You want to sleep with me?!
Applejack could handle anything. She was a strong, reliable, and dependable pony, after all. Any one of her friends and many acquaintances could tell you that her many years in the orchards had melded her into one of the strongest little earth ponies around. Applejack could handle a little night time. Just going to sleep is all. That couldn’t be too bad. Besides, being the strongest earth ponies around and one of the six elements of friendship, she’d defeated many a foe greater than a bit of sleep.
Yes, Applejack could handle anything. So she set her mind to the task at hoof, going to bed. It had been a long day, and the earth pony’s yellow-apple yellow mane showed it in how disheveled it was, flowingly loosely against the pillow and sheets.
Applejack was not at her farm house at Sweet Apple Acres, the place of her birth, life, and probably even death in the long distant future. No. She was elsewhere. See, she’d gone off to Canterlot, someplace she admittedly didn’t belong, with some-pony that was a polar opposite from her. The unicorn, Rarity, with her sometimes stuck up and frou-frou ways.
One minute now, at least, that’s how long it felt. No-pony was keeping score. Her eyes were closed. Deep breath in for four, deep breathe out for four, the same way she always fell asleep. When she got back from her trip with her polar opposite best friend she’d need to help with the pruning of all the old branches on all the old trees. Just one out of the big hoof-full of chores there was always to be done around the farm.
Five minutes, now, roughly. Applejack always fell asleep in even just a minute or two. She’d work her body hard, then bath for a while and then hit the hay just like that. The orchard always tuckered her out, kept her mind and body busy. She was busy on this trip yes, but, it clearly just wasn’t the same.
Peter Pony hoof picked a pack of pickled pony peppers. Peter Pony hoof picked a pack of pickled pony peppers. Cooks cooked cupcakes quickly. Cooks cooked cupca- was this one meant to be based off Pinkie Pie or what?
Drats. Didn’t work that time. Saying out a bunch of dumb tongue twisters to no-pony in particular under her breath was always supposed to work.
Ten minutes. No, maybe fifteen. The clock on her bedside table read 9:34. Yes, she was an early sleeper. If she could ever get to sleep this century.
“If ya can’t sleep,” her mother, bless her heart, would always used to say to her and Mac, “Ya should sing yourself some lullabies!”
Forget it. Never mind. Applejack, despite being the strongest little earth pony around, didn't quite feel like having to resort to having to sing in a hotel room in Canterlot… she wiped at her weary eyes, a tinge of grief for her mother, Pear Butter, and Bright Mac too. Oh hoofness, now was not the time to think about parents.
…the clock read 9:56. It was getting very late for Applejack’s standards. Not by Rarity’s, but apple farming required early mornings raising with the sunlight. Rarity usually spent her nights sipping wine and talking into the way late hours, but, not this time no. She retired to her own room next door, for tomorrow she was going to tour around with Applejack to practically every designer in Canterlot. Something about a fall cowpony line. Applejack could hardly remember the details to be honest.
"Rarity...?"
10:01 pm. Princess Luna's graceful moonlight danced throughout all of Canterlot and waltzed into the apple farmer's room. She never closed the blinds. The sunlight was usually her alarm clock back on the farm. Admiring the moonlight was a rare treat for Applejack. Was she part of the reason that whole Nightmare Moon thing happened? Because she didn't respect the moonlight enough?
That was not the right line of thinking to go down.
Suddenly the door opened. Gracefully, but, also somewhat urgently. Applejack nearly jumped out of bed, ready to buck down any-pony who stood in her- oh. It was just the white unicorn with a mane and tail of purple, curled and swirled about and-
"Oh my, darling-" They weren't really going- "Ah, sorry if I woke you up. I could've sworn I hear-"
"Oh, no, it's might alright, ah'm fine, maybe ah just..." Applejack scrunched up her face. The one downside to being the element of honesty and all that was that she was truly the most pathetic liar. She put on the same face every time she told any sort of lie. It didn't matter if the lie was a simple white lie or if she was telling the most devious lie of them all. Her face always did the scrunching thing. And she stuttered and stumbled on her words like a drunk ballerina and-
“Applejack. Darling. You are a terrible liar.”
“Ah’m not!”
“You’re up late.”
“Ah’m n-“ Rarity put her hoof up to the farm filly’s muzzle. Shush. Shush, she said.
“I’ve never known you to be up later than 9:30. And you called my name I heard it!”
“Ah swear ah’m fine! Just… just a little trouble sleeping ‘s all!” Rarity raised an eyebrow. Applejack finally actually stopped to look at her, she was in a whole entire robe for land’s sake. AJ didn’t even own one of those.
“Ookay then, I’ll be on my-“
“Wait, Rares!”
“Huh, what is-“
Applejack could handle anything. She was the strongest little earth pony in all of Equestria. Yet… why couldn’t she tell her own friend, one of her best friends ever, to-
“C-can you sleep with me?”
“Applejack! Have you had too much cider to drink again!”
Applejack scrunched up her muzzle, but not out of her bad lying instincts, but because… well, why did she do that? Her face lit up a tomato- err- cherry- err wait no apple! It lit up an apple red color, the same color as Big Mac. Ah damn get to the point already, me.
“W-wait not like well, not like that! Don’t get yer robe all twisted in a bunch.”
“Oooh, I see, Jackie over here needs a night light and a bedtime story to fall asleep.”
“Oh- you-!”
“I’m only pulling your tail, darling. If you couldn’t sleep why didn’t you just say so?” That was logical. That was reasonable. ‘Jackie’ sometimes had a tendency not to do too much of that thinking stuff. “If you want me to, of course, I could sleep in with you.”
And so, the unicorn Rarity and the earth pony Applejack, both elements of harmony and seasoned adventurers in their own rights, got into bed together. Nothing weird happened between them but, as Rarity wrapped her forehooves around Applejack (even if Rares was fully asleep,) Applejack couldn’t help but to feel safe. Safe like being hugged by her mother as a little filly. Applejack could handle anything, sure, but, it was made just a little bit easier with her bestest and most prettiest friend ever wrapped around her.
The end, or something.
