Applebloom's eyes widened as she heard the sound of a stifled sneeze from the den. "Bless You!" she rang out as her little hoofs slid along the wood floor. She rounded the corner and ran into the den with a big smile, then she stopped.
Applebloom looked forward to see Applejack peacefully laying on her back with her eyes closed and hat on the ground. "Was that you sis?" Applebloom tilted her head to one side.
Applejack opened one eye and looked at Applebloom. "Was what me?"
"Did you just sneeze?"
Applejack closed her eyes again. "You best be headin' off and playin' with your filly buddies." She motioned her hoof to the door and Applebloom slowly headed for the door. With her back turned, Applebloom heard a stifled sound once again. "Hnnngggpphhff!" Faster then lightning, Applebloom's head whipped around and she yelled, "Bless you!"
Again it was just Applejack laying on the couch with her eyes closed. "Huh?" Applebloom looked confused as she once again scanned the room. Defeated, Applebloom looked down and opened the door.
"Hyyyaaaaaeeeeeee-issshooooooo!"
The door hadn't even closed yet when Applebloom spun around once again, eyes wide, teeth clinched.
"Alright, I heard that one!" Applebloom announced as her nose curled slightly beneath her eyes.
Applejack opened one eye again. "Pardon?"
"Didn't ya hear that, big sis?"
"Hear what?"
"It sounded like a hisssshoe"
"Now what in tarnation is a hisssshoe?"
Applebloom put her hoof to her chin to think a moment.
"See yur talkin' crazy talk, lil' sis. Now you go play with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle er' sumthin'. You all done finished yer chores already for the day."
Applebloom waited and stared at, Applejack. She looked intently at Applejack who peacefully lay on the couch. Then a thought dawned on Applebloom. "Hey, shouldn't ya be out in the orchard with Big Mac?" Applejack smiled. "I'm on break, Big Mac's got er' all takin' care of."
Applebloom wasn't sure how to respond, so instead of being a nuisance, she backed up, spun around on her back hooves, and trotted out the door.
The morning sun was disappearing, and the cool morning breeze was fleeting as the midday heat began to take hold of Sweet Apple Acres. Sweat formed on Big Mac's brow as he wiped it off with the back of his hoof. He grunted once as he pushed a full barrel of apples onto the bed of a old brown wagon. He looked up at the sun as the heat rays beat down upon him. He nodded to himself, then turned back to look at the recently picked orchard. Big Mac had finished his duties just before the brunt of the daytime heat. He hauled the last wagon-full of apples into the barn and locked the barn door. He was dreaming of a big tall class of freshly squeezed, frosty cold, cider. Just as he was about to open the kitchen door he heard a noise from inside.
"Haaaapp-phhheewwww..."
The sound startled Big Mac, but he opened the door anyways. He saw Applejack sitting at the counter sipping something from a mug. He walked over and smiled at her, not realizing she hadn't been in the field with him. He had been so busy working, he didn't even think twice about it. After all, Applejack was always a hard worker, and never missed days of work, even when she was sick.
Applejack nodded and smiled back at Big Mac. Feeling content, Big Mac turned from Applejack and stuck his head in the refrigerator to look for a cool frothy cider. "Hnnnggghhxxxxx!" "Haaaa-hhnnngggphhexxx!" Big Mac's head whipped up slamming it to the top of the fridge ceiling. He rubbed his crown as he looked back at Applejack just sitting at the counter with a grin on her face.
Big Mac squinted his eyes a moment and looked at Applejack. He nodded once again and turned back to the fridge, but out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a white flash fall from behind Applejack. Oh well, it wasn't a big enough deal for him to ask . . . "Haaaaap-shooo!"
He banged his head on the ceiling of the fridge again and spun around to look at Applejack. He caught her just in time to see her hooves covering her snout and mouth.
Applejack quickly blushed and moved her hooves down. She bent over and picked up a tissue that had fallen from her grasp, forcing her to sneeze into her hooves instead of out in the open.
Big Mac looked indifferent, but gave Applejack a stare with his eyes.
"I ain't what you think I am!" Applejack said as her blush faded away. Big Mac just rolled his eyes.
"I ain't!" Applejack exclaimed. By this time Big Mac was already head first in the refrigerator again.
Applejack hated being sick, and one thing she hated more then being sick was other ponies knowing she was sick. She would do anything she could from masking her voice, to working extra hard just to make it so other wouldn't know. She had managed several times in the past to act so well, that other ponies didn't even notice her ailment, but this time was different. Her nose kept tickling, and it became hard to hold back her sneezes. Mucous continued to run inside her nostrils making it quiver and shake, and the only way to relieve the tickle was to forcefully sneeze it out.
