Roxy woke up a few hours later, the storm still raged on outside. She felt something slightly heavy laying on her, so she turned her head, only to see Tone laying on her. She smiled, staying quiet as she laid her head back down, not wanting to wake her friend up.
Another hour goes by before Tone started to stir from his slumber. In a groggy state, he slightly moved his head. The action caused him to fall forward and hit the floor with a soft thud. His reaction wasn't immediate.
"Owww..." he groaned.
Roxy carefully got up and walked over to him. "You okay?" she asked, carefully nudging him with her nose.
"Hnnn..." he groaned. "Tired..."
"Then sleep. I'll keep watch for now," she whispered, laying down beside him as she watched the rain falling.
"Tired of the rain, I meant," he corrected. "It's making me feel sick. Quite literally perhaps. How about you? How do you feel?"
Roxy became quiet, not looking at him. "I'm fine." He can tell she is lying by how quickly she answered.
"Mighty quick answer. You sure you're feeling alright? You don't look so good."
Roxy did not respond, instead she stayed silent. He noticed that her ears were laid back (a sign that she isn't well) and that her coat is slightly paler looking than yesterday. "I'm fine. I swear," she answered again, this time her voice sounding slightly hoarse.
Tone wasn't convinced. "Roxy, your sick. Here, let me head back to the house and see if I can-"
"I said I'm okay. It's raining so hard anyway. No sense in both of us getting sick, assuming I am," Roxy rasped, holding her hoof out to stop him.
"There's no assuming Roxy. You are sick. You need care. At least let me-"
She grabbed him with her hoof. "Don't leave me. Please? I hate being alone and if you left, I would worry and I would get worse," Roxy asked, actually using the 'please' word for once, a word she never used.
Tone looked back at her. She stared at him with worried eyes. "But... I..." It was too much. "Fine. I'll stay."
She smiled weakly. "Good. Believe it or not, I do need you here," Roxy spoke, carefully getting up, slightly wobbly as she did so.
"What are you doing?" Tone asked concerned. "Lay back down. You shouldn't be moving around in this state."
"I have to move. You know I hate staying still for too long," she whined, laying back down regardless of her statement.
"Come on now, don't be that way. Hey, are you hungry?" Tone asked, changing subject. "Even though the wood outside is soaked, I could still make a fire over time. And I could even get some berries to eat right away. I think I saw a bush on our way here."
Her stomach growled loudly at the mention of food; she blushed. "Please... I feel like I'm starving..."
"I'll only be a moment." In a flash, Tone had exited the cave and returned with a stack of branches in his mouth and a hoof-full of bright red berries in the other. He was also drenched to the bone.
"Here ya go." He held out his hoof and dropped all the berries beside her. "I'm not hungry."
Roxy eyed him carefully. "Are you sure?" she asked. Noting how wet he was, she carefully stood up, taking the quilt he brought over previously and draped it over him. "You're wet and probably cold. You need this," she murmured, her voice trying to go out.
"You're sick and weak," he remarked, throwing the quilt back over her. "You need it more than me."
She tried to glare at him. "I am never weak," she spoke, looking at him. "Besides, you're all wet, you need it," she said as she re-draped it over him.
"No," he said, rather sternly. "You need it." He draped it back over her.
She sighed and stopped arguing with him and, instead, began to eat the berries.
"Sorry I couldn't find more," Tone said, stomach suddenly rumbling audibly after she had finished. "Too much rain."
She bit her lip. "I'm so sorry... I wish I had known if you were hungry..."
"Why do you think I didn't tell you?" Tone chuckled. "Besides, I'll be fine." He stood up, grabbing the damp twigs and piling them together. "So... how do you start a fire with wet wood again? I think they taught you this in training, didn't they?"
"They did," she said, then began explaining how to do so.
After several failed attempts and one frustrated hissy fit later, Tone finally got the fire started. "Haha! I did it!"
