The Eclipse Room? Oh, I get it, cuz the whole sun/moon thing...

Rainbow Dash stood back to let Scootaloo follow her into the bedroom before letting the tall door slowly fall shut behind her. She gave the younger mare a thin smile. "So."

Scootaloo didn't smile back. "So?"

"So I guess you're pretty mad at me, huh?"

"No."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her. "You're not?" Scootaloo shook her head. "That's funny, because you sure sounded mad back in the hallway." Scootaloo didn't respond. Rainbow sighed heavily. "Come on, Scoot, just talk to me. What's going on with you?"

"You said you wanted to talk," Scootaloo sneered. "You never said I had to talk back."

"Well, I don't know what to say, kid." The pegasus furrowed her brow. "I know something's up, because you're not really the type to just hole up in a closet and cry about stuff. I want to help you out, but I can't do that if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"I don't want to tell you what's wrong," Scootaloo said.

"Why not?" Rainbow asked. "You and I talk about everything, squirt. What makes this different?"

"Just...because," Scootaloo said, her voice tightening.

"Because why?"

"Because," Scootaloo repeated.

"Yeah, but because wh--"

"Because it's about you, that's why!" Scootaloo yelled, startling Rainbow into silence. "I don't want to tell you what's wrong, because it's you! You can't help me with this problem, because the problem is you!" Tears were running down Scootaloo's cheeks again, the filly's face twisted in anger and pain.

Rainbow blinked, stunned. "M...me? What did I--?"

"Ugh!" Scootaloo tossed her mane sharply and started to stomp back and forth across the carpeted floor. "Everything! Everything you do, everything you say, it's just..." She huffed and snorted a few times, casting about for the right words. She turned and glared at Rainbow, who leaned back slightly under the intensity of the gaze. "Look, I thought we were like sisters, you know? I thought we cared about each other and talked about everything, and I was wrong, alright? I thought we had something important and meaningful, and it turns out I was just being a stupid, emotional filly, and you went ahead and went on with your life and became a Wonderbolt and now you're going to move away and get famous and I'll still be here in Ponyville, crying about how my big sister left me behind!" The tears still flowed unabated as she ranted, her voice ragged and thick.

"Whoa," Rainbow said, "wait a second. That's what this is about? Me leaving? Scootaloo, you knew I was going to leave someday, didn't you? I mean, we talked about it a lot, remember? Coming up with choreography for shows, trying to figure out what my signature was gonna look like, making plans to send you a ton of Wonderbolts swag so you could wallpaper your room with it...remember?"

Scootaloo scowled at the floor between her hooves. "Yeah, well...maybe I just didn't think about what that all meant." She slowly settled to her haunches, the angry expression softening. "Maybe I was just...pretending it was all a silly dream or fantasy or something that was fun to pretend, but would never actually happen."

Rainbow stared at the other pegasus, stung. "You thought it was all a silly fantasy? So, what?" Her voice hardened, catching Scootaloo's attention. "You didn't think I could do it? You didn't think I could actually become a Wonderbolt?"

"No, that's not--"

"Or maybe," Rainbow interrupted her, "you hoped I wouldn't become one? Maybe I'd get rejected, or fail out, or lose interest, and just stay here in Ponyville forever?" She flipped her tail in agitation, her voice getting louder as the drunken haze started feeding her angry words. "Maybe I'd be content to just hang out with you, huh? Maybe that would be enough to make up for the fact that I had to give up on the dream I've had since I was a filly, right?"

Scootaloo stared at her with wide, hurt eyes. "No, that isn't what I--"

"Then what, Scootaloo? What are you trying to say?"

"I'll miss you, Rainbow!" Tears ran down Scootaloo's cheeks again as Rainbow slowly stalked towards her.

Rainbow Dash sat back on her haunches and threw her hooves in the air in exasperation. "Of course you will, Scootaloo! I'll miss you, too, but you didn't really think I would give up on everything I've ever wanted just to prevent that, did you? I'm going to miss all my other friends, too, but you don't see them saying crap like this, do you?"

