Sunset's Sunrise

by The Abyss

Rating: teen
Tags: Princess Celestia, Sunset Shimmer, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad
Length: 5811

Alone and afraid, Sunset Shimmer has been living off of the streets in Canterlot ever since she ran away from home. On a particularly cold night, she's out searching for something to eat when she bumps into the last pony she expects to see.

Alone and afraid, Sunset Shimmer has been living off of the streets in Canterlot ever since she ran away from home. She is barely holding on as it is and winter is coming soon, and Sunset doesn't know how she's going to survive this one. On a particularly cold night, she's out searching for something to eat when she bumps into the last pony she expects to see walking through the slums: Princess Celestia.

Edited by Alcatraz
Cover art drawn by Dilarus

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Published 2015-07-12 21:10:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-07-12 21:10:02 UTC

A New Chapter in Life

It was freezing cold outside.

But then again, it always was this time of year. The trees had already shed their leaves for the winter, leaving them barren. It was still relatively warm down in the valley, but in a city built on the side of a mountain this high, the temperature can drop rather dramatically.

I lay by myself in my box, my few belongings sitting behind me. My head lay on my hooves. I was dirty from not being able to take a shower in the rain. I couldn’t wash myself off anymore; the rain was too cold now. The only thing I had to keep myself dry was my blanket, and I’m sad to say that it’s almost worn to shreds. In the summer, I was happy when it rained, because it meant that I could clean myself in the warmer rain and look normal again.

Nopony paid attention to homeless ponies.

I knew of only a few other homeless colts and fillies that lived here in the slums, but we pretty much kept to ourselves. I remember them stealing what little food I had collected and stored a while ago, so it is an understatement to say that things are a little tense between us. I can’t really blame them, though. It’s everypony for themselves in this world, after all.

I sighed as I watched everypony pass by me. During the day, I moved my box to the mouth of the dead-end alley I usually stayed in, and during the night, I liked to move all the way to the back. I never liked alleys that opened up on both ends, because that meant that somepony could come up behind me without me knowing. That’s how I lost my small food stash.

You have to learn quick if you lived on the streets.

My teddy bear lay snugly between my hooves, my head propped up on his. If I lost him I’d be devastated. I’ve had him for as long as I can remember, before all of... this happened. From what little I can remember, my father had gone out for some groceries and never came back. Whether it was because something bad happened to him or because he ditched us, I’ll never know. I know she asked everypony we knew about him, but she didn’t find out much. I tried to cheer my mother up as much as possible, but she couldn’t deal with the pain and the loneliness. I wish I could say she stayed strong for me... for us.

I buried my head beneath my teddy’s bear’s snout as I felt tears well up in my eyes, my ears flicking down against my head to keep warm. They felt like icicles. I didn’t like to think about Mom anymore because all I felt was sadness, but at the same I didn’t want to forget her.

As the tears began to flow, I remembered that fateful morning. I had walked downstairs to find the body of my mother and an empty bottle that used to be full of pills lying next to her. I knew she had been under a lot of stress, but I had never thought things would have come to this. Instead of staying in my house like a good little filly, I ran back to my room, grabbed what I thought was important, and ran away.

I had seen the conditions of the orphanages here in Canterlot. Underfunded, understaffed, and nearly falling apart; I could never live there. I thought I could make it on my own; make a better life for myself...

I was terribly wrong.

I wish I could say I was a veteran, but that would mean implying that I had things figured out. Things couldn’t be farther from the truth, though. I lived in a cardboard box that lay upon a wood pallet. Why a wood pallet, you might ask? I had learned last winter that if you can get off the ground by any means, you’d be much, much warmer than if your box lay in contact with the ground. I used to use newspapers, but whenever it rained, which was quite frequent, the newspapers would get wet and water would seep into my box.

I lifted my head and looked down at my right hind leg, just below the cutie mark. The cut from a few days ago was still giving me issues, and it looked like it was just starting to heal. I flicked my tail over it, though I don’t know why. Something inside me just thought it would be a good idea.

Suddenly, I heard a jingling sound, making my ears flick towards the front of my box, though a sudden pain in my neck made me wince as I turned my head around. I think I slept on it wrong last night. However, instead of moaning and groaning at the pain, I was much too excited to even acknowledge that I felt it. I felt it a lot, and you just kinda get used to it.

Much to my disbelief, somepony had been gracious enough to toss a few bits into my beat up tin can. I happily stared at them, silently counting them out in my head.

