Just Friends

by Macgyver644200

Promise - Two Weeks After Wigford

“Zephyr?”

Fluttershy walked into the living room, where she saw her little brother on the couch. The cold packs had just come off, and Zephyr’s bruising had gone down. And it seemed he was reading one of his textbooks instead of sleeping. All good. “Zephyr?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he just lifted his hoof up an inch. He really was reading, and he was in the middle of a paragraph at the moment. She didn’t get mad at him: she knew he’d respond in a moment. Instead, she just walked around to his head and stood waiting.

Finally, he looked up. “Yeah, Flutters?” he asked.

Fluttershy felt herself wince a little. Not from anything her brother was doing; his face didn't suggest anything was particularly running through his mind. No, she was worried about what was about to come. “Uhh, Zephyr?” she asked. “I was wondering... I’m having a friend over for tea and would you mind clearing out for an hour or two?”

Zephyr stared at Fluttershy for a moment, and Fluttershy could hear her heart pounding. Then he smiled. “Congratulations, Flutter-Butter!” he crowed. “Or should I say Flutter… uh, Flutter…”

Fluttershy’s heart sank as she sighed. “It’s not like that,” she groaned. “He’s just a friend.”

In response, Zephyr just snorted. “Yeah, right. I’ve seen you take friends home before. This is a ‘friend’.”

Zephyr raised his hooves to make air quotes. Blushing, Fluttershy stomped one of her hooves. “Zephyr!” she snapped.

Instantly, Zephyr stopped smiling and straightened up. “Sorry.”

“Thank you." Fluttershy took a moment to breathe before she continued. “He’s just a friend,” she repeated, “and I’m having him over for tea. We missed last week because of… things. It’s not your fault,” she told Zephyr as his ears drooped. “I just didn’t want to introduce you two just yet. But I don’t want to keep him waiting another week. So, if you don’t mind-”

Zephyr shook his head. “No, not at all,” he said. “I can find something to do for two hours. The house is yours.”

Fluttershy smiled. “Thanks. Do you need any money?”

“That's OK, I have some.” Zephyr got up off of the couch and started walking towards the door. “So, what’s there to do in town?”

Fluttershy walked next to him. “Well-”

She stopped as Zephyr held up a hoof. “Wait, no, don’t tell me,” he said. “I rise to surprise.”

Fluttershy briefly winced at that. “OK,“ she said.

Zephyr Breeze just chuckled as he walked out the door. “Don't worry! I can take care of myself for an hour or two. You just enjoy your da-”

Fluttershy pulled the door shut on her brother, then rolled her eyes. Then she made her way to the kitchen.

***

“Rainbow Dash!”

Rainbow Dash looked up from her nachos. Ten seconds ago, she'd found her perfect park bench and parked herself in it. Combined with her notebook of Awesome Ideas and Worthy Old Sir's Certified Dragon Breath nachos, she was ready for another fruitful afternoon of writing. This time for sure, she'd find the perfect idea.

And then Zephyr Breeze bolted to her side. He was tearing down the path, eyes wide and shouting her name. It looked almost like he had witnessed a murder. Instantly, Rainbow Dash stood. “Zephyr!” she said. “What's wrong?”

Zephyr skidded to a halt right in front of her, just barely avoiding smacking her in the face. “What do you do for fun here?”

Rainbow Dash's concerned frown turned annoyed. “What?” she asked.

Zephyr backed himself up. “I may have overestimated my town-exploring skills just a teeny-tiny bit,” he explained. “Now I have no idea what I'm going to do for the next hour-and-a-half.”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “Go see a movie,” she said. “We have a movie theater, go see what's playing.”

In response, Zephyr began to turn pink. “Ah… uh, well…”

“If you need money-”

“I have money,” Zephyr retorted, his face turning pinker. “I just don't have it with me. By the time I remembered I forgot it, Flutter-butters's coltfri-uhh, the cold front had started up and, uh, sheee rushed me out to get some-”

Some loud giggling from Rainbow Dash made Zephyr stop. “Dude, relax,” she told him. “Much as she tries to hide it, we all know about her and Discord.”

