Sunset hesitated as she and Rarity exited the lunch line. Rarity looked over at her.
“Something wrong, darling?”
“I... don't know about this,” Sunset said.
Rarity smiled gently. “Sunset, it's okay. The girls are fine with you joining us for lunch. You don't need to worry.”
Sunset looked around the cafeteria. Whenever she made eye contact with someone, they gave her a look ranging from mistrust to outright hatred. She shrunk down into her jacket, trying to make herself smaller.
“I don't want to make things worse for you,” she muttered.
“What on earth do you mean, darling?” Rarity asked.
“You know, guilt by association.”
Rarity sputtered. “Pfft-tsk-tch! Nonsense! If anyone has a problem with you spending lunch with us, it's entirely that. Their problem. You are a student here, and as such, you have just as much of a right to use the facilities here as anyone else. You can't keep hiding in the library every lunch period.”
Sunset sighed and followed the fashionista to the table where the other girls were waiting.
“Hey, Sunset,” Applejack greeted as they sat down.
“Hey,” Sunset said quietly.
“Sleepin' okay?”
“Kind of. Nightmares are still happening.”
“That sucks,” said Rainbow Dash. Sunset looked up in surprise.
“What?” Rainbow asked. “Nightmares are the worst.” She gave Sunset a wink. Sunset blinked and then gave a small smile.
“Yeah,” she said. “They are. But the sleepovers seem to be helping. Thanks for suggesting it, Pinkie.”
“Anytime! Oh, speaking of!” Pinkie reached into her hair, extracting a notebook. She flipped it open. “According to the straws we drew, it's Fluttershy's turn tonight!”
There was a squeak from the end of the table. The girls turned to see Fluttershy hiding behind her hair. Sunset's face fell, all the times she had bullied and yelled at Fluttershy coming to her mind.
“It's okay, Fluttershy,” she said. “If you don't want to do this, you don't have to.” Much to her surprise, Sunset actually felt disappointed by Fluttershy's reaction, although it was completely understandable.
Fluttershy brushed her hair back and looked up. “No, it's okay, Sunset. It's my turn. It's just...”
“Yeah?”
“Well, we had planned for me to go over to your place tonight, but I forgot that it's game night with my family.”
“Game night?” Sunset asked.
Pinkie let out one of her trademark three second gasps. “You mean you've never been to a game night? A night filled with playing all kinds of games with people you love and care about and participate in good-natured ribbing that's all in fun and bonding?”
Sunset gave Pinkie a look. “Exiled former villainous pony with no friends or family until two weeks ago, remember?”
“Then you need to go to Fluttershy's house tonight!” Pinkie insisted. “You need to play games and bond!”
“I don't think I need to intrude on her family's – “
Pinkie shoved her face directly at Sunset's. “BONDING, SUNSET! DO IT!”
“GAH!” Sunset jumped back in her seat so hard it began to tilt. Sunset let out a yelp as she fell backward and crashed on the floor. Applejack and Rarity let out a gasp themselves and helped her back up, while Rainbow pulled Pinkie back to her own seat.
“Are you all right, sugarcube?” Applejack asked as Sunset got herself situated. Sunset tried to ignore the stares she was getting from the students at the other tables.
“I'm fine,” she muttered, huddling in her jacket again.
“You can come over.” Fluttershy smiled at Sunset. Sunset looked up.
“What?”
“If you want to, you can come over to my house tonight. Mom and Dad won't mind.”
“Are you sure?” Sunset asked, remembering her encounter with Rarity's mom the night before.
Fluttershy nodded. “It seems a shame you've never had a game night before. This could be a lot of fun... well, maybe.”
“Maybe?”
Fluttershy looked down at the table, her expression dark. “You'll meet my brother.”
“Zephyr's home?” Rainbow asked. “I thought he was in military school?”
“He got kicked out. Came home yesterday.” Fluttershy folded her arms and frowned.
“Great.” Rainbow leaned back and blew her bangs out of her eyes.
“Who's Zephyr?” Sunset asked.
“Zephyr Breeze, Fluttershy's younger brother,” Rainbow explained. “He's a loser.”
Applejack piped up. “Boy never finishes anything he starts. Takes advantage of his family, especially Flutters' parents.”
“His jokes are terrible,” said Pinkie, who rarely had an unkind word to say about anyone.
