Prisoner of Butterfly Island

by Magic Step

Friends Are Never Far Away

The sunshine was hot as ever on Butterfly Island, at least so Twilight was told. Once she and her friends had made an ice castle playset so she could experience what cold weather was like, but she had a hard time imagining that there were places where there was snow all year, or weirder still, one fourth of the year.

That hadn’t lasted forever though; the ice castle playset was only limited edition, so it had been taken away and replaced with the water slide playset. Everypony loved to relax in the pool or play on the slide.

Which was of course why the changelings had conquered it. What trolls.

The two of them who were holding the slides hostage weren’t even really using them; they were just lying on an air mattress in the middle of the kiddie pool. From her hiding place behind the sand dunes, Twilight couldn’t tell much about them, but it didn’t matter; all changelings were the same, dumb, petty, and with no desire to do anything except spoil everyone’s fun so they could be alone on the island. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t even sure if they came in male and female; they all had the same grating buzzy voice.

“Ah, this is the life,” one of them said to the other.

“No pesky pastel ponies in sight!” snickered the other.

“Nice alliteration.”

“I know.” The second changeling yawned, showing off its tiny, sharp fangs.

Twilight turned to check if her friends were ready. Rainbow Dash was twitching from eagerness to fight. Pinkie Pie had her party cannon ready, shaking with silent laughter. Fluttershy had her normal battle expression; one of complete terror. Rarity had her attack gems spinning around her head in her magical aura. Applejack had a satchel full of apples, ready for bucking. Each of them had a golden necklace with each one’s special power gem embedded in it.

Twilight adjusted her crown and took a deep breath. “Show time,” she told them.

Perfectly coordinated, the team leapt out from behind the sand dune. Pinkie, Rarity, and Applejack formed the bottom of the pyramid, Rainbow and Fluttershy swooped in to form the middle, and Twilight landed squarely on the top. “Elements of Harmony to the rescue!” the six shouted triumphantly.

“Eh!?” The two changelings sat up and stared at the six ponies, dumbfounded.

“How did you get past the slime monster we set to guard the perimeter?” one changeling demanded.

“He was no match for the magic of friendship!” Twilight said, leaping down and assuming a crouched, ready stance. She heard the rest of the pyramid break formation behind her as her friends assumed a fighting position. “And neither are you! We’re giving the water slide back to the ponies of Butterfly Island!” It was important to loudly explain everything; she’d learned that as a little filly.

“We’re not giving it back without a fight!” the more confrontational changeling shouted, while his partner continued to look baffled. After shouting this challenge, he used his wings to splash water on the six ponies.

“Oh no, my manestyle!” Rarity wailed.

“Ha! Thanks for cooling me off!” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Now to return the favor!”

With a little loop-de-loop for extra style points, the rainbow maned pegasus started to race around the changelings in a tight circle. Round and round she flew, pulling the winds behind her, faster and faster. The water the changelings were floating on rose into a pillar, taking the air mattresses with them, which the changelings clung to desperately.

“Now Twilight!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

Twilight fired a beam of ice magic at the pillar. The air mattresses and the changelings’ creepy, hole-filled hooves were stuck inside.

“H-hey!” one shouted. “I can’t move!”

“Now we’ll make you pay,” Applejack said smugly, bouncing an apple in one hoof.

“Most assuredly, dearie,” Rarity said. Her attack gemstones stopped swirling around her and hovered in front, ready to fire.

The two changelings were pelted mercilessly, howling in pain as the apples splattered against their heads and gemstones embedded into their chitin from impact.

Two apples out of five just hit the icy pillar and rolled into the unfrozen water, where they bobbed up and down, unharmed. Twilight just stared at them. Applejack never missed, of course.

“Um… guys? I think they’ve had enough for now…” Fluttershy said, bringing Twilight back to the present.

“All righty everypony!” Pinkie Pie said. “Let’s charge up the harmony cannon and send them flying!”

“It wasn’t supposed to end this way!” the whinier changeling cried.

The six friends surrounded Pinkie’s party cannon, and their necklaces started glowing. “FRIENDSHIP HARMONY ATTACK!” they all shouted.

Rainbow light burst from the cannon, disintegrating the two changelings instantly, but melting the ice and leaving the air mattress to float unharmed in the pool once more.

