Catching Butterflies

by SlightlyOnline

Redemption

Yet another one of Ponyville’s brilliant mornings faded into the sky, overtaking the beautiful darkness of the night. The sun seemed to smile upon Carousel Boutique once more, shining through the windows in such a manner that made the elegant designs that much more beautiful. Without her usual sleeping mask upon her face, Rarity found the sunlight unbearable, awakening under the safety of her blankets.

‘Why am I in my bed?’ she wondered. The last thing she remembered was falling asleep in a pile of cloth with her partner. She looked to her right, mirroring Fluttershy’s actions of the previous night, to see a similar pony sized impression in the mattress. Either she had lifted them both to the bed, or the weak pegasus carried her, the former being the most likely option. Proceeding to continue to copy her, she looked up half expecting to see her mare fixing herself up in the mirror; it was her turn to stare at her flanks, after all. To the unicorn’s disappointment, all she was met with was the view of an empty room.

Overcoming the desire to stay in the comfort of her bed, she grudgingly lifted herself up from her bed, preparing to search for Fluttershy. Giving herself a quick check in the mirror and a brush, she cantered down the stairs, passing a glance at her workshop to see the makings of a brilliant purple, pink and grey dress seated upon a mannequin. She smiled, Fluttershy really was a big help; despite Rarity’s expertise, she could always use the view of an outside pony.

A simple, earthy aroma dispersed from the kitchen, caressing the fashion pony’s nostrils as she followed the scent to its source. It was there she found a yellow mare frantically adjusting the arrangement of a sandwich, desiring it to be of the perfect shape. Rarity laughed somewhat loudly, breaking the pegasus’ concentration and causing her to jump in the air. When she had returned from her orbit, she looked at the ground, desiring the white unicorn in front of her to speak first.

“Well I see you’ve been quite busy,” the fairer of the two said as she trotted towards her partner, wrapping her hooves around her in a loving hug.

“I… I thought you’d like something to eat, so I made you what I could. I’m sorry it isn’t great, Rarity.”

“You will be sorry for nothing of the sort, darling. This is so nice of you, there’s no reason you should feel the need to do something like this.”

“But I do, you’ve done so much for me, I need to give back to you, I only wish I could give more.”

Rarity smiled. “You can help me by helping yourself, have you eaten already?”

“No…” Fluttershy found her gaze falling; she knew that there was no way her marefriend would let her make her a meal without first feeding herself.

Without hesitation the unicorn levitated a knife from a nearby drawer, quickly slicing the sandwich in two, giving a half to Fluttershy. “You must eat, dear. Don’t worry about me when you yourself are starving.”

A smile crossed the pegasus’ face. It was things that Rarity did like this that really allowed her element of generosity to shine through. She hungrily began to feast upon the sandwich, not realizing how truly hungry she was; the excitement of the previous day had really taken it out of her. Taken note of who she was eating in front of, she began to slow down with a quiet
“Excuse me.”

“Well, my dear Fluttershy, what would you like to do today?”

She swallowed a large bite as she pondered the question. In all honesty there was nothing she could think of that she hadn’t already been done, her needs are met, as long as she is with Rarity, of course.

“I just want to spend the day with you.”

The unicorn moved closer to her. “I think that can be arranged.”

Their meals finished and their need for breakfast satisfied, Rarity took a look over her to do list. “Well I have to walk into town to pick up some supplies, and you certainly are welcome to come. I could use your keen eyes for detail, actually.”
Fluttershy still wasn’t used to being asked to actually go places; she always thought it was like she wasn’t there at all. This
felt like a nice change for her.

“Of course. I’d love to, Rarity. Just, um…” she thought about the last time she went shopping with her. “Please don’t leave me alone again.”

“Don’t worry about that in the slightest, dear.” Rarity grinned; roaming the town with her best mare by her side was the only way she could imagine spending this beautiful day.

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The pair found themselves relaxing on Rarity’s couch, the white mare looking over the paper for today’s current events with Fluttershy curled up against her, drawing a large amount of comfort from the other pony’s body heat. She snugly leaned into her, feeling secure in the fact that she had a pony to put her trust and life into. In all of her thoughts, there were no words to describe her feeling of elation. Never before had she felt this, and never did she want it to leave.

Nothing was less welcome than the sound of a pony’s hoof making contact with Rarity’s door. Much to the pegasus’ distress,
the homeowner felt the need to get up and answer the door, being the proper thing to do, of course. The door opened to reveal, much to Rarity’s surprise, Aloe, the spa pony. The world seemed to stand still as the two made eye contact in an intense, silent moment.

