“Oh golly! Nopony has ever gotten me a gift before!” Twinkle exuberantly exclaims as she stares down at the plush pony with the pretty shiny red ribbon wrapped around its neck. She squints her eyes at this stuffed white unicorn before her with its sparkling blue eyes and wavy violet mane.
Sunny widens her eyes from the right at the polished hardwood kitchen table, “That’s Rarity! She represented generosity!”
I turn my head to face Sunny as I sit across from Twinkle, “So uh, it’s appropriate then? I’ve just been calling her White-Horn! Rarity? That name sounds a lot better!”
Sunny smiles, “Remind me later to tell you some stories about her!”
Twinkle blinks as if deep in thought before finally staring up at me, “Yeah… You generously gave me a plush toy…” she raises her gaze at me, “Uh, thank you so much, Jessi! It’s really nice!” before smiling and setting the toy down at the table on her right and getting off her chair to the left and taking four paces towards me and embracing me in a tight warm hug as I sat there on the wooden chair at the table, dumbfounded in this other filly’s embrace!
“EEP!” I squawk in a completely non-adorable fashion…
<*****>
I gotta admit, Jessi sure is cute whenever she squeaks while being hugged! Still, I know I’ve seen this pony before! But where?
I frown while deep in thought as the name Rarity and white unicorn with violet mane desperately search inside my fractured mind for something to connect with.
The teal filly before me widens her burnt orange eyes at me and asks, “Uh, you okay Twinkle?”
I start and widen my own eyes at the other filly while fixing my mouth, “Uh, YES! I’m fine! Everything is just fine!” before a slow smile starts to form on my face… I just hope it doesn’t look fake!
Jessi smiles and nods, “Well, okay Twinkle!”
Sunny stares up at the clock on the back wall with the messy counter and its many disorderly wooden blue shelves on the other side of the table, “Oh my! It’s already 8:37!” she looks at Jessi at her left, “We gotta go soon!”
Jessi smiles at me, “Yeah, we sure had a lot of fun, didn’t we? Bet you can’t wait to try her out tonight, right?”
I start again and stare at the other filly, “What do you mean?”
Jessi lowers her grin somewhat, “Well, you just got a new snuggle buddy, right? Don’t you wanna sleep and cuddle her in bed tonight?”
Izzy smiles while staring at me from just beyond Sunny on my left, “Come on, Twinkle! Snuggle your new friend! It’ll do you some good!”
<*****>
I sit at the table and stick my tongue out the right side of my mouth and let out a big sigh.
The orange alicorn sitting across the kitchen table from me smiles and says, “I’m guessing we’re gonna skip your usual milk and cookies tonight, Jessi?”
I look up at the other pony with a wide-eyed start, “NO! I do NOT NEED milk and cookies tonight! Uh, “I smile and fix my eyes, “Just juice is fine, thank you!”
She nods, “Well, you know where it is! Go get it, squirt!”
I nod again, “Right!” Before dismounting the chair on the left and turning to trot away from Sunny to the kitchen beyond…
She hollers at me in the other room, “That sure was nice, what you got for Twinkle!”
I yell back as I turn towards the fridge on the left, “Yeah! She seemed kinda shocked! Almost like she didn’t know what to say?” as I think about the obviously fake smile she gave me towards the end.
As I magically open the fridge door on that side with a pale blue glow, I hear the other pony say, “Well, she’s been through a lot! I think she can use all the friends she can get right now, both real and stuffed!”
As I telekinetically fetch a tall clear glass from the upper right wooden counter, I frown as I think about my own stuffed friends and how I had decided long ago that they’re as real as they need to be, but decide against saying that as I say instead, “Well, do you really think snuggling Rarity at night will help Twinkle?”
I hear Sunny yell back, “Absolutely! She needs to know that she’s not alone and now, that toy will remind her of her good friend Jessi!”
I widen my eyes with a start as I suddenly stop pouring orange juice from the clear glass bottle to the left of the glass on the counter I realize that stuff just got real!
<*****>
I lay there under the soft shiny blue covers in my bed, on my left side, as I stare at this mysterious white stuffed pony under the covers with me, sitting with its head on the other pillow… I gaze at her in the darkness, and I see her sewn-on blue eyes staring back at me and furrow my brow while deep in thought…
Am I too old for stuffed toys? Well, uh, I’m actually not sure how old I am? I adjust my gaze at the white unicorn, Um, even if I am, does it really matter? They say it will give me comfort.
