Doubt in Applebuck Season
"Hnngh..." Dusk moaned softly before waking up, stretching his hooves and lifting his head from between the sheets. "I slept great...!"
Then Dusk opened his eyes and was confused for a few seconds seeing the strange room which he had awoken in, something that had been a constant lately, since Dusk had woken up in many different places the last few days, but this time he hadn't woke up in a prison cell or a barn, this time he had awoken in his new room, the small room above the Golden Oak Library, small if it was compared to his old room in Canterlot castle.
"Huff... I guess I'll have to get used to waking up like this every day." Dusk sighed thinking aloud, missing a bit his old room and realizing everything he had agreed to leave behind, remembering what he had said to the Mayor after the celebration and how she had given him work as the new Ponyville librarian, after all, if he was going to live in Ponyville, he would have to get a job.
Dusk became melancholy for a moment and thought of all the books and study notebooks he had left in Canterlot, although of course, he could ask for them to be sent, but that was not the most important thing or the only thing he missed for, now he understood that he was far from his family, from his home, from the city he knew, from everything he knew! And mainly, away from his teacher. Finally Dusk began to weigh up the real situation, because this time it was not like when the princess sent him against his will to Ponyville, where he always had the goal of returning to Canterlot, no, now it was different, now he had chosen to stay here and abandon everything he had in Canterlot.
At these thoughts, Dusk lowered his head thoughtfully, believing that he would feel some grief and regret the decision he'd made, but instead he felt other things, such as hope, joy, even enthusiasm for the new challenge he faced, knowing that this time he would not be alone, knowing that now he had friends to trust, feelings that made Dusk draw a small smile as he lifted his head.
Dusk got out of bed, stretched his muscles and went to go down the stairs and start that new day, the first day of his new life in Ponyville. When he finished heading down the stairs, Dusk heard some loud snoring coming from the living room, a snoring that he knew well. Dusk approached the source of the noise and saw that it was Spike, just as he had seen the previous day, sleeping in a kind of basket that served Spike well as a bed, with tremendous eye bags under his closed eyes, his mouth agape trailing a thread of saliva, and his arms and legs in a strange position, as if he had fallen unconscious and hadn't moved again the whole night.
Dusk approached the dragon and smelled him, just as he had done the night before when he saw him asleep that way after returning from the Summer Sun Celebration, he realized that his little brother still had the same strong and unmistakable smell he had from the previous day. The previous night, Dusk had realized that his brother had finally fallen asleep after the effects of the 'special' fruit punch he took that day, apparently he had fallen asleep deeply all that day and therefore he had not attended his arrival after he had saved the princesses, or be present in the subsequent Summer Sun Celebration, and as Dusk supposed that his little brother was probably suffering from a huge hangover, he decided to let him sleep. However, it was daylight now and Spike was still asleep.
"How much did he drink yesterday?" Dusk asked as he continued to see his brother snoring, surprised by the long nap he had taken and from the smell of Spike, he still didn't throw up all the alcohol out of his system. "Although of course, his body is different from that of a pony, plus, he is still just a baby."
Then Dusk looked up, looking at the small kitchen in the library that was on the other side of the main room, thinking that he should go there to have his breakfast since Spike was still asleep, but on the spot, Dusk came up with an evil idea, one that made him smile sinisterly. Dusk trotted to the kitchen and returned with a frying pan and a large spoon he found there, then he levitated both objects with his magic and put them next to Spike's ear.
"I know it's not right, but you've already slept enough and you deserve a punishment that teaches you not to drink that kind of stuff again," Dusk said seriously, but then put on a sinister smile. "Besides, I am your older brother, and as a good big brother it's my duty to bother my younger brother from time to time, fufufu..."
"WAKE UP!" Dusk yelled, hitting the pan with the metal spoon, making a great, surprising noise that immediately woke up Spike.
"Waahh!!" Spike screamed, waking with a jump.
Spike looked around until he saw Dusk standing by his side with a wicked smile. As soon as Spike saw his older brother, Dusk could see that Spike had red eyes from the hangover; while Spike stared in astonishment at Dusk, then he saw the pan and understood what had just happened.
"Aww... You're the worst brother in the world..." Spike said lowering his head, grabbing his pillow, and again throwing himself into his basket, covering his head with the pillow.
"That's what you get for drinking things you shouldn't," Dusk said, starting to hit the pan again. "Last night I was compassionate, but today is a new day and you need a lesson. The special fruit punch is for adult ponies, not for baby dragons."
"It's not my fault... I didn't know what it had, the girls said it was a special punch and nothing more." Spike said covering his ears harder, with his eyes closed, trying not to feel his headache.
"So that's it... Then I'll have to talk to the girls about leaving a drink like this within the reach of a minor." Dusk finally said, stop hitting the pan, with a thoughtful look, thinking he would have to talk seriously with his friends.
"Wait a second, you're here!" Spike said opening his eyes and looking at Dusk, but without having the strength to raise his aching head. "What happened to the princess and the rescue mission!?"
For a second Dusk forgot that Spike had missed all his great adventure the day before, a very interesting story with a surprising ending, something he knew Spike would enjoy since Spike loved reading adventure comics. Then Dusk smiled and prepared to tell him the greatest adventure of his life and how now he had finally managed to have friends again.
"Well, it's an interesting story, you'll see-" Dusk began to speak enthusiastically, but was caught in the act by Spike, who raised his claw to stop him.
"Please, stop," Spike said again closing his eyes and covering his ears harder with the pillow. "I don't think I'm in a good state to hear your story now, I have a huge headache... It's like everything trembles..."
Dusk smiled at the comment of his brother, ready to make fun again of his brother's hangover, but stopped when he felt some vibrations, a movement that became greater as the seconds passed, like a tremor. Immediately Dusk understood that it was not that Spike felt movement due to his dizziness and hangover, but that it was really shaking.
"Wait here, I'll be right back," Dusk said to Spike, running immediately to the front door to try and find out what was happening.
As soon as Dusk left the library he saw that all the ponies in town were running like crazy in all directions.
"Stampede!" Rainbow Dash suddenly screamed from the sky, causing Dusk to look up immediately. Then he saw that his friend along with some ponies, including the Mayor, were heading towards the entrance of the town.
Dusk did not waste time and followed that group of ponies, without fully understanding the situation yet. Upon arriving, he saw that a group of ponies had stopped at the entrance to the town, all looking at what appeared to be a cloud of dust approaching Ponyville. Despite the agitation of the situation, his heart was glad to see that in that group of onlookers were precisely several of her new friends: Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, who had landed next to her friends.
