Follow The Rainbow

by UnlicensedBrony

Growing Up [Thoughtful]

Episode Sixteen: Growing Up - [Thoughtful]

The Grand Galloping Gala proved to be a heck of a lot more fun for Rainbow this time around. What, with not spending the whole thing trying to get in with the Wonderbolts, she actually had a chance to spend the night having fun with her friends.

“Thanks for the dance, partner,” said Applejack, as she and Rainbow left the dance floor. The party music had finally come to an end, and the band had started up a calmer, more 'ballroom' tune.

Rainbow flashed her a smirk. “Anytime, 'partner'. Sure you don't wanna stick around for the slow dance?”

“A slow dance, with you?” Applejack snorted. “As if you could stand still long enough.”

Rainbow shrugged and smiled. They reached the refreshments table, and Rainbow scooped herself a glass of punch. She licked her lips as she did - feeling absolutely parched after all the dancing. She stopped before raising the glass to her lips though. If she went straight ahead and guzzled it, she'd give away that she'd gotten tired out - when Applejack clearly hadn't. Rainbow blamed it on Earth Pony stamina. She had an image to maintain, after all.

“Want some punch?” she said, instead of drinking it. She picked up the glass with a wing - a trick she'd learned last cider season - and offered it to Applejack. AJ didn't seem to hear though. She was staring off towards the opposite end of the room, the carefree smile gone from her face.

Arching a brow, Rainbow traced her gaze, trying to figure out what she was looking at. Her eyes wandered over Fluttershy and her new pal on the dance floor, skipped past Twilight and Celestia talking, and ignored Discord, Spike and the Smooze playing some kind of dice game.

Finally, she found what Applejack was looking at – a table in the far corner. Around it sat three surprisingly passive fillies, all chatting quietly with smiles on their faces and milkshakes on the table between them. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom.

“Never thought I'd see the day,” Applejack said, so quietly that Rainbow had to check to be sure she'd spoken. The smile had made its way back onto her face. “Seems like only yesterday she was wearin' my hand-me-down party dresses and thinkin' they were the best things ever. And now--” Applejack shook her head. “--now look at her.”

Rainbow did. She'd never really been one for fancy dresses, but she had to admit that Rarity had outdone herself this year. Applebloom looked awesome in her dress, as did Sweetie Belle in hers. And Scoots--

Rainbow felt an odd sort of tightness in her chest as she watched her self-proclaimed little sister laugh at something Sweetie Belle had said, and then point across the table and make a smiling retort. The others laughed, and Scootaloo's smile turned proud.

Hearing a sniffle from beside her, Rainbow shook herself out of the daze and looked over at Applejack. A single tear was rolling down her smiling cheek. “My Applebloom.”

Rainbow felt herself flush and rolled her suddenly uncomfortable neck. “Get it together, pal,” she said quietly, offering the punch glass again whilst looking in the opposite direction.

Applejack wiped a hoof across her cheek, then shook her head and smiled at Rainbow. “Sorry. Must be this music. Makin' me all sappy.” She took the glass. “Thanks.”

“I didn't see no sappiness,” said Rainbow. “Far as I know, Applejack cries on the inside.” She gave AJ a conspiratorial wink, then scooped herself another glass of punch. Applejack responded with a grateful smile.

They clinked their glasses and took long drinks, and Rainbow savoured the refreshing feeling. She closed her eyes and sighed as she lowered her empty glass, then leant against the table. A moment later though, she found herself cracking an eye open to look across the room again, towards Scootaloo.

“Are you doin' okay?” said Applejack. Rainbow pretended to blink her eyes open, then raised a brow at her friend. Applejack rolled her eyes. “Don't even pretend you don't feel somethin' when you look at Scootaloo right now.”

“Tch!” Rainbow scoffed and pretended to sip from her empty glass. “What're you talkin' about?”

“C'mon, RD. A little honesty wouldn't kill ya.”

“I seriously don't know what you're talking about.”

Applejack shook her head slightly, smiling like she didn't believe it for a second. To be fair, neither did Rainbow – she definitely felt something when she looked at Scoots. She didn't want to think about it though. Not in front of Applejack, anyway.

