DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own any of the ponies in this story. They belong to Hasbro. The only ponies I own are Baby Rainbow Star and Melody. I also own all of the Human characters. I also own Oliver, who is Julie's kitten, Jewelhart, who is Molly's puppy and Scooter, who is Julie's puppy. Enjoy
"Megan's Sister War"
It was a normal night in Ponyland. Megan was putting Molly, Kassie and the baby ponies to bed.
Julie was spending time with Medley. Since her bedtime wasn't until an hour before Megan's, she had a few hours to hang out with her best pony friend. She and Medley had taken a flight near Garden Valley and they would be back soon.
"Now close your eyes and try and sleep, okay you guys?" Megan said gently. She patted some of the baby ponies and sang them a few songs before kissing Baby Rainbow Star on the cheek and leaving the room. She wanted to see what Firefly was up to. She hadn't gone on her nighttime flight with her best friend that night because of an allergy attack that had hit a few hours ago. Firefly had suggested that they save their flight until the next day. Megan agreed, even though she was disappointed. She knew it was for the best.
Meanwhile, Julie and Medley were flying around Garden Valley. They were just heading back to Ponyland when Julie sneezed.
"Bless you," Medley said. "Are you feeling okay, my sweet little hummingbird?"
Julie nodded.
"Uh-huh. I feel fine."
Medley nodded and nuzzled Julie gently.
Julie sneezed again five minutes later.
"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Medley asked.
Julie nodded.
"I'm sure."
Medley shrugged and the two went back to Paradise Estate.
When they got there, Julie dismounted from Medley, thanked her for the flight and patted her pretty Medley's mane. SHE then went into the kitchen to see what was going on.
As the little girl entered it, her kitten, Oliver, rubbed up against her leg. Julie giggled and scratched the kitten behind his ears. She loved Oliver a lot.
As Julie stood up again, she sneezed.
Just then, Megan came into the kitchen.
"Bless you. Are you feeling all right, little one?" Megan asked, using her special name for Julie.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
Megan raised her eyebrows and checked Julie for a fever. She didn't' have one, but Megan still could tell something wasn't right.
"Have you been sneezing all day, little one?" Megan asked.
Julie shook her head.
"It just started when we were coming back home," Medley replied, coming in. She was about to give her daughter, Melody, a feeding before putting her down for bed.
Megan nodded.
"And when Julie was petting Oliver earlier today, she started to sneeze a lot more," Medley explained. "I think Julie might be allergic to him."
Julie shook her head. She loved Oliver too much.
"Do you think my pretty Medley's right?" Julie asked, tears in her voice. "I don't want to get rid of Oliver, Megan! Please don't make us get rid of him! Please!"
Megan gave Julie a reassuring hug while ruffling her hair.
"I don't think we'll have to do that," Megan said. "Oliver is your kitten and I know you love him a lot. Let's just keep you away from him for the night and see how it goes, okay, my little one?"
Julie nodded and sniffled. She hated being away from Oliver for long periods of time.
For the rest of the night, Julie read and played a game with Molly and Fizzy. After the game was over, Megan tucked Julie in bed along with Molly.
"Can I play with Oliver tomorrow, Megan, please?" Julie asked.
Megan sighed.
"We'll see how you feel in the morning, okay, little one?"
Julie nodded and gave Megan a hug and kiss. She then held Sagwa tightly and fell asleep to sweet dreams.
Megan sighed as she patted Julie's shoulder and left the room. She prayed and hoped that Julie would feel better soon. Megan didn't like it when either of her sisters were sick. It broke her heart to see Julie so sad, but she had to find out what was wrong with her little sister. And if keeping Julie and Oliver separate for a little while would do it, then that's what Megan was going to do.
The next morning, Julie woke up feeling refreshed. She didn't feel the need to sneeze anymore and her nose felt fine.
As Julie entered the kitchen, she sat down and poured milk over her cereal. Fizzy, Firefly and Medley, along with Cupcake and Kassie were already in the kitchen.
"Are you feeling better this morning, my sweet little hummingbird?" Medley asked, nuzzling Julie.
Julie nodded and patted Medley's mane before giving her a hug good morning.
"Uh-huh. I'm feeling a. . . a. . . . ." Julie's voice trailed off as she sneezed again. ". . . .a lot better."
"Uh-oh," Firefly said. "I think you might be right, Med." She turned to Medley. "I think my Jules maybe allergic to Oliver after all."
Julie shook her head. It was impposible. Oliver wasn't even in the same room as Julie.
"Oliver isn't even here," Julie said, giving Firefly a look that clearly suggested the pink pegasus had done the double inside out loop too many times.
"It doesn't matter," Firefly said gently. "Oliver's hair is everywhere."
Julie nodded as she frowned and her lower lip started to quiver.
"We better talk to Megan about this," Medley said as she nuzzled Julie again.
"Talk to Megan about what?" Megan asked as she came into the room. She patted Firefly's mane gently and her best friend who was more like a mother to her nuzzled her.
"Talk to you about Julie possibly being allergic to Oliver," Firefly said as she took a sip of her juice.
Megan nodded. She then got an idea. She went in search of Oliver. She found Oliver napping on the couch. Megan picked the orange kitten up and brought him into the kitchen. She set the kitten in Julie's lap and Oliver woke up and started to purr.
Julie liked that and started to scratch Oliver behind the ears. She smiled.
"See?" Julie said. "I'm not allergic to. . . ." Julie's sentence was interrupted as she sneezed and then started to cough a little. And then she couldn't stop sneezing.
Megan was on her little one like a shot. She took Oliver out of the room and set him down. She then returned to the kitchen and told Medley to take Julie back to bed.
"I'll be up to sing to you in a little bit, okay, my little one?" Megan gave Julie a kiss and hug and then set her little sister on Medley's back.
Once Medley and Julie were gone, Megan turned to Firefly.
"I think you're right," she said. "I think Julie may be allergic to Oliver."
Firefly nodded.
"I know you don't want to believe it, and I know Julie loves Oliver. He's her kitten. She's had him since she was four years old, but there's no other way around it. And there's only one way to find out," she said. "You have to take Julie to see Dr. Larson."
Megan nodded and went to make an appointment. As she left the room, she heard a door slam upstairs. She knew that it couldn't have been Julie who had done it because her little one had just left with Medley. So the only other person it could be was…
"Uh-oh, Punky trouble."
"I think you're right," Megan said. She then went upstairs to see what was wrong with her little sunshine.
Meanwhile, Molly had been listening in the living room. She had run to her room in tears and flopped down on her bed.
Jewelhart jumped up onto the bed and licked her face.
"Oh Jewelhart!" Molly sobbed. "I don't want Megan to send you away! I love you so much. I don't want anything to happen to you!" She hugged Jewelhart close and continued to cry.
When Megan reached the room that she and Molly shared, she decided to knock instead of just going in, even though she and Molly did share a room. Molly always knocked after all.
"Go away!" Molly sobbed.
"Molly, honey, it's Megan. Can I come in, sweetie?"
"I SAID GO AWAY!" Molly exclaimed.
Megan pushed the door open and went over to sit next to her sister. She put an arm around Molly and gave her sister a hug.
"Do you want to tell me what's gotten you so upset, my little sunshine?"
Molly sighed.
"Do-do we have to send Jewelhart away?"
Megan shook her head.
"No! OF course not! Why would you think something like that, sweetie?"
"Be-be-because Julie is allergic to cats and she might be allergic to dogs too!" With that, Molly threw herself into Megan's lap and sobbed her heart out.
"Aw, my little sunshine," Megan said, patting Molly's shoulder and starting to stroke her hair gently. "It's okay, sweetie. Everything's all right. We're not going to have to get rid of Jewelhart. I promise you that. Okay?"
Molly nodded and gave Megan a hug and kiss.
"Aw, that's my girl. Now, do you want to come back downstairs and finish your breakfast?"
Molly nodded and followed Megan downstairs. She was still feeling a little down, so Megan carried her.
When they got downstairs, Megan set Molly down in her chair and sat across from her.
Fizzy came over to Molly and nuzzled her.
"Are you okay, Molly?" Fizzy asked in concern. "You look a little sad."