"Emm... Hello girls!" Dusk greeted, nervously at first, but then glad to know that he now had the familiarity and confidence to speak like a friend with those mares.
"Dusk!" The mares greeted happily, forgetting for a second the imminent danger.
"What's wrong?" Dusk asked confused, glancing sideways at the approaching cloud of dust as the tremors increased.
"Oh, Dusk! It's terrible!" Rarity said, as exaggerated in crisis as ever. "A stampede is coming here and no one can stop it!"
Dusk was confused by the words of Rarity, then looked from side to side and saw that no pony seemed to want to move, all them just kept their faces of anguish waiting for the stampede.
"Seriously?! Nopony going to do anything!?" Dusk asked confused to see how defeatists the ponies of the town were, without anyone deciding to defend the town of whatever was coming in that stampede.
Then Dusk took a step forward and lit his horn, putting himself on guard to defend the town from whatever it was that came to attack them, with a look filled with determination, Dusk stared fiercely at the approaching cloud of dust, a fierceness that lasted only a moment until he finally saw what was causing the stampede, they were just a bunch of weeping cows! All running scared of something. Dusk's horn went out in the act without knowing what to do, after all, he couldn't attack a defenseless cow, not even if they're running in a stampede towards the town, they were just cows!
Dusk began to quickly devise a less violent way to stop the stampede of cows as they got closer and closer to town until a sudden shout caused all the ponies to notice a silhouette that appeared behind the cows, running up next to them.
"Yee-haw!" Applejack shouted, running quickly as she tried to steer the stampede of cows to another direction, this with the help of her dog that ran across the stampede following Applejack's instructions. Finally Applejack spun a lasso and deftly laced the guide cow by the neck and made them change direction, so that just at the last moment the stampede of cows was diverted, not reaching the center of Ponyville, stopping to the side from the entrance to the town.
"Wow! Did you see that!? My friend's incredible!" Rainbow Dash shouted excitedly, always enjoying those exciting situations.
"As always, the reliable Applejack has helped us again," The Mayor said, grateful that the crisis had been resolved.
"What? Again? Are stampedes frequent here?" Dusk asked confused. "How come you don't have an alarm or something that at least warns you?"
"Excuse me, hellooo! What didn't you hear me scream 'stampede'?" Rainbow Dash replied, proud to be the self-proclaimed stampede alarm system.
"That's not an effective alarm system," Dusk said looking at Rainbow Dash with a look of disbelief and smugness.
"Well, it's not always a stampede, but something always happens." The Mayor replied somewhat embarrassed.
"Yeah, it's a really fun town!" Pinkie Pie added smiling, who was holding a bucket of popcorn as if she had been waiting all morning for the show.
"But everytime something like that happens, Applejack is always the first to appear," Fluttershy added, also approaching where Dusk was. "She always helps everyone, in fact, she's helping me with the official bunny census."
"Yeah, and she's helping me with a new flight trick I've been practicing." Rainbow Dash added.
"And she's helping me run Sugarcube Corner while Mr. and Mrs. Cake are away!" Pinkie Pie added.
"She's not helping me at all this week, but I was thinking about asking for her help with a little fashion show that I'm having in a few weeks, I'm sure she'll be delighted, she's always so helpful," Rarity said smiling. "We definitely have to repay her in some way for everything she does for us."
"I've already taken care of that," The Mayor added with pride. "This year we'll give a special award to the pony that has contributed most to helping the towns-ponies, and Applejack definitely deserves it!"
While Dusk listened, he was amazed by Applejack, discovering that he wasn't the only one who knew to trust her, all the ponies in town did, which made admiration grow in Dusk when he learned that now he was friends with a pony as reliable as her.
After all that talk, Applejack finally approached her friends, after making sure that the cows were well and that they could return on their own to the meadows. Once she arrived, everyone cheered for her, thanking her for saving the town, mainly her four friends, who approached her with great smiles and expressed how amazed they were at her bravery and courage, something that also highlighted the Mayor.
"You really were amazing!" Dusk finally said after everyone else spoke. "Going alongside that stampede of frightened cows was amazing."
"It's nothing, I just wanted to help." Applejack said smiling, who had already blushed slightly after receiving praise from her friends. Meanwhile, the other four mares were still smiling, but looking closely at Applejack and Dusk.
"You're not only brave and trustworthy, but you're also humble, hahaha." Dusk said smiling, glad to have her as a friend. "You really are a unique mare."
Applejack looked away, embarrassed by Dusk's flattery, while the smiles of the other four mares diminished when they saw that Dusk was focusing too much attention on their country friend.
"Hey, what you did with the lasso was great," Dusk added excitedly getting closer to Applejack. "Could you teach me?"
"Sure, no problem, we can-"
"H-hey! How about I show you some new acrobatics I've practiced?" Rainbow Dash interrupted, speaking to Dusk, standing in front of Applejack to be right front of Dusk herself. "A lasso is nothing compared to what I can do flying."
Applejack was surprised at the intrusion of her friend and opened her mouth to continue talking, but she was interrupted again.
"Or maybe you'd like to come to my boutique, Dusk," Rarity added, also standing in front of Applejack to face Dusk. "I'm creating some fashion sets that would look divine on you!"
Applejack looked annoyed at Rarity for being interrupted again, however she didn't manage to complain as she was pushed unwittingly by Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, who also advanced to be closer to Dusk, moving her even further back.
"What the hay!? A second ago they were flattering me and now they push me and act as if I weren't here!" Applejack thought annoyed looking suspiciously at her friends, although deep down she knew all her friends had their eyes fixed on Dusk.
"Or maybe you could come with me to Sugarcube Corner." Pinkie Pie added, who like the others, was still trying to get Dusk's attention. "I'm trying to invent a new kind of fruit punch with hot sauce and-"
"Fruit punch! Wait a second, that's what I wanted to talk to all of you about." Dusk said suddenly, now the one who interrupted someone else. That sudden change of attitude in Dusk caught the attention of his five friends.
"Yesterday Spike drank a 'special fruit punch', and now he has a huge hangover," Dusk said trying to look serious, although in fact he still thought it was a bit funny to have seen his younger brother drunk. "Tell me, why did you leave something like that within the reach of a minor?"
The five mares lowered their heads in shame since the truth was that none of them had noticed when Spike had taken that fruit punch until it was too late, so they all felt a little responsible for not having paid more attention to the baby dragon.
"It's... it's my fault, I put that 'special fruit punch' at the party." Pinkie Pie finally said, with a guilty look. "Sorry."
