Spellbound Fireflies (6 page)

Mrs. Taker cantered briskly into the park, her muzzle pressed into a thin line. Scootaloo shrunk back from the look, swallowing heavily. She quickly trotted to meet her foster parent.

“Scootaloo,” she started, her tone flat and disapproving, “Ms. Cheerilee stopped by today. She said your math work was not completed last week.”

Scootaloo winced, recalling the haze of fatigue she struggled through the previous Thursday. “I, uh—”

“No excuses. Incomplete homework is
unacceptable.
” Rainbow Dash cantered over to the sidewalk, one brow firmly raised. Mrs. Taker turned her attention to the daredevil and offered a beleaguered smile. “Ms. Rainbow Dash. I appreciate that you’re taking an interest in Scootaloo learning to fly, but if this is going to interfere with her schoolwork, I must insist that it stop.”

Scootaloo sunk to her haunches, mouth agape. Her sore wings trembled at her sides, her mind working desperately to wrap her head around the situation. Her throat bobbed uselessly.

The thin line on Mrs. Taker’s face barely cracked as she said, “Now, back to the house, Scootaloo.”

Scootaloo numbly got to her hooves. The small sounds of nature grew inscrutable over the thundering pulse in her ears. Three plodding paces to her scooter, Rainbow’s voice cut through the stillness. “Now hold on, learning to fly is really important for Scootaloo. You can’t make her quit.”

“Excuse me?” She turned to the pegasus, her brow knitting together. “I’m looking out for Scootaloo’s best interests, and falling behind further in her studies is
not
one of them, thank you.”

Rainbow opened her mouth, eyes drawn down in challenge and teeth bared, when Twilight talked over her, voice smooth and reasoned. “You really shouldn’t make her stop.” She stepped next to her marefriend, a firm frown on her lips. “Far be it from me to discourage study and academic achievement, but flying is an important aspect of pegasus culture; you’d be denying Scootaloo a vital part of her identity. It’s wrong.”

Mrs. Taker’s face battled between hard-set and surprised. “You’re…Twilight Sparkle, correct?” The unicorn nodded. “Well…I would have preferred to meet Princess Celestia’s protégé under better circumstances.” The surprise fled her features, replaced by indignation. “I appreciate your concern, but school comes first.” She turned to leave.

“School is very important, Mrs…”

Barely injecting any carrying strength into her voice, Scootaloo supplied, “Taker.”

“…Mrs. Taker, but this goes beyond just school.” The mare’s voice filled with passionate conviction, drawing a pause from the earth pony. Twilight glanced at Mrs. Taker’s cutie mark; the bud of a flower beginning to open adorned her flank. “Pegasus magic is very similar to earth pony magic. While you’re not a farmer, can I assume you have a flower garden?”

Frowning in thought, Mrs. Taker turned back to Twilight. “…Yes, I do.” The mare’s gaze turned distant and vague, lost in introspection. “I never had any luck at growing plants for food or flowers for bouquets, but I could always keep the frailest sprouts alive.” A reminiscent smile spread across her face. “That’s what my cutie mark means. I can nurture anything.”

Twilight stepped forward, the hard expression on her face and solid tone in her voice growing more insistent. “And how would you feel if somepony kept you from ever growing another plant again?” Mrs. Taker flinched. Twilight’s voice continued to grow in volume and vehemence. “Scootaloo deserves to learn how to fly. Denying that part of her life, that part of her heritage, is like stamping a flower to paste! It’s heartless and cruel!”

Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo gaped at the unicorn. Head lowered and nostrils flared, with legs widely planted apart, she almost looked ready to gore Mrs. Taker with her horn. They blinked at each other dazedly before turning to the earth pony.

Mrs. Taker did not seem fazed by Twilight’s aggression, but her expression grew puzzled. A thick silence settled over the afternoon air. Eventually, the mare said, “…I never thought of it that way…” She frowned thoughtfully at Scootaloo, sizing her up in the way that always made the filly feel like she was a tomato being squeezed to check for freshness. After a long pause, Mrs. Taker turned to Twilight and began again. “…I suppose you’re right.”

A smile spread across Scootaloo’s muzzle as Mrs. Taker readdressed Rainbow Dash. “If it’s as Ms. Twilight Sparkle says about pegasi,” Rainbow nodded fervently in agreement, “Then it would be just as destructive to make her neglect flying as it is her schoolwork.” She frowned again the filly. “This doesn’t solve your study problems, Scootaloo. You’ll have to make extra time for schoolwork.”

