[FLUTTERRAPE] Special Hug


                                            Originally uploaded to Pastebin: December 1st, 2020

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                                            An Anon posted an image of Pinkie stuck in a chimney, and it gave me an idea.

                                            https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/1/1c/Pinkie_Pie_in_Cranky%27s_fireplace_S02E18.png/revision/latest?cb=20130106072619


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                                            >"What do you mean you don't celebrate Hearth's Warming?!"

                                            >Pinkie can barely contain her horror.

                                            >You simply shrug and continue nursing your hot drink to warm your hands.

                                            "I've just never been big on that sort of thing. Giving gifts, singing carols, that kind of stuff. It's not that I don't -celebrate- it, I like the days off work as much as anyone, but it's not something I'm actively going to take part in."

                                            >Blowing lightly on your hot chocolate, you raise it to your lips and gulp down some more.

                                            >It puts fire in your belly; just what you needed on a day as cold as this one.

                                            >Pinkie Pie holds her head in her hooves, staring with a bewildered expression at the table you're both sat at in Sugarcube Corner.

                                            >"But... it's Hearth's Warming...!"

                                            "Again, it's fine, but I'm not going to be at any parties."

                                            >"Were you always this grumpy?"

                                            "Hey, I'm not grumpy! I always go to your birthdays, don't I?"

                                            >"I mean yeah, but..."

                                            >She holds your gaze then deflates slightly.

                                            >"-Hearth's Warming-, Anon!"

                                            "Saying it like that isn't going to change my mind."

                                            >"Won't you at least swing by and say hello?"

                                            "In this?"

                                            >You look outside at the snow storm.

                                            "No offence, but nothing's gonna make me walk through that if I don't need to. It's bad enough that I have to walk home in it."

                                            >Pinkie looks sadly at the flurry of white just outside.

                                            >"Maybe if I get Rainbow Dash to stop the blizzard you'll visit me?"

                                            "Hah, you know as I well as I do that the weather stops for no one."

                                            >"But if it's like this on Hearth's Warming we'll all be snowed in. You'll be all alone; don't you want to spend time with someone?"

                                            "I always enjoy spending time with people, but not this time. I'll be fine on my own, Pinkie."

                                            >The mare slumps back into her seat, defeated.

                                            >"I... gotta figure this out. See you later, Nonny."

                                            >She rolls off the seat and plods into a back-room of the bakery.

                                            >You decide it's time to go, so you finish the rest of your drink and readjust your scarf as you stand up.

                                            >As you're about to leave, Mr Cake stops you.

                                            >"Off already, Anon?"

                                            "Yeah, I need to head back; make sure I have enough firewood for the week, you know?"

                                            >"That's fair; well the wife and I wanted you to have this, in case we don't see you between now and Hearth's Warming."

                                            >He picks up a box with a neat ribbon between his teeth from behind the counter and slides it over to you.

                                            >"Happy Hearth's Warming, Anon."

                                            "Ah hell, Carrot Cake, you didn't have to do this--"

                                            >"No no," he says resolutely, "we insist. You've done a lot for us this past month with looking after the kids; it's the least we could do."

                                            >With a tired smile, you take the box.

                                            "Alright, fine, you've convinced me."

                                            >He gives you a wink.

                                            >"Knew you'd see it my way. Thanks again, Anon, take care out there."

                                            >With your final goodbyes, you leave the shop, holding your present under your arm.


                                            >For reasons known only to the pegasi that run the weather operations in this region, winter this year was to be unusually grim.

                                            >Regular snow storms and howling gales had been the norm for a good few weeks, and with Hearth's Warming approaching it wasn't likely to let up soon.

                                            >Which is fine for you; you have your books and modelling kits to keep you company whilst you hunker down inside and wait the season out.

                                            >Your thoughts wander to Pinkie Pie.

                                            >These last few years you've been able to avoid being confronted by her regarding the holidays, but the truth was bound to come out eventually.

                                            >No matter; she'll get over it.

                                            >You enter your home and with some effort force the door shut in the face of the storm outside.

                                            >Kick off your snow-laden shoes and put them on the rack by the door, then go to check the fireplace and wood stores.

                                            >At a glance you seem to have plenty, so you needn't go out again to get more.

                                            >That's good.

                                            >Looking about the place, you think about what to do next.

                                            >Eyeing an unfinished model of a ship, you decide to settle down and get started.

                                            >With that in mind, you chuck a few logs on the fire, strike a match, and attend your craft.


                                            >It's very dark when you wake up with a start.

