>You coughed weakly.
>Some sort of seasonal bug caught you, when you least expected it.
>It was uncannily like the flu from home, right down to the symptoms.
>Fever, vomiting (PLENTY of that), cold sweats, aches and pains...
>One Twilight Sparkle decided to take care of you.
>"It'll be a good chance to study the human immune response, how can I pass this up?" She had half-asked.
>You were far too sick to tell her no, simply wanting some comfort at this point.
>The mare was lucky this flu couldn't jump the species barrier yet, or she'd be right here along with you.
>She was busy in your kitchen, making you some tomato soup.
>You had asked for chicken noodle, but Twilight point-blank refused.
>She didn't have an issue with your diet, she knew you needed meat on occasion.
>The unicorn just refused to touch it.
>You had argued that magic wasn't touching it.
>She argued back that it would make her horn feel dirty.
>At that point, another wave of vomiting took over and you were no longer in the mood to argue.
>"Mmm, there there..." The unicorn comforted, rubbing your back with a hoof. "Better out than in..."
"That's what they all say...ungh..."
>You retreated back to bed, wrapping up in three heavy quilts.
>No matter how many layers you put on, you were still cold.
>Twilight had a pad and quill, documenting all the symptoms of the disease you were currently in a slow-winning fight with.
>"Fever, stuffy nose, copious vomiting, chills..." She idly muttered to herself.
>You didn't hear the rest after you closed your eyes, going for much needed sleep.
===
>Anon looked bad. Really bad.
>He was pale and sweaty, his eyes were red and puffy...
>Not to mention how frequently he voided his stomach.
>He said that some humans go through this once a year? You couldn't imagine going through this even once.
>The human finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep, the occasional sniffle or cough interrupting the otherwise peacefully deep breathing.
>You had told him that there were various medications that he could try.
>He just told you to let it run its course.
>Stubborn human.
>With as sick as he was getting, this could potentially kill him.
>His temperature read only a few degrees off of lethal, and you seriously considered an ice pack or a dozen.
>Still, his shivering held that off.
>Wrapped up in three heavy quilts and still shivering was an impressive feat.
>You sighed, the little nurse hat you had grabbed slipping off your head slightly.
>A small magic push put it back in place.
>Had to look the part accurately, after all.
>At this point, there was little you could do for him BUT wait it out.
>You took his temperature again, noting it was coming back down.
>Perhaps a fever was meant to be an immune response in humans, not damage caused by the disease...?
>You scribbled that into your notepad for future reference, then went downstairs to read for a bit.
>"Twilight...?" Came the human's weak cry for help.
>Nurse Twilight Sparkle is on the case!
>You came up the stairs again, carrying another bowl of soup and a moist towelette.
>"Bucket..."
>You lifted it from beside the bed, and he snatched it out of your magical grip quickly and urgently before violently shudders wracked his body.
>Mostly bile at this point, he hadn't eaten anything in over a day.
>The smell was horrible, but you had dealt with worse where Spike was concerned.
>At least Anon didn't burn holes in things when he was sick.
>He offered the bucket to you with a small amount of shame, and you cleaned it out in the sink downstairs.
>Anonymous, meanwhile, went right back to sleep.
>You sat down to read, keeping an ear tilted towards the stairs.
>You didn't hear him call for you the rest of the night.
===
>You woke up to the sun shining through the window.
>You felt...better, but not exactly fully recovered.
>The fever had broken, and your stomach had finally settled down.
>One of those nasty twenty-four hour bugs, not the flu.
>You stood shakily, testing your balance.
>Walking down the stairs with a hand firmly on the rail, you discovered Twilight asleep on the couch, book covering her eyes.
>An ear was swiveled towards the steps, she had been watching out for you all night.
>You gave the mare a short ruffle of her mane, and she woke up.
>"Hu-wh...Anon?"
"Thanks Twi, I feel a lot better."
>You flashed her a tired smile, you were still feeling the last little bit of the exertion your body just went through.
>"Oh good, you're better."
>She smiled warmly at you, lifting herself off the couch.
>Before suddenly going green in the face and rushing for the sink.
>You heard her violently emptying her stomach, followed by her spitting and groaning.
>Oh boy.
"Bed, right now Ms. Sparkle!" You called.