//------------------------------// // The Waltz Of The Butterflies (BS and RB) // Story: The Humble Prince // by Lighting Ace //------------------------------// As the ponies of Canterlot continued to be dazzled and surprised by the entertainment offered to them by the evening masquerade, the prince of Equestria was also being startled by the arrival of a familiar face. Their presence he would never have imagined appearing for this event. "F-Fluttershy?" The prince finally manages to stammer while still looking in shock at the blushing, masked mare in front of him. Who was currently refusing to make eye contact with him due to her embarrassment. "P-please stop staring at me like that, it’s embarrassing..." She pleaded, trying to save face. Oh dear god, she looks just like Bella in a pink version of her dress. Even her haircut is the same one! The prince thought before shaking his head and recovering from his initial surprise. "My most sincere apologies, I didn't mean to sound so shocked, it’s just…well, yeah I'm shocked to see you, but in a good way." The prince smiled and slowly brought Fluttershy in close for a hug, so as to not scare her. To his joy, she didn't seem to mind and even seemed to relax, if only just a little bit. "Not that I have any complaints or anything, but why are you here? I thought this wasn't the type of event you liked to attend." Ending the hug, she looked him in the eye. "Well I DO have my fair share social events like this one, and Pinkie's parties are always so fun to have, plus this mask does help a little." She answered while pointing at the golden mask adorning her face. "But besides that, you are right. This isn't exactly the type of parties I usually attend, mostly because they are a bit scary." She confessed, trembling a little as she cast her gaze around. "Then why did you come?" The prince asked with a raised eyebrow, his gaze following hers with interest. "Are the rest of the girls here as well?" "No, it's just me," Fluttershy answered, shaking her head. "And the reason why I came is that Stellar suggested it." "Stellar…suggested it?" The prince repeated, skepticism obvious in his voice. "Oh not so much with words of course, but well…she is good at charades." Fluttershy clarified. "Oh! Yeah, I get it, that mare is the master in that game." The prince nodded a couple of times while reflecting on a memory. "So why did she suggest that you come here?" "Well, she told me that this experience could help me with a problem I have and…I-I also wanted to do this," Fluttershy states, a bit unsure and faltering at first but growing full of confidence at the end. "For a long time, I have been too afraid to try and do things I wanted to do. So in order for me to face my fears, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and go to this party all by myself!" She declared with confidence before returning to her shy self. "I-I-I mean if that is ok with you, of course." "Are you kidding?! Fluttershy that is so brave of you, facing your fears head on and trying to be a bit more assertive? It would be my honor if I could help you overcome your insecurities." The prince tells her in excitement gaining the attention of other nobles nearby, who make a point to take a look at the two. Fluttershy soon realized their eyes were on her. "Trust me Fluttershy, by the end of the night; you will be the most assertive pony ever. You, me and Pinkie could go around having fun with the games, meet some new friends, and if you want, maybe we could also have a little dance and…" The prince stopped once he notices Fluttershy beginning shake like a leaf as her nerve began to fail beneath the stares of every pony on them. "Hey isn't that Fleur De Lis?" The prince asks out loud randomly pointing in the right direction. His distraction has the desired effect, and everyone stops looking at them and starts to search for the mare in question. Seizing the moment, he ducks away with Fluttershy from the center of attention. Once they were in the clear, the prince addressed Fluttershy again. "Sorry about that, I guess I got a bit carried away." "N-no! It's ok. that is why I'm here in the first place, And ah…thanks for letting me do this." Fluttershy mumbles with a shy smile. At that moment both of them were surprised by the swell of slow music beginning to play, followed by couples all around them gathering in the center of the dance floor so to start the ball. "Looks like the first dance of the evening is about to begin." The prince smiles as he observed as ponies got into position. He could not help but find it adorable how mares and stallions alike looked nervous or avoided eye contact as they wanted to find out how to start to dance. "Come, we should give them some space to dance." He was about to leave, but after hearing her swallow, Fluttershy held his shoulder and refused to move. "A-A-Actually, I was thinking. Blueblood, do you think maybe if that is ok with you, can we perhaps…?" "Fluttershy, are you asking me for a dance?" The prince inquired with a surprised look on his face, only for the poor mare to just whine and look away in fear as a response. "Fluttershy, it’s ok really, you don't need to force yourself that much. If you don't want to dance, that..." The prince tells her in concern. "N-No! I do-I really would love to dance but…everyone staring at me and…just please..." She tried to act brave raising her shaking hoof at him. "Please don't make me say it!" The prince understood, smiling he took her hoof with his own. "Ok, if you think you can do it, I'll help