Chapter 1
Fluttershy's Sick Day
By: Zero_Starlight
I woke up to the sound of slightly muffled coughing, and I turned over to look at Fluttershy.
The yellow Pegasus mare had tucked herself into a ball, her wings wrapped tightly around herself, shivers shaking her body. I grabbed my chalkboard, quickly scribbling down a note before tentatively giving Fluttershy a gentle poke.
She froze for a moment, then slowly look over, eyeing the note I had written on the black surface.
'You alright, Shy?'
She nodded, looking away quickly as another bout of coughs racked her body. I shook my head silently. I guess it was to be expected, all things considered. I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and checked the clock. 6 AM. I'd still rather be in bed, but the fact that Fluttershy was sick meant that it wasn't in my healths best interest to do so. I softly padded to the oak door of the bedroom, dodging the stump of a carrot that Angel sent hurtling at my head in protest to the noise, and made my way downstairs.
The winter was coming upon us, and even though Fluttershy's house was up to building codes, it was still a tree, and it was not outfitted with a very good heater. I noted that the fire in the fireplace had burned down to embers, and added re-stoking the fire to the list of to do's. As I made my way to the kitchen, I pondered how exactly it made sense to not install an electric heater, and instead use a fireplace to warm the inside of a tree. I was fairly certain that there was some kind of law against that sort of thing.
Humming tunelessly, I grabbed a couple of mugs from the cupboard, and a small jar of honey and from the pantry, I retrieved a lemon. I grabbed a jug of milk from the fridge, pouring it into the kettle and warming it. Moving over to the counter, I pulled the chopping board over and grabbed a knife from the wooden knife block, slicing a quarter of the lemon, then cutting a small slit in on part of the lemon. I poured warm milk and honey into a mug, then squeezed a drop of lemon juice into the mug.
Walking back into the bedroom, I set the mugs down on the bedside table, before poking Fluttershy lightly. She sniffled, coughed, then rolled over. Her eyelids had puffed up, and a dazed look clouding her eyes.
"Y-Yes, Troy? What is it?"
I blinked, temporarily having forgot what I had left the room to do. I grabbed her mug, offering it to her. She titled her head, blinking rapidly, attempting to drag her cold addled thoughts into order.
"Tea...? Troy, you shouldn't have! I'm not sick, I'm just a little tired..."
Attempting to prove her claim, she sat up and dragged herself out of bed. Standing up, she gave me a small smile.
"See? I'm completely fine!"
I rolled my eyes, grabbed my chalkboard, and wrote a quick note.
'No, you're not. Your sick, and you need rest.'
She protested with a frown, and replied.
"But...!"
I erased the note, writing another.
No buts! I can't have my girlfriend attempting to take care of all the animals while she's sick, now can I?
She let out a meek noise as she read that note, and I realized too late that bringing up her responsibility to the animals was probably not the best way to go about things.
I sighed and put the chalkboard down. With a sudden movement I tackled Shy, pinning her to the bed. She gasped in surprise, and I leaned in closer, rubbing the side of my face against her neck, causing her to involuntarily nuzzle into my neck. I moved so that I could look into her eyes with my own, holding her in place when she tried to look away. There's a funny thing about eyes, and although it's somewhat clichéd, eyes are like windows to the soul. When I had first met Fluttershy, I had looked into her eyes. It was only for a second, but the thing about your soul is, a second is all it needs to make a deeply rooted connection with others.
The day I met Fluttershy, a strong bond had been formed between us, something that no number of books that Twilight read could ever fully explain the far reaching effects of that bond. I used that bond now, my eyes doing what my mouth could no longer achieve. Through the bond that I had formed with her, I spoke.
'Fluttershy. You are the most hard working and soft spoken pony I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and yet you're also the most stubborn mare I've ever known. I love you, and I'm here for you. That means you are going to rest in bed here while I answer to your every beck and call. And there isn't a single darn thing you can do about it.'
Fluttershy opened her mouth, shut it, opened it again, closed it. She sighed, and turned away as a small cough racked her body again. "Fine..." She said meekly.
