• Published 25th Feb 2015
  • 895 Views, 43 Comments

Diablo - StoneWare13



Rainbow had never forgiven the ShadowBolts for trying to take her away, so when rainbow dash discovers that they where spotted over ponyville, she tells all her friends to inform her of any news. But applejack life gets hard, when she is forced to l

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Chapter 2: Good crash, Bad temper

Author's Note:

I struggled with this chapter, but I got it done. I can now start planning the next chapter. I really hope you all enjoy the second chapter and comment your thoughts.

A huge thank you to spirit guide for editing

Enjoy
LemonZing

X

A painful moaning echoed across the orchard as Applejack curiously trotted through it. Twisting around the trees in search for the destructive noise, a thought crossed her mind. "That Rainbow is gonna get it if she has damaged any of ma trees." The hisses of pain grew louder and louder as the apple farmer journeyed into the orchard.

Applejack knew her way around the trees, from years of hard labor. She even recognized a few trees she had named as a filly. The amber mare headed south, traveling deeper and deeper. She knew she was far from the farm house, as she passes one of the larger trees, who she had named Deku.

A small opening was spotted only a few trees away. Within the patch of grass, next to a recently bucked apple tree was a twisted figure. At first, Applejack went to yell at the pegasus, suspecting it was Rainbow Dash. The Bearer of the Element of Loyalty had a nasty habit of "dropping in". But to her surprise, the pony who laid a heap was a not the cyan mare, but rather a stallion.

Without a second thought AJ ducked behind the closed bush, keeping an observant eye on the intruded. The stallion was dressed in a fitted flight suit which was a gray and plum color, with the occasional golden lighting flash across the neck and legs. The stranger looked to be a pale blue color, with a swooped back sea-blue mane and tail, with lighter cyan highlights. As she looked closer, Applejack noticed the reason for his continuing yelps and wines of pain: a twisted right wing which looks to be almost broken. AJ didn't have wings but knew the pain must have been horrible.

A streak of red was tricking down his left front leg, where his suit had ripped. A long cut stretched down his leg, swollen and caked with dirt. Applejack knew a lot about cuts and this one looked deep. Instinctively, she stepped forward, attempting to get a closer look but only ended up stepping on a stick, which snapped under her weight.

"WHO'S THERE?!" boomed the stallion. His voice was deep, almost as deep at Big Mac’s. Applejack hid behind Deku, her heart racing so fast it felt like it would jump out of her chest. Only her shaky breaths and beating heart could be heard.

"I KNOW YOUR THERE!" Past Deku’s trunk, Applejack could see the stallion attempting to stand. Falling over and over again, he looked just like a newborn foal standing for the first time. Despite the comedic sight, Applejack knew he was in pain and laughing would not help the matter at hoof. Being an honest pony, she made herself known.

"Are you ok?" Applejack stood up and stepped out from hiding to face the stallion. He spotted her and anger bubbled in his eyes. He snorted.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" the blue pegasus hissed. He had managed to stand but only on three unstable legs as his front left leg was held up to prevent any weight causing pain. Anger spread over his face like a forest fire, but this didn't intimated Applejack, rather making her worry more.

With a single step forward, she attempted to comfort the injured pony "Please, let me help ya."

"I’m fine," he roared back.

"Ya can't walk or fly,” Applejack pointed out. “Ah really think you need ma help." With each step towards the stumbling stallion, she could see the damage and it looked worse than any injury Dash had caused herself. This stallion would need a doctor. The other thing the apple farmer noticed was his flight suit. She was sure she had seen it before, but couldn't quite remember where.

The intruder stumbled again, this time falling flat on his rump. He seemed to calm down and simply gave up. He frowned at Applejack. "What would an earth pony know about wings? You don't even know how wings work!"

"Haha! Sure Ah do. My friend is always hurting her wings, I've even bandaged her up before. I think I can help ya too." Now AJ was very close to the inured pegasus. He had given up fighting to stand, a disappointed look across his muzzle. It wasn't till now that Applejack noticed how stubborn many pegasi could be. Of course, she couldn't complain, she was just as bad.

