A good night’s rest was always important for everyone, and this was no exception for Monsters. Even the strangest and most oddly unique monsters required some shut-eye eventually. This same law of nature even applied to the two quirkiest of all the Monsters, the skeleton sibling duo of Papyrus and Sans.
Unfortunately, while Sans easily managed to always get the rest he needed… something which his brother Papyrus still harped on him for despite Sans no longer being in the Royal Guard it might be added… Papyrus was having some trouble of late with it.
It wasn’t that the tall and lanky skeleton was being haunted by nightmares… but rather, it was a case of him being haunted by one of his greatest dreams… no, not joining the Royal Guard. He’d gotten to do that once they’d left the Underground.
No… it was a reminder of a dream that it now seemed could never be. A dream that he would have anytime he gazed upon the object that had given him that desire. Something that was in fact, very much related to the concept of rest.
Yes… it was none other… than his bed.
While most Monsters had brought some of their positions up with them, few had deigned to try and practically bring their entire house with them. While Papyrus had been unable to pull that off, even with some assistance from Twilight and her friends, he had been adamant about bringing his bed up with them to the surface. That had been much more manageable.
Papyrus had at first been dismayed to learn that Equestria did not have cars, but then he had put on a brave face and said that he would manage, for now he had a whole new world to explore and with which to make many, many friends! His dream of cruising down the highway had been based after all on escaping to the human ruled surface, and had not taken into account the possibility of an entirely different world above ground.
That hard worked… but only for a time.
Each night he went to bed and got cozy in his magnificent car bed, his dreams would eventually drift to that of doing what he had told the formerly human now equine Frisk- cruising while snoozing.
He could only dream of himself driving around in a fancy sports car, wind blowing through his hair, so many times before it began to become more depressing than enjoyable.
Which now, lead up to Papyrus saying something Sans had never expected to hear from his brother.
“SANS, I THINK I NEED A NEW BED.”
This declaration resulted in Sans doing a spit take from the ketchup bottle he had been drinking from. He coughed a few times and tried to catch his breath as he wiped his mouth off of his sleeve. “uh bro i don’t think i heard you right, think you can repeat that for me?”
Papyrus rolled his eyes and said, “YOU HEARD ME BROTHER. I THINK I NEED A NEW BED.”
Sans quirked an eye up at that. “but i thought you loved your snooze cruiser? heck i remember when you used to actually pretend it was a real car and i would imagine driving down the highway in it.” His eyes twinkled a little as he added, “sometimes you’d even able to get me to play along in my own cardboard box-car.”
For a moment, that managed to bring a smile back to Papyrus’s face as the memories of such brotherly bonding moments flashed through his mind. “AH YES! AND REMEMBER THE TIME THAT YOU TOLD ME THAT WE WOULD RACE ONCE WE GOT TO THE SURFACE? HOW YOU SAID YOU WOULD LEAVE ME IN THE DUST WITH NOTHING BUT A TRICYCLE, AND I SAID THERE WAS NO WAY THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT PAPYRUS’S SPORTS CAR WOULD-”
Mentioning that however seemed to remind Papyrus of the very reason why he didn’t want to keep the car bed anymore. “THAT’S JUST A DREAM NOW THOUGH… THERE’RE NO HIGHWAYS HERE IN EQUESTRIA. AND THERE’RE NO CARS EITHER…”
Sans let out an ‘oooohh’ as understanding dawned on him, and the two of them sat there quietly for a moment, Papyrus picking at and rolling a meatball around in his spaghetti while Sans returned to sipping at his ketchup bottle.
“you know bro, i think i might have a solution to your little dream problem there.”
Papyrus blinked and looked up at Sans and asked, “DOES IT INVOLVE THE NICE AND VERY LOUD DARK BLUE PRINCESS PONY?”
Sans shook his head. “nah, she was already in the last episode and this doesn’t exactly involve nightmares now does it?” Papyrus gave him a flat look at that, which was the usual response he got when he said something strange like that.
“don’t worry bro, it will involve one of our friends and i think they’ll be more than happy to help make your dream a reality. we just need to pay a visit to sugarcube corner.”
