Fluttershy yelped as a lethal projectile hit the back of her head.
Luckily, her voluminous mane cushioned the projectile from actually hurting her. Added to the fact that a carrot doesn't hurt much when thrown by a small bunny. Fluttershy removed her head from the inside of a filled picnic basket, turning toward a bitten vegetable near her hooves and a rather annoyed looking bunny rabbit with his paws crossed over his chest.
"Oh, Angel!" Fluttershy smiled, the bunny's withering stare did nothing to phase her or her good mood. "I'm so sorry if I'm bothering you."
A few hours have passed since the shy pegasus woke up, made herself presentable, and tended to her many animals. With a few hours to spare, she took the time to prepare for one of her favorite events of the year. It was rumored that this year's Great Butterfly Migration will be even greater than last year, and the animal caretaker giggled excitedly simply at the thought of the event. Which is most likely what caused her spoiled pet to throw vegetation at her.
Fluttershy picked up the bitten carrot with her mouth and passed it to the bunny. "The Great Butterfly Migration is today, and you know how I am on this day." The excited pegasus explained.
Angel tried to keep up his attitude, but he couldn't help but return a small smile as his owner smiled back at him. It was true though. Every fall, the thing that his mama is most excited for is the Great Butterfly Migration. On the day of the event, she becomes all smiles, happiness, and giggles; resembling that crazy, pink party pony he saw occasionally.
Taking one last look inside of the picnic basket, she marked off the mental checklist in her head. She giggled as she nosed the basket closed, feeling like her friend Twilight with how organized she was. Fluttershy sat down with her pet bunny, taking a moment to rest. Looking at Angel, an idea popped into her mind.
"Would you like to come, Angel? We'll have a great time," Fluttershy asked her bunny.
Angel put a paw to his chin, contemplating whether or not a manly bunny like himself should watch a butterfly migration. He had better things to do, like eating carrots, working out, perfecting his backhand, and eating more carrots. Thinking this through, perhaps his owner didn't want to go alone, maybe have some company. He nodded, not willing to let his mama be alone.
After nodding in approval and nuzzling Angel, Fluttershy took the basket with her teeth and trotted toward her front door. Angel's eyes widened slightly, he didn't follow. Instead, he hopped toward the cottage's storage room.
Fluttershy placed the picnic basket in front of the door. Ready to depart, she opened the exit and called for the bunny accompanying her today.
Angel returned, hopping toward his owner, somehow carrying four items that are almost twice his size over his head. He dropped a pair of binoculars and two safari helmets in front of the basket.
Fluttershy's eyes widened. "Oh, Angel, thank you! I almost..." The yellow pegasus trailed off as she picked up both of her safari helmets. A single memory rushed into her mind of last fall when her oldest friend accompanied her to the last butterfly migration.
"Oh no, I forgot to invite somepony!" Fluttershy gasped. She smiled nervously when she turned to a bunny tapping his foot. "No offense, Angel."
"I was just so caught up and excited with everything, and I completely forgot!" Fluttershy looked back and forth between the extra pair of equipment, contemplating whether she truly needs another pony to attend the butterfly migration with her. Well, Angel's already coming with me... and he's great company... but it's just not the same going without another pony. Looking back at one of the helmets, she could have sworn she saw a stray red hair loosely stuck inside. I really had a great time with her last year.
And just like that, she made up her mind. "Please watch the house while I'm gone, okay, Angel? I'll be right back!" Fluttershy hastily exclaimed as she galloped past the door and shut it.
Angel sighed and placed a paw over his face.
Rainbow Dash kicked the final cloud, satisfied with how the puff of water exploded into white wisps. Looking over the skies, she admired her work. Every cloud was clear, as the schedule ordered. The weather schedule given to her today wasn't surprising. The clouds needed to be cleared to make way for the sun's warmth, along with no wind. The only surprising thing being that it's fall. It was going to be warm on a usually chilly autumn day, and Rainbow knew exactly why.
Butterflies.
Rainbow shook her head. She didn't want to think about that right now. When the cyan pegasus first woke up, the first thought that came to her mind was the thought of the incredibly boring event that she went to exactly a year ago, and the possibility of having to go a second time.
As her head shook, she caught sight of a few clouds in the corner of her eye. Turning toward the stray clouds, she noticed one half of Ponyville's skies were still cloudy, with the other half just recently cleared. The weather patrol manager sighed, she felt really out of it today.
Rainbow shrugged, followed by a scoff. She knew she shouldn't be worrying about something as small as watching a butterfly migration. Just because Fluttershy wanted the cyan pegasus to watch the butterfly migration with her last year, doesn't mean she would want to this year. Maybe Fluttershy would want to invite Pinkie, Rarity, or AJ to go this year. Surely they would have a much better time than Rainbow did when she first watched the butterfly migration.
Propelling herself forward, she landed on a random cloud. Putting her hooves behind her head, Rainbow allowed herself to relax. If she really wanted to, the sky could be cleared in ten seconds flat, giving her extra time to spare to relax. She just had to make sure she didn't completely put off her task. Boss wouldn't be too pleased to find out the manager slacked off and didn't finish the job before the Great Butterfly Migration starts. When does the migration start, anyway? Rainbow asked herself.
As if the world tried to answer her, a speck of yellow and pink caught Rainbow's attention. Squinting her eyes for a better view, she realized the speck was flying towards the cyan pegasus' own cloud home. It wasn't hard to figure it out, but Rainbow's eyes widened when it registered in her head.
The flying speck was obviously Fluttershy, and although the pegasus doesn't like flying in high altitudes, she's actually flying to visit her oldest friend.
Rainbow would've been proud of her shy friend, but instead, she burrowed herself into the cloud she was relaxing on and concealed herself with it. The cyan pegasus was completely hidden, and she reassuringly wrapped her tail around herself, making sure no parts of her body were revealed.