"I'm okay now," Molly said. "I promise." She then started to eat her breakfast and get ready for math with Mike. She loved having math with Mike. It was always a lot of fun and Mike always made the lessons interesting by tieing them to something Molly was familiar with and liked.
Meanwhile Julie was in hysterics in her bedroom. Medley and Firefly were trying to comfort her. She didn't want to get rid of Oliver and she certainly didn't want to go to the doctor to get allergy shots. She hated needles and she hated doctors even more. She liked Dr. Larson and Dr. Chasity, but she didn't
like any other doctors.
"Shh," Medley soothed. "Shh, it's okay, my sweet little hummingbird. It's going to be all right. I promise. Everything's going to be okay."
"Med's right." Firefly said, using Medley's nickname. "Everything's going to be all right. I know you don't like needles, Jules, but I promise you everything will be okay. Hey!" She said, suddenly getting an idea. "I know just the person to talk to you about allergies and stuff. I'll be right back." She smirked to herself. She didn't know why she hadn't thought about it before. She rushed off to get Megan. She found her putting Baby Rainbow Star down for a nap. She was feeling a little sick.
"Can I talk to you for a moment, my sweet girl?" Firefly asked as she watched Megan put Baby Rainbow Star down for her nap.
Megan nodded.
"Yup. Just let me get my precious one down first." She gave her daughter a kiss and a hug before tucking her in and turning off the light. "I love you, my precious one. Mama loves you so much. I'll see you when you wake up. Sweet dreams, sweetie."
After Megan got onto Firefly's back, Firefly took her to
Julie's room where Julie was almost getting sick from being upset.
"Aw, little one," Megan said gently, coming over and putting her hand on Julie's shoulder, "aw, it's okay, little one. It's going to be okay. I promise. Come here. I think you and I need to take a walk." Megan picked Julie up and carried her
out of the Estate. She set Julie down and took her sister's hand. They walked along a familiar path that Megan knew by heart. She wanted to take a nice walk with her sister without having to worry about getting lost.
"It's going to be okay, sweetie. I promise. Oliver isn't going to leave Ponyland. Hee lives here with you. And I'm going to get you some medicine so you can still be around him, okay?"
Julie nodded, but she was still crying.
"I don't want to get any needles!" She wailed.
"Aw, Julie, sweetie, I promise it's going to be okay. I got the same tests you're going to get. Remember when I had my first ever allergy attack back when I was twelve?"
Julie nodded. She had been seven at the time, but she still remembered it like it was yesterday. It was a good thing that Megan was with their Aunt Abby then or else she might not have gotten the medical care that she needed.
It took the doctors awhile, but they finally figured out what was wrong with Megan.
"And after the doctors found out what I was allergic too, they gave me some medicine and now I'm okay for the most part. I can still go to Flutter valley, can't I?"
Julie nodded.
"Then that means once I take you to Dr. Larson and get those tests done, Dr. Larson can give you some medicine and that means you'll be able to spend time with Oliver again."
"But I don't want any needles!" She wailed again. She let out a wail like a fireengine and launched herself at her big sister.
Megan picked Julie up and gave her a kiss and hug. She then started stroking Julie's hair and rubbing her back. As she did this, Julie started calming down. She was attached to Megan for the rest of the night. She didn't want to be anywhere without her big sister.
Later that night, Julie awoke around two-thirty in the morning, crying. She had just had a nightmare about her upcoming doctor's appointment that was for the next day. Julie
crept out of bed and into the hallway. She knew who she wanted and it wasn't Medley. Normally, Julie would have gone to Medley's room first, but right
now, Julie just wanted her big sister.
Julie crept into Megan's room and pushed open the door gently. She then crept over to Megan's bed and climbed in beside her. Julie laid down and counted
to three on her fingers. When she got to three, Megan awoke and pulled Julie into her arms.
"Julie, honey, what's the matter, sweetie? Are you okay?"
Julie snuggled into Megan for a cuddle and shook her head. She buried her face in Megan's shoulder and let out a wail like a fire engine. It was lucky for
her that her sob was muffled by Her face being buried in Megan's shoulder, otherwise, she would have woken up Molly.
"Oh Julie, what's the matter honey? I can't help you unless you use your words and tell me what's wrong. Did you have a bad dream, little one?"
Julie nodded.
"Megan, I don't want to go to the hospital tomorrow!" She whimpered against Megan's shoulder.
Megan nodded and started stroking Julie's hair. She rubbed Julie's back and started to sing to her, hoping that would help Julie feel better. She wanted
her little sister to get some more sleep, but she knew that wouldn't be possible unless Julie felt safe. She wrapped her arms around Julie and gave her
a big hug. She let Julie lay her head against her shoulder and then Megan started to sing her a song that she, Megan always sang just for Julie. It was
called "Hidden Rainbows in the Sky". She had sung that song for Julie ever since she had been born.
After Megan was done singing, she smiled gently down at her little sister as she started to sing their special song again. She loved Julie so much. After Megan sung Julie "Hidden Rainbows in the Sky" one more time Julie was almost back to sleep. Megan sung Julie "Let a Song Carry You Along" Which helped
her get off to sleep.
Megan smiled down at Julie and realized that she was fast asleep again.
She planted a kiss on Julie's cheek and whispered, "Sweet dreams, little one. I'll see you in the morning. I love you, Julie." Megan then drifted off to dreamland herself.
The next morning, Julie woke up crying. She was really scared and she showed it by clinging to Megan all through breakfast and while Megan got dressed, Julie sat on her bed and waited. Julie was already ready and they were now just waiting for Firefly to finish helping Medley with Melody. Melody loved
her Auntie Firefly the best as far as aunts went.
After Firefly and Medley were done feeding Melody and getting her ready for the day, Megan jumped onto Firefly's back and they were off to see Dr. Larson.
When they reached the hospital and they had dismounted from Firefly, Julie wrapped her arms and legs around Megan and Megan picked her up. she gave her
a kiss and hugged her close. Julie was so scared, her stomach felt like it had giant butterflies in it. She whimpered a little as Megan carried her inside
the hospital and up to the receptionist's desk.
"Megan!" She whimpered, while clinging to her sister.
"Shh," Megan soothed. "Hush now, sweetie. You're okay, little one. Megan has you. What's the matter, Jules?"
"My tummy hurts!" Julie said tearfully. "Megan, I feel like I'm going to throw up!"
"Shh, shh, hush now. Little one. It's going to be okay. I promise." Megan rubbed Julie's back gently and planted a kiss on her cheek as she asked the nurse
where the bathroom was. She needed to take a bathroom break, but she also wanted to get Julie in there in case she got sick.
After the nurse directed Megan to where the bathrooms were, Megan went into the ladie's room and sat down with Julie in her lap.
"I know you're scared, sweetie. I know, but you're going to be okay. I promise. I'm going to be right there with you."
Julie nodded and tried not to throw up all over Megan. She was so scared, she didn't know what to do. She felt safe with Megan, but she just wanted to go back home to Ponyland. She wanted to be anywhere but here. Without warning, Julie hiccupped and threw up. this just got her more upset. She let out a wail like a fire engine and tried to bury her face in Megan's shoulder.
Megan got Julie into a stall before she got sick again. she sat down and pulled Julie's hair back and started rubbing her shoulder gently. she knew her little sister was just really scared and that's where her upset stomach was coming from. But as she put a hand to Julie's forehead, she was dismayed to
discover that Julie had a fever.
"Does anything hurt besides your tummy, honey?" Megan asked in concern.
Julie shook her head as she leaned over and threw up again.
Megan nodded and continued to rub Julie's back and stroke her hair gently.
"It's okay, little one," She said. "It'll be all right." Megan then began to wonder if Firefly's reasoning was true. She began to wonder if Julie really was allergic to cats, and not just getting sick. But then again, that was why they were down at the hospital in the first place.
After a few minutes, Megan came out of the bathroom just in time to meet Dr. Larson.
"Julie's feeling a little sick now," Megan said. "She just threw up, and she has a little fever."
"Don't worry, Megan," Dr. Larson said. "We'll run some tests and make Miss Julie all better again."