"N-no, but--"

"But what?" She was working herself into a frenzy now, just inches from Scootaloo's face. "Why should you be this upset when--"

"Because I love you, okay?" Scootaloo cried. Then she squeezed her eyes shut and closed the distance between them in an instant. Before Rainbow had a chance to process what the younger mare had said, she felt Scootaloo's lips against her own, and all thought ceased.

The kiss was brief but intense, a chaste, close-lipped embrace that Rainbow couldn't react to, couldn't even contemplate until it was over and Scootaloo had pulled back to sit on her haunches, their lips making a tiny pop as they parted. The orange pegasus slumped miserably to the floor and sniffed as she stared at the space between them. "I love you, Rainbow," she repeated. "I have for a while now. I kinda thought at first it was just, you know...sisterly, like Sweetie and Rarity, or Apple Bloom and Applejack, but it got so much deeper than that. I started dreaming about you, I started thinking about you in class, I started...fantasizing about you..." She trailed off as her face reddened and she glanced to the side, as if ashamed to look at any part of Rainbow while she spoke.

"You...lo--?" Rainbow tried to speak, but the words died on her tongue as her brain struggled to put Scootaloo's confession into some frame of reference she could handle.

"Yeah, I know. Stupid, right?" Scootaloo smirked wanly. "I know, I'm a freak, falling in love with a mare, not to mention a mare I've always called my big sister, who's a whole lot older--"

"Hey, now." Rainbow suddenly found her voice. She forced a half-smile. "I'm not that much older than you, squirt."

Scootaloo gave a short, dull laugh. "Still." She sighed. "Look, Rainbow, I...I know this is really weird, and I'm sorry I even mentioned it, okay? I'm sorry I didn't come in to the ballroom and wish you good luck, I'm sorry I kept you awake by crying in the closet, I'm sorry I yelled at you, and I'm sorry...just...I'm sorry." She sniffed and shook her head. "I wish I'd never even come to the party tonight. I should've stayed home and been miserable there, so I wouldn't ruin everything."

Rainbow's stomach tightened and a wave of pity washed over her. She managed a genuine smile and gently put a hoof under Scootaloo's chin, forcing her to look into Rainbow's eyes. "Come on, kid, you know that wouldn't have helped. I just woulda been worried about you anyway, and I probably would've gone out to your place and dragged you down here by your wing if you didn't show up."

Scootaloo tried to look away, but Rainbow redirected her muzzle back to look at her. The younger mare's eyes glittered and streamed as she glowered at the blue pegasus. "Stop that," she muttered, her voice shaking slightly. "Just let me go home and forget this stupid night happened."

Rainbow smirked. "I don't think so, squirt. I don't want you to forget this night, because I don't want to forget it either." With that, she pulled Scootaloo forward and kissed her back. She closed her eyes, so she couldn't see the younger mare's face, but Scootaloo's squeak of surprise and immediate trembling reciprocation spoke volumes in its stead. Scootaloo's lips were warm and soft, and when Rainbow slyly flitted her tongue across them, they parted almost at once, allowing her to tentatively explore the heat behind. Barely inside Scootaloo's mouth, their tongues met for the briefest of instants before Rainbow finally managed to regain control of her senses and pulled back, leaving Scootaloo leaning forward, her lips still comically puckered.

Then her eyes fluttered open and she sat back, her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. "R-rainbow! I...I don't..." She trailed off, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof.

Rainbow Dash smiled. "You know, Scoot, you're pretty cute, especially when you're all flustered like this."

"C-cute?" Scootaloo stammered, eyes wide.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah. I always thought so, too. I mean, you've always been adorable, even when you were just a filly. Everypony knew you were gonna grow up and just be a stunner. Not like Sweetie Belle, maybe," she amended, "but you know, in your own sassy, tomcolty way."

Scootaloo smiled sheepishly and looked at the floor, awkwardly crossing her forelegs. "You're just saying that."

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Nah, I wasn't even the one saying it. We were like sisters, right? I didn't want to even think about you that way." She pursed her lips. "But then we were all together at your coming-of-age party, and Rarity started talking about how 'before we knew it, you were gonna have colts just tripping over themselves to catch your attention'. And of course Twilight said you might prefer mares, and that kind of got me thinking, and..." She sighed. "I couldn't help myself. I started looking at you like one of those colts might, and, well..." She smiled wryly. "I fell hard, kid. You are absolutely slammin' hot."

