Chapter 8

“Hi William!”

“Oh, uh, hey there.”

“Hey Will, you doing alright?”

“Fine, thanks.”

“Good morning, Will!”

“Good morning to you too.”

Everywhere I went, ponies would wave to me and greet me in the morning like any other. It’s like it was almost yesterday when most of these pony folk would just give me the sideways glance. Now, ever since I saved that filly from the house fire a week ago, it’s like I’m a fully fledged citizen of Ponyville. Ever since then, I’ve been receiving praises and wishes of good fortune from everyone in town. I guess my act of heroism made more of an impression than I thought it would. Who knew that all it took was a blind act of bravery to prove that I’m not an enemy of Equestria?

My head still throbs from time to time from that hit I took when I caught the support beam from crushing Dinky and I. Thankfully, the doctor said there was no serious damage to my head and it only left a small gash that he managed to heal rather easily. All this magic stuff is still something I’m getting used to since my injuries were able to heal more quickly than any other medical examination from a doctor back home.

“I think I’ll fly to work today,” I thought out loud and focused on my Ki.

I felt my body rise into the air, higher and higher, until I was able to almost touch the clouds. I smiled as I leaned forward and flew straight toward Sweet Apple Acres. It still sends an exciting chill through my soul whenever I fly through the air, especially since flying was always my answer whenever someone asked me what super power I would have. I looked down to see that some of the ponies were staring up at me in surprise to see me smiling, but I just waved back at them in response. As I flew, I heard a pair of wings flapping toward me, and I looked over my shoulder to see Rainbow Dash fly up next to me.

“Hey there, Mr. Hero,” Rainbow teased. “Fancy seeing you up here.”

“Sup, Rainbow. I thought I said not to call me that,” I said, rolling my eyes at her.

“How come? Everypony else is calling you a hero,” Rainbow said.

“All I did was save a filly from a burning building. It’s not that big a deal,” I waved it off.

“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that,” Rainbow shrugged. “Where are you headed anyway?”

“Work. Applejack says there’s a lot of apples to harvest this season.”

“I hope they make cider out of them,” Rainbow said as she licked her lips. “That’s the best drink in Equestria!”

“I can imagine,” I chuckled.

“Say, since you can now fly properly, how’s about you and me going for a race?” Rainbow challenged.

“Race you? Ha! Good one,” I laughed.

“I’m serious! What, you too scared I’d mop the clouds with you?” Rainbow taunted.

“It’s not a matter of being scared, Rainbow. I’m the kind of guy who likes to think in the logical sense,” I argued. “I just recently figured out how to fly properly without falling on my ass and learned the basics of Ki manipulation. I still have a long way to go, to my knowledge, before I can even think about doing something like racing you. The speed I’m flying right now is just under my fastest speed I can go.”

“Seriously? That’s kinda lame. No offense,” Rainbow said.

“None taken. I just have to keep at my training. And when I have better control over my powers, then we can race each other as much as you want.”

“Well…alright, I guess, but you better Pinkie Promise we will!” Rainbow pointed at me.

“Sure, I pinky promise,” I said, holding out my pinky finger at her. Rainbow stared at my hand before she gave me a confused look. “Something wrong?”

“Don’t you know how to make a Pinkie Promise?” Rainbow questioned.

“Aren’t I doing it?” I wondered.

“No, this is how you do a Pinkie Promise.” She raised her hand over her chest. “Cross my heart.” She drew and x with her finger. “Hope to fly.” She threw her hand up in the air. “Stick a cupcake in my eye.” She pointed at her eye with her thumb. “Now you do it.”

“Uh…okay?” I looked at my hand and copied her movements. “Cross my heart and hope to…fly? Stick a cupcake in my eye-ouch!” When I pointed at my eye with my thumb, I accidentally poked it, making me rub my eye.

“Hahaha! Smooth, but I guess that’s passable,” Rainbow laughed. “Make sure to keep that promise, Will. I’ll see ya later!” With that, Rainbow veered off and flew in another direction.

“Tch! Girls.” I rolled my eyes and realized I was flying over the apple orchard. “Now where are those Apple siblings?” I looked around in search of Applejack and Big Mac until I saw them standing on top of a hill overlooking the orchard. I flew toward the two ponies and they seemed to notice me flying toward them. “Hey, you two! Ready to knock some apples down?” I landed just beside them onto the ground.