“He's also an egomaniacal, sexist pig,” Rarity added. “And don't even get me started on his sense of style. Fluttershy, dear, is he still on his whole 'shirts are evil' phase?”
“It's gotten worse since he got home,” Fluttershy asked. “Mom and Dad had to bribe him to wear pants around the house.”
The girls all shivered, except Sunset, who looked over at Fluttershy.
“Is he really that bad?”she asked.
Fluttershy sighed. “Maybe not that bad, but he's still a pain.” She looked up and gave Sunset a gentle smile. “You know what? Please come over, Sunset. We have plenty of room and it'll be a lot of fun to do game night with a friend.”
Sunset considered then gave Fluttershy a smile of her own. “Yeah... I think I'd like that.”
Fluttershy clapped her hands. “Great! Let me text you my address.” She turned and pulled out her phone. “And we will destroy my brother,” she whispered.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing!”
Sunset knocked on the front door of the Shy house, a nicely kept ranch-style home not too far from Rarity's house. An attractive flower garden was next to the front stoop. If Sunset had to pick a word to describe the house on first glance, she would say “cozy.” It seemed to fit Fluttershy to a tee.
The door opened, revealing a yellow woman with red hair and glasses. She had sunflower shaped earrings and a slightly nervous smile.
Sunset gave a nervous smile of her own. “Hi, Mrs. Shy? I'm Sunset Shimmer. Fluttershy's friend?”
“Oh, yes, Sunset Shimmer,” Mrs. Shy's voice was high and soft. Not much different from her daughter's. “Fluttershy told us you'd be spending the night.”
Sunset swallowed. While she was perfectly polite, Mrs. Shy didn't seem all that enthused about Sunset being here. Sunset couldn't blame her. She had picked on Fluttershy mercilessly in the past, and in all likelihood, her parents knew about it all. Sunset's heart sank and she looked at her feet.
“I don't want to impose,” she said quietly. “And I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I'll go if you want.”
Mrs. Shy blinked. “No! No, no! I'm so sorry! Come in, come in!”
She stepped aside, allowing Sunset to enter the house. The coziness continued. Overstuffed couches and chairs. Carved wood tables and cabinets. Family pictures covering nearly every wall.
Sunset felt a lump rise in her throat as she looked at a picture of an elementary school age Fluttershy smiling with her parents. Mr. Shy was a thin green man, with a pink mustache and a hairstyle that resembled soft serve strawberry ice cream. All three were smiling widely, even Fluttershy, which Sunset had never seen before. They all looked happy.
We used to look that happy once. Sunset thought.
“I'm sorry about that,” said Mrs. Shy, bringing Sunset out of her memories. “I didn't mean to make you feel unwelcome, dear.”
“I'd understand if you did,” Sunset confessed. “I've been terrible to your daughter in the past.”
“Fluttershy says you've changed and she wants us to give you a chance.” Mrs. Shy gave Sunset a small smile. “And we believe in forgiveness in this house. If she says you're welcome here, then you're welcome here.”
Sunset returned the smile. “Thank you. I appreciate you giving me a chance.”
“Fluttershy is in the backyard feeding her squirrel friends. Here, let me take your bag up to her room and you can go say hello to her.”
Sunset let her friend's mother take the bag with another thank you and walked down the hall to the kitchen, where she let herself out onto the back porch through the sliding glass door. Fluttershy was sitting at a patio table, humming idly, as she watched a pair of squirrels root through the nearby feeder. She looked up when she heard the door open.
“Oh, hello, Sunset!” she said brightly. She stood up and walked over. “I'm glad you could come.”
“I'm glad too. Your house is lovely.”
“Oh, thank you. Although you can thank Mom for that. She's the decorator in the family.”
Sunset sat in one of the other deck chairs. She watched in amazement as one of the squirrels dashed over and up onto the table. Fluttershy giggled and reached into a baggie of granola she had in front of her. She handed some to the squirrel, who chittered and began gnawing on it.
Fluttershy smiled at Sunset. “This is Rocky. He's a little bit of a mooch, but he so adorable I can't help spoiling him a little.”
Sunset smiled. “He is cute.”
“Hey, big sis! How's it goin'?” came a new male voice. Instantly, Rocky dashed off the table and Fluttershy's expression darkened.
