The Butterfly Catchers

The Butterfly Catchers

Chapter One

Of Plotting and Pancakes

~~~

She wondered if, one day, she might grow accustomed to this particular sensation. With all her heart, however, she hoped that she would not.

Rarity’s mind swam back to a consciousness born of the morning light, and she let herself float for a moment, basking in the warmth of the pony beneath the covers at her side. Sighing happily, she cuddled a little closer to the sleeping mare. Yes, she reflected; waking up to a lover’s embrace, particularly the embrace of such a vivacious lover as this, was something she prayed never to grow used to.

“Why hello there, Miss Pie,” she whispered. Pinkie shifted with a gentle yawn, her eyes cracking open, followed almost immediately by her smile as her gaze fell on the unicorn. The effervescent mare had been living in Carousel Boutique for a little over a month now, and yet, somehow, each morning still contrived to feel like the very first.

In truth, Rarity had expected it to be difficult, trying to cage so anarchic a pony into such an organized space as the boutique. Nevertheless, they both agreed that the move had been long overdue, and in truth, there had been no particularly destructive ructions as yet. Perhaps Pinkie had been mellowed a little by the unicorn’s influence, or maybe Rarity had grown to be more relaxed. More likely, both mares were quite prepared to make concessions in their behavior, because each one knew all too well that the other’s company was more than worth it.

It had been easy and natural, much like their relationship as a whole, which had seemed to blossom with a lazy, gradual simplicity, almost of its own accord.

The mares had found themselves setting apart more time for one another, almost without realizing that they were doing so. It had begun as the merest suspicion; a friendly embrace that seemed to stretch for a second longer than it usually ought to, or an instant of eye contact that somehow trapped them into a momentary reverie. After a time the disguised emotions began to crack like the hairlines in porcelain; a blushing peck on the cheek after a walk together, or a captured gaze during those protracted ‘fitting sessions’ at the boutique, dotted with their subtle measuring-tape caresses and silken compliments, the atmosphere always an unacknowledged inch away from catching fire and revealing its true colours.

Eventually, matters had come to a head, under the warm and dusty haze of the summer’s evening sun, in the meadows just along the trail from Whitetail Woods. The paper-thin barriers between them had crumbled; blown away in the breeze and irretrievably scattered. When the fashionista and confectioner had eventually returned to town, their hind legs more than a little shaky, sharing secret little smiles of tired satisfaction, both of their lives were utterly changed for the foreseeable future.

That had been nearly three months ago now. Neither mare had looked back.

“Hey there,” grinned Pinkie, snuggling into her marefriend’s neck. Rarity purred happily, unable to resist hitching her hind leg around her lover’s roundly curvaceous hip, and biting her lip with playful, twinkling eyes. The deliciously full-figured mare giggled, content simply to lie there and enjoy the warmly intimate sensation of the unicorn’s thigh draped over her beneath the covers.

Suddenly, Rarity’s eyes widened a little as if at a sudden memory, and she smiled. “What do you say to breakfast in bed, dear?” she asked, her face still close enough that Pinkie could feel the bloom of breath against her nose. “I heard the most fascinating news at the spa yesterday... and I may have a little suggestion to offer you.” Despite her present involvement, Rarity had by no means abandoned her other friends. Her weekly spa trips with Fluttershy were still very much on the cards, and were indeed as ample a source of gossip as they ever were.

“Sounds good to me,” Pinkie chirped, before her eyelids drooped slowly to half-mast. “But if I can beg your attention for just one moment, Madame…” Her voice was sensuous despite its playful affectation. In her eternally flamboyant style, she chose that moment to pounce. Leaning suddenly forwards into the embrace, she sank her lips gently onto her marefriend’s, before the latter could leave the bed on a quest for croissants.

Rarity let her eyes drift closed, ignoring her rumbling stomach and surrendering herself to the sensation. The earth pony was as exuberant in love as she was in any other aspect of her life, and the alabaster unicorn rolled over onto her back, looking up with a meek faux-innocence as Pinkie broke the kiss for a moment, and crawled atop her with a predatory glint in her expression.

Everything about the mare was so warm; Rarity had realized that a long time ago. She craned her neck up, her lips parting, relishing the sensation of their coats sliding smoothly over one another, to meet Pinkie’s suddenly aggressive kiss. The outgoing mare’s tongue seemed to radiate heat as it dipped into Rarity’s eager mouth, swirling around in a lover’s dance.

