//------------------------------//
// Butterfly 
// Story: BTS - You Never Walk Alone ft. Mane Six 
// by Blazer 
//------------------------------//

V hummed a familiar tune to himself as he walked. Finding himself uncomfortable with all of the stares of the town’s inhabitants, he opted to go for a stroll around Ponyville’s exterior. Having seen only a couple of oblivious pegasi flitting above, the serenity of the surrounding forest fringes eased his anxious mind.

“So quiet,” he mused, the only noises being the occasional bird call or rushing of a breeze through the treetops. He stopped in the middle of the trail, inhaling deeply through his nose. The air seemed so clear—a tinge of coldness stinging his nostrils and chilling his lungs. Every breath was like a long sip of cold water. Having found the peace he was searching for, he moved towards the side of the road to look for a place to sit. He opted for a large smooth boulder poking from the rough grass that lined the edges of the path, seating himself atop it and letting his legs dangle down towards the trail. 

Reaching into his pocket, he removed his phone—the screen having been dark and unresponsive ever since their arrival in this alternate reality. While he was certain he wouldn’t have a signal anywhere in this “Equestria,” he wished he could at least take photos or listen to his music. 

A tug at one of his pantlegs jolted him out of his reverie, instinct forcing him to jerk his leg away as he looked towards the source of the disturbance: At the foot of the boulder, a small white bunny met his concerned gaze. Strangely, it seemed to be much more expressive than the critters back on Earth—the short snout twisted into an annoyed scowl. 

Despite its unfriendly expression, V couldn’t ignore the abundance of cuteness sat in front of him. 

“Hey, buddy,” he ventured, moving off the boulder to kneel in the road. The irritated lapin stayed where it was as V sat down across from it.

“You’re a grumpy one,” he chuckled as he leaned back, noting the bunny’s eyes never left his own. “Is that your boulder?”

The bunny sat unmoving, its scowl starting to worry V. For a moment, he could swear he saw its eyes narrowing at his comment.

“Okay, well, I’ll leave you alone,” V mumbled, starting to stand up. The bunny dashed back a short distance before stopping and staring like before. 

“Whoops, sorry,” he offered. Looking at the rabbit once more, he blinked in disbelief.

It had its paws on its hips, angrily thumping with one of its back feet. 

“…Crazy,” V breathed as he moved to walk around the rabbit. As he started to approach, the bunny darted to the middle of the road, staying right in front of him. 

“Huh?” 

V moved to the left, the rabbit moved left. He moved right, and the bunny followed. The critter mirrored his every movement—effectively blocking his way forward. 

“I need to go that way, buddy,” V explained, again moving to sidestep the rabbit once more—only to be blocked again. 

After staring at the animal’s defiant face for a few seconds, he sighed.

“I guess I’ll head back, then.” 

Turning to leave, he looked down at his broken phone. He wondered what the other members would say if he talked about this encounter. 

“Oof!”
“Angel, NO!”

Something hard smacked the back of his head. Whirling around, he saw a small pebble clattering to the trail it had been plucked from. He looked up—staring straight at a yellow pegasus who, in turn, was staring at the rabbit. Its expression had shifted into something more apologetic or fearful in the face of the pony’s ire. 

“NEVER do something like that for me ever again! They were going to leave! You should be ashamed of yourself!”

The bunny deflated further and further as the tirade continued, the fear evaporating and steadily being replaced by a melancholy guilt. 

“Now you march your fluffy tail back home and—!”
“H-hello,”
“Eeep!”

V bowed his head in greeting, but as he looked up, both the pony and rabbit had vanished. Confused, he glanced around in a brief search for his vanished company. 

“I-I’m sorry…”

He turned towards the source—a sliver of the pony’s face poking out from behind a nearby oak. 

“I’m so sorry… Angel… He’s just being protective of my home… I didn’t mean for anypony to get hurt… I… Oh, dear…”
“Oh, no, I’m sorry. I should have picked up that I wasn’t wanted here sooner. Angel did a good job of keeping you safe.”
“It’s not okay. He hurt you… I’m really sorry, mister…?”
“V. My name’s V.”
“V?”
“I mean, you can call me Taehyung, too, I guess.”
“D-do I call you V or…?”
“Uh… Just… V… is fine.”

There was a long pause as both worked hard to formulate their next words. 

“I should maybe—!”
“Did you want to—!”

“Oh, sorry. You first,” V offered.

