//------------------------------// // Sniffles P2 // Story: Tiny Twilight Tales // by Foals Errand //------------------------------// Twilight pouted in bed as she held the thermometer under her tongue. She was even almost glaring up at Princess Celestia, who was making certain the thermometer stayed in place this time with a small pulse of magic. After a few more moments of waiting Celestia removed the thermometer and lifted it into the light as to better read it. “Hmm, well you do still have a mild fever, Twilight, but nothing to explain the ‘itchies’ you have been feeling today.” Celestia shook the thermometer to get the mercury back down. “Nevertheless, I think you should spend one more day in bed before we return to our lessons. Now how about some hot soup?” Twilight looked up at Celestia, her eyes large and ears pinned back. She looked as if Celestia had just told her the My Little Human radio show had been canceled. “A-another day? Oh please, Princess, I want to go back to our lessons!” Celestia smiled before pecking Twilight on the forehead. “Alright, how about this? One lesson, but you have to stay in bed for it, and afterwards you have to eat a big bowl of vegetable soup, alright?” “Only one? Why not two if I’m going to be in bed anyway?” Twilight crossed her forelegs with her bottom lip jutted out. “Twilight Sparkle, would you rather I said none?” Celestia lifted an eyebrow at her student, who deflated a bit, shaking her head. “Well then, I suggest you pull that bottom lip in right now, young filly.” Twilight pouted a few more seconds before nodding. “Okay…” Celestia shook her head and walked to Twilight’s book shelf and selected a book. “Alright, let’s see. How about…” Celestia’s ear flicked as she heard the very recognizable sound of her student getting ready to sneeze. Twilight sat up right as her eyes quickly closed. “Ah-ah… ah-CHOO!” As Twilight sneezed there was a flare of light, which caused Celestia to lift her wing. When she lowered it, there was a giant chick where Twilight had been. “T-twilight?” Celestia took a step toward the bed to take a closer look. There was no doubt about it; where Twilight had been was a baby chicken. The fluffy yellow chick cocked her head, looking up at Celestia. “Princess, Mommy says that it’s not polite if you don’t say ‘bless you’ after a pony sneezes!” Celestia took a step back, trying in vain to hide her surprise at hearing her student’s voice emit from the chicken’s beak. “Ah, that is... Bless you, Twilight. H-how do you feel?” The chicken—which was now revealed to be Twilight—smiled brightly and nodded. “I feel bunches better! Maybe my fever is gone now? All my itchies are!” “Twilight, you don’t feel at all... ‘odd?’” Celestia asked as she sat on her haunches beside Twilight’s bed. “I feel fine, Princess! In fact, I don’t feel sick anymore at all. Why, is something wrong? Did I do something wrong?” Twilight’s eyes widened as the feathers on the top of her head began to stick up. “Did I fail a test? Was my being sick a test of how your student should behave when they are ill? I’m sorry! I’ll do better!” Celestia couldn’t help but smile. It was rather adorable when her student panicked like that, though it was for Twilight’s own good that she outgrow it eventually. “Oh no, nothing like that. Um... j-just stay here for a moment, alright? I’ll be back in a few minutes.” “Of course, Princess!” Twilight sat straight up as Celestia slowly backed out of the room, shutting the door behind her. “Silent Shadow, do not open that door until I return, do you understand?” Celestia looked down at Twilight’s personal guard. The mare had finished at the academy and was due to graduate in a week, but Celestia and Honed Edge had decided that it was time for her to take her place in the palace. “Yes, Princess!” Silent Shadow hesitantly bit her bottom lip. “Princess, permission to speak?” Celestia cocked her head, reminded once more why she and Honed Edge had chosen Silent Shadow to be Twilight’s guard; her ability to question, along with other reasons. “Permission granted.” “Is Lady Twilight Sparkle alright? I mean, she is unharmed isn’t she?” Silent Shadow rubbed her left foreleg with her right. Celestia smiled for a brief moment, then shook her head. “Truly? I am not certain, my little pony. She has metamorphosed into a giant baby chicken.” “A giant baby chicken?” Silent Shadow repeated, her eyes wide in shock. “Really, Princess?” “I’m afraid so, my little pony. Twilight Sparkle is still the same size, but is now a chick covered in yellow fuzzy feathers. I do hope she’s still just ill enough not to notice until I return with the doctor. Now it may be contagious, so you must only open the door if you are prepared to become a chicken.” Silent Shadow just stayed silent her, eyes still wide as she watched Celestia hurry as fast as she politely could towards the medical ward. “Th-that was really strange…” Silent shook her head, returning to her normal position. “Ms. Shadow? Um, are you out there? The Princess told me not ta’ get out of bed and I’m really thiwsty!” Twilight’s muffled voice reached Silent’s ears through the door. Silent Shadow tried to stare ahead, even as her tail twitched. She hated ignoring her charge... “Please, Ms. Shadow? I wanna be good b-but I’m really really thiwsty!” A held breath escaped Silent Shadow’s lips as she looked to the door, remembering what the Princess had told her about