Rarity let out a luxurious, unsuppressed moan that shivered through into her partner’s mouth, but after a few more moments of gleeful struggle she forced herself to pull away, suckling gently on the tip of Pinkie’s tongue to gift a parting favour as she retreated. The confectioner cooed in pleasure, beginning to rock her hips down against her lover’s thigh in a slow, insistent rhythm.

The clenching slow-burn of arousal was singing in Rarity’s chest, although she made herself see past it. Given the gently panting and utterly willing mare who was even now straddling her haunches, looking down at her with her wide, beautiful eyes, this was no simple feat.

“I think breakfast now, darling,” Rarity repeated, the firmness of her tone belied by the desirous glint in her gaze, as she rolled onto her side and gently disengaged her lover’s eager hips with a hoof. “You may well want to save your energies, if my little plan appeals to you.”

“Aww…” Pinkie looked a little aggrieved, but intrigued nevertheless by the proposal that Rarity obviously planned to present to her. “Okay then.” She pouted slightly as she clambered off the unicorn, still flushed and quivering ever-so-slightly.

Seeing the look on her marefriend’s face, it took all of Rarity’s determination to not tackle Pinkie back onto the soft mattress and continue where they had left off. However, she contented herself with leaving behind gentle kiss and a whisper that promised ample compensation for this hiatus.

Extricating herself from her luxurious duvets, Rarity tottered a little unsteadily to her hooves, and cast an appraising eye about the room. There was no doubt that Carousel Boutique was not the pristine utopia of neat piles of garments and rolls of material that it had once been. A few pieces of Pinkie’s baking paraphernalia were strewn over the surfaces, and a couple of the eclectic mare’s omnipresent balloons were anchored firmly into the soil of a potted plant. Rarity’s perfectionism had slipped a little too; several rolls of ribbon lay on the rug, separated from whichever collection they had once been a part of. Somehow, though, the place felt homey rather than simply untidy.

As she walked across to the stairs, turning her head to blow a teasing kiss back to the mare in her bed, Rarity felt her stomach give a squirm. It was born half of anticipation, and half of nerves at the audacity of what she was about to suggest. She knew that Pinkie was an exceptionally open-minded pony, but even so…

Are you sure about this?

Rarity quelled the nervy, nitpicking voice as she looked around the kitchen for pancake ingredients.

Naturally. If Pinkie agrees, and if all goes well, we’ll have been most helpful.

And if all doesn’t go well?

There’s no chance of that, just as long as we plan this out properly.

Reaching out with her magic, Rarity seized a couple of eggs, deftly cracking them into the whisking bowl as she ignited the stove. As she threw the eggshells away, she flicked a pat of butter into a frying pan and deposited it with barely a clink on the hob. Not a spot of the shell fell into the mixing bowl, and she smiled slightly with satisfaction at the precision of the action. Twilight Sparkle may have been the more powerful unicorn in their social circle, but the fashionista would have liked to see her purple friend try to achieve such detail or grace. Such things took years of needlework and inwardly-directed frustration to master.

Are you sure that this is entirely… altruistic? An arc of precisely-measured flour joined the eggs, kicking up a dusty white cloud.

I think it will prove quite a favour in the long run, yes. It was a dodge, and she knew it. The magically-clasped whisker fell to beating the mixture with a greater vigour than was perhaps necessary.

You’re sure this isn’t merely an indulgence of your peculiar… shall we say ‘deviancies’? A pinch of salt, for added bite.

Absolutely! I wouldn’t take advantage of my friends in that way! With a small, internal ‘harrumph’ at the mere suggestion, Rarity transferred the mixture to the now-hot frying pan, the liquid hissing sharply as it connected with the heated metal. Besides, if an activity proves equally gratifying for both parties, it can hardly be considered egotistical, can it?

Very well, but only if you’re sure you can deal with this on your conscience if it goes wrong.

Five minutes of suppressed introspection later, Rarity flipped the pleasantly-browned pancakes out onto plates, adding a sprig of parsley and a healthy dash of sugar and lemon juice to each. Knowing her marefriend’s peculiarities, the unicorn seized a few vividly-coloured sprinkles from one of Pinkie’s many topping jars, and sprinkled them eponymously over the party pony’s pancake, a fond smile tugging at her lips.

