"Good: Twice the Ponies, Double the Snuggles!"
You stroll through the streets of Ponyville on your way back to Twilight’s castle on the far side of town. You had spent far longer cuddling with Applejack than you had planned (as was often the case with these darned ponies) and the western sky was already tinted with pastel orange and pink.
As you pass the pony fountain in the center of town, you feel a strange sensation on the tail of your shirt. Thinking nothing of it, you continue another few feet before you feel the tug again, accompanied by a voice you hadn’t heard yet.
“Hey, Mister human.”
You raise an eyebrow and spin around, revealing an average-sized lilac pegasus mare. She tilted her head and looked up at you curiously, the motion causing her sea foam green mane and pink bow to sway slightly under their new orientation to gravity.
You think about your response for a moment, but come up with nothing notable. “Uhh…yes?”
The pony smiled and her eyes began to sparkle with some excitement. “H-hi there! My name is Flitter! Is it true that you cuddle ponies?”
You’re taken aback by her knowledge of your day-to-day activities. After a moment your face contorts into an appraising frown. “…Maybe. Why do you want to know? And more importantly, what gave you that idea?”
She averts her eyes from yours for a brief moment as she sits on the ground and shyly clops her front hooves together twice. “Well, my sister told me that Rainbow Dash has been like, SUPER happy at work recently. She doesn’t yell at her or anything! And so I went and talked to Rainbow Dash too, and she was like way cooler and nicer than normal. And when I asked her why she was so happy she was just like, ‘gotta go!’ and flew off somewhere. So then I went and asked Twilight why Rainbow Dash was so happy and she said that a human has been cuddling them to teach them about the magic of cuddling! And you’re the only human that I’ve ever seen, so I just guessed that it was you!”
Suppressing the urge to tell her that her story was longer than it needed to be, your face contorted into a small grin. “Guilty as charged. Your name was Flitter, right? Tell me, why do you want to know?”
Flitter gasped and covered her mouth with her hooves. “That’s the best part!” her muffled voice exclaims. She lets her hooves drop away from her muzzle before she continues. “I want to know if you will come and cuddle me? You can tell Princess Twilight that you had to stop to fix a problem with the magic of cuddling, and everything!” She then wiggles her somewhat prominent eyebrows at you. “Plus I’m SUPER good at it.” She accentuates her statement with the best attempt at a wink that she can muster.
“Hmmm…” you say, covering your smile with a hand as you pretend to think. “Well…I suppose you’re worthy…alright. Howe-“
Flitter leaps off of her haunches with a powerful beat of her wings, sending her flying at you. When she makes contact, she wraps her front hooves around your neck, leaving her legs dangling as she folds her wings back up.
Chuckling, you wrap your arms around her in a hug. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
Flitter continues holding onto you, even nuzzling into your neck a little.
“Uh…” you begin apprehensively. “So, as I was saying, my plan was to go back to the castle tonight, and then tomorrow I can-“
Flitter gasps and pulls her head back to look at you with a quivering frown and soft magenta eyes. “B-but…I wanted to do it now…”
You close your eyes and exhale in frustration. You know, and she does too, that there is no way that you can possibly resist. “Alright, fine.”
She wiggles in happiness and refuses to let go of you. “My house is that way,” she says, motioning with a hoof down a side street.
Sighing, you wrap your hands under her back hooves and pull her up for support, which just causes her to squee with happiness and pull her body even tighter to yours.
Exchanging awkward grimace-smiles with the ponies giving you strange looks, you trudge dutifully down the street until you begin to run out of houses. “Uh, this one here, with the lilac smokestack?”
“Uh huh!” Flitter celebrated from your shoulder. “Just open the door, it should be unlocked!”
You shrug and gently shimmy the door open with your foot. Sure enough, it swung open, revealing a sparse room with a cushy-looking couch, rug and a television. It was separated from a small kitchenette area by a bar.
