> Pony and You: Night of Comfort with Pinkie Pie > by boardgamebrony > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Cuddles, Snuggles, Nuzzles and Snuzzles > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pinkie Pie’s room has always been a place of safety and comfort. Located in the attic above Sugar Cube Corner, Pinkie’s hideaway consists of two beds: one for her, and one for a friend should they have a slumber party together. It wouldn’t take long for someone to notice that even though Pinkie enjoys the company of multiple ponies throughout her day, her room only has the two beds, rather than say six, which would be the perfect number for all of her friends. And yet any visitor can’t help but notice that lately, her bed has been replaced. It’s bigger than normal. Pinkie walks into the room with her ever-present smile. Her steps are softer and less enthusiastic today. It’s easy to notice, but her eyes catch the attention. Her smile grows into a warm, compassionate gaze. “Hey, I...saw you looked upset today,” she says. “Usually I go up to ponies who are upset, but I had a feeling that maybe I should stand back and see what the problem was. You’re so quiet, though. I think I understand that whatever it is, you needed some time to yourself first. Because tonight, I have an idea.” She trots over to the bed and looks out the window. The rain in Ponyville is planned by the pegasi and tonight they decided that the town needed an overnight downpour. No ponies are outside, so it doesn’t stop them from conducting business. As an added bonus, several ponies have told the local pegasi weather team that nighttime rainstorms encourage intimacy between partners. It’s easier to remember this when standing in a room with the sweetest pony in Ponyville. Pinkie sits down on the bed and keeps her eyes fixated on the rain. The streaks of water cast small tears trailing their way down to the window sill where they drop-off and disappear as more form from above. The racing drops are hypnotic in their own simple, subtle ways. Pinkie motions over to the window. “Feel this,” she says. The touch of the window is cool, like a frosty glass of cold water pulled from the fridge. The patter of raindrops is louder this close to the glass. In a room this near the roof, it’s easy to hear the rain echo noisily on the attic. It’s just quiet enough that Pinkie doesn’t have to yell when she speaks. “When I’m alone, I like to hold my hoof against the window and feel the warmth of the sun on it. Sometimes I put my face there too. It made Rainbow Dash jump that one time she passed by and saw me. Hehe...she is so funny when she gets spooked. She spirals a little and then swoops upward really fast. Tonight though, this window is really cool.” She places her cheek against it and her eyes soften as she smiles. “I don’t know what it is about the cold that makes me love it so much. Maybe it’s the warmth I feel when I pull away from the window and sit on my bed.” She rests her head as she leans over and it feels warm. Anyone who smells her mane could swear it’s like cotton candy. “Hehe, I can hear you sniffing.” She pushes her hair forward. It’s enough to make one blush with the sudden influx of fluff in the face. “My hair is like a pillow.” It’s hard not to hug her at this moment. Pinkie is a mare whose entire life is spent embracing ponies and showing her affection through moments of physical interaction. But today, the feeling is different. There’s a certain personal touch to her attention. Pinkie moves in a way that invites another to move closer to her. And it’s easy to do so. She embraces. “You’re so huggable! Oh...” Pinkie hesitates while holding, though her hug is still warm, still caring, still so comforting. “I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this, but I have this ability. When I hug others, I can tell how they’re feeling right away. Even if it’s something not easily apparent. One hug, and I’ve got tons of information about that individual. But you...you’re closed off. I mean, I can tell you want the hug, even enjoy it, but something is bothering you. I can feel it.” She embraces again. Her arms wrap around and they link together in a way that is so different from everyone else. Not like a friendly hold where the embrace comes, and then there’s a tap on the back that signals the moment is done. Not like a polite hug, where the embrace is so brief, a handshake would last longer and feel more satisfying. No, this is different. This is a transfer of something special between two lonely hearts. And it is very apparent that Pinkie is lonely too. There is a quality to her embrace that says she doesn’t want to let go, that perhaps she is scared too. At the end of the day, when no one else is around, who does Pinkie turn to? It’s hard to say considering how often she presents such a charming personality. “You can see it too, huh?” Pinkie says, her eyes downtrodden. “I guess you’re not the only lonely one around here. It’s just...really hard to be so happy all the time. All these ponies expect so much from me and I work so hard to make their lives better. I practicing singing with them. I talk with those who need it. I make them parties and I send them cards to let them know how special they are. But...when are they ever going to notice that I need a hug? I mean, they forget that I need all of those things too.” Her eyes water and she embraces tight. She moves so slowly. Her tears fall as fast as the rain, but she is quiet. She hasn’t made a single noise since she confessed her