Cheerilee part 2

	Cheerilee awoke with a start. She wasn't in her bed, she was... Oh. She felt the sleeping bag below her. The memories flooded back and her heart rate slowed to normal. She was on a camping trip with her friends, Berry Punch, Spring Flower, and Lucky Clover. She glanced around the tent. Her friends were still sleeping. Cheerilee left the tent, and walked into the woods to relieve herself.

	As she walked back to the encampment, Cheerilee felt the warm summer air around her. It really was the perfect weather for camping. She could smell summer in the air, too. Her nose began to tickle. Cheerilee opened her saddlebag, which was resting on the side of the tent. Suddenly, she was fully awake. Her allergy pills weren't in the pouch she had left them in. As if her nose had heard her thoughts, Cheerilee could feel a sneeze coming on. She pressed a hoof against her nose. She didn't want to sneeze and wake her friends up.

	Desperately, Cheerilee rummaged through her bag, but her search yielded no results. She could smell the sweet pollen hanging in the air, and her nostrils wiggled behind her hoof. She rubbed at them, hoping the sneeze would go away long enough so that she could concentrate. She dumped her bag onto the ground. “Heee.. Hiiii...”

	Cheerilee massaged her nose, holding the sneeze in. She shuffled through the contents of her bag, still unable to find the pill bottle that she desperately needed. Cheerilee really had to sneeze. Her head tilted back, and her eyelashes fluttered. “Hee.. HEEEE! GIIRRIISSHHEEE!”

	Her efforts to hold the sneeze in had only made the tickle worse, and Cheerilee finally exploded. She could hear stirring from inside the tent. Her friends emerged, one by one. “Sorry... You guys dohh... don't have any ideee... Heee... Heeeh! IDEA... what happened to... my aller... geeheee... allergeeHEEHEE...”

	“Hiiiii... ahhller... geeeee..” Cheerilee tried to finish the sentence, but her brain was stuck on her allergies. She was allergic to just about every type of pollen in existence, some of which were surely represented here, in the middle of the woods. In fact, there were several oak trees near the camp. Oak trees were Cheerilee's worst allergy, but all of her allergies were pretty bad. Without her pills, she was toast. “ALLERGIIEEHIII... Hiii! Hiiii! HIIIIH!”

	Cheerilee's hitching breaths turned into high pitched shrieks as the tickle in her nose grew. Sneezing was futile, her nose would never be free from the massive amount pollen in the air. But oh, she just had to release! “HEEE... HeeeeeYITTCHHHHEeeee! ITCHEEIIITCHIIIEEE! Heeh... Heee... HEEEH! Isshheeeee! Heeeechiiii! Heee! Iiitchhheee!”

	“Wow, bless you!” Berry Punch said. “I didn't know your allergies were this bad...”

	Cheerilee simply nodded. She could feel more sneezes coming on, and she knew that if she opened her mouth to talk, she wouldn't get more than a few words out before she exploded into another sneezing fit.

	“Ok, so let's pack up camp, and make sure we all search everywhere for Cheerilee's pills.” Spring Flower said.

	Cheerilee was trying not to breathe. Her nostrils were tickling fiercely. They felt as if something was crawling inside of them. Even taking small breaths through her mouth made her nose tickle worse. The itch became unbearable, and Cheerilee gasped. “Hiiiii! Heeeh...”

	“Hee... whew... sniffff!” The sneeze slipped away from her, and she reflexively sniffled. Suddenly, her nose felt as if it was on fire. Her eyes squeezed shut, her mouth opened, and her tongue curled inside of her cheek. Cheerilee's nose scrunched up, and she felt allergic tears falling down her face. “Heeeh... HEEHHEEE! HIIIIIIH! GIIITCHHEeeeee! Heeh.. HEEEH... AHEEESHHiiiiiii! Iiitchhiii! Heeeshheeee! Heeeh! HIIIIHIIII... HIIITEEESHHHIIIII!”

	Cheerilee put her back into her last sneeze, bending down slightly. As she stood up and opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was that the camp had been packed up. The second thing was the sad look on her friends' faces.