Scootaloo blinked, her mouth hanging slightly open. "I...what? You...huh?"

Rainbow chuckled. "It's true. I know you probably don't think so, but trust me, I see a lot of sleek, hard-bodied mares on the weather teams and keeping tabs on the Wonderbolts, and I've never felt the same way about any of them as I do about you. You're...Luna, how do I even describe it?" She looked up at the ceiling, trying to organize her thoughts. "Being sexy is so much more than just how you look, you know? I mean, you're obviously super cute and fit and all that," she said, ignoring Scootaloo's stifled giggles, "but you're also really smart, and fun, and confident..." Rainbow finally looked back down and met Scootaloo's eyes with a half-lidded, sultry gaze. "I love you too, Scootaloo. I have for a long time."

"Y-you do?" Scootaloo gawked at her.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah. I never said or did anything because I knew how important it was to you, me being your big sister and all. I didn't want to do anything to ruin that."

"But...but I've been in love with you forever!" Scootaloo wailed, throwing her hooves up in frustration. "If you'd said something, we could have done something! We could have, like, gone on dates, and hung out, and made out, and I could've called you my marefriend, and everypony would be super jealous, and...and..."

Rainbow giggled. "Yeah, well...missed opportunities, kid. Happens sometimes." She smiled sadly. "Honestly, I wish you'd said something sooner, too."

Scootaloo slumped sadly to the floor. "Yeah, great. Me too. And now it's too late."

There was a long silence. Well, externally, anyway. Inside her own head, Rainbow was having a screaming match with herself.

Don't you dare! This is not the time to be thinking about this!

But if not tonight, when? I'm leaving tomorrow.

All the more reason to let it go! Don't make this worse than it already is!

She deserves the chance to decide for herself. She's an adult.

An adult who is completely infatuated with you. She would do anything you asked and you know it.

Except she wouldn't, would she? Rainbow gave the younger mare an appraising look, remarking not for the first time just how much the filly she'd once agreed to take under her wing and teach her everything she knew had grown and changed over the past several years. Gone was the constant, wide-eyed sycophancy of hero-worship, replaced long ago by something more mature, more meaningful. They were still the best of friends. They still hung out as much as their hectic lives allowed, and they made it a point to set aside a day or two a month to just sit and have dinner together, to discuss whatever topics came to mind and simply enjoy one another's company. These dates always stretched long into the night, and sometimes saw the break of dawn the next day.

As a side effect, they'd spent so much time together that Scootaloo had had the opportunity--and the misfortune, sometimes--of seeing her hero at her worst, at a loss, sick, injured, angry, petty, and generally displaying all the weaknesses of character that made mortals of legends. Through it all, Scootaloo had never wavered in her loyalty to their friendship, but she'd eventually lost her innocent wonder at her surrogate sibling's magnificence. Rainbow actually smiled at this thought. It was all fine and good to have throngs of rabid fans, if only to bolster her reputation for the sake of joining the Wonderbolts, but she had always hoped that her relationship with Scootaloo might evolve into something more substantial. From fawning adulant to surrogate sibling, to mentee and finally to friend, their lives had been a long, steady adventure together leading to this singular moment, where the actual definition of their relationship was ripe to be set in stone, irrevocable and infinite.

And yet, Rainbow desperately feared the consequences of making the wrong decision. To guess wrong and try to apply the wrong label to what they had might permanently damage their relationship, a risk Rainbow Dash was not willing to take. Better, she knew, to simply stagnate, to sit at the precipice and wait for outside forces to push them in one direction or the other, lest she be forever remembered in Scootaloo's mind as the one who destroyed the best thing either of them had. With a small internal sigh, Rainbow resigned herself to the discouraging truth that daredevil though she may be, she simply didn't have that kind of courage. She leaned forward and gently nuzzled Scootaloo's cheek, simultaneously relishing and hating the swooping sensation in her stomach at the contact. "I'm glad you told me all this, I really am. It's good to...clear the air before we go our separate ways, you know?"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at her. "I guess?" There was another long pause, and Rainbow Dash spent the entirety of it sweeping her eyes all over Scootaloo's body, struggling to ignore her thundering heart and resisting the urge to say impossibly dangerous things. Somewhat to her own disappointment, she succeeded, and eventually Scootaloo said, "So, uh...I know you've got a long flight tomorrow, so I'm gonna...just...I should go." She awkwardly pawed at the floor.

