//------------------------------// // Ch.2 A Slow Recovery // Story: The Apple Doesn't Fall Far // by Regis-Th3-Lesser //------------------------------// Is she gonna be okay?” a low male voice asked. “Yes, she will be fine…” answered a slightly higher male voice. Applejack saw nothing but darkness around her. All that could be felt was the presence of two ponies nearby. She tried to contact them but she couldn’t move or speak… all she could do is listen. “What happened to her!” the deeper and more familiar voice questioned urgently. “We don’t know what caused the accident. All we know is she was lucky that dragon brought her here in time, if he hadn’t well…” “Spike”. Applejack whispered. She opened her eyes. The inky black darkness clung to her like a shadow. She looked around for any reference.“Hello?” she questioned the void. “Hello, is anypony there?” A blinding light began to shine down upon her. Through the light she saw a pony in white and her brother. “Big Mac! Big Macintosh!” He looked down to her. “Applejack?” “Big Mac!” she continued to scream. Back in the hospital Big Mac and the doctor gazed upon her with hope in their eyes. “She’s wakin’ up!” Big Mac triumphantly exclaimed. Her eyes began to flutter slowly as she turned her head to her brother. “Hey big guy,” she whispered weakly. “Applejack you’re awake! I was beginnin’ to think that you’d be stuck sleepin’ for the rest of your life!” “Well I’m awake now big bro.” he gave her a long warm hug, relieved that his little sister was now back with him. “Where am I anyhow?” “You’re in the hospital Ms. Applejack,” a young pony replied. “The Hospital…?” “Yeah, you were checked in last night. They said that you needed intensive care immediately… Say, how did ya mess yourself up like this?” Applejack broke eye contact with him. “I-I don’t wanna talk about it right now…” “Okay ya don’t have to. Just rest easy for me, kay?” “Ahem, well Mr. Macintosh, I need to check her to make sure that everything really is okay,” the doctor interrupted. “Right, of course. I’m gonna go home and tell the others you’re fine.” Big Mac left with a satisfied smile while Applejack was being checked for any permanent damage. Later in the Day Applejack lay on her bed, eyes fixed to the ceiling deep in thought. “I can’t believe this happened, why did Ah run away from something that wasn’t even there? I’ve never felt so hurt, helpless, and alone,” tears began to run down her cheeks when the door opened. Big Mac came in with a large smile and two mares. “Oh my gosh Applejack are you okay?” Fluttershy asked with a hoof to her mouth. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered with a smile. “Oh thank Celestia, when we heard what happened we rushed to get here,” Twilight sighed. “Why didn’t Spike tell y’all what happened?” “Because he told me after you got in the emergency room,” Big Mac answered. “Oh, where is he?” “He said that he’ll be here when he’s done sending messages to all of our friends,” Fluttershy enthusiastically answered. “But for now just be glad that he found you when he  did,” “You don’t know just how glad I am…” “Really Applejack, if anything happened, we wouldn't know what to do,” “Thank ya kindly Twilight. Enough talkin’ about my ailments. How’s life been treating y’all two?” “Nothing different. Princess business, busy days, sleepless nights… The usual. What about you Fluttershy? How have things been going with Zooey?” “Oh he is just wonderful, he always knows what the animals need, they love him, and he is always helping me out with any situation. He is just perfect. How about you and Flash? “Actually he is great. When I first started dating him I thought he would be a dimwitted jerk, but he is actually caring and sweet. He took me to the western sea last month, and he even proposed!” “Wow you’re going to be Mrs. Twilight Sentry.” “Yeah,” Twilight giggled. “So who are you with Applejack”? Applejack’s ears fell the moment those words left Twilight’s mouth. “Well, I ain’t with no one.” “Spike…” “Really, why not”? “Ah dunno, Ah just don’t really wanna be in a relationship.” “You want Spike…” “Oh come on Applejack we all have somepony to share our lives with.” “Well Ah guess nopony wants me then,” she sighed with tears forming in her eyes. A loud knock was heard followed by a frantic ‘let me in’. Fluttershy cautiously opened the door only to be bone-rushed by Pinkie Pie. She ran up to Applejack and began asking questions rapidly. “Ohmygoodnessareyouhurtdidyoubreaksomethingareyoupregnant!” She stared at her frazzled friend. “Pinkie I’m fine,” she laughed. “Are ya absolutely sure?” “Yes Pinkie.” “Absolutely positively all certainly without a doubt sure…?” “...yes.” “Oh thank Celestia”. Pinkie sighed. “It’s good to have ya back. Also your mane, it’s all poofy again”. “Oh hehe yeah, things are going great. I haven’t been this happy in years”! She chirped with a joyous grin. “Why”? “Because all of the old gang is here.” “Really”? “Yeah, Rainbow Dash and Rarity are on their way up!” “Well did ya see Spike?” “No unless you mean recently then I saw him a month ago,” Applejack shook her head with a smile. “Pinkie, never change again,” she hugged the resurrected party pony. “Hello, is this the right room?” Rainbow Dash asked with Rarity in tow. “You're here!” They