//------------------------------//
// Chapter 14: A Reassuring Gesture 
// Story: Photo Dash 
// by SS Nomad 
//------------------------------//

	The all night doughnut shop is a curious Canterlot invention.  At roughly four in the morning, they tend to be populated by two main types of pony, groups staggering in after a night of drinks and partying, and freshly awoken workers getting ready for a shift that starts before sunrise.  That night at the shop in question was no different save for one occupant.  In the corner, staring blankly at her cup of coffee, sat a rainbow maned pegasus, shaken and sleep deprived.
The security guards had told Photo to find a friend to stay with for the night, but she honestly couldn’t think of anypony off the top of her head that didn't require flying to Ponyville.  Instead, she wandered to somewhere she knew she could sit all night and think.  With what was at stake here, she had to be careful.  She wanted to go to the city guard, to report things, but… should she?  She honestly had no proof that her home had been broken into other than the missing wig and tail, and that’s not exactly something she could just go and report stolen.
“Yes, officer,” she mumbled under her breath, “somepony stole my secret disguise.”
The apparently drunk mare sitting two seats down from her turned to face the noise, staring with bleary eyes.  Rainbow just shook her head and nursed her coffee, unaware.  She just sat there, lost in thought, her mind locked on why somepony would want to steal her disguise.  They hadn’t taken anything else, no planners, no rough drafts of her work, no photo negatives, so it was clearly not some attempt to go after her business that had stumbled on a big scoop.  The only sense she could make of it was that somepony either wanted to out her or to have something to hold over her head.  So who, then, would be after her reputation?
“You okay?” the mare a few seats down mumbled.
Rainbow snapped back to reality, turning to look at the unfamiliar unicorn, “Um… yeah, why?”
Sliding over to sit on the seat next to rainbow, the dark purple mare slurred, “‘s just you look like yer’in trouble.”
Rainbow winced at being so easy to read that this drunk had managed it, “I mean, I’ll figure it out.”
The mare looked her over slowly and swayingly, “Well, if you say so.  Jus’... tryina help.”
Chuckling to herself, Rainbow asked, “Actually, what would you do if you had a big secret and somepony might be about to find out?”
“If?” the mare chuckled before thinking up a reply, “Usually I just distract ‘em with something sudden.  Like kissin’ ‘em outta nowhere.”
Rainbow laughed loud enough that it drew attention, something in this ridiculous conversation snapping her out of her mental rut, “Wow, you’re drunk, go to bed.”
Snickering like an idiot, the mare replied, “Yeaaahhhhh, I probably should.”
It was at about that moment that her boyfriend wandered over, apologised for the bother, and took her back to their table.  The sudden burst of levity did a great job to shatter the block of stress Rainbow was laboring under, and she took another sip of her coffee while chuckling.  Honestly, a sudden distraction wasn’t a bad idea overall, but she couldn’t really do anything with it until she figured out who had broken in and why, so other than having a new tool in her belt, she was back to square one.
It had to be the tabloids, right?  It was just the type of scoop they’d been looking for, something they could use as evidence to back up their claims.  Still, blatant thievery felt out of character, even for those scumbags, and if they did come forward with that evidence, they’d be opening themselves up to litigation.  All they cared about was money, and the legal fees wouldn’t be cheap.  Also, if she never reported the theft, they’d have no way to tie the wig to her.  It wasn’t quite adding up.
Her mind once again drifted to Fluttershy and the pigeon.  Could it have been her?  It seemed… implausible.  Sure Shy could have flown up there and snuck past her, but it just didn’t make sense that she’d have been in Canterlot.  Even if it was her, Dash couldn’t begin to guess at a reason for it.  She knew she was still missing something, and the longer she sat there trying to figure out what it might be, the more she came to realize the only way to find out would be to confront Fluttershy.  The image of Fluttershy standing in the doorway, shocked and panicked, jumped back into her mind.  She clearly didn’t want anything to do with Photo.  Yet… she had to do something.  She just had to do it casually, probably on the day she was in town to talk with Rarity, and maybe it would all work out.
