Spellbound Fireflies (24 page)

Shaking her head slowly, Rainbow’s voice dropped lower.  “But that wasn’t really it.  It took me a long time to figure out why, but I got it now, dad.  It’s ‘cause you couldn’t make up your mind about flying or family.  That’s really what killed you, and more’n that, it’s what it did to me.”

Tracing her hoof down, she touched the waxed paper wrapping the bouquet.  “You pushed me
so hard
to be a Wonderbolt…and you didn’t even need to; it was all I talked about, all I wanted to do anyway.  So many days flyin’ that ended with me hurlin’ off the side of a cloud, so many fevers from workin’ too hard…but if that’s all it was?  That you worked me too hard, livin’ a dream you couldn’t have?  I wouldn’t even be angry.”

Rainbow shook her head gently.  “If all ya did was push an’ push, I’d think you were just a jerk tryin’ to live through me.  But every time I got sick from it...every time somethin’ made you think of mom…suddenly you didn’t want me to fly.”  As she spoke, her voice grew more and more bitter.  “You wanted me to make friends and have fun.  You’d start talkin’ about the type of pony you wanted me to end up with.  Somepony kind and thoughtful, who could slow me down a little.

“I thought…for a long time, I thought you were thinkin’ I was weak.  That I couldn’t handle the trainin’, so I should give up.  But then, after I got my cutie mark and came home from flight school…”  Rainbow sighed again, stooping even lower.  “I saw it.  You were afraid.  So
afraid
for me, an’ I didn’t know why.  You didn’t think I was weak, you thought I was
too
strong.

“…I finally figured out why.  It took me way too long, but you know I’ve never been the best at thinkin’ through everything.”

She raised her head and ran her hoof over her father’s name.  “It was all about mom.  It was all about why she left.  Why you never told me why she left.”  She swallowed heavily.  “She left ‘cause she couldn’t put up with how much you put into flyin’.  She didn’t get to see you ever, ‘cause you never stopped workin’ at it and she saw it was killin’ you.  And it
did
kill you.  Even when you slowed down to look after me, it still killed you.  You were afraid I was gonna end up like you: a worn out pony pushin’ myself past my breakin’ point until nopony would have anything to do with me.”

A weak smile drifted across Rainbow’s face.  “But mom was the wrong one, not you.  She left both of us.  You were
there
, dad, an’ you spent your
whole life
fighting for everything.  You shouldn’t have been afraid I’d end up like you.  I’m
proud
I ended up like you.  One of the best ponies I’ll ever meet.  You were so strong an’ you cared
so much.
  You just wanted me to have everything.  Everything you didn’t have, everything
I
wanted, everything
you
wanted
for
me.  For so long I was angry at you and admired you at the same time.  But…I’m not angry anymore.  ‘Cause I understand now, dad.

“I understand, ‘cause…” She turned and looked at Twilight.  The unicorn stepped forward and set her hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder.  Rainbow cupped it and squeezed.  “’Cause I found Twilight.  She’s exactly the sorta pony you always wanted me to end up with, always tryin’ to get me to slow down and think things through first.  I just know you’d love her, too.”

Twilight leaned down and kissed Rainbow’s brow.

Smiling before turning back to the stone, Rainbow continued, “I finally slowed down a little, dad.  I asked Twilight to marry me, and she said yes.  I…I wish you could be there for it, but I wish that about a lot of things.  I’ve missed you, dad.  I’ve missed you so much.  There was so much we never got to say, so many ponies I want you to meet.  You’ll never get to meet my friends; the type of ponies you always wanted me to find, but I was too busy livin’ both of our dreams.  You’ll never get to meet Twilight and see me
prove
that I finally
got
what you were tryin’ to tell me.  An’ you’ll never get to meet Scoots…”

Rainbow lowered her head again, her wavering voice barely above a whisper.  “Scoots is just like the both of us, dad.  But she’s better than us, too.  She doesn’t need to be told to try and slow down and find somethin’ in the ponies around her.  She
knows
already.  An’ as hard as it is to know you’ll never meet her, it’s even harder knowin’ she’ll never get to meet you.

“You’re one of the best ponies I’ll ever meet, dad.  I love you.  I never said that enough when you were alive, but I love you.  Thank you, for everythin’ you did for me an’ everythin’ you tried to do for me.  I’ll never forget you, an’ Scoots’ll never forget you, either.

“You worked hard your whole life to prove to that trash of a family you came from that you weren’t worthless.  Well, you proved it to
me
.  You proved it to all of Equestria.”  A tear ran down Rainbow’s face and she wiped it away.  “You can stop fighting now, dad.  We can both stop fighting now.  We won.”

