Bedtime for Ponies

You call for Derpy from the bedroom door, and wait for the little filly to arrive. After a minute's wait, you call again, only to gain no response. You leave the bedroom to seek her out, checking all the obvious places you'd expect to find her. Having no luck, you call her name again, making your way to the kitchen. You take a muffin from the cupboard, knowing it would tempt Derpy into bed, when you hear a giggling sound coming from the bedroom.

You walk back into the bedroom only to find Derpy sitting in the middle of the floor, patiently waiting for you! She grins widely, and you can't help but smile back, wondering if she had been hiding there the entire time. You walk over to her and pick her up, resting her against your chest. You gently cradle her body with one hand, minding her small wings.

As you hold her however, she notices the muffin in your free hand and smiles, looking up to you for approval. You nod at her, and watch as she stretches her mouth towards it, jaws open wide, trying to reach it without falling out of your arms. You laugh and move the muffin closer to her, as she clenches her mouth shut upon its soft, doughy goodness.

She then relaxes back into your arm, and steadies her delicious muffin with her hooves. She begins to nibble on the muffin gingerly, making faint chomping sounds as she closes her eyes happily, a smile upon her face.

Muffins clearly are the answer to everything, you think, as you carry Derpy to the bed. You slowly lower Derpy down and sit her on the pillow, leaving her to enjoy her muffin while you fold back the bed cover and remove any creases in the bed sheet. After making sure the bed was perfect, you look back to the little foal and pick her up, placing her down onto the mattress.

She looks at you, tilting her head in confusion. She looks back to the pillow, before standing up and walking back to it, carrying her muffin with her. You lift up the blanket and quickly drape it over Derpy, covering her body entirely. For a minute she remains motionless under the blanket before returning to her seated position, and you hear the familiar sound of a muffin being devoured. You lift the edge of the blanket up and peer inside, only to see Derpy still eagerly eating her treat.

You reach under and lift her out, resting her head on the pillow, her body under the blanket. She lays there for a moment and looks at you, before she begins squirming about, moving back under the bed covers. She shuffles about, and to your surprise, her flank emerges from out of the bed as she rests it on the pillow. You look at her and laugh, expecting her to turn around at any minute, except she remains in that position.

You lift the covers back up again and find Derpy laying contentedly in this position, continuing to chew the remains of her muffin under the bed covers, getting crumbs everywhere. She stops eating for a moment and looks up at you, confused as to why she's been disturbed yet again. You laugh, and pick her up, turning her around so her head pokes out the top of the bed covers, and lay the blanket over her again. She lays motionless for a moment, before quickly returning to her muffin, chewing it intently.

Well, at least she's the right way round now. You laugh to yourself and leave her to finish her treat, as you turn to face the familiar bookshelf, selecting a story to read to Derpy. You finally pick an ideal book, when you hear a faint coughing. Turning around, you find Derpy sitting up in bed, starting to cough louder than before. You run over and quickly put her over your shoulder, patting her back gently. She soon stops coughing and buries her heads into your shoulder, letting out a sigh. Her soft blonde mane tickles your cheek as she curls up to your body.

You gently rock her up and down, calming down the little filly, enjoying the sensation of her soft coat and mane as you stroke her back, using your free hand. Derpy lays still throughout, until she lets out a small cough again.

You lift her off your shoulder and look into her eyes, smiling warmly at her. “Do you need a drink?” you ask the filly, watching her nod in response. You place her back into the bed and quickly fetch a juice box from the kitchen, handing it to her little hooves. Unfortunately it slips from her grasp as you let go, so you pick it up and try again. She tries to hold it tighter, causing a small amount of apple juice to squirt into your face, right before she drops the box again. She looks at you and blushes.

You wipe the juice off your face using your shirt and smile happily, causing Derpy to sheepishly smile back. You sit down next to her, stroking her mane reassuringly, picking the juice up and holding it out to Derpy, who wraps her small lips around the straw and begins to slurp softly.

While sitting next to her, you decide to read the bedtime story with your free hand. You regale Derpy with a short story all about an accident prone foal, who grew up to be a fantastic artist, amazing the world with her talents. Derpy giggles between sips of her juice box, clapping her hooves together and flapping her tiny wings in happiness.

After a few minutes further reading, Derpy finishes her juice and rolls onto her side, looking towards you and the book. Her eyes now appear half shut, as she struggles to stay awake, eager to hear the rest of the story. You lower your voice to a gentle whisper and continue reading, watching as Derpy slowly drift off to sleep. Just as you finish the book, Derpy rolls over to face the wall, snoring gently.

You quietly stand and place the book on the bedside table, making your way out of the room. You go back to the kitchen and debate eating a muffin, before stepping back from the cupboard.

Probably not a good idea. That pony's got a muffin sense, and I don't want her waking up!