“Aw, yeah!” Rainbow Dash shouted, doing a midair flip. “That was so awesome!!”

“We did it!” Pinkie Pie bounced over to Twilight and held out her hoof for a high one. “Easy-peasy lemon squeezy!”

Twilight met Pinkie’s hoof, a broad grin on her face. “We sure did.”

“Yay!” Fluttershy whispered.

“You know what this calls for, right?” Pinkie Pie said.

“Hot fudge sundaes!” everypony said in unison.

Except Applejack, who missed her cue. Applejack never missed a cue.

Twilight stared sadly at her before following the bouncing pink pony back to town.

***

Sugarcube Sundaes was the only ice cream parlor on Butterfly Island, but every tourist reassured Twilight that it was the best ice cream parlor in the world. Just like everything on Butterfly Island, because it was an absolute paradise.

The walls of the building were textured like a waffle cone, and the roof was sculpted to look like a banana split, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a scoop of strawberry on each side, dripping hot fudge, loads of sprinkles and peanuts, and a cherry on top. The door had pictures of tessellating ice cream cones painted on it. Applejack held the door open so the six friends could enter.

Inside was just as tasty looking as the outside, with floors patterned like fudge marble ice cream and wallpaper covered with gummy bears, peppermints, wrapped taffys, and chocolate shapes. The booth seats and chair cushions were a sweet color between red and pink, and every table had a picture of a different ice cream flavor on top. The six friends gathered around a round table that was white with pictures of chocolate chips.

“Girls!” Mrs. Cake cried delightedly as she caught sight of the six. The blue mare came out from behind the counter and walked over to their table. “How did it go? Did you rescue the water slide playset?”

“They never stood a chance,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Not against the magic of friendship,” Applejack concurred. “We licked ‘em good.”

“Speaking of licking,” Pinkie Pie said, “all of you need to check out the new flavor we’ve got in: blueberry swirl!”

“Blueberry?” Twilight said. “You mean the things you put in pancakes?”

“The very same. Let me get you a taste, dearie.” Mrs. Cake started back to the counter.

“Ooh, one for me too!” Rarity said.

“Me too,” Fluttershy said.

“Rainbowberry blast for you again, Rainbow?” Mrs. Cake called over her shoulder.

“You know it!” Dash said, flying in a midair loop-de-loop again.

“Skyhigh sundae for me!” Pinkie said. “Extra… brownies, today!”

“And Ah always take apple, o’ course,” Applejack said.

“Of course,” Twilight said. “Except when the Zapapples are ripe, and then you have Zapapple Ripple. When are they in season again…?”

Applejack just shrugged. “Ah can’t keep nuthing straight anymore on account’a how happy and summery it is on Butterfly Island all the time.”

Well. Applejack had complained about that before, yes. Twilight let her lip curl into a very slight scowl at being unexpectedly outwitted.

“Here you all go, dearies,” Mrs. Cake said, coming over with a tray of ice cream dishes on her back.

Rainbow Dash swooped down and plucked hers from the tray and ate it in midair, burying her muzzle in the dish.

“How uncouth,” Rarity said coldly, telekinetically accepting her dish and spoon and delicately lifting a small bite to her mouth.

Twilight also telekinetically grabbed her dish. “It’s… it’s purple. Are you sure it’s not purpleberry?”

“Grape,” Mrs. Cake said. “You mean grapes, dear. And no; blueberry juice tends more on the purple side and we didn’t want to use any artificial coloring.”

“Fascinating,” Twilight said, idly swirling a spoon through the ice cream to study the marbling colors. “Simply fascinating…” She took a bite. “Wow, it tastes delicious!”

“We’re so glad you like it, dear,” Mrs. Cake said.

“Did you pick the blueberries yourself? What kind of tree do they grow on? My books only have pictures of native fruits…” Twilight asked.

“No, dear, they’re shipped in from the wastelands,” Mrs. Cake said. “I… I’d better go check if my husband needs help.” She hastily trotted back behind the counter and into the kitchen.

Twilight turned to the rest of her friends. “What about you? All of you have seen the wastelands a few times each. Do you know about blueberries?”

“Oh, well,” Pinkie Pie said, nervously folding her napkin into a balloon dog, “you know, blueberries are… pretty boring. Just like the rest of the wastelands.”

