Butterflies with Wings of Diamond
Celestia was just beginning to raise the sun against the backdrop of the Equestrian sky, and the cloudless sky made another beautiful day in Ponyville all but inevitable. At the cottage Fluttershy called home, a finicky meadowlark that always became hungry at sunrise began its high, sweet twittering, waking the sleeping pony the way she most preferred: gently.
The yellow pony pushed the covers away with her hooves, stretching out her spine and raising her hooves above her head, yawning off the remnants of another night of wonderful sleep. She smiled softly at the meadowlark, and said in her quiet voice “Oh, thank you. You can stop now.” The lark, who loved Fluttershy as much as her other animal friends, happily obliged, taking wing and following Fluttershy as she got out of her bed and went down the stairs from her room into the den.
Waiting for the animal-loving pony upon her descent were the animals she had taken in, all eagerly awaiting her arrival. They clamored and yipped and yelped for her attention and affection, but, as taught by a pony that valued kindness above all else, did not push or shove the other animals.
“Oh, don’t you worry, I’ll make sure all of you get the food you need!” Fluttershy said warmly, finally stretching her wings as she flew up to the top cabinets, retrieving bags of animal feed and pouring their various contents into dishes suited to each and every animal’s needs. They all ran past and through her legs to reach their food, happily relishing in the bounty their kind and gentle owner provided.
For her most finicky, but closest, animal friend, Angel, Fluttershy had prepared yet another special dish filled with fresh vegetables and fruits. The rabbit, already in a good mood from the beautiful day blossoming like a spring flower just out the window, dug into his food with no complaint. Fluttershy flashed him a smile, content that all of her animal friends were satisfied.
Fluttershy supervised the meal until every animal had taken their last bite, and then returned the bags of feed to their places in the cabinets. As she softly landed back on the floor of her cottage, Angel ran up to her, tugging on her wing and hopping up and down.
“Oh my, is something wrong, Angel, dear?” Fluttershy asked, somewhat nervously.
The rabbit pointed to the clock, and then proceeded to strut around the cottage, one hand on his hip, which was stuck out at an exaggerated angle.
“Oh my goodness! You’re right, Angel, I was supposed to meet Rarity today!” the yellow mare gasped, grabbing her bag and zipping out the door, spinning Angel on his feels. The rabbit hopped onto the window ledge, watching his kind owner run down the dirt path that led to her cottage and down to Ponyville. He sighed, resting his head upon the end of his paw, staring at the bright summer sun.
Meanwhile, Fluttershy had made her way into Ponyville, where she began to go slower, so she didn’t bump into anyone. Better to avoid a confrontation than be late, she thought. After a hundred “Oh, p-pardon me”’s and several dozen “e-excuse me…”’s, Fluttershy found herself in front of Carousel Boutique, the (practical) home of her best friend, Rarity. Fluttershy softly knocked her hoof against the door, nudging the door open gently with her head, peering inside.
“Ah… R-Rarity? I-… I’m here.” She said nervously, worried she was interrupting something.
Once the door was fully open, Fluttershy stepped inside, finally seeing the beautiful pure-white unicorn in the corner, her horn glistening with magical power as she slowly and carefully put the finishing touches on another glamorous dress that glistened brilliantly with gemstones, the fabric a shade of violet reminiscent of its designer’s mane, beautifully cross-stitched.
Fluttershy sat and watched her friend, enjoying herself, since she did, after all, harbor a love for fashion that was not quite as deep-seated as Rarity’s, but was still made obvious occasionally.
Eventually the unicorn finished her work, and hoisted the entire finished dress with her horn effortlessly, turning around to see Fluttershy standing there calmly. She let out a yelp of surprise, which in turn startled Fluttershy, who flipped over on her back.
“Oh, Darling, you really must speak up once you’ve come inside!” Rarity said, maneuvering around her friend to place the dress on one of the several pony mannequins she had standing around the boutique.
“Oh, I know… You just seemed so busy, I’d hate to interrupt or worse, mess you up…” Fluttershy said, averting her eyes away from her friend’s gaze.
“Oh nonsense, dear, it would take more than little old you to make someone as experienced as me mess up!” Rarity said reassuringly, helping her friend back onto her feet.
