• Published 20th Dec 2013
  • 30,077 Views, 2,382 Comments

Dash of Humanity 2: A New Dawn - Kaidan



I'm stuck in Equestria, which reminds me of the dark ages. Instead of internet and fast-food, I have Rainbow Dash. She's been asked to help me learn to fit in... I'd like a refund.

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13. Dawn's Pardon

Somepony was knocking on my door, and judging by the time it was too early to be the mailmare. I put my book down and took my time stretching. Bagheera whined as I got up and ruined his napping place next to me on the sofa. By the time I got to the door the knocking had stopped. Looking through the peephole on the door I saw Lyra there, and opened it up for her.

“Hey, Lyra. Come in.”

“Thanks.” She walked in and headed for the chairs in my living room. Lyra set her saddlebags down and sat in a recliner.

I closed the door and went into the kitchen to get a couple of sodas from the fridge. I took them back in and set them on the coffee table, then took a seat on the couch. My cat was meowing and walking along the back of the couch. Petting Bagheera seemed to placate him for now. “So, how’s it going?”

“Same as usual, but we’re all wondering how things are going with you.”

“Eh, I’m fine. It’s nice to take a break from all the pressure.”

Lyra leaned back and floated her soda up, popping the top of the can and taking a drink. “Pressure? I didn’t realize you were so stressed out before.”

I used the hoof-friendly pull-tab to open my soda and take a drink. “Yeah, everypony expected me to be some hero or something and act all perfect. That’s why it was refreshing to spend time with you, you didn’t think of me as some important pony.”

“I think you’re exaggerating a little… nopony is perfect, your friends weren’t expecting you to be. You’ve already apologized and it’s been two weeks. You should get back outside and quit moping.”

I groaned and slumped into the sofa. “Twilight sent you, didn’t she?”

“What, I’m not allowed to be worried either? I’m flattered you still want to hang out, but you need to have more than one friend, even if she comes with benefits.”

“Yeah, I guess so. I just don’t want to face Dash yet.” I stretched out a wing and put it over my cat, who began to groom the feathers.

“Not facing her isn’t going to make it any easier. You’ve got feelings for her, don’t you? I think that’s what this is really about.”

“And you, and Fluttershy, but I guess mostly her. I don’t know, she was like family to me!”

Lyra set down her empty can of soda. “Ponies are only as happy as they make up their mind to be. I know you’ve been rubbing ponies the wrong way lately, but now that they know going pony had side-effects for you, they understand.”

“Yeah, but I wonder if I’ll always be like this, my human traits rearing their head. Everypony else seems to be perfect.” I drank the last of my soda and burped, then set it down.

“You know that’s not true, surely you’ve heard of Twilight freaking out or Pinkie getting paranoid her friends didn’t want her around anymore, more than once?”

I lifted my hooves up in surrender. “You’re right. You should meet my psychiatrist, you’re both excellent at the guilt trips.”

Lyra stuck her tongue out at me. “Well then, I’ve got a concert to prepare for so I can’t stay and chat. I brought you a few more supplies for your first-aid kit. You think it’ll help you get a cutie mark?”

“Yeah.” I put my hooves down and then went over to rummage through the bag. “I was good at it on Earth, might as well be good at it here.”

She got up and walked around the chair. “Alright, but if you stay holed up in this house much longer I’ll drag you out of here by an ear, mister.”

“Fine,” I laughed and pushed her playfully towards the door. “Go on, you had better practice. Have a good day.”

“You too.”

Lyra opened the door and closed it behind her on the way out. I took the saddlebag over to another pair of saddlebags I had in the corner. There was gauze, splints, and other simple items that I transfered over to the bags. At some point I hoped to apply to be something like a paramedic, as Equestria was far too beautiful to have another indoor job.

There was knocking at my door again and I closed the flap of the bag and walked over to the door. I wondered why Lyra would have come back just moments after leaving. “Lyra, you don’t need to kno—” I opened the door and found Twilight standing there. “Oh.”

“Dawn.” Twilight barged in and looked around.

“Can I help you?”

“Yeah, nopony has seen Dash today and I’m worried.” Twilight turned around to face me again. “Have you seen her?”

