Winter Snuggles!
Sight was not the first thing that came to Fluttershy as she woke up. Her eyes did not snap open suddenly, nor did she struggle to free herself from her dreams. She was asleep, her eyes shut. Then she was awake, her eyes still shut.
It was not the sight of her ceiling that thus greeted her to the world of the awake but the winter’s cold brushing against her face. That cold air, one which had snuck through the closed doors and windows of her house, was all she needed to know about the day. Fluttershy opened her eyes slowly, immediate vision of the ceiling and with it many a bird house. Empty of course.
Fluttershy sighed. As kind a pony she was she would never outright say she hated it but she did really, really, really dislike winter. On any other day she’d wake to the chirping of birds, stirring of mice and many adorable critters demands for food. On any other day she’d get out of bed as early as could be, greeting each and every one of her animal friends with a smile. She’d set forth on her daily tasks, attending to each of them. She would leave only to see her friends, and when she returned, would attend to them once more. Caring for her animal friends, playing with them, just sitting down and talking with them; they set out the basis of her day.
Not in winter, though.
Fluttershy’s animals were not pets, they were her friends. They came from all over, from the little hill near Ponyville to Whitetail Woods and even the Ghastly Gorge and Everfree Forest. Many had homes there, some only coming to see her during the day and then heading back. Others Fluttershy would insist on having stay so she could attend to their injuries whilst some just liked to stay and live with her.
Not in winter, though.
The animals had gone to hibernate. The birds had flown south for the winter. Her house was empty. She was lonely. She sighed once more.
“Fluttershy,” The pony nestled in bed beside her drawled out. “Go back to sleep.”
Fluttershy turned her head slowly to gaze at the rainbow maned pegasus tucked in bed with her. A small bubble of happiness tried to beat back her depressed mood as she noted her lover’s sleeping position, face flat against the pillows.
“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy whispered gently, “Did I wake you?”
“You shiver when you wake… and when you’re feeling down.” Rainbow Dash mumbled, lifting her face off the pillow and looking to Fluttershy, eyes still shut though.
“Oh… I’m sorry.” Fluttershy replied, trying to keep as still as possible.
Rainbow Dash frowned at this. From underneath the thick bed covers the pegasus lifted her wing and wrapped it around Fluttershy. Then she used her wing to pull Fluttershy closer until their legs pressed against one another and their faces were millimetres apart. Fluttershy felt her body warm up from the closeness, her back soothed by the gently brushing wings.
Rainbow Dash then began to open her eyes. Slowly and regrettably, signs of a pony who wished for her entry into dreamland to continue, nevertheless she opened them. Naturally the first thing Rainbow saw was Fluttershy, glimmering green eyes hidden ever so slightly by a curl of pink mane. Naturally Rainbow Dash’s response was to smile.
“Just wanted to open my eyes to something pretty.” Rainbow Dash said with an infectious smile, one that spread wide across Fluttershy’s face accompanied with rose tinted blush.
Lifting up one of her front hooves, Rainbow raised it up along Fluttershy’s side before settling against her face. Gently caressing her lover’s face, Rainbow added, “An I prefer to see a smile on this face.”
Fluttershy’s smile wavered ever so slightly and words of apology began to form on her tongue. The quick shifting of Rainbow’s hoof from caressing Fluttershy’s cheek and instead laying over her lips halted her. So instead, as Rainbow moved her hoof away, Fluttershy inched in and gave Rainbow Dash a peck on her muzzle. Fluttershy’s own spare hoof slid around Rainbow Dash, the couple hugging one another tighter.
Fluttershy’s hooves instinctively began to massage Rainbow Dash’s back. Thankfully one of her calmer massages that did not involve anypony or animal being on the receiving end of a piledriver, her hoof tentatively rubbing the athlete’s back. In kind Rainbow Dash raised her hoof once more to Fluttershy’s face, but instead started brushing the mare’s long pink mane. Snuggled up close, gently brushing one another with their hooves, this was how they spent several long blissful minutes.
