Applejack wiped away the sweat pouring from her forehead as she bucked yet another apple tree. Her hind legs slammed into the tree, and a fiery pain shot through her legs. She moaned and fell to the ground, cursing under her breath as she waited for the pain to pass.
Big Mac approached, pulling a wagon full of baskets of apples, and he hustled over to Applejack as soon as he saw her on the ground.
“Applejack, what happened?” he asked with a pang of worry in his voice.
Applejack was breathing heavily. She looked up at her brother and blushed, then tried to pick herself off of the ground. Her hind legs wobbled and gave out on her, bringing her back into the dirt. Big Mac unhitched himself from the wagon and lifted Applejack onto his back.
“Will ya put me down, ya big oaf?” Applejack asked. “I can take care of myself.”
“I’m taking you inside. You need to rest.” Big Mac was already making his way towards the house.
“But we’re behind schedule on the apple bucking as it is!” she shouted, but her hind legs were aching, so she stopped protesting.
“How long have you been working today?” Big Mac asked.
“I started at sunup,” Applejack said in between heavy breaths.
Big Mac looked to the sky and saw the setting sun shining pink and orange. “Did ya take any breaks today, like for lunch?”
“Uh…”
“Applejack, I thought you knew better than that. Didn’t Twilight warn you about not taking too much on yourself?”
“Big Mac, I know you’re concerned, but I’m not really in the mood for lectures.”
“I know. I’m sorry, sis, but I get like this when I’m worried.”
“I’m gonna be fine, Mac. Just a little sore is all.” Another twinge of pain cascaded down her legs and she gasped.
“No way, missy. We might have to get Nurse Redheart to make a house call.”
“Will you quit fretting? This happens all the time.”
“How many times has this happened before?” Big Mac asked. The house was now in sight, and he hustled as fast as he could while keeping Applejack securely on his back.
“Uh...well, the last time it happened was...erm…” Another shot of pain had her reeling.
“Land’s sake, AJ, are you sure you didn’t break ’em?”
“I’m positive! For Celestia’s sake, you worry more than Twilight! Just give me a few minutes rest and I’ll be up and at ’em again before you know it.”
“Well, I’m definitely getting Nurse Redheart to check up on you. I wanna make sure you’re okay.”
Applejack let out a sigh. “Whatever makes ya feel better.”
“Good.” They arrived at the house, and Big Mac went immediately upstairs and laid Applejack on the bed.
“Now, you stay right there and don’t move a muscle. Do ya want anything for dinner? Some soup?”
“I’ll let you know when I’m hungry,” Applejack said. “Now, go on. Don’t mind me any. I’m gonna be fine.”
“Okay, I’ll be fine as long as you stay in bed,” Big Mac said. He backed away from the bed and left before shutting the bedroom door behind him.
Applejack huffed and turned over on her side. Big Mac’s just being a worry-wart. Maybe I was working too hard, but it’s just a little pain from a long day of work. I’m sure I’ll be fine in the morning.
Her hind legs were throbbing now, and Applejack was doing her best to ignore them and trying to fall asleep. The pain kept her awake, and she groaned in frustration as she turned over on her stomach and buried her head in her pillow.
There was a knock at the door, and Applejack cringed before lifting her head from the pillow.
“Big Mac, if that’s you checkin’ up on me, you can just forget it.”
“Sis?” came the voice of Apple Bloom. Applejack felt a pang of guilt at being so short with her sister.
“Sorry, Apple Bloom. You can come in.” The door opened, and Apple Bloom went up to the bed and stood up on her hind legs, resting her forelegs on the side of the bed.
“Big Mac told me you injured yourself. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Injured myself? He’s making such a big deal out of it! I’m just a little sore, that’s all. You can tell him to stop bein’ such a pain in the butt and leave me be!”
“Sheesh, don’t shoot the messenger,” Apple Bloom said. “Do you want me to leave you alone?”
Applejack was flustered, but she took a calming breath. “No. I’m real sorry, Apple Bloom. My hind legs really hurt, and they’re keepin’ me from fallin’ asleep.”
“I’m real sorry to hear that,” Apple Bloom said. “I wish I coulda helped you with the buckin’. Then maybe you wouldn’t have had to do so much on your own.”
“It ain’t your fault, Bloom. I just bit off more than I could chew today, and I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
“Big Mac said he went to see if Nurse Redheart could stop by to check up on you.”
Applejack smiled. “I owe him an apology. I know he’s just worried about me, and maybe I was downplayin’ it a bit. They still hurt really bad…” As if on cue, a fiery shot of pain crawled up her hind legs. Applejack winced, and Apple Bloom gasped.
“Do ya want me to get some pain pills for ya? I think Granny Smith has some for her hip. Maybe you can borrow some from her.”
“No, no. She needs ’em more than I do. Just...let Big Mac know I wanna see him when he gets back.”
“Can do, sis!” Apple Bloom proclaimed before leaving the room. Applejack smiled. She couldn’t blame her family for trying to take care of her. Now she just hoped she could recover as quickly as possible.