The Start of the First Day
"Flit and I are off to work soon, Rumble," Cloudchaser told the young colt, crouching down to meet him at eye level. "Twilight should be here any minute now."
Looking up at the clock hanged up on the cloud walls, Cloudchaser noticed it was almost 10 am, the designated time that the bibliophile will arrive. From the short time the wild-maned mare has gotten to know Twilight Sparkle during Rainbow Dash's record-breaking mission, she seems to be the punctual kind of pony.
"You're not nervous, are you Rummy?" Flitter asked.
"No...I'm not," Rumble quietly before adding this next part while his face heats up, "and stop calling me Rummy!"
Cloudchaser lightly giggled at the blushing colt as she ruffled his mane
"No need to be nervous, you've already met Twilight during tornado duty, she's really nice."
Rumble ducked under her hoof, "Yeah, but... this is different." The young spoke quietly as he fixes his mane.
"I get it, she's your new tutor and she's coming over, it'd be like if it was your school teacher miss Cheerilee coming over."
Flitter continued for her twin, "Yeah, and with your brother still in the hospital with the feather flu, somepony has to look after you, and we'll be too busy with the weather team."
With many members of the Ponyville weather team currently on sick leave due to the feather flu, the weather ponies who were fortunate enough to stay wealthy will now have to work overtime to cover for those who are currently stuck in bed for weeks.
The twins asked Twilight about their little predicament, and the lavender unicorn understood why they came to her. Not only will this provide Twilight some time to bond with her soon-to-be tutee, but with the feather flu season having started just yesterday, it is imperative for the young colt to be watched by somepony who can not contract this type of flu that can only make pegasus ponies sick.
"It won't be any different than how Flit and I look after you, it's just somepony new who's going to look after you, and Twilight's a pretty nice mare."
Knock~ Knock~
"And that would be her. I'll get it," Cloudchaser said as she left the living room to answer the front door. Opening it, she met face to face with the owner of Ponyville's local library. "Hey Twilight, glad you came and on time too."
Analyzing the smiling unicorn in front of her, Cloudchaser noticed the stuffed saddlebags she was carrying. Looking behind her, she saw the purple hot air balloon, Twilight's mode of aerial transportation, that is achored in front of her friend's cloud home.
"When you asked me to foalsit Rumble, I had a schedule made for today and the next couple of weeks for the time Thunderlane will be stuck in the hospital, and with a schedule, I'll always be on time," Twilight told her as she walked inside the cloud home when Cloudchaser stepped to the side to let her in.
Cloudchaser noticed a twinkle in the unicorn's eyes, she seems rather excited to foalsit. The pale lavender mare wondered why though.
Activating her horn, Twilight levitated a to-do list from her saddlebag and showed it to the pegasus mare, "I wrote down some fun activities for Rumble and me to do."
Cloudchaser glances over the list, "Well I hope those activities are indoors, it's best Rumble avoids any contact with other pegasi who might have the flu for the next few weeks."
"Don't worry, I read a book on the feather flu and I paid close attention to the section on how pegasus ponies can avoid the feather flu, I even came prepared for it," assured Twilight as she levitated more items from her saddlebag.
Cloudchaser saw some foal-friendly medicine, a disinfectant spray, a thermometer, and even an ice pack, most likely for the high fever, one of the symptoms of the flu, on the chances Rumble does get sick.
"Glad to see the little guy will be in good hoof," Cloudchaser said with a smile. The two continued towards the living room. "Rumble, Twilight's here."
"Hello there," the purple mare warmly greeted as she slowly walked up to Rumble.
Rumble took a couple of ginger steps back while only giving Twilight a quick glance over before avoiding any eye completely. Spreading his wings, he fluttered out of the living and into his room.
Twilight frowned. Cloudchaser gently pats Twilight's shoulder with her wing
"Don't worry, the little guy's usually shy around ponies he hardly knows, especially when his big bro is not around, I hope you understood," comforted Cloudchaser.