Naturally they stopped eventually, choosing instead to continue their embrace and enjoy the warmth they offered one another. The covers alone were not enough to fend off the winter’s chill but their hugging; their hugging worked wonders.
“F-Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said lovingly yet hesitantly and did not continue until her lover’s eyes were truly set and focused on her. “You don’t… you don’t get sad every winter do you?”
Fluttershy averted her gaze from the concerned pink eyes staring at her, a tricky thing to do with muzzles so close. Fluttershy nodded her head.
“It’s…” Fluttershy began but then stopped, opting to look back and meet Dash’s gaze as she told of her woes, “It gets lonely and so… unnatural.”
“Well if you ever felt lonely before you could have just gone to hang out with me or any of the others.” Rainbow Dash suggested immediately.
Fluttershy shook her head immediately, “I couldn’t trouble you all the time. You all have things to do during the winter and in the mornings while I… I wake early… to nothing.”
“Well, um… shouldn’t that give you lots of free time? Maybe you need to get a couple more hobbies?” The suggestion was made with a shaky smile, a quick response that hadn’t been thought through yet.
“It’s not just that though,” Fluttershy muttered, “I wake early to nothing. No birds, no mice, no bears. All of the things that I’m so used to seeing are gone. It is like… like waking up to a world without a sky.”
Rainbow Dash grimaced. A world without a sky was hard to consider, to even imagine. She could however picture a world in which she could not fly through it nor manipulate its clouds. The flight loving pegasus then thought of what it would be like if that sort of world popped in and out of her life, that through a whole seasonal period her joys and job were deprived of her.
Well, some days when her workload were heavy, the aspect of being deprived of her job didn’t seem too bad, meant longer naptimes for her.
Words were not forming in her head, not leaping from her lips. Yet Dash could still see the sad smile upon her lover’s face. It was a weak smile that threatened to give way to an even sadder expression. Fluttershy’s eyes begged for an answer to ail her loneliness. It taunted her, pained her to see.
Rainbow Dash was more a mare of action anyways.
Rainbow Dash swiftly leaned forward and kissed Fluttershy. Fluttershy’s eyes widened at the sudden contact of their lips, gently pressed towards one another. Their lips parted for a second as Dash drew back her head… then leaned in and kissed Fluttershy once more.
Their lips remained pressed, savouring the taste and stirring only slightly as both ponies leaned closer against one another. Fluttershy’s spare foreleg slid underneath Rainbow’s body and wrapped around her cyan lover like her other foreleg had, all to further embrace, to pull closer towards her. Their wings twitched beneath the covers, excited by passion, begging to spring forth and flap.
The kiss ended mutually. Lips parting with both satisfaction and regret, a happy experience obtained but a longing for more. Dreamy eyes stared into one another, wide smiles expressed from both ponies. Their hugging however continued after the kiss, even as their wings stopped twitching, they remained with hooves wrapped around one another.
In that moment of passion, words and ideas had taken form in Rainbow’s mind, “I’m sorry you miss your animals this time of year but… this year you have me and I have you.”
A giggle arose from Fluttershy, “Yes, we do.”
“Yeah, and if you start to feel lonely just come to me,” Rainbow Dash said as a sneaky smirk spread on her face. “Kissing seems to be a good cure for it.”
Smiling, blushing and laughing was the couple and still cozied up in bed. Too busy laughing with happiness was Fluttershy that she was caught off guard when Rainbow Dash grabbed a hold of her and urged her head to rest against Dash’s chest. Fluttershy felt her ears warm as Rainbow’s breath warmed them and her heart raced alongside the one she heard from Rainbow Dash’s chest.
“An now I’m going to teach you what to do on a winter day when you’ve got nothing to do. We’re going to lay here in bed and snuggle all day.”