Twilight chimed in, “I can tutor her.” Three faces turned back towards the unicorn. Twilight’s calm and inquisitive face stood in sharp contrast to the challenging look from just moments before. “You said she’s struggling, right?” She looked towards Scootaloo, offering a small smile. “Maybe you just need somepony to talk you through things.”

Mrs. Taker’s eyes brightened. “The princess’ protégé! Now
there’s
a tutor!” Her eyes widened at the distinct greediness in her voice. She cleared her throat, dropping down into a more gracious tone. “If you’re offering, I’m accepting.”

Twilight’s eyes remained locked on the filly. “That alright with you, Scootaloo?”

Scootaloo’s eyes felt warm. She didn’t understand what had just happened, or why Twilight had offered to help her. She cleared her throat and forced out, “Y-yeah, Twilight. Thank you.” A pregnant silence filled the park.

“…Well then,” Mrs. Taker began, shifting uncomfortably on her hooves, “I suppose that clears everything up.” She extended a hoof to Twilight. After a brief shake, she thrust it towards Rainbow Dash. The pegasus cocked an eyebrow and shook hooves with the mare, her expression bewildered. Mrs. Taker nodded once to Scootaloo and trotted back the way she came.

Scootaloo sunk to her haunches, looking at the ground. She glanced at both mares, each smiling at her, and looked away quickly, embattled with the overwhelming emotion pulling at her chest. She bit her lip. The filly desperately wanted to ask why. Why they had both interjected themselves on her behalf. Why they bothered. But she didn’t know how to ask; the words failing to coalesce in her mind into a sensible pattern.

Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. “So…sprint relays?”

Scootaloo nodded numbly, climbing back to her hooves. She followed Rainbow back onto the grass and poured herself into the workout. The strain of exertion acted as a catharsis on her mind, soothing away her war-torn emotions. When it was time to go home, she felt blessedly empty.

Twilight grinned as Scootaloo retrieved her scooter. “Come around to the library after you get out of school tomorrow. We’ll figure out what’s giving you so much trouble.”

Scootaloo nodded. “See ya then.” She hopped on her scooter and kicked off, clattering along the sidewalk towards home.

Rainbow Dash sidled up to her marefriend. “Well, that was awkward.”

“Mm.” Twilight watched the filly drift out of sight. “…I see what you meant about not really being there,” she muttered darkly. “I’ll bet you ten bits she was happier about the fact that Scootaloo is being tutored by
Princess Celestia’s protégé
than she is that Scootaloo’s being tutored at all.” She ran her tongue over her teeth, attempting to displace an imagined distaste in her mouth. “It wasn’t that flying was important to Scootaloo that got her to change her mind. It was the thought of leaving something out that got to her. She’s just going through the motions. I wonder if all foster parents are like that.”

Shrugging noncommittally, Rainbow wrapped a wing around Twilight. “C’mon, let’s go home.”

“Yeah…” Twilight frowned deeply, nuzzling into the pegasus’ neck. “…I get why you were so worried now. We’ve gotta do right by her. The both of us.”

Rainbow regarded her marefriend quietly for several moments in the still park. She lifted a hoof to Twilight’s chin and pulled her into a fierce and burning kiss. When she broke away, her wing tight around the unicorn’s middle and hoof stroking long and straight mane, she murmured, “Scoots’ lucky she’s got you lookin’ out for her.”

Twilight chewed her lower lip, willing the heat from her cheeks and her breaths to even out. “…She’s a good kid.”

Wordlessly, she climbed onto Rainbow’s back and they took off towards the library.

A tentative knock echoed through the main room of Golden Oaks library.  Twilight lifted her head from the book floating in front of her and glanced at the clock.  
‘Right on time.’
  She cleared her throat, brightly chiming, “Come in!”

Scootaloo opened the door, her scooter propped up against the tree just outside, and smiled vaguely at the librarian.  “Hi, Twilight.”

“Hi, Scootaloo.  Good day at school?”  The filly shrugged, hesitantly stepping further into the room.  Twilight set her book down and grabbed a folder off her desk in a haze of magic.  “So, d’you wanna start down here, or would you be more comfortable upstairs?”

A small wave of relief washed over Scootaloo’s face.  “Upstairs would be nice.”

Twilight smiled knowingly.  “Privacy it is, then.”  They cantered up through the library’s staircase, passing Spike while he carried down a stack of books.  “Spike, we’re gonna be up in the bedroom.  Hold down the library.”