There was a little flash of hope in Rainbow’s eyes.  Perhaps Fluttershy’s shock was just that.  Shock.  Maybe she’d only panicked because she hadn’t expected to see Photo and wasn’t prepared for it.  Perhaps if she called ahead, send a letter that she’d be in Ponyville and wanted to talk.  At least that way, she could let Fluttershy make up her mind on her own.  Easier than guessing.
Her mind skipped back to her still unsent letter to Rarity, still likely sitting on her desk at the penthouse.  A shiver went through her system as she realized that whoever broke in could have read it and known where she was going to be, let alone if they had looked at her planner.  Something about having her apartment broken into just felt so… violating.  Her home didn’t feel like her own anymore.  As much as she wanted to just go curl up in her bed, she couldn’t convince herself to head back there to do more than just pass through.
Rainbow yawned loudly.  Despite her nap and all of the caffeine in her system, she was still exhausted from not having a proper night’s rest.  She really didn’t feel like flying to Ponyville in this state, but at the same time she wanted to get to a bed she could be comfortable in.  She… hadn’t honestly made any friends in Canterlot that she felt she could trust with this.  No matter who it was, they’d want to know why she was showing up in the middle of the night needing somewhere to sleep.  She half entertained the thought of just bumming it at the castle as Rainbow, since she could probably get away with it, but that would open up all sort of other questions.
No, she was determined to stay awake.  She just had to plan her morning.  Head back home, grab the letter to send to Rarity and anything else she’d need, and head off to her office to write up a letter for Fluttershy as well.  Nopony would question Photo showing up to the office early on the day before the month’s edition came out, and she was going to more or less be doing business work anyway.  She could check on progress, and then… She still needed to talk to Spitfire.
She took a deep breath and thought hard, trying to scrape up drunken memories through the haze of sleep deprivation.  A part of her remembered Spitfire saying something about being out of her apartment for Wonderbolts training in the upcoming days, but she couldn’t remember exactly when or even be sure she was remembering the night's conversations properly.  She had more important things to remember from that night, after all.  Shaking her head in attempt to clear it, Rainbow sipped the last of her now cool coffee.  Even if she wasn’t there, it was worth the attempt to contact her.  After the letters and a quick progress check, perhaps.  She’d probably be wanting a mid-morning break after all of the nonsense that was destined to be happening at the office.
Rainbow smiled and paid for her drink, standing up and stretching with an athlete’s grunt.  After all that thought, she’d wound up feeling far better about things, despite it all.  She had a plan, even if it was just for the morning, and that felt… normal.  Normal was nice.  She needed some more normal right now.







Photo Finish couldn’t focus.  She’d been trying for hours to stay on task, to help her staff put the last few coats of polish on their work and get the magazine ready for print, but she was just so worn out.  The combined stress of work and the night before were more than she could really handle on such little sleep.  She needed a break.  Holding in her yawn until she was out of the room, she stepped over toward her desk.  Resting atop it were the two letters, all sealed in their envelopes and ready to be posted.  A walk sounded nice.
She quickly swiped the two envelopes from her desk and headed outside, giving a short explanation of needing a walk to think.  As she stepped out into the midmorning sun, she felt the warmth of the day start to wash over her and finally allowed herself to relax for a moment.  She decided to take the slightly longer walk and go all the way to the post office, make sure the letters got in the mail as soon as possible.  A certain lightness back in her step, Photo took her time and walked down the street.
The post office was a simple affair, complete with somepony recognizing her and chattering excitedly about it with a friend, and her letters were off to hopefully get to Ponyville that night.  She stepped back out onto the street with that pleasant feeling of accomplishing a simple task, and did her best to let that mood carry her.  That was one more step of the day’s plan done.  She turned and looked at a familiar tower in the distance, hesitating.  She’d feel a bit of a fool for walking that far to find Spitfire not home, but…  Reminding herself that it was the next step in the day’s plan, Photo started making her way there.