“Sweet applesauce! Y’all can fly?” Mac gasped.

“Oh yeah, you didn’t know that, huh?” I shrugged. “Yeah, I can fly. I can tell you how if you want?”

“Now’s not the time, Will. We got a bit of a problem,” Mac said, gesturing to the cast covering his leg that I just now noticed.

“Woah. You hurt your leg?” I asked, concerned.

“Eeyup. Let’s just say Ah bit off more than Ah could chew. Somethin’ mah sister here can’t seem to understand,” Mac said.

“Ah said we’d be fine, Mac. Ya worry too much,” Applejack rolled her eyes.

“It sure is a lot of apple trees,” I said, looking out at the pasture of the hundreds of trees. “But I’m sure Applejack and I can manage it.”

“Normally. Ah’d agree with ya, partner, and even though ya got a strong kick, this all might be too much for just the both of y’all to handle,” Mac said.

“Exactly! We’ll take a bite outta this job by day’s end,” Applejack said confidently.

“And it’s what Ah’ve been sayin’; bitin’ off more than y’all can chew is just what Ah’m afraid of,” Mac said.

“See what Ah’ve been dealin’ with, Will? It’s like he’s accusin’ me that mah mouth is makin’ promises mah legs can’t keep!”

“Eeyup,” Mac nodded.

“Sure, it’s a lot of work, but I’m sure if we work together-” I tried to say, but Applejack cut me off with a scoff.

“This is your sister Applejack, remember?! The loyalest of friends and the most dependable of ponies?!” Applejack snapped, getting into Mac’s face.

“Uh, don’t forget me,” I called out. “I can kick as many apple trees as I want without stopping if I wanted to.”

“Yeah, but you’re still only one pony, and you’re only one human,” Mac said, pointing at us. “And there’s hundreds of apple trees. It just doesn’t really add up.”

“I appreciate the concern, Mac, but you don’t have to-”

“Don’t you use your fancy mathematics to muddy the issue!” Applejack cut me off again. “Ah said Ah can handle this harvest, and Ah’m gonna prove it to ya! Both of y’all!”

“How’d I get blamed? I just got here,” I said, confused.

“Ah’m gonna get every last apple outta those trees this apple buck season all by mahself!”

“Timeout, by yourself?” I said, looking at Applejack. “What about me?”

“Don’t need ya! Ah’m fine on mah own!” Applejack huffed and marched off.

“Well, that was unexpected,” I said.

“Sorry for makin’ ya come all the way out here for nothin’, Will, but whenever mah sister sets her mind to somethin’, it’s near impossible to convince her otherwise. And Ah should know from experience,” Mac sighed.

“It’s cool, my sister was the same way back home,” I waved it off. “So I guess no work for me today?”

“Not for a while, Ah’m afraid, but we’ll be sure to compensate ya to make up for it.”

“Don’t sweat it, Mac, I’d rather be rewarded for actually doing something rather than just sitting around. I just hope Applejack knows what she’s doing.”

“You and me both, partner,” Mac said.

I waved him goodbye and jumped in the air to fly away. I soared through the air toward the lake since there wasn’t much else to do now that I have no work for the day. I thought about going straight back to try and convince Applejack that this job would be too much for her, but I figured that would only upset her, which is the last thing I’d wanna do. Wanting to change the subject, I started to think about how I would train today at the lake. My Ki center felt much stronger than before, thanks to the meditation and mental image training, so that’s a start. I wondered if I could try to utilize it so I can create Ki attacks or use it as a means of defense; possibly healing? There were so many possibilities I could try, so I was eager to put it to the test as soon as possible.

In the corner of my eye, I saw something fly at high speeds much higher in the sky than I was. I looked to see a pegasus pony wearing some kind of blue bodysuit. For a moment, I thought it was Rainbow Dash, but then I caught a glimpse of her mane and tail. Her hair was orangish-yellow, like a flickering flame, and she left a smokey trail in her wake. She was doing somersaults and twists in the air, which was pretty entertaining to watch. The mare then began to fly around a cloud, bunching it up in a lump before flying above it and dive bombing straight through it, dispersing the cloud like an explosion.

