The school bell rang, signalling the start of the school day. Apple Bloom looked over to her left and couldn’t help but notice that a certain pink filly who was always on time was noticeably absent.
“Alright class, let’s begin today’s lessons,” Cheerilee announced as she walked up to her desk and placed a bunch of papers down onto it. “To start, I was thinking about going over the questions on last week’s Math test, since it was clear that a lot of you had actually studied like I had told you. Twist, Sweetie Belle and Silver Spoon, you three can have a thirty minute recess whilst I go over the test, as you all achieved excellent grades.”
Most of the class groaned in both sadness and jealousy. Silver Spoon jumped out of her seat with a smug grin on her face, Sweetie Belle with a sheepish grin on her face, and Twist with a blissful smile. As the three began to move towards the door, Cheerilee called out to Silver Spoon.
“Oh, and since Diamond Tiara is at home with a cold today, could I ask you to take her paper to her at the end of the day? I’ll be writing some comments on it that I want her to read.”
Silver Spoon nodded before heading outside with the other two fillies. Apple Bloom’s eyes widened as she heard the news of Diamond Tiara’s cold, whilst behind her she could hear Scootaloo scoff. “I bet she’s just fakin’ again.”
“Well then, shall we get started everypony?” Cheerilee asked, ignoring Scootaloo’s remark.
“Yes, ma’am,” the class replied in unison. All except for one filly, who was too busy thinking about just one thing.
Diamond Tiara blew her nose into the tissue paper and then threw it into the bin. Or rather, she threw it into the general direction of the bin. Whether or not it actually went in was uncertain, and she certainly didn’t care. Right now, she was suffering far too much to care about much of anything at all.
“I hate getting sick for real,” she said, followed by a sniffle. “My nose feels funny, my throat hurts, my eyes get watery, my head hurts, I can’t stop sne… sne…” Diamond Tiara inhaled some air, and then unleashed a loud sneeze. “I hade id…”
A knock came at Diamond Tiara’s door. She knew it was her mother, coming to give her some of that awful medicine again. She liked the honey-flavoured liquid medicine she used to have whenever she got sick, but now that she was a ‘big girl’, her mother said it was time to have some ‘proper medicine’, which unfortunately for Diamond Tiara meant swallowing those nasty capsules whole. She hated them so much, but it’s not like she could fight it much in her condition.
“Come in,” she said in a tired, groggy voice. She was just glad that one filly in particular could not see her in such a-
“Hi!” Diamond Tiara froze, and slowly, in an almost-robotic style, turned her head towards the door. There was Apple Bloom, dressed in a pink nurse outfit with an accompanying cap on her head, with a tray on her back. “Golly, you really do look bad. Ah guess ya weren’t fakin’ it after all!”
Diamond Tiara couldn’t believe her eyes. She convinced herself that it had to be a hallucination, up until Apple Bloom approached her and placed the tray onto her bed. She could feel the weight on her hind legs, and knew that it was real.
“W-W-What are you doing here?” she asked as she watched Apple Bloom pick up a pill with her hoof.
“Ah came ta see how y’all were holdin’ up, an’ when ah asked yer mum if there was anythin’ ah could do ta help ya, she said ah could bring ya yer medicine an’ make sure ya take it.”
“And the cos-” Diamond Tiara let out a single cough, which quickly grew into a series of coughs. Apple Bloom reached over and patted her back until the final cough was out. “… T-The costume?”
“Oh, ah asked if ah could borrow it,” Apple Bloom explained. “Ah figured that if ah was gonna help ya, ah could also get mah Cutie Mark at the same time! Imagine, a member of the Apple family becomin’ a doctor!”
“Nurse,” Diamond Tiara said.
Apple Bloom pouted. “What’s the difference?”
Diamond Tiara opened her mouth, but had no answer. “I-I don’t know! One wears a hat and the other wears a mirror on their head?”
“A doctor,” a voice from behind Apple Bloom called out, “diagnoses and prescribes treatments to patients, whilst a nurse comforts the patient during their troubling time.” Nurse Sweetheart approached Diamond Tiara’s bedside and placed two sheets of paper down onto it. “Silver Spoon dropped by to give you these from your teacher. She also wishes you get well soon.”
