Applejack Allergies

	Applejack was setting up her stall. It was the night of the Grand Galloping Gala, and everything was going to go flawlessly. She would make loads of money, and then use it all on improvements for the farm. Her nose began to tickle slightly. She absentmindedly raised a hoof to rub her nostrils, then got back to work.

	“Applejack! What in the name of Equestria are you doing?” Came a voice.

	“I’m settin’ up my stall. What does it look like Ah’m doin’?” Applejack replied to her friend, Rarity.

	“Well that’s no way to act at a ball.” Rarity stated, flatly. “You’ll get your hooves dirty, or worse, you’ll ruin your hair!”

	“Rarity…” Applejack started. “If’n Ah don’t do this, how in the hay is it supposed to git done?”

	Rarity turned away from her friend. She called out to a nearby stallion. “Yoohoo… I was just wondering if I could get some help setting up my stall over here.”

	The stallion blushed and took over Applejacks position of setting up the stand. Applejack scoffed, and was about to help him out, but the tickle in her nose returned, signaling a sneeze. Normally, Applejack didn’t like sneezing in front of other ponies, but this sneeze came on far too fast for her to control it. “Ahh-AHH-AAACHoooo!”

	Rarity looked at her friend scornfully. “Did no one teach you manners? You shouldn’t sneeze when in polite company.”

	“Rarity, you can’t stop nature.” Applejack replied, knowing full well that it was a lie. Most of the time, she could and did keep her sneezes in. “When you gotta sneeze, you gottAAH… GOTTAAHH…”

	“At least cover it and try to keep it small.” Rarity commented.

	Applejack’s head tilted back. She probably could stifle this sneeze, but it was worth the embarrassment just to grind Rarity’s gears a little. “Ahh… Ehh… EHHH!”

	“KAACHHOOOOO!” Applejack sneezed, theatrically. She bent forwards as the sneeze pushed out of her. She could hear Rarity sigh.

	“Ah can sneeze any darned way Ah want.” Applejack said, defiantly.

	“Oh, Applejack…” Rarity sighed. “How are you ever going to meet the stallion of your dreams when you’re so brazen?”

	“Haha!” Applejack laughed. Her nose began to tickle again, so she rubbed it with her hoof. “The ‘stallion of my dreams’? Hahahaha! Rarity, yer a Haaah… a hoot! Only you cahh.. Ahh.. care about that stuff.”

	What had gotten into her nose? It was tickling so badly! She decided to let out another sneeze. Her jaw fell open, as breath came flooding into her lungs. “Hehh… Ahhh.. Ehhh… HEHH! HehhhCHOOOOOooo! Haaachoooo!”

	 “If you’re quite done sneezing your head off, I’ll have you know that plenty of NORMAL mares care about meeting stallions at a dance.” Rarity said, her tone dripping with acid. “I’m going to go and meet some myself. Goodbye, Applejack!”

	“Seeya Rarity!” Applejack called out, pleasantly. Applejack knew that responding kindly would annoy Rarity more than responding in kind. In the time that the two were talking, the stallion Rarity had charmed had finished setting up the stall, and was long gone. Applejack began the process of loading her goods from her cart onto the stand.

	She felt another sneeze coming on, but she rubbed her nose, deciding that she had had enough sneezing for now. However, this tickle was extremely persistent. She took her hoof off of her nose, and continued unloading her things.

	Unfortunately, Applejack didn’t last a minute before her lips curled into a pre-sneeze expression, and her head tilted back. She rubbed her nose furiously, and managed to stave the sneeze off.

	As Applejack finished unloading her cart, her nose was tickling tremendously. She decided that it was time to indulge herself, and release a sneeze. She sniffled, and then sniffled again, her nostrils flaring. Her eyes squeezed shut and her jaw fell slack. “Ahhh… EHH… HEHHEHHH!”

	“Excuse me miss, I’d like to buy some of your goods.” Came a voice which startled her out of her pre-sneeze trance. Applejack placed a hoof on her nose and began rubbing. She couldn’t sneeze in front of a customer.

	“What can I gehh… get for you?” Applejack asked.

	“I don’t know, do you have any recommendations?” The voice replied. For the first time, Applejack got a good look at its owner. It was a stallion with a dark green coat, and a brown mane. He was actually quite attractive, and… Rarity was always right.

	“The tahh… AHHH! Tarts are quite good.” Applejack replied. She absolutely did not want to sneeze in front of this guy, but the tickle in her nose was tremendous. Her nostrils flared and quivered behind her hoof. Her eyes squeezed shut. “Hehh… EHH… HEHH!”

	“Sure, I’ll take one. How much?” Applejack snapped out of her sneeze again, moments from letting loose. That had been a close one. She could already feel the tickle gearing up for another attempt at escape.

	“Here you go, sir. Two bits…. ehhhh….” Applejack trailed off as the urge to sneeze once again took over. Her head tilted back, and an allergic tear ran down her face. Her hoof involuntarily came away from her nostrils, staying in front of her face as if to catch the sneeze.

	“Ehhh.. EHH… HEHH…” Applejack’s mouth gaped open, and her head tilted farther back until she was looking straight up. The desire to not sneeze had lost all power within her. All that was left was this terrible tickle, and the urge to release it. “HEHH… HUHH.. EHHEHH!”

	“Ma’am?” Came a distant voice. The customer! Lost in her sneeze, Applejack had forgotten about the customer. Applejack tried to cling to the voice, and allow it to cancel her incoming sneeze, as it had done before. But it was too late, she was too far gone. She had to sneeze, and she had to do it now.

	“HAAAARRRRAAAAAASSSHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOO!” Applejack exploded, sneezing into her hoof. Standing on three legs, she almost fell over as the mighty sneeze flew out of her.

	She stood back up, and looked over the counter, but the customer was gone. At least he had taken his tart and left her money…