Apple Bloom woke up and opened her eyes sluggishly. The light of the sun that was shining through her window blinded her. She quinted and hold a hoof over her eyes. “Why is it so bright?”, she asked annoyed.
Groaning, she turned on her back and faced the ceiling. She felt weak. Her face was hot and strong pains throbbed through her head.The filly sniffled and noticed that her nose was completely shut. She opened her mouth and breathed heavily. “Ahm sick”, she thought. Dull-witted, she remembered back on yesterday.
The first snow was falling and so Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and her met at the clubhouse after school to enjoy the first winter day. It snowed heavily in the morning, so the ground was covered thickly with snow after their school day was over. They were so happy and eager that it was snowing that they just dumped their school stuff at home and then immediately hurried to the clubhouse, without putting on their warm winter clothes. They spent the afternoon with building snowponies and with snowball fights.
At one point, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle teamed up against Apple Bloom and defeated her with their combined power. Evil grins on their faces, they playfully approached her and rubbed in her whole body with the cold substance until Apple Bloom begged for mercy under laughter. After they had let go of her, she shook the snow out of her coat and they continued their play in the snowy orchards. Apple Bloom felt cold after this treatment by her friends, but she stayed outside anyway. She was too happy to quit playing with her friends to warm up inside. And because they frolicked around in the snow so much, she felt warm again soon, so she did not waste any thoughts on her condition. She hadn't reckoned with it that this would get her sick so easily, but now she was.
Apple Bloom sniffled again and moaned. At least it was warm where she was now.
A few seconds later, she heard hoofsteps in front of her door. Apple Bloom turned her head to the side. The door opened slowly and Applejack entered the room. “Now look who's still in bed! Ya got school soon. Better hurry up!”, she said upbeat.
Apple Bloom smiled weakly, happy to see her big sister. “Ah can't get up today.”
Applejack noticed her low voice and the worn out expression on her face. She frowned and trotted up to her. “What is wrong? Are ya feelin' sick?”
Apple Bloom nodded confirmingly.
Applejack gently put a hoof on her forehead. She could feel it getting hot very quickly. “Well, looks like somepony got herself a good ol' cold! Y'all just stay home today.” Applejack stroke her mane gently. “Ah'll go and get ya some extra blankets and a hot, steamin' cup of tea now! Do ya also want somethin' to eat?”
Apple Bloom thought about that offer for a moment, but then she shook her head. She felt ill and had lost all her appetite.
“Alright, then ah'll be back in a minute!” Applejack patted her head and then turned around and left her sick little sister to prepare everything.
Apple Bloom looked after her and turned her head back again. She felt happy about it that she had a sister that took such good care of her. Apple Bloom coughed. Her throat felt sore and hurted. The little filly felt dizzy and she closed her eyes for a moment. Suddenly, she felt something soft falling down on her legs. She opened her eyes again and saw Applejack who was busy with stretching out a few extra blankets over her. Confused, she turned to the side and saw a cup of tea on her nightstand. Small clouds of steam rose into the air from it. Apple Bloom turned her head at Applejack again. “Applejack? How did ya come here so fast?”, she asked low-pitched, surprise in her voice.
“Y'all just slept in for a moment”, she said softly. Then she gave her another gentle stroke across her mane and Apple Bloom gave her another smile.
Applejack reached out for the cup of tea. She blew a while on the tea and then hold the cup at Apple Bloom's lips. Carefully, she put her other hoof under Apple Bloom's head and lifted it slightly off the pillow to assist her. Apple Bloom opened her mouth a little and let Applejack pour in something from the hot liquid. She could feel the tea flowing down her throat and how it quenched the pain for a moment. Apple Bloom groaned comfortingly. Applejack poured the rest of it down her throat and put the cup back on the nightstand.
She retracted her hoof from behind Apple Bloom and placed the head of her little sister gently on the pillow again. Then she reached for the four blankets and pulled them up until they were closely under her chin. Applejack made sure that her body was completely covered in the warm blankets. “Now ya just sleep for a while, little sis”, she said to Apple Bloom as she was sure that she had it warm enough. “We must raise the new barn today, so ah got to go outside for some hours. But ah'll check back on ya later!”
“Thanks, Applejack.” Apple Bloom gave her a thankful smile.
Applejack bent forward and gave her little sister a kiss on the forehead. Then she turned around and left Apple Bloom alone so that she could sleep, carefully closing the door behind her.
Apple Bloom looked after her again and then looked back at the ceiling. She put her hooves on her stomach. It felt warm inside now and she enjoyed this feeling. Apple Bloom felt better now, at least a bit. “Ah should really sleep a little now. Maybe ahm already well again when ah wake up?”, she thought. The filly closed her eyes and turned her head to the right, nestling it into the pillow. She appreciated the warm fabric and while she enjoyed the cozy feeling, she started to feel dizzy again and the warm blanket of sleep enveloped her. Just a few seconds later, she was asleep.
Six hours later, after a deep and dreamless sleep, Apple Bloom woke up again. It was afternoon now.
She could hear sounds outside of her room and opened the eyes. She recognized hoofsteps coming up the staircase, trotting through the corridor and then make halt in front of her door.
Applejack's voice sounded in her ears. “But not for too long, girls! She still doesn't feel well and needs rest.”