Why Fluttershy needed to visit her? It was obvious to Rainbow; Fluttershy was looking for her to invite her to the Great Butterfly Migration.
Rainbow groaned quietly to herself. It was pathetic that she was actually hiding from her shyest of friends. Rainbow Dash never hid from her fears, and here she was, hiding from a mare that hides from her own shadow.
Seriously, Fluttershy, why me?! Why me of all ponies? Didn't I make it obvious that I didn't have fun last butterfly migration? Rainbow mentally ranted to herself. It was so boring, and the last thing I wanna do is go again.
If I wanted to sit down and watch a bunch of flying ants, I'd watch the ones on Fluttershy's flank! The sound of a pomf went unnoticed. Rainbow blushed slightly and hit herself on her forehead, mentally berating herself for even thinking of that. Fluttershy is too innocent of a pony to think of like that.
Plus, Rainbow continued her rant. Fluttershy ditched and kicked me in the stomach the day of the Great Dra–
"Um... Rainbow?"
Rainbow let out an out of character yelp and jumped from the inside of her cloud. The soft-spoken voice actually scared her, and she'll forever deny it if anyone were to ask.
The cyan pegasus' cheeks burned in embarrassment as she grinned nervously at Fluttershy. As hard as she tried to hide the nervousness in her voice, it was impossible for her to maintain its shake. "Oh, h-hey, Fluttershy! C-Come here often?"
Rainbow mentally kicked herself.
"Oh, no. I just wanted to ask you something, Rainbow," Fluttershy said softly, unfazed by her oldest friend's odd behavior. "But, um... why were you inside that cloud?"
"Hide and seek!" Rainbow blurted out, followed by a nervous chuckle. Fluttershy flinched at her sudden outburst. It was times like these where her loud mouth struggled to keep up with her brain. "Yep! Just a game of hide and seek!"
"Nopony else is here..." Fluttershy deadpanned. The yellow pegasus could already tell. She could see right through her oldest friend's lie. It didn't take years of knowing her to tell when she was fibbing or not.
"I'm... just that good! Cloud Kicker's probably looking all the way at Canterlot by now!" Rainbow exclaimed as she landed on a nearby cloud. Fluttershy followed. "So uh... how did ya find me?" She finished, trying to keep up her excuse.
Fluttershy pointed behind Rainbow. "Well... you weren't home and I decided to come find you, but you should really keep your wings closed when you're hiding. I saw them popping out of a cloud."
Rainbow's eyes widened as she turned her head toward her wings. They were flared widely. Fluttershy's flank came to mind as she forcefully pushed the offending appendages down. Before Rainbow could blurt out another mindless excuse, thankfully, Fluttershy interrupted her.
“Anyways, Rainbow. Um... I know it's short notice... and you may not like this idea, but...” Fluttershy said, her nervousness beginning to kick in. Noticeable with how she began to rub her hooves together.
Then don’t ask at all! Rainbow wanted to say. Instead, she let out a sigh. Instead of acting like a foal, obnoxiously spouting lies to her friend, she tried to take the situation calmly. “‘Shy, I already know. You’re gonna ask me to go to the butterfly migration with you, right?”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened as she felt Rainbow literally read her mind, she nodded nevertheless.
“Look, Fluttershy. I’m going to be honest, I just...” Rainbow trailed off. She hated rejecting her friends. She especially hated rejecting her kindest friend. It wasn’t difficult to scold her when the shy pegasus becomes difficult to deal with, but she felt it very much so when it comes to turning her down. “... Don’t wanna go this year.”
Fluttershy’s eyes went downcast. She started clumping pieces of cloud together, occupying herself from meeting Rainbow’s eyes. “I-I understand, Rainbow. Um... I’ll see you later.”
“Hold on, ‘Shy,” Rainbow spoke up as her friend turned to leave. “Why me? Why not invite somepony else like Rarity to go with you?”
“Rarity’s busy,” Fluttershy simply stated, still unable to meet Rainbow’s cerise eyes.
“Pinkie Pie? She would love to go with you.”
“She’s also busy.”
“Applejack? That mare deserves a break sometimes,” Rainbow asked, her mouth arching into a frown that matched her friend’s.
“Cider Season’s coming up. She’s very–”
“Busy... Right.” Rainbow finished for her. “Twilight?” Rainbow shrugged, she knew that was a stupid suggestion. At this point, she was almost desperate to cheer up Fluttershy, even going as far as offering her highness to accompany her.
“Twilight’s at Canterlot. You know that, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said, her frown growing.
An uncomfortable silence descended between the two pegasi. The entire time from the moment Rainbow turned down Fluttershy to now, their eyes never met. Finally, after a few minutes of silence that felt like hours, Fluttershy spoke, catching Rainbow off guard.
“Thank you for being honest, Rainbow. Sorry for bothering you,” Fluttershy said without a single stutter or shake.
Fluttershy’s pretty good at hiding her emotions, Rainbow noticed. And at the same time, she isn’t. Rainbow finally caught sight of her friend’s eyes and she could easily see the sadness in her aquamarine orbs. Seeing Fluttershy like this struck a chord in the cyan pegasus, it always did. From the day she met her, to the day of the tornado, even to the day they jousted at the Crystal Empire.
Rainbow knew Fluttershy has that creepy stare that the shy mare would use to bend the will of any living thing. Right now, she felt like she was on the receiving end of it. Although the stare master wasn’t even looking into her eyes, the way they shook with emotions and lightly shined with what could be tears, it made Rainbow seize up, and instead of doing anything the stare master commands, she wanted to do nothing more than make Fluttershy happy.
Darn it! You’re weak, Rainbow! Weak! Rainbow internally screamed at herself.