Rainbow stood and turned to her fiancée.  She discovered that Twilight had been silently sobbing.  They embraced each other tightly and cried together on the hill.  The sun moved a noticeable distance across the sky by the time they pulled away.

Twilight sniffled loudly and rubbed at her muzzle.  Smiling remotely, Rainbow kissed the mare on the cheek and mumbled, “I’m ready to go now.”

“Hold on,” Twilight whispered.  She stepped carefully to the gravestone and bowed her head.  “…It was an honor and a privilege to meet you.”  Her horn lit up with magic and she pressed it to the gravestone.

Energy leapt from the unicorn, circling and spreading out from the marker in a blinding flash.  Rainbow rubbed at her eyes, blinking the stars from her vision and watching the magic fade away.  The bouquet stood tall in a porcelain vase next to the stone on the now well manicured grass.  Chips and roughness had been healed across the granite surface of the marker until it was bold and new; as proud and solid as the pony it represented.

Rainbow’s eyes traced across the sharpened message.  “Here lies Buckaneer Blaze.  Beloved father, friend, and Wonderbolt.  He will never be forgotten.”

Rainbow extended her wing and pulled Twilight close to her side, leaning into the mare.  Together, they slowly turned and carefully made their way back to the gate.

“This is your chance; she’s been shut up in her room all day.  Bring her lunch and talk to her.”

“...”

“Care, please, this is killing you.”

“...I can’t.  Not yet.  I need more time.”

“You’ve had months.”

“She’s not going to listen to me.”

“For Celestia’s sake, you’re afraid of a foal.”

“She’s not a foal, anymore, Under.  That was the mistake I made.”

“And ignoring this is going to fix anything?”

“...”

“So what are you going to do?”

“...I don’t know.”

Scootaloo rolled out of bed and shook her head roughly to clear the fog of sleep from her mind.  She popped a kink in her neck and fluffed out her wings.  She hopped through a set of wing-jacks and stretched out the muscles in her feathered limbs, a satisfied smile on her lips.  
‘Perfect.  Feeling good today; just in time for flying.’
  She shook her head again and cantered out of her room and into the bathroom.

Smiling thinly at her reflection, Scootaloo mussed up her mane and grabbed a toothbrush.  She watched the muscles in her leg flex and relax as she moved the brush in her mouth.  In some ways, she didn’t really recognize the filly in the mirror anymore.  All the lean and powerful rippling under her coat looked more like Rainbow Dash’s frame than her own.

It was a change she knew she’d get used to.

Spitting into the sink, Scootaloo dug under the vanity and pulled a washcloth and cleaning spray bottle out.  With practiced speed and ease, she sprayed down the bathroom’s fixtures and wiped them clean.  A quick retreat to the upstairs utility closet to grab a mop, and soon the bathroom shone spotlessly.

Nodding in satisfaction, Scootaloo put away the cleaning supplies and headed downstairs.  Mrs. Taker sat on the couch, reading a book.  The filly opened the front door.  “Chores’re done,” Scootaloo barked over her shoulder, her voice disinterested and flat, “I’m leavin’ now.”

Without waiting for an answer she knew wouldn’t come, Scootaloo shut the door behind herself and grabbed her scooter.  A wan smile on her face, she buzzed through town, weaving between ponies and shops, headed for the library.

The past two days had weighed heavily on Scootaloo’s spirits.  She hadn’t seen Rainbow Dash or Twilight since her speed test, nor had she seen Apple Bloom.  She’d spent most of the time shut up in her room, or listlessly cruising through town on her scooter, trying to not think too much.

She hadn’t seen Sweetie Belle, either.

A sigh escaped her muzzle and she shook her head again, taking a sharp turn past town hall and aiming for Golden Oaks Library.  She pulled up short at the door and raised her hoof to knock when she spotted a small note taped below the knob, labeled ‘Scoots’ in messy mouthwriting.  Raising an eyebrow, Scootaloo pulled it from the door and unfolded it, reading aloud.

“Dear Scoots,

“Me and Twilight had to go out of town for a day.  We’ll meet you at the park at four for your flight, since I know you don’t want to wait.  See you then, kiddo.  Bring your friends.

—Rainbow.”

Scootaloo sighed and shook her head.  “Guess I’m predictable.”  She glanced around, trying to figure out what to do with the note before shrugging and taping it back to the door.  She stepped onto her scooter and took off again, heading towards Sweet Apple Acres.  As she buzzed her wings, her expression grew troubled.  “…I have to tell Sweetie Belle, too.  She’ll still wanna be there, even if stuff’s kinda weird…”

She grumbled to herself, a petulant whine entering her voice.  “Rainbow said it might be weird, but we’d get over it.  She’s still my friend.”  She slowed her pace as the cobbled road turned to dirt and she took a deep breath.  She forced herself to focus on the big thing: she was really going to fly.

