“Oh, are we done already?”
Somnambula, roused from her meditative state by the increasing noise level around her, opens her eyes and immediately notices that most of her regulars are packing up to leave.
“Sorry, ma’am.” An older stallion gives her a sheepish look as he throws a saddlebag over his shoulder. “It’s the Somnambulan nap day, so we’re packing up early. Weren’t you aware of it?”
Somnambula tilts her head at the stallion.
“No, I cannot say that I was. What is this ‘nap day?’”
“It’s just as it sounds.” The stallion gives her a big, toothy grin. “On this day every few years, everypony in Somnambula takes a nice afternoon nap. It’s to commemorate the Day of Reconstruction from a few decades ago.”
“The Day of Reconstruction?”
“Ah, that was after your time, wasn’t it? Well,” the stallion starts while adjusting his bag, “a sandstorm swept across Somnambula one evening. It was downright devastating. Over half the city was practically leveled by those winds! The evenings were particularly cold that year, too. If everything didn’t get rebuilt as quickly as possible, everypony would have been in some real trouble. So, they all got together and did a real bang-up job at fixing everything before the day was through.”
“A true test of resilience, I take it. Surely such an event would have been taxing on both the mind and the body.”
“Sure was! When everything was finally rebuilt, nopony had the energy to celebrate. Instead, they all just took a nice, long nap.”
“Ahh, and I take it that started the tradition, then?”
“That’s the long and short of it! Now, if you’ll excuse me, the missus is probably waiting for me!” The stallion turns and begins to walk away, but tilts his head one last time. “You’ve got someone waiting for you too, don’t you?”
“Hm. I suppose I do.” Somnambula rests a hoof on her chin as the stallion walks away before quietly mumbling to herself. “Though I don’t believe he’s aware of this tradition, either.”
Somnambula gently opens the door to her home, a humble little building near the center of the city. When she returned to her homeland after “defeating” the Pony of Shadows and rescuing Stygian, she was hailed as a hero. The local populace couldn’t believe their eyes, and it took some convincing on Princess Twilight Sparkle’s part to get them to realize that she was, in fact, the “real” Somnambula.
Not that she was expecting to be treated like some celebrity, anyway. Frankly, she’d prefer it if she wasn’t. Having ponies revere you for something you did a long time ago can be stifling and, somewhat ironically, lonely. When nopony treats you like an equal, can you really call them your friends?
Well, at least there are two major upsides. The first is that such fame allows her voice to be heard on important matters, while also giving her the freedom to essentially do as she pleases. She’s not sure her mental wellness and meditation sessions would be as popular as they are otherwise. The second is that, even in spite of her fame, there is one creature that is willing to look past the fact that she’s so famous that the city she lives in is named after her.
“W-woah!”
Somnambula’s eyes go wide as she feels something grab her by the torso and lift her into the air. The next thing she knows, she’s being gently squeezed against the chest of a creature twice her height.
“Hey, honey.”
“I truly wish you’d at least say hello before doing this.”
“Aww, where’s the fun in that?”
She feels a quick kiss get placed right on her nose before she’s carefully put back down. She can’t stop a smile from spreading across her face as she rolls her shoulders.
This is Anon, the only human in Equestria. He’s tall, he’s a bit goofy, and he’s her husband. The story of how they met is a bit of a complicated one. Strangers don’t tend to just wander into Somnambula (the city) very often, even less so strange alien things like him. Still, one thing eventually led to another and they began courting. Some time after that, Somnambula (the pony) found herself with a beautiful ring-made-necklace around her neck.
What can she say? He treats her like an actual pony, and he makes her heart skip a beat. Also, he finds her unfathomably beautiful, something she’s not used to hearing after hanging around Mistmane for so long.
“You ready?”
“Ready?” Somnambula blinks before a look of recognition overtakes her smile. “Oh, are you referring to this… ‘nap day?’”
“Apparently, yeah.”
“Were you aware of its existence before today?”
“Nope.” Anon scratches the back of his head as he starts to walk towards their bedroom, prompting her to follow. “The guys at work started packing up early and just about left me in the dust. It wasn’t until I asked what they were doing that any of them bothered to tell me it was a holiday.”