you." "Thank you," Fluttershy whispered to him with a shy smile as he gently guided her to the center of the dance floor in time with the music beat waiting for it to repeat to start correctly. The poor mare flinches when the prince gently places his hoof on her shoulder but reciprocates the action and holds his other hoof with her own. She tries to relax, but the staring of all the other ponies did nothing to ease her chagrin, making her movements stiff and small. "Are you sure you are ok?" The prince asks, concern evident in his voice. Fluttershy dearly wished to reply, yet she was preoccupied trying to make her body move. Looking at her, the prince just started to get worried until an idea popped into his head. "Don't pay them any attention Fluttershy." He whispers into her ear, succeeding in snapping her back to reality. "Huh?" Looking up, Fluttershy found the prince smiling calmly at her; it was innocent and small, yet full of warmth and compassion. For some reason, Fluttershy couldn't help but compare his smile with that of Princess Celestia. "Trust me, it helps, just focus on me and everything will be fine." His words were calm and soft, so much so that Fluttershy, even though she was still a bit unsure, ultimately nodded and didn't resist as the prince brought her even closer to his person."Now close your eyes, and don't worry about the dance, I will lead." She nods again and leans her head against his chest before closing her eyes, concentrating only on the music and Blueblood’s heartbeat. "That's it, just relax." The prince continues to coach her as she slowly starts to relax. So much so that she even began to smile contently while the music and their dance continued. "Don't be afraid, tonight there are no strangers here, no nobles, or commoners, or elements or princes, just ponies with masks having a good time and dancing around. There are no eyes on you Fluttershy." He could feel her hoofs starting to tense; she was getting afraid again. "Shh, relax I got you. Don't think of anypony else; it's just you and me right now, you are not afraid of me right?" Fluttershy can't help but giggle lightly. "No." "Good, I would feel bad if I scare you, now let's play a game. A small one to help you relax more, imagine that we are not in Canterlot. Let think for a moment that we are outside of your cottage, completely alone. And dancing under the light of the moon." Separating for a moment, the prince gave Fluttershy a spin as she starts to be entranced by the music and dance. "Where is the music coming from?" Fluttershy asks innocently as she slowly starts to believe his words. "Angel is conducting your little animals." The prince quickly replies, making Fluttershy giggle once more. "Angel is acting as the music maestro?" "Oh yeah, can't you see him? With his adorable formal shirt, his bowtie, and using a twig to guide your little friends, and there, in the corner mumbling in irritation is Spike, holding a triangle. Fluttershy giggled at the image as all of her worries seem to melt away. Her bodies movements become smooth and confident. Soon she has been wholly ensnared music, her body acts on pure instinct, moving with grace and beauty. "That is it, Fluttershy, you are doing it." "I'm doing it?" She finally opens her eyes in surprise as her body moves naturally and her fears vanish. "I'm doing it! Oh my goodness, I'm not afraid!" She exclaims in joy as they spend the rest of the dance without any care in the world. The participates shower the musicians with applause when they stand to take a bow in gratitude. "You are a beautiful dancer Fluttershy." The prince says looking at her. Fluttershy only blushes and looks away. "T-Thanks" She then looks back at him with a big smile. "And thank you for helping me overcome my fears." "Glad to be of assistance." The prince responds to her in pride. "No I am quite serious, I'm so thankful, your words helped me relax and forget about being afraid. How did you know that would work?" She asks with a raised eyebrow. "Ah, it was nothing, just an old trick I used to do, its called subterfuge. Think of it as a magic trick for the mind. I used all the time when I…"hunted for prey" as they call it in the business world." He confessed in both shame and anger at himself. "Oh," Fluttershy understood what happened and looked at him in pity. The prince sighed and looked back at her. "I'm just glad that for once this dirty trick was used for something other than to make money." Fluttershy smiled and put her hoof on his shoulder, giving it a gentle pat. "Just because you know that trick doesn't make you into a bad pony." That surprised him. "You think so?" The prince asks stunned as Fluttershy gives him a tiny but brilliant smile and a nod. "I know so, Blueblood this last couple of months I have been able to know the real you. I see how caring and nice you can be. There is no reason for you to hide who and what you are, just because you know how to trick others doesn't automatically turn you into a bad pony, it what you do with that ability that counts." "Fluttershy... thank you." The prince whispers in reply, deeply moved by her words. "Anytime." Soon they hear the music begin to pick up once again. "Looks like another dance is coming up, shall we, milady?" The prince asked while giving her an exaggerated bow, making her giggle. "We shall, good sir." She responded in kind with a posh accent, playing along with the prince. They were about to get into position when someone tapped in the prince's shoulder. "Excuse me, your highness." Turning back to face