Big Mac placed his cider on the counter beside Applejack's mug and said, "Eeeeyup." Applejack didn't like that one bit and retorted, "I am not sick!" Big Mac shook his head then pressed his hoof on Applejack's snout. It made a slight slosh sound as he pressed down on it, and mucous seeped out. Applejack closed her eyes and pulled away from Big Mac. "Hey now! Stop thaa... haaaa...hhaaayyeeehh..." Applejack's breath hitched a few more times until she released forth a powerfully wet sneeze complete with mucous and spittle.
"Hhhaaarrraassshoooo!"
But one sneeze wasn't enough to quell the tickle from Big Mac's simple nose press.
"HhhhuuuhhhrrraaaaaaAAASSHHHoooo!" "Hurasshooo!"
Two more sneezes shot out as Applejack leaned forward. All three sneezes exploded onto the table top, as she aimed down. She quickly wrapped up her snout with her hooves and rubbed furiously. As she rubbed, a liquid sloshing could be heard.
Knowing he was right, Big Mac simply smiled, grabbed his cider, and defiantly said, "Eeeeyup." Applejack had gone the entire morning and early afternoon without working, hoping she would feel better. She didn't want to catch a cold, not when there was so much work to do. She wanted to get as many apples ready for the market as she could this coming Saturday. With only Big Mac working and a few hired hoofs, they wouldn't get optimum results.
Applejack's nose twitched as she lay on her back atop a comfy couch cushion. She felt laying on her back resulted in the least amount of nose runoff dripping from her nostrils. She brushed her nose, but the tickly feeling didn't give way. Applejack closed her eyes, her chest puffed out, she hitched a few times, and let out a strong sneeze into the air above her. "Huuuaaasshhooo!" The mist lazily sprinkled back down over her. She had to face the music, she was sick.
Slowly dragging her hooves, Applejack pushed her bedroom door open with her nose and closed it behind her with a swift little kick. She bit down on a string and pulled the blinds down. Her room was now dark except for a sliver of light shining into the room. Small particles of dust could be seen floating around in the sunlight, and when Applejack lifted herself onto her bed, the particles exploded out into every direction. "Haaa-kpphhhff!" Applejack stifled. "Hmmpphhft!" She stifled again. She rubbed her nose as it sloshed around. Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes glassy.
Clank! Thump, thump, thump.
Applejack was reaching over onto her bed stand hoping to find a box of tissues, but unlike her friends, who all had a tissue box beside their beds, Applejack did not. She never needed them, she never got sick. She was built like an ox, with a rock solid immune system. Also unlike her friends, she had no known allergies. She was pretty much in the clear for everything that every other pony had to deal with.
Applejack sighed and rolled her eyes, then turned onto her side and lifting the covers up to her shoulders. She pushed at her nose with the end of her hoof and shut her eyes.
Granny Smith rang a small cow bell as Applebloom finished setting up the last few dishes on the table.
"Better git yer food while it's hot, dear." Granny Smith chirped.
Applebloom jumped to her usual seat as Big Mac slowly walked into the dining room. Big Mac sat at the head of the table, while Granny Smith sat across from Applebloom. There was an open chair across from Big Mac. "Alright, Applebloom, it is your turn to say grace." Granny Smith said as she closed her eyes. Big Mac's hoof touched Granny Smith's left hoof, but nothing touched her right. She opened one eye and looked at where Applejack would usually sit. She looked puzzled.
"Applejack coming to dinner?" Granny Smith questioned. Big Mac opened his eyes and looked across the table, Applebloom looked too. "She might still be out workin' on somethin'." Granny Smith reasoned, "Applebloom be a dear and go get yer big sis."
Applebloom pushed herself off her chair and trotted out of the dining room. She walked down the hall towards the front door, but noticed Applejack's door to her room was closed. Her door is never closed. The door creaked open and Applebloom nudged her head into the room. She noticed a lump on Applejack's bed.
"Applejack doesn't go to bed this early..." Applebloom whispered to herself.
It was just then that Applebloom got a brilliant, well maybe not brilliant, but it seemed like a fun idea to a filly such as herself. She would go and jump on the bed to wake up her big sis, then she and Applejack could get a good laugh over it, and go eat dinner. Good idea.
With a leaping bound, Applebloom landed on Applejack's bed and bounced up and down.
"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Applebloom sang aloud.
Applejack sprung to action almost immediately and landed head first onto the floor with her legs up in the air. She moaned and held onto her head.