Rainbow Dash had slung her hoof around the back of Fluttershy’s neck and continued to keep it there. As such Fluttershy could only look up from her current position and ask, “All day? You want us to stay in bed all day?”
“Yes, all day, just us, snuggling.”
“But, um, don’t we have to get out of bed at some point.” Fluttershy queried.
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes but continued to smirk, “Sure, to use the bathroom and get some grub. Otherwise it’s me, you and this bed for the rest of the day.”
Fluttershy’s body trembled, a crimson colour spreading across her face as steam flew from her ears, “M-me, you and… and this bed?”
“Yeah, I just said that,” Rainbow replied, taking a few seconds to understand Fluttershy’s misunderstanding and turn into a similar blushing, stammering pony. “I-I mean snuggling. Us, bed, snuggle. Not… we c-could… i-if you want to.”
“M-maybe…” Fluttershy whispered, hearing Rainbow Dash’s heart race at sonic rainboom levels, “Maybe someday. Now… I don’t think, I-I’m not ready…”
“Y-yeah, no need to rush something like that… right?” The nervous pegasus stuttered, her voice though with a slight snicker in it, as if to brush off the plainly obvious idea that she was nervous from the prospect. “Let us just snuggle instead.”
Fluttershy buried her face into Rainbow’s chest in response. Fluttershy felt warmth and comfort as she rubbed her muzzle against her lovers toned chest. Rainbow Dash felt like laughing from the tickling gesture but instead chose to rest her head atop Fluttershy’s, supressing the laughter to a wide smile.
Comfortable and warm, cosy and cool, the two lovers snuggled up in beg together. Slowly their eyes began to close. Sleep started to enchant them yet their embrace never weakened.
Then came a sound. It was a repetitive sound. It was the sound of tiny paws running across a wooden surface, upstairs and into the room where a loving couple were about to drift off into dreams together. Then the sounds stopped. For the maker of sounds had leaped up from the floor and onto the bed, onto the ponies upon it and startling the two.
“Eep!” Fluttershy shortly yelped as she gripped Rainbow Dash tighter in fright.
Looking to her bed though eased Fluttershy immediately, loosening her bear hug on Rainbow Dash, allowing said pegasus to breath, “Good morning Angel.”
Angel Bunny did not look to Fluttershy with a smile. He looked to Fluttershy with a scowl, throwing down onto the covers an empty food bowl. His eyes then turned to a disgruntled Rainbow Dash and his scowl deepened. He knew who to blame for making breakfast late.
“Of all the animals that ignores any call to hibernate it just had to be this one.” Rainbow Dash mumbled, returning Angel’s scowl in turn.
“Now, now, I treasure Angel for staying with me through the winter. It leaves me with at least one animal friend to care for.” Fluttershy commented as she leaned forward to pet Angel Bunny, “an Angel is my most precious one of all.”
Angel allowed himself the short fuss before pushing away Fluttershy’s hoof. Grabbing his bowl once more he began to tap it, eager for his long awaited breakfast.
“Okay, Angel, let’s go get you fed.” Fluttershy went to clamber out of bed but a foreleg coiling around her stopped this attempt.
“C’mon, I thought we were going to snuggle all day. Can’t he wait a little bit longer?” Rainbow Dash moaned.
Fluttershy giggled as she removed Dash’s foreleg from around her, turning to face her lover, “I promise we’ll do that when I get back. I won’t be a second.”
“Heh, promise.”
Instead of saying yes Fluttershy chose to plant her lips against Rainbow’s, a sweet and tender kiss that ended shortly only to allow Fluttershy to say, “I want you to give me one in return when I get back.”
Rainbow Dash had no objections to that. Fluttershy rose up from her bed, the covers falling away from her, the mattress and pillow retaining her indentation. Rainbow Dash let her hoof drop to the mattress, the warmth of Fluttershy’s presence still felt upon it.
