Ponyville was currently in the middle of a rare, but massive heatwave that had most ponies inside their air conditioned homes. However, a few ponies in Ponyville were not so lucky. The Apple family, for instance, was included in that minority. The siblings Applejack and Big Macintosh were tending the fields, while Apple Bloom and Granny Smith were making applesauce. They could handle the heat though, for it wasn't the first time they had been forced to work in harsh conditions. However, Spike, who was assisting his friends in their farm work, was not as experienced in this area. Sure, the drake was no stranger to hard labor being Twilight's assistant, but she always let him take breaks and he usually worked in air conditioning. As a result, the dragon was barely able to keep up with Applejack's fast pace as she trotted from tree to tree.
"Allright, Spike." said Applejack in her southern accent, "This will be the last one for today." Spike couldn't help but grin at the news his hard work for today was almost complete. "Yup. I just have to buck these last few apples." Applejack told him as she turned around and bucked the tree as hard as she could. When her hooves made contact with the trunk, the entire tree shook and a cascade of apples came raining down. Applejack sighed contently as she and Spike began to pick up the fallen apples and put them into a basket. "Hold up, Spike." said Applejack, who saw the dragon beginning to walk away. "Looks like there's one left." Spike looked up and saw that his friend was right. It seemed that one stubborn apple had refused to fall down with the others. "Don't worry, I got it."
stated Applejack as she once again bucked the tree. The pair looked up and expected to see the piece of fruit fall, but both were disappointed to see the sole apple remain on the tree. "Well, I'll be darned. That's one stubborn apple. Spike, could you climb up there and pick it yourself? It would be a lot faster."
"Sure." Spike said hesitantly as he trudged to the base of the tree. Spike was indeed exhausted, but he would never pass up an opportunity to help one of his friends. Spike leapt onto the trunk of the tree and latched on with his claws. The drake began to slowly climb until he reached the branches. Extending an arm, Spike reached for a branch and used his claw to grab onto it. He then hoisted his small body onto it. The branch shook a decent amount, but Spike was sure it would hold his weight. Spike carefully made his way to the end of the tree and to where the apple was hanging. In one swift motion, Spike wrapped his tail around the apple and pulled it off the branch. Once it had been removed, Spike let go of the fruit and watched it drop to the ground. "There you go, Applejack." gasped Spike. "Can we go now?"
"Yup. That's all for today." Applejack said as she turned and began walking towards the farmhouse. Suddenly she spotted Big Macintosh returning to the barn. "Hey Mac, wait up!" Applejack yelled, galloping after her brother.
"Applejack, wait! I can't get down!" Spike screamed, but to no avail, for the mare was already out of earshot. The dragon shook his head in disbelief and wondered why he couldn't have been in this predicament a week earlier. A week ago, he could have easily climbed down and he final go home. However, now that was not an option. Spike face clawed at the fact that he had developed a fear of heights only a few days ago. Spike and Twilight had been helping Rainbow Dash and the weather team clear the sky of clouds. Twilight had cast the cloud walking spell on Spike, so he could help the effort from the sky, like all the other ponies. It was almost eerie how close the situation was to his current problem. Rainbow Dash had left Spike on the last cloud that needed to be cleared and forgot he was there. Obviously, Spike could not get down without plummeting to his death. After Spike went missing, his friends began a frantic search for the dragon. It had been a whole day before Rainbow Dash remembered where he was and came to get him.
However, by then the cloud had drifted over the Everfree forest and Spike was scarred for life. Yes, the drake had been given a fear of heights from this incident and even after receiving an apology from Rainbow, Spike still wouldn't be in the air anytime soon. Yet, here he was, stuck in a high place. "Dear Celestia, let me get out of this."
Two hours had passed since Applejack had left Spike in that dreaded tree. By now, the drake was bored out of his mind and began to count the minutes by marking the tree with his claw. All of this while the heat wave continued to torture the dragon. Spike felt like his scales were melting and he could swear his insides were burning up. If Spike didn't get something to drink soon, he knew he would be done for. Suddenly, a noise snapped Spike out of his self-loathing. "Finally," thought Spike. "Some pony has come to help me!" Spike sat up and looked down expecting to find some pony to assist him, but there was none to be found. Instead, the only creature he saw was the small and fluffy white bunny know as Angel. "You." hissed Spike as he glared at the pet. "Why did it have to be you." Angel, who had just arrived, was unsure why Spike was in a tree. However, as he put together the visual with what Spike had just said, he realized what was going on. This made the bunny fall on the ground and roll around laughing. "I see you get what's going on." an embarrassed Spike groaned. Can you please go get some pony to come and help me?" The only response Angel made to Spike's pleas was blowing a raspberry at the drake and hopping away. "Dumb bunny." Spike mumbled.
By now, night had fallen and the dragon was still stuck in a tree. "At least it's not hot out anymore," thought Spike as he began to shiver. Being a dragon, Spike would much prefer being hot to being cold and the dragon was starting to freeze. "I need to get out of this tree." Spike said out loud. "I can't take any more of this!"
"Yes, it appears you do need some help, my friend." said a voice that made Spike turn his head. The drake was shocked to see the Princess of the Night looking up at him.
"Princess Luna! What are you doing here?" asked the shivering dragon.
"As ruler of the night, it is my duty to oversee everything that happens under the stars." explained Luna, "And that includes this, Spike." Luna said while motioning to the tree and himself. "Do you want me to get you down?"
"Very much." responded the drake. "As soon as possible would be great." With a sigh, Luna levitated the whelp onto her back and began to walk out of the orchards.
"I must ask, young one, why did you not get down yourself?" questioned the princess.
"It's a long story." responded the dragon. "One I am frankly too cold and too tired to tell right now."
"Understood. Come on, let's get you back to Twilight. She must be worried sick."
"Nothing would make me happier."