Rainbow Dash nodded stiffly. "Yeah, okay." Her stomach tightened as Scootaloo got back to her hooves and turned to leave. This was it. The moment stared her in the face, and she struggled to let it go. Every step seemed to take hours, and yet everything was happening too fast. She was halfway to the door. She was a few hooves away from the door. She was turning the handle. She was pulling--

"Wait!" Scootaloo paused and looked back over her shoulder. Rainbow Dash blinked, stunned at her mouth's betrayal of her brain's decision. The treachery continued. "You...you don't have to leave yet." She forced a thin, uneven smile. "You know, if you don't want to."

Scootaloo stared at her. "Are you sure?" The hint of hopefulness woven into the question bolstered Dash's reckless confidence.

"Yeah, I mean..." She shrugged. "It's not really that late, and I'm not slee--" She paused to produce a tremendous yawn that left tears in her eyes. "Sleepy," she finished, blinking blearily.

Scootaloo giggled. "You're not, huh?"

Rainbow smirked. "Alright, maybe a little. Still...I don't want to go to bed just yet."

Scootaloo considered the partially open door. "I really shouldn't..."

It took tremendous effort for Rainbow to dislodge the next words from her throat. "Please stay." A sudden rush of emotion flooded into Rainbow's midsection, pushing a wave of tears to her eyes. Stunned, she ignored them as best she could, blinking them away. "Just for a little bit."

Scootaloo teetered on the threshold for a moment, glancing between Rainbow and the exit. Finally, she nudged the door closed again. "Alright. Just a little while." Unbidden relief flooded Rainbow's body and the tight smile softened as Scootaloo came back to where Rainbow was standing. "But you know I can't stay long. You need to sleep if you're going to be flying for eight hours tomorrow."

Rainbow waved a hoof nonchalantly. "Nah, don't worry about it. I've flown further on less sleep." She beckoned Scootaloo to follow her and the two mares made their way to a long semi-circular sofa in the middle of the room. Rainbow settled into one of the cushions as Scootaloo climbed up onto another one, a few hooves away. Both pegasi sighed contentedly as they sank into the soft seats. "So," Rainbow said, "I noticed you kind of missed the whole party."

Scootaloo winced and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. "Yeah, well...I mean, I didn't miss all of it, just...most of it." She frowned at the coffee table in front of them. "I left a little while after you showed up 'cuz..." She sighed. "'Cuz everyone kept wishing you good luck and saying good bye and hugging and talking about how long it was gonna be before we saw you again, and...and I couldn't stop myself from crying anymore." She looked down at her hooves, an unmistakable glint in her eye.

Rainbow made a sympathetic noise. "Really? You never used to cry about this sort of thing, though. Does me leaving really hit you that hard?"

Scootaloo blushed and nodded slightly. "Of course it does, Rainbow. You're really important to me, you know." She paused, then added, "Plus, I kinda started drinking as soon as I showed up and didn't stop until you did."

"Oh?" Rainbow smirked. "And how long was that?"

Scootaloo shrugged. "I dunno. I drank like four Thunderheads, though, so..."

"Damn, Scoot," Rainbow breathed. "That's, like, a lot."

The younger mare grimaced. "Tell me about it. I spent the first hour in that closet staring at the wall and wishing it would sit still." She sighed. "But I'm kinda coming down now." She smacked her lips and stuck out her tongue. "Now I'm just thirsty. And my head's a little...fuzzy."

Rainbow giggled in spite of herself. "Your head's always fuzzy, kid." Scootaloo gave her a scathing look, but both mares grinned at the joke. "I'm pretty much in the same boat. Actually, Twi said--"

There was a sudden knock at the door, and Rainbow said, "Speak of the dragon...come in!"

The door opened, and Spike backed into the suite, balancing a large try with a fancy ewer and two tall glasses in his claws. "Hey, Rainbow. Twilight said you looked like you needed some--oh, hey Scootaloo." The dragon's cheeks darkened a shade. "I didn't expect you to be here, too."