Fluttershy turned to Rainbow Dash, Rainbow Dash turned to her and they smiled. Then she turned to Angel Bunny, who was eagerly hopping ahead of her, waving his bowl in the air, and smiled.
Fluttershy left the room with a smile, one that quavered when she approached the stairs. Her wooden stairs would quietly creak with each of her hoof steps, a sound she was only used to hearing during the winter, when there was no animal sounds drowning them out. Yet the trembling of her smile was vanquished as Angel bounded from one step to the next, landing as forcibly as can be. The rabbit would look back to Fluttershy, and just as Fluttershy was to take a step and bring about the unsettling creak, Angel in turn would jump and slam down on the next step; a dull thud sounding to do battle against the creak.
Once the two had reached the living room Angel scampered to the centre, placed down his bowl, and shot Fluttershy a look of expectancy. This was Angel’s usual routine for being fed; with or without the other animals around and Fluttershy loved this upkeep of the routine. Following said routine, she did as she always did; she made sure that Angel was properly fed. His bowl was filled with some lettuce, along with little bites of rabbit feed, the special kind that he liked the best. As well as that, Fluttershy made sure his water bowl was refreshed, so he'd have plenty to drink. While he was perfectly capable of retrieving some water, it kept her mind at ease that she made sure to start him off in the mornings.
As Angel proceeded to eat, with Fluttershy watching him to make sure he was satisfied, he gave her a look, a scowl of annoyance and disapproval. This was Angel’s usual routine when served a standard breakfast meal and Fluttershy loved this upkeep of the routine... though loved it considerably less than the other consistent parts of his routine.
Fluttershy murmured, shaking her head, “Angel Bunny, I really wish you wouldn't do that.”
This was Fluttershy’s usual reaction, bringing about a small smile to Angel as he turned back to his bowl and kept on eating.
“Now that you’re taken care of, I best get back to Rainbow Dash.” Fluttershy said with cheer as she started walking back to the stairs, “You be sure to enjoy yourself now.”
Fluttershy suddenly jerked back from her advance towards the stairs. Her fore-hooves stumbled, but once steadied, she turned around to the cause of her stopping.
Angel Bunny lifted his foot off of Fluttershy’s tail and then proceeded to hop around Fluttershy in circles. Green eyes followed his movement, and with his Pegasus caretaker’s attention grabbed, he proceeded to hop up and down excitedly.
Fluttershy put a hoof to her chin, tapping twice before asking, “Do you want to play Angel Bunny?”
Angel nodded vigorously.
Fluttershy frowned, casting a look towards the stairs and then back towards Angel. Angel immediately huffed and puffed at this action, knowing what Fluttershy was thinking without need for a single word.
“Oh, please don’t be like that Angel.” Fluttershy cooed, lowering her head to the cross pawed rabbit, “I promise I’ll play with you another day but today I’m spending the day with Rainbow Dash.”
Angel’s mood soured, fitting terminology as his face scrunched up as if he had bitten into a lemon. Her bunny rabbit ill at ease, Fluttershy bit gently against her lip and thought of something to say to soothe over him.
“I understand that you want to spend time with me and I want to spend time with you as well but…” Fluttershy started to say gently, “I also want to spend time with Rainbow Dash. She’s my marefriend and I love her, and right now I really could do with spending some time with her.”
Angel face distorted, his eyes growing moist, his eyes frowning, and he pleaded with his body gestures; forming a heart with his paws and then pointing to himself.
Wide eyed, Fluttershy immediately responded, “Of course I love you as well Angel, and I know you do a lot to make me happy. I don’t want you thinking I don’t appreciate you staying with me through the winter; I really do.”
An early first bump from the rabbit was rushed thinking, as Fluttershy gently admitted, “But… it’s not always enough. I need to spend time with other ponies, other loved ones as well. You understand don’t you?”
Angel hesitated, yet slowly and sadly nodded.
Fluttershy beamed, her whole face lighting up along with her smile, “Thank you for understanding Angel Bunny! I’ll be sure to spend lots of time with you tomorrow.”