I gulp and stare at this plushie, with her shimmering violet mane and tale and sympathetic looking azure eyes, and sigh as I whisper, half to myself and half to this plush pony, “Well, it’s just me here! Well, me and you, stuffed horse… “I blink and think, I guess I’ll give this whole snuggling thing a try now.
I move my right forehoof over the covers and behind the plushie to grasp her in my leg and bring her to my puffy chest… I must admit that it feels nice, and I can’t help but grin slightly as her shimmery mane tickles my nose, forcing me to wrinkle it…
I know Izzy has held me and cuddled me before, but this is different, somehow…
I say lowly, “Golly, it sure is swell having you here under the covers with me, Miss Rarity! I’ll admit that I didn’t think this would be good, but now, uh…” my resolve gradually deteriorates before grasping the toy tightly in both of my forehooves to embrace it for a tight warm hug as I smile ear to ear and lovingly move my face left and right as I clutch this stuffed pony tightly…
I whisper in Rarity’s ear, “I guess this is it, huh? We’re about to snuggle in bed together and sleep!”
<*****>
“Oh, thank you Miss Izzy!” I say to the other unicorn standing in her doorway before smiling on that breezy Saturday morning as tree branches swayed above me in the sudden gust.
She smiles back and gazes at me congenially with her red eyes and says, “Well, come on in, Jessi! Uh, I’m not sure if Twinkle Shine is awake yet, or not?” before frowning.
I maintain my grin at the blue pony, “That’s fine! Just get me a coffee, blond with no sugar please, and I’ll wait for her at the table!”
<*****>
A knock at my door startles me from my restful sleep as I continue to clutch Little Rarity to the floof of my chest.
I hear a soft feminine voice say from behind it, “Time to get up Twinkle! Your best friend is here!”
I shake my head and whisper, “Oh golly!” before looking up to my door at the far corner of the room and saying, “Just a minute!” and then, looking down to the cuddly white unicorn in my hooves and saying lowly and quietly, “Well, I guess that was our trial run, huh? Golly, I gotta admit, sleeping with you sure was swell, Miss Rarity! I’ll see you later!” before gently kissing the plushie on the forehead, and then making my way out of my bed over Rarity while being careful to not crush her underneath my weight… I’m a pony and weigh a lot more than a plushie!
I make it to my hooves on the floor with a clack, before turning my body right to begin trotting towards the door…
<*****>
I grasp the white coffee mug in my pale blue magic and force it to tilt slightly to the front of my muzzle as I chance a sip of the warm caffeinated beverage and the other pinker filly, stares at me with wide brown eyes in front of the glass of orange juice, that she requested…
She smiles at me, “Hiya Jessi! Golly, it sure is swell to see you here! Uh, “she frowns, “what are you doing here, anyway?”
I float the cup back down to the table and eye this other foal carefully, “Well, it’s Saturday! We always hang out on Saturdays, and I wanted to get an early start!”
She nods and grins very slightly, “Oh, golly! That sure sounds like fun!”
I smile back, “Right! So uh, how did you like Rarity, last night?”
She shakes her head and gazes back with a startled look as her mouth goes agape, “Who, now?”
I lower my grin as my eyes widen, “Rarity! The plushie I gave you! Did you like snuggling her?”
She starts and shakes her head again before normalizing her mouth, “Oh, that thing! Um… I kinda uh,“ and she trails off to mutter something inaudible…
I bring my neck closer to the pink filly. “Uh, didn’t quite catch that, Twinkle Shine?”
She widens her eyes and says louder, “It was really nice!”
I smile again, “Well, I’m glad Twinkle! I wanted to give you something personal that would make you think of me, and I think the darling Miss Rarity does a wonderful job!”
She scratches the back of her head with her right forehoof, “Oh, golly gee, Jessi! I guess I’ll get you something nice when your birthday comes around. Uh, when is it now?”
“January 21st!” I reply.
She lowers her hooves and widens her brown eyes, “Okay! I’ll get you something then! And Hearthswarming, of course!”