	“We didn't find your medicine...” Berry Punch said, disappointedly.

	“Heeeh... HIIII...” Cheerilee replied. She could feel the pollen pressing in around her. Before, she had had hope to cling to, hope that her friends would find her pills. Now, surrounded by a day's hike worth of forest, of vegetation, she was like a scared little filly. And that filly needed to sneeze. “GISSSHHHEEEH-Heeee! Hiiiiiriiishhheee! Heeeh... Hitchee! Hitcheee! HITCHHEeee!”

	“Sooo... we decided that Lucky Clover will walk you back to town, and then take the train to meet us at our next destination.” Berry Punch continued, once Cheerilee was done sneezing.

	“Thaaay... THAAYNNNKSSIIITCHEEEE!” Apparently, Cheerilee was not done sneezing. She would probably never be done sneezing, after this mess. How many times would she sneeze before the day was through? At a conservative estimate of thrice a minute, she would still sneeze thousands of times. Ughh... Thinking about sneezing was making her think about pollen, and thinking about pollen was making her need to sneeze. “Heeh... HITCHeeee! Ishheee! Tishhhiii!”

	Lucky Clover had already loaded up his saddlebags, and was now placing Cheerilee's on her. He looked at her expectantly. Cheerilee rubbed her nose, but that just made it tickle worse. She gave a little cough, and then started off down the trail. She could hear Lucky Clover plodding behind her. She needed to sneeze again. Her head tilted back.

	“HEEHH... HEEEEEEEH!! KKIIIIIRRRRRIIIIITTTIIIIIICHEEEEEEE!” Cheerilee screamed, her head and chest flying forwards as she almost fell over. She really hadn't been expecting such a monster. Perhaps that would clear her nose for a bit.

	“Heeee...” No such luck. They weren't even out of sight of camp yet. How was she going to make a day's hike like this? She brought in air for another sneeze. “Hiiii... HEEEEH... HIIITTCHHEeeee! Isshhheee!”

	Ohhh... Her nose would just not give her a break! Cheerilee needed to sneeze again. She brought her hoof to her snout, trying feebly to hold the sneeze back, if only for a minute or so. But no, she had to let it go. She couldn't resist this much pollen. “Heeeh... HeeeHEEEH... HiiiiCHHISSHHiiieee! Itcheee! Heesshheeee!”

	Cheerilee tried to concentrate on something else, but her thoughts kept returning to her nose, which was currently quivering and itching madly. It demanded more sneezes, and she was helpless to deny it. “Heeeh... HEEEEH... HIIII! Issshhiiiii! Hissshhheee! Hiiii... HEEH... HEEIITCHHIiiiiii!”

	Finally, the pollen gave her a slight reprieve. She remembered that she was traveling with a companion. Lucky Clover was one of Berry Punch's friends, and Cheerilee had only met him yesterday. Oh, how she longed for yesterday, when she had been having so much fun on the trail, chatting with all of her friends. Lucky Clover had been a fun conversation partner, then. Now, he was silent. Cheerilee didn't blame him. It was hard to talk to somepony who was sneezing their head off. She didn't really want to be bothered right now, anyhow. She had to sneeze again.

---

	“Hiiitchiii!” Cheerilee sneezed for the umpteenth time that day. It was about halfway through the journey, and her nose and throat were sore from the constant assault. But the sneezes kept coming. “Hii... HEEEH... Heeechhiii! Ishhheee! ISHII! ISHII! HEESHII!”

	Whoa. The last few sneezes came out short, and surprisingly violent. And they didn't seem to help at all; she still needed to release. Cheerilee's mouth opened, and her tongue curled. She fanned a hoof in front of her face. She really, really needed to release. “HEEEH! HEEEEHEEEH!”

	As the two ponies turned the corner, Cheerilee caught a glimpse through her squinted eyes of vibrant colors. Reds, blues, and yellows, as well as a host of other shades danced before her. She remembered where she was, and the memory amplified her urge to sneeze tenfold. She released, desperately. “HEEEH! GIIIITTEEEECHHIIIIIIII!”