One... two... three... four!

Nopony ever did that anymore, choosing to just ignore me. I was trash, no, I was beneath trash to everyone around me. Thunder crackled above me, the dark gray clouds threatening to release their heavy load any minute now. My stomach grumbled terribly, reminding me that I hadn’t eaten anything since yesterday morning.

Gently placing my teddy bear behind me, my blanket slipped from my shoulders as I stood up. What little warmth that blanket gave me was quickly sapped by the wind whipping through the streets. I looked around gingerly, hoping I could find the one responsible for being so kind.

“He-hello?” I meekly asked, looking around with a hopeful smile. An older-looking unicorn looked down on me as she passed by, and it looked like she was going to say something. I lifted my left hoof and opened my mouth, words already forming on the tip of my tongue, though just as I was about to say something, her neutral face quickly turned into one of disgust, making me falter.

“I don’t have anything for you, runt!” she tersely said, not even bothering to stop. I watched in stunned silence as she walked away, let down.

“Oh... okay,” I whispered to myself. I knew that she couldn’t have been the one that gave me the money, but I had hoped that she could have shown me who did. I looked left, then right. The streets were starting to empty, and the street vendors were starting to close up shop further down the road. I poured the bits into my hoof, tossed my empty can into my box, and tightly held onto the coins.

This week had been particularly bad. I had to steal food from a few places so that I wouldn’t starve, but that had been a few streets over. I knew exactly where I wanted to go, and I prayed that they weren’t closed yet.

The Candy Corn Bakery. It had a sign above the door showing a piece of shucked corn surrounded by various pieces of candy, and it never failed to bring a smile to my face. It was an older building on the edge of the shopping center a couple of blocks down the road. It had the best cookies in the entire city. I always went for the chocolate chip ones, and if I was lucky, they had the ones that also had large chunks of fudge in them.

I made sure that the bits were secure in my hoof, then I started making my way down the street. I walked on three legs, keeping the fourth held tightly to my breast. The bits dug into my fur from the amount of force I was holding onto them, but I didn’t mind; I was going to get my favorite treat!

The road was slippery as I carefully made my way down the block. The bakery was nearly in sight, and I knew it was just around the corner. Though just as I walked around the corner, I caught the owner locking up the front door. Afraid that I wasn’t going to get my treat, which would be my dinner and most likely breakfast for the next morning, I hurried up. But, before I made it across the street, she took flight, leaving me with the rest of the ponies in the street.

I stared up at her as she flew away, crestfallen. My stomach grumbling, I turned back around to go back to my box. Every other store was probably closed for the night, and I knew of no other bakery or cheap restaurant nearby that would be open. With a soft sigh, I began the walk back to my box.

Upon hearing a rather loud crack of thunder, I started trotting. Getting caught in the freezing cold rain was a great way to get sick, and if that happened, life would be downright miserable. I felt a drop of rain splatter against my back, and I knew I was done for. The heavens opened up, the rain making the smooth cobblestones very slippery. It was hard running with just three hooves, but I made it work. That is, until, I ran into somepony’s legs.

I fell down onto my face, the bits in my hoof falling from my grasp. I heard them hit the ground, tumbling and rolling away from me. I focused on those bits, watching them in slow motion as they rolled towards a storm drain. I picked myself up and ran under the pony’s hooves to get the coins, not caring in the slightest about what they thought. I heard lots of yelling around me as the first coin fell into the drain. The four, heartbreaking distinctive plinks of each coin echoed in my ears as they hit the bottom of the pipe, the voices above me vying for my attention.

I looked up, only to get kicked on the side of my head. My vision went black for a second, and I fell to the ground in the heap, dazed and confused as to what was going on. I curled up into a ball in the middle of the road and started bawling my eyes out. A stern, deep male voice spoke above me, but I paid him no mind. I was scared half to death, but more than that, I was devastated that I had lost my bits. I hated myself for that, and for getting myself into this strange situation. I dared not look up for fear of getting hit again.

Suddenly, I heard a voice I knew all too well.

“What do you think you are doing, guard?”

Her voice radiated power, demanded respect, but above all, it made me tremble. I still looked up though. My eyes went wide as they fell upon the Princess of the Sun; the one benevolent leader that us commoners all loved. “Why did you strike this filly?!” I watched in shocked silence as she went nose to nose with him, making him tremble like a dead leaf in a strong breeze.

