Apple Jack smiled as he bucked the last apple tree on Sweet Apple Acres. Hooking up the cart full of apples to his harness, he headed back towards the farm. He ears perked as he heard a female scream. It sounded like it was coming from the Everfree Forest. Being a stallion to always come to the rescue, Apple Jack followed the sound and ran towards it.
He reached the source of the sound and his eyes widened in surprise and fear for his friend.
"Oh mah Solaris! Barbara??!" He shouted. His dragon friend had been backed up to a boulder, cowering in fear from three hungry timber wolves. He thought quickly and found some pebbles. Taking them in his burly hoof, he chucked them at the timber wolves. The wolves averted their attention from the she-dragon and up to the farm stallion.
"Hey ya mangy mutts! Come and get it!!" He shouted at them. Though he knew they couldn't understand him, his mocking tone and flank-shaking was enough to get them away from Barbara and set their sights on him. Barbara looked up to where the male voice was coming from.
"AJ!! Run, they'll get you too!" She shrieked. And she was right, they were running up the hill and advancing on him already.
"Oh buck…" he didn't have a plan after distracting them from Barbara. His only goal at the time was to rescue his friend. "Well I guess I have a plan now: RUN!!!" He yelled to no one in particular. He galloped at full speed away from the wolves. After some time, he looked behind him. Pony feathers! They were still after his flank! Not paying attention to where he was going, he tripped over a twisted vine in front of him, falling onto the ground. He scrambled back to his hooves, only to realize he was just flailing his arms around. His eyes widened in fear when he realized his leg got trapped in the vine. The timber wolves sauntered towards him.
"C-C'mon guys. Ya don't want me. I'm tough game from workin' on the fields all day!" He stammered, trying to reason with them, even though he knew the situation was hopeless. His mind was racing. 'Grandpa Smith… Applebuck… Macareina… I love y'all… Ah'm sorry it had to be this way…' he silently cried, the situation setting in.
Just then a scaly blur of purple and green leapt in front of the orange stallion. It stood tall and let out a roar and some green flames. The timberwolves backed up in alarm. The very thing they were trying to kill and eat in the first place now had the most dangerous weapon against them: fire.
"LEAVE MY FRIEND ALONE!!!!" Barbara roared. This sent the timber wolves running back into the shadows of the forest with their stubby twig tails in between their legs. She stood their, panting from the roar that had taken so much out of her. Apple Jack blushed at her rescue.
"Th-thank ya Barbara, ya saved mah life… "
"Of course! You're my friend!" She turned around and said. "You got pretty stuck there, didn't you?" Her eyes grew wide with concern. She thought about how to get him out without hurting him, but the vine had thorns on it so it guaranteed some scratches either way. She flexed her claws.
"Hold still AJ." With a swipe, the vines ripped him free. "That's the beauty of being a dragon!" Barbara smiled at her accomplishment. He grit his teeth. There were some bleeding scratches on his leg. "Oh gosh… are you okay?" She asked.
"Yeah, Ah'll be fine. The farm isn't too far from here. Just put a cloth around them for a day or two and they'll heal fast." Barbara nodded.
"What the heck were ya doing out here, Barbara?"
"Oh… eheheh… well you see, I had just done my chores because Dusk swamped me with more tasks for the day, and I promised Elusive I would help at the Boutique. But because Dusk wouldn't let me go help till I finished, I was late. And I didn't wanna be late, so I took a short cut through the Everfree Forest, but now I see that was a terrible idea… I, I'm sorry…" she hung her head, feeling awful for putting both of them in danger and injuring Apple Jack.
"Don't ya fret none, Barbara. Ah'm just glad yer safe." AJ said, holding her chin up with his hoof to comfort her. Barbara blushed at the contact. "Ah do gotta get to the farm, but do promise me ya won't go into the Everfree Forest again? It ain't safe for any pony."
"I promise AJ!" Barbara said, standing up straight. The two hugged and said good bye as they went on their way. On his way back to the farm, AJ started to develop a strange unexplainable emotion welling up inside of him.