He watched as the gears quickly spun in his brother’s head, and suddenly Papyrus was in a much more chipper mood. “AN EXCELLENT IDEA BROTHER OF MINE! QUICKLY, LET US FINISH BREAKFAST SO THAT WE CAN HURRY ON OVER TO THE PINK PARTY PONY TIMES AWASTING!”
Papyrus hurriedly scarfed down his plate of spaghetti, and before his brother could say anything else went charging out the nearest window, Nyehehing all the way as he set out for Ponyville’s premier bakery.
Sans just shook his head in bemusement and pocketed his bottle for later as he raised a hand and a panel of white appeared before him.
“way ahead of you bro.”
-*-
“SO HOW EXACTLY IS PINKIE PIE SUPPOSED TO HELP WITH MY DESIRE FOR A FANCY SPORTS CAR?” Papyrus asked, wiping off some sweat that he somehow had generated despite lacking any skin or pores as he and Sans walked into the lobby.
Papyrus was also pointedly ignoring the fact that his lazybones brother had, once again, gotten here before him and instead focused on the much more important matter at hand.
“pinkie pie is rather… eccentric, but also really capable of some surprising things. you should see her candy cane pedal powered gyro-copter for one.” Sans said as he cast his eyes about for the pink pony in question.
Papyrus tilted his head and asked “WHAT ABOUT MISS SPARKLE? SURELY SHE WOULD BE OF GREAT HELP WITH THIS.”
“purple smart? well sure, she could probably help, but she’s been a bit busy lately with helping the princesses and the dreemurr’s get everything settled for us monsters. pinkie pie however is always able to make time for friends no matter what is going on. just like you big bro~”
That made Papyrus swell up with pride, and he struck one of his well-known poses, hand to his chest and his scarf blowing in a wind that wasn’t there.
“BUT OF COURSE BROTHER! THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT PAPYRUS ALWAYS MAKES TIME FOR HIS FRIENDS! BE THEY SMALL OR BIG, MONSTER OR EQUINE, PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS THERE TO HELP WITH ANYTHING THEY MIGHT-OOMPH!”
His speech was interrupted as Pinkie Pie leapt from the stairs and crashed into the pair, hooves wrapping around both of them tightly (which Papyrus would have noted should have been an impossibility, had his face not been smooshed into her mane) as she shouted “Heya Skelebro’s! What’s shaking?”
Sans smile grew a bit as he heard his brother respond by shaking his own bones, a familiar tune briefly playing as he did so. It also earned a happy giggle from Pinkie Pie herself as she let go and bounced excitedly in place as another tune filled the air for but a moment.
“good one you two.” Sans said as he gave them both a clap. Both Pinkie and Papyrus gave a little bow, before Pinkie adopted a more curious expression and looked between the two Monsters.
“So, what brings you two to Sugarcube Corner today? Here to try making spaghetti cake again?” Pinkie rubbed her tummy as she said “I think we were really close last time, though we’ll have to find a different kitchen to make it in after the mess from last time. Mrs. Cake says she’s still finding bits of noodles and the occasional meatball.”
Papyrus blushed at that and rubbed the back of his head at that. “AH YES, I AM STILL MOST SORRY ABOUT THAT. THE GREAT PAPYRUS DID NOT EXPECT IT TO EXPLODE WHEN WE TRIED TO CUT A SLICE.” He let out a cough however as he recalled why they were here.
“MY BROTHER SAYS YOU CAN HELP US, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WITH SOMETHING THAT IS QUITE IMPORTANT TO ME! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WAS WONDERING IF YOU’D BE UP FOR IT.”
“Oooh, well if it involves the Great Papyrus, it has to be super-duper-uper important!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed… only to sit down on her haunches as she added “Though I can’t exactly help if I don’t know what it is.”
“AH YES, MY APOLOGIES! AS GREAT A FRIEND AS YOU ARE, YOU ARE NOT A MIND READER OR A FORTUNE TELLER!” Papyrus said, chiding himself even as Pinkie giggled.
“Not today at least. Maybe tomorrow.”
