Bedtime for Ponies

Tonight’s going to be difficult, you think to yourself. You double check every corner of the bed sheet, making sure it is free from creases. You arrange the extra pillows on the bed into an overlapping pattern, and gently fold back the corner of the duvet. Once satisfied with the arrangement, you walk out of the room and softly call for Rarity.

After a few minutes of waiting, she casually saunters into the bedroom. Wrapped around her small body is the finest silk dressing gown you've ever seen, and on each hoof is a soft, fluffy slipper. As she walks in, she stops to examine the bed before turning to face you. She nods happily and smiles in approval of the bedding you've given her. After all, plain old cotton wouldn't have been good enough for Rarity. You walk over and bend down to lift her into bed, only for her to shy away from your hands.

“What's the matter Rarity?” you ask, worrying you've made a faux pas somewhere. Rarity shakes her head at you, before sitting down, trying to kick her slippers off each hoof. You bend down and gently remove each one for her, gaining a smile for your efforts. After each slipper has been removed and neatly arranged next to the bed side table, you place your hands under Rarity's stomach and lift her up onto the bed.

Once safely on the bed, you pull the bed covers over her small body and tuck them around her, making sure it wasn't too tight. You gently fluff the pillow behind her head, watching her lean back and sink softly into it. She sighs contentedly and shifts comfortably under the duvet, closing her eyes.

“Did you want to hear a bedtime story before you go to sleep, Rarity?” you ask softly, not wanting to disturb her comfort. She opens her eyes and nods her head at you, trying not to move an inch in case she disturbs the perfect bedding. You walk over to the bookcase and try to find an ideal story, scanning the shelves. You stop your finger on an adventure book and pull it out by the spine, turning it over in your hands.

Well, she might like to hear an adventure book, you think, carrying it over to Rarity. You hold it out to her, only for her to turn her nose up at it and close her eyes in disgust. You shake your head at the foolish idea and return the book to the shelf, trying to find something more suited. After exhausting the entire bookshelf, you turn to a disappointed Rarity, whom rolls her eyes at you.

You're about to apologise, when an idea pops into your head. Darting to the living room, you quickly pick up a fashion magazine that arrived in the post last week and bring it back to the bedroom. You hold it out to Rarity, whose eyes light up at the sight of it. It's an unconventional piece of bedtime reading material, but you think it’ll do the job. You settle down next to the filly and start to read out several articles on the latest fashions and trends. You find it awfully boring, but Rarity is loving every minute of it, and that is all that matters, after all!

After half an hour of reading through multiple articles and letting Rarity intently study the photos of various dress designs, you decide it is time for bed. You start to close the magazine, only for Rarity to place her white hoof onto the page. You turn to Rarity, who gives you a wide eyed look, wanting to read on. As much as you want to say no, you can't let down such an eager little filly.

“Alright, one more article, then it's time for bed!” you say, watching as she lays back down, smiling widely. You let Rarity pick an article based on the best photos, and continue reading, noting she keeps slowly drifting off to sleep. You finally finish the article, regretting letting Rarity pick the longest one possible. You close the magazine before she notices it's over and put it on the bedside table.

You look down to Rarity and see she's smiling happily at you, her eyes half open, her hooves stretched upwards. You smile and laugh quietly to yourself before leaning in for a hug, holding her gently. You let go and step back, only to see Rarity frowning and still reaching her arms up. You then notice she's still wearing her dressing gown, and wants a hand removing it.

You sigh again at your mistake, and gently lift the dressing gown over her head, hanging it on the bed post. You turn back to Rarity, only to notice she is now shivering in bed, her teeth chattering quietly. You pick up another blanket and lay it over the bed before running to the kitchen to prepare a hot water bottle.

After a few moments, you quickly return with the bottle and hold it out to Rarity, who still lays shivering in bed, clutching the sheets tightly to her body. She looks up to you, only to recoil at the sight of the bright orange hot water bottle, disgusted by such a vibrant colour.

“Come on Rarity, I know it doesn't look nice, but it’ll keep you warm!” you say, holding the bottle closer to her.

She keeps shifting away from it however, ducking under the bed covers. You lift the cover up and place it on her chest as she winces at the colour of it, the orange clashing with her white coat. Her pained expression soon changes to one of comfort however, as she feels the warmth spreading out from the bottle. She clasps it tightly to her chest, letting out a small sigh as she manages to warm up in bed.

You stand back and watch as she crawls back onto the pillow and smiles happily again, hiding the bottle under the bed sheet. You tuck the covers back around her small body once again, smoothing them out to her pleasure. She looks up to you and reaches her hooves out again. You smile and bend in for another hug, this time feeling Rarity hugging you back happily.

“Goodnight Rarity. Pleasant dreams!” you say as you release your grip, before quietly leaving the room. You look back at the bed, only to see Rarity laying down, her eyes closed contentedly. You switch the light off and gently pull the door shut behind you.