the voice, the two dancers found Jet Set and Upper Crust wearing their best formal attire, the colors matching and complementing with their coats and masks, also having some feathered decorations on them. "We only wanted to thank you for inviting us to this grand event, your majesty. You probably don't know us but my name is Jet Set, and this is my lovely wife, Upper Crust. Before your dreadful accident, we used to be excellent friends." Jet Set tells him with a smile. "Really?" The prince regarded them both with a raised eyebrow before smiling. "Well I'm sorry to tell you that you are right, my memory of the two of you is foggy at best, and completely gone at worst. But even so, if we managed to become good friends in the past, I don't see how that cannot happen again right? After all, the objective of this party is to form new bonds and start anew." "I couldn't agree more your highness." Upper Crust answers. "Besides, your wellbeing is what truly matters Prince Blueblood, friendships can be reformed and established as many times as it needs, but the prince of Equestria? That is truly irreplaceable, the clouds would cry for weeks, the sun would possible refused to rise for days, I dare to say that all of Canterlot could stop to a halt if something has really had happened to you" Oh joy, a couple of suck-ups, this will be annoying The prince internally rolled his eyes before soldiering on with the conversation. "I thank you for your kind words Ms.Crust, I truly appreciate it." The prince thanked her as they hear how the musicians were done preparing their instruments. "Oh, what perfect timing." Jet Set remarked before stepping very close to Fluttershy before giving her a small bow, offering her his hoof. " Would you care for a dance Ms. Fluttershy? Rest assured, my dancing is far better than that of our fair prince. Who, unfortunately, must be a bit rusty and still relearning the steps. No offense, of course, your highness." "None, taken. You hit the nail in the head." The prince answered in an honest tone, all the while maintaining a perfectly calm smile. You prick. "So, what do you say fair maiden? Would you care for a dance with a more experienced dancer?" Jet Set asked Fluttershy again. "Um…no thanks." She declines while stepping closer to the prince and holding one of his hooves. "I would rather dance with Blueblood, but thanks for the offer anyway." There is an awkward silent moment in which Jet remained frozen with a thin smile on his lips before he recovers and bows politely. "Understood, if that what you wish, I would respect your decision." "Thank you for understanding." Fluttershy smiles but starts to pull Blueblood away from the two. "Enjoy the rest of the evening." He calls out before the prince and element bearer disappear into the crowd. "Don't feel bad honey, she is but a commoner. What would she know about high quality?" Upper Crust consoles her husband with a caring smile. "If you offered a five-star dinner or a simple homemade plate to a farmer, of course, he will always choose the homemade dinner. They don't know any better. So don't get mad, she is not worthy." She then looks back at him with an evil smile. "Besides we have better things to do." He matches her expression and holds her hoof with his own before they both start dancing. "You are right dear as always. Why bother with the little things when we have the entire night ahead of us? A brand new Canterlot waiting to be born even?" "Exactly, so let the prince enjoy his party. We both know that it will be his last." "Yeah, and who are we to deprive our good friend of a goodbye party?" Both of them quietly chuckle with malice as they dance with the music of the waltz. -Later that night- After their dance concluded, and they chatted a little with some of the guests, the prince guided Fluttershy to the royal garden. All the while the two took turns telling stories, the prince mainly chuckling after she finishes retelling how she and Discord became good friends. "He made your house spin in mid-air for hours?" The prince asks with a laugh, something Fluttershy also did. "Y-yes he did, he thought that doing that would make me angry, but the only thing he achieved was making some of my little friend's hamsters think that they were inside the biggest wheel ever.” The pair stopped once they reached the center of the garden "He apologized afterward of course, but to this day I still hear some of them wishing for another run." "Wow, and to think that he now only does a minor prank here and there. You turned him around Fluttershy, no pun intended." "He was just misunderstood, and needed a friend, that all. You would be surprised by how much you can achieve with just a little bit of kindness." Fluttershy sagely informs him with a big smile. "You have a heart of gold Fluttershy," The prince tells her, before moving to stand in front of her, "And after facing your fears like you did tonight, I believe some form of reward is in order." "What? Oh no, no, no! Blueblood that is not necessary." She tries to protest, but the prince stops her by putting his hoof on her lips. "Please, I insist, plus I hate knowing that someone that is so kind and helpful to me gets nothing in return, I suppose is yet another thing I will drag with me from my past life." He confides with her, sharing a sad smile, that makes it impossible for Fluttershy to refuse his offer. "W…well ok if you want to," Fluttershy tells him giving in to his advances, which helped perk the prince up. "Great! In that case, could you do me one small favor? Close