• Published 10th Jun 2013
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Butterflies - Ghosttown Brony



A peaceful day watching the Butterfly Migration, quickly turns disastrous for Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, but through a terrible event, they come to find something new, something... magical.

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Care and Compassion

Rainbow Dash


Chapter 13


Rainbow found herself torn from her dream, thrust into a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. She couldn’t see anything, but she felt a dull throbbing pain in her side. The familiar voice called to her once again, and once again she could not put a face to it.

“Rainbow you must wake up.” It said. The voice was feminine.

“I was dreaming.” Rainbow retorted sleepily, hardly able to rationalize her thoughts.

“I know. But the time for dreaming is over. Rainbow you are still in danger, you must wake.”

“I... killed the wolves.” She said, confused.

“That is not what you are in danger of.” She replied ominously.

“Who are you?” Dash asked, feeling herself becoming more and more awake.

“That does not matter,” the voice answered quickly. It was getting quieter. “What matters is that the pony you love needs you. And so do I.” Her last sentence echoed through Rainbow’s mind.

“What do you mean?” she called, but she received no reply. She tumbled through the darkness, feeling her mind awakening.


The first thing the cyan mare was aware of was water slowly trickling down her body. Following soon after was the pain, so sharp that her grogginess vanished instantly. Her side and leg felt like they were on fire, and she felt a familiar pressure in her head, but no where near the magnitude of pain her migraines brought upon her. She opened her eyes to meet those of her lover, whose face turned to shock upon noticing Dash had awoken.

“Oh thank Celestia!” the yellow mare said, barely getting the words out before showering Rainbow with kisses, touching her soft lips all over the blue mare’s face. Even with the pain she felt, she could still think of worse ways to wake up. After getting over her initial disorientation she returned each kiss planted on her lips. Fluttershy nuzzled her cheek against Rainbow’s. She could feel her body trembling against hers.

“You were asleep for so long. I didn’t know...” her voice trailed off.

Rain still poured down from the heavens relentlessly, but the wind and thunder had all but disappeared. She didn’t know how long she was out, the sky offered no hints, it remained dark as ever, black clouds obscuring whatever light that tried to shine down on them.

“Are you ok? Did they hurt you?” Rainbow’s throat felt dry and her head was pounding. She tried to stand, but Fluttershy put a gentle hoof on her chest.

“I’m fine but... I don’t think you are.” Fluttershy looked terrified, and Rainbow didn’t really need that mare to tell her that she was in terrible condition; she could feel it just fine for herself.

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been shivering. From the moment you passed out you looked like you were freezing. But your body was radiating heat. You had a huge bite mark on your leg, and your cut...” her voice faltered.

“What is it?” she asked gently. Fluttershy shut her eyes and swallowed deeply. The rain made it difficult to tell, but Rainbow thought she might’ve been crying.

“You lost a lot of blood. I stopped it as fast as I could but... I don’t think you have enough to fight off this infection.” She was distraught, as though she’d been told she was the one about to die. Rainbow couldn’t see the tears on her cheeks, there was too much rain, but she knew they were there, rolling down her soft yellow face, a signature of her sadness. Rainbow wrapped her forelegs around her lover’s body.

“Hey Fluttershy, look at me.” She said with a soft yet commanding tone. She opened her eyes to stare into hers. She wasn’t going to lie, she refused to pedal false hope. The way Rainbow felt; it was just like what she imagined dying to feel like. “You can feel me right now, my breathing, you can see into my eyes. Right now, in this moment, the two of us are both alive and I don’t care what it takes but I’m holding on as long as I can, ok?” She felt her own eyes beginning to water but she fought to keep her voice from choking. Fluttershy nodded, but her body still trembled.

“And as long as I’m still here, we have to keep moving. Do you understand?” she saw her yellow head nod once more, and she relented, slowly rising up off of Rainbow. That is not what you are in danger of, the words echoed painfully in her mind. The cold air the storm had carried in its wake seeped into her very bones, and she nearly regretted telling Fluttershy to get up. Rainbow could feel that she was right; whatever was happening to her it was getting worse. Her headache refused to leave and her cut seared under her wing. She dared not lift it to look. Dash rolled to her front, the task was taxing to her body. As she stood, her legs trembled under her weight, her bitten leg nearly gave out. Fluttershy wordlessly helped her, and Rainbow accepted gratefully. Once she was standing, she was able to keep most of her weight of her leg without assistance. She noticed the strap tied tightly around her bitten leg.