Her visitor decided it was time to speak up. “Listen I know I’m the last pony you probably want to see today, but I came back to apologize. I’m sorry I was so rude to you, I received a strong reprimand from my sister for shutting out one of our most loyal customers.”

Rarity’s face retained an expression of discontent, feeling all but unsatisfied by this apology.

Noticing this, Aloe continued: “I was having a bad week, going through a break up with my stallionfriend, you know how relationships are? They tell you they love you one day and the next they’re gone.” She tried to force a smile, but seeing the unicorns expression unchanged, she coughed and continued:

“That is why Lotus and I are offering you this,” she hoofs Rarity a coupon. “It’s a voucher for a full treatment for two, absolutely free of charge for our two best customers.” Aloe gives the most yearning smile she can give, hoping for forgiveness.

It was at this that Rarity’s stern expression broke, letting a smile sneak in and overtake it. Thinking about it, if it wasn’t for Aloe she may never have found Fluttershy. “I accept, and I’m sure Fluttershy will too.” She took a peak over her shoulder at the pegasus still lying on her couch, still longing for the comfort of her partner’s body. Forsaking her magic she extended her hoof and retrieved the voucher, and then using her magic to give it to Fluttershy.

Aloe exhaled her held breath, feeling extremely relieved at the pony’s willingness to accept. As well she seemed to pick up on what the pegasus was doing in the fashion pony’s home in the first place from the couple’s facial expressions, mentally congratulating the new couple.

“Great, well just come in anytime between now and forever to redeem that, we would love to see your friendly faces in the spa again. Thank you for forgiving me.” Rarity watched as she turned and left, still somewhat surprised by her visit. She wasn’t a bad pony of course, and everypony has their bad days. At least she actually strived towards redemption. Closing the door, she returned to Fluttershy.

“Well, what do you think?”

“I think whatever you want to do is fine, Rarity.”

At this the unicorn had to giggle a bit. She took the pegasus’ hooves in hers, “No, Fluttershy. I want to know what you want.”
“Well… the spa does seem nice, and you’ve been working awfully hard.”

“I’ll take that as a settlement.” She quickly gathered her two matching custom spa robes embroidered with her cutie mark and gave one to Fluttershy to try on. The garment hugged her sides beautifully, as if Rarity had designed it with accommodation for a pegasus.

“Well, everything seems to be in order,” Rarity said, folding the robes and opening the door. “Let us be off!”

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Various welcoming scents greeted the couple as they entered Ponyville’s spa. A thick fragrance of flowers and shampoos greeted them; a familiar smell for Rarity and Fluttershy. Her saddle bags containing the coupon and robes, the unicorn made her way to the front desk, ringing the bell. She was almost immediately greeted by Lotus, who came from the back room.

“Our favorite customers! I’m so glad to see you two here. I was afraid Aloe had scared you off… I assume she filled you in on what happened and gave an apology? If not my talking to her has done nothing.”
Rarity nodded in unison with Fluttershy. “Yes, she just talked to us and gave us this voucher, which we would actually like to redeem today.”

The spa pony was visibly surprised by their suddenness. She wondered if there was a real reason that the pair need to spend this time together. “Oh. Yes of course, we should have time to give you the full treatment immediately, in fact. I’ll prepare the rooms and call you when it’s ready.” She turned with a smile, somewhat disgruntled as this was her break hour, but she needed to ensure that they returned as customers once more.

The rather comfortable seats welcomed the couple, Fluttershy taking up her usually position leaning against Rarity. The unicorn levitated up a magazine and began skimming through it until she came across a section entitled “How to please your mare”. Glancing at the words, she quickly flipped past it hoping that the yellow pony curled up against her didn’t see, although she really seemed too happy to care.

A few more magazines were disturbed from the rack before the main doors to the spa and the two owners stepped out, a flow of steam emitting from the room.

“Ladies, if you two would follow me,” Lotus happily said to them.

The pair slowly stood up, Fluttershy reluctant to get up from her spot. Passing the twins holding the door open, Rarity looked over to see Aloe giving them a large smile. They entered the large room to see it to be as beautiful as ever, two massage tables set out in front the bath and various lotions placed around. As directed, they each laid down on a table. Neither of them had received the full, VIP treatment before, but from what they heard from the few ponies that had it was definitely something to desire.

Rarity had always enjoyed the deep massages Aloe and Lotus had given. As a dress maker now playing in the big leagues with her clients the stress tended to pile up, and having that worked away by the hooves of somepony was extremely helpful to her and her business. Just the simple scents and atmosphere worked their way in and relieved some of the tension in her mind.