Papyrus quirked an eyebrow up at that, but resumed his line of informing. “YOU HAVE SEEN THE GREAT PAPYRUS’S SNOOZE CRUISER YES?” At Pinkie’s enthusiastic nodding, he continued. “WELL, IT IS BASED OFF A REAL MACHINE THAT THE HUMANS HAD MADE, A MACHINE CALLED A CAR. IT WAS ALWAYS MY DREAM THAT ONCE WE REACHED THE SURFACE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD ACQUIRE SUCH A CAR SO THAT I COULD CRUISE DOWN THE HIGHWAY.”
Papyrus got an almost dreamy look on his face as he gazed up into the distance. “THE SUN ON MY SKIN, WIND BLOWING THROUGH MY HAIR… YES I AM AWARE I HAVE NEITHER BUT THAT IS IRRELEVANT!” He added as he heard Pinkie snickering a little, turning his gaze back down to her.
“MY BROTHER SANS BELIEVES THAT YOU CAN HELP US MAKE, WELL, SOME OF THIS DREAM A REALITY, EVEN THOUGH EQUESTRIA HAS NO AUTOMOBILES. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN IN FACT HELP I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WITH?”
“Hmm…” Pinkie Pie brought a hoof to her chin and tapped it in thought. A moment later, a light bulb popped into being above her head and lit up, and she again began to eagerly nod her head. Papyrus and Sans were both amazed she didn’t give herself whiplash.
“Yupperooni! I can definitely lend a hoof to making your dream come true!”
The smile on Papyrus’s face looked like it hurt as he clapped his hands to his face and asked “REALLY? YOU CAN REALLY HELP?”
“I said I could, didn’t I?” Pinkie Pie inquired in a teasing tone, making Papyrus blush a bit more as she said “Now, I don’t know much of anything about these cars, but if you’ve got anything I can read up on I might be able to work something out! Didn’t take those engineering classes for nothing after all!”
“FANTASTIC NEWS! THEN WE SHOULD NOT WASTE A MOMENT MORE!” Papyrus declared, then turned to look at his brother as he asked, “HOW SHOULD WE BEGIN MAKING MY DREAM A REALITY?”
Sans shrugged and hooked a thumb over his shoulder and said “probably head back home and show pinkie pie the books on cars we have? if your in that much of a rush i can shortcut us back.”
Papyrus’s eyes widened at this, then they gleamed as he pulled Sans in for a very tight and very great hug. “OH SANS, YOU ARE THE ABSOLUTE BEST BROTHER A SKELETON AS GREAT AS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, COULD EVER ASK FOR!”
Pinkie Pie quirked an eyebrow up at that. “Have you not used your shortcuts with Papyrus before?”
“NO, HE SAYS HE TRIED IT WHEN I WAS YOUNGER AND THAT IT DIDN’T EXACTLY WORK THAT WELL WITH ME, SO HE SWORE HE WOULDN’T DO IT AGAIN UNLESS HE FELT IT WAS ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY!” Papyrus said before releasing Sans, bones rattling in excitement. “I MUST HAVE BEEN VERY YOUNG, FOR I DON’T REMEMBER IT AT ALL, AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, NEVER FORGET ANYTHING!”
Papyrus was too giddy to pay attention, but Pinkie Pie caught the brief hollowing of Sans eyes before the lights returned and his smile grew a bit wider. “well i don’t think we’ll have the same thing happen this time, so it should be alright. besides, it is for something important.”
Pinkie ‘aaahh’ed’ in understanding as Sans walked over towards the front entrance, waving a hand in front of him as a panel of white appeared before him.
“great bro’s and party ponies first.” Sans said as he gestured them to go ahead. Pinkie Pie let out an excited squee before dashing through, while Papyrus steeled himself and walked on through.
The experience was… odd, to say the least. It was almost like the sensation one gets before sneezing. With the added feeling like one was being squeezed and pulled at the same time. And for the briefest of instances Papyrus and Pinkie Pie felt like time had drawn to a standstill.
Then the moment was over, and they were both tumbling into the skeleton’s living room.
