“Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh! Guys! What am I gonna do?! I mean, my mom’s totally cool, she’ll accept it, but my dad’s a stallion’s stallion! He might disown me, or hate me, or think I’m disgusting or-!” Rainbow's panicked tirade was interrupted by a slap from Gilda.

“Mare up! I didn’t throw my feathers in with a wimp!” Gilda yelled at her marefriend with a conflictingly worried expression of her own. “Look, worst thing is they don’t talk to you anymore, big whoop! In griffon society, if my parents decide they don’t like my mate, they could castrate or maim them!” Gilda then noticed Rainbow paling, and facetaloned.

“Not helping!” Twilight interjected as she trotted up to her cyan and prismatic friend, holding her face with her hooves. “Rainbow Dash. Take it from me. When I came out of the closet to my family, they...didn’t take it well.” Twilight admitted, getting Rainbow’s ears to turn back. “I mean, well, Shiny and Dad took it well, both saying at least ‘some stallion’ wasn’t going to make them worry, but mom went ballistic about not having more grandfoals.”

“Oh no! What if mom doesn’t like this because I’m not gonna have foals?!” Rainbow realized, starting to hyperventilate as Gilda yanked Twilight away from her now even worse-off marefriend as Trixie gave a long-suffering sigh at her marefriend’s lack of tact.

“Look, that’s not true okay Dash? I mean, we aren’t going to seriously talk about it for a while, but if you want brats we could go for surrogacy, or something.” Gilda reasoned to try and calm her lover down. “But they’re gonna be your eggs! I’m not having to raise griffons or hippogriffs in Equestria! Unless...I end up the one playing surrogate.”

“Or I could just turn one of you into a male for a night and-.” Trixie slapped a magical muffling muzzle over Twilight’s face, getting her to panic for a moment as the powder blue mare rubbed a temple in annoyance.

“Uh, yeah, that’s not on the table unless you’re the one going stallion. I’m not getting a dick for ya Dash. i love you, but there’s boundaries.” Dash blushed at Gilda’s words, but sighed as she calmed down a little.

“Okay, uh, alright. You’re right. Worst case; my parents never want anything to do with me. Best case...my dad threatens to rip your wings off and force us to get married at spearpoint.” Rainbow dry swallowed hard. “I-I’m ready if you are G.”

“Whoa-whoa! We said marriage wasn’t for a few years!” Gilda blushed nervously, her wings flaring out a bit, betraying how much she liked the idea.

“Well dad might not give us that choice! C’mon!” Rainbow grabbed Gilda’s talon, and used her petite but powerful body to drag the reluctant griffon with her, the large group of friends all silently watching.

“So~....” Bronze awkwardly interjected into the awkward pregnant pause. “...Are we supposed to follow them or...something? I’m not a social pony.”

“Ah think this is something Dash and’ Gilda gotta take care of themselves. Faust knows if ma and pa were still alive, Ah’d face em with ya straight off, even if you were still a minotaur back then.” Applejack sagely stated.

“Wait, you were courting Bronze when he was a 12 foot minotaur?” Rarity asked AJ in surprise as Bronze awkwardly shot his swirled eyes at all his friends now looking at him and AJ.

“To be fair, I too sought him out before his near-death scare.” Zecora admitted with a proud grin. “It was a sad thing his ascension happened before my confession.”

“Oh? He was a big hunky taur before he was a big hunky stallion? Kinda a lateral progression don’t you think?” Shampoo asked as Bronze yelped when one of her hair tendrils whipped his flank.

“Can we not?!” Bronze shouted, getting the attention of absolutely everypony up and down the streets because of his naturally loud voice. “...Can we please get out of here?” Bronze whispered, and Fluttershy proved his savior with her gathering attention with a wave.

“Um...if it’s alright with you...could we go visit my parents? It’s a nice and quiet place on the outskirts.” Fluttershy then eeped when Bronze began ushering her to move towards her parent’s place, wherever it was.

[@]

“Here we are.” Fluttershy softly said with a happy smile and otherwise content expression at the sight of a pleasant cloud home. That was easily twice the size of Rainbow’s micro-mansion home down in Ponyville, and made her humble cottage seem like a lean-to in comparison, especially with the sprawl of a flat cloud that was clearly part of the property. This got everyone but Bronze to gawk at her. “W-what is it? Is my parent’s home odd or…?”