“She’s not gonna come ta see how you’re doin’?” Apple Bloom asked.
Diamond Tiara shook her head, and then sneezed a few times, groaning once it was over. “Silver Spoon’s super afraid of gettin’ sick,” Diamond Tiara said with a few sniffles. “An’ I don’t blame her…”
“Well, just be sure to take your medicine and get plenty of rest, sweetie,” Nurse Sweetheart told her daughter, who huffed and turned her head away. “Can I leave this to you, Nurse Applebloom?”
Apple Bloom saluted. “Yes, ma’am!” she answered in a cheerful tone. Nurse Sweetheart planted a quick kiss on Diamond Tiara’s forehead and then left the room. “Alright Diamond, time ta take yer medicine!”
“No.” Diamond tiara knew that she would not be able to fight against her own mother, but maybe against Apple Bloom she stood a chance.
Apple Bloom frowned and brought the pill to Diamond Tiara’s mouth, which was sealed firmly shut. “Diamond, that wasn’t a request. Ya have ta take ter medicine if ya wanna get better.”
“And if I don’t want to get better?” Diamond Tiara asked, turning her head to make sure Apple Bloom couldn’t take advantage of the opening by shoving the pill into her mouth.
Apple Bloom thought for a second. What would be the best way to convince her? “… Well, if that’s yer choice. But that’ll jus’ mean no visit ta the zoo this weekend.”
Diamond Tiara remained silent for a second, before huffing and snatching the pill with her hoof. “Fine,” she said in a defiant tone. “Let’s just get this over with.”
“Ah got some water here ta wash the taste down,” Apple Bloom announced, picking up the glass of water from the tray.
“What about your friends? Don’t you usually go ‘crusading’ with them around this time?” Diamond Tiara asked before hesitantly placing the pill into her mouth. She swallowed it and then made a gagging expression.
“Ah jus’ told ‘em ah had extra chores ta do,” Apple Bloom said. “Even if they find out later ah was lyin’, ah’ll probably have thought of somethin’ else by then. Comin’ ta visit you of all ponies is the last thing they’ll suspect.”
Apple Bloom brought the water up to Diamond Tiara’s lips, waiting for her to open them. “I can hold the glass myself, you know.”
“Ya sure? Yer hooves are kinda shakin’ a little bit.”
“I’m sure,” Diamond Tiara said, grabbing the glass and taking it from Apple Bloom’s hooves. She opened her mouth and started to drink the water… and then spat it out and into Apple Bloom’s face. “BLECH! What the… Is there sugar in this?!”
Apple Bloom wiped her face with a foreleg, looking rather annoyed at Diamond Tiara as she reopened her eyes. “Well, yeah… Ah figured, since ya like sweet stuff an’ all-”
Diamond Tiara slammed the glass down onto the tray and glared at Apple Bloom. “You like the sun, but how would feel if the Princess brought it right to your face?!”
Apple Bloom averted her eyes and gave the floor and annoyed but apologetic look. “Sorry… Ah was jus’ tryin’ ta help…”
A silence hung over the two of them for a moment, only breaking a few minutes later when Diamond Tiara decided to finally swallow the second pill that she had been given. She then grabbed the thermometer and placed it in her mouth.
Apple Bloom didn’t say anything as she tried to think of some way to redeem herself. “Um… Oh, I know!” Apple Bloom grabbed Diamond Tiara’s pillows from under her head, causing the pink filly to fall back onto her mattress suddenly. “Ah’ll fluff yer pillows for ya!”
Apple Bloom began to fluff Diamond Tiara’s pillow, putting perhaps just too much force into it as moments later, feathers began to fly around the room. Apple Bloom looked up at the annoyed Diamond Tiara, grinning sheepishly and giggling as she placed the now-damaged pillow back under her head. “S-Sorry… Guess ah kinda forgot mah own strength fer a second there…”
“Why don’t you just take the tray down?” Diamond Tiara suggested. “I know you’ll probably mess that up, too, but at least it will be away from me.”
Apple Bloom didn’t like the way Diamond Tiara put it, but she agreed that she had a point. If she was going to cause mayhem, it would be best to do it away from her. And since she was sick, Apple Bloom decided to let her off for her rude tone.
