The (Un)traditional Unicorn Sleepover

[Iforgotmybrain 5,572]

Description/Details:

Spoiler

While talking to Misty about Bridlewood and her experiences living there, Izzy brings up the story of her first traditional unicorn sleepover. Although with Izzy, nothing really ends up being “traditional”.

The focus of the story is Izzy Moonbow. I wrote a very short story (1200 words) about her childhood previously, and this is, in a way, an extension of that. Although you don’t need to have read the previous story to enjoy or understand this one at all. They’re only connected in that this is “the same Izzy” that was in the previous story.

Rated T for mild cartoony "horror" elements and mentions of death.

Might post on FiMFiction after the story event is over.

 

 

“…Anyway, that’s the story of how I almost got kicked out of the Crystal Tea Room Café by your Dad!” Izzy smiles over to Misty, a look of amusement and mild concern on her face.

 

“Wow, hearing all the things you got up to in Bridlewood, it really puts into perspective just how much I missed out on…” Misty looks down towards her hooves, her expression becoming gloomy. “Like the whole traditional unicorn sleepover thing, all the different superstitions and folklore-“

Izzy cuts off Misty as she’s about to finish her sentence, “Ohhh ohhh, that reminds me, did I ever tell you about the first time I had a sleepover in Bridlewood?”

 

Misty nods her head no.

 

“Well, I’ll have to change that. It’ll be part backstory and part lesson on unicorn culture! You see, I was just a filly, about 12 moons old…”

*(We’re assuming moons are equal to years, here.)

 

 

“Hi, new friend!” the tall, purple unicorn filly speaks aloud to a pink unicorn with a flowing lavender mane, a cutie mark with three gemstones on her flank. "My name’s Izzy. What’s your name?”

 

The pink unicorn seems a bit put off by Izzy’s forthcomingness, but answers, nonetheless.

 

“I’m Scarlet Blossom,” she says softly before smiling at the purple pony.

 

“Scarlet Blossom. Got it. I’m having a sleepover tonight at my place if you wanna come, I made invitations and everything!” Izzy hooves the invitation over to Scarlet Blossom, “See, I drew a picture of my house on it, that way you know which one to go to.”

 

Scarlet gives Izzy a weird look, holding the invitation in her hoof. So much as to say, ‘Is this pony being for real right now?’

 

“Thanks for the invitation, I think.” Her voice stutters a bit, “d-do you just give out sleepover invitations to everypony you meet?”

 

“Well, not everypony. Some don’t even talk to me when I say hi to them. Or I already tried inviting them before, with no luck,” Izzy says, still with a happy expression on her face.

 

“Oh…” a feeling of pity washes over the filly, unsure of what to say next, “Hopefully, some ponies show up to your sleepover tonight,” Scarlet says, smiling back at the purple pony.

 

“Thanks! I’m looking forward to seeing you there!” Izzy says before waving her hoof goodbye and trotting away. Leaving Scarlet Blossom equal amounts of confused and intrigued by this quirky new unicorn she had just met.

 

 

“Just need to put this here, organize these, hang those tea lights…” Izzy thinks to herself as she prepares her house for her latest and great idea, a sleepover. And not just any sleepover, a traditional unicorn sleepover. Full of things like horn bedazzling, board games, hoof reading, storytelling, and movie watching.

 

Izzy had spent most of the day handing out homemade invitations to any Bridlewood filly who looked to be around her age. Only returning in the late afternoon to get ready for the event she had invited all those ponies to.

 

By now the Sun had begun to set in Bridlewood. Izzy’s house was adorned with tea lights hanging from doorways and scarves tied on lampshades giving the whole place a cozy atmosphere. On tables, she had prepared various snacks for her hopeful guests, including the all-time unicorn favorite, ponycorn.

 

As Izzy finished the final bits of decoration, she couldn’t help but think to herself with some uncertainty, “I hope somepony actually shows up”.

 

For the final step, she grabbed her imaginary unicycled friend, Mister Biscuits, and put him among the piles of blankets and pillows she had amassed on the floor.

 

Stepping back and then looking over to her imaginary friend, she says out loud, “Welcome to Izzy’s supremely extravagant sleepover, Mister Biscuits!” before smiling at the doll.

The scene now set, Izzy plops down in front of her entrance door, eagerly awaiting a knock from one of her invitees. A glitzy and glittery clock mounted upon one of the house’s walls reads 8 PM, the start time Izzy put on her invitation.

