Bedtime for Ponies

As you stand up from the bed you hear a sound of laughter coming down the hallway, growing closer with each passing second. You turn to face the door, only to see Derpy enter the room with Dinky sat upon her back, wedged between her mothers wings. Derpy smiles upon seeing you and trots over to introduce Dinky. You smile at the little filly, only to see her pull her mothers wing open and cower behind it.

“She's a little shy around new people, aren't you Dinky?” Derpy said to her little foal, looking back at her.

She trots over to the bed and suddenly flaps her wings, taking off into the air. She flies above the bed and banks sharply, causing Dinky to roll off her back and fall onto the bed. The filly lands on the bed and bounces into the air, almost as high as the point from which she fell. You run over quickly, expecting the worst, only to find her laying on the bed roaring with laughter as Derpy lands next to you.

“She loves playing that game, don't you Dinky?” she says to her foal, nuzzling her nose on Dinky's head, smiling all the while.

You breath a sigh of relief knowing she's fine, though your heart continues to race a mile a minute, feeling like it is trying to escape from your chest. You admire the relationship between the pair, even though you think the way Derpy puts her to bed is not only dangerous, but overly stimulating for bedtime! None the less, you leave them to it, and watch as Derpy gently shushes Dinky, calming her down in a matter of seconds.

Derpy turns to you and smiles, gesturing for you to come over. You walk over and see Dinky sitting on the bed, smiling as she watches you approach. You bend down next to the bed to appear smaller to the little filly. As you reach her height, Dinky crawls closer to the edge of the bed and reaches her hoof out to you. You grasp it in your hand and gently shake it, causing the filly to giggle and pull her hoof back, covering her mouth.

Derpy looks to you and nods, smiling again. “She likes you now, don't you Dinky?” she says to her filly, who begins to blush, hiding behind her hooves. “Now, lets get you into your pyjamas before you catch a cold!”

Derpy trots out of the room to fetch her bag, leaving you alone with Dinky. You turn to her, only to see she is forcibly crossing her eyes and sticking her tongue out.

“Now Dinky, that's not nice. Stop that right now!” you say, trying to sound strict, without upsetting her. She uncrosses her eyes and crosses her legs instead, sulking. You're about to try and cheer her up, when Derpy trots back in again with Dinky's pyjamas. Dinky smiles again upon seeing her mother, and reaches out to her as she drops the pyjamas onto the bed, unrolling them using her nose.

“Come on Dinky, in you get!” she says, as Dinky walks over and wriggles into the opening. You appreciate the distraction, telling off kids never was your strong suit. Derpy grabs the collar of the pyjamas and lifts Dinky into the air, causing her to slide snugly inside them, causing her to giggle. Derpy places her on the bed again, and looks to you, frowning.

“Can you do the buttons up for me? I always struggle when doing this myself!” You nod happily and reach over to Dinky, pushing each button through its respective hole, her legs kicking playfully at your hands as you do each button up. Once done, you lift Dinky up under the arms and put her into the bed proper, pulling the bed covers up and tucking them under her hooves. You step back and go to select a bedtime story, when Dinky suddenly pulls her bed covers over her head.

Did I get something wrong? You think, however Derpy simply laughs and trots up to her, prodding Dinky's belly under the blanket.

“Where's Dinky? Where's Dinky?” she says, while Dinky giggles from under the blanket. Suddenly Dinky pulls the sheet down, beaming happily.

“There's Dinky!” Derpy continues, as Dinky covers her head up again. You stand back and watch as they carry on for a few minutes, until you decide it is time for a calming story, or else the filly will never get to sleep.

You walk over to the bed with the book, and smile at Dinky as she plays another round of 'peekaboo.' You sit down next to her and hold the book out to Derpy who nods approvingly. She reaches her hooves out and pushes the blanket back around Dinky's body, tucking it tightly around her, before sitting down on the edge of the bed next to her daughter.

You begin to read aloud, watching Dinky smiling happily as she listens to you. She looks at the book with eager eyes, studying each picture and emitting small giggles as you go. As you read along, Derpy joins in, reading some of the pages out loud for you. After finishing the story, you turn to regard Dinky again, only to find she is still sat upright, wide awake. She looks at you and smiles, then reaches her hooves out to her mother, who still sat next to her. You look to Derpy, who nods her head as if it is a usual problem.

“Okay then Dinky, but only until you fall asleep!” Derpy adds, before climbing onto the opposite side of the bed and laying next to Dinky. You watch as the little filly cuddles up to her mothers side and closes her eyes instantly, comfortable in her mothers embrace. You wonder if it is a usual thing, but then decide she is in a strange environment, it's to be expected.

You smile at the pair, as Derpy quietly whispers a “Thank you,” before closing her own eyes, drifting off to sleep. You tip toe out of the room and pull the door gently shut, feeling a warm sensation in your heart as mother and daughter lay happily side by side.