3 Feverish Tuesdays
In the last few weeks, Twilight woke up in a different place almost every day. Like that one time she opened her eyes to the complaints of the public library manager, saying that if she had problems at home, running away would only cause trouble. Or at the small museum where something similar happened. Or when misfortune led her to find herself in...
However, where she least expected to wake up on a Tuesday at around five in the morning was in the bathtub, wondering when she thought taking a hot bath with clothes still on was a good idea.
It wasn't until her senses were fully awakened that Twilight noticed the wet cloth on her forehead, her warm cheeks and the slight ringing in her ears. And she concluded that it was probably the fever she had been coming down with since the night before, plus the side effects of the antibiotics. That, along with her tendency to have high body temperature, was the perfect result for the flu.
If it weren’t for Celestia appearing to ask how she was doing, Twilight would have seized the opportunity to test how it felt to breathe with lungs full of water.
Seriously, anything else to add to the list?
The only good thing about this was that it made for a good excuse to not leave the house. Even though she had to promise she would go to the hospital if she had a fever again, just in case.
Fortunately, it was enough with a tea, a long nap, and a real shower to return to a more or less normal state. She still had somewhat of a headache, with a chill running through her body from time to time and the immediate need for tissues.
At the moment she was in the living room. Sunset Shimmer insisted that she didn't mind Twilight sleeping in her bed for a few more days, but the girl declined the offer. She didn't want to impose, especially when the exhaustion was falling like lead on her shoulders. She barely slept since the invitation to Shining's wedding. Plus, after traveling through the city on high alert, any spongy and warm surface was enough.
Besides, watching television from a sofa-bed was a rare but comfortable experience. The device consisted of a thin rectangle with a black frame, which transmitted via satellite a variety of shows for all kinds of audiences. Like a cinema inside your house but without the need for a projector, or a dark room. And if it was boring, you could change the channel through a remote control with colorful buttons.
The most surreal of it all was Celestia sitting next to her, having vegetarian stew for lunch along with Twilight. Of course, she didn't let the younger girl help with the cooking, using the excuse that the doctor had suggested bed rest. Though Twilight still only felt confident enough to prepare food in the microwave, where you had to press buttons and not use knives.
In her "prized pupil" days, when she fell ill the Princess used to keep her company with a cup of tea, extra readings, and answers outside the curriculum. Those were unique moments, where she spent her time with a pony of infinite wisdom and centuries of experience instead of a simple mentor. Where she could get closer to her and the invisible barrier of formality weakened a bit.
In contrast, her counterpart was more of a simple person. As Twilight supposed the Princess should be in private or in her youth. It took eighty-nine hours to realize it, seeing how affectionate she was with her adopted daughter and staying to take care of Twilight like she had known her all her life; forming theories about who could be the perpetrator of the crime in a television series.
It gave Twilight a sensation of comfort that, maybe, was urgently needed right now.
"When's the next episode?" asked the younger girl with enthusiasm, when dramatic music gave way to production credits. She expected at least one more, or other series with the same theme. She always liked mystery and detective novels. It proved a good way to learn about the technological resources and the legal process required to solve a case. "I didn't know about this series, it's interesting."
"I think around five or six in the afternoon." Celestia couldn't help laughing when she saw Twilight deflate like a balloon with a childish pout. "It’s quite a popular genre. But you don't watch TV much, I assume?"
"I grew up without one." According to Sunset's explanation the other day, owning a television had been a common thing for at least three or four decades. Still, there were controversies about whether the content transmitted was one hundred percent benign, and some people preferred not owning one. "My parents always prioritized reading."
"Well, that's a good thing. You always learn something new reading."
Choosing to simply let her be, Twilight gave her empty bowl to Celestia when she got up in the direction of the kitchen. She was only a bit sore, but it was enough to not want to move too much, not that she had the actual strength to do it.
In the next few minutes, Twilight watched the commercials while she waited for the next series on the wonderful entertainment device in front of her. Most included catchy songs that got stuck in her head, especially those that featured kids products. She even found herself humming a shampoo song.
Celestia sat down next to her with two cups of tea right at the beginning of what looked to be a medical series.
"Twilight... I didn't ask you before because I couldn't find a good time," began the older woman, in a tone that seemed casual but serious at the same time. "But, do you know where your parents are?"