                                            >For a moment you lie awake waiting for your eyes to adjust to the gloom, and listen intently.

                                            >You hear a dull thud.

                                            >There's definitely something on the roof.

                                            >Getting out of bed, you pull on a dressing gown and go to your window, sliding it up and sticking your head out.

                                            >It's still a snowstorm outside, and the flakes sting your face as you squint to try and see if there's anything above you.

                                            >The night and the snow make it difficult make out anything, so you withdraw back inside and close the window, instead opting to go downstairs.

                                            >The thuds continue, and you follow the sound to your living room and fireplace.

                                            >You take the opportunity to light a few lamps, giving the room a soft orange glow.

                                            >A few more thuds, and you see soot drift down from your chimney to the ashen pile at the base.

                                            >You narrow your eyes and clench your fists, cracking your knuckles in preparation.

                                            >The sound of scraping.

                                            >A muffled voice.

                                            >And a sudden blur of pink and black.

                                            >You're knocked flat on your back and stare up in amazement at the pony now proudly sat on your chest.

                                            >"Hiya, Nonnerpuss!"

                                            "What in the hell are you doing, Pinkie Pie? It's one in the morning!"

                                            >"I know! But I was super worried about you so I thought I'd stop by!"

                                            "Through a literal blizzard? Are you mad?"

                                            >She ignores you and flops off, shaking herself like a dog and ejecting the soot all over your living room.

                                            >"Kinda dark in here."

                                            "Yeah I don't make a habit of getting up in the middle of the night. I'm usually asleep by then."

                                            >"You're right. I should have come here sooner-- hey! What's this?"

                                            >She starts playing around with your firewood, waving the blocks around and inspecting them.

                                            "I need that to light the fire and keep the house warm. Come on, Pinkie, you've seen wood before."

                                            >"Cool! Hey why don't you ever invite me around here? It's neat!"

                                            >She prances around the place, lifting things up and putting them down, sticking her nose in every nook and cranny, and finally--

                                            "Don't even think about it."

                                            >She pauses before her hoof can touch your model ship.

                                            >"Why?"

                                            "You don't need a why, just don't touch it."

                                            >"Will it break?"

                                            "If it does, then so does our friendship."

                                            >She slowly retracts her hoof.

                                            >"O-kay. So! What do you wanna do for fun?"

                                            "Fun? Pinkie it's the middle of the night."

                                            >"I know! And it's also...?"

                                            >You stare blankly at her.

                                            >"Ugh-- Hearth's Warming Eve! Tomorrow's the big day, Anon, so what do you wanna do?"

                                            "Do you not recall what I said?"

                                            >"Of course I do! You said," her voice drops several octaves, "'I'm Anon, I'm super grumpy, I hate fun, bluh bluh bluh, something something, come visit me Pinkie I'm so alone'."

                                            "Only about half of that is true!"

                                            >"Okay okay, so, I was thinking to myself; how can I make my friend Anon - who is my bestest, closest, most special friend in the world - happy this year? I know! I'll spend as much time with him as possible!"

                                            "This -year-?"

                                            >You think back on the events of the last twelve months.

                                            >Even for Pinkie she was throwing a -lot- of events this time around. You didn't go to most of them, but definitely more than a few.

                                            >Come to think of it, most of the events were quiet affairs with just the two of you.

                                            >A suspicion begins to form.

                                            >You then realise that Pinkie had been talking the entire time.

                                            >"...Which is why I thought 'I know how to cap the year off! I'm gonna give him a special hug!'."

                                            >The pony beams at you.

                                            "You came all the way out here in the dead of night during a blizzard, then stuffed yourself down a chimney... to give me a hug."

                                            >"Not just any hug, Nonny, a -special- hug!"

                                            "How does that differ?"

                                            >"Like -this-!"

                                            >She jumps forward and wraps her hooves around you, tightly squeezing.

                                            >It's not like she's particularly strong; she's just a pony, so you shrug and put your arms around her.

                                            >For a moment you stand in your living room hugging it out.

                                            >You ponder the smell of her mane for a while, trying to figure out if it's cinnamon, ginger, or both.

                                            >Eventually, you break the embrace.

                                            "So, that was definitely worth the hassle. Now what?"

                                            >"Now we can go to bed." she says with a radiant smile.

                                            "Oh, so no more fun and games? That was literally it? Grrreat. Well, you can sleep on the sofa, I think I've got some spare blankets."

                                            >Pinkie blinks.

                                            >"Sofa?"