“I, uh... my training,” the guard said haltingly. He looked down at me, shame and guilt apparent in his gaze. “I didn’t think, your highness. I just reacted.”

“Well, think before you act, else you might find yourself out of a job, guard...” Princess Celestia snarled. I noted that a few of the other guards standing in formation around us gulped, probably happy that they weren’t the ones getting berated. “Come talk to me an hour after we return to the castle.” Without waiting for a response, she turned down to me, her once hard expression changing into a softer one.

Though she cracked a smile, I still wilted under her gaze. Princess Celestia towered above me, and I was terrified of what was going to happen to me. If only I had looked where I was going, I probably wouldn’t have ran into the princess and her guards. I was afraid that I was going to be thrown into jail for what I did.

“There, there, little one...” I heard her say, her words calming me slightly. I heard a soft rustling, and suddenly the rain stopped. I looked up with bloodshot eyes to see a broad white wing shielding me from the downpour. Celestia lowered her head beneath her wing and smiled again. “That mean old guard isn’t going to hurt you anymore... What’s your name?” She waited patiently as I collected myself.

“Sunset, your majesty...” I sniffled. “Sunset Shimmer...”

"Aw, such a pretty name for such a pretty filly!” Princess Celestia beamed with a smile as warm as her heart as she sat beside me. “May I call you Sunset?” I nodded. “What are you doing out so late? Shouldn’t you be at home with your parents?”

“I... I was trying to buy a cookie or two for dinner, but I lost my bits down the drain...” I felt a fresh wave of tears well up in my eyes. As they started to slip down my face, I turned away from the princess and tried to hide them. “And n-no,” I stuttered.

“Why not?” I felt Princess Celestia nuzzle the side of my cheek. “Surely your mother is worried sick about you, right? Come now, let us take you home...”

A picture of my ratty cardboard box popped into my head, sending another fresh wave of tears down my face. “I don’t have a home. I live in an alley further down the street down there.” I pointed in the general direction of my box with a shaky hoof. I looked up into the princess’s face, only to find her jaw hanging open. I would have giggled if I wasn’t feeling so terrible.

“Surely you’re joking, little one,” Princess Celestia said with a nervous laugh. When I didn’t say anything, her face melted from that of playfulness to one of seriousness. “...Right?”

I shook my head, the guards around me muttering to each other. I heard them whisper about orphanages and about how I somehow slipped through the cracks, but most of it was hushed gibberish.

“Do you not have any sort of family in the city or the surrounding area?” I shook my head again. “Well...” I felt Princess Celestia’s wing drape over my back. “How would you like to spend the night with me at the castle? I am sure you would find it most delightful!” She lowered her head till it was level with mine. “So... what say you, little one?”

I knew that I couldn’t pass up this opportunity; it was extremely rare for the princess to invite a commoner like me into her home. Wondering what the night had in store for me, I looked up with a shaky smile.

“I say yes!”

Princess Celestia smiled and nodded. “Guards! Let us go back to the castle at once!” she said, using a wing to motion them forward. The guards led us through the city streets, all the way up to the castle. Nopony spoke a word on the trip back, so I stayed quiet. My jaw dropped in amazement as we entered Princess Celestia’s castle. I had never been inside a castle before, and it surpassed what I had imagined it would be like.

The guards led us through many hallways and stairways until my legs trembled from sheer exhaustion. I felt like I had just run a marathon, and I didn’t want to climb any higher, so I was very happy to hear them open a door in front of us.

“The bathroom is just through here, little one,” I heard Princess Celestia say to me. I nodded, my little chest heaving up and down. I walked in front of the princess, glanced up, and froze in place. I had never seen such a large bathroom before; I could have run from one end of the room for ten seconds and I still wouldn’t have reached the other side. “I will be back momentarily, Sunset,” the princess said, but I barely heard her; I was simply stunned silent. I heard her walk away, so I took a few hesitant steps inside.

Everypony waited outside for me, save for the bathroom attendant. She closed the door behind me, her back straight and her neck held high. Her wings were preened to perfection, and if my eyes weren’t deceiving me, I thought I saw a bit of glitter in them. I stifled a giggle and hid my growing smile with a hoof.

“Do you require anything, miss...?” the white mare asked with a friendly smile.

“Sunset. And no, thank you, though,” I said, offering a smile in return. She nodded and sat down, a pair of towels and a bottle of fancy-looking shampoo sitting near the edge of the bath. “Wait, why are there two towels?”