 

Minutes passed as she waited eagerly, the clock now reading 8:10. Before long a faint knock on the door could be heard, a hoof tapping against the wooden door. Izzy’s ears perk up instantly as she reaches for the door, opening it, and then speaking before she can even think.

 

“Hi, friend! Welcome to my supremely extravagant sleepover!” she says to the pony in front of her.

 

Stopping for just a second to think and look in front of her, Izzy sees a pink pony, Scarlet Blossom, smiling with a slight look of surprise.

 

“Oh, hi again, Izzy. I’m here for the sleepover you invited me to earlier today, remember?” Scarlet holds the homemade invitation in her hoof, showing it to Izzy.

 

“Of course I remember! I remember everypony I gave out invitations to!” Izzy giggles and smiles at the pink pony, “In fact, you’re the first pony to accept my invitation, you’re the first guest here, Scarlet,” she looks over to the pile of blankets she’s amassed on the floor, before pointing to Mister Biscuits, “Except for Mister B, of course.”

 

Scarlet looks over to Izzy’s doll with a somewhat weary look before drawing her attention back to the unicorn, “I see! Well, um, my parents said it was okay if I came, I just have to be back by lunch tomorrow. Hopefully that’s okay with your parents as well.”

 

Izzy tilts her head slightly, “Oh,” before returning it back to normal, “That shouldn’t be a problem. Anyway, I’m glad you came, come look at all this stuff I’ve got set up for us to do!”

 

The purple unicorn leads Scarlet over to the various board games she’s set up on a table sitting alongside one of the wooden walls of Izzy’s house. On it is Ponyopoly, Ticket to Fly, and Hungry Hungry Peagasi.

 

“Are you sure Ponyopoly is a good choice? That game drags on forever,” Scarlet says.

 

“Does it?” Izzy taps her chin, “I haven’t played it, so I wouldn’t know,” Izzy laughs for a moment before moving on to the snack table she’s also set up.

 

“All the snacks we could ever want! I’ll be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what to get, I’ve never had a sleepover before. So, I just got all my favorites!”

 

The pink pony following Izzy gives her a smile and a slight nod of approval.

 

“And you’ve already seen the blanket-pillow-floor fort by Mister Biscuits!”

 

“Yes, I have.” She looks over to the pile of things on the floor, “Are you expecting anypony else? Or… is it just me?”

 

“No idea. Like I said earlier, I just gave out invitations, so who knows! It’s kind of exciting that way, isn’t it?”

 

“It’s certainly something, alright,” Scarlet Blossom replies.

 

“Anyhow, we can go ahead and start a board game if you want. Or munch on some snacks. Or tell stories. Or bedazzle our horns. Or-“

 

“Games are fine!” Scarlet interrupts Izzy, “Let’s play Ticket to Fly, I know all the rules to that one.”

 

Izzy’s open mouth turns to a smile as she trots over to her board game table, “Have a seat, madam!” the purple unicorn says before scooting out a chair for herself and Scarlet.

 

 “I’ve never played this game before, but I read the instructions earlier so hopefully I’ll be able to keep up!” Izzy says.

 

Scarlet Blossom raises a single eyebrow, “Wait, you own this game, but you’ve never played it?”

 

“Nope. Never had any opportunity to.”

 

The pink pony shakes her head slightly and leaves it at that. Now sitting at the table, the two begin their game.

 

 

“I don’t think I’m doing too bad for somepony who’s never played before! What do you think, Scarlet?”

 

The two are about halfway through their second game by this point, with Izzy taking the first win.

 

“No, not bad at all. I still don’t get why you never played this game before if you already owned it, though. Couldn’t you have played it with one of your siblings or your mom or dad?” Scarlet replies.

 

“Not exactly, I’m the only one who lives here. Or at least, I’ve been the only one living here for a while, now.”

 

“Wait, so you live on your own? For real?” An expression of surprise flashes on Scarlet’s face.

 

“Mhm. I have ever since my mom and dad passed away when I was around 6.” Izzy pauses for a moment. “I don’t really think too much of it at this point, it’s just what I’m used to,” she says in an unusually quiet tone.

 

“But… what if you need something? Like if need a parent at school?  And what do you even eat?”

 

“If I need something, I just get it or make it myself, usually. Sometimes Alphabittle will help if I really need it. He had a filly around my age, but something happened to her. I’m not sure what, I never asked, and he’s never told me. But I think making sure that I’m safe makes him feel a bit better. He’s probably hoping somepony is doing the same for his filly, wherever she is.”

 

Scarlet takes a moment to think, nodding her head before replying, “That explains a lot. I thought it was weird I hadn’t even seen your parents all night. I’m sorry about that, Izzy.”

