Ah Don't Need Help!

Big McIntosh pulled the cart through town, very aware of the stares that were directed at the very unamused orange mare that was inside it. He could hear her grumbling something about "If ah didn't have this bum hoof ah'd give these ponies a good buckin'" and sighed, shaking his head. "It's not every day that ah have ta pull y'all through town AJ, ponies are gonna stare." He reminded her, looking over his shoulder and seeing her resting her head boredly on her front legs.

Applejack grumbled something under her breath and closed her eyes. A cough made her open one and she saw Lyra Heartstrings keeping pace with the cart, looking at her with curious golden eyes. "Applejack why are you being taken across town in an apple cart?" She asked. It was a strange sight, normally Applejack would turn her nose up at the idea of being carried somewhere.

The farmer sighed and moved onto her side, showing her hind leg that she had kept stretched behind her and under her thick blonde tail. "Ah hurt mah leg so ah'm stayin' at the library." She said simply. She winced as it knocked against the cart when it hit a bump and looked back at Lyra. "Anythin' else?" She asked curtly. She was in no mood to discuss anything, she felt like everything in the world was annoying.

Lyra shook her head and slowed her pace, walking in another direction. She looked back at the cart once more before going off on her own business.

Big Mac sighed and rolled his eyes. "Ya could've been a bit nicer Applejack, she just asked a question." He chided gently. He knew that his sister was in a bad mood because of her leg injury and that she couldn't work the farm, but he knew that her taking out her frustrations on other ponies just wasn't right. He looked back in front of him and saw that he was close to the library. He slowed down, careful not to hit any bumps and removed the part of the cart holding it in place on his great red back, trotting over to Applejack. "Alright we're here, give me yer hoof." He told her, extending one red foreleg.

Applejack took his hoof and carefully stepped down, holding her bandaged leg above the ground. She felt her big brother press against her and she turned and gave him an annoyed look. "Ah can walk, ah'm not THAT hurt." She snapped, shuffling awkwardly to the side and limping forwards with a determined look. She stopped just short of the door, panting a bit but otherwise fine.

Big Mac knocked on the door and he smiled to see Twilight Sparkle answer. "Howdy there Twilight. Spike told us that y'all could take care of AJ while she recovers, did he tell ya?" He inquired, gesturing to a blushing Applejack who was smiling sheepishly.

Twilight nodded, a concerned look on her face. "Yes, he told me that she had some damage in her hoof. We'll be happy to take her while she's recovering, you said about a month right?" A nod from the elder Apple sibling answered her and she smiled, looking at Applejack who was hiding her face with her stetson. "No need to be shy Applejack, we won't make fun of you for getting hurt. Come on in!" She said cheerfully, moving aside so that they could step in.

Applejack felt her hooves click against the floor as she stepped in and she looked around. Twilight led her to a bed she had set up against the wall and the farmer gratefully climbed into it, stretching out along the surface of the blanket and giving a relieved sigh. She looked over at Big McIntosh and waved her hoof to him. He came over and nuzzled her between the ears and she rubbed her cheek on his chest before he walked away, closing the door behind him as he left. She pulled herself into a sitting position and looked around the library, seeing no sign of Spike.

Twilight sighed and trotted back to Applejack, shaking her head as she chuckled. "What did you do to yourself this time? I need you to lay on your side, I want to find out what you actually did to your leg." She ordered. When Applejack lay on her side, her horn lit up a nice magenta color and she unwrapped the bandages with her magical aura. The clip floated beside the long strip of fabric and she gasped when she saw the condition of her friend's leg. "Well no wonder he's saying that you need to stay away from work for a month, Applejack do you have any idea how serious this is?" She facehoofed and sighed in exasperation. "Alright I'm going to use my magic to examine you. I won't bother hiding it this is going to hurt. Ready?" She asked.

Applejack nodded and closed her eyes, tensing her back leg as she felt the cool touch of magic. Vibrations started going from the tip of her hoof to her knee as Twilight concentrated on that area, lowering her horn as the vibrations stopped. Applejack could feel the ligaments and muscles start to tighten around the area, steadily going downwards until it reached her hoof. She let out a sharp gasp of pain and dug her hooves into the sheets, biting her bottom lip as she kept her eyes closed. She got the feeling of pins and needles and let loose a small breath of relief at the soothing feeling.

