Spellbound Fireflies (4 page)

After several minutes of silence from the house, Sweetie Belle stepped with trepidation from their hiding spot, her trek across the yard even more skittish. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both had their hooves shoved tightly against their mouths to contain their laughter, tears springing to their eyes from the strain. The little unicorn got back to the porch, her small frame vibrating with nervousness. She grabbed the cord and rung the bell again, launching herself from the porch after two rings.

She tripped over her hooves and went sprawling in the dirt halfway to the hay pile. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom both lost the reins on their giggles as she scrambled back to standing and hurled herself the rest of the distance, collapsing against the two laughing fillies and taking large gulps of air. They quieted down, watching the light flood the yard again.

“Anypony out there?” The farm pony’s voice was tinged with annoyance. She thunked the door shut and cast the yard back into darkness. The three could hear the sound sound of tromping hooves going up stairs dully reverberating from the house.

“Aw man, she’s mad now, AB,” Sweetie Belle whispered with worry, “I did it twice, that’s good enough.”

“The dare was three times.” Apple Bloom smirked wickedly. “Or do ya want to tell us which one you like the best?”

The filly grumbled loudly. “Alright, alright. But I’m gonna wait a while, so she’ll calm down.”

They hunkered down to wait, watching the house around the hay. The adrenaline slowly worked its way out of Sweetie Belle’s system, her jitters ebbing away and her breathing evening out. After a while, she set her jaw and headed across the yard, her steps quiet, but bold. Easing onto the porch, she turned and waved with a grin on her face. As she grasped the string, the door swung open.

“Aha!” Applejack shouted. Sweetie Belle shrieked and scrambled backwards, taking off across the yard. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom joined her gallop back through the orchards, the mare’s cry of, "Apple Bloom! Y'all girls better knock it off, 'fore I tan your hide!" echoing through the trees. They giggled madly as they ran back to the clubhouse, flopping around the lantern’s tiny light and breathing heavily.

“Alright, Scoots,” Sweetie Belle said with a breathless chuckle, “Truth or Dare?”

The pegasus’ muscles screamed in protest when she sat up. “Ooh, better go with truth. And don’t you make me have to choose between you two or anything.”

Sweetie sat up, rubbing her face with a hoof. “I can’t think of any questions…You have any, Apple Bloom?”

Eyes lighting up, Apple Bloom leaned forward over the lantern. “I got a good one.”

Scootaloo groaned. “You’re gonna ask me somethin’ awful and make me do a dare, aren’t you? Everything hurts, AB!”

“Okay, how’s this? I’ll ask a question we all haveta answer an’ I’ll go first. That fair?”

Frowning and nodding appreciatively, Scootaloo said, “Alright, shoot.”

“Do y’all have a crush on anypony an’ who d’ya think’s the cutest colt in class?” Apple Bloom giggled, a tinge of pink coloring her cheeks. “I Pinkie Promise it’ll stay between us if’n y’all do, too.”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle exchanged a wide-eyed glance. They turned to Apple Bloom and nodded mutely. The three mimed the promise’s hoof motions together before Apple Bloom gushed, “I got a crush on Rumble.” Her muzzle burned red as she bounced in her seat. “He’s such a cute colt, an’ he ain’t got his cutie mark neither!” She giggled and clapped her forehooves together.

Sweetie Belle smiled warmly. “Rumble’s a great choice! He’s really nice.”

“Yeah, he is,” Scootaloo agreed, “You gonna ask him to be your special somepony, Apple Bloom?”

The filly flinched, her blush darkening to match her brother’s coat. “I couldn’t do that!” she cried. “What if he said no? I’d be too embarrassed. I wouldn’t be able to show my face at school ever again!”

Frowning, Scootaloo placed a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “It wouldn’t be that bad, AB. Nopony would laugh at you about it. They’d all forgot it happened a week later, even if Rumble told his friends.”

Sweetie Belle nodded, her hoof settling on the other shoulder. “And I know if somepony I wasn’t interest in asked me on a date, I wouldn’t go around telling everypony about it and hurting their feelings. Rumble’s a nice colt; he wouldn’t do somethin’ mean like that.”

She gave her friends a tentative smile. “Thanks girls. But I couldn’t say anythin’ to him; I’d be too nervous. So how ‘bout you, Scoots? Who d’ya have a crush on?”

Scootaloo pulled her hoof away and bit her lip. She shrunk down in her sitting position. “I…don’t, really.”

“Aw, c’mon Scoots!” Apple Bloom chimed, the color already gone from her cheeks. “There’s gotta be somepony that caught yer eye!”

