//------------------------------//
// Firelight 
// Story: Rainbooms and Romance 
// by Kodeake 
//------------------------------//

Firelight

A lone pony sat. Before her was a roaring fire, feeding from a small pile of logs in the small fireplace. The soft oranges and fierce reds danced around the room, the quiet crackling adding to the howling wind and pounding outside. Just beyond the wood walls of the tree the pony resided in was a terrible storm. Having rolled in from the Everfree a few days before, the storm had raged outside ever since. The Ponyville weather team was unable to contain it, so instead they warned the town to either evacuate or take shelter. 

Twilight had sent Spike to Canterlot; his coldblooded body would have a hard time surviving the sudden cold snap. Without him the library was silent. She herself had decided to remain behind in Ponyville, intending on heading up a team of ponies to asess and repair any damages directly after the storm had passed.

Twilight walked out of her kitchen, two steaming mugs in her magic, to find Rainbow Dash in the same position she had been when the unicorn left; curled up on a pillow in front of the fire.

The pegasus had come knocking on her door – or rather crashing into her door – right after the storm had fully set in. She had been the last of the weather team to give up, fighting tooth and nail to protect her town from the storm. Unfortunately, the strong winds and pounding rain had eventually defeated even her, blowing her off course and directly into the library.

Rainbow’s wing had been injured on the rather rough impact with the door, making the flight back to her house impossible. But even if she could have flown home, Twilight would have insisted she stay. Just the thought of Rainbow out in the storm alone brought a shiver to her spine.

Suddenly, a deafening thunder crack sounded outside. It was so loud that the entire tree shook, almost causing Twilight to drop the mugs, and very effectively scaring Rainbow. The pegasus, who had been half asleep in front of the soothing fire, jumped at least three feet in the air, before her wings kicked in. After that, she was all the way up to the roof, a hoof help over her chest to slow her heart and calm her breathing. Twilight couldn’t help but laugh.

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up egghead,” Rainbow said sarcastically as she lowered herself back own to the ground. She landed with hardly a noise before motioning to the mugs Twilight was carrying. “That the hot chocolate you promised me?”

The unicorn simply nodded, levitating one of the two over for Rainbow to grab. Twilight herself walked over and sat down on the pillow next to the cyan mare, much closer that ordinary friends would.

Though they were no longer ordinary friends. Ever since the first day Rainbow had showed up at her door, Twilight had been trying to talk to her. It had taken a while, but eventually she had built up the nerve to tell Rainbow about her real feelings for the brash pegasus mare.

To her shock, Rainbow had told her about her own feelings towards the bookish unicorn.

After that, it was all a bit of a happy haze for Twilight. Sure, she could remember what they had done, what they had said, what had happened, but she didn’t need to remember. All she needed to remember was how she felt at the time. And what she felt was a combination of joy, bliss, and love. Her own love, of course, and the love from somepony else.

All together, it had made her a very happy mare. The same could be said for Rainbow, now lying on the pillow, her side pressed up against Twilight, as she watched the fire. Her mug sat in front of her, next to Twilight’s, still steaming.

What they did after the storm ended didn’t matter right now. For now they had each other, and for them that was good enough to last them a lifetime.

But maybe it wouldn’t last a lifetime. Maybe what they had together would fizzle out eventually, but that was a possibility neither of them paid much attention to. For now they could be together. For now they could have hope.

For the time being they could sit together, cuddling on a pillow in front of the fire.

Twilight crossed her hooves and laid her head down on them, her eyes slowly sliding shut as the crackling of the fire lulled her to sleep.

“Hey Twi?” Rainbow asked suddenly, sapping the idea of sleep from the unicorn’s mind. She turned to face her winged friend with a quizzically raised brow. Instead of an answer, she got a light but passionate kiss.

I love you,” Rainbow said after pulling back, her cheeks a scarlet read as she smiled hopefully. Twilight’s lips curled into a smile as well before she leaned back.

For now they could be together under the firelight.