It was a longer walk than she’d have preferred, and she drew far more attention than she’d have liked, but in the end Photo was past the front desk and heading up the peculiar, exterior stairs to Spitfire’s penthouse.  It was a strange architectural feature, to be sure, but she couldn't deny the effect it gave.  As she reached the door, memory of three nights prior flashed into her mind.  It was such a minor act, but she could still feel that little kiss on her forehead when she thought about it.  Photo wiped her face to try and force her blush back into hiding.  Standing there, full of nervous energy, she raised her hoof and knocked faux-confidently.  Only silence replied.  Photo stood there awkwardly, not really sure what to do next.  She honestly wasn’t too surprised that Spitfire wasn’t home, but at the same time she didn’t plan for the circumstance.
Photo let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding.  She’d have to catch up with Spitfire some other time.  Disappointed, she turned on her hoof and started to head back downstairs, exhausted as the energy of her excitement from just moments before wore off.  As she reached the stairs landing balcony and turned to go back inside, she sighed.  As antsy as she had been about all this, she had really been looking forward to seeing Spitfire again.  Looking back out over the city, she stepped up to the railing of the stairs and leaned her forehooves over the edge, just taking in the fresh air and the sights.  Just a moment to relax and settle down before getting back to the madness that was the office today.
“...Photo?” came a familiar voice from behind her.
Nearly jumping out of her skin, Photo whirled around to face the pony behind her, “S-Spitfire. J-ja, hello.”
Looking an even mix of confused and exhausted, Spitfire tilted her head with a slight grin, “Hey, what’s up?  A little early, don’t you think?”
Something about that smile melted Photo’s stress away, and she replied with her own, “Vell, I needed to talk to jou.  Jou know, ve never picked a date.”
Spitfire pulled back in confusion for a moment before sputtering out a surprised, “W- Oh shit, really?”
Photo chuckled and nodded along with her reply, “Zat… is how I felt vhen I noticed.”
Spitfire’s hoof impacted her forehead with a resounding thump, followed by some profanities under her breath, before she looked back up at Photo, “Well… come on upstairs, we can talk it over.”
Beaming, Photo gestured ahead, “Of course.  After jou.”
Shaking her head in self annoyance, Spitfire led Photo up the stairs and into her penthouse.  Even days later, there were still the signs here and there that the party had happened, things slightly out of place, empty glasses resting on odd surfaces, and the like.  Photo chuckled to herself as she walked in, blurry memories of that night making the space feel so much more homey.
“So,” Spitfire started, idly tidying up the things she noticed out of place, “I suppose the obvious question is when are you free?”
Photo snapped back to attention, her upcoming schedule still fresh in her mind, “Vell.  Tomorrow I haff a planning meeting vith Rarity, and vill probably stay ze night in Ponyville.  After zhat…”
Spitfire took Photo’s noncommittal hoof gesture to mean she had no plans, “So what, Friday sound good?  I mean, that works for me, at least.  Meet here around sunset?”
“Vunderbar,” Photo replied with a wide smile, “I’ll be zhere.  Here.”
Spitfire adjusted her mane slightly as she looked around, “I mean, since you’re here… you wanna hang around for a bit?”
Knowing full well that she was probably needed for something at the office already, Photo smirked and replied, “Sure.  Vhy not.”
With a short nod toward her couch, Spitfire headed over to her living room.  As Photo looked at the couch, her mind snapped back to how perfectly it had served her as a bed the previous week, which instantly brought her exhaustion to the forefront of her thoughts.  She looked away from Spitfire, hiding behind her mane, and let out a huge, silent yawn, before trotting to catch up.
With a loud flop, Spitfire landed on the couch, “So.  You want to uh… just chat?”
Groggily, Photo nodded back, “Sounds good.  Ve haven’t had a good chance to chat while sober, haff ve?”
