> Never Ending Fears
>  by Faith Everlasting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Fool of a Filly
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I turned, and there before me stood... the TIMBER WOLVES! I've never run so fast in my life! My saddlebags were filled to the brim with those incredible apples, that they slowed my every step! I could feel their hot breath against my back as I continued to run, trying to find my way out of those forsaken woods! 

Their teeth snapped at me, and I could have sworn that they almost grabbed my tail!

Then I saw my cottage through the thicket and I did the only thing I could think of: I grabbed a cooking pan and slammed it against our large cooking pot. The wolves whined at the shrill noise and slowly backed into the forest, their green eyes still penetrating my body. Then I-

"Stop, Granny!" The light green mare paused her story to see her grandchild cowering underneath the living room mat. Her body was shivering uncontrollably and her eyes were filled with such fear that it turned the mare's stomach to rot.

"Oh, Applejack!" She cooed, slowly picking up the young filly in her arms. "I didn't mean ta scare ya." She slowly caressed the young filly's mane until her body stopped shaking and her eyes returned to normal.

"Is that true, Granny?" The young filly asked, gazing up into her Granny's amber eyes. "Did timber wolves really try to eat ya?" Granny Smith paused and tried to think of the right words to keep Applejack calm.

"I don't think that they were gonna eat me, young filly, I think they were just scared ah me."

Applejack tilted her head in confusion.

"How could a timber wolf be scared a ya?!" Applejack looked over her Granny and scoffed at the very mention of such an idea. Granny only smiled at her youngest grandchild and shook her head in amusement.

"Every creature is scared a somethin' that they don't understand," Granny explained. "When I was in those woods, the wolves saw me as a threat. They didn't know that I was simply tryin' to feed mah family, so they protected theirs."

"Their what, Granny?" 

"Their families."

Applejack was still confused by how Granny was defending the monstrous creatures, but she let out a wide yawn and Granny Smith smiled.

"Looks like somepony needs ta get some shut eye." She gently lifted the foal and placed her on her back, slowly walking up the creaking staircase of their home and into Applejack's room. She gingerly placed her grandchild on the bed and kissed her forehead. She then turned out the light and closed the door.

Applejack became engulfed with the darkness surrounding her, and at first she welcomed it. She lifted her hoof-stitched quilt around her neck and nuzzled into the warm fabric, sighing contently.

Then she heard something and she froze.

"What was that?!" She whispered in alarm as she quickly turned towards her window. The soft breeze from outside continued to make the shutters slam against the side of the house and cast shadows across her bedroom floor.

"Nothin'." Applejack said, reassuring herself. "There's no nothin'."

Just to be safe, she ducked her head underneath the covers and tightly closed her eyes, begging for sleep to overtake her. And it did take a century, but Applejack finally found herself drifting off.

Grr...

Applejack's eyes snapped open. She could hear the deep-throated growl of a monster... and it was right next to her. She gulped and slowly lifted the covers off of her head, knowing what she would find standing over her.

She paused when she felt sharp claws being laid on her bed, slowly puncturing the quilt and scraping her thigh. She couldn't even let out a whisper as she felt the claws slowly drag up towards her throat. She smelled an awful stench and had to pull her head completely out of the quilt for air, but as she did so... she regretted it.

Two piercing green eyes stared right at her, no pupils, no irises, no soul. She saw the sharpened fangs of the monster, dripping slobber all over her quilt.

"H-Help..." Applejack whimpered as the monster slowly got closer to her face. "Help." 

It suddenly tilted its head up and let out a piercing roar!

"AHH!" She shrieked, rapidly rising from her bed and out into the hallway. She ran as quickly as she could, feeling the monster's breath against her back. The teeth snapped at the ends of her tail, almost enclosing around them.

Applejack ran outside of the house, screaming all the more when it continued to gain on her. She looked away from the monster for one minute and then felt its claws on her back, tackling her to the ground.

She looked into the eye's of the monster as it lumbered over her, pinning her to the ground with its front two paws. It snarled at her and roared to the sickly red moon in the sky. Applejack cried out and covered her eyes as the teeth slowly closed around her throat-

"Applejack! Wake up!" Granny Smith hollered, shaking her grandchild forcefully. Applejack woke up with a start and almost hit her Granny in the muzzle. "OH!" she cried out as she avoided AJ's throw by a mere centimeter.

"GRANNY!" Applejack yelled, still in the middle of her nightmare.

"I'm right here, darlin'! Wake up!"

Applejack snapped back to consciousness to find herself entwined in Granny Smith's hooves. She turned towards the doorway and saw her father and mother standing there with sleepy yet concerned looks. Then she buried her head in Granny Smith's chest and sobbed.

"It was gonna kill me, Granny! It was gonna kill me!" Applejack weeped.

"What was, Sugar Cube?" Granny Smith pulled away from her grandchild and looked deep into her eyes.

"The timber wolf!"

Granny Smith blushed in humiliation as she heard Applejack's mother gasp in horror.

"You told her that story?!" Applejack's mom rushed over to her daughter and pried her away from Granny Smith's hooves. "Mother, you shouldn't have told her that! Just look how frightened she is!"

"But, I-" Granny Smith protested.

"Shh! It's OK, AJ." Her mother cooed, stroking her mane like Granny Smith had previously done.

Tears formed in Granny Smith's eyes as her son-in-law also walked over to the teary display and placed a hoof on his wife's shoulder. He cast a fierce glance over at Granny Smith and then embraced his wife and daughter. Granny Smith sighed and slowly walked out of the room.

"It's OK, Applejack," Her father assured her. "You just had a bad dream."

"But it was real! He was going to kill me!"

"You silly filly!" Her mother teased. "Just calm down. Calm down."

Applejack's heartbeat began to slow down, eventually matching her mother's. She let out a sigh of relief and buried her face in her mother's bright yellow coat. She felt... safe.

But something at the back of her mind told her that it was more than just a dream...

No. Applejack thought. I'd be a fool to think so.

All the same, she slept with her parents that night and she kept a wary eye on the open window. Then she slowly, so as not to wake her parents, walked over and silently latched the window shut.
> Two Red Roses
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"I still don't know what to dress in, Granny! I've never been to a fancy opera before!" 

Applejack was rummaging through her... various outfits and flinging them to the side in frustration. Her Granny stood by, laughing to herself and rolling her eyes when a plaid shirt was tossed onto her head.

"Now, settle down, Applejack." Her Granny said calmly, laying a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "How 'bout I give you a hoof this time 'round?" Applejack beamed and then stepped aside as Granny Smith dug through her closet.

"No. No. Good gravy, no!" Granny Smith continued to reject outfits one by one, until the closet was bare. "Hmm..." Granny Smith pondered, rubbing her chin. Then her eyes lit up with excitement! "Hold on there, Sugar Cube! I've got just the thing!"

She galloped, er, walked out of the room and into the hallway, her face still containing the same goofy smile. Applejack sat down on her bed and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Aaaannnnddd waited...

"UGH! Granny!" Applejack shouted in frustration. She glanced up at her bedroom clock and gasped. "We're leavin' in five minutes!" She shouted down the hallway. Then she saw Granny Smith holding a dusty old box in her mouth and slowly creaking down the hall.

"Sorry, honey. I'd forgotten were I put this ol' thing!" She set the box down and patted it with pleasure. "Now, let's see what it looks like on you!"

"Granny, what is it-" Applejack immediately stopped talking and murmured in awe as Granny Smith pulled out a beautiful evening gown. The fabric was mostly dark green, but laced around the edges was a gold trimming and a beautiful ruby brooch attached the two ends of the fancy collar together. 

Applejack sat down in admiration and continued to stare at the beautiful thing.

"This was yer mother's when she was your age, but now I think that you should have it." Applejack beamed and raced to hug her Granny.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!" She thanked.

"Well, now, it'll look more beautiful when yer in it! Come on, whipper snapper!" Granny Smith walked back into Applejack's room and helped the excited filly into her new gown.





"Mama, why didn't Big Macintosh wanna come with us?" Applejack asked as she and her parents slowly walked to the theater house. Her father kept glancing around, as if expecting somepony to catch him and ridicule him for going to see an opera. Her mother noticed this and laughed.

"Because, honey, colts don't typically go to things like this. It makes them feel like less of a... stallion."

Applejack snickered along with her mother when the stallion in their group ducked behind a bush to avoid being seen by one of his friends. He blushed in embarrassment and sheepishly scratched his ear, then he got back up to join his mares.

"Honestly, Gilbert, I would expect for you to behave more maturely." Applejack's mother lectured her husband.

"Apologies, Gala." He said in a regal tone, mimicking Prince Blueblood who was a young colt around Applejack's age. Her father's voice made AJ cringe when she remembered the prissy pony.

"Almost as bad as Rarity." Applejack muttered, rubbing her ears to try and rid herself of the awful noises that colt made. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was fussiness. "What about Apple Bloom?"

Her mother laughed.

"Oh, sweetheart, she's too young to come with us! She is only a month old." 

"Come to think of it," Her father began. "We haven't had a night like this in a long time." He scooted over and nuzzled his wife affectionately. Then he lowered his voice to a whisper. "Maybe we could rent our own house tonight." 

"Oh, stop it!" She giggled, pushing the charming stallion away from her. Applejack was confused for only a moment until her mother stopped where she was and beamed with joy.

"Looks like we're here!" Gala announced, pointing to the bright sign on top of the theater house. 

PAUS E PEDRAS Applejack read as the title. She titled her head at the strange heading, but shrugged it off and walked inside with her parents.

"Are you sure that this opera won't be in any foreign languages like Ger-mane?" Her father inquired.

"I'm sure, darling." Gala assured, pulling her husband inside the room and sitting him down in one of the creaky seats. He situated himself until he was comfortable, much to the other audience member's displeasure since his chair was probably the noisiest in the theater. "Sorry." He apologized, finally feeling comfortable in the tiny seat.

Applejack was just about to ask him a question, when the lights dimmed. Applejack gasped in pleasure and watched, awe-struck, as two ponies came leaping onto the stage dressed as peasant folk of the olden times. They danced around on stage using only their back legs which Applejack found peculiar, but then another pony (a pegasus) swooped onto the stage and landed right in front of the two other characters.

Then Applejack heard them speak.

"Como se atreve você acha que pode entrar a minha floresta?" The pegasus shouted. Applejack could hear her father let out a groan and place his head in his hooves.

"What did he say, mama?" Applejack asked, shaking her mother's arm. She glanced shamefully over at her husband and sighed in regret.

"It sounded like Ponyguese to me." She guessed.

"You said this wasn't going to be in a foreign language!" Gilbert whispered harshly.

"Well, I'm sorry! I didn't know!" Gala retorted.

Applejack drowned out the noises of her parents and continued to watch the amazing display. 

"Agora você terá de enfrentar a minha ira!" The pegasus declared, flying offstage. Applejack looked at the other two and saw their countenance's drop and become filled with dread. She watched as they screamed and ran towards center stage, but then were stopped dead in their tracks. Applejack leaned forward in her seat to try and see better.

Suddenly, Applejack heard something roar.

Her heart started to pound against her chest when a... timber wolf came onto the set! She whimpered and tried to sink into her chair, but another one entered the stage soon after. Then a third. Then a fourth. They all surrounded the two ponies, gnashing their teeth and snarling through their awful breath!

"Mama..." She whispered.

"How could you not know that this was in Ponyguese?!"

"It didn't say so in the brochure!"

"Mama..."

"I can't believe I was dragged out here to watch an opera that I can't understand!"

"You said that you wanted to come!"

"Mama!"

Her parents stopped arguing and gazed down at their filly.

"Ca-Can we go?" Her mother looked towards the stage and saw the reason why Applejack suddenly wanted to leave. She sent a silent message of anger towards Granny Smith and then nodded her head softly.





Once outside, her father let out a sigh of relief.

"Next time, before we come to an opera, WE MAKE SURE THAT IT'S IN A LANGUAGE WE UNDERSTAND!" Applejack gazed over at her mother, but noticed that she was not angry at her husband's striking words.

They all continued to walk in silence after Gilbert's outburst and headed towards home. Applejack continued to hang her head in shame and kept cursing herself for being such a coward.

"They were just ponies in costumes." Her mother said, trying to lighten the mood. "They weren't real timber wolves." She placed a reassuring hoof on Applejack's shoulder and smiled. Applejack smiled back, but still felt awful inside.

"Uh... honey?" Gilbert asked, suddenly stopping in his tracks. "Where are we?"

Gala looked up and became confused. This was not the path towards home! Applejack looked around and saw that they were near a small, vacant cottage with a tiny stream surrounding the house like a moat. Nopony had lived in that house for ages, but then she looked over at her parents.

She wished that she hadn't.

They were right on the edge of the Everfree forest!

"AHH!" Applejack screamed, hiding behind her mother.

"Sweetheart, it's OK. We're just a little lost." She shot an accusing glance towards her husband who merely shrugged his shoulders. "We were all a little distracted."