“But I’m eating them right now and they taste great!” Twilight turned to Rarity. “You agree, don’t you?”

“Aaaaah but they grow on these, uh, super thorny bushes that scratch you up when you try to pick them!” Rarity said. “So, you see, not anything worth wishing to do.”

“So ponies hurt themselves picking these berries?” Twilight asked, adopting a sad expression.

“N-no, of course not!” Rarity said hastily. “Please don’t look so down! They, uh, they, uh….”

“H-have a spell to pick berries with!” Applejack said.

“I have magic too! I could learn that spell!” Twilight said.

Four of her friends started stammering at once, but somehow, Fluttershy’s “Please,” was heard above the din and silenced all of them.

“Please, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, pain in her gentle blue eyes. “We know how much you want to leave the island, but you know that you can’t.”

“I… I… I knew that,” Twilight said softly. “I just… I… I don’t know.”

Fluttershy reached over and took Twilight’s hooves in her own, stroking them comfortingly.

“But really, come on! There’s nothing to see outside of Butterfly Island,” Rainbow Dash said, landing next to Twilight’s chair and putting one hoof on her shoulder. “We’ve told you that time and time again…”

“And every time you sound like you’re lying to try and make me accept how trapped I am,” Twilight said with sudden bitterness. When he friends all started back in shock, she smirked wryly. “What? Didn’t think I’d ever figure it out?”

“Twilight, dearie, we’re not lying!” Rarity said. “Butterfly Island really is the best place on the planet!”

Everypony else nodded vigorous assent, even ponies who weren’t involved in the conversation. Twilight studied the panicked looks on each face, trying to detect any hint of doubt, of deception. Trying to detect if any of them winked at each other when she wasn’t looking, if any of them were enjoying fooling her.

Nothing. Either they were very good actors, or this was 100% the truth.

As they saw it, anyway.

“And if you left…” Fluttershy whispered.

The sentence was unfinished, hanging ominously in the air. No one needed to be reminded of the prophecy; Twilight had known it since she was a little filly. She was the linchpin of the island; her presence was what allowed the island to be magically protected from the gray, dull world outside. If she ever left, Butterfly Island would be destroyed, and Twilight would lose all her magic, and with it the ability to make a piece of the world perfect.

“But if this place is so much better than the rest of the world… then… then why does everypony keep leaving…?” Twilight whispered.

“Oh, darling, is that was this is about?” Rarity said, her eyes softening from panic to concern.

“All right, spill,” Applejack said. “Who’s the lucky stallion? Is it that Flash Sentry?”

“It’s not one stallion!” Twilight protested.

Flash Sentry was a pegasus that had literally run into Twilight on his first day on the island. For weeks he’d followed her around, trying to do nice things for her and get her to be with him alone, and finally Twilight had asked Shining Armor to chase him off the island to get him to leave her alone. It was a power she’d only abused once.

“It’s just everypony. It seems like every time I make a new friend I have to say goodbye to them a week later…” Twilight says.

“But… but we’re your friends, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie protested.

“Yes… but… but I just want more friends too,” Twilight said. How could she admit she was getting bored of the same five mares day in and day out without sounding like a jerk? It wasn’t their faults that everypony kept receiving urgent mainland news and dashing off, or needing to go back to families or any of a myriad excuses. Some ponies like the Cutie Mark Crusaders or Flash Sentry stuck around for nearly a year, and Shining Armor and Spike were always in and out, but the only ponies who never left the island were her five friends.

“Ooh, I just had the best idea in the history of ideation!” Pinkie Pie shouted, leaping out of her chair and swinging from one of the waffle-cone shaped light fixtures. “We need to throw another reunion party and invite everypony Twilight’s been missing!”

“And some of our old friends too!” Rainbow Dash said. “Wouldn’t it be the best thing ever if the Wonderbolts managed to come back?”

“Or my family,” Applejack said. “Ah reckon they can take some time out of their schedules.”

Applejack was always insistent that farmers didn’t take breaks.

Author's Note:

So... I've been working on this story for a while and it's obvious to me and my proofreader that something's really off with the story pacing (it might become more obvious in future chapters...) but neither of us were sure how to fix it. It seems like some scenes would need to be longer or new scenes would need to be added but I wasn't sure where. I'm hoping that by sharing this story publicly I can get some useful feedback.