34 – Love
Chapter Thirty-Four
Love
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Everything was going so well. Fluttershy was back with Sunset and they were happy, Sunset and Rainbow were actually getting along again, Fluttershy was even sleeping better. There was hardly any way things could go better.
Although there was at least one thing that could improve things: Sunset could let Fluttershy sleep in for once. She was shaking Fluttershy’s shoulder and speaking softly. “Rise and shine, sunshine.”
“Mmm…” Fluttershy grabbed her hand and rolled over, pulling Sunset on top of her.
“Come on, Shy. You can’t sleep through Christmas morning.” Sunset ran her free hand through Fluttershy’s hair.
“I could if you let me,” Fluttershy mumbled. “Why aren’t you asleep?”
“Because it’s Christmas. You didn’t let me do anything for you last night, so I have to make up for it today.”
Even in the circumstances, Fluttershy had to smile. “Deal. You can start by coming back to bed.”
Sunset chuckled. “Oh no, you’ve been getting your way an awful lot lately. Come on, it won’t be the same if we wait.”
Fluttershy groaned and sat up, noting how dark it still was. She hadn’t had nearly enough sleep, which was only exasperated by having slept on the floor. “What are you talking about?”
“You’ll see. I made you coffee.” Sunset pulled her arm back and retrieved two coffee mugs from somewhere nearby, one of which she handed to Fluttershy.
Fluttershy didn’t want coffee, she wanted to sleep. But between the two of them, Sunset was usually the one who preferred to sleep in; if she wanted them to get up, she had to have a good reason.
So Fluttershy took the coffee, but that didn’t mean she was going to go along blindly if she could help it. “Just tell me.”
“Aww come on, don’t you trust me?”
“Of course I do.” Fluttershy sighed and sipped her coffee. “Fine, we’ll do… whatever it is. Just give me a few minutes to wake up.”
Sunset obliged, letting Fluttershy lean against her while they drank their coffee. If she was more conscious, she might have either kept trying to get Sunset to tell her what it was or else try to figure it out herself. As it was though, all she could manage to do was stay awake, if only barely.
After finishing her coffee, Fluttershy left Sunset with the empty mug as she excused herself to go to the bathroom. The coffee had done a little to help wake her up, and taking the chance to splash some water on her face from the bathroom sink helped a little more.
By the time she made it back to the living room, Fluttershy was feeling a lot more up to doing whatever Sunset had in mind. “So what’s the plan?”
Sunset looked up from her phone with a frown. “We start by killing Apple Bloom.”
Fluttershy sat back down, leaning against Sunset again. “That’s too bad. I like Apple Bloom.”
In response Sunset handed over her phone. Fluttershy blinked a few times at the bright screen, then laughed. “I’m glad you find it amusing,” Sunset said.
“Aww come on, Sunny. It’s cute.” Fluttershy handed the phone back.
“No, you’re cute. I’m a mess.”
Whenever Apple Bloom got up to go to her room, she must have took a picture along the way, which she then texted to Sunset. Fluttershy was lying on her back, sleeping peacefully. She had one arm around Sunset and her free hand holding her girlfriend’s. Although her hair was all over the place, she looked serene.
Sunset, however, did not. True to her word, she looked like an absolute mess. Her head was resting on Fluttershy’s chest and she was drooling. Her hair was a tangled mess and her limbs were sprawled around at awkward angles.
“You should send me that picture,” Fluttershy said.
“No, I definitely should not.”
Fluttershy kissed Sunset’s cheek. “Please? I’ll go along with whatever you have planned for us today.”
Sunset rolled her eyes. “You were gonna do that anyway.”
“And you should reward me by sending me that picture.”
“What am I going to do with you…” Despite her protests, she forwarded Fluttershy the picture.
Fluttershy’s phone alerted her of the new message. She checked it and giggled, kissing Sunset’s cheek again. “So what are we really doing today?”
“We’re going for a walk.” Sunset stood up and collected their boots, handing Fluttershy hers before putting on her own.
“A walk?” Fluttershy repeated skeptically. “We had to wake up at six in the morning to go for a walk?”
“Hey, you got your picture. No second guessing me now.”