"A little?!" Applejack exclaimed. "We're at the edge of the Everfree forest! That's on the opposite side of town from where we live!"

"Must've taken a wrong turn somewhere." Her father responded.

"Let's get out a here!" Applejack screamed, galloping away from the threatening woods.

"Applejack, stop!" Her mother called out.

She did stop... and so did her parents when they heard the growling not ten feet away from them. Applejack started to hyperventilate when she saw the two pairs of green eyes watching them from the thicket. Her parents refused to move.

"Applejack," Her mother whispered in terror.

Applejack watched as her mother continued to glance from her husband and back to her. The growling near the forest intensified and green vapors emanated from the growth.

"Run." Her mother commanded.

Applejack shook her head defiantly.

"Run." Her mother said forcefully. 

Applejack took a few steps away and waited for them to follow her. Then she saw her mother take in a gulp of fear and then sigh in... in... defeat! 

Applejack started to walk towards them, tears forming in her eyes. Her mother rapidly shook her head and nodded towards her husband. Then she looked back at one of her fillies and mouthed: "I love you."

"NO!" Applejack screamed, racing towards her parents.

"RUN!" Gala and Gilbert shouted, racing away from Applejack. The timber wolves roared and pursued them, snapping their jaws and snarling after the couple!

Applejack ran after them as fast as she could, but eventually the timber wolves and her parents faded from her view. And the last noise that she heard was an ear-piercing scream!





"Mama? Daddy?" Applejack shouted, continuing her search for her parents. She had been looking for hours now and was finally starting to feel fatigued. She froze in her tracks and whined in horror.

What if there's nothin' left ta find? She worried. What if the timber wolves... She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

"Preposterous!" She declared, giving her a mental pat on the back for using such a posh word. "Mama and Daddy can't be gone! They took down those timber wolves and are lookin' fer me right now! Yeah! That's right!" She puffed out her chest and continued to call out to them, convinced that they were doing the same.

She lifted her ear towards the sky and listened for them to call her.

"A-Applejack..." somepony wheezed. Applejack looked around frantically, searching for the source of the noise. She began to panic when she didn't hear it again.

"Yes? I'm here!" She called out. 

"H-Here..." it said again.

"Don't worry! I'm a comin'!" She galloped towards the noise and parted through a giant thorn bush, disregarding the piercing sharpness. She came into a clearing and...

"No..." She choked. "No. No. No. No! NO! NO!"

She ran into the clearing and stood over the broken bodies of two ponies... her mother and father.

"Mama?" She cried, gently nudging the yellow pony with her hoof. She opened her eyes briefly and sighed in pain. "You gonna be OK?" Her mother shook her head and coughed, making blood splatter across the grass and onto Applejack's legs. Applejack recoiled in horror and looked over her parent's bodies which were caked in blood and mud.

Then, she heard a timber wolf howl in the distance and she let out a squeak of terror.

"Applejack..." Her mother said weakly, lifting a hoof to touch Applejack's face. "Don't be afraid..."

Applejack cried when her mother's hoof went limp and fell back down towards the ground. Then she exhaled deeply and was gone.

Applejack sobbed and cuddled closely to her parents, staining her dress with their blood. She cried and cried, tucking her father's limp legs around her waist and her mother's around her neck. She screamed into the evening air and slowly... very slowly... fell asleep in their final touches.
> Runaway Balloon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


TEN YEARS LATER


Applejack sighed with content as the final tree had finally given up its fruit under her strong kick. The apples tumbled to the ground, neatly falling into wooden baskets which she had placed with precision.

"Nice job, sis!" Apple Bloom complimented as she ran over to give her sister a hug. "That's all the apples left fer today!" She paused and glanced towards the side. "I don't suppose that... maybe now I can... uh..."

Applejack shook her head in amusement.

"Sure thing, Sugar Cube! Go on and have some fun with yer friends!" Applejack waved a hoof at Apple Bloom and smiled. "Go on!" Apple Bloom gave one final hug to her sister and galloped off.

"Riding a unicycle on a tightrope cutie mark, here I come!" She shouted with joy.

Alarmed, Applejack was about to call her back when Granny Smith approached her, carrying a small handkerchief in her mouth. Applejack took off her hat in respect and wiped sweat from her forehead. Granny Smith gently set the handkerchief down and smiled up at Applejack.

"Just got these from the market." Granny Smith reported. She opened up the fabric to reveal two glistening roses, freshly picked from Roseluck's garden. "They were a part of that flower bouquet that helped Roseluck win at the fair."

Applejack looked at the marvelous sight and flinched as she felt a tear roll down her face. She quickly wiped it away and wrapped up the delicate flowers.

"Thanks, Granny. I bet ma and pa will love 'em!" 

"Well, they will if ya get there fast enough! Now, move yer caboose!" Granny gave Applejack a whole-hearted slap on the shoulder, which felt like nothing more than a pillow being thrown at her. Applejack giggled with pleasure and picked up the handkerchief. She slowly trotted away from Sweet Apple Acres and turned around once more to see Granny Smith waving her goodbye, tears streaming down her face.

Applejack decided to take the back road away from the Ponyville market. She didn't want any of her friends to see what she was doing. Besides, this was a personal and private matter that only she and Granny Smith should know about. Apple Bloom had almost caught her once, but thankfully Granny Smith was there to drag her attention away.

This is my burden. Applejack thought to herself. I don't wanna bring anypony else in on it!

"Boy, do I sound selfish!" She said out loud, shaking her head in dismay.

Sooner than she realized, she arrived at the edge of the Everfree forest and took in a gulp of fear. She had been in and out of there around 11 times, one time for going in there with her friends to defeat Nightmare Moon and the other ten for her parent's anniversary. She let out a breath and stepped into the trees.

She knew the path she would be taking and she certainly wasn't going to go off exploring! So she followed the slightly worn path in the ground and walked at a nice easy pace. When she made it to the clearing, she almost let out a whimper of fright.

"Come on, Applejack!" She muttered, still clutching the handkerchief in her mouth. "Do it fer ma and pa!"

She put one hoof on the smooth grass and then another and eventually started walking across the open field. She kept cautiously glancing from side to side to make sure that nopony... or no creature was watching her. 

When she arrived at the spot, she placed the handkerchief on the ground and unwrapped the two roses. She picked them up and laid them over the grass where her mother and father had fallen. Then, she took off her hat and sat down, silently crying.

"I miss ya." She said to the air. "I miss ya so much!"

A soft breeze suddenly blew through the clearing and ruffled through Applejack's mane. She smiled with pleasure and deeply inhaled the sweet-smelling wind.

"Thanks, ma. Thanks, pa." She whispered.

She then opened her eyes and gasped. A hot air balloon was floating through the sky... with nopony in it!

"That's mighty peculiar." Applejack said. "Better go investigate."

She stopped when she reached the edge of the clearing and watched as the balloon gently floated to the ground with something dangling from the end of the rope. Unfortunately, it didn't land in the clearing and Applejack trembled when she gazed into the dark forest ahead of her.

"Come on, AJ," She tried to encourage herself. "Somepony may be hurt!" She squinted her eyes in determination and nodded her head, as if agreeing with herself.

So, she slowly trotted through the forest, trying to find a trace of the balloon. As she walked, she began to hear somepony.

"If I didn't know better, I'd swear that I was in the middle of the dark and scary Everfree forest!" the voice sounded cautious, yet terrified at the same time. Applejack tried to follow the noise, but soon found herself staring off the edge of a rock cliff. She lifted her hoof to her eyes and scanned the horizon, not noticing anything out of the ordinary.

"Ahh! What was that?!" the stranger yelped. Applejack continued to look, but she couldn't see anything!

"Come on..." The noise started to quiet down as the stranger grew quieter. Applejack leaned as far forward as she could without falling off the cliff.

Then she smelled a familiar scent and shuddered.

"Timber wolves." 

"AHHHH!" The stranger screamed. She glanced down to see three timber wolves pursuing a small creature, no bigger than Apple Bloom. Applejack thought about doing the same thing that the stranger was doing, until she recognized who it was in the first place.

"Spike!" She shouted. The purple and green dragon didn't hear her as the wolves continued to chase him. Suddenly, he found himself pressed up against the rock cliff and pinned between the stones and the wolves made of sticks and logs. He cringed when the largest wolf snorted at him, plugging his nose in disgust as the foul stench reached his nostrils. Then the wolves leaned in towards him, baring their fangs for the kill.

Time stood still for Applejack. Down there were three of her worst fears and she was safely perched on the rocky ledge. She could hardly feel her heart beating anymore as she glanced from the wolves to the helpless dragon. The dragon who was her friend.

She knew what she had to do.

She grabbed a rock and prepared to throw it.

Time resumed, the wolves almost closing in on Spike... that is until the leader was struck with a large stone. He yelped and looked up to where the rock had come from. Applejack beamed triumphantly and picked up another rock to throw.

"Come an' get me, ya big goons!" She yelled, throwing the rock up into the air to kick it. "RUN!" She kicked the rock and it hit the wolf squarely in the face. It shook it's head to discombobulate it and then started to chase Applejack.

"I'm runnin'! I'm runnin'!" Spike assured her, sprinting in the opposite direction.

Applejack ran at full speed, hearing the wolves barking behind her. She glanced back briefly to see what she was up against, but then turned her head back and smiled. A large tree branch was positioned perfectly for a good old fashioned 'whipper snapper' as Applejack liked to call them.

When the moment was right, she leaped up and grabbed the branch in her jaw, bending it to its maximum and then releasing. It whip-lashed one of the wolves so hard, that it burst into a jumble of sticks.

Then next one was a toughie. Applejack skidded to a stop and scooped up three rocks, chucking them into the air and then kicking them with all of her might towards the second wolf. They hit the wolf's legs, causing him to whimper in confusion and then tumble to the ground.

One wolf left and it was more enraged than ever! Applejack galloped as fast as her legs could allow her, but it still continued to gain on her. She felt its teeth snap for her tail and then she saw a large hole in a nearby tree... that is, large enough for her! She quickly leaped through it, the timber wolf following her, but its shoulder's wouldn't go through and it was smashed to pieces.

Applejack closed her eyes and waited for the wolf to grab her, but the claws stopped short and ceased to move.

"Phew!" Applejack sighed, wiping sweat from her forehead.

"Wow, Applejack! That was amazing! I mean, rocking those boulders at them like they were... ROCKETS! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! Pow! You saved my life!" Spike raved. Then his eyes widened in shock and he gazed up at Applejack in awe. "You... saved my life..." 

He slowly walked over to Applejack, as if in a trance, and embraced her. Applejack gently pushed the dragon away and blushed.

"Oh, don't mention it, Spike!" She assured him. "Come on, we should be headin' on back now." She started walking towards the balloon.

"Man, am I lucky you were out here!" Spike said. "Uh, why were you out here?"

Applejack flinched at the question and then nodded towards the tied up balloon.

It won't be a lie, but it will be only half the truth. She thought to herself.

"Saw the balloon floatin' by with nopony in it. Came out here to investigate." She glanced over at the dragon and started wondering the same question about him, but then shrugged it off. "Guess you did too, huh?"

"Uh..." He nervously kicked a piece of the timber wolf's leg. "Yeah! I was investigating the runaway hot air balloon, too!" He nervously smiled and blushed in humiliation. I just lied in front of the Element of Honesty! Good grief! He scolded himself.

"So, uh, now that the mystery's been solved, let's get outta here, huh?" He quickly walked over to Applejack's side and cautiously checked behind him. Applejack smiled and then tied the balloon's rope to her tail so that it wouldn't float away.

Then she realized something.

I just took on THREE timber wolves... for Spike.

She glanced over at the young dragon and stared at him quizzically.

Whatever drew me to do that?!

She stared at him once more and then sighed in frustration.

Maybe it was just adrenaline... or somethin' more.

	
> A Nice Back Scratch
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Almost a whole day had passed by since the timber wolf incident and Spike was still trying to help Applejack with things that needed to be done. Applejack tried to send him away, claiming that she didn't need his help, but he kept referring to his "Dragon Code" and refused to leave until his life debt had been paid.

Now, Applejack could handle the huge mess in the kitchen, the revolting pie, and the leak he caused in Rarity's kitchen, but after the rock tower... she knew that something had to be done!

As she set Spike on a mission to count all of the blades of grass on Sweet Apple Acres, she gathered her friends together and came up with a plan (which I bet most of you know about already, so I'll spare you the details). 

The plan was in motion. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were ready with the sound effects, Twilight was ready with the fake timber wolf puppet, and Rarity and Pinkie Pie were ready to come out of the woods screaming like damsels in distress. Rarity tried to show Applejack how to act properly when faced with a terrifying incident, but Spike had finished counting the blades of grass and was walking over to Applejack.

