//------------------------------// // 6. The Choice // Story: Dash of Humanity 3: Consequences // by Kaidan //------------------------------//         A long whistle sounded as the train pulled into Ponyville station. The doors of the train opened and a flood of ponies got off. I stood still, watching the train and not particularly interested in where it was going. “Are you doing okay, Dawn?” Fluttershy asked. “Yeah. If I’d known you were being literal when you said Dash would drag me here by the tail if she needed to I wouldn’t have taken so long to pack.” “You’re doing the right thing Dawn,” Twilight assured. “If you didn’t show up to the hearing it’d lend credibility to whatever lies the defense may use to get Soarin out on bail.” “I still say we let him out on bail so I can pay him a little visit,” Dash said. “I’m with her, so you go get revenge and I’ll stay here.” I took a step backwards but Applejack was right behind me, blocking the way. “Now Sugar Cube, you know we can’t let ya run from your problems anymore.” She gave me a gentle nudge forward. “We better get onboard before it leaves.” A double whistle punctuated her sentence as the train was in fact about to depart. Aside from the eight of us, the platform was empty now. “It won’t be all bad. They’ve got some of the finest day spas and full-body wraps in Equestria at the Canterlot spa. I do hope to have time to visit myself after wrapping up this friendship problem,” Rarity explained. “And you don’t find it weird your flank just blinks out of nowhere?” I asked. “No stranger than you,” Dash quipped. “Well played... “ Spike was dragging one of Rarity’s suitcases onto the train. The luggage did have wheels, but it was so grossly overloaded with her wardrobe that the canvas bag had its own muffin-top spilling out over the wheels onto the ground. With half the mares already on the train it left me with Dash and Fluttershy to bring up the rear. I took a deep breath and looked towards the distant mountain, where the outline of Canterlot stood out against the side of it like an outcropping of rock. Another whistle split the air as the train began to slowly inch forward. “You getting on or am I dragging you?” Dash asked. I sighed. “No need for that.” I walked forward and stepped onto the train followed by the other two mares. We gathered up in a small open area with a few seats and some luggage from other passengers. Down the side of the train were private cabins, each designed with room for two ponies to relax in. Twilight had a quill and paper out and was going through a list. “—with Pinkie Pie, and me with Spike. Dawn, do you want a cabin with Dash or Fluttershy?” I gulped and looked at the two of them. It was a simple question, the kind I shouldn’t have given any second thought. I wanted to share with both of them, but at the same time not make a big deal of it. It was as if I’d been asked on the spot to choose which one I loved more. Did I love the possible father of my foal, or the mare I’d inhabited and gotten pregnant more? This was hardly the kind of relationship problem I’d ever planned on encountering. After a moment I realized I had half a dozen ponies looking at me due to the long and now awkward silence. Applejack caught my eye and I quickly replied, “Applejack. I uh…” I chewed on my lip for a second. “Promised to tell her all about apple varieties back on Earth! I better not put it off or I may forget!” Applejack raised an eyebrow in confusion, but quickly lowered it when the others looked at her for a confirmation. She smiled and I wondered if she was literally struggling with the choice of covering for a friend versus telling the truth. If I had the inability to lie I’d be a social pariah, so I was glad it was her and not me known for honesty. “Eeyup.” I smiled and trotted over to her, realizing now why her brother Big Mac won so many poker games. Apparently lying was easier when limited to two syllables. “Sorry Dash, Fluttershy, I’d offer to share a room with you all but it’s not big enough…” Dash was hard to read but her quick glances around betrayed some confusion. “That’s okay,” Fluttershy said .”I’ll stay with Dash, you two go have fun talking about apples.” “And oranges!” I added, looking back to AJ. “Some ponies say you can’t compare them but I disagree.” “Oh,” Dash said as she made eye contact with me and smirked. “If you need a hoof using the little mare’s room let me know.” Applejack smiled and nodded to the other mares before she walked into the nearest cabin. “Is that so?” She looked back and once I had walked in closed the door. “Yeah.” I examined the cabin briefly and checked the door was closed. “Whew.” She climbed up onto one of the padded benches, which could double as a bunk to sleep in when needed. “Ya want to tell me what that was about Sugar Cube?” “Not really.” “And you think Dash and Fluttershy aren’t wondering what it’s about?” I groaned and climbed onto the empty bench. “That’s exactly what it’s about.” I laid down on the pillow and looked out the window as the train lurched forward and picked up speed. “She was only askin’ ya who to share a cabin with, not to pick favorites.” Applejack slid down the bench so that she could be across from me, next to the window. “That’s not how they’d see it, and it’s not how I see it.” “Sometimes a cabin is just a cabin, Dawn.” I chuckled, “and a cigar is just a cigar?” She nodded. “Eeyup. I’ve got the feeling you’ve got somethin’ heavy on your mind so when you’re ready to talk, let me know. Ya have a few hours and if I know anything it’s that secrets will eat at ya until ya turn sour.” Nodding, I let out a deep sigh and curled into a comfortable ball of fur. Having one's blanket built-in was handy for times like this and made it much easier