“Fluttershy did you-” she paused upon seeing the mare injured wing bare once again. “No I can’t take this, you need it-”

“Not as much as you do.” She said simply. She began to walk with a noticeable limp. The cyan mare’s eyes shot to her hind leg. The blood had been long rinsed away by the falling rain, but the raw marks of where each wooden tooth had punctured her soft skin were still easy to see.

“You’re hurt!” she called cursing herself for her own stupidity.

“It’s fine Rainbow, it looks worse than it feels.”

“It looks pretty bad Fluttershy, are you sure you’re alright?”

“Please Dashie, you don’t need to worry about me.” Rainbow wanted to argue further but Fluttershy’s tone suggested that her mind was set.

“Thank you for saving me.” She said, trying to change her tone. The shattered remnants of their attackers were strewn all around them. The intensity of the fight, how hard she fought to keep the pony she loved safe, it pushed her further than she’d ever gone before. And yet still she would have been long dead if not for the shy mare. “You could have left me, I told you to but you didn’t.”

“No, I couldn’t have, and I never will.” Her words were solemn, but it still brought a smile to Rainbow’s face. No matter what happened to her, she could know without a doubt the intensity of Fluttershy’s love, and she returned it in kind.

“I love you Fluttershy.”

“I love you too Rainbow.”


The two mares walked silently through the woods, accompanied only by the sound of rain pattering against the leaves and the sloshing of mud around their hooves. Fluttershy carried a determined yet troubled demeanor, and the one thing Rainbow wanted more than anything was just to talk to her, say a few comforting words. But there were none, what could she possibly say? She had no doubts of the severity of her infection, just ten minutes after they began to move, she already felt weaker, her thoughts felt fuzzy and slow, and she was so tired. Her head still hurt, and above all was the cold. The rain only worsened the cool night air and she began to shiver as she walked.

It was an odd feeling to Rainbow, knowing for near certainty her time was running out, knowing that in mere hours she could be leaving her behind.

She stared at Fluttershy as she walked. They both walked with a hobble, but Fluttershy’s was worse, each time she pressed on her injured leg her body went rigid. Rainbow walked beside her.

“Put your wing over my back.” She said.

“I’m alright Dash I-” she tried to say but Rainbow interjected.

“Please, it’ll make me feel better to know I’m helping.”

Fluttershy looked to her, then opened her uninjured wing. Rainbow lowered her own body to get underneath it then stood up. Unable to help herself, the mare with the pink mane rested part of her weight on Rainbows back. She relished in the warmth of her lovers body, although the newly added weight was causing her severe pain, Fluttershy was walking with noticeably less strain, and that made it worthwhile. She knew she couldn’t ease the burden on Fluttershy’s mind, but maybe talking could keep her distracted.

“You know, when I fell asleep, I had a dream.” Rainbow said as casually as she could in this sort of situation.

“Was it a good dream?” she asked, sounding interested. Rainbow nodded

“Yeah it was my favorite,” She grunted as she walked, trying to hold both their weights in her condition. It was strenuous, but she had no intention of giving up. “It was about the day we met, back in flight school. Do you remember?”

“Of course I do, how could I forget? You were my first friend.”

“And now I’m your first fillyfriend.” She said with a playful smile. But Fluttershy looked pained; she flinched as though the words physically slapped her. Rainbow was quizzical about her reaction until it dawned on her: I’m her first filly friend, and I’m going to die.

“Hey come on, let’s try to think positive, ok? We’re still together and we took down an entire pack of Timberwolves, I’d say that’s something to be proud of.”

She continued to stare ahead without response. Rainbow nuzzled her cheek trying to bring her back to the present.

“Do you want to talk about what happened back there?” she asked, prepared for any answer. She resented having to ask, but she needed to make this mare open up again. Fluttershy let out a shaky sigh before speaking.

“I never felt anything like I did then,” she said like she was far away. “When I saw the wolves on you when I heard you screaming, I just... snapped. I killed them all, any that came near me.” She spoke with such a flat tone, Rainbow couldn’t read her feelings.

