Spellbound Fireflies (14 page)

Twilight’s sniffling stilled and Rainbow stepped back from leaning on the door as her steps grew louder.  Bright light spilled from the room as Twilight’s reddened eyes peeked around the cracked door.  Hesitantly, she stepped back and allowed Rainbow to enter.  “Thanks, now tell me what’s…bothering…”  Their eyes met again, just across the threshold.

In the brighter light, Rainbow Dash could read her friend’s expression.  Below the guilt and quelled tears, she saw Twilight’s fear.  She saw her confusion, her worry, her doubts.  She saw the warring mix of that fright and some sort of desire; a desire to act, to be impulsive, to charge forward recklessly.  Rainbow recognized it readily in herself, preparing for the thrill of a new trick.

Rainbow Dash thought it was breathtaking.

Trapped under Rainbow’s scrutiny, Twilight’s indecision rearrested her mind.  Not trusting herself, she held her breath and willed herself still, even as Rainbow stepped closer, reducing their distance all on her own.  Inches away, Rainbow lifted a hoof from the floor, timidly reaching up, skittishly lowering back an inch for every two inches raised.

The soft limb settled gently on Twilight’s cheek.  Rainbow’s hoof, still vaguely damp and chilled from the rain, cupped her cool and goose-fleshed face.  Past the surface layer of cold, heat emanated from the leg, cutting through the frigid dampness and radiating into Twilight to send a shiver up her spine and drive her eyelids shut.  She unconsciously leaned into Rainbow’s hoof.  Her eyes slowly opened again, swimming back into focus on Rainbow’s face.  “Rainbow, I—”

The gap collapsed as Rainbow darted through the remaining space.  A battering ram of relief bludgeoned Twilight’s fear and worry to pulp as Rainbow’s cupping hoof guided their muzzles together in a simple touch.

Twilight’s eyes fell shut again as she stood rooted in place, her mind desperately attempting to memorize the sensation of Rainbow’s lips against her own.  She stretched the brief seconds of contact out to as close to eternity as she could, unable to think or act, just existing in the few and precious moments.  Her eyes reopened in a haze as Rainbow pulled sharply away.

“I-I—I’m sor—I should go.”  Rainbow scrambled backwards, her eyes wide and ears flat.  She darted towards the door.

“Wait!”

Rainbow skidded to a halt at the call.  She scrunched her eyes shut tight and she turned her head from Twilight.  “I’m sorry, Twilight, I dunno what I was thinkin’, you’re just so beautiful, an’ you looked so sad, and, Oh Luna, I’m sorry, I—”  Rainbow’s throat stopped working as she felt Twilight nuzzle into her neck; a long, lingering glide of coat to coat lazily grazing from her chin, down her jawline, and into her shoulder.  Bewildered, she turned to Twilight, nestled into her.  “…You?”

Twilight nodded against her and nuzzled in closer.  A helpless, relieved giggle shook Twilight’s frame and she forced a deep breath, pulling away with heavy reluctance.  “…I came up here because I was afraid I was gonna kiss
you.
”

Muscles Rainbow didn’t know she had been tensing released, nearly dragging the mare to the floor in a wave of evaporating apprehension.  The two giggled in relief at each other, realization slowly spreading over the pair, transforming their moods from a simple absence of fear to giddy happiness.  Rainbow Dash sprung forward again, pulling Twilight into a second, longer kiss.

This time, Twilight kissed back.

Rainbow gestured dramatically with a hoof, saying, “And that’s how it happened.”  The look she exchanged with Twilight made Scootaloo think there was a bit more that happened afterwards than what they shared, but she opted not to push the point; some things were better left alone.

Scootaloo shook her head slowly.  “Wow.  That happened over three years ago.  You’ve been together for that long?”

They looked at each other blankly.  Somewhat mystified herself, Twilight said, “…Yeah, I guess we have.”

“I’ll admit, I was kinda dense for not noticin’ sooner, but you guys are way different now than I remember.  I would’ve guessed six months if you’d asked.”

Exchanging another uneasy glance with Twilight, Rainbow scratched at the back of her neck.  “…Well, it was like I was sayin’ earlier.  We got all worked up over nothin’; if we’d just talked it out, it woulda been a lot less awkward.  So we took it slow.”  She shrugged.

Twilight nodded.  “We started dating after that.  We saw lots of movies, went to dinner at least once a week, that sort of stuff.”

“Sounds like you were just hangin’ out.”

