//------------------------------// // Affection and Decieit // Story: Butterflies // by Ghosttown Brony //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash Chapter 8 When Fluttershy awoke, Rainbow was still awake, still holding her tight. After several hours of stillness and quiet, staring out over the forest and hills, Rainbow nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt something tickle her under her chin. But the pain and fear of the night before melted momentarily when she saw those green eyes. “Good morning.” Fluttershy whispered softly. Dash craned her neck down and kissed the waking mare. “Good morning.” She replied just as soft. “Did you sleep alright?” Fluttershy nodded sleepily. “How about you?” “Slept like a rock.” The blue pegasus lied. “No more migraines?” “Not since yesterday.” “Oh good.” She said with a relieved smile. Luckily, Rainbow wasn’t half bad at lying. Of course, Fluttershy would probably figure it out when she got another migraine, but Dash would deal with that later. “Make sure you drink some more before we leave. I’m not sure when we’ll come across another water source.” Fluttershy said stretching. Rainbow had to suppress a groan of disappointment as the yellow mare broke free from her grasp and stood up. “Do you mind if I take another look at your cut before we head out?” Rainbow had only just realized she’d spent the entire night laying on her bad side. As long as her wing was folded all she felt was an easily ignorable stab of pain that faded in seconds. But Fluttershy seemed less than impressed. Dash rolled over and lifted her newly cleaned and preened wing. It felt like a routine now. Fluttershy used a gentle hoof to lift her wing. Her face was unreadable. “How does it look? For real.” The blue Pegasus asked, more curious than worried. Instead of answering, her caretaker pressed a hoof just under her multicoloured mane, then pulled it away and pressed lightly on the center of her chest. “Rainbow, have you felt sick at all in the past few hours?” “No.” She lied yet again, recalling her scolding Fluttershy for her dishonesty only hours ago. She took a few breaths before offering her diagnosis. “Rainbow, I’m not a doctor, I just know what I need to know in order to help. But your infection is not getting any better; it’s getting worse really fast. All we can do now is get you fed, the only treatment is at the hospital.” None of this news surprised Rainbow, maybe it should have but it didn’t. Fluttershy seemed far more distressed; she looked about ready to cry. “ We shouldn’t have stopped yesterday, we should have kept going. I’m such a featherbrain!” “Fluttershy, calm down, I’m the one who made us stop, and you know we needed a day.” The sick pony rose to her hooves, ignoring the sudden dizziness. “Remember yesterday? We were having fun, you were relaxing, I was healthy, nothing has changed. I still feel fine Fluttershy, so please stop worrying.” She knew she was asking the impossible of this pony, but she hoped it would help her settle down. She kissed her once more, and when she pulled away, Fluttershy locked her in a tight embrace. “There,” she said when she was released. “I’m calm, you’re calm, everything is good. Now, it’s been almost two days since I had something to eat, and I need something before I eat my own hooves.” After that getting up was quick and easy. Since they weren’t carrying anything with them, getting ready was as easy as stretching, and taking a long lingering drink from the lake. Rainbow didn’t regret spending the day here yesterday, and she hoped Fluttershy wouldn’t either. Wooden teeth. She lost track of how long she stayed up after waking from her night terrors, but still, images plagued her mind, flashing before her eyes like photographs. She knew she should be tired, but she didn’t let herself fear it. From the moment she woke up, she was on edge, watching, listening. She was knew she was being a hypocrite, telling Fluttershy not to lie, then lying right to her face, telling her not to worry when she was wound up so tight. But it was for love, she had to protect the pony she loved in any way possible. The most difficult part of her morning was entering the woods without flinching. It was so similar to her dream, the green trees, the flowers, the life. She knew her fibs wouldn’t last forever, but she was determined to make them last as long as she could, and part of that was acting like she was fine. She walked right alongside Fluttershy, keeping her out of the lead position. Fluttershy hadn’t said much since they woke up, and now she was focused, scanning their surroundings for food. Rainbow spotted nearly ten berry bushes, but they passed by both of them. Another reason why she was so glad of her company: If Fluttershy wasn’t with her, she would have poisoned herself several times over. After about twenty minutes of walking silently, the kind mare suddenly piped up. “There!” She said, taking off a little to the left. Rainbow chased after her a little ways until she stopped before a pear tree. The fruit were almost as green as the leaves, Dash would’ve walked right past it. The sight of edible food made her mouth salivate, and her stomach began to constrict and grumble. “All right Fluttershy!” she cheered her fillyfriend. Under normal circumstances she might’ve given her another kiss, but the sight of food made her want to faint. The tree wasn’t very large and some branches hung low enough to reach on her hind legs. She grabbed as many fruit as she could, although she was never a big fan of pears. But after she had created a decent pile of fruit, she ate like an exquisite meal had been put before her. After demolishing three pears, she slowed down enough to offer some to Fluttershy, who had just stood there, giggling at the spectacle she was surely making. She took a seat on the opposite side of the feast she’d