“Rainbow?”
“Yeah?”
“You know I like a hug as much as the next girl – 'specially one from you – but ponies are startin' to look.”
Rainbow shook her head, then nuzzled further into Applejack's mane, eyes closed. “I don't care,” she said.
Applejack curled her lip and turned her eyes down to Rainbow's back. She patted it awkwardly. “Everythin' okay, Sugarcube?”
“Just about perfect,” said Rainbow.
“Because you're actin' kinda strange. You didn't break somethin' at home, did ya?”
“Not this time,” said Rainbow, and Applejack heard the smile in her voice. “I just realised something today.”
“Oh? What'd you realise?”
Rainbow shuffled and squeezed Applejack a little tighter. “How much I love you,” she said. “How much I think about you, and how much I miss you when you're gone.”
Applejack found a smile again and hugged Rainbow back. “Aw, RD. I ain't goin' nowhere anytime soon.”
“I know that,” said Rainbow. “I just... wanna make sure.”
Applejack opened her mouth to tell her that didn't make much sense, or to promise that she wouldn't run away if Rainbow let go of her. But something about the honesty of the words, or the gentle desperation of the touch, made her hesitate. It wasn't like Rainbow to act like this, and it felt so out of the blue, but to Rainbow, it probably made sense. And if it made sense to her, then that was enough for Applejack.
So she closed her mouth, then her eyes, and just smiled. “...Okay,” she said.