"Silly sis, dinner is ready! Come out and eat with us! It's my turn to say grace." The little filly grinned hoping for a response from her sister. Instead she got a muffled sneeze.
"Huhh-Chooph!" Applejack rubbed her nose and pushed herself up off the floor, mucous comically dripped from her red nose, and her bagged eyes watered. Applejack's mane was even more unkept then after a hard days work. In short, she looked terrible.
"Woah... ewwwwwww." Applebloom said as she stepped back off the bed and backed up towards the door. "You okay, sis?"
Applejack's eyes were half closed as she cleared her through, sucked up some mucous and said in a ragged tone, "I've been better. I thingh I may habe pigged ub ...sniff... ah frog imb muh throat." Applejack was startled by how bad her own voice sound as she quickly tried to clear her throat by coughing a few times.
"Well come on out ta supper. We're waitin' for ya." The filly said as she scurried out of the bedroom and down the hall.
Applejack had no appetite, and didn't really want to go to the dinner table so they would all see her like this, but out of common courtesy, she decided she would drag herself out Mac stopped chewing his food when he heard the sound of a Applejack's door creak open. When he stopped eating, so did Granny Smith, followed by Applebloom. It was silent a moment, then they heard the door close, and the sound of trudging hooves being dragged on the floor. "Hheeeeaaasshheeeh!" Sneezed Applejack uncovered, the faint sound of spittle could be heard splashing onto floor. Big Mac looked at Granny Smith as Applejack came closer down the hall, they could hear her. Applejack's head finally peered around the corner as she tried to have a smile on her face. There was an awkward silence all around until Applebloom broke the silence.
"Come on sis! Ya missed grace and we started eatin' without ya." Applebloom said as she pointed to Applejack's regular seat at the dinner table.
Granny Smith chimed in, "Are you feelin' alright dear?"
"I'b fide," Applejack said as she sucked in some mucous dripped from her left nostril. Her cheeks were red as she tried to not act sick. She puffed out her chest a moment, then scooted herself closer to the table to eat. Applejack looked at the hearty meal on her plate, but she had no appetite. She took a bite of some mashed potatoes, one of her favorite foods, but couldn't taste the buttery goodness because of her stuffed up nose.
"Big Saturday market is coming." Granny Smith uttered as if trying to forcefully break the silence.
"Eeeyup." Big Mac said between bites.
"I dow." Applejack said with sniff.
"Think we will get the entire harvest there?" Granny Smith asked looking directly at Applejack.
Applejack noticed the attention and looked down at her plate, dabbing her nose with the back side of her hoof.
Big Mac responded to Granny Smith. "Probably."
"Besides, I can take Applejack's place and help Big Mac get..." Applebloom was abruptly interrupted.
"Naw, naw! I will go to tha markeb wid Big Mag." Applejack sternly said. She obviously didn't want to be replaced.
"Not in your condition." Granny Smith snipped.
"Conbdition? Wub conbdition? Dere's nubbing wrog wib me. Nubbing more den a tweby four hour bug." Applejack reasoned trying to reassure the others and herself.
"No way! I ain't gonna have that, Applejack. If you's ain't better by Friday night, I ain't gonna risk you contaminatin' everyponies apples." Rebuttaled Granny Smith.
Applejack knew there was no point in fighting, but her stubborn self wanted to keep going. Her sick self said just to shut up and go to sleep. Her sick self won, minus the sleep. Applejack bit her lower lip and stopped arguing.
"Alribe." She nodded.
Only a mere moments passed when Applejack felt her nose twitch. A tickle shot it's way through her left nostril setting off every alarm it could to her brain. She didn't have power to rub her nose, as it was already too late, it had come on so sudden. "Huhhh." Applejack's chest expanded as she sucked in some air. Her breath hitched, and her hooves moved to cover her nose and mouth. "Hyyeeeh." Her mouth contorted with each whim the oncoming sneeze possessed her to do. Her nostrils flared, her chest expanded to it's peak, then . . . release.
"HHHHhhhaaammpppkkkttchhht!" She stifled the sneeze and heavy a pressure lumbered into her ears. But one sneeze wasn't going to cut it. She hated sneezing in front of others. She hated showing weakness. She hated sneezing right after she told Granny Smith she was fine.
The second sneeze came on with as much force as the first one, but even slightly more powerful. She couldn't stifle this one without blowing her brains out.
