//------------------------------// // Snuggleshy // Story: Rarity Snuggles Everypony (Whether They Like It Or Not) // by PropMaster //------------------------------// Fluttershy sighed as she trotted inside her cottage, her nightly routine of feeding complete. It was late, as always, but she felt a warm sense of fulfillment, knowing that she had taken care of all of her critter friends. The otters had been fed, the birds had been tucked in their nests, the mice were back in their holes with plenty of seeds to nibble, and the squirrels were gorged on acorns and not likely to cause any trouble in the night. With a gentle yawn, Fluttershy paused at Angel Bunny’s indoor hutch, where she let him sleep when the nights started getting cold. Angel sat at the door, one foot tapping restlessly. Fluttershy smiled at her fluffy friend. “Hello, Angel. Have you been a good boy for Momma while she’s been busy?” Angel shot her an exasperated look, but nodded compliantly. Fluttershy beamed at him. “What a good boy! That means you get your late-night snack. Here you are!” Fluttershy produced a carrot from her saddlebag, offering it to the disgruntled rabbit. Angel practically leapt upon the vegetable, gnawing on it happily. Fluttershy giggled and nuzzled the rabbit, who returned the nuzzle in a rare show of affection. Yawning again, Fluttershy hung up her saddlebag on a hook on the wall, and trotted up the stairs to the second floor of her cottage. “Whew. What a day. Going to the market always leaves me exhausted,” she murmured to herself. Humming quietly, Fluttershy stepped into the bathroom and turned on her shower, waiting patiently as the water warmed. With a content sigh, she slid under the falling water, letting it roll over her back and withers, drenching her flowing pink hair until it hung to the floor. She sang a soft, wordless tune as she bathed, her wings fluttering and flipping water as she stretched them out and cleaned them. It had been a long day. “A shower always feels so nice,” Fluttershy commented to nopony in particular. She felt the tension of the day wash down the drain with the dust and bits of animal food and accumulated particles that were common to an animal caretaker such as herself. She turned off the shower and sighed as the water dripped off her in rivulets, before shaking herself from nose to tail, sending a mist of water every which way. She took a moment to wring the water out of her mane and tail, before giving her matted hair a small toss, satisfied that most of the moisture was gone. She moved out of the shower and grabbed a towel, quickly rubbing herself dry before grabbing a spray bottle of sunflower-scented feather oil. Spreading her delicate wings open, she gently applied a fine misting of the waxy oil to each wing, before she began working the oil in with a combination of her hooves and mouth, preening each wing carefully as she ensured that all her feathers were in alignment and properly oiled. After an hour, she was satisfied, collecting the small pile of loose feathers and downy fluff up with one hoof and leaving them in a basket at a nearby open window. Her bird friends would use it for nesting material, and she loved to see the tufts of her yellow feathers shining in the homes of her feathered friends. It was like she was always with them, keeping them warm and cozy. That idea warmed her more than any shower could, and she tucked herself into her bed with that happy thought in mind. “Goodnight friends,” she whispered to her cottage. With a small smile, Fluttershy drifted off to sleep. Fluttershy awoke with a small squeak as she felt two hooves wrap themselves around her midsection, and found herself being pulled close to a warm, fuzzy body. Trembling in fear, Fluttershy lay still, frozen with panic. She felt as though her hammering heart would beat right out of her chest. Small shivers slowly ran down her spine as her unseen assailant snuggled her tightly. “Mm… sunflowers… for the orphans… hmmmhm, yes…” murmured an oddly familiar voice. Fluttershy’s mind whirled with confusion. Her best friend? In her bed? What could she possibly be doing there? The terror slowly sapped away, leaving Fluttershy feeling limp and weak, almost panting as she tried to calm herself down from the edge of a massive panic attack. She glanced down to her midsection and put one hoof gently on Rarity’s own well-groomed foreleg, confirming that she was awake and not dreaming. Rarity gurgled out a distinctly unladylike snore, which startled Fluttershy, causing her to squeak and pull her hoof away. After the panic fled and the reality of the situation set in, Fluttershy couldn’t help but giggle at the absurdity of her predicament. She giggled quietly, of course, being considerate of her sleeping friend. “Pff… that’s… twenty percent stupid… gnnh… no fashion sense…” muttered Rarity, her teeth clenching in her sleep. Fluttershy muffled another laugh with her hooves, and finally decided to speak up. Rarity had always told her to be open and honest with her, and she knew that being more assertive could only be good for her