//------------------------------//
// Glint 
// Story: Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot 
// by Equimorto 
//------------------------------//

Shining, tired and mostly still staying up because of a pony's inherent anatomical structure, simply nodded as he found Paper Letters guarding the door to his room. Half of it was being done with existence at that particular moment, half of it was slowly getting used to the stallion's oddities. How he always managed to get away with it was still a mystery, but everyone else he'd spoken to had confirmed he was doing everything by the book.
Paper must have noticed the tiredness in his eyes and face and just about every other feature of his body, because for once he didn't greet him with his customary titles and loudness. He simply nodded and stepped aside, allowing Shining to access the room in silence. Shining was rather happy about that, and he too weakly nodded at the other stallion before opening the door and walking inside.
Cadence was already in bed, but not yet asleep, having preceeded him only by minutes. Flurry was in her crib, thankfully sleeping. Shining closed the door, made his way to the bed, and slipped under the covers at his wife's side. "I guess that's that for an early night, huh?" he whispered, laying his head down on the pillow.
Cadence sighed. "Yeah. We'll try to make up for it tomorrow." She pulled herself a little closer to Shining, enough to hug him if she so desired. Keeping her eyes even barely open was a struggle, but she knew if she closed them she'd likely just fall asleep, and she didn't want to do that just yet.
"We always say that." The same held true for the one eye of Shining's that could be seen. The other was pressed against the pillow and probably already fully closed. He stretched out a hoof to lay it over Cadence's side, in the closest thing to a hug his tired state allowed him to perform. "It never actually happens, does it?" 
"No." Cadence had to pause, taken by an extremely long and quiet yawn. "But it helps to pretend we will," she breathed out afterwards. She opened her mouth, maybe to say something else, but more yawning came out.
Shining answered with a very tiny nod and a yawn of agreement.
Outside the room, a second guard approached Paper. The stallion put a hoof over his lips and signalled her to be quiet, and she nodded in understanding before taking her position next to him in front of the door.
A few minutes later they could hear light snoring coming from inside, from both the prince and the princess. The mare smiled at that, though she too looked a little tired. "I can wake you up when it's time to leave if you want to nap," Paper whispered to her.
The mare looked at him and considered the offer for a moment. She didn't really feel like it was fair to just fall asleep on the job like that. On the other hoof, as she stared ahead of her, she couldn't help her eyelids from sliding lower and lower. Maybe it wouldn't be that much of a problem. There was never any danger there anyway.