Spitfire chuckled and rubbed the back of her head, “Yeah, well… we’ll probably get more of those coming up.”
Photo raised her eyebrows enough that they peeked past her goggles, a little surprised at Spitfire’s boldness.  Sure, things were going well, but it was a bit of an assumption on her part that they’d keep going.
Apparently Spitfire caught the expression, because she just grinned back playfully, “I mean, we’ve still got to work out the details of your shoot with us, right?  What did you think I meant?”
Chuckling to herself about falling into that setup, Photo walked over and gently sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Spitfire, not wanting to dignify the jab with an answer.  Instead, she just slid her goggles off and set them on the table in front of her, rubbing her eyes gently as they got used to the world’s distinct lack of pink.
They both sat there for a moment, holding that awkward silence of two ponies that really want to talk, but are struggling for ideas of what to talk about.  Spitfire was clearly judging the merits of different subjects in her head, and Photo couldn’t help but do the same.
In the end, Photo settled on a standard fallback, “So.  How is work?  Didn’t jou say jou had training this week?”
“I mean, no more than usual,” Spitfire replied, clearly happy to have the ice broken for her, “We don’t have any big shows coming up right now, and we’re kinda at the opposite end of the season for taking new recruits.  It’s mostly been paperwork and just personal training for me recently.  What about you?  Busy couple days, right?”
Photo laughed at the understatement before slowly realizing, “Vait, how did jou know?”
“Tomorrow’s the second Wednesday of the month,” Spitfire replied plainly.
A sly grin crept across Photo’s face, “And… how exactly do jou know my publishing schedule?”
At first, Spitfire looked like she wanted to make an excuse, to rebut, but she quickly realized she honestly didn’t need to, instead settling for a grin, “I mean, does it really surprise you that I’m a subscriber?  I mean, after all you saw on Saturday?”
Photo chuckled, “No, I suppose not.  And ja, it’s been a lot of work, but everything seemed on schedule zis morning, so… It should be fine.”
“This morning?” Spitfire craned her neck to double check the time, “You’ve already been to work?”
Photo held her hoof over her mouth as she let out a silent yawn, “Ja, it’s… a long story.”
The gentle touch of a hoof to her chin made Photo freeze up in surprise, and she quickly found Spitfire guiding her head to look her in the eyes.  It took a little effort to resist blushing at the sudden action, but where she expected to see a look of affection in Spitfire’s eyes, she just found the concern of a professional flier making sure somepony is safe to take off.
“You alright?” Spitfire asked plainly, “You… look exhausted.  Not sleep well?”
Photo let out a small gasp as the facts of the night before hit her, and then sighed, reaching up to take the hoof from her chin and look away, “I… didn’t really sleep last night.  I had a nap, but-”
“Woah, hold up,” Spitfire cut her off with a worried stare, “did something happen?  You… don’t look so good.”
For a short moment, Photo wanted to pretend it was nothing, just work induced stress or insomnia, but… she couldn’t just lie like that, not with how concerned Spitfire seemed.  She let out a shaky sigh and admitted, “I… vas up all night.  I… just didn’t feel comfortable sleeping at home.”
“What happened?” Spitfire questioned, concern and shocked confusion in her voice.
Photo let out a deep breath before summoning the words she needed, “I vas… taking a nap after work, and… somepony broke into my apartment vhile I vas asleep.”
Spitfire cautiously reached out to take Photo’s hoof, “Are you… okay?  I mean… did they do an-”
“They just stole something,” Photo cut her off, dismissing the gravity of the act with her tone, “I’m fine.  It’s just… It’ll be good to stay in Ponyville for a vhile to calm down.”
“Look, I…” Spitfire struggled for words in a foreign conversation, “If there’s any way I can help out, I’m here.  I don’t know really what I could do, but… I’d try.”