“W-Well, okay… If you say so.” The yellow mare said, looking over at the beautiful violet dress.
“Is that for somepony in particular?” she asked, turning to her friend.
“Actually, yes, Darling. It’s for you.”
Fluttershy’s eyes grew wide, and her voice lost its body.
“Oh… Gee, I don’t know, Rarity… You remember what happened last time…” she said, looking down at the floor with a look of uncertainty.0Oh, nonsense, Darling! No Photo Finish or adoring paparazzi to be found now… unfortunately” She muttered the last part under her breath.
“So, why…?”
“Well you’re my best friend, Darling! Of course I want to see what you look best in so I can incorporate it into other dresses. We already know you look good in green, so I thought ‘Nothing compliments a nice golden-yellow coat like purple.’”
“Oh my, do you really think so?” Fluttershy said, gaining a bit of confidence back. “Well, I guess it would be rather rude of me to say ‘no’…”
“Smashing! Oh I know you’re going to look simply divine!” Rarity nearly gasped as she yanked Fluttershy into a dressing room. She pushed the dress over Fluttershy’s head only just barely after the door closed, pulling her hooves and wings through the proper holes. She then stepped back to admire her handiwork, while Fluttershy did her best to stand still, trembling slightly from being in the spotlight, even if her best friend was the only member of the audience.
“It looks fabulous, Darling!” Rarity said excitedly, her eyes widening slightly with eagerness. “Look, see for yourself.” She said, turning the trembling yellow Pegasus towards the mirror.
Fluttershy examined herself in the mirror. The dark violet fabric looked wonderful in direct contrast with her yellow coat, just as Rarity thought it would. The gemstones were placed strategically to compliment the pegasus’ blue-green eyes.
“Oh, Rarity, it looks wonderful!” Fluttershy said excitedly.
“Doesn’t it, though?” the unicorn said, beaming at her friend.
“Your fashion sense is never wrong!” Fluttershy said, stating the obvious truth.
“It’s what I know best!” Rarity said, blushing ever so slightly at her friend’s compliment.
Come on, Fluttershy, you can do it…
“Ummm… R-Rarity…?”
“Yes, dear?”
“I… I-…”
“Yes?”
“I… really like the dress” she said, the undertone of defeat in her voice too subtle for Rarity to catch it.
“You’re too kind, Darling.” Rarity said, smiling at her friend.
“Y-Yeah…” Fluttershy said, unable to prevent her voice from drifting off.
“Something the matter, dear?” Rarity said, slightly concerned.
“Ohhh, no, it’s nothing, really.”
“Well, alright then… If you say so.”
As they walked out of the dressing room and back into the boutique, Fluttershy’s heart began to beat faster and faster. She dug deep inside, trying her very hardest to say what she could never work up the courage to say before. The words bunched together in her throat, stuck there and rendering her incapable of speech.
“Fluttershy, are you alright? Goodness me, you’ve become so pale! Are you sick, Darling?”
“O-O-Oh, n-no, I just… I…”
“Hmm?”
“I…”
Come on, Fluttershy!!!
“I was wondering if you and I could get lunch tomorrow?”
“That sounds lovely, Darling. 12:00, then?
“Y-Yeah, that sounds fine…”
“Well, are you going then, dear?”
“Oh, I think I should. The animals need their lunch, as well.” Fluttershy let out a nervous chuckle.
“Well alright then. Have a good day, Darling! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Rarity said, already pulling out fabric and gemstones to throw another dress together.
Fluttershy said goodbye one last time, and walked out of Carousel Boutique. She plopped down on the ground in a heap, panting heavily as her heart raced and her forehead broke out into a free sweat.
I couldn’t do it… the defeated Pegasus thought to herself. Maybe I’ll never be able to…
Suddenly, the Pegasus got an idea. A very bold idea. Especially for her. But she knew it was the only way she could ever be brave enough. So, the newly empowered Pegasus flew with all of her might to the library carved into a tree her friend Twilight Sparkle called home.
***********************************************************************************
“My goodness, are you serious?” Twilight Sparkle asked as she pulled books off of the many shelves that made up the foyer of her arboreal abode.
