//------------------------------// // Fever // Story: Side Effects // by Indeliblink //------------------------------// The first thing to pierce through Applejack's veil of sleep was the nearby sound of a rooster announcing the sunrise. Cracking one dull green eye open, the mare immediately groaned and squeezed it tightly shut again, burying her face in the pillows to hide from the rays of sunlight sliding through the blinds. After a few incredibly short minutes of drowsy, disappointed grumbling, she finally resigned herself to sitting up, throwing her hind legs over the edge of the bed, and rubbing the thick fog out of her eyes. Her mouth stretched wide in a lengthy yawn as she blindly groped for her hat on the dresser, then stumbled for her bedroom door, making her way out and towards the kitchen. Her muddled thoughts suddenly turned towards breakfast as a delectable scent wafted past her, and her stomach let out a loud, almost whimpering grumble. She eagerly picked up the pace to the kitchen, finding upon arrival her older brother standing at the stove, humming a slow bassy tune as he cooked some... What was that? Applejack peeked over his shoulder, receiving a grunt of acknowledgement from Big Mac as she inspected his work -- apple cinnamon omelettes with fried hay and melted Swiss cheese. Stars above. Her stomach clenched and she licked her lips, doing her best not to drool right into the skillet. Ever the careful one, Big Mac gently placed a hoof on her chest and slid her back a few steps, pointing at the table in the center of the room. "Sit." The ravenous orange beast, in reply, stuck her tongue out at him before obediently hopping into a chair and slumping over the table. "I noticed ya felt a bit sick yesterday," Big Mac called over his shoulder, and Applejack blinked in surprise, having forgotten about it herself, "so I figured ya might want a hearty breakfast, if'n you could stomach it." "Shucks, thanks Mac," Applejack said with a warm smile. "Ah reckon ah could eat just about anything right now, so that's probably a good sign." Her stomach snarled in agreement. "Well, ah hope so," the stallion replied with a snort of laughter, setting a plate in front of her piled high with food. "Don't forget that you're on field duty today." Applejack nodded, already shoveling eggs into her mouth and humming appreciatively. "Alright then, I already ate, so I'll be on ma' way." Mac turned off the stove, tugged the apron up over his head, and slipped his trademark yoke around his neck before making his way out. As Applejack leaned over to take another bite of her omelette, he suddenly snagged the Stetson from off her head and raced for the front door, smirking back at her when she (quite literally) inhaled a large chunk of her breakfast, shouting in annoyance between coughs. With a flick of a hoof, Big Mac tossed the hat back into the kitchen like a frisbee, where his sister snatched it out of the air and slapped it back onto her head with a scowl. The stallion flashed a cheeky grin, quickly slipping out the front door before a fork embedded itself in the wall where he previously stood. Applejack sent one more glare at the closed door, a few more hacking coughs escaping her as she resumed her meal. She allowed her brain to fully wake up for the day as she absently finished her food, and with her hunger satiated, she straightened her hat, put her dirty dishes in the sink, and trotted out the front door. Glancing to her right, she saw Big Mac stocking the apple cart for the marketplace. He looked up as the door clicked shut behind her, doing his best to hold back a smile, and she shook her head as she turned towards the small barn adjacent to their house. Awful devious today, Mac. Heaving the heavy wooden doors open, Applejack collected a few tools for tending to the fields and tossed them into a small cart. Once she had all she needed, she pushed the cart out onto the dirt road, closing the doors behind her. From there, she hitched herself up to the cart and began the trek to the eastern edge of the orchard. A good number of the trees would need some pruning, and she'd bet both her hind legs she had seen a family of raccoons sneaking out of there with some apples-- "Applejack! Yoohoo!" She jolted out of her thoughts, her head swiveling around to see a bright white figure trotting along the path from town. Wiggling out of the cart's harness, she rolled her shoulders and turned towards the approaching pony. "Well howdy, Rarity, what brings ya here?" It wasn't often that Rarity took it upon herself to visit Sweet Apple Acres -- Applejack could probably count on her own hooves the number of times she'd done so. Even now, the fashionista had an air of discomfort as she came to a stop in front of her, constantly shifting on her hooves as though trying to let each one touch the dirt road as little as possible. "Good