"No time! Here he comes!" Applejack said. The five ponies quickly withdrew and went into position. "Uh, over here, Spike!" Applejack shouted, waving for the dragon to come over.

"You said you had something else you needed me to do?" The dragon asked enthusiastically. 

"Oh, yes, I was just hopin' you could maybe, uh, sweep up all those leaves for a compost pile and-"

"But of course!" The dragon replied, taking the rake out of Applejack's hoof. "Oh, by the way, there are exactly 24,567,837 blades of grass at Sweet Apple Acres."

The farm pony gaped when she heard that Spike had actually done that ridiculous task.

"I can't believe you counted every single one of 'em." She then winked over at Rainbow Dash, signaling her to begin. Rainbow Dash nodded and then gave her best timber wolf impersonation... and it was good!

Spike froze when he heard the 'timber wolf' roar.

"That was very convincing." Fluttershy whimpered when Rainbow Dash had finished.

"TIMBER WOLVES!" Rarity shouted, right on cue. She and Pinkie Pie dashed out of the forest and straight to Spike. "We are DO-HOO-HOO-HOO-HOOMED!" Rarity collapsed at Spike's feet and began a fake sob. Then Pinkie Pie screamed... a bit too excitedly. Then the two girls got up and walked past Spike.

Something's not right here... Spike pondered.

Twilight then levitated the fake puppet timber wolf and made it come out of the growth. Spike trembled in terror when it began to come closer. Fluttershy made it sound like the wolf was getting closer by galloping in place and slowly increasing the noise.

Wait a minute... Spike thought to himself, still afraid, but now very doubtful.

"Oh, no! I seem to have got my hoof caught in between two rocks." Applejack attempted to act. She bluntly stuck her hoof between two small stones and continued 'acting'. "I cannot run away." She pranced in place and tried to widen her eyes in fear, but only succeeded in making it look like she was dizzy. "I am... a damsel in distress! Help me, Spike!"

Then she placed her head inside the fake timber wolf's mouth.

OK! Now I KNOW that something isn't right! Spike confirmed.

"Wait a minute..." He said out loud. Applejack pulled her head out from the timber wolf's jaws and stared quizzically at Spike. The five other ponies did the same.

"No, no! Don't wait a minute! Save me from the terrifyin' timber wolf!" Applejack began to panic when Spike started to approach her quite casually.

"Well, he would terrifying if he wasn't... a FAKE!" Applejack looked at the puppet timber wolf and gritted her teeth in dismay when Spike started to explain everything that was impressive about the display. First he complimented the claws, then the roar (which made Rainbow Dash quite happy), and finally the detail on his face. He then climbed up onto the rocks that were supposedly trapping Applejack's hoof.

"But you forgot one thing," Spike started to explain. "His breath. You can smell a real timber wolf's breath from a mile-" He paused to sniff the air which had recently become quite foul.

Applejack froze in terror when she realized it as well and she began to tremble where she stood.

"Heh, heh, too late! I'm already on-" Spike began, but was then cut short by Twilight teleporting between both of them and screaming like a banshee.

"TIMBER WOLVES!" Rainbow Dash shrieked. 

Applejack glanced towards the forest and saw the three sets of green eyes staring right at her! Her jaw dropped, but no sounds came out of her mouth. Unfortunately, the timber wolves put the right words in: they roared!

"TIMBER WOLVES!" Spike shouted, starting to run. Applejack pursued him. She then saw the rock tower that Spike had previously built and climbed on top of it. The timber wolves forgot their pursuit of Applejack and started chasing Spike.

Oh, no you don't! Applejack thought. She grabbed the boulder on top of the pile and pushed with all of her might, sending it tumbling down and crushing the timber wolves to pieces. Spike glanced up at her and gave her a thumbs up which she accepted with a smile and a polite salute, but then the rock underneath her slipped and she tumbled down as well, causing other rocks to fall and pin her back hoof to the ground.

"OW!" She exclaimed as the rock pinned her hoof. 

Then the sticks became animate, glowing green with a strange magical power! Applejack gulped in horror when she saw that they were all coming together... to make a HUMONGOUS timber wolf!

"Applejack, come on!" Spike called out to her. She tried to wrench herself free, but failed.

"I can't! I'm really stuck!" 

"No more messin' around! Let's go!"

"Come on!" Applejack strained, but then she looked up to see the giant timber wolf leaning over her! She gaped at the spectacle and squeezed her eyes tightly shut when it roared fiercely at her. "Forget me, Spike! You gotta get outta here!"

Spike remained where he was.

"I said get outta here!" Applejack then picked up a rock with her spare hoof and chucked it over at Spike, knocking him onto the ground. "GO! RUN!" Spike shook his head to clear it and watched as the timber wolf got closer to Applejack, but before he could do anything, Twilight ran up to him and lifted him onto her back.

"No! Stop! We've gotta go back! APPLEJACK NEEDS US!" He protested.

Applejack sighed in relief when she saw Twilight carrying Spike to safety.

Y'all take care of him. He's a good dragon. Applejack prayed. 

The timber wolf soon snapped her out of her trance and brought her back to reality. She pulled with all of her strength to free her hoof, and eventually wrenched herself free. But the timber wolf had already noticed that even more snacks were heading the other direction and it started to pursue Twilight and everypony else.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Applejack yelled. She picked up another rock and threw it at the back of the timber wolf's head. It growled in displeasure and stared at her. "YA WANT AN EASY MEAL? COME AN' GET ME!" She then ran off into the Everfree forest, praying that the wolf would follow her in.

And it did.

She ran and ran through that forsaken wood land, flashbacks coming at her like wild fire. She could hear her parents screaming, she could see their blood-stained bodies, she could smell the rankness of the air, but most importantly she could hear her mother's dying words.

"Don't be afraid."

"I'm NOT, mama!" Applejack declared, running deeper into the woods. "For my friends!" She yelled. "For my family!" The timber wolf leaped towards her, its shadow quickly consuming her own. Then she felt a small twang hit her chest and she made one final declaration. "FOR SPIKE!"

Then the world went black.
> Spike's Invalid
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Applejack?" Spike called out into the forest, slowly parting a bush that was in front of him.

"Applejack! Where are you!" Rainbow Dash shouted. She looked around at all of her other best friends who were searching far and wide to find Applejack. Even some of the townsfolk had come to help them, including the Mayor Mare herself. 

Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom remained close together, but it still did not ease Apple Bloom's worries. She sniffled in a sob when Granny Smith took her in for a hug.

"It's OK, youngin, we'll find 'er." But deep down inside, Granny Smith felt that something was terribly wrong. Where are ya, Sugar Cube? Granny Smith thought to herself.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Winona whining. She walked up to the border collie and saw that she had found Applejack's hat!

"Over here, y'all!" Granny Smith called out. Everypony gathered around the two and gasped in horror when they saw the torn hat on the ground. Big Macintosh shielded Apple Bloom's eyes when he saw a blood stain across the brim and he suppressed a tear from sliding down his cheek.

"Applejack..." Spike murmured beneath his breath. He slowly crouched onto the ground and lifted the hat into his arms. He brought it up to his chest and nuzzled into the rough fabric, trying to shield his watering eyes.

"This doesn't confirm ANYTHING!" Rainbow Dash screamed and startled a few of the ponies around her. "Just because we find her hat doesn't mean that she's dead!" With that, she took off deeper into the woods, shouting out her name as loudly as she could. The other ponies did the same, but Spike remained behind with Winona.

The young dog whimpered and snuggled up against Spike which made him slowly pet the dog and cry at the same time. Winona sniffed the hat and whined loudly, but then... then her head shot up and she sniffed the air.

"What is it, girl?" Spike asked. He held the hat against her nose again and she howled in response, charging off into the forest. "Hey! Wait!" He called out. The nearby ponies heard him and also followed the dog as she howled like a crazy pony through the forest. 

All along their path, Spike noticed numerous amounts of sticks, leaves, and logs that were scattered everywhere. He even noticed a full grown pine tree was lying on the ground with no trace of where its roots were. Winona howled more loudly than ever and plunged through a dense wall of vines. Spike growled in frustration and clawed his way through.

"These vines shouldn't be here!" He yelled. "No vines grow like this!" He could hear the grumbles and gripes from the ponies behind him, but he didn't wait for them to catch up. He ran after Winona until she turned around a corner... then he couldn't hear her anymore.

"Winona!" He called to her. "Here, girl!" He raced around the bend and froze. Winona was standing stock still, not even letting out a whine or a pant. Her tail was frozen in mid air as her muzzle pointed downwards toward a dark figure on the ground. "Applejack?" Spike asked, coming closer. The darkness of the forest seemed to diminish as he slowly walked towards the strange object, making him suddenly realize his suspicions were correct.

"NO! APPLEJACK!" He ran over to his friend and pulled her into his arms. Her body was limp and cold, but he could still feel a small yet steady pulse in her chest. "HELP! SOMEPONY FIND HELP!" He screamed. All over her body were teeth marks and scratches that ran deep, deep enough to see the white bones of her rib cage and skeleton.

Worst of all, though, was her back leg. It was bent into an awkward position and blood was seeping out of a large gash that ran all the way down to her hoof. Spike gathered up some nearby moss and pressed it firmly into the wound. Then Big Macintosh and Twilight came running into view.

"Oh, no..." Twilight murmured as she ran up to her friend.

"We've got to get her out of here!" Spike shouted. Twilight nodded and gently, oh so gently, lifted her with her unicorn magic. Applejack was surrounded by a pink aura of light and was briskly carried off by Twilight. Big Macintosh remained where he was, frozen from the shock that he had just seen. He turned to Spike and only blinked.

"Will she be... OK?" Spike asked the large stallion. Big Macintosh watched as Twilight carried his sister away and he hung his head and let out a long and despairing sigh.





The beeping noise of the IV was almost too horrible for Spike to bear. It was just so... slow! It felt like an eternity between each beat of Applejack's heart and every second, he envisioned it to suddenly fail and for the line to go flat. He buried his face in his claws and waited impatiently for the doctor to return.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash were in the room as well. Rarity held one of Applejack's hooves and gently tried to groom AJ's mane to keep herself from crying. Rainbow Dash only stared at a wall, refusing to look at her friend in such a state. Fluttershy sat in the corner seat and softly clutched a box of tissues. Pinkie's mane had gone flat once again and her coat had turned a shade darker. Not even the balloons she brought with her seemed to cheer her up.

Suddenly, the door to Applejack's room opened and the doctor slowly walked in.

"Is she going to be all right?!" The dragon asked frantically. He observed that Granny Smith, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom had also walked in after returning from their afternoon meal.

The doctor sighed and looked over Applejack's charts that were dangling at the end of her bed. Then he checked the IV that was protruding from her leg and checked the pulse monitor.

"It's too early to tell." He confirmed.

Spike felt like he was going to explode!

"TOO EARLY?! This mare saved my life... TWICE! And I am not going to let her die without repaying my debt to her!" Spike quickly snatched up Applejack's other hoof and kept a firm hold on it. "Don't you dare leave me, Applejack! You hear?!" The other ponies in the room stared at the young dragon in shock, but he refused to divert his gaze from Applejack's weary face. 

A tear slid down his cheek and landed softly on Applejack's bed sheets.

"Don't..." Spike whispered. "Don't... don't leave me."

The doctor sighed and walked out of the room, leaving the eight ponies and the dragon to compose themselves. Rarity ceased grooming Applejack's mane and walked over to Spike. She placed an affectionate hoof on his shoulder and wiped away his tears with the other.

"Applejack is a strong mare, Spike, she'll make it through." Spike gazed up at the gorgeous unicorn and felt his heart flutter for only a brief second, but then it sank again when he heard the continuing beep... beep... of the IV.

"It's so... slow." He uttered.

Nopony in the room commented on his remark as they all sat in silence and watched Applejack's dangerously slow pulse. 

Days passed. The friends of Applejack came and went, typically bringing more flowers with them while Pinkie Pie almost flooded her room with 'Get Well' balloons. But Spike hadn't left her side at all except when he absolutely had to go and eat something. Twilight tried convincing him to come home, but he refused every offer.

"Twilight, you know about my Dragon Code! She saved my life, so now I need to be there for her no matter what!" He felt a sharp pain in his chest when Twilight allowed a few tears to escape her eyes. He walked over to the purple unicorn and gave her a long and weary hug. She hugged him back and sighed.

"I know, Spike. This is something you have to do and I'm not going to stop you." Spike looked up into her wet eyes and smiled.

"I knew that you would understand, Twilight." She grinned and gently kissed his forehead, but they still remained in their embrace... until the IV suddenly stopped beeping.

A loud screeching noise erupted from the machine as a flashing red line flew across it. Spike immediately let go of Twilight and ran to Applejack's side.

"No! NO!" He yelled. "DOCTOR!" Twilight quickly left the room, frantically calling for somepony to help! Spike put his claws to Applejack's neck and, as he suspected, felt nothing! He started to panic. "Don't leave." He muttered. 

