Twilight Sparkle gazed out her open bedroom window. The orange sun had just slipped beneath the horizon and the deep purple sky was dotted with soft white stars. The evening was cool and comfortable, and a gentle wind breathed lightly upon her face. It seemed a pity to close the window on such a beautiful day's end, but she couldn't have any of the chill night air getting in while Spike was sick. It would only make his condition worse.
"Aaaaa-chbt," the little dragon sneezed, a puff of green smoke filling the air around his bed. "Ugh… Twilight… I think it's getting worse."
"Oh, Spike," said the unicorn, quickly shutting the window and making her way to his bedside. With her magic she picked up a blanket from her own bed and wrapped it around her shivering assistant. "I'm so sorry you're sick. But you really shouldn't have gone out in the rain yesterday."
"Yeah, I know," he mumbled weakly. His purple face was pale and his tired eyelids hung half-closed. Reaching pitifully, he pulled a tissue from the box beside his bed and blew his nose with a loud honk. "But Rarity needed someone to help her collect those gems. It's not my fault she didn't have any raincoats in my size."
"Spike, Rarity doesn't have many customers who are baby dragons. She can't be blamed for that."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Spike tossed the used tissue onto a large pile that was building up beside his bed. He sniffled loudly, collapsing back onto his pillow. "But boy, even if it's not my fault, I'm paying for it. I'm paying for it big time."
Twilight shook her head in quiet amusement. Poor Spike would hike through a hurricane if it meant spending time with his beloved white unicorn. She would have to have a talk with Rarity sometime soon about letting him do things like that again. At this rate he was liable to wind up in the hospital for her.
Even beneath his heavy blankets, Spike continued to shiver. Twilight placed a concerned hoof against his warm forehead and frowned. "I don't think your fever's come down very much. Are you feeling any better than you did this morning?"
"Just a little," Spike replied. "My head still hurts, though. And my arms… and legs… and tail..." As he spoke, he shifted his limbs under the blankets, growling feebly in frustration. "And boy, am I ever tired. But ugh, Twilight… everything hurts."
"Don't worry, Spike," said Twilight. "You'll be all right. I've done some reading: dragon colds usually only last for two, three days at the most."
"Ugh… three days? Really?"
"I'm afraid so. Because dragons are ectothermic and therefore susceptible to rapid changes in body temperature based on the conditions of their environment – "
"Twilight," Spike groaned. "You're doing it again."
"Oh – sorry, Spike." Twilight softened her voice and smiled down at him, her purple eyes full of sympathy. "What I'm saying is that we'll have to keep you warm until your body is able to fight off the infection. But that won't take too long, I promise."
"Hm. Well, I guess it could be worse." Sniffling again, Spike rolled onto his side. "You can go ahead and write that letter, if you want."
Twilight nodded, and then trotted from her ailing assistant's bedside down the loft stairs to her desk. Normally she'd dictate her letters to Spike, but he was clearly in no shape to work – and besides, she didn't want to risk him sneezing all over the page and giving the Princess a cold. She seized a quill and a scroll in her magical grasp and, after a contemplative pause, she began to write:
Dear Princess Celestia,
Recently I learned a very valuable lesson about friendship. While it's always nice to help a friend, you have to know what your own limits are, and not offer more than you can really give. A true friend will understand if you have to bow out of helping them for your health's sake. Poor Spike learned this lesson the hard way, and as such he'll likely be spending the next few days in bed.
An old memory suddenly awoke in Twilight's mind, and she paused. It had been quite a while since she'd had any casual correspondence with her mentor; perhaps Princess Celestia would like to hear about it. She put her pen to the page again, reminiscing as she wrote.
Do you remember the last time Spike was sick? It must've been years ago, back when we lived with you in Canterlot. He was still so young, little more than a hatchling then. I remember him waking me up in the middle of the night, coughing up smoke and sneezing out so many sparks that I was afraid he might set the bed on fire. And I remember you coming in with the palace doctor, and he took Spike's temperature and announced that he had gotten his first cold. And then I remember that you sang us both back to sleep. I miss hearing you sing.
Twilight drew back her pen, red in the face. She hadn't quite meant to write all of that.
Sorry for getting sidetracked, she continued sheepishly. But now I almost wish you were here to do that again. Spike could really use it; this is the first time he's been this sick since we moved to Ponyville, and I'm not at all sure what to do. But I'm also sure that you wouldn't have sent us here if you didn't believe I could handle it.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
"Here you go!" she said, trotting back up the stairs to her assistant's bedside and offering him the rolled-up letter. "If you could just send this off to the Princess for me…."