“everyone get through alright?” Sans asks as he leans against a bookshelf.
“That felt kinda like my shortcuts, except less sneezy.” Pinkie Pie said as she picked herself up, only to end up on her stomach again as she sneezed.
Papyrus was standing back up and saying “THAT FELT STRANGELY FAMILIAR TO ME… AND WAIT WHAT DID YOU SAY PINKIE PIE?”
Pinkie Pie gave Papyrus an innocent smile from the floor as she said “I said AHHCHOOOOO!”
“OH.” Papyrus said, blinking a bit before offering her a tissue and a “GESUNDHEIT”
“Thanks!” Pinkie replies as she quickly blew her nose, then trotted over to the shelves. “So, which book on cars should I start with?”
The next two hours were spent with the three of them sharing the few dozen books they had on automobiles, which ranged from a kids’ book about a talking purple car saving a kitten... to an actual book describing in very lengthy and technical details on the internal components of your typical car.
Sans also showed off some of his intellect, something Papyrus hadn’t gotten to see all that often for a long while in the Underground… he tried to wrack his mind for when that might have stopped, but he wasn’t so sure. But he was very glad to see it on display, especially as Pinkie Pie asked questions that sometimes caught the lazybones by surprise.
“It’d probably take me a week to really go through some of these, which for something like this I really should… but well, this is really important, so I think we can manage something. I’ll need some help from Sans, Spike, and Rarity since Twilight’s out of town.”
Sans gives a little salute as he says “anything for the best brother in the world. just remember my breaks are mandatory.”
“Hehe, don’t worry Sans, I know.” Pinkie said, turning to Papyrus as she says “I think I can pull this off, but it won’t be ready until tomorrow afternoon. And I’ll need your bed for it as well… want to borrow mine for the night?”
“HMMM…” Papyrus said, tapping a bony digit to his chin. “I HAVE NOT HAD A CHANCE TO SLEEP IN AN EQUESTRIAN BED YET… VERY WELL! BUT ERM, HOW SHALL WE GET YOUR BED HERE AND MINE OUT? WILL THAT NOT TAKE A WHILE?”
Pinkie Pie and Sans shared a knowing look, then winked at each other as they said in unison “We’ve got our ways.”
Papyrus tilted his head at that, then blinked and gave himself a light thunk. “AH YES, SANS’S SHORTCUTS! OF COURSE THAT WOULD BE THE EASIEST WAY TO DO SO. DO YOU NEED ANY OF I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS’S, HELP IN MOVING IT?”
“I think we’re good. Besides, isn’t it about time for you and Undyne’s training?”
Papyrus jumped at that, nearly smacking his head into the ceiling as he declared “GOODNESS ME IT IS! I BEST BE OFF, UNDYNE DOESN’T LIKE IT WHEN I’M LATE. YOU TWO WILL KNOW WHERE TO FIND ME IF YOU NEED ME!”
With that, as per his trend when he was in a rush, Papyrus leapt through a window as he raced off in the direction of Whitetail Woods. Sans and Pinkie shared a look, giggled a bit, and then made their way into Papyrus’s bedroom as Pinkie started telling him her plan…
-*-
It was late when Papyrus returned home. Undyne had wanted to do a double dose of training and then to unwind had dragged him over to her and Alphys’s place for some anime watching and pizza. They had all lost track of time and it was nearly midnight when he trudged tiredly through the door.
“hey bro, was wondering when you’d get back.” Sans said as he set his joke book aside, giving his brother a wide smile. “you look like you’ve been worn down to the bones.”
“SANS!” Papyrus groaned as he made for the stairs. “THE GREAT AND MAGNIFICENT PAPYRUS IS TOO TIRED FOR YOUR JOKES RIGHT NOW… HE MERELY WISHES TO TRY AND GET A GOOD NIGHT’S REST.”
“sorry to hear that paps… should be easier tonight though.” Papyrus turned his head at that, peering at his brother over the banister as he gave him a curious look. Sans just grinned wider and replied “pinkie and i switched your bed for hers, and she gave you a bed set for you to use with it. she’s sure you’ll love them, though she did suggest to have a full stomach before bed, lest you try to eat them in your sleep.”