I planted a small kiss on her forehead, before rolling off, pulling the covers up and over her.
I was at my work table, my typewriter click clacking quietly as I wove a new tale. I had always loved to spin stories of adventures, romance, and what have you, even before the accident. I don't like to toot my own horn, but I was a highly acclaimed author, and many a night had been spent around a campfire, telling scary stories to the Crusaders, they're hope that perhaps being scared witless would bring on their mark. I sighed, my left hand leaving the keys of the typewriter, brushing the scarred flesh near my Adam's Apple. My mind's eye flashed to the image of a knife arcing through the air...
I shook my head, I didn't want to think about that now. I had survived, and that was all that mattered. No need to live in the past, the present was the here and now, and all that mattered.
I was just getting back into the groove of my story, when a object crashed into the back of my head, the force sending my head into the keys of my typewriter, leaving a mess of random letters inked into the paper.
Pushing myself off, I grunted, and turned to look at the offending object. Unsurprisingly, I found a carrot sitting on the floor. Turning around a little more, I leveled my gaze on Angel. The ironically named creature glared back at me sleepily, his left rabbit foot tapping away impatiently. I raised a brow in question. He jerked a thumb towards Fluttershy's room, and I looked up, frowning at the sight of Shy slowly making her way down the stairs.
She was trying to make her movements look fluid and at the very least controlled, but she wasn't fooling anyone. She had purple bags under her eyes and sniffled quietly every so often, not to mention her legs were shaking like leaves on a windy day.
She looked up from her sneaking, and spotted me silently looking at her, made a noise best described as a 'meep', and froze in place. I simply looked at her and made a gesture to go back to bed. She complied, slowly making her way back upstairs.
I looked at Angel and sighed, shaking my head. He nodded in agreement, before hopping over to the kitchen for a new carrot.
Carrying a small wooden tray, I carefully balanced a bowl of soup and a cup of herbal tea brewed from a recipe Zecora gave me. Nudging the door open with my hip, I turned into the room placing the tray on the edge of the bed. I shook Fluttershy's shoulder gently and...
A pillow fell out from under the cover where her head should have been. I looked out the window, spotting a yellow and pink dot flying off into the forest, saddlebags weighing her down. I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose before picking up a sheet of paper and a slightly glowing quill from the table, scratching out a letter to Dash. I signed it and grabbed the lighter from the table, holding the bottom edge of the page to the green and yellow flame. The parchment burst into green embers.
I waved goodbye to Dash as she flew off, doubtlessly to find a soft cloud or perhaps a tree over at Sweet Apple Acres, and take a nap. Lowering my hand, I turned to Fluttershy, who's legs and wings had been tied up, lay on the ground beside me. As I turned, her eyes flicked down, apparently finding the ground to have suddenly caught her full attention. She sniffled a little.
Writing a note on my chalkboard, I held it up for her to see.
'Alright Shy if I can't get you to stay in bed and rest, then I'll have to keep you with me. You want to take care of the animals so badly? Then guide me.'
Her eyes lit up with this, and she looked up at me. She spoke in a hoarse voice, "Really?"
I nodded, then untied her wings and legs, helping her up. I wrote another message on the board.
'Come on, let's get back to the cottage and bundle up. It's cold out here, and if you are so set on going out to take care of the animals, we don't need you getting frostbite or hypothermia, now do we?'
She nodded and began to walk along the path back to the cottage, her legs shaking unsteadily underneath her. I watched, bemused, for a few moments, then set off after her and, with a grunt, hoisted Fluttershy up into my arms, much as one might carry a bride. She 'meeped' and briefly flailed her hooves and attempted to break free of my grasp. I simply brushed my hand through the fur of her hide, and planted a quick kiss in the tangle of her hair.
She hummed happily at this, her legs going limp, and her face lit up with a blush as pink as her mane.
It took a little bit to get all of the things Fluttershy and I would need to take care of the animals, then gather our warmer clothing from the closet. I added a note to the fridge chalkboard.
'Note to Self,
Clean out and reorganize closet!'