"It's also my fault," Applejack added, who also felt guilty. "I delivered bottles of our 'special apple cider' without even asking what they would use it for, I'm sorry too."
Dusk looked at both mares and saw their faces of sincere repentance, faces that made it impossible for Dusk to really get angry with them, besides he just wanted to know what had happened, he didn't want to punish the guilty of what hadn't been more than a little imprudence.
"Huff... Okay, don't worry, I guess it's my fault for not paying attention to my little brother," Dusk said sighing and trying to cheer them up with a small smile. "Also nopony was hurt, only a baby dragon with a strong hangover, hahaha..."
"Oh! I can help ya with that!" Applejack added cheerfully after hearing that. "In the Apple family, we always have drink contests at family gatherings, that's why we have a homemade recipe that cures the hangovers. If ya want, we can go ask Granny Smith to make some for Spike."
"Really? That would be great! Applejack, you're as reliable as ever! Haha." Dusk said with a smile, focusing his eyes back on Applejack, looking at her with expectant eyes.
As soon as Dusk was going to approach Applejack, Pinkie Pie stood between them with a big and exaggerated smile, while the other mares looked worried from to Dusk and Applejack without knowing what to do.
"Sweet Apple Acres is a long way off, why not have Applejack simply give you the recipe? That would be faster," Pinkie Pie said, staring at Dusk.
"Yes, that would be for the best," Fluttershy added as Rainbow Dash and Rarity nodded, giving their approval to what Pinkie Pie had just said.
Dusk was confused by the surprise intrusion of Pinkie Pie, while Applejack saw Pinkie Pie and the other mares with a look that mixed concern and annoyance.
"Eh... Yeah, I guess that would be faster..." Dusk said thinking that what Pinkie Pie had said was logical. "What do you say Applejack? Would it be okay if we do it that way?"
Applejack didn't look at Dusk, just glanced at her friends and lowered her head, making her hat hide her expression.
"No problem." Applejack finally said without looking up. "I'll tell you the recipe so you can buy the ingredients and you can make it for yourself."
After that, Applejack dictated to Dusk a list of ingredients and told him how to mix them, which Dusk easily memorized thanks to his privileged memory.
"Thanks, Applejack!" Dusk said with a smile after Applejack finished dictating the recipe. "I'll go prepare it for Spike immediately."
Then Dusk quickly said goodbye to the mares, turned around and started jogging in the direction of the library. As soon as Dusk began to move away, four of the mares took a step to follow the colt, but they were immediately stopped by the fifth mare, Applejack, who stood in front of them and glared at them.
"What the hay wrong with y'all!? What was that just now!?" Applejack asked. "I thought everything about Dusk was settled."
"What do you mean, everything is settled?" Rarity asked honestly.
"W-Well... You all felt something for Dusk, that's obvious, but he sees us only as friends, that's all." Applejack replied somewhat nervously. "Even Princess Celestia herself said it, 'The magic of friendship', is not the magic of love like we all thought."
Applejack couldn't help but blush after saying that, just remembering it embarrassed her. When she felt the warmth and well-being of Dusk's magic when they faced Nightmare Moon, it had given her the impression that a new feeling was emerging and taking hold in her, something that she, like her friends, had confused with love, for that reason she and her friends had responded with such confidence when the princess asked Dusk about what kind of magic he had used. After finding out that she had confused friendship with love, a huge embarrassment invaded Applejack, a feeling that was only relieved by two things: to know that Dusk had not been able to hear that; and to know that if it was the magic of friendship that united them and not the magic of love, everything would be easier, since her friends would not have to fight over Dusk. Finally, Applejack had overcome that embarrassment and she was sure that her friends should think the same as her, but with what she had just seen, now Applejack was sure that none of her four friends had given up the idea of getting Dusk's love.
"The princess may have said that, but the truth is that I can't help but feel what I feel for Dusk." Rarity said calmly. "And I think we all feel the same."
"Hey! I... I'm not in love with that idiot." Rainbow Dash added quickly, looking away and blushing.
"No! I... I think that the fact that Dusk feels friendship for us is much better than thinking that he can fall in love with one of us, everything will be better if there is no love in between us. "Applejack said, looking insecurely towards the ground.
As soon as Applejack said that, the other four mares looked at each other with half-opened eyes, everyone with the same thought about what her friend had just said, it was obvious that Applejack did not speak with her heart.
"Anyway, I think what we just did was wrong," Fluttershy said being empathetic with Applejack. "Jealousy should not stop Dusk from approaching one of us, or all of us will lose out."
"Yeah, I think you're right." Pinkie Pie added a little more seriously than usual. "The best thing would be to always tell us the truth and not boycott what the others do, let Dusk choose impartially one of us."
"I already said that I'm not looking to fall in love with Dusk!" Rainbow Dash repeated with the same fake angry look and blushed cheeks.
"Yeah, me neither, I... I'm fine being just his... friend." Applejack added, not being able to look her friends in the eye either.
Pinkie Pie and Rarity looked at each other with the same look of disbelief they had made a while ago, then both turned to start walking towards their respective places of work.
"Then it's a deal between the four of us that we have things clear, no one will boycott the others and we can continue to fight for Dusk in our own way." Rarity said, beginning to walk. "Meanwhile, we'll continue to wait for the fifth mare of the group to clarify her own feelings."
Pinkie Pie nodded and, together with Rarity, they left.
"That last comment wasn't necessary," Rainbow Dash said, opening her wings and taking off to also return to her work.
"Huff... That was very tense, but at least I made my position clear about Dusk." Applejack said with a sigh, then looked at Fluttershy and smiled. "Hehe, it seems that Rarity and Pinkie Pie also noticed that Rainbow Dash is lying, it's so obvious that she likes Dusk."
"I don't think they were referring to Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy answered without thinking, regretting immediately by thinking out loud, covering her mouth with her hooves, embarrassed.
"What are you talking about? It's obvious that it's Rainbow Dash that lies about her feelings." Applejack asked confused.
Fluttershy looked at her friend, regretting what she had said since now she would have to tell the truth to Applejack, something that could not be avoided, since lying to Applejack was something almost impossible, besides she didn't like to lie unless it was very necessary.
"Umm... Well... It's true that Rainbow Dash tries to lie to us, but the truth is that both she and we know very well what her feelings are about Dusk." Fluttershy answered timidly. "But... you, on the other hoof, seem to try to lie to yourself and hide what you really feel."
Applejack watched in amazement at her friend, surprised at what she had just heard.
"N-No, you're wrong." Applejack said nervously. "It's just that I'm fine just being friends with Dusk, not wanting to go any further before I confuse myself."
