//------------------------------// // Ladybugs Awake // Story: Little Memories // by Skijarama //------------------------------// The rest of the day passed by as something of a blur to Twilight. After being shown to their rooms and getting their bags put away, everypony met up in a lounge to chat and get caught up with each other. Twilight was quiet for most of it, only chipping in every now and then with a question or observational comment. Mostly she was just listening, specifically to Cadance to try and get familiar with her again. In time, dinner was served and the ponies began to slip off to their beds. They all had work to do in the morning, and they all needed their rest. Twilight, Rainbow, and Spike were the last ones to depart from the lounge, their bellies full and their minds clear. In no time at all, they came to their room and stepped inside. It was a comfortably large space with two beds against the far wall. A glass door led out to a balcony on the left, from which a few rays of rapidly-dwindling sunlight streamed in, while to the right was a restroom. A tall vanity mirror sat in one corner with a dresser opposing it, some unlit candles were scattered about on various surfaces, and a similarly dim chandelier hung from the ceiling. Rainbow let out a low whistle. “Huh. Not as big as the room we shared last time, but I can dig this,” she stated appreciatively before yanking the band out of her mane and undoing her ponytail.  Twilight turned to her with a raised eyebrow. “Where did we sleep before?” she asked curiously. Rainbow set the blue strap down on one of the end tables before hopping up and settling down on her belly. She then pointed up at the ceiling. “Few floors up. We took one of the nicer suites,” she explained simply. Spike crossed his arms over his chest with the cheekiest of little smirks appearing on his face. “Yeah, and according to Rainbow, it’s totally not because she secretly likes being pampered to no end.” That remark was promptly followed up by a cry of alarm as Rainbow propelled a pillow into Spike’s face, sending him falling to the ground in a fluffed up heap. The pegasus snorted at him. “Hardy har. Laugh it up, Spike,” she grumbled with a roll of her eyes. Spike responded by giving the room as a whole a thumbs up from the floor. Twilight giggled and shook her head at their antics. It was always the same with those two, wasn’t it? They bickered and bantered back and forth like a pair of siblings. Of course, considering what she knew of their relationship, that might not have been an inaccurate assessment. She wandered over to her own bed and tested the mattress with her hoof. It was soft and inviting, and she felt all of her muscles already relaxing at the prospect of flopping under the blankets and letting sleep claim her. It had been a tiring day, even if only because of how much she had had on her mind since well before they got off the train. Instead of sliding under the blankets and allowing herself to be claimed by the dream realm, however, she instead turned and affixed Rainbow with a curious look. Twilight couldn’t go to sleep, not yet. She still had one other thing she needed to take care of. “Hey, Rainbow? Can I ask you something?” Rainbow faced her directly. “Sure, anything. What’s up?” Twilight hesitated for a moment, not entirely sure how to word her question. She thought if over for a moment before finally finding her words and speaking. “You know that, er, that thing Cadance tried to get me to do when we met her at the base of the palace?” she asked carefully, a small pit of anxiety forming in her gut. Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “What are you… oh!” she slapped a hoof to her forehead. “Right, that! The sunshine dance!” Twilight’s face lit up with anticipation. “Ah, so you know what it is, then?!” Rainbow nodded. “Yeah. How could I not? It was only the only way you two ever said hello to each other when she was foal sitting you. And sometimes she just did it with you because of reasons.” “What reasons?” “Dunno,” Rainbow dismissed before hopping down from her bed. “It was the dorkiest and silliest thing I’ve ever seen. Back then, I actually thought it was kinda annoying, to be blunt with ya.” Twilight hummed in thought before leaning forward on her bed some more. “So… you know how it goes, then?” “To a tee,” Rainbow acknowledged before getting a dubious frown on her face. “Wait. Why?” Spike sat up eagerly, a giant grin on his face. “Oh! If this is going where I think it is, I gotta get the camera! Hang on a sec!” he exclaimed before tossing the pillow to one side and making a beeline for their suitcases. Twilight watched him for a few seconds before turning to Rainbow again. “Anyways, Rainbow… uh, do you think you could teach me how it goes?” she asked gingerly, noting how Rainbow did not seem thrilled by the implication. Rainbow’s face flushed red, and her wings ruffled at her sides. “Wha- hang on, you want me to- as in, right here? Right now?!” she babbled out, clearly very flustered. “As long as you’re comfortable with it,” Twilight was quick to assure her, reaching out with a hoof in a placating gesture. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine, I can always ask Cadance. But, well…” she shrunk back into herself a bit, her ears drooping. “I… don’t really know her, yet. I’m the most comfortable with you.” Spike poked his head up from behind the bed where he was fishing for the camera. “D’awww~” he cooed before ducking back down in case of any more projectile pillows. Rainbow shifted uneasily on her hooves for a few seconds, looking around aimlessly. “W-well, I mean… I can, totally, but… it just looks so lame.” “BOO!” Spike protested before Twilight had a chance, bravely lifting his head into the open again with a severely disapproving scowl. “Teach her the dance! The camera demands it!” Rainbow stole Twilight’s pillow right off her bed and chucked it at Spike, forcing him to duck down again. “Hush, you!” she barked at him before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. A few moments later, she opened her eyes and looked directly into Twilight’s. The two were quiet for a second, and the alicorn was about ready to call it off and spare Rainbow any further embarrassment when she lifted a hoof in a ‘come here’ gesture. “Alright, screw it. Get down here, let’s do this. Spike’s never gonna let it go if I don’t,” she relented in exasperation. “Darn straight!” Spike cheered before coming up with the camera clutched in his claws, his face the image of excitement. “Ready!” Rainbow groaned. Twilight smiled at them before tenderly hopping down from the bed and assuming a position in front of Rainbow. “Alright, so… what do I do?” she asked, readjusting her wings on her sides. Rainbow, still with bright red cheeks, coughed into a hoof before beginning. “Okay, it’s not a long thing or anything, but it’s kinda precise. Uuuh… here, lemme do the whole thing first and walk ya through it,” she said before lowering her upper body down a little, much like Cadance had earlier. And then she did the routine. She began by prancing in place, her body bobbing up and down with every step. “Sunshine, Sunshine,” she chanted before dropping her chest to the ground and covering her eyes with her hooves. “Ladybugs awake!” she stated before raising her hooves and making direct eye contact with Twilight, whose face had become one of bewilderment. Undeterred, Rainbow pushed herself up onto her haunches and moved her forelegs in front of her as if she were walking up through the air. “Clap your hooves…” And then Rainbow spun around and wiggled her rump in Twilight’s general direction. “And do a little shake!” Silence fell over the room, with Twilight’s eyes glued firmly onto Rainbow’s colorful tail. She mouthed silently for a few seconds, her cheeks turning a furious shade of red. What was she even supposed to say to that? Was that really how it went? Eventually, she licked her lips and asked the first thing her very flabbergasted mind could think of. “Uh… s-so, is the butt wiggle a requirement, or…?” Spike started laughing, and the first click of his camera sounded. Rainbow groaned and collapsed to the floor, burying her face in her hooves. “Hrrrmmm… I hate all of you,” she grumbled quietly. Twilight finally looked the other way, her own face flushing an even brighter shade of red. “In answer to your question,” Spike chipped in once his merriment died down. “Yes, the butt wiggle is a requirement.” Twilight sighed and nodded. “Thank you, Spike.” “It’s what I do.” Rainbow grumbled something unintelligible and no doubt vaguely offensive before forcing herself back up to a standing position. “Alright, that was how it goes,” she stated, turning to face Twilight again. “Your turn.” Twilight jumped in her skin, her throat tightening somewhat. “W-wait, I have to repeat it to you?” “I had to wiggle my rump at you,” Rainbow countered without missing a beat. “And besides, if you and Cadance do this next time you bump into each other, ya wanna make sure you do it right, don’t ya?” Well, it was hard to argue with that logic. Twilight stiffly nodded her head before taking a deep breath. “Okay… alright, here goes,” she whispered before doing her best to repeat what Rainbow had done. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and, er, do a little shake!” She hesitated on the last part of the chant but was able to get through all of it. Her movements were stiff and janky, and if Spike’s giggles were anything to go by, she hadn’t done particularly well. That was nothing compared to the even brighter red tint Rainbow’s face had taken on once Twilight looked back at her over her shoulder. The pegasus quickly clamped her hanging jaw shut and looked up at the ceiling. “U-uh, yeah, that’s pretty much it,” she mumbled sheepishly, drawing one of her hooves along the floor.  “Now ya gotta do it at the same time!” Spike called to the two of them. “What?” Twilight asked, straightening her posture and staring at the dragon incredulously. Rainbow sighed and lifted a hoof up to her face. “Yeah, he’s right. Sorry, Twi, but the whole dance is supposed to be done at the same time by the two ponies doing it,” she lamented before taking a breath. “Alright, come on, let’s get this over with. Twilight swallowed heavily and turned back around to face Rainbow directly. She could hear Spike cackling quietly to himself behind her like a little supervillain, which was doing nothing to ease her nerves.  Rainbow didn’t seem to be much better off, but she held onto her composure and nodded. “Right. Ready?” “Mhmm…” “Okay… three… two… one,” Rainbow counted them down and then began the dance. Twilight stalled for a fraction of a second but quickly followed her down. And in unison, they chanted. “Sunshine sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” The moment they ended the routine, the sound of Spike taking another picture echoed throughout the room, followed by his amused chuckles. Then he began to clap at them, his mischievous smirk replaced with one of genuine appreciation. “That was great, you two! Absolutely adorable!” “Spike?” Rainbow called to him while standing upright. “Yeah?” “Grab a pillow and thwomp yourself with it.” Before Spike could offer up any kind of retort, a whole new sound filled the room. The pegasus and drake fell quiet, their eyes landing on the quivering alicorn that still had her posterior up in the air. It took them a moment, but they soon realized what the noise was. It was Twilight. Laughing. She at upright, her eyes closed and her face split into one of the most elated grins either of them had ever seen as she laughed and laughed. And she sure felt like it, too. That had been the dance? That had been what Cadance had been trying to get them to do? It looked so silly! It felt so silly to do! She didn’t even know what the chant meant! But, in many ways, she could easily see why a little filly would love doing it so much. It was a cute rhyme, and while awkward to learn, she had to imagine that the dance itself was adorable to watch from the outside. Rainbow and Spike shared a glance before their own stoic facades began to crumble. In no time, the two of them joined Twilight in her laughter, the sheer absurdity of all that had just transpired finally dawning on them.  When at last Twilight’s laughs began to wear out, she felt so much lighter than she had in weeks. With a relieved sigh and a few phantom giggles in her voice, she turned to Rainbow and wrapped her up in a tight hug without any other warning. “Oh, I needed that. Thank you, Rainbow,” she said into the pegasus’ shoulder. Rainbow went rigid at the contact but was quick to return the embrace. “Sure thing, Twi. Anytime,” she said quietly in response, giving the alicorn an affectionate squeeze. After quite some time of hugging, Twilight slowly leaned back and looked into Rainbow’s eyes. The two were still blushing a little from the awkward experience, and they were still recovering their breath from their uproarious laughter.  