Spellbound Fireflies (20 page)

Frowning and raising an eyebrow, Twilight opened her mouth, but was interrupted by a small snore.  She turned her head to find Scootaloo splayed out in her chair, book open on her lap, and fast asleep.  Sweetie Belle followed the mare’s gaze and a wobbly smile stretched across her muzzle.  Her cheeks grew warm and she nearly dropped the practice stone.

“I’ll be right back,” Twilight assured, before cantering quietly to the snoozing filly and gently shaking her shoulder.

“Nza, what?”  Scootaloo bolted to sitting, tumbling her book on the floor and producing a loud bang as the hardcover struck the bare wood.  She glanced around apprehensively.  “Oh…”  She smiled sheepishly at Twilight.  “Sorry.”

“It’s alright, Scootaloo,” she said with a smile, “I know you’re tired…” as she trailed off, Twilight’s brow knit and she frowned.  “You know, you’ve been doing very well.  You caught up on all your subjects and had great grades at the end of the school year.  I don’t know that you really need tutoring anymore.”  Scootaloo’s ears fell flat and she quickly added, “If you keep having trouble next year, we can start again, but I think you’ve got everything you need to succeed now.  I’m proud of you, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo smiled tentatively, dropping her gaze to the floor.  “Thanks, Twilight,” she mumbled.  “I’m…I did
get
everything in school…This really helped a lot, but…”  She looked Twilight in the eye, an earnest sense of pleading in her expression.  Her voice dropped to an even quieter level.  “Do I have to stop?”

Twilight’s brow knit tighter with confusion.  “…No, you don’t have to stop if you don’t want to.”

Feeling a knot untie in her chest, Scootaloo relaxed, slumping her shoulders.  She caught her tutor’s confusion and smiled coyly.  “…I like comin’ here and workin’ on this stuff, even if I don’t really need to.”  She glanced around the room, her grin growing warmer.  “…I like learning things and you never rush me.  I can relax.”

Smiling and ruffling the little pegasus’ mane, Twilight said, “Alright.  I’m not gonna stop you from learning.”

A small squeak of triumph pulled Twilight’s attention back towards Sweetie Belle.  She trotted over quickly as Scootaloo picked the book back up.  “Did you get it?”

“Look!”  The filly floated the practice stone forward at Twilight’s approach, beaming with pride.

Twilight grinned widely at the ball, neatly crumpled halfway across.  “Oh, perfect, Sweetie Belle!  Now try to re-open it!”

Twilight watched intently as Sweetie Belle focused on reversing the controlled collapse, offering small bits of advice as her student worked.  In their focus, several minutes flew by and the filly haltingly straightened and then re-collapsed the ball over and over.  After ten tries, Sweetie Belle could crumple and expand either side of the stone independently.

“Excellent, Sweetie!  That’s exactly the level of focus and care you need for precise levitation work.  You’re a natural at this.  With some more practice, you could be as skilled as your sis—”

A loud clatter interrupted Twilight as Scootaloo’s book fell back to the floor.  The sleeping filly leapt awake clear off the chair from the noise and shouted, “Shit!”

Sweetie Belle dropped the practice stone to the floor.  At the small plink of sound, three pairs of widened eyes turned to Scootaloo, two from across the room and the third over the edge of the loft.  Scootaloo blanched ashen and sunk to her haunches, fluffing out her wings in a subconscious and instinctual display of protection.

“Sc-Scootaloo!” Twilight admonished with breathless surprise.  “Did you just say—?”

A choked snort from above interrupted her for the second time and she shot a dirty look at her marefriend.  Rainbow clamped both hooves over her face.

Scootaloo mumbled indistinctly, pawing at the floorboards.

Approaching, Twilight said sternly, “Now I know that was an accident, but that’s not appropriate language, young lady.”

A sputtering wheeze sounded from the loft and she whipped around to glare fiercely at Rainbow Dash.  The mare’s face had turned crimson behind her limbs from the struggle to stay quiet and tears leaked from her eyes.  Twilight ground her teeth and Rainbow disappeared from view, strained whimpers echoing down.  Another snort brought her ire to bear on Sweetie Belle, who was doubled up and hiding her face.

“I’m sorry,” Scootaloo half whispered, “I didn’t mean to; please don’t be mad.”

Twilight turned back and forced calmness into her expression.  She patted down her mane and cleared her throat.  “I’m not mad, Scootaloo.  I know you didn’t mean to.  Just be more careful, okay?  One should always mind their language.”