“Damn, that was cool.” I hovered in mid air as I continued to watch the spectacle.

The mare continued to dive straight down and just as she was about to hit the ground, she pulled up and flung straight back up while spinning like a top. I was rather impressed with her flight skills and she went back for another dive bomb. Only this time, I noticed that she was aiming for the forest nearby. The mare dove straight down once more, which made me a little worried about her intentions, but she managed to fly straight up once more. I smiled at her skill to pull a stunt like that off, but I soon noticed something off about her. It looked like she wasn’t flying straight and her wing wasn’t flapping as much. My fears proved to become a reality when she began to fall and it looked like she was out of control.

“Oh shit, she’s actually falling!” I wasted no time and flew straight toward the falling mare as fast as I could. My eyes were locked on the falling pony and I had my arms stretched out. The wind blew against my face and I tried putting more effort into my speed, but it looked like I wasn’t gonna make it.

“No, no, no! Come on…come on, damnit!” I said as I flew faster.

As much as I tried to pick up speed, it felt like I wasn’t gonna make it with the rate I was going. I could feel myself pushing to go faster just so I could save the mare. She looked like she was in a state of panic as she tried to level herself, but couldn’t maneuver properly because of her injured wing.

“Damnit all, I won’t let her die! Go faster!” I grit my teeth and glared at the falling mare. “Faster!” A white aura soon began to flicker around my body as my speed increased. “FASTER!” The wind whizzed gainst my face as the aura glowed brighter and flickered like an open flame. “GO FASTER, DON’T LET HER FALL!”

Suddenly, a burst of energy coursed through me and I was flying at breakneck speeds. I didn’t stop flying, nor did I slow down in the slightest, as I drew closer and closer towards the falling mare. Just as she was about to pass the point of no return and hit the dirt, I was able to reach her just in time and catch her in the air. As soon as I caught her, I pulled myself up and flew high in the air while holding on to her. I then began to slow my ascent and relax as the white aura around me died down.

“What the hay?! What happened?! Am I dead?!” The mare in my arms shrieked as she gripped my jacket.

“Woah there, take it easy,” I said to her. “You were in mid freefall after something happened to your wing. Good thing I spotted you.”

The mare looked up at me and arched a brow. “Uh…who’re you?”

“Me? I’m Will Saber. Pleasure,” I smirked. “And before you ask, no, I’m not a pony. I’m a human.”

“How did you know I was gonna ask that?” the mare questioned.

“You’d be surprised how often that question gets tossed around here.”

“A human, huh? Guess Soarin and Fleets were right,” the mare said to herself. She looked down at the ground below us, then glanced at her left wing. She tried to move it, but winced, and I noticed there was a bit of blood dripping from her feathers.

“That looks bad,” I said.

“Must’ve clipped a tree when I went for that second divebomb.” The mare sighed and looked up at me. “Thanks for saving my flank. You mind setting me down?”

“Oh, sure,” I nodded. I slowly began descending toward the ground.

“It just occurred to me that you don’t have wings,” the mare said, leaning her head to look at my back.

“And?” I said.

“How are you flying without wings?” she wondered.

“It’s a long story, but to make it short, I guess you could say I was given these powers by someone special.”

“Not sure what you mean by that, but I guess I can roll with it,” the mare shrugged.

“So, you gonna tell me your name or am I gonna have to play the guessing game?” I joked. “Because I have a few suggestions on what your name could be.”

“I’m sure you do,” the mare scoffed playfully. “Name’s Spitfire. I’m surprised you don’t know who I am.”

“And why’s that?” I wondered.

“Well, have you ever heard of the Wonderbolts?”

“Hmm, can’t say I have,” I shook my head. “You could say I’m still new to Equestria. Why? Are they famous?”

“You could say that,” Spitfire nodded. I finally made it to the ground and planted my feet in the dirt. I gently set Spitfire back on her hooves, and she winced again when she moved her injured wing a little.

“You want me to bring you to the hospital or something?” I offered.

“Thanks, but I can just make a call to one of my teammates to pick me up nearby. It’s only my wing that was busted, not my legs,” Spitfire said.

“Hmm. Well, if you say so.” I scratched my chin in thought when an idea came to mind. The idea was purely theoretical, but I might just be able to at least ease her discomfort by a little. “May I try something? I can’t treat your wing fully, but I can at least take away some of the pain.”