“Girls?” Apple Bloom's face lit up. She sat herself up in her bed, her blankets sliding down on her stomach, and looked at the door in anticipation. The door swung open. Apple Bloom saw her friends standing in the doorframe. “Hi, Apple Bloom!”, they chimed out together and then rushed up to her.
“Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle!”, Apple Bloom responded, in a lower voice, but not any less happy. She smiled at them. It was somewhat to expect that her friends would visit her after finding out about her illness, but Apple Bloom was pleasantly surprised about it that they were here now nonetheless.
“Don't stay for too long!”, Applejack reminded the two fillies again, then closed the door.
Sweetie Belle trotted closer to Apple Bloom's bed, reached up with her hooves and gave Apple Bloom carefully a warm hug. Then Scootaloo did the same. “We so wanted to come here and visit you after we heard that you can't come to school because you're sick”, Scootaloo said then.
“Yeah, we wanted to see you so much!”, Sweetie Belle confirmed what her friend just said.
“I guess me and Sweetie Belle are at fault for it that you are sick now. We shouldn't have rubbed you in with so much snow”, Scootaloo continued, regret in her voice.
“That ain't your fault”, Apple Bloom replied reassuringly. “It's just mah fault because ah didn't went in to warm up after it.”
“So, you're not mad at us?”, Scootaloo asked.
Apple Bloom shook her head and the faces of her friends lit up. Then she noticed something on Scootaloo's back. “Hey, what's on ya back, Scootaloo?”, she asked her curiously.
Scootaloo reached back. “I thought you could need something to read while you have to stay in bed, so I brought you this.” She held it in front of her. “It's one of my Daring Do books.”
Apple Bloom looked at the book for some seconds, then read the title out loud. “Daring Do and the Marked Thief of Marapore”, she read.
“It's one of the newest books!”, Scootaloo exclaimed excitedly. “Daring Do has to save three towns from the eruption of a volcano with some magical artifacts and it has a super epic villain!”
“Thanks”, Apple Bloom said. “Ahm sure goin' to read it when ah feel a little better. Ah just can't concentrate on reading right now.”
“Don't worry, just take your time! I've already read it anyway, you can keep the book as long as you want!” Scootaloo placed the book on her nightstand.
“I brought you something too!”, Sweetie Belle said then. She opened the saddle bags on her back and pulled out a long, fuzzy-looking scarf.
Apple Bloom eyed it carefully. It was very long, too long to be practical, and it consisted of countless patches that were stitched together awkwardly. At some spots, the seams already became loosened again and the words “Get well soon!” were stitched on it in skewed letters. “Uhm, thanks”, Apple Bloom said baffled.
“I've made it myself. I stitched it together before we came to you! It should keep you warm so that you get better quickly!” Sweetie Belle grinned, then she hung the long scarf around Apple Bloom's neck and wrapped it around it until her neck was thickly covered with it. The rest of it hung down Apple Bloom's chest. Sweetie Belle smiled satisfiedly.
Apple Bloom looked down touched at the ends of the much too long accessoire and sniffled a little, this time from emotion. She bent a little forward and gave Sweetie Belle a hug on her own now. “Thanks”, she said again. Sweetie Belle smiled and responded her hug.
Suddenly, a big coughing erupted Apple Bloom's body. She released Sweetie Belle and retreated into her bed. Letting her arms hang exhaustedly, her body trembled.
“Oh, I think we better let you alone now”, the white filly said with a concerned expression. “You need more rest.”
Apple Bloom would have liked it if her friends would kept her company a little longer, but she could feel that Sweetie Belle was right. Just leaning out of her bed to hug Sweetie was too much for her in this condition. Apple Bloom nodded weakly and lied down again. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle grabbed the blankets and spread them over their friend carefully.
“Is there anything else we can do for you before we go?”, Scootaloo asked her helpfully.
“Mhm.” Apple Bloom gave her a nod. “Please tell Applejack that ah could need another cup of tea” the filly said with a weak voice.
“We tell her!”, Scootaloo assured her. Then she and Sweetie Belle each placed one of their hooves on the blanket over Apple Bloom's body.
“We come back tomorrow.”, Sweetie Belle said and Scootaloo nodded confirmingly, with a smile on her face.
Apple Bloom smiled back. “Thanks. Bye girls.”, she said then.
“Bye, Apple Bloom!”, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle answered in chorus and then made their way to the door. They opened it and looked back to Apple Bloom a last time, waving at her.
Apple Bloom would have liked to wave bag at them, but her hooves were under the blankets and she felt too weak to pull out one of them and so she just gave her friends another smile. Then they proceeded through the door and closed it quietly behind them.
As the two other fillies were gone, Apple Bloom began to feel lonely. She wanted to spend more time with her friends, but her condition made it impossible. And she also wanted to play outside in the snow. “Becoming sick during the first days of winter sucks!”, Apple Bloom thought angry.
She looked out of the window. Big snowflakes danced outside. How much she would like it to be there now. Apple Bloom cursed herself. But she knew that it wasn't to change. The only thing she could do now was to get well again as soon as possible.
She turned round and nestled her head in the warm, soft pillow again. Wishing for a fast recovery, she welcomed the warm blanket of sleep spreading over her once again and drifted away into another nap.....