Scootaloo smiled at him. "Hey Spike. Rainbow and I were just chatting a bit before bed."

He coughed, the blush deepening. "Sure, sure. No big deal. I guess it's a good thing I brought two glasses then, huh?" He grinned widely, showing off a row of razor-sharp teeth in a decidedly awkward smile.

"Guess so," Rainbow said, puzzling over his bizarre attitude.

"Well, I'll just leave you to it, then!" he said brightly. "Have a good night. Oh, and congratulations again, Rainbow!" He was gone a moment later, slamming the door shut behind him.

"That was weird," Scootaloo said as she leaned forward to pour herself a glass of water.

"Yeah, I wonder...oh, man!" Rainbow suddenly burst out laughing.

Scootaloo furrowed her brow. "What?"

"He...he thinks we're gonna spend the night together! Oh, man," she said again between fits of giggles, "no wonder he was all...purple. I betcha he thinks he was lucky he didn't walk in on us in bed."

Scootaloo's eyes widened and she blushed. "Oh...wow. Yeah, that would be..." She coughed. "Well...we can always straighten him out later, I guess."

Rainbow poured herself a glass of water and drank the entire thing in one go. She smacked her lips. The cool, clear liquid washed through her muzzle and down her throat like a mountain stream, taking the sour residue of several different kinds of alcohol with it and leaving her with a fresh, clean-tasting mouth.

Scootaloo licked her lips, having drained her glass as well. "Buck, I really needed that. I didn't realize how thirsty I was."

Rainbow nodded. "Same." She refilled the glass and took a smaller sip of it. The two mares sat in silence for a bit, drinking their water and watching the night sky roll by through one of the tall castle windows. The moment was back. It nudged Rainbow in the back of the head, mischievous and persistent. She resisted it for as long as she could, but the quiet buzz of intoxication and the urgency of her impending departure conspired against her. The moment won. "Hey, Scoot," she said quietly, "did you really mean what you said earlier? All that stuff about how you wish we could've gone on dates and made out and stuff?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah." Scootaloo nodded. "Of course. I mean," she shrugged. "That's what marefriends do, right?"

Rainbow smirked. "You really think you'd've liked to be my marefriend, huh?"

"Definitely."

Rainbow's smirk faltered slightly. She was treading dangerous waters, and she wasn't entirely sure she was still in control of the rudder. "So...how long have you...you know...wanted that?"

Scootaloo raised an eyebrow at her before turning her gaze to the far wall, tracing back through her memories. "I'm not real sure. I mean, it kinda just happened. I didn't really make a whole lot of effort in that direction. We were like sisters, you know?" She shrugged. "When I was still a filly, that was pretty much the only way I saw you, so I always thought it would stay that way." She swirled the water in the glass in her hooves and stared down at it, blushing. "But it didn't." She sighed. "I think it really started that day I came to ask you why my...my wings wouldn't stay down and I..." She blushed harder. "I started winking."

Rainbow Dash smiled through her own blush at the recollection. The incident in question had been the first time Scootaloo had ever really seemed genuinely nervous when coming to Rainbow Dash for advice, and the older mare had done her level best to make the discussion as comfortable and nonchalant as she could. She'd listened patiently to Scootaloo's questions and concerns, then calmly explained that there was nothing to be worried about, that it was just something that happened to mares when they reached puberty. Even the winking, she'd added, was just part of her body's natural reaction to being sexually excited or aroused. Rainbow had followed this explanation with an offer to show Scootaloo exactly what a mature mare's vulva looked like, and to even demonstrate what exactly was happening when she 'winked'.

In truth, Rainbow had not expected Scootaloo to take her up on the offer. It had been a spur of the moment--moderately self-serving--suggestion that she had to admit to herself was not entirely altruistic. But when Scootaloo had, after some consideration, agreed that yes, she was actually curious exactly what was going on, Rainbow had had to stifle an illicit thrill as she'd leaned forward, pressing her chest to the ground and shifting her tail to the side to give Scootaloo a clear view of her marehood. It was easy to show her what a winking clitoris looked like, because the conversation had already aroused her to the point of physical response. She'd stood like that for several seconds, her head spinning slightly at the deliciously lewd posture and the knowledge that Scootaloo was examining her privates with dedicated interest.

