"Need something, sir?" An old man in his Sunday best approached me as I stood in the foyer. I had never been to this place before ever since I had a car and could drive myself to places I wanted to go.
"No thanks, I'm just kinda here." I told him. Truth is, I always hated going to church. I didn't believe in God, so why did my parents always insist on me being here all the time? Every Sunday it was get dressed, and go waste about 3 or 4 hours of your life listening to someone tell you how to live your life.
"Now, I may be old, but I know a thing or two." He told me. "And I've watched you grow up, Johnny, and your parents too." He said with a stern look on his face. "You wouldn't be here if you didn't need something." What did he know, he didn't know me.
"Look, can I just go now?" I said. "I really don't like being here, and my parents are probably just going to yell at me when they get out of service anyway." I said with a sigh. The man looked at me and smiled softly. "What?"
"You complain that they yell at you, but did it ever occur to you that they want you to be happy in life? Of course it's tough, but there's always a place to go back to, and I think that's what you need to do." He motioned towards the door as it opened to the sanctuary, and two figures came out first.
------
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep
I really hate that sound.
I felt myself slowly awakening in a small hospital room in Ponyville, seeing my chest hooked up to a life support machine. How long had I been out was all I could ask myself, that and if the fillies and Applejack were alright. I looked down at my body, my entire midsection was bandaged and an IV have been placed into my forearm. My leg was in a cast, and I mean the whole leg, not just one small part. I leaned back in my bed, exhausted, wondering if I would ever see them again.
"You're ok, huh?" A familiar voice came from the door before I could look around. Twilight Sparkle stood in the doorway, holding a letter by her side. "Applejack hardly left your side while you were out until they discharged her and Applebloom from the hospital." She levitated the letter over to me. "She had to take Applebloom home, and she didn't know when you would be up, so she wrote this for you." She smiled. "You know, she really cares about you."
"How long was I out?" I asked her, puzzled.
"Not long, only a few days." She told me. My jaw practically dropped. How in the world could I have been passed out that long? "Go ahead and open it." She motioned towards the letter.
I opened up the letter, and began to read..
Dear Johnny,
I don't know what I can say besides thank you for what you did, and I really hope you wake up soon. I am really happy that I met you, Johnny. When you came to Equestria, I thought you were a monster, and even after ya'll helped me on the farm I still didn't trust you after what I had heard from Twilight. I feel so stupid for it. When we kissed at the pond, though, that was the first time I had ever done anything like that. It was magical to me. I hope you'll be up and at 'em soon so I can tell you everything I want to tell you in person. There's something I really need to say, so please...
Get better soon,
Applejack.
I looked down at the letter and saw a few places where words had been crossed out due to misspelling and a few spots on the paper that appeared to be water stains. Then I realized they were tear stains, Applejack had been crying when she wrote this.
"They found out who kidnapped the girls, and who burned down the old warehouse. It was Flim and Flam from the whole cider thing. They've been tracked down and hopefully they'll be brought to justice." Twilight assured me. Like you couldn't see that coming a mile away.
"Hey Twilight?" I asked.
"Yes?"
"Did the doctor say when I could leave?"
"He said you could leave as soon as you woke up, that's what he told me."
I looked down at my leg, concerned about whether or not I could make the trip across town to the farm. I looked up at Twilight again and smiled. "Mind giving me a lift?"
---
Sweet Apple Acres looked the same as it did when I first arrived, but no one was working. It seemed like everypony was inside, except for Applejack. I was thankful that Twilight had let me ride on her back for a little way here.
"Twilight, this is enough." I said as I struggled to get off comically. I finally fell off her back and onto the dirt road. "Ouch!" I yelled. She couldn't help but giggle.
"You really should be more careful, and try not to be so dang heavy!" She complained, but still laughed a bit as I tried to get myself up. I noticed Applejack sitting outside the gate, barely asleep as she leaned against the fence. Her right foreleg was bandaged and had a splint on it, so I assumed it had been at least fractured. "Go get her, cowboy." Twilight winked at me before teleporting off. Applejack stirred a bit, but fell right back asleep.
I limped over to where she was, trying hard not to wince at the pain as every step I took felt like a barrage of needles shot into my leg. I really wanted to know what she had to say to me, and I had to admit I was preparing for her to never want to see me again. I had put her life in danger and thrown her sister out of a window. I punched her in the face and completely disrespected her. I could understand if she never wanted me to stay again. Finally I stood in front of the orange mare, her hat on the fencepost and hair undone as she waited for me. I tried to find the words to say, but all I could muster was;
"Applejack?" I said softly. Her eyes slowly opened as she looked up at me. The blank look on her face turned into one of sheer joy as she tackled me in what was the most precious and agonizing hug of all time.
"Johnny! Oh Celestia, Ah'm so happy you're ok!" She cried. I could tell she had been out here for a while, her hooves and body were dirty from the way she was hanging around on the dirt road. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stood over me.
"How's Applebloom?" I managed to choke out. She was kindof crushing me, sadly.
"She fine." She noticed her mistake and moved off so that I could breathe. "Just a few fractures, but nothing too serious. They said you were lucky to be alive." She said sadly. "I was terrified." She looked down at her leg. "Ah nearly broke this thing in two trying to get you out of there. Lucky Twilight was coming back from Zecora's when she heard the screamin'." Applejack said. Twilight must have moved the beam of wood that collapsed on top of me, I thought to myself.
"I'm just happy you're ok." I told her. She looked back towards me, and her smile turned into a sad frown again.
"No, you're only alive because of Twi. Had it not been for her, you wouldn't be here. She's the one who saved you, not me." Applejack sighed. "Ah'm not as great as she is, and ah probably won't be. You risked everything to save mah sister and her friends, and ah couldn't even help you. Ah-" I stopped her when I placed my hand on the side of her face, stroking her hair.
"Applejack, I'm alive because you risked everything to save me. That's all I could ask for. Besides, you're a great pony to me, and I..." I trailed off. She looked up at me again, tears falling from her eyes again.
"Johnny, there's something ah wanted to tell ya'll in person. Ah'm not sure if it matters now or not, but it's gotta be said." She took a deep breath. "When you rushed into that building to save mah sister, all doubt vanished from my mind. You're kind, strong, handsome, and everything a plain mare like me could ask for. You ain't nothin' like the humans Ah've heard about, and to me that means everything in the world. Ah've never had a special somepony or a coltfriend before, so it feels weird saying this for the first time, but..." She smiled softly as she looked at me.
"Ah love you, Johnny."
She finally spoke those words, and right then I hugged her tight. She stood up on her hind legs so she would be an even height with me standing up and stared into my eyes with the most genuine look of happiness I had ever seen. Then she leaned in for a kiss, and I followed. Her good foreleg wrapped around my neck as my arms held her waist close to me as we stood there for what seemed like an eternity. I didn't mind, in fact I was really happy. I didn't want this moment to go away, and I knew it never would. She finally moved away and stood there, her foreleg still around me, smiling her sweet smile as she blushed like a girl just meeting her lover for the first time. It seemed even longer as we stood there alone in front of the farm, ignoring the pain in my body until I finally broke the silence between us.
"I love you too."