//------------------------------// // A Labor of Love // Story: Sparkle Dash Family: TMP Stories // by ssjgokillo //------------------------------// The Sparkle Dash Family Final Prompt: All good things must come to an end (A Labor of Love). Disclaimer:  I do not own My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic         Twilight didn’t know if she could actually do it. Oh sure, she had told everypony that she could handle it. But now, standing in front of the door and knowing what she was going to find on the other side…         Maybe it wasn’t too late. Maybe she could go back and ask Applejack and Rarity to help her! At least the presence of her friends might make what needed to happen a little more bearable.         But she couldn’t. Because for all that she loved her friends, this was something she had to do on her own. It didn’t matter that she could already feel tears welling up behind her eyes, or that her stomach felt so twisted around it probably looked like a pretzel.         She paused, took a deep breath, and opened the door.         The room seemed so much bigger now. The walls, once covered with pictures and posters, were stripped bare. The cabinet that had once held multiple awards and various knick-knacks was gone, as was the bed, the dresser, and even the small book shelf that she had housed almost nothing but Daring Doo books.         There was no more Wonderbolts uniforms tossed haphazardly on the ground. No gramophone blasting the latest hits from DJ Pon3. All that remained were a stack of boxes, waiting patiently for their owner to fetch them.  The emptiness of the room almost made Twilight turn and flee, feeling as though she might be chased by the ghosts of the happy memories this room once contained. She shouldered through however, feeling the increasing weight in her stomach with each step she took in the room. It seemed like it had been just yesterday that the house had been filled with laughter, with three ponies and a dragon just enjoying the companionship they offered each other. The memory of those happy times made the silence that hung over the library even more oppressing. A silence that was broken by the creak of wood, caused by somepony coming up the stairs. Twilight turned to see Rainbow Dash enter the room, looking around wistfully. She felt a irrational stab of irritation at the pegasus, and her laid back attitude. “Hey Twi, what’s taking so long? I thought you said you’d have these boxes down in a jiff?” Twilight looked back at the boxes and sighed. She had volunteered to gather the last of them, knowing it would be an easy feat with her magic. But being in the room, seeing it empty… it really drove the point home. “Oh Rainbow Dash!” Twilight cried as she flung her arms around her wife. “I just can’t believe she’s gone!” Rainbow looked at Twilight with a disbelieving grin on her face. “That was a foreboding and easily misunderstood way of saying it. What’s the deal Twi? Scootaloo is just moving out.” “Just moving out?!” Twilight couldn’t believe how relaxed Rainbow Dash was being. “She’s leaving Rainbow! She’s going to move on and we’ll hardly ever see her!” Rainbow Dash opened her mouth, likely in an attempt to stop the oncoming storm of panic she could sense was brewing in her love’s mind. It was too late however. Twilight hadn’t had a panic attack like this since she had been summoned to Canterlot for the test that turned out to be the saving the Crystal Empire. Twilight could feel the words spilling out of her in a rush. “Oh sure! She’ll visit at first, but then she’ll get caught up in her own life! Then she’ll promise to write, but she’ll forget one letter then the next until all we get is the occasional letter, and then she’ll be too busy for even that! Pretty soon we’ll only see her for holidays, but then she’ll start her own family and she’ll be they’ll want to celebrate on their own!” She took a breath to continue her raving. Instead, she gave a squeak of surprise as she felt a pair of warm lips pressed against hers. She tried to pull back, wanted to admonish Rainbow Dash for interrupting her, but Rainbow Dash had wrapped her arms around Twilight’s neck, holding her in place as she continued kissing her. The kiss wasn’t sensual, wasn’t full of Rainbow’s typical lusty abandon. It was soft and gentle, a kiss that wanted nothing more of Twilight than to simply be against her. It was her favorite kind of kiss from the mare she loved, full of the love they shared for each other, and more than enough to banish the panic and depression from her mind. Rainbow let her forehooves fall back to the ground and pulled away from Twilight with a grin that told her she knew exactly what that kiss did to her. “Feel better now?” It was a question that they both knew didn’t need to be answered. Twilight gave a sigh, and smiled at Rainbow Dash. “Sorry, I guess I was overreacting a bit.” “A bit?” Rainbow Dash jokingly nudged Twilight in the side, making her laugh. She nuzzled against Twilight, sighing as she looked around the room. “I know how you feel Twi, but it’s not like we’re never going to see her again. Twilight nodded, burying her muzzle into Rainbow’s colorful mane. “I know Dash. I mean, logically I know. It just feels like the time we had together was so short. The years just passed by so fast. One minute she’s a little filly trying desperately to get her cutie mark, the next she’s all grown up and wanting getting ready to start her own life.”    