“And here's something that isn't,” she hissed. Sunset looked up to see a tall boy the same shade of green as Fluttershy's father stepping out onto the patio. He had close cropped blond hair, and was wearing frayed jeans and a woven vest. Sunset noted with some distress that he had forgone a shirt, and judging from the way her nostrils were reacting, probably deodorant as well.
“What do you want, Zephyr?” Fluttershy asked coldly.
“Mom said you had a new friend visiting, so I thought I'd introduce myself.” Zephyr turned to Sunset and gave a grin that he probably thought was charming, but to Sunset, made him look like he was having a particularly painful bowel movement.
“Zephyr Breeze, pretty lady,” he said, sleazing his way into the deck chair next to Sunset. He picke dup her hand, causing Sunset to make a disgusted expression. “En-chant-tay.”
He bent his head to kiss the back of her hand, but Sunset pulled it away at the last second. “It's enchante,” she corrected, pronouncing the word correctly.
“Well, whatever it is, it describes a fiery headed lovely like you to a tee.” Zephyr gave his constipated grin again, bouncing his eyebrows up and down.
“Yeek,” Sunset grimaced. Fluttershy rolled her eyes.
“Sunset, this is my brother, Zephyr Breeze. Zephyr, this is my friend Sunset Shimmer. There, you've met her. Now would you please leave us alone so we can talk?”
“Actually, Mom asked if you could set the table for dinner. Don't worry, sis, I'll keep your guest entertained.” Another eyebrow bounce.
“You know what?” Sunset said, standing up. Her fist was clenched at her side. “I think I'll help set the table too. I don't want to seem like I'm freeloading and all.”
Fluttershy blinked then smiled brightly. “Yes, good idea, Sunset! Let's go!”
Fluttershy stood up and the two headed for the sliding glass door to the house. Sunset looked over her shoulder, where Zephyr was muttering to himself. She thought she heard the words “probably gay anyway.” Her eyes flashed and she looked over at Fluttershy.
“I know he's your brother, and I know I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, but if he touches me again, I swear I'll kill him.”
“I know where Dad hides the lye in the garden shed,” Fluttershy answered. “And I have a large metal washtub I use to give the neighborhood dogs baths. It shouldn't take too long to get rid of the body.”
Sunset stared at Fluttershy in shock, before Fluttershy herself giggled and gently pushed Sunset's shoulder. Sunset stared at her for another second then smiled and giggled herself.
“Come on,” Fluttershy said. “Dad will be home soon, and you'll like him a lot more than Zephyr. Let's go set the table. Mom's making tortellini tonight. You'll love it.”
“That does sound pretty good,” Sunset said.
The two entered the kitchen, where Mrs. Shy was working on the sauce for the pasta. She blinked when Fluttershy began pulling plates from the cabinet.
“Fluttershy, dear, what are you doing?”
“Sunset and I are going to set the table.”
“Oh!” Mrs. Shy's voice held a note of surprise. “That's very nice of you, girls. I asked Zephyr to do it, but he seems to have disappeared.”
“WHAT?!” Fluttershy and Sunset's voices echoed around the tiny kitchen.
After dinner, Sunset helped Fluttershy clear the table, noting with some disgust that Zephyr disappeared as soon as actual work became involved. As she helped Fluttershy load the dishwasher, Mrs. Shy placed a large chocolate cream pie on the counter and grabbed a knife.
“Go ahead and sit down, girls. I'll handle dessert. Thank you for your help, Sunset.”
“It's no problem, Mrs. Shy.”
“Does anyone need refills on drinks?” Fluttershy asked.
Glasses were refilled and the two of them sat down at the table. Sunset watched as Fluttershy frowned and counted down from three on her fingers. When she reached zero, Zephyr slid back into the room.
“Okay, prepare yourselves, ladies, the Game Master has arrived!”
Fluttershy sighed through her teeth. Sunset looked at her and decided to take a chance. She reached down and gently squeezed Fluttershy's hand. Fluttershy looked up.
“We're gonna annihilate him,” Sunset whispered, her face curling up into an evil grin. Fluttershy put a hand over her mouth and giggled.
“All right, everyone,” said Mr. Shy, placing a game box on the table. “Since we have a guest, I figured tonight's first game should be a new one. It's called Life Stinks.”
“Life Stinks?” Sunset asked. “That's kind of weird. What's the object?”