"I hope so," Megan said. "She's been sneezing a lot lately, but we don't know if she's getting a cold, or of she's allergic to our pet cat. Julie always seems to be sneezing when the cat's around. At least lately."
"I see," Dr. Larson said as she led Megan and Julie into a nearby exam room.
Megan sat Julie on the examining table and sat down beside her in a chair. She stroked Julie's hair gently as Dr. Larson came over and started to examine her.
"Okay, sweetie-pie," Dr. Larson said, rubbing Julie's hair. "Let's have a look and see what we can do about making you feel better."
"No needles," Julie said. "I don't want any needles!"
"Aw, honey, I need to put a needle in for a minute. I have to start an IV. That's the only way you're going to feel better."
"No needles! No needles! Please no needles!"
Megan rubbed Julie's shoulder gently and planted a kiss on her cheek.
"Shh, shh, hush now, little one. It's going to be okay, Julie. I promise. It's going to be all right. I'm right here, little one. Megan's right here." Megan then started to sing Julie "Hidden Rainbows in the Sky" hoping it would calm her down a little. It did the trick, at least until Dr. Larson prepared to stick the IV in.
Julie let out a wail like a fire engine and tried to bury her face in Megan's shoulder.
Megan just continued to sing and hush Julie gently. It worked and Dr. Larson was able to rehydrate Julie without her being any the wiser.
After Julie was a little calmer, Dr. Larson took Megan into the hallway to talk in private.
"I just wanted to let you know that Julie is definitely allergic to cats. And I'm afraid the only test that will confirm that is one that involves a needle. Remember the one you got when we did the pollen allergy test?"
Megan nodded and frowned. She remembered all right. It hurt like heck and she was actually crying when Dr. Larson did it. Megan never normally cried when she went to the doctor or hospital unless she was really feeling sick or her allergies or asthma was giving her a hard time. Other than that, she was fine
in the raindrop department.
"Can I stay with her?" Megan asked.
"Sure. That's what I was going to say. You know how to calm Julie down easier than Jeanie or I could and Julie needs to stay perfectly still when we do this test. You can't even hold her. I know that's not going to go over well with her, but you can stroke her hair and hold her hand."
Megan nodded and cringed. She didn't like the sound of this at all. She remembered having that particular test done and it was no picnic at Paradise Estate. That was for sure.
She had spent the entire time crying into Firefly's mane and when the test was done, Megan was in pain and not wanting anything but to go back to Ponyland and sleep.
"Can I talk to her?" Megan asked. "I know you're the doctor and all, but I think I know a way to get her to relax."
"Sure. You've had the test done at least three times so you know what Miss Julie's in for. I'm really sorry I have to do this, Megan. I really am, but it's the only way to figure this out. I'm going to get Jeanie and get the stuff. I'll be back." She left Megan at the exam room door.
Megan took a deep breath and walked into the room. She came over to Julie and took her sister into her lap. She started stroking Julie's hair and rubbing her back in a calming sort of way.
"Megan! I don't want to get any-" Julie cried, but Megan hushed her gently.
"Shh, hush now, little one. It's okay. I'm going to be right here with you the whole time. Dr. Larson has to do this one last test and then we can go bye-byes after that. I promise. We'll be able to go home and you can spend time with Medley and I'll bet she'll even take you on a nice flight."
Julie nodded but she let out a fire engine like wail and buried her face in Megan's shoulder.
When Dr. Larson and Dr. Chasity came back, Dr. Chasity said hi to Megan and patted Julie's shoulder affectionately.
When Julie looked up and saw Jeanie, she felt a little bit better. She liked Dr. Larson, but Jeanie was her favorite doctor by far. She was nice and she knew how to explain things in a way that made them less scary even though they were sometimes very painful.
Jeanie gave Julie a reassuring look.
"I know you're afraid of needles, sweetie, but this has to be done. Your sister can stay with you and hold your hand, but you're going to have to lay still."
Julie nodded. She had already started to cry again.
Megan gave Julie a hug and kissed her cheek gently. she then held the bucket out in case Julie neded it, which she did.
Dr. Larson then put some medicine into Julie's IV to help with her stomachache and helped her to lay back down.
Megan sat on a chair near Julie's bed and started to hum softly. It was a song Julie knew and liked. Megan was humming "There's Always Another Rainbow".
Julie started to feel a little relaxed, but not by much.
"Now, I want you to close your eyes," Megan instructed gently. "I'm right here, sweetie. I'm not going anywhere. I want you to close your eyes and imagine yourself in a place that makes you feel safe and happy. Can you tell me where you are?"
Julie thought hard and then replied, "Flutter Valley"
Megan smiled. She knew Julie would say that.
Dr. Larson gave Megan a curious look.
"It's a place not far from where we live," Megan explained. "It has lots of flowers and Julie loves to go there and pick them."
"Oh yeah?" Jeanie asked, trying to get Julie involved in a nice, easy conversation. "What do you make with them, honey? Do you like making reefs?"
Julie nodded.
"Yes." She said.
"I liked doing that when I was your age too!" Jeanie said. "I used to make them for holiday presents and everything like that. Once I made one for my hair and pretended to be Pocahontas."
Julie giggled at this. She really did like Jeanie.
"Okay, now I'm going to count to three," Dr. Larson told Julie. "And then I'm going to stick the needle in your ankle. Squeeze Megan's hand as hard as you need to, but please, sweetie, you can't pull away, okay?"
Julie nodded and let out a fire engine like wail that broke Megan's heart. She wanted nothing more than to take her little sister away from all of this, but she knew she couldn't. she then realized something. She pulled the heart shaped locket from around her neck and said, "Dr. Larson wait. I have an idea.
Julie, sweetie, can you sit up for Megan? I'm going to give you something that might help you feel better."
Julie sat up with Jeanie's help and Megan slipped her beloved and cherished necklace around Julie's neck. "There." She said. "Now, you should feel better. The Rainbow of Light will protect you."
"Can you sing "There's Always Another Rainbow", Megan, please!" Julie asked tearfully.
"Sure," Megan said. She took a deep breath and started to sing. As she continued the song, Julie started feeling relaxed. It didn't last for long though.
As soon as Dr. Larson put the needle in, Julie let out the loudest wail Megan had ever heard apart from when she, Megan was hospitalized from being hurt by her abusive ex-boyfriend, Ryan Cummings.
Megan rubbed Julie's back and started stroking her hair, but it was no use.
By the time the test was done, Julie was in hysterics and had thrown up three more times. all she wanted was Megan.
"Shh," Megan soothed as she helped Julie to sit up and took the Rainbow of Light back. She put it around her own neck, made sure the chain was secure and then took her very upset little sister into her lap. 'SHh, hush now, Julie. It's okay, little one. You're going to be okay. Everything's okay now. You're
safe and sound in my arms where you belong. You're safe and sound in Megan's arms where you belong. Megan has you now. I'm here, honey. Shh, shh, shh. It's okay. It's all right. SHh. That's a girl. Shh." Megan continued to soothe Julie until the child calmed down a little.
"I want Medley!" Julie cried suddenly, burying her face in her sister's shoulder. "I want Medley! I want my pretty Medley! I want my pretty Medley!"
"Shh," Megan soothed. S"hh, hush now, sweetie. It's okay, little one. We'll go home soon. We're going home in a few minutes. I promise and then you can spend some time with Medley and Firefly, okay? And Baby Cotton Candy and Scooter."
"I want Medley!" Julie continued to sob.
She was really feeling bad and she just wanted a sense of comfort and familiarity right now. She knew she was safe with Megan and she wanted to be in Megan's arms and have her big sister comfort her, but she also wanted her pretty Medley.
"Megan, my ankle hurts!" Julie
cried. "It hurts really bad!"
"Shh, hush now, little one. You're going to be okay. I promise. You're going to feel better soon." She planted a kiss on Julie's head just as Dr. Larson and Jeanie came back.
"Well, we've found out what's going on with Miss Julie," Dr. Larson said. She sat down across from Megan and Julie while Jeanie sat next to them and started rubbing Julie's back gently. she then produced a syringe that had a pain killer in it and stuck it in Julie's shoulder.