“Okay. Ah’ll be right back with… jus’ some ordinary water…”
Diamond Tiara watched as Apple Bloom left with the tray on her back, her head hanging in shame. After she was gone, Diamond Tiara let out a few more sneezes, before groaning and placing a hoof to her forehead. She checked the reading on the thermometer, and found that it was higher than earlier that day.
“Stupid blank flank. If you’re going to comfort me, at least do it right…” Diamond Tiara looked outside the window, watching as a blue blur shot by, followed by a beautiful rainbow trail. “At least drop the whole ‘crusading’ thing and just do what you know you can do, just for now,” she whispered, before realising that several minutes had passed since Apple Bloom had left.
She began to grow concerned, worrying that perhaps Apple Bloom had taken what Diamond Tiara had said very poorly. She was now at an impasse; on one hoof, she wanted to get up to find out where she had gone, but on the other hoof, the world was spinning around her, and she was in no mood for walking anywhere at that moment in time.
However, when she saw the yellow filly re-entering her room, she let out a quiet sigh of relief. “Sorry that took so long! Yer mum suggested ah make some soup for ya!”
Diamond Tiara saw the soup on the tray balanced on Apple Bloom’s back, but couldn’t quite smell it with her blocked nose. “You made it?”
Apple Bloom frowned at the tone of Diamond Tiara’s voice. “A-Ah jus’ followed yer mum’s instructions. No sugar, ah swear.”
Diamond Tiara sighed and then sat up straight. “Whatever. I guess I was getting hungry anyway…” That was a lie; she was not in the mood to eat at all. But she felt that she was treading a fine line here, and needed to say something to keep Apple Bloom from just running off and abandoning her.
“Alright, lemme just-” Apple Bloom moved to place the tray onto Diamond Tiara’s bed, but tripped over something, and wound up dropping the tray instead. The bowl flipped over, and the contents spilled all over Diamond Tiara’s bed sheets, causing the pink filly to quickly pull her hind legs up to avoid the hot soup. “Oh, horseapples! Ah’m so sorry, Diamond! Ah’ll clean it up right away!”
“No-” Diamond Tiara started, but it was too late. Moments later, Apple Bloom was back in the room with a rag and a bucket of water. She soaked the rag in the water and attempted to clean up the mess she had made on Diamond Tiara’s bed sheets. “Blank flank…”
“It’s okay, ah got this!”
Diamond Tiara furrowed her brow. “Blank flank-”
“C’mon, you stupid stain! Jus’ clean up already!”
“APPLE BLOOM!” Apple Bloom stopped her cleaning suddenly, and turned to Diamond Tiara, who was now holding her throat in agony.
“A-Are y’all okay?! Quick, drink some- Oh no! Ah spilled yer water, too! Ah’ll go get some mor-” Apple Bloom stopped as she felt something pulling her hind leg, and she turned to see a pink hoof reaching out to her. Following the leg, she found Diamond Tiara’s face… not angry, but more… determined. “Diamond?”
Diamond Tiara used all the might she could muster to pull Apple Bloom towards herself. Apple Bloom landed on the bed, now laying down over the side with her head resting on Diamond Tiara’s torso. “Idiot. You’re a terrible nurse, you know that?”
Apple Bloom gasped, and then pouted. “Well, sor-ry! Ah was jus’ tryin’ ta help!”
Diamond Tiara wrapped her forelegs around Apple Bloom, pulling her closer towards herself and surprising the other filly. “Then just do what you can do, you stupid blank flank.” Diamond Tiara brought her hoof to her mouth as she coughed a few times, and after she was done she continued. “I want to get some sleep. Think you can just… keep me company for a bit?”
Apple Bloom looked up to see Diamond Tiara’s face was a bright shade of red, though whether that was from her sickness, or from something else, she wasn’t sure. Regardless of which it was, she smiled and nodded her head. “Uh, sure. If that’s what ya want…”
Diamond Tiara moved aside and pulled Apple Bloom towards her again, though much more weakly this time, to the point that Apple Bloom had to actually put in the energy to move herself instead. Once the two fillies were lying together, Apple Bloom pulled the cover over both of their bodies, and smiled as she looked into Diamond Tiara’s eyes in front of her.
