Recovery
Twilight’s POV
When the ambulance arrived, Adagio got in it with Aria while my family and Sonata followed close behind in my father’s car. The doctors stabilized her. They said that she was going to be fine, but she would have to stay at the hospital for a few days under observation. I wanted so much to stay by her side, but my family and Adagio convinced me to go home and get some rest.
Despite everything, I reluctantly took the ride back home and managed to drag myself to bed. My legs felt like they were weighed down, and I felt a lack of energy as I slowly dressed for bed. When I laid down my pet, Spike climbed into my chest to comfort me and my brother stayed with me until I fell asleep.
I barely slept that night. I was restless all night as my mind wandered. All I could think about was my lone wolf laying in the hospital bed her life clung by a thread. Well, she was better now, but what about next time? Would she be so lucky? Try as I might, my restless mind prevented me from sleeping. As I tossed and turned, the hours rolled by, and before I knew it I was asleep.
The next day was Monday and by chance I woke up early, still feeling drained and tired. My eyes felt heavy and I rubbed them feeling a slight soreness as I did. I saw that Spike was still sleeping by my feet, so I made sure not to wake him up as I got out of bed. I took a long shower and slowly got dressed, feeling a complete lack of motivation in anything I did. I have to go to school today, but I feel like I should go to the hospital and look after Aria. She's my responsibility right now, not Adagio's. Of course Adagio would argue the opposite, but as Aria’s girlfriend, I was equally responsible for her. It’s my fault Aria got hurt in the first place.
After getting dressed, I slowly began brushing my hair and pulled it back into a ponytail. Once tied back, I put on my favorite star shaped hair clip but my heart ached when I looked at myself in the mirror. My mind once again went back to Aria, her twin ponytails and her matching star headpins. I never thought about it much, but we had very similar styles for our hair. It’s such a simple thing but now I found myself thinking about all the other similarities we had.
We both loved reading, cute things, astronomy, among other things and we both love our families. Sure it was basic, but that’s why it worked right? My heart sank as I thought about Aria and how much I missed her. It was funny, I always heard that famous saying, 'you don’t know what you have until it’s gone'. Oh, how painfully true it was. Sure, Aria wasn’t gone, but knowing what could have happened filled my heart with grief and regret for what I’d done. I forced myself to continue getting ready, and once I was presentable, I headed to the kitchen, where my dad was making himself coffee.
“Good morning, sweetheart. You’re up early. Wow, you look exhausted.” My father stated as he poured himself coffee.
“I could barely sleep.” I said as I sat on the table. I rubbed my eyes while using my elbows as support and yawned. “I feel so tired…”
My father chuckled while sipping his coffee.
“I’m not surprised. It wasn’t easy to convince you to come home with us.” My dad sat down in front of me, placing his mug on the table. “What will you have? Cereal? Waffles?”
I groaned, slumping myself into the chair next to my dad. I know my body was hungry, but somehow I just didn’t feel it.
“I’m not hungry.” I looked away from my dad. “Almost killing your girlfriend takes away your appetite, apparently.”
“Don’t be so harsh on yourself, Twily. You didn’t know Aria was allergic to peanuts. None of us did.”
“That’s no excuse!” I tried not to raise my voice too much so I wouldn’t wake up my mom. My father looked at me empathetically and placed his hand on mine and stroked my knuckles with his thumb.
“Twilight, honey, these things can happen. You can’t predict them. You have to look at the bright side.”
I scowled at my dad, quaking my brow.
“There’s one?” I narrowed my eyes at him in confusion. My father nodded and smiled.
“Aria’s alive thanks to your fast reaction. You worked well under pressure and you quickly took her sisters to her. Every second counted and you made good use of them.”
“I-I guess...” My dad got off his seat and approached me to kiss my forehead.
“Remember that she will be discharged soon. I promise that once you see her awake, you’ll feel better.”
“About that...” I looked up at him. “I want to be there for her today. Can I?”
My father looked up at the ceiling, no doubt thinking about what my mom would say. He looked down and smiled at me.
"Of course,” He winked at me, and I giggled in response. “Just don’t make a huge habit of it. I’ll smooth it over with your mother and let the school know.”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll call my friends and ask them to tell Principal Celestia. I was going to call them anyway. I need their support.”
“Very well.” My dad placed his hand on my shoulder. “But I’m still not letting you leave until you eat breakfast. You know how important this meal is.” Just as he said that, my belly growled and I blushed. Of course my stomach would betray me at a time like this.
“O-Okay… I’ll have something...”
My father smiled. “It’s still too early to go to the hospital. How about I make you some waffles? I’ll drive you to the hospital later, yes?”
I stood up and hugged him. "Thank you, daddy."
"You're welcome, kiddo." After we hugged, my father rubbed my hair. “I'll look for the flour and the eggs.”
"Okay. I'll go to my room and call my friend Applejack. She has a farm so she’s an early riser."
“Alright.” My father nodded at me and I walked towards my room.
I was still feeling anxious, but my dad’s support and knowing that I’ll look after Aria made me feel energized. When I walked into my room, I saw Spike stretching on my bed and yawning. He wagged his tail happily when he saw me approaching.
“Good morning, Twilight. I felt you moving all night.”
“I’m sorry, Spike. I’m still worried about Aria, but I’m going to see her instead of going to school. I won’t calm down until I see with my own eyes that she’s okay.”
“You said last night that she will be released in a few days. It can’t be serious if she’s not staying longer, right?” Spike asked tilting his head to scratch himself.
I reached in my purse to look for my phone. When I found it I sat on my bed, and immediately started looking for Applejack in my contacts list. Spike laid on my lap and snuggled against me. “I know, but it’s my fault that she’s there, so I want to be there when she awakens.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Twilight. You didn’t know.”
