> The Cutie Mark Crusaders Sleep & Spread > by Sleep Mast R > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music's slumber apples had been quite a problem, since no one could visually distinguish them from regular apples. This left Applejack and Big McIntosh's apple farm... useless. When Applejack discussed the matter with the rest of the Mane Six, they decided to use scientific experiments to separate the slumber apples from the regular apples. Once they did that, they weren't sure what to do with the slumber apples, because they didn't want to throw them away and waste them. The Cutie Mark Crusaders asked to keep the slumber apples, as they knew just what to do with them. They loved helping others get their cutie marks... but, of course, the time eventually came when they ran out of blank flanks to help. So they didn't know what to do. Other than look back at memories, but they got bored of that too. So they took inspiration from the Watterson kids' unseen adventure. "If we're asleep, we can dream of helping blank flanks that don't really exist!" They went to their room in their lovely complex, and in preparation, Apple Bloom fluffed the pillows on the triple bed, Sweetie Belle folded the blanket to the footboard, and Scootaloo sprayed the bed with febreze. Then, each of the fillies ate four slumber apples exactly in sync. "Now we settle in bed and wait," said Sweetie Belle. "But wait... what if a filly shows up and actually wants our help?" asked Scootaloo. "We'll be too tired by that time..." "Good thing we have tons of spare slumber apples!" said Apple Bloom. She set up a sign next to the slumber apples, saying that anyone could eat one to join them in the dream. "Did we forget anything else?" wondered Sweetie Belle. "Oh, we should lock the door so that thieves don't-- oh, wait, if we lock the door, other friends won't be able to come either." "I think I just have the idea!" said Scootaloo. "We'll install alarms that'll resound whenever a valuable thing gets removed from this room. Deal?" "But how are we going to do that if we're already close to falling asleep?" "Oh, we should have planned everything before eating the slumber apples... just like Applejack said, we should stay organized..." "Oh, right! Applejack already installed the alarms yesterday for the sake of... (yawns) a wand-a-mo-lone..." "Don't you mean a watermelon?" Welp, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were slowly but surely gaining fatigue. Thus, they lay their bodies down on the mattress, and Sweetie Belle pulled the blanket over them with her magic. Their eyes were only 21% open while they did all that. In a matter of seconds, they dozed off, with their eyes 0% open, and their mouths snoring cutely. "ZZZZzZzZZzzzZZZzzZzZZZZZZ..." snored Sweetie Belle. "ZzZzZzZZZzZZzZZzzzzZzzZZZ..." snored Apple Bloom. "zzZzZZZZZzzzZZzzzzzzzZZzz..." snored Scootaloo. It was one of these cute moments, that lured over several colts and fillies... but they already had their cutie marks and didn't need any help. Twist, Pipsqueak, Snips, Snails, Kettle Corn, Rumble, Button Mash and Skedaddle snuck in, but they were mesmerized by the cutely slumbering CMCs. At least most of them. Button Mash noticed the slumber apples, and started eating them like crazy. "Wait, do you realize what those are--!?" warned Rumble. "Don't go eating them!!"" yelled Pipsqueak. "These are slumber apples!" said Skedaddle. But the gamer was deaf to everything but the deliciousness of the apples. After having eaten 95% of the apples left in the basket... "You're going to--" ...Button Mash crashed on the ground, and snored. "--fall asleep..." The others turned Button Mash over. Yup, that guy was asleep like a log on the floor, with his body full of digested apples. They lay Button Mash on top of Babs Seed's sleeping bag, and put the blanket over him. "Looks like he'll be joining the CMCs in their dream..." said Twist, "and there aren't enough slumber apples for the rest of us..." The ponies didn't know what the CMCs and Button Mash were dreaming about. But they could tell that they were feeling the breeze of delight in their sleep. Kettle Corn said, "Sleep is relaxing. It feels nice to close the eyes. Either day or night." "Ah, so you're still into your haikus," noted Skedaddle. "I just wish someone could fix the leak in the room..." said Snips, as his mane was being dripped on. "What leak?" "The one right