Overslept

by FS713

II: Game Time

The clock ticked. 15 minutes to 10. Rainbow would be there any second.

The walls were lined with pizza, junk food, and barrels of cider. The furniture and decorations completely clean and organized; prime to be totally wrecked as the night went on, of course. Fluttershy wasn’t the only one prepared; Rainbow had assured her that she had something up her sleeve to make this sleepover extra special. Fluttershy wasn’t quite sure what that meant, but if anyone besides Pinkie was trustworthy when it came to making wild nights like these, it was Rainbow.

Speaking of Rainbow, there was a sudden knock on the door. Fluttershy froze; it was time. Before answering, she closed her eyes and went into her mind one more time.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Remember, this night is about having fun. It’s about making memories and hanging out with your best friend. Tonight will be great, no matter what happens. There is no reason to be uncomfortable or nervous.

There is no reason to be uncomfortable or nervous.

There is no reason to be uncomfortable or nervous…

Fluttershy mentally repeated this to herself as to attempt to hammer the point in as she trotted to the front of the room and swung the door open, letting in the cool night air. Sure enough, there she was: that tomboyish Rainbow pony casually stood in the doorway.

“Well, if it isn’t my good ol’ partner in crime,” Rainbow said as she entered the foyer, Fluttershy shutting the door behind her.

Rainbow looked around the cottage. “Ah, I see you’ve got the place set up for us.”

Fluttershy nodded. “Yep. Everything we need is right here.”

Rainbow inhaled sharply and sighed. “Now this is what I’m talking about! Just you and me, two pegasi, taking on the night together! Come on, give me some wing,” Rainbow exclaimed, outstretching her left wing. Fluttershy took the cue and extended her right wing, slapping it across Rainbow’s in a traditional Pegasus display of camaraderie.

“Yeah, that’s the stuff. Tell me, how’s it goin’?” she followed up as she trotted over to the corner of the room to place down her saddlebags.

“I’m quite fine. Thank you for coming.” Fluttershy responded.

“Hey, no need to be so formal,” Rainbow responded with a chuckle.

“I only have one thing to ask you.” Dash leapt forward, putting her forehoof around Fluttershy's shoulder, wings flapping in excitement.

Fluttershy was taken aback by her crush’s sudden movement, trying her hardest to keep her composure. “Oh... um… a- and what might that be?”

Rainbow’s voice grew somewhat intense. “Are you ready? For the GREATEST. MOST AWESOMEST. MOST UNFORGETTABLE NIGHT of your LIFE?!!!”

Fluttershy hesitated for a second, then nodded meekly.

Rainbow’s face switched briefly to one of skepticism. “Now I’m not playin’ around here, Fluttershy. Tonight, it’s just you and me, and I promise you, we’re gonna make it the best sleepover yet. We’re gonna get wasted, we’re gonna mess this place up, we’re gonna go crazy and it’s gonna be awesome. I promise, this is gonna be one for the history books. Are you game?”

Fluttershy mulled it over for a few seconds. She recalled all the previous magical nights this time of the month had brought forth; this was going to be no different.

She nodded firmly this time, a sly smile crossing her face. “I’m game.”

“That’s the spirit!” she exclaimed, releasing Fluttershy and high-winging her once again.

Rainbow dashed over to her saddlebags, retrieving a large book. She plopped it onto the table and told Fluttershy to dim the lights, before lighting a few candles and gesturing for her to come over.

The cover was a deep, luscious shade of purple embroidered with cheap gold linings. “The Elements Of Harmony Sleepover Journal: Access Only Permitted To Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity” was scribbled across it in black ink.

Rainbow opened the tome to its first page, upon half of which which was scrawled a short pledge, the other half blank. Rainbow placed her right hoof on the blank space, and instructed Fluttershy to do the same.

“Um, is this really necessary? I mean, it is only the two of us.” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow scoffed. “Of course, Fluttershy. We do this every sleepover. It’s tradition. Come on.”

Fluttershy placed her right hoof on the blank spot as well, both pegasi subsequently raising their left hooves in the air.

Rainbow cleared her throat and began to read the inscription in a mocking ‘serious’ tone.

“I, Rainbow Dash of Cloudsdale, solemnly vow to celebrate the night ahead in honor of flowing cider, good fun, and friendship. There shall be no strife, no conflict, and no sadness, for in the realm of this night there is only good times and togetherness.”

Fluttershy followed suit reciting the same vow, with her own name in place of Rainbow’s. When she was done, Rainbow slowly closed the book and, after a moment of silence, both devolved into a fit of laughter.

“Oh man, I love saying that stupid pledge,” Rainbow said, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye as Fluttershy blew out the candles and turned the light back on. She began to leaf through the book.

At the end of every sleepover, it was a tradition to gather around and record the greatest moments in the book, in a sense preserving the memories and experiences forever. Pictures, over-the-top retellings, and genuine sentiments of togetherness littered its pages.

After a couple short minutes of reminiscing, Rainbow closed the book once more and left it sitting on the table.

She grabbed a mug and pranced over to the nearest keg of cider, pouring herself some. “Want any?”

