Slumber Partay!
Dream Runner looked over the checklist Twilight wrote out for him one more time. It seemed that he had everything gathered for his very first slumber party plus a few extras he included. A check on the setting sun told him that the time was at hoof for everypony to arrive. He had never looked forward to something so much in his whole life. Since Twilight confirmed that they were indeed having a slumber party, the colt could hardly contain himself about the subject. At one point he was afraid that he had pestered Twilight to the point of annoyance. The unicorn, however, was overjoyed to see him so giddy. She found every drifting moment to remind him just to see his face brighten up again.
No pony but him was currently occupying the library, but that didn't stop his huge grin from giving away his anticipation. He bounced to the kitchen to double check their snacks for the night. "Let's see…" he looked over the counter packed with junk food. "S'mores ingredients…check. Chips…check. Candy. Check. Sodas…check…baked snacks, uh check." It was somewhat disappointing that he couldn't muster the courage to bother Twilight to get his favorite snack, but with the amount of sugary and fatty foods before him, it almost didn't matter.
The clock in the next room chimed six. "Where is everypony", Dream asked himself somewhat impatiently. He went back to the main foyer where he and Twilight had pushed the furniture against the shelves to allow the ponies to catch Zs on the floor. He finished going over the rest of the supplies. The activity materials were neatly stacked on the tables the two left in the center of the room. "Everything's ready…except no pony's here…" With Spike out camping with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, it was completely empty on the inside.
He didn't let it get him down. Even though it was almost dark out, Dream decided to go out and look for them. The second he put his hoof on the door, it exploded inward, pinning him against the wall while Rainbow Dash excitedly flew in followed by Cloud, Applejack, Thorny, Linen Fiber, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Strings, Fluttershy's helper Day and Twilight all carrying their own rolled up sleeping bag.
"Hey, where's Dream", Cloud asked.
"He was here when I left", Twilight replied.
A moan of pain turned everypony's attention to the still-open door. Twilight levitated the door closed, allowing Dream to fall to the floor. "Oh my gosh! Dream, are you okay!?"
He nodded slowly. Twilight helped him stand up. He shook the pain and dizziness away. When he didn't need help standing anymore, Twilight let him go. He looked around the room at the ponies Twilight managed to coax into staying overnight with them. Rainbow was the first to say something.
"Eh, heheh, sorry, dude", she apologized. "Didn't know you were behind the door."
Dream shrugged. "I'll just get you back during the pillow fight", he replied with a grin.
Before Rainbow could start a standoff, Rarity asked, "What shall be the first event of our slumber party entitle?"
Twilight, Fluttershy, and Dream smiled to each other. "First", Dream said with a little more enthusiasm than he intended, "My idea." He grabbed ten labeled paper bags and tossed them to all of the ponies with the respective names. The only two that didn't get one were him and Linen. "Don't look into them just yet. Go into the other rooms and then look into them. You'll know what to do. Linen, Twilight told me you probably brought your own. Just follow the guys with your things."
They all obeyed without objection. The guys went to the nonfiction wing of the library while the girls entered the astronomy section as per Dream's directions. Twilight trotted up to her room, leaving Dream in the main room to open his bag. When he was finished with it, he simply tossed it in the nearest trashcan. He waited patiently for the others to come back. If he had a large grin before they left, what was now plastered to his face couldn't even be recorded when they all came back. It was going to be funny to watch what happened.
He could hear the mares in their room chatter with excitement while only the sound of trotting and sounds of grumbling came from the stallion's room. The Elements were the first back, wearing brand new nightgowns designed to their specific colors and Cutie Marks. The first to thank him was Rarity, who practically choked the life out of him with a hug.
"Oh, Dream Runner, I simply adore it!" she exclaimed, relishing over the white gown dotted with the gems of the image on her flank. "You have such great taste!"
"The design was all on Twilight and Fluttershy", Dream said bashfully. "I only suggested we wear them."
"Oh, it was nothing, really…" the shy Pegasus whispered when all eyes fell on her.
"I still can't believe we have to…" mumbled Rainbow Dash as she tugged on her blue gown. Needless to say she found it waaaaaayyy to girly.
