Chapters Where It All Began
Applejack climbed the pile of rocks, fear in her green eyes. She hit the top of the pile and looked to see three Timberwolves chasing Spike, almost below her. She could see how terrified he was and mentally kicked herself. If only ah hadn't staged that fake attack! None of this would be happening. She thought. When Spike passed underneath her precarious perch, he was followed closely by the Timberwolves and an idea struck her. With a struggle, she used all the strength she'd gathered from apple bucking and shoved a rock down. The boulder flew downwards and crushed the three beings from the Everfree Forest, sending the wooden branches and twigs flying everywhere as they crumbled into inanimate objects. The momentum made her tumble a bit, landing on her stomach with her front hooves over the edge of the rock.
Spike stopped running and stepped over carefully, eyes full of caution. He looked at the shattered remains of the beasts and a smile lit his features. He looked over at Applejack and gave her the thumbs up, smiling more when he saw that she was ok. She had saved his life again! He felt himself grow close to tears but held them back, wanting to go meet his saviour and thank her.
Applejack looked over at Spike and wiped her brow, a smile on her face saying that he didn't need to worry. She heard a light crack behind her and felt the rock she was on slipping. More cracks signalled that she had little time before the rock slid. CRACK! The rock was free. "Woooooah!" She exclaimed as her eyes went wide. The rock slid out from under her and the orange mare crashed loudly into the ground. She lay dazed, head spinning with stars. She was aware of the dirt pressing against her belly and the spinning world around her. She regained control of her senses just as a slightly smaller rock than the one she'd been laying on gave a few clinks as it bounced down the pile and landed on her right hind leg, effectively trapping her hoof. "Ow!" She cried out as pain lanced through her.
Spike ran to her side when a green glow came from the corner of his eye. He turned and looked at the pieces of the three Timberwolves that were glowing, edged with a green aura as they moved of their own accord. To his horror, he realized that they were forming together, recreating the Timberwolves! "Uh oh..." He murmured as they came together before him, forming a giant leg with a clawed paw. He looked over at Applejack, who had stood up and was looking with fright at the giant beast that was forming before her eyes. "Applejack! Come on!" He cried, motioning with his arm for her to run.
Applejack tried to follow, but found herself unable to move. She struggled as the huge creature started to take on more shape but she couldn't get her hoof free from the rock. "Ah can't! Ah'm really stuck!" She cried, pupils and irises tiny pinpricks in huge eyes as she pointed madly at the rocks which refused to release their cold grip on her leg. She looked back to the forest as trees, branches and more twigs flew out, wrapped in that same green hue. They pieced together, the Timberwolf almost completed.
Spike danced from foot to foot, hands on his head. "No more messing around!" He begged, looking at the Timberwolf once more. The Timberwolf's teeth were lodging into place, the giant leaves forming the eyebrows. His fists curled and he put them near his mouth, legs shaking as he beheld the terrible thing. All his instincts, muscles and neurones were screaming at him to book it, but he couldn't leave Applejack! She was his friend and he needed to uphold the Noble Dragon Code, he needed to make sure she got out ok. He took his claws from his mouth, turned and gave a serious glare to the trapped farmer. "Let's go!" He yelled over the sound of clicking and snapping as piece by piece came together.
The great wooden creature's final teeth clicked into place inside his mouth, his putrid breath coming in wisps from his throat, discoloring the air around it, making it a sickly deep green. Applejack struggled vainly, using all her strength to try and pull her leg out. Pain jolted through her body with each tug as she gave grunts of pain and concentration. "Come on!" She pretty much begged, but her hoof held fast, denying escape. Twin lime green eyes with no pupils snapped open and a low rumble that was a growl filled their ears as discolored saliva dripped to the ground mere feet from Applejack's face and she looked up slowly as the Timberwolf came to life. It roared directly in her face, assaulting her senses with its horrible breath.
Applejack turned to Spike, face full of determination. Her eyes were no longer full of fear, but in a challenging glare as she realized her impending doom. "Forget it Spike! Ya gotta get outta here!" The great wooden clawed paw stomped down in front of her, smashing a medium sized rock to pieces and effectively knocking Spike over.
Spike lay on his back for a moment, dazed. He tilted his head and saw Applejack still glaring at him, both front hooves on her back leg as she stood on her free leg, trying to pull herself free. "Would ya just forget yer Dragon Code already and go?" Her voice fell on deaf ears as she looked in fright to the Timberwolf looming above her. A loud snarl as the predator cornered its prey shifted the rubble, landing a rock in Spike's claws. He looked at it and gripped it tightly in his palm. His eyes narrowed in a furious glare. "No." He jumped up and ran forwards, jumping in front of the mare he owed his life to. "I have to save you!" He struck a heroic pose in front of the cowering Applejack before hurling the pebble at the Timberwolf, hitting in in the mouth and watching as the rock went down its throat.
Applejack got to her three good hooves and watched in amazement. Little Spike was standing in front of her, arms stretched wide as he faced the most terrifying creature he could imagine. His eyes were wide with terror, but he held his position as the large wooden monster coughed, trying to dislodge the rock in his throat. Branches and twigs flew from his body as he held a paw to his throat, tapping his chest as breathing became slightly uncomfortable.
Spike jumped as branches landed at his feet. He grabbed a sturdy and thick one which split into a fork at the end. He ran to where Applejack's leg lay trapped. "Let's get outta here!" He ordered, jamming the branch between her hoof and the rock. He planted both feet onto the rock and pulled with all his might, the branch bending slightly but holding fast. His eyes screwed shut, his teeth grit and his muscles tensed as he felt the rock shift ever so slightly. When he opened his eyes he saw Applejack had the same expression, but he noted the discomfort and pain that etched across the concentrated scowl.
The Timberwolf held a claw out, signally that he needed a moment. He punched himself rather hard in the chest in an attempt to cough up the irritating rock. He leaned forwards, still trying to get the now slightly painful and scratchy rock from his esophagus.