I started to feel frustrated. My dad said the same thing, but I can’t stop blaming myself. I need self-control. I can’t yell at my pet, but I really wanted to scream right now. Just as my head felt like it would explode I did my breathing exercise and after a few seconds felt myself calm where I could give a reasonable response. “I just want to be sure.”
I petted his little head as I called my friend. She didn’t answer right away. I had to wait until the sixth beep just before I got the voicemail.
“Hello, Twilight?”
“Hi, Applejack” I smiled a bit upon hearing her voice. She’s a good person, she’ll know what to say to make me feel better. “I hope that I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Nah, ah’m just done taking a shower. Ah’m not complainin’, but ah’m surprised to hear from you this early.”
“Yeah, well...” I sighed. I know Aria won’t like this, but I need my friends right now. “Something happened yesterday... and… Aria is at the hospital.”
“Wait, what?” She sounded shocked. “What happened? How serious is it? How is she?”
“She will be fine.” I massaged my forehead with my fingers. She didn’t mean it, but the bombardment of questions wasn’t helping my anxiety. “I'll skip school today to be with her.”
“Ah understand. Don’t worry, ah’ll talk to the girls and we’ll let the Principals know. But Twilight… what happened?” Applejack asked, sounding concerned. She really was a good friend.
This is it. It wouldn’t be fair to hide this from my friends. “I gave her chocolates with peanut filling, and I didn’t know she was allergic...”
“Holy hay, Twilight! Food allergy can be serious! Mah cousin, Braeburn is allergic to grapes and he once had to be in the hospital for over a week. Aria’s okay, then?”
“She will be hospitalized for a few days, but the worse passed, I hope.” I looked at Spike as I caressed his back. He wagged his tail again, easing my worries for the time being. “I haven’t seen her since we dropped her in the emergency room and her face was horribly swollen, but the doctor said she’d be alright. Adagio is with her.”
“Oh, that explains why she didn’t call Rarity to talk about how dinner went.”
“Rarity called you late in the night to tell you that?” I said, confused.
“No. Ah had a small sleepover with her, Sweetie Belle and… Anabelle.”
I giggled. “She still has that project around?”
“Eeyup! She still looks after her. She's on a small pedestal in her room.”
"Aww, that's cute. I should ask her to show me a picture.” Of course I knew that little egg was going to start to smell soon, but I wouldn’t ruin it for Rarity.
“Ah already took a picture. Ah’ll send it to ya.”
I giggled, imagining Rarity and Applejack with Anabelle. “You took a photo for yourself? You really got attached to Anabelle after she went missing.”
“Well, Rarity was right,” There was a slight pause where I could tell Applejack was trying no to sound silly.
“There’s nothing wrong with having some fun.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, ah hope Aria is released soon. One of us will take today’s homework to you.”
“Thank you, Applejack.”
“Yer welcome. Now, ah hate to hang up, but ah don’t want to wake up Rarity nor her family.”
“Oh, right. Sorry! I didn’t sleep well, so I’m a little disoriented.”
“Aria will be fine, Twilight. The doctors in Canterlot City are true professionals.”
I sighed. “I know. I want to be positive, but she didn’t look so good last night. I was so scared… I thought I might lose her.” I paused feeling my eyes well up with tears. I quickly wiped them away, making sure to still hear what Applejack had to say over the phone.
“Ah’m sure you’ll feel a lot better once you see her, Twi.”
“I really hope so… I won’t take any more of your time. See you later, Applejack.”
“Goodbye, Twi. We’ll make sure to check on you when we can.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at the phone and then my friend hung up. I’m so glad I can count on my friends. I’ll give them a big hug the next time I see them. I looked at Spike, who wagged his tail happily.
“You look better. That makes me happy.” he said, lying at my side.
I stroked his head to show him my appreciation. “I wish I could take you with me.”
“Don’t worry, I understand. I’ll be waiting for you.”
I kissed his forehead and stood up. Just as I did so, I received a text message. I pulled out my phone to see that Applejack sent me the photo of Annabelle already. Annabelle was sitting atop a plush looking pillow with an actual pedestal snug and well protected from falling. She looks so cute! That made me feel so much better after seeing it. I can patiently wait until it’s time to visit Aria now. I should take a backpack and fill it with books and other things I might need to help pass the time in case she didn’t wake up today. Once I finished packing I sat down and gave Spike some belly rubs.
It wasn’t long after that when my dad called me down for breakfast. I ran to eat my food quickly so I could see my lone wolf sooner than later.
It was finally visit time at the hospital. After devouring my breakfast, my dad drove while my mom still slept. I was silent during the drive, staring at the floor and with my hands on my knees. While my father, Spike, and Applejack’s advice helped me to feel better, all my anxiety returned the closer I was to see Aria again. I was afraid she’d be angry with me when she woke up. My father didn’t say anything during the ride. He would only look at me with sympathy while waiting for the green lights and place a comforting hand on my shoulder. I gave him grateful smiles.
When we arrived, we pulled over at the entrance and I opened the door to leave the car, but my dad put a hand on mine to stop me.
“Call or text us if you need anything, hun.”
I looked at him and nodded before kissing his cheek and smiling. “I will, daddy. I’ll let you know when she wakes up.”
My father returned the smile. “Please, do. See you later. Tell Aria I hope she gets better!” I walked out the car and closed the door. My father then drove away and I watched him until I lost sight of him after he turned around the corner. I turned to the entrance and took a deep breath to try and calm my anxiety. Here we go. I walked into the hospital and headed to the reception. Fortunately, there was no line.
