Chapters Tea with a Friend (Redux)
A firm, yet gentle knock of hoof on wood echoed though the hollow tree. The sound was slightly dampened by the lightly pounding rain outside, but was still loud enough to be heard from any given point within the tree. The inhabitant, known around this part of Equestria as Fluttershy, opened the door of her treehouse, revealing a cloaked unicorn. Fluttershy beckoned the hooded figure inside, gently removing the cloak from her guest. Twilight Sparkle dried herself and the brown wool cloak off with magic, leaving only a small trail of hoof-shaped puddles in her wake. Inside, the front room was sultry, a fire roaring in the hearth a few meters directly forwards from the door heating up the wet air inside. There was a small love seat slightly to the right and a pair of armchairs to the left with a coffee table made of dark wood in between them all. The glow of the fire and a few candles were lit so as to cast a warm glow around the room instead of letting the cold gray light filtering through the clouds illuminate the space.
"Good morning, Twilight," Fluttershy whispered happily, a satisfied smile forming on her face. "I'm so glad you could make it."
"Of course I could make it," Twilight replied, the contagious smile spreading across her face as well. "I had a blank schedule today. And as fun as re-reading my favorite book sounded, tea with a friend on a rainy day just sounds a bit more appealing."
A high pitched whistle crescendoed into presence. Fluttershy looked into the kitchen from where she stood, and saw that her kettle was indeed the source of the mildly annoying sound. She excused herself quietly, stepping into the small kitchen. She turned her stove off, the small blue flames withering quickly out of existence. The yellow pegasus carefully picked the kettle up by its insulated rubber handle, pouring the scalding water into an ornate teapot. She smiled, setting the kettle back on the stove. She set the teapot on a fine silver tray, where two teacups, a small bowl of sugarcubes, a small jar of honey, a pair of ornate silver spoons, and an equally ornate box of teabags lay. She picked up the tray carefully, placing it on her back, supporting it on either side by spreading her wings.
She walked back into the spacious front room to see that Twilight had already seated herself on the love seat. Her already wide smile grew a little more. She set the tray down on the table, nudging it to the center of the table. She set a cup down in front of her unicorn guest, pouring a little water into it.
"Thank you, Fluttershy," Twilight sighed contentedly. "What kind of tea would you recommend? I've only had camomile before, and it wasn't that great."
"Given your personality, I'd suggest the Lavender Blend. I usually have that on days like this while reading a good book," she returned. She opened the small box, selecting two particular packets from it. She set one before Twilight, before setting her own down on the wooden table. Twilight picked up the small pouch with magic, setting it in the steaming water. Color slowly seeped into the water, adding a brown tint to it. Both mares picked up a spoon, dipped it into their respective cups of steeping tea, and stirred gently. The color of each liquid dispersed evenly, tinting to a dark brown, similar to coffee but still more transparent. Fluttershy plucked the teabag from her cup, setting it down on the table. She picked up her cup between her hooves and leaned back in her chair.
"So. Um... How's everything at the library?" Fluttershy asked, trying to start a conversation of some sort.
"Not bad. It's gotten busier now that the local history teachers are assigning research papers on major historic figures," Twilight replied, aiding Fluttershy's attempt at casual conversation.
"That sounds nice," Fluttershy sighed contentedly, taking a wispy sip of her tea.
"Not quite," the unicorn replied. "They're the adolescent types. They tend to make a mess of my perfectly organized library just after I finish cleaning."
"Oh," her pegasus friend replied.
"At least it keeps me and Spike busy," Twilight sighed, taking a small sip of her tea. Warmth seeped through her like the color did the water just moments earlier. She smiled, taking another sip of the hot tea. "Where did you get this tea?"
Fluttershy grinned and took a sip of her own tea before gesturing towards a wall. A row of flowerpots sat upon a shelf, each with a different herb growing from them. A green pot stood out from the others, with a rather tall lavender plant just beginning to bloom. She answered with quiet pride, "I make each packet by hoof."
Twilight gasped in disbelief, staring with wide eyes at the tea.
"If you d-don't like it," Fluttershy stuttered nervously.
"I'm afraid I don't like it," Twilight replied, a slight frown curling up on her lips. Fluttershy's face drooped sadly, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Her lower lip quivered like a leaf in a breeze.