Zephyr let out a relieved breath. “Ah, good” he remarked. “Fluttershy won't be mad about-wait, her and DISCORD?”

Zephyr scowled, then spun around and clomped towards the park exit. Rainbow Dash groaned. “What are you doing?” she asked as she took flight.

“Being a brother!” Zephyr shouted over his shoulder.

He stomped on. However, something weighty pelted into him, causing him to fall to the ground. “Relax, would ya?” Rainbow Dash told him. “He's reformed now.”

“So I heard!” Zephyr tried to struggle his way free, to no avail. “I just want to, rgh, double-check that!”

The weight on his back lessened a little, but it returned as soon as he tried to squirm away. “Don't worry,” Rainbow Dash droned, “a lot of us are still on the fence about it. He seems alright, though. Besides that Tirek thing two years ago. And the Gala last year. And the 'Blue Flu' scare...”

For a moment, Zephyr couldn’t hear anything. As he turned his head to see if Rainbow Dash was still on top of him, though, she put a hoof on his head and forced it forward again. “But, Fluttershy and Princess Celestia trust him, and that's good enough, I guess.”

Finally, Rainbow Dash stood up. After a few seconds of waiting, Zephyr slowly rose as well. “You OK?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Zephyr frowned a moment, but eventually answered. “Yeah, sure.” He smiled. “If you say Fluttershy likes Discord, I'm fine with that. What the Elements hath joined, let no bro cast asunder.”

Zephyr lasted about five seconds before Rainbow Dash glared him down. “OK,” he sighed. “I'm still not happy, but I'm her brother!” His face fell. “At least, I should be. Even if-”

A hoof on his face stopped him. “Let it go, dude,” Rainbow Dash told him. “That's the best thing you can do right now, let it go.”

Zephyr's face turned away, rubbing the back of his neck. “Well…”

“Hey, tell ya’ what.” Rainbow Dash walked back to the bench. “Why don't you help me with these stories I wanna write?”

Zephyr's jaw dropped. “You-”

“Yes, I write.” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “You wanna help me or not?”

Zephyr turned and took a quick glimpse down the path. Before Dash could call him again, though, he'd turned back to her and walked back to her side. “You know,” Zephyr said, “I used to edit the school's anthology magazine.”

Instantly, Rainbow Dash's eyebrows popped up. “Never heard of that one,” she noted.

Zephyr's chest puffed out. “Yep,” he crowed. “Produced the highest quality issue in ten years, according to Mr. Greenleaves.”

“What happened?”

That made him sigh. “They wouldn't let me submit anything, so I quit. And by the time I'd finished what I wanted to submit, I'd already graduated.”

Zephyr frowned off into space. Rainbow Dash frowned at him for a moment. Then, though, she looked back at her book. “OK,” she started, “first idea, a mare working in the weather factory for a small town- what's that look for?”

Zephyr straightened up and pasted a smile on his face. “Look?” he asked. “What look? What are you talking about?”

Rainbow Dash closed her notebook. “Something's wrong, buddy. What gives?”

The smile lasted a little longer before dying. Zephyr shrugged. “Well,” he told Rainbow Dash, “and don't lose your cool, I'm sure you can write a great story around that premise. However…” He paused, dragging out the word until he saw Rainbow Dash starting to get up, “is this story about you?”

Rainbow rolled her eyes. “No!” she groaned. “It's about a mare named Lightspeed.”

“But she's almost exactly like you?”

“No!”

Zephyr could see her freeze up, though, and he knew she was getting defensive. “Look, Dashi-Dash, self-inserts can be done well, but so many ponies have done it badly that I was just told to reject it.”

Rainbow Dash glared at him for a few seconds, but then she let out a sigh. “OK.” She picked up her pen and scratched through something. After a brief look over the rest of her page, though, she tore the page out, crumpled it up, and launched it into a trash can across the path.