"I don't need help,” he huffed, although he didn’t object to Applejack’s approaching. “I'm fine."

"Sure, and Ah’m Queen Chrysalis. Come on, sugercube. Let me get ya to the barn so Ah can fix you up!"

"DONT COME ANY CLOSER!" He jumped back to his hooves, thinking he had the strength to stand, but instantly regretted his decision after falling on his muzzle.

"And why not?" AJ giggled.

"Don't you know who I am?" he yelled through gritted teeth, the pain becoming unbearable.

"You’re an injured stallion who crashed on ma farm. Now let me get you into the barn over there. Nopony uses it!" Applejack helped the reluctant stallion to his hooves, allowing his weight to fall upon her body. The pair set off towards the old abandoned barn in the south field...

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"Now where is the darn thing?" Applejack complained, as she rummaged behind one of the old stall doors. The abandoned barn was filled with settled dust which the pair disturbed. The stubborn stallion lay upon a bed of straw which AJ had made. He nervously shuffled his body to get into a more comfortable position. He had managed to fold his good left wing, but his right wing stuck out due to the damage done to it. His front left leg was out in front of him in a super-pony position.

"What are you looking for?" The stallion’s words were not said in an angry tone, but rather one of concern.

"Ma and pa's first aid kit. I know it's somewhere in here." The mare huffed as she shoved boxes of old Apple family photos and memories. "Here we are!" Applejacks called, felling proud of herself for remembering the barn’s content after almost 15 years.

Holding the old buckled metal box, Applejack trotted back to the corner where the sulking stallion laid. "Now sit still or ya'll hurt yourself even more."

"I am not a foal!" he shot back, still attempting to prove his dominance over the situation.

"You sure complained like one on the walk over here," Applejacks teased. The stallion snorted. "Look, now you’re sulking like one." She grabbed a clean bandage before grasping his wing.

"Owwwww!" he groaned.

"I told ya to keep still!" She didn't let go but instead pulled at a few stray feathers, reliving a painful yelp from the injured pony.

"You sound like my mother," he grunted, trying to distract himself from the fact that a mare was preening his wings.

"I sure hope not, you look older than me, sugercube."

"HEY! I’m only 21," he shot back. His constant replying was becoming a habit that AJ was starting to notice, although it may have been because of the preening she was doing.

"Wow! You’re younger, but only by a year." AJ finished sorting his wing feathers and started wrapping his wing firmly with the bandage. "There. How’s that feel?"

Inspecting her work, the stallion pulled a face that showed his lack of care for the mare’s generosity. Applejack rolled her eyes and rose to her hooves, heading back to the barn doors. "Well I'll let ya rest. I'll bring ya food in the morning."

He didn't respond. Applejack opened the doors and left him to his own company.

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The mare closed the large wooden barn doors. She stood still, resting on the doors as she tried her hardest to take in the fact that she’d allowed a strange stallion to stay in her parent’s old barn. Sure, nopony goes in there anymore, but what if her family or even her best friends find out? What would they say? Should she keep this a secret?

"APPLEJACK!"

A voice startled the orange pony, distracting her from the troubling questions. Applejack spun on her hind hooves leaving her face to face with a grinning filly, who had run from the farm house. "Apple Bloom? Don’t do that, ya rascal!" Applejack ruffled her sister’s ruby mane.

"Why were ya in the old barn?" Apple Bloom asked, a little confused as to why her older sister was in the south field, after bucking the trees there last month.

"Oh, ya know, just looking," Applejack said in the most convincing tone she could make. Luckily her sister couldn't tell if she was lying. It was then that Applejack realized something: that lie was one of many to come. And that terrified her.

Apple Bloom had no reason to not trust her sister. "Okay. You ready for a swim?"

"Sure, come on then!" The sisters headed home to pack up for their little swimming trip. As usual, Apple Bloom cantered off, getting a head start on her sister. Meanwhile, Applejack turned her head and looked back to the rusty barn.

"I'll see ya in the morning, stranger."