~~~

Pinkie sat up a little as her breakfast-bearing marefriend returned up the stairs to the bedroom, her eyes glinting as she caught sight of the laden tray. She blushed a little as her stomach let out an audible growl, and the unicorn smirked.

“Hungry?”

“…Maybe.”

Trotting across the room to deposit the food on the bed, Rarity climbed once again beneath the covers. Pinkie caught sight of her sprinkle-coated pancake, and giggled happily.

“Thanks, Rarity,” she whispered, smooching the mare appreciatively on the cheek, before tucking in.

The fashionista smiled, pouring herself a cup of tea and taking an altogether more dainty bite from her own pancake. She leaned her head on Pinkie’s shoulder as she added a little maple syrup, returning the kiss with sugar-coated lips. Their last encounter’s eroticism had transitioned smoothly to a comfortable affection, a mood that Rarity was more than happy with, at least for the duration of breakfast.

Mind you, that maple syrup might have a few… interesting uses. She immediately cursed her overactive imagination for the undeniably appealing suggestion.

Hush, you, she scolded herself, mentally. She committed the idea to memory for possible future use, however.

“So…” Pinkie turned to look at her marefriend, offering her half-eaten pancake a momentary respite. A few sprinkles had settled on the tip of her snout. “What’s this fascinating gossip, then?”

Rarity’s eyes widened a little, then she grinned. “Oh, yes. Well, I was at the spa with Fluttershy yesterday, and she made the most intriguing confession.”

“Mhm?” The cerise mare smirked, her interest piqued.

“Indeed.” The fashionista nodded, unable to resist darting her tongue out to pick up the few errant sprinkles on Pinkie’s nose, prompting a giggle before returning to their comfortable half-embrace, and continuing. “Apparently, she has something of a… shall we say a problem, concerning our resident librarian.”

“With Twilight?” Pinkie raised an eyebrow.

“The very same,” Rarity confirmed, with the air of a magician pulling an ace from a deck of cards. “It seems that Fluttershy has been somewhat enamoured of her, at least for these last few months. She tells me it’s becoming quite unbearable for her.”

Pinkie was silent for a few moments, apparently digesting the news. “I never knew Flutters was even into mares,” she remarked eventually, her tone one of mild surprise. Then, she grinned. “So… what? Is she gonna ask Twilight out?”

Rarity sighed. “Celestia knows she wants to, but I gather she’s too afraid.”

“Afraid of getting turned down?”

The unicorn shook her head. “Not really. Well, that’s a factor too of course, the poor dear. But the main issue is that she’s scared of what might happen if Twilight says yes. She’s scared of… well, there’s no delicate way to put it, really… she’s afraid of intimacy.”

“Intimacy?” Pinkie’s eyes suddenly widened in realization. “Oh!” She gave a slightly devious smirk, reaching down beneath the bed covers to deliver a gentle swat to Rarity’s rump, tugging a purr of surprised pleasure from the fashionista’s lips. “There’s no need to be delicate around me, Rarity,” she whispered, noting with satisfaction the twitch in her marefriend’s ear.

“Oh, I know, darling,” the unicorn replied, her voice heating up a little. She gripped Pinkie’s waist with her foreleg, pulling the mare up close against her. Their open mouths rested together, lazily sharing sugar-laced breath.

Stop stalling, Rarity.

Oh, be quiet. This is going to be so much easier if she’s in the right mood.