                                            "Yup, just behind you."

                                            >You gesture at the plush seating and turn to get some fresh blankets from your cupboard under the stairs.

                                            >After retrieving them, you lay them out on the sofa, then gently pick up Pinkie and set her down on them.

                                            >She seems confused by all this, though she certainly doesn't complain about being handled by you.

                                            >As you wrap her up, she gives you a quizzical look.

                                            >"Uh, so where are you sleeping? Not much room on this sofa, Non-non."

                                            "I'll be upstairs in my bed."

                                            >"...But what about me?"

                                            "You'll be down here."

                                            >Her face scrunches up.

                                            >"What if I get cold?"

                                            "There's plenty of firewood. Here, I'll even set it up for you."

                                            >As you prepare the fire, you think to yourself that you probably shouldn't be so short with her.

                                            >Pinkie's always been a bit odd, but there's no reason to be as rude as you are.

                                            >It's not the first time you've been prematurely woken up, and certainly won't be the last.

                                            >Plus she means well, just in her own odd-ball way.

                                            >Once the fire gets going, you warm yourself on it a bit and turn back to Pinkie.

                                            >You nod your head towards the flames.

                                            "Maybe don't try using the chimney for a while, yeah?"

                                            >She smiles at your attempt at humour.

                                            >"Okie dokie, sir."

                                            "Good night, Pinkie." you stroll past her, "Let me know if you need anything."

                                            >You clamber upstairs, shut your door, and get into bed.

                                            >It takes a few minutes to adjust to the notion that Pinkie is sleeping downstairs, but it's not the weirdest thing you've seen in Ponyville.

                                            >That award goes to Rarity and her body-pillow of herself.

                                            >With that on your mind, you drift off to sleep again.


                                            >You dream of pink sheep.

                                            >They dance around hugging each other.

                                            >Then one of them turns into a dinosaur and starts shooting a laser gun at the sky and screaming 'Akiraaaa!'.

                                            >Before your dream can take an action-packed, apocalyptic turn, you awake suddenly once more.

                                            >This time, to see the gently-lit face of Pinkie staring at you.

                                            >Her face is about an inch from yours.

                                            >You don't stir; suddenly fearful that her sight is based on movement, like the dinosaur from your dream.

                                            >It isn't, so she whispers to you:

                                            >"Nonny; I'm cooooold."

                                            "...Okay."


                                            >"I was nice and snug one minute, but then the fire went out, so I used more wood, but I think I did something wrong because it's not working now?"

                                            >You stare in disbelief at the fireplace.

                                            >All the wood from your store just next to it is gone.

                                            >In the fireplace itself is a mountain of ash.

                                            "How did you... burn it so fast?"

                                            >You look again at the clock on the wall.

                                            >It's only been two hours.

                                            >Pinkie shrugs.

                                            >"I don't know, maybe the wood was just really eager to burn? You know how wood gets; always burning to get burning, right?"

                                            >She licks her lips and clears her throat.

                                            >"Sooo now I'm super cold." she holds your gaze, then flatly says, "Brr."

                                            "I'll... get some more blankets--"

                                            >"None left."

                                            "I'm sorry?"

                                            >"I checked under the stairs, there's nothing there."

                                            >You go to check yourself, and sure enough, all the blankets you previously had are missing.

                                            >There were at least three left earlier, you were certain.

                                            >Running a hand through your hair, you shake your head and turn back to Pinkie, who is watching you with her regular chipper expression.

                                            "Alright, well, maybe just wrap what you have a bit closer around yourself."

                                            >"Ooor I could sleep in your nice warm bed?"

                                            "Then where would I sleep?"

                                            >"Also in your bed?"

                                            "With you?"

                                            >"With me! Wow Anon, that's a great idea!"

                                            >Without waiting for a response, she dashes upstairs towards your bedroom, leaving you staring at the place she was, stunned.

                                            "Oh no."


                                            >You lie in bed, feeling the mattress tremble.

                                            >Just next to you, Pinkie, who is currently vibrating from excitement, suppresses a squeal.

                                            >"Isn't this great?! Just Pinkie and Anonymous; Anon and Pink; Nonners and The Pie; bed-buddies!"

                                            "It's uh."

                                            >You shuffle, noting how small your bed is now with Pinkie crammed in next to you.

                                            "It's great."

                                            >"Right? Okay, so now we need to sleep. Good night, Anon!"

                                            >You stare at her, fearful.

                                            >She stares back at you, grinning, and still vibrating.