With that, she turned around and headed upstairs. Angel’s gaze lingered on the leaving pegasus for a few moments, his frown lifting ever so slightly as a small, shaky smile formed. Angel sighed, but kept on smiling, and returned to his food.
Fluttershy had by this point reached her room, pausing at the doorway momentarily, and then with a large smile upon her face entering the room.
“Dashie, I’m back.” Fluttershy chipperly said, only to freeze up at the sight before her.
Fluttershy sighed, Rainbow Dash snored.
Head downcast, Fluttershy ventured to her bed, flicking up part of the covers and climbed atop the mattress. As she slid beneath the covers, allowed them to lay atop of her, her gaze wandered over to Rainbow Dash’s sleeping face.
“I should have got you to Pinkie Promise.” Fluttershy grumbled.
“Rawr!”
“Eee-“ Before Fluttershy could even finish her shriek of terror at the suddenly awake, suddenly roaring marefriend of hers she was enthralled by a passionate kiss, lips against lips halting any and all attempts to speak.
Fluttershy's heart raced, first from surprise and then from excitement. Rainbow Dash kept her lips pressed to Fluttershy’s as her hooves slid underneath Fluttershy’s wings and then cosily wrapped around her lover. Rainbow Dash had her wings follow suit, gently brushing around Fluttershy’s body and embracing her.
Now snuggled up together, the two parted from their kiss, but their lips lingered over one another’s and soon they returned to kissing. Into this second kiss; Fluttershy’s wings began to stir, gently brushing up against the blue feathers that ensnared her. She pressed forth, bridging the gap between them even more as their bodies touched.
The two lovers continued this moment of passion, their only motions that of their lips pressed against each other’s, and their wings gently brushing one another’s. Slowly they stopped their kiss, moving their lips apart but keeping their muzzles bumped against one another’s, longing stares between them.
“We should make more promises like this.” Rainbow Dash commented with a smirk.
“We should.” Fluttershy mumbled back, and showed off a smirk similar to Dash’s own.
Rainbow Dash grinned and Fluttershy mirrored her lover. This caused Rainbow to chuckle and Fluttershy in turn to chuckle; the good mood and cheer infectious between the two. The lovers rubbed their muzzles together amidst their laughter and tightened the grip of their hug.
“Are we really going to spend the whole day like this?” Fluttershy inquired between laughs.
“That depends, does snuggling up to your kiss eager marefriend in a warm and cosy bed through the entire of a cold, frosty and softly snowing winter day sound enjoyable to you?”
“Oh, I don’t know, I think…” Fluttershy started to say with a sly smile, “…that it sounds like a wonderful day we’re going to have.”
It was another winter day for Fluttershy. The snow softly sailed down to the world outside and cold air gently stirred. The sky was a pure white and the land below was becoming the same. Out in that snow stirred few and inside Fluttershy’s cottage was the same.
It was not another lonely winter day for Fluttershy. She was glad that, while the lack of many of her animal friends pained her in the winter months, there were some who would always be about; ready and willing to fill the void. Her heart warmed with joy, as within the fore-legs of her loving Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy enjoyed her winter snuggles.
Author's Note
Special thanks go to NintendoGal55 for proof-reading this story, whom I felt was the perfect author to proof-read this story as the initial pitch of it was cute FlutterDash romance and she's the best there is when it comes to that sort of thing.
I wrote this story a while back, December time, in the midst of having some writer's block with The Shy Knight and the Rainbow Princess. To alleviate my block I decided to write a quick cute one-shot, but feeling that simply having Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash snuggling wasn't enough, also decided to address an issue I've always wandered about; what does Fluttershy do/feel when the animals hibernate during the winter?
Anyway, whilst this be an odd time to upload a winter themed fanfic, I hope you enjoyed it all the same. Feel free to comment and any and all criticism is appreciated.