Fluttershy, on the other hoof, was much less keen on having another pony dig their hooves into her, opting for some of the lighter treatments available. Sometimes the only reason she even went was to spend time with Rarity; they were both so busy most of the time that she rarely got to see her except for their spa dates, “date” taking on a much greater meeting now.
Despite her inhibitions, she started creating her own plan in her mind; she had to do something bold. Building up her courage, the timid mare mentally decided to opt for the full massage. Well, not particularly ask for it, being much to up front, but not reject it when offered, because surely they will offer.

It wasn’t long before the hosts were prepared and began a light assault on each pony’s stressed back, their tension slowly ebbing away. The practiced hooves of the twins gently moved across the backs of their customers, their soft touch giving them a relaxing feeling, yet so intensely hitting the spots of the most stress.

The pegasus felt her wings slightly extending and retracting with Lotus’ touch, the mare’s forelimbs knowing how to all the major points of stress found on a winged pony. She found herself melting into her seat, her mind drifting to and from reality and fantasy. Soon she was no longer at the spa, but in Rarity’s home, and no longer was it Lotus, but Rarity digging her hooves into her back. She looked back at the white mare, who was smiling back at her. A weight she didn’t know she was carrying was lifted from her shoulders as a relaxed elation overcame her.

The illusion seemed to float away into darkness, the mare closing her eyes and enjoying the sensation of the deep massage. She was unaware of what exactly the pony behind her was doing, but whatever it was it was truly magical.
Mere feet away, Aloe was giving Rarity a similar, yet still unique, experience. The earth pony was just as skilled, if not more skilled, as her sister in her deep and thorough massage. It was a beautiful sensation that ran up and down her spine as the professional hooves heavily weighed into her body, knowing the exact points of tension to relieve on the dressmaker’s back. So much relief poured from her body, she felt as if she was floating upon a cloud.

The unicorn attempted to levitate up a nearby magazine for some quick reading material, but to no avail. The earth pony’s hooves were just too amazing, too magical. This visit was far overdue for the fashionista, she felt her troubles melt away and evaporate into thin air. It was in this bliss of relaxation that Rarity’s mind began to wander.

One subject seemed to occupy every corner of her thoughts; no matter where she turned, a cute little yellow mare was staring back at her with her beautiful blue eyes. Those beautiful diamonds that seemed to track onto her every move; following everything she does so closely, it was like being watched over by Celestia herself. Fluttershy was such a beautiful mare, how she felt attracted to her Rarity didn’t know.

It all had built up so fast to her, and yet so perfectly. It felt like puzzle pieces were kicked into the air and landed in just the right pattern, locking so beautifully in place like meshing gears of perfect sizes. This feeling was so natural, this feeling of love. Rarity’s thoughts drifted through all the possibilities of what could have or should have happened, but it all pointed back to what did happen. Love. She questioned if she had loved the mare this whole time and not known it, her feelings lurking in the shadows of her heart, only coming out with the appropriate trigger.

Both ponies found their appropriate places within their thoughts, each in their own rhythm of being. Their relaxing massage coupled with their comfort in their relationship gave both Rarity and Fluttershy a sense of invincibility, a feeling of being on top of Equestria. Without the social pressures of everyday life bearing down on them they could truly feel the connection between them. It was love, but it was something more. It was that close love and friendship that only comes by once in a blue moon; a sensibly encompassing love. Not only that, but life; life as it was meant to be lived.

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Thick steam from the whirlpool bath floated up and filled the air with the fragrance of lilac and lavender. The substantially sized room was quiet except for the sound of warm bubbles rising up in the pool of water, lulling the two ponies in it into a secure comfort in each other’s arms. There was absolutely no better way to end their trip to the spa than this, with each pony in her own state of bliss and relaxation.

The various treatments they went through were almost a rigorous trial, each putting the ponies into a heightened mode of happiness. From the steam room to the hooficures, each felt clean and renewed, like a fresh new coat had grown upon each of their bodies.

It was as if Fluttershy had dug her own indentation into Rarity’s body, always taking her usual spot against her, taking in the softness of her, now wet, fur. The pegasus felt the hooves of her partner upon her chest, holding her tightly as if she could just float away at any minute. She looked up at her mare.

“Rarity?” she inquired, breaking the silence.

“Yes, dear?”

“I’m sorry…”

Rarity was surprised at the sudden apology, although it was not uncharacteristic of her. “Whatever for?”