They both frowned in thought and nodded.  Twilight smiled wanly at Scootaloo.  “That’s kinda what it was like.  A big part of having a special somepony is they become as close as a best friend.  Sometimes it’s romantic, but a lot of the time it’s just spending time having fun together.”

Scootaloo nodded, her mind wandering through dozens of scenarios of herself spending time with Sweetie Belle, at the park, in the movies, on her scooter, all very appealing.  “I can see it.  You two’ve always been close.  But it’s been…different for a while now, hasn’t it?”

Rainbow scratched idly at the back of her neck while Twilight rubbed her chin.  Their attentions drifted around the room as they sat, contemplating in silence.  Their eyes met and they exchanged bewildered smiles.  Twilight shrugged and Rainbow said, “I guess so.”

“What changed?”

After another long pause, Rainbow mumbled, “
We
did, I guess.  Three years of takin’ it slow caught up with us.”  She extended a hoof towards Twilight, who took it in her own.  She grinned affectionately at her marefriend.  “For such an awkward start, things turned out pretty awesome.”  Twilight nodded.

Scootaloo smirked, her voice taking on a challenging tone.  “That’s the other thing; whaddya mean awkward?  That story was, like,
totally adorable
.”

Rainbow Dash snorted, shaking her head. “Scoots, we spent about a month each worryin’ and makin’ ourselves sick, then had the most awkward night
ever
.  It ended okay, but it woulda been way easier for everypony if I just asked Twi’ out, or she asked me out.”

Stars shining in her eyes and a dopey grin on her face, Scootaloo marveled, “But then you wouldn’t have had that romantic kiss!”

Snickering, Rainbow shook her head.  She absentmindedly squeezed Twilight’s hoof.  “That kiss was
so
not romantic.  Nothin’ that ends with somepony almost jumping out a window in a panic is romantic.”  She turned to the unicorn, her smirk softening and her eyes shining.  “’Sides.  It’s not the first kiss that’s important, or hearin’ somepony say ‘yes’ to a date.  It’s all the time afterwards.  It’s growing closer to somepony else with each passing day until you can’t imagine a life without them there.  It’s spending hours talking to them until you pass out, waking up the next day and doing it all over again and still not thinkin’ it’s enough.”

Rainbow’s smile gradually faded to a neutral line, her gaze emphatic and yearning in its connection to Twilight.  The library fell silent around them as Rainbow breathed steadily.  “…That’s what’s important.”  A wry smirk spread across her muzzle and she shook her head.  “You turned me into such a sap, Twi’.”

“Me?” she giggled, “I used to be so practical and wrapped up in research.  
You’re
the emotional one.”

Scootaloo grinned at the pair as they chuckled, pushing each other with teasing shoves.  While still ambivalent and questioning herself on her feelings for Sweetie Belle, watching and listening to the two adults that had involved themselves in her life be so
together
brought the filly several steps closer to ready.

“Thanks,” she said quietly, “Both of you.  I’m…” she frowned, sorting through her emotions.  “Well, still confused, but I’m not scared anymore.”

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, leaning into Rainbow’s shoulder.  “Great.  I’m glad, Scootaloo.  Any time you need to talk, we’re here.  Alright?”  Scootaloo nodded as Rainbow’s wing unfurled and hugged Twilight closer.  Their attentions shifted back to each other, their affection stoked bright and fierce from the long conversation.  Twilight leaned forward and their lips met in a quick but emotionally charged kiss.

When they looked back up, they were greeted by the sight of Mrs. Taker, standing wide eyed in the open doorway.

Rainbow Dash and Twilight sat up quickly, pulling away from each other.  Eyebrow raised, Scootaloo looked back at the door and felt the blood drain from her face.  Mrs. Taker’s throat worked silently a few times as she stared at the couple.  Stillness flooded the library in a suffocating tide.  Scootaloo’s shoulders and head drooped as she attempted to fold in on herself.

After a long and painful thirty seconds, Mrs. Taker found her voice.  Her words were clipped and sharp.  “Scootaloo.  Home.  Now.”

Casting a fearful glance back towards Twilight and Rainbow, Scootaloo climbed off the pillow and timidly cantered towards the door, avoiding her foster parent’s eyes.  Rainbow Dash met Mrs. Taker’s gaze head on, reading revulsion pouring off her face in thick waves.  The filly’s small, clacking steps were the only noise in the library as the three mares held their breaths.

Scootaloo slunk past Mrs. Taker and into the low light of early evening in Ponyville.  She understood why her caregiver had come looking for her; the conversation had gone on longer than she had realized.  Mrs. Taker shut the library door a little harder than necessary and set off at a swift trot without looking back.  Scootaloo grabbed her scooter and rushed to keep up.