Twilight could tell that the muscles around Applejack's hoof joint were inflamed, which could mean damage to them but she wanted to make sure her hypothesis was correct. "Sorry AJ..." She murmured and lowered her head, tapping the bruised area lightly with her horn. Her magic shrunk so that it was just surrounding the inflicted area and she concentrated on the spell. The magic separated in parts, little tendrils of magenta lowered themselves and went right through Applejack's flesh to the muscles, giving Twilight a clear view of the extent of the damage.

Applejack let out a cry of pain, it felt like somepony had taken a knife and dug it right into her leg! The tears started pooling in her eyes and she moaned loudly, biting down harder until she could feel the skin tear a bit around her lip. She relented and grit her teeth. Sudden pressure was increased, burning through her muscles like fire and she screamed as jolt after jolt wen through her body, the tears running lazily down her face.

Twilight lifted her head and transferred a cooling spell onto the Applejack's leg, soothing the pain. She allowed a small smile as Applejack loosened her muscles, sinking to the bed with a sigh of pleasure from the cold sensation that was spreading from hoof to flank. Her eyes were half open, still blurry with the tears but she wiped them away with her front leg and sniffed. "Well Twi? How bad is it?" She asked hesitantly, limbs trembling in worry.

Twilight sighed and gave Applejack a look that read 'I'm sorry but this isn't going to be good news'. "You've damaged the muscle pretty badly, there's an area that got pretty much crushed and it's really swollen, that's why it's so painful. Besides that, there's a crack in your hoof bone, thin as a hair but it goes from hoof tip to ankle in the front. Other than that, you had a bit of internal bleeding but not enough to be of any danger. The reason the bruising is so bad is because you kept working and that bruise isn't gonna go away any time soon." She explained as carefully as possible. "I would heal it with my magic if I could, but if I tried it would only last temporarily and if you went back to the farm it could come back while you're working and you'd risk breaking your hoof." She said apologetically.

Applejack sighed and looked at her leg. "Remind me ta give the next Timberwolf ah see a good buckin'." She chuckled weakly. "Honestly ah expected worse, but ah won't say that this isn't right painful. By the way, where's Spike?" She asked, still not seeing the little purple and green dragon anywhere. She'd assumed he was upstairs, but judging by the noise she'd been making and that the dragon hadn't come down she'd grown curious to know where he was.

Twilight blinked in surprise, she'd expected a different reaction from her orange friend but she shrugged it off, deciding it would be better than Applejack being really upset. "I asked Spike to go grab some material from the doctor's office. He should be back soon. For now, do you need anything? I have a lot of studying to get done, Princess Celestia asked me to study Alicorns and I have a lot of books to get through, but if you need anything I'm right here until Spike gets back." She said, smiling and sitting down.

Applejack shook her head. "I don't want ta keep ya from yer studies Twi. Y'all go ahead and do yer thing, ah'll wait for Spike if ah need anythin'." She replied. She wasn't used to being the one who had to be looked after, having ponies look after her made her feel uncomfortable and... useless.

Twilight nodded. "All right. I'll be upstairs, if you need anything just call." She repeated before walking over to a stack of books. She levitated them into the air and carried them upstairs, her hoof steps fading as she entered her room and sat down, opening the first book on the pile and commencing her studying.

Applejack waited until she heard the hoof steps stop and she let out a grumble of annoyance. Now ah have ta be cared for like a foal! Stupid Timberwolves... Stupid me... She rested her head on the pillow and sighed, closing her eyes as exhaustion crept through her and she slid into sleep, her body deciding it was time for a nap.

An hour passed before Spike opened the door, a bag in his hand. He closed it behind him and looked over to see Applejack asleep, stretched out on the bed they'd set up for her. He tiptoed over and set the bag down, smiling a bit before he caught sight of her leg. The bruising hadn't died down and it looked like the swelling had gone up a bit. He rummaged through the bag he'd brought in and pulled out a roll of bandages. He wrapped it like Big McIntosh had, starting from her knee and working down to her hoof and going back up. He cut the piece of fabric from the roll and clipped the start and end to the bandage together.

Applejack stirred under his touch and cracked an eye open, seeing Spike bandaging her leg. She opened her eyes fully and yawned, blinking away grogginess. "Thank ya kindly Spike." She murmured stretching her front legs and stretching her jaw in another enormous yawn. "Ah'm right tired, apple buckin' does wonders fer yer posture and strength, but when ya do it when yer hurt it kills." She said guiltily, rubbing the back of her neck with a hoof and blushing.