above my head..." But Snips looked up, and there wasn't even a slight crack in the ceiling. He was right next to Scootaloo's side of the bed, and she was drooling close to the edge, and some of it got on Snips. "Looks like I need to get my hair rinsed or something," he then said. He walked out of the room, accidentally stepping on Button Mash along the way. "Sorry... ^^' " "If he's out, I'm gonna follow," said Snails, who also left the room. Meanwhile, Pipsqueak crouched down. He noticed Button Mash's eyelids were rapidly twitching, while his eyes stayed closed. In other words, he was in REM sleep. "Makes sense, anyway. He ate way more slumber apples than the CMCs combined." "It's too bad there isn't another bed in this room, 'cause I'd like to experience the joys of slumber myself." "What are you talking about?" replied Skedaddle. "You can make anything into a bed with improvisation." "Even nails?" said Kettle Corn. "Uhh... okay, you can't use nails." "What about fire?" "Yeah, you can't use fire to make a bed, either." "And I don't think knives can be used either?" "Okay, let me rephrase that," said Skedaddle. "You can make anything, except nails, fire and knives, into a bed with improvisation. Here, let me do that for you right now, Pip." Skedaddle designed a new cozy bed by using hay as the base, folded clothes as a pillow, and a tablecloth for the blanket. Of course, the alarm didn't go off, because none of those things left the room. When Pipsqueak lay on it, it was more comfortable than his actual bed. He tucked himself in, but his eyes didn't agree... they were wide open. "Now I'm all comfortable," said Pipsqueak, "but I'm not tired." "There are still the slumber apples!" said Kettle Corn. "If you eat one, that'll fix that problem!" "I think I'll do that too!" said Rumble, noticing that Twist was designing several other improvised beds. "Yeah, me too!" "Same here!" It turned out that all of the colts and fillies wanted to go to sleep and join the alternate universe with the CMCs and Button Mash. Including Snips and Snails, who just came back to the room. Snips and Snails took two slumber apples and Rumble took one, and then the bucket was empty. "Hey!" said Pipsqueak, "I want one!" "Uh oh..." said Kettle Corn, "there are only three slumber apples left." "I kinda already told you..." said Twist. "The bucket was full before Button Mash decided to be a hungry hippo..." "At least he blacked out before he could get the last three apples." "So, we need to decide which of us is going to eat the remaining slumber apples. At least until new ones come along." "Well, Pipsqueak was the first one who brought up the idea," said Skedaddle, "so he should get one of them." "Cool!" said Pipsqueak. "You're just saying that because, y'know... 'Vote for Pip!' " chuckled Twist. "Oh, an Twist," said Rumble, "you should get one too, since you cleverly designed the beds." "Thanks," said Twist, smiling. "We still need to agree on who'll get the last one," said Skedaddle. "There's me, Snips, Snails, Kettle Corn and Rumble." "Let's pull straws out of this jar," said Kettle Corn, holding up a jar of five straws. "The one with the shortest straw gets the last slumber apple." So they pulled the straws fair and square. Snails won. "Too bad Snips won't be included in this, but I'll surely be happy to doze right off," he said. Thus, Pipsqueak, Twist and Snails took the last three slumber apples and ate them up. Then they settled in the improvised beds. Fortunately, they didn't get any allergies over this. Scootaloo was still drooling, but Snips was careful enough not to stand underneath. Those CMCs were not robots, so they needed to sleep, big time. Good thing they weren't constantly bothered by blank flanks. Surely any reader of this story could agree with the points being made here. "I wonder if I'll get to dream of being on a pirate ship..." said Pipsqueak, as he grew sleepier. "Hopefully we'll still be meeting each other," said Snails. "It's a good thing our minds will still be entertained." "I remember how Apple Bloom felt about that cute-ceañera," remarked Twist. "Luckily sleep doesn't (yawn) require anything that's hard to get... only relaxation... and-it-can't-possibly-sell-out..." She was speaking less distinctly over the last few words because she was really starting to fall asleep. At this point, Rumble was standing at the foot boards, staring at Pipsqueak, as his body