//------------------------------// // Fleetfoot's little Phoenix // Story: Fleetfire // by Melody Song //------------------------------// Spitfire was sick. There was no denying it, and now she lay on the couch at home, trying not to think about Soarin being in charge until she recovered. Stormy had tried to come over to help, but Spitfire had shooed her away. "Mom, I know there's nopony else to look after Spark, I'll be fine, I don't want you bringing Sparkfire over and getting her sick too. I promise it'll be okay, no pony's going to find out." Spitfire had called through the door Stormy Flare had reluctantly agreed, though she made Spitfire promise to see a doctor if she got worse. "Honestly, does mom think I'm not capable of handling a little cold?" Spitfire now muttered to herself, shifting as she tried to find a more comfortable position. The couch, though made of cloud, was hardly the most comfortable place to be lying on her back, and she had a kink in her neck from leaning on the arm rest. But Spitfire ignored the discomfort and reached to the side, grabbing some papers off the nearby coffee table. The paperwork had been piling up for days, and since she wasn't having a sneezing fit it was the safest time to get it done. Spitfire coughed a little as she scanned the papers, then quickly shoved them aside as she felt a sneeze coming on. "Hold it in." she begged herself, she didn't want the magic to affect her now. But Spitfire couldn't stop herself in time. "Ah-ah-choo!" Spitfire sneezed, a small spurt of fire coming out. Spitfire sighed as the fire dissipated, then punched the couch angrily. "Why'd I have to be the one who got the powers?" she muttered, then sneezed again, a bigger blast of fire coming out this time. Spitfire watched the fire hang in the air a minute longer, then slowly fizzle out as well. Spitfire knew that Fire Magic ran in her family, but sometimes she wished it had gone to one of her siblings. Well, it wasn't technically Fire Magic, that was a unicorn thing. But everyone in the Flare family referred to it as 'magic'. Spitfire sniffled and picked up the papers again. "Ah-choo!" Spitfire gazed in horror as the document she'd been holding became nothing more than a pile of ashes "Aw sh**" she swore, brushing them off and shivering. Normally, Spitfire's fire powers kept her comfortably warm, even in the coldest of environments, but Spitfire had noticed that when she was sick, especially with a cold or form of flu, her body temperature was uncontrollable, like normal pony's bodies worked. Sometimes the fire power made her overheat, or sometimes it stopped temporarily and she was freezing. Spitfire really wished she had thought to bring a blanket down from her room, and was considering getting one when she heard a knock at the door. "Thpitty? Can I come in?" It was Fleetfoot. Spitfire gasped, regretting it instantly as she broke into a coughing fit. "Wh-what are you doing here?" Spitfire asked, trotting unsteadily over to the door. "Thoarin thaid to check on you, he thaid to thtay until you're feeling better." Fleetfoot replied, and Spitfire groaned. The stallion was such a hopeless romantic, first he dragged Rainbow into getting them together, according to Fleet, and now the big sap had ordered Fleetfoot to come stay with her. "I-I'm fine Fleety, I don't want to get you sick." Spitfire tried to refuse, but Fleetfoot wasn't taking no for an answer. "Thpitfire. Thoarn ordered me to thtay with you becauthe he knew there wath no way you're going to let yourthelf retht if there'th no pony to make sure you do." Fleetfoot said "Prove that I'm not resting then." Spitfire replied cheekily "If you had been rethting in your room you wouldn't have heard me knocking, I would have let mythelf in." Fleetfoot answered "Now come on, open up." "Alright, fine." Spitfire sighed, turning the door handle and opening it slowly. She was revealed to Fleetfoot, who stepped inside before throwing her hooves around Spitfire's neck in a hug. Spitfire sighed and coughed a little, closing the door. "Baby, you look awful. Wait, what happened to your mane?!" Fleetfoot gasped, stepping away from Spitfire to get a better look at the sick mare. "My mane isn't naturally sleek like it normally looks. I use my pegasus magic to keep it up, the same way you do with yours." Spitfire explained "But it'th tho pretty right now, I had no idea your mane wath tho long." Fleetfoot said, running her hoof through Spitfire's mane, which went a little bit past her shoulders in length. "Yeah, um, I'll be right back, bathroom." Spitfire said, and Fleetfoot nodded, letting her leave. Spitfire shut the door of the bathroom tight and stopped repressing her sneezes. She waited until she was done, then went back out, finding Fleetfoot waiting for her. Spitfire tried to lay back down on the couch, but Fleetfoot put a wing on her shoulder, turning her towards the bedroom. Spitfire looked at Fleetfoot in confusion as she led her down the hall. "Why are you taking me over here?" Spitfire asked, realizing she sounded very congested now. They entered her bedroom and Fleetfoot smiled softly. "To get thome proper thleep. I noticed the paperwork and figured you were thleeping on the couch, tho I thought I'd make sure you went to bed." Fleetfoot replied, giving Spitfire a gentle push towards the bed. Spitfire sank into the soft sheets, nuzzling up against the pillow, then felt another sneeze coming on. "Uh, Fleety, could you go get me some tissues?" Spitfire asked, and she nodded, leaving the room. Spitfire sat up and sneezed, waving her hoof through the fire to make it go away. It was harmless to her. Fleetfoot came back in with the tissues and set them down. Spitfire smiled and leaned over to kiss Fleetfoot's cheek, but felt another sneeze and jerked backwards. "Thpitty, what'th wrong?" Fleetfoot asked "I-ah-ah-choo!" Spitfire sneezed, the flames bursting out of her muzzle. Fleetfoot stared at her in shock, and Spitfire collapsed on the bed, about ready to cry. She did so as Fleetfoot put a hoof on her shoulder, but Spitfire was too upset, shaking her off and sobbing into the cloud mattress. She suddenly felt the pressure of some pony getting in the bed, and the next thing she knew, Fleetfoot was holding her in her forelegs, humming an old lullaby to her. Spitfire calmed down a little, looking up at her in confusion. "Aren't you scared of me?" Spitfire whispered "Why would I be thcared of thomeone with thuch amazing magic?" Fleetfoot replied, then shifted so Spitfire would be more comfortable. "But what ith it?" she asked "It's not magic, it's just called Phoenix Magic, it's really like...I dunno, a superpower. I can make two different types of fire, the kind that's harmless and can heal ponies, and a more dangerous type that could badly injure somepony." Spitfire murmured, raising up a hoof to demonstrate. A ball of fire appeared. "When I get sick I sneeze out both kinds, I'm sorry, I backed away because I wasn't sure which kind would come out." Spitfire explained "It'th alright baby, you should have told me thooner." Fleetfoot nuzzled her gently. "I know, but I didn't want to scare you" Spitfire responded "I'll never be thcared of you, no matter what." Fleetfoot replied, and Spitfire wrapped her hooves around Fleetfoot, kissing her. They broke apart pretty quickly, Spitfire's eyes wide. "Oh Celestia, I'm sorry Fleety, I shouldn't have done that, now you're gonna get sick too-ah-choo!" Fleetfoot ducked as the fire appeared, then reached over and wrapped her hooves around Spitfire. "I don't care, ath long ath I get to thtay with you." Fleetfoot replied, and the two snuggled up together, Spitfire falling asleep.