“Yes…” Fluttershy replied in a somber voice, hovering slightly above ground level as her literature-loving friend scoured books for records of mare-and-mare marriages. Twilight frowned, holding the book aloft using the magic of her horn, which glistened with power.
“Hmmm… It says here that the last recorded mare-and-mare marriage was actually a royal wedding. Apparently neither of the kingdoms could raise a son, and it just so happened that these two mares had fallen in love… But that was a long time ago. Starswirl the Bearded hadn’t even been born yet.”
“Oh my….”
“My thoughts exactly. Are you sure about this, Fluttershy? There are plenty of nice, single stallions in Ponyville…”
“Oh, no… They all make me so nervous, I just can’t ever seem to speak…”
“Doesn’t Rarity make you nervous?”
“Yes, but it feels like a good kind of nervous. It the kind of nervous I sorta want to hold on to… It makes me want to soar through the clouds like Rainbow Dash does when Rarity says she has a new dress for me to try on… When she makes time for me… It means so much, Twilight… It makes me want to take all of her time for me. But, I know she couldn't ever do that...”
“I had no idea, Fluttershy…” Twilight looked at the pegasus; She seemed so defeated. She held deep in her heart a love so unrequited, so unrecognized by the one she had such strong feelings for.
"Why me, Fluttershy? And more importantly, why now? What made you decide to do this when you've felt this way for so long?"
Fluttershy walked slowly to the window that stood by the door of Twilight's home. She stared out into the picture of afternoon that went on without worry of what went on in Fluttershy's tortured mind, not looking at her friend as she spoke.
"I could wait forever for her, Twilight. I could. But I don't know if she'll do the same... Some stallion from Canterlot could sweep her off her feet and carry her away from me any day... And then I couldn't follow her... And I need her, Twilight... I hadn't even thought about how much I needed her until just recently... But I do... And you're the only one that knows enough to help me..."
As the pegasus spoke, tears began to form in her eyes; most likely the result of the thought of a Ponyville without its fairest fashionista. They dropped to the floor silently, creating miniature puddles at the hooves of a defeated and desperate pony. Twilight knew she had to help her friend. And she would, if there was any way to.
“Oh, Fluttershy….” Twilight said, trotting from her book stand over to the sobbing Pegasus, nuzzling her and wiping the tears away with her hoof.
“Don’t worry. I’m going to help you. We’ll get you two together for sure!” Twilight exclaimed, trying to cheer her gloomy friend up.
“Are you sure…?” The uncertain pegasus asked, continuing to stare at the floor, unable to make eye contact with her friend.
“Of course! Now, listen closely…”
*************************************************************************************
The next day was gloomy and rainy. All of the confidence Fluttershy had mustered up blew away with the blustering winds that wound their way through the streets of Ponyville, sending most of the ponies indoors and away from the cold rain and harsh wind. The determined pegasus wanted, however, to carry out the plan that she had concocted with Twilight as soon as possible; and so, despite the adverse weather, she made her way to Carousel Boutique, where her friend Rarity was no doubt waiting.
Sure enough, after two only two soft knocks on the door of the boutique, Rarity answered the door, her eyes widening as she saw her soaking wet friend standing before her. The peagsus’ body was racked with shivers that had nothing to do with the cold of the rain.
“Oh my goodness, Darling, what ARE you doing in this simply horrid weather?” the concerned unicorn practically yelped, ushering her friend through the door and into the warm and inviting boutique. Everything looked the same; dresses and yarn and gemstones here and there and everywhere, with Rarity being the only one who knew where each and every scrap of fabric and shining stone would eventually end up.
“Oh, well, I did say we should do lunch, and I’d hate to have turned you down…” Fluttershy said, gladly accepting a warm towel Rarity draped over her shivering frame.
“Oh, well, I doubt we’d be able to find a suitable place to eat anywhere in this weather, Dear.”
Oh, fiddlesticks, Fluttershy, why didn’t you think of that?
“I, ah… I happened to be in the neighborhood?” she said, a little more nervously.
“Doing what? You don’t even have your bag on you, Darling.”