was wrapped in the tablecloth, his head was mushed into the pile of clothes, and his eyelids, one brown and one white, slowly closed over his pupils. Normally it would be creepy to stare, but Pipsqueak was too tuckered out to notice. Before you could wink an eyelash, Pipsqueak was fast asleep. Twist was collapsed on her falafel-filled impro mattress, with her eyes closed, pulling the laundry-bag blanket over her. The blanket clearly covered every part of her body, except her head, perfectly. She sunk down, and then let out a snore. Twist was sleeping like a baby. "You know," said Skedaddle, "I should have tried this at camp instead of bringing my sleeping bag..." "Snails... are you still awake?" asked Snips. "Yeah-nope..." said Snails, as he lay on his back with his eyes closed, he pulled the bathroom-robe blanket over him. The sleeves in the robe made this blanket more comfortable to his hooves. Before long, his conscience has officially drifted away, and gone to join the CMCs, Button, Pipsqueak and Twist. It was 4:30 PM, and there were seven soundly slumbering sleepers. Kettle Corn moved down the light dimmer to make the room darker, while she got flashlights for herself, Rumble, Snips and Skedaddle. There was a knock on the door; Kettle Corn answered, it was Featherweight. She put her hoof over her puckered mouth, to ask him to be quiet. Featherweight agreed, but then got startled by a long, grinding snore. The ponies with their flashlights observed that the snore came from Button Mash, presumably because he ate the most slumber apples out of everyone. Featherweight quietly took out his camera, and with the approval of Kettle Corn, Rumble, Snips and Skedaddle, he took a picture of the scene. He then stayed to learn more about it. "Whatever the CMCs are dreaming about, I'm sure they have company now," remarked Skedaddle. "If only there were some way to document it," said Featherweight, who had never heard of the Lore of Dreams from the Fate of April. "This sitting around and doing nothing seems familiar," said Rumble. "Wait, should talking count as doing anything?" Kettle Corn yawned tiredly, but she was still awake. It was hard not to yawn in a darkened room with quite an amount of snoring. > Chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE... "So this is what the kitchen looks like in Port-Jay-A?" asked Sweetie Belle. "I've never seen a kitchen shaped so... rounded." Pipsqueak showed up. "Well, it certainly does look like a good place." "Pipsqueak, you came! --er, I mean went to sleep!" said Scootaloo, happily. "Yup, but not just me," replied Pipsqueak. "Snails and I also came," said Twist happily, "and we'd sure love some of your falafel." "Falafel?" asked Apple Bloom. "How in tarnation did you know we were making that?" "...lucky guess." "Then be our guest! Here in Port-Jay-A you can never be too prepared!" BACK IN REALITY... Rumble yawned and said, "I'm getting tired..." "But you haven't eaten a slumber apple..." said Skedaddle. "Slumber apples aren't the only things that can make ponies tired!" objected Featherweight. "There are tons of other situations, like the sound of snoring, ASMR..." "I guess I shouldn't have dimmed the lights," said a sweating Kettle Corn. "Aw, but I don't want to turn them on now, it could wake the preciously snoozing colts and fillies..." "Well... there are still several extra beds on the ground," said Skedaddle, "so Rumble, if you decide to hit the hay..." "Twist is superb at improvisation," remarked Snips, as he gazed at the slumbering and snoring Twist. Her head was so deep into the pillow that he could only see one of her (closed) eyes, and the blanket covered her so well, that it was hard to tell that anypony was even in this bed at first glance. Snips couldn't help but stroke her. Luckily, he didn't commit any OSHA violation. "Zzzzzzz" snored Twist. Meanwhile, Rumble collapsed on a random bed and rolled himself under the covers. Then he turned off his flashlight, and went to sleep. "The CMCs aren't just sleeping... they're spreading the slumber..." said Kettle Corn, yawning ever so slightly. "With Thunderlane's little brother sleeping, the slumber count is eight." "I would totally agree," said Snips. Skedaddle was just mesmerized by the sight, so he didn't speak. Kettle Corn was becoming sleepy, but she denied it, since she wanted to adore the sight of the sleepers, and she knew she couldn't if she were among them. Pipsqueak rolled over 180 degrees, and sleep-mumbled "Nightmare Moon... nooo... oh wait... you're just Princess Luna dressed up as her!" "You know, Kettle Corn... there is an actual name for this kind of event," said Skedaddle. "Unfortunately, I don't remember what the name is." Kettlen Corn did not respond. Her eyes were closed and her head was tilted forward. "Oh, looks like a certain filly is getting sleepy-eepy..." said Skedaddle, blushing. "Am not!