Sighing, Twilight pulled away from Rainbow Dash, gazing out the window. “I mean, I know this isn’t really the end. It’s the beginning of something new and wonderful. I guess I’m just being a little selfish. I love the way things have been. We’ve had so much fun together, shared so much with each other, I guess I’m just worried that now we might lose that special connection we had.”                   “Oh come on, Twi!” Rainbow said, her smile belying her exasperated tone. “You know that’s never gonna happen. Scootaloo is always going to be there for us, just like we’ll always be there for her right? We’ll still have the memories of all those awesome times, and we’ll always share that special connection, even if we don’t get to see her every day.”                   Rainbow’s words rang true to Twilight. She could feel that dreadful weight in her stomach disappearing. “You’re right Dash. This should be a happy occasion. Our little girl is starting her own life. She’s moving on, just like everypony does, but that doesn’t have to be a sad thing.”   “Besides,” Rainbow Dash said, “She’s just moving into the house Sweetie Belle rented down by the marketplace. She’s like a five minute walk from the library.”    Twilight blushed at that, feeling utterly ridiculous. Not wanting to give Rainbow Dash the satisfaction of seeing her embarrassed, she wrapped her magic around the boxes, levitating them off the floor. “Come on Dashie, I’m sure Scootaloo’s wondering what’s taking us so long.”   “Whatever you say, egghead.” The laughter in Rainbow’s voice told her that the pegasus knew exactly what was going on. It didn’t stop her from nuzzling back though, when Rainbow slid up next to her as they walked out of Scootaloo’s room.   =-=SDF=-=   Twilight and Rainbow Dash stumbled back into the library later that evening. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle’s housewarming party had just ended, and Twilight was still trying to work out how Pinkie Pie had fit that many ponies into the small two bedroom house.   Spike had volunteered to walk Apple Bloom home when Rarity had asked Applejack to accompany her back to the Boutique, so now it was just the two of them in the library.    The silence almost made Twilight’s mind rush back to the panic and loneliness she had felt earlier that day. Thankfully, it was broken by Rainbow’s voice.    “Hey, Twi, come look at this!” Rainbow was looking at something on the table.  Twilight trotted over to find a square shaped package, roughly the size of a book, with an envelope addressed to Rainbow Dash and her on top. She felt something squeeze her heart at the familiar messy writing. With barely a thought she grabbed the envelope in her magic and tore it open, pulling out the letter inside. To Equestria’s Awesomest Moms,                  Yes mom, I know “awesomest” isn’t a word. Though I think mom might argue with you on that!   I know I’ve probably already said it about a million times, but you’re both the best moms a filly could have ever asked for. I know it couldn’t things haven’t always been easy, and I know I’ve caused my fair share of problems. But we always made it through right? I guess I just really wanted you both to know, the greatest day of my life was the day you adopted me. Even better than the day I learned to fly. Because I finally got a family, ponies who loved me no matter how many times I almost set the library on fire.   I made you guys a little gift, I hope you like it.   Also, can I still come over for dinner sometimes? Sweetie said she wanted to do the cooking for us….   I don’t want to die until after I’ve joined the Wonderbolts! Lots of love (and all that other mushy stuff),   Your daughter, Scootaloo   Twilight blinked away the tears in her eyes, a steady stream of them running down her muzzle. She looked over her shoulder where Rainbow Dash had been reading. It didn’t shock her to see the wetness in Dash’s eyes. As tough as the pegasus tried to act, there was no getting passed the fact that she loved their daughter.   Twilight set the letter down, and used her magic to lift the package off the table. She carefully pulled off the simple brown wrapping paper, to see that it was indeed a book inside. There were no words on the cover, just four pictures. Three cutie marks, and a purple dragon’s claw.   She flipped the book open, and found Scootaloo smiling back at her. It was a picture of the day she learned to fly, the excitement and joy the filly felt almost lighting up the room.  She turned to the next page, and then the next, each one filled with pictures of all of them, of their family. Even the pictures that Scootaloo had declared “too mushy” to show anypony were there.   Feathers settled over her back as Rainbow Dash sat next to her, pulling the two of them together with her wing. The two of mares flipped through the pages of memories, both happy and sad. Though they didn’t know it, they shared the same thought.   All good things must come to an end, but they wouldn’t have wanted it to end any other way.