“No, actually. I’ve been avoiding her if you hadn’t noticed. In fact, I’ve been avoiding all of you… so, if you don’t mind.” I gestured towards the door.

“This is no time to be childish!”

I shrugged. “You saw her yesterday, and not this morning. Isn’t there some rule about a pony having to be missing more than 24 hours before you start a pony-hunt?”

Twilight frowned. “Fluttershy says she broke up with Soarin, at least that’s her best guess. When she went to check on Dash, her and Soarin were gone. All his belongings were packed and taken.”

“Look, Twilight, I want to help, but I’m the last person Dash wants to see—”

“Dawn!” Twilight’s features hardened for a moment before softening slightly. She was still looking at me with narrowed eyes, and I felt myself backing up away from her. “Something’s wrong, and I’m worried. We’ve all given you space to deal with it because it’s what Dash said you’d like. We didn’t come over here and force you to apologize for yelling at Pinkie because Dash apologized for you. This whole time the one pony trying to help us understand what you’re going through while you hide in your stallion-cave was Dash!

My mouth flopped open and closed a few times as I tried to think of a response to that. “I didn’t know…”

“Of course you didn’t. We’re not mean ponies, Dawn. We’re all just worried about you, and it has been a bit of a challenge getting used to your personality. We aren’t trying to make you feel alone because you used to be a human. As far as any of us care, you’re a pony and a close friend. So, I want you to help us find Dash, and I’d very much like it if you’d start visiting us all again.”

I smiled and nodded, then hugged Twilight. “Thanks, Twilight…” I let go and headed over to get my saddlebags. “I’ll help look for her, just gotta grab some stuff.” It only took a moment to strap the saddlebags in place.

“Thanks, Dawn.”

“Who else is looking for her?”

Twilight opened the door and held it for me as I walked out. “Rarity, Applejack, Big Mac, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and knowing how much trouble they have with listening to their sisters, probably all the Cutie Mark Crusaders.”

“Wow, all because she wasn’t in her house this morning and Soarin ran off with his tail between his legs?” I smirked, he was a jerk anyway and Dash deserved better.

“Yeah, now I’ve divided Ponyville into grid squa—”

“I don’t need it, Twilight. You mares can stick to the grid, but if you want to catch an emotionally distraught pegasus, you’ve got to think like an emotionally distraught pegasus.”

Twilight closed the door to my home and raised an eyebrow. “I… can’t find any logical basis for that assumption. You’re not Dash, nor are your emotional circum—”

“Shhh.” I put a hoof on her lips. “It’s a saying.”

She used her magic to bat my hoof away. “Hmm? From Earth?”

“Elmer Fudd, famous rabbit hunter and philanthropist,” I lied. I looked at her and realized she wouldn’t get the reference, then sighed at the lost opportunity.

“Okay, if you think it’s best. If you find her, stop by the library and let us know.”

“Sure thing.” I saluted her and then flew up to the roof of my house and perched on top of the chimney to look around.

The first thing I noticed was that the sky was devoid of clouds. Dash usually kept a few hanging low over town to take naps in. That meant the weather team had already done the weather for the day without her. If she wasn’t taking a nap after her morning weather duty, then she must have left during the night.

I considered where she’d want to go to get some privacy. She could have chased after Soarin to try and win him back, possibly all the way to Cloudsdale. Knowing Dash, she was too stubborn to take him back if he’d dumped her, and odds are she’d gotten sick of him and dumped him first.

There wasn’t a possibility she was at a friend’s house or hiding in the apple orchard, as she’d have been found and no search called.

I scanned the roofs of all the buildings in town, and then looked over the Everfree forest. Despite it not being a safe place to go, I began to focus more and more on it. There wasn’t really any place in town she could go to be alone. Each building had ponies living in it, and there were plains on the sides of town not bordered by the Everfree or apple orchard.

My wings flared and I let the breeze flow other the feathers, getting a feel for the air currents. Twilight had said they were searching the town, so I might as well look around the forest. I jumped off the roof and glided forward until I felt the wind change into an updraft. I beat my wings and climbed, gaining altitude above the trees. From up here, I couldn’t see the forest floor or any signs of a pony who didn’t want to be found.

