twilight suddenly sprouting wings and being made a princess – really stood out and made you think. Or worry, in Fluttershy's case.
But moments like that also reminded you that there were constants too – things that stayed the same throughout it all. Like the bonds between friends. That's what Rainbow held on to.
Whatever else happened, she and Fluttershy had each other, and that was never gonna change.