“Hmhm. It sounds like we had similar experiences, then.”
“You didn’t know about it either?”
“This tradition is from… er… after my time.”
“Hm. Well, I guess that can’t be helped.” Anon nonchalantly shrugs as they enter the bedroom. Without hesitation, he quickly changes into a soft-looking robe and plants himself on the foot of their bed. “Well?”
“Well?”
“I’m not taking a city-mandated nap without my lovely wife.”
Somnambula lets out a joking scoff.
“You nap without me all the time, Anon. Enough to where I’m a bit concerned for your health.”
“Sure, but that’s because you’re busy when I take those naps. Now you don’t have an excuse!” He beams at her with a smile so warm and genuine that she can’t help but return it. “Come ooonnnn~.”
Somnambula sighs, unable to make her smile fade. It’s a bit irritating at how adept he is at making her do that.
“Very well. Just give me a few minutes to get comfortable.”
Sure enough, after taking some time to remove her somewhat ornate clothing and carefully applied makeup, she returns to her side of the bed. She barely has time to get a single hoof under the covers before Anon grabs her once more and pulls her in close, though he fails to catch her by surprise this time.
The room is silent for a moment before Somnambula speaks up, her voice wistful and light.
“You know, I’m not used to napping.”
“That’s… a strange thing to not be used to.”
“There are scant few hours in the day. I feel it’s a shame to waste them by sleeping.”
“It’s not a waste if you enjoy doing it.” Anon, still holding her close, lets her adjust a bit to become more comfortable. She nestles her head just beneath his own, her face buried in his neck as she wraps her hooves around him. Even her tail curls around his thigh, giving him a sense of ease that’s impossible to find anywhere but in the embrace of his wife. “And there’s nowhere I’d rather be than right here, with you.”
She takes a long, deep breath, simply using the moment to relish in the same comfort that Anon is feeling. Make no mistake, she’s a strong, independent mare that certainly doesn’t need protecting or anything like that. And yet, having Anon holding her so tightly, yet so gently… it makes her feel safe. Warm.
Loved.
“...It isn’t an unpleasant experience. Though I can’t see myself taking part in this tradition were you not here.”
To express her feelings in a way that words can’t, she pulls herself out of his neck and looks up at him, only to find that he’s been looking at her this whole time. They both let out a small, quiet chuckle before she closes the gap between them, pressing her lips to his.
He isn’t particularly surprised by this, but his heart skips a beat anyway. They’ve been married for some time, and yet she still manages to take his breath away. He gladly returns the kiss, leaning fully into her as he savors the feeling of her lips against his own.
It takes quite a while for them to part. When they do, they stare deeply into each other’s eyes, neither needing to say a word. Both grin like lovestruck fools despite having done this hundreds of times.
That tends to happen when you’ve fallen so deeply in love as they have. The feeling never really goes away.
“...I suppose I could get used to this, so long as you’re with me.”
“Hah! Stick with me and I’ll show you everything there is to know about napping. I’m a trained professional.”
She rolls her eyes as she buries herself into his neck once more.
“Is that so? Novice though I may be, I think I’m already quite skilled at this.”
She places a series of quick kisses on his neck, causing him to squirm slightly.
“M-maybe you are. You’re a mare of many talents.”
“Oh, hush.”
Finally done with her teasing, Somnambula closes her eyes and allows the feeling of comfort to overtake her. Just as she wonders if it’s even possible to fall asleep in the middle of the day like this, Anon begins to gently stroke her mane, giving the back of her head the tiniest of scritches every now and again. The feeling is enough to have her positively melting at his touch, and it isn’t long before sleep completely overtakes her.
Anon smiles as her tiny, gentle snores fill his ears. He often feels like he doesn’t deserve her. Not because of her reputation, but because she’s just… so good to him. Still, she’s proven time and time again that she loves him as much as he loves her. Her happiness is always his first priority, and as he glances down at her sleeping, smiling face…
He knows that everything is right in the world.