They each paid their compliments and thanks as the first colt emerged from the fiction wing. "A brilliant idea, Dream Runner", said Linen on his way back, "Now I shall not be the odd one out!" He smoothed out a wrinkle in the sleeve of his button down pajamas sporting violet and sprinkled with math symbols and numbers.
The first colt to get the actual embarrassment out of the way was Cloud. He trotted out holding his head as high as a Pegasus wearing gray thunderstorm patterned button downs could. He muttered thanks before taking his place beside the sleeping bag he dropped when he arrived. Next to show his face was Daylight, who quickly made his way for his things while keeping his gaze on the ground. Strings was next, and actually held his head up pretty high. He smiled as he showed off his dark green pajamas sporting musical notes and bass guitars. And finally was Thorn Hopper. He moseyed in slowly, trying to pretend he was the only pony in the room.
Dream and Twilight, who had finally descended the last step from her room, let their friends burn in the fiery pits of embarrassment for a few more seconds until their blushes slowly faded away. Dream gave Twilight a nod, prompting her to take charge of the group. "Okay, everypony", she said bubbly, "Since this is Dream's first slumber party, he wanted to add a few things to the list of things to do in this chapter of Slumber 101. We'll pick and choose randomly among the list."
"This ain't gonna be like last time is it, Twi?" asked Applejack in concern over the memories of the previous night over with the unicorn.
"Oh, no, it won't be anything like that."
"Let's get started by setting our things down and getting set up", Dream interjected while AJ and Rarity exchanged relieved expressions. Everypony obliged and began laying out their things on the clean floor. Dream withdrew several old quilts from his satchel to spread out over a larger portion of the floor. The slight chatter and sounds of sleeping bags spreading over the rest of the floor slowly faded into an awkward silence when everypony finished preparing for the night.
Twilight broke it by reading the first thing listed in the chapter. "Since the sun is still up, we can start the evening with a little warm up activity." She suppressed her excited squeal with a deep breath. "It's a form of hide-and-seek, but with a twist."
"Eh", Pinkie Pie said dismissively, "I like shakes better."
"What's this 'twist'?" Cloud asked suspiciously.
"Everypony must pair up and tie themselves to their partner", she answered, "Even the seekers."
"That makes things difficult", Day commented.
"How are we figurin' out who our par'dners are?" Applejack inquired.
"The book says the best way is to take the number of players divide it by two—"
"Eh, can we skip the math and just draw flags?" Rainbow interrupted.
"Flags?" Dream asked.
"We did it back in flight school. We just need, uh…four…seven…twelve flags—"
"Of which there will be double colors so as to randomly choose pairs based upon the probability of sixty eight, point six nine six percent!" Linen deduced enthusiastically. "Fabulous!"
"Twilight, what'd he say?" Strings asked.
The unicorn conjured up twelve small flags and placed them in an opaque container color-side-down. "When we draw, everypony will pick a color that somepony else will have."
After a round of "ohs" the ponies in the library picked a flag. Once everypony was paired up and tied together somehow, Linen summoned a six-sided die from another plane of existence. "To accurately—"
"Two!" Cloud called before the lengthy explanation could start.
Fluttershy got the idea and went second, picking her number with the loudest whisper she could muster, "Six."
"Five!"
"Four!"
"One"
"Leaving three for me and Day…" Linen tossed the numbered cube to the floor where it bounced three times, spun, then striking the bottom of a bookshelf, finally settled on the single-dotted side.
"Awww, dagnabbit Ah was hopin' t'hide first!" Thorny complained. He turned to his partner. "C'mon, Rainbow, let's go count."
The Pegasus muttered "lame" under her breath before walking with him to the other side of the library's front door. "Jus' t'ten, right?"
Twilight nodded.
He closed the door behind him, straining to hear where the instant eruption of noise was headed as the ponies on the inside rushed to find a place to conceal themselves. "One."
"Two." Rainbow Dash continued.
"Three."
"Four."
"Five."
"Six."
"Sev'n."
"Eight."
Thorny put his hoof on the door. "Nine."
Rainbow smirked. "Ten."
