Author's Note

Takes place between A Hearth's Warming Interlude, and A Royal Canterlot Wedding.

Warning: The below may contain dangerous amounts of; ponies, fluff, cuddling, and warm feelings.

You have been warned.

Cuddly Kidnapping Capers Consume Canterlot Castle SFW

Elias scratched his eyebrow, flipping lazily to the next page of A Ponies Guide to Ponies by Twilight Sparkle. It had not escaped his notice that the purple unicorn had slipped a few of her own works into the stack of books she had given him. Now that he actually had the time and mental focus to read, he had begun taking the stack apart, book by book. The book he was working on was supposed to help him understand pony culture, but the more he read, the more he thought that the princess's protege needed a few lessons herself. He sighed and flipped another page, skimming as he determined if he would be taking another trip to the front desk. He and the librarian, Neat Shelf, were on a first name basis with his frequent returns, and if Elias had learned anything about the ponies, he knew he would be seeing a lot more of the fuzzy pink mare, especially given the way her hips wiggled whenever he approached.

A cold child raced up his spine, and Elias mentally cursed himself, and curled deeper into his blanket. With winter descended over Equestria, it was almost permanently cold, and while the ponies in his life all had the advantage of layers of fuzzy pony fluff, he did not. Unfortunately, they had all noticed, and it took a supreme effort on Elias’ part to remain unsnuggled. It wasn’t a bad occurrence, per say, but Elias could almost feel his inner strength being made soft by the fuzzy, adorable ponies. They were just so cute, and warm, and huggable, and…

Damnit! They were making him weak! He needed to stop...

Elias’ eyes flicked up as a low series of whispers seemed to echo through the still air of the library. How anybody had managed to sneak so close without him noticing was a bit strange. Elias, while mildly impaired, knew his senses were always searching for potential threats. He should have been able to detect hoofsteps in the nearly silent library, and the fact that he hadn’t meant that something was up. Elias slowly closed the guide and set it to the side, making sure it was well away of his canteen and the candle he had brought to read by. So late in the night, much of the library was unlit, so Elias resorted to bringing his own candles. He left the light source where it was though, and he slipped around the dark edge of the shelves.

The library quickly became pitch black, and Elias moved slowly through the darkness, keeping a hand out to make sure he didn’t bump into any tables. Once he was just far enough away from the candle, he crouched low and dropped his hand to the hilt of his dagger, looking around with narrowed eyes for the source of the whispers. His eyes flicked to the windows first, still marking that it was nighttime. The snow seemed to glow as it fell, and for a moment, Elias became mesmerized by the white powder, watching it with a slight smile. Snow was so much better in Equestria, so much purer and softer. If it hadn’t been for his recent near-death experience, Elias imagined that he would have accepted one of Night Flash’s invitations to go out and play in it, but Elias could never seem to shake the chill in the air, and with his lack of winter clothing, he confined himself inside. Night Flash had been understanding, and after his fun, he had curled up with Elias by a fire, making hot chocolate for both of them.

Elias’ eyes flicked back into focus as a trio of ponies came around the barely lit corner of the bookshelf. His eyes quickly picked out Neat Shelf, as well as Nightshade. The third pony, however, remained in the shadows. All he could tell was that she was a mare, and a pegasus. Or… Elias squinted. The pony wasn’t in the shadows, she seemed almost as if she was made of shadows, or as if the shadows were following her every move. Elias felt his eyes water as he tried to pick out a definite shape among the blackness, so he looked back to the guard captain and librarian, both of whom were staring at the still-burning candle.

“I thought you said he was here Neat?”

“He was!” the pink librarian replied. “He loves coming here! I always bring him hot chocolate and blankets since the poor dear always seems cold. It’s one of the reasons I agreed to help you find him for the princess’s project.”

Nightshade quickly shushed the unicorn.

“Keep quiet about that! There’s a reason we have to get the jump on him. It took a lot of work to get him to bet something as ludicrous as… the thing, and if he hears, he’ll figure out a way to dodge it again. We can’t force him to be in a thing.”

Neat Shelf snorted.

“Then why are we trying to foalnap him? That is the very definition of forced.”

Nightshade scoffed and waved a hoof of dismissal.