“Good morning.” The receptionist welcomed me with a smile.
“Hello. I’m here to visit Aria Blaze at room 302.”
“Of course. Please sign in on this please,” She said giving me a clipboard for me to sign. “Thank you. If the door is closed, knock and wait at the corridor.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at her and headed to the stairs. I kept a regular pace on the way up. I don’t like the ambience here. In some rooms I saw people talking lightheartedly, but in others I saw people crying. I avoided getting too close to the intensive care room. It crushes my heart that not all of them will survive.
When I reached room 302 the door was closed, so I knocked. I immediately heard Adagio’s response.
“Coming.” Moments later, the door opened and Adagio stood before me. Her tall figure and beautiful golden hair looking as pristine as ever. I smiled up at her and she smiled when she saw me.
“Twilight!” She lunged forward faster than I could greet her and gave me a hug, which I didn’t hesitate to return. “I thought it would be the doctors again. It’s good to see you.”
“Really? You’re not mad at me?”
Adagio pulled away and frowned. “No. You said you didn’t know. If anything I’m glad that you were so fast in telling me about Aria’s reaction.” She cupped my cheek in her hand drawing my attention up to her. “You saved her life, Twilight.”
That immediately soured my mood, being reminded of what I did. Well intentioned or not I didn’t like it when people kept saying that.
“I feel the opposite. I almost killed her...”
“Twilight...” My friend led me inside the room and closed the door before speaking again. “Don’t blame yourself for this. No one is, not even Aria.” When she said my girlfriend’s name, I tried looking at her, but a wall was in the way. Adagio took my hand and walked me around the wall so I could see Aria. Her face returned to normal, which filled me with relief. She was breathing softly and with her hair down. I didn’t see any plugs nor a heart monitor like last night.
“She’s just sleeping. The doctors are coming regularly to check on her. They say she’s fine.”
“But what if-”
“Twilight, there are no ifs about this. The doctors know what they're doing. Trust me.” My friend frowned at me again. “She’s alive thanks to you. Not only did you react fast, but you also got excellent doctors to look after her.”
Now Adagio was assuring me I shouldn’t blame myself, but I can’t help it. I still feel guilty. I decided not to tell Adagio about it since I don’t think she’ll be able to ease my worries. Instead, I took a few steps towards Aria to watch her rest. I managed to smile a little reaching down. I stoked some of her hair away from her face. I never saw her sleep before. She looks… cute. I was caught by surprise when she snored and turned around. Her back was against me now.
“She makes some noises when she’s asleep.” Adagio stood beside me. “She doesn’t snore all the time, but once in a while… well...”
“I wouldn’t mind even if she continuously snored loudly.” I commented, smiling again.
“Trust me, you would. Sonata can be so loud.” My friend said before yawning. “My back is killing me. The bed here wasn’t very comfortable. .”
“Why don’t you go home and rest?” I looked at Adagio. “I came here with the intention of staying with Aria all day.”
Adagio paused looking at me.“But it’s Monday. Don’t you have school?” My friend asked, worried.
“Already taken care of. I won’t die from skipping one day. Besides, I wouldn’t be able to concentrate with Aria here. I want to see her awake and well... to finally convince myself that she’s okay.” I said looking back at my sleeping wolf.
"Twilight…"
I held up my hand stopping Adagio, fearing that she might actually talk me out of staying. I wasn’t going to let that happen. I was going to be here when Aria wakes up, and I won’t leave her side until the end of the day. She was my pack leader, and I was her beta to stay by her side now and forever.
"Please, let me do this. I can't let you look after Aria on your own. You’re too tired." Adagio opened her mouth to say something, but she grunted and leaned down, massaging her lower back. “You need to lay down and take care of your back.”
“I-I suppose I can ask Hoity Toity for a day off...”
“Yes.” I smiled. “I couldn’t sleep properly last night, but I’m in better shape, I think.”
My friend crossed her arms and frowned in thought. She looked at Aria and didn’t say anything for a long moment. “Fine.” She sighed and turned to me. “If you already decided to skip school, I can’t turn you down. Besides, I should really give my outfit a proper care. I never slept while looking this fabulous.”
I giggled. "Rarity would probably get mad if she finds out."
"I love fashion as much as her, so I’m already feeling bad about it. She doesn’t need to know.” My friend said before yawning again. “Okay, I’m heading home before I pass out.” She added before leaning down towards Aria to softly stroke her hair. “You keep resting, my dear sister. Your cub is going to watch over you… dang it now I’m doing it.” She said before starting to approach the door.
“Wait! Is there something I should know while I take care of Aria?”
Adagio looked at me and shook her head. “Not really. She’s out of danger and the room is close to the nurses. Just try not to die of boredom. You don’t want to explain that to Aria when she wakes up.” Adagio chuckled with a wink.
“Already covered.” I smiled as I pointed to my backpack. “I brought books and other things to keep me entertained.”
My friend grinned. “Excellent.” She said before walking towards me to place her hand on my shoulder, squeezing it. “I’ll be going then. I’ll come to visit another time.”
“Okay.” I waved at her. “Goodbye.”
“Chao.” She waved back and walked out of the room.
Once she was gone, I sighed and put my backpack on the floor before dropping on the chair which was near Aria’s bed. I scanned the room and only now I saw that there was a T.V. I took the remote and turned it on. I tuned the Discover Channel, but the show was about some naked people surviving in nature, so I groaned and tuned to Fauna Planet instead. I leaned against the chair and glanced at my girlfriend. Her back was still facing me. I was tempted to stroke her hair or just put my hand on her arm, but I didn’t want to disturb her. Even though she’s just sleeping now, it’s hard to see her in a hospital bed. The whole incident was scary, from seeing her gasping for air to seeing her being stabilized, I feared the worse. On the way back home, I cried, not being able to hold back my tears anymore.