Together they burst through the door into the still air of the silent library. They scanned the room for any signs of obvious hiders. Thorny pointed to the far closet. Rainbow noticed it was slightly open. "Shh", Thorny breathed with a hoof to his lips.
"Gotcha."
They awkwardly crept to the closet as quietly as they could. Rainbow grasped the door and threw it open to reveal that the inside was completely empty. Thorny chuckled. "Got all riled up for nothin'."
The mare attached to him by the foreleg tugged him along. "Come on, I want a turn to hide tonight!"
"Calm yer wings, Rainbow. With my trackin' skills, we'll find'em in no time!"
As they walked through the library, both ponies saw little signs of their friends. They strained their ears against the silence for the slightest sounds. Rainbow Dash constantly pulled at Thorny in her rush to get the seeking out of the way. He offered her full resistance so they didn't miss any clues that would give the hiders away.
They walked past a bookshelf, not noticing that two pairs of eyes were watching them closely from behind a single layer of books. Both Dream and Cloud held their breaths while the pair strolled by. A nervous exhale and chuckle escaped the bookshelf when the prone ponies were sure they were no longer in earshot.
"Aha! Thought you could pull a fast one on us, eh?" Rainbow called.
The stallions tensed fearing they had been found out.
"Awww, what gave us away?" they heard Strings whine from another room.
"Dude, Pinkie Pie's whole tail was sticking out!"
"Oopsie, heehee!"
There was some movement before the four appeared back in the first room. "That's two down!" Thorny called, "We're gonna get y'all!"
A loud bang from Twilight's room prompted Rainbow to drag her partner through the air to investigate, leaving Pinkie Pie and Strings to tickle fight over the mare's mishap in their hiding technique.
"Rainbow!" Thorny cried when he was back on solid ground, "Ya can't just be draggin' me all over like that!"
"What? Too intense for you?" she asked smugly.
"Ah get airsick real easy!" he claimed, holding his stomach in an attempt to keep his lunch in place.
Rainbow frowned in disgust. "Yeah, I think I'll pass on seeing you toss your cookies."
"Thanks", Thorny breathed, "Now let's find just who made that noise."
The first place to be checked was under Twilight's bed, which only housed old science equipment and a few textbooks from the mare's days in Canterlot. Dream's bed held no better results. The only thing under it was a sign that said, "No pony's hiding here, keep looking."
"Now they're just messing with us!" Rainbow growled.
"Whoa, there, Rainbow Dash, don't get mad now", Thorny coaxed.
The irritation faded when the Pegasus noticed something out of the ordinary. The shelf above the window rocked slightly. Upon further inspection, she noticed that there was a very suspicious blanket covering a slightly squirming object underneath. She tapped Thorny on the shoulder. He stopped looking under Twilight's dresser to follow his partner's gaze to the ceiling.
Smiling, he lifted her up as far as he could without hurting her hoof. It was awkward to lift her like that, but it was worth it. She threw back the blanket to discover two unicorns, tied at the hip, struggling to keep their balance on the narrow plank of a shelf.
"Found y'all!" Thorny announced to the library.
Rarity and Twilight sighed in disappointment.
"I was sure they would never find us up there!" Rarity said on the climb down.
"Sorry, Rarity. My sinuses couldn't handle the dust", Twilight apologized with a congested sniff.
"Oh, don't blame yourself, Twilight…"
The two continued their conversation while Thorny and Rainbow Dash left to ransack the kitchen for the remaining four contestants. It didn't take long at all to find Fluttershy and Applejack, who were hiding in the top of the pantry.
"Now it's just Linen and Day, and Cloud and Dream", Rainbow pointed out.
"Did we check Twi's closet before we found her an' Rarity?"
She shook her head. "Nuh, uh. Come on let's go!"
They rushed back upstairs, past the ponies lounging and idly talking in the foyer of the library. They tore open the door to Twilight's closet, but weren't fast enough to dodge the two ponies tied back-to-back who fell out. Linen and Daylight grunted as they struggled to roll off of the two ponies that had just found them.
"…Sorry, you guys", Day said when all eight hooves were finally on the floor.
"Y'all're alright!" Thorny replied, dusting his hat off.
"Come on, we only have to find Dream and Cloud now!" Rainbow shouted, pulling Thorny back downstairs.