I turned quickly as I hear a squeak of surprise, and bit down hard on my lip at the sight of Fluttershy, or rather, a few strands of pink hair, a hoof and the tip of a wing poking out of a pile of assorted articles of clothing, foot and hoof wear, and hats. I let out a wheezy chuckle as the hoof twitched and the pile shifted slightly.
I pushed through the pile, and grabbed a hoof, gently pulling the yellow Pegasus out of the pile.
I scribbled down a new note on my chalkboard.
'Come on Shy! Now is not the time to be playing around!'
Fluttershy read the note and gave me a look of disdain, or as close as somepony like her could get to a look of disdain. She grabbed my hand in her hooves and with a flap of her wings, propelled both of us backwards into the pile.
Flailing around in the assortment of accessories, I was startled as the world around me turned a light pink, and I opened my eyes to find Fluttershy leaning down, her mane hanging like a curtain around us. I rolled over, bringing forth another 'meep' of surprise from Fluttershy.
I wrote on the chalkboard again, grinning as I did so.
'Not so fast! Your sick, and I can't risk you giving me your cold! However...'
Shy tilted her head at me, and I leaned in, placing a kiss on her cheek, then her ear, then the bridge of her nose. She giggled and her breath steamed in the cool air. I pulled away, helping her to her hooves. I wrote another note on the chalkboard.
'Come on. We need to hurry and get all the animals fed and cared for before it gets too dark.'
Shy nodded and we set off.
It took a few hours to feed the animals, an hour or so taken up when we had to stop so Fluttershy could guide me through a check up on a baby possum.
By the time we reached the house, it had grown dark and the cold was beginning to poke it's fingers through the clothing we wore, sending chills down my spine.
I unlocked and opened the door quickly, hurrying into the warmth of the cottage and shut the door as Fluttershy came through.
It was warm inside the cottage, the nearly burned out embers in the fireplace lighting the room and casting flickering shadows everywhere.
I shrugged out of my winter gear, hanging it on the wooden post to dry, and did the same with Fluttershy's coat and saddlebags. I motioned her over to couch, adding a few logs to the fire, causing it to burst into cheerful life. I grabbed a thick wool blanket from the closet, drapeing it Fluttershy, curled into a ball and shivering. I slid beneath the blanket and snuggled up against Fluttershy, attempting to transfer whatever heat I could to the freezing mare.
She shivered as my side brushed against hers, and she leaned in closer, laying her head close to mine. Her breath was warm on my face, and I let out a hum of pleasure at the feeling, and I drew a hand up to her cheek, drawing complex symbols and letters.
She giggled at the feeling, squirming in my arms. She opened her eyes and blinked away tears, and found me staring back happily.
She closed her eyes and leaned closer to me, and for a moment I considered pulling away. But only for a moment.
I leaned in, my lips meeting hers, and felt her melt into my embrace. Many books I had read had described the first kiss to be like fireworks going off, among others, and then never speaks of following embraces nearly as detailed.
I felt that this was incorrect, as my time with Fluttershy clearly showed. Everytime was like the first time, as silly as that might sound. I never tired of being around Fluttershy, and I was fairly certain that her feelings were the same, even if she was not as forward as myself.
I broke the kiss, my eyes half-lidded, and I made a sound of contentment. Fluttershy continued to search for my lips for a few moments, before slowly opening her eyes, smiling happily at me.
I sneezed, coughed a little, and looked over a Fluttershy, a look of mock anger on my face. I scribbled a quick note on my chalkboard, my hand unsteady because of the cold.
'You planned this... didn't you?'
Fluttershy, who was now fully recovered, looked back at me, barely containing a grin, and said, "Why would I ever do that?"
I stared at her, then let out a gasp of suprise as she tackled me to the bed, snuggling up against my side. I rolled my eyes and pulled her closer, reflecting that, perhaps, Fluttershy should have more sick days...
THE END
Author's note; Well... that turned out quite well really! I was expecting the ending to be somewhat different... But I think I like it as it is! Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, so please, review, favorite, tell your friends, etc. Every little bit helps boost my confidence, and helps me get even more stories out there!
- Zero