S N U G S
It was a beautiful day in Ponyville. There was a light breeze that kept the heat from becoming too overbearing. Rainbow Dash actually did her job for once and the sky was cloud free. The leaves of the trees rustled gently, playing a song for the two love birds that made their way up a hill for a calming picnic.
Applejack breathed in the fresh valley air and looked about the horizon, to Ponyville off in the distance, to her marefriend, Fluttershy. With a beautiful scene like this, she couldn’t keep herself from smiling even if she wanted to.
“I’m real happy we decided to take a break today, Fluttershy,” Applejack said. “I didn’t realize how bad I needed it.”
“Everypony needs a break sometimes, Applejack. You’re the hardest worker I know. If you keep working from dawn to dusk all the time. You’ll burn yourself out.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” AJ replied knowingly.
Fluttershy called out in a gentle song to the tree at the top of the hill. Four little robins flittered out of the tree and pulled a large quilt out of her bag. They spread the blanket out wide on the flowing green grass.
“Thank you, my little friends,” Fluttershy said as she stepped on the quilt and sat down.
Applejack took the basket off her back and placed it down in front of Fluttershy.
“Did you bring the bird seed?” Fluttershy questioned.
“Sure did!” Applejack said.
She reached into the basket and pulled out a little bag of bird seed. Applejack handed the bag to Fluttershy, and the pegasus began to toss the birdseed to their diligent helpers.
“I brought Peanut Butter ‘n Jelly,” Applejack said. “A bottle of wine, a few sweets…”
“Any apples?” Fluttershy asked.
Applejack looked at Fluttershy with a sly smile.
“Do I look like the kind of pony who’d come to a picnic without any apples?”
Fluttershy giggled as Applejack pulled out two small glasses and the bottle of wine. But, then she searched inside the basket for one more critical piece. She pushed item after item aside, and a wave of concern spread over her face.
“But… I don’t know if I brought a wine opener.”
“Oh no!” Fluttershy said. “My little dearies, would you be able to go fetch a wine opener from my cottage? It should be right on the kitchen counter.”
Two of the little birds chirped eagerly and flew off.
“I always have a wine opener easily available in case of a wine emergency,” Fluttershy eagerly added.
“There’s a joke here,” Applejack said, sitting down next to Fluttershy. “But you’re too cute to tease.”
“I dunno about that,” Fluttershy mumbled, blushing.
Applejack wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy and buried her head into Fluttershy’s mane. The stetson atop Applejack’s head nudged itself off and fell to the blanket with a gentle pat.
Fluttershy’s mane smelled of sweet vanilla and soft lilac. When mixed with the fresh apple cinnamon of Applejack’s mane, the two quickly became lost in their own little world. Being together meant being able to shut out the rest of the world’s stresses. Even if just for a little while.
“Wanna lay down?” Fluttershy asked.
Applejack looked at her in surprise. Fluttershy wasn’t exactly the most forward of ponies.
“Just to cuddle?” she added.
“Of course,” Applejack responded.
The two ponies laid back, and Fluttershy extended a wing for Applejack to rest on. Fluttershy’s wing feathers were so soft and billowy that it was like sleeping on a cloud.
Applejack looked into the sky, absorbing the vivid blue hue that radiated in all directions. The world felt at peace. She didn’t think about the strange bark growth that was spreading in the southwest corner of the apple patch. She didn’t think about how they were running out of dog food and needed to make a stop at the store on the way back. She just simply was. She was with Fluttershy. That’s all that mattered.
She turned to look at her marefriend, who was studying Applejack intently.
“What were you thinking about?” Fluttershy asked. “You looked so peaceful.”
Applejack chuckled, looking deep into Fluttershy’s cyan eyes.
“For a change?” she said with a pause. “Absolutely nothin’.”
Fluttershy hummed peacefully. She reached out her hooves and pulled Applejack in closer.
“I’m so lucky to have you in my life,” Fluttershy said to Applejack.
The words took Applejack off guard. Really? Did Fluttershy think she was the lucky one in all of this?
“Silly goose,” Applejack said. “I’m the lucky one.”
Applejack placed her lips on Fluttershy’s. She pressed back passionately, but not intensely. Fluttershy’s gentle nature always made everything feel so special. So fragile. So deliberate.
Applejack broke the kiss and wrapped her hooves around Fluttershy, burying her face into her chest tufts.
At that moment, a little corkscrew landed gently on Fluttershy’s side. Fluttershy looked up, and saw two little birds sitting patiently, waiting for praise.
“What good little dears! Look Applejack, they saved the day!”
Applejack chuckled, looking at the little birds with pride.
“Well ah’ll be! Looks like there are some serious perks in making friends with all the animals, huh?”
“You could say that,” Fluttershy said. She pulled the bag of seed toward her and extended a hooffull out to the birds.
Applejack sat up and uncorked the wine. She poured two glasses of the white-yellow Chardonneigh and extended a glass out to her marefriend.
“A toast?” Applejack asked.
“To what?” Fluttershy asked, taking the wine in her free hoof.
“To us?”
Fluttershy hummed to herself, then looked down to her little friends.
“To the birds?” Fluttershy suggested.
One of the birds got a small piece of feed stuck in it’s head feathers. The other bird picked it out gently and gave it’s partner a peck on the cheek.
“How about... to love,” Applejack asked.
Fluttershy smiled and looked to her marefriend with a nod.
“To love.”
The picnic had only begun a bit ago, but the two lovers could spend an eternity in their moment. Sure, the outside world had jobs and obligations waiting for them. Stresses that could consume their thoughts and amplify their anxiety. But all of it would have to wait. Right now, they had their perfect little moment.
And they would relish it for every second they could.