“Really?” said AJ. “Well then, I guess you also don't know how much time you've been spendin' with her over the past few years?”

“My clock's broken,” said Rainbow.

“A lot,” AJ clarified. “May not seem like long to you – probably not long enough, if you're honest--”

Rainbow opened her mouth to say something – she wasn't sure what – but Applejack kept talking over her.

“--but all those times when you went campin' together, or tried to teach her somethin' 'bout her wings, or read her a bedtime story... It all adds up to a whole lot of together time. Like it or not, RD, she's a big part of your life now.”

“Of course I like it,” Rainbow threw back. “What kind of question is that?”

“Wasn't a question,” said Applejack. “I'm just sayin' that you've been through a lot together. You've gotten close.”

Rainbow shook her head. “I... I don't-- I mean, yeah, we've gotten pretty tight. But...” She trailed off into silence.

Applejack gave her a sympathetic look. “You mean to say you even ain't a little bit proud of that young filly today?” said Applejack. She leant a little closer. “You mean to say you ain't seen a huge change in her since you took her under your wing? Seen her... growin' up?”

Rainbow frowned down at the floor for a moment, then let out a sigh through her nose. She guessed it was pointless to avoid thinking about it, with AJ on her case. So, with deliberate slowness, she raised her head and traced her eyes across the room to Scoots' table again.

And took a genuine look at Scootaloo. The filly she really had been spending a lot of time with recently. The filly she'd caught when she fell, read to when she was sick, shared stories with. The filly who'd asked Rainbow to take her under her wing, and to whom she'd said yes. The filly she'd promised to touch the stars with.

...The filly who'd become a part of her life.

And she shook her head. “No.”

Applejack blinked and opened her mouth a little, but no sound came out.

“I don't see any change in her,” Rainbow explained, still smiling at Scootaloo, who was laughing again. “I mean, she's getting bigger, sure. But she hasn't changed a bit since that night in the forest. She's still as cute, as innocent, as driven... as awesome as she's always been.”

She turned her smile on AJ, who had a different look of a surprise on her face now.

“The only thing that's changed--” Rainbow shrugged. “--is that I've gotten to know her better – seen a side of her that she isn't used to showing.”

Applejack's look of surprise slowly morphed back into a smile. “I reckon that goes both ways.”

Rainbow shrugged again and made no comment on the matter. She didn't need to. She knew the answer, and she suspected that AJ did too. No need to make it easy on her.

“I am proud of her,” said Rainbow. “But not because she's 'all grown up'. Just because she's somepony to be proud of.” She touched her glass down on the table, softly, and smiled down at it. “Always has been.”

She felt like getting another drink, but kept her glass where it was, for dramatic effect. Hey, at the end of the day, she was still Rainbow Dash – appearance was almost everything.

“Looks like I missed a beat,” said Applejack. “I guess the fillies ain't the only ones who're growin' up.”

Rainbow rolled her eyes, but failed to hide her blush. “'S the punch,” she lied. “Making me all sappy.”

“Didn't see no sappiness,” said Applejack.

When Rainbow looked up, Applejack was offering her a fresh glass of punch. AJ smirked. Rainbow smirked back. They drank, leant against the table and looked out over the room, and the slow wind-down of one of the Best Nights Ever.

“...You're my hero, RD.”

Rainbow scoffed. “Shut up.”

~FIN

Author's Note:

Huzzah, Applejack got a speaking part! Hmhm

This was cute to write, hope you all enjoyed it! It was somewhat different from what I was expecting to do when I sat down to actually write the chapter - for one thing, Scoots didn't have an active part in this one. It was more about Rainbow, and about what Scoots' development so far means to me. Thus the [Thoughtful] tag (this is what happens when I write stories after midnight )

(If you didn't like it, don't worry - I'll be going back to direct Scoots & RD interactions next time. See you then!)

Comments

[ChaosCretin527]

Holy shit ive literally just been binge reading this for three hours! Love every part of it!

[Majorminor]

I completely agree AND relate to both of you!