“Semantics. We just need to bag Elias and get to the cuddle room. Could you check the nearest bathroom? I’ll try to find him in the dark. He’s really good about hearing ponies coming.”

“There’s no need Captain,” a smooth voice said from behind him.

Elias turned to find Luna grinning at him with a victorious smile. And a rather large burlap sack. It was her; she was the shadow pony. A glance behind him showed that the shadows were normal next to Nightshade. The alicorn wiggled as she crept closer.

“Now Elias, be a good loser and hop on in my cuddle sack. We have a date with destiny, and I will not let you dodge it again.”

The cuddle pile. Sonofabitch they meant to take him to the cuddle pile. That bet was coming back to bite him, he was just lucky he had thrown in the conditions he had. He just needed to escape two more times, then they had to call it off. The only problem with that was that the three ponies had him boxed in, and two of them had magic. With the third pony being Nightshade, Elias knew that he was in trouble. He had to buy time.

Elias stood and took a step back from Luna, holding his hands in the air.

“Now Luna, you know that we don’t have to-…”

She swiped the sack through the air, forcing Elias to dodge to his left. He narrowly missed clipping a table as he stumbled his way into the aisle. Luna was hot on his heels with a feral grin on her face.

“You won’t be freed by your smooth words this time Elias. Neither will your hug bribes work. Night Flash already waits in the cuddling room. Everypony else seeks your capture. Come quietly, or suffer my fuzzy wrath.”

Elias took another step back, only to halt mid-step as Nightshade flapped down behind him. The thestral spread her wings and grinned.

“You’re not getting past me Bright. I’ll hug you down, then help drag you off. Pay your dues, or things are going to get… fuzzy.”

“That’s what’s going to happen anyway!” Elias said as he took a big risk.

Vaulting a table put him in the air for a few split seconds, but that would be all the ponies needed to grab him. Luckily, the darkness, and the quickness of his movement gave him the element of surprise and he cleared the table with ease, setting off down a side aisle. Elias grinned as he wove a wild pattern through the bookshelves, disappearing easily into the dark library. The cries of the ponies disappeared quickly, and as the noise vanished, he let his steps slow.

Elias took short breaths as he turned his ears out, listening carefully for the approach of hoofsteps. He only had to make it five minutes, then they had to call off the ambush for the day. Then it was as simple as surviving one more ambush, then he was safe. Elias grinned and chuckled softly. He was going to win.

His chuckling ceased when Book Binder came around the corner of the bookshelves, smiling brightly at him. Her face was lit up by her horn, as were the large pair of burlap sacks she was carrying.

“Not this time baby boy. I knew Princess Luna couldn’t get you, but I know just the pony who can.”

Elias tensed, ready to turn on his heel and run. All he had to do was break line of sight, then her magic couldn’t get him. As a fuzzy body plowed into his back, Elias realized he had been baited once more, and he couldn’t help but groan at his own stupidity. The pair rolled to the ground, with Night flash landing on his back, and nuzzling his neck.

“Mhm, Red, you’re cold. Good thing Bindey set the trap when she did, or you might freeze!”

Elias felt himself lift into the air, and one of the sacks quickly covered his upper half. Night Flash giggled and nuzzled as it happened, either unnoticing, or uncaring as he was thrown into the sack as well. Book Binder clicked her tongue and tapped one of Elias’ exposed legs.

“Elias, could you tuck your knees please? I want you to be fully in the sack so that you don’t get hurt.”

Elias snorted.

“How is my leg being in or out of the sack going to change anything?”

“Protection spell on the burlap,” Book Binder replied. “This is a game Elias, nopony is supposed to get hurt, and every measure was taken to make sure we had good, clean fun.”

Elias sighed and tucked his legs in.

“Fine, I’ll play along. Can’t believe I fell into two ambushes in one night though. I’m getting soft.”

Book Binder sat the sack on the ground and turned it so that Elias’ face was towards the opening. The unicorn poked her head in and smiled.

“No you aren’t baby, we’re just getting tougher. You slipped through our hooves three times before tonight, it was about time we started playing dirty. Now scooch over, Princess Luna will be here in a minute to pick us up.”