Twilight’s heart sped up a little, and both her and Rainbow’s eyes dilated just a little. It was an odd sort of limbo the two found themselves in, and while it only lasted a few seconds, it felt like an eternity. “Uh… Twi?” Rainbow suddenly asked in barely even a whisper, her blush returning all over again. Twilight blinked and swallowed before speaking. “Yes?” “Uh…” Rainbow briefly looked down as if unsure of herself, then resumed eye contact. She leaned a little closer, less than an inch. “I, uh…” Twilight’s heart raced even faster than before as it occurred to her what exactly was happening here. A sudden rush of emotions flooded her veins, all of them pouring out from her heart and scrambling her mind. Excitement, anxiety, confusion, anticipation, longing, and uncertainty were all in there, along with countless other feelings she wasn’t quite able to quantify amid the flood. Twilight watched Rainbow draw a little closer before finally looking off to one side, breaking eye contact. She felt Rainbow’s body tense in her hooves before slowly relaxing, and somehow she could picture the pegasus she was hugging withering like a dying flower. Rainbow let out a quiet sigh, the breath close enough to tickle Twilight’s neck. “R-right… sorry,” she mumbled, barely audible, before slowly and hesitantly releasing Twilight from her grasp. Twilight was quiet for a few seconds before looking over at Rainbow, who had backed up out of her personal space, a sheepish, solemn frown on her face. Her heart twisted with regret in her chest, and she immediately scolded herself for allowing that to happen. But it was done, now. All she could do was try to ease the discomfort of it.  She put on a reassuring smile and pat Rainbow on the shoulder. “I’m sorry, too. But I’m just… not quite ready for that, yet.” Rainbow hummed and looked into Twilight’s eyes again, her own smile slowly returning. “Okay… I gotcha,” she said softly before slowly standing up and glancing back towards the balcony. The sun had finally set, plunging the world into darkness. “Anyways… w-we should probably get some rest. Got a lotta work tomorrow.” Twilight nodded solemnly before rising and making her way back to her own bed. Spike was still seated on top of it, watching the two of them with a despondent and disappointed frown. He didn’t say anything. He merely patted Twilight’s shoulder as she approached before hopping down from her bed to give her her space. “Night, Twilight,” Rainbow called from her bed as she slid under the covers. “Sleep well.” Twilight climbed into bed as well, her eyes swiftly drifting closed. “You, too, Rainbow,” she replied, ready for sleep to claim her and put this day to an end. Sadly, it would not be that easy. Twilight’s mind kept playing the moment back in front of her eyes over and over, and with every repetition, her feelings of guilt and remorse only grew more intense. Rainbow Dash still loved her and had been waiting for their relationship to build back up for almost two years now. In that brief moment, she must have felt that things were finally getting there, and had dared to hope, dared to think that maybe her wait was over. But Twilight had to ruin it, didn’t she? She cringed and inwardly scolded herself for looking away when she did. “Why? Why did I do that?” she demanded of herself inwardly. “It’s been so long! Why can’t I just feel the way she needs me to feel?!” Her subconscious had no answers for her. None that it was willing to surrender to her just then, at least. Instead of a concrete answer, though, a memory slowly drifted up from the depths of her mind, one from the earliest days of her amnesia. “Do you… still love me?” Rainbow’s eyes widened in shock upon hearing that question, and she sat bolt upright. At once, Twilight regretted asking it and looked down. “I’m sorry, that was a stupid question… I should-” “Twilight,” Rainbow cut her off gently before reaching over and patting her on the head. Confused, Twilight looked up and met Rainbow’s gaze again to find that she was giving her a sad smile. “Of course I do…” Twilight leaned back, surprised. “You do?” “Well, duh,” Rainbow rolled her eyes as if it were obvious. “I mean, sure, right now you might not feel it because you can’t remember it, so things are gonna have to go on hold for a while…” she withdrew her hoof, her smile fading away. “It might be a very long time before I hear you tell me the same thing again… it might be a long time before you remember. But I’m willing to wait however long it takes. For you? For what we had? No price will be too high.” Twilight slowly began to relax into her mattress, her tumultuous thoughts beginning to wind down. “However long it takes…” she breathed to herself before finally finding some semblance of peace and falling still. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. I hope I don’t keep you waiting for much longer…” With that thought echoing in her mind, Twilight finally fell asleep.