Fluttershy giggled as she broke from the unicorn’s grasp. “This,” she excitedly squeaked as she ran her hoof across the surface of the water quickly, effectively splashing the mare in front of her.

An expression of irritation mixed with glee flashed across the pony’s face. “Oh. It. Is On!” Her hooves immediately jolted forward, sending a small wave rippling across the bath.

Water spilled over the side as the two ponies engaged in what some would call a “water fight”. Their drenched manes hung down from their faces as the warm water soaked them, each giggling and laughing. The floors next to the spa became soaked as the liquid continued to fly through the air.

The pair’s giggles were soon silenced as Rarity threw herself upon Fluttershy, her lips landing on the other mare’s. She let out a startled and muffled squeak, but accepted the sudden kiss all the same, her face becoming another comfortable hue of red. Never had she thought that she would be in this position before, but if nothing else it felt like where she was meant to be.

Rarity suddenly broke away and looked into the other pony’s eyes. “Did you know you’re really cute when you blush?”

Such simple language, but that only made the words seem even greater to Fluttershy. As per usual her words failed her.

“Fluttershy, I love you.”

It was that verbal confirmation that the pegasus so desired but was too scared to ask about. Now that Rarity had said it a mixture of relief and elation washed over her.

“I love you.” Seeing Fluttershy not responding, Rarity decided to emphasize her point. The gap between their bodies closed as they wrapped their hooves around each other in a crushing hug, each pony leaning on each other, each as a standalone object but one that would topple without the support of the other; each as one.

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The cool, standing air of Rarity’s home greeted the pegasus and the unicorn as they trotted inside, their tails intertwined. It would be perfectly fine with them to just fall in a heap on the floor right now, as that trip to the spa was as exhausting as it was relaxing. A nice calm overcame the couple as they curled up on the couch with each other, one never wanting to leave the side of the other.

A good amount of time had passed before Fluttershy found the need to stand up.

“I’m sorry Rarity, I would love to stay with you tonight, but I really need to spend some time at my home. I hope that’s alright with you.”

“Oh yes, of course darling. I’d imagine that your animals will be missing you at this point,” came the white mare’s reply, in the back of her mind hoping to receive an offer to spend another night with her.

“I’ll be back the first thing tomorrow, alright?” Fluttershy declared reassuringly, hoping not to offend the unicorn in any way.
Rarity made sure to smile. “Of course.”

The pegasus internally debated for a moment before going in for a quick, glancing kiss, almost apologizing after she did so, and setting off on her way.

It amazed Rarity how far Fluttershy had come. This wasn’t the same timid little mare who was afraid of flying and pony interaction that she knew only a few days ago. This was somepony who was comfortable; somepony had found a place in this world. This was the real Fluttershy; the mare Rarity fell in love with.

Her thoughts danced around in her brain as she watched her marefriend go, eventually finding it no use to be staring at an empty street and turning around herself. The unicorn entered her workshop to be greeted by the workings of an elegant dress and piles of sketches and fabric. Smiling, she began floating up materials and sewing onto the mannequin. This dress was something special; it was no longer Rarity’s challenge alone. It was now the beautiful burden of two ponies in love; the toil of the two mares that was to be completed in a dance of fabric and linen.

Rarity sat down on the floor, she couldn’t bring herself to work on it. Tears of joy and acceptance began to roll down her face, falling to the ground and staining the floor. It is this beautiful turmoil that allowed her to smile through her tears. Life as she knew it became a thing of beauty, all the pain and happiness welling up inside of her. Words escaped her lips although
there was nopony to hear them.

“I love you.”

Comments

[SlightlyOnline]

Second to last chapter everybody! It's definitely been a wild ride for me. New awesome cover art by http://insanebowdash.deviantart.com/

[T4]

Oooh that ending. Not sure how to feel about that...is rarity happy or sad?

[SlightlyOnline]

1395508
I still can't get over your amazing name.
She's happy because

[darfk]

Can't wait.... Going to read chapter 5 on the train.

[14squarefeet]

Awww, ending so quickly

[SlightlyOnline]

1404244
(possibly only) One more chapter to go! However, just because it will be the end of this story doesn't mean it will be the end of this pairing (hint, hint).

[Insanebow Dash]

Love the story.
Thanks again for using my cover edit for the picture.
Makes me feel like I actually contribute.

[Darkjakbrony]

I broke my mouse, but I could only like this once! ERGH! Anyway, great story! Favorite chapter so far. (I'm a bit behind)

[SlightlyOnline]

1708722
Fix that mouse! You can't scroll without it.