Finally, Scootaloo had indicated she was satisfied, and Rainbow had reluctantly returned to their conversation, resisting the urge to giggle at the blush on the younger mare's cheeks. The rest of the talk had been perfectly pragmatic. They'd discussed differences in their mareparts, the general function of the different elements, and finally the general details of the act itself. Scootaloo had thanked her for her help, they'd hugged, and the young pegasus had gone on her way. Rainbow Dash had clopped long and hard that night.

"So...what part of that...conversation got you interested?" Rainbow asked, fairly certain of the answer but wanting to hear it direct from Scootaloo's mouth.

Scootaloo blushed harder, her orange cheeks turning maroon. "The uh...the part where I got to watch you wink."

Rainbow grinned, noting with a thrill of arousal that Scootaloo's wings were slowly unfurling, mirroring her own. "'Got to', huh?"

Scootaloo nodded with a small smile. "Yeah, it was...pretty awesome."

The blue pegasus laughed. "I gotta say, it was pretty awesome for me, too."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Oh, yeah. Getting to show off like that? I already told you I'd been crushing on you for a while before that, right?" Scootaloo smiled shyly, looking at the sofa between them. "Honestly, I was kinda hoping you'd try and make a move."

The younger mare's eyes snapped back to Rainbow's, the pupils suddenly minute in her shock. "Y-you were?"

Rainbow smirked. "Buck yeah. I mean, I wasn't gonna push you, because that would be super creepy, but if you'd, you know...wanted to touch it or something..."

The words trailed off into silence, and the room fell still. Both mares felt the atmosphere shift and their faces burned in unison, their gazes irrevocably drawn to one another and yet agonizingly unable to meet. Rainbow's marehood seared, radiating heat she could feel in her tail as the winking nub flitted against the coarse hair, the flesh sliding smoothly between her lips as her body enthusiastically lubricated itself in hopeful anticipation.

The moment was back. Rainbow's mouth was dry and she swallowed nothing as the heat coursed through her, pulsing in her face and her nethers with equal strength. She knew what she wanted. No, she knew what she needed, but she dared not chase it. Not now. A queer sensation, almost unrecognizable to the pegasus in its rarity flitted through her. Fear. Not excitement, not the same kind of breathless anticipation of a daring trick, or a difficult show. This was fear, raw and horrible, closing around her throat and sending tremors of panic through her limbs. Her heart raced, recalling her first performance at the Best Young Flyer's competition so long ago. It was an awful, twisting, tugging that she knew could be dispelled in a sentence if only she could bring herself to voice one request or the other. She could not. She sat petrified, deeply regretting that the conversation had ever made its way to this point and willing to sacrifice almost anything to--

The sofa lurched, and Rainbow's lightning reflexes barely managed to turn her head in time to see Scootaloo pouncing at her from across the cushions. Her eyes widened and she tried to react, but she had nowhere to go, and no action to take. Scootaloo landed directly on her barrel, pinning her wings and her forelegs beneath the younger mare's dense, slender form. Rainbow had only an instant to register Scootaloo's face, but the emotions were so intense, so fierce and bare that she cataloged them all in turn. Frustration, desperation, anger, pain, despair...but most clearly, most obviously--and to Rainbow, most satisfying--written across Scootaloo's achingly beautiful, perfectly imperfect features was love, raw and primal. Scootaloo had made a decision. It was the one Rainbow had dared not risk. Her heart soared.

Then it stopped.

This kiss was nothing like the first two. Where their first kisses had been tender and careful, with gentle caresses and slow buildup, this kiss struck like a lightning bolt. The contact was forceful, almost painful, but it lasted only an instant before Scootaloo's tongue writhed desperately against Rainbow's lips, demanding admission. Rainbow didn't hesitate, but opened her mouth and eagerly met Scootaloo's tongue with her own. The lithe muscles curled around one another, wrestling and sliding back and forth, leaving Rainbow with Scootaloo's taste lingering on every inch of her tongue. Rainbow's eyes rolled back and she moaned softly into her companion's mouth as she relished the sensation of Scootaloo's warm, strong body pressed against her own, their fur sliding past each other, the younger mare's enthusiasm transparent in every move she made.