“No, no, I interrupted…”
“No, go ahead.”

The small pony cleared her throat before moving further out from the tree. 

“Did you want some tea? As an apology for my friend’s behavior. I mean… If that’s okay with you… I don’t want to intrude on your plans…”
“Oh, no, no! I don’t have anything planned.”
“O-oh. Okay. Well, then, follow me.”


***


Jin’s eyes grew wide at the breathtaking view before him. 

Rows and rows of apple trees stretched ahead of him—all of them blooming. Flowers of every hue between white and pink dotted the sparsely-leafed orchard like glowing crystals. Hummingbirds and bees flitted from flower to flower, adding to the fertile spectacle of springtime in an apple orchard. 

“C’mon. Don’t wanna keep Granny Smith waitin’,” Applejack huffed. While she was mildly proud of her healthy trees, she was tired of stopping every few minutes while the human ogled every ounce of the admittedly vibrant countryside. While gorgeous, it was a sight she saw every year. 

Jin was already in step behind her, having snapped out the instant he heard her voice. 

“Sorry. Everything is—!”
“Beautiful, yes. I heard ya the first several times.”
“Ah, sorry.”
“And quit apologizin’.”
“Okay. Sorry.”

Applejack sighed as she led the endlessly bowing Jin into the main farmhouse. As the door swung open, they were immediately met with the smell of tart apples and spicy cinnamon. Applejack smiled briefly as she savored the scents wafting across her muzzle: apple cider donuts.

The kitchen was messy—but closer inspection revealed a method to the madness. On the humble four-burner stove sat two pots: One for the apple cider, and one for the vegetable oil. Near a large wooden cutting board and some equally large metal mixing bowls sat a number of ingredients sat at the ready: baking soda, salt, nutmeg, butter, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, and two ceramic jugs of the titular apple cider. All the prep appeared to be finished—no doubt thanks to Granny Smith and Applebloom’s hard work. 

“Alrighty, everypony! It’s time to cook!”
“Heya, Granny Smith!”
“Oh, hello.”

Jin bowed towards the yellow-green mare emerging from the walk-in pantry. She wore her silver mane in a tight bun representative of a filly ready to work. She wore a peach-colored apron with cream-colored embroidery forming the shape of a halved apple on the front. 

As Applejack studied her grandmother’s face, her heart fluttered with doubt. Granny’s wrinkled muzzle was set into a grim expression—an expression she hadn’t seen in a long time.

“So, yer Jin.”
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”
“So, Ginny, ye say ye can cook?”
“I like to learn, ma’am.”
“Well, you better learn quick, boy!” 
“R-right!”

Granny Smith pointed a hoof at the sink. 

“Wash yer hooves, city boy! Time ta work!”
“O-okay! Yes, ma’am!”

Jin hustled over to the sink, struggling with the strange handles designed for pony mouths rather than human hands. Applejack couldn’t help a grin as she watched the human scramble between the different stations under Granny’s stern supervision. 

“Reduce that cider! Don’t ye dare burn it, we don’t got any ta’ spare!”
“Okay!”
“Now leave it! Time ta’ git the dry ingredients in’ta’ the bowl!”
“Right!”
“Save some o’ that sugar an’ cinnamon! That goes on the donuts after!”
“Yes!”
“Check on that cider! It’s boilin’ over!”
“Aish! Okay! Sorry!”
“An’ quit apologizin’!”
“S-sorry!”
“Applejack!”

The orange farmpony froze, her mirthful grin all but evaporated in the face of her grandma’s terse call.

“Y-yes, Granny Smith?”
“Be a dear an’ grab some o’ the sweet apple tea from the icebox in the basement. An’ Big Mac’s waitin’ outside fer yer help to finish up today’s to-do’s.”
“Of course, marm.”

Applejack started for the door leading to the cellar—biting back mild disappointment of missing the hilarious spectacle of the tiny elderly mare hollering at the cowering form of the much larger human. It was like Fluttershy’s confrontation with the dragon all over again. 

She descended into the dimly lit stairwell, Jin’s yells and screams echoing behind her as the door eased itself shut.

---

“Ahhh… That was scary,” Jin sighed. 

He reclined on his wooden chair, massaging his face to work some of the tension out from his overloaded brain. They had finally finished reducing the cider and combined all the ingredients to create the thick, heavy dough. Having just finished moving it into the refrigerator for a one-hour chilling period, they had a little time to rest. Applejack had brought out a pitcher of sweet tea—delightfully refreshing and fruity—but had left soon after to finish her chores for the day. 