“How’re you gonna do that?” Spitfire wondered.

I stepped forward and raised my hand towards Spitfire’s injured wing. I took a deep breath and channeled my positive Ki into my hand and drowned out all distractions. I kept taking deep breaths to control my breathing as my mind became as clear as possible. Soon, my hand began to glow a soft light and I held it close to Spitfire’s wing. I kept my hand there for several minutes until I had to cancel my Ki and stepped back. A few drops of sweat were already dripping from my forehead and I felt very tired all of a sudden.

“Whew…I think that should help,” I sighed.

Spitfire moved her wing a little and didn’t wince this time. “Wow…I’m impressed. Not sure what you just did though. It still kinda hurts, but not as much anymore.” She smiled warmly at me. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem. So if you’re okay on your own, I’m gonna head home,” I said, trying to keep a straight face and hiding my fatigue.

“Sure, and thanks again for saving me, hero,” Spitfire said with a wink.

“Heh, yeah, hero,” I chuckled as I waved goodbye and walked the other way toward Ponyville. “Well, I’m glad my experiment was a success,” I said to myself as I walked away. “But man, am I tired. Guess healing Ki takes a little more out of me than flying or ki blasts. Which means I still have much to improve on.”

A Few Days Later

My mind was calm and my breathing was focused as I sat by the edge of the lake in a lotus position. I wore a pair of black sweatpants, courtesy of Rarity upon request, but I kept my shirt and shoes off. My whole body was aching a little after the intense workout session I put myself through. I ran about twenty laps around the entire lake without stopping, I did ten sets of thirty pushups, situps, and squats each, and I spent a full hour doing mental image training as I used a variety of my martial arts skills. On top of my physical training, I also made sure to improve my Ki manipulation.

When I saved that mare, Spitfire, even before, when I saved Dinky, I felt a sudden surge of energy course through my body; giving me increased strength in the spur of the moment. Nothing is usually a coincidence if it happens twice in a row, in my opinion. I never forgot the feeling of all that energy giving me such power, which means I have more locked potential than I might realize. With this in mind, I now am working on manipulating my Ki properly. I can now form Ki sphere’s without them dissipating and I can fly in the air for prolonged periods of time. Rescuing Spitfire also influenced me to increase my flying speed. I practice by flying from one side of the lake all the way to the other side as fast as I can. The method feels a tad redundant, but it’s no different from running on the ground in a way.

After one last deep breath in, I exhaled and slowly opened my eyes. I looked down at my hands and opened and closed them.

“It’s a slow process,” I said aloud as I stood back up. “But progress is progress, as Ivan would always say.”

After washing away the sweat from my body and drying myself, I put my shirt back on and picked up my shoes and jacket. I then rose into the air and flew back towards Ponyville. As I flew back, I noticed there was some kind of commotion going on downtown. When I changed course to see what was up, I saw that there was a literal stampede of cows racing towards Ponyville.

“What the-they’re gonna bulldoze the town!” I said as I acted immediately by flying straight towards the lead cow. However, a certain farm pony seemed to be quicker on her hooves as she sprinted through the herd of cows with her laso. I watched as Applejack swung her rope around and managed to tie it around the lead cow and pull her off to the side, away from town before they could cross the bridge. “Wow. Color me impressed.” I waited until she stopped the cows’ running entirely and floated down toward her as she spoke with them.

“Ah completely understand,” Applejack nodded. “Just next time, try and steer clear of Ponyville.”

“We certainly will, Applejack. So long, Winona!” the cow spoke and Winona barked in response.

“I shouldn’t be surprised that cows can talk in this world.” I shook my head as I landed near Applejack. “That was pretty impressive, Applejack.”

“Oh! Hey, Will. It was nothin’. They all just got spooked over some snake,” Applejack said as she pet Winona.

I then noticed that she looked a little ragged, like her eyes had faint bags under them and her hair was a little unkempt. “You doing alright? You look a little fatigued.”

“O’ course Ah’m alright. Ah’m as fit as a well-tuned fiddle,” Applejack proclaimed.

“So you say. Is that whole orchard a work in progress?” I guessed. “You know, I can lend a hand any time you want.”