Spike gave a mighty heave at the same time as Applejack and the rock moved, sending him on his back and the stick going flying. Applejack lifted her leg, smiling at the sensation of being free. Spike smiled even wider, he had saved her life! He got to his feet and the pair ran off as the Timberwolf lost his balance and fell, smashing to pieces all over the rocks and dirt. Some of the wooden parts were thrown into the air and crashed down loudly, throwing up dust in their wake.
Applejack waited until Spike was ahead of her. Now normally she would've passed him in a heartbeat, but her hoof was giving her some trouble. The area looked slightly swollen and a bruise was starting to form, covering most of her ankle. There were no cracks or chips, it wasn't sprained and she couldn't detect any breaks because she would've collapsed long ago if it was broken. She suspected she'd damaged the muscles around the area, because flexing it was really painful, but she wouldn't admit that to her friends and Spike. As her other friends came into view she put a brave face on and sped up to catch up with Spike, slowing when the two entered the same clearing. Questions were hurled at her and she answered them all, telling the whole story, but leaving out the throbbing in her back leg.
Applejack opened her eyes a crack as she heard the rooster crowing, signalling the end to her not-so-peaceful slumber. She let out a groan, forcing it to be quiet and sat up, eyes blurry with sleep. Her eyelids felt like lead, wanting to drop and lock shut like steel doors, but she didn't let them. She pulled the covers off and sighed when she saw her hoof. The bruising was ugly, discoloring the orange fur around it. They were a sickly grey with yellow and red mixed in, covering the right side of her entire hoof. The swelling in the joint hadn't gone down a lot, just enough so that it wasn't too noticeable but that was it. She knew that she should see a doctor, but whenever she thought about it her pride flared up and she told herself that she was Apple Family and Apple Family ponies didn't need silly things like doctors to treat minor injuries. Muscle damage could be serious, but she'd had it before and it'd never stopped her, so she waved off the pain as nothing important.
With a glare of determination the young mare got out of bed, gritting her teeth as her limb started sending jolts and a never ending ache through her body. She held the injured leg off the ground and grabbed her stetson, placing the faded material on her head and adjusting until it fit comfortably and snugly atop her blonde mane. She sat down and tied her mane in a ponytail, repeating the process with her tail and then stood up again, hobbling to her door and then closing it. She took a deep breath and set her hoof on the ground, nearly crying out as it sent a wave of agony over her. She walked normally, trying to keep her breathing steady as each step felt like her hoof would snap off.
Big McIntosh looked to see his sister walking into the kitchen. His eyebrow raised when he noticed that the bruising on her leg hadn't gone down. "AJ are ya sure yer ok? That hoof looks mighty bad." He inquired taking a few steps towards her. He knew that she had nearly been killed a week ago, which had resulted in much hugging and crying from the burly stallion, but he was curious to know why her leg was so beat up.
Applejack looked right at him and sighed. "Ah'm fine big brother. Ah have a lot of apple buckin' ta do today and ah can't waste any time. Say have y'all heard from Spike lately? He said that he'd drop by the farm today and ah want ta make sure we have some apple pies ta give him as repayment for saving me from a right nasty trip to the hospital." She asked, her eyes darting to the side as she lied through the teeth. It was incredibly hard to keep the pain out of her voice, but she managed. She gave him a smile, grabbed a couple of fritters and trotted out the door.
"Alrighty then. Just gotta buck all the trees with baskets under them. No big deal." She put less weight on her leg as she half limped, half trotted to the nearest tree with buckets under it. She turned her back to it and braced herself, tensing her muscles as she prepared for a dreaded moment. She lifted her rear in the air, gathered her hind legs to her belly and gulped before unleashing a mighty buck on the apple tree. She bit back the scream of pain, it felt like her hoof was gonna snap right off. Her form trembled and she lowered herself, holding her leg above the ground to let the throbbing ease. She blinked away the tears and looked at the now full apple baskets, breath becoming raggedy. "Sweet Celestia that hurts..." She whimpered, looking at the bruised joint. "It's gonna be a long day..." She sighed, not bothering to keep the tightness in her voice hidden.
Spike opened the gates to Sweet Apple Acres, a smile on his purple face. He closed the gate behind him and looked at the wide expanse of apple trees, green, yellow and red they were all there. Ripe and ready for the picking, or bucking. His mouth watered at the very sight of so many delicious fruits, but he held himself back. He had been invited and even though the juicy apples were pretty much calling his name, he decided to dragon up and walk past them towards the friendly red barn. He knocked on the door, which was opened by Apple Bloom.
Apple Bloom beamed when she saw him. "Well come on in Spike! Ah'll go tell Big Mac yer here, Applejack is busy workin' in the fields but she should be done soon." She said and scampered into the house, bow bobbing up and down in her strawberry mane. She ran into the kitchen, where her older brother was. "Big brother! Spike's here!" She said, tugging on his tail with her tiny front hooves. She dropped down when he turned and smiled at her, walking steadily towards where the little dragon sat waiting. His expression grew somber as he approached, he wanted to ask the dragon something that had been concerning him since his sister had come home after the Timberwolf attack.
Spike looked up as Big McIntosh walked into the room. He opened his mouth to speak, but a beige hoof told him to remain silent. He saw the serious expression in the stallion's eyes and gulped, suddenly fearing for his life as the hoof lowered.
"Good mornin' Spike, ya got here early. Now ma sister decided that y'all deserved a reward for saving her life. Me, Granny Smith and Apple Bloom all agreed, so here," He turned his head and pushed a basket of steaming, fresh-from-the-oven apple pies, "But ah have a question for ya. When ya saved Applejack's life, what happened?" He asked, sitting down and eyeing the little dragon with slight suspicion in his green eyes.