“I know, but you did it to save me, and you have no idea how grateful I am.” She kept her cheek pressed against the mare, just like the rest of her body. Her body was so warm.

“Yes I do. Because you did the same for me.” Her eyes fell to the ground “you put yourself through so much danger and so much pain to save my life. And now you’re the one paying for it.” Her voice quivered as the words escaped her.

“Hey,” she stopped to make sure her point as heeded “everything I did back there, I would do it again without question. I would put myself through anything for you, you know that.”

“I do know that. And that’s why I can never forgive myself.” Her voice broke and her breath shook.

“Forgive yourself for what Fluttershy?”

“For all of this!” she yelled suddenly, making Rainbow jump a little. “Everything has been my fault, your cut, the wolves, us being stuck here, and now you might not make it home and it’s all because I was so selfish.” Her words shocked the blue mare, for a moment all she could do was stand there open mouthed. Had she been carrying this guilt with her the whole time?

“Fluttershy I don’t blame you for anything.”

“Well you should.” She retorted, completely distraught.

“Well I don’t!” she winced as her voice rose, she tried to lower it. “If I could have been brave enough to tell you how I felt, I would never have tried to fly away. I was going to leave the pony I loved because I couldn’t admit my feelings to her. Do you know how stupid that makes me feel? None of this is on you; please don’t take the blame because I was being a coward.”

“I’m sorry Rainbow, but no matter what you say, I can’t see how I’m not responsible for this.” She whispered, unable to meet her eyes. So Dash helped her put a hoof gentle under her chin, lifting her gaze to meet her own.

“Alright fine, let’s just say for a minute that all of this is your responsibility, my injury, my condition, our whole crappy situation; let’s just say it’s all on your shoulders. If that’s the case I seriously need to thank you because you have done me the biggest favour any pony has ever done for me.”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened and her mouth hung open slightly, but Dash continued.

“Ever since we were fillies, as soon as I knew what love was, I knew that was how I felt about you. Every time I looked at you, every time I heard your voice, just being near you gives me such an amazing feeling Fluttershy. And if it’s your fault that we ended up in that cave, that means it’s also your fault that I could finally tell you how I felt, that I could finally work up the courage to kiss you.” She felt a tear roll down her cheek but she refused to stop.

“I wouldn’t change a thing that happened this week, not a single thing, and I would fight off a thousand wolves to keep you safe. I don’t regret anything that we’ve done and you shouldn’t either. So if you absolutely feel the need to take the blame, know that you take my gratitude right along with it. These past few days, every moment I’ve spent with you in pain and fear, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. And no matter how it ends you need to know that I love you, more than anything on this world, I love you.” Rainbow was crying without remorse at this point, the words just kept falling out of her until she had nothing left to say and when she was done she did the only thing that felt natural, and kissed her.

She was in pain, she was stressed and she was the most tired she’d felt in her life, but as her their lips connected, it all seemed to fall off her, giving brief but sweet relief to her aching body, and for just a moment she felt true comfort. She could tell her lover was still crying, but she hoped her words had done something to soothe her worries, if she really did leave this world, she didn’t want this mare to take the blame, the thought of leaving such a heavy burden on her shoulders was too much to bear.

As they finally pulled apart, Rainbow gazed into her eyes again. The glossy sheen of her tears made it look as though her eyes were sparkling, like soft yet brilliant emeralds. Rainbow loved her eyes.

“Now we’ve made it this far, me and you, against all odds, through some really good times, and some not so good times. Let’s keep going, let’s see how far we can go together.”

Fluttershy nodded her head, and Rainbow’s heart melted at the sight of her smile, it was so wonderful, and it had been far too long since she’d seen it. As they walked, the blue mare couldn’t help but smile. She was dying, but she wasn’t afraid. She couldn’t say she didn’t care, but fear couldn’t enter her heart, because the yellow filly walked beside her, and when it all came down to it, that was all she ever wanted.

Author's Note:

Hello again, back a little early with a new chapter, about guilt and the strength of Rainbow's devotion to her love. We are nearing the end of the ride folks, and I really wish we weren't. I really have no idea what I'm going to do after this one's finished :/
But hey, hope you guy's enjoy! I hope I didn't do too bad with the dialogue, the format is difficult for me to remember. Feedback is just as appreciated as ever. Have a good day everyone.