fear. And her hold feels as though deep inside, there is a great need for affection and compassion. And it’s easy to smile and return that to her. As Pinkie’s hug is returned, her smile widens and catches the falling tears. She opens her eyes. “Thank you. No one ever thinks to hold me when I need it. I guess...I’m always putting on a happy face for everypony else that it’s so hard to remember when I need to be held too.” “Hey,” she says, suddenly changing the conversation. “Would you...stay here and cuddle with me tonight? Please? I promise it’ll only be cuddles. Maybe nuzzles. And also snuggles, huggles and snuzzles.” There’s a bit of a pause. “A snuzzle is a snuggle-nuzzle combo. Like this!” Her snuzzle is blush-inducing. When Pinkie’s eyes close during a moment of affection, her smile gets bigger. She giggles and pushes her head in a way that causes her ears to flick in joy. To see her daily grin with eyes so blue and bright is a welcome wonder to any hardened heart. But to see her close those eyes and watch as she displays the utmost trust and compassion in someone else...that is a sight that almost no one gets to see. Save for the ones she really cares about. “You smell like a bakery!” She giggles. “I think you’ve been hanging around Sugar Cube Corner too long.” She starts to nibble and it is impossible not to giggle in response. “Awww! It’s cute to hear you laugh.” Her cute nipping is punctuated by small giggles of happiness and before she knows it, Pinkie finds herself pounces forward and hugging a very surprised person against the top of her bed. “I got you now! You’re never going to get away from me!” It is a well-known fact in Ponyville that Pinkie Pie has ticklish back hooves. Pinkie Pie doesn’t know that everyone else knows, but currently in this room, there is one who does. Her eyes widen when she feels a rogue grasp reaching for her back hoof. She gasps in surprise and her face is so red by the realization of what’s about to happen that it shows through the massive amount of pink. At the slightest touch, she winces and her smile spreads. “Ah! HAHAHA! That tickles! AHHHHH! HOW DO YOU KNOW MY WEAKKKKK SPOTTTTT? I’VE NEVER TOLD ANYYYYYYPONYYYYY! AHAHHAAHA!” She flips around and struggles, but the grip tightens as she faces upwards and laughs loudly. She kicks her pillow so hard it splits open. Consequently, her pillow was stuffed with feathers. “AHAHAHA! WHOA, what are you doing with that feather? AHHHAAAAAAAAAAA!” She makes the tiniest sounds anyone has ever heard, her futile attempts at concealing just how much the feather against her back hoof makes her wince and giggle. She flails and her laugh is so heartwarming it’s impossible not to smile now with how red her face is and how much she wiggles around. Until one of her hooves impacts the outer wall and bucks a wooden panel out into the rain-soaked street. The tickling stops. Pinkie stops. After staring out the now-open large space in the wall, Pinkie’s face looks...concerned. “Um...I didn’t mean to do that.” She stares out the hole as rain wets the floor around it. “Huh. That is a pickle. A biggggggggg pickle.” One quick trip outside and one roll of tape later, the hole has been patched up. “I don’t have any nails,” Pinkie says. “This will do for now. I think.” She laughs to herself and turns to face the sweetest partner she’s had in a long time. “You’ve been really wonderful to me tonight. That was really fun! Heh...I really enjoyed the cuddling and the, hehe...tickle fight. Let’s rest together, but calmly this time. I’m so happy you decided to open up tonight. I think before we sleep, we have time for one more thing.” Pinkie works hard to create a pillow fort with both beds, all the blankets and all the pillow and cushions she owns. She places a little booklight at the peak of the tent she created and hangs it with some thread, then turns it on. “Here. We can see each other better with this. That’s good, cause I love to see you smile.” She grins herself and lies down. The cuddles are warm and inviting. She nuzzles and after a while, every embrace, every nibble, every bit of close contact is a soothing and calming moment. Pinkie’s eyes are watering as they did earlier in the night, but this time her smile is so big, it’s easy to see how her heart feels. She nestles her head close and her hair has a playful aroma, reminiscent of all the wonderful creations in the bakery below. She is giggling with every bit of play and she finally wraps her legs around the best partner she’s ever known. She hugs tight and stares with big, blue beautiful eyes shining so brightly in the night. “I’m so happy to have you here with me,” she says and it looks like her face couldn’t be brighter. “Thank you for being so wonderful. It’s soothing to have someone finally get me, after all this time. Just promise to hold me for the rest of the night and tomorrow...I promise I’ll make you something special in the bakery.” She smiles and plants a small, but loving, kiss. She rests her head and her breathing begins to soften, until the room is covered in silence once more. Outside, the rain continues. It falls in waves against the wooden house where two hearts hold one another in a warm embrace. Where the dreams will be pleasant tonight, and where tomorrow morning will be met with the sunshine that only comes from awakening next to one who knows how to make others smile. Outside, there may be cold rain. But inside, there is warmth from a sweet and caring mare who finally knows what it’s like for a wonderful heart to make her smile too. ---