“Ah do, and Ah already said Ah don’t need help,” Applejack huffed as she crossed her arms under her chest. “Did Mac put ya up to talk sense into me?”

“What? No. I’ve been at the lake for the past few days training,” I argued. “No one put me up to do anything. I’m just concerned for you, that’s all.”

“Well, while Ah appreciate your concern, there ain’t nothin’ to be concerned about!” Applejack turned away. “Now that this matter is settled, Ah gotta go make sure every pony in town is okay.”

As she walked away, I could only sigh and wonder what I did to make her upset. Was it a matter of pride? A sense of entitlement that she needed to harvest the orchard on her own? I couldn’t really say. When I made it back to Ponyville, everyone was talking about Applejack and giving her words of praise for her heroism. It made me happy that she was at least being acknowledged around here, so I guess that counts for something. With nothing else to do, I resumed my trek back to the Treebrary and headed home.

Some Days Later

It was another normal day at the Treebrary, and I was sitting on the couch enjoying a book called The Adventures of Daring Do. It was quite a fun read, since this Daring Do character has lots of adventures of discovering lost cities and finding ancient artifacts and treasures, kinda like Indiana Jones. Suddenly, something crashed outside on the platform where Twilight was reading a book. When I set my book aside and went to see what it was, Rainbow was hanging off the railing of the balcony and had startled Twilight from reading her own books.

“Can I help you?” Twilight asked the dazed Rainbow.

“I think somepony else needs your help…” Rainbow groaned.

“Applejack?” Twilight guessed and Rainbow nodded.

I knew what they were talking about, especially since I kinda figured something like this would happen. My mind thought back to what I’ve been hearing around town as of late. After Applejack stopped the cows’ stampede, the town wanted to reward her for her efforts by giving her a trophy and honoring her. Only, when Applejack did show up, an hour late I might add, she looked more ragged than when I saw her. She looked like she hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep in days and her legs were shaking from the exertion she was putting herself through. Not only that, but I had heard from the other mares that she was barely responsive with whatever they needed her help with. Pinkie said she needed Applejack’s help with making some pastries, but it ended up being a disgusting pile of mush. There was another animal attack on Ponyville, and the culprit was the small rabbits Fluttershy was looking after. Apparently, Applejack spooked them and they all tore up the gardens in town, something that I least expected to happen from Applejack.

“Ugh, that mare’s gonna either cause more damage to the town or herself, moreso the latter,” I said as I went back down the stairs and left for Sweet Apple Acres.

I took to the skies and flew straight for the farm so I could talk some sense into Applejack before Twilight and the others got a word in. I know she said she’d handle this on her own, but I can no longer stand by if what’s happening to her is starting to affect the others. I eventually made it to the farm, touched down on the ground, and began looking for the farm mare. I immediately noticed that half the acres were already harvested, which I’ll admit was impressive, but she still had the other half to tend to. My search for Applejack wasn’t long as I found the mare still tirelessly kicking apple trees. She looked far worse than before. Her mane and tail were frazzled, her eyes were red with thick bags under her eyes, and she seemed so out of it that she missed the tree she tried to kick and hit the basket of apples, causing the basket of fruit to tip over and dump all its contents on the ground.

“Whoops…” Applejack said.

“Applejack,” I called out.

“Huh?!” She whipped her head around and saw me and relaxed. “Oh…h-hey Will. What brings ya by?”

“I heard you’ve been causing a bit of worry in Ponyville, so I figured I’d check in to see how you’re doing.” I crossed my arms. “When was the last time you slept?”

“Ah got a good night’s rest just last night,” Applejack said.

“Yeah, how long? Two, maybe three, hours?” I guessed rhetorically.

“…More like an hour and a half?” Applejack shrugged. “But that’s all Ah need in order to get this here harvest done.”

“Oh come on, AJ, have you seen yourself?” I asked, walking up to her. “You’re a mess! You’ve barely slept, you haven’t eaten properly despite being literally surrounded by apples, and your legs look like they’re about to break from the amount of kicking you’ve done. Why can’t you just let me help you with the rest of the harvest?”

“Because Ah don’t need your help!” Applejack snapped. “This here’s an Apple family tradition, and you ain’t even family!” I recoiled at her words and it took a while for it to register what she said. “Ah…A-Ah’m sorry, Will, Ah didn’t mean that.”

