The Forgotten Exile

by Echo 27

The Princess and the Recluse

“So, what is this place?” Ocean asked uncertainly, peering around at the scenery.

“This is Ponyville,” Pinkie Pie answered cheerfully. “Only the most stupendous-wonderfullest-super-duper-awesomest town in all of Equestria!”

Ocean edged away from her warily. “Umm, OK. I’ll take your word for it…”

As they entered the outskirts of the village, several local ponies stopped and waved to Twilight and her friends, only to notice Ocean Blue standing beside them. A few stopped and stared, as his rugged appearance and ensemble gave him the rugged look of an outcast. He didn’t seem to mind, but looked upon the others with unease all the same.

Applejack gave a polite cough and said, “Well, if you’re gonna jus’ be givin’ him the tour, ah’m gonna head on home. Big Mac was gonna start plowing the fields and ah promised ah’d help. See y’all later!”

Pinkie suddenly began twitching erratically, and she gave a small squeak and vanished in an instant, terrified of some unknown entity.

Ocean stare unapologetically. “What was that about?” he asked, goggling where Pinkie had dashed off.

“Pinkie Sense,” Twilight answered, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

“Pinkie what?” he repeated, looking even more confused.

“It’s a long story,” she said. Suddenly, Twilight felt distinctly awkward. For some unknown reason, she was glad he was pretty much alone in her company, but now that he was, she had no idea of what to do.

Ocean seemed to sense her indecisiveness and gave a stifled cough. “So, what’s Ponyville?”

“Well, it’s my home,” Twilight said, gratefully for him giving her a starting point. “I’ve been here for a few years now, and I can’t imagine living anywhere else.”

“So what do you do here?” he asked, walking in step beside her.

“Well, I try to help keep the peace,” she said, “And I also study the magic of friendship.”

“Beg pardon?” he echoed. “The magic of friendship?”

“Yeah,” Twilight nodded. “You’d be surprised what friendship can do when you let its power flow.”

Ocean looked skeptical but merely shrugged. “So, you’re friends with Applejack and Pinkie Pie,” he remarked. “What do they do?”

“Well, Applejack helps run Sweet Apple Acres, an apple farm outside of town. Pinkie Pie’s the resident party pony, and helps run Sugarcube Corner in her down time.”

“Kind of a busy gal,” he remarked. “No wonder she’s hyper.”

Twilight laughed. “There’s also Rarity, a dress-maker, and Fluttershy, she helps take care of animals-”

“Got quite a wide circle of chums,” he intercut.

“-And there’s Rainbow Dash, she helps keep the skies clear.”

“Sounds like a pegasus,” Ocean muttered under his breath. Looking up at the sky, he said, “Sure looks like she does a good- WOAH!”

There was a blur of colors and a thunderous Crash! as Ocean Blue was bowled over by a lightning bolt of blue. Several yards back, at the end of a freshly carved trench, lay Ocean Blue, with Rainbow Dash sprawled atop him.

“Ocean Blue! Rainbow Dash! Are you two OK?” Twilight cried, rushing over to the pair of them.

There was a groan and the pair disentangled themselves, rising to their feet slowly. “Sorry about that,” Rainbow Dash said airily. “One of my tricks kinda went awry. My bad.”

Ocean Blue shook his head free of dust and stood erect. “It’s nothing,” he gasped, wincing as he found a bruise on his left front leg. “Must’ve been one awesome trick if it blew so spectacularly.”

“Oh, you bet!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed energetically, rising to the air in a flourish. “It’s gonna be one of my best tricks ever!”

“I’ll have to take your word for it,” Ocean remarked pleasantly. “That was some great speed you had, I’m impressed.”

Twilight’s eyes widened in shock. Was there a flush of pink on the cheeks of the athletic pegasus? Indeed, there was a creeping reddening as she hovered there, a small smile on her face.

Rainbow Dash pushed her hair back. “It was alright, I guess,” she said airily. “So, I haven’t seen you around before. What’s your name?”

“Rainbow Dash, this is Ocean Blue,” Twilight said loudly, walking up almost between the two. “He just arrived to Ponyville today.”

“Well, hey, glad you made it,” Rainbow Dash said cheerfully. “It’s about to be a lot of fun around here, so enjoy your stay.”