Spike was taken by surprise by the question. "Why do you ask?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow. He knew that the stallion was very protective of his sister and that he'd want to know every detail of what happened, but hadn't she already told him? It wasn't something one could exactly keep secret.
Big Mac sighed a bit. "Ah thought ya'd ask that. Truth is, when she came home she was actin' right strange. The next day ah noticed that there was some bruisin' on her leg, but ah figured she'd just bumped it on a tree while workin'. But the bruisin' hasn't gone down and it's been a week, ah'm gettin' worried but she won't tell me a darn thing. She told me that ya saved her life when the Timberwolf attacked and she told me she went and froze with fright because of how big the thing was? Is that the truth?" He asked, leaning in a bit closer.
Spike's jaw gaped and his eyes widened a bit. Don't tell me she didn't tell him... "No that's not all of it. She climbed up a rock pile, the one that's just outside the Everfree and she took down three smaller Timberwolves with a rock. But the rock she was standing on started sliding down the pile and she fell off. Before she could get up, a smaller rock fell and pinned her back leg, that's when the giant Timberwolf started to-" He was cut off as a hoof tip pressed against his mouth and he complied, going silent and closing his mouth.
Big Mac sighed and shook his head. "So that's why she's actin' weird. Applejack won't tell me and she's been workin' just like any other day. If she really did hurt herself, then that means..." He trailed off as his eyes widened. "Spike she's out there right now. We've got a big order to fill and it was her turn to buck the trees today. If what y'all say in true, then she's probably killin' her leg tryin' ta work. Spike go find her, bring her here so that we can take care of her. She's too proud to admit that she's hurtin', so drag her back if ya have to. Ah'll get the medical supplies." He ordered, taking his hoof away from Spike's face and hurrying to get the first aid kit.
Spike nodded and ran off. He swung the door open and looked around. There was a loud thump and he ran towards it, hearing the swish of leaves the plops as apples fell into bucket. He saw a flash of orange ahead and picked up the pace. He rounded a tree and saw her under one with four buckets on either side of her. Her orange coat was sweaty and there was pained look in her eyes as she looked up at the tree filled with fat, delicious apples. His eyes caught the shaking in her right hind leg, but he held back, seeing if she would do the right thing and leave.
Applejack looked at the tree and sighed shakily. She turned her back to it, not noticing Spike as she lifted her back end. Her legs lashed out and hit the tree with a solid buck. Pain sent a lightning bolt through her and agony filled her entire form and she let out a pained, short cry before lowering herself, the pain more intense. The back of her eyes itched as the tears fought their way to her eyes but she blinked them away, taking deep breaths to calm herself. "Sooner ah finish buckin' the sooner ah get ta go inside." She told herself, She started trotting to the next tree, but turned around when she heard Spike come out. "Howdy there Spike! Did Big Mac give ya the pies?" She asked cheerfully, her voice struggling to keep the pain out of it.
Spike crossed his arms and glared at her. "Applejack I know you're hurt." He replied. He started walking over but she held him back with a hoof outstretched. "Don't bother denying it AJ, I saw you when you bucked that tree. You're hurt and you need help." He said, raising an eyebrow when she backed away.
Applejack glared at him. "Ah'm perfectly fine! Ah've had worse, ah can still do mah job!" She snapped. She trotted painfully over to the next tree with buckets under it and gave him a smirk. Without bracing herself, she lifted her legs and bucked the fruit bearing tree as hard as she could. Her leg crumpled and she stumbled but managed to hold position on three hooves. The itching in her eyes returned but she ignored it, giving a fake smile to the little dragon. "See? Ah don't need help." She stated weakly, planting her bad leg firmly on the ground.
She'd never screamed so loud in her life.
The throbbing hadn't eased yet, so when she put pressure on the injured limb the pain increased onto the highest level. She collapsed as she hollered in agony, the tears staying back because she forced them to. She tried desperately to regain control of her breathing, but it was too hard to breathe normally with her leg burning like it was on fire. She felt claws grasp her and she looked up to see Spike looking down at her. Normally she would've given him a good retort on being carried, but she was too exhausted to do so. The little dragon was surprisingly strong, he seemed to be having no struggle in half carrying half dragging her back to the barn.
The pain eventually overcame Applejack and she passed out, a lone tear sliding down her freckled face.
Big McIntosh heard what sounded like a distant call and walked out the door. He was greeted by Spike dragging Applejack's unconscious body gently through the dirt. He ran over and scooped her up, resting her across his shoulders and carrying her inside. He lay her on the couch and took the first aid kit off the table, opening it with a hoof and pulling out the bandage roll. With great care he wrapped her leg, going from the knee to the bottom of her hoof, going back up to her knee to clip the end and start pieces of the bandage together.
Spike was running a hand along Applejack's side, worry in his emerald eyes. He sat down beside her and sighed, his claw resting just above her front hoof. There was a concerned frown on his face and he looked back at her bandaged leg. He knew that that kind of pain wouldn't be caused by a simple sprain, either she had sprained it really bad or she'd damaged the muscle in the joint. He turned to look at her face again and brightened a bit when he saw her eyes opening. There was a telltale clopping noise as Big Mac came back in the room, ice pack in mouth.
Applejack let out a soft moan as her eyes opened, the room fuzzy. There were many blurs. Most of them were brown, some paler and one giant red one. There was a dull throb in her right hind leg and something was brushing against her fur. All of a sudden, something freezing cold landed on the limb and she cried out in shock, wincing when a small trickle of pain leaked up her leg. Her vision cleared and she Big McIntosh in front of her and she turned her head to see Spike smiling at her, looking relieved. Before she knew, there was a small dragon clinging to her in a hug.
Spike latched himself onto her. "Sweet Celestia Applejack you scared the heck out of me! You screamed so loud and then you fainted, it was so scary..." He murmured, shutting his eyes tightly as tears started leaking from beneath the lids. "I had no idea what was going on, I didn't know if you were gonna die or go into a coma or-" He was cut off as Applejack held him, pressing her hoof to his mouth.
