Spellbound Fireflies by bats

‘So...what do I do about it?’
    A quick look behind her revealed Apple Bloom discreetly passing notes with Rumble.   ‘I could talk to Apple Bloom about it,’ she mused.  Her frown deepened; her mind colored with worry about a reaction, not only over the fact that Sweetie Belle was a filly, but also that she was such a close friend to them both.
    The image of Twilight and Rainbow Dash sharing a kiss in the park leapt to her thoughts.  Inspiration struck; both of them were not only ponies she could confide in, but they were both together .  It hadn’t really connected with her what that meant until she saw that kiss, but Scootaloo knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that her coach and her tutor knew what it meant to like another filly.  They knew what it meant to be in love.
    Cheerilee called the class to attention and gathered up their finished work.  A collective murmur filled the room as the foals all switched over to the next activity.  Scootaloo grinned in contentment, and she started planning just how to talk to Rainbow and Twilight about all this when she next saw them for flight training.

VII: An Awkward Conversation

    Chapter 7
    An Awkward Conversation

    “Okay class, that’s it for today, have a wonderful afternoon!”  Cheerilee began packing away her desk to the scuffing of chairs.  Scootaloo left in a haze of determination, cutting resolutely through the crowd towards her scooter.  She crouched low at the front wheel, checking the axle that had given her a little trouble in the morning.  The soft sound of someone clearing their throat drew her attention.
    Sweetie Belle pawed her hooves at the ground, a hopeful smile colored with apprehension on her lips.  Scootaloo stood up a little too fast and knocked her scooter over.  “Hi Sweetie Belle!  What’s up?”  Was her voice always that high-pitched?
    “Can I talk to you for a minute, Scoots?”  Scootaloo willed the heat rushing to her face away and nodded.  Sweetie stepped closer, her mouth falling to a frown.  “…I’m kinda worried about things…”
    She quirked an eyebrow.  “What things?”
    The unicorn sighed and looked out over the playground.  Apple Bloom and Rumble trotted slowly through the yard together, oblivious to those around them as they left towards Sweet Apple Acres.  “We’re drifting, Scoots.  The three of us.”
    Scootaloo silently regarded their third, slowly trotting away with her coltfriend, and felt a wave of melancholy nostalgia.  She sighed sadly, turning back to Sweetie Belle, listening closely.
    “Apple Bloom’s off with Rumble all the time and you’re so busy…The last time I got to see ya was when we took that ride and talked…”  Sweetie looked down, her eyes remote and mouth quivering.  “I know it’s just that you’ve been really busy training with Rainbow and getting tutoring from Twilight, but I miss you, Scoots.  I miss hangin’ out with you and Apple Bloom and going crusading…”  She looked to her own bare flank and back to Scootaloo.  “Is this what’s gonna happen?  Are we just gonna drift apart and stop being friends?”
    Scootaloo’s throat bobbed as she tried to piece the words together in her mind.  “…No.  No, ‘cause I don’t wanna stop being friends with you girls, either.”  She wrapped her hooves around Sweetie Belle’s neck, pulling her into a hug.  She felt her cheeks burn under her coat, but pushed it away, needing to convey how much she wanted, how much she needed to be there for the other filly.  “I’m sorry I haven’t really been around.  If I’m not runnin’ myself ragged with Rainbow Dash, I’m at the library with Twilight, or at home doin’ all the chores I’m s’posed to do.  I’m tired and lonely, and I miss you, too.  I wish there was somethin’ I could do to have more time, but…”
    Scootaloo’s ability to form cognizant sentences, or even whole syllables, took a nose-dive when