//------------------------------//
// Grapefruit 
// Story: Bedtime Stories 
// by Incredible Blunderbolt 
//------------------------------//

"Come on, Rainbow!" I begged, motioning towards the table. "Please?"

The pegasus shook her head, whipping her prismatic mane back and forth, and crossed her arms. "Uh-uh!" she protested before wiping away the mucous dribbling out of her nose with the back of her hoof. "Nope! No way!"

I sighed and rubbed my temples. I was at my wit's end; I'd been trying for almost half an hour just to get Rainbow Dash to eat a slice of grapefruit to help with her influenza but, little did I know, she was an incredibly picky eater. Incredibly picky meaning, "none of that stupid, sissy health food stuff," as I'd just found out.

"Please just eat it? It's good for you!"

"That thing?" she scoffed, "Yuck!"

"It's a grapefruit!" I cried, throwing my hooves into the air. "It's delicious and it really helps boost your immune system!"

"That's what you said about spinach!" she moaned, crossing her forelegs and pouting. "And that was gross!"

I rolled my eyes. "Rainbow, please, I just want you to get better!"

Rainbow sniffled and wiped her nose again. "I'm fine," she insisted just before sneezing. "Really, I am!"

I sat down on the floor and sighed. Leaning forward, I could hear every rasp of her breathing, every wheeze, every stiffled cough—the poor girl must've been feeling just awful. "You have a fever and last night you were up all night coughing; that's not 'fine.'" I nuzzled her gently. "So please just eat it—for me?"

Rainbow bit her lip. "But it's gross..." she whimpered.

"It's really not," I insisted. "In fact, I happen to love grapefruit. I eat half of one every morning."

"Really?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "I've never seen you—"

"You sleep too late to see me eat breakfast, Rainbow," I countered before she could finish.

Actually, I hated grapefruit, but I couldn't deny its health effects. The truth was, next to straight up cough medicine—which she refused to take on grounds of "not being a wimp—" grapefruit was the next best thing and I was willing to cram it down her throat if it meant her feeling better. I couldn't stand to see her sniffling and coughing, trapped in bed all day.

"Well... okay..." she said, cautiously picking up the slice of the admittedly disgusting fruit and inspecting it. Closing here eyes, she took a nibble out of it and swallowed.

Here eyes brightened instantly. "Wow!" she cried, "This is awesome!" She tossed the whole thing into the air and ate it in one gulp.

I smiled as she nuzzled me. "That was totally the best thing ever!" she said excitedly. "Thanks, Twi!"

"You—you liked it?" I said, surprised. "I-I mean of course you liked it! What's not to like? It's grapefruit!"

"We seriously have to get more of this stuff!" Dash declared, licking the plate her slice of fruit had once resided upon. "Looks like we're gonna be eating grapefruit for breakfast together now, huh?" She beamed as she looked back up at me.

My grin wavered. Grapefruit for breakfast? Knowing Rainbow Dash, she'd want it every single day until she was sick of it—months from now...

Wrapped up in Rainbow's tight embrace, it suddenly occured to me that I'd just dug my own grave.

My nose tingled. "Ah-achoo!"

Uh-oh...