An hour later, Nurse Sweetheart decided to check up on the two fillies, and had to suppress the urge to squeal and find a camera as she saw the two of them lying in her daughter’s bed together, their foreheads touching and Apple Bloom’s foreleg wrapped around Diamond Tiara’s body.
Watching as Diamond Tiara shifted about in her sleep to get comfortable, resulting in her resting her head on Apple Bloom’s torso whilst the latter filly responded subconsciously by wrapping her forelegs around Diamond Tiara’s head, almost gave the nurse a heart attack, before she realised that she should probably send a letter to the Apple Family informing them of their daughter’s whereabouts.
“Glad you’re feeling better,” Silver Spoon said as walked beside Diamond Tiara the following morning. “School’s been like, so boring without you. Sorry for not visiting, by the way, but… y’know…”
“I get it,” Diamond Tiara said in an understanding tone. “Being sick is like, the worst. At least we could still chat through text messages.”
“Apple Bloom’s sick?” Diamond Tiara’s ear twitched, and she turned her attention to where Cheerilee was having a conversation with Applejack. “Oh dear, first Diamond Tiara, and now Apple Bloom. I hope there isn’t something going around…”
Diamond Tiara’s ear fell as she stared wide-eyed at the two mares. ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
Apple Bloom pulled the thermometer out of her mouth and read the temperature. “Stupid Diamond Tiara… givin’ me her cold like that. Who does she think she… she…” Apple Bloom let out a loud sneeze, almost dropping the thermometer. “Is? …” Apple Bloom placed the thermometer onto her bedside table and let out a sigh. “Ah wonder if Diamond’ll come ta see how ah’m doin’, wearing a nurse’s outfit like ah did yesterday?” Apple Bloom smiled and immediately shook her head. “Yeah right. Not in a million years.”
A knock came at Apple Bloom’s door, and her heart suddenly stopped. “It’s me,” a voice called out from the other side. Apple Bloom’s jaw hung open as she stared at the door. Did Diamond Tiara really come to nurse Apple Bloom, the same way Apple Bloom had for her? “Well?”
“Oh, er… c-come in.” The door opened, and there stood Diamond Tiara, looking much better than she did the previous day. Her hair was tidy, her coat had been washed, her nose was no longer runny, and her eyes were no longer bloodshot. However, Apple Bloom couldn’t help but notice one thing.
“What?” Diamond Tiara asked as she approached Apple Bloom, who was staring back at the pink filly.
“… Ye’re not wearin’ a nurse’s outfit.”
Diamond Tiara furrowed her brow and picked up one of Apple Bloom’s stuffed bears, bringing it up and bringing it down onto the farm filly’s face. Apple Bloom pushed the toy aside and gave Diamond Tiara an annoyed look. “Yeah, well, too bad. I’m here to return the favour, but I’m not going to wear that for you. Now just hurry up and tell me what you want.”
“… It’s in mah closet,” Apple Bloom said, bringing a confused look to Diamond Tiara’s face. “The nurse outfit.”
“UGH! I told you, I’m not-”
“OHHHH! My head is killing me!” Apple Bloom shouted, bringing a hoof to her forehead. “Man, ah wonder just where in Equestria ah could have possibly gotten this cold from?”
Apple Bloom stared at Diamond Tiara for a few seconds, before the pink filly sighed and turned to the closet. “Fine… But just this once, and if you tell anypony about this, I’m going to buy your farm and turn it into an orange orchard.”
“Ah won’t tell a soul,” Apple Bloom responded, sitting up and watching in anticipation as Diamond Tiara searched through the closet. “And when ye’re properly dressed, ah could sure go fer some warm milk. Oh, and that book ah was readin’ is downstairs, too.”
Diamond Tiara grit her teeth together as she pulled out the nurse’s outfit and glared at it for a few seconds. “I swear to Celestia, you’d better not be faking this…”
Author's Note
What started out as an around one thousand word venture to pass the time whilst my sniffly-sneezies prevented me from writing other stuff somehow evolved into a >3K word thing before I even realised how long it was getting.
Note to self: I seem to write better when I have a cold 