for me to get comfortable. The lingering thoughts of Dash and Fluttershy soon stole that comfort from me. I had been thinking about it a lot lately, trying to be a neutral party because I didn’t know which one to choose. I had reasons to love each of them and loved them both but every time the three of us were in a room together I started analyzing every word I said so as to not hurt any feelings. Applejack was right, because the longer the train ride went on, the harder it was for me to relax on the bench cushions. Before long I was grinding my teeth, not because she was just sitting there quietly, true to her word, as I brooded. The more I thought about it the more convinced I was they were one car over debating which one of them I loved more. “I can’t choose,” I said. She blinked, possibly for the first time during the train ride. “Hmm? Choose what?” “Dash or Fluttershy. I love them both but every time the three of us are in a room together I feel like I have to choose which one I love more.” I watched Applejack as she thought it over in her head, completely prepared to jump her if she asked me how that made me feel while tapping her hooves together. “Why do ya think ya have to choose?” “Well, they’re gonna know who I spend more time with and I don’t want them to resent each other… or me.” Applejack got up and sat on the bench next to me, putting a hoof on my side. “Dawn, they’ve been friends a long time and they both love you, right?” I nodded my head. “Then they’re not gonna resent you, or think you’re playin’ favorites. It’s not like each time Ah spend time with my brother or sis they think Ah don’t love the other. They’ve each got their own place in my family, just like Dash and Fluttershy do in yours.” “Yeah, but your family doesn’t have three moms... “ I sighed and looked outside just as we entered a tunnel in the mountain, pitching the car into darkness as the interior lights came on. “Sometimes ya have to just stop sweating the small stuff and worrying about what can go wrong. Think about what’s goin’ right. You love two mares and you can start a family with both of them. Sure if you were an Earth pony it might be a little unusual to be polygamous, but it wasn’t until recently the Pegasi started leanin’ towards monogamy.” “I’ve heard the same from Lyra, but I don’t know. If being in one relationship is hard imagine two, I’ll just mess it up like I messed everything up, only I’ll break the hearts of two ponies.” She smiled warmly and leaned towards me. “Now listen here, Sugar Cube. If Ah’ve learned one thing since ya fell into our lives it's not to underestimate you. From the moment ya got here ya’ve saved Equestria, fallen in love, made friends of a whole town, rescued a Prince… Ah know from experience savin’ the world can seem a bit mundane after a while but think of how everypony else sees it. Dawn, a mare torn away from an old life and saves a land they don’t even know, not ever expectin’ to come back Ah reckon.” I smiled a bit at that stroke of luck. Looking at it from an outside perspective I had been pretty damn lucky to survive that ordeal, so I suppose that at least one thing had gone right since I got here. “Okay, but saying it’s easy. How am I supposed to show them I love them both the same amount?” “Actions speak louder than words, and are less prone to lie,” Applejack explained. “Ya’ve got one mare that’ll teach ya everything you ever wanted to know about motherin’ and one that’ll teach ya about loyalty and bravery. Different lovers are just like different apples, they each have their own uses Ah reckon. And just ‘cuz you eat a granny smith apple doesn’t mean you can’t like red delicious too.” “They taste more like gala and fuji,” I quipped. Applejack planted a hoof firmly on her forehead as she shook it back and forth. “You’re incorrigible Dawn.” “Thanks, it’s my favorite kind of courage.” I sat up and stretched for a moment before leaning against Applejack, taking comfort in her warmth. “Thanks, I think I needed a little time to think things through without being afraid of being judged.” “The only one who can judge you is yourself. And the only one who can make ya feel like a failure is yourself. Even in a place like Equestria ya’ll find plenty of ponies wanting to decide who ya are for ya, but at the end of the day they’re not the one living with the choice ya make whether or not to listen to them.” I nodded and yawned, finding that the comfort of resolving this problem was making me sleepier than I expected.  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, then exhaled. There was a loud whistle that woke me from my nap, causing me to stretch out and nearly fall off the bench I had been on. It was broad daylight out the window and I realized there were tall buildings as far as the eye could see, most of them seeming three to four stories tall. We had arrived in Canterlot and the last thing I remembered was my talk with Applejack before I must have fallen asleep. “Good mornin’ Sugar Cube,” Applejack said. “Morning?  Looks more like afternoon.” “Ya slept through most of the train ride, missed an excellent view of rock and more rock, not to mention a spirited discussion in the next cabin between Pinkie and Rarity over if diamonds count as rocks.” I felt a few stiff joints pop as I finished stretching and got onto my hooves. “Well I’ll be sure to ask how that turned out never.” I chuckled and pulled out my saddlebags and put them on. I’d packed light, or at least light compared to Rarity. “I better go check into a room with Dash and Fluttershy, I feel like we’ve got a lot to talk about.” “If ya need a supportive hoof or got more questions about family ya just let me know, okay?” “Sure.” I walked over and hugged Applejack. “And thanks.”