"I love it!" Twilight burst, her smile returning with full vigor. Fluttershy's smile slowly crept back upon her face, settling down for a long and pleasant nap on her lips.
Twilight turned to look at the different herbs that grew upon the shelf in the ground-bound pegasus' home. She saw camomile on the far left in a sky blue pot, next to it was a soft purple pot with a small rose plant growing in it. Next to that was a red pot which appeared to house a ginger plant. To its immediate right was the lavender plant, which sat below a seemingly out of place mask, and beside an orange pot of ginseng.
Twilight's eyes rested upon the mask, which she thought belonged in Zecora's hut more than it did in Fluttershy's cottage. It had no eye holes, but where they should have been were the outlines of a pair ovals that were only halfway on the mask. The dark carved lines contrasted the lighter gray tones of the mask. A thick carved groove ran down the center like a riverbed, notched horizontally every quarter inch or so. Four light yellow feathers stuck out from behind the mask, making it appear almost like a butterfly, save for the antennae or lack thereof. There was something curious about the mask that Twilight couldn't put her hoof on. It almost felt like the mask was radiating magic, and not the ambient magic like the kind in the Everfree. Nay, where that magic was dull and subtle, the magic Twilight felt was sharpened, as though it belonged to a creature that could actively and consciously harness it.
"Hey Fluttershy," Twilight began. "What's the story behind that mask?"
Author's Note
Rewritten to be just a little higher quality. Most of the edits will be in CH2, but CH3 will get some new stuff too.
All was calm in the Everfree Forest. The shaded grounds beneath the trees was calm, and the air was cool. All of the local flora seemed to be in bloom, releasing various sweet scents into the air in hopes of attracting an insect to pollinate it. Warm, bright beams of summer afternoon sunlight speckled the ground, heating up the damp air beneath the canopy. The dull forest noise was almost dead silent in the mid-afternoon sun. Everything seemed to be taking a pleasant nap.
A twig snap, followed shortly after by the rustling of leaves, echoed in the near mute forest. A pale and slightly luminous creature walked through the forest, its long tail swishing back and forth in a serpentine fashion. It looked vaguely equine, though with paws instead of hooves, and a dragon's head. It had large feathered wings, closely tucked to its sides. Coarse scales covered its back and sides like armor, growing smaller and finer like chain-mail as they continued up the creature's neck. On its face was a broad mask-like scale, from behind-which four feathers stuck out, two on either side. Two flowing antennae-like extensions stemmed from the creature's head, making it look almost as though it was the product of a pony's imagination.
The creature disappeared behind a thicket, though it was still moving, casting the muted sounds of paws on grass. It passed back into view on the other side, now fluttering by in the form of a small butterfly with pointed-tipped wings. It fluttered around for a while before settling itself upon a long blade of tall grass to rest, its wings folding up over its back.
A relatively large teal eye watched the creature with foalish curiosity. It slowly zoomed in, staring at the luminous butterfly.
The butterfly flitted off, taking to the still midsummer air. The eye, which belonged to a small yellow pegasus filly with a long pink mane that covered her other eye, followed its swift motions. Curiosity got the better of the young pony. She leapt forwards to follow the butterfly. It dodged her nimbly, gaining a foot of altitude before the pegasus fell back to the ground. The butterfly descended slightly, turning in the small clearing. The filly turned with it, hopping along as a bunny, chasing the luminous butterfly. She leapt forwards, falling upon a sleeping buck deer with impressive antlers. She clambered over its soft furred back, focusing solely on catching the butterfly. The creature glared at her as she hopped on, appearing to have caught the butterfly. She laid down, looking at her empty hooves. A smile curled up on her face as the butterfly suddenly appeared, calmly sitting on her hooves.
As if noticing the deer behind the pink-maned pony had fallen back asleep, the butterfly fluttered up, taking flight once again. It flew away, its soft glow beckoning the filly to follow it. The gentle pegasus stood up, and leapt forwards to follow.