The orange mare chuckled as he drooped. "Easy there partner, no need for panic. Guess ah should've gotten mah leg checked out after that accident... heh heh." She smiled sheepishly and looked guiltily at a scowling Big Mcintosh. She turned to look at the bandages on her leg, sighing as she realized what this meant. "How long until ah can work again?" She asked, avoiding his gaze.
Big Mac hoof connected solidly with his face and he shook his head with an exasperated sigh. "Ya know ya could've told me right? AJ ya've gone and damaged the muscles pretty darn bad, ya could've damaged yer leg permanently. Yer lucky that ah sent Spike out to find ya, the way you reacted. As for how long until ya work again, at least a month. AT LEAST, if not more. Until then, yer stayin' off that leg." He stated firmly.
Tears sprang to Applejack's face and she lowered her stetson over her face, hiding her shame. She felt like an idiot, letting her pride cripple her, for the next month at least. She sniffled and put the stetson back in its proper place, letting out a shaky breath. "All right." She agreed ruefully, not that she had a choice in the matter. She grumbled and put Spike down, resting her head on her front legs. "So ah guess yer stuck takin' care of me." She looked at Big Mac and her eyes widened when he shook his massive head.
"Sorry Jackie, ah've gotta fill the orders. Granny Smith... Well ya know about her and Apple Bloom is too young. Yer gonna have to go to the hospital." He said as gently as possible. He sighed when she cringed away at the mention of the hospital and rested a hoof on her shoulder. "Ah know how scared ya are of hospitals, but it's yer only choice. Ah don't know anypony else who has the time ta-"
"I'll do it!"
The large red stallion turned to look at Spike, eyes wider than normal. "Y'all? Ya better know what yer offerin' Spike because AJ can be a hooffull and there'll be nopony else around..." He explained hesitantly, chewing faster on the wheat in his mouth.
Spike nodded vigorously. "We can take her to the library, that way she won't be alone when there's nopony here. Please?" He begged, eyes getting bigger and sparkling a bit as he pulled out his most devious weapon: the puppy dog eyes.
Big McIntosh sighed and looked at Applejack, who was looking at Spike with her jaw gaping. "Alright Spike." He agreed. He stumbled backwards as the purple dragon bear hugged his leg.
"Thanks Big Mac!" He said cheerfully. "I'll go tell Twilight, can you bring her? I don't think she'd appreciate being dragged the entire way..." A nod answered him and he scampered off, the closing of the door signalling his departure.
Applejack drooped, wilting like a dead flower and grumbled as she realized what she'd gotten herself into. She was helpless, a damsel in distress. Exactly what she wanted NOT to be. She looked at her older brother, trying the puppy eyes to win his sympathy but he shook his head. "Nnnope. Ah'm gonna go get the wagon so that ah can take ya. No movin'." He said, trotting away and leaving the injured mare alone. She waited until he was out of the room before groaning loudly, releasing it after holding it in when the ice pack hit her now numb leg. It was gonna be a very uncomfortable month for the usually up and going mare, now forced to sit and do nothing all day every day.
"Buck mah life."
Day 1 - Apple Fritters and Wash Cloths
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.
Day 2 - Dreams, Daring Do And Zombie Ponies
Applejack looked at the apple tree with a grin of determination on her orange face. She turned around, her leg free of bandages and completely healed. She lifted her plot in the air, wound up and gave the thick trunk a massive buck. A shudder ran through the sturdy fruit bearing tree, the red apples and leaves trembled and rustled before an apples almost as big as her dropped right beside her. She jumped to the side, feeling the smooth peel brush against her. It felt... weird. She went back over and ran a hoof along it, cocking her head in confusion. It felt almost like scales, cool scales. She gave it a tentative sniff, it smelt like fresh baked apple fritters! She wrapped her hooves around it an rubbed her cheeks against the odd surface.
~~~~~
Back in reality, Spike woke up wrapped in orange hooves with a very orange cheek rubbing against his. He flailed his arms wildly, trying to get free of the vice grip. "Forget it girls... This is MAH giant apple." Her sleepy voice answered his struggling and he was clasped tighter to her chest. He craned his neck and pulled one arm free, tapping her with a claw. "Applejack..."
~~~~~
In Applejack's dream, she gazed in confusion at the talking apple. "Apples don't talk..." She murmured. In the world of the waking, she snorted and moved her head a few times. "Wut..." She moaned sleepily.
Spike knocked on her head lightly. "Knock knock..." He whispered in her ear, a mischievous grin on his purple face.
Applejack moved away from his touch, grunting in annoyance. "Who's there..." She trailed off dreamily, a neutral expression on her dead-to-the-world face.
Spike drew in a sharp breath, filling his chest with air. "IT'S REALITY!" He hollered as loud as he could.
Applejack's eyes snapped open and she let out a cry, shoving Spike off the bed and scrambling to her hooves, holding her back one off the bed as she pressed against the wall, eyes wide with panic as her chest heaved, staring at Spike as she tried to register what had just happened. "Spike? What in Equestria do ya think yer doin'?" She snapped, regaining control of her breathing enough to talk.
Spike glared back. "I was stopping you from cuddling me! What gives AJ?" He demanded, getting back to his feet and crossing his arms, looking expectantly at her.
Applejack's jaw dropped. "Ah don't cuddle! Ah was havin' a dream about a giant apple, it was huge! It was so shiny and smooth, but ah never got ta bite it because ya woke me up!" She grumbled, turning away so that he wouldn't see the blush on her face. "What I wanna know is why ya were in bed with me." She got limped forwards and gave him a suspicious look.
Spike smiled guiltily as sweat formed on his brow. "I got tired waiting for you to fall asleep so I kinda passed out..." He mumbled, his own cheeks starting to develop a nice red color. "And so what? We're friends, friends can sleep in the same bed without a problem." He defended.