Papyrus blinked, then asked “WHY WOULD I TRY TO EAT A BED SET?”
“You’ll zzzzee.” Sans said with a wink, earning a roll of eyes as Papyrus just went on up, preparing himself for anything. After all, in hindsight teaming up the best prankster in the Underground with one of Ponyville’s best could be asking for trouble…
NO, I KNOW THEM BOTH. THEY WOULDN’T PULL A PRANK WHEN DOING A FAVOR FOR SOMEONE… NO, MY DEAR BROTHER IS SIMPLY GIVING ME A CLUE, BUT WHAT COULD HE-
Papyrus’s eyes widened and despite his weariness, he rushes into his bedroom and lets out a happy squeal of joy.
Where his snooze cruiser had been, was now indeed Pinkie Pie’s bed. But rather than her own covers, the bed was made up in a spaghetti themed set, with the sheet looking like it was made of noodles and the comforter being patterned to resemble sauce with meatballs, and the pillow looked like a pile of shredded parmesan.
He would forgive the pun in the note from Pinkie Pie about making sure he had ‘savory’ dreams rather than sweet ones as he dived under the covers and got nice and cozy.
Sans popped his head in the door, smirking as he saw Papyrus already getting ready to drift off. “Well, Pinks will be glad you like them so much… need me to read me a bedtime story bro?”
Normally, Papyrus would have said yes, but tonight he shook his head. “NO… I THINK TONIGHT IT IS NOT NEEDED… THIS MORE THAN SUFFICES.”
“all right then bro… sleep tight. Me and Pinks might have another surprise for you tomorrow, so you’re going to want to get as much sleep as you-”
Sans cut himself off as he heard Papyrus beginning to snore already. Giving him a soft smile, Sans flicked the light off and headed on down to his lab. There was still some work he and Pinkie Pie needed to get down before they too could call it an evening… and Pinkie Pie had said she had something she wanted to ask him.
He was definitely going to need some more ketchup.
-*-
When Papyrus woke up, feeling refreshed and upbeat, he knew that the swapping of beds had helped to do the trick. It had even helped give him some new pasta and spaghetti related ideas to attempt, though that would have to be dealt with after breakfast.
To his surprise however, when he walked into the kitchen he found Pinkie Pie peering into their oven. She smiled and waved as she said “Morning Papy! Clear your schedule for the day, because as soon as we’re finished eating breakfast, me and Sans have a surprise for you!”
Papyrus looked to the table, where his brother was tilted back in his chair, fast asleep and with some silly things drawn all over his skull. Pinkie giggled and said “It was the mouse’s idea.”
“OKAY THEN…” Papyrus said, shrugging as he slid into the chair. He took another glance at Pinkie Pie, and noted her mane was a bit frazzled, and she had bags under her eyes. “PINKIE PIE, DID YOU GET ANY SLEEP LAST NIGHT?”
Pinkie raised her hoof and wriggled it like a tentacle. “I took a few Pinkie naps here and there, I wanted to make sure we finished the big surprise before you woke up.”
“and we did finish it bro. Ii you loved your new bed and bed set, you’re going to love this.” Sans said, putting his chair back down as he picked up a bottle of horseradish sauce and took a long pull from it. He let out a snort and his eyes widened just a bit “oh yeah, that helps a bunch, thanks for the idea pinkie. sure you don’t want any?”
Shaking her head, Pinkie Pie pulled out some biscuits and said “Nah, I’m good. I can make up the sleep later. Now dig in boys!”
And dug in they did. Papyrus wasn’t one to normally shovel in food, but given the suspected nature of the surprise, Papyrus was just as eager as the other two. Within minutes the trio had devoured everything but their plates and silverware, which were hastily tossed in the sink as Pinkie lead the way out the house and towards Sweet Apple Acres.
“WHY ARE WE HEADING TO THE APPLES FARM?” Papyrus was quick to inquire as they drew closer to the homestead.