“Fluttershy, wait!” For the second time that day, Rainbow spoke as her friend turned to leave, and with a sigh, she spoke again, “I’ll go.”
In an instant, Fluttershy’s face brightened. Her eyes immediately lost any trace of sadness and were replaced with the opposite. She zoomed towards her oldest friend and went face to face with her with a giant grin. Almost akin to how Rainbow reacted when she convinced the weaker flier to come to tornado duty.
“You will?” Fluttershy excitedly asked.
Rainbow sighed. She was getting a large sense of déjà vu. “I will.”
“You’re ga–” Rainbow forcefully, but gently placed her hoof over Fluttershy’s muzzle, preventing her from finishing her question. The cyan pegasus blushed ever so slightly at what it sounded like Fluttershy said.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m gay, whatever. I’ll go to the butterfly migration with you,” Rainbow muttered.
“Um... Rainbow?” Fluttershy felt a blush creep to her cheeks.
“What?” Rainbow replied in confusion. Thinking back to what she said, her eyes widened and her previous blush came back in full view. “I mean I’m game! Celestia, I’m game!”
Fluttershy eagerly nuzzled Rainbow Dash, her long, pink mane draping over Rainbow’s prismatic head. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise you’ll have a great time!” She exclaimed as her mane and cheek rubbed against Rainbow’s face.
Rainbow begrudgingly stood still as she accepted the affectionate gesture. She didn’t return it, although she tried to hide the fact that she was enjoying it behind a stoic face. It shouldn’t be possible for somepony to be this soft.
Hesitating a little, Rainbow pulled away from Fluttershy. “Yeah... I look forward to it...” Rainbow didn’t try to hide her sarcasm. She wasn’t even sure if she was purposely trying to make Fluttershy notice, but she did.
“Um... Rainbow,” Fluttershy quietly said, as if her previous excitement completely vanished. “I’m not trying to pressure you into going with me or anything. You don’t have to go... if that’s what you want.”
Rainbow scoffed, gently prodding a hoof at Fluttershy’s shoulder, emitting a squeak from her. Admittedly, she would’ve immediately taken up on that offer five minutes ago, but her mind’s already made up. When her mind’s made up, she’ll do it. She’ll watch the Great Butterfly Migration with her oldest friend for the second time.
“I’m going, promise. I just gotta clear these clouds and I’ll be ready. I’ll meet you...” Rainbow trailed off, waiting for Fluttershy to finish for her.
“At the edge of the Everfree Forest, you won’t miss me. I’ll be setting everything up,” Fluttershy added. “Thank you again, Rainbow.”
Rainbow nodded at Fluttershy, nothing else needed to be said. The cyan pegasus took off, busting clouds on her way as Fluttershy descended towards the ground.
Rainbow Dash found herself trotting towards the outskirts of Ponyville. She wasn’t in the mood to fly. Although the cyan pegasus knew she should be getting one last flight before it’s time to sit down and watch a bunch of butterflies.
She remembered the last migration like it was yesterday. The whole time she watched the migration, her wings were itching and twitching. Flying is her life and she needed to fly. After watching the winged ants fly SO slowly, she nearly burst from the ground midway during the migration, but the thought of leaving Fluttershy alone and ruining her time didn’t sit well with the Element of Loyalty.
The cobblestone path turned into earth and Fluttershy’s cottage came into view. With Fluttershy’s home so close to the Everfree Forest, it didn’t take long for Rainbow to find her oldest friend sitting alone on a checkered blanket. Rainbow found her mood lifted when she saw a picnic set up with food. After clearing the clouds and taking a walk, she was quite hungry.
She then noticed a white, fluffy rodent sitting by Fluttershy’s side. Her mood was again ruined when she realized Fluttershy brought her spoiled pet with her.
“Hi, Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy smiled brightly when she saw her friend approaching.
Rainbow sat down on the blanket across from her friend. She grabbed an apple and nonchalantly took a bite. “Hey, ‘Shy.”
“I just wanted to thank you again for coming,” Fluttershy said cheerfully.
Rainbow noticed a pair of binoculars and safari helmets next to the picnic basket; it brought back bad memories.
“Yeah, yeah, whatever. Let’s just get this over with.”
The cyan pegasus received a vicious glare from Angel. If his owner took offense from the rainbow-headed pony’s rude comment, she showed no signs of it. Instead of recoiling like she would any other day, she ignored the rude response with a smile still on her face.
“Alright, Rainbow.” Fluttershy took one of the safari helmets and plopped it on Rainbow’s head and hoofed one of the binoculars to her. “I hope you have a good time.”
Angel tightened his grip on the half-eaten carrot in his paw. The bunny couldn’t speak but his eyes did all the talking for him. “Don’t make me use this...” They said.
“Yeah...” Rainbow awkwardly trailed off, recoiling slightly from the bunny’s glare. She’s received glares from Angel several times in the past, and she always shrugged them off, as if a bunny could actually scare her. This time, the bunny’s eyes just had death written on them.
First warning, Angel squeaked to himself. He’ll be keeping a close eye on this potential threat.
Rainbow stretched her limbs before lying down and resting her head on her forelegs. The migration hasn’t started yet, so she figured making small talk would be the best option instead of lazing about. “So, when’s the migration starting?”
Fluttershy gulped down a tiny bite of the cupcake she was eating. “Not in a while, I do like getting here a bit early.”
“Early?” Rainbow repeated as she looked up at the position of the sun.
It wasn’t even noon.
With a small groan, the tired pegasus planted her face between her forelegs.
“It’s starting, Rainbow!” Fluttershy gasped excitedly as the first of many butterflies of the migration fluttered out of the trees.
A small groan emitted from the cyan pegasus’ lips.