Photo chuckled, adjusting her hoof against Spitfire’s idly and cracking a smile, “Thanks.   I… do appreciate zhat.  Just ze offer makes me feel a bit better.  I just… don’t know what to do now.”
Spitfire looked around, as if ideas would come to her from her surroundings, before suggesting, “Well… I’d say find a friend to stay with or have over for a while.  Or, I mean, if you’re gonna be gone, maybe hire somepony to watch the place while you’re out, just in case they come back or something.”
“Zhat-” Photo started to refute, but stopped to think it over, “Zhat is probably a good idea.”
Feeling a hint of pride in having come up with the thought, Spitfire grinned confidently, “Hey, even I can have a good idea every so often.”
Photo snickered, taken by the humor for a moment, before saying, “Thank you.  I’ve… been out of it all morning.  It’s good to haff somepony who can think straight to help me out.”
“No problem,” Spitfire smiled back, “What good would I be if I wasn’t there for you right now, eh?”
Photo joined the smile, looking into Spitfire’s eyes contentedly.  Just as she was about to reply, her voice was stifled by a long yawn, her hoof reaching up to cover her mouth.  It took her a moment to recover from the act, blinking back to awareness to find Spitfire looking over her shoulder.
“You know, you could crash here for a few hours if you want,” Spitfire offered, “I mean, I’m sure your schedule is crazy, but… You and I both know you’ll be better off with a bit of rest in you.”
Photo followed Spitfire’s eyeline toward her bedroom, a blush lighting up her cheeks, “W- I mean, I c-”
Spitfire flailed to cut her off, “Nothing like that, no, no.  Hell, you could lock the door if it makes you feel better.  I just… I don’t know, you need the rest.  I thought I’d offer.”
As Spitfire looked down and rubbed the back of her head, Photo slowly recovered from the sudden fluster, “I… couldn’t.  I haff to get back to vork.  They need me zhere.”
“You’re no good to anyone if you’re asleep on your desk,” Spitfire retorted, “Seriously, grab a nap.  Just set the alarm for whenever you feel like you need to get back to work.”
Photo wanted to argue again, to say the gesture was welcome but unneeded, but sleep was calling to her.  As much as she wanted to deny it, Spitfire was right, she was about to collapse from exhaustion at any moment.  As… awkward as it was to be using Spitfire’s bed…
“Thank you,” Photo whispered, looking away in embarrassment at her own perceived weakness.
“No problem,” Spitfire reassured, squeezing her hoof before letting it go, “Really.  Just take care of yourself.”
Photo stood awkwardly, adjusting her mane, and looked over toward the room.  This whole situation was a little nerve wracking, but she struggled to remind herself that it was just an innocent offer of help.  Sure, she was winding up in Spitfire’s bed, but it was nothing more than that.  She turned to Spitfire, the hesitation clearly visible in her stare, only to find Spitfire smiling reassuringly.  Photo leaned forward to hug Spitfire lightly before heading off silently to the bedroom.
As she shut the door behind her, the awkwardness of the situation shifted in tone.  Sure, she was mostly to terms with the idea that this was just a friendly offer of assistance, but now she was once again in Spitfire’s most private space alone, and about to sleep under a nearly unfamiliar roof.  Still, as she looked at the bed, laying there unmade, her mind blurred with the prospect of imminent sleep.  Slowly sliding off her dress and putting it on the same hangar she had used prior, everything felt so odd.  Something about already having a preferred hangar in the closet just struck her funny.  She’d only been here once before, and it was only for a short time, yet she already had a routine to fall into.  Everything just felt so sudden.
She climbed up onto the bed, staring at the sheets and the obvious spot within them that Spitfire had slept.  The strange ghost of her presence was still there, leaving Photo with a strange excitement at sharing the space.  She chuckled at herself, realizing how ridiculous the thought was, but still she felt content to be trusted like this.  Laying herself beside Spitfire’s imprint on the bed, she closed her eyes and let herself become something she hadn’t been all day.  Comfortable.