 

“Sorry? What for?” Izzy tilts her head. “It’s not your fault.”

 

“No, I just mean, like, I’m sorry you had to deal with that.”

 

“Oh, thanks,” she gives a slight smile. “It was a long time ago. Or at least it feels like it now. Honestly, I try to not think about it too much,” Izzy says while continuing to play the board game to the best of her abilities.

 

“I can understand why…” Scarlet pauses for a moment, before looking around the house and returning her focus back to Izzy. “I kinda expected more ponies to show up to this sleepover, I don’t think I’ve ever been to one where it was just two ponies. Not that I’m not having fun, of course!” She quickly interjects after her last sentence. “Just, it’s different, that’s all.”

 

“Really?” Izzy says with genuine surprise, “I don’t exactly know what they usually look like or how many ponies attend. All I had to go off was what I’d heard other ponies say, and what I’d like to do if I went to a sleepover. Honestly just having one pony show up is more than I expected, so thanks for coming!” She says before completing her final move in the game, securing her the win.

 

“Hah! My first time playing and I won twice. I always knew I’d be good at this game!” Izzy happily reaches out a hoof to Scarlet Blossom as the game ends after around half an hour.

 

Scarlet reaches out and bumps hooves with Izzy, “Good game. So, what’s next? Another game? Something else?”

 

“I’m a bit hungry, so maybe snacks? And then we could do horn bedazzling! I’ve been really looking forward to that.”

 

“Sounds good to me! Let’s have a bite to eat!”

 

The two ponies trot to the snack table Izzy has set up, each grabbing a plate. Izzy piles her plate completely full of her favorite snacks, which just so happens to be everything she’s put on the table. While Scarlet only takes a few things to eat at a time, going back for more once she’s cleared her plate.

 

The two munch down on their snacks, things ranging from boxed crackers to oat bars, to homemade cookies that Izzy made herself.

 

“So, how’s the snacks?” Izzy says, munching on a candy bar. “Do they match up to the ones you’ve had at other sleepovers?”

 

“The food is really good, actually. The only thing missing is something to drink. I could really go for some lemonade right now, honestly”

 

“Oh! I can go look in the fridge and see if I can find any! I’ll be right back!” Izzy instantly stands up and darts over to her kitchen before Scarlet can even reply.

 

“Poor pony. I’m not even sure what to say to her. Maybe I don’t need to say anything… Just try and be her friend,” Scarlet thinks to herself as she lays on the floor. Izzy, still in the kitchen as she searches for Scarlet’s drink of choice. “Ponies our age can be so cruel.”

 

 

“Dah dah dah, gonna find the drink, find the drink,” Izzy sings quietly to herself as she struts into her kitchen, opening the refrigerator and rummaging through to try and find the lemonade that Scarlet wanted. “Yogurt… Sweet tea… Oh, expired cheese, gross. That’s going in the trash. Ketchup…”

 

As she sees the ketchup, a smile appears on her face. She grabs the bottle of ketchup and sneakily enters her bedroom. Looking through her closet for a homemade Nightmare Night Costume she had made for later in the year. The costume consists of a black cape with a very long, obscuring hood. Along with a hook to put on one’s hoof, and a white mask with an unsettling smile on it. Ketchup and costume now in hoof, Izzy knows exactly what she needs to do.

 

Carefully climbing out the window, Izzy slowly sets her back hooves on the ground outside before shutting the window behind her. With herself, her costume, and the ketchup bottle now out of the house, she quickly changes into the costume she’s dubbed “The Hooked Witch”. She grabs the bottle of ketchup and carefully covers the hook on her left hoof in it, attempting to mimic the look of blood. The ketchup doesn’t stick the best to the plastic hoof, and slowly drips off as Izzy moves.

 

“I’m gonna get her so good with this!” Izzy thinks to herself in anticipation.

 

With her costume donned and hook “bloodied”, Izzy sneaks around to her front door, making sure to avoid any windows, as to not spring her surprise before she’s ready. Night has completely fallen by now, the outside of her house only dimly lit by the light escaping from inside her house while the various creatures in the Bridlewood Forest sing their nightly chorus of chirps, croaks, and screeches. Now with hooves standing on her welcome mat, Izzy lightly knocks on her front door.

 

…

…

…

 

After waiting a couple of seconds, no one comes. Izzy’s ears don’t even twitch, not a sound can be heard from inside. She knocks on the door again, this time with much force.

