//------------------------------// // Anxious Recuperation // Story: Universe 63 // by CarmenColor //------------------------------// Elusive had never seen anypony so anxious. Twilight had been on edge for the last week, just waiting for her magic to come back in full. "Twilight, are you really going to just sit in here for the next month? You already spent the last couple of weeks all jittery and quite frankly, I would've liked some help with my outfits... Why do you want to just sit one here alone?" "Sorry, Elusive. I just. Can't. Stand. This. Waiting," she sighed, "Maybe your right. Maybe a trip to the spa or something could help calm me down a bit. Would you care to join me?" Elusive smiled at her. "Naturally," he said, nodding, "But no hugs this time. You saw Agave last time we did that." Twilight giggled. She and Elusive had been secretly dating for the last couple of weeks. They didn't want anypony to find out just yet. One of the spa owners, Agave, had seen them hugging. Twilight had insisted that it was a thank you for Elusive's help with her getting home. Agave had not believed her, but as far as they know, he hadn't told anypony. "Of course," she replied, "I'd like to wait until I know that I can get home before we tell anypony." She frowned. "I wish I could know for sure..." Elusive frowned too. "Let's get to the spa, Twi. You really should get your mind off that for awhile." They trotted out the door, making an effort not to walk next to each other, in case somepony realized that they were together. Both of them had had scenarios in their minds of the awkward moments that could occur, and neither of them wanted to deal with that yet. As it turns out, a spa trip was exactly the thing Twilight needed to ease her anxious mind. All the pampering and primping made her worries and doubts about getting home drift away, leaving her refreshed, relaxed, and very happy. She couldn't think of a time when she had felt so good. "Thank you so much for the spa trip," she said to Elusive as they both had back massages, "This is exactly what I needed to calm me down and get me thinking straight again." She sighed contentedly. "You're quite welcome, Twilight," he replied, "Everypony deserves to be pampered once in awhile." Twilight closed her eyes, a smile gracing her lips. "I suppose you're right," she said, nodding. For a minute, nopony spoke. Then, without warning, a small figure burst through the front door of the spa. It was Spines. "Twilight! There you are!" she gasped, "Dusk's had me looking for you for hours. This arrived for you." The dragon held out a scroll emblazoned with the fiery golden seal of Prince Solaris. Twilight jumped off the massage bed and trotted over. "I gotta go home and help Dusk. I'll tell him where you are though, in case he wants to talk." The letter glowed with a purple light as Twilight lifted it up to her face. Spines plodded out the door again. Twilight unfurled the letter and read it. Dear Twilight Sparkle, It has come to my attention that a week from today is exactly three months since I released my magical tap on you. I feel it my responsibility to again apologize for what I have done, and I also feel the need to inform you that I do not know exactly when your magic will return it full, but I do know that by next week, your magic should be strong enough for you to return home. Now, my little pony, I warn you, it may be very taxing on you to perform your spell, no matter how easy it was before. I advise that, just in case, you have Dusk around so he may inform me if anything goes wrong. Certainly, I hope that nothing does go wrong, but I still advise it as a caution. I hope you can get home soon, Twilight. Your teacher, Prince Solaris Unfortunately for Twilight, though the letter was obviously of good news for her, it had just ruined her spa treatment. Her anxiousness made her both excited and, surprisingly, very dizzy. Or maybe the building was just spinning... "Twilight?" somepony called to her. Twilight had managed to slow the whirling around her when dark black began to creep into her vision. Her eyes locked onto a blurry Elusive. "Twilight?" He took a step towards her as she swayed. Then, the floor came up to meet her very quickly, and she passed out, the last thing she registered being Elusive shouting, "Twilight!" _______________________________________________ "Unghhh..." Twilight moaned, gingerly rubbing her forehead. She felt hot. Too hot. She kicked off the blankets covering her. Wait...blankets? She looked around, the motion making her slightly dizzy. She was in the library, but how had she gotten there? Memories of her episode came flooding back. She had passed out... "What's going on...?" she mumbled to herself. "Twilight! You're awake!" Dusk's voice rang clear as his face appeared over her, "Everypony, she's awake!" More faces appeared in Twilight's line of sight. One stood out rather clearly. "Solaris?" she rasped, trying to sit up. A few gentle hooves kept her pinned down. "Do not move, Twilight Sparkle. You have a high fever, and you need rest." "I what? Is that why I passed out?" "We think so," Dusk said, "It's possible that it was caused by some sort of anxiety, probably because you're worried about getting home, but I contacted Solaris to make sure that this wouldn't be degrading to your magic at all. So far, we're pretty sure that it isn't, but Solaris is going to be here today and tomorrow to assess it. Hopefully, your fever will have gone down by then, and we will know the extent of its damage, if any." "Oh, okay..." Twilight nodded, "Well...I'm going to take a nap, if that's alright with you." She closed her eyes, but opened them again in surprise as something cold was set on her forehead. Elusive gave her a worried smile, readjusting the damp cloth with his magic. "Thanks," she mumbled. "No, problem," he whispered, "Sleep well, Twi."