"That's not fair!" Shining Armor yelped, following his father down the hall. "How come she gets to stay in bed all day, while I have to go shovel the front yard?"

Nightlight, a steaming bowl of soup floating in his magical grasp, spared the colt a glance. "For the eighteenth time: Twilight is sick. She's in no condition to be outside in the snow."

"Hey, I've been doing math homework all morning. How am I supposed to work after torture like that?"

"Diligently," Nightlight shot back with a grin. He pushed open the door to his daughter's room. "Twily, honey, how are you feeling?"

At the end of the room, Twilight looked like some sort of tissue-based monster. Her bed was covered with them, and three empty boxes lay on the floor next to her. She held one up to her bright-red muzzle and blew, producing a sound that seemed better suited for a manticore than an filly. "Fine," she muttered through a cough. "I really think I'm getting bett—achoo!"

"See?" Shining said. "She's getting better! She can totally help shovel!"

Nightlight rolled his eyes. He cantered up to Twilight and rested the bowl of soup on the tray sitting on her lap. "Here. Made special, for my little princess."

Twilight sniffled and sipped at the soup. "Thanks, daddy. This tastes gre—achoo!" A wave of soup went flying across the bed, soaking into her blanket of tissues. She offered Nightlight a sheepish grin.

Nightlight cringed, but offered a smile. "I'm glad you like it. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me." Twilight nodded, and Nightlight moved to the door. He cast back one last look. "As for you, Shining: if that yard isn't clear in an hour, then..." He chuckled. "Let's just say that we own some math textbooks." He left the room.

Shining pouted and hopped onto Twilight's bed. "This is so stupid," he muttered. "I work from 8 to 3 every single day, and now he wants me to work on Saturdays?"

"You better listen to him," Twilight warned. "He bought me a calculus book yester—achoo!"

"Why you get to sit here and eat soup while I'm out in the cold?. What's stopping you from picking up a shovel?"

Twilight lifted a spoonful of soup to her lips and shrugged. "I dunno—achoo!" Her spoon went flying across the bed, whacking into the side of Shining's face. She rubbed the back of her head and chuckled. "Sorry, Shiny."

"It's fine," he said, wiping his fur. Shining's eyes went wide for a moment. "Hey, I just got an idea!"

"Huh? What do you—hey!" Twilight sunk back into her pillows as Shining scrambled across the bed and stood over her. "What are you doing?"

"Sneeze on me!"

"What? Why?"

"If I can get sick, I can just sit in bed all day and read comics!" Shining grinned. "So sneeze!"

"Uh, okay..."

The two sat. Shining stared at his sister. Twilight did her best to do everything but look at him. After a few minutes had passed and nothing had come, Shining allowed himself another frown. "Well? What are you waiting for?"

"I can't just make myself sneeze!" Twilight yelped, cheeks pink. "It just happens!"

Shining growled and hopped off the bed. "Ugh, I hate this! You've been sneezing all day, and now you can't?"

"Achoo!"

"Oh, come on!" Shining screamed. He sighed and fell to his rump. "This sucks."

Twilight gasped at his curse. But instead of calling for their father to report his crime, she just cast a soft glance toward her brother. "Listen, Shiny. I know how much you hate doing chores. But trying to get yourself sick to avoid doing them is just... stupid. And kinda weird."

"So, what then?" Shining asked. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that, well, sometimes hard work is rewarding! And it can be fun, too!" Twilight smiled. "I know that you're super strong, Shiny. You can work hard! And if you still don't want to, then... will you do it for me?"

The two locked eyes, and took a moment to share a glance. Shining rolled his eyes. "Maybe you're right."

Twilight gasped. "Serio—achoo!"

"Yeah, you are right: trying to get myself sick was too easy. I need to work harder to avoid doing my chores!" Shining ran to the door. "I'll see you later. I'm gonna jump off my bed and see if I can sprain my ankle." He ran out.

Twilight lifted a hoof. "That's not what I—achoo!"