He quickly glanced over the hospital room's walls until he caught sight of a poster titled 'CPR'. He read the instructions as fast as he could and then ran back over to Applejack, clambering up onto the bed near her side.

"OK, 30 pumps!" He instructed himself, placing his two hands on Applejack's chest. He pressed down fast and hard as he attempted to make her heart beat again! "Come on! Come on!" He shouted in frustration as the red line remained. "...27...28...29...30!" Still nothing changed. "NO!" He looked back over to the poster and saw another stepped that he had missed.

"Lift the chin up..." He read, slowly following the procedure. He placed his hand beneath Applejack's chin and gently lifted upward. "Plug the nose..." He used his other hand to complete that. "Mouth to mouth-" He froze as he read the final step. "Oh, dear..." He muttered.

He observed Applejack's lips and saw that they were growing paler by the second. 

No time to hesitate, Spike! This has to be done! He smacked himself across the face and then stared to lean in towards Applejack. "Please don't hate me." He prayed as he brought his lips to hers. 

He started to blow air into Applejack's mouth, causing her chest to slowly rise and fall. He backed up to catch his breath and then repeated the process. He didn't even realize that the IV had started beeping again and Applejack was slowly waking up.

Suddenly, he felt warmth come back into Applejack's lips and he heard a small moan of contentment. He opened his eyes to see that Applejack... was... 

She's kissing me back!!! He thought, alarmed. He knew that she wasn't fully awake, but it did feel really strange as she continued to press her lips against his. However, it also felt... kind of... pleasant. 

"What the-?!" 

Spike was startled back to reality when Twilight and the doctor galloped into the room. Twilight's face was covered in shock when she saw that the IV was steadily beeping again and that Applejack was waking up.

"Wha... What happened?" Applejack asked, rubbing her head and then suddenly noticing the dragon beside her. "Spike? You OK?" Spike let out a nervous chuckle, hopped down from the bed, and then tried to hide his embarrassed blush from the farm pony. She quickly dropped the subject when Twilight walked over to her and hugged her tightly.

"OH! I thought you were dead!" Twilight cried.

"Dead?"

"Your heart stopped beating! I ran out of the room to find the doctor!"

"Then how am I now alive?"

"I don't know..." Twilight looked over at her dragon friend. "Spike?" He flinched as she called him out and then sighed in defeat.

"I... uh... gave her... uh..."

"Yes?"

"CPR."

Everypony in the room froze... except for Applejack.

"You mean... you..." Twilight made a small kissing noise and pointed over to Applejack. Spike's eyes widened in horror and then he slowly pondered what he would say.

Maybe now isn't the best time to tell Applejack what I had to do. It might TERRIFY her.

"Nope! No way! I didn't kiss her like it says to do on the instruction poster over there! I just did the first step. You know, the hands pressing into her chest one."

Twilight sighed with relief and Applejack smiled with amusement.

"Spike," Applejack said softly. "Ya saved mah life. We are now officially even steven!"

"Oh, no, Applejack! We're definitely not 'even steven'!" He walked over to the pony and leaned in towards her face. "I saved you once, but you've saved me twice! I still owe you a life debt!"

"Spike!" Applejack groaned. "Why can't ya just leave it at-"

"Stop! I will not say 'that's what friends do'! I owe you a life debt and I will fulfill it!"

Applejack groaned again and placed her head in her hooves.

"I'm fine, Spike! I can take care ah my-" Applejack grimaced in pain as she tried to move her lower leg. The doctor ran over to her and gently eased her down onto her back.

"Applejack," The doctor said calmly. "Now that you are conscious, we no longer need to worry about you dying."

"Well, that's a relief to here!" She said with a chuckle.

"However, not all of your wounds will heal."

"What dya mean?"

The doctor hung his head and slowly started to lift up Applejack's bed sheets. She followed his gaze and recoiled in terror. Her back right leg was completely covered in bandages and blood.

"Your leg will never be able to hold your weight again." The doctor explained as he placed the covers back over her. "The timber wolf must have done something to you to wrench the bone out of its socket and then shatter it into a dozen pieces."

Applejack looked away from the doctor and tried to drown out his words.

"Now, we've done all that we can, but I'm afraid that's the best we can do." The doctor stopped talking when he noticed Applejack's countenance. "Don't worry, though, you're going to be fine and dandy!" Then, with a happy smile on his face, he left the room.

Spike approached his friend and laid a claw on her shoulder.

"What's wrong, AJ?"

"If ah can't use my kickin' legs..." She choked. "Then how am I gonna buck apples? How will ah provide fer mah family?!" She buried her face in her hooves and sobbed as Spike caressed her shoulder. Then his eyes brightened.

"I'll do it!" He declared.

"Do what?" Applejack sniffed.

"I'll do your job! I owe you my life, so now I'll do your part!"

"Oh, Spike... no. I appreciate it an' all, but-"

"Say no more! I will serve you for as long as it takes and I will never leave your side again!" He jumped onto the bed and hugged Applejack around the neck. She winced in pain, but then looked down at the young dragon. She couldn't help but feel happy at his dedication, but deep down she dreaded something.

But how long WILL it take?
> Roasted Apples
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After a week had passed, the hospital finally released Applejack and sent her home. As they placed her into a wheelchair, she tried to grip the wheels and move on her own, but found herself merely sliding her hooves up and down the slippery surfaces. Spike came to the rescue and slowly wheeled her home. She blushed in embarrassment as many of the town ponies stopped what they were doing and watch the strange scene. Under normal circumstances, Applejack would've tilted her stetson hat in front of her face, but since it was still being patched up by Rarity, all she could do was close her eyes.

When they arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom stampeded out of the house and jumped into her sister's lap.

"Oh, sis! Yer back!"

"Course I am, Apple Bloom!" She caressed her sister's head with her hoof and nuzzled her mane. Big Macintosh was next. He wrapped his hooves around her and let out a satisfied grunt. Applejack ruffled his mane with her hoof playfully and noticed that Granny Smith was nowhere to be found.

"Big Mac, where's Granny?" 

Big Mac shrugged his shoulders and looked over to Apple Bloom who did the same.

"She's probably in the barn." Apple Bloom said. Big Mac grunted once more and nodded his head.

"What's she doin' in there?"

"Don't know. She's been in there ever since ya were sent ta the hospital."

"Spike-"

"Of course! I'll take you over to the barn." The loyal dragon grabbed the handle's on Applejack's wheelchair and slowly took her over to the barn's open doors. Applejack peered inside, but couldn't see anything since there were no lights on, but she did hear something.

"Granny?"

"Oh! Applejack!" She heard Granny Smith sniffle and start to walk towards them. "It's good ta have ya home." In the light, Applejack saw what a mess Granny Smith was. Her mane and tail had been taken down from their buns and were in a tangled knot, her eyes had even more bags under them than usual, and her eyes were extremely blood shot.

"Granny..." Applejack sighed.

"Oh, don't ya worry 'bout me, youngin! I'm as healthy as a pickadilly pear!" She sniffed once more and wiped a tear away from her eye before Applejack could notice.

"Granny, what's wrong?" Although I DO already know that answer.

Granny Smith's lip quivered as she stared at her beloved grandchild. She looked over at Spike who was increasingly starting to feel awkward about his current predicament, but he remained where he was.

Then Granny Smith looked at Applejack's leg and almost broke down right then and there.

"I failed ya!" She screamed. Applejack jumped at the loud noise that had come from her Granny, but then instantly tried to get out of her wheelchair to comfort her.

"AJ, no!" Spike protested. He tried to get her back down in the seat, but Applejack shoved him out of the way and placed her front hooves onto the ground.

"Oh, Gran-" She started, but she fell to the ground in agony when she placed weight on her back leg. Spike attempted to help her, but she had already started to crawl over to the sobbing pony. "Oh, Granny, ya didn't fail me!" She embraced her Granny and started crying herself. "Ah failed you!"

"Ah shoulda been there fer ya! I shoulda done somethin'!" Granny Smith hollered.

"Ya couldn't have done anythin'! Nopony could have!"

She looked down at Applejack's leg and sobbed even harder.

"That shoulda been me!" Applejack followed Granny's pointing hoof and shuddered when she saw the leg again. Spike had come over and was trying to place a pillow under it to make sure that it would not get injured further. 

"Now, don't talk that way, Granny!" She pulled Granny Smith away so that she would look at her. "You couldn't do nothin'! I couldn't do nothin'! Now let's drop it an' move on!"

Granny Smith sniffled and helped Applejack back to her wheelchair.

"Yer right, youngin. Yer right..." Applejack grabbed her hoof and smiled affectionately which Granny Smith soon returned. "Now let's getcha into bed." She tried to put her hooves on the handles, but Spike intervened.

"Allow me, Granny Smith!" He said with a smile as he started to wheel Applejack towards the house.

"What are you doin' here, Spike?" Granny Smith asked.

"I still owe Applejack a life debt, so from now on I'll be handling her job here at Sweet Apple Acres!" Applejack rolled her eyes at the dragon's enthusiasm, but soon found herself smiling at his optimism.

"You mean, you'll be buckin' apples with me?" Big Mac had overheard the conversation and had now walked over to the tiny dragon.

"That's right! I'll be doing ALL of Applejack's chores for as long as this will last!"

Big Mac gave Applejack and uncomfortable look, remembering the time when he made a huge mess in the kitchen. Applejack grinned and gave him a big wink which made his frown relax.

"Sides, it probably won't last TOO long. I'll be back ta normal in no time!"

"But Applejack, you shouldn't rush yourself! The doctor said to take it easy!"

"He also said that I'll never be able ta buck again! But I'll prove him wrong, won't I, Big Mac?"

"Yeeup!"

"Well... for now," Spike said as he wheeled Applejack into her room. "You get some rest." He placed his arm around Applejack's waist and helped her clamber onto the bed. "You've had a weary couple of days and you need some shut eye." She placed her head on the pillow and let out a huge yawn which made Spike grin. Big Mac and Granny Smith left the room and turned off the light when they left, but Spike remained.

He watched as her chest slowly rose and fell and her golden hair cascaded across the pillow with each breath. He gently stroked her mane for a good ten seconds before snapping out of his trance.

"Come on, Spike! You've got to get to work!" He merrily skipped out of the room and closed the door. "You've got to make Applejack proud!"





"Uh... Spike?"

"Yeah, Big Mac?"

"Dontcha think yer bitin' off more than you can chew?"

"What do you mean?"

Big Mac was staring up at the dragon in the tree as he slowly hand-picked each apple. He had tried kicking them down, but only received a huge pain in his foot and maybe one or two apples falling to the ground.

But now he was high up in the tree, his free arm full of so many apples that Big Mac could hardly see his face.

"Maybe you should come down now...?" Big Mac suggested.

"What did you say?" Spike leaned down towards the ground to try and hear him better, but lost his grip on the branch. "WHOA!"

"Nnnnope!" Big Mac hollered when he saw the dragon start to tumble from the tree. Spike's body slammed into almost all of the branches on the way down and he had already dropped most of the apples he had been holding.

When he finally hit the ground, the dragon hollered so loudly in pain that green fire erupted from his mouth.

"Uh-oh..." He muttered when he saw what he had done. All of the apples that he had just picked were now... roasted. Big Mac walked over to him and noticed the sad display. He sighed and shook his head in frustration as he tried to pick up one of the smoking apples.

"YEOUCH!" He shrieked when the apple singed his tongue.

"Oops! Don't worry, Big Mac, I'll go get water!" Spike ran off towards the rain catcher and dipped a large bucket into the water. He ran back over to Big Mac and saw that he was still caressing his tongue. "Help is here- WHOA!" Spike tripped over a log and released his hold on the bucket of water. He watched it go sailing through the sky... and right onto Big Mac's head. "Oh no!"

Big Mac growled in anger and tossed the bucket off of his head. Spike turned a bright shade of red and started to back away from the furious stallion.

"I'm sorry, Big Mac! Please don't hurt me!"

Big Mac growled once more and then sighed in exhaustion.

"Go home." He said.

"What?"

"Go home! Go back ta Twilight! We don't need ya!" Big Mac shook out his soaking wet mane and walked to the next apple tree, giving it a whole-hearted kick.

"But I need to pay my debt! It's part of my Dragon Code! Applejack needs me!"

"Then take care ah Applejack, but don't help ME!" He collected the newly fallen apples into a wicker basket and walked away from Spike in a huff. He watched the stallion go to the farthest tree away and then continue working.

Spike took one of the roasted apples into his hand and sniffed the burnt fruit.

"They don't smell TOO bad." He took a small bite. "They taste..." He let the flavor sink in. "DELICIOUS!" He popped the whole thing into his mouth and then another and another. "Roasted apples are the BEST!" He said through a full mouth. Then he had an idea. 

Maybe Rarity will like them! 

He grabbed a handful and started off towards the Carousel Boutique, not knowing that Applejack was watching as he slowly left the farm.