“Pretty cozy,” you comment, leaning down to place Flitter on the ground. You have to shake a little bit, but eventually she gets the hint and drops off of you.
“Let’s go to the couch!” she gushes, flapping her wings twice and twisting her body mid-flight so that she plops right down on the fluffy cushions. “Come on!” she begs, patting the space beside her.
You sit beside her and immediately she scoots over to lay her head against you. She wiggles her body to nestle herself close to you, and your wrap an arm around her in return. Running your fingers through the feathers of her wing, you take note of how soft they are.
Eventually her happy moans subside, and to fill the awkward silence, you decide to strike up a conversation. “So, your name is Flitter, correct?”
“Mhmm,” she hums back contentedly.
“And you said you had a sister?”
“Yeah, Cloudchaser! She’s my twin, and we’re besties! She lives here with me, but we work different jobs since she’s a better flier.”
“Tell me about her,” you goad, leaning your head down to nuzzle Flitter’s mane.
“Well, she’s super down-to-earth but she doesn’t have as much fun as I do. Like, she keeps saying that I shouldn’t ask ponies to be my snuggle buddies, since they usually say no.”
“That’s horrible!” you exclaim, your heart wrenching at the thought that any being would reject hugging such an adorable creature. “How on earth could they say no?”
“I dunno!” she incredulously parrots back. “I thought everypony liked to snuggle! I babysit an adorable little colt named Rumble, and he won’t let me cuddle him at all! He says it’s gross. Can you believe it?”
“He’ll grow into it,” you assure her. “Everyone does.”
“Sometimes Cloudchaser will let me snuggle her, but only for a few minutes, and she’s not very good at it.” Flitter leans into your chest and purrs. “Not as good as you, for sure.”
“Thank you,” you say, grinning proudly.
Flitter huffs and removes her head from your side to flip her mane. “She doesn’t understand. She has a coltfriend. It’s easy to dismiss snuggles when she can just go get them from Thunderlane any time she wants.”
“Mmmm,” you tacitly agree, eyes beginning to glaze over upon detecting the beginning of what could be a jealous, catty rant.
“Well, that’s okay,” she suddenly interjects upon herself, wiggling over to sit on your lap. She seats herself so that her body is perpendicular to yours, and snuggles her head tightly against your chest. “Besides, I’ve got you now. Hug me tight!”
You chuckle warmly and wrap your arms tightly around her. She simply uses it as an excuse to snuggle more deeply against you, and sighs contentedly.
“Why don’t you take off your bow?” you ask her. “Let your mane down a little?”
She hums softly. “You can do it. I don’t wanna move my hooves.”
Gently, you undo the garish not and gently lay the length of the ribbon next to you both on the couch. The shape of Flitter’s mane doesn’t seem to change much, although it does seem to spread out and gain some freedom of movement as she gently nuzzles your chest.
“H-hey,” she asks softly. “Will you be my snuggle buddy? S-so we can do this all the time?”
You smile. “Believe it or not, you aren’t the first pony that’s asked me that today. I’d be happy to, but I only have so much time, so it might not be as often a-“
Just then, the door is kicked open, revealing a distraught looking pegasus mare. Her coat color is about the same as Flitter’s, but her mane is ice white and windswept.
Flitter looks up towards the door and her ears perk up. “Oh, hey Cloudchaser! How was-“
Cloudchaser didn’t acknowledge her sister, instead hiding her face and scurrying quickly down the hallway adjoining the living room. Aside from the hoofsteps and what sounded like a few sniffles, the only sound that could be heard was the slamming of a door.
Flitter rolled her eyes and collapsed back against you. “Oh great. Thunerlane must have ‘broken up with her’…again,” she groaned, accentuating her distaste with hoof quotes.
“Does this happen often?” you ask.
“Like, a whole bunch,” she replies, swishing her tail from side to side in discontentedness.
“Aren’t you going to go comfort her?”