Applejack sighed. "Ah guess that's alright... But next time try ta go ta sleep in yer own bed." She reminded, settling back down, and stretching her leg out behind her with a slight wince as the stiff muscles were forced to move. "Ah'm right stiff... Must be the way ah'm sleepin' on ma leg." She muttered, looking at the slightly rumpled bandages.
Spike noticed how her bandages were slightly off and went into the bag he'd dropped by her bed yesterday, pulling out the roll of bandages. He hopped up onto the bed beside her and unwrapped the bandages, looking at her hoof. Without a word he put a fresh bandage on, clipping them together. "The swelling in your hoof's gone down, probably because you're not forcing yourself to work." He smiled at her.
Applejack smiled back. "That's good... Guess it was pretty silly to avoid gettin' help. Ah could've been out there buckin' if ah'd just told mah brother..." She trailed off and slumped a bit, resting her head on her front leg. She felt two claws rest on her leg but before she could turn around a soothing sensation took over her aching muscles. She bit her lip in ecstasy and turned to see Spike slowly massaging her leg, right where the stiffness was.
Spike turned to see her with an expression screaming her pleasure. He continued the massage, feeling her muscles loosen under his claws. He stopped and sat back, chuckling a bit. "If you could see your face right now..." He chuckled, putting a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing too hard.
Applejack blushed and turned away. "Not mah fault yer good at massages..." She defended.
Spike stopped laughing, but the smile never left his face. "I'll go grab breakfast, you just chill out. Twilight should be up soon." He said, jumping down from the bed and running into the kitchen.
Applejack closed her eyes again and tried to dream up the apple again. It came to her mind and she smiled, licking her lips. She was about to give it a hug when she recognized the way the peel felt. She looked down and realized she was holding Spike. She opened her eyes again with a little gasp as her face turned red again. Just ignore it Applejack...
Spike came out of the kitchen, sporting his favorite apron and carrying a tray of toasted daisy sandwiches. He set it down in front of her and took out his own bowl of gemstones, munching down on them hungrily. They made sharp cracks as they snapped between his powerful jaws, the sweet flavor seeping onto his tongue.
Applejack lifted a sandwich and bit into it. She gave a satisfied smack of her lips and devoured the first sandwich, crumbs and petals being thrown onto her face. "This sure is good Spike!" She complimented, licking the crumbs from her lips. She picked up the second one out of the five that there were and bit into it hungrily, her mouth watering as the delicious daisy petals seemed to melt in her mouth. It didn't take long for the other three to find a nice home in her belly. She smacked her lips and turned to look at Spike, only to see him with his face buried in his bowl of gems. "Yer a hungry little dragon aren't ya?" She teased.
Spike pulled his face out of the bowl and looked at her, a sheepish smile on his face, which was covered in gem dust and multi-colored crumbs. "Says the mare who just ate five daisy sandwiches like it was no problem. Do they even feed you on that farm?" He retaliated.
Applejack chuckled. "Ah could eat y'all if ah wanted. We eat plenty back at the farm, but workin' all day is enough to make anypony hungry." She explained, sticking her tongue out playfully.
Spike nodded in agreement. "True. Anyways, you still hungry? I could whip up a couple more sandwiches if you want." He offered, crunching on a rather large sapphire. The gem dust sprinkled across his face, making him glow like a Crystal Pony.
Applejack shook her head. "No thanks. Ah'm afraid that if ah have another one than ah'll stuff mahself until ah can't move at all." She giggled, putting a hoof to her mouth to control her urges to ask for at least five more trays. She looked at her bandaged leg and laughed again. "Ah can't move that much anyways, but better ta move a bit then not at all." She reminded herself.
Spike rolled his eyes. "Anything else I can get for you? I have no idea what Twilight's gonna be doing all day, probably gonna lock herself in her room and study for the next week. Again." He sighed, looking up at the closed door of a certain lavender unicorn's room.
Applejack shook her head. "Ah don't know what ah'm gonna do for the next month. Ah'll be in bed the entire time, so ah'll have ta find somethin' ta keep me busy or y'all are gonna find me climbin' the walls." She teased, bopping him lightly across the shoulder.
Spike nodded. "There is a book series we have here you might like. That one Rainbow reads, Daring Do. I have a feeling you'd like it." He offered, biting down on a ripe and juicy ruby. He stood up and walked over to the shelf, pulling the book out from its spot and handing it to her. "This is the first one; Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue." He informed her.
Applejack took the book from Spike and flipped it over, reading the back of it. A thoughtful look crossed her face and she flipped it back over, opening it to the first page. Her eyes scanned over the first couple of sentences and a spark of interest entered the green irises, going over the first paragraph, then another and then another. Soon she was absorbed in the adventures of the pegasus adventurer. She didn't even notice Spike was he walked away with a smirk of satisfaction, time just melted into the words, paragraphs, pages and chapters of the book. She was oblivious to the sun inching across the sky until she looked up and realized it was going to the opposite side of the sky and her stomach was grumbling, signalling it was time for lunch, or maybe dinner she wasn't entirely sure. Applejack realized she was halfway through the book already and chuckled, putting it down.
Spike peeked out from the kitchen and cocked an eyebrow. "Reads like Twilight." He mused, picking up a tray with five lettuce and tomato sandwiches. He ran out and put it on the bed, smiling up at her. "'Bout time you put down that book. I swear you read like Twilight, which is pretty darn impressive. It's pretty much time for dinner, so here's a few lettuce and tomato sandwiches, considering ponies don't eat bacon I left that out." His jaw salivated when he brought up bacon, which he had cooked 'accidentally on purpose' and would now proceed to eat.