My family comforted me and the tears stopped flowing soon. Thinking about the events of last night made me want to cry again. I felt my eyes wet. No. No more. I cleaned my eyes with a hand and leaned down to open my backpack. I took my copy of Daring Do from it. I started to read, but half through the chapter my vision became blurry again. I was feeling tired, which didn’t surprise me given how little I slept. I put the page marker in the book and I closed it, leaving it on my lap so I could rest my eyes. Maybe now I’ll be able to rest properly.
I’m not sure how long I was asleep, but after some time passed a loud noise startled me awake. Alerted, I looked around the room until I noticed Aria moving. She leaned to a side so her face was upwards. I realized that the sound was her snore. She frowned in her sleep, and then… she sat up. My eyes widened as I watched her stretch and then half opening her eyes. She fully opened them when she noticed the unfamiliar surroundings and began looking around.
“What the…? Where am I?!” She looked to her sides and found me. “Twilight? What are you doing here? Wait, where IS here?”
“Aria!” I practically jumped from my chair to hug my girlfriend. She gasped in surprise, but she returned the embrace. “I’m so glad to see you awake! After yesterday, I… I...” I couldn’t finish since I started to cry out of happiness.
“Yesterday?” Aria broke the hug but kept her arms on my shoulders. She frowned in thought and then her jaw dropped in realization. “Oh, right… I ate peanut chocolate.”
I nodded, clearing my tears with a hand. “Y-Yes… you had a severe reaction. But you’re fine, now. You’re just under observation.”
“Severe?” She narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, the last time it happened it wasn’t so bad. I was warned next time could get worse. So I have to be extra careful in the future.”
“Aria...” I placed both of my hands on my chest, right where my heart was. I could feel my tears returning. “I’m so, so, so sorry for being the reason you’re here. I want to take care of you until you’re released, but if you don’t want to see me again afterwards, I’ll understand...”
“What are you talking about?” Aria leaned her head to the side, confused. “Why would I want you out of my life?”
I blinked, focusing on her and trying not to cry. “Because I almost killed you. I fed you poison.”
Aria chuckled, waving her hand at me. “Twilight it’s not poison, trust me. Sonata's toaster tacos? that's poison, but you didn’t know I couldn’t eat peanuts. If anything, this is my fault.”
“How?”
“Twilight...” Aria said before taking both of my hands. “I should have told you. All this time you knew how much I love sweets and yet it never occurred to me that you might buy chocolates for me, and nuts are pretty much everywhere. Don’t blame yourself. This is completely on me. Please… don’t leave me.” My eyes widened when I saw her getting upset. ”You’re a great girlfriend. I… I really enjoy being with you, trying new things, our dates. I don’t want to br-break up.”
Hearing those last words shattered my heart. Adagio was right, Aria didn’t blame me. No one is, except myself. It was true, I had no way to know I shouldn’t have given her peanuts, but I didn’t want to listen. It was easier to blame me. I couldn’t hold myself back anymore. I jumped into Aria’s arms again to hug her, almost making her lose her balance in the small bed.
“I don’t want to break up either. I’m sorry for even suggesting it. I want you in my life, Aria.”
“The feeling is mutual, cub.” I giggled when my girlfriend used that cute nickname. I leaned back to stare into her eyes. She kept her hands around my waist while my knees were touching her hips. I gently removed my glasses, which gave me immediate results. Aria gasped in awe.
“T-Twilight...” She was dazed. I smiled and slowly leaned closer to her lips. She closed her eyes as I approached and I did the same. However, just before we could kiss, there was a knocking on the door and people walked in.
“Excuse me, we’re here to...” We gasped and looked into the direction of the newcomers. It was the doctor who treated Aria last night, alongside two nurses.
“S-Sorry, sorry!” I quickly jumped out of the bed as I blushed furiously. I tried to walk away but I crashed into the chair and fell with it. “Aaaah!” I managed to lessen the fall with my arms. A nurse rushed to help me up. “Th-thank you...” I said before putting my glasses back on. I ignored meeting anyone in the eyes, though.
The doctor covered his shock by clearing his throat. “Would you wait outside while we run some tests on your girlfriend?”
“Sure! Don’t mind me!” I said, awkwardly raising my voice a little too high. Stars, I’m so embarrassed! Still not looking at anyone, I quickly walked out of the room. Once the door was closed behind me, I covered my face with both of my hands and pressed my back on the wall, sliding down to sit on the floor. Someone please kill me… now!
"Uh, miss?" I removed my hands from my face and looked up to see another nurse. This one was carrying a cart with trays containing food. "Are you okay?"
"Oh! Umm, y-yes!" I quickly got on my feet. "Yes, I am. Thanks!" Stars, stars! It's getting even more embarrassing!
The kind nurse nodded and left me alone after that. Around a minute later, the door of Aria's room opened and the doctor with his assistants walked out. The nurse with the cart went inside as the doctor approached me. I jumped to my feet eager to hear what he had to say about Aria’s condition.
"You can go in now. Everything's normal." he said adjusting his coat.
"Thank you." The doctor nodded, smiling slightly and then walked away. I waited until the nurse with the cart left as well before walking back in with Aria. She was sitting and already eating and greeted me with a smile.
Aria grinned mischievously at me. “Welcome back! You’re still red, huh?”
I giggled nervously. “Y-Yeah, more embarrassing things happened at the corridor.” I said as I sat on the chair next to her. I watched her eat. She was practically devouring her food. “Hungry?”
