Tea and Rest Will Work, but Laughter is the Best Medicine
Mmph.
Gnnh-!
Nnnngh!
Mmmmm-PHWAH!
“That’s enough!”
“Whoa, hey Squirt! Got enough blankets there?”
In Rainbow Dash’s cloud home late one afternoon, a quiet day spent hanging out had taken a turn for the decidedly strange when Scootaloo had let loose a loud sniffle. That sound sparked a sense of urgency in her adoptive sister, who wanted to do her utmost to combat a full-blown cold.
Rainbow’s solution? Well, clearly Scootaloo was cold - it was the low point of Winter, after all. So what better way to stave off the cold than with a blanket? Or six?
“No-nooo!” Paff. “Mmnff! Mng mmnff!”
Or seven?
Rainbow chuckled, leaning toward the quivering mass of down. “What’d you say? Not enough?”
The pile of blankets seemed to scream.
“Sorry, kiddo, but that was my last one! Are you still cold?” Unseen to Scootaloo, Rainbow mischievously stared at the pile and awaited the perfect moment.
Several seconds went by while Scootaloo wrestled with the various comforters wrapped around her. Eventually, she was able to pull the edge of the seventh one down, giving her head some much-needed space to breathe, see, and most of all, speak. Scootaloo shook her head to clear her vision, glared at her caretaker, and took a breath.
“Now, listen here, Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow grinned. The Lecture Voice was one she had grown accustomed to a long time ago. Hearing it on Scootaloo only made it adorable. Regardless, the older pegasus recognized the moment she was waiting for, and so made her move.
“Oh, so you’re still not warm enough?” she asked, flaring her wings and preparing to pounce.
Scootaloo’s eyes widened. A mild panic fed into her system. “W-wait, WAIT, no, don’t you d-”
And then Rainbow tackled Scootaloo, blankets and all, to the floor. The filly’s scream quickly changed to laughter as she bounced harmlessly along the ground, rolled to a stop, then was pushed further along by a certain helping hoof. Nearby, Rainbow’s own laughter added to the mix as she nudged the rolling mass along. Who said sisterly bonding couldn't be fun?
A moment later, the positive atmosphere took a dive as Scootaloo’s laughter turned to wheezing, then to coughing. Rainbow didn’t hesitate - she pulled the blanket prison upright, brought Scootaloo’s head close, and gently tapped between her shoulderblades to help progress the coughing fit.
“Easy now, easy,” she said. “Let it out. Get the junk out.”
Finally, Scootaloo’s coughs quieted and she took a chance to clear her throat. Another set of sniffles followed, then she ended it all by taking a deep breath through her mouth. A loud sigh escaped her, mostly free of any trouble breathing.
“There, better?”
“...can I get a tissue?”
Rainbow nodded, left her little sister in the comforter jail, and returned a few seconds later with a roll of paper towels. “Sorry if they’re a little rough. Haven’t quite made time to head to market this season, you know...”
Working together, the pegasi disentangled the blankets and left them in a heap. To Rainbow’s satisfaction, Scootaloo’s body had warmed up considerably during the episode. Whether or not it would make a difference in her cold would remain unknown, but Rainbow was happy to take what small victories were afforded her.
Scootaloo took one paper towel after another, blowing her muzzle enough times to warrant a visit to a school nurse. Of course, that was out of the question - after all, she had technically already been sent home. By the time she had finished, a small gathering of half-a-dozen crumpled balls of yuck rested nearby. And for all her effort, she soon began sniffling once more.
“I don't like this,” she complained.
Rainbow flew to her kitchen and returned a moment later with a wastebin. She deposited the soiled towels into the can, taking extra care to lift them by their unsoiled edges. “Yeah, being sick usually takes the fun out of anything. But hey, at least you don’t have to spend it at school, right?”
Sniff. “Sure, but it’s Thursday. If this is gonna be my whole weekend-” Sniff! “Agh! ...then I’d rather be sick all next week too. At least make it count for something.”
Rainbow paused a moment to process the filly’s words, then gently smacked the back of her head.
“Ow! Hey!”
“Sorry, Squirt. As your big sister, it’s my duty to keep you on the straight-and-narrow.”
Scootaloo rubbed her victimized head. “By swatting me?”
“Straight. And. Narrow.” Rainbow almost sounded proud of the phrase.
The younger pegasus pulled her hoof in front of her face, as if expecting to see blood from such a gentle smack. “You know, I heard Miss Cheerilee saying that abuse often leads to children acting-out more often.” Sniffle. “Something about negative rein-forcers.”
“Negative reinforcement?” Rainbow Dash visibly flinched. “Yeesh. That’s a Twilight kind of term, and even I know what it means...”
