A Dash of Ethics
by Fluttershy_from_LW
First published
Rainbow Dash is loyal to her friends, and she loves her marefriend Fluttershy dearly. Sometimes, a mare must choose between being loyal to those they love, and helping those in more dire circumstances.
Rainbow Dash is loyal to her friends, and she loves her marefriend Fluttershy dearly. Sometimes, a mare must choose between being loyal to those they love, and helping those in more dire circumstances.
Rated "Teen" for philosophical complexity, non-sexual romance, and offscreen death. Alludes to ideas from both Effective Altruism, and Peter Singer's essay, "The Drowning Child and the Expanding Circle".
Cover art by the masterful Miokomata.
Chapter 1
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had walked out to the countryside to the east of Ponyville, and now sat together in the warm afternoon air in the middle of a long, grassy isthmus that separated the twin lakes on either side of them.
"Dash, I'm sorry that we had to walk," said Fluttershy, blushing lightly, and scrunching her shoulders in towards her body in apology. Her marefriend, Rainbow Dash, set down the picnic basket she had been holding in her mouth, grinned, and puffed out her chest. Rainbow had gone so far as to arrange for a metal boat to be delivered here in advance of their date, and secretly felt proud of herself for taking the initiative to do so. She'd rented an old, wide rowboat for only a few bits—and more impressively, she'd overcome her tendency to procrastinate, and had made sure that the boat was available a few days in advance, rather than waiting until the last minute to make arrangements. "Flutters, this date is going to be the best we have had yet. And don't you worry about having to walk," she continued, scooting closer to Fluttershy, "what with your wing being broken and all". Dash nuzzled Fluttershy's wing with the tip of her nose, making sweet cooing sounds as she did. Fluttershy shivered at Rainbow's first touch, and then pressed her side into Rainbow's muzzle a bit too eagerly. "Ow! Sorry, um," said Fluttershy, drawing back. "I guess that Nurse Redheart didn't want me to use that wing for three more months, and it'll be several weeks before I can even start physical therapy at all. Sorry that it still hurts".
Rainbow Dash smiled, and then paused for a beat. "Uh, hey, Flutters. There's no need to worry about that ruining our afternoon, because you know that I'm always good at winging it." Rainbow Dash grinned sheepishly, and Fluttershy giggled lightly in return, softly snuggling the back side of her head into Rainbow's neck. She rubbed her head up and down against the soft skin of Rainbow Dash's neck, basking in her lover's warmth. After a moment, Dash snuck a hoof around Fluttershy's withers, and wrapped her in a tight hug, lovingly rocking her back and forth again and again. The two mares remained entwined like this for some time.
When the two ponies separated from their hug, Fluttershy was the first to speak. "I'm actually really looking forward to this, because, well, I like letting you be in charge, and just being out on the water where you're the only one who can fly off... I guess that I could paddle around in the boat, but I never learned how to swim. If it's ok with you, I think that letting you have that kind of power of mobility over me sounds really romantic, Dash." Rainbow Dash continued to listen, and experimentally took Fluttershy's ear into her mouth, to see what it would feel like to softly gnaw on it, and lick it with her tongue. Rainbow decided that it felt wonderful, and sighed in pleasure while Fluttershy continued to speak, despite her ear being held captive. "Actually, if you wanted, maybe we could eat out on the lake—we could leave the picnic basket here, and you could be in charge of flying out courses to us as you saw fit."
Rainbow Dash let go of Fluttershy's ear to respond, "that sounds great, Flutters." Rainbow stretched briefly as she got up and surveyed the two lakes on either side of the isthmus. She saw three young earth pony colts—none of whom she recognized—paddling around in their own boat far off in one lake, but noticed that the other lake was clear of boating ponies. It was unusual to see other ponies this far out from Ponyville, though it was understandable that anypony might want to take advantage of the nice day to spend time outside with their friends. "Hey Flutters," Dash asked, "do you want to hop in the boat before I push it off? We'll head out to the lake on the right, so that those colts can have the other lake to themselves." Fluttershy blushed, and shot Rainbow Dash a silly grin. "I mean, that sounds good to me, I wouldn't mind some, um, some privacy and alone time with you." Fluttershy eagerly hopped in the boat, and waited for Rainbow Dash to push it off.