“Well, you’re right about one thing, I’m not an Apple,” I said. “But I am your friend, and friends look out for each other. You may claim to be the most honest and dependable pony in Equestria, but not even you can do everything by yourself. Besides, Twilight’s always going on about how you’re there for anyone in need, so maybe it’s best to swallow your pride and let me help you.”

“And how would you know?” Applejack wondered.

“Let’s just say I used to know someone who taught me the value of relying on others when you need it most,” I said. “So please, AJ, let me help you. If we work together, I’m sure we can get this done in no time.”

Applejack stared at me for a moment, processing my words, but she frowned and shook her head. “Ah’m sorry, Will, but Ah just gotta do this. If Ah can’t, then Ah would be goin’ back on mah word and no pony would believe in me no more.”

I sighed and shook my head at her words. “You and I both know that’s not true, AJ. You’re the most dependable and amazing mare I’ve ever had the privilege to meet, and I’m honored to be your friend.” She looked up at me with a bit of surprise as I turned away. “At least try to get a decent night’s sleep, AJ. You owe yourself at least that much.”

With nothing more to say, I took to the skies again and flew away from the acres. I glanced over my shoulder and frowned pityingly at the state AJ was in. I was worried that she might push herself too far, and if she kept going at the state she was in…

“No…” I stopped mid flight and turned straight back around and flew back to the acres. “I don’t care if she hates me for doing this, I’m gonna help my friend whether she likes it or not!”

Later That Night

I’ve been keeping an eye on Applejack all day, waiting for my chance to act out my plan. I thought about doing it during the day, but I figured it’d be too abrupt, so I waited until night time. I hid behind a tree as Applejack was swaying left to right and approached another tree. She yawned out loud and looked up at the sky with tired eyes.

“Hrmm…oh, alright, Ah guess Ah can get some shuteye. But it’s back to work after a few hours!” Applejack sighed as she dropped the baskets of apples on the ground and leaned against a tree. She tipped her hat over her eyes and got comfortable.

“Finally,” I whispered and came out from my hiding place. When I tiptoed over to Applejack to see if she had fallen asleep, she surprisingly was out cold and snoring loudly. “Guess she really did need a good night’s rest.” I nodded as I faced the remaining apple trees and did some leg stretches. “Don’t hate me for doing this, AJ, but it’s for your own good.”

The Next Day
3rd POV

The sun was shining over the horizon as Ponyville was beginning to bask in its rays. The rooster cawed so the residents of Ponyville could begin their day. Twilight and her friends had all agreed to confront Applejack and try to convince her to let them help in the harvest.

“Remember, girls, we’re doing this because we care,” Twilight said as they neared Sweet Apple Acres.

“I hope we can help her see reason,” Fluttershy said as she tugged on her green turtleneck.

“She better, or else I’ll just harvest all the apples myself!” Rainbow proclaimed, puffing her chest out.

“Rainbow please, we must be civilized about this,” Rarity lectured.

“And once we help her gather all the apples, we’ll throw a huge party!” Pinkie chirped.

“Regardless, we still need to treat this delicately. And be prepared to help harvest the apples once we are able to convince her,” Twilight said as they walked past the entrance to the Acres.

“Picking apples is easy, Twilight, I bet we can get it done in under an hour!” Rainbow waved it off.

“Um…girls?” Fluttershy called out.

“While I’m not a fan of dirty work, I suppose I can make an exception for Applejack,” Rarity said as she flipped her mane with her hand.

“Girls?” Fluttershy said again.

“What’s up, Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked.

“Um, well…if we came to help Applejack with the harvest, where are the apples?” Fluttershy asked. It was then that the mares noticed that every tree that they passed by since arriving were all bare. Rainbow flew up high in the air and squinted her eyes as she scanned the whole area.

“Hey! What gives?! All the trees are empty!” she exclaimed.

“What?! How can that be?!” Twilight wondered.

“Beats me, but I think I see Applejack over that way!” Rainbow said, pointing due east of the Acres and flew off.

“Come on, girls,” Twilight said and they all went running to where Rainbow flew.

It didn’t take the girls long to find their friend laying under an apple tree, with her hat over her face and sound asleep. Covering her was a familiar-looking jacket that was used as a sort of blanket to keep her warm.