She shifted on her haunches, casting her eyes down. “Not really. I mean, Rumble’s nice and so’s Featherweight, but I haven’t thought about, like, goin’ on dates with them…I haven’t thought about that at all.” Her eyes wavered; she felt like a little foal.

Apple Bloom frowned. “I don’t believe it; c’mon Scoots we Pinkie Promised not ta tell. We won’t make fun of ya.”

“I believe her,” Sweetie Belle said gently, Scootaloo lifting her head at the tone. “I believe her, ‘cause I haven’t thought about it either. A lot of the colts at school are nice, but I just haven’t felt like that towards any of ‘em.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes were wide and her jaw was slack. “You mean neither of you’ve thought about dates or if somepony was cute?” Scootaloo shook her head. A frown creased Sweetie Belle’s muzzle and she opened her mouth, but quickly snapped it shut and shook her head as well. “Well, alright then…I guess it’s your turn now, Scoots.”

The game petered out after a handful of questions and dares apiece and devolved into idle conversation and laughter. When the flame of the lantern began to gutter from a lack of oil, they rolled out their sleeping bags and curled up to sleep. After getting comfortable, Scootaloo groaned and scooched her way out of the bag and ran through her fifty wing-jacks and stretches. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle bit their lips to keep from chuckling. Scootaloo hurried through the routine and to her relief found it easier than the previous evening. Once finished, she snuggled back into her bag next to her friends, and they talked in whispered giggles into the night.

A skittering squeak roused Scootaloo to wakefulness. She perked her head up and peered through the inky night towards the door. A lone branch from a neighboring tree rattled against the door frame in the wind, its bare ends dragging along the boards of the clubhouse. The filly rolled her eyes and flopped back against her pillow. The breeze ruffled her mane and she rolled away, facing Sweetie Belle’s quivering bag. She raised an eyebrow.

Before she could open her mouth to see if the unicorn was awake, Sweetie Belle rolled over and wrapped a foreleg around Scootaloo. The filly’s shivering subsided as she pulled Scootaloo closer in her sleep.

Scootaloo blinked rapidly, pressed up against her friend’s bag. She moved to pull away but Sweetie Belle’s grip tightened. Slowly, she nestled back into the bag’s pillow, wide-eyed and watching Sweetie’s face as she slept.

A smile spread across her muzzle as she quietly lay in her friend’s embrace. In the added warmth, her eyelids grew heavy and she slowly nodded off to sleep.

Rainbow Dash unfurled her wings. “Ready to go, Scoots?”

The filly nodded, dropping down to her belly and extending one wing to the ground. “One-winged, right?”

“Yep! Three sets of ten this time.” The older mare counted off as Scootaloo raised and lowered her upper body, teeth clenched tight. Scootaloo woke up feeling close to normal and after a relaxing morning and filling lunch, she arrived at the park ready to work. “Alright, one set done, left wing now.” As Scootaloo switched limbs, she turned and faced Twilight quietly reading at the bench. A contemplative frown spread across her muzzle as she pumped through the set. “Alright, thirty second rest.”

“Hey, Rainbow Dash,” Scootaloo said quietly, her belly pressed to the grass and small wings fluttering to shake out the strain, “I’m glad she’s here, but…why is Twilight here exactly?”

“Hmn?” Rainbow glanced at the stop-watch. “Next set, right wing again.” She continued to talk, counting out reps as she spoke. “Twi’ wanted you to have a cheering section and keep us company. Alright, next set on the left.”

Scootaloo pushed herself hard, moving past the strain, working to conquer the discomfort and render it a victory instead of a fear. Her frequent breaks were punctuated by breathless panting and massive consumption of water. Half the time, instead of talking with the filly on her breaks, Twilight thought Scootaloo would just pass out on the bench. Yet every time Rainbow Dash called her back, Scootaloo bolted up and charged in grinning.

An hour into the regimen, Twilight had stopped reading entirely. She marveled at Scootaloo’s perseverance; sympathetic winces crinkling her muzzle at the sheer amount of sweat and effort evident on the small pegasus’ face and body. Book forgotten in her lap, Twilight silently cheered the filly on through her strenuous undertaking. The breaks during the second hour were filled with Twilight praising Scootaloo’s work ethic.

“Alright!” Rainbow called, “That’s it for the day. How ya feel?”

“Like I got run over by an apple cart.”

“Perfect! Just lay there for a minute. I’m gonna go talk to Twilight. After that, time for stretches.”

