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// Berry Punch 
// Story: Background Pony Cuddle Simulator 
// by Player 4 
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"...Berry Punch!"

Right after your announcement, all the other ponies simultaneously move backwards behind Berry Punch, giving your selection a visual symbol of being such.

"Ooh, so you're gonna cuddle with Berry!", White Lightning says, sliding a pillow into her pillowcase. "Good choice; she should be interesting, as she's never once cuddled with a human before, and barely cuddled at all!"

You look over to Berry's standing area with a smile, where she is blushing and holding up her left leg behind her head. Looks like she didn't expect to get the honor, and might be a bit nervous too.

But you have experience.

"Hey, Berry Punch, I fully understand if you're feeling uneasy. Cuddling is like that when you're new to it. But speaking from my own experience, it quickly becomes awesome, and pretty soon you forget about yourself being a rookie to it."

"Plus, being a rookie means you get the choices. I'll cuddle you how you want."

Your words appear to be successful, as the punch pony sighs off.

"Thanks, H.C. It is weird. Like, I know I want to be cuddled, but it's hard to actually do it."

"It is. So that's why I'll be gentle with you.", you say, kneeling down to her eye level.

Berry then trots over to her white foam mattress that's covered in a blanket and pillows of a color identical to her coat. Looks like she considers you a good cuddle buddy for her!

You, with your solidly white pajama combination of a thin T-shirt and shorts (the current season being summer), shuffle under with her on the left, forming the zone where more awkwardness is bound to arise. But you know what to do.

"So Berry Punch, how would you like to cuddle?"

She almost didn't want to state what she was thinking, because it seemingly goes against what you had just offered her. Her face shows a worried look. But alas, it is all she can say.

"I really don't know. I'm new to this whole thing."

"Since you're the experienced one, I'd like to ask what you think is best for a rookie."

Alright. Here comes a play out of your book!

"Well, I actually have what I think is the perfect position for a pony in your situation.", you say, smiling at her.

"I find, that if a pony is nervous about cuddling, it is likely a better option for them to be in the more dominant role, for example, as the big spoon. Being smothered, especially by someone they don't know well, can be overwhelming."

"So, would you like to spoon me?", you offer.

Berry loves your thinking and finds your offer to be spooned adorable, but it's not quite what she was looking for.

"I agree that I wouldn't want to be something like the little spoon, but I'd still prefer to be hugged. However, I do like the idea of being somewhat dominant. Got a good position for that?"

"I sure do!", you exclaim. "The perfect position for us here is to have me laying on my back and you laying on top facing down, with both of us hugging each other. You'd get to be hugged, but you'd be in the more dominant role, as you're on top."

Berry Punch... loves it.

"Great thinking, H.C! Let's do that!", she exclaims.

"Perfect.", you say. You slide to the middle of the floor mattress and roll over onto your back, where you can see Berry still hesitating, silently staring at your body.

"It looks hard at first, but it'll feel much more comfortable once you get into it. Just start by lowering your stomach on top of me."

Berry does so, leaning in and pressing her rather pudgy belly onto yours, along with your chest somewhat, making you feel like you have an extra pillow.

"There you go!", you encourage. "Now, I feel like the best way to do this position is for your back legs to also lay on top of mine."

Berry completes that movement, forming the position more.

"Good.", you say. "Now, we hug."

Following your rookie cuddler protocol, you allow Berry to make that movement first. Seemingly powered by the magic of affection, she doesn't have a delay in sliding her right foreleg (on bottom) and her left foreleg (on top) under your upper back. You follow by doing the same to her, after which, you two simultaneously pull the hug tight.

"There you go!", you say to her. "This is it; we're cuddling!"

You lay your head on the pillow and remain silent after this sentence to let Berry get a feel for the sensation.

In the meantime, you enjoy the feeling yourself. Her belly is more on the plump, squishy side, and that, along with her slow breathing, relaxes you under the simulation of a moving pillow.

After a couple minutes of Berry spending time under your cuddles, she gains some rhythm and nuzzles her cheek into your upper chest, contacting your skin with her mane for the first time. It's very fluffy; she must take good care of it.

After a few more minutes, you decide it's time to break the ice. "Feeling good?", you ask.

Berry Punch lets out a deep sigh in contentment. "Yes. This is super relaxing. I love it."

"Good to hear!", you say. "It takes a bit of getting used to, but if you turn out to like it, once you're in it, there it is."

"Oh, yeah.", she says in a whisper as she tries to bury her head deeper into you. You lightly giggle; there's the oxytocin taking hold of her.

After Berry remains motionless for about a minute or two, you feeling like she's falling asleep, and so you continue hugging her from below, tightening your hold on her and also bathing in the cuddle magic yourself, as her front legs continue to affectionately be clasped around you.

But she didn't want to fall asleep. She was determined to squeeze in time on getting to know you better.

"So H.C, you like the drinks I make?", she asks, with her face heavily obscured as it nuzzles into your chest.

A very Berry Punch-style question.

"Yes. They're very good.", you say. "You fit with your name."

You remember that genius creation of natural strawberry juice and sour powder you had drank at your welcome to Ponyville party, right after you first came to Equestria. Berry Punch made a name for herself in your world through that drink. And the grape juice too.

Events like these seem to tighten cuddling, as you can feel yourself being squeezed harder. Like a fruit being juiced!

And you have the opportunity to up it further.

"Berry Punch, is there anything that ponies nickname you by? 'Berry Punch' is kind of a mouthful.", you say.

"Hehe. You're right; it is a long name, and ponies do nickname me.", she responds. "You may have heard White Lightning calling me 'Berry' earlier, and most of the time, ponies call me 'BP', my initials, or 'Punchie.' That one is personally my favorite. It sounds so cute."

"So, you'd like me to call you 'Punchie?'", you say playfully.

Berry giggles. "Yes please.", she says. "Especially on cuddling terms, because that's where the affection comes in."

"Aww.", you say, as "Punchie", as you'll now call her, displays even more cuteness by moving up her head a bit and laying it to the side, so that her mane touches your chin. It's thin, but plenty soft.

You then figure it's time to bring in cuddling bonus no. 2, as you gently run your hand over Berry's back, sliding over to her side on occasion. She lets out another content sigh; if she could purr, you bet she would.

"That feels good.", she says in response to the back petting. "Thanks. I, uh, haven't been pet much in my life."

Haven't been pet much? Well, here were you to change that!

"In what spot on your body have you felt most curious about being pet in, if any?", you ask her.

Uh-oh. Choices, choices.

"Well, I'd really like to have my belly rubbed, but, I. don't. want to leave this hugging position!", she says, squeezing you even tighter. That oxytocin is really overtaking her.

"Aww,", you say, almost overwhelmed by cuteness. You give her mane a ruffle, and note that this is just one night.

"How about this: We'll let sleep take charge. If you don't fall asleep in this position, or if both of us wake up in the night, we'll switch positions. But if it remains like this, it remains like this."

"If such goes that way, well, there's no reason I can't stay for breakfast tomorrow. I don't have any schedule commitments; we'll have plenty of time for belly rubs there."

Berry giggles. "Sounds good to me.", she says.

You smile and give her mane more soft strokes; turns out, that's also something she'd been wanting to experience.

And now that you think of it, breakfast tomorrow, with all these ponies, should be great.

With you and Punchie still in the hug, everything is great. Everything is great for you both to drift off to sleep.