She chased her little butterfly friend through the calm forest. It weaved through the trees, choosing a path that was clear for its ground-bound follower. Not once did it fly over a thicket or through a tangle of vines or anywhere near anything with thorns. The fast friends happened upon a particularly large and thick-trunked tree, and the butterfly flitted right, disappearing behind it. The filly clambered over the trees roots, looking over just in time to see the butterfly disappear again. She followed it, peering around the tree to see that the butterfly was gone, and in its place stood a large winged creature, the likes of which the curious filly had never seen before. On the creature's face was a mask-like scale. The four feathers and two antenna-like structures that stuck out from that crest created a butterfly shape. The dragon's slitted eyes stared at her, glowing happily. Its lips seemed to curl up in a playful smile before it turned around and ran off into the forest. She followed quickly after it, bush-whacking to keep up. As she emerged from a thicket, she saw that the arcane creature had leapt across a wide ravine, which fell roughly two hundred meters down into a shallow river.
The filly grimaced, looking at the butterfly dragon with a sarcastic look that meant something along the lines of 'Really? Really.' But she was a curious little filly, and she wanted to know what this creature was. No other creature had been like this with her. Not bears, not deer, and not even manticores were quite so dodgy. She backed up slightly before galloping forwards, leaping forwards over the empty space. She failed, however, to account for gravity, as it began to pull her down into the ravine. She opened her wings, but could not manage enough power to cease her freefall.
The butterfly dragon leapt off the cliff, diving quickly to catch her. It grasped her in its arms, pulling her upward the fifty meters she had fallen with three powerful wing-beats. It set her down gently upon the cliff, before landing a couple of meters away. As the filly opened her eyes again, it walked slowly into the forest again.
She sat upon a rock next to the butterfly dragon, staring up into the afternoon sky. A few lazy clouds rolled on a slow warm breeze high above the ground. She smiled blissfully, content to sit there forever with her new friend. Something broad and flat slapped gently against her cheek, nudging her almost roughly. She looked over to see the butterfly dragon with one of its armor-like scales in its jaws, a gentle smile forming on its lips. She raised an eyebrow at the gesture, taking the scale, and staring at it in her hooves. It did not glow as the ones still on its back did, but it was still an elegant shape. The butterfly dragon touched her hoof, causing it to glow with the same pale light that it did. It nudged her hoof down upon the scale, pressing it gently against the stone-tough plate. She lifted her hoof to see her own hoofprint glowing palely on the scale. She turned and beamed at her friend, who smiled right back. She turned back to the scale, and began carving at it with her hoof.
After a while, she carefully placed the last feather on the back of the scale, sticking its tip into a drop of tree sap. She turned it back over, smiling at the mask she had made of the scale. A thick line ran down the middle of it, exposing a darker tone of the scale's pale color. On either side of the line were two half-ovals, each just an outline. They gave the appearance of the mask having eyes, but remained solid. The butterfly sat upon the center line, looking up at its friend. It faded out of existence, its pale glow flowing into the darkened tones of the scale. She turned it around, holding it up to her face. Two slitted white eyes flashed inside the ovals, fading back to just the mask again.
Author's Note
This is Chapter 2 of my smallish short story. This chapter is entirely based on the animation aforementioned in the description. I'll be uploading Chapter 1 as soon as I finish it, but until then, just enjoy the cuteness of this chapter, and formulate your own hypotheses on how I'll turn this into a Twishy shipfic. :3
I'll see y'all at the next update! o3o
-DarqFox
Twilight's jaw hung agape in disbelief. By the end of Fluttershy's tale, she had taken the mask down from the wall, and was holding it in her hooves. She looked softly upon it, smiling nostalgically. A few tears had formed in her eyes, which twinkled brightly with the perfect melancholy mix of happiness and sadness. She turned her gaze away from the mask, staring out a window into the Everfree Forest. She smiled happily, seeing that the rain had given way to sunshine, leaving glimmering puddles across the grassy landscape.
"Wow Fluttershy..." Twilight choked out, her mind still trying to process the tale she had just heard. "I had no idea..."
"I never expected you to know," she breathed happily. "After all. You're the first pony that has ever heard that story."
Twilight smiled sheepishly, turning away with a blush, wishing she had a mane like Fluttershy's to hide behind. She never expected to have been the first to hear such a tale from the timid pegasus. After all, it was a tale of adventure, which Fluttershy usually never did. Tales like that were far more uncommon than finding a diamond in a coal mine, and far more precious. Her smile grew as she realized just how much closer she was to Fluttershy than she had thought.