“Well,” Mr. Shy said, looking at the instructions. “It's a card game where each card has some kind of unpleasant thing that can happen in day to day life. Each one has an 'Anguish Rating.' Everybody starts off with three cards, and you guess where each card we draw falls among the cards in front of you. If you get it wrong, the next person gets to guess and so on. First one to get ten cards in their line wins!”
“I don't get it,” Sunset said.
“We usually find the best way to understand a game is to just jump in and play,” said Mrs. Shy, placing a small plate with a slice of pie and a fork in front of each girl. “Makes it more fun that way.”
“Okay,” Sunset said. “I'll give it a whirl. What's the worst that could happen?”
“Okay, Sunset,” said Mr. Shy. “The card is... oh, dear... 'Having a Cactus Jabbed Into Your Urethra.'”
Sunset winced, as did everyone around the table. She looked down at her cards. She had five on the table in front of her: Finding a Pubic Hair in Your Food: 25, Walking in On Your Parents Having Sex: 35, Putting Your Fist Through a Plate Glass Window: 49, Getting Stung in the Genitals by Angry Bees: 57, and Having a Root Canal Without Anesthetic: 75.
“Wow, that's... yeah,” Sunset thought. She looked around the table. Mr. Shy had seven cards in front of him, but since he read the card this round, he was disqualified from playing. Mrs. Shy had six, and Fluttershy had nine. Zephyr, she was pleased to note, still only had the three cards he was dealt at the beginning of the game.
Sunset considered. If she guessed incorrectly, Fluttershy would get a chance to guess, and if she guessed right, she'd win. She bit her lip as she thought it over.
“Anytime, Sunny,” said Zephyr, smirking at her. “From what I've heard, you should know all about this kind of stuff.”
Sunset's head snapped up sharply. Mr. and Mrs. Shy looked uncomfortable, and Fluttershy glared at her brother.
“What?” Sunset said quietly.
Zephyr, apparently oblivious to his own impending demise, continued. “Well, from what I've heard, you know all about how much stuff hurts.”
“Zephyr, honey, maybe you shouldn't – “ Mrs. Shy began.
“It's fine,” Sunset interrupted, her voice tight. Under the table, Fluttershy grabbed Sunset's hand and squeezed. Sunset turned to Mr. Shy. “I'm gonna say that's worse than the plate glass window, but not as bad as the bees.”
Mr. Shy blinked and looked down at the card. “Um.. that's right. It's rated at 56. Good job, Sunset.”
He handed the card to Sunset, who placed it in her line. She looked over at Zephyr, her expression dark. “Well, I am an expert on pain.”
Fluttershy leaned over. “Are you okay, Sunset?”
Sunset turned her head to look at her. “Now, it's personal.”
At the count of three, all five pointed their guns at each other. Fluttershy and Sunset pointed at Zephyr, while Zephyr pointed at his mother. Mr. and Mrs. Shy were pointing at each other. Sunset looked the situation over. It was the third round of Bank 'n' Bullets, and she was pretty sure Zephyr was in the lead. But, if she played this right, and was reading Fluttershy's parents correctly, that was going to come to an end. Because this round, Sunset was the Godfather and that came with one very powerful privilege.
“Mrs. Shy, would you please point your gun at Zephyr?”
“What? Oh, come on, Sunny!” Zephyr protested. Mrs. Shy moved her foam gun to point at her son. “Mom!”
“Sorry, honey, but it's the rules.” Mrs. Shy gave Zephyr an apologetic smile.
Sunset grinned. “You can always drop out, Zephyr.”
Zephyr frowned. “Not a chance. You think I'm gonna back down while I'm on top? No way all three of you have live rounds.”
“You really wanna take that gamble?”
“Try me, Sunnybun!”
Sunset grit her teeth in response to the nickname. She swallowed the torrent of profanity that came to mind, and forced a smile. “Okay. Everybody reveal your cards on three. One... two... three!”
Everyone flipped the cards in front of them over. Two of them featured the word “Click” while three others all had a picture of a bullet and the word “Bang!” The three “Bang” cards all belonged to Sunset, Fluttershy, and Mrs. Shy. Zephyr stared in astonishment as Fluttershy pulled three cartoon band-aids out of the game box and tossed them in front of him.
“Awww, looks like we weren't bluffing after all,” said Sunset. “That's three hits and that means you're dead, Zephyr. No more cash for you for the rest of the game.”
