Blood Red Apples

The rooster's loud screams made Applejack snap awake, and immediately gritted her teeth as pain shot through her skull and wounded leg.  She blinked a few times, still a little confused of her location. Then she gained full control of her body and slowly and carefully sat up. As she placed her wounded leg in front of her for body support, she flinched. "Ow..." She turned around facing the rising sun. Quickly, the mare put her other hoof in front of her eyes blocking out the bright morning light for her eyes. She sighed. Then, the mare noticed something. Something bad. Something too terrible for her for her to accept. "Nononono... No... No–" AJ got up. The jolting pain in her body didn't matter. She just had to do it. Why stay inside when you're supposed to work?

A little scratch won't make her quit.

She has to do this.

Big Mac was astonished. He was shocked. He was confused. What kind of Magic could have done this?

Granny Smith was there too. And Applebloom.

"What in the name of Celestia...?" the filly mumbled. " "Now I don't want to hear those words Applebloom! Especially from a filly", Granny shouted. "Hmpf. I ain't a filly.", Applebloom spat. The family was staring at their orchard. On one specific pathway to be exact.

The row of trees next to the dirt road was blooming. Blooming! Where the once rotting trees once stood, were blooming trees, with pink petals sitting on the trees like crowns. What was going on?

Seeing her perplexed family just standing there, Applejack rushed to the spot. "What in the name of Celestia is going on?"

"Look! She said it too!", Applebloom shouted, tugging on Granny's scarf. "Not now, Applebloom", she replied. Applebloom grunted.

AJ stared at the blooming trees. She was just as perplexed as the rest of her family was.  "Does anyone know what's going on?", she asked.

"Nu–uh", Big Mac said, "We're just as confused are as you Applejack. Wait–" He turned around.

AJ was standing behind him, on all four legs, and with a bandaged head, and with, of course, her hat.

"What?", the mare asked. Macintosh was speechless. Now the rest of the family turned around. "What in the hay are doing here? Go lay down!", Granny Smith shouted.  "But yesterday Big Mac said we'd chop down the rotten trees! I ain't workin' just cause I have a scratch on mah leg!", Applejack replied. "AJ, that's a cut you have on your leg! Don't bring yourself even more pain than ya already have! Have you gone nuts?", Big Mac asked. "Macintosh, please let me do this. I want to say goodbye to them.", AJ pleaded. Her brother said: "I understand your concern, Applejack. But please! You need to lay down! I'd hate to see you get hurt again. And second of all, I gotta find out what made them trees bloom so suddenly and quickly–" Applejack cut him off, mid sentence. "Let me help! Let me at least do that! Let me help you figure out why  all this happened! I want to know too! I–I also can ask Twilight if she can find a healing spell for mah leg and head! Please... let me do this."

Applebloom trotted over to Princess Twilight's castle, to pay her a visit and tell her what had happened to Applejack and if she could help her. When the filly finally arrived at the castle doors, she knocked on the crystal doors with her hoof as hard as possible. Somebody must have heard her, because shortly after she did so, somebody opened the doors. It was Spike. "Oh, hi Applebloom! What are you doing here?", Spike asked.

"Ah need to talk to Princess Twilight, please! It's an emergency."

Twilight was walking next to Applebloom, towards Sweet Apple Acres. The princess looked quite concerned. "I'm not sure if this spell will work, but I'll give it a shot", Twilight said. Applebloom nodded. "Ah don't wanna seem rude, but couldn't Starlight help? Ah heard she's really good at magic", the filly mentioned. "Oh, she actually is! But this spell requires a memory you have with the pony, that you enjoyed. Of course Starlight has had quite a few, but the memory I want to use, she does not have. And if somepony joins the spell, they need to think of the same memory. Also, don't worry, this spell doesn't erase this memory. If you want to know more about spells, let me know! I'll be glad to give a lesson or two about magic", Twilight said excitedly. Applebloom replied: "Ah sure will!"

For the rest of the small trip, the two mares were both silent. They were very worried about Applejack, and tried to get to the farm as fast as possible. When they arrived, Applejack was still standing outside, waiting. "Applejack? I though you were wounded!", Twilight shouted, staring at her farm friend.

"That's we've been trying to tell her, but she won't budge.", Big Mac replied. "I'm perfectly fine, thank you", Applejack grunted, frustrated.

"No you're not!", Granny cawed. Applebloom sighed. "Please heal her, Twilight!", she said. Twilight lowered her horn. "Okay Applejack, I need you to stand still", Twilight said. "Sure thing, Twilight", the orange mare replied. The Princess of Friendship closed her eyes and focused on the spell. A small gleaming light flickered from her horn, and got bigger by the second. It then shot into Applejack's chest, picking her a few inches off the ground. The light creeped into her bandages, somewhat sewing her cut shut, and decreasing the size of the imense bump on her head. Then, Twilight lowered the Apple Family member and removed her bandages.

"I'm... Alive?", Applejack asked. Twilight was sweating and panting. Eventually she said: "It worked! It actually worked!" Twilight jumped around just like her friend Pinkie Pie, but then soon enough got control of herself again.

"Thank you, Twi. I really appreciate you helping me out", Applejack said happily.  "Anything for you, AJ!", Twilight answered, "I also should get going now, Starlight and I had a study session planned, and I don't want to be late for that!" The farm mare chuckled. "I'll see ya soon, Twi! Thanks again! And have a nice.. study session!"