your eyes." "W-W-What?!" It was good that they both were currently outside at night and Fluttershy was wearing a mask. Otherwise, the prince might have noticed how the poor mare was blushing like a tomato. "It will be for a second; I promise it’s nothing bad." The prince begged, putting her hooves together. "Ah…Eh…j-j-just…O-ok." Fluttershy finally manages to speak again after blabbering words and shaking furiously, a thing that both amused and confused the prince. "But just one second." "That is all I ask, oh and no peeking." The prince adds with a smile. Fluttershy takes a depth breath before closing her eyes and slowly leans in. Her fear soon turned to confusion when, she didn't felt the prince approaching, and then wonder once he felt him getting away from her, something she confirms once he speaks again. "Ok, now open them." The moment Fluttershy open her eyes again, she gasps in shock. In front of the two, dancing on the moonlight were thousands of butterflies moving in time with the rhythmic of the music heard in the distance from the castle. Not only that, but these were special since, unlike usual butterflies, The ones in front of them had light coming from their wings like fireflies, creating this beautiful rainbow mosaic of lights and colors. Neo Nocturnal Butterflies?! But…but they are extremely shy around ponies…how could this be? "Ta-Da." The prince announces, and when Fluttershy look back at him, she notices other small animals starting to emerge from everywhere around the two. "Bl-Blueblood are those…?" "The rare and shy animals of the royal garden? In the flesh." He tells her with pride as he approaches her with a squirrel resting on a forehoof which he extends, so the animal could see her better. "And all of them are ready to say hi." Fluttershy extended her hoof and, to her surprise, the squirrel jumped over and climbed to her shoulder for her to pet. "But…how?" She asks perplexed on how animals that were afraid of even her were now acting so friendly and calm. "It's a funny story, you see. It turns out, the original prince wasn't exactly Mr. Popular with a lot of the animals in here, so you could imagine their surprise when I arrive and start sharing my food with them, more than one critter needed to see it for themselves afterward." The prince explained picking a bunny and gently petting his head. "One bunny became a family, from bunnies, birds arrive, then raccoons, then some monkeys and before I knew it, I was chatting with half of the animal kingdom here." "You…talk with them?" Fluttershy inquires with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, of course, no. I couldn't possibly match your skill in communicating with animals, but some of these guys here are smarter than you think. It required a lot of patience from both sides and a lot of charades, but eventually, we managed to find some form of communication and reach an understanding." He let go of the rabbit and takes Fluttershy hoof to guide her deeper into the garden until they reach a lake where the butterflies were dancing around. "Wow." Fluttershy breathes out, mesmerized, seeing so many animals playing in the water or dancing in the air with the music left the mare feeling overjoyed. "I still need to iron out the details, but so far, they seem ok with me bringing one or two friends here and play around without scaring them. That is, except the butterflies." The prince adds pointing at them. "Those guys just love to show off." "What?" Fluttershy looks back at him in surprise. "Yeah, I know. Usually, they are very shy around other creatures but years of them living without worrying about food or predators has tamed them somewhat." The prince looked back at Fluttershy with a smile. "And I'm sure that they, as well as the rest of the animals in here, would love to meet you." "Really?!" Fluttershy asks in excitement. "Of course." The prince responds with a smile "As I told you, you earned this reward, stay as long as you like." "Blueblood I…I don't know what to say," Fluttershy tells the prince, choking and on the verge of crying from the happiness as she picks a family of squirrels. "This is all I ever wanted since I was a little filly, Blueblood. I'm so happy right now, thank you." " I am so glad to hear it." The prince chuckled a little as he looks down to a little pup wolf who was seeking his attention. Smiling the prince began to scratch the young canine by his ears. "Perhaps, later on, you can even teach me some tricks on how to com–mph!" The prince finished petting the dog and was turning to regard Fluttershy only to find her lips pressing against his own in a big kiss that was intended for his cheek before she prances ahead of him to meet the other animals. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Fluttershy continues to chant in excitement. Not even aware of what she just did. Recovering from the surprise, the prince has a good laugh and lets her have her moment. Ah well, better not ruin it. "I will be at the party if you need me!" The prince calls out to her before heading back but not before stopping once he sees some animals looking at him in surprise "What?" As a group, they all break out into a cacophony of chittering smirks and hoots and growls and even the occasional quite literal catcall. "Oh grow up" The prince scowled at them before continuing his march as they continue to their good-natured laughter. All the while, Stellar, who have been observing them from a distant vantage point in silence, smiled and nodded at the development before going back to work.