//------------------------------//
// Home Sick 
// Story: Welcome, My Little One 
// by Delta 727 
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Welcome, My Little One: Home Sick


It was about midnight. Twilight was fast asleep in her library. Flash was next to her in their bed next to the window on the second floor. Northern Lights, who was now twelve, was fast asleep in his bedroom, which was added in under the stairs to Twilight and Flash's bed. Spike, who was now slightly bigger than Twilight, had gotten a bigger bed, which was placed in the library on the first floor. He was snoring loudly, his tongue stretching down his cheek and onto his pillow, leaving a pool of saliva where it touched. His wings had finally grown, and they stretched off of his bed and over the side. His snoring was so loud that he didn't hear Northern Lights open his bedroom door and trot up the stairs to his parents' "room".

Twilight didn't hear it either, until she felt something gently touch her shoulder.

"Momma?" said a small, timid voice. Twilight murmured as she began to wake up.

"Momma, are you awake?" the voice said again. Twilight rolled over, and half opened her eyes.  Her vision was blurred, but she could just make out a small, blue-tan blur. She blinked, bringing her vision into focus. What she saw was Northern Lights, staring back at her with baggy eyes and cold sweat on his forehead.

Twilight murmured as she sat up. "Northy? What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"No," Northern Lights replied, holding a hoof to his stomach. "I can't sleep. My tummy hurts."

Twilight stretched, and pulled back the covers, stepping down next to her foal, careful not to wake Flash.

"Let's go down to the kitchen, Northy," Twilight said.  "I'll get you some water, and see if I can find something to fix that tummy ache, okay?"

"Mhm," Northern Lights murmured, and turned around toward the stairs, hopping down them one at a time, since he wasn't big enough to trot down them yet. Twilight took one last look at Flash, who was fast asleep. Then she yawned, and went down the stairs after Northern Lights.

When she reached the bottom, she trotted past the still-sleeping Spike, and went into the kitchen. She activated a spell with her magic, and ignited a few candles on the walls of the kitchen. When the room was lit, she saw Northern Lights sitting in a chair at the dining room table, his head resting on one foreleg on the table, his mane ruffled from sleep and sweat, and his tail curled over his stomach with one hoof holding it in place, covering his cutie mark of the arctic lunar aura, also known as the northern lights.

Twilight trotted over to her foal, and placed a hoof on his exposed forehead. It felt warm. Very warm.

"Oh, my goodness, Northy," Twilight said. "You're burning up." Northern Lights just groaned under his breath. Twilight thought for a moment before she responded. "Lemme get you some water, and I'll find something for your tummy and that fever."

Twilight trotted over to the cupboard, opening it and levitating a glass out. She brought it over to the sink, levitating the glass under the faucet, and turning the knob with her magic.  The glass filled up with cold water, and she turned the faucet off when it filled to just below the brim.  She brought the glass back to Northern Lights, and he grabbed it out of her magic with both hooves.

"Make sure you drink it all," Twilight said. "You need liquid to make up for all that sweat."

Northern Lights just murmured, raising the glass to his lips, swallowing the water with tiny mouthfulls. When he finished the water, he set the glass on the table, and rubbed one foreleg across his mouth to clear any stray drops.

"Thanks, momma," Northern Lights said. 

Twilight smiled, despite the pity she felt for her little one. "Feel a little better?" she asked. Northern Lights gave a tiny shrug. Twilight picked up the glass in her magic, and levitated it over to the counter without even taking a hoofstep. She felt his forehead again, and her face turned to worry. "Oh, Northy, I'm so sorry you're feeling so bad. Would you be able to sleep if your tummy didn't hurt at least?"

"I guess," Northern Lights said. "The water helped."

Twilight smiled. "Good. Hopefully it'll help your fever, too, and you'll stop sweating so much. You haven't thrown up at all, have you?" Northern Lights shook his head. "Do you feel like you're going to?" He shook his head again. "Alright. I'll get you some more water. This time, try to just drink as much as you can. You don't have to drink it all if you can't. Okay?"

"Okay," Northern Lights murmured. Twilight trotted back toward the sink, picking up the glass from the counter top, and filling it again. She turned around again, only to see Spike in the doorway from the library, with one hand on the doorframe and the other rubbing sleep from one eye.

"What's all the noise in here?" Spike asked, squinting from the candlelight.

