Fluttershy awoke to a chilling coldness, her sheets entangled around her forelegs. Gasping, the butter yellow pegasus sat up quickly and turned in eagerness to the window. Her breath billowed out in clouds around her muzzle as her teal eyes widened.
Snow! Light, fluffy snow whirled past her window, falling gracefully into pure white drifts beyond her house, wind whistling with a faint melody. It was beautiful! Fluttershy stumbled out from her bed, and pressed her nose against the cool glass.
The weather reminded her of when she was a filly, gazing longingly out from her cloud-home as the flurries began. But this was different. This time she wouldn't be alone, on the couch, while her parents remarked about boarding school from the next room. This time she would come.
Fluttershy stepped lightly across the creaking boards, careful to avoid her critters that slept peacefully in their homes. She brought her hoof through Angel Bunny's fur, before making her way to the closet. When the pegusus pulled the wooden doors open, she was greeted with a mostly barren coat rack.
Pegasi had a tendency to not get cold, a possible adaptation to the friged temperatures in the sky. But Fluttershy had always made it a routine to wear a scarf whenever she went out during the wintern - it made her feel safe.
She tugged a light pink scarf from the rack, and tied it carefully around her neck. Sighing, she trotted over to the front door, and unlocked all the latches. One could never be too cautious.
Fluttershy was greeted with a whoosh of icy wind, and a smattering of of light snow. The mare allowed herself a smile, and closed the door quickly behind her. The pegasus' yard had transformed over night into a serene frozen wonderland, with her trees bent over with glistening icicles.
Fluttershy breathed out in awe, tighting her scarf with a hoof. She was just glad she wasn't like Harry the Bear, or else she would have to sleep through such beauty.
Even Rarity, slightly dumbstruck, had announced about the glory of winter a few days prior, while snow had just begun to fall. Fluttershy had nodded, secretly hoping a blizzard would arrive.
Her hooves made crunching indents in the snow. Fluttershy giggled, a breathy laugh. She lifted a leg up, and brought it back down on the ice, marveling at the crystal-like appearance.
But she regained herself, fluffing her wings by her side. She wasn't a foal anymore!
Fluttershy turned to the back of her cottage, glancing at the large, towering trees that formed the Everfree forest. Yet, in the white light of snowfall, the forest wasn't scary or even strange. It was simply a dazzling place.
She stepped forward with a squee, looking every which way at the beautiful, icy trees around her, as she drew closer into the Everfree.
Fluttershy found the clearing between the trees, the usual spot that brought joy to her eyes just looking at it. The sun shown at just the right angle so that the clearing lit up with shattered light. She made her way across the path to the opening, brushing her mane from her muzzle.
She settled down in the center, nuzzling her face into the scarf around her neck. The wind roared, the trees shook with a renewed vigor, and snow whirled: but inside her sanctuary, Fluttershy smiled. She would come. She always did.
The pegasus awoke, with a crisp energy, and tilted her nead upwards.
Crunch.
She opened her eyes to a familar rainbow mare, walking towards the clearing, who grinned placildy.
Hello Rainbow. Fluttershy placed a hoof on the snow besides her.
Hi Flutters. Rainbow sat down next to her friend, not saying a word. Nothing needed to be said, for their expression conveyed it all. The tilt of their head, a smile, a glimmer in their eyes.
I'm glad you came.
The cyan mare stretched a wing across Fluttershy, who giggled. She snuggled up against the side of Rainbow Dash; her closet confidant, a loyal friend.
A snowflake landed on Fluttershy's nose, and Rainbow brushed it off with the tip of her wing.
Rainbow Dash had always been their for the meek mare, whenever the bullying became too much, or when one of her animal friends passed away. She had always lent a shoulder to cry on, and a smile to cheer her up.
But today, just like every other winter morning, it was simply two mares. Two childhood friends, two souls. Just resting in the beauty of snow, and enjoying each others' company.
Fluttershy turned to Rainbow Dash, and closed her eyes.
I'm glad you came.
"Umm...excuse me?"