Fluttershy kept her attention on the oncoming swarm of butterflies as she absentmindedly poked at Rainbow’s head. “Wake up, Dashie! It’s starting!”
Rainbow raised her head from the ground, blinking the sleep from her eyes. She groaned again in annoyance before the poking hoof quickly ceased. Pinkie can be really annoying sometimes. Looking up at her attacker, flustered from awakening so quickly, she slowly realized a few things. The pink earth pony was actually a yellow pegasus and a bunny. Fluttershy sat across from Rainbow with Angel sitting by his owner’s side.
‘Shy and Pinkie can sound exactly alike sometimes, Rainbow thought as she heard the rare occurrence of the shy mare shouting excitedly. I swear it’s like they have the same voice!
Rainbow also realized that she had fallen asleep during her oldest friend’s company. As much as Rainbow wasn’t keen on watching the butterfly migration, she knew shouldn’t of have rudely fallen asleep. Rainbow may be a pony without ladylike manners, as Rarity calls it, but she knows what’s right from wrong. Rainbow was about to apologize when a soft voice interrupted her.
“Isn’t it amazing, Rainbow?” Fluttershy said as she happily gazed upward.
Rainbow followed Fluttershy’s gaze, looking up at the hundreds of butterflies occupying the skies. The sky was filled with different colors, their wings almost blending together into a splash of color. Added with the organized path they flew in, they could almost resemble a rainbow. Shadows of the creatures danced across the ground as the sun shined down on them. Rainbow was surprised her friend hasn’t run off into the nearest bush yet. Actually, she wasn’t surprised at all, they’re just butterflies.
The cyan pegasus had to admit, there were a lot more butterflies than there was last fall and the sight of them could make any nature lover swoon. A thick swarm of insects and gossamer wings flew in a wide and straight path. Compared to last year’s migration this migration could almost pass as a butterfly invasion instead.
Like butterflies could even stand a chance against me, the cocky pegasus thought.
Rainbow’s thoughts were interrupted as she realized she ignored Fluttershy’s question. She awkwardly cleared her throat as she tried to blurt out the first thought that came into mind.
“Well... there’s so many...” Rainbow muttered.
“Oh yes, there are many different butterflies here!” Fluttershy visually brightened. She squinted her eyes, hardening her gaze on the swarm flying above her. “I think I can name all of them...
“There’s the Monarch Butterfly, the most common species of butterflies known to migrate. There's a Red Admiral, a Common Buckeye, a Painted Lady—” Fluttershy pointed to each butterfly as she continued to state each of their names. “A Fiery Skipper, a Clouded Skipper, a Mourning Cloak...”
Rainbow snickered at Fluttershy as she continued to go off on butterfly names. The timid pegasus almost sounded like her highness, the egghead herself with how smart she sounded. It amazed Rainbow with how much Fluttershy can come out of her shell when it comes to discussing animals and nature. With how much knowledge she had on animals, she could probably spend hours lecturing on the concept of squirrels. Knowing the animal caretaker for so long, she sat through many lectures on animals and Fluttershy was always so enthusiastic instead of her usually meek self.
As Fluttershy’s lecture escalated from naming every different butterfly to explaining why butterflies migrate, the big words that the speedster couldn’t understand, as well as Fluttershy’s voice in general, melded into the background as Rainbow stretched her forelegs and relaxed.
Rainbow glanced at the bunny by her side. She almost forgot that he was even here. He threateningly nibbled on his carrot very slowly as he eyeballed her.
Well... she tried to relax.
Rainbow turned from the terrifying bunny rabbit to the crowd of butterflies overhead. She watched as the winged ants flew in a straight path. One after another, a colorful butterfly flew past Rainbow’s sight, never to be seen again, very slowly.
Very... slowly.
Seconds of staring monotonously turned into minutes, and just like that, Rainbow's wings started to itch. Where's the excitement? When's the part where a butterfly does a backflip? When's the part where a butterfly breathes fire at another butterfly, only for it to miss and singe Rainbow's coat?
Honestly, Rainbow would rather relive that moment from the Great Dragon Migration than this.
The boredom began to kick in like a drug. Quite literally a drug, for she began to see the butterflies do things that they definitely should not be doing.
The butterflies grew long reptilian tails. Their six tiny legs melded into four, ended with razor sharp claws. Spines grew along their back from their head to tail, and the insects' tiny heads transformed into a horned head with a gaping maw filled with teeth. Rainbow blinked in confusion as she watched the Tiny Dragon Migration.
Rainbow turned toward her dragon-fearing friend. She knew she was just imagining things, for Fluttershy hasn't fainted like a goat yet.
Rainbow's eyes widened in fear as a tiny dragon breathed fire in her direction. She harshly shook her head before the abnormally large plume of fire could reach her, and the tiny dragons were back to their original butterfly selves. She was honestly disappointed; she was enjoying that interesting moment.
Snap out if it Dash! You're just relaxing with a friend, Rainbow tried to reassured herself. Relaxing is good...
“... Which is why butterflies can’t fly in the cold.” Fluttershy finished with a sigh. “Oh, Rainbow, isn’t this so exciting?”
The word exciting echoed in Rainbow’s head. It was as if the echoing word was mocking her. This is far from exciting! Flying, doing tricks, and the Wonderbolts are exciting! Instead of snapping out of her boredom, Rainbow snapped herself. “Exciting?! You call this–”
Before the bothered pegasus could finish her statement, she flinched as an orange vegetable hit the safari helmet on her head, it rattled against her skull. Although it didn’t hurt, Rainbow's anger quickly grew. She turned to a bunny with a scowl on both of their faces.
There goes your second warning, Rainbow Jerk.
Angel held an extra carrot in his paws. He cocked the leaves on the carrot as if it was a firearm. Rainbow could have sworn she heard the sound of an actual firearm being reloaded.