“Fluttershy, your parents are rich?” Spike bluntly asked, getting Rarity to stomp on a claw, making him hiss.

“Not that such a thing would change our views of you dear.” Rarity interjected cheerfully.

“Oh, no. I wouldn’t say they’re rich, just...wisely invested.” Fluttershy humbly responded as she continued to walk up the rather intimidatingly long flatted walkway to the front door, her friends following awkwardly as she rang the bell, getting a beautiful series of chimes to ring out.

“Coming.” Came a quiet and almost unheard voice, and within a minute the door opened to reveal a yellow-orange pegasus mare with heavily curled and bobbed rose mane and tail, with a pearl necklace that nearly blended into her coat on her neck, and aqua green square-framed glasses on her snout, and she softly smiled upon seeing Fluttershy. “Oh, sweetie, it’s good to see you.” She softly spoke in a manner that shocked everyone but Fluttershy that she was even quieter than her daughter as they hugged.

“I’m so happy to see you mom. Is dad home, or is he still helping advise his replacement at the factory?” Fluttershy asked of the older mare, who shook her head.

“No, your father’s home today. His replacement; Mr. Cumulus is picking up on the inner workings of the Cloud Classification Office really quickly. Soon enough, we’ll be ready to both be fully retired. Then we’re thinking of downsizing. This old place is nice, but your father and I don’t need so much with both you and Zephyr Breeze out of the house.” Mrs. Shy said before looking behind her daughter at her impressive entourage. “Oh my. Um, hello. Are you my daughter’s friends?”

“Um, yes Mrs…?” Twilight fished, and the mare obliged.

“Shy. Wavershy. My husband is Rippleshy. So feel free to just call us Mr. and Mrs. Shy.” Mrs. Shy insisted, gesturing the friends inside.

“We only have a bit over an hour before we have to go mom, but I wanted to at least visit and introduce my friends.” Fluttershy informed before trotting into the home, everyone filing in. “Dad. I’m here.” Fluttershy softly called, and soon an older aqua stallion with soft pink for his hair and mane both swirled like soft-serve ice cream entered from another room, and promptly moved to hug his daughter, his pink moustache following his lips in a smile.

“Shy-Shy~. I’ve missed you little girl.” Mr. Shy softly cooed as he nuzzled his daughter’s mane. “Oh, and who are these lovely characters?” Mr. Shy asked curiously as her friends awkwardly moved to get comfortable around the large living space. “Sit, sit. I want to hear all about my little butterfly’s shenanigans.” Despite his words, Mr. Shy was just as quiet as his wife, making everyone sweat-drop from the back of their heads.

[@]

“Well that was a wonderful visit! A shame we couldn’t have met your brother while we were here. If he’s in Mane Therapy college courses, he could have done amazing things to our manes.” Rarity gushed after they’d spent about an hour at the home of the Shy family. “I only hope Rainbow’s visit was anywhere nearly as pleasant.”

“Um...I’m not sure if you would...want to meet Zephyr Breeze….” Fluttershy softly mumbled to herself with a surprising tone of disdain tainting her usually kind demeanor. “But yes, let’s hope Rainbow spoke to her parents before she had to rush to the stadium for sign-up.”

“Oh, yes, I made it.” The group looked up as they’d been trotting along towards the stadium, to see a disgruntled Rainbow Dash hovering in the air with a saddened Gilda following her. “Mom was cool with it, dad flipped, demanded he see a ring out of Gilda before the year was out and booted us out of the house.” Rainbow fumed. “Said he didn’t want me just going around and making kissy faces at anyone, and said if I really did love someone, that I have to commit. Really the old jock is just worried I’ll do something stupid and is insisting we seal the deal.”

“Dash, you know Filly Foolers and Colt Cuddlers have a...reputation.” Gilda, surprisingly gently, reminded her marefriend.

“I’m not going to get under some random mare’s tail just because the mood strikes me! I’m not like that!” Rainbow fumed, blushing hard at remembering what her friends did to her on Hearth’s Warming because of the Fires of Friendship sending them and their Elements all gaga with Harmony or whatever.