opening it. But even as she remembered the Princess’s words, her vow ran through her head and her magic surrounded the doorknob, slowly turning it. The needs of my charge come before my own. Doctor Strong Heart looked up as his door opened and shut very suddenly. Princess Celestia was standing in front of it with her chest heaving a bit, as if she had run all the way here from somewhere. “Please come in, Your Highness. Thank you for knocking.” He pointedly ignored the glare Celestia was giving him. “May I help you with something? Something to do with your young student, maybe?” Celestia’s mouth opened as if to say something, then closed before she shook her head. “Yes, but how did…” Doctor Strong Heart took his glasses off and began to slowly wipe them clean before replacing them on his muzzle. “Let me guess, she sneezed and turned into a chicken.” “A-a chick, actually, with yellow fuzzy feathers.” Celestia found herself responding before taking a step closer to the doctor’s desk. “Wait, how did you know?” “Your Highness, I did try to give young Twilight Sparkle a vaccine which would reduce the duration and contagion rate, but you forbade it.” Strong Heart shrugged “And by now I’m certain it is far too late.” “Too… late? What in Equestria are you saying?” Celestia blinked. “Is Twilight… is she stuck like this?” “Young Twilight Sparkle will be back to her normal mischievous little purple self in just a few days. Er, am I right in assuming that you were with her when she changed, Your Highness? And that you ran straight from her room through the palace servant corridors?” “Well yes, of course. It was the fastest route!” Celestia blustered, feeling a small twinge in her nose. “I had no idea what might be happening after all!” Doctor Strong Heart sighed, pulling a bell on the wall and waiting a moment as a young earth pony mare came in. “Ah, Bree, I need you to issue a quarantine for any staff in the palace and have any non staff escorted out because of matters of state… or whatever.” The nurse nodded before giving a short bow to Princess Celestia and rushing off. “I don’t… Doctor Strong Heart, you will tell me exactly what is happening!” Celestia brought her right fore hoof down hard, feeling very annoyed but not mad. Yet. “Very well, Your Highness. Your personal student, Twilight Sparkle, has a rare and very contagious virus known as ‘Cluckitis.’ It infects the carrier and gives them flu-like symptoms during its incubation period. After such a time, the carrier will feel an itchy or pinchy sensation under their skin, after which they will sneeze and turn into a chicken or chick if the carrier is young enough. Now, once they have sneezed they become horribly contagious, and as you were there with her when she sneezed…” Celestia felt the twinge again and sniffed. “Doctor, do you mean that I’m g-g-goin... ah-choo!” Doctor Strong Heart calmly watched as his patient and Princess of all of Equestria, the guide of both the sun and moon, turned into a giant white chicken. “Going to turn into a chicken? Yes, Your Highness. Not to worry, though. You’ll be fine in two to three days.” Celestia looked down at herself and let out a sorrowful moan that sounded almost identical to a “bawk.” Princess Mi Amore Cadenz—Cadance walked through the gates to the palace, ignoring the guards who tried to stop her. She had spent most of the week with her two best friends, Lemony Gems and Diamond Rose, in their dorm room at Canterlot University studying for their mid terms. Now she was just done with it and wanted nothing more than a hot bath, a good meal, and her nice soft cloud bed! “Princess… I really wouldn’t, you see.” A young recruit tried to stop Cadance from opening the door to the palace. Cadance’s eyes snapped over to him with a withering look, which caused the guard to gulp. “Or I, uh… could open the door for you?” Which is exactly what he did. Cadance walked in and marveled at how quiet it was. Normally the palace was full of sound; more often than not caused by eager giggling as her favorite foal got into a bit of trouble. Oh no! What if Twilight is sick? Without another thought, Cadance dropped her bags and raced to the throne room where she knew her aunt to do her paperwork. She threw the doors open and stared. On the throne where she expected to see her aunt was a chicken. A very large chicken it was—the same size as her aunt—and it was even wearing her Aunt Celestia’s crown. “Uh…” The chicken looked up from what it was doing, and seemed to smile. Can chickens even smile? “Ah, Cadance! Welcome home, my dear. Did you get all your studying done?” Cadance lifted her hoof, her mouth opening in pure shock, before she placed her hoof down and shook her head. “Nope, I don’t wanna know… I am going to go get some dinner, take a nice long hot bath, and then lock myself in my room until things make sense!” With that, Cadance spun around and headed down to the kitchen, allowing the doors to shut behind her. As Celestia watched her go, she felt a wiggling under her wing and looked down to see Twilight poke her head out. “Till things make sense? Wow, she’s gonna be in there a long long time, isn’t she, Princess?” Celestia nodded, her eyes shining as a laugh escaped her beak. “I do think you may be correct, my dear student. So when we are ponies again we’ll simply have to get her to come out, won’t we?” Twilight nodded eagerly, the gears in her mind already turning.