Elias sighed and extended an arm as best he could. Book Binder giggled and hopped into the sack. The pair of ponies writhed and shuffled about, wiggling and nuzzling as they got into hugging positions. As soon as they were settled, the sack closed, and Elias felt them lift into the air. Luna chuckled as she set the burlap on her back.

“Thank you for being a good sport Elias. This is meant to be an enjoyable experience, and while the chase has been enjoyable, it his high time to get the reward.”

Elias grunted, resting his chin in Book Binder’s mane. The mare giggled and nuzzled him, sighing happily. He felt a hoof touch his chest, and he could almost feal Book Binder’s frown.

“You are cold Elias. Is everything alright? Do we need to take you shopping for warmer clothes?”

“No,” Elias replied. “I just need to make it through the next couple of days, then we’ll be back on duty. I’ve seen what Nightshade has planned. I’ll just sweat through everything.”

Book Binder sighed and nuzzled him again.

“Shoot, and here I was hoping to get you something fuzzy.”

Luna chuckled again.

“I think we’ll be meeting everyone’s requirements then. Because of your resistance to our cuddles Elias, this cuddle pile is larger than the others would have been. I have called in everypony, and this cuddle will last for days. I hope you enjoy snuggles.”

Elias groaned loudly, while the three ponies around him giggled.

Day 1

Elias hated everything. He was currently staring at Night Flash’s flank, or more accurately, he currently had said flank wedged against his cheek. The pegasus had been turned over by Book Binder in their sleep, and since the next break wasn’t for another four hours, Elias wasn’t able to say anything. He had promised to be as friendly as possible and not soil the event by being a party pooper, but the longer he had pony butt in his face, the less he felt like he could keep his word.

Elias’ eyes flicked up as Luna snorted. The alicorn grinned at him, pulling him tighter into her chest fluff.

“Enjoying the view are you Elias?”

His eyes gave her his answer. The alicorn chuckled softly again. She whispered some words to the ponies on top of them, then everything shifted. Elias found himself flat on his back, and a different pony sighed, wrapping their hooves around his chest while snuggling his neck dreamily. Leathery wings folded across his chest, and Elias felt a pair of fangs nip at his ear.

“Enjoying yourself cuddle boy?” Nightshade whispered in his ear.

Before he could answer, Elias found himself face to fluff with Luna as the alicorn settled like a cat on his face and chest. She giggled as she rested her head next to Nightshade's.

“I’m afraid our resident human can’t answer Captain. He is busy doing what we should have forced on him all along.”

Elias felt Nightshade chuckle beneath him.

“Every mare knows that a stallion’s only real job is to be buried face deep in fluff. It was only a matter of time before we taught Bright his place.”

Elias wanted to protest the thestral’s words, but all that escaped was a wide yawn. On some unknown instinct, he let his hands wrapped around Luna’s back, and he closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of lavender as he fell asleep.

Day 2

Elias was having a difficult time coming to terms with his feelings regarding ponies. Neat Shelf was in his arms, completely knocked out on his chest. To his left was Scalpel, who was much the same, while to his right Book Binder and Night Flash talked quietly to each other. Elias was at the base of the pile, and despite the dozens of ponies above him, he had no trouble breathing, and didn’t feel at all crushed. No doubt it was the safety spells Luna had briefed them all on when they had started forming the pile. There was a reason she had been forced to commission a cuddle specific room.

Said alicorn smiled at him from above. Luna nuzzled the top of his head.

“Enjoying yourself yet Elias?”

Elias didn’t answer, and he felt himself flush as he tried to look away. Luna’s smiled widened and she prodded his forehead.

“Come on now Elias, it is quite alright to admit it. Everypony here is of the exact same mindset, it is why they are here after all.”

Elias sighed and met her eyes again.

“Fine, you win. I do enjoy this. I’m a complete softy now thanks to you. Damn soft ponies.”

It decidedly not help him stay angry when Neat Shelf hiccuped in her sleep. The mare’s face showed obvious distress, so Elias nuzzled the top of her head, while also rubbing her belly in small circles. The librarian giggled, then settled back with a happy sigh. Elias looked back to Luna, who seemed to beam with pride.

“Very good Elias. You have all the makings of a Hugmaster.”