I nod, “Of course! Uh, Twinkle?”
She starts and stares at me again, with those same large brown eyes, “Yes, Jessi?”
I lean forward slightly while staring at the other filly intently, “You’ve been acting weird, ever since I got you Rarity! Uh, is something wrong?”
She sighs, “Well uh, you know how I was turned to stone two thousand years ago?”
I blink, “Yes?”
She looks down slightly, “Well uh, I know I’ve seen that pony before…” she adjusts her gaze to me, “I finally remembered that she was a Guardian of Harmony…” she looks up at me, “She was one of the ponies that defeated me…”
I blink and widen my eyes completely, “Oh, gosh! I’m SO SORRY!”
She nods, “Don’t be, Jessi… I need to make peace with these ponies, in one way or another, but now, when I stare at her, I don’t see an enemy…” she gulps, “I see a friend… A friend to snuggle…”
I frown while eyeing this other foal carefully, “So, you’re not mad?”
<*****>
I smile at the emerald filly and say, “Not at all Jessi… I like Miss Rarity a lot… Thank you so much!”
She seems visibly relieved at this point as her shoulders lower and loosen and she grins back and says, “Oh, okay Twinkle!” she smiles wider, “I’m glad!”
I lean forward, “So, what did you wanna do today, friend?”
She then suggests that we go to the park, and I agree… We play ball at the park and stop for ice cream and have a wonderful sunny Saturday together…
<*****>
(Three days later…)
I’m happily putting together another pink dollhouse with my magic while inside my workroom. I hear pop music, but honestly, that’s only background noise to me as I focus my gaze upon the roof of this tiny structure, when suddenly, I hear a loud knocking coming from the front room, opposite to my workroom and across the cottage!
I widen my eyes and think, Who in Equestria could that be? Before turning my body to the door behind me, covered in many colors of paint splattered upon it and yelling out, “Hang on! I’m coming!” and then, beginning to hoof my way to the door…
I magically open it in a blue glow and without slowing down, proceed to trot through my kitchen area and around my table on the left as I hear that same knocking as before…
I look up as I walk, “Hang on! I’m almost there!” as I quicken my pace towards the front door.
I finally reach the door and open it with my horn to reveal a green filly with a wavy grayish-white mane and tale. She looks up at me with enormous orange pupils and says, “Sorry to come unannounced, Miss Izzy! But I was wondering if Twinkle Shine was around?”
I smile and reply, “Oh! I told her to go in her room and color or something until I make us dinner here in a bit! Come on in, Jessi!”
I turn and trot in as I hear reluctant hoofsteps behind me and the door quietly closes, probably because she used her magic? Yes! That makes the most sense to me! I continue trotting towards Twinkle’s room on the left side of the cottage as I say to Jessi, “Wait right here! I’ll go get her!”
I see Twinkle’s red wooden door and use my magic to open it as I approach and I trot inside and look to the left to see Twinkle on her bed… Except, it’s not just Twinkle there… She has three stuffed equine forms up there with her… She stares up at me over the blue pegasus plushie with its rainbow mane and says, “Hey! Haven’t you heard of knocking?”
I look up at her and also notice the orange earth pony plushie with its blond mane done into a long roll and say to her, “Uh, sorry Twinkle… Why do you have so many plushies?”
She starts and blinks back at me, “W-what do you mean?”
I gulp and look back at her, “I mean, I only counted one plushie two days ago! Not three!” I blink, “I know reality’s been kinda trippy over the last few months, but I don’t think plush ponies appear from nowhere!” I adjust my gaze lowly at the pink filly, “At least, I’m pretty sure they don’t! Uh, why do you have three now, Twinkle?”
She smiles like she’s about to be hung and says, “Well uh, the magical plushie fairy stopped by!”
I narrow my eyes as a low grin begins to form on my face, “Twinkle!”
“There was an overwhelming plushie surplus on the West side of Equestria and they had to go somewhere!”
I smile wider as I chuckle silently, “You like plushies, don’t you?”
She starts and shakes her head slightly, “Um, maybe?”
I giggle more profusely and respond, “Well, Jessi is here to see you Twinkle! I can’t wait to hear what she has to say when she finds out about your new friends!”
She visibly gulps and replies, “Oh, golly!”
(To be continued…)