	
> Midnight Workout
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack continued to watch the clock to determine exactly how long Spike had been gone. He left at around ten, but now it was almost two in the afternoon! Applejack looked out her window to try and spot the young dragon, but she couldn't find a trace of him. So, she passed the long and weary hours by watching Big Macintosh hard at work. 

"Jumpin' horseshoes!" She exclaimed when Big Mac nearly kicked down a full grown tree. It creaked underneath the blow and almost snapped right in half had Apple Bloom not intervened and straightened it back out.

"You OK, big brother?" Apple Bloom inquired.

"Yep," The red stallion did not make eye contact with Apple Bloom as he moved on to the next tree.

"I don't believe ya!" The stubborn filly yelled, running to catch up with him. "You're big brother to the Element of Honesty, so ah can tell when yer lyin'!"

Big Mac sighed and half-heartedly kicked the next tree. He winced in embarrassment when three apples landed straight on Apple Bloom's head. Her eyes went derpy for only a few seconds before she shook her head to get the fogginess out. Big Mac smiled when Apple Bloom gave him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Come on, what's wrong?"

Big Mac grumbled, still refusing to let Apple Bloom lecture him.

"Don't make me tickle you!"

He rolled his eyes and then sat down on the floor as he gave in to Apple Bloom's talking.

"Ah miss workin' with Applejack."

Applejack flinched when she heard the sorrow etched into her brother's voice. She watched as the two cuddled close together in the apple field and comfort each other.

"Ah miss that, too, big brother." She noticed a tear on Big Mac's face and she wiped it away with her hoof. "But there ain't nothin' we can do about it! Applejack needs us and we ain't gonna let 'er down... are we?" Big Mac stood defiantly and sniffled a few times to compose himself.

"Nope!"

"That's mah big brother!" She leaped to her hooves as well and then they both went back to work.

Applejack whimpered as she watched them working together. She looked on them with lust and jealousy as they turned their working day into a game. Big Mac bucked the tree while Apple Bloom balanced a basket on her head and caught them. Applejack's stomach turned to knots when they collapsed onto the ground and started laughing their hearts out.

"Ah miss workin' with you two, too." Applejack sighed. She looked down at her sorry excuse for a leg and scowled at the bandages entwined around it. "And who says ah can't?!"





"Care to try one, Rarity?"

The uncomfortable unicorn gazed steadily at the young dragon in front of her as he held up his plate of 'roasted apples'. Rarity's nostrils cringed when the scent wafted up them, but quickly tried to cover her disgusted expression with a smile.

"I had a big lunch!" She lied.

"It's... 10 in the morning. You sure have your lunch awful early each day!"

"Breakfast! I meant breakfast!"

"Oh, that's right! I remember now." He lowered the plate and placed it on her kitchen table. "Perhaps Sweetie Belle will try them?" He suggested.

"Oh... uh..." She started thinking of excuses to tell him. "She's... at one of her silly Cutie Mark Crusader meetings and won't be back until much later in the day. I don't think these apples will be quite as... delicious a few hours from now."

"Oh, OK. I understand." 

...

"Ahem..." Rarity cleared her throat as the awkward silence continued. Spike couldn't help but stare at the beauty before him. 

Just look at the flowing purple mane! It cascades perfectly down her neck! And her deep blue eyes remind me of sapphires! And her white coat... so... beauti-

Spike smacked himself across the face and gave her an embarrassed smile.

"So, what are you doin' today?" He asked.

"Oh... uh..." She glanced around her shop. PLEASE tell me there's something I need to work on! "Ah!" She ran over to a pony mannequin and smiled. "I haven't completed the... uh... dresses for Sapphire Shores yet! She just ordered... uh... eight new gowns that she wants by tomorrow!" She quickly pushed Spike out the door along with his apples. "So sorry that I don't have time to talk!"

Then she slammed the door.

"Huh..." Spike thought out loud. "Rarity's kind of a procrastinator when it comes to things like this. She's always rushing to fill every order!" Then he froze and actually thought about this. "Or maybe she's coming up with excuses as to why she doesn't want to hang out with me!"

...

"NAH! That couldn't be true!"

Spike skipped down the road, humming a lovestruck tune as he made his way towards Twilight's house.

"Twilight is sure to like these!"

He approached the library and was about to knock on the door, when he noticed a note hanging from the mahogany wood. He placed his apples on the ground and ripped the note off.

To anypony who comes by here,

I am terribly sorry that I am not here to help you with your book rentals (or other matters), but I'm afraid that Princess Celestia has called me to Canterlot to stay there for a few weeks. If you need me, then contact Spi-

Spike noticed that most of that word was scribbled out and smudged, so he continued reading what Twilight had put in its place.

... Derpy Hooves so that she can bring your letters to me.

Thanks again!

Princess Twilight Sparkle

"She never told me that she was going to Canterlot!" Spike yelled angrily, tearing up the note and snorting fumes of smoke. "Why wouldn't she tell me that?!" He took in a deep breath and set the note on fire. The green flames soon engulfed the paper and left only a pile of ash.

"And furthermore, why would she tell them to bring their messages to DERPY?!" He roared in fury. "I'M the one who's responsible for sending mail anywhere when it concerns Twilight! Me! Me! ME!"

"Uh... you OK, Spike?"

Spike quickly turned around to see the bright pink earth pony staring right at him.

"No, I'm not OK, Pinkie Pie." He sat down in sorrow, sending up a cloud of dust that flew right into Pinkie Pie's nose. She gasped a couple of times, preparing for the sneeze, but then sighed in relief when no sneeze came.

"Well, why not?" She sat down beside him and cuddled his arm.

"Twilight didn't tell me that she was going to Canterlot!" He yanked his arm away from her and crossed them in front of his chest. 

"Twilight went... WHERE?!"

"She didn't tell you either?!"

"No sirree bob!" She said with a smile. Spike rolled his eyes at the obnoxious mare, but then sniffled in a cry. "Oh, don't cry, Spike." She placed her hoof on his shoulder.

"I'm not crying!" He stood up quickly and started to walk away from her.

"Wait! Aren't these yours?" 

Spike turned around to see Pinkie Pie holding the plate of roasted apples high into the air. She then sniffed and let out a pleasurable sigh.

"Ooh! These smell delicious!" She brought the plate back down and closely examined the closest one. "May I have one?"

"Sure. Why not? Nopony else wants one!" He grumbled.

"Oh, thanks!" She popped an entire apple into her mouth and chewed contently. Spike watched in anticipation as the pony dragged her jaw this way and that (to be honest, only Pinkie Pie could make chewing look hard).

Then she swallowed and sat stock still.

"Well? Did you like it?" Spike asked.

"That..."

"Yes?"

"Was..."

"Yes?!"

...

"WELL?!"

"Delicious!" Pinkie Pie sprung up into the air and playfully threw party streamers. Spike smiled briefly and then picked up his plate of apples to head back to the farm.

"Thanks, Pinkie," he said, slowly walking home. "That really... helped."

As Spike walked off, Pinkie Pie grinned with pride.

"Told ya I could make anypony smile... err... any dragon!" She collapsed onto the floor in a pile of laughs at her own joke and continued to repeat the punchline over and over and over and over and over and... well, you get the point.

Then, she finally sneezed.





The crickets outside were unusually loud tonight as Applejack wrapped a shawl around her shoulders. She shivered when a cold breeze blew into her room from the orchard and brushed up against her coat.

"No backin' out tonight." Applejack whispered to herself as she steadily clambered into her wheelchair. She opened up her bedroom door and cringed when it creaked on the hinges. She looked around to see if anypony had heard, but when she noticed that nopony had, she rolled into the hallway. 

Thankfully, Granny Smith had added a little concoction to the wheels to help Applejack grip them better and for her to actually be able to move on her own. She smiled with pleasure as she drifted through the hall and towards the ramp that led downstairs.

"Oh, my..." She muttered when she saw the angle of descent. Spike had been the one to push her up the stairs, but now it looked like it was trickier to get down.

"Don't back down. Don't back down." She whispered as the front wheels came to the edge of the ramp. She took in a gulp of fear and then pushed forward. 

"WHOA!" The wheelchair thundered down the ramp at an impressive speed, but too fast for Applejack to brake! She collided with the bookshelf in the living room and shuddered in worry when the books smashed into the floor. "Oh, no!" She didn't wait for anypony to come down the stairs to stop her, so she wheeled herself outside as quickly as she could.

"Nopony's gonna stop me!" She declared, a little too loudly, as she threw open the door. The icy blast hit Applejack like a hammer when she rushed through the night in her chair. She stopped more than once to catch her breath in the thin air, but continued all the same.

She was heading for a secluded part of the farm where she hoped nopony would find her until she had completed her task. Once she arrived, she slowly wheeled up to a tree and gazed up the long trunk.

"You've gotten big, Blumberg Jr." Applejack whispered and stroked the rough bark. Saliva oozed out of her mouth as she looked up at the delectable apples on the branches. "Just right."

Applejack steadily placed her front hooves on the ground, then her back left leg. She hopped over to the base of the tree, holding her bad leg high into the air so that it wouldn't bump into anything. Then she stared defiantly at the tree and glanced down to her bandages.

"Nothin' and nopony's gonna keep me from doin' mah job!" 

She twisted around, aiming her back legs for the kick. Her right kicker tightened in pain, but Applejack shook the tears from her eyes and willed her leg to stay there. She took in a deep breath and sighed it right back out.

Now!

"Applejack! What are you doing?!"

She opened her eyes for a brief second to see Spike stampeding towards her, still wearing his sleeping cap that he had received from Pinkie Pie on his last birthday. Applejack growled under her breath and still prepared for the kick.

"Stop!"

Ignore him. Applejack took in another deep breath and-

"Don't!"

"Oof!"

Spike tackled Applejack to the ground just moments away from her kick. She yelped in pain when Spike's knee dug into her bad leg and gritted her teeth to keep her from crying. Spike quickly got up and helped her to her hooves.

"What do you think you were doing?!" The young dragon screamed. 

"Mah job!" Applejack retorted.

"Applejack, you can't apple buck anymore! Unless you want the doctor to have to amputate your leg, then I suggest you do what he says and stay off of it!"

"Why should ah keep mah leg when ah can't even use it?!" She placed her weight on it and immediately cried out and fell to the ground. Spike leaned down to help her. "Ah don't need yer help!"

"Yes, you do!"

Then, Spike did the unexpected: he carried Applejack to her chair. She stared at the dragon and gasped quietly to herself when she noticed the differences in him. He had gotten bigger! She looked him over and soon even noticed something more shocking.

"Spike..."

"What?" He grumbled when he placed her into the chair.

"Ya have wings."

"I have what?"

"Ya... have... wings!" She gestured with her hoof to point out the two small wings protruding from Spike's back. His eyes widened in shock as he continued to spin around in circles to try and get a better look.

"How is that possible?"

"Ah don't know..." 

Applejack immediately stopped talking when Big Mac, Apple Bloom, and Granny Smith came running up to them.

"What's goin' on? We heard a big commotion downstairs and found Applejack gone!" Apple Bloom hollered.

"We thought somethin' had happened!" Granny Smith added.

"Yep!" (Guess who said that)

"I'm fine." Applejack muttered, still staring at Spike's wings. 

"An' when did Spike get back?" Apple Bloom asked. Spike blushed in embarrassment at the question and turned away from the group.

"I'd... rather not talk about it." 

Applejack sympathized with the dragon at that point. 

We BOTH have issues to hide.

"Well, let's get back in the house." Granny Smith declared as she placed her hooves on Applejack's handles. She quietly rolled Applejack back into her room and helped her back into the bed. Applejack sighed in contentment when she placed her head on the pillow and started to drift off.

But something kept nagging her at the back of her mind. 

Why is Spike growin'? She thought silently. The last time he did that was when he got...  

Applejack gulped in fear.

Greedy.
	
> Worthiness of a Bill
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack? What are you doing out here?

...

No... don't do it.

Applejack, stop!

No! COME BACK!

WAIT!

"AHH!" 

Spike glanced around the his room, gasping for breath and holding onto his chest. He whimpered in fright and shivered under his covers until he finally came back to consciousness.

"It was only... a nightmare." He sighed happily and flopped back down onto his pillow. However, he grimaced in discomfort when he did so, soon remembering his newly grown wings. He quickly got out of bed and dashed over to his bedroom mirror to look at the spectacle one more time before going to work.

What he saw staring back at him made him gasp.

"They've gotten bigger!" Spike yelped as he did a quick turn around to get a better look at them. The thin purple 'veins' appeared to be the outstretched bones which were then connected by thin (yet strong) pieces of green flesh. All in all, his wings were starting to look like a water bird's webbed feet.

"Dude, that's creepy." He uttered when he stroked the smooth surface of the green flesh. It felt like leather against his claw; cold and smooth.

"You awake yet?" He heard Apple Bloom call.