Julie didn't even notice because of the pain she was in and the fact that Jeanie had started to comfort her before she did it. that was what Julie liked about Jeanie the most. Jeanie knew how to do painful procedures without making them more painful.
"There ya go, sweetie. Now that should make you feel better." She gave Megan the rest of the medicine and a few more syringes.
"Isn't there a medicine she can drink?" Megan asked. She hated needles too and she didn't like giving them to her little sisters.
Jeanie shook her head.
"I'm afraid not ,sweetheart. I wish there was, but there's not." She patted Julie's shoulder again and then gave her a gentle kiss on her head. "I'll see you later, sweets. Be good for your sister and Aunt Abby, okay?"
Julie nodded and continued to cry from pain. She didn't want to leave Megan's lap for anything.
Before they left, Dr. Larson gave them some allergy medicine that was also in shot form.
"Give this to Julie when she wakes up, after lunch and before she goes to bed. it should help her not to sneeze as much and it should also help if she gets any headaches or anything." She handed it to Megan, who put it into her pocket.
After that, Megan thanked Dr. Larson and Dr. Chasity and left with Julie in her arms.
"We're going home now, sweetie, " Megan told a still very upset Julie. "We're going back to Ponyland now. You'll be able to spend time with Medley." She gave Julie a kiss on her forehead and held her close as she mounted Firefly for the journey back home.
"It didn't go well, my sweet girl?" Firefly asked, nuzzling Megan and then Julie.
Megan shook her head.
"Julie's in a lot of pain. I'm going to put her down for a nap when we get back home."
Firefly nodded. She could tell Julie needed one.
"It's okay, Jules," Firefly soothed, nuzzling the little girl again. "You're going to feel better soon."
Julie nodded. She liked Firefly and appreciated her comfort, but who Julie really wanted was Medley.
When they arrived back in Ponyland, Julie was still in a great deal of pain, but she was glad to be home. She was still crying, but she wasn't getting sick as much. Her fever was down and she was able to keep some Ginger Ale down as well. Megan and Firefly, along with Medley were all happy about that.
Megan put Julie to bed in her room and she stayed with her. Julie was still feeling really bad and her right ankle was really hurting her. She couldn't even walk on it for a long time.
Jeanie told Megan that by Thursday, Julie would be good as new.
Megan understood and she was happy about that, but she still didn't like seeing her little sister in that much pain.
Megan stayed with Julie and sung her to sleep. When she was sure Julie was okay, she went to check on Molly. When she couldn't find her anywhere, she asked Fizzy where Molly was and Fizzy reassured her that Molly was okay. She had just gone on a flight with Firefly.
Megan sat down and started playing a game of memory with Fizzy and Sweet Stuff. It wasn't until an hour later that Julie awoke and wanted Megan. She was crying from pain and Baby Cotton Candy came to get Megan.
"Baby Cotton Candy, what is it, sweetie? " Megan asked, bending down to Baby Cotton Candy's level.
"Julie's crying. Her leg hurts weally bad! She wants you."
"Okay." Megan said. "I'll be right there. " She got up and went to see what she could do to help her little sister get better.
"And I'm going with you," Fizzy said, following Megan into the room. "I can help. Unicorns are good luck and good company too. " She giggled and nuzzled Megan gently.
Megan patted Fizzy's mane as they entered Julie's bedroom.
Megan sat down on the bed and put her hand on Julie's shoulder."
Shh," Megan soothed.
"SHh, hush now, Julie. Megan's here now. It's okay, little one. Everything's all right. I'm going to make it better." She produced the syringe, which made Julie cry harder. She turned her face away and to Megan as well as Fizzy's surprise, she sought comfort in the green unicorn, something she never did before.
She wrapped her arms around Fizzy's neck and buried her face in Fizzy's mane much like Molly did whenever she was upset or afraid.
Fizzy was taken aback for a minute, but then did the only thing she could think of. She started nuzzling Julie gently and telling her it was going to be okay. She knew Molly didn't like getting needles either, but she also knew how to comfort Molly whenever she was going through something painful. Molly
was her best friend after all, but she never had Julie seek comfort from her before much less even hang around her. She knew Julie liked her and Fizzy felt the same way about the little girl, but having her turn to her for comfort all of a sudden was a little strange.
As Megan stuck the needle in, Julie let out a wail like a fire engine and continued to cry. Fizzy just continued to nuzzle her and started reassuring her that everything was going to be okay.
"Shh, it's okay," She said. "Shh. Hush. Shh. Hush. It's all right. It'll only hurt for a little while."
Julie finally calmed down after awhile, but she was still sniffling a little.
"It hurts Megan," She said. "It really, really, hurts!"
"I know it hurts, little one," Megan said. "But it will make you feel better."
"Megan's right," Fizzy said, giving Julie a nuzzle. "It will stop hurting soon. I know it." To get Julie's mind off the pain, Fizzy began blowing bubbles. She knew this always got Molly giggling.
Julie giggled too. She reached up and began popping the bubbles.
After a few minutes, Molly came into the room. Molly came over and patted Fizzy's mane gently. She then frowned and looked over at Megan.
"Is Julie okay?" Molly asked.
"She'll be fine, my little sunshine," Megan replied. "She just needs some rest."
Molly nodded, but she still looked worried.
"Poor Julie," Molly said. "Don't worry. You'll be all better soon."
"My little sunshine is right, little one," Megan said, rocking her sister back and forth. "You'll be okay."
Molly nodded and sat down to see what she could do to help Julie.
A little while later, Megan put Kassie along with the baby ponies down for their nap. She then checked on Julie and found that she was sleeping soundly. Molly was reading in her room, so Megan decided to watch a little TV.
About an hour later, Julie woke up from a nightmare with her stomach hurting. She let out a scream that brought Megan running into the room. She wanted to make sure her little one was okay.
Fizzy was already in there, blowing bubbles for Julie, to take her mind off her tummy. It was working pretty well.
"Julie, sweetie, are you all right?" Megan asked.
"Everything still hurts," Julie whimpered.
"Aw, it's okay, little one," Megan said, stroking Julie's hair.
"Don't leave me, Megan. Please? Can you stay here?"
"I'll stay here for a little while, okay? Just until you fall asleep."
"Hey Julie," Fizzy said. "Watch this!" Fizzy then began blowing bubble hearts. And as an added bonus, they were pink!
Julie giggled.
Fizzy had never blown pink bubble hearts before. She just learned how to do it. She couldn't wait to show Molly. She knew her best friend would love them!
Unfortunately, Molly saw them already. She had been standing in the doorway. And she was angrier than ever now.
"Fizzy, how could you!" She shouted. "How could you show Julie a new bubble trick before you show me!" Molly ran from the room crying.
Fizzy felt terrible.
Megan stood up.
"Okay, I have to go talk to her," She said.
"No Megan, don't go!" Julie cried, grabbing Megan's hand.
Afraid Julie would get sick again, Megan sat back down and stroked Julie's hair.
"Shh, shh, hush now, Julie. It's okay, little one. It's all right. Megan's right here. I'm not going anywhere. It's okay."
"I'll go talk to Molly," Fizzy said. "Don't worry, Megan. I'm sure everythin' will be all right."
"I sure hope so," Megan said. She continued to comfort Julie as Fizzy ran off.
Fizzy caught up with Molly as Molly entered her bedroom. Molly glared at her and was about to shut the door, when Fizzy winked out and winked back in near her bed.
Molly was about to run out of the room, when Firefly stopped her. She flew down and blocked her way.
"Okay, my precious peanut, stop right there. You are not going anywhere unless it's over there to sit down and make up with your best friend."
Molly didn't move.
"Do I have to take you over there myself?" Firefly asked, her voice was uncharacteristically stern and Molly knew not to push her. Firefly was sweet and had a big heart, but if you got her mad…..
Molly sat down in her chair at her desk and glared at Fizzy.
"Okay. That's a start. Now we're going to sit here and you two are NOT leaving here until you've made up. Is that understood?"
Molly and Fizzy nodded.
"Okay. Now, first things first, what in the whole of Dream Valley happened? Megan told me world war three broke out and I want to know why."
Molly sighed.