Aria nodded. “A little. You want some?”
“No, thanks. I already had breakfast at home.”
“Okay.” My girlfriend kept eating, but I noticed a stain on her cheek. I took a napkin from the tray and cupped her face.
“Hold still.” I said, and Aria obeyed allowing me to clean her. When I was done, I remained with her face on my hand and stared at each other. We blushed, but Aria was the first one to recover.
“So… if you want to look after me, does that mean that you’re skipping school?”
I nodded. “Just today, though. Now that I know that you’re well, I’ll be at ease tomorrow. I can wait until after school to visit you, then.” I smiled at her. “Don’t worry. You know how serious I am with academics.”
Aria barked out in laughter. It was like music to my ears hearing her voice again. To know she was safe and alright.
“Good, because I would hate being the reason you neglect your studies.”
I giggled and stroked her hair. “That will never happen. Even if the world is ending, I’ll keep studying.”
Aria chuckled. “Oh? So I’m less important than your studies, huh?”
I chuckled, finally getting used to her teasing I leaned closer to kiss her cheek turning our cheeks red. “Of course! Like I said, you know how serious I take my studies,” I leaned into her ear and whispered. “Especially when I get to study with you, Aria.”
She chuckled, patting my back and scooting to the side of the bed to give me room to sit. “Care to give me some company?”
I nodded, smiling widely. “Sure!” I sat on the bed with her, receiving a kiss on my cheek when I did so, which made my heart skip a beat. I like it when he has intimate moments like these. “You didn’t make the tea before starting to eat.”
“That’s because I don’t like tea. I won’t drink it.”
I frowned at her. “No way, missy. To recover properly you need to have everything the hospital gives you. I’ll prepare it for you.”
“But I don’t want it!” Aria whined. If it wasn’t for her condition, I would be laughing at her childish of a tantrum she threw just now. As it stood, I held back for her sake.
“Want it or not, you’ll drink it.” My girlfriend groaned in displeasure and threw herself into her pillow, but I ignored her, smiling. While I prepared the tea, I heard a notification sound from my phone. I received a text message. I didn’t read it until the tea was prepared. When I opened the message, I saw that it was from Rarity.
‘Twilight! Applejack told us what happened. Aria, that poor thing! The girls and I will stop by later and bring something for you two.’
“Who is it, Sparks? Your parents?” Uh, oh… will she get mad when she knows what I told my friends? I turned to her, feeling a bit uneasy.
“N-No, it’s from my friends. I-I told them that you were hospitalized.”
“Oh?” Aria leaned her head to a side and raised an eyebrow. She doesn’t seem mad. I should take the opportunity to explain myself better.
“Before arriving here today I had no idea how you were. I was so scared and I needed my friends' support. I-I'm sorry.”
Aria was silent for a few moments, but then she narrowed her eyes. “You’re sorry? Twilight… I’m not mad.”
“You’re not?” I blinked confusedly. “But you have been on defense with my friends and I just told them something very personal about you. Why aren’t you mad?”
“I’m not happy that they know, don't get me wrong, but I don’t blame you. I understand why you did it.” She said looking back at me.
“Y-You do?”
My girlfriend nodded, smiling slightly. “Really.”
I stared at Aria in awe. I was certain that she was going to be furious with me for telling my friends about her condition. She’s changed so much since we first met. I remember how she yelled at Sunset and Trixie, how clearly uncomfortable she was around them. She didn’t want to interact with them at all, but now, while she’s still not interested in being their friend, she doesn’t hate them anymore. This was proven at the hatchday party, where she didn’t insult any of my friends. She even had a semi-friendly conversation with Rainbow Dash.
“Aria...” I placed my hand on her cheek and leaned closer to her. I closed my eyes and kissed her with more passion than usual. Aria moaned in surprise, but she soon melted into the kiss, welcoming the passion. One of her hands fell on my knee as the kissing continued. My feelings for Aria just kept growing with each passing moment I spend with her, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
The hours passed and it was now after school. Without much to do, Aria took a nap after lunch and I retreated to read Daring Do. But now, with my friends arriving any time now, Aria was fully awake, watching T.V. with me. There was nothing interesting on, so we were watching the cooking channel.
“Ugh, this sucks. What am I supposed to do when you’re gone and there’s nothing good to watch?”
I placed my hand on hers gently squeezing it. “I can leave my books with you. I can also lend you my tablet when I visit tomorrow if you want.”
“A tablet?” Aria chuckled. “How do I use it? Is it like a giant cellphone?”
“More or less.” I smiled. “I’ll teach you.” Just as I was about to get my tablet out, our conversation was interrupted when there was a knock on the door. “Come in!” I said. The door opened slightly, leaving enough room for a nurse to get his head inside.
“Excuse me. The patient has visitors but there are too many of them. They can’t all walk in at the same time.”
“Oh, those must be my friends.” I said as I stood from my chair and approached the door. “Don’t worry nurse, we can do it in pairs.”
She nodded before leaving and I glanced at Aria. “Are you sure you don’t mind the extra company?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” She smirked. I grinned and left the room. As soon as I reached the waiting area, my friends spotted me.
“Twilight, darling!” Rarity was the first to hug me, but soon everyone followed her example. I hugged them back and noticed that Sonata came too, but not Adagio. She must still be resting. I also saw that most of them had gifts.
“Hey you guys, I’m glad you made it.” I said as we broke the hug. All of them looked worried.
“How is Aria?” Sunset asked.
“Is she awake?” Trixie shared her worries too.
“Yes, she’s fine and awake. The worst has already passed.” I smiled gratefully at them.