Roxy smirked. "And it only took you thirty seven tries. You know, if you would have let me try, I would have gotten it."
"Then what fun would there be in that now?" Tone joked, setting his hooves near the fire. "So warm..." He glanced over to Roxy, still a distance in a corner. "Come on over. The fire is nice and toasty."
Roxy carefully stood up and walked over to him, laying close to the fire. She sighed, enjoying the warmth.
"What's wrong?" Tone asked.
"Nothing..."
"You're lying."
"Now why would I lie to you?"
"Why would you?" he remarked smugly. "Better yet, why are you?"
She glared at him, realizing how pointless this is. "It honestly is nothing. I was just enjoying the warmth of the fire," she said. The wind outside picked up speed, the rain pouring down. They heard lightning in the distance, and Roxy shuddered.
"Uh-huh," Tone muttered. "So tell me something, who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself? It doesn't seem like it's working either way."
Roxy shook her head. "Okay... Okay... I feel chilled still, and I don't know why..."
"Probably because you're sick," Tone remarked bluntly. "Here, huddle up near me. I'll try and keep you warm along with the fire."
Roxy looked at him. " I don't want you to get sick too..." she stated softly.
"Now if I were gonna get sick, wouldn't that have already had happened? Just come here."
She sighed, seeing no way to argue with him. Roxy walked over to him, curling up beside him. "Happy now?" she asked.
"Are you?" he said slyly.
"Don't turn this on me. I asked first," Roxy replied, smirking.
"I'm happy if you're happy," he said with a shrug.
"Well... I'm mostly happy... Aside from the fact that it's storming so hard, and I'm sick," she spoke, snuggling a little closer for more warmth.
"You'll get over it," he joked with a chuckle.
Roxy snorted at him, not finding him funny.
"Sorry," he said under his breath.
She sighed. "It's okay," she said, fighting a yawn.
The two sat there staring at the dancing blaze for some time, the rain still rhythmically beating on the cave's rocky entrance.
"Reminds me of old times," Tone suddenly said, almost sighing.
She smiled softly, thinking about them. "Yeah... It does..."
"Those were good times weren't they?"
"They sure were, although we were much more stupid back then," Roxy said, a light chuckle escaping her.
"I wonder what it would have been like if we were like we are now back then. Much different I suppose." Tone's gaze at the fire never lifted, attention unmoved. "What do you think?" His voice was cold in a way, completely serious. This was a voice Roxy never heard much. Only on one other occasion.
She bit her lip, not wanting to ask about the tone. She looked at him. "It would be very different. For one thing, we wouldn't have known how to make a fire out of soaked wood like we did..."
Tone didn't reply. Instead, he continued staring at the blaze.
"Tone?" she asked, worried.
"Huh? Oh, nothing... I'm just... thinking..."
"About...?"
"It's not important. Are you still cold?" Tone was trying to change the subject.
"I'm fine. What's up?" she asked, not giving up.
"The sky. Or do you prefer the ceiling?" he chuckled.
Roxy playfully hit him. "I meant what are you thinking about genius," she remarked.
"I done told ya, nothing important. Just... listen to the rain or something." He started to yawn. "I haven't been this tired in ages. Wonder what keeps making me so sleepy."
"Your conscience perhaps? Tell me."
"One day perhaps, when I'm not so tired and all," he remarked with his eyes closing.
Roxy nodded and laid her head down, going to sleep herself.
"Good night Roxy. Pleasant dreams."
"You too. Sweet dreams. Goodnight, Tone," she murmured.
A trickle of sunlight pierced through the cave's entrance. Tone was the first awake, noticing the change. He turned to look, but it was still pouring outside, just the sun shining through the thicket of water.
"Rain on a sunny day," Tone whispered to himself. "I wonder what it could mean."
Roxy woke up and scanned the room, noting the sun through the rain. "How in Equestria?"she asked, mainly to herself.
"Oh, you're awake. You feeling any better?"
