Cold Denial Part 4

"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.