“Oh…. Right…”
“Fluttershy, Dear, is there something you want to tell me?” Rarity was becoming more concerned by the second, pushing her face close to Fluttershy’s. Fluttershy’s cheeks turned crimson as Rarity’s face grew closer to hers.
“Well, um… a-actually, t-t-there w-was something I w-wanted to tell you, R-R-Rarity” the poor pegasus stuttered, tripping over her words like she knew she would.
Pull it together, Fluttershy!!
“I-… I-I,um… I….”
“Out with it, Dear!” Rarity said, her voice laced with impatience.
The words Fluttershy had been holding in for so long got stuck in her throat once again. Fluttershy tried her very hardest to force them out, her efforts so obvious they became apparent to Rarity, who was now worried her friend had gotten a fever from the unrelenting downpour that was occurring outside.
“Fluttershy, are you alright…?” Rarity asked, very concerned.
“I-… I-… I CAN’T!” the pegasus finally screamed, running full speed at the door, busting through it and running towards the outskirts of town, her tears flowing freely and mixing with the droplets of rain that fell from the angry gray clouds.
Fluttershy ran and ran, ignoring the calls of her friend who gave chase, finally finding a large puddle of mud that was partially concealed by the crest of an even muddier hill and flying directly into the center, knowing Rarity would never look for her there, it was much too dirty. And there the pegasus wallowed, whimpering and sobbing, her flowing tears constantly leaving mud-caked trails on her face, contorted in an expression of utter sadness.
What felt like hours passed, and the pegasus finally lifted her head out of the mud, looking up to see a pure white figure among the gray, dark green, and brown.
“R-… Rarity?” she said, looking at the streaks of brown that ran all through her beautiful friend’s pearl-white coat.
“Who else?” the unicorn said comfortingly, jumping into the puddle of mud, her white coat becoming even further drenched in the filth.
“N-No!! Your coat, it’s becoming so dirty!” Fluttershy cried, knowing her friend so hated to feel dirty.
“Fluttershy, mud washes off. Grime can swirl down the sink and be gone forever, and I can feel brand new. But feelings… They don’t just wash away with the rain, do they?” she said, tilting her head upwards to the angry sky, allowing the rain to wash over her, cleansing her of some of the dirt that stained her.
“Rarity…” Fluttershy simply said, dumbfounded her friend had gone to such lengths at her expense.
“Fluttershy… I can imagine what you were trying to say back there. I didn’t know what to think at first, but… I thought about it for a long time. How I wanted that dress I made for you to be even more perfect than my other creations, how eager I was to bring out your beauty… How eager I was to make you, my friend, even more beautiful…”
Fluttershy lifted her head more, looking at her friend. Rarity caught Fluttershy’s gaze with her eyes and it her face with her hoof.
“Fluttershy… How is that three little words became the hardest to say to me?” the unicorn asked, as tears flowed down her friends face.
“I… I don’t know… I didn’t think this was the way I was supposed to feel…” she said, looking her friend in the eyes for the first time in what felt like forever.
“Well, they’re actually very easy to say.” Rarity said, giving her friend a smile.
“Not for me…” the pegasus said, returning the grin.
“Then allow me to do it for the both of us.” Rarity said, pulling her friend close, their lips finally meeting under a stormy sky, which broke open at that moment, allowing a single ray of sunshine through. It pointed back in the direction of Carousel Boutique, a rainbow forming in the sunshine’s wake, as if to point the two ponies back home, just as Rainbow Dash’s had pointed Applejack home when the ponies were all fillies..
Rarity pulled away from Fluttershy, who could only continue to sob, but this time, for a completely different reason. The mud-soaked unicorn offered her hoof to her friend.
“What’s say you and I go back into town and wash away everything?” she said, grabbing Fluttershy’s hoof.
“Start anew… Fresh and clean.” The pegasus finished, holding on to Rarity’s hoof tightly, joining her as they walked side by side back to Ponyville, no longer as two friends, but as one couple.
“Hey… Rarity?” Fluttershy said, looking her friend right in the eye.
“Yes?” she replied, looking back at the smiling pegasus.
“I love you...”
