//------------------------------// // Sleepy Times // Story: Fear Me, for My Name is Twaith! // by Michael Hudson //------------------------------// “Waaah! Waaah!” Upon hearing the wails, Sunset’s eyes shot open, Celestia shot a hole through her alarm clock, and Twilight shrieked herself. The wraith flew over to her small vassal and rubbed his tummy as he continued his cries. “What is wrong? Come on, you can tell me, what is wro–” A gout of fire was the only reply she got before the tiny dracolich went back to its howling. “Princess?” Celestia’s eye twitched as her room got colder and shut her eyes tight, trying to ignore the foul moans from further in the castle. She only got four hours of time a day where she could rest because of her duties with the sun and moon and she desperately needed them. Unfortunately, a chill ran through her and caused her to jump out of bed as Twilight pulled her hoof back. “Sorry.” Celestia rubbed at her weary eyes. “What ish it Twivight?” “Well, um,” Twilight tucked her hooves underneath her cloak as she bit into her lip. “I was hoping you could help me appease my little dragon. I don’t want to just throw a silence spell on him tonight.” Celestia looked over her hoof at Twilight and for a moment, considered demanding that she do that so she could go back to bed. No Celestia, you invited them into your bed so you can sleep and be awake for the sunri– She slightly smacked herself as she straightened out her thoughts. “Of course, though,” a small rise in her spirits came as she though of how misery loved company, “I do believe it would be best to awaken Sunset too. It’s simply too good of a… learning opportunity for her to miss.” Twilight brightened herself and uncurled. “You’re absolutely right. I’ll go get her right now!” Celestia smirked as she slowly moved out of bed, slipping her front hooves into nice, fluffy, white slippers. She slowly made her way to the nursery that Spike slept in, taking it one hoof at a time. The last time she had had to be awake at this hour, she had fallen asleep while Kibitz tried getting her to care about a new complaint from the nobles. She was just happy that some cake made him okay about the bruised muzzle he got from trying to catch her. Finally, she found the door and slowly opened it, slipping the blanket at the entrance over herself. Like most undead, Spike emanated an aura of cold that chilled nearby ponies to the core, causing Celestia to be able to see her own breath as she came in. “Waaah! Waaah!” Celestia put a hoof onto Spike’s tiny belly and his claws immediately came around her hoof. He was shaking, and clinging to the appendage as if his life depended upon it. “You just wanted something to grip, didn’t you?” Unsurprisingly, no response came, but her voice did seem to make it grow quieter by a fraction of a hair. Still, better than nothing. Sunset trudged in with Twilight, who quickly shut the door behind them. She opened her mouth, but at a quick gesture from Celestia, Sunset was silent. Twilight came ever closer to her abomination and placed a hoof on its shoulder tentatively, but this time, no fire came. Twilight smiled and floated so as to be half in and half out of the crib. “Good boy!” Sunset groaned and leaned against one of the book cases. “Twilight, he is an unholy, uncaring, dracolich baby. Please, do not treat him as a dog.” Twilight stuck her tongue out and snuggled more against him. “So Celestia, do you now what is wrong with him?” Celestia nodded. “Or at least, I have a guess. Children connect most with their parent, but they don’t only want them. They need others, and so he cried to get us.” Twilight fully wrapped her hooves over the little figure and nodded. “So, we all just need to give him more attention?” She waited for Celestia to nod before she herself nodded and then bobbed in the air for a moment. “Will you two please stay? I know it’s late, but I feel bad that he got like this in the first place.” Sunset swallowed hard. “As tempting as that is, I have a big test to–“ “It’s cancelled, so that the three of us can have a girl’s night in tonight. In other words, you’re staying.” The two exchanged glares, but if Celestia was about to go through all of this, she was going to make sure Sunset joined her. She then let out a small yawn and snuggled into the floor, the blanket tight against her. Sunset glanced over and whispered, “Give me some of the blanket before I freeze to death.” “Mumph.” Sunset grimaced and lightly kicked her. She got a groan, but still no action, so she lightly kicked again, getting Celestia to open one eye. Sunset scowled. “It’s too cold. You need to share.” Celestia’s gaze narrowed and she snuggled into the make shift cloak further. At first, Sunset’s tug was light, but quickly grew until she pulled so hard that Celestia spun in midair. Once the princess had come back to the ground, she blinked a few times before glaring at Sunset and teleporting her. Almost a minute passed before Sunset was brought back. “Whe-where was that?” “Do you really want to know?” “Is that what I’ll get if,” “Mhm.” Sunset thought about arguing further, but soon decided the fatigue of her heating spell would be well worth not annoying her teacher further. Celestia watched the aura come over her student and nodded, happy that neither would be cold that night. Her eyes closed, and there she rested in sweet bliss. At least, for about ten minutes. “Waaaaah!” Twilight’s subsequent screaming about her mane somehow being on fire made this, officially, Celestia’s worst night of sleep, ever.