"Have you found everypony already?" Twilight asked when the mare saw them descending the stairs.
"No, we still ain't found Cloud an' Dream."
"There's only one team left?"
"Yeah, and they're a tough find."
"Did anypony happen to see where they went? Because the book says that once the last team is to be found, everypony can join in the hunt so long as no pony knows where they are", Twilight said.
Everypony shook their head.
"Are you saying that we should unfairly turn the odds against two of our closest friends?" Rarity questioned seriously.
Twilight shrugged. "It's only a suggestion."
"Why not", asked Fluttershy. She squeaked when everypony simultaneously looked at her.
"Fluttershy, is that really you?" Day asked.
"I-I…um…just thought it might be fun if everypony looked together", she whispered honestly.
"Ah'm in!" Applejack announced.
"Woowee! Le's go get'em!"
Cloud and Day gulped as the ten non-hiding ponies dispersed in their pairs. They waited in silence while sounds of the search echoed through the library. Their worry over being found was for nothing. It was nearing about forty minutes before the main room was once again filled with ponies.
"Anything", Rainbow Dash asked first.
"Nothing."
"Nuh uh."
"Ugh!" Rainbow Dash threw her hooves up and fell over. "I give up!"
Thorny put a hoof to his mouth and called, "Alright, Dream an' Cloud! Y'all can come out now!"
From across the room on a low shelf, books fell, followed by two laughing Pegasi. They stood up and untied Dream's foreleg from Cloud's rear leg. Everypony else facehoofed at how close they were to finding them.
"Is that why you wanted to shelf this section earlier", Twilight asked accusingly, "To pull the books away from the wall for space?"
Dream smiled. "Maybe…"
"You cheeky sneak!" laughed Applejack.
"That was awesome, Dream. I swear I didn't think it was going to work!" Cloud gave his partner a well-deserved pat on the back.
"Okay, who hides next?" Rainbow Dash asked impatiently.
Taking a look at the nearest window, Twilight received the misfortune of telling her friend a bit of bad news. "Umm…It's already dark…if we keep going it could take hours and—"
"Ain't nopony got time for that!" Pinkie Pie shouted.
"Exactly", the lavender unicorn agreed. "We should go on to the next activity."
"Ugh!" Rainbow fell over onto her rainbow sleeping bag in defeat.
"What's next", asked Cloud.
"Hmm…" Twilight ran her hoof over the list. "This one's a little new to me…'spin the bottle'?"
The faces around her turned bright red with the exception of Pinkie Pie and Dream, who were reading over her shoulder. "It doesn't say how it's played", the Pegasus pointed out, "Anypony have an idea?"
"I know exactly how it's played", Rarity said. Stares fell on her like bricks. Some of terror and others of pure embarrassment. Applejack even shook her head pleadingly. She gave the worrisome ponies a wink of trust. "You simply spin a bottle in a circle of ponies and if it lands on a said pony of opposite gender, the pony who spun must kiss the selected pony. It's a game of chance and humor. I recommend playing." She conjured a glass soda bottle out of thin air. "Shall we?"
Now that everypony was officially blushing, Twilight shook her head. "I'm not sure about that…it will put ponies in a very fragile position…"
"It's all in good fun, Twilight, no feelings incorporated." If looks could kill, there would be eight accounts of murder coming from the ponies not hovering over Twilight's book. Rarity backed up to Applejack for support and subtly whispered something into her ear. Twilight didn't catch it, nor did she see Applejack pass the message along. She didn't even catch on when everypony suddenly changed their minds about the game.
"I think it's a great game to play", Fluttershy said.
"Come on, Twilight, don't be chicken", coaxed Cloud followed by several more nods.
Still against the idea, she couldn't deny the near unanimous decision. "Okay, okay, let's do it then…"
Everypony eagerly formed a circle on the half of the floor that wasn't covered by sleeping bags. Rarity placed the bottle in the center. "Twilight, why don't you have the honor of the first spin?"