Well, if she had to answer honestly, she knew. They still lived in the same house in south Canterlot, where both of their children grew up and moved out in their own time.
The Canterlot a closed portal away, of course.
Was there a way to answer that question without raising any doubts about her mental health?
"At home, I guess... Or at work." They didn't change their routine much. Otherwise, Twilight always found out at the very last minute.
Celestia then looked at her with an unreadable expression. It seemed neutral, but the long silence and the slight frown said something else. Something Twilight wasn't sure she wanted to decipher.
"Don't you think they'll be worried about you?" she finally inquired.
"...I don't know, maybe?"
Twilight bit her tongue for speaking so fast.
For things like this, she ended up with bruises.
She didn't want to give the impression that her parents didn't care where she was or how she was doing. They always got along well. She visited them twice a month in Canterlot, on family reunions or birthdays, and they kept in contact via letters. However, they weren't exactly close. Spike knew her better than them, just because they grew up together.
Her parents had a different point of view, they took another approach to victories and what they considered "failures." Twilight had never invited them to Ponyville show them where she lived for that very reason. By Celestia, she didn't want to imagine if they saw her now. They would surely tell her how disappointed they were for everything she did and failed to do because Twilight Sparkle couldn't afford to fail even if the stars were against her.
The sudden feeling of a hand on her shoulder made her muscles tense, and a chill ran through every nerve point in her body.
Twilight tried to diminish it with a heavy drink of tea, to make it disappear along with her hate for the sake of maintaining a neutral mood. Sometimes it wasn't an easy task, especially when out of nowhere she was afraid of even her own shadow.
She wasn't in danger, no one was threatening her. So why was she acting like this? Why did she feel so ashamed and vulnerable?
Don't say anything, don't say anything, don't say an--
“What happened, Twilight?” asked Celestia, her voice soft and measured like last Friday, except less firm as the younger girl wasn't crying her eyes out this time.
The hand was still there on her shoulder, warm and reassuring. It was a nice feeling. One that she tried to keep conscious against the voice of the fear echoing in a corner her head, screaming that she should run. Run as fast as possible, get away from that m--
“Nothing. I can’t fix it,” she murmured, feeling her throat like it was three days ago, with its raspiness being fresh and new. “So what’s the point in thinking about it?”
“How are you so sure it can’t be fixed?”
Twilight stared at her blackish color tea with faint steam. Her thumbs went back and forth on the edge of the glass mug between her hands. A white duvet with flowers of various colors covered the lower part of the body. Were they roses or a similar flower? She had never been very good at gardening.
At no time did she take notice of her arms, exposed from almost the shoulders down to the hands. Analgesics and creams could help reduce the pain of the bruises, but that didn't mean they disappeared in three days, or that she wanted to see them all the time.
“I’m proof enough.”
What for? If the image that greeted her in the mirror every time she looked from the corner of her eye or by accident was proof enough. Proof that she never stopped to think and consider her words before speaking. That she should have kept some things to herself. That her decisions have consequences which were nobody's fault but her own. That she couldn't turn back time even with magic. That she wanted to be in Equestria, celebrating a wedding with friends or crying under the sheets of her bed in Ponyville.
Twilight wanted to be at home, not at the extradimensional copy of it.
It took a moment for Celestia to answer, she always seemed to take a moment to reflect and say what she considered most convenient. An enviable quality.
“I think you only are proof of a strong girl, who needs to take her own time to heal properly.”
It was easy to imagine the Princess telling her something similar. It made it easier to think her mentor wasn't mad at her, even if it was an illusion. A pretty good illusion.
Twilight just smiled a little at her, slightly nodding as Celestia hugged her by the shoulders. It gave her a feeling of care and comfort that, however false it might be, was urgently needed right now.
At least she had that, right? Peace and calm, and the possibility of deciding how to move forward from now on, without surprises or last-minute plans.
Good thing Twilight already had an idea of what to do.
It was late at night. Most people were already at home, having a late dinner or sleeping, as was the case of the girls. Twilight had no problems falling asleep quickly, even with television in the background. On the contrary, Sunset asked her to sit on the edge of the bed and chat, as she couldn't relax enough no matter her exhaustion. Celestia hoped it remained a rare thing, or she would start worrying.