"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure thing." Spike sat up and took the letter in his claws. He drew in a deep breath, but all that came back out was a wet, hacking cough and green-gray smoke puffs. "Ugh… sorry, Twilight," he croaked hoarsely. "That's all I got."
"It's… it's okay." Twilight took back the letter – now specked with dragon saliva – and laid it on a vacant spot on nearby bookshelf. "I'll just have it delivered by mail."
A series of soft knocks echoed from downstairs, catching Twilight's ear. She turned her head towards the door, her face brightening immediately – she'd been waiting for this. "Hold on for just a moment, Spike," she said, moving quickly to the staircase. "I'll be right back up. Don't go anywhere!"
Spike turned over in his bed and closed his weary eyes. "Erhm.… whatever."
Twilight treaded lightly down the stairs into the warmly-lit lobby. Many medical textbooks lay about the room, strewn here and there across the floor and atop desks, all open to pages dealing with common cold remedies. In the further corners sat tall stacks of fresh new volumes, unstamped and unsorted, just delivered from the Royal Library in Canterlot. The unicorn paused as she passed these, remembering the scene she'd come upon earlier that morning: her Number One Assistant dutifully organizing the new texts, sniffling and shivering and refusing to rest until Twilight demanded that he get his sick self to bed. Rarity, she realized, wasn't the only pony Spike was willing to do anything for.
Another round of quiet knocking broke Twilight from her recollection, and she made her way to the library entrance. Opening the front door, she was greeted by Fluttershy. The pegasus stood silently in the doorway, gripping a basket in her mouth by the handle. She smiled at Twilight as best she could.
"Fluttershy! Oh good, you're here," Twilight greeted her brightly. Her horn glowed purple, lifting the basket from her friend and carrying it inside. It was fairly heavy, she noticed immediately, and carried something thickly wrapped in a blue cloth.
"Thank you," said Fluttershy as soon as her mouth was free. She stepped into the library as well, and Twilight shut the door behind her.
"I really appreciate your coming out here so late. You're the only pony we could turn to, since none of the doctors or veterinarians around here seem to know anything about dragon care."
"Oh no, it's no trouble at all," Fluttershy insisted as she followed Twilight up the stairs. "I'm just so sorry poor little Spike is sick."
"So am I," Twilight agreed sadly. "He's feeling a lot better than he was this morning, but I wish there was more I could do for him." The unicorn lifted the basket to her nose and inhaled; even through the thick wrapping of cloth, she could still detect the cozy scent of Fluttershy's vegetable soup. "Are you sure this is going to help? None of the books I read said anything about the medicinal properties of vegetable soup."
"Oh yes, I'm sure it will," Fluttershy assured her as they entered the bedroom. "Well, at least, I hope it will. I made the same soup for Mr. Badger last week when he had a cold and it made him feel a lot better. I know it's not much…."
"I'm sure it's just fine, Fluttershy." Twilight smiled at her. "If there's anything Spike needs right now, it's just to feel better."
The two ponies climbed the last flight of stairs up to the loft. Upon seeing them, Spike sat up and rubbed his tired eyes. "Oh… hey, Fluttershy," he sniffled. "What's in the basket?"
"I mentioned to Fluttershy that you were sick," Twilight explained, "and she offered to bring you some soup. And we couldn't very well turn down an offer like that, could we?" She set the basket at Spike's bedside and magically unfolded the cloth. Underneath was a wide, white ceramic bowl with a lid along with a small spoon.
Tentatively, Spike lifted the lid and inhaled, and was struck at once by the soup's warm, rich aroma. "Hey, this actually smells pretty good!" He shivered a bit as the warmth of the soup clashed with his own feverish chills. "And it's hot, too. That's nice."
Fluttershy smiled. "Oh, I'm sure you'll love it!" Her tone of voice was as warm as the soup, and her blue eyes shone with motherly enthusiasm. "It has all sorts of nutritious vegetables that are bound to get you feeling better in no time!"
"Well, if you say so," Spike muttered. He took the spoon in his feeble grasp and dipped it into the soup, only to pause a second later when it clinked against something hard. "Hey, what's this?" He lifted the spoon out of the bowl, revealing what looked like a marble-sized sapphire.