The red-faced unicorn looked around, but couldn't deny the stares. "Okay…" She took a deep breath and used her magic to give the bottle a strong kick counterclockwise. The heads followed the neck of the bottle around and around and around until it began to slow. Twilight held her breath and bit her lip. It spun passed Cloud and eased by Linen to finally stop right back on her. A small sigh escaped her mouth. "Next pony."
"Ah ah ah", Rarity tsked, "You must spin until a successful stop."
When Twilight spun the second time, Rarity decided to stop playing games with the mare and go in straight for the kill. She tweaked her magic frequency just a little bit and watched as the bottle slowed to a torturing pace. It eased past Fluttershy, and crept past Thorny before coming to a stop on Dream at the opposite side of the circle.
His irises nearly disappeared as he looked down at the bottle, then to Twilight. He had hoped it would land on him, but didn't think it would happen! He watched in excited horror as Twilight stood up and crossed the diameter of the circle to him. She leaned down, puckering her lips as she closed in on him. About halfway, she closed her eyes. Dream closed his too, forgetting that they weren't the only two in the room.
What took three seconds dragged on in their minds for several days as they waited for contact. Twilight kept going until she felt the burning sensation of Dream's blush against her lips. She kept the kiss planted for something of six seconds before leaving the colt's cheek. A jolt of energy exploded from the hottest part of Dream's face and rippled through the rest of his body. He opened his eyes and was stunned to see Twilight staring into his eyes. Then, with only their blushes to confirm that anything had even happened, she left for the other side of the circle.
"Isn't this supposed to be a slumber party?" Pinkie Pie exclaimed in accordance to the second part of Rarity's plan. She pulled out her pink stereo and inserted a mix tape. "Let's party!" No pony objected. Instead they all were more than willing to avoid embarrassment.
D
Dream rested his head on his hooves as he relaxed on his blankets. Six of the best hours of his life had gone by, leaving the smiling colt feeling happy and accomplished that everything had gone by successfully. He sighed peacefully, reflecting the games that they had played, from Fluttershy kicking everypony's flank in the pillow fight, to Rainbow Dash and Strings teaming up to win the scary story contest. The junk food shifted in his stomach, reminding him of the role reversal game they all pulled off after Pinkie Pie blew the biggest bubblegum bubble. It sure was different to act like Linen, and it was hilarious to see Twilight act like Cloud even if she lacked the wings. The harder he tried to remember the night's hijinks, the harder the highlight of the night tried to take over the center of his memories. He was never going to forget his first game of spin the bottle, even if there was going to be another in his future. He could still feel Twilight's lips on his cheek, making him blush and smile even wider.
"Twilight, is that everything on the list?" he yawned without getting up.
The unicorn looked around. "I think everypony's too tired for the rest of the chapter, Dream. Besides, it's midnight. I think we should get sleep, anyway."
"I second that motion", Linen called tiredly from his light gray sleeping bag.
Twilight yawned. "Then I guess it's settled."
The ponies that weren't already lying down made haste to copy those who were.
"Everypony have fun?" Dream asked hopefully.
"Yeah…"
"You betcha!"
"Best. Slumber Party. Ever!"
As the positive feedback came, Dream couldn't believe how much fun his friends had. The little part of his subconscious that had been doubting the outcome finally dissipated, leaving him completely content. "Well, then, goodnight…"
What he mostly got in return were yawns, but a few "goodnights" still did go around, including a "see ya in the mornin'" from Thorny. He felt Twilight snuggle into her sleeping bag right next to his palette, and look over to see her already half asleep. He blushed at how pretty she was. It deepened when his mind was invaded with a quick, daring thought. Kiss her goodnight… a gentle voice in his head whispered. Don't pass up this chance…
He froze, unable to argue. Cautiously, he gazed around. No pony will see… it coaxed. Go on… He scooted closer to her. He targeted her cheek, but couldn't engage it. It was as if whatever was controlling his body had given him back control. Go on…do it…
It was quick, sweet, but definitely to the point. The peck he left on Twilight's cheek was so short lived that if he blinked, he would've missed doing it. He was back under his blankets in a flash, with a path of red expanding across the bridge of his nose and stopping on his left cheek.
Twilight didn't mind. She even giggled a little. Using one last spell, she amplified her voice once again to Dream's ears. Goodnight, Dream Runner…