Featherfall

Featherfall’s eyes flickered open, and a small sound of surprise escaped her lips. Twilight quickly removed the forcefield, shuffling over to stand next to the mattress, gently stroking the pegasus’ brow with a front limb.

“How are you feeling?”

“Mmhh...” Confusedly, Featherfall raised her head from her pillow. “I’m... not that good. Did you put the bed here?”

“Yeah. We wanted you to be as warm as possible.”

Featherfall coughed, and Twilight could see her drawing her legs in under the blanket. Fluttershy came walking around the fireplace to stand beside her.

“What’s wrong?”

“I feel sick. And cold.”

“Shouldn’t she be better?” Rarity asked, giving Twilight a questioning look.

“I...” Twilight paused. “I’m speculating, but... I think the fire might be too much for her body to deal with. It’s been so used to her being cold inside. It might need a few days to adjust.”

As soon as she had said this, a shiver caught Featherfall’s body, and she pulled the blanket closer around herself.

“Listen...” Twilight gave her a worried glance. “How would you like a bath?”

“A... bath?”

“Yeah. Best way to stay warm.”

Featherfall didn’t say anything, but she nodded. For Twilight, that was enough, and after another, gentle stroke, she turned around.

“Rarity, could you...?”

“Certainly.” Rarity gave a smile, making for the stairs.

“How bad is it?” Fluttershy asked. “How sick do you feel?”

“I don’t know.” Featherfall’s voice came out in a weak murmur. “I think I’ll survive it.”

“As long as it doesn’t get worse,” Twilight said, “I think we’re okay. If what I think is true, you might feel sick for a while, maybe it comes and goes, but it should be a little bit less bad each time. You... you do trust us to make things better, don’t you?”

To her relief, the pegasus nodded with no hesitation. “I often feel sick. This is different, but it’s not that much worse.”

“I’m really sorry.” Twilight lowered her gaze. Even after everything she knew, it was still harrowing to be reminded of just how much misery the pony before her had gone through.

For a while, the only sounds were the pouring of water from above and Featherfall’s occasional cough. Eventually, Fluttershy gave Twilight a tap at her shoulder, pointing upstairs.

“Uhm...”

“Right.” Twilight gave a nod, pulling herself together. “Featherfall? Would you... like to take that bath?”

Featherfall nodded, and Twilight gently caught the bed in a purple cloud, carefully lifting it up and floating it on the upper level, followed by herself and Fluttershy. There, she put the mattress and covers onto the floor, floating the naked pony through the open door and into the bathroom’s tub. She threw a gaze at Rarity, and found her own worry reflected on her marefriend’s face.

“Is the temperature okay?” Twilight asked, seeing how the upper body of the pegasus was caught in another shiver as her lower half made contact with the water.

“It’s...” Featherfall fumbled around a bit, taking her time to get used to it. “It’s okay.”

For a while, the only sound was the pouring of water, until Featherfall spoke up again.

“Listen. Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy. I’m... I’m not a child, okay? I understand that I’m sick, not just because of this but... and... and that you’re trying to help me. And I love you for it. I... I love all of you. But... I’m not a child. I can understand what’s happening to me, if you tell me. And... just... don’t treat me like I’m ignorant, okay? Just... don’t... just don’t shut me out... please?”

Twilight hesitated for just a moment, then she climbed into the tub, leaving the surprised Featherfall enough time to draw in her legs, and reached out a front limb to caress her cheek.

“I know you’re not a child.” It was a simple fact, and it was the truth. “All I want, all we want, is to help you get better. And we don’t have secrets from you – you can ask us anything.”

Featherfall looked at her. She didn’t pull back from her touch, but she didn’t lean into it, either.

“Am I going to die?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

There was a moment of silence, and Twilight knew that Featherfall didn’t trust her completely. But she nodded, and then she did lean her head against Twilight’s hoof, only to once again break into tears a few moments later.

“None of us thinks you are weak,” Fluttershy said, answering a question that had not been asked. “You have just gone through so much.”

At this point, and with Twilight having entered the tub, the water was high enough to reach their shoulders, and, at least for Twilight, it was at a temperature that was just barely tolerable. Featherfall did not shiver anymore, she only cried, and did so quietly.

“What d-did you... talk about while I was... s-sleeping?”

“We want to take turns watching over you until you get better,” Twilight answered without hesitation. “If we want to keep your fire burning, you need to continue to feel loved. Once you are better, you can do whatever you want. And I told everyone to make a lot of contact.”

While she spoke, Twilight could see in the pegasus’ face how her trust in her increased with every word. Honesty is important to her, she thought.

“And is it real?”

“Could it work if it was not?” Rarity asked, turning off the tap.

“It could,” Twilight answered truthfully. “But it is real.”

Featherfall nodded, and Twilight knew that she believed her. Still crying, she shyly leaned forward, and Twilight understood, sliding a bit closer and taking her into another embrace.

She would have to do this a lot in the coming weeks.

But she didn’t mind.

This was the beginning of something. They were not just saving Featherfall’s life... Twilight had opened up too much to believe that they would just go their separate ways after Featherfall was cured. No, this was a pony who was likely to enter their circle of friends permanently. Six might become seven.

It was a scary thought, because none of them, including Featherfall herself, knew what kind of pony she really was, or was going to become. All they had seen so far was an empty husk, a shadow of a real person.

But it was also an exciting thought. Despite her task in Ponyville, despite her letters, the only real, close friends Twilight had made since her arrival – or, indeed, her entire life – were the other five elements. She looked at the pony in her arms, and, despite the fact that she was already sweating, she could feel a new warmth, coming to life inside of her.