Little Butterfly

by PiercingSight

Birds of a Feather... (Alternate)

Author's Note:

The following was written by the talented Wing Dancer as the result of an interesting discussion.

As of yet it is an alternate continuation of the story, and not canon. Though, I might be willing to consider it a permanent and proper direction for the story to take.
We shall see. ;)

But for now, enjoy.

Flames licked her. She could feel them claw at her, singing her fur and mane. She had to close her eyes tight shut, losing sight of mother.

There was no darkness. The violent, bright light shined through. She tried to turn away only to be smitten by another whip of heat. She cried out, her voice overpowered by the booming roar of a terrible bear

RAAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!

On shaking legs, she picked herself up and ran. She stumbled, the clouds underneath her feet uneven and torn. Her desperation and fear pushed her forward.

Her world finally sunk back into shadows, the burning heat left behind as she trotted onwards blindly. The noises were dying down, the cackling of fires left behind.

Fluttershy...

Her hooves and feet hurt. They were bruised like the rest of her body. She tripped and fell, gliding across the uneven, silky surface

Fluttershy...!

Her tiny legs finally caught purchase, driving her forward, stumbling and crying, as far away as possible. Anywhere but there, it didn't matter. As far away as possible from...

Fluttershy!

---

Her father was there, as always, hugging her close to his warm chest. She felt the moisture where she wiped her tears, sobbing into the gray coat. His heart beat like a great drum, the sound of it never failing to calm her down.

“It's okay, Fluttershy,” he murmured, petting her mane. “It was just a dream...just a dream...”

She relaxed into his touch. Her stiff wings folded back, allowing her to curl into a more comfortable ball against her father. His body curled around her gave her comfort, like a nest to a baby bird. He would always be there. He'd protect her. Like he did on that day.

---

Fluttershy didn't know whether to be excited or nervous. Her father walked her to the camp grounds, telling her to stay and wait for Miss Hearth to arrive with 'her new friend'. It has been over ten minutes since then, and the filly was anxiously bouncing on her hooves.

Who would he be? How would he help her become a better flier so that she could join Spitfire and Soarin? Would he or she even want to be friends with such a weak flier like her? Those were just some of the questions that bothered her. It seemed that the older she got, the more the foals became judgmental of her. It was as if a pegasus should be judged solemnly on her ability to fly and show off just how good she could glide.

“I wanna go home,” she whispered, dabbing a hoof in the cloud. “Stupid flight camp. I should have stayed with dad.”

“Fluttershy?” asked a voice.

The filly jumped slightly, her wings flaring out. She scrambled to turn around where Miss Hearth stood with a mild smile. The old mare had both wings spread above her back, as if she was carrying something.

“I'm glad to see you again,” said the teacher, coming in closer to nuzzle the top of her student's head. “I'm happy that you didn't give up on us. Believe it or not, many good fliers were average, if not even below that when they were your age. It was determination and passion that finally saw them succeed. That, and good, supportive friends. You can come out now, don't be shy,” said the teacher, craning her head to look at her back.

Fluttershy rose to the tip of her hooves, straining to see who the new filly was. Her eyes became wide in wonder when the flight teacher turned finally turned around.

On her back sat a small, white birdie. From what Fluttershy recalled, it was called a sparrow. Its little black eyes were focused on the filly, the tiny yellow beak twisting and turning along with its head. It looked like a young chick, still some puffy fluff present on its back and head.

“This will be your new friend, Fluttershy. Her name is Gwendolin and she's a begginer flier, just like you. Give me your hoof please,” smiled Miss Hearth.

Fluttershy extended her shaking leg towards the teacher's, still looking at the tiny wonder. She saw birds before, some of them flying around Cloudsdale. Some of them were pets, the larger breeds mostly used in some weather jobs or as couriers. Never before has she even entertained the idea of actually having a bird of her own.

“Now, come on Gwen. Don't be bashful. This is Fluttershy. Do you think you could be friends, hmm?”

Gwendolyn jumped in place a few times, fluffing her feathers. She finally started inching towards the small yellow hoof, one step at a time, moving sideways. The bird stopped an inch or so away from Fluttershy's leg, eying her curiously.

“H-Hi there, Gwendolyn. It's so nice to meet you,” whispered Fluttershy, still unable to peel her gaze away from the tiny bird. She squeed when the feathered critter finally jumped over to her, craning its head and chirping.

“Take good care of her, Fluttershy. You both have a lot to learn about flying, but I'm positive you can learn a lot from one another.”

The teacher kept talking something more about responsibilities and how she should focus on bettering herself, but there was hardly anything more interesting to Fluttershy than the tiny, feathered wonder now in front of her muzzle. Her whole world was filled by Gwendolyn, her new friend.

The birdy was really small and lively, curiously looking her over, comfortably perched on the flat of her hoof. Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle as Gwendolyn brushed her small head against her snout.