However, at the moment she had other things to concern about. How she would explain all of this in detail was one of them.
She had talked to Luna on Saturday morning, just to get a second opinion. Both agreed not to say a thing until Celestia felt a hundred percent sure. Not like there were many options to choose from, it was a "yes or no" question. And perhaps it was intuition, but there was something that told her she was right.
The phone conversation started casual as always, catching up on what they had been doing in the three weeks they hadn't seen each other.
Of course, there was the question of why she was calling them suddenly on a Tuesday night. It was then that Celestia went looking for a coat in her closet, knowing that they would want to meet immediately.
"I think..." She took a deep breath, an excited chill running through her skin when she realized she was about to pronounce a phrase she thought only possible in dreams.
"I think I found her."
3 months 
Thanks to Jay for helping and to my pre-readers for helping as always. Idk what this would be without them. A mess, surely.
Btw, does this chapter read more, er, fluently? 
If not, any tips? I'm trying to improve my translation.
Anyways, I'd like to hear your theories! 
maybe you come up with a better plotline and I can steal it, muahaha
Stats
Page generated in 0.025 seconds
Total duration
1,132 users online
2,263,141 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I'm glad you finally updated. Keep it up.
update yea
yay update but umm Celestia whacha doin
Always glad to read a new chapter of your story. Keep up the good work.
This chapter does read noticeably more fluently than the previous ones. Not that it was terrible beforehand. Certainly a hell of a lot better than I could ever write in Spanish (the ubiquity of the subjunctive mood just feels so unnatural to us Germanic types).
9190908
I'll probably check them out and make a few fixes, so if you have any suggestions I'm all ears! 
Oh, thank god! I tried to adapt everything as if it was originally written in English (like the last part of this chapter) and with the other chapters you can tell its a more literal translation
Btw, you write in Spanish too?
9181369
9188429
Glad you liked it! Haven't got around to write the next one yet, but soon!
9191425
Oh gods, no. I speak Spanish like a mentally deficient toddler. Well, I’ve worked on enough construction sites in South Texas that I can curse with some fluency, albeit with terrible Northern Mexican grammar.
I’m just impressed by anyone who can master a second language well enough to write well enough to fool a native speaker. Especially this ridiculously sprawling mess of a language we have here.
9191569
Aahh! Well, if you like it I'd recommend you learn it.
Non-English speakers are kinda forced to learn English cuz it's a mandatory language if you want to interact with the rest of the world. But its great, Personally I really like it
Bonny work with this story as well. The premise is great, and the steady pace it takes through Twilight's experiences and thoughts makes it good and immersive. Wee character notes, like dwelling on how many colour shades occur in her bruises exactly, really bring it to life. A few hiccups with word choice and grammar in the first two chapters, but the third reads better and more fluently. Nicely done, and keep it up.
9218088
I'm glad so far you're enjoying the story, its taking me quite some effort to pull it together. 
Thank you for your small critique, those are always welcome
And the two previous chapters were translated before I started an English course. So yeah, I have to reread them and check for mistakes
9182185
wait I was on time for an update seriously?!
A very strange and unique AU. I am intrigued and fascinated with how this is developing.
Yeah... I'm pretty sure I know what happened to her. The abrupt cut-offs in her thoughts, that familiar please don't touch me reaction, blaming herself for "enabling" someone to hurt her... I hope I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure I'm not.
I really, really hope you continue this story. It's amazingly written and super engaging. Thank you for sharing it.
10066694
As always Thank you so much for your compliments :)
I honestly can't say a thing, just read your theories.
But! What I can tell is that chapter 4 is finished and will be published soon. I was waiting for a few days to go by before doing final edits and to my proofreader to, eh, well, read it. But since the latter might not happen I'll probably just take the risk. So this still lives!
10066820
Oh heck, I started reading this at a good time then. Looking forward to it!
I have an idea for what is happening in equestria.
talk to an author you know well and try to convince him to write this version of the story.
then EG is written by you and MLP and written by a good friend of yours.
who discusses with you what can be the direction of the world without twinlight during the wedding and the other things.
perhaps in mlp trixie or starlight glimmer, they can pass for the protagonists while twinlight continues in the human world.