“I don’t know...you were really enjoying the attention on Hearth’s Warming.” Pinka commented earnestly as Pinkie loudly slurped teasingly, getting Rainbow to go from cyan to crimson.

“Shut up!” Rainbow indignantly shouted at her pink friends, who both giggled. “Okay, whatever. Today’s been cool except for my dad, so let’s just go to the stadium. I’m going to win that contest, and everypony will know my name! The Wonderbolts will totally see that I’m recruitment material.” Rainbow insisted, getting excited as she practically did a 180 in demeanor and flew fast towards the stadium.

“Well, guess it’s time. Everyone ready to hit the royal box?” Bronze asked, getting his friends to gawk. “Okay, seriously. I may like you forgetting it, but c’mon. Alicorn here. Besides, Aunt Tia’s gonna be attending too. Mom’s done with her world tour, but she’s busy with the night courts and whatnot, so she’s asleep.” Bronze stated, before focusing, and suddenly the group was warped into the royal box seats, and Celestia, already there, jumped in surprise before beaming at the group.

“Nephew, dear friends. It is good to see you here.” Celestia said with her motherly tone, and happily nuzzled Twilight when she giddily rushed up to her. “And how is my faithful student?”

“Happy to be with my friends and pleasantly surprised to see you Princess.” Twilight beamed up at her mentor, who smiled at her student lovingly.

“I am the same.” Celestia then looked back up at her nephew, her beautiful visage being stained with worry at seeing Bronze’s eyes spinning, if slowly. “Nephew, are you well?”

“Hm? I’m fine Auntie, why the look?” Bronze asked, getting Celestia to calm down, and shake her head dismissively with a smile, making him shrug. “Well, the show’s not gonna start for a bit right? Are there any refresh-got em~!” Bronze suddenly interrupted himself, spawning a ton of buckets of popcorn and sodas from the air. “Left the bits in the concession stand. Tofu dog?” Bronze asked Gilda, who blinked and happily accepted the otherworldly food.

While integration of Earth’s plants and other such things were taking a while, the academies and farms took to the soybean family with aplomb, especially since it was originally only local to the regions of Chineigh and Neighpon. Now tofu and other such foods were becoming common rather than a delicacy.

“Fake meat? Don’t mind if I do!” Gilda crowed before squirting ketchup from a ketchup dispenser that was suddenly there, on a table, that was also formerly not there, and she paused. “Where’d this stuff-never mind, don’t wanna know.”

“Preserved and restored Vegas! Thank Rin, she was the one who totally refurbished Vegas without me even asking.” Bronze informed anyway. ‘My powas, dey so OP, plox neva nerf~!’ Bronze mentally cheered as his friends then went about using the table laden with numerous condiments and additives for their various concession foods.

“Nephew, if you can preserve something’s freshness, why not just use preserved food from your realm?” Celestia asked as she dipped a soy corndog in some mustard, and somewhere in canterlot, a white stallion with electric blue hair drooled while uttering the word ‘corndogs….’ to the concern of his significant other.

“Because that’s nasty? I don’t know. Preserved food tastes bland if more than a few ounces of mass per space taken is statically frozen in a state-look I don’t know, for some reason larger quantities of atom-static material always tastes like cardboard or raspberries.” Bronze insisted as he levitated a few dogs plain to his face, and coiled his long tongue around all three before drawing them in and swallowing each of them whole, and he sighed contently before blinking at all the blushing faces. “What?”

“Dude, that was so gay.” Spike stated, getting Rarity to stomp on a claw again.

“Nephew...please do not be so shameless in public.” Celestia softly chastised with her cheeks dusted pink and trying not to look at her nephew at the moment.

[@]

Bronze was bored….

‘I know I’m not one for sports...but I’d literally rather be watching paint dry.’ Bronze mentally growled as his left eye twitched, the spin revving up a bit every twitch. ‘I told her, I absolutely told her, I hate sports. But I came here because I want to be a good friend. I brought our other friends for moral support. I’m a good friend right? If I leave is it still a bad thing?’ Bronze asked himself, already knowing to leave before Rainbow’s turn even came would be a total dick thing to do.