"Hi, Uncle Spike," Northern Lights said. "Sorry for waking you up."

Twilight brought the glass of water to Northern Lights, speaking as she gave it to him. "Sorry, Spike. Northern Lights has a stomach ache and a fever. I was just getting him some water."

Spike lowered his hand from his eye, looking the sick foal over. He raised his eyebrows. "Jeez, you don't look so good, North. I'm glad you woke me." Spike stepped over to the table, taking a seat in the chair next to Northern Lights. "You didn't find one of Twilight's potions and think it was apple juice, did ya?"

"Spike," Twilight said in a scolding tone.

"No," Northern Lights replied.

"Hm." Spike reached his hand out and placed his hand on Northern Lights' forehead, then recoiled and shook his hand like he'd burned it on something. "Whoof. That can't feel good." He paused. "Tell you what, we'll get you back in bed and I'll get you a little something for that stomach ache, and Mom can get you a damp cloth for your forehead. Sound good?"

Northern Lights nodded. "Thanks, Uncle Spike."

"Aw, you don't have to thank me," Spike said. "Helping ponies like you's just what I do." Spike picked up Northern Lights, cradling him in one arm, and grabbed the glass of water with his free hand. "Now let's get you back to bed."

Twilight couldn't help but smile as Northern Lights curled up against Spike, both of them smiling as well. Spike carried Northern Lights back into his room, the light from the kitchen shining through the doorway. Northern Lights' bedroom looked fairly close to that of Rainbow Dash's. Wonderbolts merchandise hanging on the walls, with a small bed with a Wonderbolts blanket, a nightstand with a lamp, and a dresser against the wall. 

Spike placed Northern Lights into his bed and pulled the blanket back over him. He set the water glass on the nightstand just as Twilight trotted in with a blue damp towelette. Spike walked out of the room as Twilight set the rag on the nightstand, and adjusted Northern Lights' pillow with her magic, pulling it under his head as he half-opened his eyes to look at his mother. His eyes were drowsy, but there was a tiny smile on his face.

Spike came back into the room, with three purple berries cupped in his hands. He knelt down next to Northern Lights. "You know what these are, North?" Northern Lights shook his head. "They're called belly berries. Dragons use them when they get stomach aches when they start developing fire breathing. They work just as well on ponies."

"I'm not gonna breathe fire though, right?" Northern Lights asked. Spike chuckled, and Twilight just smiled.

"I don't think so," Spike said. "But if you feel a hiccup coming, just try not to let it out toward anything made of wood." This time, Northern Lights gave a tiny laugh.

"I won't, Uncle Spike," Northern Lights said.

"Good," Spike said, picking up a berry from his palm. "Now open wide." Northern Lights closed his eyes, and opened his mouth. Spike placed a berry in Northern Lights' mouth, and he chewed and swallowed it. They repeated that process with the other two berries until Northern Lights swallowed the last one.

"Thanks, Uncle Spike," Northern Lights said. "My tummy's feeling better now."

"Great," Spike said. He picked up the towelette from the table and placed it on Northern Lights' forehead. "Now get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay," Northern Lights said. He yawned before curling up under his blanket. "Goodnight, Uncle Spike. Goodnight Momma. I love you." Twilight and Spike both smiled.

"G'night, buddy," Spike said. "Love ya too."

"Goodnight, Northy," Twilight said after. "I love you too."

Northern Lights yawned again, and his breathing slowed as he finally fell asleep. Twilight and Spike left the room, with Spike closing the door behind them. When he turned around, Twilight was smiling at him, and he smiled back.

"Hey, it was the least I could do," Spike said.

"That's not why I'm smiling," Twilight replied.

Spike walked back to his bed, flopping onto it on his back, staring up at the ceiling. "Then what are you smiling about?" he asked.

"You called me Mom earlier," Twilight answered. Spike sat up.

"Sure I did," Spike said. "You've always been a Mom to me." Twilight didn't answer. She just trotted up to Spike, and kissed his forehead. They both smiled.

"Goodnight, my little Spikey-Wikey," Twilight said.

"G'night, Mom," Spike said back.

Twilight trotted to the entrance of the kitchen just as Spike got back under his blankets, and extinguised the candles with another magic spell. Then, she made her way back up to her bed, and curled back up under her blankets next to her husband. And as she began to fall back asleep, her, Spike, and Northern Lights were all smiling,

And, on top of it all, so was Flash.