Zephyr whistled. “Nice shot,” he noted.

Rainbow Dash didn't reply. Her nose was in the book, looking over the entries. Finally, after turning the page, she stopped. “How's this,” she said, “a young griffon moves to… Canterlot for a summer, where she meets a…” She scratched something out. “...a unicorn colt that helps her adjust.”

Zephyr paused, but nodded as she looked up. “That sounds good,” he said. “There aren't a whole lot of stories that star griffons, so that's definitely a plus.”

Somewhat stiffly, Rainbow Dash nodded. “Yeah,” she said. She stared into space for a moment. As Zephyr moved to talk, though, she hmmed. “I don't know,” she said.

“Based on a friend?” Zephyr asked.

“Yeah,” she answered, “and I don't want to screw it up.”

Zephyr nodded. “Good idea.” Then his eyes widened. “Gretta, right?”

“Gilda.” A second later, she turned and glared at Zephyr. “How did you-”

“Fluttershy told me about her,” Zephyr quickly answered. “They had lockers next to each other. ‘shy said she tended to scream into hers.”

Zephyr could swear that Rainbow Dash blushed a little as she chuckled. “Yeah, that was my fault,” she admitted. The chuckle stopped, though, as Rainbow Dash started to frown. “Didn't think she'd take it so far,” she muttered.

Zephyr thought of shuffling closer, but decided against it. Instead, he cleared his throat. “So,” he ventured, “she live here too?”

“Griffonstone.” Rainbow Dash crossed a line out of her book. “It'd take too long to collaborate with her. Let's go with-”

“Actually,” Zephyr said, “I spent a summer living with a few griffons. If you want, I can consult.”

Rainbow Dash considered it, hoof on her chin. “Mmm, nah,” she said. “This story's special to me and I wanna’ tell it right.”

A small pout formed on Zephyr's lips, but he wiped it away as Rainbow Dash looked up. “So, what's the next idea?”

***

“I still think the monkey story was the best.”

On the road to Fluttershy’s cottage, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “I don’t care what you think,” she told Zephyr, “I’m going with hockey.”

“I’m telling you, monkeys-HOOP!”

Zephyr had to brace himself as the hiccup threatened to knock him over and Rainbow Dash had to stuff a hoof in her mouth to keep from busting out laughing. “Ugh, I swear!” Zephyr ranted. “You saw me drink all that milk, right?”

The smile on Rainbow Dash’s face didn’t let up as she took her hoof out of her mouth. “Yeah, I’m sure you inhaled half of it,” she quipped.

Zephyr glared at Rainbow Dash for a moment, who just smirked back at him, before turning away. “Your stupid nachos.”

“Hey, I said take it slow.”

Zephyr huffed. “I need sugar,” he said. He walked up to the door.

“You sure you don’t want me to stay longer?”

Zephyr and Rainbow Dash froze as the door started to creak open. In an instant, the two spotted the same bush and dove for it. The two collided and scuffled as they crawled down under the brush. The door opened just as the two ponies forced themselves back around to watch.

Out walked Discord, standing tall and smiling with Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash could feel Zephyr tense up next to her, and she laid a hoof on his back. “That’d be wonderful,” they heard Fluttershy say, “but Zephyr should be getting back soon.”

Discord shrugged. “So? I mean, I’ve got to meet him some time.”

“Later,” Fluttershy replied. “When he’s settled in.”

Rolling his eyes, Discord groaned. “I thought he was already doing that,” he grumbled.

On hearing a sharp breath, Rainbow Dash chanced a glance over at Zephyr. He was glaring at the two, his lips set in a firm line. Rainbow Dash quickly patted him on the back, but he tensed up in response. Thus, Rainbow Dash drew her hoof back.

Fluttershy, meanwhile, was scowling back. “He’s getting better,” she growled. “And I wouldn’t talk if I were you. Remember the gala?”

