//------------------------------// // Of mistletoes and winter floof // Story: One lazy morning // by Fedairkid //------------------------------// Twilight’s heart was thumping in her chest. She was sure everyone in Ponyville could hear it at this point, she had never been so excited in her life. She had overcome evil villains, saved Equestria from certain doom and ascended to being an alicorn. But somehow, none of those things had gotten her as excited, anxious and flustered as standing next to Rarity right now. Probably due to the mistletoe hanging above the two. Definitely because of the mistletoe. The princess’ cheeks were bright red, and the heat wasn’t helping her snap out of her trance. She had been waiting for something like this to happen for a long time now. She had always appreciated the white unicorn as a friend, ever since the day they had first met. But over time, she had felt herself more and more drawn towards the fashionista. She realized what her feelings meant a while ago, but alas, she never got to tell any of that to Rarity. Not that she hadn’t tried, but whenever she approached the target of her affection with any such intentions, all of her strength left her body and her mind would become incapable of anything more than unintelligible nonsense. And it was no different now. This could be the moment where her love story began, this could be the start of something amazing. She kept telling herself that over and over again, trying to get her limbs or mouth to respond, to do anything at all. But her words got stuck in her throat, and her legs tensed up, unable to follow any of her commands. This could also be the moment where Rarity rejected her feelings, and their friendship fell apart. The familiar thought flooded Twilight’s mind, fueling her anxiety. Being so close with Rarity but not being truly together was making every second of her life painful, but losing their friendship? It would rob it of all meaning. Inside of the alicorn’s mind a battle was raging. Potential versus consequences. But the battle had been fought too many times by now, and Twilight was tired of the conflict. And with that, she decided to finally seize the moment. Moving her body took Twilight more willpower than any task ever had, not to mention finding the words to actually talk. But, somehow, she managed. Twilight looked her friends in the eyes, almost losing herself in that gorgeous ocean of blue. “Rarity, I…” Any intentions of talking were quickly interrupted when Twilight found her lips sealed. This time however, it wasn’t because she couldn’t muster up the courage. It was because Rarity’s lips were on top of them. Confusion and surprise washed over Twilight, but she decided to quickly cast them aside and let joy take over. She pushed back against the unicorns mouth and leaned into the kiss. It wasn’t a quick peck or some joke smooch merely because of the occasion. It was pleasure, fueled by the long suppressed emotions of both sides. Neither mare had to say anything, both knew what this meant. Everything was most certainly fine. Twilight groggily opened her eyes. A few sleepy glances around quickly told her that she was inside of her own bedroom within the castle of friendship. Really nothing out of the ordinary. The room was satisfyingly tidy and organized, just like she always kept it. Well, maybe except for when she was frantically searching a certain book or scroll hidden who knew where. The window panels were framed with a thin layer of ice, and the windowsill outside was covered in snow. Through them, the morning sun shone into the room, illuminating chambers in silvery rays. It was winter, so the sun lacked most of its welcoming summer warmth. Similarly, the temperatures outside were freezing cold. Despite that, Twilight was feeling comfortably warm under her blankets. It wasn’t just because of her squishy, almost cloud-like mattress or her thick blanket made from only the finest of feathers; the perks that come with being a princess. It also wasn’t because of the noticable amount of winter floof garnering on her chest due to her being part pegasus. And while her dream certainly had been a pleasant retelling of events that had happened a few days ago which had left her in a rather good mood, it still wasn’t the source of her warmth either. No, what kept her warm was the white unicorn cuddled up next to her. Rarity’s back was pressing against Twilight’s chest, and there was practically no room between them. Twilight lovingly looked over her now special somepony. Her normally flawless purple mane was disheveled from the night. The mare’s upper torso was sticking out from under the blanket. Her alabaster coat was still unkempt, and strands of white fur were sticking out at random angles. Something Rarity would tend to first thing in the morning, Twilight was sure. All of that together with the rhythmic sinking and heaving of the unicorn’s chest and the innocent expression on her face were so incredibly adorable, Twilight could just stare at her for all eternity. Instead, Twilight opted to wrap her forelegs around her marefriend’s barrel to pull her in even closer. Slowly of course, in order not to wake Rarity from her slumber. Once she snuggled closer to her love, Twilight let out a content hum. Feeling their furs mix together was pure bliss, and through their contact Twilight could feel Rarity’s heartbeat. Slow, steady, and at peace. It made Twilight feel like there was no trouble in the world. No duties to take care of, and no business to attend… That, of course, couldn’t be farther from the truth. With hearth’s warming eve right around the corner, the princess’ schedule was packed. Festivities all around Equestria required her to fill out some paperwork or other, and especially the local celebrations in Ponyville stole all of her free time away. And she would still need to finish decorating the castle, which was already a daunting task all on its own. Twilight technically couldn’t afford any slacking off. But, considering everything she’d done for Equestria over the years, surely she could allow herself to take this morning off, right? The prospect of spending the next few hours dozing off next to her love was certainly far more compelling. In fact, it was pure bliss, and Twilight wouldn’t have minded if time suddenly froze and this moment could last for all eternity. Actually, a spell came to mind that would achieve just that. Difficult to cast, but not impossible for an alicorn of Twilight’s caliber. She lightly chuckled at the thought. Thinking about it now, messing with time probably wasn’t a great idea. She’d had enough of that with Starlight. Twilight rested her head in the crane of Rarity’s neck, the smell of her perfume’s remains mixed with the mare’s natural scent filling her nostrils. It sent Twilight right back to the realm of sleep. Her decision was made. If it meant that she could cuddle and sleep next to her partner for a few more hours, then Twilight could definitely allow herself this one lazy morning to enjoy the moment while it lasted.