Disclaimer: I do not own My Little Pony or the characters. They are the property of Hasbro, etc.
Notes: This is my very first fic for My Little Pony, meaning for all generations. I'm hoping I was able to keep them relatively in character, especially Wind Whistler. Also, I did not have a thesaurus at hand when writing for her, so those are the largest words I can possibly think of.
There's a reference to the episode Crunch the Rockdog.
This might contain potential OOC, but no slash at all. Enjoy!
Paradise was reading another one of her storybooks. Her eyes flickered from left to right as she took in each word. Ever since she was a filly, she had loved such stories.
Wind Whistler stood at the bookshelf and noted quite a few books were missing. She knew it had to be Paradise who had taken them down to read. She sighed and went to find the white pegasus. She didn't have to look far. "Paradise."
She blinked as she lifted her eyes from the pages. "Hi, Wind Whistler. Did you want to read one of these?" She gestured to the two piles of books beside her.
"My failure to comprehend your obsession with fantasy aside, I've come to remind you of protocol for reading materials. You are not to remove numerous amounts in a single moment."
Paradise sighed. "I know, but..."
"Come assist me in returning them." She started piling some onto her back and carried them to the bookshelf.
Gusty was making her way to the bookshelf to choose a book to read to the baby ponies. She saw Wind Whistler with three books on her back, and a fourth in her mouth. "Wow, Wind Whistler. I thought none of these days would come."
She set the book down. "I fail to comprehend what it is you mean."
"You're reading something other than those boring books you like so much. And, you're breaking the rules too."
"You miscomprehend the situation."
"Uh-huh. Sure." She found the ideal book, removed it from the shelf, and carried it towards the exit.
Something tells me this miscomprehension will get out of hand. She put another in the right place.
Wind Whistler was right. By the end of the day, she could hear a lot of the ponies gossiping about what Gusty assumed of her.
"Darling, I had no idea that you were capable of reading these types of books," Heart Throb had commented.
"Just because non-fiction is my preference, it does not mean that I cannot enjoy fiction," she retorted.
"Well, it just seemed to me you found it to be...boring. And to be honest, ponies who find fantasy boring must be rather dull themselves."
She shook her head. It was bad enough when Gusty, Truly and Buttons claimed she had no feelings. Now, with the others saying she was dull enough to only enjoy non-fiction books, it was too much. "If I may be excused..." she then turned and walked away.
The rumours continued for days, as did the teasing. The only ponies who didn't take part were the babies, as well as Paradise, North Star, Fizzy and Sweet Stuff. Paradise and North Star brought Megan to Dream Valley, knowing she'd be able to help sort out the situation.
Megan found Wind Whistler sitting by the river. "Hi, Wind Whistler."
"Megan! This is an unexpected surprise!" she exclaimed as the human girl sat beside her.
"I heard about the situation from North Star and Paradise. Did you try explaining yourself?"
"I attempted an explanation when Gusty miscomprehended the situation, but she refused to believe my words. Eventually, most everyone else believed Gusty's claims and have since accused me of being dull."
"What did Gusty see?"
"Paradise had removed numerous reading materials from the shelves, despite protocol stating only a single book so everyone else could read. I was returning the excess and had three on my back while returning a fourth."
"So, that's what happened. Come on, we need to tell everyone what really happened."
The ponies gathered outside Paradise Estate upon Megan's request. "As I understand, a lot of you have been giving Wind Whistler a hard time lately. Things weren't as you think they were." Megan turned to Wind Whistler. "Would you like to explain?"
"Thank you, Megan." She turned to her friends. "The scenario Gusty witnessed was thus: I was not removing books, I was returning them."
Paradise stepped beside her. "It was my fault. I took down too many books. Wind Whistler really was putting them back, though she wouldn't have had to if I followed the rules."
"As for everyone's claims of me being dull, we all have our interests. I'm fascinated by the workings of the world, so non-fiction is my preference. However, I do find fiction intriguing when I desire to relax."
Gusty bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Wind Whistler. You tried to tell me what you were doing. Not only did I not listen, I even started a rumour."
"A lot of us were responsible for hurting your feelings. We're all sorry," Heart Throb added.
A lot of scattered sorrys sounded through the crowd.
Megan nodded and smiled. "Looks like you all now know that you should never start rumours, or draw conclusions without knowing all the facts."
North Star nodded. "Too right. Imagine an incomplete story. You can assume the ending, but it may not be the true conclusion."
"Wonderful analysis and comparison, North Star," Wind Whistler commented.
The next day, Paradise remembered to only remove one book. It was all she needed, even while she and Wind Whistler read it together.