“Now, Angel, you really shouldn’t throw carrots at other ponies,” Fluttershy scolded her bunny before her friend had a chance to tear him a new one, or simply tear him in half.
With a frown on his face, Angel performed a series of gestures with his paws, communicating with his owner without having the ability to speak.
As both pegasi watched the mime, with only one of them understanding him, Fluttershy eyes went downcast as she sighed. She solemnly closed her eyes and nodded at Angel. “Um, Rainbow, y-you can go if you want.”
Rainbow double-taked at her friend, caught off guard from the offer. A tiny part of her considered taking it, a very tiny part, but the rest of her told her not too.
“What, did Angel tell you make me leave or something?” Rainbow sighed, jumping to conclusions.
Fluttershy shook her head and began to paw the checkered blanket below them. “No. He said that it’s obvious that you aren't having a good time, and that you want to leave. I can tell too... like last year.”
It was Rainbow’s turn for her eyes to go downcast.
“I may had to leave out all the swears that Angel said towards you,” Fluttershy added.
Angel crossed his paws, sticking his nose in the air.
“What?” Rainbow shook her head. She disregarded the last comment and the foul-mouthed bunny.
Rainbow mentally argued with herself. If she left right now, she would ruin her oldest friend’s mood. Just like last year, her usually meek friend was excited and cheerful, and for Rainbow to ruin her moment just like that she’d feel like the worst pony in the world.
With a sigh, Rainbow got up and sat back down next to Fluttershy, a bit closer than she normally would with any of her other friends. She ignored the squeak that the shy mare let out as their coats lightly brushed together. To Rainbow, the contact between them—even if very little—felt comforting to her in an unexplainable way. Although, the cyan pegasus knew she wasn’t the one who needed the comfort right now.
“Fluttershy, I’m not gonna lie. This is kinda boring to me.” The yellow pegasus’ frown grew. “But I can tell you’re having a great time. If you’re having a good time... then I can too.”
Fluttershy’s frown changed to a small smile.
“And I promised you I would come. If I promise to watch some dumb butterflies with you, then I will,” Rainbow said as she raised a hoof towards her oldest friend. “So... we’re cool?”
Fluttershy’s smile grew larger this time. What a way to ruin the moment. She was used to it when Rainbow would go from kind to brash, and it amused her. Although, calling butterflies dumb is a little mean. Finally noticing the cyan hoof pointed towards her, she nodded and knocked her hoof against the other.
They both chuckled after performing their old hoofshake. Only a few inches away, a bunny pretended to gag after viewing that cheesy moment.
Turning back to the butterflies, Rainbow noticed that the sheer amount of them has noticeably decreased, but a lot still remained with more incoming. She smiled knowing that the day wasn’t over and she still had time to redeem herself to her friend. Although she already apologized, she still felt she had to make it up to Fluttershy in some way.
“Well, migration’s not over yet. Let’s watch,” Rainbow said.
“Okay, Dashie.” Fluttershy agreed as she scooted a bit closer to Rainbow. With how little her change in position was, nopony would even be able to tell that the meek pegasus cuddled slightly against the other pegasus. But with Rainbow on the receiving end of it, it didn’t go unnoticed for her, and a tiny blush formed on her blue cheeks.
Angel kept his threatening glare on the cyan pegasus. You’re just lucky mama likes you and is fawning over you. Three strikes, and you’re out, Angel said to himself, his eyes hardening.
Rainbow Dash watched as Fluttershy placed the ocular lenses of the binoculars over her eyes. She didn’t understand why Fluttershy needed them. Binoculars are used to see things that are far away, right? The butterflies were no more than a few feet above them. Rainbow could see the tiny insects just fine, and not just because there were more than hundreds of them.
“Why do you need those, anyway?” Rainbow asked, her curiosity peaking. “You got bad eyesight or something?”
“Oh, no.” Fluttershy removed the equipment from her eyes. “You get a really nice view of the butterflies wings when you use them. It’s very pretty, actually. You should try it, Rainbow.”
Rainbow doesn’t do pretty, but she figured, why not? It’s not like she was doing anything right now. This will give her something to do instead of just sitting around and eating all the food Fluttershy brought. Finding the second pair of binoculars lying near the now empty picnic basket, she reached over and grabbed them. With a shrug, she placed the lenses over her eyes.
Instead of seeing pretty butterfly wings like Fluttershy claimed, she didn’t see anything at all. All she saw was a blur of unfocused colors. Rainbow waved her head around, turning her head in different directions to try and get a better view. She hummed in concentration. For whatever reason, Rainbow really wanted to get this right.
“See anything, Rainbow?” Fluttershy asked.
“Nah, but I’ll get this. I’m just dying to see pretty butterfly wings!” Rainbow smirked, teasing her friend.
Fluttershy giggled and nodded in approval. Before she could even lift her own pair of binoculars to her face, a single monarch butterfly caught her attention as it flew toward the pair of pegasi instead of continuing its migration. Fluttershy’s eyes widened.
“Wormy?!” Fluttershy gasped. “I can’t believe it’s really you!”
“Wormy?” Rainbow echoed. Lowering the binoculars from her eyes, Rainbow turned toward her oldest friend, curious to see this ‘Wormy’. With a foreleg stretched out, a single butterfly perched itself onto Fluttershy’s yellow hoof. What a contradicting name. Rainbow didn’t know the big scientific word, but she obviously knew the process of how caterpillars turned into butterflies. “You’re telling me that you actually recognize one out of the hundreds of butterflies we’ve seen today?”
“Of course! I knew Wormy back when he was just a little caterpillar. I watched him while he was in his cocoon,” Fluttershy giggled as Wormy took to the air and fluttered around her head. “Wormy, this is my friend, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy introduced the butterfly to the pegasus.