“You got it, Twilight!”  He offered Scootaloo a warm smile, almost missing a step and spilling his armful of books.  Scootaloo smirked, following Twilight up the stairs and into the lower level of her bedroom.

Twilight lifted several sheets of parchment from her desk in a glow of magenta and tidied them into a stack mid-air.  Scootaloo climbed into the chair, a nervous frown on her face.  Depositing the stack of papers on a shelf, Twilight gave the filly an encouraging smile.  “Alright, so before we get started, I want you to know this is just to help you.”  She stepped over to the desk and set a hoof on Scootaloo’s shoulder.  “You don’t have to prove anything and I’m not going to give you a hard time.  You’re struggling and I’m here to help.  Alright?”

Scootaloo nodded weakly, her eyes on the empty desk.  Twilight floated an extra chair over and sat next to the filly.  She dropped the folder onto the desk and cleared her throat.  “Now.  What subjects are giving you problems?”

Sighing and scratching at the back of her head, she said, “Well, mostly math.  I…kinda have trouble in a lot of things, though.”  She dropped her head, ears folded back.  “I mean…everypony who’s not a unicorn has pretty awful hoofwriting and I’m really good at science, but…Well, it feels like everypony else can read way faster than me.  And I used to be really good at math, but nothing ever comes out right anymore…”

“Hey,” Twilight patted Scootaloo on the back, her eyes full of kindness.  “It’s alright.  Everypony has trouble once in awhile.  Let’s start with math and see where you’re going wrong.”

She offered Twilight a weak smile and watched the unicorn open the folder to pull out a few sheets of math equations.  She groaned.

Amusement colored Twilight’s voice.  “Can’t work on math without doing math, Scootaloo.”  The filly rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help smirking.  “Just take your time; you don’t have to answer all of them, just pick three or four and we’ll go over them.  Alright?”

Nodding, Scootaloo picked up a pencil from the desk in her teeth and scowled at the worksheet.  Twilight stood up.  “I’ll leave you to them for now.  Let me know if you’re stuck, but just take your time.  It’s alright if you get them wrong; this is about figuring out where to go, okay?”  At a nod, she cantered off and grabbed an old Daring Do off the shelf.  Light reading at its finest.

Twenty minutes or so of work later, Scootaloo cleared her throat.  Twilight dropped her book and joined the filly at the desk, looking over the worksheet.

She frowned thoughtfully, looking over the scribbled mess of scratched out answers littering half the page.  “Hmm…”

Scootaloo shrunk back in her seat, dropping her eyes to the floor.  “I’m…I’m sorry…”

“Hey, don’t be sorry!”  Twilight smiled at her, gently ruffling her mane.  “You’re just messy.  Messy’s fine, especially in math.”  She turned back to the worksheet, looking through the few answered questions.  The filly had bravely opted to answer at least one of each variety of equation.  A frown slowly deepened across her lips, looking the answers over.

Portions of every problem were answered correctly, but somewhere in-between the different steps, Scootaloo was getting lost.  Where exactly wasn’t clear to Twilight, but it was a start.  “…Let’s start with this one; the long division.”

Scootaloo sighed.  “I was always good at those when they were smaller…”

“I can tell; you answered the first part here right, and the second part here, but it didn’t get put together right at the end.  When you’re answering a question like this, what do you do?”

Scootaloo went from puzzled to annoyed.  “…This is one of those coconut things, isn’t it?”

“Coconut things?”  Twilight blinked.

Grumbling, Scootaloo muttered, “Ms. Cheerilee always tells me to think about having a bunch of coconuts, so if it’s two thousand divided by five, I’m s’posed to think about it like ‘how many groups of five coconuts can I make outta two thousand coconuts.’”  She scowled.  “So I try, but all that happens is I get hungry for coconuts.”

Twilight chuckled, shaking her head.  “That’s a trick that works for some ponies, but I just meant what steps you take to answer the question.  Like that one; how would you start answering the question two thousand divided by fi—”

“Four hundred.”  Twilight’s jaw snapped shut.  Scootaloo raised an eyebrow.  “What?  That’s easy.”

Nodding, she said, “Alright, then how about three hundred and thirty-six divided by twelve?”  Scootaloo rubbed her chin.  “Just the first steps, you don’t need to figure out the whole ans—”

“Twenty-eight.”

Twilight’s jaw hung open.  “…Well, you’re right.  Now…what did you do to get the answer?”

She shrugged.  “Well, three hundred and sixty divided by twelve is thirty, and three hundred and thirty-six is twenty-four less than that.”