"Do you really feel only friendship for Dusk? Nothing else?" Fluttershy asked, looking affectionately at her friend trying not to seem to hard on her.
Applejack opened her mouth to answer, but for some reason, the words didn't want to leave her mouth. Fluttershy saw how confused her dear friend was, but she knew that this was something that she had to meditate and solve alone, since they were her own feelings, so she only said goodbye with a sweet smile and retired to go home, leaving Applejack alone, still lost in the confusion of her own thoughts and feelings.
"I am honest about my feelings ... Aren't I?" Applejack asked herself, still confused as to whether her friends were right or if she was. Then she looked up quickly and realized that she had spent a lot of time standing alone at the entrance to town.
"Enough thinking about meaningless things." Applejack said thinking aloud, shaking her head quickly to clear her mind. "I've got a lot of work to do today, I'll just focus on that an' nothing else."
So Applejack called Winona, her faithful dog, who had helped her herd the cows and who waited patiently near a tree, then they both started on their way back to Sweet Apple Acres.
Once Applejack arrived at her family's farm, she immediately went to the apple fields that Big Mac must be harvesting because she thought that if she kept her mind busy with work, she would not have time to think about Dusk or about her current sentimental situation. Applejack arrived in the orchards without harvesting and began looking for her older brother.
"Big Mac! What happened!?" Applejack screamed suddenly as she saw her brother in front of an apple tree, lying on the ground and touching his back while grimacing in pain. Immediately Applejack ran to help her brother.
"I-I'm fine... just a little sore, is all." Big Mac replied, standing up in great pain. "I think pulling the wagon all afternoon yesterday chasing that hoodlum around left me worse than I thought. I thought I'd be fine today, but as soon as I tried to buck the tree, the pain came back."
"That what happens when you overwork your body." Applejack said helping her brother up. "I've never seen you like this before if it's that bad you'll probably have to rest for a few days."
"I can't." Big Mac replied, looking toward the apple orchard. "It's applebuck season, I've got to finish the harvest before the season ends."
Applejack also turned her head to see the sprawling field of apple trees that stretched before her. She had helped many times with the harvest, and year after year she improved more and harvested more apple trees, but the truth was that her brother did most of the work.
"Don't worry, I'll be able to take care of the harvest alone this season." Applejack said kindly to try to reassure her brother.
"You can't do it by yourself, it's too much for a single pony to handle." Big Mac said looking seriously at his sister. "If only our cousins had stayed one more day..."
"Hey! I already told ya, I can do it alone, you don't have to worry, you just need to rest up." Applejack said trying to smile, because the truth was that she knew it was a gigantic task to harvest all the apples without help, but she knew that if her brother didn't see her with confidence, he wouldn't rest, which would only aggravate and complicate his recovery.
"Is there no pony you can ask for help?" Big Mac asked worriedly since he didn't want his little sister to over-demand herself because of him.
"Hmm... well, there's my friends, I guess..." Applejack replied, who immediately thought of her dear and inseparable friends to help her, but then she immediately remembered the discussion they had had that morning, and if they all followed the same goal, which was to get Dusk's heart, how could they think about helping her? They had said they would fight for Dusk, did that mean they would fight each other and treat each other as they had treated her when Dusk approached her? It was obvious that all her friends would change now that each of them wanted something that others also wanted, could she still trust them as she did before they met Dusk? Were they still seeing her as a friend or now they only saw her as a rival?
"I-I don't think they can help me," Applejack added quickly after thinking about all that. "You already know them, Rarity wouldn't want to get dirty, Rainbow Dash is pretty lazy, Pinkie Pie would make a mess, and Fluttershy would be scared of having apples falling on her head, hehe." Applejack finished saying, hiding the real reason why she didn't want to ask for help from her friends.
"Hmm... I guess there's no one else who knows at least how to harvest to help you..." Big Mac said with a squint, because he knew there was a colt that had recently helped Applejack with the harvest, that colt was perfect to help Applejack, but it was also true that he didn't want that colt to approach his little sister, so Big Mac didn't say his name, he just kept a strong internal debate in his mind.
Applejack looked at his brother closely and immediately understood that he was referring to Dusk Shine, but would it be the best option to ask Dusk for help? Probably not, Applejack thought immediately, as she recalled again what had just happened this morning and how her friends had done their best to belittle her when Dusk approached her, and now, even though she had said she saw Dusk just like a friend, if the others found out that Dusk was going to help her, surely a fight would arise and all her friends would get angry with her.
"Oh... So you want me to invite Dusk to help me with the harvest? Knowing what he's capable of doing to me if we're alone?" Applejack asked with a mischievous smile, intentionally putting that gesture so that her brother would tell her not to invite Dusk and not herself, so she could hide the real reason why she couldn't ask Dusk for help.
"O-Of course not! I don't want to see that turkey around here again!" Big Mac responded quickly, falling into Applejack's trap.
"Well, there's no other option, I'll have to do it alone," Applejack added with a smile. "Don't worry big brother, I'm sure I can do it with a hoof tied on my back, I'll be fine."
Then Applejack took her brother by a hoof and invited him to start walking back to the house, while Big Mac looked uncertainly at his sister, not knowing if his little sister could with such responsibility, while Applejack just smiled and kept walking.
"Yeah... everything will be fine..." Applejack added as she walked, glancing behind, at the huge apple field that now she must harvest, with a worried look that she hid from Big Mac. She knew it was a gigantic task, and she really would have liked to ask for help, but the truth was that as things were currently, with her friends involved in a complicated love affair of which only she was saved, she was completely alone this time.
"Come on Spike, we've gotta go to the awards ceremony," Dusk said leaving the library, hurrying his brother since he didn't like being late for any assembly.
"I'm coming," Spike said, hurrying to get out and accompany his brother.
"By the way, I think it'll be the perfect opportunity for you to thank her for the cure for the hangover she prescribed you," Dusk said as they made their way to the town's central square.
"Yeah, it really was a miracle cure, it got rid of that headache in a heartbeat," Spike replied before giving a more scathing look. "But if it was not for her and Pinkie Pie, I wouldn't have gotten intoxicated on that fruit punch in the first place."
"That may be true in part, but you should thank her anyway, we should have thanked her before, but I haven't seen her at all this week," Dusk added thoughtfully, since he had had little free time that week because he dedicated it to sorting his home and correctly classifing each book in the library to make a correct inventory, therefore he hadn't had time to meet with his new friends, but after spending a whole week without meeting them, Dusk realized the great emptiness that was generated in his heart, a void left by the lack of companionship of his friends, so now that he had free time, he was eager to meet again with them.