“No,” she sighs. “I can’t really do anything to help. She’s super inconsolable until Thunderlane comes knocking on the door begging for her to come back.” After letting her words linger in the air for a few moments, she gasps and brings a hoof to her muzzle, her magenta eyes suddenly sparkling up at you. “Except now you’re here!”
Flitter hops off of your lap and down to the floor. Nabbing one of your hands with her hoof, she leads you down the hallway toward Cloudchaser’s room. “Come on, you’re gonna help me!”
As you approach the jilted lover’s room you can hear the sounds of quiet sobbing emanating from under her door. Flitter seems unaffected and wastes no time knocking on the door. “Cloudchaser?”
The crying seems to halt and you can hear Cloudchaser sniffle a few times before speaking. “N-not now, Flitter, I want to be alone…”
“I’m guessing Thunderlane broke up with you again,” Flitter projects through the door. She casts a glance back at you and makes an exasperated expression, which causes you to grin. “But I have somepony here who can make you feel better.”
Nothing was heard for a few seconds, as Cloudchaser appears to chew over the statement. “I-I did see you…with some-p-pony…Was that the human?”
“Yeah,” Flitter chirps back happily. “He’s here with me now! I was snuggling him, and I think that if you snuggled him it’d make you feel better!”
You bite your lip, uncertain if you want to involve yourself in a broken relationship in such a manner. Still, it’s not as if you could take back Flitter’s suggestion; it was out there now.
An exasperated groan was heard from the other side of the door. “No Flitter. I don’t want to snuggle a stranger from another dimension, I just want to be alone.”
“Are you sure?” Flitter sing-songs. “He’s very sweet. I’d be happy to let you borrow him from me. For just a little while though.” Flitter shoots you a wink.
“GO AWAY!”
Flitter growls at her sister’s outburst and opens the door without thought. “Cloudchaser, I am not going to leave you alone!”
You can see Cloudchaser shoot up into a seated position on her bed. She’s clinging tightly to a pillow, and her puffy eyes betray the fact she’s clearly been crying. “Flitter! Stop!”
“It’s the same thing every time! You’re an absolute mess for like half a week, until Thunderlane comes to his senses and comes back. In the meantime, I have to deal with you! So, you better snuggle the human until you feel better!”
“I don’t want hugs!” Cloudchaser chokes, starting to cry again. “I want Thunderlane back and I want to be left alone!”
“You do want hugs!” Flitter spits back. “I know you do! You’re hugging a pillow right now!”
As soon as Flitter finishes her sentence, the pillow Cloudchaser was holding careens into her face, sending a few errant feathers spiraling through the air.
Flitter blinks twice before continuing. “I’m going to pretend that didn’t just happen.”
“Should I just, uh, leave and come back at a better time?” you ask nopony in particular, gesturing toward the front door with a thumb.
“Don’t you go anywhere,” Flitter quickly orders before turning her attention back to Cloudchaser. “You are lucky to have a sister like me!” She circles behind you and begins pushing you forward into Cloudchaser’s room. “Now, you’re going to borrow the human for a little while.”
“I have a name, you know.”
Your protest is summarily ignored. “You’re going to cuddle him real good, too. And then you’re going to be happy and want to cuddle him more. Too bad! He’s mine. Still, you’ll be thinking all about the warm snuggles you got and not about Thunderlane.” Flitter trots back to the hallway and shoots a smile at you and her sister. “Have fun!”
The door closes, leaving you alone with the distraught twin sister of a pony you had just met.
You turn your attention towards Cloudchaser, who is eyeing you with a clear expression of disdain that is layered over her already emotionally crippled exterior.
“You, uh, you don’t really have to hug me if you don’t want,” you offer. “That was Flitter’s idea.”
Cloudchaser crosses her hooves. “So what then? Are you going to lecture me just like she does? Tell me I can’t keep going on? Talk about how I can do ‘so much better’ than Thunderlane, even though I love him?” She practically sneers at you as she waits for your response.
