On The Wings of Wind

by Chazonic

Chapter 33 - Fever Omens

Author's Note:

Just a fair bit of warning, this Chapter is entirely third-person.

Rainbow burst into Zephyr's home in a mad rush to get him in his bed while the other mares were hot on her tail, worried about their friend's sudden illness. When they got him into the bed and as comfortable as they could manage, they gave him a once over.

Rainbow was the first to speak up. "He got worse as we entered; he started emitting a lot more heat and is sweating far more because of it." This prompted Fluttershy to head back downstairs in a hurry.

Pinkie put a hoof up to his forehead, only to yelp has her hoof caught fire. "You weren't kidding! How did he go for so long before suddenly developing this... whatever this is?"

"It must be a fever and a high one at that." Everypony looked at Applejack. "Ah had a few fevers whenever ah overworked myself. He has the same symptoms: High body temperature, uncontrollable sweating, and--" Zephyr suddenly started shivering. "-- Shivering like nuts."

Fluttershy came back through the door with a wet cloth and put it on Zephyr's forehead. "But why did he get a fever so suddenly? I noticed that he was struggling with it before, but I never expected him to suddenly collapse because of it."

"He was acting a bit weird before the parade as well." Rainbow pursed her lips, wondering if what he said was induced by the beginning stages of this fever. While it did make sense to her, it also inexplicably made her feel saddened that those words could very well have been a product of an illness.

Rarity shook her head. "I've also had my nasty run-ins with fevers. It certainly makes it hard to take care of yourself, let alone somepony else and that's only if it's mild."

"Wait, that means somepony has to take care of him while he's like this?" Twilight looked among her friends, contemplation on her muzzle

Applejack shook her head. "That's correct, unfortunately. Ah think Fluttershy or Rainbow should do it, since Pinkie and ah would only serve to make his condition worse; being Earth ponies and all. And no offense to you or Rarity, Twi, but ah doubt you two would be able to take care of him that well with his magic actively cancelling out yours."

Rainbow went a little red in the face at the mention of her taking care of Zephyr, but she figured no-pony noticed. She shook her head a bit in an attempt to clear her thoughts, which briefly caught Rarity's eye. Why am I acting like this over a small detail?

Fluttershy hummed. "I'll do it. It's my responsibility as his sister after all; mine and Scootaloo's"

Pinkie made a little "irk" sound. "Oh no,speaking of Scootaloo, we forgot about what we should tell the town."

Rarity sighed. "I suppose better sooner than later. Question is; how do we break it to them?"

"I'll think of something." Twilight let out a sad sigh. "Besides, it was my impulsiveness that got us in this situation instead of trying to talk to Rainbow, like Zephyr said. I think it would be best if we went now instead of later."

The other four mares nod as Rainbow adds, "I'll come along as well. You girls need somepony to vouch for you in case things turn sour."

Twilight gave her a surprised look before bowing her head. "... Thank you Rainbow... and I'm sorry for what we did... for what I did."

"Twilight, don't worry about it. It IS partially my fault, so I want to help set things right. Besides, we need to tell Squirt what happened to her brother."

Everypony nods before heading out, though Fluttershy got stopped by Applejack. "Sugahcube, ah think it would be best if you stayed with Zephyr for now. He need's somepony to make sure he's comfortable and well hydrated; as Rarity implied, moving around when you have a fever is very painful due to weakness."

Fluttershy hesitated before nodding. "I-I understand. I just... feel bad that you girls have to take a blow for me as well."

Pinkie pats her on the withers. "Don't worry! Just leave it to us and we'll try and make it right. Pinkie promise!" With that, the five mares head downstairs.

Fluttershy sighed as she look at Zephyr, who had an uncomfortable look on his face again while still shivering. She flipped the cloth on his forehead onto its other side before going downstairs and fetching a thermometer and some water. When she stuck it in his mouth, it started reading 101 F; just under the high fever range of 102 F or higher.

She breathed a sigh of relief. "So Applejack was wrong about it being a high fever. That's good..." She gave a small start when he let out a soft groan. "Are you awake, Zephyr?"

"F-Fluttershy? What... happened? Last I remember, I was talking to you girls about...*huff* the whole Mare-do-well thing."

He tried to sit up, only to be softly pushed back down. "Don't strain yourself; you've developed a sudden fever and I don't want you to get worse. Here."

She gives him the glass of water, and watched with worry as he struggled to drink from it. He coughed a bit from the sudden in-take. "Ugh... to think I would become a liability like this... I'm so sorry."

"It's going to be alright, Zephyr. The other girls already went off to rectify their mistake... for me as well." He let out a tired sigh and she noticed. "I have to ask... how much rest have you been getting?"

Zephyr lets out another shudder. "Ever since I went to Manehatten for a brief vacation, my sleep has been... somewhat lackluster."

"More so than that. What's causing you to lose so much sleep?"

"It's... rather inconsequential, really." Fluttershy went silent and he looks up to see her giving him a look of disbelief. "What?"

"Your left ear is twitching."

Zephyr stared at her for a second before realizing what she meant. "Uhm... and that pertains, how?"

"You're lying, aren't you?"

