Cold Denial Part 1

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.”