Rainbow took one last disbelieving look at the butterfly before returning the binoculars over her eyes. “Yeah... Hi, Wormy.” Much to her disappointment, the binoculars remained out of focus, hoping that they would magically work for her after taking a short break from it. She let out an annoyed groan, the long process finally starting to tire her.
Fluttershy encouraged her butterfly friend to say hello. The curious butterfly didn’t hesitate to flutter over to the cyan pegasus in hopes of making a new friend. Wormy fluttered around Rainbow’s head, trying to greet her. With no response from the cyan pegasus, the butterfly quickly noticed she was currently occupied with the pair of equipment over her eyes. As curious as always, Wormy flew over and perched himself onto the opposite end of the binoculars, peeking into the objective lens.
Rainbow didn’t see pretty butterfly wings, but she’ll deny for the rest of her life that she screamed and threw the binoculars away from her as far as possible at what she saw.
Fluttershy flinched at the sudden outburst from her usually cool friend. “R... Rainbow, what happened?” She asked, her voice filled with concern. Fluttershy watched as an unharmed Wormy landed on her head. “Did... Wormy scare you?”
Rainbow took in deep breaths as she tried to calm her breathing. Using Princess Cadance’s breathing technique to calm her down didn’t even work. Rainbow saw everything. When Wormy peeked into the zoomed lenses, the sight of the butterfly’s face, close-up, filled her vision. Rainbow saw every hair on its face, its two antennas, and its long nose-like mouth. What scared Rainbow the most was Wormy’s large, black, compound eyes that almost stared into her soul.
The sound of frantic squeaks filled the air. Angel was on his back, rolling around, as he laughed harder than he ever has in his young life.
With her elevated breath beginning to relax, enough to allow her to talk without her voice cracking, Rainbow pointed a cyan hoof at Fluttershy with a glare menacing enough to kill. “We never, ever, speak of this.” The cyan pegasus took one more long breath, and slowly released it. Just like she said, Rainbow acted like nothing happened. She took her seat farther from Fluttershy, avoiding the nightmare perched on her pink mane and the bunny humiliating her ego.
“Um...” Fluttershy began, trying to think of something to say. Wormy took to the air again and fluttered next to Fluttershy’s head. “Oh, you’re leaving? Well... goodbye, Wormy. I’ll miss you.” Lifting a canary hoof, Wormy landed on it. Fluttershy nuzzled the tiny butterfly before he departed for the last time.
Rainbow’s face grimaced in disgust as she watched her friend nuzzle the butterfly. How could she nuzzle that face?! Wormy flew off and joined the many other butterflies overhead, continuing the migration. Rainbow watched the remaining migrating butterflies. The face of Wormy lodged itself into her brain. The image flashed before her eyes as each butterfly flew past her. She could never see butterflies the same way again.
“How could you like these things?” Rainbow blurted out without even thinking. Fluttershy turned from the butterflies overhead to her friend. Rainbow shook her head, thinking back at what she just asked. “You know what, that was a stupid question.”
“Oh, no. It isn’t,” Fluttershy reassured her. “Well, I do love them. Mostly because–”
"Besides the fact that you've got three of 'em on your flank," Rainbow interrupted.
“No, that’s not why,” Fluttershy giggled before continuing. “Butterflies... well... They saved my life.”
Before Rainbow could even chuckle or scoff at the idea of butterflies saving a pony's life, the memory of an event that occurred the day she got her cutie mark rushed back into her mind. “Oh...” Rainbow trailed off. It was one of the best moments of her life, and also the worst.
The best moments: Rainbow did the impossible, and earned her cutie mark.
"I owe my life to them," Fluttershy smiled and closed her eyes in content.
The worst moment: Realizing that the filly she defended fell from Cloudsdale, and to the ground. Rainbow immediately flew to the ground and frantically searched for her. Tears fell from her eyes, thinking that she possibly killed an innocent pony.
And back to the best moments: Rainbow found her unharmed and made a new friend. She listened to the filly’s story of how a cloud of butterflies broke her fall all the way from Cloudsdale and how she earned her cutie mark on the ground. Her story may not have been as exhilarating as her own, but it was still just as awesome nonetheless.
Rainbow turned to the butterflies. If it wasn't for them, the mare right next to her wouldn't even be here, and it would've been her own fault if she killed her first friend. Perhaps the animal caretaker didn't attend these butterfly migrations simply for the show, but for an even deeper reason.
"Sorry, Fluttershy."
"Hm? For what?" Fluttershy turned her attention towards Rainbow Dash and tilted her head in confusion.
"You know, for pushing you off that cloud. If it wasn't for those butterflies... I would've killed you," Rainbow said as she nervously rubbed her hooves together.
"Oh, but it wasn't your fault. You didn't push me off that cloud." Fluttershy put her hoof on Rainbow's foreleg, stopping her from performing the nervous gesture. "You were... defending my honor, and I would've never gotten my cutie mark. So I should be thanking you instead."
Rainbow's frown still remained. "Well, I'm still sorry, for everything. For avoiding you this morning, acting like a jerk this migration and last year, always scolding you, and pressuring you," Rainbow listed. "I actually never even apologize after all the crap I put you through. Like the dragon on the mountain, tornado day, our jousting match.” Rainbow sighed, "I'm almost surprised you don't hate me."
"Hate you?" Fluttershy said in disbelief. As if the idea of hating her friend was impossible. "But, Dashie. You're my oldest friend. We’ve known each other since we were fillies. Don't tell Rarity or Pinkie this, but I consider you my closest friend."
Both pegasi chuckled at Fluttershy's honest statement.