He winces, realizing that their mother told her about some of his quirks. Before he could say anything, Scootaloo burst into the room with some tear build-up in her eyes. "Big brother!"

Fluttershy let out a squeak of surprise as the filly jumped onto the bed, nuzzling her older brother. He patted her on the head. "Hey Scoots... don't tell me you rushed home as soon as you heard about my illness, did you?"

"I did! You leave us for five days, only to come back sick? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I... didn't know I was getting sick until it was too late. To think... I"m causing so much grief..."

Fluttershy lightly bats him on the top of my head. "I keep telling you not to throw every single little blame on yourself. Still... what is it that's causing you to lose so much sleep?" Zephyr connected eyes with Scootaloo and they both adopted a worried and scared look. "Are the both of you in on this?"

Zephyr sighed, knowing he couldn't hide it from Fluttershy forever. "It's more so what almost happened to her..." Fluttershy flashes him a scared and confused look. "I'll tell you... but I need you to pinkie promise not to tell anypony else, especially the other mares. They already have enough on their plate."

She nodded and, after reciting the pinkie promise, Zephyr then told her of what transpired that one night. When he told her of the syndicate stallions and how they were essentially threatening them, she had a dangerous look on her face, her protective sibling side of her starting to come out. But when he told her about his violent outburst, she looked horrified instead. "I-I've seen you get mad before, especially on your birthday, but never to the point of violence."

"Is it because a small part of me still wanted to be friends at that one time or was it purely because you were mares?" He shakes his head. "That's the reason why I felt I needed to get away; I couldn't bear thinking about what would happen if I were to lose it on somepony else, especially my friends and family." He started coughing harshly, prompting Fluttershy to give him his water, which he once again downed with difficulty.

Scootaloo nuzzled the side of his head after he stopped coughing. "But don't you remember what Thundarlane said? As long as No-pony tries to threaten me or Fluttershy, you don't have to worry about becoming violent."

Fluttershy frowned slightly. She never heard of that, but she shrugged it off since she didn't have a younger sibling for most of her life. "If Thunderlane says so, then I'm sure it's true."

Zephyr shook his head. "I worry regardless. I'm afraid it'll become something... far more dangerous..." His eyes start drooping a bit.

"I think that's enough for now; Zephyr needs his rest." Fluttershy took the now dry cloth off his head.

"Actually... I need to ask something..." Zephyr gives Scootaloo a tired, but inquisitive look. "W-what was it that you wanted to t-talk to me about e-earlier?"

"Oh, right. Didn't you say, at one point, you were Rainbow Dash's number one fan?" She gives a solemn nod. "Then I'm guessing you know where I'm going with this."

"T-the fact that I ditched her?"

"In a less blunt fashion. This is the one reason why I was disappointed in you earlier, Scoots. Despite your claims, you gave Dash up when she needed you the most. When you're a fan of somepony, especially if you self-proclaim yourself as the number one fan, you stick with them through it all. Even in their deepest pain, weakest hour, or darkest night."

Scootaloo lets out a whimper and he rubs her on the head. "I'm not mad at you, Scoots. I just don't want you making the same mistake in the future. All I ask is that you stick with your idols through thick and through thin, save if they do something unspeakable."

"... Thank you, Zephyr."

She quickly got swept up in a hug from Fluttershy. "I'm so sorry, Scootaloo! I-I was the one who made you do that and I... I'm a horrible older sister!"

Scootaloo looks back at Zephyr, who gives her a tired nod. "I forgive you, Fluttershy. I'm... sure you had your reasons for doing it like that. Just... please be more careful next time something like this comes up."

Fluttershy gave her little sister the happiest smile she could muster while tearing up before re-embracing, With Scootaloo returning the embrace. Zephyr gave his own smile as he watched his sisters reconcile in their own way before he began to nod off again.

Fluttershy noticed and broke her hug. "How about we let Zephyr sleep for now. Lots of rest will do him good." With that, she tucked him in a bit more after Scootaloo hopped off the bed. Zephyr simply hummed before closing his eyes.

As Fluttershy got the cloth wet again for Zephyr's forehead, Scootaloo left the house in an attempt to find Rainbow Dash and apologize to her for abandoning her so easily. As time went on, she started to worry if her friends got lynched and about her animals at her cottage. She had yet to go back today; she planned to do so after this day's Mare-Do-Well escapade and they haven't been fed since the beginning of the day.

To top it all off, she was worried about Zephyr. Not just because he developed a sudden fever, but the fact that he lashed out so violently weighed on her mind. Given the situation, plenty would consider it justified, but she still shared his worry that it might become something far worse.

It couldn't of been a side effect from the gender spell Twilight accidentally cast on him. While it was a spell fired off with no preparation other than gathering energy, I don't think that alone could of influenced his mind.

Fluttershy was jarred out of her worried thoughts when there was a delicate knocking at the door. When she opened it, Rarity was standing there with a slightly relieved face. "Good to see you, Rarity. H-how did--"

"It went fine, darling. Many ponies were understandably upset when the whole ground-works was laid bare, but they were willing to let it slide when Rainbow explained the situation herself. How's Zephyr?"