Twilight coughed loudly. “Rainbow Dash, how’s the weather going to look for the Convention?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, I needed to tell you!” she said. “We’re going to have to let a thunderstorm move in tomorrow afternoon if we want enough rain for Ponyville this summer. So be ready to get soaked tomorrow.”

“There’s going to be rain?” Ocean Blue asked, a tinge of eagerness in his voice.

“Alright, thanks for letting me know, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight replied, her voice deliberately level.

Rainbow Dash shrugged and began to float higher. “Well, I told ya, so I think I’ll get on out of here. Yeah, I’ll do that. See ya, Ocean Blue! Bye, Twilight!”

The pegasus slowly soared away. Twilight watched her over her shoulder, and saw the rainbow-maned mare glance over her shoulder at the sea-coated stallion. She accidentally caught Twilight’s eye and blushed crimson, instantly dashing off.

Twilight sighed. “Sorry about that,” she said. “Are you hurt any?”

Ocean shook his head. “No way something like that could do much,” he replied nonchalantly. “Tis only a scratch.”

The pair continued their walk through Ponyville, Twilight pointing out the various locales and ponies. Ocean seemed interested, but also was a bit uncomfortable, as if crowds weren’t to his liking. He certainly attracted more stares than Twilight would wish. It was as if he was in a center spotlight that followed him wherever he walked.

“Hey Twilight!” exclaimed a small, squeaky voice, and a white filly dashed through the crowd at top speed.

“Hi, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight greeted. “What are you up to?”

“Looking for you,” the young girl answered. “Rarity’s looking for you, something about her booth for the Convention, I think.”

“Sure, we’ll head on over,” Twilight said as Sweetie Belle’s gaze traveled over to Ocean Blue.

“Who are you?” she asked, staring up at the tall stallion.

“Me? Just your normal, average Earth pony,” Ocean Blue answered evasively. “Name’s Ocean Blue, if that helps.”

“Hi, Ocean Blue!” Sweetie Belle said brightly. “I’d stay to chat, Twilight, but Apple Bloom and Scootaloo are meeting up at the clubhouse. We’re going to get our Cutie Marks for sure this time!”

“Alright then, off you go!” Twilight said, nudging her gently. “Tell me how it goes, alright?”

“Sure thing!” Sweetie Belle called over her shoulder as she ran off.

“She your sister?” Ocean Blue inquired.

“Sweetie Belle? No, she’s Rarity’s little sister, not mine,” Twilight answered. “Speaking of Rarity, we probably need to get over to her house and get whatever she needed sorted out sooner than later.”

The two ponies meandered over to Rarity’s Boutique on the outskirts of town. Ocean Blue gawked. “Is she… umm, kind of a clean freak?” he asked, staring down at his dusty hooves.

Twilight hesitated. “Umm, kinda. I think you’ll be fine, though.”

Twilight’s thoughts shifted into high gear all of a sudden. Would Rarity act like Rainbow Dash, or even worse? With some trepidation, she opened the door and walked in.

“Rarity?” Twilight called, peering around the main floor of the fashonista’s shop.

“Ah, Twilight, darling!” Rarity greeted warmly, walking out from behind a dresses. “How are you this dreadful morning?”

“Dreadful? But it’s beautiful outside,” Twilight objected.

“Is it?” Rarity asked distractedly. “I’ll have to take your word for it, I’ve been busy since early this morning. There was a leak in my roof and some of the dresses were soaked. It was tragic, dear! I’ve had to remake half of them, they were so covered in dirty water and grime!”

Twilight felt sympathetic for her dear friend, but knew she needed to stop this before it started. Rarity had a tendency to go on talking unless someone stopped her. “I ran into Sweetie Belle a bit ago,” she said. “She mentioned that you wanted to see me about something?”

“Oh! Yes, dear, I did,” Rarity said, coming back into focus. “You see, I wanted to expand my line for the upcoming convention, show off more of my wares. I was hoping that you could give me a bit more room to do just-”

She broke off and simply gawked, eyes wide. Twilight gave a frustrated sigh and turned to see, predictably, Ocean Blue walking into the boutique, peering around warily.

Rarity stared, eyes wide and jaw completely agape. “Who is that?” she gasped.