"Well, um…" Fluttershy squeaked, her face flushing as Twilight and Spike both leveled curious gazes at her. "I mentioned to Rarity that you were sick, and she was so sorry that you got a cold from helping her yesterday that she… um… donated some of the gems you found. She knows how much you like them…."
"Wow," said Spike. "That was really generous of her."
"Well, generosity is what she's all about, after all," Twilight pointed out. "Still, it's a very big gesture on her part. We'll have to remember to thank her."
Spike didn't reply, but sat staring into the soup, spotting small emeralds, rubies, and diamonds mixed in with the tomatoes and corn. The jewels twinkled brightly in the deep black of his eyes. "She must really care about me…."
A broad grin spread across his scaly face. In a flash, the little dragon heaved the heavy bowl into his lap with renewed strength and started shoveling spoonfuls of the soup into his mouth, pausing every once in a while to crunch a particularly tough diamond, feasting with such vigor and energy that one would hardly believe he was as sick as a dog. Twilight couldn't help but share his delight; though Spike's face was still pale and haggard, she'd never seen him more content.
At length Fluttershy spoke again, quietly pulling Twilight aside. "I think I need to go home now," she whispered, pointing with a hoof to the cuckoo clock on the wall above Twilight's bed. "Angel hasn't been sleeping well lately, and he needs me to make him some warm milk every night before he goes to bed. And, um, well, it's just about his bedtime right now…."
"Oh! Well, I certainly wouldn't want you to keep him waiting." Twilight glanced back at her assistant; he seemed content to eat and be merry for the moment, so she picked up the now-empty basket and followed Fluttershy out of the room. The sound of Spike murmuring happily and munching on gemstones followed them down the stairs.
"Again, I can't thank you enough," Twilight said once they'd reached the front door. "I don't know if the soup is going to do much for his cold, but it certainly made him feel better. I think it was just what he needed."
"Oh, I'm so glad!" Fluttershy replied. "You know I'm happy to do anything for Spike. He's so sweet and helpful to all of us and I love to do whatever I can to repay him." She stepped out the open door and turned back to face Twilight. "And, um, well… as soon as you told me he was sick, I just knew I had to do something. Spike is a part of our family."
"He really is, isn't he?" Twilight replied quietly. Her face fell in somber reflection. "I guess I've never thought about it quite like that before. He's been with me for almost my whole life, but I never really stopped to consider just what he means to me."
"He means something to all of us," Fluttershy intoned just as softly. "But I'm sure he's most important to you. He's been with you so long… it must be like having a little brother."
A smile crept back onto Twilight's face. "A Little Brother Best Friend Forever, you mean," she said, laughing just a little. "Maybe that's something Shining Armor and I have in common. I guess I'll have to ask him what it's like to have a younger sibling – I might know more about it than I thought I did!"
Fluttershy nodded gently, returning her smile. "Well, um… if you need me for anything else…."
"…I'll be sure to let you know," Twilight finished for her. "And thank you!" She passed her the empty basket, which the Fluttershy took in her mouth by the handle. With a mumbled word of goodbye, the pegasus took to her wings and flew off into the young night, bound for home.
The unicorn closed the door after her and made her way back upstairs, deep in warm-hearted reflection as she walked. But the warmth turned to cold shock when reached the loft of her bedroom and saw what awaited her: Spike lay in bed on his back, one arm draped across his overstuffed belly, and his tongue hanging limply out of one side of his mouth.
"Uhhhh… Twilight…" he groaned. "I didn't know colds could make you sick to your stomach."
"Spike!" cried Twilight, half-scolding and half-amused. She spotted the soup bowl laying upside-down beside his bed and picked it up with her magic. It had been drained completely dry, though the bottom of the bowl still sparkled with bits of ground jewel-dust. "You shouldn't have eaten all that soup at once! No wonder you feel sick."
"Sick and tired." Spike yawned, crawling back under his blankets. "Now I just wanna get some sleep."
"That's good," Twilight said approvingly as she set aside the empty bowl. "All the books I read said that you need to get as much rest as possible. Is there anything I can do to help you sleep?"
"Maybe," he replied. "I guess I'm comfortable enough. I just don't feel... I dunno, sleepy enough." He coughed again and cleared his throat. "You know any spells that could make me fall asleep?"
"None that I can use on you, I'm afraid – not if you'd like to wake up sometime within the next century." When this earned her a strange look from Spike, she grinned sheepishly. "I, uh… I haven't quite fine-tuned my somnolence spell yet. But I'm working on it." She trotted to the window and drew the curtains closed, musing all the while. "Fluttershy mentioned something about warm milk helping you sleep. Maybe I could…."