“Yer quite the talented city-slicker, Ginny.”

Jin looked over to the wizened mare—her demeanor had completely changed from her ‘Gordon Ramsay’ impression that shouted forceful instructions at the back of his head for the past half hour. He gave a warm smile, welcoming her shift in personality.

“Thank you, ma’am. You know a lot about making these donuts.”
“Well, somepony’s gotta know all these things. It’s how we pass things down.”
“Did you ever make a recipe book?”
“Now why would I go an’ spoil good ol’ oral tradition an’ do that? We Apples learn by doin’, plain n’ simple.”
“Of course, I should have known.”
“No, no, sugarcube; it ain’t yer fault.” 

She stared out the window at the orchard, her gaze piercing the disturbed flour from their recently-paused bout of frantic baking. 

“Yer a sweet young man. Polite as they come.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“Do ye have any family back home?”

Jin tapped his glass of sweet tea thoughtfully. 

“Well, there’s my mom, my dad, my older brother, my grandpa…”
“An’ what d’ya think of yer family? Yall close?”

Jin nodded. 

“This place reminds me of my grandpa—he owns a small beekeeping farm. Not as impressive as your orchard, of course!”

Granny Smith waved a hoof dismissively.

“Oh, don’t muss yer mane over it, sweetie. Ye said yer grandpa is a beekeeper?”
“Yes. He gives everyone amazing honey whenever he harvests it.”
“Sounds like a kind pony.”
“Well he’s… Yes. He is very kind.”
“An’ what d’ya think about family in general?”

Jin set his glass on the table, studying how it sweated condensation onto the plaid tablecloth beneath it. 

“They’re important. They were all there for me when I was young. And I never want to forget what they’ve done for me—especially now that I can pay them back with my success.”
“Are ya close with yer brother?”
“I mean, closer than I was before.” 

Jin chuckled to himself. “He definitely got a lot nicer after I became an idol.”

“Does this ‘idol’ business have t’do with ye bein’ so handsome?”

Jin’s couldn’t help another chuckle as he shrugged. 

“Sort of. And thank you.”
“Oh, of course, dearie. So what d’ya do as an ‘idol?’”
“We sing and dance, mostly.”
“How wonderful! Yer a singer?”
“Yes. I love it.”
“Can ye give this old mare a sample? Been a mite long since these old ears have heard anypony singin’!”

Jin nodded, smiling and taking a breath—his mind drifting to a more recent song. 

“La da-da-daaaah, la da-da-daaaah, la da-da-daaaah, la da-da-dah. Yeaaaah, laaaa-daaa-dah-dah~…”

Granny’s eyes squinted as she beamed a big smile. 

“The voice of an angel. Figures ye have the heart an’ face of one, too.”

Jin nodded appreciatively, cheeks ablaze with a heavy blush. “Thank you, Mrs. Smith.”

“Call me ‘Granny,’ sonny.” 

The door opened suddenly, Applejack having returned for a brief break. Sweat matted stray hairs of her golden mane against her forehead. As the earth pony moved to the countertop to pour herself a glass of tea, Granny sighed to herself

“Ah wish ye would stay—Applejack could use a stallion like ye…”
“Thank… Huh?”
“This again, Granny?”

Granny smiled at Applejack as if nothing was wrong.

“This young boy can sing, too. Did’ja know that, sweetie?”
“Well, ain’t he just a peach.”
“An’ he’s so handsome and kindhearted. He’d be perfect fer ya.”

“Can ye quit it?! I’ve told ya I’ll settle down with somepony when I’m good n’ ready,” Applejack huffed, her face now a deep shade of red. 

“What d’ya think, Ginny?”

Jin looked between Applejack and Granny Smith, not eager to disappoint either of them. 

“M-maybe we should get back to those donuts…”


***


“It’s a special blend. I call it ‘citron green tea.’”
“Thanks. Smells amazing.”

V took the large teacup with both hands, enjoying the lemony smell wafting from the verdant liquid inside. He looked around the cozy abode, admitting that it was nothing like what he had expected. On the exterior was a leafy cottage that resembled a shrub that had been converted into a home—numerous doors and birdhouses adorning the exterior for various wildlife to take refuge in should they need it. 