	Cheerilee and Lucky Clover stood before a vast expanse of wildflowers, stretching as far as the eye could see. When they had passed through here yesterday, Cheerilee had sneezed quite a few times, and she was on her medication then. Already, more sneezes were building. She could see clouds of yellow pollen rising up from the flowers as they stirred in the breeze. It was too much for her poor nose to bear. “ISHII! ISHIII! HIIITSHII! HEECHII! ISHEE! HISHHEE!”

	“Hee.. HIII! HIIISSHIII! EEECHEE! HEEITCHEE! HEECHII!” How was Cheerilee going to set foot into that? There was just no way she could cause herself that much suffering. Even if she wanted to continue, it was impossible for her to move, she was too busy releasing sneeze after sneeze. “I.. can't.”

	“HISHHII! HEESHII!” Cheerilee felt herself lift off of the ground. No, oh no. She was on Lucky Clover's back, riding into an allergic hell. What was he thinking? There was no way she was going to make it in here. Yet, she had no choice. She couldn't tell him to stop, as every time she opened her mouth to try, another sneeze came out. She couldn't get off of his back, because she was powerless to walk back outside of the field of wildflowers. So, she had no choice but to cling to his neck for dear life and try to direct her sneezes so that she wasn't spraying his face. She was failing at even that simple task. “HIIISSHIII! ISHII! ISHII! EESHII! IISHEEE! Heeeeee...”

	Cheerilee's sneezes came and came. She was having trouble bringing in enough air. The flowers were everywhere, and they seemed infinite. The tickle in her nose, however, felt even more infinite.  “HEEHEEE! HITCHII! HIIITCHII! EETCHEE! HEECHEE! ISSHEE!”

	As Cheerilee sneezed the last of the air out of her lungs, her head throbbed, and spots swam before her eyes. Her nose itched terribly, begging for another sneeze. It felt as though one sneeze would be enough to finally relieve her, even though she knew it wasn't true. She managed to take a tiny breath before exploding again, halfway through her air intake. “Hii-iiIIRIISSHHIIIiiiiiiiiii...”

	Cheerilee went limp as she passed out.

---

	“Heeeshheee!” Cheerilee awoke with a sneeze.

	“Oh, finally.” She heard Lucky Clover's voice from beneath her. “I was beginning to get worried.”

	“How long? Heee... Iiishhheee!” Cheerilee sneezed again.

	“You were out for a good hour or so. I stopped to make sure you were breathing, but then I figured that we should get as far away from the flower field as possible before you woke up.”

	“Thanks. I can walk now.” Cheerilee said, flatly. She knew that it was a nice thing that Lucky Clover had done for her, and she appreciated it, but being carried was somewhat demeaning. Plus, sneezing all day was really weighing on her, mentally as well as physically. However, she resented the tone of voice that her words carried. He stopped, and she climbed off of his back. “Sorry, I really appreciate you helping me. I'm just tired.”

	“I can imagine. Are you sure you don't want to be carried the rest of the way?” Lucky Clover asked. He sounded like he really meant it, but Cheerilee had to decline.

	“No, that would be rii.. Hiii.. ridiculous. What do weehee.. have, like threEEEE! Thr-hee... Three hours left?” Cheerilee's nose tickled furiously. It felt as if all of the sneezes that she had missed while passed out were coming back to her. “Hee... HEEEE! HIIIHIIII! IIIIIIYIIISHhhiiiii! Isssheee! HITCHeeee!”

	Lucky Clover chuckled. “No, we're only about a quarter mile away. I decided on a different path to a smaller town, just in case you needed medical attention.”

	“I just need medication. Hopefully they sell something strong enough.” Cheerilee replied.

	As the pair rounded a corner, the town came into view. Even better, the forest abruptly came to an end. The town looked tiny. Not simply because they were far away, but because it only seemed to have ten buildings or so. Cheerilee sneezed, with the forest at her back. She finally felt as if her sneezes were relieving her poor nose. “Heee... HEEEH.. IiiiTCHeee! Itchhiii! Heeeesshheee! Heeeh... GITCHiiiii!”