Chapter 2
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had let their boat slowly drift out into the middle of the lake, with Dash sometimes paddling two or three strokes to move them along. About an hour had passed since the two mares had pushed off from the shore, and occasionally, a light gust of wind would disturb the little ripples of water that danced rhythmically past the center of the lake. The water was a rich, dark blue, and one could see only a small fraction of the way to the bottom of the deep lake.
Fluttershy felt a little rumble in her tummy, and said, "hey, Dash, I'm starting to get a bit hungry." Rainbow Dash sat up, slightly rocking the little boat, and stretched her wings. "I was just starting to feel a bit sleepy myself. I'll grab us an appetizer in a minute." Fluttershy beamed, and moved closer to Rainbow Dash. "Oh, Dash, you're such a sweetie. Thanks." She extended her muzzle towards Rainbow Dash's cheek, and gave her a short peck. "That really would be awesome of you, Dash, if you wouldn't mind."
Rainbow Dash took off, and made her way back to the isthmus between the two lakes where they had left their picnic basket. In the distance, she saw the three colts still boating on the other lake, about as far from from the part of the isthmus where Rainbow Dash had left the picnic basket as her and Fluttershy's boat was. Rainbow Dash landed, and pulled out a couple plates of sprout-and-romaine salad from the basket. Rooting around, Rainbow Dash also pulled out two large containers, one filled with olive oil, and the other filled with vinegar. Fluttershy always drowned her salads in the stuff, so Dash had brought plenty.
A scream. Not from Fluttershy's direction. Rainbow Dashed turned. All three of the colts, flailing around in the water. Their boat, much lower in the water than it should have been. The other two colts screamed.
A bang on metal. Another bang. A scream. From Fluttershy's direction. Had something been startled? Rainbow Dash turned. Her marefriend Fluttershy banging on the side of the ship, and saying something too softly for Rainbow to understand. Fluttershy flailing, but mostly failing to move.
Rainbow Dash knew who she had to save first.
She took off, and beat her wings against the air with more force than form. She came close to her target, and began to descend.
"don't deserve to be saved, please just go help them, there's only one of me, sorry," Fluttershy whimpered. Her boat had filled a fifth of the way with water, but still floated. "Move, I'll swim, and you hold on to me!" Dash held out a hoof, and Fluttershy shook her head.
"I'm stuck. Dash, my hoof." Dash saw that the rusty metal of the bottom of the boat had given way where one of Fluttershy's hooves had accidentally pierced the age-weakened surface when Fluttershy had panicked. Dash pounded the boat with her own hooves, and Fluttershy whimpered, her hoof coming free. With her hoof released, the now unclogged hole began to fill their boat with water more quickly than before.
Rainbow Dash held on to Fluttershy, and kicked with all her might, so as to reach the shore as quickly as she could. "Kick, Fluttershy!" The water was lukewarm, yet Fluttershy shivered out of fear.
Rainbow's wings were entirely submerged beneath the water as she kicked. She couldn't help but think that she wouldn't be able to fly again for at least an hour, until they dried. Rainbow kept kicking, but the shore was such a long way away, and swimming was so much slower than flying.
Fluttershy kicked, even though she had gotten tired so quickly. She kept kicking until they reached the shore.
Rainbow Dash kicked, and even though it seemed like it took so long for them to swim back, she never slowed down.
And when they reached the shore, the three colts and their boat was nowhere to be seen. Rainbow Dash knew that she had been too late. Fluttershy watched her swim out to where she had last seen the colts' boat at, and dive beneath the water, and resurface, and then dive again and again, never bringing anypony back up with her.
There had never been any question as to whom the element of loyalty would choose to save.