Cold Denial Part 3

Big 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.”