Fluttershy broke the short silence that had crept into the room, "It looks lovely out... Maybe we could go for a picnic." She grinned slyly, before adding, "If that's okay with you..."
"That sounds wonderful," Twilight replied with a happy smile.
"Good," Fluttershy huffed confidently, "because there's a lot more to that story, and some parts are best told outside." She smirked like a fox, catching Twilight off guard. The unicorn nearly spat the sip of tea she was taking out. Not only was the pink-maned pegasus before her almost completely out of her shell, but there was more to the already long story that she had yet to tell.
*
The warm afternoon sun had dried some parts of the rain-soaked ground. The two friends trotted slowly along, a pleasant conversation about tea being exchanged between them. They marched through the damp grass, making their way up a small hill. They reached the top of the hill, and decided to set up their picnic there. Twilight smiled, reaching into her saddlebags and removing a folded red-checkered blanket. She unfurled it, spreading it out upon the dry hilltop. Fluttershy set the basket she'd been carrying on her back down upon the soft blanket, a soft smile growing on her lips. The two laid down upon the blanket, a comfortable silence enveloping them. A warm midsummer breeze faintly rolled along, dragging with it the tantalizing scents of the Everfree Forest.
Fluttershy opened the basket, removing a loaf of bread and an assortment of sandwich-making foodstuffs. Twilight couldn't help but lick her lips at all of the delectable selections before her, including daisies. Fluttershy giggled girlishly, staring directly at the purple unicorn. She joined the pegasus in laughing at herself, their smiles widening further.
*
Both ponies grinned as they finished their lunch. Dark rainclouds were headed towards them, but neither of the really cared. Fluttershy reached into the basket, removing the mask that had been hanging on her wall. She smiled softly as she gazed upon it. She whispered quietly, "I told myself when I made this that I'd only show this to somepony truly special to me."
Twilight stared at Fluttershy with confusion now painted on her face. She shakily responded, "Like... Your Special Somepony?"
Fluttershy did not answer. She stood up, and backed away a few steps. "Please try to keep calm," she pleaded softly.
Twilight swallowed a hard gulp, realization slamming into her like the percussive wave of a sonic boom. Fluttershy liked her. No. Fluttershy liked Rainbow Dash, and Rarity and the others. Fluttershy loved her. And she was showing it by telling a story that nopony had ever heard before.
Fluttershy placed the mask over her face. For a few seconds, nothing effectively happened. But after a moment, a set of white draconic eyes opened within the ovals on the mask. The darkened carved lines flashed with bright white light. A sudden all-encompassing flash of light forced Twilight to shut her eyes and shield them with a hoof. Five seconds later, she opened her eyes again to see the creature that she had described in her tale standing before her. She stared at it, her jaw nearly striking the ground. Its large feathered wings were open fully, making it appear four times its size. Its tail lay neatly wrapped around its hind paws. It looked directly into Twilight's eyes, a soft, almost timid smile forming on the butterfly dragon's lips.
"F-Flutters-shy?" Twilight choked out. Her eyes were now wider than the speakers used at one of Vinyl Scratch's concerts as she stared into the butterfly dragon's eyes.
The butterfly dragon nodded, opening its mouth to speak. "Yes, Twilight," it replied with Fluttershy's voice. She let her smile widen. She took a hesitant step forward, bowing her now draconic head down to eye level with Twilight. She closed her wings, folding them to her sides. As she approached Twilight, the unicorn backed up unintentionally. Fluttershy simply nuzzled Twilight gently, a warm hum escaping her throat. Twilight froze at the contact, save for a tingle that ran down her spine. She looked at Fluttershy again, her eyes now calm. She let her smile return to her lips, as she returned the nuzzle. Fluttershy sat down, lifting her paws to the large facial scale. She lifted it off, the mask taking its original shape with a flash of white. With one final flash of light, Fluttershy was a pegasus again, laying next to Twilight with her left wing wrapped around the warm purple unicorn.
"I love you, Twilight."
The Butterfly Dragon: Legendary
There is a link to the sequel for this story, which I swear is going to be much longer and more fun. I hope to see all of you that bothered to like/fave/comment on this story over there. I think you'll like it. :3
<3 DarqFox