“How much time will she have to be here?” Sonata spoke next. “The house feels strange without her.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know. I’ll ask the doctors before leaving.” I replied.
“Oh, that poor thing...” Fluttershy commented with a pout.
I put a hand comfortingly on Fluttershy raising her spirits a bit. She smiled back at me. “Aria’s gonna be fine, Shy.” I said smiling at her.
“Yeah, she didn’t deserve this.” Rainbow Dash said.
“How are you feelin’, Twilight?” Applejack asked. “Better than this morning, ah hope.”
I nodded at my farmer friend. “Yes, once Aria woke up, I started to feel a lot better.”
"That's a relief." Rarity said, smiling.
"Can we see her?" Sunset asked, holding Trixie’s hand. "Does she even want to see us?"
"Yes, you can see her." I said. "But you can't all go together. You'll have to go in pairs."
“Oh, that works for me.” Sunset said.
“Same here.” Applejack spoke next while everyone else nodded along.
“We’ll cheer her up in no time, you’ll see!” Pinkie Pie grinned.
Everyone joined in agreement with no opposition. That made me happy. I didn’t want to overwhelm Aria either, and I had high hopes these interactions would help her open up to my friends, even if it was just a little bit.
“Okay, then.” I gave my friends a beaming smile. “I’ll go back with Aria while you decide the pairs.” With that said, I gave them one last hug before returning to Aria’s room. My girlfriend was sitting on the bed, with the sheets covering her waist down and hadn’t moved an inch. She noticed me come in and greeted me with a smile and a wave.
“Welcome back, Sparks. I was beginning to think you forgot about me.” I giggled, rolling my eyes at her joke.
“Har har, yeah if you stay in here too long I just might,” Aria and I shared a laugh.
“I’m ready to receive your friends.” Aria said.
“Okay. They'll be walking in soon. Oh, and Aria?” I stopped and gave a quick glance back. “Thanks for being okay with this." I said as I approached the bed once more.
“I know how important they’re to you, and you’re important to me, so, I think I should open up, at least a little.”
I sat on the bed with her and kissed her cheek. “My poor, lone wolf is struggling. Here let me comfort you.”
I pressed my cheek to hers, and she pushed back until we were nose to nose and exchanged a quick kiss. After separating Aria sighed, looking past me at the door with an odd look.
“I still prefer to avoid being crowded, but… having company once in a while can’t be so bad.” A moment after Aria finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in!”
The door opened and Sunset walked in, still holding hands with Trixie.
“Hey...” Sunset waved weakly at Aria, who simply nodded back.
“Hello Sunset Shimmer, and you too Trixie.” Aria greeted them.
“Hi, uh… you’re not plugged, so… you’re not in pain?” Trixie said, trying to smile.
“Yeah, I’m just recovering. It's the boring part.” Aria replied flatly. I didn't see her smile much, but she wasn’t frowning either. She’s really trying, at least she was keeping things neutral.
“We got you something.” Sunset said before pulling out a card and approaching the bed. My girlfriend took the card and read it.
“Get well soon. Huh...”
“It’s not much, but we thought you would appreciate something small more.” Sunset said, smiling sheepishly.
“You’re right.” Aria’s lip curled into a small hint of a smile. “Thank you.”
Both Trixie and Sunset smiled back.
“You’re welcome.” Sunset was the one to speak again. She turned to me right afterwards. “Oh, and Twi, I didn’t forget about you.” She said before giving me a couple of her books. “Today’s homework.”
I wore a huge beaming smile. “Thank you so much! I hope we’re doing quadratic equations today!”
Aria and Trixie both rolled their eyes, shaking their heads with amused expressions.
Sunset chuckled. “You’re welcome.” She said before turning back to Aria. “We’re really glad to see you okay. We’re leaving now so the rest of the girls get their turn too.”
Aria nodded. “Sure. See you both around.”
The couple waved at us and left the room. I turned to Aria to see her placing the card aside.
“This isn’t so bad, right?”
“No. I’m not feeling as uncomfortable as I thought I would. I don’t like to be seen as weak.”
“You’re not weak. You’re just temporary incapacitated.”
Aria raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t that the same thing?”
Before I had the chance to reply, the door opened again and Applejack walked in with Rarity. I saw my farmer friend carrying a bag in one of her hands.
“Good afternoon, Aria.” My fashionista friend smiled. “It’s good to see you well after the scare you gave us.”
“I… scared you?” Aria raised an eyebrow, confused.
Rarity nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “We don’t have to be friends to worry about your health.”
“Oh.” Aria cleared her throat. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you. I’m afraid that I passed out while wearing the clothes you made for me, so… sorry, they might have some dust in it.”
“It’s fine, don’t worry.” Rarity said, still smiling, her eye twitching slightly. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take them for cleaning before sending it back to Adagio.”
Aria shrugged. “Sure, go ahead.”
“The bag is over there, Rarity.” I said as I pointed to the bag.
“Thank you, darling.” My fashionista friend said before walking towards the bag and taking it. Then, she returned to Applejack’s side, who started to search in the bag she was carrying.
“Ah thought on bringing’ somethin’ to drink.” She said before pulling out a bottle of apple cider. Smiling, she approached the bed. “Fresh from this mornin’.”
“Thank you.” My girlfriend said as she took the bottle.
“There’s one for you two, Twi.” Applejack said while handing me a bottle as well.
“Thanks.” I smiled at my friend.
“Yer welcome.” Applejack said before turning to Aria again. “There’s also one more thing but ah can’t bring it here. When yer released, ah’ll send you an apple pie. Ah noticed how much you liked it during yer hatchday party.”
Aria’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped, but she quickly recovered and managed to smile a little. “That’s… ahem... cool. Thank you.”
