As the moonlight crept across the bedroom towards Rarity’s bed, it shone a light on the seamstress in distress. Her sheets were coiled around her, making her look more like a wriggling larvae emerging from a cocoon.
There was nothing particular on Rarity’s mind – no one thing bothered her brain, but rather many things at once.
There was the day-to-day work as a businessmare: the shops in Ponyville, Canterlot, and Manehatten to run and maintain. She had help, but at this time of night the thought of her workers easing her burden was a distant thought.
And then there was her social standing to maintain. Brushing shoulders with the elite across Equestria and beyond meant a schedule. And even past the elite, there were her close friends and family to look after. The recent addition of a marefriend to her life had brought both joy and anxiety to her juggling act.
With a final groan, Rarity sat upright abruptly, using both her hooves and magic to dislodge her bindings. She panted as she took stock of her surroundings, her gaze finally resting on the clock on her nightstand. She groaned at the late—or rather early—hour it was.
Rarity slid out of bed and glanced at her vanity, before looking away with a shudder. She didn’t dare imagine what sort of state her insomnia had put her in. Slipping on her robe, she quietly opened her bedroom door and stepped out into the hall.
Across from her room was Sweetie Belle’s. She smiled softly at the sounds of snoring coming from within as she slowly shut the door behind her and crept past.
As she made it to the stairway down to the first floor and stepped on the creaky first step, she glanced back at the room next to hers. There was no noise from within the guest room – her marefriend didn’t snore.
Rarity sighed softly as she made her way downstairs, one careful step at a time. She hated to distance poor Autumn at night, especially since she had traveled such a distance to be close to her. But she hadn’t protested when Rarity insisted they sleep separately until they were steadier – that’s what a proper lady did, after all.
On her way to the living room, she glanced at her workspace. She could get a head start on the next day’s orders, maybe even grow weary enough to actually fall asleep. But Rarity shook her head, as she always did. There was nothing worse than sewing while drowsy, and the times she had tried it had proven to herself that she would rather work until dawn than grow tired.
So she moved past the workspace and sat down on her loveseat – smiling fondly at the name. It felt proper now that Autumn was around. If she wasn’t watching her work, they’d be cheek to cheek on the loveseat, enjoying tea or just each other’s company.
Rarity perked up and her ears twitched as she heard the first step creak again. After waiting a few moments to find out which occupant she had awoken, she sighed in dismay as Autumn Blaze appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
“Sorry, darling,” Rarity whispered as the Kirin walked over to the loveseat. “I didn’t mean to wake you at such an hour.”
Autumn was unusually quiet, her golden eyes locked on Rarity’s before she hopped onto the loveseat beside her. She always seemed to quiet down around Rarity – whether it was to spare Rarity from her boisterous outbursts or a quiet understanding as a fellow creator, Rarity didn’t know. She was close enough that Rarity could feel the softness of Autumn’s coat.
“What’s the matter?” Autumn whispered.
“Hmm? Oh, just a bit of insomnia, that’s all,” Rarity said with a comforting smile. “I just have to find a way to make myself drowsy.” She leaned over and pecked Autumn on the cheek. “You can go back to bed.”
Autumn rubbed her chin, and without responding, hopped off the loveseat. Rarity watched her in confusion as she disappeared into the kitchen. A second later, the light switched on, and there came the brief sound of water running.
Finally, there came the soft whistle of Rarity’s tea pot, and slowly the pieces started to come together in Rarity’s beleaguered mind. A moment later, Autumn reemerged, a pair of steaming cups in her magic.
She carefully offered one to Rarity, who took the warm cup gratefully in her own magic. Autumn returned to her seat and watched her.
The fragrant scent of grass and flowers filled Rarity’s nostrils, and she sipped the tea carefully. “Chamomile,” she remarked, smiling at Autumn. “An excellent choice.”
“I hear it helps with calming,” Autumn replied, taking a sip of her own drink. Then her eyes set upon Rarity’s once more. “Is everything alright?”
Rarity opened her mouth to say something, then shut it with a frown, filling the void with another sip of tea. There was no sense in lying to Autumn – that certainly wouldn’t be proper either.
“I’m just… under a lot of stress,” she admitted. “Between my businesses and my customers, my friends and contacts and… you.” She blushed softly. “I guess I just have a lot on my mind.”
Autumn leaned over and planted a kiss on Rarity’s forehead, just below her horn. She smiled at the unicorn warmly. “I’ve always heard that if you can’t change anything in the moment, then you should let it go for next time,” she offered.
