The night was quiet, and all throughout the home of Shamrock Clover and Sunset Shimmer, everypony was fast asleep. Sunset had nuzzled her way into the crevasse of Shamrock’s neck. Feeling the warm breath from his sleeping wife, Shamrock smiled as he rested a hoof on top of hers.
Poinsettia rested in her bed across the hall. In fact, the young pegasus was in such a deep sleep that she began the nasty habit of chewing on her tail, but she was four years old after all.
Cinnamon Drop slept peacefully as a cute smile stretched across her face. In fact, she slept so soundly that all you could hear was the sound of small breaths drifting in and out of her mouth.
Yes, it seemed like it was going to be a peaceful night for the large family. Well, except for poor little Sweet Pea, who tossed and turned in her bed. This had been the fifth night that Sweet Pea had had trouble falling asleep and it wasn't too long before her eyes quickly shot open.
The mint green filly sat up in her bed, attempting to seize her trembling form. She looked around her and her sister’s room in hopes of finding the small lamp that had always rested on her nightstand. After finally locating the lamp and turning it on, she gave her eyes a quick rub before calling for her parents.
“Mommy! Daddy!”
Almost on cue, both her mother and father entered the room. “Sweet Pea, honey, what's wrong?” Sunset Shimmer asked while letting out a small yawn at the same time.
“I-I had another nightmare...” Sweet Pea whispered.
Sweet Pea was and always had been the most tomboyish and rebellious of the three girls, whether it was out playing in the mud during a rainy day or pulling pranks on her sisters. But for the past couple of nights, she’d been haunted over and over again by some kind of mysterious nightmare, which had consistently made it difficult for her to sleep.
“What’s the nightmare about?” Sunset Shimmer asked as she gently wrapped a hoof around her daughter. “You know you can tell me and your father anything,” she reassured the young filly.
Sunset had noticed a few days ago that Sweet Pea wasn’t sleeping well and she tried everything she could to help her whether it be a glass of warm milk, a bedtime story or a small machine that made all sorts of calming sounds.
But sadly, the result was always the same they had no effect on the poor exhausted filly--she just couldn’t get to sleep.
“I-I-I don’t really know... All I’ve been seeing is shadows and bright orange eyes...” Sweet Pea explained.
Both Shamrock and Sunset looked at their daughter with a raised eyebrow. “That does sound scary,” Shamrock replied.
“Maybe it means you’re cracked in the head!” Cinnamon Drop grumbled as she pulled her blanket over her head.
“That’s big talk coming from a filly who wet her bed until she was four!” Sweet Pea fired back.
Cinnamon Drop’s cheeks turned to a very bright shade of pink. “I told you, the roof was leaking over my bed!”
“For four years in a row… Wouldn’t it have been fixed a long time ago?” Sweet Pea replied, sarcastically poking holes in her sister's story.
Sunset Shimmer gently elbowed her half-sleeping husband in the hopes that he would put a stop to the girls arguing. “Shamrock, feel free to step in at any moment,” she muttered.
“Hold on, this is getting good,” he replied, ignoring the annoyed expression on his wife’s face.
“Whatever. I don’t have to take this! I’m going to sleep downstairs!” Cinnamon Drop shouted. The little amber-skinned unicorn grabbed both her blanket and her favorite pillow as she left the room with a snooty huff.
“Good riddance to yah!” Sweet Pea shouted right back.
Sunset turned back to Shamrock and with an exhausted smile she then trotted towards him and gave him a small kiss on the cheek.
“Shammy…!” she yawned before finishing her sentence. “Bring Cinnamon Drop back and please check on Poinsettia for me.”
“All right, I’ll see yah when I get back,” Shamrock stated as he left the room.
After Shamrock left to fetch Cinnamon Drop and to check on Poinsettia to make sure that she hadn’t been woken up by any of the commotion that was going on, Sunset pulled back Sweet Pea’s blanket and crawled into her bed.
“Mom, what in grandma’s name are you doing?” Sweet Pea asked.
“Well, miss, I can’t get to sleep. You’ve forced my hoof now, so I’m just going to lie with you until you do fall asleep,” she explained.
“Uh, that’s such a typical mom thing!” Sweet Pea complained.
“Yeah well, so is showing all your school friends your baby pictures,” Sunset replied as she attempted to make herself comfortable in the smaller bed. “Now shush and get to sleep!”
