//------------------------------// // Sleepy Bundle // Story: Domestic Drabbles of Discord's Dimension // by GeekCat //------------------------------// "Oh, Flutterbuddy!" Discord sang, appearing at Sweet Feathers Sanctuary in a flash of light. He held a tall pitcher of lemonade in his claw, juggling two cups with his tail. "You've been working hard all day...I think you deserve a treat!" He paused, waiting for a response from his dear pegasus. But everything was silent, aside from the animals that had turned to see what he was doing, or the new arrivals that had quickly scurried away, surprised by him. He frowned, catching both cups with his tail and looking around. He had appeared at the treehouse, aka the main central structure in the sanctuary, aka where Fluttershy kept her lists of tasks. He had been hoping to catch her here in between tasks...then it might be easier to convince her to put her hooves up for a minute. "Oh well," he said with a shrug, letting go of the pitcher and cups and allowing them to float alongside him. A deerstalker hat appeared on his head, a bubble pipe in his mouth, and a magnifying glass in his hand. "This just means I'll have to find her and then convince her to take a break!" With a satisfied smile, he blew a large bubble and began to search around the treehouse. Well, the hook meant for a list of chores was now most definitely empty. And since he had enchanted it to not let lists be taken off by anything but pony hooves, wings, or magic (with him and a handful of non-pony volunteers being an exception), and there were no volunteers working today, Fluttershy had to have taken it. A bit more investigation around the clearing, and asking a few cooperative animals (with the bribe of treats, of course), led him to find a trail of hoofprints leading out of the clearing and to a wooded grove of the sanctuary. They were fresher than any of the other trails around, so that must have been the direction Fluttershy had gone in. He followed her trail, staring at her hoofprints every so often with the magnifying glass, the lemonade and glasses still following behind him. Hoofprints all looked pretty much alike to him, though Fluttershy was the only one working today...and he hoped, at least a little, that he could distinguish her prints from anyone else's. Hmm...how could he test that, though? If he boasted to Fluttershy that he could, she'd be more than willing to set up a test, but if he failed, he would certainly have egg on his face... He smacked right into a tree, jolting him out of his thoughts. He scowled up at it, rubbing his head and pushing down the lump that was forming. It seemed that, as distracted as he was, he had floated all the way over to the grove of trees. A couple of animals were hiding in its shade, staring at him with gleaming eyes. He whipped out his magnifying glass and looked at the ground. Yes, Fluttershy's hoofprints went into the grove...but he couldn't see a trail leading back out. He smiled, blowing a final bubble out of his pipe before making his detective outfit vanish, grabbing the lemonade and cups in his hands once again. Landing on the ground, he slowly and silently crept forward and into the shade of the grove. She would be spooked and upset if he actually scared her...but startling her with a sudden gesture of affection never got old! And with the promise of a break, she would surely laugh it all off once she realized it was him. His lips twitched into a smile, his head slowly turning back and forth to try to catch a glimpse of his Fluttershy. The grove wasn't that dark, especially since it was mid-afternoon, but it was shadier and cooler than most other places in the sanctuary. Suddenly, his eyes locked on her pastel yellow coat. It...it looked like she was on the ground. And she wasn't making any noise...had she fallen, or hurt herself!? "Fluttershy!" he said, teleporting over to her in a flash of light, his heart pounding frantically in his chest. As soon as he was in front of her, but not soon enough, he gripped her shoulders. "Fluttershy!" he said again. "Are you okay—" He paused, his grip on her loosening as he took things in. She didn't feel sick or overheated, he didn't see any injuries, and he couldn't smell any blood. Actually, she looked rather...peaceful. In fact, her brows furrowed slightly at the sound of his voice, and she rolled from her stomach onto her side as his grip slowly loosened. He stepped back for a second, watching as her chest rose and fell with each even breath. "...are you sleeping?" he asked in a quiet voice, as though she could answer him if she was. She shifted, adjusting some kind of makeshift pillow under her head. He blinked, his brows furrowing as he bent to get a closer look. It appeared to be her list of chores. He chuckled, shaking his head. "That can't be a very comfortable pillow," he teased quietly. She just shifted again, wrinkling the paper more. Well...she probably wouldn't like it if she woke up to find her list wrinkled up, and maybe torn. With a snap of his fingers, he replaced the list with an actual pillow, holding the long sheet of paper in his paw. Some of the ink was a little smudged, and it was quite wrinkled, but there were no tears. After a couple of snaps to fix it up (and to add a few doodles that would make her laugh later), he teleported it back to its rightful hook. With