You defensively hold up your hands in front of your body. “I’m not going to tell you anything. You live your life. I’m just some guy in the wrong place.”
Cloudchaser seems to relax a little bit, but raises an eyebrow. “…At the wrong time, you mean?”
“No, just in the wrong place. Time doesn’t factor into the equation. I’m not supposed to be in Equestria, remember?”
Cloudchaser allows herself a smile and what sounds like a single chuckle. “I don’t know how I could forget.”
You stare at each other for a few moments.
“So, uh, this is a nice place.” You look around the room, which is decked in various lilac adornments and linens. “That pillow you hit Flitter with looked pretty soft, too.” Your eyes light up, and you lean down to pick up the pillow and hand it back to Cloudchaser. “I was right. Here.”
She looks at the pillow in thought for a moment before nabbing it and placing it next to her on the bed. “Thanks. I…I don’t want to admit it, but I was hugging it because it made me feel better.”
“Of course it did. Hugs always make you feel better.”
“…I…” Cloudchaser looks down solemnly at the bed. “I guess I could use another one.”
“From me or the pillow?” you quip back, rewarding your wit with a quick mental high-five.
Cloudchaser frowns at you but shakes her head. “Just…come on.”
You grin and take a seat on the side of her bed, spreading out your arms in offering. Cloudchaser presses herself against you in a deep, cathartic hug which you happily return.
The hug doesn’t simply end, either. It goes on, and on, and on. Not that you mind. Cloudchaser squeezes you briefly a few times every minute, and in response you run your hands gently over her back, being very gentle around her wings.
Cloudchaser nuzzles you firmly, and you rest your head against hers. “Do you want to lie down?”
She moans affirmatively without moving, and you gently lie back on the bed. Cloudchaser quickly adjusts to the new position by letting her head rest on your chest.
As you move a hand up and begin running your fingers through her mane, she lets out a soft purr. “I’m feeling a little better.”
“Good,” you say, smiling up at the ceiling. “Good.”
After a few minutes like that, you roll over and wrap an arm over Cloudchaser’s form. She naturally wiggles and flips around, allowing you to hold her closely from behind.
You run your hand up and down her fluffy barrel. Her coat is very soft, likely conditioned from hours flying all over Ponyville’s skies earlier in the day.
The door creaks open and Flitter happily trots into the room. “Oh, look! You’re snuggling!” She lets out a squeal of excitement. “I just knew it would work!”
You lift your head up to shoot a glare at Flitter before lying down again.
Despite burying your face in Cloudchaser’s mane, you can hear Flitter’s hoofsteps as she approaches the bed. Soon, you can feel her hoof trying to peel you away from Cloudchaser.
“C’mon!” she whines. “It’s my turn again…The borrowing period is over!”
Cloudchaser growls. “Don’t you leave me,” she orders, placing a hoof over your hand.
“Flitter, I don’t think it’s fair to just leave Cloudchaser here. She’s still in need of emotional care, you know.”
“Fine!” Flitter huffs. You feel a burst of air hit your back as Flitter launches herself onto the bed with a burst of her wings. “But I get to cuddle too, mkay?” Lying behind you, she wraps her hooves around your midsection.
“No complaints here,” you tell her. “I love being sandwiched by soft little ponies.”
“Can I have a turn as the little spoon next?” Flitter softly asks, nuzzling the back of your neck.
“No, you can’t,” Cloudchaser answers for you. “You’re the one who suggested this, which means I have first dibs.”
Flitter lets out a soft whine, nuzzling the side of her face into you and pulling her body tightly against yours. “Please, Mister human?”
Cloudchaser tilts her head so that one eye can stare with fiery intensity at you. “Don’t you dare flip around! I want to be held and pet!”
Mirroring Cloudchaser’s action, you tilt your head to look at Flitter. “Sorry Flitter. She’s the boss. When you have a day as bad as hers, you can be in charge.”
Flitter frowns back at you and squeezes you tightly against her, grumbling for a moment. “…Unfair.”
