Author's Note
This one was inspired by a meme I saw online. It made me wonder...could it be the reason why Dash is so protective?
Anyway! Here's my written take on the entire thing!
Time to Ask Why
"Well. There is good and bad news. Which do you want first?"
Twilight stood in the throne room of Canterlot Castle, facing Rainbow Dash, who sat with an almost unreadable expression on her face. Fluttershy stood close to her. Celestia and Luna were not present, off on some royal mission.
"It doesn't matter. Good news first I guess." Dash replied, somewhat sullenly.
"Well, good news is that the pony you attacked wasn't too badly hurt-"
"That's not good news." Dash grumbled.
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight looked stunned.
"What? I should have hit him harder, making fun of Shy like that.." Dash scowled.
"Regardless, you shouldn't have attacked him that way." Twilight scolded. "He would be well within his right to press charges against you."
"Let him. It was worth it." Dash sounded defiant. "He didn't suffer nearly enough."
"Rainbow Dash, this isn't like you.." Fluttershy said softly, confused. "You're protective, but...you've never been violent like this before."
Dash didn't respond. She just looked at the floor. Twilight and Fluttershy exchanged looks.
"So that's the good news, that and he's decided not to press charges." Twilight went on. "He admitted his teasing was out of line."
"So what's the bad news?" Dash asked.
"The bad news is that while he'll heal up in no time, he's going to be left with a limp for a long while. That dive you did on top of him twisted his leg pretty badly. That means he'll be unable to do his route as mail pony for a while."
"Why do I care?" Dash asked. "Somepony is gonna mock somepony else because of thier shyness or anything else, they deserve what they get. Like I said, I should have hit him harder."
"Rainbow, I know you've been protective of Fluttershy for a really long time-"
"Since we were fillies." Dash mumbled. "I started looking out for her then."
"I know that." Twilight gazed at her. "And nopony has ever questioned that, and Fluttershy seems happy about it. But you went too far this time, Rainbow. Yelling and threatening would have been understandable and tolerated, but you physically attacked that pony. That's not ok. Not unless he was physically hurting her. And he wasn't."
"I'm not sorry." Dash said stubbornly. "I'd do it again. He had no right to make fun of Shy just because she was too nervous and shy to talk to somepony, or because her wings aren't strong or she can't fly fast like me!!!"
She'd progressed to yelling, and her two friends blinked in confusion.
"Rainbow...he didn't make fun of her flight, just her shyness...what are you talking about?"
Dash flattened her ears against her head and stared down at the floor as if it could provide all the answers she needed for this predicament.
"N-nothing. It doesn't matter."
"All this aside, Rainbow, I want to ask you something, and I want as honest an answer from you as possible. Because its about time somepony found out the reason for this. Why are you severely protective of Fluttershy? To the point you would literally attack a pony?"
Fluttershy looked at her long time friend, who hung her head lower and avoided the gaze of both of them, mumbling something unintelligible.
"What?" Twilight asked.
Dash sighed heavily. "Do I have to?"
"Let us in, Dashie." Fluttershy pleaded. "Tell us what's wrong. Let us help."
Dash fought an intense inward battle before hanging her head even lower.
"I'm so protective, because...it was me that did it..."
"Did what?" Twilight asked, as Fluttershy laid a foreleg around Dash.
"Y-you know the thing they said...about her, to her, in flight camp?" Dash was struggling.
"You mean 'Fluttershy can hardly fly'?" Twilight looked confused while Fluttershy winced painfully at the fillyhood insult.
"Yeah..." Dash mumbled. "I-I'm the one that started that.."
For the longest time there was no sound except the barely audible thump of Dash's heart hammering against her chest. Fluttershy's grip loosened slightly, and Twilight's jaw dropped a bit in shock.
"I...don't understand..." Fluttershy finally spoke in a near whisper. "All that time you defended me...but you're the reason it started?"
"It was just a joke..." Dash faltered. "I-I saw you fly...or try to...I laughed to one of the others and said...you could hardly fly. That you weren't strong or fast...like me...and I made up the chant cause I thought...I mean, I didn't think...I didn't realise how terrible it was until that day when I saw those bullies chanting it at you, and you so scared...I...just had to make it right...so I-I.."
"You jumped in to defend her." Twilight finished softly.
"I told those guys later not to use that chant, but it stuck, and I couldn't stop it. So I...I made it a mission to protect Shy. To stop them from hurting her. Making fun of her."
"A way to atone for the mistake you made." Twilight nodded in understanding.
"Y-yeah." Dash mumbled, not daring to look up from the floor. "Shy, I-I'm sorry. All that teasing...all that bullying...the heckling...I started it. I wish I hadn't. I'm really, really sorry."
The normally cool and unfazed cyan pegasus now looked ready to cry, and she was fighting it with all she had. Her staring at the floor intensified, as if willing a hole to open up and swallow her. The weight of her painful confession was crushing down on her, and she didn't like it. It hurt. But she knew it couldn't hurt as bad as all that mocking had hurt her closest friend.
Fluttershy had sat silently, never moving her foeleg off Dash. Now she brought the other one up and hugged her close to her, also wrapping her in her wings. Dash sniffled, rapidly losing her desperate battle against her emotions.
"Its ok, Dashie." Fluttershy spoke softly in her ear.
"But...but I shouldn't have...I wasn't...I didn't..." Dash was struggling again, speech nearly impossible.
"I forgive you." Fluttershy's voice was very gentle, and she hugged Dash closer. "You made this right a thousand times over by being the greatest friend and protector I could ever ask for."
"But you wouldn't have needed protecting if I hadn't opened my big mouth!" Dash protested, tears forming in spite of her efforts.
"If not you, Dashie, then somepony would have started tormenting me eventually anyway. You were right. I wasn't strong, and I wasn't fast. I'm still not that much stronger or faster. You made a mistake, and you've fixed it completely as far as I'm concerned."
Dash was overwhelmed. She hugged Fluttershy back with so much force the other pegasus squeaked in surprise before tightening her own hold.
"Thanks, Fluttershy."
The words were simple, but full of emotion and Fluttershy knew full well what that one little statement really meant. She hugged her friend even tighter and smiled. Dash finally pulled back and wiped at a few tear, chuckling sheepishly.
"You, uh...you didn't see those..." She attempted to restore some shred of her pride.
Fluttershy giggled and Twilight chuckled. Dash looked at Twilight and sighed.
"Twi, I gotta fix what I did to that pony too. Um...I'll cover his route for him til he's better, and I'll even run errands for him."
Twilight smiled. "That sounds fine, Rainbow. I will let him know he'll have help while he recovers."
Dash grinned a little, and looked back at Fluttershy, who simply smiled and hugged her friend tightly all over again, while Dash felt the last remnants of guilt dissipate as the fullness of Fluttershy's forgiveness washed over her.
There was a good friendship lesson in this...she should write a report. But eh. Right now she was content to just be hugged tight. She enjoyed the feeling of warmth and closeness.
Though she would absolutely never admit it to anypony!