gathered. “Rainbow, you should really slow down.” She cautioned as the blue mare sank her teeth into her fifth pear. She made it a point to take her bites a little slower, as Fluttershy picked one up and bit into it. Rainbow tried to figure out what she was thinking, but reading ponies had always been a bit difficult for Rainbow. The yellow Pegasus didn’t seem quite as worried as this morning, but her subtle, gentle smile wasn’t there. Her gaze was directed towards the canopy of leaves above them, as she slowly nibbled at her food. Rainbow stopped at pear number seven, knowing that in a few minutes she would regret not heeding her companions warning. “Hey Rainbow Dash,” She said so suddenly Rainbow nearly choked. “What’s going to happen when we get back?” “What do you mean?” she asked, laying down against the pear tree. “It used to be me, you, and the girls. But now, you and I are something different, so, we’ll probably hang out differently.” “You make it sound like relationships have all these rules.” Rainbow said with a snort. “Don’t they?” Fluttershy asked with a quizzical look. “No- well... I guess so. Ok, rule number one: no kissing other mares. Rule number two: I’m gonna be expecting, like, at least ten kisses a week. But that’s about it. We’ll go out every now and then, spend a bit more time together, just the two of us. Don’t worry, we’ll still hang out with the girls, just like we do now.” Fluttershy didn’t say anything, but her smile returned so she must’ve liked her answer. Both ponies looked up to the sky. It was a beautiful day out, not a cloud in the sky. It was a bit warm though. Too warm. Rainbow shot up so fast, the shy mare jumped back. “Are you alright?” “Yep.” She said, trying desperately to keep her face from contorting. “I, er, need to use the bathroom.” She said turning around to walk to the thicker tree’s. “Oh, ok. Don’t get lost!” she shouted worriedly. The spikes were already in her head and it was getting worse. She had to hide. She stumbled across the trunk of a great tree, more than thick enough to hide behind. The moment she left Fluttershy’s sight she collapsed. The world became pain. Her headache returned, even more ruthless than the last. Her head felt like it was being crushed in a vice. She tried to keep quiet but the ceaseless ringing made it hard to tell what noise she was making. The pressure on hear head increases. Her vision went white, she was blind. She closed her eyes and drove her hooves into the ground, digging it up, tearing at the loose dirt. Her cut felt like it was on fire. Again it faded tantalizingly slow. Just as her vision returned she began to retch, her breakfast wasted. Her body cooled and her skull was finally relieved of the crushing pressure. Rainbow used the trunk of the massive tree to pull herself off the ground. She spat, trying to get the taste of bile out of her mouth. They were coming faster, her last migraine was only a couple of hours ago. When her body stopped shaking she made her way back to Fluttershy. “Rainbow! What happened?” the pony exclaimed as she neared the pear tree. “What?” Dash asked, still trying to clear her head. “You were gone for over five minutes; I was just coming to find you. Are you ok?” “Yeah I’m fine, sorry I just... got distracted.” Fluttershy jumped up and hugged her. “Don’t scare me like that! I thought something might’ve happened.” “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.” She really hoped she was telling the truth. “Are you finished eating?” “Yes.” She nodded “Alright, then we better start moving.” She couldn’t let that happen again. In her pained state, she left Fluttershy completely alone. If anything had happened to her, Rainbow wouldn’t have been able to do anything. And she wasn’t sure if she could survive another migraine. This time the yellow pegasus didn’t get too upset, which she was very grateful for. Trying to keep her spirits up after the last migraine, she continued their previous conversation. “So, if I were to take you out on a date, where would you want to go?” she asked, knowing full well what her answer would be. “Wherever you want to go is fine.” “Well, I want to go where you want to go.” She said, winning a smile from Fluttershy. “As long as I’m with you I don’t care where we go.” Her reply surprised Dash. She was picking up on this sweet-talking thing fast. “Ok,” Dash said “How about we go camping?” She tried to keep a straight face but the priceless look she got from Fluttershy broke it completely. “Or maybe I’ll just take you out for dinner.” Fluttershy gave a little grin but didn’t say anything. Rainbow didn’t want it to get quiet again, if it did she would start worrying. “So, I know you said you’ve never had a special somepony before, but I never knew you were into mares.” Rainbow said, hoping she didn’t go too far. “Neither did I.” She responded flatly. “What do you mean?” “You are the only pony who makes me feel the way I do. I thought I had everything figured out, that nothing would ever change, I barely even noticed anything was missing. But when I was around you, I could feel it. It was a weird pressure, a fuzzy feeling in my chest, but I didn’t know what it was so I ignored it. I pushed it away.” “Do you know what it was?” “It’s love.” She said with a little blush. Rainbow couldn’t find her words, and when she didn’t speak, Fluttershy offered another question. “Why do you love me Rainbow?” Dash had to rattle her head, get her thoughts to focus again. She played the question over and over in her head. She knew exactly why she loved her, but she couldn’t put it into words. But this was the type of question that couldn’t be shrugged off, and Dash wasn’t going to waste this chance. “I know its cliché, but I fell in love with you the first day I saw you. It was back on the first day of flight school. I remember when my parents flew me there; they could hardly keep up with