"Yes!" He quickly opened the door and shocked the poor little filly in front of him.

"Good heavens, Spike! Yer wings!" She walked around him and gawked at the sight.

"You don't think I know that?"

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at Spike's sarcasm, but then quickly brightened up and smiled once more.

"Ya ready to go buck some apples?"

"You bet!"

The two friends raced excitedly down the stairs and into the kitchen to have some breakfast which Granny Smith had prepared.  This morning, it was two large pieces of apple cobbler dripping with vanilla ice cream. Spike could not contain the drool from leaking out of his mouth as he shoved forkful after forkful into his jaws.

"You make the best breakfasts, Granny Smith!" He complimented.

"Why, thank you, Spike." She replied, but Spike noticed that something was a tad off.

"I remember breakfasts with Twilight! Oh! She couldn't even make one pancake..." His voiced trailed off as he remembered those fond memories. He chuckled to himself when he envisioned the first time Twilight had attempted to cook. Long story short, it didn't end well.

"Well, Granny Smith can make ya whatever ya want!" Apple Bloom chimed in as she attempted to lighten the mood, but she too noticed Granny Smith's odd behavior. She seemed more... somber.

"You'd better get movin', whipper snappers! Big Mac's already out there!" Granny Smith ushered the two creatures outside, much to the complaints of Spike as he continued to lick his fingers. Apple Bloom galloped after Big Mac, but Spike remained where he was and stared back towards the house.

"What's going on?" He pondered aloud. He slowly slunk back to the house and peered inside through the front window. Granny Smith was busy cleaning up the kitchen as usual, but she kept glancing towards a small pile of mail on the end table in the living room. Spike saw nothing peculiar about any of the envelopes, but the look on Granny's face made his stomach sink.

Granny soon dropped the pan she was washing and crept up towards the mail. She opened the first one and smiled slightly. Spike looked and saw who it was from and smiled himself.

"Uncle Apple Strudel. He's a hilarious pony!"

Granny opened another one and had the same reaction.

"Apple Rose, no doubt!"

Granny opened another one... and her face dropped. Spike noticed that Granny was starting to cry as she continued to read the letter. Once she was finished, she folded it back up and placed it back on the table. Then she wiped the tears from her eyes and continued her work in the kitchen.

"I've got to see what that is!" Spike whispered.

(Cue "Mission Impossible" theme song)

He slowly crept into the house, hiding in the shadows of the walls. He only moved when Granny Smith turned the water on so that his noises could be covered up. Steadily, very steadily, he moved towards the table. His claws almost had it-

"Aww, tartar sauce! I fergot the dryin' rag!" Granny Smith was starting to lumber towards him! He panicked, swiped the letter, and then jumped out the front window again, racing off into the orchard.

"I... don't... think... she saw me!" He wheezed. He then glanced down at the letter in his claws, leaned up against a tree, and folded the paper apart.

"...Notice: You have overdue bills that need to be paid by... yadda, yadda, yadda... money... dues... foreclos-" Spike froze when he read the final word. "FORECLOSURE!" He dropped the letter onto the ground and clutched his hand to his chest again. "But... but!" He snatched the letter back up and raced back towards the house, becoming more enraged with each step he took.

As soon as he got there, he slammed open the front door and made Granny Smith almost jump out of her skin.

"Well, wallop my withers, Spike! Ya almost gave me a heart attack!"

"What's this?!" He held the letter high into the air and saw Granny Smith lower her ears. "I said..." He approached Granny Smith and stood but a few inches from her face. "What is this?!"

Granny Smith grabbed the letter from his claws and crumpled it into a tiny ball.

"Nothin' ta be concerned about." She turned her back on him and continued washing the dishes.

"Foreclosure is nothing to be concerned about?!" Spike hopped on top of the counter and uncrinkled the letter. He shoved it into her snout and growled. "What is going on?"

"Well, with Applejack no longer workin', I knew we'd be goin' through some hard times." Granny stated bluntly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Big Mac can do a lot, but he can't do everythin'!"

"What about me?"

Granny Smith raised a suspicious eyebrow at Spike until he lowered his eyes to the ground.

"Maybe I'm not the best farm helper."

"Maybe..." Granny repeated.

"Then what about Apple Bloom?"

"Apple Bloom's got school ta worry about." Granny Smith's lip quivered suddenly at the very thought of it. "But will we be able to afford it now..."

"I don't understand: why are you in danger of being foreclosed?"

Granny slammed the dirty metal pot in the sink and glared at Spike.

"Medical bills don't come cheap!" She quickly covered her mouth with her hoof once she noticed how loud she had been. She ran to the base of the stairs and looked up to see if Applejack had heard anything. After realizing that she hadn't, Granny returned to the kitchen. "With Applejack not workin', Apple Bloom in school, and Big Mac comin' home exhausted each day... we just ain't got no money to cope with these kinds of things."

"Well... what about Applejack's friends? My friends? They'd be more than happy to help out!"

"Everypony's dealin' with their own problems, Spike. We can deal with ours."

"Stop being so stubborn and let other ponies help you!" Spike grabbed Granny's hoof until she looked him in the eyes. "Put your pride behind you and ask for help. You need it!"

Granny forcefully yanked her hoof away and scoffed at the idea.

"We can handle our own problems!"

"For how long?! Until Apple Bloom's no longer in school? Until Big Mac is overworked? UNTIL YOU LOSE YOUR HOUSE?!" Spike snorted a few flames from his nose until he cooled down. "Let other ponies help you."

"Ah said 'no', Spike, and that's final!"

The dragon sighed in frustration at the old pony's rejections, but he questioned them no longer. He quietly walked out the front door and started to get to work.

Little did the both of they know that Applejack had listened to the whole conversation...

And it was all that she could do to keep herself from bursting out into tears.
> Untied Ribbons
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


ONE MONTH LATER


"Mrs. Smith, your payments are long overdue. Now, do you have the money or not?"

"Times are tough, Mr. Trotting, as I'm sure yer aware."

"You've said that almost three times already!"

"Mah grandchild got hurt and she was one of the soul providers of our family-"

"I know, and I'm very sorry to hear about her injury, but you need to pay your loans!"

...

"I'll give you three days."

Granny Smith watched as the despicable stallion left her home. 

"Who does he think he is? Comin' into mah house and demandin' money that ah don't have!" Granny Smith walked over to the living room sofa and sat down on the worn cushions. She looked up at the portrait of her only daughter and her husband and sighed. "Ah promised ya I would take care ah them, Gala. But ah don't know what to do..." She placed her head in her hooves and allowed herself to cry for only a few moments.

Applejack watched her from the top of the stairs, but did not shed a tear. She was fresh out of tears left to cry. In fact, she hadn't cried in a month... at all! She didn't cry when somepony hurt her leg, she didn't cry when she watched Big Macintosh working in the fields, and she didn't cry when she woke up from her numerous nightmares.

She had turned to stone, refusing to let anything touch her again.

She didn't even cry when she continued to notice Spike's absence on the farm. She knew where he was going and even sent Apple Bloom to confirm her theories. Every time Apple Bloom returned, she came back with the same report.

"He was with Rarity today, sis. Why does it matter?"

A few times, though not many, Apple Bloom would say that Spike had gone to see Twilight since she had recently returned from Canterlot. Twilight came by to visit, but she didn't stay for long when Pinkie Pie showed up and (literally) dragged her to her 'Welcome Home' party at Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie had offered to wheel Applejack over, but she had refused each invitation.

Ah can't have any other ponies feelin' sorry fer me. She continued to tell herself when she watched her two good friends walk off towards the party.

Applejack laid her head down on her windowsill and watched the afternoon sunshine slowly creep down towards the horizon. Occasionally, she would glance to the side to see if Spike was taking his normal path 'home', but each time found an empty trail. She felt her heart go heavy when she thought of the dragon calling this farm his 'home'. This wasn't his 'home'! This was his prison!

Which is why Applejack knew that today was going to be one of the worst days of her life.





Spike was slowly walking down the dirt road towards his home, kicking a few loose pebbles every now and again to pass the time by. It had been a month now since Rarity had rejected him. He still remembered the sinking feeling in his gut when she had answered 'no' to his dating question. 

Obviously, however, he kept trying and trying to win her affection as he went to see her everyday. Unfortunately, he soon found out that she had merely been using him to help her with chores and other related materials. HOW did he find out? He didn't quite know how himself.

Ever since he started growing his wings, he's felt... different. His attraction towards Rarity has lessened (though not by too much) and he no longer fawns over the ground she walks on. He felt... wiser. 

Twilight eventually did an IQ test on him to try and determine why he was feeling different. Based on the results, Spike's IQ had gone from an 89 to a 142 in merely a few months! 

"How is that possible?!" Spike had asked her as she frantically dug through all of her scrolls.

"I don't know, Spike! None of this makes any sense at all! I don't even know why you're growing!"

"I'm not getting greedy again, am I?"

"I don't think so..."

"Maybe I should go see Zecora. She seems to know a lot about these sort of things."

"Good idea! I'll go-" Twilight winced when she remembered all the work that she had to do and Spike merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't worry about it, Twilight, I'll go by myself."

"Sorry, Spike. I've just got SO much work to do!"

"I don't blame you. See you later!"

Spike spread out his wings and quickly flew out the door, leaving Twilight in a gawking stance. She still had not gotten used to the fact that Spike now had wings... and that he could fly!

Anywho, back to Spike!

He dashed through the Everfree forest and straight to Zecora's hut which had a strange red smoke seeping out of the open windows. Spike softly landed on the ground and approached the house, making sure that his nose was plugged so that he couldn't inhale any toxic fumes.

He opened the door slowly so as not to mess up the zebra, but Zecora looked up at him and smiled.

"Why, if it isn't my little Spike: my faithful dragon whom I do like."

"Zecora! It's good to see you!" Spike raced over to the pony and embraced her briefly before she pulled away in shock.

"But goodness me, what news you bring! For now I see that you have wings!"

"Yeah, I was kind of hoping you could explain that."

"And, oh my, you are bigger too! Come, let's see what I can brew."

Zecora walked over to her cauldron and tossed a few green herbs into the red mixture. Spike cautiously approached and looked inside to see what she was making.

"What is this, Zecora?"

"A little concoction for a friend; for him to drink so his leg will mend."

Spike froze and stared at the strange liquid.

"Could it possibly... I don't know..." Spike began.

"I know the question that's on your mind, but the answer you wish you will not find."

Spike hung his head and then got back to the matter at hand.

"So how will you figure out what's wrong with me?"

Zecora walked away from her cauldron and grabbed a stack of papers that she had placed on her shelf. She walked over to Spike and sat down, sorting the papers so that they each faced the same way. Spike sat down as well and waited for her to continue. 

However, all Zecora did was hold up a picture of Rarity, then Twilight, then Apple Bloom, and then a few other ponies that Spike already knew. The final paper was a picture of Applejack. 

When she had finished, Zecora stood up and sighed contently.

"What? Do you know what's wrong with me?"

"There is nothing for me to cure, for you are only becoming more mature."

"MORE MATURE?!" Spike screamed, looking over his body and wiping sweat from his forehead. "But why aren't I grabbing, stealing, throwing, or maiming anything?!"

"The first time that you started to grow, you only searched for things to stow. That is why you grew no wings for happiness comes not with diamond rings."

"Then what does it come with, Zecora?"

"A happy heart needs warmth and care, patience and a lot of prayer. When you care for somepony so, those effects cause your body to grow."

"So you're saying that I'm maturing because... I care for somepony?"

Zecora nodded her head.

"But who?"

"If you don't know, then I can't tell. On this, your own thoughts need to dwell."

"Could it be Rarity?"

"Is she truly what your heart desires? Does she make your heart catch fire?"

Spike pondered that question. He had never felt that feeling with Rarity... or anypony for that matter. He hit his head repeatedly to try and pound the answer out, but he only succeeded in making Zecora laugh.

"Zecora, I don't know!" The zebra approached the dragon and gave him a small hug before walking back to her cauldron and talking again.

"Thinking this way will only make your stomach ache. Why not go home and rest up, for your sake?"

Spike sighed and slumped to the ground.

"Maybe I should go home... but there are problems there, too."

Zecora walked back over to him and helped him to his feet.

"Perhaps the problems aren't there, but here." She placed her hoof on Spike's chest. "Now run on home to Applejack, dear." Spike nodded and left Zecora's hut with a heavy heart and a foggy head, but the zebra soon closed the door and smiled happily.

"Spike will now very soon see the fulfillment of his destiny."





Applejack sat on the farthest hill in her orchard and watched the sun go down. The bright crimson colors of the sunset reflected off of the tree's branches and carried a soft breeze. Her ponytail continued to smack her neck most irritably with each gust of wind, but Applejack didn't bother to mess with it. 