“Wake up, Applejack!” Rainbow barked.

“Huh?! Wha?!” Applejack gasped as she sat straight up. “What happened? What’s goin’ on?” She looked up to see her friends standing over her. “What’re you all doin’ here?”

“We came to talk some sense to you about how harvesting all the apple trees on your own was crazy, that’s what!” Rainbow scowled.

“But Ah thought Ah said Ah didn’t need help?” Applejack sighed.

“Applejack, why did you feel the need to do this on your own? While we all can respect the Apple family way, you should’ve at least let us help you,” Twilight said.

“What’re you on about? Ah ain’t even done yet. Ah only finished the first half,” Applejack said.

“Yeah right. Then how come the whole orchard is empty?” Rainbow asked.

“Empty?” Applejack looked around and noticed all the preset baskets under the trees were gone, and the trees she hadn’t yet bucked were all apple free. “What in tarnation? Did Ah go sleep buckin’ again? Naw, Ah couldn’t have…”

“Darling, might I ask what you are doing with William’s jacket?” Rarity asked.

Applejack looked down and saw said jacket in her lap. She picked it up and arched a brow, but then realized who might’ve been behind this.

“He didn’t…” Applejack stood up and immediately ran for the barn.

The others followed her, not knowing what was going on until they reached her barn, and they were met with a surprising sight. Several tens of rows of barrels, each filled with apples were lined up beside the rustic storehouse, all prepped and ready to be shipped. It was an unexpected sight to see for the group of mares, more so from Applejack since she had no recollection of ever doing any of this.

“Wow, that’s a lot of apples!” Pinkie chirped.

“But Ah…Ah don’t understand!” Applejack said.

“You really didn’t do this, Applejack?” Fluttershy wondered.

“Course Ah’m sure! Ah just wanted to rest mah eyes for a little bit, but ended up fallin’ asleep! Now Ah wake up to this?!”

Before any other questions could be asked, there was the sound of someone laughing, who turned out to be Big Mac as he approached the mares with a mug of coffee in one hand and his crutch to support his leg in the other.

“Mornin’, sis. Ladies,” Mac greeted.

“Mac! Did you do this?!” Applejack asked.

“With this leg? Please. Ah’d rather not risk not bein’ able to buck apple trees for the rest of mah days. Y’know, Ah kinda figured he’d pull a stunt like this when Ah saw him try to talk to you the other day, but Ah didn’t expect to power through the whole night.”

“Who?!” Applejack demanded.

Mac gestured to the mares to follow him toward the barn. He led them to the open barn door ajar and held up a finger to his lips so they could remain quiet. When they peered inside, they saw the human, William, laying sprawled out on a bale of hay. He was sound asleep, out like a light, and was snoring somewhat loudly. Applejack noticed that his jeans had rips and tears in them and his shoes were all scuffed up and had small holes in them. William didn’t even register their presence since he was so deep in slumber as the ponies stood around the hay bale.

“He plopped himself in here about a half hour before y’all came along,” Mac whispered. “In all mah years, Ah ain’t never seen somepony apple buck as hard or as fast as him. He managed to clear out the other half of the orchard all by himself, without stoppin’. Ah was about to wake him to send him home, but Ah figured he deserved a proper rest. Guess he was also lookin’ out for ya, sis.”

“He did all that…for me?” Applejack muttered, gripping William’s jacket she still held in her hands.

“Aw, that’s so sweet!” Rarity said.

“Gotta give credit where credit’s due, he sure proved us right,” Rainbow smirked.

“You see, Applejack? Even though you always put yourself before your friends, and while friendship is about giving of ourselves to friends, it’s also important to accept what your friends have to offer,” Twilight smiled as she glanced over to Applejack.

As the farm mare watched Will sleep, she felt a slight tightness in her chest. She then felt herself smile a wide and grateful smile towards Will as she stepped forward and returned his jacket by draping over him as he did for her.

“Thank you, Will. Thank you very kindly for what you’ve done for a stubborn mare like me,” Applejack whispered.

Author's Note

Help goes a long way with friends who are willing to offer it.

Side Note:
So very sorry for the two friggen months of not posting anything for this story. Had a little bit of a writer’s block, but I’m over it now. Thank you for your patience.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…