In an instant, Rainbow’s containment ruptured, her maniacal laughter echoing through the room.  Loud thumps reverberated as she banged her hooves against the floor.  Sweetie Belle failed at her own battle for self-control and exploded into giggles, rushing behind the desk in an ill-fated attempt to hide her mirth.  Scootaloo’s face went from rosy to burgundy and she sunk in on herself further.  Twilight grew angrier as her own desire to laugh started to get the best of her.  “Anyway, Scootaloo,” Twilight calmly said, struggling to keep the waver out of her voice, “I think you’ve learned your lesson.”

Scootaloo nodded and miserably asked, “Is there a rock I could crawl under for a while?”

Twilight bit her lip savagely, but a squeaking grunt escaped her snout.  The volume throughout the entire room jumped and Twilight hugged Scootaloo through her giggles.  Eventually, Scootaloo couldn’t help but join in.

It took several minutes before all of the laughter died down.  For the rest of the afternoon, none of the four ever quite managed to get back on track with their work.

Scootaloo buzzed into the park and hopped lightly off her scooter in front of Twilight and Rainbow Dash.  Smiling at the two mares, her eyes settled on the empty spot next to Twilight on the bench.  A flutter of disappointment settled in her chest and she looked back over her shoulder, searching for signs of Sweetie Belle.

Rainbow grinned.  “Hey there, Scoots.  Know what today is, right?”  The filly turned back and smiled again.  “This is it, kiddo.  The final speed test.”

“You really think I’m ready?”  As she talked, Scootaloo craned her neck around, seeking out her friend’s approach.

Puffing out her chest, Rainbow nodded resolutely.  “You’ve been kickin’ flank and takin’ names, Scoots.  You get through this today an’ take a couple’a days off afterwards to get all rested up, and we’ll have ya flyin’ before the week’s out.”  She turned to face her pupil and raised an eyebrow; Scootaloo was barely paying her any attention, looking all around the park.  “Everything alright?”

Scootaloo started and turned back to Rainbow, laying her ears flat.  “Sorry.  Have, uh…have you seen Sweetie Belle?  I haven’t seen her all day…”

Rainbow smiled despite herself, catching Twilight’s eyes in a shared, knowing look.  She dismissed the grin from her face and said, “Nah, I haven’t.  We can wait a bit, if you want.”

Grimacing, Scootaloo tapped her hooves, warring between her excitement for the speed test and her desire to wait for Sweetie Belle.  Her frustration was cut short at the clatter of an approaching gallop, but when she turned she found Apple Bloom racing up the path.  She struggled to keep the disappointment out of her tone.  “Hi, AB.”

“Heya, Scoots,” Apple Bloom said as she skidded to a halt.  “Sweetie Belle wanted me to tell ya that she’s awful sorry, but she’s gotta miss your trainin’ today.”

“Aww.”  Scootaloo’s ears drooped again.  “Did she tell you why?”

“Somethin’ about needin’ to be at her sister’s.  I was kinda busy fixin’ up my brother’s ol’ cart most of the day or I would’a told ya sooner.”

“That’s alright…”  Scootaloo brightened, standing up straighter.  “You wanna hang out and watch?  I’m not gonna be gliding, but today’s the speed test!”

“Would I?!” she exclaimed, leaping onto the bench next to Twilight.  Grinning, Scootaloo turned back to Rainbow.

“Ready then?”  Scootaloo nodded bombastically.  Chuckling, Rainbow grabbed the stopwatch out of Twilight’s saddlebag and trotted towards their hill with the filly by her side.  “Alright, Scoots.  This one’s a little different.  Ya need to do two-hundred wing-ups in five minutes.”

Scootaloo froze.  “Two-hundred in
five minutes?
”

Snickering, Rainbow beckoned Scootaloo onward with a hoof.  “Relax.  That’s, like, forty wing-ups a minute.  You did over eighty that first time, remember?  And you’re way stronger now.  We just gotta do the test this way, since bein’ able to lift a lot really quickly just isn’t as important as bein’ able to stay up for a long time.  You’ll see, Scoots.”

“Okay…” Scootaloo said with some trepidation.  She frowned with worry and started her wing-jacks, wincing at the lingering soreness still present in her muscles.  Warmed up, she sunk to the grass and extended her wings.  “Alright, I’m ready.”

“You got this,” Rainbow said emphatically, “You’ve been bustin’ your rump, and I know you’re ready.  Just pace yourself.  I know you’re probably still sore from everything we’ve been doing, but you totally got this.”

Smiling weakly, Scootaloo nodded.  “Thanks, Rainbow.”