morning, darling! I just wanted to check up on you after our chat yesterday. I'm glad to see you feel well enough to work today..." Her voice trailed off and her expression sobered slightly, eyes narrowing. "You do feel better, don't you? You really shouldn't be toiling out in the fields when you're ill." "Ah'm fine, don't worry," the farmpony chuckled, waving a hoof to dispel her friend's fears. "Ah had a five-egg omelette this morning, and haven't felt a thing other than full. Dunno what was up with me yesterday, but it seems to've passed." Rarity wrinkled her nose, thinking back to her comparatively minuscule breakfast of buttered toast and tea. "Yes, well... Lovely to hear that." Rarity smiled, the conversation quickly lapsing into silence. After a moment, the unicorn let out a quiet cough, averting her gaze to the ground. "Well... I didn't really, um... I mean, I should let you get back to your work." She flashed one last smile, turning to leave. "See you later." Applejack smiled in return, seeing her friend off with a nod. "Thanks for checkin' in." She turned as well, taking a few steps toward the cart before pausing. "Hey, Rares, while you're still here..." She called to the unicorn, who was looking over her shoulder expectantly. "Did you wanna see the new puppies?" Rarity blinked, turning to face her. "Well, I must admit, I didn't have anything else planned, nor any urgent orders to fulfill." Her gaze drifted past Applejack, and her mouth curled into a smile. "I'd love to, if you can afford a delay in your work." Applejack waved a hoof dismissively. "Ain't nothin' too pressing here, neither. C'mon, then." She grinned and hitched herself up to the cart again, leading her friend back along the path to the house. Rarity pouted as she was carried out the front door of the Apples' house, Applejack rolling her eyes as her friend met her amused glance with one of defiance. "Rarity, I know they're cute, but ah can't slack off on my work the entire day. You can come by to visit again soon." She stifled a laugh as a quiet hmph met her ears, setting Rarity down only once she'd reached the cart parked alongside the barn. She harnessed herself into it once again and motioned to Rarity with a tip of the head. "C'mon, I'll walk you towards town a ways. I gotta start with the east field, anyway." Rarity reluctantly followed and they made their way to the edge of the farm, the silence soon being filled with idle chatter. They were nearing the edge of the Acres when Applejack suddenly trailed off mid-sentence, coming to a stop as she gazed ahead. Rarity took a few more steps before noticing and turned around, taking in the orange mare's surprised expression. "Applejack? What is it?" She took a step closer, waving a hoof in front of her friend's face until she finally blinked and looked at her. "Are you okay? You look kind of pale." "N-no, I'm... I mean, yeah, I'm fine," she stuttered out, clearing her throat awkwardly. Rarity inspected her for a moment before turning away, appearing satisfied for the moment. "If you say so." Rarity walked forward for a few more seconds when her ears suddenly perked up. Applejack gulped as the unicorn raised a hoof to her eyes, peering down to the edge of the path where a lone grey mare appeared to be having a heated argument with the Apples' mailbox. "What in the blazes...?" Applejack scuffed a hoof in the dirt, casting a glance over her shoulder. "Eh-heh, well, Rares, it's been nice to..." She trailed off as she looked ahead, her friend already nearly half the distance between her and Derpy. "...see you." With a sigh, she unhitched herself from the cart and followed after Rarity at a brisk trot. She had nearly caught up to Rarity when the two finally arrived at the edge of the road, silently observing the mailmare with her back turned to them, a steady stream of grumbling meeting their ears. Letting out a deep breath, Derpy snatched up a small stack of letters and turned around, getting ready to go another round with the mailbox, when she suddenly noticed her audience. She blinked rapidly, her face coloring as she sputtered for a few seconds. "H-hey," she greeted at last, "um. I was just... H-how long have you been there?" "Not long," came Rarity's amused reply, but Applejack remained silent, the voices of her friend and Derpy fading into the background. As she took in the sight of the grey mare in front of her, she felt inexplicably... warm. "Applejack?" Rarity's voice cut through the dense fog in her mind, and she shook her head. "Huh? Sorry, zoned out fer a sec," she admitted, forcing a smile. She ignored Rarity's suspicious gaze as Derpy addressed her, "Well, I was just saying, I went to Sugarcube this morning for a muffin..." Applejack gulped, feeling an uncomfortable churning in her gut as she was reminded of their previous encounter. "...and um, I brought you one." Derpy