…

…

…

 

“Who’s out there?” The unicorn hears the muffled voice of Scarlet Blossom through the wooden door, “I’m not sure I should really answer the door, this is Izzy’s house, and she’s busy right now.”

 

Izzy does her best to deepen and distort her voice, “Oh, I’m um, here for the sleepover, I just got here a bit late”

 

A few seconds of silence pass before Scarlet replies, “Okay, I’m opening the door…”

 

The wooden door creaks as Scarlet pulls it towards herself. Izzy’s silhouette only barely visible in the dark, becoming more and more pronounced as the door opens, allowing light to escape outside. Even as the interior illuminates the entrance way, Izzy’s black cloak and hood blend into the surrounding night, her body hidden behind the door still as it opens.

 

With the door open, and not seeing anyone enter Izzy’s house, Scarlet Blossom peaks around the entrance. On the other side she sees a figure cloaked in black, the top of a black hood facing the door with the opening facing the ground. She stares at the figure for a second before they suddenly tilt their head up, revealing a white mask with a smile. Before the pink horse can even react, the cloaked figure raises their front left hoof, revealing a bloody hook!

 

Scarlet Blossom lets out an audible gasp, grabbing hold of the door and attempting to slam it shut. The cloaked figure grabs hold of the door with their left hook, yanking it in the opposite direction, leaving the entrance to the house wide-open as the pink unicorn runs back inside.

 

The cloaked figure hobbles their way inside after the unicorn, “blood” from their hook dripping onto the welcome mat while Scarlet Blossom panics, looking for somewhere to go. She backpedals further and further as the hooked killer gets closer and closer, now pointing their hook directly at the unicorn as blood continues to drop off it.

 

“Tonight, you shall pay for invoking the ancient jinkies curse. I demand payment… in the form of your hooooofff!” The cloaked figure speaks out in a muffled, deep voice.

 

The pink unicorn finds herself stuck against a wall as she tries to escape through the house. She surveys the room but sees no way out except for behind the cloaked figure!

 

In desperation, she yells out, “Izzy! Help! Somepony broke in!”

 

The cloaked figure starts to laugh, in the deep, muffled voice Scarlet had heard before. But that deep voice eventually gives way to a giggling laugh, one the pink unicorn has heard before. Scarlet Blossom’s expression changes from one of fear to one of confusion as the cloaked figure removes the hook on their left hoof, revealing purple fur underneath. They then take their mask off, with Izzy’s smiling face revealed underneath.

 

“Scared you!” The purple unicorn says before putting down her hood and reaching a hoof out to Scarlet Blossom.

 

“Izzy!? What the hell?!” The pink pony raises her voice, taking a moment to compose herself before continuing, “Why?! When?!”

 

“I did it when I went to get our lemonade in the fridge. I saw the ketchup bottle in there, one thing led to another, and I ended up dressing up in this Nightmare Night costume I made because I thought scaring you might be fun! Watch!” Izzy licks the red sauce off the plastic hook she had on moments ago, “It’s ketchup!”

 

Scarlet sighs, “Okay, that was kinda gross. Did you really need to do that? I don’t mean just licking the ketchup off the hook, I mean the whole scaring me thing. I could’ve attacked you! I could’ve had a way worse reaction!”

 

“But you didn’t!”

 

“If I was somepony else I could have! I don’t think that’s something you do to a pony you just met earlier in the day.”

 

“It isn’t? I wasn’t thinking about any of that stuff, I figured you’d handle it fine, like I would, and it’d be fun!”

 

The pink pony shakes her head, “It was kind of fun. Just, don’t do it again, at least not without warning me, okay?”

 

“You got it! No more scares without warning. By the way, do you still want that lemonade? Because I can go back and look for it again, no sneaking out this time, promise!”

 

Scarlet smiles “You better not sneak out, because I’m absolutely not opening the door again if someone knocks. You can have a sleepover with the creatures outside while I’m nice and safe in here!”

 

 

“Ah, memories. The sleepover was actually pretty uneventful after that, we spent the rest of the night just talking, playing games, doing arts and crafts, it was fun! And I made one of my first friends! It was a good night,” Izzy says to Misty.

 

“It sounds like it. I feel like we would’ve got along well if we met when we were fillies, Izzy. I think we were a lot alike.”

 

“Well, we get along pretty good now, so I’m sure it would’ve been the same back then!” She smiles at Misty. “That story has me hungry for ponycorn now, I think I’m going to head back to the Brighthouse and make some, if you wanna tag along!”

 

The two return to the Brighthouse and spend the rest of the afternoon continuing to tell stories, bonding over the shared experiences of their untraditional upbringings.