Spike looked up and saw that she was awake. "Sorry that I woke you up Applejack. Just wanted to put some more bandages on your leg." He explained, a small smile on his face. "You hungry? I can whip up something real quick for you, maybe something for me and Twilight to." He asked, eyes bright with the idea of helping her. He still felt bad about that time of clumsiness he'd had when he'd been upholding the Noble Dragon Code, he felt now would be a good time to prove he wasn't a clumsy dragon.

Applejack opened her mouth to say no when her stomach chose this very moment to give an audible gurgle. She blushed more and grinned sheepishly. "Um... Yes please." She said, barely loud enough for Spike to hear. She cursed her stomach's outburst inside her head, holding her embarrassed grin.

Spike nodded. "Sure thing! Twilight just brought in an order of apples, I'll make something out of those. Be back soon!" And with that he scampered into the kitchen. He saw the basket full of apples and pulled it down, looking at the curiously before thinking of something. He started working, expert claws working at the apple. He grabbed some dough and eventually lost himself in his work, humming a tune as he made pastry after pastry.

Applejack could smell the delicious scent of cooking apples from the kitchen and she looked her lips, jaw salivating. The doors opened and Spike walked out, carrying a tray of apple fritters. She looked at the tray in amazement then back at him, jaw hanging open. Luckily she'd stopped her mouth from watering too much or she'd have to explain why she was drooling. "Wow Spike, how'd you make those so fast? For us at the farm it takes a couple hours, but you took barely any time at all! It's only been," She looked over at the clock, "45 minutes!" She exclaimed, unable to comprehend how he made the fritters in such little time.

Spike felt pride bubbling up inside him. "I used my fire on them, takes way less time and always comes out right. Here!" He picked one up and passed it to her, watching a thin tendril of steam come from the delicious pastry. "I added my own little ingredient to it. I don't know if you guys use it at the farm, but I think it makes it just right!" He added as she took the fritter in her hoof.

Applejack sniffed the fritter and gave a dreamy sigh. "Thanks Spike. It smells delicious!" She complimented, blowing on the steaming apple fritter before taking an experimental bite. The flavor exploded in her mouth and before she knew it, she'd eaten three. "Spike these are delicious! If y'all weren't Twi's assistant ah'd hire ya for the farm. Ya used cinnamon right? Ah can taste it, makes it real good." She praised, stopping before she ate all the fritters on the plate.

Spike blushed and scuffed the floorboards with a foot. "It's no problem AJ. I learned how to make them because Twilight has a sweet tooth for them. Can I get you anything else?" He asked, setting the tray down next to her in case she decided to have any more.

"Um... Could ah have a glass of water please?" She asked hesitantly. Asking for things she normally would've gotten herself was humiliating for her and a faint hint of rose spread but she ignored it, looking at Spike with eyes that read 'Please fix me magically.'

Spike chuckled when she put on the face. "Sure thing, be back in a minute." He went back to the kitchen, pulled a glass down from the cupboard and filled it with water, plopping a few ice cubes in to make it refreshing. He trotted out, glass in claw and stopped short when he saw that the tray of fritters was empty and Applejack was sitting there with a very guilty face covered in crumbs and glaze.

Applejack had been scarfing apple fritters as fast as she could until Spike got back. She gave him a guilty smile and swallowed the remains of the last fritter. "Uh... It wasn't me?" She offered jokingly, knowing she was busted. Her eyes darted from side to side as she took in the glaze smeared over her hooves, sheets, tray and the dry stuff she could feel covering her face.

Spike placed the water on the tray before doubling over in laughter. He clutched his sides and kicked his legs in the air, tears streaming from his eyes as he struggled to breathe properly. His chest started heaving and he sat up, regaining control of breathing and wiping tears from his eyes. "Geez Applejack... I knew you liked apple fritters but not THAT much!" He exclaimed, getting back to his feet.

Applejack took the glass of water, wrapping her hoof around it carefully and drinking. The soothing coldness made her shiver in pleasure and she placed it back on the tray, not wanting to drink it all at once. She licked her lips and let out a satisfied breath. "Thanks again Spike." She said, smiling at him. "Yer apple fritters sure are good. Almost as good as Granny Smith's. Cinnamon was a nice touch to them, never thought of that." She praised him again, picking up the glass and drinking some more.