“The other one is for me, little Sunset,” I heard Princess Celestia say behind me, startling me slightly. “What, did you think that you would be bathing alone?” I started to stutter a reply back, but she cut me off. “Come, let’s take a quick bath and then spend some time in my bedroom. I had the cooks whip up some treats for us.” Princess Celestia stepped into the bathtub that could have easily passed as a pool. You shouldn’t be able to walk down a small set of steps into a bathtub, right?

I nodded, a smile threatening to split my face in half. I hopped into the water, accidentally splashing the princess. I paddled my way back to the surface of the water, which really was only a couple of feet away.

“Is somepony getting playful?” Princess Celestia asked with a smile. Before I knew what was happening, she splashed me with a bit of water, bringing a smile back to my face. We kept that fight going for a good solid minute before the princess stopped, giving me a relaxed smile.

“I totally won that!” I exclaimed, speaking without thinking. I wish I was able to go back in time to not utter those words, because I knew that I just disrespected the princess.

“You sure did,” Princess Celestia said with a chuckle. I relaxed and sighed in relief, then I swam over towards the shallow area of the tub until my hooves hit the bottom. I heard Princess Celestia light her horn behind me. “Now, stay still while I scrub you down with this shampoo, okay?”

Before I could respond, the bathroom attendant spoke up. “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather have me do it, your highness?”

“No, no, it is quite alright, Miss Silver. You are dismissed for the night.”

“Thank you, Princess,” the mare said as she bowed out of the room.

“So... where were we? Ah... yes.” Princess Celestia held the bottle of shampoo over my head and poured a rather large amount all over my head and back. I felt her magic massage it all into my fur, mane, and tail, purging the dirt and grime from my body. As much as I would have liked for her to continue the massage, it was over before I knew it, and as I opened my eyes, I watched Princess Celestia repeat the process with herself.

She dipped below the surface of the water to wash off the shampoo, so I did what she did to get the rest off of myself. I opened my eyes underwater and saw that the bottom of the pool had a beautiful mosaic of Princess Celestia’s cutie mark.

“Ready?” she asked me as we both stood up. I nodded and climbed up out of the tub, Celestia following right behind me. We both dried ourselves off, and Princess Celestia used her magic to open the door. She led us through the hallways, which were quite nice by my standards. Elaborate tapestries lay draped down the walls, spaced out between magnificent stained-glass windows. I looked on in awe, my head always on a swivel. I think I caught the princess smiling at me, but she looked away right as I was turning to look the other way.

We slowly but surely made our way to her bedroom, which just so happened to be close by. It felt amazing to be clean again, and I knew it was one heck of a special privilege to be cleaned by the princess herself. I was immensely grateful, both for that and the treats that she had promised me.

“Um, why were you down in the slums, princess?” I timidly asked. I was slowly starting to let my guard down because the princess had been nothing but calm and caring, just like my mother had been like in the past. Her demeanor reminded me of her.

Princess Celestia took a few moments to open her bedroom door before she responded. “Well, little one, there is a very beautiful spot near the cliffs on the far side of the city. It just so happens that the path where we found you is the shortest way there and back...” She paused for another moment, then smiled down at me. “And I constantly get reminded, every time I venture down there, that the most beautiful of things can come from the worst of places. Just like you, little one.”

I blushed from the princess’s kind words. I followed her inside, but I stopped almost immediately once I got inside. If I thought the hallway was beautiful, her bedroom was absolutely gorgeous; literally every filly’s dream bedroom. A massive bed with silk sheets sat on the far wall of the room, a large window with a balcony lay to its left, and to top it all off, at least thirty cushions, pillows, and the softest-looking blankets lay in a haphazard pile in the middle of the room. Fancy paintings lined the walls, and the floor was one solid piece of pure white marble. And much to my delight, all sorts of fancy treats lay just off the side of the pillow pile.

“Wow...” I said in awe. I was simply speechless as I looked around, though Princess Celestia broke my train of thought as she gently used her wing to guide me towards the pillows. She took the lead and settled down in the center of the pillows and cushions, beckoning me close with her wing.

I stepped forward hesitantly, amazed that the princess wanted me to sit so close to her. She kept her wing raised as I made my way to her. I looked up at her one more time, then eyed her side. Princess Celestia nodded and smiled at me, giving me the confidence I needed to complete the distance. My concerns about violating her personal space gone, I settled down next to her, smiling when she laid her wing over me. I hummed happily as warmth seeped into my body.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door, making me jump a little. The silence had been soothing, the princess’s voice even more so. The door opened, and the evil guard that hurt me from before poked his head inside. My head was still pretty sore, but I knew the pain would soon fade away.

