Bedtime for Ponies

        You finish fitting the new linen on the bed and fluff the pillow gently before pulling the covers back. Once done, you fetch a large teddy bear from the bedroom cupboard, and lay him down on top of the pillow, placing the covers over his body. You walk away, pleased with the bed, and call your guest for the night.

“Fluttershy! Time for bed!” you call aloud, expecting the little filly to trot in any second. To your surprise, she pokes her head out from underneath the bed, looking up at you timidly. “Come on out Fluttershy!” you say, as the little filly crawls out from beneath the bed, and sits by your feet.

You bend down and gently place your arms under her torso, lifting her up, holding her close to your chest. She begins to grow nervous as you hold her, so you gently stroke her mane as you lower her down onto the soft cotton bedsheets. You lay her on her side, as she slowly curls up into a ball on the edge of the pillow. She starts looking around nervously, when she notices the teddy bear, and looks up to you for approval.

“Yes Fluttershy, that's your teddy bear! He gets nervous sleeping alone, so you better look after him for me!” you say with a smile. Fluttershy smiles back at you, and grabs the teddy bear in her hooves, tightly hugging him to her chest.

With the little filly now in bed, you pull the covers over her small yellow body before she starts getting cold, making sure to leave enough space for her to see over the top of the blanket. She lets out a small sigh as you gently wrap the blanket around her body, and squeezes the teddy tighter. She begins murmuring to it as well, moving it's head to make it nod back. You smile at the cuteness of it all, only for Fluttershy to pull the covers over her head in embarrassment. You suddenly feel bad for making Fluttershy embarrassed, and decide to make it up to her.

“Would you like me to read you a bedtime story?” you ask, watching as she nods her head beneath the sheet. You turn to face the bookshelf that stands behind you, selecting the perfect book for Fluttershy. A story about a happy duck who plays with his friends; not your favourite choice of book, but perfect for the little filly. You go back to the bed and sit down next to the pillow, book in hand. You begin reading aloud to the foal, who still lays hidden under the covers.

After a couple of pages, you see a small turquoise eye peering out from under the covers, watching you read the book. You smile to yourself, pretending you didn't see her. After all, you don't want to embarrass her any further. You continue reading, turning the book towards the bed so she can see the pictures. She lets out a muffled giggle from beneath the sheets as you do the different voices within the book, while continuing to murmur to her teddy friend. As you continue to read the story, you see the teddy reach out from under the covers, waving his arms at you. You smile and wave back, which results in another giggle emanating from the bed.

You continue reading the book, only to turn around a few minutes later to see the turquoise eye has been replaced by a yellow eyelid, the little filly now fast asleep. Aww, how adorable! You think to yourself, watching the bed cover rise and sink with each breath. You stand up slowly and leave the room, turning the light off as you go, when you hear a quiet yelp as Fluttershy sits up suddenly in bed. You turn the light back on and walk over to the scared filly, pulling the covers back to see her shaking, holding onto the teddy as tight as possible, her eyes clenched shut.

“Hey Fluttershy. It's okay. Look, nothing is going to hurt you! You've got Mr Teddy to protect you!” You whisper gently to her. The little filly opens her eyes to see you, and lets out a faint smile. She drops the teddy and wraps her hooves tightly around your arm, continuing to shake nervously. You reach towards her and gently stroke her mane with your free hand, gently shushing her as you do so.

“Hey, it's okay Fluttershy” you say, as she buries her head into your lap. You reach over to her teddy and prod the little filly with his hands, causing her to look up and smile as she grabs the teddy and hugs it tightly. You pick her up in your arms, and carry her with you while you plug a night light into the wall socket. Fluttershy lifts her head from your arm and looks at it, blank faced.

“It's a night light Fluttershy. It’ll protect you from the dark, so you don't need to feel afraid at night,” you say in a gentle tone, as the little filly rests in your arms.

You walk around the room gently rocking Fluttershy back and forth in your arms, trying to calm her down. After a couple of minutes she starts falling asleep again, so you carry her back to the bed and softly place her back down, tucking the covers tightly around her legs. You make sure her teddy is right next to her, before bending down and gently kissing her on the forehead. She giggles as you do so, opening her eyes and smiling. She then holds her teddy up, waggling him back and forth before you. You give the teddy a kiss as well, causing Fluttershy to giggle and hide her face behind the teddy, before she tucks him in next to her again, and hides her head back under the edge of the blanket.

You walk to the door and turn the light off, before sitting down next to Fluttershy, making sure she was comfortable. You carry on reading the bedtime story to her, watching as she slowly drifts to sleep. You finish the book to make sure, before slowly getting up and walking out the room.  You pause at the door to check she's still asleep, this time noticing she appeared a lot more comfortable thanks to the night light.

“Goodnight Fluttershy,” you whisper as you exit the room, watching her cuddling the teddy contentedly.