Dusk and Spike finally reached the central square of Ponyville, which had a small stage very well decorated. It seemed that all the ponies of the town were there, eager to thank the pony that would be awarded that day.
"Hi girls." Dusk said smiling, with joy in his heart, seeing four of his friends gathered there.
"Dusk! Darling, we finally get to see you! Have you completely organized the library already?" Rarity asked, approaching Dusk, while Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash did as well.
"Yes, finally everything in my new home is in order, and as I promised, now I can meet again with all of you," Dusk said something embarrassed for not having been able to meet with his friends that week.
"Well, I wouldn't mind if you took another week off," Spike added with a smile.
Dusk looked at his brother and just gave him a false look of anger while smiling, knowing that his little brother had taken advantage of the time he couldn't meet with his friends. The fact was that that week the mares had tried to invite Dusk to breakfast several times, each one separately, however as he was busy that week, he asked Spike to be him instead, that's how each mare ended up having breakfast with Spike, something that disappointed the mares a little, but only initially, since that way they could know Spike better and also form a bond of mutual friendship, which was one of the objectives of Dusk sending Spike with them, while Spike, enjoyed that week a lot when having free breakfasts and spending time with those mares, especially with Rarity.
"Yeah, it's like you've turned down all our invitations." Rainbow Dash said somewhat annoyed.
"It's not that, it's just that I was really busy, but I swear I'll make it up to you," Dusk replied concerned.
"Oh...! And how are you going to make it up to us?" Pinkie Pie asked, putting on a sudden flirtatious look.
Dusk was thoughtful for a moment until a bright thought came to mind.
"What do you think if I invite you all to breakfast? I'll pay for everything so we can all share together!" Dusk said with a smile.
At the comment of Dusk, the four mares present only smiled with a fake and nervous smile, since what they expected was to have breakfast each with Dusk alone, not having breakfast as a group, but obviously that was something they couldn't admit openly, so they just smiled and resigned themselves.
"By the way, where is Applejack?" Dusk added, looking everywhere. "This ceremony is supposed to be in her honor."
"I don't know, I was wondering the same thing," Fluttershy replied. "It turns out that none of us has seen her all week."
"Welcome, everypony!" Mayor Mare said suddenly, standing on the stage, with a strong voice to be heard by all the ponies present. "It is my privilege to give the prize, Pony of Ponyville Award, of this year."
"Seriously, what's the pony's hobby of adding 'pony' to all the words...?" Spike said in a whisper, before being silenced by Dusk so he wouldn't interrupt the ceremony.
"The award this year is for a pony of the utmost trustworthiness, reliability, and integrity." Mayor Mare continued speaking. "Ponyville's most capable and dependable friend, Applejack!"
As soon as the Mayor mentioned the name of Applejack, the curtains that were on the side of the stage were opened and all the ponies present began to applaud, although they quickly stopped doing it after seeing that behind the curtain there was no pony. Suddenly, from one side of the stage, appeared a big red stallion with bandages that surrounded the central part of his body, it was Big Mac, who climbed slowly to the stage and spoke in the Mayor's ear, before the expectant look of everypony.
"What, Applejack can't come because she's too busy?" Mayor Mare asked after Big Mac finished.
"Eeyup." Big Mac replied, who didn't like to talk more than necessary, less in public.
"T-Then I think you can take the prize for her." Mayor Mare said somewhat embarrassed, then she turned back to the crowd and spoke again louder. "Our beloved Applejack is working hard on her farm, so to receive this prestigious award, here is her faithful older brother."
All the ponies looked at each other, they shrugged and re-applauded while the Mayor gave the prize to Big Mac, since everyone knew Big Mac and Applejack, a modest and hardworking family, and if Applejack couldn't attend, it was because she really had to be very busy on her farm, and apparently Big Mac was hurt, so everyone applauded harder to see how a good brother he was. All the ponies applauding except one, Dusk Shine, who as soon as he saw Big Mac go up the stage, he crouched down and covered his face with his hooves, seeing only by one side of his eyes, as if that hid him better in some way from the Big Mac's eyes.
The ceremony was brief, the Mayor gave a trophy to Big Mac, then she gave another small speech and as Big Mac was a pony of few words, he said nothing more, only appreciated the gesture. That's how the ceremony ended and soon the ponies began to return to their work, among them was Dusk, who as soon as he saw that the crowd was beginning to disperse, he began to crawl out of the crowd so Big Mac wouldn't notice his presence, something that it didn't work at all, since Dusk only took a few steps crawling until he saw those huge red hooves had appeared in front of him and blocked his way. Dusk slowly looked up and saw the always serious face of Big Mac staring at him.
"Err... H-Hi... I had not seen you, hehe..." Dusk smiled nervously as he got up.
"Crap! I should have teleported!" Dusk thought scared, because of all the ponies he could find in Ponyville, Big Mac was the only one he didn't want to see, since he had not yet solved the misunderstanding with the Apple family, although for his luck he had find out that all the cousins of Applejack had already traveled back to their own towns, however, there was still Big Mac, and if something Dusk couldn't get out of his head, it was the look of anger that Big Mac had given him when the red stallion chased him with the cart.
Dusk was silent, sweating nervously as Big Mac stared at him, not moving a muscle.
"Listen, Big Mac... I... I already asked for your forgiveness, but I'll do it as many times as necessary, about the misunderstanding that-" Dusk began to speak nervously until he was interrupted.
"Dusk... Please, help my sister." Big Mac said without changing his serious gesture.
That request from Big Mac completely surprised Dusk, who never expected him to would be so calm, let alone ask him for a favor.
"You're the last pony I wanted to ask for something, but Applejack doesn't want to listen to me." Big Mac spoke again, this time with a fleeting look of sadness. "Maybe... She'll listen to you, please make her see reason."
After saying those words, Big Mac took the trophy again and started his way home, leaving Dusk standing there completely confused.
"What was that? What were you talking about with Big Mac? He never talks much," Rainbow Dash asked curiously, approaching Dusk, with the other mares.
"I... I'm not sure what he wanted..." Dusk replied after analyzing Big Mac's words. It seemed that Applejack had a problem and that she didn't listen to Big Mac's advice, but if that was true, why did Big Mac ask him for help and not from the other mares that were also Applejack's friends? The only answer Dusk could think was that it was a problem that only Dusk could solve or it was something Big Mac or Applejack didn't want the other mares to know, whatever the case, Dusk thought that the best option would be to keep it secret from the mares by the moment.
"Didn't it seem weird that Applejack didn't come to the ceremony? She never misses a commitment." Rarity said thoughtfully.