Twilight nodded to Cloudchaser in understanding with a sad look, now feeling sympathetic for the little colt. She too knows what it feels like when their older brother was sick. From the oldest memory that she can remember, she was feeling lonely when her older brother was stuck in bed, and weak when she could not do anything to help her brother since her parents insisted she stays out of her brother's room for the time being and she really wanted to help.
"I understand, this must be a little too much for him," Twilight said before putting on a confident look. "But I'm sure we'll get along soon, I might even become his favorite foalsitter!" She declared it rather boldly.
She will make her former foalsitter proud by becoming this young colt's favorite foalsitter! Oh, she can not write about this experience to Princess Celestia, who will undoubtedly relay it to her niece.
"Yeah right, Twilight," Flitter giggled rather nastily at Twilight's presumptuous statement, which brought Twilight out of her thoughts. The bow-wearing twin poked Twilight's chest, "I'll always be Rummy's favorite foalsitter, don't you forget it!"
Cloudchaser gently pulled Twilight close to her, "I suggest not taking my sister lightly when it comes to Rumble. When the little guy once said I was his favorite, Flit went a little crazy one time and tried buying his affection with gifts."
Twilight let out a nervous chortle, "Noted."
The wild-mane twin then leads Twilight to the kitchen. Cloudchaser opened the fridge and pointed at two plates, wrapped in plastic wrap, inside of it.
"We've already prepared Rumble's food for the day, all you have to do is reheat them in the microwave."
"All right, but I thought I was going to have to cook for him?" Asked Twilight with a raised eyebrow. "It wouldn't be any problem for me. I'm quite capable."
Her former foalsitter almost always treated Twilight with her delicious cooking when she was younger. Also, from the book on foalsitting that she read last night and the two pegasus mares will be gone for the whole day, she was really certain she was going to have to cook lunch and dinner for the pegasus colt
"Flit insisted it," Cloudchaser informed her. "Don't take it personally, both of us help Thunderlane watch Rumble pretty much all the time when he is not around, and this flu is really messing with that schedule. If the little guy wants a snack, you can just prepare some celery with peanut butter, it's his favorite."
"I'll make a note of that," Twilight said as she pulled out her checklist and wrote it down.
"Also note that Rumble can't have any soda, he can't get enough of soda he will just want more and all that sugar makes him hyper. If he wants something sweet to drink, there some apple juice in the fridge."
"Got it."
The two mares then started to head back to the living room.
"Make sure he brushes his teeth before bed, which is 9 o'clock," Cloudchaser continued, "we should be back about an hour after that. Thunderlane usually tells him a story to help him sleep. Got any stories to tell?" She asked the last part rhetorically with a smirk; the unicorn mare lives in a library.
The purple mare returned the smirk.
"Like you need to ask," Twilight then pulls out a book from her saddlebag with her magic, "Have either of you two or Thunderlane ever read Daring Do to him? I brought a copy of the first story of the series right here."
"Thunder actually promised Rumble he would read that to him, so let's not go with that."
Twilight nodded in agreement before storing the Daring Do book and pulling out a different novel with a cover depicting a solar system.
"Alien Alicorns vs Space Pirates?"
"Woah, that's a rad title, one I'm sure the little guy will love."
Twilight put the book away and notes it down. The two made it back to the living room where they met back with Flitter.
"Here are Rumble's favorite board games," Flitter said as she presented the board games on the living room table, which is doubles as the dining table, that's positioned in front of the tv. "Since he can't go out, you two can either play or watch tv."
"I already planned some activities, so we should be fine for the day."
"Okay then. Well, I think that's all you need to know," Cloudchaser said as she and her twin gathered their saddlebags, "do you have any questions?"
"Yes, any advice I can get close to Rumble?" Twilight asked with a smile. "If I'm going to be his temporary foalsitter and tutor in the near future, I should get along with him, so how do I get him to open up to me?"
Cloudchaser gave her a sheepish look, "Well you got your work cut out for you, Twilight, especially since Rumble doesn't even have any friends."