Your heart moved by Twilight’s state, you commit yourself to a valiant act of self-sacrifice for her sake. “Alright, Twilight. I have something that will help, but first, you should really lay down. Sitting up for too long is only going to make things worse.”

“If you say so,” she replies, ending her sentence with a deep sniffle. Carefully, she lowers her body back down to her bed, taking her time. As her head hits her pillow, she releases a sigh of relief. “Ahhh…My sinuses do feel better…”

Approaching the side of Twilight’s bed closest to the door, you lift the covers. For just a moment, you pause out of trepidation, before you remember how happy Twilight was to snuggle on your train ride to the north. Your fears assuaged, you lower your hindquarters to the bed and cautiously wiggle under the covers.

Twilight cranes her neck around to look at you, her eyes open in mild astonishment. “What a-are you doing?” she asks softly, still shivering even as she is surrounded by her bedding.

You scoot over across her silky sheets and wrap a hoof around her midsection. “S-sometimes it helps to have a friend help out when you’re sick. And it’ll be warmer, too, I think.”

Twilight’s lips begin to tremble weakly. “Wh-what about you? You’re going to get sick because of me!”

“I don’t care,” you declare immediately with a force that surprises even you. “It’s my fault that you’re sick in the first place; I could have picked any other project in the world, and I picked this one. So, I’m not going to sit idly by while my friend suffers.”

Twilight gasps softly and her mouth quivers even more forcefully. Shimmying over, she presses her back into you and rolls her neck back to rest her head under your chin. “H-hold me,” she sniffles. This time, it doesn’t sound like congestion is the cause.

Adapting casually to the new change, you press your barrel gently into the soft coat of Twilight’s back and the fluffy feathers of her wings. Squeezing her soft midsection against you with a hoof, you bury your muzzle into her disheveled, oily mane. Unimpacted by the vanity of scented shampoo and permeated through with the natural oil and dampness that comes with being bedridden, you find you enjoy her smell. In fact, you are enraptured with it. Twilight’s smell- her scent- is intoxicating, filling you up and putting your heart at ease all at once.

Relaxing into the cuddle, Twilight adjusts her flanks and lets her tail swish happily over your back hooves. As the minutes pass, she gradually stops shaking and rests comfortably pressed right up against your body.

An overwhelming feeling of affection stirs in your chest, and you can’t help but lean over to plant a kiss on Twilight’s cheek.

As you do, her ears perk up.

“I’m sorry for putting you through a week of the flu,” you apologize earnestly. “Y-you’re very special to me, and it hurts me to see you suffering and know it’s my fault.”

Rotating her body around in your grip, Twilight rubs her barrel against yours and throws her hooves round your neck. “Well, I’m not sorry that I went to gather data with you up north,” she states in a tone she normally reserves for school lectures and summarizing friendship lessons. “I’m not sorry that you chose such an interesting project, and I’m certainly not sorry that I got to spend so much time with you doing something we both love: learning.” Glancing down bashfully, she whispers one more thought. “And, I-I’m not even sorry I got sick…because it means that I get to snuggle in bed with you.” Having said what she wanted to, Twilight gently buries her muzzle in the fur of your neck.

Your heart flutters as you subconsciously grow a goofy smile and blush timidly. “I-I’m really glad.”

Twilight seems to freeze for just a moment. From where you are situated, you can see what appears to be her eyebrow raise in thought. Then, gently, she snakes her head up to your ear and exhales softly, sending a shiver down your spine. “I have a question…do you mean what you said about not caring if you get sick?” she whispers gently.

You nod solemnly, even though she can’t see it. “You bet I meant it.”

“Good.” Removing one hoof from your neck and placing it on your cheek, Twilight quickly draws back her muzzle and plants a firm, wet kiss on your lips.

Startled at first, you quickly recover and return Twilight’s kiss, savoring the feel of her soft lips. Every few seconds, you elicit just a hint of her taste when her tongue meets yours.

Rolling you over onto your back without breaking the kiss, Twilight hums happily into your mouth and runs a hoof in tight circles over your chest floof. In return, you wrap your hooves around her back and hug her close to your body, the warmth between you seemingly haven driven off any and all of Twilight’s need to shiver.

Finally, Twilight pulls away and courteously releases a quintuplet of deep, racking coughs into the crook of her foreleg. Exhausted, she collapses against your chest and sucks in a deep lungful of air.

With Twilight’s weight resting against you, you stare upwards at the shimmery crystal ceiling of Twilight’s room. “I’m going to get really sick, aren’t I?”

“Yeah,” Twilight concurs. “You are.” You feel her press her nuzzle into your neck and plant a light kiss there. “But it’s okay, because I’ll be there to cuddle you until you’re better.”

You smile.

“After all,” Twilight tacks on, “We still have to write up and submit our paper!”

---

A month has passed, and Twilight stands silently next to you on the platform of the Ponyville train station. A brief gust of wind pushes past the station, rustling both of your manes, although neither of you otherwise move the slightest.

After another few moments of stillness, you exhale deeply. Looking away from the beautiful natural scenery of Canterlot mountain in the distance, you turn your attention to Twilight. “Thank you so much for everything, Twilight. Really.”

Twilight looks back at you and smiles forlornly. “I mean it when I say the pleasure was all mine. These last few months with you have been the best of my life.”

“You’re just saying that,” you protest.

Twilight shakes her head furiously. “No, I’m not! I’m being serious. I’m going to miss you so much, but this new faculty position at the University of Chicacolt is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You can do so much to impact the world, save so many lives…when the next flu virus shows up, you could be the hero of Equestria!”

Grinning, you cock an eyebrow at her. “You’re jealous.”

“I am,” she admits, scuffing a hoof on the hard boards of the train station’s loading deck. “But only a little. I know my place is here, with my friends and the School of Friendship.”

The horn of a train sounds in the distance, and immediately you crane your neck around to look down the tracks. The train’s front light is visible, glaring toward you from the distance. You shuffle your saddlebags once, as if doing so would help you get ready to leave.

“I-I guess this is it,” Twilight breathes shakily. “I-it’s not going to be the same around here without you. Y-you’ll let me come visit, won’t you? I can sit in on your office hours, o-or give a seminar for your department!”

The train’s horn sounds again, louder this time.

Your eyes crinkle as you smile widely at Twilight’s precious words. “I’d love nothing more than to see you again soon, and hear that pretty lecturing voice of yours.”

Giggling, Twilight wipes a single tear away. With teary eyes, she gazes at you again, her lips quivering.

The first cars of the train rush past the edge of the platform as it begins to slow down.

“I-I guess this is i-i-it,” Twilight moans, biting her lip and wincing as if in pain.

Is it?

To abandon your new job and stay in Ponyville with Princess Twilight, proceed to Chapter 47.

To leave Twilight in Ponyville and head to your new position, proceed to Chapter 48.

Next Chapter: Chapter 44 Estimated time remaining: 22 Minutes