"Well, she promised to help me this afternoon." Rainbow Dash said. "I'm sure she won't miss it, don't worry, if she has a problem, she would definitely let us know."
"I guess you're right." Rarity replied a little more relieved since she knew that Rainbow Dash knew her country friends character very well.
"Sorry girls, I remembered I have something to do, see you later," Dusk added suddenly, smiling and saying goodbye to the mares quickly, something that surprised the mares, who again regretted not being able to spend more time with Dusk.
Dusk began to walk quietly towards the center of the town, then he saw out of the corner of his eyes that his four friends were still talking to each other and not looking at him, then he quickly changed his direction and started trotting in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. Dusk didn't know why Big Mac had asked only him for help, but he didn't want to betray his trust and further ruin his relationship, so although Dusk would have preferred to go with his friends to visit Applejack, he decided that the best thing this time was to go alone.
It didn't take long for Dusk until he finally saw the apple orchards of Sweet Apple Acres, and as he walked, Dusk saw that near where he and Spike had jumped the fence to steal the apples the first time they came to the Apple farm, Applejack was right there. Dusk jumped the fence and approached the mare, however there was no need to get too close for Dusk to realize that something was wrong with Applejack, she was with her head down, as if she were falling asleep, with her mane somewhat messy and dirty, and when she hit an apple tree to harvest it, Dusk realized immediately that it was not the vigorous and firm thud that she gave when he saw her harvesting before, now she was hitting with less force than usual, it even seemed that it was hard for her to lift her own legs, but what struck Dusk most was the fact that Applejack didn't have that vibrant smile when she was harvesting, instead she just walked clumsily and robotically to the next apple tree and repeated the same action without any show of joy.
"Err... Hi Applejack." Dusk finally greeted, approaching his friend.
Applejack didn't seem to listen to him since she didn't even raise her head, she just struggled to raise her hind legs and hit the apple tree behind her.
"Applejack... Did you hear me? Are you okay?" Dusk spoke again, this time louder.
"Eh…? What? Oh! Hi Dusk, W-What are you doing here?" Applejack asked surprised, finally raising her head to see Dusk, showing that she had tremendous bags under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in days.
"I... I came to see how you are... are you okay?" Dusk asked again, concerned to see the status of his friend.
"Yaaawn... Yeah... I'm fine... Why'd ya ask?" Applejack replied with a big yawn.
"Well... It's just that you look very tired." Dusk replied thinking that the answer was obvious.
"Yeah... I've been having some extra work since it's harvest season and Big Mac is injured, so he can't help me." Applejack replied as if it were a minor matter, walking towards the next apple tree.
"Oh! So that's it, Big Mac wants me to help her. Maybe she hasn't asked for my help or that of the others because she thinks it could be a nuisance." Dusk thought.
"So... Would it be okay if I help you?" Dusk asked. "I wouldn't mind giving you a hoof for help, I think it's fun to harvest, even more, if we work together as friends."
"No way! I don't want your help." Applejack responded quickly, taking Dusk totally by surprise at that response. Then Applejack looked behind Dusk, trying to look for something. "By the way... Did you come alone?"
"Um... yes, I came alone, why do you ask?" Dusk asked confused.
"It's nothing... But it would be good if the others don't find out that you were here alone with me, that could only bring more problems." Applejack responded, hitting the apple tree she had behind her.
Dusk was even more confused by Applejack's last comment, but first, he had to solve the first.
"Why don't you want me to help you? We... We're friends now, right? That's what friends do!" Dusk said worriedly.
Applejack looked up to see Dusk and his worried face, at once she felt that she wanted to give in to Dusk's request, because the truth was that she would have loved to receive his help, however she immediately imagined the annoying faces of her friends, pointing her out to be with Dusk, hating her for taking away their chance to be with him, and that was something she didn't want under any circumstances, she didn't want to lose her friends.
"Sorry, I should do this alone, it's... it's a tradition of the Apple family." Applejack lied, lowering her head with regret in her eyes, hating herself for lying.
"But this is too much work, even for you," Dusk claimed. "You also promised to help Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy with their tasks, will you be able to do that?"
"Of course! You must trust me, Dusk, that's what friends do, they trust others." Applejack answered. "If I tell you I can do this alone, you should trust me."
At Applejack's words, Dusk fell silent and thought for a moment. He was not sure how to handle all this situation, after all, he was new to everything involving friendship... Maybe he was wrong and all he had to do was trust his friend.
"I... I guess you're right." Dusk replied, believing that what Applejack was saying was true, but still uneasy to see the deteriorated appearance of his friend.
Applejack smiled tiredly and went to the next apple tree. While Dusk was watching her a moment and then turned to leave.
"Applejack, if you need help, just ask me, okay?" Dusk said before leaving.
"Yeah, of course." Applejack answered smiling, thinking how happy she was that Dusk cared about her.
Then Dusk left and started his way back to Ponyville. On the way, Dusk kept thinking about the matter, about what Applejack had said, those words seemed to have a lot of logic and truth, he had to trust his friends! But then... why did he feel so uneasy about leaving her alone? Was it really the right thing? Dusk felt so uneasy and ignorant because he didn't know those friendship topics, if only he had a book to help him and it indicated what a real friend would do in that situations... Then a brilliant idea came to mind, something that made him hurry to the library as soon as possible.
Rainbow Dash was impatiently waiting at one end of what appeared to be an improvised homemade catapult, which was just below a high diving board, ready to start practicing her new acrobatics trick, but the key piece was still missing, Applejack, her great friend and the only one she could ever trust with her own security.
"What's taking her so long!?" Rainbow Dash thought annoyed, since it was the first time Applejack had made her wait, it was usually the other way around. Then Rainbow remembered that her friend had also missed her ceremony this morning and how her other friends were worried.
"I hope she's okay..." Rainbow Dash said thinking aloud, less angry than worried.
Just as Rainbow Dash was saying those words, a wobbling Applejack finally appeared in the distance, walking very slowly and awkwardly.
"Yawn... Hi, Rainbow Dash, how's it going?" Applejack greeted the pegasus, yawning with a haggard face and a disheveled mane, something that would have scared Rarity instantly, but not Rainbow Dash, who never gave importance to those things.
"There you are! I was worryed." Rainbow Dash said hurriedly.
"I'm a might sorry Rainbow... I was just kind of busy..." Applejack said trying to smile. "Well... what do you need me to do for ya? What's this great new trick uh' your's?"
"Listen... Have you heard that famous phrase that the Pegasus say 'I could do it with a wing tied behind my back'?" Rainbow Dash quickly responded enthusiastically. "Well, I'm doing that! Literally."
