"AAAAHHHHHCCCCHHHHOOOO!" sneezed Sweetie Belle.
The unicorn filly had developed a bad cold after the CMC's latest escapade (CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SCUBA DIVERS! YAY); bur she was the only one who didn't wear a wetsuit. So she'd been sick from school for a couple days. She had a runny nose, puffy eyes, and her mane and fur were terribly disheveled (not for Rarity's lack of trying). Her parents were on vacation, so she was staying with her big sister, Rarity, at her business/home, The Carousel Boutique. Like most unicorns, when sneezing, she let out little bursts of magic (nothing serious, but you wouldn't want to be an inch from her face when she sneezed). Upon hearing her little sister's sneeze, Rarity came to check on her.
"Sweetie Belle, Darling," exclaimed Rarity, coming to check on her little sister. "Are you alright?"
"Yah," snorted Sweetie Belle. "Ihm doin okah. Justh a really sthneeze."
"You still sound horribly conjested," said Rarity, in a concerned tone.
Rarity got next to Sweetie Belle in her bed.
"Arencha worried about...SNOOOORT...gettin my cold?" asked Sweetie Belle. "ACHOO!"
"Family doesn't concern itself with such silly things," Rarity comforted her.
She then felt Sweetie Belle's forhead.
"And still very warm," she sighed.
"Don't wurry about it stho much, sis" she snorted. "Ahve been in worth shape than thish. AHCHOO! Like dat one thime when Apple Bloom, Scoota-a-a-ACHOO! Scoothaloo, and I thried making sthnow angels without thnow gear."
"I almost forgot about that," Rarity remembered. The two shared a litlte chuckle remembering that, followed by another sneeze.
"You poor little thing," sighed rarity, kissing her little sister on the forhead. "I'm sure you wish mother were here to look after you."
"Well, sthure, thad be nice," said Sweetie Belle. "Whad kid doethn't want their mom there for them when they're sthick? But ad lease, this way...AHCHOO!...you an I get a chance to sfend sthome time together."
"That's a good way of looking at it," agreed Rarity.
"Stho how are you an...AHCHOO!...Haystheed doin?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"Given that we're engaged, I'd say we're doing splendidly," said Rarity.
"How do ya know yer in love?" the sick filly asked her older sister.
"My, that seems like a random question to ask," said the older sister in surprsie. "Are you even old enough to think of things like that?"
"Ith more more a random...SNORT!...question than anything," replied Sweetie Belle. "I mean, you and...ACHOO!...all yer friends sthetling down. Twilight and Big Mac are starting a family. Do you and Haytheed talk about that sorta stuff?"
"Yes we do," said Rarity. "And we both want a family. Is that hard to picture? Me being a mother?"
"Nah...ACHOO!" said Sweetie Belle. "Ah'll be honest. If ida been a couple years ago, ah'd neveh believe it."
"Neither would I," chucked Rarity.
"Sthtill didn't ansther my question," said Sweetie Belle. "SNOOOORT!"
"Well, I suppose it's different for everypony," said Rarity. "For me, it's the fact that Hayseed is there for me. He's a hard worker, always willing to lend a helping hoof. And while he certainly appreciates my looks, he's not with me soley for that. Like you and my close friends, he's seen me at my aboslute best, but also my absolute worst and still stands by me."
"Hath he altho been there for you when sthick?" asked Sweetie Belle.
"He certainly has," said Rarity. "Although I've only been sick once since we've been together. Still, he did all he could to make me comfortable."
"SNOOORRRT!" Sthounds really sweet. AHCHOO!"
"It is really sweet," sighed Rarity.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
"I could've sworn I flipped the closed sign over," said Rarity.
"You closthed the sthop because of me?" asked Sweetie Belle, clearly with a guiy tone.
"Now don't you are feel guilty," exclaimed Rarity. "I do well enough that I can close up shop for a day to look after my sick sister. I'll be right back to see who that is.
Rarity walked downstairs to see who was knocking.
"What a pleasant surprise!" exclaimed Rarity. "Sweetie! You have a visitor!"
In walked Spike, carrying what appeared to be a bowl of soup.
"Sthpike!?" exclaimed Sweetie Belle. "Whut are you thdoing here?"
"Well, I heard you were sick, so I prepared some soup," he explained.
"Aw, that's very sweet of you, Spikey Wikey," said Rarity. "I better get back to work. I might be closed, but I can still design. But I know Spike will do a splending job looking after you.
Rarity left the room to go downstairs. Spike showed Sweetie Belle the bowl of what appeared to be tomato soup.
"It looks cold," she said. "ACHOO!"
"That's where I come in," he reassured her.
Spike then breathed fire around the bowl, and then prepared to hand it to Sweetie Belle.
"SNORT!" Won't it be thoo hot for me?" she asked.
"No worries," he said. "I have total control over the temperature of my fire. It's gonna be just right."
Spike scooped up a bit of soup in a spoon and fed it to Sweetie Belle. Sweetie Belle let out a clearly satisfied sigh as she drank the soup.
"Oh wow!" exclaimed Seetie Belle. "That's amazthing sthsoup!"
"Aw, thanks," said Spike.
"No. ACHOO!" began Sweetie Belle. "Thank you Sthpike. You didn't haveta do that."
"Well, I'd say it's the least I can do," began spike, stopping for a moment to give Sweetie Belle a soft kiss next to her muzzle. "For my marefriend."
Sweetie Belle giggled and turned more red than she already was. This was followed by a snort and a sneeze.
"Ah musth look so grosth," said Sweetie Belle. "SNORT!"
"Everypony gets sick," said Spike. "If I had a gold piece for every time Twilight's been sick, I'd be rich."
"But Thwilight is like your big sisthter," said Sweetie Belle. "You're no dating her. ACHOO!"
"Still," continued Spike. "You'd have to be pretty awful to not help out the pony you care for."
Spike continued to feed Sweetie Belle the soup for a few minutes without any real talking.
"When are we gonna come out with the news that we're dating?" asked Spike.
"Well, ah defintely wanna feel better first," said Sweetie Belle. "ACHOO! And it justh stheemed like a bad thtime to let Apple Bloom and Scootaloo know. SNORT! We're all stho determined to get our cutie marks, they may not like hearing that I'm dathing somepony."
"I suppose that's a fair point," thought Spike. "Just try not to do stuff that'll get you sick again."
"Don't worry," Sweetie Belle assured Spike. "SNORT! It'th been decided that anything water related isn't going to lead to a cutie mark."
"Thank Celestia for that," sighed Spike.
The two shared a laugh and Spike continued to feed her. He stayed there for a good while till she fell asleep.