Exiled unto Dawn

by ObCom

Orders: Part 1

Fluttershy heard someone knocking on her door the second she woke up. The intrusion, though unpleasant, which she would never admit, was not why she got out of bed. No, only someone who knew Fluttershy’s sleep schedule, which she held rigidly and involuntarily, could have such timing. There was only one person in Ponyville that would know. The urgency of such a visit dispelled a few of the less than pleasant thoughts Fluttershy harbored in those waking moments.

After putting on a large, yellow dress that disguised her sculpted frame, Fluttershy walked down the stairs to answer the door, mindful of the animals that scampered about. As she expected, Rainbow Dash stood on the other side.

“I’ve been doing some thinking,” Rainbow said, walking past Fluttershy and collapsing onto a couch. The furniture groaned at Dash’s weight, but Fluttershy knew her friend was unwilling to part with the black iron armor that she constantly wore. After all, adventure and peril could be around any corner. Besides, Fluttershy was more concerned about her friend’s mannerisms instead of her couch. She noticed that Dash didn’t sound tired at all, suggesting that the fighter had been awake for some time. “Ever since yesterday, Twilight’s been acting all weird. Whenever I ask her about it, she doesn’t give me an answer. It’s really annoying me.”

Fluttershy frowned. “I’m sure she has her own reasons,” she offered, walking into her kitchen to make some tea. The couch’s relieved sigh told her that Dash had gotten up and followed her.

“But it could be something really important! Who knows what could be at stake!” Rainbow flailed her arms manically. “Last time she acted like this, Nightmare attacked! Ponyville could be in some sort of danger!”

Dash’s excited yelling certainly woke Fluttershy up more than any tea could. “You sound rather eager.”

“Eager? I’m gonna climb the walls in a moment if something doesn’t happen soon!”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “But you just spent a whole day flying.” Surely even the most reckless of characters would want to take a day off after experiencing the unbridled freedom of flight? Dash had gone into great detail the night before at the tavern and even Fluttershy was a little jealous.

“And it was amazing!” Rainbow Dash paused, wary of the fact that she was about to go on another flying rant. “But that’s not why I’m here.”

Fluttershy nodded but said nothing. Dash had come to her many times in the past, usually at inconvenient hours, to get something off her chest. The tea was done and Fluttershy poured out two cups, offering one to Dash before walking back into the living room.

The couch groaned again at its armored burden. Fluttershy watched Dash take a long sip. She wondered why the fighter hadn’t said anything. Usually these sorts of conversations would only exist so Dash could comfortably say that she doesn’t talk to herself. When she did talk, Fluttershy almost jumped.

“What could it be?” Dash murmured.

“Um, Rainbow?”

“Hm?”

“I don’t see why you’re so interested in Twilight’s business. Whenever someone else is acting different, you usually shrug it off.” If only she could be so forthcoming with the rest of her friends. But she knew Dash the longest, and the slight crankiness from having to put up with this conversation made her want to get to the point.

“No I don’t. I try to cheer them up.”

Images of Dash beating a merchant into a pulp because he had sold a rotten bag of tomatoes flashed before Fluttershy’s eyes. The fighter had a weird way of making someone happy. “Have you tried asking Twilight?”

Dash snorted. “It didn’t work the first few times.”

“So it might be something personal.”

“Or it could be important to the safety of everyone around!” Rainbow exclaimed. At least she flailed the arm that wasn’t holding the tea.

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at her friend’s behavior. “Do you not trust Twilight?”

The question caught the fighter off guard. “What do you mean? I never said that.”

“But you think she wouldn’t tell us if we were all in danger.”

“And who knows if she would? You saw her when we were fighting Nightmare. The girl could’ve taken out that whole undead army. What if it’s something that she can’t stop, like, like the earth is gonna turn inside out and we’re all gonna die? If you knew something like that, would you tell everyone or would you let them live out their happy little lives in ignorance? It’s sick, Fluttershy! We deserve to know!”

Dash had put the tea down and was pacing the room, visibly upset. After revealing the core of her friend’s agitation, Fluttershy took a sip of tea and composed herself. “I’m surprised at you, Rainbow Dash. You still don’t trust Twilight, or at least respect her enough to share with us. I know she has only been here for a little over two weeks, but think of all she has done. To begin, she stayed in Ponyville to help rebuild after Nightmare, she helped Pinkie at Sugarcube Corner, she modeled for Rarity, and she was just here a few days ago to assist me with some housework. Applejack also says nothing but good things about her and you trusted her enough to cast a spell on you. If she’s not telling you something, it must be because it isn’t your place to know.”

Fluttershy was surprised at how harsh her voice had sounded. An apology bubbled in her throat, but she knew that Dash had to learn. The fighter looked at her friend in shock. Few could say they had been lectured by Fluttershy, and even fewer of that number were humans.

“It just annoys me,” Dash said. “Whatever has her thinking so much has to be something big, so why won’t she tell anyone?”

Fluttershy shrugged, unable to think of an answer that would satisfy her friend. “I did think Twilight was a little distant last night, now that you mention it. But you have to respect her privacy. If she needs our help, she will come to us, although it is nice of you to be concerned for her.” It wasn’t perfect, but Fluttershy’s words managed to make Dash look a little reflective.

“I guess you’re right,” the fighter conceded. Dash knocked back the rest of her tea and thanked Fluttershy for hearing her out. When Fluttershy was alone, she finished her own drink before starting her daily chores. Dash was at the back of her mind, though, and she hoped that the fighter wouldn’t do anything rash.

Comments

[Darastrix]

Wow this story has been updated for weeks and no one has commented? What a shame.

[ObCom]

1762091
Now is your time to shine!

[MazrimTaim]

I've been hoping to find this kind of thing for a while now. I'm actually writing something similar, inspired by George RR Martin's magnum opus, but I was told if it didn't have ponies it didn't belong here. Apparently I was misinformed.

[ObCom]

1810639
That you were, friend. Though humanized fics are not extremely popular (unless they're a 2nd person romance), they still maintain a presence. I recommend that you check out the Humanized Ponies! group.