Ocean Blue realized she was looking at him and stopped. “Me?” he asked. He peered down at his dirty hooves and recoiled, looking alarmed. “OH! I am so sorry, I should have thought about that before I walked in, umm…”

Rarity dashed forward until she was nearly nose-to-nose with Ocean Blue, gazing at him longingly. “And who are you, good sir?” she asked, her voice velvety soft.

Ocean Blue possessed a rather manic expression, as if he were inclined to laugh. “Umm, my name’s Ocean Blue,” he said, his voice choking somewhat.

“What brings you here to Ponyville? The convention, I assume?” she inquired, her voice sultry.

“Uh, just passing through, really,” he replied. “You know, not really headed anywhere.”

“How’s it been so far?”

Ocean Blue looked over her head at Twilight, who was on the verge of seething. “It’s been alright, Twilight was giving me the tour of the place, said she needed to stop by and such…” He stared straight at Twilight, his eyes sending the message he wouldn’t dare speak aloud.

Twilight gave a loud, impolite cough, trying to distract Rarity. “Was that all you needed, Rarity? More room for your booth?”

Rarity didn’t answer for several moments, still staring at Ocean Blue. “Yes, that was all, dear,” she said quickly.

“Well, if you don’t need anything else, we’d best be off,” Twilight said, trying to rush out of the boutique as quickly as she could manage without being rude.

Rarity looked crushed as Ocean Blue turned to leave, but said nothing.

“Well, nice to meet…you,” Ocean Blue gagged, positively shaking with the effort of holding back.

As the princess and the recluse walked away, Ocean Blue was still shaking. “Wait till we’re a bit further away,” she warned him, trying hard not to smile herself.

He took a few steps, faltered, and simply fell to the ground, positively howling with laughter. “Could she be more obvious?” he asked, hooting with glee. “I mean come ON, she’s about as subtle as a dead skunk!”

“She’s still my friend,” Twilight said, though failing to keep a rather satisfied grin from traveling across her face. “She has a weakness for stallions, you could say.”

Ocean Blue sniggered into the dirt at his hooves. “Weakness? It’s an outright, unflattering obsession!”

Twilight looked down on him severely, and he caught her expression. “Alright, alright,” he relented. “It’s still severely funny, though.”

“Still, she’s my friend,” Twilight interjected. “So let it go, okay?”

“Whatever you say, girlie,” Ocean said, rising to his feet with a grin still covering his face. “Any other lovedrunk mare you wanna showcase me to?”

Twilight tried to laugh it off, but could do nothing to stop heat from rising up her neck to her cheeks. Why are you acting like this? She asked herself severely. This is so unlike you.

Though it hadn’t seemed to take very long, the sun was already low in the sky when the pair reached the Golden Oaks Library. “This is where I’ve been living,” she said, trying to keep her voice slow and relaxed. “Since I moved to Ponyville, I mean.”

“A library?” Ocean Blue said, surprised. “Not exactly royal dwellings, now is it?”

Twilight shrugged. “I love books, so it works. Want to come in?”

Ocean seemed a little apprehensive (Is he afraid of me? Twilight wondered anxiously), but walked in after her, taking care to shake the dirt off his hooves (Well that was polite of him, she remarked to herself).

“Spike, I’m home!” Twilight yelled, looking around for her dragon companion. “Spike, where are you?”

“Here,” came a weak voice from the kitchen.

“Spike?” Twilight crept into the kitchen and lit a candle, only to find her purple assistant curled up on the floor, an open tub of ice cream not far away.

“Spike!” Twilight said exasperatingly, lifting up her friend with her magic and setting him astride her back. “This is the third time this month you’ve eaten yourself sick.”

“It was sugar-free ice cream,” Spike groaned. “I thought it’d be safe.”

Twilight gave a groan and walked back into the center of the library, finding Ocean Blue staring at her in shock. “You have a dragon!” he declared.

“He’s my friend and assistant, and he’s sick,” Twilight said hurriedly, already trotting up the stairs. “I’m sorry, Ocean, but I need to-”

“I understand,” Ocean replied quickly. “I’ll just leave, I need to be going, anyhow. Nice to meet you, Princess Twilight.”

“W-wait!” Twilight protested as he walked out the door. Groaning, she raced up the stairs and laid Spike gently in his bed.

“Who is he?” Spike asked, his voice thin.

“He’s- I don’t really know him, but hold on, I’ll be right back,” Twilight gabbled, teleporting down to the front door and out into the sultry evening.