Applejack took a sandwich in hoof, anticipating another delicious creation of the little chef. She took a bite and felt the mayo seep through her mouth, warm from the toasted bread. The lettuce crunched and leaked its juices, along with the softer tomato. Her eyes sparkled and soon her maw was flecked with little spots of red and white as she devoured the sandwich. With a hoof she wiped the spots away. "Spike are y'all sure that yer not secretly a chef?" She asked jokingly, tousling his scales with a hoof.
Spike chuckled. "I've been making food for Twilight for the past five years, after a while you get good, really good. Speaking of Twilight I wonder when she's gonna come out of her room, she hasn't come out today and I'm worried that she'll drive herself crazy again..." He muttered. After some quick thinking he turned back to Applejack and informed her, "I'm gonna go check on her. I've seen her read a ton of books before but she never really forgets to eat." With that he ran up the stairs and knocked on the door. "Hey Twilight? You alive in there-GAH!" What looked like a hoof that was made of bone broke through the door and he could see walking skeletons inside and Twilight standing on the ceiling fan.
Twilight looked at the zombies and saw Spike through the new hole in her door. "I tried to do a spell in chapter forty-eight, one that can open up portals to a parallel universe with us as the opposite gender or something and it went wrong and now there are ZOMBIES IN MY BEDROOM!" She shrieked, looking at the gaping portal that had comically appeared under her bed.
Spike sighed and facepalmed. "APPLEJACK I'LL BE BACK SOON, I HAVE TO HELP TWILIGHT DEAL WITH ZOMBIE PONIES!" He called over his shoulder. He jumped through the hole in the door and readied his fire, eyes blazing. "Lets do this." Green flames erupted from his mouth and magenta blasts of magic combined with the fames as they assaulted the living dead, trying to drive them back to the portal.
~~~~~
Two hours later, Applejack looked up from the book and saw Spike stagger down the stairs while Twilight was literally dragging herself down. Her eyebrows lifted when she saw that they weren't injured but completely exhausted. "Never. Again." Twilight gasped, panting to catch her breath. Spike flopped down on the bed and was asleep instantly, not even caring that Applejack was beside him.
Applejack laughed, setting down the book. "So he wasn't kidding. Who knew. Guess it's high time ta get ta bed, ah'll let him stay here, looks like he won't budge. Y'all go on up ta bed now Twilight, ya look like yer ready ta collapse." She giggled as her unicorn friend dragged herself to the small couch and climbed up there, falling asleep instantly. Fighting zombie ponies must be hard.
Applejack turned out the light and rested her head on her pillow, smiling at the sleeping for of Spike. "Good night partner." She whispered and closed her eyes, sinking into a comforting and warm darkness.
~~~~~
Spike ran underneath the rock pile and felt something crash just behind him. He turned around and saw Applejack laying down on top of the pile, coat slick with sweat but a proud look on her face. The three predators had been crushed to pieces by the boulder. He gave her the thumbs up and smiled when she wiped the sweat from her brow, but jumped in surprise when the rock she was laying on slid and fell. His eyes failed to notice the rock land on her back leg, everything was silent. But something caught his eye and he gasped, no noise coming from his mouth as the huge Timberwolf started forming. He gestured wildly, trying to scream at her to get up, but her reply fell on silence. Terror filled her eyes as the huge beast finished forming and stomped towards her.
Spike ran over and tried to pull the rock off her leg, but another roar made him fall, blasted by the sheer force of wind. A pebble rolled into his and and he jumped in front of his trapped friend, hurling the small rock at the huge predator. It sailed towards the jaw of the drooling animal and lodged itself inside his windpipe. There was silent coughing as the Timberwolf tried to dislodge the stone.
A stick hit the ground and the little dragon grabbed it, jamming it between the orange hoof and the rock and pulled with all his might, muscles pulled taut underneath his scales. He could feel Applejack struggling as well. He felt the rock shift and he smiled triumphantly.
Until the stick broke.
Spike went flying backwards, along with a saliva-covered rock. He opened his eyes just in time to see the huge clawed paw swipe Applejack. There was a sickening snap as her trapped leg broke and suddenly he could hear her howls of agony as the paw was brought down again, aiming for her throat.
~~~~~
Applejack woke up to see tears running from Spike's eyes, his horrified yell waking her. Without hesitation she wrapped her hooves around him and pulled him close, feeling tears instantly soak her chest. She bit her lip as his horrified cries filled the air and she looked up at Twilight, who was dead to the world. She looked back at the sobbing dragon, still in his nightmares. She could hear him crying her name, repeating it over and over as he blamed himself for what had happened in his dreams. An idea came to mind and she hugged him closer, leaning down so that he could hear her, "Hush now, quiet now, it's time to lay your sleepy head. Hush now, quiet now, it's time to go to bed~" She sang soothingly, repeating he lullaby over and over until he calmed, the tears ceasing their fast descent down his face. Without thinking, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek in a comforting way and rested her head again, falling back asleep with the calm drake in her forelegs.
What she didn't notice however, was Spike's blush.
Intermission - Twilight's Keen Eye
When she heard Spike's screaming lapse into silence, one of Twilight's purple eyes popped open and looked at the two of them. She was just in time to see a pair of orange lips meet Spike's scaly cheek, but his furious blush went unnoticed by Applejack as she fell back asleep. The truth was, her assistant's screaming had roused her from her dreams of prancing in a field of books, but it was worth it to see this little moment between them. Her sleepy eyes softened with pride, she could sense how Spike was feeling and she could very well tell another thing.
He was awake.
His fluttering eyelids were a dead giveaway and nopony blushed in their sleep. A smile curled her lips and her eyes lidded, just observing the two of them. It was quite obvious to her by now, she'd known the signs that Spike always gave off when he felt deeper feelings than friendship for a mare. From the little filly across the street in Canterlot named Razzle Dazzle to Rarity, he always gave off signs of his affection that, while not obvious to some other mares, were glaringly obvious to herself. He'd marched right up to Razzle Dazzle's house and had offered her flowers, a teddy bear for Moon Dancer and his pining after Rarity, she knew him quite well and right now, she could tell from the redness of his scales how he really felt towards Applejack.