----" said Kettle Corn, stubbornly. Then she yawned, and her eyes started closing again. "You know, Kettle Corn," said Featherweight, "there's nothing wrong with sleeping in one of those extra beds. Eight ponies are doing so already. And this universe doesn't shower us with duties or anything. Once you're asleep, you'll feel much better. You might even dream of painting circles and haikus!" "But what if the others have interesting sleeping patterns? I'll miss out!" objected Kettle Corn. "Then I'll keep it recorded," Featherweight said with a wink. "Alright... (yawns)" said Kettle Corn, as she started at the CMCs' bed and walked across the room, saying, "Sweet dreams, Cutie Mark Crusaders... sweet dreams, Button Mash... sweet dreams, Pip... sweet dreams, Twist... sweet dreams, Snails... sweet dreams, Rumble..." Then she immediately settled into the next bed, where the mattress was Japanese slime surrounded in wrapping paper. Since youngsters love slime, she found it really comfortable. Then she sunk her head into the pillow and mumbled "Sleep is relaxing. It feels nice to close the eyes. Either day or night" as she fell into a deep sleep. MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE... yeah, I won't delve into details this time, I'll just let you know that the CMCs are serving a delectable meal to a larger table of friends. BACK IN REALITY... Snips, Skedaddle and Featherweight were the only ponies awake in the big bedroom. They got together to discuss many things, such as what the CMCs would react when they woke up. Meanwhile, a film producer heard the variety of snoring sounds from outside the room, and recorded it for his movie. After discussion, Snips noticed that Snails' mattress was stretchy and elastic, and also that the bathroom robe was large. Just in time, too, because he was drowsy and ready to be the 10th sleeper. He took previously cut off versions of the CMCs' tails and made them into a pillow. Then he stretched the mattress to twice the width, added the pillow, and slept ever so happily in the double bed with his best friend. "You know..." said Skedaddle quietly, "now I'm surprised that I'm still wide awake. Must have been unusually well rested this morning." "There are four improvised beds left, and two of us," remarked Featherweight. "That'll be enough for us if we get sleepy, plus two extra newcomers..." "It just occurred to me... are there any more slumber apples in the world? We, well mostly Button Mash, emptied the bucket." "Oh, they are still being made in the factory. But Music says they're going to be marked with dye to visually distinguish them from regular apples." "Whew, that's a relief..." said Skedaddle. "Say, (yawns) could you keep a good watch of my camera please?" asked Featherweight. Skedaddle came to a realization. "You too??" "Yep," replied Featherweight indistinctly with a yawn. He was getting sleepy as sleepy could be. "Well, I'm not sure how good I am with cameras, but I'll try," said Skedaddle faithfully. Thus, Featherweight dozed off in the the bed with the hay bale mattress and the applesauce-filled pillow. At this point the room was totally... sleepy. Skedaddle was surprised he was still wide awake. He was the only one awake in the room until there was a knock on the door. It was Tender Taps and Babs Seed, each intending to consult the CMCs about something. "Sorry..." said Skedaddle at a low volume, "it's actually recommended that you guys... stay super quiet." "Why should we----ohh..." Babs Seed and Tender Taps were finally mesmerized by what they saw. "Wait, isn't that my sleeping bag with Button?" Babs objected. Then she realized there was no point, because he was so adorable with his slumbering and snoring in the sleeping bag, that she couldn't think of taking him out of it, even though it was hers. Tender Taps just walked around, just as awed as Babs Seed and Skedaddle. Tender Taps accidentally tripped over Pipsqueak's back hoof. "Sorry..." he