There was a clearing not far from the edge of the forest so I swooped down, circling as I descended into it. I landed amidst some tall grass that was tinted a dark green. Thorny bushes bordered the clearing I was in.

A feather on one of the bushes caught my eye. It was cyan, and most likely from Dash. She could have come out here and sat down to have some time alone to think. However, she should have come back by now if that’s all that was going on.

Taking another look around the clearing a patch of flattened grass stood out. It could have been from a pony sitting down in the grass, and after looking closer I saw a hoofprint. She could have been here, then flown through the bushes if something had spooked her.

I cleared my head of any negative thoughts about what could have happened to her, and followed the path through the bushes and into the forest. There was a small creek another twenty feet ahead. It provided a nice clear path to fly along, as the trees weren’t growing too close together.

At the water’s edge were more hoofprints, and a jagged branch had a tuft of yellow and red hair hanging off of it. It was looking more and more like she’d had to flee something, but why wouldn’t she have gone straight back to town?

I hovered over the creek and looked around. It took me a minute just to find the path back to the clearing. The trees were all so black and similar to one another, I could see how easy it’d be to get disoriented. Looking up, I tried to force my way up through the foliage. The branches were almost woven together like a net, making it impossible to just fly straight up and get out. Dash had likely flown downstream looking for an exit.

While flying along the path of the small creek I kept an eye out for signs of broken branches. For some reason they seemed to stand out to me. Perhaps the larger pony eyes offered improved vision. At the very least, my vision was definitely better than back on Earth.

A large branch was broken off of a tree and I stopped to look at it. There were several large limbs from nearby trees with a gap between them next to the broken branch. Claw marks covered the branches and the nearby tree trunk. It looked like something had gotten stuck in the branches, and had to force its way loose.

I passed the branches and noticed a skid mark in the muddy floor. After poking my hoof through some of the mud that had piled up I saw another cyan feather, a sign I was on the right path. She must have given something the slip. I continued forward, looking for another sign but not finding any.

Just as I was about to turn around and see if I’d missed something, I saw a small cave. It was nearly hidden beneath the roots of a massive, old tree. I walked towards it, realizing that whatever was in it I had no way to light it up. I’d have to hope there wasn’t a grizzly bear or something living in it.

“Dash?” I stood to the side of the cave entrance incase something burst out. “Dash? You in there?”

The silence seemed to last forever, hanging in the air, until I finally heard a response. “Dawn?”

“Dash!” I walked forward into the cave, spreading my wingtips in front of me so I wouldn’t hit my head on the ceiling. As I felt my way further inside, it opened up a little and I saw Dash sitting there. “Are you okay?!”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Get lo… los…” Dash sniffed and it sounded like she had a runny nose. I watched as she rubbed a foreleg across her eyes.

“You’ve been crying?” I sat down next to her, reaching a hoof out to touch her. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault, isn’t it? I should have never lied to you about hearing voices, and I wouldn’t have run off and ruined your relationship with Soarin.”

She continued to sob softly, as if she didn’t want me to hear it. “He broke up with me, when I told him… told him about us.”

I scooted a little closer and before she could push me back, I’d wrapped a wing around her and pulled her to my side. “Hey, it’s okay. If he was gonna break up over a little alien body snatching, the marriage would never have lasted.”

“I’m pregnant.”

For minutes I must have sat there with my mouth agape, staring at her. I hoped the awkward silence wasn’t really that long, but I had no way of knowing how long it took me to find my voice. “What?”

Dash lifted her head up and looked at me. “I said I’m pregnant. Soarin—”

“It’s okay, I get how it works. And then he dumped you? What an asshole.”

She chuckled once, then wiped her face off again. “No… we hadn’t slept together again, since you were in my body. He put two and two together, that it was you he slept with, and he freaked.”

“Shit.” I looked at the ground. “So that’s why you ran away?”

“Yeah… I needed some time to think. First I find out I’m pregnant because I was vomiting at work yesterday, and then Soarin dumps me, and you weren’t talking to me…”

“I’m so sorry, I should never have been jealous of you two. Just because I had feelings and thought you deserved better I ruined your whole life, I’m such an ass—”

Dash grabbed me and planted her lips on mine. I stared in shock as she tightened her grip, turning her head to put more of her focus into the kiss. Her tongue started to explore my mouth, even as I sat dumbfounded and unable to properly return her affections.