Applejack nodded beside Rarity.
“I think we better take our leave.” My fashionista friend said. “The faster I clean Aria’s clothes, the better.”
I giggled, thinking that she’s most likely screaming internally right now. “Okay.” I waved at them. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Goodbye Twilight, Aria.”
“See you.” Aria waved too. My friends walked out and I turned to Aria, who looked at me. “What?”
I crossed my arms giving my girlfriend a hard look. She groaned and sighed. “Yes, cub, I’ll share the pie with my sisters.”
I smiled. I wasn’t going to ask her that, but I’m not going to correct her. Instead, I patted her on the head. “Good girl.”
My girlfriend crossed her arms and pouted, but smiled afterwards. Moments later, the door opened again and this time Pinkie Pie bursted in. Confetti burst around her as she excitedly raised her arms waving them wildly.
“Hello to the happy couple!” The party girl wasted no time to approach us after her shrieking entrance that shook the room.
“Don’t make too much noise, Pinkie.” Rainbow Dash snapped quietly, walking right behind our pink friend. “Aria’s not the only patient.”
“Hello to you too, Pinkie and Rainbow.” I smiled at my friends.
“Hey, egghead.” Rainbow Dash smiled back, patting my head. “It was strange not seeing at school today.”
I swatted Dash’s hand off my head and crossed my arms over my chest.
“It felt odd to skip school, but I wanted to make sure Aria’s okay.” I explained. “I’ll be back tomorrow, don’t worry.”
“We understand you. Everyone at school did. The principals said you could take more days if you wanted.” My athletic friend said.
“That's nice of them, but it won’t be necessary.”
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “If you accepted to skip more days I would have wondered if you needed to be admitted here too.”
I giggled and looked at Pinkie Pie, who was uncharacteristically silent. She was looking at nowhere in particular. "Pinkie? You want to say something?"
My party friend looked at me and gasped. “Oh, yes! But Everyone keeps telling me to be very careful with Aria. I normally ignore them and try to brighten anyone’s day anyway, but something inside of me is telling me, no Pinkie! Listen this time. Aria is a special case! So I decided to come and not say much unless I’m allowed to, so, can I speak pretty please?” Pinkie Pie spoke at her usual fast pace. I was about to answer her, but then I realized that she was looking at Aria.
My girlfriend blinked, confused, and replied with caution. “Uh… y-yes, you can speak, I suppose.”
“Yay!” The party girl jumped, raising her arms in triumph. “So, Aria, I was going to bake you cupcakes because I thought that you might love them, but then I remembered that you can’t eat them while you’re here, sooooooooooooo, I’ll bake them AFTER you’re released. Don’t worry, I’ll be super duper careful and avoid using peanuts. Also, is there any flavor you like the most? I can prepare anything! Not just cupcakes. Any pastry you like, I can bake them for you!”
After Pinkie Pie finished her fast paced speech, Aria blinked, dumbfounded. Could she understand what Pinkie just said? I was about to speak up, but my girlfriend spoke first.
"Thank you for the offer. Umm… I haven't tried cupcakes yet, so… you can bake some. They can be of any flavor you want."
Pinkie Pie grinned and skipped on the spot excitedly. "Okay! As soon as I know you're home, I’ll start to bake!”
“Oookay-” Rainbow Dash said as she grabbed Pinkie Pie’s arm. “We’re leaving now. Otherwise Pinkie here will keep talking and Fluttershy and Sonata won’t be able to get their turn.” Rainbow started to drag Pinkie Pie out. However, before opening the door, she turned her head around. I saw her hesitating.
“Aria... uhh... get well soon.” The athletic girl added.
“Thank you.” Aria replied, sounding relieved. I had to admit Pinkie as a handful if you weren’t used to her.
“Bye bye!” The party girl waved at us as she was being dragged. I waved back before turning to Aria with a smile, but my girlfriend’s eyes were wide.
“Something’s wrong?”
“Sonata’s here?” She asked before looking at me, smirking maliciously.
“Aria?” I was confused and even more when my girlfriend suddenly got under the sheets and turned around, giving me her back.
“I’ll pretend to be asleep, just follow my lead!”
“Wha-?” I couldn’t inquire more because the door opened again. Sonata walked in, followed by a timid friend.
“Hiiii!” Aria’s sister waved excitedly, but stopped when she saw my girlfriend. “Oh, she’s asleep? But Pinkie was just saying that they were talking.”
“Umm...” I glanced from Sonata to Aria. I hesitated, but in the end I decided to follow Aria’s lead. “Y-Yeah, they were, but she was tired so she said she was going to take a nap.” I noticed that Sonata was carrying a bag, but said nothing about it for now.
“Aww, but I really wanted to talk to her.”
“Sorry Sonata.” I said, not sure if I should stop Aria’s prank or not.
“Maybe we can come back later.” Fluttershy said with her usual quiet tone, placing a hand on her shoulder. I barely heard her and I think Aria didn’t hear her at all. Sonata stood still for a few moments, furrowing her eyes in thought. Then, she shook her head.
“No, I want to do it now. Sleeping or not, I’m talking to her.” The younger siren said before approaching Aria.
“Here, sit.” I said, standing up from my chair. Aria’s sister smiled at me.
“Thank you, Twilight.” Sonata said before sitting. Meanwhile, I stood next to Fluttershy. We gave them space, but still remained in the room.
Sonata didn't speak right away. She was silent for a few moments until she cleared her throat. "I know we have had our differences in the past. I remember long ago when you used to leave us to go hangout with your old pack. I missed you when you did that," Sonata said. "When I heard you were sick from the peanuts, I got very scared. I know it's a serious condition and I'm sorry you got hurt because of it," Sonata said.