"Fizzy is a. . . . . . ." Her voice trailed off as she tried to think of the right word that wouldn't sound like a bad word. ". . . . . .trader!"
Fizzy frowned. She had never seen Molly this mad before.
"Molly, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings." Fizzy said sincerely. "I just wanted to make Julie feel better. She's goin' through a really hard time."
"So that means you show her a new bubble trick before you show it to me!" Molly said angrily.
Firefly frowned.
"Okay. At least you're talking to each other. That's a good start."
"I was never not talkin' to her," Fizzy said, a little confused. "Molly saw me showing Julie a new trick and she got upset. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. I promise. I was just tryin' to help Julie."
Firefly nodded.
"Molly, sweetie, what got you so upset that you almost took a temper tantrum, something you never do?"
Molly sighed as she looked away and burst into tears of sadness and betrayal.
"I. . . . .I. . . . . .I don't know. I guess I was scared."
"Scared of what, my precious peanut?" Firefly asked, her voice a little softer. She new she was getting somewhere and she wanted to keep going in the right direction.
"I was afraid I was losing the one important best friend I ever had. I mean. . . .. Fizzy does that new trick for Julie. I've lost so many people in my life already. I've been hurt by a lot of people too. And I just thought that I was losing Fizzy too. I couldn't bare it if that happened. I love Fizzy so much and up until today, I thought Fizzy felt the same way." With that, Molly flopped down on her bed in tears.
Firefly went over and started nuzzling Molly gently.
Molly wrapped her arms around Firefly's neck and cried into her mane, breathing in the sweet and familiar scent of strawberries and honeysuckle.
Fizzy came over and tried to help Molly feel better, but she didn't touch her. She knew she would only push her away and that would just make Fizzy feel worse.
"Molly, I'm sorry," Fizzy began. "I really am sorry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelin's. And I love you more than anything else in the world. You are my BEST friend in the whole world and I would NEVER betray you. I like Julie and I care about her, but I could never love her the same way I love you as a best friend. She doesn't know about my past and she probably never will know. Besides that, there are a bunch of things that I do for you that I know I would NEVER be able to do for Julie because she is a little. . . . . .shy."
"Like what? " Molly asked tearfully. She raised her face to meet Fizzy's gaze.
"Well. . . . . ." Fizzy said, giving Molly a small smile. "Like when you're sad about bein' punished when you don't listen to Megan and I wink in behind you and blow bubbles to get you giggling. I could never do that to Julie because she would probably run scared like a furbob in a microwave."
Molly giggled a little.
"What else?" Molly asked eagerly. She was beginning to feel a little bit better.
"I could never go on half the adventures with Julie that we've been on together. And for another thing, Julie's eyes don't light up when I blow bubbles at the dinner table like yours do. There are probably a billion other things I could come up with, but that's not important. The important thing is that you know that no matter what, you and I will always be best friends. I would never betray your friendship. And just because I help Julie out, doesn't mean I love her more than you and it doesn't mean that I'm tryin' to hurt you. You have to know that Julie and I may have a friendship, but it's not as strong as ours. It's not as strong as ours because you and I have been best friends since you were two years old. Your now six. Four years. It's true that Julie and I have been friends for three years, but you and I have been BEST friends for a year more than Julie and I. Julie and I aren't as close as you and I are and we probably will never be. And to tell you the truth, we don't even hang out that much for her and I to become good friends. And if you need more proof, I'm here to tell you that when I was helping Julie, I almost froze."
This got Molly to look up and she gasped.
"Holy macanoli! You froze?"
Fizzy giggled and blushed a little.
"Yup. I almost didn't know what to do. You know why?"
Molly shook her head.
"Because Julie wasn't you. For the past four years whenever I've comforted someone other than the baby ponies or Megan, it's always been you. I've gotten used to what makes you feel better when you're sad or not feeling good and it almost made me not be able to help Julie because I didn't know what would work for her. But ya know what?"
Molly shook her head.
"It's because of our friendship that I was able to help Julie tonight. It's because of helping you that made me be able to summon the courage and just go for it. So I don't want you to EVER think that I don't treasure our friendship or I don't love you, because that is just NOT true. Okay?"
Molly nodded.
Firefly smiled.
"Now, now, do you feel better, my precious peanut?"
Molly nodded and broke away from Firefly. She got off her bed and walked over to Fizzy. She wrapped her arms around Fizzy's neck and gave her the biggest hug she could without hurting her. She stroked Fizzy's mane gently and Fizzy nuzzled her best friend affectionately.
"Aw, that's better now," Fizzy said. "And I'm sorry again. I never meant to hurt your feelings."
"I know," Molly said. 'I'm sorry too. Friends again?"
Fizzy shook her head.
Molly frowned.
"Best friends," Fizzy said.
Molly's face broke into a grin.
"I love you, Fizzy." She said, giving her best friend another hug.
"Aw, I love you too, Molly. I love you so much." Fizzy then nuzzled Molly again.
After the two friends broke away, Fizzy started to blow bubbles for Molly to catch.
Molly started to giggle and her grin grew even wider.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Are you feeling better, my little sunshine?" Megan asked as she came into the room.
Molly nodded.
"Yuppero! I fell all better now. Fizzy and I are best friends again!"
"Aw, that's good," Megan said, giving her little sister a hug. I'm glad." She patted Fizzy's mane and then Firefly nuzzled her sweet girl and got her onto her back via her double inside out loop.
"How about a flight, my sweet girl?" Firefly suggested.
Megan nodded and grinned.
"Sure."
"Let's fly!" With that, Firefly flew out of the window and down her and Megan's usual trail.
Later that night, Molly awoke feeling really cold. She was shivering and she felt really dizzy. What in Ponyland was going on? She had been fine a few hours ago.
As she got up, she just about made it to the bathroom before getting sick everywhere.
Just then, Megan came into the bathroom and gasped when she saw Molly and the state she was in. She rushed forward and put a comforting hand on Molly's shoulder.
"Shh, " Megan soothed. "Shh, hush now, my little sunshine. Megan's here now. You're going to be okay. I'm going to take care of you. What happened?"
Molly shook her head as more heaves wracked her body.
After her stomach had calmed down for at least ten minutes, Megan took her little sister into her lap and started stroking her hair. She took Molly's temperature and discovered that she had a fever. She got Molly a cup of Ginger Ale and brought it back to her bedroom. She then tucked Molly into bed and put the bucket by the bed.
After Megan closed the door, she got into bed and took Molly into her arms again. she gave her a kiss and then started stroking her hair gently.
"I don't feel good!" Molly whimpered into Megan's shoulder.
"Shh," Megan soothed. "Shh, hush now, my little sunshine. You're okay now. You're going to be all right. I'm gonna take care of you." With that, she tried to help Molly get back to sleep.
About two hours later, Megan was woken up by Medley.
"Julie needs you." Medley said. "She's in a lot of pain and she just got sick."
Megan nodded and was about to leave when Molly started to thrash in her sleep. She started crying and calling Megan's name.
Megan put a hand on Molly's shoulder and gently nudged her awake. As Molly woke up, she bolted upright and Megan took her into her arms. She soothed her and tried to calm her down.
As Molly started to calm down, her stomach started to hurt again. she let out a whimper and Megan knew what was going to happen. She placed the bucket in front of her sister just in time.
After Molly's stomach had calmed down, she buried her face in Megan's shoulder and whimpered.
"Megan, my head hurts! Really bad! Make it stop please!"
Megan hugged Molly close and started stroking her hair gently. Her little sunshine was having a really bad night.
As Megan started to rub Molly's back, Medley cleared her throat.
"Can you stay with Julie for a few more minutes? I'll be right there. Just let me get Molly back to sleep first."
Medley nodded and went to see what she could do for her sweet little hummingbird.
After Medley left, Megan put a hand to Molly's forehead and was relieved when she discovered that her fever was gone. Now it was only a matter of getting her headache and stomachache to go away.
"Shh," Megan soothed as she started rocking Molly back and forth gently. "Shh, hush now, my little sunshine. You're okay. You're going to be all right. You're safe and sound in my arms where you belong. You're safe and sound in Megan's arms where you belong." She gave Molly a kiss on her cheek and then laid her down so that she could rinse out the bucket. As she did this, Medley met her in the bathroom.
