Between planning Pinkie's birthday party, keeping it a secret long enough for it to be a surprise, and then attending the party itself, Rainbow's day had been a very long one. The party had gone on for a good while, and it was after dark when Rainbow finally said her goodbyes and left to walk Fluttershy home. It had been worth the effort though – seeing Pinkie as happy as she'd ever been – and Rainbow couldn't keep a tired smile from her face as she walked down the trail beside her marefriend.
As much fun as the whole thing had been, there was still something that had been weighing on Rainbow's mind all day. She spared Fluttershy a sidelong glance. “I think Pinkie might be onto us, y'know?”
Fluttershy looked back at her with sleepy eyes and a curious frown. “Really? What makes you say that?”
“I don't know,” Rainbow admitted, because it was more of a hunch than anything. “There's just something off about the way she's been acting around us lately. Especially earlier today, when she was grilling us about hiding something from her.” Rainbow shook her head. “Call me paranoid, but I thought I saw it in her eyes then. I was sure she was gonna say something.”
Fluttershy turned her frown to the ground. “You might be right,” she said. “She's been very suspicious. She may not know for sure, but she definitely suspects something.”
So, she thought so too. That was definitely the impression Rainbow had been getting, and if Fluttershy had it as well, then chances were that they were right. Pinkie Pie was getting close to figuring it out. And if Pinkie was getting close, the others couldn't be far behind.
“I don't think we're gonna be able to keep this quiet for much longer,” said Rainbow. “I mean, with how hard it was for us just to cover up the surprise party, we're not gonna last long if ponies actually start asking questions.”
“Mm,” said Fluttershy. “Especially not with our friends.”
That was very true. They'd naturally been spending a lot of time with their friends lately, and even if they'd managed to cover up the few near slip-ups they'd had, something had to give sooner or later.
“What do you think we should do?” Rainbow said.
With the thoughtful look still on her face, Fluttershy looked straight ahead. “Maybe we should just tell them,” she said.
Rainbow raised her eyebrows. Not that she'd really expected any other answer, but it was still surprising to hear her say it out loud. “You think so?”
“Well, maybe,” Fluttershy repeated. “I'm not sure. But it might be better to do it that way than wait for them to figure it out. They deserve to hear it from us, don't you think?”
“Yeah. I guess,” said Rainbow, giving her wings an uncomfortable flap. It was a good point, but it was one she'd already thought about herself. She'd been hoping for a different point-of-view, maybe some other options to consider.
It wasn't like she wanted to keep it a secret, of course, and it definitely wasn't like she wanted to hide it from her friends. That was actually getting more and more difficult by the day. It was just... awkward. She and Fluttershy had been dating for a while now. It was long past the 'So, we've started dating and thought we should tell you' point, and well into 'So, we've been dating for a long time and kept it a secret' territory. Not that it was anypony else's business to begin with, but at the same time, having not even mentioned it to their friends felt wrong.
And the longer they let that keep them from saying anything, the more awkward it would get, and the harder it would be to say anything... Rainbow sighed, and they walked in silence for a while.
“Do you think they'll mind?” said Fluttershy, looking over at Rainbow now. Rainbow looked back with an eyebrow raised in question. “Well, I mean, I know they'll probably be happy for us. But do you think--” Fluttershy glanced down at the ground, uncertain. “Do you think that anything will... change?”
'Change.' Now, that was a good question, and Rainbow would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it too. 'Will they be okay with it? Will they look at us differently? Will they think it's a stupid idea?' The thoughts, or worries, such as they were, were daunting to say the least. Unfounded – since their friends were a lot more likely to be okay with it than they were to object – but still daunting.
“I don't know,” said Rainbow, shaking her head. She wished she could be more confident than that, but she just didn't know. “I hope not.”
Fluttershy faced front again and watched the ground in front of her hooves, looking pensive. “Mm. Me too.”
An uncomfortable weight settled in Rainbow's stomach. She wasn't sure whether it was for Fluttershy, or more for her own benefit, but she felt the need to say something more. “Hey,” she said, getting Fluttershy's attention. “You know, even if things did change, even if they were all totally against it – which isn't gonna happen anyway – that wouldn't change things between us, right?”
Fluttershy blinked at her, and something flickered behind her eyes. “Well, I'd like to think so. But, what about the Elements of Harmony?” she said.
“Pfft, what about the Elements?” said Rainbow, with a little more vigour than she needed to. “You're my oldest friend, Fluttershy. My best friend. I'm not gonna let anything get between us, especially not some dumb pieces of jewellery.” She surprised herself in saying it, but it was true.
The Elements of Harmony were a super big deal – really important – she got that. If another threat like Nightmare Moon came along, the six of them would need to band together to invoke the Elements and save Equestria. But if it really came down to it, if she really had to choose between wielding the Elements and being with Fluttershy, she knew the choice she'd make. Sure, it was selfish, but it was her choice.
Besides which, she was pretty sure the Elements wouldn't work in the first place if she and Fluttershy thought of them as a relationship barrier.
After a few moments of silence, Fluttershy cracked a little smile. “I suppose you're right. That's quite romantic of you.”
Rainbow dispelled the childish urge to gag at the word, and instead brushed it off with a shrug. “Hey, I can be romantic sometimes.”
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. She was still smiling as she looked ahead, to her cottage in the distance. “You're right. I'm sure they'll all be very supportive. But even if they're not, we'll still have one another.”
“Yeah, we will,” Rainbow agreed. She moved closer to Fluttershy, so that their sides touched, and wrapped a wing around her as they walked. “We'll tell 'em soon,” she said. “When the time's right. I can't keep pretending much longer anyway.”
“Me neither,” said Fluttershy, moving into the embrace. “I--” Her breath froze for a moment, then came out in a quiet huff.
Their angle made it difficult, but Rainbow managed to quirk a brow at her. “You what?”
Fluttershy met her eye too, with a smile. “I'm glad we're together,” she said.
Rainbow gave her a half-smile. She had a feeling that wasn't what Fluttershy was going to say, but she appreciated the sentiment all the same. She squeezed her wing tighter around Fluttershy, pulling her close, and let that be her response.
Nestled up against Rainbow's coat, Fluttershy closed her eyes, and they walked the rest of the way in companionable silence.
* * *