“I’m not signing that Luna.”

The alicorn sighed, but her smile did not waver.

“I know Elias. Perhaps in time, but not yet. I will say this however, you are not soft; not like you believe you have become at least. You are ever the battle-hardened warrior we found in the Everfree, and in a few days, you will no doubt prove it.”

She took a deep whiff of his hair.

“But it is alright that you are also the soft human that enjoys cuddle piles. You can be both, it is merely about learning the situations when one or the other is called for. You already have the capability and intelligence to make those calls Elias, so relax. Snuggle freely and without fear. This is all for you.”

Elias sighed and shook his head.

“I’m… not sure I can do that Luna. I… I just don’t know if I can.”

Luna sighed again.

“Very well then Elias. Sleep, think about my words. You still have another full day and a half to release your inner pony.”

Luna snorted and nuzzled his head aggressively.

“But should you decide to do so, do think of me. I love having a warm human pillow.”

Day ???

Elias groaned as somebody prodded his side. His grip on the pony above him tightened slightly, and he pressed his face further into her back fluff. He wasn’t ready to wake up, didn’t want to leave yet. The third day had been a blur, but from what he did remember, Elias knew that he had done as Luna had recommended and released his “inner pony” for a bit. That Elias had been a hugger, and the chill that had plagued him for weeks had finally dissipated. They wanted to quit now that he was finally getting comfortable? He didn’t want that. He just wanted to sleep a bit longer…

“Bright, get up, the cuddle pile is over,” Nightshade said.

“Shh…” the pony in his arms whispered. “Do not ruin this Captain, he is an amazing snuggler! I should hire him permanently.”

The pony moaned softly as Elias let a hand drift over her belly fur, scratching it softly.

“Yes Elias, perfect. Give all of your love to my softest fluff. Let us cuddle without end my snuggly little human.”

Nightshade prodded Elias’ side.

“Bright, you were supposed to be on duty in an hour, get up. Princess, you have to let him go. Training starts today.”

Elias groaned.

“No… Just…. Five more minutes.”

The pony above him giggled.

“You heard the human, Captain. Five more minutes.”

Nightshade sighed loudly.

“Princess I can’t just let him…" She paused, then said; "I’ll make you a deal.”

“Captain, just take your armor off and join us already! You’ve been wiggling like a caterpillar standing there. Elias wants to snuggle, so snuggle! Encourage this lovely behavior!”

Elias sighed happily as another fuzzy body quickly joined them, snuggling into his side. Nightshade nibbled on his ear and nuzzled his face.

“You aren’t allowed to get up now cuddle boy. Stay right where you are, that’s an order.”

Elias snorted and rubbed his face in her chest fluff blindly. The thestral giggle madly and pressed his face in deeper.

“Good boy, snuggle away cuddly boy. I’m sure by tomorrow this affectionate streak will have run its course.”

Luna groaned loudly.

“Captain! You have jinxed it now! Where will I get a cuddle buddy like this? He’s so warm!”

Nightshade chuckled.

“Had to Princess, you’ve been hogging him for two weeks. The other pile ponies have been asking after him, and unless you intend to have another pile, you gotta let him go.”

Luna sighed and sniffled.

“Wouldn’t have to if he’d just sign the cuddle clause.”

Nightshade sighed dreamily.

“A pony could only wish. Maybe eventually, but he’s needed elsewhere Princess, you know that.”

Luna sighed.

“I know, I know.”

Elias felt her scoot closer, and he cracked an eye open to meet her gaze. She was within centimeters of his face, and she smiled sweetly at him.

“Can we do this again Elias? This has been quite the experience, and I think we have all had an enjoyable time.”

Elias snorted.

“Two weeks? Why don’t I remember that?”

Luna giggled.

“Because my snuggly little human, you have been buried in fluff for much of it, even while eating. I have had a constant shift of extra ponies to join the pair of us, and we have kept you in a fuzzy heaven. Have you enjoyed your time at Castle Cuddle?”

Elias groaned and hugged her tighter.

“Just let me enjoy the last day before I come to my senses and think this is all weird.”

The pair of ponies on top of him giggled and wiggled, nuzzling him back to another peaceful night of sleep.