"HHHaaaasssssssshhhhhoooooooo!" The spray flew out to her right as she aimed for the floor. Her chair lurched back onto two leg, and hung in place before landing on all fours again. The tickle still was in her nose, and she knew another sneeze was going to expel out of her. Her nostrils tickled, and her nose was on fire to release. "HHHHaaaapppphhhsssshhoooooo!" Her chair flipped back onto two legs. "Hhuurraassshooo!" She sneezed again, but the force pushed Applejack back, and the chair she was sitting on with her. The back legs flipped up, and Applejack went straight to the floor with a thud. A fifth sneeze was stopped in it's tracks by the surprising thump on the floor.
Applebloom pushed her little hooves onto the table and tried to look over the counter. "Ya all right?" She innocently questioned. Big Mac was snickering on his side of the table, and Granny Smith looked down at Applejack on the floor.
"Huhhh...eeehhh, I'bb... I'b..." Applejack tried to answer Applebloom, but another sneeze was trying to take hold of her. "I'b fide." Mucous quickly showered from Applejack's left nostril, then oozed from her right. She pushed herself up and reached for a napkin on the table and quickly plugged her nose with it. The napkin was no use for the waterfall coming from her nose. It soaked up all the mucous, but quickly became a soggy mess. The napkin also didn't help quell any sneezes, it actually made Applejack's urge to sneeze worse.
Applejack reached for another napkin to cover her already soaked napkin. "HHHuuuhhhppphhhhhhfff!" Applejack sneezed into the napkin. She could feel the contents underneath the napkin barrier ramming the inside, trying to break free. "Huuuhhh – KKKaaaccchoooo!" The napkin broke free from her hoof and the soaked napkin used to plug her nostrils flopped out onto the floor soaking wet.
Applejack's breath hitched, then her nostrils twitched. "Hhhhaaaaassshooo!" She sneezed. "Hhhrrraassshooo!" She sneezed again. The combination of the napkins particles, the tickle, and the constant mucous flow, made Applejack have a prolonged sneezing fit, something she was not used too.
Big Mac was laughing more, while Granny Smith pushed the food away from Applejack's side of the table. Applebloom was just in awe.
"HHHnnnggggxxtt!" Applejack's head shot forward as she covered the sneeze with her hooves. She finally was able to say something. "If you'd . . . hhheeee . . . egxuse be . . . Haaassssssscchhhooo!"
Applejack pushed her chair in and trotted out of the room with urgency as she went down the hall to the bathroom, grabbed an entire roll of toilet paper, and b-lined it to her bedroom and shut the door.
Big Mac stopped laughing, but had a big grin on his face as he silently looked at Granny Smith then Applebloom. He tried hard to hold in his laughter.
"I had no idea sis could sneeze like that! Maybe she should have uh sneezin' cutie mark!" Applebloom said eagerly.
"Bwaaaaa-haaaahaaaahaaahaaahaaa!" Big Mac exploded in laughter and pounded the table after all he had just seen. He looked upward at the ceiling, wiping away a tear, as he kept laughing.
Granny Smith got up from the table and headed to the kitchen.
"I'm gonna fetch that poor dear some medicine." "HHaaaaaayyaaheeeeshhoooo!"
Applejack sneezed forward spraying the lip of her covers as she blinked her eyes a few times. The room was dark as the blinds were down. She had no idea what time it was or when she fell asleep.
Rubbing her eyes, Applejack slid out of bed as her stuffed up nose began to run. She noticed that while she was asleep, somepony had placed a tray on her bed stand with some toast, water, a medicine tablet, and a handful of tissues. Applejack grabbed a tissue and rubbed it against her snout as it made a mushy sound. Mucous drenched the tissue as she blew and tossed it into the waste bin for three points.
She looked around the room, then decided to see what time it was. She dragged her hooves over to the window and opened the blinds. A bright sunny morning shone into the room and flashed right into Applejack's eyes. She hitched her breath and let out a quick double sneeze, spray visible in the sunlight. She wiper her mouth with her hoof, then pressed her nose as mucous oozed out.
She had apparently slept the entire night, and it was now Friday. Just one day before the big Saturday market. There was no way she was going to be well enough to go to market, but she didn't want her family to know. She went over to the mirror, and for the first time in a long time, brushed her hair to get the frizzles out. She dipped her face in some water and tried to empty her nostrils of all their fluids by blowing non stop for over a minute. She cleaned up her face, then tried to put on her best "healthy" act. She practiced saying a few words.
"Good bording..." She cleared her throat. "Good mording... mournding, MORNING." She nodded in approval and tapped her nose to make sure the mucous hadn't built up again. She was ready to face the world.
Applejack nudged open her bedroom door and looked down the hallway to the kitchen. She didn't see anyone, so she stepped out.
"Hello." said a familiar voice from behind her. Applejack was startled and spun around. It was her younger sister, Applebloom.