“You... I...” Zephyr sputtered, looking from Sunset to the band-aids in front of him and back again. “I... phthbuththth...”
“Zephyr, honey, you've stopped using words again,” said Mrs. Shy. She stood up and walked over, placing an hand on his shoulder. “Maybe you should turn in for the night. You'll feel more coherent in the morning.”
Zephyr sputtered some more but got up from the table and wandered out of the kitchen. Mrs. Shy returned to her seat. “He'll be fine. He always gets so upset when he doesn't win.”
“I'm sorry if I caused a problem,” Sunset said.
“Oh, it's fine, Sunset.” Mr. Shy smiled at her. “This always happens.”
“Except when he wins, then he's even worse,” Fluttershy muttered.
“Well, as long as he's okay,” Sunset said brightly. “Should we go on with the game?”
“There are still five rounds left,” Fluttershy added, causing Sunset to look at her in surprise. Fluttershy looked up and smiled. Sunset returned it, a genuine one this time.
“If you girls still want to play, we can finish,” said Mr. Shy. “Now, let's see. All of us were still in and since Sunset was the Godfather this round that means you get first pick!”
Sunset reached forward and grabbed one of the loot cards in the middle of the table. Even if neither of them wound up with the most loot at the end of the game, she knew she and Fluttershy had already won.
Later, in Fluttershy's room, Sunset changed into her pajamas. Fluttershy had gone to brush her teeth, leaving her alone for a few minutes. She rolled out her sleeping bag and sat on it. She reached into her overnight bag and pulled out a hairbrush. As she brushed out the snags in her hair, she glanced around the room.
There were the usual things she expected. Cute animal posters on the walls, butterfly themed bedding, more butterfly stencils on the wall. There were also other things Sunset hadn't expected to see.
There was a stereo in one corner of the room that looked like it came from the late-80s, complete with record turntable, dual cassette deck, and a CD player. It sat on a cabinet filled with vinyl records. A pair of oversized headphones sat on top of the stereo.
An overstuffed bookshelf was on the wall opposite the bed. Sunset put her brush down and crawled over to look at it. There were a variety of types of books. Everything from pet care books (and an actual zoology textbook) to quite a few fantasty novels. Some of the fantasy novels were thick enough to successfully bludgeon a burglar to death.
Sunset looked closer at a series of thin volumes that were crammed together on the bottom shelf. She pulled one out and blinked. It was a kids picture book, one from a series she had seen on the bestseller racks at the bookstore she visited. Miranda the Magic Bunny. The series had been a hit from day one and each new book seemed to outperform the last, judging by how many kids Sunset had seen at the various release parties over the years.
“Oh,” came a voice behind her. Sunset turned to see Fluttershy standing in the doorway. She was looking at the floor, her hair draping over her face. She fidgeted as Sunset looked at her. “You found those.”
Sunset stood up. “Um... yeah. Don't worry, I'm not gonna make fun of you for liking these books. I always thought they were actually kinda cute.”
“Oh.” Fluttershy's voice held a note of surprise. “Well... I don't have those because I like them. I mean, I do like them, but it's not because I'm a fan of them.”
Sunset frowned in confusion. “I'm not following you.”
“Well, I –“ Fluttershy's voice trailed off into a mumble.
“Sorry, didn't catch that,” said Sunset.
“Oh, sorry... um... I have those books because... I write them.”
“What?” Sunset looked at the cover of the book she was holding. “You're Summer Spring?”
Fluttershy nodded.
“Best selling kids author Summer Spring?”
Fluttershy nodded again, and turned red.
“You write the Miranda the Magic Bunny books?” Sunset held the book up. “These books?”
Fluttershy squeaked in affirmation. Sunset looked back at the cover of the book, then up again.
“Fluttershy, that's so cool!” She grinned widely and came over. “Why didn't you say anything before?”
Fluttershy didn't answer, looking down at the floor instead. Sunset took the hint and backed off.
“Sorry. I get it now. But wow, that's just really awesome, Fluttershy.”
“Thank you.”
Sunset put the book back on the shelf. “Just curious, though. Do you do the art too?”
Fluttershy looked up. “Oh no. When the first one was accepted, the publisher found someone to illustrate it. My first manuscript was just a bunch of stick figures I drew. Paint Spatter's great. She sends me preliminary sketches, I send her notes, and we work back and forth until we settle on something we both like.”