“Oh, not right now, maybe later.”

“Suit yourself,” as she took a long hardy sip of the drink. “Aah, that’s the good stuff. Well, shall we get this party started?”

Fluttershy nodded. “Let’s begin.”

And with that, the two exchanged a strong hoofbump, and the night got off to a promising, relatively stable start.

Daring Do flew like the wind, just out of the grasp of the horde of monsters chasing after her. Using every last iota of her awesomeness, Daring leapt through the-

“Umm, Rainbow, do you think maybe you can, um, take it down a bit?” Fluttershy asked with a hoof-lowering gesture.

“Oh, sorry Fluttershy, I guess I got a little overexcited. You know how it is with me and Daring Do, after all.”

The two laid in front of the screen, open pizza boxes and empty cider mugs littering the floor around them, all the latter of which belonging to Rainbow, as the action of the Daring Do movie flashed before them.

Fluttershy took another slice of pizza from the nearest box, taking a delicate nibble. She turned to her friend who was just scarfing down pizza and guzzling cider like it would all disappear any second.

There was something Fluttershy admired about Rainbow’s… “uncouth”-ness, as Rarity would have put it. Fluttershy was always so concerned with being delicate and polite, and while that certainly worked for her, there was something to be admired about somepony so… casual, who always lived her life in the moment and with such a free-spirited, carefree mindset, not constantly concerned with manners or anything else she found trivial, living for what she loved doing. Fluttershy watched Rainbow take down another slice of pizza, admiring the blue pegasus, until she realized… oh no, she had fallen back into it.

Before Fluttershy could stop staring, Rainbow turned to her. “Everything okay, Fluttershy?”

Fluttershy briefly panicked. She couldn’t talk to Rainbow in this mindset!

She stammered out the first thing that came to her mind. “Um… I, uh… think I’m gonna go step into the kitchen for a minute, this scene might be a little intense for me.”

Rainbow shrugged. “Suit yourself.” She took another sip of her cider. “But hey, if you ever get too scared again, I’m here for ya.”

Fluttershy laughed nervously all the way to the kitchen. Rainbow wondered if she should check up on that mare.

Finally making it to her destination, Fluttershy shut the door, breathing heavily. She recalled the little breathing exercise Twilight had taught her. She inhaled deeply as she held her right hoof near her chest and, moving it away, gave a deep exhale. It calmed her body, but not her mind, which was still running like mad.

Fluttershy paced for a while and mulled over her options. Maybe she should open up to Rainbow? No, it would be too sudden. Fluttershy would want to plan for something like that to make sure nothing went wrong. And there were, indeed, a myriad of things that could go wrong. Yet at the same time, just keeping it in was near impossible. She continued pacing, just wondering what possible options there were.

And then it caught her eye. She saw one of the kegs of cider she bought from Applejack’s family that she had left in the kitchen.
Fluttershy was not a heavy drinker like Rainbow or even AJ, though she did share the occasional good mug with her friends in these sleepovers, or otherwise during cider season. Yes. Just a little bit of alcohol could probably calm her nerves.

She grabbed a mug from the nearest cabinet, turned on the tap on the keg, and let the cider flow.

She took a sip; that familiar, strong, apple-tinged taste hit her mouth like a brick. She sat there with the mug for a few minutes, feeling her stress melting away. She didn’t want to get too buzzed; just enough to keep herself composed around Rainbow.

Around the time half the cup was empty, she felt good enough to get back out there; hopefully that and whatever was left was good enough.

She trotted out of the kitchen and back into the front room, seeing Rainbow with her eyes still glued to the film.

She sat down and took her place, along with another sip of cider.

“Ah, I see you’ve finally poured yourself some booze.” Rainbow said. “Oh, quiet, here comes the best part of the book! Oh man, I hope they do it justice.”

Fluttershy blushed a little at that first comment, but ultimately kept her composure. She and Rainbow watched the rest of the movie together with no more interruptions.

Her idea was a success.

An epic orchestral score played as the final credits rolled, Rainbow and Fluttershy stomping their hooves on the floor in front of them as a form of applause.

Rainbow laughed with joy. “Holy sweet Celestia, that was awesome! By Luna, did they do the books justice! I can’t wait until they do the sequels… oh, I can’t wait to see what Twilight thinks of it! How about you, Fluttershy?”

“Well, that really was something,” said Fluttershy, rolled up in blankets and filled to the brim with pizza. She wasn’t as enthused as Rainbow, not being a fan of the books, but she still enjoyed the film for what it was.

“Man, just the action and the peril and the violence and the adventure… it was so good!” Rainbow exclaimed, still hopped up on the adrenaline.

Fluttershy rolled around and got back on her hooves, going to turn the lights on. “So, what’s up next?”

Rainbow thought for a minute. “Anything we want.”

Fluttershy found the statement promising, if unnecessarily vague. Still, it was true. Everything was going down the right path; Fluttershy had gathered herself, the film was amazing, and they still had the whole night ahead of them to do... whatever they wanted.

At last, the party could truly begin.