"Beautiful day..." She muttered to herself. She sighed for a long time until she had no air left in her lungs, and then she stood to her three hooves and turned to face the opposite direction from the sunset. She already saw the dark sky start to take over and could've sworn that she saw a silhouette of Princess Luna outlined against the silvery moon.

"Applejack!"

She turned back around to see Spike running towards her, panting like an exhausted dog.

"I just went to see Zecora and she knew what was wrong with me!"

Applejack looked away from him and lowered her head.

"Ah know what's wrong with ya, too." Applejack murmured.

"You do?" Spike walked closer to Applejack and placed his hand on her back. She willingly sat down and faced the sunset once more, refusing to look Spike in the eye.

"Ya don't belong here."

Spike seemed to not have heard what she said as he untied Applejack's mane. The wind laced itself through the individual strands and made her mane flow like silk across her back and Spike's hand. He soon found himself stroking her hair and entwining a light pink rose through it as well.

Wait a minute... Spike thought when he glanced back to the rose. Where did that come from?

He merely shrugged his shoulders and continued to watch her mane flutter in the wind.

"Ya don't belong here." She said more loudly. This time, Spike heard.

"What do you mean, Applejack? This is my home!"

Applejack pulled her mane away from his grasp, snatching her untied ribbons along with it. Spike recoiled when she forced the hair bands from his hand and he took a few steps away from her.

"This ain't yer home! Ya belong with Twilight!"

Spike's heart almost stopped beating.

"But... Applejack-"

"Ya don't owe me a life debt, Spike! You've done more than enough!" She felt her eyes start to water, but ignored it.

"But you still need me!" He walked around to look at her, but only succeeded in seeing her eyes for a brief second before she turned the other way. 

"You've got yer own problems, Spike. Ah don't want ya to have to deal with mine."

"But you need me!"

"I don't want you here no more!" Applejack stood up quickly and smashed her front hoof into the ground. Spike jumped back even further and shivered in fear. "Go home to Twilight! Go home to yer family!" She sniffled as hard as she could, trying to keep the tears from rolling down her face.

"Go home to Rarity..." Applejack looked over to Spike one final time and noticed that his eyes already had tears escaping from them. She felt a salty drop fall down her face as well, but then she started walking away.

"But..." Spike protested, reaching his hand out to stop her. But it was too late. She was gone. 

Spike's heart felt like it was shriveling up and he sat down on the hard grass to cry. He wrapped his wings around his body and slowly rocked back and forth, back and forth. 

"A happy heart needs warmth and care, patience and a lot of prayer. When you care for somepony so, those effects cause your body to grow."

Spike looked up from his crying as he remembered the words Zecora had spoken.

"Perhaps the problems aren't there, but HERE. Now run on home to Applejack, dear."

"Home to Applejack..." Spike muttered. He remembered seeing the papers Zecora had held up and feeling his heart jump with each new face he saw. But then he remembered what happened when he saw Applejack's picture: his heart warmed up. He felt... pleasant. 

"Home to Applejack... home to Applejack..." Spike gazed off in the direction where Applejack had left. "My home may not be Sweet Apple Acres, but home is where the heart is."

His head shot up at those words and he jumped back onto his feet.

"I've got to go get her back! To tell her..." He sighed in contentment. "... that I love her!"

He quickly raced after Applejack, singing a lovestruck tune as he ran.
> Her True Fear
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Applejack approached the border of the Everfree forest and gazed into the dark abyss. She slowly reached up into her mane and untangled the rose that Spike had put there. She held it tenderly in her hoof and looked closely at the light pink petals. For some reason, they looked like the shade of Princess Cadence's coat...

"Ah'm sorry, Spike." She laid the rose on the ground. "Ah can't have ya." 

She closed her emerald eyes and took one step into the forest, hopping as quickly as she could before anypony could see her. Before she disappeared entirely, she looked back to the rose and sighed.

"Ah love ya."

She then vanished into the forest.





"Applejack? Applejack!" Spike hollered as he ran all throughout Ponyville. Several ponies stopped in their tracks to watch the dragon fly all over the town searching for the farm mare.

"Have you seen Applejack?" Spike asked a light green unicorn.

"Huh, what's that?" She looked up from her book and sighed. "I don't have time to be looking for ponies! There are SO many of those here already!" She buried her nose in her book again.

"But have you seen Applejack?"

"No."

"Uh... thanks... I guess?"

"Oh, hey! One quick thing before you go!"

"Yes?"

"If you see any-" she lowered her voice to a whisper. "-humans... then let me know!"

Spike stared at the strange unicorn.

"Uh... sure! I'll keep an eye out for some... hue-maans, err, whatever it was you said." Spike quickly dashed away as a tan colored earth pony walked over to the unicorn.

"Lyra! Were you talking about humans again?" She asked.

"No way, Bon-Bon! I was talking about finding humans!"

Bon-Bon smacked her face with her hoof in embarrassment while Lyra dived right back into her book.

Spike continued to run down the busy market, screaming out Applejack's name whenever he had a breath. Soon enough, he caught the attention of a butter colored pegasus who was trying to find the perfect cherry at a vendor.

"Why are you in such a hurry?" Fluttershy asked the panting dragon.

"Applejack's... gone!" He wheezed.

"Gone?!"

"I can't find her anywhere!" Spike started to panic. "I've looked at the farm, Twilight's house, Rarity's shop, Rainbow's home, Sugar Cube Corner, all of the vendors in Ponyville, an-"

Fluttershy placed her hoof over his mouth.

"I think I understand what 'anywhere' means, Spike."

"Right, sorry."

"Why don't I help you find her?"

"Would you do that?"

"Well of course! She's one of my best friends!"

"Great! Let's go!" 

The two friends dashed down the road, leaving the cherry vendor in the dust.

"What about them 20 bits you said you'd give me?!" He called after Fluttershy. His eyes then widened in realization and he sighed in disappointment. "Now I'm a doormat..."

Spike glanced briefly backwards to see who had yelled out to them, but saw nopony calling them again, so he continued running. They looked all over the market, then down towards the Town Hall where they ran into the Mayor. Mayor Mare to be precise.

"Mayor Mare!" Fluttershy hollered, stopping the earth pony in her tracks. "Have you seen Applejack anywhere?"

"Why no, my dear, I haven't." She then reached down and picked up a hammer. "But I still need help fixing that huge hole in the roof of Town Hall. Mind helping?"

"Oh, we can't. We need to find Applejack. I have a bad feeling that something horrible has happened to her!" Mayor Mare stared at Fluttershy for a good five seconds before shrugging her shoulders and hammering a nail into the closest loose board.

"Suit yourself." She said through a full mouth. Spike growled in frustration at the mare's incompetence and wondered how she had ever been elected to be Mayor of Ponyville.

"Come on! We don't have time for this!" 

He grabbed Fluttershy by her tail and almost had to drag her away from the Mayor.

"Where else could she be?"

Fluttershy scratched her chin in thought and then her eyes brightened up.

"She could be at my cottage!"

"Why would she be there?"

"I don't know, but that's the one place we haven't looked!"

"Worth a shot!"

The two of them sped off towards Fluttershy's cottage, leaving Mayor Mare in the dust. She sighed and dropped the hammer down to the floor, staring at all of the work ahead of her.

"I've really got to stop being such a doormat!"





When they finally arrived at Fluttershy's cottage, they found Winona near the fence, staring off into the Everfree forest. Spike walked up to her and noticed that she was shaking uncontrollably and whimpering with fear and worry.

"What's wrong, girl?" He asked the canine as he stroked her head. Fluttershy hovered over and cuddled closely to the dog, singing a gentle tune until the she calmed down.

"Now what's got you so troubled, Winona?" 

She gazed up at Fluttershy and gave a small 'woof' as she jumped out of her grasp and started heading towards the forest. A bright smile came onto Spike's face as he followed her.

"I think she's taking us to Applejack!"

...

"Fluttershy?"

Spike stopped running with the dog and turned back to see that Fluttershy was cowering by the fence post, her eyes wide with fear. Her wings were now 'permanently' fixed to her body and she couldn't even open them if she tried.

"Come on, Fluttershy! Applejack may need our help!"

"But what makes you think she'd be in the..." Fluttershy gulped. "Ever... free... forest?!"

"Because Winona says she is!"

"But maybe Winona is just smelling a squirrel or something."

Spike turned a bright shade of red as he felt the anger well up inside of him. He stormed over to Fluttershy, green flames bursting from his mouth and stretching his wings to the maximum. 

"Oh, my!" Fluttershy gasped in horror. 

Spike instantly saw the terror in her eyes and started to calm down, feeling sympathy for the timid pony. He folded his wings down and approached her.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy." Spike felt the shivering pegasus start to calm down, but she still wasn't completely. "I... just don't want anything to happen to Applejack. I understand your fears... because I'm afraid too."

"Then why do you want to go in there?"

Spike glanced into the beautiful pegasus' eyes and sighed.

"Because I love her."

Fluttershy froze. 

"Fluttershy?"

"Wha-what did you say?" She quickly rose to her hooves and looked into Spike's green eyes. "Did you just say that you... love Applejack?"

"Yes."

Fluttershy gazed deep into Spike's eyes, as if determining whether he was lying or not. Thankfully, she didn't use the stare on him, since he was scared to death of her intimidating spell.

"Oh! I am so happy for you!" 

She wrapped her hooves around Spike's neck and almost suffocated the poor creature. He gagged for air and Fluttershy blushed, pulling herself away and nervously tucking a strand of mane behind her ear.

"That's besides the point! Will you help me or not?"

Fluttershy did not need a moment to think about it anymore.

"Of course, I'll help you!"

Suddenly, Winona came running back carrying something in her mouth. She tried to bark as loudly as she could, but only succeeded in making a small muffling noise.

"What do you got there, Winona?" Spike asked as he pulled the object out of her mouth. His heart sank when he realized what it was. "Applejack's Rose."

The petals were slobbered, but strangely enough they were still in perfect and beautiful condition... as if the rose had just been picked.

"Where is she, Winona?"

The border collie pointed towards the forest and growled deeply.

"Then let's go!"

Howling, Winona led the two friends through the thicket and on the mad chase to find Applejack before it was too late.





Applejack found herself taking the path towards the clearing in the forest and soon noticed where she was when she set her hoof on the short grass. She looked up and saw the two withered roses in the middle of the clearing, untouched by anything except for time. She hobbled over to them and sat down for a brief second, reaching up for where her hat should have been. Unfortunately, she had left it at home and she deeply regretted leaving it there.

She let a few tears run down her cheeks at the thought of Spike and of her family. 

"Ah can't let mah family suffer fer mah leg!" She looked down at the crippled limb and gritted her teeth. "Ah should've done this a long time ago!" She glanced down to the roses and growled menacingly under her breath. "Ah WILL avenge ya! Ah WILL take down that timber wolf and hopefully..." She gulped. "... die with honor!"

Applejack rose and surveyed the area around her.

Now the only problem is to FIND the monster! She thought.

Unfortunately, she only had to turn around.

GRR...

Applejack sighed when she felt the hot breath against her back and she whispered a silent prayer to God before turning around to look at the beast. It towered over her like it had last time, it's green eyes still soulless and empty.

"Hello, beasty..." Applejack whispered. It growled once more and took a step towards her. "I think that you're bein' missed in Hell. Definitely don't want to keep ya from yer friends!" 

The timber wolf roared furiously and started to stampede towards her, dropping sticks and stones as it ran. Applejack hobbled away as quickly as she could, but wincing frequently when she placed weight on her back leg. She turned around to watch as the timber wolf's paw smashed her parent's roses into pieces, making her more infuriated than she already was.

She stopped where the clearing came to an end and defiantly stared down the timber wolf.

"Come an' get me, ya big goon!" She hollered, racing into the woods. The wolf snarled at the cowpony's enthusiasm and pursued her, gaining ten feet for every one of hers. 

Suddenly, Applejack found herself at the edge of the rock cliff again, staring down towards where Spike had been when the wolf had cornered him. She whirled around and planted her front hooves into the ground as the wolf came into view. He stopped and rumbled deep in his throat as he placed one paw forward.

"Ya took mah parents..." Applejack began as he crept forward. "Ya took mah leg..." 

The timber wolf was right next to her now, shoving its snout in her face.

"But you will NOT TAKE THE OTHERS THAT AH LOVE!"

Applejack swung her right hoof up and smacked the timber wolf on the jaw. It yelped and stumbled a few steps back before recovering and then roaring as loudly as it could. 

Then it charged, lowering its head to hit Applejack. She closed her eyes and waited for the impact which came sooner than she had hoped. The coarse sticks cut through her skin as its head hit her chest. She gasped out in agony and closed her eyes tightly when she felt herself flying through the air and towards the ground. It had tossed her over the cliff and was watching as she tumbled down the rocks, quickly hitting the ground and gasping out a final breath.

The timber wolf roared triumphantly to the moon and tossed down a few rocks on Applejack for good measure, pinning her helpless body to the ground.