“Bronze, calm down. Yer shakin’ the box with yer hoof tappin’.” Applejack said in irritation, getting Bronze to realize he’d been stomping and dragging a hoof like he wanted to charge from his seated position to anywhere else.

‘HNNG! I can’t take this! I’m so BORED I just wanna warp off somewhere, DO something! Korin’s Tower would be done right now if I went and-stop, STOP! No! Ignore it. Ignore. It.’ Bronze hissed, his eyes glowing as he closed them, managing to avoid anyone noticing since they were watching the participants perform acrobatics that were admittedly impressive. ‘Calm down you dumbass. Do not even consider letting your mind wander. Focus. Do not let idleness inspire wild thoughts. Keep your attention-a butterfly? Up here?’

Bronze’s attempts to focus were destroyed by a single monarch butterfly flitting about until it landed on his nose, his spinning blue eyes transfixed on the impossibility. ‘How? Here? High? Too high. Not right. Why?’

‘Why not?’

‘No sense.’

‘Nonsense!’

Bronze grinned, for some reason, the little impossibility inspired him. ‘I wonder what a pony with butterfly wings would look like….’ Bronze mused, considering it, looking over at Rarity leaning into her big, strong dragon coltfriend, dragonfriend? Imagining her with beautiful butterfly wings was the easiest, and his smile became dangerous. ‘Rarifly, Butterity? If I fused enough butterflies into her, what would she turn into-?’ The roars of the crowd snapped Bronze from his dangerous thoughts, and he blinked to see what they were cheering at. ‘When did Rainbow start?’

“Go Dashie, go!” Pinkie cheered from her mirror as the cyan pegasus performed incredible feats of speed and control, getting the whole stadium riled up unlike all the performers before her.

“Woo, go Rainbow, way to go~.” Fluttershy horribly failed in cheering making Bronze snicker at his adorable friend’s gentle...now wouldn’t she make a better butterfly-pony than Rarity? Hm, maybe if he-

“Whoa down there! Calm! You’re destabilizing the-!” Suddenly, a whole section of the lower part of the stadium burst into vapor from numerous pegasi and griffons striking the cloudwork too hard, and several of them screamed as they flailed and somehow failed to take flight, several bystanders quickly grabbed a couple, but four were still falling. “What’s going on?! Somepony catch them!”

“They’re some of the Earth Immigrants!” One of the ponies who caught a mare screamed up into the crowd, and the Wonderbolts and Rainbow instantly dove after the falling and non-flying ponies and griffon.

“Bronze! What’re ya doin’?! Warp em up here!” Applejack demanded of her stunned and confused coltfriend, before gasping at his rapidly spinning eyes. “Oh no. Uh, Bronze...stay calm.”

“What’s wrong apple dumpling?” Bronze asked far too cheerfully. “Is somepony in danger?” Bronze asked seriously. “Don’t care~ Butterflies~!” Bronze shouted as he summoned a whole Kaleidoscope of butterflies of varied colors. “Time for some literally FLUTTERSHY~!” Bronze dementedly yelled as the bugs all unwillingly flew at Fluttershy, who screamed in shock before a golden light warped her away, and Bronze tilted his head. “Oh boo~ she can warp too~! Time for tag~!”

“Nephew, it hasn’t even been a week! What is the meaning of this?!” Celestia demanded in fear as she levitated the group away from the manic stallion. “Twilight, go wake my sister!” Celestia ordered of her student, who promptly teleported herself away.

“Nothing Auntie Dearest~! Just thought of how beautiful a butterfly pony could be, and then, I thought, Fluttershy is already so gentle, and pretty. Why not make her even more relevant to her name?” Bronze asked as the butterflies all morbidly melted into a ball that then formed into an insect pony with butterfly wings, it’s compound eyes having a strange glow in a single spot as the almost pony-like bug then blinked as it formed eyelids and it’s eyes smoothed over. “Isn’t it beautiful?!”

Everyone looked about to vomit, and gazed at the disgustingly beautiful pony taking shape as it suddenly started taking rapid and scared breaths. “Nephew...please...stop tormenting the poor creature, and calm down.” Celestia was sweating. Her nephew, potentially the most dangerous pony on Equus, was having a psychotic break. And there might be literally nothing she could do if he got even more out of hoof.