Then Rainbow Dash pulled out a rope and tied one of her wings to her torso.
"It'll be an incredible stunt!" Rainbow Dash added after tying the rope. "You will jump from that platform to the other end of the catapult, launching me to fly in a straight line so that I reach the highest possible height, then I'll give a few cartwheels with my only free wing and then I'll fall gently in a great pose at the same point where I took off. It's a stunt that nopony has ever done! It'll leave the Wonderbolts speechless when they see it!!"
"Hmm... uh... isn't that a might dangerous?" Applejack asked after a while as if she hadn't understood everything her friend had told her.
"Not for a pony that can fly." Rainbow Dash answered very confidently. "Besides, I trust you, I know you're the best to help me with something like this."
"Oh... Alrighty then..." Applejack replied, already very tired, so her brain no longer reasoned as before nor saw the real dangers of all that.
Applejack climbed to the top of the platform and looked down, to where on the end of the improvised catapult she should land, which was marked with an X. For any pony it would have been easy to fall into the designated mark, except perhaps Derpy, but Applejack couldn't see the mark well due to fatigue and lack of sleep, she only saw a red mark that moved from one side to another, so she couldn't aim well.
"Now!" Rainbow Dash yelled, standing up straight, pointing a hoof to the sky to fly to stabilize in the air.
Rainbow Dash was waiting for a couple of seconds, looking up at the sky, until she heard a loud thud, but the catapult didn't move. Immediately she looked down and saw that this blow had been Applejack, who instead of falling into the mark, had fallen next to it, landing headfirst into the ground, planting her whole face.
"Um... Applejack ... you okay?" Rainbow Dash asked surprised and worried.
"Ptph! Yeah... I'm fine, I just miscalculated." Applejack replied, peeling her head off the ground like a sticker and spitting some dirt she had swallowed, with her eyes spinning all the way around. "I... I'll try it again..."
Rainbow Dash watched her friend worriedly as she climbed back up the scaffolding, though she decided to trust her. While Applejack was so dizzy and tired that she didn't realize she started talking to herself and thinking aloud.
"How stupid... That was careless..." Applejack said talking to herself as she climbed, something that Rainbow Dash could hear. "Falling face to the ground... I fell in the same foolish way that Dusk fell on the farm... although he didn't fall to the ground..."
Rainbow Dash was still in the correct position to wait for Applejack's jump, but as soon as she heard that she was talking about Dusk, her ears were on alert, however as soon as Rainbow Dash heard that her friend jumped again from the springboard, she returned to concentrate on putting herself in the right position and look at the sky, otherwise it could be disastrous if she flew at the wrong angle. Rainbow Dash waited a few seconds, and the same thing happened again and she only heard her friend hit the ground, not touching the intended mark.
"I... I'm sorry... I'll try again, hehe..." Applejack said, standing up again, dizzier than ever. "Rainbow Dash expects the best of me... I gotta do it and not fall like an idiot again..." Applejack added dizzy, not realizing she was thinking out loud.
Applejack began to climb back to the diving board while Rainbow Dash was still in position ready to take off from the catapult, staring at her friend, besides Applejack's total lack of marksmanship that day, there was another thing that had caught Rainbow Dash's attention.
"Applejack... when did Dusk fall on your farm? Was it when you two first met each other?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously as her friend continued to staggering up the ladder to the trampoline.
"Yeah... he fell from an apple tree on ta me..." Applejack answered without thinking, still dizzy at all, just reaching the top of the scaffolding, then she quickly looked down and jumped again, failing again and falling hard against the ground for the third time.
"Wait... What do you mean, he fell on you?" Rainbow Dash asked, even more curious, who had already put aside the pose she should have to take off and now she was only standing and looking at her friend climbing again.
"He fell on me, right on top of me... with his body on mine and his head on mine, face to face..." Applejack replied dizzy, not realizing what she was saying. "That's how we kissed... he fell on me and his lips met mine... it was... an accidental kiss..."
"So that's how they kissed..." Rainbow Dash thought with a hoof to her mouth and a thoughtful look. "I don't know if that counts as a kiss ... but it's a perfect way to kiss someone and have that 'someone' thinks it was just an accident... I mean, if I did it with Dusk, he would think it was just an accident, right?"
"Here I go!" Applejack yelled suddenly, who this time had taken enough time to make an effort and focus her eyes, jumping off the trampoline.
"Eh? No! Wait! I'm still not in positiooooo~...!" Rainbow Dash yelled, quickly leaving her thoughts, unfortunately too late, this time Applejack had fallen right where she should, causing the pegasus to go up at Mach speed, but because Rainbow Dash wasn't in the correct position, instead of going straight up, she flew off in an arc, without any stability in flight, only flying upside down without any direction, falling into a tailspin.
Farther away, a few steps from the town library, was Dusk Shine, who was concentrating on his reading 'HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS, for fools', the book that the princess had given him when she sent him to Ponyville. Dusk had come to the library and had taken that book to see if he found any useful advice on what to do with the Applejack problem and find out if it was really okay to trust her totally in spite of everything. That's how Dusk started reading the book from the beginning, as always, concentrating totally on what he read, so much so that he almost forgot that Applejack would go to meet with Rainbow Dash, which was the perfect opportunity to see Applejack again and check that she was okay, so he took the book and continued to read it as he walked to where he knew that Rainbow Dash would practice her stunts.
"Well, the book says you should always trust your friends..." Dusk said reading a paragraph from the book as he levitated it with his magic and kept walking. Then Dusk used his magic to move a few pages later in the book. "But this other part, says that you have to help your friends when they have problems... Then I still have my doubts. How can I help her without her thinking that I broke her confidence...?"
"WaaAAHHH...!" Dusk heard a scream come from the heavens, he lowered the book and looked up, seeing Rainbow Dash, who was coming down like a comet right in his direction.
As she was falling, Rainbow Dash looked down and saw that she was falling right at Dusk.
"Dusk is right down below me and I have no control over myself! It means I'll fall right on him!" Rainbow Dash thought frightened, but then the memory of what Applejack had told her about the kiss she and Dusk had had came quickly to her mind and made her blush. "Then this is exactly the same situation...! This is my chance!" Rainbow Dash finished thinking when she was almost facing Dusk, instinctively closing her eyes and putting her lips together, ready to touch Dusk's lips.
At the same time, Dusk saw Rainbow Dash approaching uncontrollably, which immediately caused him to have a deja-vu, remembering the fall he had had on the Apple farm when he had kissed Applejack involuntarily and the subsequent embarrassment they had felt.
