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- >YAAAWWWWWWNNNNN....
- >You are Anon, and you're tired as balls.
- >If balls could get tired and were capable of feeling wide-awake, you'd.... you'd be the tired ones.
- >God, you're too tired to be clever.
- >Because it is 9 AM, and you haven't slept all night.
- >And you know why?
- "...and that's when the mango turned to ASH in her hooves!"
- >It's because you're foal-sitting Ponyville's newest (and only) family of bat-ponies, and those adorable fuckers are nocturnal.
- >The two foals, an older sister and a younger brother, exchange a nervous glance.
- >The younger colt nuzzles into his older sister's side, shaking in the safety of his little pyjamas.
- >Her big sister is only a year and a half older than he is, but she takes her duties as his older sibling seriously; she wraps a leathery wing around his back and pulls him against her, even though she's just as scared as he is.
- >The room is just about pitch-dark thanks to the sun-blocking curtains that are in front of every window in the house, and your little oil lamp provides just enough light to read by.
- >You glance at them from over the edge of the book their mom snuck you as she and her husband were walking out the door for a night on the town.
- "And you know what the scariest part was of all?"
- >The bat-pony filly shakes her head 'no'; her brother still has his face buried in her side.
- "...it's that there's a spooky scary skeleton inside of you RIGHT NOW!"
- >"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
- >ohfuckingshitthat'sloud
- >uggggggh
- >You watch, ears ringing, as the foals dive into the little pillow/blanket fort they constructed.
- >You'd feel bad if their mom didn't insist that they loved being scared before bedtime, and that they've heard this story a hundred times already.
- >Bat-ponies are weird.
- "Do you want to read one more story before we go to bed? We can stop if it's too scary."
- >The filly shakes her head right away.
- >"Nuh-uh, mister Nine-mouse!" she declares confidently, voice quivering, "I'm a big filly, and I ain't a'scared of nothin'!"
- >That would be a lot more convincing if she didn't look like she were about to wet herself.
- >You-
- >CLICK CLACK CLICK
- >Despite yourself, you jump; startled.
- >You've just spent the last hour reading scary stories; even though they're kid's stuff, they've still got you just a tiny bit on-edge.
- >"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE"
- >whydotheykeepscreaminglikethatohmygod
- >You drop the book and cover your ears as the front door swings open, flooding the room with morning light.
- >Mom and dad bat-pony walk in, looking tired, but happy.
- >Two torpedoes rush out of the pillow/blanket fort, which collapses behind them as their limbs knock over support pillows and tug at structural blankets.
- >"DADDY DADDY"
- >The two foals dive at their father and huddle under his flared wings, while their mother sends you a knowing look.
- >You just nod and hold up the scary book, earning you a small smile.
- >>"Thank you for looking after our foals, mister Anonymous," says the mare with an accent you can't quite place, "I trust that they didn't cause too much trouble?"
- >What accent IS that?
- >You don't know why, but you feel like she should start counting and laughing when she talks like that.
- >Ugh, your brain goes weird places when you're tired.
- >Hoping to get through this 'yeah we had fun everything is cool now pay me' exchange comfortably, you sit down on one of their couches.
- >Now if only you could just rest your eyes for a moment...
- >You yawn and shake your head 'no'.
- "Naw," you yawn, jaw stretching so wide that it cracks, "They were little angels. They ate all their breakfa-er, dinner-"
- >The 6 AM meal was this was this weird combination of breakfast and dinner, and you can't figure out a name for it.
- "-without much fuss, and then we read books together under a pillow fort."
- >You point at the foals, who are still huddling under their dad's wings and jabbering at him too quickly for your tired mind to keep up with.
- "I was just about to put them to bed, actually."
- >The mom nods, and you lean back a little more firmly into the couch.
- >You had to take away almost all the cushions for the fort, but you had one left over; and you're sitting on it.
- >It's comfy. REAL comfy.
- >You hope she isn't too upset that you didn't have time to clean up the fort before they got home.
- >>"Yes, my husband was too worried about our foals, so we came home a couple hours early."
- >She rolls her eyes.
- >>"Not that he doesn't trust you, but all fathers seem to be big worry-warts."
- >You nod absently, letting your eyes remain closed for just a moment half-way through a blink.
- >God, that feels so good.
- >Maybe you can try it again the next time you open your eyes.
- >>"I remember when I was a filly. We'd come running home with scraped knees and scratched wings, and my mother would tell us to rub dirt in it aaaaaannnnndddd....
- >You nod, not really listening.
- >Her voice seems to fade out.
- >You can hear it, but it's as though it's not registering.
- >Like you've forgotten to listen to her talk.
- >God, this couch sure is comfortable...
- >...
- >You're woken up about an hour later by the father.
- >He looks much less dressed-up than he did when he came home. His mane is a bit messier, and he looks like he just came out of the shower.
- >He's got your bits in a bag held in his mouth, and a mug full of steaming coffee held in one of his hooves.
- >>>"You looked like you could use the rest."
- >You are Anon, and you feel like shit right now.
- >This is the last time you foal-sit for these bat-ponies.
- >>>"I know how inconvenient it is for you day-walkers to stay up all night, so I added in a little bonus to our agreed upon fee."
- >You weigh the bag in your hand, and it's significantly heavier than you expected.
- >...maybe this won't be the last you see of these ponies.
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