After a good twenty to thirty minutes went by, both Shamrock Clover and Cinnamon Drop headed back upstairs, but not before they stopped in front of Poinsettia’s bedroom door. “Dad, what are you doing?” Cinnamon Drop asked.
“Your mother wanted me to check on your little sister and see if she’s still asleep,” he answered as he quietly pushed the door open.
“But dad, I’m so tired.” Cinnamon Drop whined.
Looking down at her with a smile, Shamrock rolled his eyes. “Ok, go crawl into bed and I’ll be in shortly to tuck you in.”
Cinnamon Drop smiled and gave her father a hug and quickly followed it up with a small, sweet peck on the cheek. Shamrock smiled as he watched his little girl make her way back to her and her sister’s room.
Once Cinnamon Drop had left his side and his sight Shamrock turned back to Poinsettia’s bedroom door and quietly made his way in. As the door slowly creaked open, Shamrock could see a small white pegasus lying in the middle of a very moderate-sized mattress.
Trotting towards the small bed, Shamrock couldn’t help but smile at his youngest daughter. There she was sleeping soundly, while chewing on her orange and green braided tail.
“No, no, we can’t have any of that...” he whispered after moving the filly’s tail from her mouth. He then kissed her forehead, causing the sleeping Poinsettia to let out a small kitten-like purr.
Smiling and giving her a small nuzzle, Shamrock made his way out, making sure to leave the door open just a crack. “She gets more and more precious every time I see her...” he mumbled to himself.
Making his way down the hallway and back towards the twins’ bedroom, Shamrock immediately noticed that Cinnamon Drop wasn’t in bed yet, but standing outside the door and looking.
“Cinnamon, I thought I told you it was time for bed!”
“Shhh!” the young unicorn replied. “I can’t go in there. Mom and Sweet Pea are sleeping.”
Not knowing if they were actually sleeping or if Cinnamon was making up an excuse just to stay up later, Shamrock opened the door and saw that his daughter was telling the truth. There they were: his beautiful, pregnant wife and his loving little girl, both curled up together under the warmth of Sweet Pea’s blanket.
“She was kicking and twitching earlier...” Cinnamon Drop whispered.
“What?”
“Sweet Pea, she was kicking, twitching and crying before you got here. Mommy pulled her close to the baby and she stopped instantly.”
“Hmm, that’s weird...” Shamrock replied.
“Not really. Grandma told me that fillies around our age or Poinsettia’s age like to sleep near our mother's heartbeat. Something about it is supposed to make us feel safe and secure,” Cinnamon Drop explained.
“Well, I guess that makes sense...” Shamrock thought to himself. The stallion gazed at both his wife and the filly that laid beside her. Slowly closing the door behind him, Shamrock looked down at the unicorn that stood by his side.
“C’mon sweetie, I guess you’re with me tonight,” he said in a hushed tone.
Letting out a yawn Cinnamon Drop smiled at her father. “Yay! I get to be in the big bed!” she cheered while letting out another yawn. Giving her a small smile Shamrock patted his daughter on the head before escorting her to the master bedroom.
Once Cinnamon Drop was tucked in and fast a sleep, Shamrock turned to an open window. The stallion approached the window and looked up at the night sky. He then closed his eyes and began to speak almost as if he was saying an evening prayer.
“Hey aunty, I know you're probably very busy tonight but if it’s not too much trouble, could you please help Sweet Pea with her nightmares? The poor thing hasn’t slept well and she needs your help.”
After saying his piece, Shamrock crawled into bed and hoped that the pony that he was seeking help from had heard his prayer.
Sweet Pea awoke from her deep slumber and noticed that her room was different. In fact, it wasn't her room at all. It was some weird space that she couldn’t explain at all. She looked around in hopes to of finding either her father, mother or at least one of her sisters, but none of them were around.
The space was hard to describe but if she could somehow put it in words she would’ve said that it was a bluish purple that closely resembled the night time sky which looked to be complemented by small white dots that she described as the stars. “Hello, is anypony out there?!” she shouted.
“Well this is just great, in the middle of nowhere and I’m all alone.” she mumbled.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that!” a voice echoed.
Sweet Pea jumped at the loud thundering tone of voice. “Where in Equestria did that come from?” she asked herself.
