Where You Belong

by Jhoira


Name

Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched. She'd never felt such soft wood in her entire life! She grinned and pushed the reed blanket off herself. Walking out of the tree she looked up. "Good morning up there." After a few moments, those large amber eyes looked down at her, the happy humming answering her. Rainbow Dash smiled slightly as she looked down to see two apples sitting in front of her. She grabbed one up and quickly and devoured it. Looking up at her quiet companion.

After a long moment Rainbow Dash frowned. "Hey, what should I call you? I mean... I could just call you beautiful." The giggle came again but the moving eyes indicated a shaking if the head. "Too bad. I suppose that you don't know how to write ponish do you?" Another head shaking. Rainbow Dash sat down to try and puzzle it out. Then in front of her, a tiny tree popped up. After a moment of starting Rainbow Dash grinned. "Oh! Tree?" A low growl, then the tiny leaves on the tiny tree turned orange and started to fall. "Oh, fall?" Another growl and Rainbow Dash thought for a moment. "Autumn?" The hum told her she was right. But Rainbow Dash's next statement was interrupted by a small fire bursting into life next to it. "Ahh!... Oh. Hm... Autumn Fire?" A low growl and Rainbow Dash tried again. "Flame? Flicker? Blaze?" The hum came and Rainbow Dash smiled. "Ahh! Autumn Blaze?" The hum continued.

"Well, Autumn Blaze, are you planning on coming down to visit today?" There was a long silence. Rainbow Dash looked up and waited, but the silence continued. Rainbow Dash shifted and waited for a few more minutes. "I'm sorry Autumn Blaze, am I pushing?" A growled response caused Rainbow Dash to frown. "Do you want to come down?... But aren't supposed to?" Two hums at that and Rainbow Dash nodded. That explained a number of things, including why it took her so long to meet her hostess. "I'm sorry about that Autumn Blaze. I'll stop pestering you I don't want you to get in trouble." And at that there was what sounded like a quiet whimper. Rainbow Dash looked up at the new sound. She decided that silence was her best course of action.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her face and looked out at the tree around her. "Is the forest safe? I thought I might go for a bit of a walk but circling the tree is boring." There was a hum followed by a growl and Rainbow Dash frowned. "So it is safe but you don't want me going in a walk?" Another hum. "Why not?" No response and Rainbow Dash chuckles. "Oh, of course that was a silly question... Hm... Let me think..." Rainbow Dash absently poked at the tiny tree As she compiled a list in her head.

Rainbow Dash took a leaf out of Twilight's book and set out a list of every reason she could come up with. She frowned after a moment as she realized that if the answer was her first guess she'd just wasted her time. She shrugged, there was either something she didn't get about the method, or Twilight really was even more of an egghead than she thought. "Well, do you not want me to go in a walk because you'd be lonely?" Autumn Blaze giggled but then growled gently. "Darn." Another gentle giggle. "The forest is confusing and easy to get lost in?" A low growl. "No one is allowed in the forest?" A small hum and Rainbow Dash nodded. "Oh, so I'm guessing your people aren't big in outsiders?" A gentle hum. "And that's why you... Uh... Weren't really happy with the fact that I thought you were beautiful?" A short pause then another hum.

Rainbow Dash frowned out at the forest then smiled gently to herself. "I don't suppose we could meet with your people and convince them I'm good? And that we're all good?" A low growl, though a sad one if Rainbow Dash has learned to read Autumn Blaze's hums at all. Well, her hums and her growls. Rainbow Dash smiled as she sat down and leaned back. "Well that's too bad. You could have visited Ponyville with me. Ooh, I wonder if Twilight could teach you the cloud walking spell. You could have visited my house." At the curious hum, Rainbow Dash grinned. "Oh! We Pegasi live up in the clouds. I think I mentioned that, didn't I? My house is called the cloudominium. And I'd be interested to see your people. Do you all live in trees? And, I mean, if you wanted, you could have, eventually, you might have lived there too. If you know... You wanted to..." she was interrupted by a loud thump behind her.

Quickly turning around Rainbow Dash met the kirin's eyes. After a few moments, Autumn Blaze was fully in view, making obviously purposeful eye contact with Rainbow Dash. "Uh... You're... Back down." Autumn Blaze nodded, still making eye contact and Rainbow Dash couldn't stop herself from shifting a bit, thinking that she was missing something very obvious. "Aren't you not supposed to be down here? So... This is important?" A low hum and Rainbow Dash continued to stare.

"I'm sorry Autumn Blaze, but I don't know what you need from me..." Autumn Blaze hesitated a moment before pointing at Rainbow Dash, who nodded hesitantly. Then she pointed to herself and pointed up to the sky. Rainbow Dash's nodded as she understood. "Oh yeah, I'm completely serious Autumn Blaze. It'd be awesome if you could come with. There'd be a lot new for you to see!" She smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, about that. I know you can't leave, it's ok."

A low growl then Autumn Blaze ran back up into the tree's branches, cloaking herself in magic once more. Rainbow Dash nodded before frowning. Autumn Blaze just growled... Was she saying no to 'you can't leave...?'