Discord opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Then he frowned, turning away from Fluttershy with a sigh. “Point. I...” His breath caught a little, then he deflated. “Ugh, well… y-you know.”

Fluttershy laid her hoof on Discord’s side. “It’s OK,” she said, her frown fading. “You’re not that person anymore. You’ve changed. And Zephyr can change, too. It might take him a while, but…” She smiled. “I think he’s going to make it this time.”

Discord smiled back at Fluttershy. “I love that about you,” he said. Then he draped his eagle claw over Fluttershy’s head, running his talons through her mane. “Don’t ever lose that.”

One more shared smile, and Discord snapped himself away with a poof. Fluttershy took in a contented breath, relaxing in the afternoon sun. Rainbow Dash then turned to Zephyr again. His face seemed unreadable, forcedly neutral. “Uh, Zephyr?” Rainbow Dash poked him. “Zephyr? You OK?”

Zephyr said nothing, his head not moving. Then, finally, *HOOP!*

Fluttershy straightened up and turned towards the bush. Zephyr’s eyes shot open. “Uhh…” Rainbow Dash tried to back up, but Zephyr got into a squat, shaking the bush. “BOOM!” A second later, he staggered out of the bush, his eyes rolling in their sockets. “W-well, Dashie!” he blurted. “Tha-haaaa… I’ve had softer landings.”

Fluttershy walked forward. “Zephyr?”

Zephyr shook his head before looking at Fluttershy. “Flutter-butter!” A big fake smile pasted itself over his face. “Well, as you can see, Rainbow Dash and I just dropped in.” He motioned to the bush, which Rainbow Dash was extracting herself from with a glare. “Funny you didn’t see us. We were racing back, must’ve broken the sound barrier!” His fake grin deepened. “Well, I’d better head in, get to work on studying. Unless you need me to clean anything up! Y’know, I’ll just give the area a once-over and do some spot-cleaning!”

“Zephyr...”

Too late. He was inside and the door was closed. Fluttershy’s outstretched hoof dropped as Zephyr walked around the living room, scanning for messes that didn’t exist. As Rainbow Dash walked up, Fluttershy turned to face her. “How was he?” she asked.

“Getting better,” Rainbow Dash said. “He didn’t try and hit on me and was actually rather helpful.” She watched as Zephyr moved into the kitchen. “How is he around you?”

Fluttershy watched as Zephyr moved into the kitchen and pulled a glass out of a cabinet. “The same,” she replied. “He’s actually doing what he’s supposed to and he’s only a moderate pain.”

There was a loud hiccup, then a crash as the glass fell to the floor. Zephyr growled and stamped his hoof down, then looked up. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy ducked away just in time. They listened as they heard Zephyr’s hooves stomping away. “I thought I knew him,” Rainbow Dash said. “Has he always been like that?”

In response, Fluttershy shook her head. “No,” she answered. “Sort of. I think it’s always been there, but it wasn’t always this bad.” She fell silent for a moment, shrinking in on herself. Before Rainbow Dash could do anything, Fluttershy straightened up. “So, how about some lemonade?”

Before Rainbow Dash could say anything, Fluttershy pulled the door open and walked inside. After a moment, Rainbow Dash followed.

Comments

[Adderbane]

Glad to see this is still going. Keep up the good work!

[Macgyver644200]

8718858
Thanks! Glad you like!

[RadicalDishonesty]

I'm afraid I'm not 100% clear on what happened here at the end. Did Zephyr hear his sister talking about him and snap? Was it Discord? When they say "like this" do they mean volatile or did they notice his self worth... stuff?

[Macgyver644200]

8720241
Both got to him. And they're talking about both.

[Macgyver644200]

8782766
Thanks! I'm working on a commission at the moment, but this will be continuing!

[superfun]

Will this be continued soon?

[Macgyver644200]

10540084
Honestly, I'm not thinking so. Sorry, I've got a lot of other things to take care of at the moment. Thank you for the interest, though, and thanks for commenting.

[superfun]

10541570
Alright then.