“Fine.” Fluttershy reluctantly pulled on her boots. “At least you seem to be feeling better.”
“See? I told you it was nothing to worry about. All I needed was a good night’s sleep after all.”
Fluttershy finished lacing up her boots and stood up. “A good night’s sleep in a warm house.” She walked over to the door and put on her jacket before handing Sunset hers.
“Okay, you’ve made your point.” Sunset took the jacket and put it on. She grabbed a grocery bag that she must have packed with snacks while Fluttershy slept, then pulled her gloves out of her pocket. Finally, she wrapped a scarf around her neck and braced herself for the cold before opening the door.
The cold hit them immediately, making no doubts that this wasn’t weather to go trudging through. Not that it seemed to deter Sunset any. She just held out her hand for Fluttershy’s, then led them out into the cold.
Thankfully it wasn’t snowing, although the ground was covered in fresh powder. Birds were just starting to sing, but other than that everything seemed quiet, everyone still fast asleep in the few surrounding houses.
They seemed to be walking past the houses, though. It didn’t take long before they grew sparser, then they were past the houses completely. “We’re going into Everfree?” Fluttershy asked. She rather liked Everfree National Forest in warmer weather, but at this hour and with everything covered in snow, she couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to be there.
“Yup,” Sunset said. “It’ll be cool, trust me.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I do. But won’t it be too dark?”
“The sun will be up soon enough. We’re not gonna go trudging around the forest in the dark.”
The sun still wasn’t up by the time they reached the edge of the forest, so they stopped for a few minutes. Sunset pulled an apple out of the bag and handed it to Fluttershy before getting one for herself.
“You don’t think Applejack will mind that you took some apples, do you?” Fluttershy asked. Her uncertainty didn’t stop her from biting into it, however.
Sunset chuckled. “I think Applejack would be offended if we didn’t take some apples. Besides, she still brings me bags full of them all the time. If they’re somehow low on apples I can just run home and grab some more.”
“True.” Fluttershy finished her apple and began looking around for somewhere to throw out the core. Sunset shook her head and finished hers as well. She took Fluttershy’s core and tossed it over her shoulder along with her own.
She pulled out a bottle of water for each of them. It must have been room temperature when Sunset grabbed it from the house, because it wasn’t too cold. That was fine, Fluttershy really wasn’t in the mood for a cold drink anyway. If anything, she wished she had a thermos with more coffee in it.
The first rays of the sun were starting to spread along the horizon. “We should get going,” Sunset said.
“You don’t want to wait until it’s just a teensy bit lighter?” Fluttershy asked hopefully.
“Can’t, we’re sort of on a schedule. But it’s okay, we’ll just take it easy. We’re not in a hurry.”
Sunset led them into the forest. Fluttershy followed but shook her head. “But wait, we’re on a schedule but not in a hurry? If we’re not in a hurry, why can’t we just wait a few minutes until it’s lighter?”
Sunset looked around before spotting a beam of light shining through the trees. “Because of that.”
“What? I don’t get it,” Fluttershy said. She shook her head and nudged Sunset. “You’re not gonna tell me are you?”
Sunset shrugged. “Nope.”
As they walked, more light gradually shone through the trees, illuminating their path just enough. They moved through the still mostly dark forest quietly, letting the gentle sounds of nature guide them along.
The gentle light in the snowy forest was a picturesque sight. Before long, Fluttershy forgot about how tired she was, finding herself actually enjoying the walk instead.
There was a sound nearby, then Sunset put her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. She looked around for whatever made the noise, And Sunset leaned in to tell her something.
She never got the chance, though. The same rustling noise happened again, and this time, a deer walked out. Fluttershy’s eyes went wide and she beamed at the sight of the majestic creature. He was a full grown stag, and looked like he might be taller than Fluttershy from hoof to head; he was definitely taller counting his antlers. He stood watching the two women, with no one moving.
Slowly, Fluttershy reached into the bag on Sunset’s shoulder and pulled out an apple. She held it up so the deer could see it, then rolled it to him. He watched it until it stopped, then eventually took a few steps closer to reach it. He bent down and ate it without taking his eyes off of them.