The interior contrasted wildly with the ‘nature-ey’ vibes of the outside: A prim and proper sitting room complete with matching leaf-green furniture and a large oval rug in the middle. A couple of small wicker pet beds were tucked next to and underneath a few places, although they were all empty at the moment. 

In front of him sat his host: A cream-yellow pegasus with a long, flowing mane that covered one of her eyes. The pink river of hair looked extremely silky to the touch—a small urge to stroke it itching beneath V’s restraint.

“What kind of animals do you take care of Miss Fluttershy?”
“All kinds of critters, really. Whatever needs my care—any and all are welcome.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. How long did you study to learn all of that?”
“Oh, well… They didn’t really have schools for treating the kinds of animals I take in here…”
“You learned on the fly, then?”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“Yaaaa… That’s crazy.”

V glanced at Angel Bunny—Fluttershy’s apparent companion—who had moved to take residence under her forelegs. Now that he was sleeping, he looked like a completely normal bunny. 

“Is Angel your companion?”
“I would say he’s my best friend.”
“Heh. I love how sassy he is.”
“That’s one way to put it. Do you have any fuzzy friends, Mister V?”

V smiled, nodding as he did. 

“Yeah… His name’s Yeontan.”
“That’s a nice name. What kind of animal is he?”
“He’s a Pomeranian. He’s five years old now.”
“Oh, a Pomeranian? They’re so fluffy! How cute. What’s he like?”
“He’s pretty sassy. I think him and Angel would either get along well or be archenemies.”

Fluttershy giggled. “It would be too cute if they met…”

“Tannie’s so loving, too.”
“That’s wonderful… I would love to hug a fluffy Pomeranian.”
“Have you ever thought about how loving animals are?”

Fluttershy beamed up at V. “Unconditionally loving. No matter what.”

“And how they’re always themselves.” 
“Right. You can trust them never to be two-faced towards you.”
“It’s almost easier to be with animals than with other people—or ponies, in your case.”

Fluttershy’s smile faded. V sat upright, his heart breaking as the little pony’s expression darkened.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“No, it’s okay. It’s true.” 

The mare stared into the depths of her teacup. 

“I’m… not great at interacting with anypony. I get so anxious sometimes that I can’t leave this cottage. Even then… That’s me most days…”

V frowned. “I see. That’s okay, though.”

Fluttershy shook her head. “No, it’s not. It’s something I want to… need to fix, someday.” 

She held her head up, her eyes blazing with fiery determination. “I want to be brave. I want to make more friends—other than ones that just listen. I need to step out of what’s comfortable, and…” 

Her eyes cooled to azure embers as she lowered her head again. “I mean… I want to…”

V smiled sympathetically. “I mean, you’re friends with all those ponies that greeted us when I first got here, right?” 

Fluttershy reciprocated with a smile of her own. “Yes. Best friends.”

“Then it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be confident enough to do exactly that,” V stated. He gestured to the wicker beds. “You’re so kind to animals in need, to other people and ponies,” V sighed to himself. “I really wish ARMY could meet you. They shower good people like you with so much love and support…”

Fluttershy studied V’s frustrated expression before nodding.

“ARMY sounds like a wonderful group of ponies.”

V’s warm smile returned. “They sure are,” he mused, reclining in the chair again. “At any rate, you’re going to find lots of ponies will be attracted to that kindness. All that’s left is to take that step when you’re ready.”

The pegasus nodded vigorously. “Mm!”

The two smiled at each other before both taking sips of their tea. 

“I really wish my phone worked so I could show you my funny videos of Tannie.”
“Oh? I’m afraid I don’t understand…”

V looked at his pocket wistfully. 

“Right, I forgot these aren’t a thing here…”
“What’s a ‘video?’”
“Hmm… Why don’t we table this conversation for later?”


***


“A week?!”
“Yes.”

Suga faced forward once more, the glorious sunset failing to soothe his frayed nerves. 

“So all we can do is wait until that rod recharges?”
“Correct.”

Suga ran his hand through his hair, pausing to scratch the back of his head with both frustration and bewilderment. 

“I’d… better tell the others.”

Luna stood, glancing down at the anxious human.

“We shall talk more as the week continues, Min Yoongi. Until then, perhaps you might indulge yourself in all Equestria has to offer.” She flashed a smile. “We doubt it wise to dwell on that which nothing can be done.” 

With a gentle flap of her wings, the Princess thrust herself into the sky—leaving a befuddled Suga staring vacantly into the horizon.