A lightness lifted from the pit of her stomach and her mouth broke out in a grin.  “I’m gonna fly with Rainbow Dash today.”  She turned down the road leading towards the farm and perked her ears, swiveling them around to catch sounds of working.  The double thump of hooves against bark told her Applejack was working the western fields, and the single slams said Big Macintosh was to the north.  As she drew closer to the barn, a melody of tools on wood and metal widened her smile.  If they had ever shouted out, “Cutie Mark Crusaders mad tinkerers,” Scootaloo was convinced Apple Bloom would have gotten her cutie mark years ago.

She propped her scooter up against the barn and wandered inside.  “Hey, AB.”  She glanced up at the…whatever it was her friend was building.

“Well, heya, Scoots!” Apple Bloom chimed, pulling the welding mask back from her face and hopping down from the ladder.  “Ya like it?”

“What, uh…what is it?”

Apple Bloom scrutinized the wild collection of boards and metal, bolted and welded together in a jumbled mess she was still discerning.  “I…don’t rightly know yet.  Whatever it is, it’s gonna be somethin’ nopony’ll ever
forget
.”  A manic gleam entered Apple Bloom’s eyes.

Scootaloo’s voice took on a very uneasy quality.  “That’s, uh…that’s great, AB.”  She shook her head and dragged her gaze off the whatever it was.  “So, today’s the day.  Four o’clock in the park.”

Apple Bloom shouted, “You’re flyin’!?”  She leapt over and hugged Scootaloo roughly.  “Alright!  I can’t wait to see ya in action, Scoots!  It’s gonna be amazin’!”  She stepped back and glanced at her creation, then looked out the barn door, catching the sun’s height in the sky.  “Oh, man!  I’m gonna be late!”  She pulled off her welding mask and tried to straighten her mane with her hooves, leaving dark smudges of axle grease in her hair.

“Late?”

“I’m havin’ lunch with Rumble; I gotta go get ready!”  She hurried about the room, unhooking her tools from the generator and picking up sharp and dangerous scraps from the floor.

Scootaloo’s ears fell at the mention of Apple Bloom’s special somepony.  She willed her voice to sound natural.  “Yeah…I gotta go find Sweetie Belle an’ tell her about it.”

“Oh, don’t worry none about that, Scoots,” Apple Bloom said, slamming her forelegs on the lid of an overstuffed toolbox, but failing to close it.  “I’m supposed to meet Sweetie Belle on the way to Rumble’s and give her somethin’ I made; I can tell her for ya.”

Scootaloo warred between the relief of not being thrust into that bit of awkwardness, disappointment at not seeing Sweetie Belle, and unease concerning the fact that now she wouldn’t have a chance to talk to her crush before the flight.  “Thanks, AB,” she said with some ambivalence.

“Welcome.”  With one last leaping tackle, she got the toolbox to latch.  “Anyway, I gotta go get cleaned up.  I’ll see ya at the park, Scoots!  I can’t wait!”  She galloped from the barn.

Scootaloo sighed in resignation and slowly plodded her way out.  She grabbed her scooter, but didn’t have the heart to climb on, so she led it slowly through the orchards.  Lost in her thoughts and not paying attention to the path she was on, Scootaloo found herself arriving at a familiar clearing.  She smiled vaguely at the old clubhouse, gripped by nostalgia.  Setting her scooter against the ramp, Scootaloo slowly climbed up.

She stood in the middle of the single room and turned in place, her eyes drifting over the solid walls and floors, the table crates, odds and ends shoved into corners, old maps and plans tacked to walls or messily erased from their blackboard.  A thousand days past lived and breathed in the wooden slats.

Scootaloo stepped carefully to the uneven blotch on the floor, made of dried glue and studded with fading bits of glitter, squished into the wood by the pegasus and left to harden when they made Cheerilee an oversized Hearts and Hooves Day card.  She carefully set her leg down over the glue.

Her hoof didn’t fit anymore.  Three years of growing left the hardened print a crystallized reminder of the past.  Her past.  Their past.

She circled around the room, running her hoof along the wall.  Faint scratches marred the surface where Tank had bounced off during one short afternoon of pet-sitting.  A still noticeable dent, hidden by a Rainbow Dash Fanclub poster, marked where Apple Bloom had hit her head during an attempt at cutie marks in pro wrestling.