"Rainbow Dash will definitely kill me if the same thing happens!" Dusk thought quickly, stepping to the side at the very last second.
WHAM!!
Dusk had smiled when evading Rainbow Dash, but his joy didn't last at all when he realized that by avoiding the pegasus he had left the way free for she to fall flat on the ground. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash, who had hoped to fall onto soft lips, had fallen face first into the ground.
"Rainbow Dash! Are you okay!?" Dusk asked worriedly.
"W-Why did you move!!?" Rainbow Dash asked angrily, with her cheeks blushed, who luckily hadn't hit herself as hard as it had seemed, but she was with all her face dirty, especially in her lips.
"B-Because you were going to fall on me... I'm sorry, I should have caught you or used my magic, I just... I got distracted because the situation reminded me of... something." Dusk replied distressed.
"Yeah! You should have caught me!" Rainbow Dash yelled even more blushing and with her eyes watering, totally embarrassed. Immediately she turned and prepared to fly away, but she forgot that she still had her wing tied, so she just jumped and fell to the ground again.
"Hngh... Why is everything going wrong...?" Rainbow Dash whispered, with her face on the ground, annoyed with herself.
"Wait, let me help you," Dusk said, untying Rainbow Dash's wing. "But why do you have a wing tied? Is it part of your new trick?"
"Yes... but Applejack couldn't follow simple instructions." Rainbow Dash answered standing up, remembering what had happened and worrying. "I don't know what's wrong with her today, she looks very tired and distracted."
Rainbow Dash looked Dusk in the eye and instantly became ashamed again of the ridicule she had just done to herself.
"W-Well, I'm leaving, see ya." Rainbow Dash said quickly, blushing and flying quickly to get away from Dusk.
Dusk watched the pegasus go away and he puts a small smile to see how cute Rainbow Dash looked when she blushed, but of course, that would be something he could never say as he knew that the pegasus didn't like being called 'cute'.
"It's not the time to think about that!" Dusk said shaking his head quickly and then taking a more serious look. "It's time to talk with Applejack again."
Dusk walked to where he knew it was where Rainbow Dash would practice her stunts, there he saw a catapult and a diving board, but no sign of Applejack, so he decided to go to the farm, thinking that perhaps she had returned to work. And it was just there, in the same orchard that Dusk had seen her the last time, where Applejack was again. Immediately Dusk could see that she had worked a lot since that morning since many more apple trees were harvested, however, the amount of apple trees that remained to be harvested remained overwhelming.
"Hey Applejack." Dusk greeted approaching Applejack.
Applejack didn't seem to listen to him even though Dusk was very close to her, she just lifted her hind hooves and kicked an invisible tree, which caused her to almost fall.
"Great Celestia... it's worse than before." Dusk thought worried.
"Applejack!" Dusk shouted, knowing that this would be the only way to capture the attention of that tired mare.
"Um...? Who…? Dusk?" Applejack said in surprise, waking up from her lethargic state, trying to focus her eyes to see who was interrupting her.
"Applejack... You look terrible." Dusk said, speaking bluntly to see how tired her friend was.
"Mighty chivalrous of ya..." Applejack replied annoyed, hitting with her hind legs the apple tree that was behind her, causing all the apples to fall, except one, which bothered the mare.
"I-I didn't mean to sound disrespectful, but... you really don't look good." Dusk said sheepishly. "Listen, I was thinking about what you told me this morning. It's true that friends must trust each other... but it's also true that a friend must help its friends when they see that they have problems. I... I'm not sure which of the two tips I should follow, but all this would be solved if you just asked for help."
"I don't need help!" Applejack said annoyed, again thinking about how her friends would hate her if they saw her being helped by Dusk. "Especially your help..." Applejack added sadly.
Dusk stared at her confused, not understanding the last thing Applejack said.
"Why doesn't she want my help? Does she believe that I will harvest badly? Maybe she doesn't like me using my magic in the harvest." Dusk thought confused.
Applejack looked up at the rebellious apple that had not fallen from the apple tree, then she raised her hind legs to hit the apple tree, but she couldn't aim well and just hit the air, leaving her destabilized for a few seconds.
"Wait, let me help you," Dusk said approaching the tree and stretching to try to reach with his hooves the apple that hadn't fallen, as he thought that using magic might bother Applejack, and if the mare couldn't make that apple fall with the blow of their hooves, a blow from him would not either, so the only option left was to try to reach it from the ground, since the apple was not very high.
Tired as she was, not noticing that Dusk was right behind her, Applejack raised her hind legs again to hit the apple tree hard, but this time Dusk was in between, with the lower part of his body just exposed in front of the rear hooves lifted from the mare, so the strong hooves of Applejack hit a delicate vital part of the colt. Dusk's eyes suddenly turned white as he felt a massive pain in his groin, probably the strongest pain any colt could feel.
"yyyyaaaaaaAAAAAAHHHHHH...!!" Dusk shouted at the top of his lungs, a loud cry that made all the nearby birds fly away scared, a shout as such that some ponies managed to hear it in the center of Ponyville, a scream of pain that only some stallions understood what was the connection between all males of the same species, which caused them to cry helplessly and pray to Celestia for the welfare of their fallen companions 'family jewels'.
It was already dark and Dusk still hadn't come home, which made Spike worry, especially when the town was rumored of a strange cry that had been heard that afternoon. As the night progressed, there came a point when Spike couldn't wait any longer and decided to go out to look for his brother. The little dragon was about to open the library door when it opened and Dusk Shine finely appeared, walking slowly while his hind legs seemed to tremble. Spike was shocked to see his brother walking like this and seeing that he didn't even pay attention him, Dusk just walked slowly to the library stairs and began to climb to his room.
"Dusk, did something happened to you?" Spike asked worriedly, also climbing the stairs after his brother.
"I... I don't want to talk about it..." Dusk said with a trembling voice.
Finally, Dusk came to his bed, moved the sheets and lay down to finally rest his body. Spike looked at him strangely but thought it was all because his brother was tired, so following his example, Spike laid down in his basket bed next to Dusk's bed.
"So... are you still worried about Applejack?" Spike asked from his bed, remembering that Dusk had told him that before leaving the library.
"The only thing that worries me now is knowing if I can still have kids..." Dusk replied with a sad smile and tears in his eyes, crossing his hind legs, still feeling the pain of Applejack's strong kick. While Dusk fell slowly asleep, he could only be sure of one thing, that the next day would be better, after all, Dusk thought there could be nothing worse than what he had already suffered that day.
# End of Chapter 21