“What is it, guard?” Princess Celestia asked, her voice cold and sharp. It scared me how quickly her tone changed.

“I... um... I found something that might make little Sunset happy,” he said, opening the door further. He stepped inside and trotted forward, a hopeful-looking smile on his face.

I didn’t trust him, and to be honest, I didn’t want him near me. I scooted closer to the princess, only feeling safe after I felt her wing snug against my side. My head was the only thing exposed, and I watched the guard approach fearfully. A small whine escaped from behind my tight lips.

“I think you should come back another time,” Celestia said in that same cold voice.

I looked up at her, and though my curiosity was piqued, I was somewhat relieved to hear that she didn’t want him here.

“Wait, Princess, please...” the guard pleaded, lighting his horn. His saddlebag flap opened up and out flew my teddy bear.

“Teddy!” I said, tears welling up in my eyes. I was afraid I would never see him again, for he was the last thing I had to truly remember my mother by. I pushed the princess’s wing away and shakily stood up to go get him, only to have my bear float into my hooves. I pulled it into the hardest hug I could, my hooves barely touching each other on the other side.

I heard Princess Celestia softly whisper, “Oh...” behind me. My tears soaked into my most treasured possession. Instead of feeling the dirt and grime that had built up over the past couple of years, I felt nothing but clean, soft fur. I nuzzled it happily. I sat back and held him up in front of me with my magic, wiping my eyes with a hoof.

“You cleaned him?” I asked, feeling more tears well up in my eyes. I stepped up to him and pulled his leg into a hug. “Thank you...” I sobbed into his leg. A moment later, I felt him sit down and rub my back with his other front hoof.

“I’m sorry I hit you, little one,” I heard him say softly. He scratched me right behind my left ear, right where I liked. I leaned into it, smiling as he switched to the other ear.

“It’s okay,” I sniffled as I released his leg. “It doesn’t hurt anymore; I’m a tough filly!” I would have liked to get more ear scratches, but I saw the princess beckon for me to come back to her. I turned back around, levitated my teddy bear beside me, and trotted back under the princess’s wing. I used my magic to grab a chocolate chip cookie and munched away, then propped my head up on top of my teddy bear.

“So... Sunset?” I heard Princess Celestia ask as soon as I finished my cookie. I looked up at her, cookie crumbs lining my lips. She used a napkin to wipe them off my face, then set it aside. “How long have you been using magic?”

“Um... I don’t know...” I meekly said, playing with my hooves absentmindedly. “Maybe a year?” I looked up at her to find her looking at me with surprise written all over her face. “Is-isn’t that normal?”

“Well... yes,” Princess Celestia stressed that last word. “But unicorns your age usually can only cast the most basic of spells, like flipping a page or two. That places a large strain on their strength, though they build it up quickly through lots of practice.” She paused to grab another treat for herself, this time a rather large slice of the vanilla cake sitting before them. My eyes lit up in joy as she passed it to me, and she passed me a fork a second later. “But you...” She grabbed another slice for herself and took a bite. “It looks like you can use magic without putting that much effort into it... Is that true?”

I nodded. “Mhm,” I said, my cheeks bulging from the bite I just took. Gotta take smaller bites next time... I thought with an inward giggle. I swallowed what was in my mouth and wiped my lips clean. “Levitating things is pretty easy for me now, Princess. I had to learn that so I could ste-” I caught myself before I admitted to committing a crime, but I think I might have said too much. I prayed that she would let it slide.

She didn’t. Princess Celestia looked down on me. Her lips were pursed and her eyebrows furrowed down, making me feel small.

“Were you about to say you learned how to levitate things so you could steal them?” she asked me, her voice stern. I clearly heard the disappointment in her voice, but there was something else in it that I couldn’t place my hoof on. I still trembled in her grasp nonetheless, wondering what she was going to do with me.

“...Yes,” I said in defeat, looking down at my hooves. My ears flicked back and I felt fresh tears in my eyes. I looked back up at her, my lower lip trembling. “But you have to understand, Princess! I only did that when I hadn’t eaten in days, and it was mostly the scraps that the vendors were about to throw away, I promise!” Fresh tears slid down my face as I awaited my punishment. I was sure that she was going to throw me in jail, which was what usually happened to thieves.