Her vision darted around, looking for the reclusive newcomer. “Ocean! Wait up!” She looked to her right and, down an alleyway, she saw him walking away slowly, having paused as she called his name.

“Wait!” she said again, leaping to her feet and flying quickly over, settling near him.

“Yes, highness?” he asked, a trace of laughter in his tone.

“Why are you leaving? It’s nearly nighttime!” Twilight protested.

“Why shouldn’t I leave? I just travel,” he explained. “I never stay anywhere for more than a few hours.”

“But why? You might as well stay here.”

“It’s easier to travel at night, that’s all. Fewer ponies to run into, little chance of being disrupted. You know how it is.”

Twilight shook her head. “No, I really don’t. Why not just stay the night here, spend the day in Ponyville, and leave at nightfall? Just let yourself rest up and relax for a little bit?”

Ocean Blue stood stock-still and stared at her. “And why is my well-being so important to you?” he challenged.

Twilight was immensely thankful that the night had truly begun to settle, for she was certain she was blushing a deep crimson. Truth be told, she didn’t know why she was so adamant about him staying, except for-

But that would be ridiculous! She told herself witheringly. I mean, you’ve only just met him, you know hardly anything about him! For all you know, he’s a complete-

“Are you gonna answer or just stand there?” Ocean Blue interjected, starting to laugh. “You seem to be struggling with a decision.”

“Look, I’m just trying to be a friend,” Twilight managed to stammer out (Good, you can make a decent defense with this, she told herself). “My friends have taught me a lot, and I’m just trying to be a good friend to you.”

Ocean Blue gave a long, winded sigh, staring up at the starlight. “Fine,” he finally said. “Thanks for the offer, I guess.”

Twilight felt as light as a feather. “Great! Wait, you need a place to stay…”

“I’ll sleep outside,” Ocean Blue said quickly. “I saw a nice little place just on the outskirts of Ponyville where I can shore up.” Feeling her gaze settling upon him, he added, “I’m not trying to run out on you, I promise. You want to do something nice for me, I’ll let you do it. But I’d rather do this bit on my terms and not get everyone’s attention. Besides, you have a sick dragon to take care of.”

Spike! Her number one assistant reappeared in her thoughts and Twilight felt rather ashamed. “Alright, I’ll see you later,” she said, walking back to her house. “And Ocean Blue?”

“Yeah?”

Twilight smiled. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said.

The shrouded form of the sea-stained stallion dipped into a small bow. “And the same to you, young princess,” he said genially. “And a good night to you.”

Twilight walked back into her house feeling unusually chipper, though she didn’t want to think about why. Come on, Twilight, this is so silly. Take a little time, back away for a bit, and see what happens.

“Sorry about that, Spike,” Twilight said apologetically, laying down beside him to check his temperature. “I’ll do what I can to make you feel better, but next time, don’t eat so much ice cream.”

“Urgh,” Spike muttered. “Who was he?”

“Some new pony who came into town today,” Twilight said softly, putting a damp cloth to his head. “He helped me, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie set up the tents at the fairgrounds.”

“OK, but why was he with you?” Spike inquired.

“Well,” Twilight began. “He, uh, was… He was-”

“Twilight,” Spike began, sounding distinctly amused. “Are you trying to say you-”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll feed you more ice cream,” she interrupted.

“You play dirty, Twilight,” Spike groaned, pulling the covers over his body.

Twilight let her dragon friend drift slowly off to sleep as she lay there on her own bed, sorting out her own confusing feelings. I have no reason to be acting like this, she chided herself. You know nothing about him beyond his name, not even where he’s from or what he’s done! He could be anyone!

But he did help all of us out at the fairgrounds, she reminded herself. And he was so nice to everypony, even Rarity when she was fawning over him. He made sure not to laugh in front of her. That was considerate of him.

Twilight finally came to decision. See how he acts tomorrow, she cautioned herself. And then we’ll go from there.

Comments

[Salutary]

Why do you travel so much? Cuz i hate everyone

[Echo 27]

4085474 Beg pardon?

[GoldenFlower]

4085474 Wut?

[JamesHoofield]

Ocean shook his head. “No way something like that could do much,” he replied nonchalantly. “Tis only a scratch.”

It's just a flesh wound