“Okay, ready?  On your mark…get set…” she slapped her hoof down on the timer.  “Go!”

Scootaloo’s wings thundered.  The lingering muscle fatigue fell away, as it always did, within the first ten wing-ups and she raced through the reps.  She tried to measure her frequency and not overextend her strength quickly, aiming for a single beat of space between each descent.

“That’s fifty, Scoots.  You’re doin’ great; keep goin’.”

‘Fifty?’
she thought,
‘But I just started!’
  She smirked widely, holding her forelegs close and controlling her breathing.  In her more relaxed mindset compared to the previous test, she noticed the soft patter of Twilight and Apple Bloom joining her and Rainbow.  She glanced up and grinned.

“That’s a hundred!  You’re at a minute; keep this up and you’ll make it for sure!”

“C’mon, Scoots!” Apple Bloom cheered, “You can do it!”

“We believe in you!” Twilight chimed.

As the reps continued, Scootaloo’s pace began to slow.  Her wings held strong and didn’t shake, but each passing lift took a little more effort than the one before.  A bead of sweat ran down her forehead, and dangled from the tip of her snout.  She grunted, pushing herself up and down methodically.

“That’s a hundred fifty!  Two and a half minutes left!”

“C’mon Scootaloo, just fifty more!” Twilight beamed.

Apple Bloom bounced on her hooves.  “No wonder ya nearly tore my leg clean off wrestlin’!  You’re a machine!”

Giggling breathlessly, Scootaloo soldiered on, lifting and dropping, feeling her coat grow damp with perspiration.  Tremors entered her limbs and she grit her teeth against them.

“A hundred seventy-five!”

“You’re almost there!”

“You’re doin’ great!”

“You can do it!”

“We believe in you!”

The three voices melded together in a collective roar of support.  Grinning around her clenched jaw, Scootaloo shut her eyes tight and let the sound wash over her in a wave.  Her wings trembled violently with every extension and she marveled at each seeming brick wall she reached and crested.

Her body burned.  Every muscle ached, every inch of her coat felt slick and sticky.  Her eyes stung.

The cheers grew louder and her mind filled with images.  The dark and piercing yellow gaze in a blue face, joined by a short-cropped and messy chromatic mane, filled her senses; the colt she never met, but knew she would spend the rest of her life looking up to, urged her on.  He was flanked on either side by Rainbow Dash and Twilight, cheering her forward, adding their strength and faith to his determination.  Apple Bloom swam into view in front of Rainbow’s hooves, beaming with respect and admiration.

“You’re almost there, Scootaloo!  Just a few more!”

“Ten more seconds, Scoots!”

“You’re amazin’!  Ya almost got it!”

Her wings wouldn’t stop shaking.  No matter how much strength she forced into them, it wasn’t enough and each press to the ground threatened to tip her sideways.  She feared the last wall had been reached; past her comfortable limit, past her perceived limit, right at the point of muscle failure: the will to move there, but the raw strength gone and replaced by lactic acid and micro tears.  She knew she could do more, but not without resting, and she didn’t have time.  She scrunched her lids tight enough to see stars as the three cheered on.

Next to Apple Bloom, just in front of Twilight, the image of Sweetie Belle smiled at her.  The warm, understanding smile that told Scootaloo her friend would always be there to listen to her, always be there to lean against when the stairs were too hard or the days too long and lonely.  A grunting cry of effort ripped from her throat as she forced herself up.

“Two-hundred!” they shouted in unison.

Scootaloo fell to her side and rolled onto her back, her little wings twitching and refusing to fold up.  She panted heavily, tiny giggles of relief turning each exhalation to a squeak.  She cracked her eye and beheld the overjoyed expressions looming over her.  “I did it?” she croaked.

“You did it!” they thundered back.

She hauled herself onto to her hooves and was knocked back to sitting as Apple Bloom lunged at her.  “That was amazin’ Scoots!  I’m so happy for you!”

Rainbow and Twilight ruffled Scootaloo’s mane in tandem.  With her shakes and exhaustion making it a struggle just to stay upright, Apple Bloom was the only thing that kept the gentle tussles from knocking her over.  She grinned and grinned.  “I did it.”  She inhaled deeply and let out a long breath as Apple Bloom stepped back from the excited hug.  She turned to Rainbow Dash and asked, “So what happens now?”

“Now,” Rainbow chimed with a smirk, “You take a break; let your muscles heal up, get nice and limber, and in a few days we’ll go flyin’.  You earned it, and I’ll let ya in on why.”  She leaned in and grinned mischieviously.  “You were ready to actually be flyin’ last speed test.”