The mare cantered off across the sidewalk and sat in front of Twilight. Scootaloo watched the two talk quietly from the ground. She couldn’t make out the words, but the bright grins they exchanged would have been clear to read at a hundred paces. Twilight’s body shook with laughter and she struck Rainbow Dash in the shoulder before the pegasus turned around. She swept her tail sharply as she turned, the colorful hairs raking across Twilight’s face. The unicorn bit down on the mare’s tail and tugged sharply. Stumbling backwards, Rainbow Dash planted her hooves and tugged back, almost dragging Twilight off the bench. Their laughter rang across the park as Rainbow trotted back towards Scootaloo.

Getting to her hooves, Scootaloo smiled warmly towards Twilight; the unicorn was beaming brightly, hindlegs swinging back and forth off the edge of the bench. “You and Twilight are pretty close, huh?”

“Well yeah,” the older mare chuckled, rolling her eyes. “Kinda goes with the territory.”

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Whaddya mean?”

“Scoots,” Rainbow deadpanned, “Twi’s my special somepony, of course we’re close.”

Eyes wide and wings flaring out of the stretch routine in surprise, Scootaloo gaped. “W-what?”

“You mean…you didn’t know?” Numbly, the filly shook her head. “Huh. I thought everypony knew by now. Err…sorry for not tellin’ ya sooner, squirt.” The daredevil shifted uncomfortably on her hooves.

“But…you’re both mares.”

Rainbow Dash inhaled sharply. She searched the younger pegasus’ face carefully. There was no revulsion or judgement etched into her features, only confusion, and Rainbow breathed a steady exhalation of relief. It was clear as day in her expression; Scootaloo had never heard of such a thing. The blue mare twitched her wings awkwardly.
‘This isn’t my job. I shouldn’t be the one talking to her about this,’
she thought. Her mouth opened and her throat worked, but she snapped her jaw shut again.
‘Whose job is it then?’

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “Scootaloo, do you know what ‘gay’ means?” she asked quietly, stiltedly picking over her words. At the filly’s slow shake of her head, she continued, “A gay pony is a mare who likes other mares, or a stallion who likes other stallions.” She sat down slowly scratching the back of her mane with a hoof. “And I mean like-like, not just as friends. There aren’t as many gay ponies as there are straight ones…Which, uh, that’s the name for, like, stallions who like mares. Anyway, it’s not as common…I think Twilight told me once that, like, one out of every four mares is gay. Stallions are different…she said it had somethin’ to do with how many mares there are compared to stallions, I dunno.” Rainbow Dash blinked and mentally admonished herself for rambling.

She shook her head quickly and refocused on Scootaloo. The filly’s eyes were still wide, but had filled with dawning comprehension. Despite the waver in her voice and sweat on her brow, she breathed in and steeled her resolve. “That’s what being gay is, and that’s all that it means. Some ponies have silly ideas about it and think being gay makes a mare more likely to play sports or a stallion like to play with dolls, but that’s wrong. It’s just about who a pony can fall in love with and it’s completely normal. Do, uh…” she coughed nervously, wanting the conversation to be over and hoping she hadn’t said the wrong thing, “Do ya have any questions?”

Scootaloo slowly sank to her haunches, her eyes distant and mouth slack. Her brow knit together as she vacantly said, “…That makes…so much sense.” She lifted her head, her bewildered gaze focused in on Rainbow Dash. “I’ve
seen
Lyra and Bon Bon sharing a milkshake together. I feel like an idiot!”

Rainbow Dash let out a breathless chuckle, the rigid muscles in her shoulders unclenching in a crashing wave. “Don’t worry about it, squirt. Just not somethin’ anypony talked to ya about yet.” She rested a hoof on the filly’s shoulder and they exchanged a silent smile. As she locked her gaze with Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo felt a squirming flutter in the pit of her stomach. The connection she felt with Rainbow was foreign and unfamiliar, but she cherished it, grasping at the feeling in her mind. She half-wished for the moment to last forever. Rainbow Dash ruffled her mane and said, “Now about those stretches…”

Scootaloo clambered back to her hooves and got to work, finishing up her stretches. She waved lightly to the two mares and took off on her scooter, wincing when her wings unfurled and opting to push it with a hindleg instead. Grinning, Twilight leapt onto Rainbow’s back and the two took to the air.

Flying into Twilight’s bedroom, Rainbow Dash clattered her hooves down on the wooden floorboards. Twilight hopped off her lightly and the pegasus turned around and buried her face in the unicorn’s chest, groaning miserably. “That was awful,” she whined.