“I like you too, Gwen,” said Fluttershy in a hushed voice, bringing the bird close to her and nuzzling her affectionately. “We'll become the best of friends, you and I.”

---

Fluttershy trotted around with Gwendolyn perched on her back everywhere she went. The little bird quickly warmed up to the filly, jumping around her body and curiously watching the world around her. Her little weight gave the pegasus more confidence and helped her ignore the other foals who gave her weird stares.

She was still a bad flier, but with Gwendolyn by her side she felt like trying again and again instead of sinking into the nearest cloud till recess. The snickering didn't matter as long as Gwendolyn's little eyes traced Fluttershy's movements, the small bird trying its hardest to flap its wings and lift off the clouds.

“I think you're doing great, Gwen,” praised Fluttershy, nuzzling the chirping birdie. She let Gwen climb her nose and nestle herself in her pink mane. “Yeah, I'm kind of tired too. Maybe we could try and sneak away for a break?”

Gwendolin looked down at her friend and cocked her head sideways, chirping sternly and flapping her wings.

“I guess you're right. We're here to learn after all,” sheepishly replied Fluttershy, sighing.

Gwendolyn chirped some more, dabbing at Flutterhy's mane, picking out the long strands and casting them around herself in a nest-like fashion.

“Okay then. You're totally right. We will just trot around a bit, hmm?”

---

Dinner time was as loud as ever, all the ponies throwing themselves at the hay-fries and apple fritters like the world was at an end. In the end, the stronger ones left with their plates stacked, those less fortunate having to select more mundane meals of salad or tofu.

Fluttershy always liked dandelion sandwiches. It was her favorite since she could remember, and father would always say that that simple meal had a special meaning for him. He liked to prepare them in a certain way, kind of hastily throw the bread and flowers together, with some of the petals falling out sometimes. It brought tears to his eyes when he watched her eat it, even if he tried to hide it.

Gwendolyn on the other hoof had even simpler tastes. She happily dabbed at the seeds she got, wetting her beak in a small water cup from time to time.

“Oh look, it's the crazy bird-filly,” said a gruffy voice from behind Fluttershy, followed by a few chuckles and snickers.

Fluttershy ignored them, still eating her sandwich, repeating the same words over and over again in her head – 'Just let them be. They'll get bored. They'll leave you alone. Just let them be...'

---

Tonight was probably the first night her father didn't have to come over and pick her up. Nopony would snicker behind her back, call her a cry-baby or poke fun at her the next day – at least, not more than usual. Today, she gave it her all – both she and Gwendolyn did.

Even so, they both got more than their daily share of ridicule day. They were the slowest, the clumsiest and all the other foals were running circles around them just for fun. But did that matter? Not one bit. The two friends simply ignored the bullies, focusing on their tasks. Together they ignored the trouble-makers so hard they eventually started letting up, having lost all interest in them by supper time.

Right now, Fluttershy and Gwendolyn were lying in a bunk bed, drifting between consciousness and sleep. The small bird settled itself in her tail, its little head cuddled against the pegasus' chest.

Fluttershy couldn't help but smile. It felt nice, this new kind of friendship. Ponies were fun to be around with, but the bond she had with Gwendolyn felt...natural. It seemed like it had always been there, instantly snapping into place when the two saw each other. For some reason Fluttershy could guess what the tiny bird meant, she could read her better than she could a pony.

Gwendolyn didn't judge her, there were no harsh words or comparing wing sizes. They respected and encouraged each other to fight through the day, train their wings even harder than any of them did before.

Gwendolyn was the friend she needed, even though she would have never guessed it.

Comments

[L0rd0f7hund3r]

D'aww! My mind is filled with millions & millions of squee!

[Rapidpaw]

Love your story i wish i could thank you more for this wonderful piece of work

[Pickleless]

All caught up! And now we play the waiting game...

[PiercingSight]

5112820

5113442
Once this chapter of Changeling Doll is done, then I'll finish up a new chapter of this. Time doesn't allow me to do both at the same time though.

[Pickleless]

5113988
Yeeeeah, I've really eaten your time up huh? You don't know how thankful I am though. If you ever want a second pair of eyes to go over something, I owe you, so don't hesitate to ask.

[ScribbleBee]

Oooooh she gonna get her cutie mark? or are we still going canon on that?

[GeneralSherman2]

When are you continuing this story!? This is amazing!

[AppleTank]

Pickle's lost it.

[Witchrblizzad]

i love this... where is the next chapter?

[PiercingSight]

8528701
It's... been on the back burner for so long that I doubt I'll ever get around to it.

I do indeed have an entire plan around where this story goes already in my head. I've actually had this idea for over 5 years now. I just never got around to writing it.

So my apologies. If this story gets enough following, I might write a chapter sometime in the future, but for now, it may be on permanent hold.