Shipping Grab Bag

by Jondor

An Illness (TwiShy)

As Twilight Sparkle trotted up the hill toward Fluttershy’s cottage, she could tell that something was definitely wrong. The young purple unicorn had her suspicions, as nopony had seen Fluttershy for several days now. That fact, in and of itself, was not without precedent, but missing her weekly spa outing with Rarity did raise a red flag. Now, the gaggle of concerned looking animals outside the small grass-topped cottage was a sure sign that not all was well.

“Fluttershy?!” The call was accompanied by the sharp rapping of forehoof on wood. “Are you in there? Everypony is worried about you!”

After the sound of some soft scuffling, the door swung open. Rather than the expected butter yellow pegasus, Twilight was met by a small white rabbit with a sour expression. This did not ease Twilight’s concerns.

“Hi, Angel. Is Fluttershy home?”

Angel Bunny nodded affirmatively, being unable to speak Equish. He looked grumpier than usual as he turned and scowled toward the staircase.

“Um, is something wrong with Fluttershy?”

Angel Bunny nodded again, glaring at the purple pony friend of his caretaker. He had expected her to show a little more initiative rather than trying to get answers out of a rabbit who couldn’t speak her language.

Twilight squeaked as Angel bounced behind her and roughly pushed her inside the cottage, slamming the door. The angry little rabbit hopped over to the staircase, pointing up and then pretending to cough into his paw.

“She’s sick? Well, why didn’t you say so?”

Angel smacked his face with a paw. Hadn’t he just done exactly that? After a few more shoves toward the stairs, Twilight finally took the hint and trotted up to see what was wrong for herself.

Another closed door met Twilight in the upstairs hallway. “Fluttershy?” She gently tapped a hoof against the wooden barrier. “Are you okay? Nopony’s see you for a few days now and Angel said you’re sick.”

“I’m perfectly fine, just resting.” Came the muffled reply. “No need to come in here, I’ll just go back to sleep now.”

Twilight buried her muzzle in a hoof. Even Applejack could fib better than that. Twilight’s horn lit up a deep purple that matched her eyes and an instant later, so did the door to Fluttershy’s room as it swung open.

“Fluttershy, I’m just here to help. If you’re sick we’ll-” Twilight’s voice cut out abruptly. Although she had tried to cover herself up with the bedspread, Twilight had gotten a glimpse of Fluttershy’s almost completely bare wings. Only a few feathers clung forlornly to the bumpy white skin and several were tinged red around the base.

“I didn’t w-want you to see me like t-this.” Fluttershy was sobbing. “I c-caught the f-feather flu. I l-look hideous.” She cringed away as Twilight approached the bed. She felt the mattress compress and a pair of forelegs hug her tightly. Her heart began to race, feeling the soft purple coat tickling her naked wings and Twilight’s warm breath tickling her ear.

“You’re not hideous, Fluttershy, you’re just ill.” Twilight stroked her mane to try and calm her down. “I’m... I’m your friend, I just want to help you get better.” Twilight wanted to say more, but limited as her social skills were, she knew this wasn’t the moment to push things.

As Fluttershy’s sobs ceased, Twilight let go, sitting back on her haunches. “What can I do to help? Do you need to go to the hospital?”

Fluttershy shook her head. “I don’t want to go outside. The bad part is over, except these blood feathers.” Fluttershy shivered. “Then I just have to regrow them all.” She shuddered again. ”But if you wanted to feed my birdies, that would be okay. I don’t want to make them sick.”

Twilight held Fluttershy’s wing gently in her magic aura while she inspected the remaining feathers. One was kinked at an odd angle and a thin trail of blood trickled across the exposed skin. “I’d better go get my first aid kit. Don’t go anywhere, okay?” Twilight gave Fluttershy a friendly nuzzle before hopping off the bed.

Fluttershy smiled back and then squinted her eyes and crinkled her nose at the sudden flash of purple light and sharp whiff of ozone. Several minutes later, it happened again, and Twilight returned. Not only did she bring the first aid kit, but also a book on pegasi, to judge by the cover, a full pair of saddlebags, and a sleeping bag.

“Twilight? What’s all that for?”