How he had a crush on her.
Now while it could take a while for him to realize it himself, she always knew before he did. She'd heard Applejack's stories of how he was clumsy on the farm, so much unlike his normal self. Twilight had passed it off as nerves for a new job and that she was his hero, saving him from the ravenous jaws of the Timberwolves. But once again her keen eye for her best friend's affection had come through and even then, he felt some feelings towards the farmer. He was never clumsy around her, just Rarity and Applejack. But now, now he was clumsier around Applejack then he was Rarity. The scales were turning, more of his heart on the rodeo mare than the fashionista.
It was her motherly instincts.
Twilight didn't plan to have foals. No, she was content living her life without a husband. She was much too busy, and taking a lover could only risk them being harmed by those who wanted to get to her, especially her foal. She just couldn't let that happen, for their own sakes. Of course she had those feelings once in a while for a stallion, hay she even had them for mares on some occasions, but she never pursued them. There was one that stuck in her mind, but she had no reason to let herself be lost in love. Back to the point, she never planned to have foals but still had those motherly instincts for Spike, who was more than just an assistant. He was like her son in many ways, she'd raised him since birth and had cared for him. They referred to him as a baby dragon, but he was really in his teens, just five years younger than she herself was.
She looked at him with loving eyes, watching as he drifted into a dreamy sleep, full of happy memories and wild quests. He'd eat mountains of chocolate ice cream, live in gingerbread houses and save maidens, whether they be Applejack or Rarity. Well if it was Rarity he'd most definitely save her, but if it was Applejack she had a strong feeling that the farm mare wouldn't be caught dead doing a damsel in distress act, not after last time and that she wouldn't need rescuing and would instead buck the offender in the jaw and pummel him. It was just how she worked. The only occasion she'd known that Applejack needed rescuing was just last week when a rock had fallen on her hoof and held her hostage, vulnerable prey to a giant Timberwolf before Spike had stepped in and saved her. It was the reason Applejack was on the spare bed now, hugging the librarian's assistant to soothe his nightmares.
Had fate brought them together?
Twilight's mind raced with ideas and theories. They all made sense to her, bringing the dragon and the farmer closer together throughout this month would surely be a good idea, right? They were an ideal match. Both were stubborn as mules, both had pride, both had dignity and both had a hay of a lot of trouble lying. Gender, species and few personality traits separated the two, but she could clearly see them together in a romantic way, it just fit so well together. Like two pieces of a puzzle. In the puzzle inside her head, an orange piece and a purple piece made a solid connection, fitting together in perfect shape, size and harmony, clicking together in a fragile bond.
On quiet hooves, Twilight crept up the stairs to her room. She checked quickly under her bed for any stray portals or zombies and after declaring it clear, turned on the light and looked upon her private library. Romance, science fiction, realistic fiction and true stories all stood out to her as she scanned through them, searching for a book that could help her find a way to bring her two best friends together, a way to form a bond between their hearts. Her lack of books about dragons frustrated her, but there were many others about fictional draconic characters. The Lord of the Horseshoes, Harry Trotter, The Last Dragonslayer and The Trobbit were all excellent examples of novels that featured dragons, but none held a particular romantic interest to her save Harry Trotter and the Deathly Hallows. Moving on from fantasy, she skipped over her science fiction ad those dealt with foreign planets, creatures known as 'Humans' and extraterrestrials. Realistic fiction caught her eye, but since it went for a more realistic take she couldn't find anything about dragons. Story after story flew her by until she came across one that etched itself clearly into her mind, a romantic supernatural story.
Warm Bodies.
She'd read this book many times, it fascinated her greatly. It was the story of a young mare and a breed of zombie who fall in love, the zombie showing signs on intelligence beyond most takes on the living dead. Love between two very different ponies, a hard relationship and those who set out to destroy it. She couldn't see her assistant's future with Applejack going off without a hitch, there would be those who protested and claimed it to be a vile sort of love, but she knew they would press on if it ever came to be, which it would if she could put her two cents into the matter.
Driven by determination rather than interest, Twilight Sparkle flared her magenta magic and pulled the book towards her, opening it to the first page and skimming over it. She flipped through the pages rapidly, eyes going over each word with practiced ease and efficiency. This was an advantage, a perk some would say, to being an "egghead". She could skim rather quickly, but read the story word for word in half the time it would take a less well-read pony. She stayed hunched over her book for hours, until the sun poked its way into the sky, banishing the moon. She read the last words slowly, just as she had done for the past couple of chapters. A quick look at the clock notified her she had been reading for six hours, nothing unusual for her. The sun made her eyes water as she adjusted, rubbing her violet eyes to make them stop singing when she looked upon the grass, dew reflecting the golden celestial body.
She hadn't helped him with Rarity, no his love for her was a dream, something he wouldn't achieve. She'd seen the way Rarity treated him, like an equal and a friend but no more. She could see how the designer cared for her little 'Spikey-Wikey', but it wasn't the same feelings like the ones Spike directed towards her. The love in his green eyes was met with loving blue eyes, but the love was for him as a friend and nothing more. Rarity had confessed to Twilight that she was trying to let him down gently, trying to get him to take her hints, but he was oblivious to it all, to caught up in his affections and desires. Twilight had also tried to help him understand his love was one-sided, never to be born into something that they shared, but he wouldn't listen. It was understandable for a boy to act like this, but it wouldn't be long until she would've broken his heart.
But Applejack was an entirely different story.
