Applejack's not one to stop working and unwind for the day, but she doesn't have much choice...
Applejack loves her life on the farm and is known throughout Ponyville for being an honest, hard-working earth pony. When she injures her leg applebucking and is forced to stay in bed for a few days, Applejack ignores the doctors advice and attempts to get back to working, not trusting in Granny Smith's capabilities to organize the running of Sweet Apple Acres only to find the Apples making sure she can't get out of the room. If she wants to return to harvesting apples and enjoying her regular life again, she needs a plan... -------- My first story! Hope it's alright...this particular fic is set during season 2 in case you were wondering! -------- Huge thanks to BluegrassBrooke for reading over the first two parts and offering great advice!
"Now in future you need to be more careful when applebucking. You'll want to be staying off that leg for a couple of days at the least" The doctor noted matter-of-factly, re-adjusting his glasses as he finished signing Applejack out of the hospital.
"But...but...ah got work to do on the farm! ah can't just sit around doing nothin' all day! It's applebuckin' season!" Applejack's stomach churned at the thought. No applebuckin'?. Applejack had spent almost all of her years labouring in the orchards, never once missing such a busy time of year. "Surely ah can do something. Anything!"
The doctor continued to study his notepad as Applejack waited impatiently for a response. He finally lifted his head up "Well there is something you can do..."
Applejack's face lit up and she took a step towards the doctor. "Well, what? What is it, doc?"
"Follow my instructions and rest." The doctor put a re-assuring hoof on Applejack's shoulder "I'm sure that the rest of the Apples will be happy to look after you until you're better."
Applejack slowly sat down on the nearest bed, seeds of doubt clouding her thoughts as she tried to come to terms with the situation. She shut her eyes and let out a small sigh before turning to look at Big Macintosh and Applebloom standing in the doorway behind her. "But...all that work down at the orchards..."
"Don't worry big sis! Me and Big Mac can handle the apples together! You could do with the rest as it is. From what ah recall, you haven't had a single day off in like...forever!" Applebloom beamed at Applejack with her regular optimism and began to trot out of the room. Big Mac strode over to Applejack,offering a sympathetic smile before hugging her with his massive forehooves.
"It'll be alright, Applejack" Big Macintosh said softly "Ah know you like to take charge with these sorts of things but we can handle it"
"Ah know, ah know but...ah feel like ah'm letting y'all down. Applebuckin' season is my favourite time of year, you know that" Applejack looked up at her brother, tears beginning to form in her tired eyes, while Big Mac continued to hug her.
"It's only a minor injury, Applejack." Big Macintosh stepped out of the embrace, offering a hoof out to Applejack. "You're getting worked up over nothing."
Yeh...maybe, Applejack began to head to the exit. She drooped her ears as she headed out into the chilly morning air. A faint mist had descended over Ponyville in the night, and the grass was damp underfoot as the Apples returned to Sweet Apple Acres, barely visible in the distance. Applejack walked along the dirt path much slower than she was used to, her bandaged hind leg trailing behind her, dragging along the floor causing dust to fly up into the air behind them. As she looked around, she was surprised to see how many ponies were already out and about. Some had saddlebags and were standing around the market stalls, eyeing every offer, clearly intent on grabbing the freshest produce while others were clustered together in small groups, chatting and laughing together. In one of the groups, Lyra popped her head up to see Applejack and gave her a friendly wave. Applejack smiled and gave a weak nod in reply before continuing along the path with Big Macintosh and Applebloom.
They finally arrived back at the farm as the mist began to clear, letting rays of sunshine pierce through the grey haze and herald the beginning of yet another sunny day in Equestria. Not that this made Applejack feel much better. She couldn't help but fidget as she continued along the path, clumsily trying to get at an itch which was, ironically, directly under the bandage on her leg. Trying to ignore it made things worse and Applejack grunted angrily, desperately attempting to forget about it. Granny Smith sat in her rocking chair in front of the gate to the farm, gradually rising from her seat before going to welcome back the others.
"And how's our little Apple doing, hm?" Granny Smith asked as the trio headed up the path. "You had quite the nasty accident there, honey. Ah ain't seen something like that since I was just a filly"
It's not THAT bad, Applejack thought, trying to offer the most sincere smile she could muster. "Don't you worry, Ah'll be ready to start working again soon."
"Oh Applejack! You don't need to worry about that, ah can keep everything organised while you rest up!" Granny Smith smiled at Applejack as the apple farmer's left eye began to twitch, her mouth agape. Granny? Running the farm?, Applejack's eyes were wide with shock. "Granny, ar-aren't you a bit old for that sort of thing now?"
"Pfft! Pony-feathers. I was running the farm for years alongside my pappy and beyond! I'm sure I can handle it, young 'un!" She gave a confident jerk of the head, resting her forelegs on the nearby fence. She flinched as it collapsed and fell to the ground in pieces at her hooves. Applejack steadily moved away as Granny Smith began shouting insults at the bits of wood that covered the dirt, her eyes shifting from left to right uncomfortably. She turned to see the others stifling a laugh as Granny continued to make a mess of the front of the farm. "So...y'all are comfortable with Granny running the show?" Applejack continued to stare in disbelief at Granny, hoping that they'd change their minds.