After a minute she let go. “You talk too much, your apology is accepted.”

I blinked. “But I mess—”

She kissed me again. This time I was able to reciprocate, my feelings for her resurfacing and not marred by so much guilt. She tasted like fresh rain, even though her fur was covered in tears and dirt. Before I could truly enjoy the kiss, she pulled back again. “Look, it’s getting late and I sprained my wing. Can you get us back to town?”

It took me a minute to respond to her, as I was still sorting out my feelings for Dash. I still couldn’t quite understand how we had gone from massive screw-up to making-out, but I wasn’t about to look a gift-horse in the mouth. “Yeah… here.”

I pulled a splint and some gauze out of my saddlebag and began wrapping up the wing she presented me. As I tended to her wound I felt a stinging on my flank, like an insect had bit it. Then the other flank as well, so I swatted at them with a free hoof. After a moment I looked back to see what it was.

“Look at that,” Dash observed. On my flank was a rising sun, outlining a medical caduceus. The yellow-orange sun contrasted nicely with my fur, which was fortunate considering that I’d have this mark for life.

“Yeah, I’ve been wondering when I’d get my butt stamp.”

Dash laughed and after a moment I joined in, the stress and tension melting. “It doesn’t look to bad, can you fly on it?”

“Not well, we should walk.”

“What’d you piss off? It looked like a massive bear was clawing its way through the trees.”

Dash shrugged. “Just a manticore. He’s lucky I didn’t break his nose instead of running and hiding in this cave.”

I laughed. “Sure he was. At least you’re okay. You ready to go?” I stood up and backed away towards the exit to give her room.

She stood up and flexed her wing a little. “Yeah, I’m ready.” Dash yawned, taking a step forward and nearly tripping. “Bah, sorry, I haven’t slept much.”

“It’s okay, come on. Let’s get out of here and get you home.”

Dash nodded, and followed me out of the cave. I took her towards the river, not even thinking about how easily my sense of direction seemed to be working out here.

“So, you’re pregnant with me and Soarin’s baby? There’s something I wasn’t expecting.” I smiled wide and looked at her.

“Hey!” She smirked and hit my shoulder. “It’s our baby as far as I’m concerned. He was nice at first, but as soon as you two met he got over-protective and kinda a jerk. Maybe it is for the best, I mean, I did always sort of—”

“You had a crush on me!” I smiled and bumped into her side. “I knew it! I can read you like a book.”

“Come on. I just mean it’s nice that I already know you so well, there’s not gonna be any surprises. You’re not pretending to be something you’re not.” Dash walked along the bank of the river and I followed close beside her.

“Whew, because here I thought I was a human pretending to be a pony.”

Dash rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

“So you’re not pissed off at me?”

“I’m sure I’ll get even… but mostly I was just hurt you wouldn’t talk to me. You know I’m stubborn. I figured you’d stop by again once I cooled down.”

“I guess I out-stubborned you.” I pointed ahead to the edge of the forest. “Looks like we’re almost there.”

“Isn’t that your house?” Dash pointed to the left as we exited the forest.

“Yeah, it is.”

“Well… my wing’s hurt so I can’t go to my house, and I feel dirty… I think we should stop by your house for the night, so I can get cleaned up and rest.”

“Sure.” I put a wing over her and walked towards my house. “As long as you promise I’m not gonna wake up covered in itching powder or poison joke.”

We walked to my house and I let her inside. Part of me was relieved that for once, things were simple. Maybe it was because we’d both had time to think, or she was too tired to fight, but that’d been easier than I thought.

I watched her head upstairs into the bathroom to shower and I sat on my bed, reflecting on the day. Perhaps Twilight and my therapist were right. Once I’d actually gotten out of the house, things weren’t so bad after all.

As I lay there I could feel myself getting sleepy, and yawned loudly. I couldn’t shake the feeling I was forgetting something, but whatever it was could wait until morning. I was glad to have Dash here with me.

Author's Note:

d'aww

Drawn by JinZahn, commissioned by GreenPony32