me. I wanted to get going, I wanted to fly. When we got there, everypony looked just as excited as me, they were all flapping their wings and jumping. But there was one filly who wasn’t excited. She sat away, off to the sides. She didn’t move, she didn’t talk, it almost looked like she just wanted to sink below the clouds and disappear.” Fluttershy stopped walking, and Rainbow ran up in front of her, got close to her. “And since that first day I was fascinated by you. After the race, when we got our cutie marks and we started hanging out I knew you were something different. Just being with you, it made me calm, it made me happy. We didn’t have to talk, we didn’t have to fly, it didn’t matter what we did, I always enjoyed myself. I didn’t have to impress you; you didn’t expect anything from me. You’re beautiful, you’re kind, you’re everything I want, everything I want to be. But it’s even more than that. When we’re together, I feel complete, I feel like I don’t need to go anywhere, I feel like I’m-” “Home.” Fluttershy finished for her, her voice hopeful. “Home.” Rainbow confirmed before leaning in. The day was beautiful. The sun shone high above in the sky, farther than any pegasus could ever reach. The tree’s loomed over, tall and silent, their presence always felt. As they shared another amazing kiss Dash was able to forget for just a moment. To forget the dream, forget their situation, forget Ponyville and the Wonderbolts. It was just her and the pony she held most dear. But the moment proved to be fleeting, as multiple loud howls resounded through the air. The two quickly pulled away. “That sounded really close.” Fluttershy breathed, swinging her head around, looking for the source. Rainbow felt like she was going to lose her mind. “Break time’s over, we need to move.” She said, a little rougher than she meant to, but the yellow pegasus had no objections. She kept her cyan wing over Fluttershy’s back, she needed to know she was there, that they were together. The howl came from almost directly behind them. They were being tracked. The two moved at a brisk jog, but moving was getting more difficult. The tree’s were almost constantly in their path, and the brush and tall plants grabbed at their coats. Dash’s senses worked on overdrive. Listening for the slightest sound, watching the slightest movement. Every time a branch broke, or a squirrel darted across the ground, the swift pegasus jumped. After ten minutes of increasingly fast jogging Fluttershy was wheezing, and asked to slow down. Rainbow hadn’t heard anything since the first howl that signaled danger, and their pace slowed back to a walk. The sun was relentless as ever, the two were drenched in sweat. Despite slowing down, Dash didn’t let her wing drop from her love’s back. “Were those the same wolves we heard yesterday?” Fluttershy said between breaths. “I don’t know, but if it is, that means we’re being followed.” Rainbow was angry now. It was horrible, every time she let her guard down, something terrifying endangered not only her, but the pony she loved, and she could do nothing but bolt away. She was sick of feeling helpless, sick of feeling useless. She desperately wished Fluttershy would say something, anything, but all she received was silence. Rainbow couldn’t think of anything to say. She wanted to comfort her, to tell her they would be alright, that was her job, wasn’t it? But Rainbow didn’t believe it herself, and she was sick of lies. From mid afternoon to sunset, the romancing and fun disappeared. They didn’t speak, they rarely stopped but to drink from the occasional stream. Constantly looking over their shoulders, waiting to see those glowing eyes. Yet, there was nothing, not a single sign since that first howl. But Rainbow wasn’t about to let her guard down again. The forest carried on, everlasting and terribly monotonous. The green, the soil underhoof, the lengthy braches that reached out to grab at their coats, Dash was sick of it. She missed the open blue. Her only solace was the mare who walked with her, a silent beacon of hope in this dreary wood. The athletic mare felt as though she could carry on through the night. But as the sun dipped on their third day, all the sleep she missed the night before began to catch up with her. They selected another clearing, considerably smaller than the one Rainbow found the first day. Finally Fluttershy spoke up. “My hooves are killing me.” The statement was simple, enough, but after half a day of silence, Rainbow thought it the most profound thing she’d ever heard. “Yeah mine too,” she laughed, tossing herself to the ground. “But you’re a pretty tough filly. You should come try the Running of the Leaves with me this year.” Fluttershy’s face reddened at the praise, and she gave the smallest hint of a smile. “Thanks, but I’ve had enough time on my hooves for a lifetime.” She lay herself down next to the blue pony, who wrapped her forelegs around her, just like the night before. “I miss my bed.” “I miss Suger Cube Corner.” Rainbow said. Her stomach felt empty yet again and she would’ve given anything for a sugery treat. “I don’t think we should both sleep tonight. We can each take watch, every couple of hours.” Rainbow wanted to kick herself for killing the newly lightened mood, but the idea of the two of them both asleep, both helpless, didn’t sit well with her. “Alright, I’ll take first watch.” Fluttershy said sitting up. “No it’s alright I’ll just-” “Rainbow, you’ve fallen asleep after me, and woken up before me every night, you need sleep.” She said, gently brushing Rainbow’s mane. She wanted to protest further, but her eyelids were already sinking, and Fluttershy looked confident about this. “Ok, but you wake me up if anything happens, and don’t let me sleep for too long.” She felt a pair lip lips press against her nose as she drifted to sleep. She prayed it would be dreamless.