Spike chuckled. "Twilight likes them to. It's good to know the master of fritters herself likes them, maybe I'll stop by the farm at some point with them, see if your family likes them." He rambled, picking the tray up as she finished her water and placing the empty glass on it. "I'm going back into the kitchen with this, I'll grab a cloth so that you can get the glaze off of you." He said, going into the kitchen and coming back out moments later with a damp cloth. He offered it to her and she took it.

Applejack wiped the sugary substance off her hooves, chest and blanket. She realized there was some on her face and blushed a bit. "Um... Spike? Could ya... er... help me?" She asked nervously, her face turning the shade of an apple. She held the cloth out to him, looking down with her eyes full of awkwardness. She could feel the sticky substance on her face, but the last time she'd tried to get it out herself they'd had to pry the towel off because it got stuck in the glaze. She knew she could do it herself and risk looking like an idiot with a cloth stuck to her face or she could do what she was doing and still look stupid.

Spike blinked before taking the cloth from her hoof. "No problem, lift your head, close your eyes and hold still." He nodded when she positioned her head to face him and he started washing some of the sticky liquid from her cheek. He got it off the corners of her mouth and just below her bottom lip easily enough, getting stuck a bit on a rather large and still wet splat of it on the other cheek. He pulled back and looked over, seeing that she had no remains of the delicious syrup left on her face and smiled in satisfaction. "Done! You can open your eyes now." He told her, balling up the cloth and throwing it to the hamper located beside the kitchen door, watching as it hit the rim and slid in lazily.

Applejack's blush had toned down to a pretty shade of pink by the time Spike had finished washing her face. "Thanks ya kindly, but let's promise never ta speak of this again." She said quickly, looking at him with hopeful eyes and stretched out her front leg.

Spike nodded. "Agreed." He said, shaking her hoof as they swore never to speak of the event again.

Upstairs, Twilight had been driven crazy by the delicious smell of tasty and perfectly cooked apple fritters. After a half hour she lost it and bolted from her reading, jumping and soaring over the railing. Her hooves collided with the floor and she turned to Applejack and Spike. "FRITTERS." She bellowed, looking around wildly. She saw the pair gaping at her and her eyes widened. The librarian sat down and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Um... I mean... Are there any fritters left?" She asked nervously.

Spike shook his head, unblinking. "Sorry... AJ ate them all..." He said carefully, gulping when she moved forwards.

Applejack just lay there, speechless. Her eyes were wide and unblinking and her jaw was hanging open. She regained control of her face and shook her head. "Spike told me ya like fritters but ah think he may have understated it." She looked back at Spike with a look that said 'Why didn't ya warn me?' and turned back to Twilight. "Sorry sugarcube, but all the fritters are gone." She apologized with a guilty look.

Twilight sighed. "Back to studying." She trotted back up the stairs and resumed her studies, less enthusiastic because she wasn't eating a nice plate of her assistant's delicious apple fritters. That was forgotten as she resumed reading about Alicorn wings.

Applejack watched Twilight go before she turned to Spike. "Spike?" She asked.

Spike looked over at her. "Yeah Applejack?" He replied, looking at her with curious emerald eyes.

"Remind me never to let Twi come to the barn." She told him, looking fearfully at the flight of stairs where her friend had gone up, probably plotting the destruction of Spike and Applejack while they slept if only to get fritters.

Spike fell over laughing for the second time that day. "Ha ha! No problem AJ!" He crowed between snickers.

Applejack chuckled and looked out the window, seeing the sun setting. She rested her head on her pillow and looked down at Spike. "Ah don't need anything for now. Y'all can go ta bed if ya want." She told him, reaching out a hoof and giving him a noogie. "Ah think ah'll go ta bed now." She murmured, smiling warmly at him. "Thanks for everything partner." She thanked before closing her eyes and waiting for the soothing sensation of sleep to claim her.

Spike climbed onto the bed and sat beside her, waiting until she fell asleep. After 20 minutes she was dead to the world in her slumber, letting out soft snores that filled his ears. The little dragon knew he should get up and go to his basket, but he was exhausted from a long day of preparing and helping the injured farmer. He felt himself swaying slightly, his eyelids begging to be brought together and he gave in, eyes closing as he fell asleep beside Applejack.