                                            >Neither of you blink, or show any sign of going to sleep.

                                            "Are you not tired?"

                                            >"Nope!"

                                            "...Well I am."

                                            >"Great! You should go to sleep then."

                                            >She continues to vibrate.

                                            "Could you stop doing that first?"

                                            >"Sorry, I'm just kind of excited."

                                            >She makes an effort to stop, but her tail, which is sticking out of the bed, starts wagging madly.

                                            >You shift yourself and roll over to your other side so that you're facing the wall, and close your eyes.

                                            >Then, you wait.

                                            >And wait.

                                            >Pinkie doesn't seem to move, and you can still hear her tail swishing about.

                                            >After a good ten minutes, she eventually settles, and moves closer to you.

                                            >You feel her hooves slide around your sides, and hold onto you.

                                            "...Pinkie."

                                            >"Yeah?"

                                            "What uh, what are you doing?"

                                            >"Holding you."

                                            "May I ask why?"

                                            >"I always hold onto something when I sleep. Usually it's a balloon."

                                            "Can you stop?"

                                            >"I can't sleep unless I'm holding something."

                                            "...Okay."

                                            >You let her hang onto you and close your eyes again to sleep, when you feel her body press up against your back.

                                            >Her warmth is admittedly comforting.

                                            >Her hoof slowly stroking your chest is not.

                                            >With more effort, you rotate yourself around to come face-to-face with her.

                                            >For the second time that night, a hairs breadth separates you both.

                                            >"Hi."

                                            "You're groping me."

                                            >"Only a little bit."

                                            "Is that something you need to do as well?"

                                            >"Yuh huh."

                                            "Any chance you can make an exception?"

                                            >"Nuh uh."

                                            "Was this your plan the whole time?"

                                            >Pinkie's giant blue eyes stare into yours.

                                            >Even in the dark, the faint amount of light coming through your curtains from the moon is enough for you to make out her face.

                                            >"I wanted to give you a special hug, Anon."

                                            "And you already did that."

                                            >"No. I didn't."

                                            >Her back legs slide around you as well, and she closes the distance.

                                            >Locking all of her limbs in place, you find yourself quite securely held.

                                            >With that, she firmly places her head against your chest and makes a "hrrmmm" noise, as though exerting herself.

                                            >To be fair to her, she's squeezing very hard, for a pony.

                                            "...Is this the special hug?"

                                            >"Yes."

                                            "Did it need to happen in my bed?"

                                            >"Yes."

                                            "Are you... planning anything else?"

                                            >"Nope, that's it."

                                            "No funny business?"

                                            >"All my business is funny, Anon."

                                            "Alright, any extra-funny business."

                                            >"Nope."

                                            "Okay then."

                                            >You're both quiet for a while.

                                            >"Hey Anon?"

                                            "Yeah?"

                                            >"I really really like you. A lot. Like a super-bunch a lot."

                                            "I... like you as well, Pinkie."

                                            >"A super-bunch lot?"

                                            "I like you. Isn't that enough?"

                                            >She squeezes you again.

                                            >"For now."

                                            >...

                                            >"Hey Anon?"

                                            "Hm?"

                                            >"Your extra blankets are in the bin in the kitchen."

                                            "I figured as much."

                                            >"Okay."

                                            >...

                                            >"...Hey Anon?"

                                            "What else?"

                                            >"I uhh, I got kinda hungry for a while."

                                            "Okay?"

                                            >"I saw a cake in your fridge."

                                            "Was it sealed in a box with a ribbon on it, and a big name tag specifically indicating that it was mine?"

                                            >"Yes?"

                                            "Did you eat it anyway?"

                                            >"...Yes?"

                                            "...Did you at least save me any?"

                                            >"Yes."

                                            "That's alright then."

                                            >"But then I got hungry again and ate that as well."

                                            >You sigh, wearily.

                                            >"Are you mad at me?"

                                            "Not as much as I should be." then, after a pause, "You're lucky you're cute."

                                            >She presses herself closer against you.

                                            >After a while, she yawns; you can feel her breath against your chest.

                                            >"Happy Hearth's Warming, Anon."

                                            "Yeah, you too."

                                            >"Say it like you mean it."

                                            "...Happy Hearth's Warming, Pinkie Pie."

                                            >"Better."

                                            >...

                                            >After a good long think, you decide to put your arms around Pinkie and cradle her under the covers.

                                            >Rejecting ponies all year is tiresome.

                                            >Gotta let them win -some- of the time.


                                            The End.