She sniffed as if she was trying to hold back tears. I realized I was right when I saw her quickly wipe her face with her forearm and tried to laugh it off. "Guess I got something in my eye."
I smiled and put a hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder, who was holding both of her own hands close to her heart, smiling at Sonata’s speech. It was amazing how different Aria and her sisters were, yet there were little quirks about them they all had. I wonder if pride was a normal thing for sirens? It seemed to be present in all three of them to varying degrees. Sonata seemed the least prideful of them all, she was kind and very sweet.
"Listen, when this happened I came to the realization that there's a lot we haven't talked about. I know you have a hard time opening up and I hate being serious. I love you Aria, and Adagio too, and also our friends!" Sonata smiled gently hugging her sister. "I also just wanted to thank you for what you said before. I appreciate you Aria. Never forget that. Love you, sis."
Sonata leaned to kiss her sister's forehead and then placed the bag on the bed before heading towards the door without leaving the room. I smiled at Fluttershy. My quiet friend smiled back before giving me a sudden hug. I returned it and then watched her as she joined Sonata.
“See you later, Twilight.” Sonata said as she waved. I waved back until she left with my timid friend. As soon as they were gone, I heard Aria whisper.
"Love you too, dork.”
I giggled as Aria opened her eyes and sat on the bed, leaning her back against the wall and still covering her waist down with the sheets. “You should try saying that with her present next time.” I probably shouldn’t tell her that Fluttershy overheard Sonata’s speech. I imagine she wouldn’t take it too well.
“No way. It will be impossible to avoid that annoying smile of hers if I do that.” My girlfriend replied with a smile before turning to the bag Sonata brought.
“Hmm, I wonder what’s in here.” She said as she grabbed the bag. Her jaw dropped and her eyes widened after taking a peek inside. “Of course she brought this...”
“What is it?” I asked with curiosity. Aria smirked at me before taking the plushie I bought her not long ago.
“Cynthia’s here, and that’s not all.” She pulled a small brush from within the bag.
I chuckled before stroking Cynthia’s fur. “She must have missed her momma.”
Aria blushed hard. ”S-Sparks!”
Giggling, I kissed her cheek. “Just teasing.”
My girlfriend tried to give me a fake glare, but she yawned. “I’m going to take a real nap now that everyone’s gone.”
“Okay. I’ll take the chance to do the homework Sunset brought.”
Aria smirked. “I don’t know why I'm surprised that you were so happy to receive homework, dork.”
I shrugged, smiling widely, while Aria placed Cynthia aside and turned around to take a nap. “Sweet dreams, Aria.”
Her reply came in the form of a happy sigh. I got myself comfortable to do my homework, still smiling. Aria agreeing to see all of my friends really made me happy. Even though she was still cautious, she didn’t seem annoyed at all. Also, seeing Cynthia gave me an idea for when I come to visit tomorrow. I started to do my homework and gave one last look at Aria smiling.
Once again I apologize for the delay, especially after the huge cliffhanger of the previous chapter. I originally intended for her to be in the hospital just for a morning, but one of my advisors suggested to be more realistic and have Aria under observation for a few days, so we had to re-plan the chapter 
Some of you know that I have a thing for hospitals. I don't even plan it, I just end up including them in every single multi-chapter fic I write 
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Aria is a tough Siren, she'll be fine as long as she stays away from peanuts 
I want to thank Zalla661 and Windsor for editing and proofreading the chapter before its release 
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I enjoyed this chapter and it showed some great growth for Aria.
One thing though, not sure who is talking here:
But regardless of who it is it's a little confusing. If Twilight said this then it shouldn't be beta here and if Aria said this then why? Twilight isn't going to sleep she's doing homework.
Thank goodness for another chapter.
I still think you're evil for the cliffhanger on the last chapter, but I'm super glad to hear that Aria's OK. Now I can't wait to see them swimming together.
10300624 I'm glad you liked it!
And, shoot! I don't know how we missed that
Thank you for pointing it out
10300635 I never inteded the cliffhanger to last this long
10300648
Well I still think you're evil.
10300652 I'm sorry!
Another great chapter! And I'm glad that Aria is okay!
Aria still isn't interested in befriending the Rainbooms, but she lets them visit her, so that's an improvement.
And it's also good that Twilight and Aria's relationship is still going strong despite that mishap!
88888>>10300736 Thank you for reading! Yeah, in the end, it was an accident. At this point Aria trusts Twilight too much to get angry for that. If it was Sunset or someone else, then yes, she would have been pissed
10300653
I still love the story, though.
10300882 Good. Hate me all you want, but don't hate the story
10300897
Oh trust me, the only way I'd hate this story is if you went completely off the rails and made everyone so OOC that it makes the story super cringeworthy.
10300939 Trust me, I do hate when that happens
Which is why I always give the characters reasons to act in a way they shouldn't, like The Dazzlings being good people now
10300947
Then you don't have to worry about me.
10301320
Indeed.
I saw that Find the Magic music video a while back and Aria looked much more happy and relaxed. So did Adagio, and Sonata, well she more herself than usual. However that works.
That taco dress, it too, is so Sonata.
10307091
No problem.
It was kind of a funny typo though.
After thinking about it, I think we should have had Flutteshy say something more and then have Sonata come in afterwards. Flutters would have understood the situation. She's surprisingly insightful at times in the show.
10310353 Too late!
10311998
You're welcome.
Right?
10323601
Hey, little Sci-Twily has lethal levels of cuteness.
I think the adorbs are over nine billion, nine thousand just seems to low to me.