Sunset smiled. Fluttershy may not have enjoyed talking about herself, but when she was gushing about someone else, she was all smiles and energy. “That's great. Um... I hope you don't mind me asking, but how are sales? I've always been curious about how that works.”
“Well, I don't really like to talk about the money, but I will say that I don't have to worry about getting student loans or anything when I go to college.”
“Wow,” Sunset said.
Fluttershy suddenly rushed forward and took Sunset's hands. “Please don't tell anyone!”
“What?” Sunset blinked, confused.
“I know you think it's a great thing, but I just don't want anyone to know right now,” Fzluttershy explained. “If people knew, then they'd want me to talk about it all the time. Do signings, interviews, and I just... no. I have a hard enough time with my publishers trying to get me to do all that. Mom and Dad and my agent manage to block them when they get insistent, but if anyone in town found out I'd never hear the end of it.”
Sunset shook her head and smiled again. “My lips are sealed. Do the other girls know?”
“No. At least I don't think so,” Fluttershy answered. “Pinkie Pie might suspect, but she hasn't said anything.”
Sunset's face fell as a thought came to her. “Then why did you tell me?”
Fluttershy didn't answer right away. She came forward and Sunset found herself in a hug. Fluttershy leaned forward and whispered in her ear.
“Because I want you to trust me.”
Sunset's eyes widened and she leaned back. Fluttershy smiled.
“I know what this all must seem like to you,” she said. “That maybe we're all just being friends with you because Twilight asked us to look after you. But, over the last two weeks, I've watched you and I can see the changes. And I don't want you to think you're a burden. I want you to know that I do want to be your friend, and I know you probably have some doubts about all this.”
“I don't – “
Fluttershy held up a finger, the smile never leaving her face. “Yes, you do. I know you do. The nightmares are proof of that. You think this is all too good to be true. But you deserve friends, Sunset, and I want you to trust me. So I'm trusting you with one of my biggest secrets, because I know you won't say anything until I'm ready to tell everyone myself.”
Sunset swallowed. “How can you know that? I bullied you worse than any of the other girls. I don't understand any of this. You go along with Twilight's plan, you invite me over to play games with your family, you just told me this, but I've never given you a reason to trust me. How can you trust me with something this big?”
“Because I'm starting to see the real you. A lonely, bright girl who had something missing for so long, she thought she didn't need or deserve it and decided to fill that void with ambition instead. That was the girl who bullied me. You aren't her anymore, and I want to help you find out who the real Sunset Shimmer is. And trust is something that any true friendship needs to be founded on. I trust you, Sunset. Can you trust me?”
Sunset swallowed again, feeling her eyes water. Fluttershy looked back at her with nothing but compassion and warmth. Sunset felt her lips curl up in a smile and she nodded.
“I trust you, Fluttershy. Thank you for trusting me.”
Fluttershy hugged Sunset again. Sunset closed her eyes and allowed her tears of joy to flow down her cheeks.
It was almost three in the morning when Fluttershy was awakened. She peered around blearily. The room was dark, with the sickly green of her digital alarm clock display providing the only illumination. Fluttershy frowned and moved to go back to sleep when she heard it.
The whimpering.
Her eyes adjusting to the darkness, she looked down and saw Sunset huddled in her sleeping bag. She was trembling and she let out more whimpers of distress. Fluttershy reached down and gently touched her shoulder.
“Sunset? Are you okay?”
Sunset didn't answer. She pulled away from Fluttershy's hand, curling into a smaller ball and trembling harder. Fluttershy slid out of bed and knelt down. She leaned over and whispered into Sunset's ear.
“Sunset? It's me. It's Fluttershy.”
Sunset's trembling slowed. She made another noise, and Fluttershy strained to make out the words.
“Help me.”
Fluttershy nodded, reached up and pulled down a pillow and her comforter from the bed. She pulled the comforter over both of them and laid down, spooning Sunset. She reached an arm over her friend and pulled her close. Sunset's trembling stopped.
“Hush now, quiet now,” Fluttershy sang softly. “It's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed...”
Sunset reached up and took Futtershy's hand. Fluttershy smiled and continued the lullaby until Sunset's breathing became slow and regular. She settled down and snuggled closer to Sunset, letting sleep overtake her.
Sunset slept soundly for the rest of the night.