“I see,” Princess Celestia said softly. Her voice didn’t sound as stern as it had moments ago, and I felt a faint glimmer of hope. “I cannot say that I approve of your reasoning for learning advanced magic to steal food, but...” I looked up at her, sniffling constantly. “You did what you had to do, and that I can understand... You need not fear any kind of punishment from me, little one. Your past transgressions are forgiven.”

I felt my stress melt away from me like a stick of butter out in the summer heat. I nuzzled the princess’s side, eliciting a happy hum from her. “Thank you, Princess! I promise to never steal again!”

“I’m glad to hear that, Sunset Shimmer,” she said, her voice becoming warmer. “Because you’ll never need to steal again, if you accept my offer.” I noticed that her tone had changed into a hopeful one.

Offer? What offer? I knew she hadn’t made any kind of offer before, so I looked up at her, confusion written all over my face. “What do you mean, Princess?” I asked curiously.

“I... well... When I saw that you could use more advanced magic than what you should be able to, especially for a cute little filly your age...” I beamed at her words. “A thought occurred to me. I’m not sure if you know this, but I like to take on a promising student every now and then and teach them everything I can. I do not currently have a student now, and I would very much like it if you would fill that void. You would have your own part of the castle, and you would have everything you could ever want.”

I felt tears well up in my eyes again. I hadn’t cried this much since my mother died, but these tears were ones of happiness. “Re-really?” I choked out.

“Yes, really,” Princess Celestia said with a soft giggle. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but—”

“Yes!” I exclaimed, nuzzling her side over and over again. “A thousand times, yes!”

“Excellent! Your answer gladdens me immensely, little one.” Princess Celestia nuzzled me on the cheek, so I returned the kind gesture, my stomach full of butterflies. “So let us get you ready for bed, shall we? I know there is a grand bedroom further down the hall, and—”

“Um... do you mind if I sleep with you for the first few nights? You know, like a sleepover?” I asked meekly. I prayed that she would say yes. “I’ve been having nightmares for the past couple of weeks...”

Princess Celestia paused for a few moments, probably because she was surprised that I would ask such a thing. I hoped I wasn’t overstepping my bounds. “I... well, I suppose we could, but you have to answer me one thing, little one...” She smiled down at me moments before she yawned loudly.

“What’s that, Princess?”

“Do you snore?” she asked in a teasing way, booping me on the nose with the tip of hers. She stood up to make her way over to the bed, but the most perfect idea popped into my head.

“Like a derailed train falling down the side of a mountain,” I said with an evil grin. Princess Celestia’s head shot around, an incredulous look upon her face. We held each other’s gaze for several seconds, but a small giggle escaped my lips. Princess Celestia smiled, and the two of us burst into laughter.

“Oh, you got me good, little one...” the princess said as our laughter died down. “Though... surely you’re joking... Right?”

I nodded back with the biggest smile on my face. “Mhm.” I let out another giggle when I saw the princess’s shoulders relax in relief, but I didn’t say anything about it. She helped me up onto her bed, and she settled down right next to me. I slid under the sheets and held up one side for her to slide in with me.

Princess Celestia lay on her side, her belly facing me. She lifted a wing as she yawned again, inviting me in to snuggle with her. It was an offer I gladly accepted, and I crawled in close, propping my head up on her foreleg. I felt her belly expand and contract against my back, her body’s warmth already lulling me to sleep. My eyes felt heavy, and all I wanted to do was to go to sleep.

“Sleep well, little one, for your new life begins tomorrow,” I heard Princess Celestia whisper into my ear as she lowered her wing down around me. The sheets and her feathers felt like the softest things in the world, and I couldn’t have asked for anything better.

“Thank you, Princess...” I softly mumbled back, though I doubt she understood me. It didn’t matter though, because I felt her softly squeeze me with her wing, silently reassuring me that everything was going to be alright. I was immensely grateful for everything that she did for me, and I was really excited to see what tomorrow would bring. “Can I ask you something?”

“What is it?” I heard the princess softly reply.

“Can we sleep in and just snuggle for a while in the morning? It’s been a long time since I’ve slept in a proper bed...” I felt Celestia’s chuckle more than I heard it.

“Of course we can, little one. Of course we can...” she said, eliciting a soft squee from me. Moments later, I heard her start to snore softly. I giggled at the irony of that, but I quickly stifled that with a hoof across my lips. I snuggled closer to Princess Celestia, closed my eyes, and let sleep take me to the blissful world of dreams.