shouted in unison. “Oh my, why are you all so riled up?” Rarity asked. “Because this is the first time in nearly eight years that we have been together in the same room,” Twilight answered. “It really has been long, huh?” Rainbow Dash chuckled nervously. “Yeah no kidding,” Pinkie laughed with outstretched hooves. Everyone shared a warm laughter filled hug around Applejack. They reminisced over the old times that bound them together. Rarity has actually taken a break from the fashion business and plans to move back to Ponyville, Rainbow Dash wants to slow down and relax after being a Wonderbolt for so long, and Pinkie is just generally happy, who knows why. “It’s nice to see all y’all are here, but it feels empty…” Applejack said slowly. Right on cue a magenta and green figure began to slowly walk through the door. “Okay thanks, I’ll see if I have any time”. He muttered to something in his claw, stopping finding all eyes on him. It was so quiet that if you focused you could hear your own heartbeat. Twilight’s eyes began to water up as she ran to Spike and gave him a long tight hug. “Spike, you big jerk!” She sobbed into his shoulder. “That is not Spike!” Rarity shouted in disbelief. “Yes it is,” Rainbow retorted “But he’s so big, are we sure that he didn’t eat spike and take his place,” she gasped. “What if he ate Spikey!” “It’s me Rares, nopony or dragon ate me,”Spike chuckled, held in Twilight and Pinkie’s grasp. “My word! The last I saw of you, you were more the size of a filly. Now you’re rivaling Big Macintosh!” She stated dramatically. “The last time you saw me was the Hearths Warming before you left.” “Yes, but that was only four years ago...” “I guess that's just the way a dragon grows.” “I suppose”. Rarity finished. Turning to Applejack she looked over Spike one last time, looking him up and down. Fluttershy lunged towards the drake with a joyous squeal. “Well what’s all of this about?” He snorted happily. “Spike, we’ve missed you!” Fluttershy pointed out. “You don’t send letters to us anymore,”  Rainbow Dash added. “And you don’t even come to see any of us. I may live in a castle, but it is still in Ponyville!” Twilight scorned. “Besides dear, if it weren't for you we may have lost Applejack,” Rarity added taking Applejack’s hoof in hers. “I knew you guys liked me, but not that much. To be honest I felt like I was in the way most of the time…” “What! You were never in the way,” Pinkie protested. “Are you sure cause- look, Applejack is the one we came to see, not me.”Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy released him, eyes teary, red, and puffy. He walked up to Applejack’s bed with a big smile. “You’re looking a whole lot better than last night.” “Thank ya kindly, but how did ya find me?” “ It was about sunset so I decided to come and see if Big Macintosh had my books, oh by the way you owe me bro,” he glanced over to Big Mac who darted his eyes around, attempting to look inconspicuous. “So anyway I walked around the barn when I heard somepony whining help. I turn the corner and there you were just sprawled out in the dirt. It looked like you hit your head and I think you may have lost a little bit of blood. I picked you up off of the ground, and you were trying to say my name then you just started to slip away. I was in panic when you started to pass out so I flew you to the hospital as fast as I could…” “Wow, Ah really messed myself up didn't I?” Spike nodded. “But hey you're alright now, I talked with your doctor and he said that you can go home in about two weeks, but you're going to need somepony to take care of you”. “Well it’s a good thing that all of my friends are here,” she pulled everyone in the room into a big hug. As time went on the, rekindled mane six reminisced over old times once again and new times to come. Some time later Applejack’s nurse appeared. “Okay everypony, visiting hours are over,” she announced. “Oh, okay…” Applejack sighed drearily. One by one her friends left, leaving their goodbyes. Spike was and Big Mac were the last ones to leave. “I’ll drop by as soon as I can,” Big Mac said with a kiss to her forehead. “Okay big brother, I'll be waitin’ ”. Applejack whispered. Big Mac and Spike walked towards the door also giving their final goodbyes. “Spike,” He stopped. “C’mere.” Spike slowly turned back to her. “What's wrong AJ?” He asked, slowly striding over to her bed. She lunged from her position pulling Spike into a tight tearful hug. “Thank ya Spike,” she sobbed uncontrollably. “Applejack please calm down,” Spike cooed in a soothing tone. “I’m sorry, but if it weren't for you Ah would probably have been dead!” she sobbed more. Spike stopped for a moment to think before hugging her back. “It’s okay Applejack. It is just what friends do for each other. I don’t know what I would do if anything happened to you guys, especially you,” he calmly left her embrace. “Now please get some rest.” Applejack watched longingly as he left the room. She looked towards the pitch black window grateful for her friends and grateful that he came at the right time. Soon her eyes became heavy. Drifting off to sleep only one dragon resounded through her conscious. “Spike,” she sighed before joining the peaceful rhythm of slumber. “Wait, what did he mean by ‘especially you’?”