Both pegasi paused as Scootaloo started making a face. She breathed in, breathed in again, then flailed her stunted wings in alarm. Acting fast, Rainbow Dash tore off another piece of towel and passed it along just in time for Scootaloo to let loose a giant-sized sneeze.
The filly made a very undignified honking sound. “Ah-CHPBBTHK!”
To her credit, Rainbow waited a good three seconds before she began laughing.
“It’s not funny!” Scootaloo whined. She leaned over and tossed the ruined towel square into the wastebin, purposefully averting her gaze from the contents. It wasn’t until Rainbow’s laughter refused to peter out that Scootaloo chose to fight back. And she did so by tipping the wastebin over in her older sister’s direction.
That got her attention. Rainbow’s laughter abruptly ended when she felt the soft touch of something wet against her hind leg. When she looked down, she instantly paled. With a gasp of betrayal, Rainbow opened her wings, pushed them both forward, and propelled herself backwards into a hover.
“Oh, oh, gross! No, no, not cool, Scootaloo! This is not cool!”
A soiled paper towel ball was sticking to Rainbow’s leg, just above her hoof. It didn’t dangle, either - it was a good, strong connection.
“Yeah, and it’s not funny, either!” Scootaloo shot back with a small grin. She, too, would take the small victories when she could.
A couple hours later saw Scootaloo nestled on Rainbow’s couch, calmly sleeping off her sickness beneath only two blankets. She had been given a medicinal tea (something Rainbow herself had used earlier that year) which had cleared her airways enough for easy breathing. It was barely sunset, but that didn’t stop Rainbow Dash from putting an end to their activities and telling Scootaloo to get some rest.
‘Just as well, too. I never knew she was so good at chess!’ the older pegasus thought with a wry grin.
Rainbow sat over a small table, on which sat a sheet of paper containing a brief, to-the-point message. It was a letter to Cheerilee, simply stating that Scootaloo would be absent the following day due to her illness. Though she would never openly admit it, Rainbow was anxious at how she had worded the letter. After all, she had never needed to worry about pulling students out of class before, illness or no.
She poured over the wording for a moment longer before checking up on her guest. Scootaloo had curled up beneath the blankets, drawing in as much warmth as she could. Worried that she might be losing too much heat, Rainbow carefully laid a third across the couch. It wasn’t until it had settled that she noticed which one it was - her personal comforter, adorned with her cutie mark.
For a fleeting moment, Rainbow thought about taking it back for her own use. That moment passed as she saw Scootaloo visibly relax beneath the added covering. As a few seconds passed by in silence, Rainbow Dash decided to leave the comforter where it was. After all, she was used to it by now, but Scootaloo might wake up feeling better if she saw it first-thing in the morning.
Rainbow softly giggled. Of course, the medicine should allow her patient to wake up feeling better anyway. Still, it was the thought that counted, and she had plenty more blankets to spare.
“Rest up, Squirt,” she whispered. “I expect you to be back on your scooter before the weekend. No kid your age should spend your free time cooped up with the sniffles.”
Of course, Scootaloo didn’t respond, so Rainbow took the opportunity to laugh at her own wit. A moment later, she turned back to her letter and went over the words one more time. Satisfied, she folded the paper and stuffed it inside an envelope - ‘Hm, this one is larger than I need. Oh well.’ - making sure to write Cheerilee’s name on the front. All Rainbow needed to do now was make sure one of Scootaloo’s classmates got it before class tomorrow, who would then deliver it to the teacher.
Sure, she could deliver it herself, but that would mean taking time away from her sick sister. And she didn’t want her to be left wanting, no matter what.
“Hmm. I wonder if Scoot’s the one keeping me on the straight-and-narrow. I’ve never cared about responsibility before,” she mused.
With one last look to make sure Scootaloo was comfortable, Rainbow Dash trotted into her kitchen and began putting away the medicinal herbs she had used for the tea. She made sure to leave the container nearby, though. After all, she intended to fight Scootaloo’s cold as much as Scootaloo herself did.
‘Heh, we do everything together,’ she thought. A moment later, a soft tune filled the air as Rainbow hummed a song she remembered hearing one of her friends sing. The sound carried through the house, easing the sick filly deeper into her sleep.
Author's Note
!Disclaimer!: No. (You sure?) Yep. (But what about this?) Nope. (Even if you wrote it?) Yep. (That's no fun.) Hey, it's the cost of fanfiction. I don't own the rights, so I have no claim to them! (Ugh, you should work on something original.) Later. It's pony time right now.
Belted this one out in about three hours because that cover picture is adorable. I just wanted to write something for it! Technically speaking, I added a couple effects to the art to add a "warmth" to it, but the original (and, indeed, all the hard work and rightful claim) belongs to the artist.
~Leo