"A little bit..."
"Just a little?"
Roxy smiled. "A lot actually." He can tell she's lying.
"Why must you lie to me?"
She sighed. "I feel a little bit better... But not much... My head's dizzy and I can barely get up..."
"What in Equestria did you catch?"
"I don't know. I'm not a doctor pony..."
Tone rolled his eyes. "I know that. Still, it shouldn't be anything too serious. Can I get you anything? Food or another blanket?"
"I'm fine... I swear..."
"If you were fine, then you'd be well. Please, let me help. What do you feel you need?"
"Nothing really... Maybe some water..."
"Plenty of that outside," Tone chuckled. "But seriously, what do you need?"
Roxy shook her head. "Nothing..."
"Come on Roxy. Let me help you. We don't know what you have and it could be worse than you're making it out to be. Just tell me how you feel and what you need. Please."
Roxy sighed. "I feel kinda bad... Like my head is spinning..."
"Alright, well just lie your head back down and let me get you something to drink." Tone rose, pushing Roxy off of him and gently setting her back down on the ground. He left and returned within moments.
"Heh... well, we don't have anything to hold the water in. But are you hot? Running a fever or anything?" He asked, but he was already feeling her forehead with his hoof before she answered.
"Maybe... I'm not sure..." Roxy spoke. As Tone felt her head, he noticed how warm she was.
"You're running a high temperature." He sighed and sat up. "Are you hungry?"
"No... If I ate anything, I'd throw up..."
"Is there anything I can do for you? Please tell me."
"Tone... I'm fine. I don't need anything. I swear," she said.
"Fine," Tone huffed. "But don't say I didn't try."
Roxy smiled softly. "I know you tried Tone... But I am okay... For the most part... You know that."
"You remember that Summer in Marietta. This is exactly how it started and it ended up almost..." He paused. "You know."
"Awful.... One of us about to die... I know... I... I remember... I... Almost lost my best friend," Roxy said, giving Tone a look.
"So let's not have history repeat itself. Tell me everything wrong with you. Is there something you're not telling me, or are those all the symptoms?"
"My head is spinning... I feel dizzy. I have a headache... My stomach hurts... And I apparently have a fever... That's it..." Roxy told him.
"Hmmm... I'll be right back." Tone exited out into the rain, vanishing through the thick wall of water almost instantly as he stepped out.
Roxy whinnied softly. She sighed, not wanting to be alone. She was often alone anyway though, this shouldn't be any different... But it was. Roxy immediately missed the warmth that surrounded her friend, and shuddered, cold.
"I can't believe that idiot ran off on his own like that. And in this storm. If he makes it back unscathed, then I swear when I can, I'm gonna kill him. The jerk..." Roxy said to herself, trying to keep calm.
"Back!" a voice chimed. Tone had returned with a bowl, another blanket, and a damp loaf of bread. The stallion was drenched. "I brought some actual food."
Roxy smiled. "Great...But the bread's soaked...And so are you... We don't both need to be sick Tone..."
"Me? Get sick again? Please."
"It's possible."
"So is finding gold at the bottom of the ocean, but what are the chances? Now cover up, you're shivering."
Roxy sighed and grabbed the covers, draping them over herself.
Tone gladly smiled. "And you know that I'm only looking after you. Right? I mean, you'd do the same for me."
"I know.... I guess I'm just used to having it my way..."
"You're way? And what way is that?"
"To not be babied and asked so many questions..."
"And we both know you wouldn't give the same courtesy years ago, so deal with it."
She sighed. "Fine, I know where I stand in this..."
"Yep!" he said with a gleeful grin. "Nowhere."
She chuckled lightly at her friend's glee.
"So what should I do first? Give the baby her bottle or..." He paused, chuckling himself at the joke.
Roxy glared at him playfully. "Don't be mean. I'm sick and can't really fight back."
"Okay, okay. I'll be nice."
"Thank you."