“Anyway,” the unicorn murmured, her words a little muffled as they formed themselves around Pinkie’s lips, “apparently poor Fluttershy is… rather scared of what might happen… if she and Twilight were to end up in the bedroom together…”

Her speech was a little fragmented because, every now and then, one of the mares would advance her tongue ever-so-slightly, dancing forwards in a quick flick, then retreating like a ghost before it could be captured. It was a little game that they knew well, and it always made for memorable conversations.

As Rarity spoke, the frequency of their sorties increased, until eventually her words died out entirely with a groan of surrender as she committed her tongue’s full attention to the task at hand. It was a wet, messy, unstructured kind of kiss; the kind of kiss that nopony but Pinkie Pie could achieve with quite such perfection.

In truth, neither mare knew quite where the kiss had come from. Perhaps discussing the intimate lives of their friends had ignited a certain voyeuristic excitement, but more likely it was simply a matter of unfinished business. Pinkie’s tail was flicking rapidly from side to side, her tongue strong and insistent as it explored the unicorn’s mouth, and Rarity knew she could not find the willpower to refuse the mare for a second time.

But unexpectedly, after a few more seconds, she felt Pinkie reluctantly release her lips. “So…” the pink mare whispered, her curiosity apparently getting the better of her excitement. After all, they had all the time in the world to fool around, whereas gossip was a matter for the moment. “What’s Flutters scared of, exactly?”

Rarity was breathing hard, doing her best to collect her thoughts. “I… I gather it’s her own inexperience. She’s worried about underperforming, or simply not knowing what to do.”

To Rarity’s surprise, Pinkie giggled. “That’s so silly! Twilight probably knows less about that kinda thing than she does!”

“Ah. Well, actually…” Rarity began, tentatively.

“You’re kidding,” deadpanned Pinkie, her eyebrows darting skywards.

“I am most certainly not,” replied the unicorn, smirking. “Remember when she spent all that time last year with Cheerilee, and she told everypony she was ‘helping her to set her tests’?”

“Oh Celestia,” muttered Pinkie, amazed that she could have been so oblivious.

“Indeed.” Rarity nodded. “It didn’t last very long; Twilight was most despondent for a while after they fell apart, but it’s all water under the bridge now. My point is, I don’t doubt that she learned quite a bit, and Fluttershy knows it. The idea of not being an equal contributor in the bedroom doesn’t appeal to the poor dear at all. I know it wouldn’t actually come between them in reality; Twilight’s not nearly so shallow, but it’s proving quite a barrier for Fluttershy.” She sighed, suddenly a little saddened. “Also… I think she feels ashamed.”

“That she’s fallen for somepony?”

“That she’s fallen for a mare,” Rarity corrected, sadly. “I don’t think her parents were particularly open-minded ponies, particularly her mother. They taught her that even the most ordinary of intimacies are something furtive and dirty, to be done quietly behind closed doors and never spoken of… let alone the ones that they considered ‘deviant’.” She curled her lip in distaste at the last word.

Pinkie’s mane seemed to droop, very slightly. “I… never knew,” she murmured. “Have you talked to her about it?”

“Of course I have,” Rarity replied. “The problem is that her only understanding of sexuality comes from her parents’ silly, outdated views. She doesn’t think like they do, naturally. I mean, she’s perfectly fine with us, as you know. But she’s never experienced that kind of intimacy for herself, and because of that, the shame and the fear will stay with her, no matter what anypony says to her. Nopony will ever quite accept what they don’t understand, and Fluttershy’s no different.”

The unicorn’s heart was beating a little harder than normal. It was now or never, she supposed.

“So… why tell me this?” Pinkie asked, her gaze curious and more than a little sympathetic for her shy friend’s difficulties. Her mane had regained its usual fullness, as she realized that her ever-helpful marefriend probably had a plan. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

“Well, as I say…” Rarity whispered, tangling her hind legs with her lover’s, and flushing red from a combination of apprehension and a sudden, rising arousal.

Pinkie caught onto her mood, smirking and giving a heated little purr as if to say, this is going to be good.

“…I have a little suggestion to make…”