"Julie's really upset," Medley said. "She really wants you. My sweet little hummingbird is really in bad shape."
Megan sighed and tried to do two things at once. Luckily for her, Fizzy was awake still. She always got up to get a drink of water around this time.
Megan caught up with Fizzy as she was heading back to her own room.
"Fizzy, can you do me a BIG favor and go in my room and sit with Molly for a minute? I need to check on Julie and my little sunshine is having a really bad night. She woke up feeling sick and then she had a nightmare and now she has one of her migraines."
Fizzy frowned and went to see what she could do to help her best friend.
When Fizzy entered the bedroom, she found Molly crying while burying her face in her pillow.
"Aw, Molly, shh, shh, hush. Shh, hush. Shh, it's okay now. You're going to be okay. I'm here now. Shh, hush. . . ." Fizzy soothed gently as she started to nuzzle Molly and stroke her hair with her front left hoof.
"It hurts!" Molly sobbed. "It hurts bad!"
"Shh, hush, it's okay, Molly. It's okay. You're goin' to be all right. Can you sit up for me?"
Molly tried and Fizzy moved closer so that Molly could wrap her arms around her neck and find comfort in her. Molly did just that. She buried her face in Fizzy's mane and cried harder. She was grateful for her best friend's comfort, but Molly was feeling awful and just wanted to sleep.
Fizzy continued to nuzzle Molly gently as the little girl continued to cry in pain. Fizzy didn't like seeing her best friend in pain and she wanted Molly to feel better as soon as possible. She knew for that to happen, everyone had to help out.
Just then, Megan came back into the room. She set a bucket down on the bedside table and patted Molly's shoulder gently.
Molly, feeling Megan's hand on her shoulder, turned around and reached her arms up to her.
"In a minute, sweetie. I promise. I need to chek on Julie and then I'll be right back. Fizzy's going to keep you company." She gave Molly a kiss and then left to check on Julie. Megan sighed. This was really turning into a long night.
When Megan got to Julie's room, she found her younger sister awake and she was crying pretty hard. Megan picked her up and tried to soothe her. She started singing her "Let a Song Carry You Along" and "In the Forest", hoping that would help her to feel better.
Julie then asked, "Can you sing "There's Always Another Rainbow", please?"
Megan thought for a moment and then shook her head.
"Why not!" Julie whined.
Megan sighed. She had been singing that song a lot lately and besides, it was really one of Molly's favorite songs and Megan sung it to her whenever she was upset or not feeling well. She knew that it was something that she and Molly shared and she felt that it needed to stay that way.
Megan didn't mind singing it when her friends needed hope that everything was going to be okay, or when Baby Rainbow Star wanted her to, but Baby Rainbow Star was her daughter,
which meant she was an exception.
Julie gave Megan a Look.
Megan ignored it and started to sing "Where Have the Unicorns Gone?" Which Julie didn't really take to that well. She listened to it, but she really didn't like that song. She buried her face in Megan's shoulder just as Fizzy came into the room. She looked worried.
"Fizzy, what's the matter?" Megan asked.
"It's Molly. She just got sick again and her head is really hurting. I think she needs her medicine."
Megan nodded and put Julie down. She went to get up and follow Fizzy out of the room, but Julie reached for her.
"Megan! Megan, don't leave, please!"
"Shh, it's okay, Julie. It's all right, little one. Come here." Megan picked Julie up and carried her to her bedroom. She tucked Julie in her bed and went across the room to check on Molly.
Megan found her little sunshine crying and hard at that. Molly had her face buried in her pillow, so Megan took that opportunity to give Molly her migraine medicine in shot form.
As Megan stuck the needle in Molly's shoulder, Molly let out a sob that broke Megan's heart.
Fizzy nuzzled Molly gently and Molly responded by wrapping her arms around Fizzy's neck and crying into her mane. She was just feeling so awful she just wanted her best friend right now.
"Shh, shh, hush. Shh, hush. It's okay, Molly. It's going to be okay. You're gonna feel better soon. I promise. It's okay. Shh. Hush. . . . " Fizzy soothed while nuzzling Molly gently.
After Megan put the syringe away, she tried to take Molly into her lap, but Molly didn't want any of it. All she wanted was Fizzy.
"No!" Molly wailed tearfully. "No! I want to stay with Fizzy! I want to stay with Fizzy! I want to stay with Fizzy!" She continued to cry and buried her face in Fizzy's mane again.
"Shh, shh, hush. Shh, hush. It's okay, Molly. It's all right. I'm not goin' anywhere. I promise. I'm goin' to stay right here with you, but you need to lay down now, okay? It's time to go night-night now. Come on." Fizzy nuzzled Molly gently and Molly reluctantly let go of Fizzy and laid back down. "Aw, that's a girl. There ya go. All right. Shh, shh, hush. It's okay, Molly. It's all right. You're going to feel better soon. It's okay. It's okay."
Fizzy started rubbing her shoulder with her front right hoof, which helped Molly calm down.
"It's all right, my little sunshine," She said, soothingly. "It's all right. You're safe now. You're safe and sound in your big sister's arms where you belong." With that, Megan began singing "There's Always Another Rainbow" For her. That seemed to work. Molly calmed down and went back to sleep.
Megan tucked her in, and kissed the top of her head. Then she went back to check on Julie.
As she crossed the room, she patted Fizzy's mane.
"Thanks, Fizzy. I really appreciate it."
Fizzy smiled and nuzzled Megan gently.
"It's no problem, Megan. It was my pleasure. Molly is my best friend after all. I would do anythin' for her and you. I love you two bunches. I'll stay here with her while you go and check on Julie if ya want me to. I don't mind at all."
"That would be great. I'll be right back. I promise." Megan then patted Fizzy's mane again and crossed the room. She sat down on her bed and put a hand on Julie's shoulder. "Are you doing okay, little one?"
"Can you sing our song, please?" Julie asked, her voice very tearful and tired.
Megan smiled and began to stroke Julie's hair.
"Sure I will, little one. Now that I can do." Megan kissed Julie's cheek before starting to sing.
After Julie's steady breathing could be heard, Megan went to take a bathroom break and then she climbed into bed herself. She needed the rest. It had been a very long night.
"Goodnight, Fizzy. Sweet dreams."
"Goodnight, Megan. Sweet dreams. See ya in the mornin'. I love you."
"Aw, I love you too, Miss Fizzy. And thanks for helping Molly out tonight."
Fizzy nodded.
"Like I said before, it's really no problem. It's my pleasure."
Megan fell asleep about ten minutes later. She woke up around four o' clock in the morning to check on Molly. To her relief, Molly was sound asleep. After Megan went to the bathroom and got a drink of water, she crawled back into her own bed and fell back to sleep for the rest of the night.
Fizzy was still there, sleeping soundly on the floor in a sleeping bag that Megan had lent her. She was really a great friend to all three girls. Fizzy had a big heart and she was always ready to help anyone who needed it.
Around six-thirty in the morning, Megan was woken up by Julie crying. She was awake and it looked like she was having trouble getting back to sleep. She was holding Sagwa close and tears were streaming down her face.
Megan sighed and put a gentle hand on Julie's shoulder. She wanted her little sister to know she was there for her.
"What's the matter, little one, hmmm?" Megan asked gently. She started rubbing Julie's back and stroking her hair.
Julie turned to face Megan and she threw herself into her big sister's arms, crying and shaking from not feeling well.
"Aw, it's okay, Julie. It's okay. Megan's here now. You're okay. You're all right, little one. You're all right. . .. SHh, shh, hush now, sweetheart.. ." Megan then started to sing once again, hoping it would help her little sister feel better.
As Julie drifted off again, Megan smiled down at her litel sister lovingly as she snuggled into her for a cuddle.
"Aw, that's my girl. It's okay. Megan has you now. Just try and sleep, okay, little one?"
Julie nodded and did her best. Now that she was back where she belonged, she felt a lot better.
After Megan got Julie back to sleep, she tucked her little sister in bed and gave her one more kiss.