Twilight opened the copy of Pegasus Maladies and Afflictions and indicated the page on feather flu. “It says here that feather regrowth can take a week or more and that you’ll still be contagious for a few days... and that’s if it doesn’t relapse!” Her eyes bulged and her voice shot up an octave at that last. “I let Spike know that I’d be away for a while, I’m going to stay here and make sure you get better.”

Fluttershy blushed, a flame crackled in her heart at the thought of Twilight staying with her for several days, but her mind fought back, as it often did, telling her not to get her hopes up. “Oh, you don’t have to do that, Twilight. I’m sure I’ll be fine once I take care of the last of these feathers.” She held up a wing and winced as the bleeding feather caught against the bedspread and the trickle of blood became a stream.

Twilight scrambled back on the bed, floating the first aid kit along with her and opening it as she stretched out Fluttershy’s wing. “I don’t have to, but I want to make sure you’re okay. That’s... That’s what good friends do.” Twilight’s voice carried that same slight hesitation as she mopped up the blood and floated over the book to read the passage on blood feathers again.

“Okay, ready? This is going to hurt a little.” Fluttershy nodded, closing her eyes tight as Twilight grasped the feather in her teeth, holding the wing still with her hooves and magic. Fluttershy let out a squeaky yelp as the feather was pulled free and gauze applied to stem the blood flow.

A half hour later, her wings were taken care of, wounds all bandaged. Fluttershy herself was resting in bed while Twilight went out to feed the animals and try to reassure them, levitation came in handy to avoid spreading germs.

Fluttershy sat up when Twilight came back in to get her sleeping bag. “Go ahead and rest, I’m just going to go set up the couch.”

“Oh. Um...” Fluttershy blushed. “You could sleep in here if you wanted to, I wouldn’t mind the company.”

Twilight smiled and started unrolling the sleeping bag on the floor next to the bed.

“Twilight? Are you okay in there?” Fluttershy knocked on the door to Twilight’s bedroom, just off the main room of the Golden Oaks Library.

“I’m perfectly fine, just resting.” Came the muffled reply. “No need to come in here, I’ll just go back to sleep now.”

A memory sparked in Fluttershy’s brain at those words, she wasted no time opening the door and letting herself into Twilight’s bedroom.

“Don’t come up, honest I’m fine!” The voice from the loft was a bit panicky.

Fluttershy trotted up the stairs and saw exactly what she expected. Twilight was sitting on her bed in a pile of lavender feathers, her alicorn wings nearly bare.

“Ugh. I didn’t want you to see me like this.” She pouted. “I get brand new wings and the first thing I do is go and lose all my feathers.” She winced as a blood feather kinked and a trickle of red escaped. “Almost all of them. I probably look hideous.”

Fluttershy flew over and wrapped her forehooves around her marefriend, kissing her forehead. “You’re not hideous, Twilight, you’re just ill.” Fluttershy stroked her mane softly. “Twi-Twi, you know I’ll always love you, no matter how you look.”

Twilight rested her chin on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I know. I love you too, Shy-Shy.”

Author's Note:

I just love to borrow little ideas from everywhere. The symptoms of the feather flu here come from the Winningverse.

Comments

[The Princess Rarity]

D'awwww. I done think my heart exploded.

[Fluttershy20]

Finally! Best ship couple, so certainly my favourite of these now. Have a from me.

[abronie]

D'AAAAAAAWWW!

So cute.

"softly. Twi-Twi, "
BTW, you missed a quotation mark there.

[Jondor]

2648808

Thanks for catching that. Fix it as soon as I can.

[Themaskedferret]

*Grins and applauds* very cute. Winningverse gets it somewhat from a real event with birds growing new feathers. Normally the shaft of the feather is dead like our hair but when new ones grow the blood vessel runs all along the shaft. So if it snaps it'll bleed. Very painful and messy.

ahem, i'll be over here.

[Everythings Fangirl]

is so cute!

[Blue_Paladin42]

Ooooow.
But yeah, Winningverse did a really good job of fleshing out a distinctly Pegasus disease.

Being sick suuuucks.

[ColdGoldLazarus]

This was really sweet! Always good to see some Twishy.