Then their tongues slid apart, their lips separated, and Rainbow was about to speak when Scootaloo attacked again, redoubling her efforts. This second kiss was less open, less primal, but no less urgent. Their lips met again and again, parting each time with a quiet smacking sound as they savored the contact. Scootaloo turned her head this way and that as they embraced as though seeking to experience every possible permutation of the kiss she'd so desperately longed to share with her friend, her mentor, her deepest, most cherished love. Rainbow returned the feelings with interest. Every lost opportunity, every breathtaking glance, every moment alone together they'd wasted, afraid to express their love was coming back now, and she poured herself into her lover.

Lover...

STOP!

Suddenly, Rainbow's rational mind came screaming back into her consciousness. Her eyes snapped open and she frantically pushed Scootaloo back, separating them and leaving the other pegasus hanging in empty space, her mouth open and still slightly puckered. Scootaloo's eyes slowly fluttered open and she blinked down at Rainbow, a shadow of concern crossing over her face. "Scootaloo," Rainbow said, her breath coming in short gasps, "we...we can't do this."

Scootaloo was equally breathless, her chest heaving as she glanced down at Rainbow's chest, then back up at her face. "We...can't? Why not?"

"Why not?" Rainbow almost rolled her eyes, but she managed to keep her voice even. "Where do I start? I'm too old for you, I'm leaving town tomorrow, you just came of age--"

"Like, months ago."

Rainbow shook her head. "I can't be what you need, okay? This, tonight...it's just not fair to you."

"Fair to me?" Scootaloo's eyes widened and her brow furrowed as she picked her way off of Rainbow's torso, staring at her with something akin to disbelief. "You're trying to decide what's fair to me?"

Rainbow propped herself up on her elbows and pursed her lips. "No, I just know what isn't, and me taking advantage of you like this, right before I take off for Celestia knows how long--"

"Whoa, whoa," Scootaloo interrupted her. "Taking advantage of me? Rainbow Dash, am I a filly?"

Rainbow shook her head. "No, but--"

"Am I stupid? Naive? Do you think I don't understand this is a big deal?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "No, but--"

"Stop that!" Scootaloo snapped, drawing Rainbow's attention back to her incensed face. "Stop rolling your eyes at me and talking to me like I'm some foal who doesn't understand what you're trying to say!"

Rainbow glared at her. "I don't think you don't understand what I'm saying, I think you don't know what I mean."

"Then talk to me like an adult, and not like some kid you have to coddle and protect."

"But I do, Scootaloo! That's the whole point!" Rainbow sat up now, waving her hooves in frustration. "I have to protect you!"

"I don't need you to protect me, Rainbow!"

"But I need to protect you!" Scootaloo fell silent at this, confusion painted across her face. Rainbow grappled with the words to make her point. "Look, I...you mean everything to me, Scootaloo. I love you so much, maybe more than all my other friends, more than the Wonderbolts, more than anything else in Equestria. If anything happened to you..." She grimaced and shook her head, fighting tears of frustration. "I can't let anypony hurt you, okay? Not even--no, especially not me!"

Scootaloo stared at her, agog. "Rainbow," she said, her voice softer now, "you can't protect me forever. You can't protect me from everything...or from everypony." A wan smile forced its way to her lips. "I'm gonna get hurt sometimes. Don't you think I should decide how or when?" She reached out and placed a hoof on Rainbow's knee. The cyan pegasus glared at it. "Or who?"

Rainbow didn't speak for several seconds. When she did, her voice was barely more than a whisper. "I don't want to hurt you." She looked back up at Scootaloo, for once ignoring the tears clinging to her eyelids. "I don't want you to think you have to do this just because I'm your hero or anything like that."

Scootaloo giggled softly. "Rainbow, I haven't worn that wig in years, you know." Rainbow smirked through her tears. "But," Scootaloo said, "I don't want you to think I'm doing this just because you're my hero."

"Then why are you?" Rainbow asked.

Scootaloo smiled and leaned forward to nuzzle Rainbow's cheek. "I want to." She pulled back and gave Rainbow a kiss. Rainbow melted into it.

When they parted, Rainbow rested her forehead against Scootaloo's and sighed. "I do too."