OMG PLS PONY TICKLES!! I LOVE THOSE SILLY THINGS AUGH
whos ur favorite pony if u have one?? :0
THIS QUESTION MADE ME SO HAPPY I DREW ALL MY FAVS. but rest assured i love every single horse in the mlp canon so so sosososososo much i love mlp i LOVE MLP!!!!!!!!!
"Ay, Mon Cher, s'il te plaît! I thought you wanted to look your best for the Princess!"
"Ihi-! I dohoho but-!"
"Then you simply MUST stay still! Mon Dieu..."
"I CAAHAN'T!!"
Context: A Royal Gala is being hosted by the Princesses, naturally, Shining Armor wants to look the best for his wife and asks Prince Blueblood for help. Unfortunately, he had not quite expected the preparation go down this road.
this idea has been rotting my brain for SO LONG!
I just saw one comic where these two had to work together, and ever since, their friendship is all I could think about, sue me
Also I may do more rare pairs like this in the future because the community is severely lacking... HmM
When I was watching Make Your Mark, I didn't expect there to be a tickle scene. And apparently Hitch is the only pony who has proven to be ticklish in both Make Your Mark and Tell Your Tale. The video above shows Make Your Mark proof.
I dunno why, but I really like him and felt really compelled to draw this. Like, I almost convinced myself to stop everything to draw this 2 to 3 times before giving in---
Summary: Somnambula gets Stygian to open up about how he truly has no hope about being able to reconnect fully with the pillars, Somnambula is quick to try and dispell his thoughts and reassure him in, of course, the best way she knows how.
C/W: A tiny bit of angst (if I can consider it that), fluff and of course tickles!
A/N: This is a Pillars centric tickle and comfort series that takes place both before and after "A Rockhoof and a Hard Place" I've been cooking up for quite some time, so I hope you all enjoy it!
“Breathe in—”
Somnambula’s gentle accent flowed like a gentle breeze beneath the blaring sun as she sat cross-hoofed, eyes closed, concentrated upon her meditation mat. “Let all that clouds your mind drift upon the breeze as you—” She exhaled softly. “Breathe out.”
“I-I’m not sure this is working out, Somnambula.” Stygian interrupted gently with a strained grunt. He was already struggling to get into position as it was—his body felt stiff, uncooperative. It seemed being trapped in a shadow body for over a thousand years left a pony quite inflexible.
“AH—!”
He tipped sideways with a startled yelp, tumbling onto the cushions in a rather undignified heap. He expected a chuckle, chortle, any form of amusement at his misfortune, but he received none such.
Somnambula was on her hooves instantly, her winged ears flicking back with concern. “Stygian! Are you alright?”
“I’m sorry...” Stygian muttered, pushing himself upright again. “I’m making a fool of myself, aren’t I?”
“Not at all—” She replied at once, voice sincere. She approached him, her movements calm, unhurried—elegant and secure. “But it is clear to me that something else troubles you, Stygian.” Her tone softened into a gentle hum. “What irks you, my friend?”
He hesitated.
The air was quiet, the distant whisper of wind kicking up sand with it's quiet voice. Stygian stared at his hooves.
“I don’t think…” He swallowed. “I don’t think there’s any hope.”
Somnambula settled beside him, folding her legs beneath her. “Hope for what?”
“For us.” He admitted, placing a woeful hoof on his chest. “The Pillars. I know they forgive me, but forgiveness isn’t the same as… closeness.” His ears drooped. “You all share stories. Laugh together. And I just—” His voice cracked. “I feel like a scar that never truly healed.”
She regarded his words quietly, then smiled—not brightly, but thoughtfully.
“Hope—” She started, “Often grows quiet when it believes it is unwelcome.”
He let out a weak huff. “Then it’s right to hide from me.”
Somnambula frowned. She hated seeing her friend in such dismay. Tapping her chin lightly in thought, an idea came to her—she reached out, resting her hooves lightly over his foreleg. “May I?”
He blinked, skeptical and surprised by the question—may she what? Rang in his mind—then he nodded. “Sure?”
She stood, shifting closer—not crowding him, but closing the distance just enough to feel present. As she adjusted, her feathers brushed faintly along his side.
Stygian flinched—then sucked in a sharp breath.
“S-Sohomnambula—?”
A soft, startled giggle escaped him before he could stop it.
She paused immediately. “Is something wrong, dear?”
“Nohoho—!” he replied far too quickly, then steadied himself. “It was just…" He cleared his throat trying to dispell the butterflies that stirred in his stomach. "Just unexpected.”
A knowing smile curved her lips. “Then allow me to be clearer.”
Her hoof rose and traced a slow, deliberate path along his side—light, exploratory, never pressing too far. The sensation was gentle but persistent, like wind teasing tall grass.
“Eyah—!? Ahaha—” His words dissolved into frankly adorable, breathy laughter as his shoulders shook, a soft, gentle blush decorating his features. “Whyee— Why thahahat—!?”
“You hold yourself very tightly.” she observed calmly, ignoring his question and continuing her soft ministrations. “As though you fear that if you relax, you will disappear.”
“Eheheh— Ihi— mahaybee—!” His laughter came a little easier now, less tense, yet he couldn't help but struggle to find the audacity of her to act as if she weren't tickling him to bits. “Buhut I still don't gehet—" He yelped when her hoof trekked a particularly sensitive patch under his ribs. "Sohohomnambula!”
She shifted her touch, feathers dancing lightly along his ribs, coaxing out warmer laughs and even softer squeaks—soft, endearing and far too foreign sounds that echoed faintly through the expanse.
“There.” She murmured. “Do you feel it?”
“I— Ehehe! I feel sohomething, yehes—!” He snickered almost sarcastically.
She giggled as she withdrew slowly, letting the laughter fade naturally rather than cutting it short. Stygian was left breathing harder, chest rising and falling, his posture noticeably less rigid.
“Your body—” Somnambula said gently, “Still remembers how to respond to kindness. To playfulness. That means hope has not abandoned you.”
Stygian swallowed, a faint smile tugging at his muzzle despite himself before it faded.
“But what if they never see me the same way again?” He asked quietly.
Somnambula met his gaze, eyes steady and ancient. “Then you will still stand among them—among us.” She began. “Not as the shadow you once were—but as the one who overcame it.”
She leaned forward, resting her forehead lightly against his. “Hope does not promise things will be as they were. It promises only that they may yet become something new.”
Stygian opened his mouth to reply, possibly even deny it, yet words seemed lost on him. He exhaled slowly.
“…I want to believe that.”
She smiled. “Then let today be what ignites you to do so."
After a pause, he added softly, “I will. And… thank you. You know..." He waved his hoof. "For not laughing at me.”
Her eyes twinkled warmly as she giggled softly. “Oh, my friend—I would only ever laugh with you.”
A quiet, genuine smile found its way onto his face.
For the first time in a long while, hope did not feel lost.