"Oohhh…." Spike groaned nauseously, resting his arms across his upset stomach.
"…or maybe not." Again, Twilight paused in thought. "Hmmm… well, I could always read you a book! I'm sure I've got something in here that'll help you fall asleep." Her eyes scanned the nearby shelves, falling immediately upon her copy of Plathoof's Philosophical Ramblings in E Minor. That would put him to sleep for sure.
"Er – actually, Twilight? Now that I think about it, there is one thing…."
"Hm?" The unicorn turned back to face her assistant, her curiosity piqued by the hint of hesitancy in his voice. "What is it?"
"Could you… nah, never mind," Spike stopped himself, shaking his head and waving a dismissive hand. "It's stupid. Forget it."
"Oh, come on Spike, it can't be that bad."
"No, really, it's stupid. You'd make fun of me. You'd think I'm being a baby…."
"Spike," said Twilight, firmly but not unkindly. Her caring purple eyes met his apprehensive green ones. "I won't make fun of you. You can ask me for anything. You know that, right?"
"Well… okay." Spike stared up at her with wide, innocent, imploring eyes, eyes that she hadn't seen on his face in years. When he spoke again, his voice was small and delicate. "Could you, uh… could you sing me to sleep?"
Twilight froze. Sing?
"Sing?" she echoed aloud. "Oh… well, Spike, I don't know…."
"It's okay, Twi. Like I said, it's dumb. I probably shouldn't have even mentioned it."
"Oh no, it's not that," Twilight replied quickly. "It's not dumb at all. But I'm afraid singing really isn't my strong suit, Spike. I'm sure Fluttershy would do a much better job of that than I would." She glanced at the clock and saw that no more than a minute had passed since Fluttershy had left. If she ran now, she could probably catch the pegasus before she made it home. She had said that they could call on her for anything, after all….
"Oh. Okay. That's cool." Spike crawled dejectedly back underneath his blankets, rolling over so that his back was to Twilight. "Just… just do whatever. I'll be fine."
The unicorn's ears flattened against her head, her face falling in shame as she berated herself inwardly. She looked down at Spike as he coughed lightly, shivering again. Though he had his back to her, she could practically feel the expression of disappointment on his face. He didn't just want somepony to sing to him. He wanted his big sister to sing to him.
Closing her eyes, Twilight drew in a slow, quiet breath.
"Hush now, quiet now…."
"Twilight? Really, you don't have to sing if you don't want to…."
"It's time to lay your sleepy head…." The unicorn's horn glowed purple, pulling the covers up to Spike's neck and tucking them snugly into the sides of his little round bed. "Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed…."
Another yawn escaped Spike's lips, silencing any further protests. Content at last, he snuggled deeper into his bed and let his heavy head sink into his cool, white pillow. Twilight's familiar voice washed over him like a warm cascade. The feeling of sickness in his stomach began to subside, and soon he felt his eyelids growing heavy, eventually falling shut. And still Twilight sang, line after line, verse after soothing verse, until his mind began to grow dim, peace and calm overwhelming him as sleep took hold.
"Drifting off to sleep, exciting day behind you,
Drifting off to sleep, let the joy of dreamland find you,
Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head,
Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed."
At last Twilight opened her eyes. Spike lay curled up beneath his blankets, which rose and fell with each slow, wheezy breath. Every now and then he'd sniffle or snort for a moment, but for the most part his rest was undisturbed. Twilight couldn't help but notice that his mouth was curled into a soft, grateful smile, a picture of contentment. Just the sight of it made Twilight's heart glow. Stooping down, she nuzzled Spike's face and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek, as soft as a breath. "Sweet dreams, Spike," she whispered.
A sudden yawn disturbed her train of thought. Twilight blinked heavily, realizing that her singing had had quite an effect upon herself as well. Lulled to sleep by her own lullaby – she'd have to tell Spike about that in the morning; he would probably find it funny. Moving quietly, she tip-hoofed to her own bed and crawled beneath the thick blue covers, answering slumber's call.
"Hush now, quiet now," Twilight murmured softly to herself as her own eyelids started to droop. A warm smile spread across her face. She'd handled things rather well, she thought – she was sure Princess Celestia would be proud of her. But more importantly, she was sure that Spike already was.
A few minutes later, still smiling peacefully, she joined her little brother in dreamland.