//------------------------------// // 5 // Story: The Injury // by cooopercrisp //------------------------------//         As the weeks rolled on, Applejack and Twilight maintained a friendly, if distant, repertoire. They realized pretty soon that Applejack didn’t need to holler for her when she wanted food or a trip to the bathroom, so Twilight suggested giving her a bell that would sound through the library. Twilight would always drop what she was doing to make sure she could tend to Applejack’s needs.         The bathroom trips, the primary source of awkwardness during this recovery, became almost second-nature. They talked, joked, and laughed while Applejack’s business went on in the background.         When Applejack was starting to get a little stir crazy lying in bed all day, Twilight brought her down to the library or even out into Ponyville to get some fresh air. A half hour or so was all Applejack could handle at first, but as the recovery went on, she could stay out for a few hours at a time. All of the ponies in Ponyville greeted her kindly and offered her warm wishes.         Applejack’s friends visited, too, according to a schedule set up by Twilight that fit everypony’s needs. As Applejack came closer to full recovery, one particular visit from Rainbow Dash resonated with her.         “Heya, AJ,” she said, floating over head with her trademark smile.         “Howdy, RD,” Applejack said with a tired grin.         “How’s the recovery going? Think you’ll ever walk again?”         “Har har,” Applejack said with a grin. “I can actually put some weight on my legs and stand on them for a little while, so walkin’ will come sooner than you think.”         “Awesome. So, uh...well, what’s it like having Twilight take care of you?”         “Dash,” Applejack said sternly. “I know that tone in your voice. I know where you think it’s going. The answer is no.”         “Oh, come on, AJ. She’s been at your beck and call for weeks, always by your side when you needed her. You telling me that doesn’t affect you at all?”         “Where’s this idea comin’ from all of a sudden?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.         “You haven’t seen Twilight talking about you!” Dash implored. “Whenever you’re brought up in conversation, she always smiles and starts giggling at first. And then when she gets going talking about you, it’s almost like she’s glowing. Know what I mean?”         “That’s great, Dash,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes. “Nothin’s gonna come of it, so you can take off the shippin’ goggles and let’s talk about your job or something.”         “AJ, you’ve always been a numbskull about this stuff. Are you telling me you haven’t noticed?”         “I know she’s bein’ a good friend, and that’s all it is.”         “Okay, let’s forget the Twilight angle for a moment. How do you feel?”         “I’m grateful for all her support,” Applejack said, but she blushed pink for a moment. Dash noticed.         “Why are you blushing then?”         “I’m not blushing! Really, Dash, you gotta stop bein’ so gung-ho about all this. You’re fishin’ for somethin’ that ain’t biting.”         “Please, don’t tell me you haven’t thought about it.”         “You know what?” Applejack said, glaring at Dash. “If you don’t drop this right now, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.”         “Okay, okay, geez. Don’t get your saddle in a bunch.”         For a time after that, they conversed about more mundane subjects, mainly Applejack’s recovery and Dash’s work as a weather pony. Applejack got hungry, though, so she rang the bell. A few moments later, Twilight came into the room with a nervous smile on her face.         “What can I help you with, Applejack?” she asked.         “I need some food,” she said.         “Right away. How are you doing, Rainbow Dash?”         “Great. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.”         Applejack looked horrified, but Dash was already following Twilight down the stairs. Knowing Dash, Applejack knew this was bound to spiral out of control quickly. There was nothing she could do about it, though, except wait for Twilight to return with her food and then do damage control.         So, maybe she had grown a little attached to Twilight. Dash was taking it way over-the-top and she was afraid that her next conversation with Twilight would be awkward. She didn’t have long to wait, though. Twilight came back with a sandwich and a small bowl of soup and she was already blushing.         “Applejack…” she began as she set the tray down on the bed.         “What did Rainbow tell ya?” Applejack asked curtly enough to make Twilight’s heart sink a bit.         “She told me I had better confess my feelings to you,” Twilight said. “She already told you about me, right?”         “Yeah,” Applejack said, “and I don’t want this to become some gushy bare-all of our emotions. Look, Dash got me thinkin’, and maybe there is somethin’ there for me, but I can’t be sure right now and I think we need to hold off until my injury’s healed.”         “Nurse Redheart said that would only be a few more days,” Twilight said, now looking away from Applejack. “Will that be enough time for you to figure things out?”         “Well, I might need a few dates after that,” Applejack said with a wink. “But hey, you never know what might happen. What I do know for a fact is that I’m grateful for all the care you’ve given me over the past few weeks. You made me feel so much calmer than I would have been if I had stayed at home or gone to Rarity’s.”         “Well, Applejack,” Twilight said, running a hoof through her mane and smiling at her, “I’m really glad to hear that, I guess. Oh, there’s so much I want to say, but I should just let you eat your food. I don’t want to make things awkward.”         “It’s fine, Twi,” Applejack said, “we’ll have plenty of time to talk about those things.”         “Thank you, Applejack.”         “You’re welcome, Twilight.”         Two Months Later         “It’s your monthiversary!” Pinkie Pie screamed as Twilight and Applejack went into Sugarcube Corner walking side by side. She rushed over to them and offered them two cupcakes with frosting in the shape of a heart. “How are you guys doing?”         “We’re great, Pinkie,” Twilight said, looking to Applejack and smiling. “Really great.”         “Ditto,” Applejack said, nudging Twilight with her shoulder and winking at her.         “Well, I’ll get you two a private table,” Pinkie said, “but no getting all mushy-mushy around the other customers.”         “Relax,” Applejack said. “We don’t do that kinda stuff in public.”         “In private, on the other hand…” Twilight said with a roguish grin. Applejack chortled and started blushing. Pinkie Pie giggled and snorted while she led them to their table.         Twilight and Applejack stared into each other’s eyes as they dug into their cupcakes.         “I’m glad we’re giving this a shot,” Twilight said.         “Yeah, it’s really nice,” Applejack replied. “Honestly, I never would’ve predicted this would happen two months ago.”         “Me neither. It’s crazy, right?”         “Absolutely,” Applejack said, wiping some frosting from her muzzle. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”