“we had to move your surprise out of my lab once we finished it. wouldn’t have been able to test it properly in confined spaces.” Sans replied, his own grin expanding as he saw Papyrus’s eyes light up with growing excitement.
“Yup! We did test it a little to make sure it works at least. But we wanted you to really put it to the metal!”
Papyrus let out a gasp at this, and exclaimed “OH MY GOSH! YOU TWO, YOU REALLY… WHERE IS IT?”
“Right in here Sugarcube.” Applejack called out, opening the door to the barn as they drew closer, quickly stepping aside as Papyrus practically leapt inside.
Sitting in the middle of the barn was what, at one point, had been Papyrus’s snooze cruiser. Now however it looked like nothing more than a magically souped up race car. The space that had taken up the mattress had been shrunk down to have room for three seats, one in front and two in the back. A number of switches and doodads sat on a panel next to the front seat where a wheel now sat, and just two feet in front of that was a partially covered engine, though it didn’t quite look like the ones Papyrus had seen in the books they had at home.
“ITS… ITS BEAUTIFUL!”
Pinkie and Sans beamed, the two giving each other a fist-hoof bump as Papyrus strode almost reverently towards the car. They watched as he ran a bony hand along its chassis, then turned to look at them. A moment later, both were wrapped in probably one of the tightest hugs they’d ever had.
“THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!” Papyrus was, well, actually shouting as he swung Sans and Pinkie this way and that, it being Sans who finally said,
“i don’t know about us skeletons bro, but i’m pretty sure pinkie needs to be able to breath.”
Papyrus relented, setting them both back down as Applejack came up to them. “Now it’s time for my part of the surprise.” At Papyrus’s inquisitive look, she grinned and pointed to a trail over near the west orchard… one that was now lined with little red flags.
“When they told me their plan, me and Big Mac figured you’d want to take it for a test drive. So we got a course all made up for- woah nelly! Y-You know, for not having any muscles, you sure got a lot of strength in those bony arms of yours.”
None of them missed the pun, though Papyrus didn’t mind as he gave Applejack another squeeze then set her down, smile stretching across his skull.
“NYEHEHEHEH, BUT OF COURSE! I AM AFTER ALL THE GREAT PAPYRUS OF THE ROYAL GUARD! BUT RIGHT NOW… I THINK I SHALL BE THE GREAT PAPYRUS, EQUESTRIA’S FIRST SPORTS CAR DRIVER!”
That earned some cheers from the rest of them, and they quickly stepped aside as Papyrus clambered on in. He found a note with a simple set of directions on how to use the vehicle with a skeleton key taped to it. After reading them thrice, he stuck the key in and clapped his hands together as the car turned on, thrumming to life and almost feeling as excited and ready to get going as he was!
“Oh wait!” Pinkie shouted, catching Papyrus just as he was about to see just what this car could do.
“YES?” Papyrus asked as Pinkie bound over to him, a wrapped box atop her head which certainly hadn’t been there before.
“I know your dream with driving involved skin and feeling the sun on it… Can’t really do anything about that.” Papyrus gave her an understanding nod- that part had always been a bit, well, cooky anyways.
“But with a little help from the best designer in all of Equestria… and a little dash of magic, we can do the wind through the hair part!”
She hoofed the box over, and with the same reverence with which he had given the car upon seeing it, he opened this last surprise. Inside was a big blonde wig with pink highlights near the tip and that looked like it would stop halfway down his spine. His fingers could feel the thrum of magic within the whole thing as he pulled it out, tears starting to form in his eyes.
“YOU ARE ALL… THE BEST FRIENDS A SKELETON COULD HAVE!” Papyrus declared, looking from Pinkie to Applejack, and finally his brother.
“hey, don’t sweat it bro. now go on, go burn some rubber.”
Papyus gave a cheeky grin and slammed his foot down, speeding on out of the barn and down the track. As the three stepped out to watch from afar, Pinkie looked to Sans and asked “Why would he be burning rubber? That just sounds like a waste of good rubber.”
Sans just chortled and pulled his ketchup out, leaning against the barn and enjoying the show as the happy shouts and screams of his brother filled the air over Sweet Apple Acres.