“I need more chocolate chips, Mom!” Zapple Pie shouted from the kitchen. “Can you get more from the pantry? And the caramel glaze, please!”
Pinkie, already practically swimming in recipe files in the living room, popped her head up from her work and bounced to their storeroom, having just as much energy as a mother as she did as a filly. “Do you need the milk chocolate, white chocolate, or dark chocolate? Mint chocolate? Butterscotch? Bittersweet? I just got some dark-swirl chips from Pound Cake, they’re DELICIOUS!” It was clear from her muffled speech that instead of bringing the chocolate to her daughter, she was sampling each one as she listed them out.
Zapple took a second to answer, debating the ridiculous amount of choices. “Hmmm…white chocolate! And the dark-swirl ones, too!”
Without another word, Pinkie practically bounded into the kitchen with the supplies Zap had asked for. “Oooh! Whatcha making, kiddo?” Her eyes scanned the mess around her as she put the ingredients down, taking a few more chocolate chips for herself.
“Just some scones for Sleepy’s ‘Relaxing Day’! He seemed to really like the last batch I made, so I wanted to whip up some more. I thought these would go great with the jam and apple butter that Appleberry’s bringing over today.” Zapple batted her mother’s hoof away as she reached for some of the sliced strawberries next to the dough bowl, giving a smile as Pinkie made off with a couple pieces of fruit. “Mom! I need those for the scones! I promise I’ll leave some for you!”
Pinkie Pie was about to try and steal more treats from her daughter, if only to tease Zapple, but there was a knock on the door before she had the chance. “Cominggggg!” She called, hopping to the front of the house to welcome in their guest, already knowing who it was. When she opened the door, Sunny Skies and Appleberry Jam grinned. AJ was the first to speak, almost knocking Pinkie over with a hug.
“Auntie Pinkie! I missed you!” He laughed as she threw her own front legs around him, tightening him in a loving embrace.
“Hi, Pinkie.” Sunny waved, slowly entering the house as he moved around the two as they released each other from their bear hug. Pinkie immediately moved to greet Sunny Skies with a squeeze, just as she did for his brother, but she paused at his timid body language. She seemed to take a second to get into a different kind of headspace, and spoke softer than she normally did.
“Hey there, Sunny! Would you like a hug, or do you not want to be touched right now?” Her question was gentle and she gave him a reassuring smile, lifting up a front leg for him to approach her if he wanted to. He put down his saddlebags and slowly made his way into a hug, where she embraced him just as lovingly as his brother, but made sure not to squeeze Sunny too hard. “It’s so nice to see you. I know you come over every week, but I never get tired of your sweet face! Sleepy’s already up in his room, so you can go and join him. I’ll have someone bring up snacks for you, okay?”
Sunny nodded, grabbing his bags and climbing up to the second floor with a small smile back to Pinkie and his brother as they headed into the kitchen, already catching up as AJ launched himself at Zapple, successfully knocking her over while the three laughed. At the end of the hall, Sunny knocked on a door that was already open, if only to be polite. “Hey, Sleepy.” He practically whispered, noticing the bat-pony resting in a corner of the room.
Sleepyhead’s eyes opened and he smiled, his fangs hanging over his lip. “Hey there, buddy. How’ve you been?”
Sunny shrugged, putting his saddlebags down. “I’ve been alright. The weather factory has been getting ready to push out some big storms in the next couple of days, and the sound at work has been getting to me.” He raised a hoof to close the door as the small group downstairs got a bit more boisterous and walked over to settle down next to his friend. “How have you been?”
“Oh, you know me. Permanently exhausted.” The stallion joked, giving a soft chuckle as he bopped his forehead against Sunny’s in a friendly greeting. “Ma’s got this potion-maker from Canterlot sending her tonics to see if they help with my energy levels. So far they don’t do much, but one stopped my headaches.”
Sunny smiled at the tiny nuzzle, putting his front leg on top of Sleepy’s. “Well, less headaches are always good.” The two sat in silence for a while, just enjoying the quiet as some soft instrumental music played over a radio on the desk. Sunny’s mind wandered as he stared at the decorations covering the walls and ceiling of Sleepy’s room, as if he didn’t already know every detail about the space. It became clear, upon hearing the bat-pony’s slowed breathing, that Sleepyhead had dozed off. A smile lingered on the stallion’s face, even in sleep, which seemed contagious to Sunny. He gazed at his best friend, complete adoration in his eyes. Sunny lowered his head, brushing a piece of hair out of Sleepy’s face before laying his head on top of the bat-pony’s messy mane. He spoke softly, whispering one last thing before he joined in on the afternoon nap.
“Love you, buddy.” ~ If you ship them and you know it, clap your hands!