Look Before You Sleep

Shoeshine blew on her hot chocolate before wrapping her hooves around the mug, glancing at Sunset laying lazily on her side with a book next to the fire, occasionally taking sips from her own mug.

“So. Whatcha reading?” Shoeshine asked and Sunset slid the book to her. “Daring Do: Secret of the lost Stone. You read Daring Do?”

“Well, duh. I’ve met the author and got a signed book. She’s a bit of an asshole if I’m being completely honest,” Sunset gave an eye roll. “Wanna read it together?”

“Sure.”

Sunset stretched out her hind legs before trotting over and dropping on her stomach followed by the book in front of them.

“I always did enjoy reading,” Sunset muttered as she rested her tail on Shoeshine’s back as their eyes scanned the page in front of them. “Not as much as two of my classmates, mind you, but enough to get kicked out of the library in Canterlot more than once for staying after closing.”

Shoeshine gave a faint chuckle as she turned the page. She never really got into reading as a filly. But she occasionally did open a book when bored. She just needed the right setting in her opinion and that was usually at a beach at sunset.

“Trixie is taking awhile,” Shoeshine noted after a few moments of silence and Sunset nodded.

“The hot water here is really nice. There’s something about hot showers or baths that are freaking amazing. Way better than that,” Sunset flung a hoof at the window as more rain pounded the glass. “Anything is better than that.”

Shoeshine raised an eyebrow as Sunset shivered with a weird expression. Shoeshine never saw Sunset act anything other than well, herself is the best way to put. Shoeshine could count only one two she had seen Sunset afraid in the brief time she’s known her.

“I’m gonna go get Trixie. Her hot chocolate is getting cold, after all,” Shoeshine suggested and Sunset nodded slowly as she flicked her tail off of Shoeshine.

“First door up the stairs on the left,” Sunset instructed and Shoeshine nodded gratefully. Shoeshine trotted up the stairs and knocked on the door, pushing it open enough to poke her head through.

“Trixie, hurry the buck up!” Shoeshine hissed and Trixie peeked around the curtain. “Get out here.”

“Trixie is already done. She’s just relaxing. What’s up?” Trixie asked as she stepped out onto the bathroom tiles. Shoeshine glanced behind her down the steps and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. “Oh?”

“Don’t get your hopes up, Trix. We really gotta make tonight perfect, for Sunset’s sake. We were talking while you were showering. Can you believe she has never had a sleep over once in her life?”

“For real?”

“For real,” Shoeshine echoed sagely with a nod. “Do you have any ideas of games we can play? It’s been years since I’ve last done something like this.”

“Oh, Trixie has got some ideas. We need bottles of alcohol, makeup, movies and popcorn. Raid Sunset’s kitchen while yours truly goes to work,” Trixie grinned wickedly followed by a wink and Shoeshine gave her a look. “Wink!”

“Trixie.....don’t ruin this for her. If you don’t, I’ll be mad. She deserves a decent night of fun with her friends, at least. She’s acting kinda funny too.”

“Funny as in haha or funny as in weird?” Trixie inquired and Shoeshine tapped a hoof against her chin in thought.

“The second one. She actually talked about her childhood. And you know how rare that is as well as I do. We have to make sure she has a good time tonight and maybe find out why she’s acting differently,” Shoeshine explained and leaned closer to Trixie. “You game?”

Trixie inhaled before nodding confidently.

“I’m game.”

Trixie dropped on the couch next to Sunset and the amber coated mare jumped slightly as Trixie snickered, resting a foreleg around her neck.

“So Sunset,” Trixie started with a smirk. “Tell Trixie how your day has been going.”

“It’s been going okay I think. You?”

“Meh,” Trixie waved her other foreleg in the air dismissively before glaring at Shoeshine across the room. “It’s been bearable.”

Shoeshine returned the glare before her eyes flicked to Sunset and Trixie stifled a groan.

“So Trixie has thought of some games. Trixie admittedy has only had two sleepovers, this being her third so bear with her. We could play spin the bottle but-”

“What are we, children?” Shoeshine cut in with a smirk.

“Then let’s up the stakes, shall we?” Trixie said with a grin. “In addition to doing whatever the pony says who spun the bottle, we take a shot!” Trixie shakily levitated several bottles of alcohol and Sunset stared with wide eyes.

“Where did you find my stash?” Sunset demanded and Trixie rolled her eyes.

“You have it unlocked in a cupboard in your office. Everypony in town knows this, especially us, your friends. We’ve been in there countless times,” Trixie answered and set the bottles down on Sunset’s coffee table. “Where’s the projector at? We have a lot of movies to watch.”

“Up in my closet,” Sunset answered and Trixie shot up the stairs in a blue blur. “Wow. She’s fast suddenly.”

“Yeah.”

A loud crashing sound made them both cringe and Trixie bounced down the stairs with a projector in her pink magical aura.

“Ow,” Trixie moaned and rubbed at her horn. “Trixie is okay!”

“That’s good,” Shoeshine chuckled and Trixie gave Sunset a grin that made the mare feel uncomfortable.

“Sooo,” Trixie drew the word out as she sat back down on the couch. “Why does your bed sheets and room smell like a certain gray royal guard pegasus we all know?”

Shoeshine’s jaw dropped as Sunset turned a bright pink color and Trixie grinned triumphantly.

“I-huh?” Sunset stammered and Shoeshine smiled widely at her.

“So, you and Silverspeed, huh?” Shoeshine nudged Sunset. “Gotta say, I saw that coming a mile away. Happy for ya both. You two deserve some happiness in your lives.”

“Silverspeed and I aren’t dating!” Sunset shouted and the other two glanced at each other. “It’s just well, I really shouldn’t say but she’s had nightmares off and on after the Summer Sun Celebration. More accurately, when she killed another living being so she asked me to sleep with her a few times. Said it makes her feel safer.”

The smiles disappeared as they both looked in shock at Sunset. Sunset decided to keep that fact that she genuinely enjoyed sleeping next to Silverspeed a secret only she knew.

“Silverspeed never said anything about that to us,” Trixie mused and Shoeshine was compelled to agree with her fellow blue mare.

“I couldn’t tell you why she told me instead. But don’t tell her I told you. Only, me, you two and Princess Luna know that she has nightmares,” Sunset scowled at them. “Promise me.”

“Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” Trixie and Shoeshine chanted in unison and they both followed through the motions of a Pinkie Promise.

“Anyway, now that we are through that,” Sunset stated and started to search through her shelves full of movies and random books. “What movie we wanna watch first? I got some horror, some comedy, action.”

“Anything action or comedy,” Shoeshine said immediately and Trixie nodded her agreement.

“Comedy it is!” Sunset announced and held up a random movie.

“Mare Cop,” Shoeshine read aloud and snickered. “Oh, this is gonna be freaking great. Love this movie. Took Screw Loose to see it when it first came out.”

“It’s pretty good.”

“Trixie has never seen this movie.”

“Oh you’re gonna have a great time,” Sunset grinned at her friend and patted the cushion next to her.

Trixie only hoped to some higher being that she was right.