stretched out her wing, a plastic-wrapped muffin resting on top. "Y'know, just 'cause, uh... Sorry about yesterday." Rarity blinked, shifting her full attention to Derpy. "Yesterday? What happened yesterday?" "N-nothin'!" The unicorn flinched at Applejack's loud interjection, and the farmpony shrank back. "Sorry. Uh, I just meant, nothin' big. Derpy here came to the market yesterday lookin' for Pinkie. Turns out Pinkie had taken all the muffins from Sugarcube Corner out for deliveries, and Derpy didn't catch her in time before she delivered the last one. To me. And she got a bit, uh... emotional." Applejack peeked at the grey pegasus, that strange, warm sensation returning with a vengeance as the scene recreated itself in her mind. No, now it was downright sweltering, she noted with a hint of unease. Must be a fever... She groaned internally. First the queasiness, now this? I must've caught something from Derpy yesterday after all! Ooh, darn that mare! Despite the conclusion, however, for some reason she couldn't find it in herself to be angry, or even mildly annoyed, as Derpy met her gaze. Rather, she felt another surge of heat, and she pulled the leather hat from her head, gently fanning herself with it. "Whoo, guess I worked up more of a sweat pullin' that cart than I thought, heh..." She coughed, flashing Derpy an appreciative grin as she reached out and accepted the muffin. "Anyways, thanks fer the treat, hon, and no worries 'bout yesterday." Rarity stepped towards her, scrutinizing her closely -- a bit too close for comfort, as far as Applejack was concerned, but she did her best not to lean away. "Applejack, are you sure you're alright? You look... quite flushed." Derpy nodded behind her, her momentarily relieved expression morphing into one of concern. Applejack rolled her eyes as her friend placed a hoof on her forehead. "Ah told ya, Rares, ah'm fine, just fine." She looked away from Rarity and found her gaze drawn to Derpy, who was waiting anxiously beside the mailbox, her eyes shimmering with worry. The pegasus smiled reassuringly, and Applejack felt yet another wave of heat rush through her. "Oh, darling, you're burning up!" Rarity fretted, nudging the farmpony back in the direction of her house. "Come, let's get you back home and in bed, and I'll make you some nice hot soup. Ah-ah!" She held up a hoof, silencing Applejack's protests. "I won't take 'no' for an answer. Come now, chop chop." She looked over her shoulder as she ushered her friend away. "Sorry to leave so suddenly, dear, but you know how she is. She'll work herself to death if I don't take care of this right away." "No, that's okay," Derpy assured her, sending one last worried glance at Applejack before her wings shot up from her sides. "Oh wait! Here!" She collected the few scraps of mail she'd been holding before her struggle with the mailbox, picked up the small pile in her mouth, and bounded over to the two ponies. "Here you go!" She chirped, her words muffled, and leaned forward so Applejack could take it from her. "Thanks," Applejack replied, leaning in to grab onto the letters. A small puff of air tickled her nose, and she paused, taking in for the first time just how very close Derpy's face was to hers oh Nelly. She squeezed her eyes shut and took hold of her mail, her breath catching as she felt the other mare's soft cheek gently brush against her own. If she'd been hot before, now she was on fire. She quickly pulled away, nodding again in thanks as Rarity's magic began to drag her away. A few moments passed in silence, allowing Applejack time to cool down somewhat, and she took a sidelong glance at Rarity as she realized she was still being carried in the unicorn's magical grip. "I can walk, y'know." "I know." "Promise ah won't run." "Mhm." "Really." Applejack took in the white pony's deadpan stare, finally averting her eyes after a few moments of utter silence. "Okay." "Sorry, darling, I know you too well to allow you even that." Her glare changed into a small smile, and Applejack rolled her eyes. "And I betcha' dragging me back to mah house is only because ya think I'm sick and has nothing to do with them puppies you've grown so attached to, who happen to also be in the very house yer draggin' me to." A prolonged silence followed, and Applejack's knowing smirk widened. "I can neither confirm nor deny that statement." Rarity tried to keep a straight face, but Applejack swore she saw a hint of that excited grin that had been plastered across her friend's face earlier that morning. "Mhm." Applejack perked up as they passed by the cart she'd been tugging along before getting sidetracked. "Oh, wait, Rarity, ah've gotta bring the cart--" She trailed off as, without another word, the cart was engulfed in a blue aura and lifted off the ground, floating along behind them as they followed the trail back to the Apples' home. "Okay."