that done, he sent the lemonade and cups back home and looked at Fluttershy. She had happily snuggled into the pillow he provided, and he could now see that there were a few ink smears on her cheek. He chuckled a bit and summoned a wet washcloth, gently rubbing them off. She had been working so hard at the sanctuary for the past few days...that was a large reason why he had hoped to surprise her with a break. She must have been more tired than he thought, if she had curled up near the trees and passed out like this. As he sent the washcloth away, he wondered if she had meant to fall asleep, or if she hadn't even realized how tired she was. She could be so determined and stubborn at times, especially when it came to her animals... He sighed, but with a small smile on his face, sat on the ground next to her, laying his hand on top of her head. "Mmm..." she said, shifting slightly in her sleep. A tiny, sleepy smile appeared on her muzzle as he buried his fingers in her soft mane, gently scratching behind her ear. His heart leapt just at the small actions she made when she slept! He couldn't believe he had gotten so soft over her. In the past, he would have woken a sleeping pony up, just to see their reaction, or drag them into the chaos he was thinking of. What was the point in sleeping if there was chaos to spread, mischief to cause? But spending so much time with his Fluttershy...it had shown him how nice quiet moments could be, too. "You've really gotten to me, you know that?" he whispered to her. "But you already know how soft I am, don't you. Oooh, you just revel in teasing me about it, too." Her ears flicked, and her wings shifted, but she didn't stir otherwise. And that soft smile was still on her face. He sat there for a few more minutes, letting her rest and enjoying being next to her. He glanced up at the sky, where the sun, though still high in the sky, was drifting ever closer to the horizon. With a groan and stretch, he removed his hand from her head and stood up. Immediately, her expression turned to one of slight confusion, and her hooves sprawled out further on the grass. He couldn't keep his tail from wagging a little when he realized that she must be looking for him in his sleep. Well. Even though it was still early, and she would probably say there was still work to be done, she couldn't exactly work in her sleep! And he knew from experience that sleeping on the ground, especially near trees and their roots, put quite a few kinks in your back and neck by the time you woke up. With a snap of his fingers, he summoned a fluffy blanket, bending down to wrap it around her tightly. Once she was nice and secured, and still fast asleep, he scooped her into his arms, lifting her up and holding her against his chest. "Mmm?" she murmured, wriggling slightly in her sleep. The blanket kept her from moving too much, or slipping out of his arms. (He had felt awful the one time that happened, apologizing as she rubbed the shoulder she had fallen on and assuring him that she was fine, that he couldn't have predicted it.) "Hey there," he whispered, holding her tightly to his chest. "Flutternutter, settle down. If you've fallen asleep at work, you shouldn't be wasting more of your energy in your sleep!" He gently nuzzled her forehead. At his touch, she quickly relaxed, smacking her lips and going completely limp in his arms. He sighed, adjusting his grip on her so as to support her head more easily. With a snap of his tail feathers, the pillow turned into a spongy moss lump, and with another snap, he teleported them both back home, right into their living room. He placed her gently on the couch, laying her head gently on top of a fluffed pillow and unwrapping the blanket burrito she was trapped in. He shook out the blanket, sending any bugs or flecks of grass away with a snap of his tail feathers, before draping it over his wife and tucking her in. His work done, he paused for a moment, watching the gentle rising and falling of her chest. She was...so peaceful and precious. A part of him almost wanted to wake her up, to be able to do things with her, or show her some chaos. But he knew she needed her rest...and another part of him was happy to spend any moment with her, even if it was quiet and she was fast asleep. With a gentle smile, he patted her head again. "I'll make some tea for when you wake up," he whispered. "...I think whatever work you have left can wait until tomorrow, if you're tired enough to pass out in the sanctuary." Her only response was a sleepy smile, and to shift slightly in her sleep, but that was probably more of a reaction to his touch than anything. Oh, she was just too precious to resist...with a smile, he leaned forward, and gently kissed her forehead. His heart felt lighter at being able to express his affections. He stood back up and strolled towards the kitchen, humming tunelessly with a smile on his face. Fluttershy's eyes briefly cracked open the slightest bit. She could hear Discord boiling a kettle in the kitchen, whistling along with it. She felt so warm and cozy...wrapped up snuggly in the blanket, with a soft pillow under her head...she yawned, curling back up and starting to drift off again. This wasn't where she had fallen asleep...she'd have to remember to thank Discord when she woke up, she thought as she peacefully fell asleep again with another yawn.