"Sweet dreams, little one. I love you. I'll see you in the morning." With that, Megan made sure Julie was covered with a blanket and then she rolled over and tried to get a couple more hours of sleep. She wasn't ready to get up just yet.
Four hours later, Megan woke up for good. She checked on Julie and was happy to see that her little one was sleeping soundly.
Megan kissed Julie's cheek and then got up and got dressed. As Megan was brushing her hair and slipped the Rainbow of Light back around her neck, Molly awoke not feeling much better. Her headache was almost gone, but it was still hurting a little.
Megan went over to Molly's bed and put a gentle hand on
her little sunshine's shoulder.
"Shh, shh, hush now, my little sunshine. It's okay, Molly. You're all right. Megan's right here. Are you still feeling yucky, honey?"
Molly nodded as she threw herself into Megan's lap, crying.
Megan sighed and took Molly into her arms. She gave her a hug and kissed her head. She then started to stroke her hair and rub her back. She sung her "There's Always Another Rainbow" which seemed to calm her down.
About ten minutes later, Megan got Molly some Ginger Ale and some of Princess Tiffany's juice. Molly was very tired and was crying from not feeling well, which wasn't surprising.
After Megan helped Molly drink some of Princess Tiffany's juice and then some Ginger Ale, which turned out to be a big mistake, she took Molly into her lap and started to comfort her. She started to sing her"There's Always Another Rainbow" again, Which did the trick. But about ten minutes later, Molly let out a wail.
"Shh, shh, hush now, my little sunshine. Shh, it's okay, sweetie. You're all right. Megan has you. You're safe and sound in my arms where you belong. You're okay, honey. It's all right. Shh. Hush now. What's the matter with my little sunshine, huh?"
"I want Fizzy!" Molly replied tearfully. "I want Fizzy!"
Megan tried not to feel too hurt by her little sister's reply. It wasn't Molly's fault that she wasn't' feeling good and she had a right to seek comfort from whomever she wanted. Megan knew that Molly would seek her comfort again soon, so she didn't let it bother her.
"Okay, shh, it's all right, sweetie. Let's see if we can find her. If we can't find Fizzy right this second, do you want to have cuddle time in the glider with me?"
Molly nodded, but Megan could tell Molly wanted Fizzy and would NOT be happy if they couldn't find Fizzy in the next ten minutes.
To Megan's relief, Fizzy was in the kitchen. She was finishing up her breakfast.
Megan put Molly down on her usual chair, which was next to Fizzy's and across from Firefly. Molly immediately wrapped her arms around Fizzy's neck and cried into her mane.
"Aw, shh, shh, hush. Shh, shh, hush. It's all right, Molly. It's okay. What's the matter, huh? Are you still feelin' yucky?"
Molly nodded and cried harder as her head started to hurt again.
"I'm going to get her some Tylenol," Megan said as she left the room. After she got back, she helped Molly to take it and then she tucked her back in bed. Fizzy stayed with her best friend for most of the morning as did Megan.
Around ten o' clock, Megan took Molly into the kitchen so that she could try and eat some toast. After that, Molly rested in bed while Fizzy stayed with her and Megan ate some breakfast of her own. It was really turning into a bad day for her little sister, and Megan wanted to do everything she could to help Molly feel better.
Around lunchtime, Molly awoke from a nap and wanted to have cuddle time with Megan. Unfortunately, Julie wanted the same thing. Molly still wanted comfort from Fizzy, but right now, she wanted to be where she belonged, in her sister's arms, safe and sound.
Megan was happy about this and took her baby sister into her lap and started to sing her a song, hoping that would help her little sunshine feel better.
Fizzy started rubbing Molly's shoulder with her right front hoof while Megan stroked Molly's hair. This seemed to work and Molly fell back to sleep not long after that.
After Megan tucked Molly back in, she and Fizzy went to eat some lunch in the kitchen. After Fizzy was done eating, she went to stay with Molly and Megan hung out in the kitchen a little more.
A little while later, Megan brought Molly into the kitchen to try her on some soup. It didn't go well and Molly ended up throwing up, which caused her to feel worse. She cuddled in Megan's lap, while Megan ate her lunch and then Megan started rocking Molly back and forth and stroking her hair, hoping to get her back to sleep.
Megan knew Julie wanted her too, but the eldest Hartson sister also knew that she couldn't be in two places at once.
Meanwhile, Medley was staying with Julie, trying to get her to calm down. It was working a little bit, but all Julie wanted was her big sister.
Julie knew that Molly was sick too and Megan had to balance her time between her and Molly, but Julie wanted some time with Megan too.
Julie let out a sob as she tried to fall asleep. She felt safe with Medley and she loved spending time with her, but Julie really wanted Megan right now.
"Just try and sleep, my sweet little hummingbird," Medley said gently. She started singing Julie to sleep and nuzzling her.
Julie closed her eyes and tried her best to obey Medley. She was tired and knew she needed the rest, but she also wanted her big sister's comfort.
Two hours later, Megan was in the kitchen with Paradise, eating lunch. She was also cuddling with Molly.
"So how's Julie doing?" Paradise asked.
"Not so well," Megan replied. "She just wants me, but I can't be with her all the time. I have to take care of Molly too."
Paradise nodded.
Just then, Molly started to stiff. She opened her eyes before burying her face in Megan's shoulder.
"Shh, shh, hush now, my little sunshine. It's okay, Moll. It's all right. What's the matter, sweetie?"
Molly calmed when she heard Megan's voice. She then said softly, "I'm thirsty."
Megan grinned.
"Well, I think we can fix that." With that, she got up and carried Molly with her to the dining room. That was where she kept some juice boxes for when the girls were sick.
As Megan was getting Molly a juice box, they both heard Julie crying in her room.
The bedrooms were just down the hall on the right from the dining room. This meant they weren't too faraway from each other.
"Holy macanoli!" Molly gasped. "Megan, what's wrong with Julie?"
Megan sighed.
"I'm not sure. Do you think you can hang out with Fizzy while I go and check on her?"
Molly nodded. She wanted Julie to feel better. Besides, hse was feeling a lot better than she had that morning.
Once Megan was sure Molly would be okay, she went to see what was wrong with their sister.
When Megan entered Julie's room, she found her other little sister crying and facing the wall.
As Megan sat down, she put her hand on Julie's shoulder and picked her up.
"Aw, come here, little one. It's okay. Megan's here now. I'm here now, sweetie. Come here."
She rubbed Julie's back and started to stroke her little sister's hair. "Shh, shh, hush now, little one. Can you use your words and tell Megan what's wrong? What's the matter, little one?"
Julie let out a sob before answering Megan's question.
"I just wanted to spend some time with you," she said. "I know Molly's sick too, but I wanted some cuddle time with you!"
"Aw, it's okay, little one. It's all right. Megan's here now. I have you, little one. I'm sorry, Jules. I didn't mean to ignore you. It's just a little hard balancing my time sometimes. But I want you to know that I will ALWAYS love you, no matter what, okay?"
Julie nodded and snuggled into Megan for a cuddle.
"I love you too," she said while laying her head against Megan's shoulder.
"Aw, same here, little one," Megan said while holding Julie close. "Same here."
Julie smiled. She loved Megan so much and she loved spending time with her.
"Just try and sleep now." Megan encouraged gently. "I'm right here."
Julie nodded and tried to obey her sister.
It wasn't hard when Megan started signing to her. It always hleped her get to sleep.
After she was done singing, Megan gazed down at her sister loving.
"Aw, that's my girl. Is that what you wanted? Did you want some time with your big sister/"
Julie nodded and snuggled into Megan for a cuddle.
"Sing our song again, please, Megan?"
"Sure thing, little one," Megan said before starting to sing again.
It took about ten to twenty-minutes, but Megan got Julie back to sleep. She gave her a kiss and patted her shoulder before returning to the living room.
"Sweet dreams, little one. Megan loves you very much. I'll see you when you wake up." With that, Megan left the room and went back to check on Molly. She wanted to see how her little sunshine was doing.
When Megan entered the living room, she took Molly, who had fallen asleep into her arms and sat down across from Firefly.