They walked in stony silence across the center of town, Scootaloo’s heart thundering in her chest.  On the other side of Town Hall, she blurted out, “I’m sorry I was out so late, please don’t be mad!  I had to talk to Rainbow Dash and Twilight and it took longer than I thought, I’m really sorry!”

Mrs. Taker grunted noncommittally, not slowing her pace.  Scootaloo frowned deeply, her brow furrowed with worry.  After several minutes of tense quiet they exited downtown Ponyville and made their way into their neighborhood.  Scootaloo chewed compulsively on her lip.  Unable to take the empty sound of hoof-falls any more, she pleaded, “I’ll do all my chores before dinner, I promise!  I won’t let it happen again, please.  It was a mistake, that’s all, honest!”

She fell silent again as Mrs. Taker turned down their block without a word.  An antsy, crawling sense of panic clawed its way up her spine as their house came into view.  Curfew was a hardline rule and she had broken it.  She feared grounding and the loss of what little time to herself she still had.  Following in silence up to their front door, Scootaloo set her scooter against the wall and followed Mrs. Taker inside.

The mare closed the door and sagged where she stood, expelling a long and deep breath.  Scootaloo didn’t dare to move as Mrs. Taker cantered slowly to the old sofa and eased herself down, rubbing at her eyes.  She brushed a lock of her mane away from her mouth and stared at the wall, her gaze remote.  Scootaloo took a tentative step forward on the creaky floorboards.

“Scootaloo,” Mrs. Taker began, her voice flat and as distant as her eyes, “You’re not allowed to see either Rainbow Dash or Twilight Sparkle again.”

Scootaloo lurched back as if struck.  Her heart felt like a hummingbird trapped in her ribcage, fighting its way out.  The extra pressure in her temples made her head swim.  “Wh-what?” she stammered out.

Mrs. Taker began muttering more to herself than the filly.  “I had no idea the weather team was headed by a—a
degenerate
like that.”  Her eyes grew narrow, taking on a hard and mean cast.  “And the protégé of the princess?  Nopony can blame me for not suspecting…”

Shaking her head forcefully and swallowing at the dry lump in her throat, Scootaloo forced out a little louder, “What do you mean I can’t see them?  What about coaching and tutoring?”

She flicked her attention towards Scootaloo.  “No more of it.”  She shook her head, staring back out into nothingness.  “Never would’ve believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes…And in such positions of authority…”  She scoffed, shaking her head again.

With several deep and slow breaths, Scootaloo fought to maintain control of her body.  She had to talk this out.  “Why?”

Mrs. Taker snapped back to the present, her face contorting in a snarling grimace.  Energy rushed to her voice, low and venomous.  “Why?  They’re, they’re
that way
, Scootaloo.  You can’t trust those types with foals.”  Her eyes widened with sudden dread, her voice changing to as close to concern as Scootaloo had ever heard from her.  “Oh Celestia, it’s been over a month now.  They haven’t ever
touched
you, have they?”

Her trembling legs gave out under her and Scootaloo fell to her haunches.  She stumbled over her words, unable to come to terms with the implications of the question.   “Touched me?  
Touched
me?  W-why on Equestria would you think that about them?”

Mrs. Taker breathed a sigh of relief and backpedaled.  “Well of course not
all
of those types do that to foals, but some of them do, Scootaloo.”  Feeling her image was intact, she narrowed her eyes and spoke with authority.  “It’s too dangerous for you to be in their care for any length of time.  That’s final.”

Scootaloo felt the world crash down around her.  She wanted to bolt from the room.  She wanted to toss herself on her small bed and cry.  Her body screamed at her to run.  She inhaled deeply and planted her hooves.  She couldn’t run.  This was too important to give up on.  She had to fight.

She scrunched her eyes shut and conjured the lavender blue colt to her mind.  His yellow eyes wavered out of focus; a constructed figment of courage and determination with no tangibility.  Wing-jacks while tired had nothing on this.  A small whimper escaped her throat as her front hooves started pushing at the floor, commanding her retreat.  Heat and moisture rushed to the inside of her eyelids.

Rainbow Dash leapt into her mind, replacing the colt.  The daredevil smirked, eyes low in aggressive challenge, ready to buck a dragon in the face, ready to break the speed of sound, ready to catch a filly tumbling down a waterfall.  Strength flowed into her from Rainbow’s gaze.