When he finished Fluttershy pulled out another one. This time she held it out instead of rolling it. The deer’s ears moved around, but he didn’t move from where he was standing. Eventually Fluttershy took a step forward and the deer huffed. Sunset grabbed hold of her arm and nodded towards his antlers.
Although she understood that he was a wild animal and not a pet, Fluttershy wasn’t worried. As long as she didn’t do anything to startle him, deer weren’t aggressive by nature. At most, he would run away from them if he got too worried.
She set her hand on top of Sunset’s for a second before turning back to the deer. He took a small step forward. Fluttershy gently brushed off Sunset’s hand and took another step. She began humming Silent Night, quietly at first. When the deer didn’t run off at the sound she hummed a little louder. After one rendition she started again, singing the words out loud.
She took another step and set the apple down in front of her. She took a small step back and let the deer take the final steps towards her. This time when he bent down, he didn’t bother to keep his eyes on them as he ate.
Fluttershy stood motionless, awed by the animal’s beauty. She could hardly believe she had the chance to get this close to him. Up close, she could tell he was much bigger than she was.
Fluttershy never stopped singing. Slowly, very slowly, she reached out her hand, making sure he could see her every move and that she wasn’t holding anything. When he didn’t back away, she brought her hand to his shoulder. He allowed her to stroke his shoulder twice then turned and ran off, kicking up snow on Fluttershy in the process.
She fell backwards, smiling the whole time. Sunset ran ahead and caught her before she hit the ground. She wrapped her arms around Fluttershy and held her tightly. “I can’t… Fluttershy…”
Fluttershy just laughed. “Sunny, I’m okay! Everything’s okay!”
Sunset’s breathing was rapid. “Jesus, Shy, you scared the crap out of me! Please don’t ever do anything like that ever again.”
Fluttershy turned around and could hardly believe what she saw. There were tears in Sunset’s eyes, and she looked so scared. Fluttershy cupped her hands around Sunset’s face. “I’m sorry. Please, Sunny, don’t cry. I’m okay, really.”
“What? I’m not…” Sunset reached a hand up to her eyes and wiped her tears away. She seemed surprised that they had even been there. She let Fluttershy get up to her feet and helped her brush the snow off.
Afterwards Fluttershy flung her arms around Sunset. “Coming out here was a great idea! I’m so glad you thought of it.”
With her nerves finally calming down, Sunset was able to smile. “Well, I didn’t exactly count on that happening.”
After taking a moment to rest they resumed their walk, and Fluttershy had a new enthusiasm for everything. The sun was high enough now that sunshine was filtering in through the branches in beams of light, giving the forest a heavenly look. They spotted numerous animals along the way, though they didn’t find anything quite so large as the deer, no doubt to Sunset’s relief.
“You never had anywhere specific you wanted to go, did you?” Fluttershy asked knowingly.
Sunset grinned. “No. Just… here.” She held out her arms and gestured all around them.
“It’s beautiful, but why?”
“Because… it’s Christmas. I don’t really get a lot of this stuff, so maybe I’m wrong about this all, but… well, you don’t go to church anymore.” Sunset looked down at the ground. “I guess I thought that maybe this place was kind of spiritual, in a way. That’s probably really dumb…”
Fluttershy wrapped her arms around Sunset’s neck. Sunset had never understood Fluttershy’s spirituality, and at most she had always seemed indifferent towards it. The fact that she did something like this to acknowledge a part of Fluttershy’s life even though she didn’t understand it meant the world to Fluttershy.
“No, it’s not dumb at all. You’re right, this place is perfect.” She pulled Sunset down enough to kiss her properly. “This is the best Christmas ever, and it’s still just morning!”
“Maybe, but it still doesn’t beat the best Hearth’s Warming ever.” Sunset leaned in and kissed Fluttershy again. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
It hadn’t escaped Fluttershy’s attention that they hadn’t said those words to each other since getting back together. She hadn’t been sure if it was right to say or not, but now, she knew better. She loved Sunset, and she wanted her to know it.
Nothing they could say would be better than that, so Sunset just held Fluttershy close while they admired the snow-covered forest around them.