“Well, that’s easier said than done, darling,” Rarity huffed, though not unkindly. “I’ve had to rely on black tea to help me power through most days – or coffee, if I really needed it.” She took another sip.
Autumn’s eyes widened. “Your insomnia’s that bad?”
Rarity sadly nodded. “I’ve tried just about everything, from sleep aid to sleep masks. I’ve tried working myself to sleep, exercising, even strolling about Ponyville at night. Nothing seems to work,” she listed off, struggling to keep the frustration in her voice from making her too loud.
Autumn hummed softly beside her. Rarity watched in surprise as the Kirin polished off her tea in one gulp – though she supposed Kirin being fireproof made this less than surprising. Autumn sat the cup on the coffee table in front of them and turned to Rarity with a big, giddy smile on her face.
“There’s something I want to try,” she said. “But you have to trust me.”
“Of course I trust you, darling,” Rarity said. She blew on her tea, and gulped down most of the calming liquid before setting the cup with Autumn’s. She turned to Autumn with a curious eyebrow raised. “…What sort of thing did you have in mind?”
“Just follow me,” Autumn said, practically bouncing off the couch. With surprising silence, Rarity watched her prance right up the stairs, somehow avoiding the creaky step at the top.
With a sigh, Rarity went up the stairs after her, and was surprised to find her bedroom door open when she reached the top. Stepping inside, she frowned at Autumn laying on her bed.
“Oh wow, your bed is so soft!” she hissed, rolling this way and that under the sheets. “I’d sleep like a baby on this.”
“Autumn, why are you in my bed?” Rarity hissed, shutting the door behind her and trotting over.
Autumn sighed and sat up. “Look. I know you said you wanted to wait and sleep in the same bed when we were steadier, and I respect that. But at the same time, I don’t want the most beautiful mare in the world to go sleepless every night,” she explained.
Rarity flushed bright red – even though it was a compliment Autumn bestowed upon her often.
“I just… I want you to trust me. I think this might help,” Autumn continued. She smiled hopefully at Rarity, patting the space beside her.
Rarity sighed softly and set her robe back on its hook. “Very well. But only if you think it will help,” she replied, rounding the bed.
She hopped in on the Kirin’s left and slid under the covers. Autumn leaned over and planted a soft kiss against her lips, causing the unicorn to blush again. “Now, just try and fall asleep. Sweet dreams,” Autumn whispered.
Rarity watched her curl up under the covers next to her with her scaled back to her. With a sigh, Rarity nestled against her pillow, shutting her eyes and attempting to finally gain sleep.
After a few minutes of nothing, she heard the rhythmic breathing of her marefriend, signaling she had obtained the sleep Rarity still lacked. With a huff, Rarity rolled her eyes – Autumn had meant well, but there was still no drowsiness, no calm.
She sniffed softly and blinked. There was a familiar scent, one she had often smelled but not gotten acquainted with. Scooting closer to Autumn, Rarity realized it was the Kirin’s curly mane.
With a flush of embarrassment, Rarity took a closer sniff. Spice burned her nostrils – cinnamon and nutmeg. There was fresh wood and earth mixed in, which on their own didn’t smell very appealing to Rarity, but together brought a calmness to her that a gallon of chamomile couldn’t.
As she scooted closer to her marefriend, still partaking in that wonderful scent, Autumn rolled over in her sleep. Rarity bit back a yelp of surprise as one of the Kirin’s legs draped over her, but any protest quickly died off.
Autumn’s coat was both shaggy and soft, but most importantly it was warm. It felt warmer than a natural pony’s body temperature—not that Rarity had much knowledge in that—but not hot enough to cause perspiration.
Nestled together, Rarity let her mind wander away from her world. Her businesses, friends, and contacts melted away. In her head, she heard the nighttime sounds of the forest – crickets chirping, the occasional call of an owl, and leaves rustling in a rhythmic breeze.
Before she knew it, sleep finally claimed her, and a blissful smile crossed her muzzle. Maybe it wasn’t proper for a lady, but as a marefriend, it felt right.
Author's Note
Date of Creation (D.o.C.): 11/5/20
This all started when I had the idea of "A Toasty Marshmallow" in my head: just the ship and the title. It was a pretty random ship idea, but I was in a cozy, wintery mood. Then I got the contest prompt of "Insomnia" and the story formed from there. I certainly have experience with creativity-induced insomnia!
A prequel story is currently in the works, outlining how Autumn and Rarity meet.
The song I listened to for this one was "You Can Always Go Home" from the game Deltarune.
-yours truly,
The Legendary Bill Cipher, Equestria Enthusiast