Fluttershy continued, "I could never hate you, Rainbow. You know I love you. So no apology necessary." The yellow pegasus flashed Rainbow a sweet smile before turning her attention back to the butterflies.
Rainbow thought this was some crappy drama show, because she froze when she heard her friend say those three words.
Nopony had ever said that to her. Not in a romantic way, a platonic way, or even as family. For Fluttershy to be the first to one to ever say that to her, Rainbow didn’t know how to respond. She tried to play it off cool, but the way she uselessly worked her jaw showed otherwise. Luckily for her, Fluttershy’s attention wasn’t on her.
Say something, you idiot! At least say you love her back! Rainbow mentally screamed at herself. But... do I love her back? Of course, you idiot, she’s your oldest friend! Not like this is romantic in any way... Rainbow trailed off as she felt a cool breeze blow past her. She shivered. Looking at the butterflies, a few of them faltered during their flight. Those boneheads... Schedule said no wind!
Turning toward Fluttershy, her shivering didn’t go unnoticed either. Instead of saying something... do something.
Fluttershy squeaked as she felt something touch her. With her attention solely on the butterflies, she didn’t expect anything to startle her abruptly. Turning from the butterflies, she realized whatever touched her was actually Rainbow Dash sitting closer to her, wrapping a blue wing around her canary back. The soft feathers against her own wings ceased her shivering, but she paid no mind to it. The strong wing wrapped around her made her feel strangely protected.
“Um... it’s getting cold,” Rainbow stuttered in response to Fluttershy’s questioning look.
Fluttershy mumbled a quiet thank you with a tiny blush before continuing to watch the migration.
Oh, so you actually can talk, huh? Rainbow scolded herself. Instead of continuing to berate herself, her attention was caught by the shy pegasus’ blush on her face. Rainbow thought this crappy drama show changed to a sappy romance novel as she stared at her friend, because the sun shined down on her in just the right angle. She would say that she heard angels singing, but that was just exaggerating. The light bounced off of Fluttershy perfectly, making her yellow coat look like it was glowing golden, and her long, pink mane radiant.
With her coat shining and the butterflies flying behind her in the background, the mare almost looked like an angel. Rainbow suddenly felt like she couldn't look away. It was as if those three words completely changed her aspect on her oldest friend.
A previous thought echoed in Rainbow’s head, Instead of saying something... do something.
Suddenly, Rainbow lurched forward and gave a quick peck to Fluttershy’s cheek.
Fluttershy’s eyes widened as her face almost turned orange from blushing so hard. She touched the spot on her cheek where her oldest friend kissed, and turned toward her. “R... Rainbow?”
“I... I love you... too,” Rainbow finally said back. Staring back at Fluttershy, she couldn’t tell what her expression read. It wasn’t disgust, as she half expected, but there was no sign of shyness either, just her cute face, and glazed eyes.
Rainbow grinned nervously as Fluttershy continued to do nothing but stare. The cyan pegasus averted her eyes from Fluttershy’s, unable to make eye contact during their uncomfortable silence. Their situation became more awkward realizing that no butterflies were anywhere to be seen. With the butterfly migration over, time felt frozen to Rainbow.
The cyan pegasus loudly cleared her throat as an attempt to snap Fluttershy out of her trance. Did I do the wrong thing? Ponies kiss when they love each other... right? Even if they’re fr–
Fluttershy lunged forward and captured Rainbow’s muzzle in a kiss.
Rainbow swallowed her previous thought. Her cerise eyes widened as it registered in her mind that her oldest friend was kissing her. With how soft Fluttershy’s lips felt against her own, along with her yellow coat pressed against blue, Rainbow closed her eyes and allowed herself to melt into her embrace and kiss back.
Almost too abruptly, Fluttershy pulled away and hastily stammered apologies. “S-Sorry, Rainbow! I-I don’t know what I was thinking–”
Rainbow watched as the shy pegasus continued to spout apologies. Her lips lingered with warmth and she touched them with a hoof, expecting something to be there. The cyan pegasus would've already reassured her friend that everything was okay, but all she could focus on was Fluttershy's lips and how amazing it felt to have them pressed against her own.
Rainbow effectively interrupted Fluttershy by pulling her into another kiss. Pulling away for a moment, the speedster whispered, "Don't ruin the moment, 'Shy," before diving back in, connecting their lips again.
Fluttershy was happy to oblige. As Rainbow kissed her, she let out a content breath through her nose, for her mouth was currently occupied. Heat spread all throughout her body, allowing her to relax and kiss on instinct. Having little to no experience, her anxiety would’ve given her a panic attack on whether she was kissing correctly or not, but with nature all around them, and the butterfly migration—which Fluttershy has yet to notice had finished—the shy pegasus felt at home, kissing her oldest friend.
Rainbow reciprocated the same feelings. The cyan pegasus could admit that she found her oldest friend attractive, she wasn't a model for nothing! Added with the shy pegasus' good looks, there was also who she actually is: The embodiment of kindness herself, somepony she saved the world with multiple times, the filly she grew up with, and her best friend. Everypony lies when they say this, but Rainbow wasn’t lying when she told herself that she likes Fluttershy for how she is, and not just her looks. It got her thinking... would this really last? When she woke up this morning, she didn't have any romantic interest in her oldest friend, and all it took was Fluttershy saying I love you, even if it was platonic. Was this going too fast?
Rainbow didn't want this to wind up into some one-night stand. She didn't want to just forget about this whole ordeal simply because they were moving too quick. And with how Fluttershy let out a quiet, longing moan into their kiss, the cyan pegasus didn't want this to be just for one night. Perhaps it wasn't platonic. She wanted this to last.
Rainbow realized she was thinking too much. Thinking too much to the point where she faltered during their kiss. Fluttershy let out a husky breath on Rainbow’s lips, almost begging for her not to stop. Rainbow pushed the previous thought to the back of her mind and gave Fluttershy what she wanted, focusing on their kiss.