Then there was the boom.

It shook the very air, it rattled their bones, and the sheer amount of magical energy washed over them like an invigorating shower. The resounding gasp and roar of cheers brought their attention to the stadium, and looked down to see a great rainbow rise from the rippling explosion of rainbow light below, and arc over the stadium, before the Wonderbolts flew up with their individual rescued formerly-human ponies who were practically crying in relief, and then the rainbow doubled back, and stopped to reveal the cause as Rainbow Dash holding a griffon cub who looked at her savior with glimmers in her eyes.

“Sonic. Rainboom.” Rainbow tiredly stated to the gobsmacked Wonderbolts who helped her hover to stable cloud, and then everyone remembered what was going on, and snapped to where Bronze was.

Note; Was.

[@]

Fluttershy ran, she ran so hard her hooves hurt, her lungs hurt, her heart beat in her ears as she screamed from evading another butterfly that almost hit her as she rounded another hall in Castle Canterlot, where she had suddenly found herself in a flash of golden light not several moments ago. “Oh Flutters~! I just want your name to fit you better~!”

Tears streamed from her eyes in sadness. Fluttershy knew this wasn’t her friend, it wasn’t her gentle and kind friend saying these things, trying to turn her into a bug-pony. It was a monster in his head, a monster twisting his thoughts and doing this. She whimpered as she felt another poor butterfly ram into her back, and ignored the sensation of chitin fusing into her flesh as her feathers nearest began to turn more uniform, change from the complex integumentary structure of her natural wings into the membranes and veins of an insect.

“C’mon~ You’ll be even more beautiful~!” Fluttershy screamed at Bronze suddenly being in front of her. For the past couple minutes of the chase, he’d been ‘sporting’ and letting her run, but it seemed his madness had gotten bored with her. “Aw, look at your future face~! It’s so perfect!” Bronze gushed over the scared butterfly pony Bronze had crafted, her heart went out to the creature that had the minds of thousands of poor butterflies fused solidly into a more complex brain, able to comprehend what was happening.

“Please...no….” Fluttershy weakly sobbed as the scared pony neared her, it equally afraid if it’s expression said anything.

“GAH~!” Bronze suddenly shrieked in pain and primal fury, the invisible force pushing the two ponies closer ceased and they both looked at their tormentor to see a huge syringe sticking out of the left side of the stallion’s neck, practically forcing a serum into his veins as he fought with the blue aura practically stabbing it into his neck, ripping his skin and bleeding even as his flesh knitted closed over the wound as Princess Luna angrily and desperately fought to keep the needle in as the plunger injected.

“Son! Thou hast done QUITE enough!” Luna murderously declared as the syringe got about half of it’s content into the thrashing stallion who was being held in place, his powers nerfed by a non-physical force of lavender magic keeping him still, Twilight panting as she came into view from down the hall, sweat dumping down her face as she strained with mana exhaustion.

“He is mine! MINE you foal!” Not-Bronze screamed furiously before the syringe finished, and Luna cast Liquid Pain on him and a few large jugs she summoned. “Not again...not ag….” The stallion stilled, his eyes slowing down and stopping before they fluttered closed as the jugs practically flooded with his agony in the form of the red liquid.

“Thou shalt never have our son, monster.” Luna growled before Bronze slumped bonelessly to the floor, and she pulled the needle from his neck as she let his pain run it’s course, before banishing both the jugs of pure power, and her son to the Shadow Realm for safety. “Fair Fluttershy, art thou alright?!” Luna frantically asked as she trotted to the mutated mare. Numerous spots had yellow chitin replacing fur, and the base of her wings had become bug-like.

“Y-yes. I-I-I’m fine….” Fluttershy choked on a sob as she looked to the black and brown bug pony with utterly beautiful multicolored butterfly wings that looked completely lost. “A-are...are you okay?’ Fluttershy asked it, and it looked at her curiously. “Oh...you poor thing. It’s fine now.” Fluttershy cooed as she pulled the larger pony into a hug, it confusedly draped a foreleg over her back, and nuzzled her back equally lost at the motion, but welcomed it.

Author's Notes:

Well...that happened.

Next Chronological Chapter!