"How are you feeling, sis?"
"I'm doin' alot bettur." Applejack said confidently trying not to blow her cover of still being ill.
"Oh good!" Applebloom said smiling and closing her eyes. "I made you some toast incase ya didn't feel better yet. Thought maybe ya'd like to eat in bed."
Applejack smiled and patted Applebloom's head.
"Thas' mighty kind of ya squirt. I appreciate it'd." Liquids began to build up in Applejack's nose again as her sentence ended. She gave a quick sniff to suck it back in hoping Applebloom didn't notice. She didn't say anything.
"I'm gonna head out to creek with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. We're gonna git ourselves some crawdads!" The small filly sang as she jumped up and down.
"You go . . . hohh . . ." Applejack paused and scrunched her snout, one eye open, the other closed. A sudden tickle pierced Applejack's confidence as she felt a powerful sneeze building.
"Sis?" Applebloom asked as she tilted her head to one side.
"Aaaaahhhh . . . Ahhhhh'm fine." Applejack struggled to gain composure. "You just heeehh heeehh . . . ehhhhh . . . head out now."
"Okay." Applebloom nodded. "Bye."
Applejack just raised her right hoof and waved goodbye. As soon as Applebloom walked out the front door, Applejack slipped back into her room and closed the door. He chest expanded out as her rump pushed back against the door. Her head titled back and her tongue curled inside her mouth. She was about to burst.
"Huuhhhhhh, huh, Ehhhhhh . . . . "
Applejack's head shot forward as her flank slammed her bedroom door. "EeeassshooooOOOOOOO!" The sneeze echoed and spray particles shot through the glimmers of sunlight still shining into her room. The tickle wasn't gone. She sneezed again, then again, and again.
"Assscchoo! Aaaahhhsshhooooo! Huh... Ashhoo!"
All of a sudden, the door behind her bumped her back end with quite some force. Somepony was trying to open her door that she was leaning against.
"One . . . second" Applejack squeezed out as another sneeze built up in her nose. Her nose scrunched as her jaw extended to it's highest peak.
"Huhhhhhhhhh . . . Huhhh!" BAM!
The door was forcefully pushed open and Applejack landed flat on her face. The sneeze sensation disappeared. Applejack pushed herself up and turned around to see Big Mac who was standing at the door.
"Big Mac! Aye said give me a second!" Flustered, Applejack waved her hooves in front of his face, but she stopped prematurely as her eyes went to a squint and her nostrils flared.
"Huhhh . . . Huh . . . "
Big Mac jumped to action as he pressed he massive hoof onto Applejack's snout covering both Applejack's nostrils. No air was going to come in our out with his hoof in her face. Applejack opened her eyes and blinked a few times.
Big Mac had a cheesy grin on his face, then pointed his head to her bed as if saying she should go lay down.
"I'b fibe!" Applejack mustered with Big Mac's massive hoove still pushed into her snout.
Big Mac wasn't buying it and shook his head. He removed his hoof from her nose then pushed her towards the bead with his powerful shoulders. When Applejack was right beside her bed, he nudged her and she flopped right in. She was in no condition to fight back, and Big Mac knew that. He then grabbed her bed sheets with his teeth and pulled it right up to Applejack's chin and let go. Then in a rather swift motion passed her the medicine tablet and glass of water.
By this time, Applejack's mouth was wide open and her eyes closed as she sucked in a bunch of air ready to sneeze again. Big Mac pushed her snout down making her jaw clamp shut, stopping the sneeze in the process. Applejack opened her eyes with a stunned expression, one pupil bigger then the other. She looked down to see the medicine and water. She looked up to Big Mac who just nodded his head.
Applejack, defeated, took the medicine tablet and drank the water. Who was she kidding? She wasn't fooling anyone except herself to think that she could be well enough for the big market Saturday. You win some and you lose some, Applejack thought.
Her nose red, and mucous beginning to form on the left nostril, Applejack smiled at Big Mac and gave in. "Alright . . . you're right. You win." She smiled as she embraced Big Mac's neck. After the embrace, Big Mac handed Applejack a tissue. He smiled and blushed as he walked out of the room.
Big Mac had a lot of work to do in preparing for the big Saturday market. Without Applejack, their was a lot of stuff she would normally do he would have to add onto his list. But he at least had one less thing to worry about, now that his sister had accepted the cold and would rest. The more she would rest, the quicker she could come back and prepare for the next big market. Big Mac opened the front door and looked out onto the orchards. The sun was casting morning shadows, but he was ready. He was ready for a hard days work. He had motivation, and he was ready.
The End.