Still, as beautiful as it was, it was also freezing. Eventually, Sunset said what they were both thinking. “What do you say we head back for breakfast?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Good idea.” She held Sunset’s hand on the way back. She began humming a few notes of a song but stopped. “Hey, Sunny?”
“Yeah?”
“Will you sing me that Hearth’s Warming song again?”
Sunset grinned. “Fine. But I don’t make any promises about singing anything when we get back.”
Sunset sang the song again, with Fluttershy humming along. Once she was done, Fluttershy tried singing it herself, picking up on the words quickly. After that, Sunset surprised her by suggesting a Christmas song, and they wound up singing together all the way back, the two of them in perfect harmony.
~ End Act IV ~
Here’s a song to end the act, one of the first songs I felt was a definite Sunshyne song.
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I...ok for one, this was a super cute chapter. Loved the bit about the deer and Sunset's awkward sleeping position. But the fact that it starts with Fluttershy thinking that Rainbow and Sunset are actually getting along.....
I like that this has been absorbed as a part of Playing House, as it would have been weird having readers leave the main fic to go read another one then come back. Warmth in the Snow was always a beautiful story and this is a really nice update to it, the forest scene in particular seeing things from Fluttershy's PoV.
Now comes Act 5 and all of the tears. I've read enough Finding Home to know that things won't end well.
Two more sweet and heartwarming chapters, I love how you incorporated your warmth in the snow arc these two are just the best couple, now gotta prepare myself for act five and the eventual heartache we hear about in finding home
It just occurred to me, when is the court date with Stormy Skies supposed to happen? Is that within the scope of the story or does it happen later?
9858177
Might not be one. Might’ve taken a plea bargain. That’s pretty common.
9857888
I mean, except for the whole Shy being wrong about Sunny and Dash, but a little drama never hurts 
Hehe I'm not a bitch to these characters all the time
9858104
Yeah, I figured pointing readers to another story just to come back to this one would be hella awkward, more so than dropping an old story right into this one. Glad everyone seems to be enjoying it, this story needed a bit of a break from the drama and Warmth was a great way to do that.
9858163
Thanks, glad you liked it! And yeah, the break in drama can't last considering who's writing this, but hopefully it'll be enough to get everyone through Act V
9858177
Originally the court date was supposed to happen in this story, but when researching how that would go down I found out that not only do those sometimes take years, but a sexual assault case will almost never involve the victim. Basically Shy would've given all her info to the police then the state holds the trial unless they absolutely have to involve her directly for some reason. So her involvement ended with a paternity test, which would've been done while she was still pregnant. The case itself will not be shown directly for that reason, not once it happens, it'll be brought back up to catch readers up on how it all goes.
Uh
I love this
It's fluffy and cute
It's really amazing and romantic and beautiful
My idea of a date really
... It won't last long will it? Ugh, why do you even bother trying to make people happy?
Can't wait to have the rug jerked away from under my delicate emotions. But I guess at this point it won't be that bad to take it
9884143
You know I don't always make my characters miserable, right?
this is sweet.
...
almost... too. sweet. what do you have planned, o great bringer of tears?
I've always found it interesting that Sunset sees Applejack's woods/farmland as a spiritual place. Fitting seeing that it's where her daughter is buried. I get why they didn't go there, though I was sure that's where they were heading on my first read. That said, it probably wouldn't have had the result of moving forward as opposed to looking back. Still, it really does cement that things are shifting and going into Act 5, I really do appreciate that all the pieces are in place for what's to come.
Oh god, don't start chapters like this. D:
Now that's love, total support no matter what. :)
Okay, you scared me a little, but that was cute. :D
Deer actually can do a lot of damage if you startle them from too close. They’re biased towards the “flight” part of “fight or flight,” but that doesn’t eliminate the other side.
Sunset and Fluttershy being vegetarians and thus not smelling like predators probably helped a bit, though.
Maybe things won't get bad now, but I'm afraid I'm gonna regret saying that later.
Fair enough.
Not gonna lie, part of me was kinda expecting something awful to happen in the forest.
Something different must be yet to come, though. At least there's niceness for now.
I have been reading this series for a solid week now, this sweetness could be a trick, you're getting my Hopes up, I definitely want you to keep it that way