The mare still didn't look up from the desk.
Fluttershy hid further behind her pink curtain of mane, her cheeks flushing. She had been standing there for 5 minutes already, and the manager had still failed to notice her. Not that she blamed the mare or anything - after all, she was listening to music through her headphones.
The manager's rose eyes flickered across her screen rapidly, and her head bobbed to a pounding beat.
Fluttershy took a deep breath. She could just come back tommorow....but no, she had to be assertive.
She lifted her hoof up, and brought her shakingly down on the pony's white shoulder. "Excuse me?"
Instead of glaring at the yellow pegasus, the mare simply lowered her headphones, and smiled.
"Oh, hello! The name's Rose Quarts, miss. What can I do for you?" She leaned forward casually.
Fluttershy's wings fluttered by her side nervously. "Oh. I was just-just wondering if you could maybe help me find a little pet?" squee.
Rose's face lit up. "Of course! We are a pet shop, obviously. What sort of pet were you looking for?"
Fluttershy blushed, running her hoof through her mane. The night before, she had gone through a list with her birds, and decided upon the ultimate animal of cuteness.
"Do you have a section for-for bunnies?"
"Yes, we do in fact! Well, I'll come show them to you!" Her chipper tone made Fluttershy relax a bit.
The mare led her through a hallway to the right, and paused at a closed door.
"Are you sure you want a bunny, miss? I'm sure that a kitten would love to be adopted." Rose gestured to the other room, across from the pegasus.
Fluttershy shook her head surely. "A bunny is fine," she whispered.
With a nod, Rose opened the door, and stepped in before Fluttershy.
"We recently had a whole bunny shipment from another store, so take your time as needed, miss," she said, holding the door open for Fluttershy.
The yellow mare carefully trotted inside, looking expectantly at every cage along the walls. Most of the bunnies and rabits seemed as if they were sleeping, huddled together in balls of fur.
But right in the middle of the room, a snow white bunny caught her eye. She walked forward.
He-as she presumed- was pushed up against the bars of the cage, large eyes sparkling in adorableness. Fluttershy gasped, as the bunnys ears twitched. She leaned forward in awe, noticing the way he stared back at her like a pony.
Then, without warning, the bunny reached a paw out; and slapped Fluttershy across the face.
Behind her, Rose cried out in sympathy. Fluttershy stumbled back, breathing heavily.
Yet, smiling, she regained her footing, and looked back at the glaring bunny.
Fluttershy reached out a hoof, and rubbed it back and forth across the bunny's fluffy head. He practically hissed. What an angel!
Fluttershy squeed.
"He's perfect!"
Knock Knock Knock
Fluttershy jerked up from her book, wings splaying out in alarm. Sighing, she fluttered out of her chair with a little hop, and brushed the hair out of her eyes with her hoof. Who could it be?
When she peered through the window, the mare caught a glimpse of a fluffy, white face with a curly mane.
The face paused from it's hyper-active bouncing, and slammed it's wide, green eyes up against the glass.
Fluttershy squeaked, and stumbled back, nearly tripping on her mane in the process. "Sweetie Belle?" she gasped, cocking an eyebrow at the grinning filly outside.
"Yep!" the filly exclaimed, grinning almost manically. Her voice was muffled by the window.
"Guess what?"
Fluttershy managed a smile, and pulled open the door to the warm spring air. "What?" she asked placidly, motioning the filly inside.
Sweetie Belle took a deep breath, dancing inside like Pinkie Pie on a sugar high. "I'M HAVING A SLEEPOVER!!" Her eyes shone with a bright light.
Flutttershy's heart nearly stopped. "Oh?" she said with a whisper.
"With umm....whom?" Fluttershy dug her hooves into the carpet.
The white unicorn beside her waggled her eyebrows. "With you, silly!" she cried gleefully, slamming the door shut.
The pegasus closed her eyes tightly, backing slowly away from the hyper foal. "You....you sure?"
Sweetie Belle shook her head so vigorously that it almost exploded. "VERY sure!"
Fluttershy fainted.