Her best pony friend was flipping through the TV channels while still keeping an eye on Molly.
"Did you get anything out of my Jules?" Firefly asked her sweet girl.
Megan nodded.
"Yup. Julie just wanted some time with me."
Firefly nodded. She then nuzzled Megan and Molly and left to take a flight with Medley.
Megan smiled to herself as she continued to cuddle with her baby sister. Firefly was really a good friend and Megan was really grateful to the pink Pegasus for all she had done.
After Molly had fallen back to sleep, Megan tucked her little sister back in bed in their bedroom and went to take a nap of her own. She was very tired and she needed some rest. As Megan layed down, she prayed and hoped that Julie and Molly would feel better soon. She loved both of her sisters very much
and hated it when they were sick.
Two hours later, Megan was in the nursery, putting the baby ponies down for nap along with Molly. Megan knew Molly had just taken one, but she also knew her baby sister needed a lot of rest. It was the only way Molly was going to feel better.
Baby Rainbow Star, Baby Cotton Candy, Baby Half Note, Baby Moondancer and Ember were going down without fuss, but Baby Cudddles and Baby Heart Throb wer ea different story.
Molly was in Megan's lap and Megan was sitting in a rocking chair, thinking about what song she was going to sing besides the obvious. She knew both Molly and Baby Rainbow Star wanted her to sing "There's Always Another Rainbow" and she didn't mind, but she needed to think of a song that would get everyone to sleep. She then got an idea.
"Okay you guys, I want all of you to close your eyes and imagine yourselves in a beautiful green forest. Trees are all around and the sun is shining brightly in the sky. What do you see in the forest?" Megan asked gently.
"Birds!" Baby Cotton Candy excalimed.
"Baby Cotton Candy, you have to whisper now, okay? It's naptime.
"I'm sorry, Megan, " Baby Cotton Candy said,
"It's all right, sweetie. It was an accident. Okay, where were we? You said you saw birds, right?"
"Uh-huh," Baby Cotton Candy said in a loud whisper.
"Okay. Now close your eyes everyone and imagine yourselves back in the forest and the sun is shining and birds are singing….." Megan then started to sing a song she knew would help everyone get to sleep. "There's a song in the air in the forest, birds are singing as they're winging here and there. Could it be the scenery? The brilliant forest greenery? Is that why there's music everywhere? There's a beautiful sound in the forest, birds are tweeting out their greeting loud and strong. There is nowhere to be found something sweeter than the sound, of nature's own sweet song. Birds feel safe and at home
in the forest. They feel right there cause they're right where they belong. There's no way to recreate, to replace or imitate, nature's own sweet song. Nature's own sweet song."
Once Megan was done singing, she discovered that everyone was asleep except for Molly and to her surprise, Ember. She glanced over and gave Ember a concerned look.
"Ember, sweetie, what's the matter, honey? Are you okay?"
Ember nodded, but Megan could tell something was wrong. Ember always fell aslepe without too much trouble.
Megan gently tucked Molly into the bed next to Baby Cotton Candy's bed and went over to see what was wrong with Ember. She put a hand on Ember's mane and started to stroke it gently.
as Megan did this, Ember started to relax a little.
Megan smiled down at her.
"Is that what you wanted? Did you want me to pat you a little?"
Ember nodded.
Megan laughed softly.
"Oh Ember. What am I going to do with you, hmmm? If you wanted me to pat you, then why didn't you just use your words and ask me like a big girl?"
Ember didn't answer Megan's question at first. when she did speak, her voice was barely a whisper and she had started to cry.
"Because they would have made fun of me!" She whimpered.
Megan was taken aback.
"Who?" She asked.
"Baby Tic Tac Toe, Baby Gusty and. . . . . . .Baby Lickety Split. They said that I was your favorite and I was taking ad. . . . adva. . . .advan. . . ."
"Advantage?" Megan asked, knowing that that was probably the word Ember was trying to say, but couldn't.
Ember nodded and let out a sob.
"They said that I was too quiet and I'm no fun. They don't even play with me anymore! Oh Megan, what did I do!"
"Shh," Megan soothed, taking Ember into her arms. "Shh, hush now. It's okay, Ember. It's all right. You didn't do anything to anyone. And you are not taking advantage of anyone. Most of all me. I enjoy spending time with you and that goes for all of the baby ponies. It's true I have my favorites, but I love you all the same when it comes down to it. You all have your special qualities and that's what makes each of you unique."
Ember let out a sob and buried her face in Megan's shoulder. Megan just rubbed her back and stroked her mane gently. she knew Ember needed to cry this out.
After Ember had calmed down, Megan continued. "And you know what? You have your special qualities too."
Ember gazed up at Megan.
"I do?"
Megan nodded.
"Yup. You're very helpful. You're as sweet as can be and you also know how to help people and ponies when they need comfort. You don't even have to say anything. Just being there for them helps."
Ember nodded and smiled a little.
"So I'm not taking advan. . . . .advantage of you?"
"Of course not!" Megan said in a loud whisper. With that, she started to sing Ember to sleep. "Time we took our naps before we all collapse. To your bed, douse the light and put your sleepyhead down, and sleep tight!" She gave Ember a kiss and then went to check on Molly. She was relieved when she saw that her little sunshine was fast asleep. She gave Molly a kiss and then left the nursery, but not before giving Baby Rainbow Star a kiss on her cheek. "
Sweet dreams, my little one. Mama loves you so much. I'll see you when you wake up." With that, she left to take a flight with Firefly. Megan knew that Baby Gusty, Baby Lemon Drop and Baby Tic Tac Toe needed a good talking to, but she was going to wait until after their nap to give them one.
A few hours later, Megan and Julie were watching "Oliver and Company" in the living room when Oliver wandered in. He jumped up on Julie's lap and started to purr. Julie scratched him behind the ears and giggled. She loved Oliver so much.
It wasn't until five minutes later that disaster struck.
Julie had been fine until Oliver rubbed up against her face. All of a sudden, Julie started to cough and she sneezed a few times. Her eyes also started to water a little.
Megan was on Julie like a shot. She took Oliver from her and put him down. She picked her little sister up and took her into the house. She then gave Julie her medicine and then sung her "Hidden Rainbows in the Sky", while trying to calm her down.
Just then, Paradise came in with a look of realization on her face. She held up a bottle of Pet Shampoo and told Julie to sniff it.
"Try this, Julie," Paradise said. "I think I figured out what's wrong."
Julie looked confused, but did so. Sure enough as soon as her nose got even a little sniff, she started to cough and actually got sick from coughing so much.
Medley frowned and nuzzled Julie gently. She ahd been helping Megan take care of her.
Paradise frowned too. She hadn't meant for that to happen.
As Megan held the bucket for her. It was then that Megan realized what Paradise had just discovered. She waited until Julie was feeling a little bit better and not crying so much before telling her what she just found out.
"Julie, honey, you're not allergic to Oliver."
"I'm not?" Julie asked.
"No. You're allergic to his pet shampoo."
Julie looked at Megan as if she were crazy.
"Are you sure?" Julie asked.
"I'm positive. I saw Firefly and Locket wash Oliver this morning."
Julie gave Megan a big hug and then wrapped her arms around Megan's neck as her big sister carried her outside and over to where Fizzy, Molly and Firefly were playing a game of bubble ball.
"Come join us!" Fizzy called to Megan and Julie.
Megan smiled and did so. Soon enough, everyone was laughing and having a good time. Megan was glad that Julie was feeling better. Molly too.
Later that night, Megan tucked Julie and Molly into bed. she sung Molly's song first and then Julie's.
"Aw, Good night, my little sunshine. I love you very much. I'll see you in the morning, okay?"
"Okay. I love you too, Megan. Sweet dreams." Molly gave Megan a kiss and hug.
After Megan tucked Julie in and gave her akiss, followed by Kassie, she went to bed herself. She was really tired and it had been a long day. Finally, it semed that everything was right in Ponyland once again.
Megan just hoped and prayed that she would be able to balance her time between Molly and Julie and she knew deep down in her heart that everything would work out. After all, there was always another Rainbow around the bend and if you looked hard enough, you could find a Rainbow anywhere.
THE END