"And what makes you so happy?!"

The timber wolf turned to the new arrival and snarled all the more. Spike and Fluttershy stood defiantly beside each other and snarled right back at the beast.

"YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN HURT THE ONE I LOVE AND GET AWAY WITH IT?!" Spike demanded as he pointed his outstretched claws toward the wolf. "WELL YOU CAN'T!"

"You tell him, Spike!" Fluttershy pathetically cheered. "Woo hoo!"

The wolf roared, making Fluttershy whimper in fear and sink to the floor, but she didn't run away. Spike looked down at her and tapped her on the shoulder. She looked up to see the dragon steadily staring down at her.

"You wouldn't mind if I roasted this guy, would you?" He asked politely. 

Fluttershy looked over at the wolf and saw that this monster had no soul that she could see. It only snarled and drooled with the lust for murder and slowly approached them. Fluttershy sighed and nodded her head to Spike.

"I don't mind at all! This creature should know better than to hurt one of MY friends!"

Suddenly, Fluttershy zipped up to confront the timber wolf and stared screaming like a banshee.

"HOW DARE YOU?!"

The wolf snapped for the frail pegasus, but missed when she quickly dodged its jaws.

"Fluttershy, go help Applejack! I'll take care of this monster!"

Fluttershy followed Spike's orders, diving down the cliff to help her friend. The wolf disregarded the pegasus and growled at Spike who was now flying directly in front of its face. It was about to roar again and snap for Spike, but was interrupted when Spike held out a hand to silence it.

"Tell me, mutt, what happens when wood heats up?"

The wolf sat down for a minute to think about it and scratched its head in confusion. It then shrugged its shoulders in defeat and watched as Spike got even closer.

"You ever hear of a forest fire?" Spike mocked.

The timber wolf whimpered at the words Spike spoke and tucked its tail between its legs.

"Well..." Spike's mouth shot flames out in every direction, scorching the timber wolf's legs and back. It yelped in agony and started to run away, but was cornered by Spike. "...YOU'RE ABOUT TO BECOME ONE!"

Spike took in a deep breath and exhaled quickly, a long stream of green flames shooting downwards towards the terrified wolf. It quickly became engulfed in a brilliant flash of emerald lights and howled in pain. It gnashed its teeth and ran off into the darkness of the forest, slowly turning to ash.

"Have fun burning!" Spike called after it. He then smiled triumphantly and did a quick flip in the sky.

"Spike!" Fluttershy called out.

He quickly flew to the edge of the cliff and stared down as the butter-colored pegasus tried to pry a large rock off of Applejack.

"Help!"

He dived down to her side and rapidly hoisted the rock off of the farm mare. Fluttershy could not utter a word when Spike chucked the rock into oblivion. 

"Applejack..." Spike whispered as he pulled her body into his arms. Her legs were limp and her eyes were shut just as Spike had feared. He stroked her mane with his hand and wiped away a drop of blood that had already crusted onto her face. He quivered when Applejack's coldness seeped into him and he slowly closed his eyes.

"Is she..." Fluttershy didn't need to know the answer, but she still wanted to hold on to the slightest bit of hope. Spike looked over at her and shook his head. She gasped and buried her face in her tattered mane, sobbing into the silky substance. 

"This isn't fair, Applejack." Spike muttered. "You saved me twice, and now I saved you twice... but nopony can say that I saved you when you aren't here." He stroked her face tenderly and felt tears roll down his face and onto hers. He cradled her lifeless body and slowly began to sing.

"We've traveled the road of generations, joined by a common bond. We sing our song 'cross the pony nation, from Equestria and beyond. We're Apples forever, Apples together, we're family but so much...

Spike sniffled and shivered, forcing himself to continue.

...MORE. No matter what comes, we will face the weather! We're Apples to the core!

By now, Spike was heaving and Fluttershy gently started to pull him away from Applejack. He feebly reached out to Applejack as Fluttershy dragged him further away, but collapsed in a heap of tears when Fluttershy pulled him in for a hug.

There's no place... that I'd rather be...

Spike lifted his head to the singing and looked up at Fluttershy to see if she had sung it, but she looked just as surprised as he was. They both looked over to where Applejack lay and saw...

... than travelin' with mah family. Friends all around... come to join and see as we sing out across the land!

Spike removed himself from Fluttershy's embrace and walked over to the mare, clutching her hoof in his hand. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open and she sighed in exhaustion. Then, she looked up at Spike and a small smiled spread across her face.

"Spike..." She said weakly.

"Yes?"

"Ah... love ya."

Spike trembled with joy and cried out as loudly as he could.

"I LOVE YOU, TOO, APPLEJACK!" He wrapped his claws around her neck, burying his snout into her silky mane. She giggled and hugged him back despite the terrible pain shooting through her body.

Suddenly, Applejack pulled away from Spike and stared at him sternly.

"Are we 'even steven' now?" She asked with a chuckle.

Spike laughed and nodded his head vigorously.

"Yes, we are! But, if I may, I would like to ask you something."

"Ya don't need to! Mah answer's yes!"

They hugged again as Fluttershy watched, sobbing loudly and hard as the tears erupted from her eyes like waterfalls. She grabbed a large leaf and blew her nose loudly into it, then using it to wipe away her tears.

What the three happy creatures didn't notice, was a light pink figure standing a distance away in the thicket. She smiled warmly and flew away with her wings outstretched. She made her horn glow ever so slightly to increase the light in the forest, making the scene even more brilliant than it already was. She gazed down at them one last time and chuckled to herself.

"The roses always work!"

With those words, she flew away while Spike and Applejack were sharing their first true kiss in Princess Luna's fair light.

	

> A Dragon's Fruit
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Spike and Applejack were now happily engaged, being congratulated by friends all around them and being criticized by others. However, they didn't care what others thought. All of their friends were incredibly happy for them, especially Twilight who wound up crying when she realized that Spike was all grown up.

"At least I'll be an aunt soon!" She said through her sobs. Spike and Applejack looked at each other uncomfortably when the rest of their friends started awkwardly laughing. Applejack tilted her renewed stetson hat over her face while Spike hid behind his massive wings.

Applejack was still worried about the foreclosure of her home, but Spike was always there to keep her spirits high with a kiss or a nice massage on her bad leg. She would also treat him with a back scratch and the occasional back massage which relieved the stress that it had on his wings.

Fluttershy stopped by to help Big Macintosh with the trees every other day at three. Big Mac marveled at the strength of the small pegasus as she rattled through each tree, shaking every apple from every branch. He even caught himself staring at the beautiful sight of a pony and smacked himself across the face to remind himself to keep working.

Although, every couple of seconds he would sneak a peek at her pretty face, and then keep moving. He did not know, however, that Fluttershy also shared his feelings... but that's another story entirely!

One afternoon, as they were walking through the Ponyville market, Applejack and Spike froze in shock when they saw the wonder happening at Sugar Cube Corner. Ponies were lining up by the hundreds, pushing and shoving their way into the small sweet shop. Applejack and Spike quickly walked over to see what the fuss was about, but were blocked by the hoard.

"You'll have to wait your turn like everypony else!" One stallion shouted at them. Many other stallions and mares shouted in agreement and wedged themselves in front of the couple as well.

"Wait for what?" Spike asked.

Suddenly, a light pink head sprung out of the crowd and dragged the two of them inside. She was squealing in delight as she brought them to the front counter and sat them down, being careful of Applejack's leg.

"OOH! You are not going to believe what I've been up to!" Pinkie shrieked as she ran into the kitchen to retrieve something. 

Spike sniffed the air and looked around him to see ponies drooling over some oddly shaped fruit.

"Hey... aren't those my-" 

"Here you go!" Pinkie interrupted Spike as she heaved a large chest from out of the kitchen. Applejack stared at it until Pinkie Pie threw open the lid and stood back. Applejack gasped when she saw what was inside.

"What? What is-" Spike's eyes widened as well. "Whoa..."

"So far, I've counted over 9,360 bits! All from your roasted apples, Spike!" She pointed a bright pink hoof at the dragon who stood back in shock.

"My what?"

"Remember those apples you had me try? Well, I saved one of them and tried to duplicate it as best I could. Although they don't taste as good as yours do, the ponies LOVE them!"

"They... love my roasted apples?!"

"Sure do! I haven't been able to keep them on the shelf! They're selling for 10 bits a piece!"

"10 BITS?!" Applejack hollered.

"That is what I said, wasn't it?"

Pinkie Pie then pushed the chest forward towards the couple and smiled with glee.

"This ALL belongs to you! Now you won't have to worry about foreclosure!"

Applejack's eyes welled up with tears of pure joy and she jumped up as quickly as she could to hug her friend. Pinkie Pie allowed herself to cry a little bit too, but then she ruffled Applejack's mane playfully.

"IN HONOR OF THE HAPPY COUPLE," Pinkie Pie began. "FREE CUPCAKES FOR EVERYPONY!"

The crowd cheered in delight as they continued to throw down their bits for the roasted apples. Every bit that fell on the counter was also met with a cupcake, but Pinkie Pie quickly scooped the bits into the chest and watched as Applejack smiled with pure contentment.

"So... no more worrying?" Spike asked his fiance. 

"No more worryin'." Applejack confirmed with a small kiss on his cheek. He quickly returned it with a kiss on the lips which drew some pony's attentions, but they soon forgot when their roasted apples were being taken away from them.

"Spike, what do you say that you make more roasted apples and continue to sell them?" Pinkie suggested. 

Spike looked over to Applejack who quickly nodded her head.

"Absolutely, Pinkie Pie! I'd love to!"

"Yeah! More roasted apples!" A young filly cried out. The rest of the crowd cheered once more, but then continued the mad rush. Even Photo Finish was there to try and purchase some of the apples for a new photo shoot she was planning.

"It will be called: MORNING MANZANAS! Each model will wear-"

"Yeah, that's nice, ma'am, but will ya pay for your apples already?!" An irritated blue pegasus demanded. 

Applejack rolled her eyes at Rainbow Dash's impatience and smiled when the multi-colored pony shoved an entire roasted apple into her mouth and sigh with pleasure.

Then, Applejack let one final tear run down her face before hugging her fiance tightly and sighed in relief. He stroked her mane and sighed back, inhaling the sweet scent of her silky hair.

Thank you, Zecora. You were right all along. He planted a long kiss onto her lips and felt his whole body turn warm.  I am VERY happy where my home is. And that's with Applejack.
> Epilogue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


SEVEN MONTHS LATER


Spike woke up from his deep slumber and yawned for a good ten seconds. He scratched his scaly chest with his claws and slowly turned over onto his other side to plant a kiss on his beloved wife. However, when he puckered up his lips, they were met with a cold pillow. 

"Wha-?" Spike mumbled as he slowly sat up in his bed. Applejack was nowhere to be seen... at least not on the bed. He quickly gazed around the room and noticed that her wheelchair had not been touched. "Applejack?"

He quickly got out of bed and looked underneath it, but to no avail. Spike started to panic like he always does when he doesn't understand something (remind you of any purple pony?). He started to sweat uncontrollably when he couldn't find her in the bathroom, the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, or the family room.

"Applejack!" 

The frazzled dragon ran out the front door, scanning over the orchard as quickly as he could. Granny Smith had given them a secluded part of the farm to live on as a wedding present so that Spike could continued to make the roasted apples (which were now being sold even in Canterlot)! Princess Celestia even made a point to advertise the delicious fruit so that they could provide for themselves.

"AJ? Come on, honey, talk to me!" 

His heart was pounding loudly inside his ears as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He was about to scream as loudly as he could, when he saw a familiar sight steadily walking towards him.

He sighed in absolute relief and wiped a gallon of sweat off his forehead.

"Applejack! I thought something happened to you!" 

He swooped down from the sky and scooped Applejack up into the air which made her cry out in joy. She cuddled up against his chest and gave him a small kiss before he set her down.

"Well, Sugar Cube, somethin' DID happen ta me." She beamed with pride when Spike's eyes widened in shock.

"What? What happened?!" He looked her over and did not see anything peculiar, until he looked at her back legs. The bandages that were previously wrapped around her right back leg... 

"They're gone!" He brushed his claw down her leg in amazement and then looked to his wife for an explanation.

"Ah decided I'd go to the doctor's early this mornin'. Figured you needed yer sleep." Applejack began to prance around her husband with a smug look on her face as he stared at her in awe. "Apparently, mah leg's all better!"

"But... how is that possible?"

"Ah don't know! Even he didn't know! He said it was a miracle!"

"I'll say!" Spike hugged his wife firmly, but then pulled her away and looked at her sternly. "But this doesn't mean that you can get back to bucking apples just like that!"

"Oh, ah know, Spike."

He smiled at her response and released his hold on her.

"There's also... another miracle the doctor mentioned..." Applejack trailed off when Spike looked at her again with shock. She blushed softly as the dragon placed his claw on her shoulder and looked her in the eye.

"What miracle?"