Carefully, the librarian set the book back into place, having an idea of where to being with her friends. She licked her dry lips, realizing her thirst and hunger. That would have to wait a moment, for now she had to write some notes. Fetching a quill, a pot of ink and some parchment, she began to jot down strategies and plans, outlining her ideas for how she would bring the two together in love. Spike already had feelings for Applejack, which made the situation a tad easier for her to plan out. Soon she ran out of room on the parchment, having just finished her last notes and looked upon the skeleton of her plans, a satisfied smile on her face. Two new pieces of parchment, the sun rising higher in the sky and the meat was added to the bones, creating a full checklist, steps and plan to how to get Applejack to share Spike's feelings and how to get a relationship started between the two. Picking up the checklist, Twilight looked over the first item.
"Item one; create checklist and plan for how to get Applejack and Spike together."
The quill scratched a check into the little box beside her writing.
"Check."
Two exhausted, determined violet eyes blazed with determination and the unicorn turned to her window, looking at Ponyville briefly before turning back, hiding all of her plans and placing everything back in its usual spot. She opened her door and saw that Spike and Applejack were still asleep, just how she'd left them and she crept back downstairs and onto the couch. Instantly her eyes drooped, fatigue creeping over her limbs and she fell into a deep slumber, just hearing Applejack yawn as she awoke before everything went black and she sank into her dreams, a small, dreamy smile on her face.
Whatever challenges she would face, Twilight Sparkle would ensure that Spike and Applejack be brought together. No matter what.
Spike was going about his morning chores, sweeping the library floor. It was kind of messy, but not like most mornings. He was still a bit tired from his hours of fighting the alternate dimensions undead, but that was a normal day in the life of Spike the Dragon. Twilight was busying herself as always. Today's work was "Classified information my dear Spike, now go do your chores", something she hadn't told him in a while. But classified meant important, so he decided it'd be best if he left her alone. For now, he was perfectly content doing his work, which he realized he'd just finished. Now free for the rest of the day, he looked over to see Applejack still asleep. He never did realize just how much he cared about her before last week, not to mention his horrible nightmare last night. His face instantly heated and he turned away rapidly, realizing he'd been staring.
Applejack's bandaged leg was twitching like a dog in her sleep. There was a warm smile on her face and she let out the occasional purr-like noise. She looked a lot like Winona in a way.
It was pretty adorable.
How could Spike resist?
With careful feet he tiptoed over to her. Carefully, he climbed on the bed behind her and took out the lethal weapon; his claws. With care he pressed them against her belly and moved them up and down, lightly brushing her. Soon he could hear little snorts coming from her and her leg twitched more eratically. He continued the motion, faster and faster until she was laughing her head off, wide awake with tears streaming from her eyes. Her back legs were flailing wildly, her forehooves trying to knock him away.
Whump!
Spike felt something collide with his face and found himself on the floor, face covered by a pillow. He pulled it off and saw Applejack laughing even harder, pointing a hoof at him as she practically rolled around her bed in her mirth. A devious grin spread across his face and he gripped the pillow in his claws, getting to his feet and lifting the pillow above his head. "CHAAAAARGE!" His battle cry ringing in his ears, he charged towards her and leapt into the air, swinging the pillow down and catching her across the belly.
Applejack let out a very loud squeal before her eyes narrowed. She grabbed another pillow in her teeth and rose to the challenge. She swung and caught the little drake across the back, sending him tumbling to the floor. Her laughter was cut off with a joyous shriek as he leapt upon her, discarding the pillow and instead using his claws, making her laugh harder as he tickled her. "S-S-Spike stop! A-Ah can't take i-i-i-i-it!" She was positively hysterical at this point, making feeble attempts to push him off.
Smack!
The pillow still in her teeth, she swung at him and knocked him off with a blow to the side. She was laughing, but had enough control to effectively use her pillow. The movements were trembling as her teeth shook from the laughter, but it was still a useful weapon against the terrible tickling claws of the little drake. Another charge and she swatted him again, but this time he clung and continued to attack her with the tips of his dancing claws across her belly, chest and neck.
Applejack squirmed and rolled around, trying to avoid him. "N-N-Not fair!" She shouted, trying to hit him with the pillow but failing because he just tickled her harder. She dropped the pillow and made no effort to push him off. At least, until he stopped. Her good leg pushed him onto his back, light enough to not hurt him, and she set upon him like an owl hunting a mouse. The tips of her hooves ran over his scaly hide and it was his turn to laugh as she tickled him in return.
Spike tried to escape, but she was holding him down while tickling. She was strong! "A-A-A-pplejack! P-Please!" He begged, tears rolling down his cheeks as he squirmed and struggled, trying to break free from the farmer's strong, masterful hooves. "Y-Y-You're stronger than me, n-n-n-no fair!" He cried. He tried to wiggle out, but she sat back on her haunches so that her belly pinned him.
Applejack shook her head, an evil gleam in her eyes and a superior grin on her face. "It's yer turn, ya lil' rascal!" She declared, taking her hooves to his sides. He was almost howling with laughter, using his little hands to try and knock her away. But while she tickled, she didn't see one hand reach towards her neck until the claws danced around her sensitive skin. "Oh no you d-don't!" She moved her hooves to his underarms, making him retract his offending hand.
Spike lightly pattered his feet against her soft belly, unknowingly tickling her. Applejack nearly collapsed on top of him as she cried with laughter. Which one of them would last the longest? Between Spike's pattering feet and Applejack's dancing hooves, it was the tickle fight of the century.
"What is going on?"
Both turned to see Twilight standing at the top of the stairs, her eyes very wide. Applejack moved her hooves away and chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck and smiling sheepishly. "Just a lil' tickle fight Twi." She answered, giggling a bit.
Spike pulled himself up, wiping tears away from his big green eyes. "Haha, it was fun while it lasted." He chuckled.
Twilight raised an eyebrow before turning away. "Don't let me stop you." The moment the words left her mouth she heard Applejack's yelp of surprise before loud laughter filled the library. A small smile found its way to her face as she walked back to her room.
"They might not need as much of a push as I thought."