“Behind you, sweetie,” the voice stated. Slowly turning around, Sweet Pea’s eyes grew to the size of dinner plates when she realized that the voice was coming from her great-aunt Luna. The filly ran over and gave her aunty a loving hug.
“I’m happy to see you as well, Sweet Pea,” Luna said while smiling and wrapping her hoof around her grand-niece.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be with grandma or something?” Sweet Pea asked.
“How many times must I tell you this dear… I’m the princess of the night-” Luna tried to explain before being interrupted by the little filly.
“And it’s your job to look after ponies while they're sleeping and to enter their dreams blah blah blah.” Sweet Pea rudely interrupted.
“Hmmm, I see your manners haven't improved.” Luna replied as she raised a brow. “If I’m correct, you get that from your father,” she added.
“Who really knows, I think it’s a bit of a combination,” Sweet Pea said with a shrug.
“No matter the case, we should get started.”
“Started? Started on what?” Sweet Pea asked in confusion.
Luna never answered her. Instead the Alicorn simply placed a wing over her shoulder and walked alongside the small earth pony. But as the two continued to walk and gaze at the beauty of the dream realm, Princess Luna began to ask about Sweet Pea’s nightmares. “What exactly have you been seeing?” She asked.
“Well like I told my mom and dad, I don’t really know. It’s mostly been the same shadow and orange glowing eyes.” Sweet Pea explained.
With Sweet Pea explaining more and more proper details about her nightmare, she realized that Princess Luna was smiling and chuckling at the few things she was saying. “Aunt Luna, what’s so funny? I mean no offense or anything, but I didn't even know you had a sense of humor.”
“What’s funny, my dear, is the nightmare itself,” she replied. “You’re part of a large family, is that not correct?” Luna asked.
A confused look made itself known on the filly’s face. “Yes I am, but what does that have to do with anything?” she asked.
Luna gave a loving smile. “And isn’t your mother expecting another baby?” she asked.
“Yes, but again, what does that have to do with anything?”
“Sweet Pea, you’re not having a nightmare… however, your fear is stalking you.” Luna explained. “Do you have any idea of what that fear is?”
Sweet Pea looked down at the ground as she quietly thought to herself but it didn’t take long for the answer to pop into her head. “I’m afraid that once the new baby is born, that mom and dad aren't going to have time for me and that they’re going to forget about me,” she answered with a small whimper.
“And why would you think that?” Luna asked.
“Well it’s just that our family is getting bigger and I’m scared of being forgotten… I mean I’m the middle child after all.” Sweet Pea answered.
“No matter what happens with the new baby, both your mother and father and all three of your sisters will love you no matter what. Sweet Pea, you can grow up into an amazing and wonderful young mare, and no matter what happens, everypony close to you will be proud.” Luna reassured.
Sweet Pea raised an eyebrow. “Uh, Aunt Luna you said three sisters… but I only have two sisters.”
“For the moment anyway.” Luna smiled. “Just remember whether your the middle child, the baby, the eldest sibling, cutie mark, no cutie mark, your family loves you and they’d never forget about you… you’re Sweet Pea Shimmer Clover, it’d be pretty hard to forget you.” She added.
Sweet Pea smiled and gave her aunty another hug. “Thank you,” she said graciously.
Luna returned her nieces hug with one of her own. She then followed it up with a small kiss on the filly’s cheek. Suddenly, the dream grew wavy and the dream realm had began to fade into a bright white and just like before, Sweet Pea’s eyes shot open.
Sweet Pea looked around the darkness of her bedroom and everything seemed to be the same. The room was dark, the moon was still out and a sleeping Sunset Shimmer still had her hoof wrapped around her tightly.
Sweet Pea relaxed and nuzzled back into her mom’s chest but not before feeling a small kick in her flank. “Ouch!” she shouted.
Quietly looking back at her mother’s pregnant belly, Sweet Pea knew that the kick to the flank had to have come from there. She then rolled on her side and gave the baby bump a small glare.
“You’re lucky I can’t get to you,” she whispered.
Finally succumbing to her exhaustion, Sweet Pea let out a huge yawn and slowly closed her eyes, finally falling asleep.
No sooner after closing her eyes she heard some loving words in a very familiar voice: “Remember, Sweet Pea, I’m always watching. So are your mother and father. We’ll always be here to help and guide you.”