The shy pegasus kissed back with fervor. They both angled their heads slightly, leaning more into each other. As their kiss grew more passionate, Rainbow removed the annoying pith helmets that were constantly bumping into each other from their heads.
Suddenly, Rainbow felt something hit the side of her head. She shrugged it off, too engrossed with Fluttershy’s soft lips. Then something hit her head even harder, and again, harder to the point where it actually hurt.
Rainbow pulled away. “Okay, Fluttershy. I can understand if you like it rough, but–” the cyan pegasus suddenly interrupted herself. Ignoring the confused look on Fluttershy’s face, she turned toward a carrot, an apple, and a banana near her hooves. Only a few inches away stood a bunny holding a watermelon over his head, ready to throw.
Third warning! Three strikes, you’re out! Angel screamed to himself.
Rainbow’s eyes narrowed. This bunny just ruined their special moment, and she was not happy about it.
Before Rainbow could turn Angel into fabric for Rarity to use, Fluttershy put a hoof to her chest, stopping her.
“Angel,” Fluttershy began sternly. “What do you think you’re doing? Where did you even get that watermelon?”
Angel dropped the large fruit with a thud. He waved his paws around frantically, and angrily.
“Saving me from what? Rainbow is my friend, Angel.”
Angel continued to wave his paws around. He gnashed his teeth a few times.
“She was not trying to eat my face!” Fluttershy scolded her bunny. Rainbow simply blushed. She could still taste Fluttershy as she licked her lips.
Angel put his paws to his hips.
“We were just... kissing.” Fluttershy mumbled shyly, already blushing.
Angel’s eyes widened. His gaze hardened as steam literally blew from his ears. He threateningly brushed up an invisible sleeve on his arm and charged at the cyan pegasus, only for him to be swept from the ground by yellow hooves.
Fluttershy bored through Angel’s eyes with her menacing stare. “Angel, stop this right now. Why don’t you try and find a nice female bunny for you. Surely, you don’t want to spend hibernation alone?” The animal caretaker set the bunny down. Angel didn’t hesitate to hop away at the speed of light in a random direction, mostly in fear.
Fluttershy’s hard gaze softened when she turned toward her oldest friend. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Rainbow. Angel is being very protective for some reason.”
“‘Shy,” Rainbow began. “That was awesome...”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course! I’m willing to give this a shot!”
Even with the Great Butterfly Migration over, the two pegasi resorted to simply sitting together on the same spot they’ve been on for the past few hours, talking, and cuddling. Rainbow wasn’t big on the idea of cuddling, but she allowed her new marefriend to do so. A lot has happened on this spot, and both pegasi wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Fluttershy closed her eyes in content, nuzzling against Rainbow’s neck. She let out an almost relieved breath. “Thank you... for everything, Rainbow.”
Rainbow wrapped a wing around the canary pegasus, completing their mutual embrace. The way Fluttershy let out a relieved breath against her neck, it almost told her everything. “So, ‘Shy. You’ve liked me for a while, huh?”
“Well... it was a simple crush, that’s all.” Fluttershy didn’t even try to hide her blush, due to her position below Rainbow's point of view.
Rainbow smirked and raised her eyebrows. “Really, just a crush?” She asked with a disbelieving tone in her voice.
“We’ve known each other for a long time!” Fluttershy hastily replied. “Um...! And you are pretty... attractive.”
Rainbow puffed her chest out, gladly taking the compliment. “You find me attractive, huh?” The cyan pegasus felt a meek nod against her neck. “So you don’t like me for what’s inside?” She mock pouted, trying not to smirk, wanting to tease the nervous mare a bit.
“N-No, I do! I love you how loyal you are, how strong you are, how you make me feel safe, your flank–”
Rainbow would’ve let her marefriend continue to boost her ego, but the nervous shake she could feel against her made her place a comforting hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. The shy pegasus looked up at Rainbow from her position. Unable to resist, Rainbow leaned forward and locked their lips together. As they kissed, she felt Fluttershy’s shaking cease, and a smile forming between their lips.
Rainbow pulled away with a smile matching her marefriend’s. “I love your flank, too.”
Rainbow and Fluttershy laughed together, the latter continuing to blush at the mention of her flank. As their laugh ended, a comfortable silence descended between them, allowing Fluttershy to snuggle closer to the cyan pegasus.
“Dashie,” Fluttershy broke the silence. “I have to tell you something.”
“Lay it on me,” Rainbow nonchalantly replied, even if a bit unnerved at the seriousness of Fluttershy’s voice.
“Um... I lied to you,” Fluttershy revealed.
Rainbow cocked her head, more curious than conflicted. “About what?”
“When I asked you to the butterfly migration earlier. You asked if Rarity, Pinkie, or Applejack could go with me instead, and I told you they were busy.” Rainbow simply nodded, allowing her to continue.
“I actually... didn’t even ask them. I really just wanted you to go with me.”
Instead of unleashing her anger by rampaging upon Ponyville—which was a stretch, she wasn’t even mad—Rainbow laughed, gently prodding Fluttershy’s shoulder, emitting a surprised squeak from her.
“Well... it was worth it, right?” Rainbow chuckled.
Fluttershy’s worried frown instantly changed into a smile. “Yes. It was very worth it.”
Another comfortable silence descended between them. This time, Rainbow snuggled closer to her marefriend and broke the silence. “You know you still owe me, Fluttershy.”
“For what?” Fluttershy softly replied.
“For kicking my stomach the day of the dragon migration.” Rainbow grinned deviously.
Fluttershy let out a loud squeak as she pressed her face against Rainbow’s neck, trying to hide in fear within Rainbow’s prismatic mane.