in the long run. “Rarity, um… sorry, I don’t mean to wake you, but… uh, if you wouldn’t mind waking up… I would really, really appreciate it…” “Hmmph… gnn… the butter is…is in the fridge, darling… put it with the…hnn... yellow things…” Rarity non-replied. “Um… I mean, it’s not that I don’t mind you… sharing a bed with me… but maybe if you wouldn’t sleep so close… we could be more comfortable?” Rarity, almost in response to Fluttershy’s gentle entreaty, tightened her grip and snuggled her face into one of Fluttershy’s wings, sighing happily. Fluttershy blushed, letting out a small ‘eep’ of surprise, but didn’t push Rarity away. She waited a few moments, and then sighed, defeated. “... Well, o-okay, I suppose this is… fine. You can stay here tonight, Rarity, as long as you explain yourself tomorrow.” “Gmm… ha… the dandelions are very… fluffy…” Rarity murmured. “... Okay,” Fluttershy whispered. A few awkward minutes of hoping Rarity would wake up passed before Fluttershy resigned herself to her fate and tried to relax. After some strategic shifting, she found a slightly more comfortable position, and leaned back into her best friend. Rarity was warm, and her gentle breathing was soothing in a strange way, and Fluttershy found herself smiling as she went back to sleep. She was sure Rarity would wake up tomorrow with a wonderful story of how she ended up in her cottage, and they would be able to laugh about it at the spa. She sure hoped so, at any rate... Fluttershy yawned and stretched, her eyelids peeking open slowly as early morning light streamed through the nearby window and warmed her fur. She sighed happily. She hadn’t slept so peacefully or awoken feeling so well rested in a long time. Turning over, she reached for the other side of her bed. “Rarity, it was really nice having y—” her words caught in her throat. The other side of the bed was empty, a few deep indigo hairs clinging to the pillow, and a warm imprint of a body all that remained of her friend. Fluttershy sighed, frowning slightly. “...That’s odd. I hope she wasn’t too e-embarrassed… or maybe I snore?” She winced, sitting up. “What if I snored really loudly and woke her up?” She felt her heartbeat increase in tempo, and a droplet of nervous sweat worked it’s way down the side of her face. “ANGEL!” Angel Bunny sat up straight as his name echoed through the house, shocked awake by the volume of the cry. Fluttershy sounded like she was in trouble. A fire was ignited in the little rabbit’s heart, and he leapt from his hutch, swiftly dashing for the stairs. Nothing messed with Fluttershy. Not on his watch. Angel kicked open the bedroom door with unexpected strength and force for a creature his size, leaping to the center of the room and spinning in a fast circle, taking in the scene. Nobunny else was there. Nobunny but Fluttershy, at any rate. She was curled up in the middle of her bed, sobbing. Angel leapt up on the bed, pressing a paw to Fluttershy’s forehead. No fever. He visually inspected her. What could have possibly— Angel found himself suddenly grabbed, and Fluttershy brought him to her chest, hugging him desperately before holding him out at length. “Angel! Do I snore too loudly?! I must be the most obnoxious, most awful sleeper in all of Equestria!” As Angel was crushed to Fluttershy’s chest once more, her body wracked with gasping cries, all he could think was that it was going to be one of those days. After indulging Fluttershy’s hysterics a few moments longer, he wriggled out of her grasp and gave her an incredulous look. Fluttershy met his gaze, hiccuping softly as she blinked at him through her tears. “I-I’m sorry, Angel, if I ever kept you up at all hours with my awful sleeping habits!” Angel shook his head emphatically, and put a paw on Fluttershy’s cheek, patting it gently, before giving her a solid slap across the nose. Fluttershy squeaked, startled out of her hysterical tears by the stinging sensation. Angel grabbed the stunned pegasus by the hoof and led her, stumbling, downstairs to the kitchen. He hopped up onto the counter as Fluttershy stood, trembling, in the middle of the kitchen, still distraught. He dashed about the countertops in a memorized routine, before finally stepping back to admire his work. A kettle of water sat on the stove, slowly heating, and a packet of chamomile tea sat beside Fluttershy’s favorite pink tea cup. He hopped back down from the counter and prodded Fluttershy, who blinked uncertainly at the rabbit. “O-oh, um… some tea does sound nice…” Angel waited patiently with Fluttershy as she fixed herself a cup of tea, slowly calming down as the routine of the activity settled her nerves. She finally sat down on the sofa, holding the cup of tea and waiting for the packet of leaves to finish steeping. She spoke up hesitantly, looking to the white rabbit by her side. “Are you s-sure I don’t snore?” Angel nodded emphatically, and gestured towards the tea. Fluttershy took a careful sip after blowing on the surface of the hot water once or twice, and sighed at the relaxing flavor. Angel sighed as well. Crisis averted.