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. "Been asleep for a little while. His fever was caused by lack of sleep, so I figured that would be best for him." She hummed for a bit before a thought came to her. "O-oh, but c-could I burden you to take care of him for a bit? I forgot to feed my animals earlier and I--"

Rarity giggled. "It's fine, Fluttershy. Expecting you to look after him twenty-four-seven when you have your own duties to worry about would be selfish. Magic or no, I'll look after him until you or Scootaloo come back."

"Thank you, Rarity. I'll try to be as quick as possib--"

"Take your time, darling. I wouldn't want you to forget something vital because you were in such a rush."

Fluttershy had her mouth open for a bit before sighing and nodding. After she left, Rarity finished getting the face cloth wet and getting another glass of water for Zephyr before she started heading for the stairs.

But not before putting on a surgical mask to help keep herself from catching his flu.

I'm sure Fluttershy will understand. Just a precaution in order to prevent it from spreading to anypony else.

Before climbing up the stairs, she took note of the house interior. She had a chance a while back to check his house out, when he was foalnapped. The urgency of the situation prevented her from truly observing, but now she had a chance to actually observe.

This... must be the blandest house I've ever seen. Save for some unremarkable furniture, both Zephyr and Scootaloo have absolutely nothing going on in here. Little wonder why they typically prefer other places.

Rarity made a mental note to ask Zephyr about internal decorating before heading up into his room. She put the glass she had in her magic on the night stand before applying the wet cloth onto his forehead with her hooves. While she hasn't experienced getting her magic canceled out as much as Twilight has, she still took it into consideration.

After applying the cloth, she observed Zephyr as he slept. "You know... I'm surprised more ponies haven't pointed out how his muzzle looks like a mare's. Perhaps it's somehow subtle about being more feminine than most stallion muzzles."

He lets out a small, content sigh and she smiles. "I'm also surprised mares aren't falling head over hooves for him. He certainty looks like a pretty cute stallion and his personality is similar to Fluttershy's, which typically hits some mares in the weak-spot." She shook her head. I wonder if that was what Rainbow was blushing about? I would think she's showing some interest in him, though I really shouldn't jump to conclusions like that.

Rarity gave a start when the bedroom door was suddenly opened by Scootaloo. "I'm back, Fluttersh-- oh hello, Miss Rarity."

"Just Rarity is fine, darling. In case you're wondering about Fluttershy, she had to go back to her cottage to feed her animals."

Scootaloo nodded. "I suppose that's-- wait, where are you going?" Rarity had gotten up and started exiting the room.

"Why I'm pretty sure you can take care of your brother without me just fine. Fluttershy did say she would be coming back after she was done, so don't worry too much about it."

Scootaloo shot a look at her still-sleeping brother before giving Rarity a worried look. "But... I don't know if I can look after him by myself."

Rarity pats her on the head. "All you have to do is be there for him whenever he wakes up and make sure he's comfortable. I already put a wet cloth on his forehead and there's a glass of water on the night stand in case he needs it. Oh, but anything else you need before I go?"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah... what's with the mask?"

This got a nervous giggle out of Rarity. "Oh, well I didn't want to catch his fever; no matter how you initially get a fever, it can spread to other ponies if not treated carefully."

"I think that only applies to the common cold or similar illnesses..."

"Darling, fevers come about because it's one of the ways your body fights off bacterial infection or viruses. It only resorts to it when your immune system becomes too weak to fight off infection, typically brought about by poor eating habits or lack of sleep."

This got a flat look from the filly. "I never thought you had medical knowledge."

Rarity gave her an amused smile after lowering her mask. "I got it from Fluttershy of all ponies. You'd be surprised how much animals and ponies have in common. Anyways,I'd better be off; Sweetie Belle might get worried if I don't get home soon." With that, she exits the room.

Scootaloo continued to shoot a flat look at the door for a little bit before shaking her head. Looking back at Zephyr, she gained a determined look. "I will take care of my brother! He's taken care of me for so long, now it's time to return his kindness... at least until I mess it up somehow."

---

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, save for Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie coming in at separate times to check up on him. He was awake for Twilight's visit, but otherwise slept the rest of the day.

It wasn't until nightfall after Fluttershy retired to her cottage and Scootaloo went to bed did Rainbow decide to swing by. She peeked at him through his window, a look of self-conflict on her face.

"But you're not alone, Rainbow. You have me."

"E-even if he said it as a friend and it wasn't because of his fever... why do I feel so conflicted over it? All he was doing was trying to reassure me that he hasn't given up on me even when everypony else did... why am I getting so worked up over it? I don't get it..."

Sighing, she flew back to her house, expecting a sleepless night to be in store for her.

Comments

[Lady Lightning Strike]

Wow. And yet only once was the falconite part mentioned. Why only once?

[tk4]

7245512 Funny how his name is Zephyr Breeze too XD

[Gem of Memory]

Where are the updates?

[Gorgeous Freeman]

wow his name is even zephyr

[Cosmic Flare]

I really really love your story. You are making me cry a little too much here though. It's not bad, but it did have me going more then I would like. But I have made it here and I have caught up, so it is all good.

[Teraunce]

Good Story