	The two ponies walked into town, trying to ignore all of the stares from the locals. It seemed as if this little town didn't get visitors too often. Cheerilee felt a sneezing fit coming on, but she managed to hold it in so as not to make too much of a spectacle. She came to a halt in front of a relatively small wooden building with a sign out front that simply said “Drugstore.”

	Cheerilee looked at Lucky Clover, and couldn't help but chuckle at the bemused grin on his face. Ponyville wasn't a large town by any means, but it was a bustling metropolis compared to this place. Cheerilee had to sneeze again, but she continued to resist it. As she walked up the steps to the drugstore, she noticed a flowery vine which was growing up the side of the building. She brought her face close to one of the flowers and took a deep sniff.

	“Heeh.. HIII... HIIIH!” Cheerilee's breath hitched. Maybe that was too much of a sniff. She brought a hoof to her nostrils and rubbed. As her head tilted back, the setting sun caught her eye. Suddenly, it was requiring all of her effort to keep from instantly exploding. She didn't know if she was going to be able to keep this one in. “Heehh.. HEEEH! HEEHEEE!”

	“HIIIHIIIHIIIH!” Cheerilee's tongue curled as she teetered on the brink of her sneeze. She pushed her hoof against her swollen, allergic nose, scrunching it against her skull. Somehow, she managed to keep the sneeze back, but her nose was now a ticking time bomb. Excellent. She plucked a flower off of the vine and hid it inside of her mane.

	 Cheerilee barged into the store and walked straight to the counter. The mare working was beige with honey colored hair. She spoke to Cheerilee with a slight accent. “What can I help y’all with today?”

	“I neeh.. need the strongest antihistameehheen... Heeh... that you have, please..” Cheerilee managed.

	“Hun, the strongest I can sell you is Diphenadryl. Unless you have a prescription.”

	Cheerilee had been expecting such a response. The tickle in her nose was growing absolutely immense. Her nostrils quivered and flared, and she placed a hoof on them, rubbing. She replied to the salespony in a nasally voice, keeping her hoof on her nose. “Please ma'am... I'm really suffffEEhh... HEEEH! HEEEHIII!”

	With her hoof pressed against her nose, her voice was causing vibrations in her head, and those vibrations were making her nose tickle worse. She couldn't sneeze just yet, though. She managed to keep it back so that she could finish her sentence. “Really suffering.”

	“I'm sorry, but rules are rules.” The mare behind the counter looked genuinely remorseful.

	“I understand.” Cheerilee said. She turned away, as if to go and grab some of the over-the-counter pills, and pulled the flower out of her mane, pressing it to her nose. She exhaled, and then sniffed with all of her might. Some of the stamen from the flower ended up in her right nostril, twisting and rubbing against the walls. Still, she continued sniffing, until one of the ends broke off, sending part of the flower rocketing back to the depths of her nostril, coating it with pollen. That was all she could stand. She released, blowing the flower to bits. “GIIIIITTCHHHEEEEeeeeeee!”

	Cheerilee normally released her sneezes fully. She wasn't one of those mares that tried to keep her sneezes cute and small, or stifle them. Right now, however, she focused on making her sneezes as gargantuan as possible. She took enormous, theatrical, hitching breaths, building up to a tremendous sneeze. It wasn't all an act, either. She actually needed to sneeze quite badly. Her tongue curled, and her eyelashes fluttered, as her head tilted back. “HEEEHEEEHEEE! HIIHEEE! HHHEEEEEEEEEEEEH!! GGGIIIIIEEEYYYYYIIIIEEEETTIIIIEEEEESSSSHHIIIIEEEEE!!!”

	Cheerilee released what was probably the biggest sneeze in her life. Pill bottles rattled and shook on the shelves. For the first time that day, she couldn't feel a sneeze coming on.

	“Ma'am?” The pony behind the counter said. “How about I lend you one of my allergy pills, and you keep it between us?”

	Cheerilee turned around to see the salespony fishing around in her purse. Success!