//------------------------------// // Fireproof // Story: Too short to post. Too good to forget. // by alt-tap //------------------------------// Heat permeates my body, Soaking through my scales like water through cloth. Slowly I wake, my eyes open and my lungs fill with smoke. My body is covered in ash and soot and a cough sends it swirling through the air. All I can see in the darkness is scorched bricks and blackened wood, embers still glowing. “Twilight?” I call through the impenetrable darkness. “Rarity?” They can't be far, and I need help. I call for them again, but still I get no reply. Owlowiscious, too, is nowhere to be seen, useless bird. I shift my weight, carefull not to disturb the smoldering debris around me, and get to my feet turning so I can see better. A shape is moving through the gloom, coming cautiously closer. The soft glowing of the coals reveals a white coat and mauve mane. Celeste blue sparkles spread from a pale horn to light the room and Rarity gives me a confused look. “I sleepwalked into the fireplace again,” I explain, mortified by the situation and the fact that it was Rarity who woke first. “Could you magic me to the bath so I don't get soot all over the library please?” I ring my claws nervously while the situation slowly soaks into her sleep fogged mind. I try to smile but it isn’t working very well. Without a word she lifts me in her magic and carries me to the bathroom. “Thanks,” I say as she lowers me into the tub and turns the knob. Cold water gushed from the faucet, but quickly turns warm, them hot. “I’m really sorry I woke you, Rarity. This isn’t a common problem, I sware. It only happens whe-” Soft, supple lips end my rambling. The kiss lasts but a moment, but it’s more than enough for me to know I’m not in trouble. She licks her lips and  fiddles with her mane. “Oh, will you look at that,” she says in a conniving sort of tone. Her hair must have brushed me and now there's a small spot of soot on the edge and the curl is slightly damp with bath water. Both blemishes are highly precise clearly deliberate. “I guess I need a bath now too.” My life is awesome.