said sheepishly. But Pipsqueak was out cold, so the trip had no effect on him. When Tender Taps finally sat down, he sneezed. "Gesundheit," said Skedaddle, as he noticed a dusty box next to Tender Taps. He removed the dust, and found Pipsqueak's old Luna plushie in the Lost and Found. "Well, that's a lucky find," he remarked, "the Lost and Found was much more full before Twist made its content into beds." Skedaddle placed the Luna plushie in between Pipsqueak's hoof and his blanket. As Pip was out cold, he had no reaction, but Skedaddle still knew about his act of kindness. In the meantime, Babs Seed stroked the manes of the CMCs whose still, sleeping bodies reminded her of her time being so relaxed in Manehattan. Tender Taps got a handkerchief from the Lost and Found and blew his nose. He was sure allergic to that dusty box! However, he noticed his nose wasn't the only body part getting a reaction, as his eyes were only 60% open. As one would expect, he was getting sleepy, and his yawn contagiously passed over to Skedaddle. "Uhh... maybe we're just yawning 'cause we're bored," said Skedaddle, "I mean, there isn't that much to do around here..." "Nope, it's sleepiness," responded Tender Taps faintly while using the sleepiness measure device. Skedaddle finally admitted his fatigue, so he and Tender Taps took two of the remaining improvised beds, fluffing the pillows and sorting the blankets for maximum comfort. Then they settled into bed, and Tender Taps fell asleep, but Skedaddle jolted awake. "I made a promise to Featherweight!" said Skedaddle. "Luckily I know exactly what's needed for his camera..." He set the camera to the mode "auto-stop the recording after 1.5 hours and recharge." He then headed back, yawning and blinking extra on his way to his improvised bed. And what do you know, Babs Seed followed him, yawning as well. Shortly, Skedaddle, Babs Seed and Tender Taps were all asleep in the last three improvised beds. Now that there was no longer anypony awake, the room just filled with snores and cute breathing, as the camera went into its mode. Meanwhile, a weary Princess Flurry Heart slowly made her way into the room with her Whammy, while her crib was being washed. There were no more empty beds, but despite her sleepiness, she know what to do. She used her magic to pile a mattress on top of a wooden box, a pillow on top of the mattress, and a blanket on top of the pillow... she found these things that Twist didn't. She then used wooden fences to surround the mattress and the wooden box. They fit surprisingly well. Then Flurry Heart, while tightly hugging her Whammy, dropped into this new crib. Since this crib felt more comfortable than her usual one, she immediately fell asleep. Shining Armor and Princess Cadance saw this from outside. They held hooves, with tears of joy over the cleverness of their child. Little did the Cutie Mark Crusaders know how much they would spread the slumber. MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE... the CMCs were happy to know that they fixed enough food to go all around. Even Flurry enjoyed some. Well, specifically the ice cream. BACK IN REALITY... Suddenly, the room started getting brighter, slowly but surely, but nopony noticed. They just slept on, as the status of all the comfortable beds did not change. Time passed, and the room was eventually as bright as it was at the beginning of the story. Rejuvenation must come eventually. Thus the time came that everypony woke up, first the CMCs, then Pipsqueak... they awoke in roughly the same order that they slept. Except Button Mash was up last. Since he ate the most slumber apples out of everyone, it really knocked him out for super long. And Pipsqueak didn't know how he ended up with his favorite plushie, but it put a smile on his bright face. They finally had lots of energy, so they went outside to play together. Though Flurry Heart caused a little commotion, that didn't stop the fillies and colts. Twist was especially proud of the improvised beds she worked up, and now everyone was friends with her. After some playing, the fillies found themselves hungry, so they went back inside to eat. MEANWHILE, IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE... There was nopony left, since everypony awoke in reality. MEANWHILE, IN REALITY... Flurry Heart's crib finished being washed and it was back in her room... but she didn't want it any more. The End.