"Eeyup!" Big Macintosh gave a smile as he made his way into the farmhouse. Applebloom who was excitedly skipping around, quickly followed him inside, practically radiating happiness with every step she took. Applejack let out a small chuckle.Nothing fazes that darn' filly she thought to herself. Y'know...maybe they're right. It'll be nice to unwind a bit while ah heal up. Ah'm sure that everythi-
"You good fer' nothing piece o' timber, you!" Applejack winced as her train of thought was sharply interrupted by Granny's ranting echoing throughout the orchard. She watched Granny pacing around with a disinterested expression. She continued to watch Granny make more of a mess with every smash of her hooves against the broken fence. Granny eventually tripped over her own legs while attempting to continue her assault, getting a face full of dirt as a reward. By this time, Applejack's mind was too full of complaints about her situation to focus on what was happening in front of her. That was, however, until an idea crept into Applejack's brain that made her grin and rub her hooves together. If ah can't convince them to let me work the orchards...ah'll just have to get out there mahself, she thought.
Applejack twisted and turned in her bed, wearily looking up at the clock to see the hands move painfully slowly. She let out a sigh of frustration; it had only been two or three hours since she'd been back on the farm, yet she was already finding the day insufferable. She had already made multiple attempts to escape out onto the orchard, to little success.
The first time, she waited until she believed everypony had gone to begin the harvest. She slowly got out of her bed, making sure to gently bring her bandaged leg to the floor silently. She'd crept up to the door and allowed it to gradually open out onto the hallway. She popped her head out to make sure the coast was clear. There wasn't a pony in sight...well, unless you counted the small filly hiding behind the door ready and waiting for Applejack to try and get out. So much for that plan. Another half an hour had passed before she'd attempted a second escape plan. This time, she heaved and tugged at the small window in her room until it finally creaked open. After tying pillows around her injured leg to protect it, she pulled herself out onto the window ledge and let herself drop onto the ground. That is, if it wasn't for the large trampoline that came up to greet her as she fell. All she heard was a simple "Nope" before Applejack was flung back up through her window landing in a confused mess on her bedroom floor.
She was on the brink of giving up all together until, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the small trap door, partially hidden by the worn red carpet on the floor. Applejack couldn't get the wicked grin off her face as she threw the carpet back and opened the small hatch. She looked down into the family kitchen, memories of when she was younger flooding back. She lowered herself through the hole, landing onto the kitchen table. She winced as she landed roughly on her injured leg. She allowed herself a celebratory moment, beaming that she remembered the trap door at all. She began to trot out into the hallway, her hooves causing the old floorboards to creak and groan with every step she took. She moved like a ghost through the hallway, checking that nopony had cottoned on to her escape yet. Finally Applejack raised her hoof to open the door Finally free...
"Ah always had a suspicion those apple fritters didn't just disappear from the kitchen table all on their lonesome"
Applejack stopped dead in her tracks, slowly turning to face a rather angry-looking Granny Smith staring at Applejack from across the hall. Applejack gave a nervous grin "Well uh- heh...funny you should bring that up b-but as much as ah'd love to stay and...ch-chat, plenty of work to be done!" Applejack reached for the door again.
"Listen here young'un! We're not trying to annoy ya or bore ya by keeping ya locked up in here. It's just what's best for you."
"And how would ya know what's best fer me?" Applejack counteracted in a raised voice "It's just a lil' injury and all of a sudden, ah can't help out in the orchards? Ah may not be at mah best but it doesn't mean ah can't lend a helpin' hoof!" She tried hard not to cry out in pain as she bumped her bandaged leg into the wall. "Ugh It's not like ya know what it's like to be stuck in a room doing nothin' at a time like this..."
"Now you hold yer tongue right there, missy. We're yer family and we know what's best fer ya. So did the doctor and he said you gotta rest. So get yer flank upstairs, honey. This ain't a battle worth fightin'...believe me..." Applejack opened her mouth to speak but couldn't find the words so instead lowered her head in defeat and walked back up the stairs. Granny watched her go with tired eyes and let out a deep sigh. "Believe me...ah know."
Applejack sat up in bed her hooves crossed over her chest, a sour expression on her lips. She lifted her head up, taking a minute to examine her surroundings. When it came to decor, the Apple family kept things simple. Applejack's room contained little more than the necessities. She eyed the bookshelf and lifted herself out of bed Might as well find somethin' to pass the time she thought, rummaging through the books on the shelves. Seriously? Not a single good book? This whole darn bookshelf doesn't have anythin' worth readin'? She scanned each book in turn before stumbling across a thick black book, with gold letters proudly displaying the title. Fifty Shades Of Hay? What in the hay kinda book is that? She fumbled around with her hooves trying to grab it for a closer inspection, carefully lifting it out of it's place. Before she studied the book in question, a glint of light caught her eye and she turned to see a much smaller book hidden behind the others. Her curiosity compelled her, moving other books out the way as she tentatively reached a hoof out to the book.
She sat down on her bed, carefully blowing onto the front cover sending up a cloud of dust into the air. She narrowed her eyes, trying to make out the title. Hang on one lick-pickin' minute. I seen this somewhere before Applejack raised a hoof to her chin until suddenly it all clicked. Of course! Granny's diary. Ah remember her grabbin' this fer the Family Appreciation Day presentation... She placed the book beside her and darted her eyes around nervously. I'm sure there are some good stories in here...wouldn't hurt to look! She scooped the book up in her hooves and began sifting through the pages, hoping to find anything that could get her mind off the boredom she was suffering from. She finally settled on an entry and began to read through the old diary.
Dear Diary, It looks to be a great applebucking season this year! Mah Pa's been out all day makin' sure the fruit is nice and ripe on all the trees. Since we settled down here, we've had a few nasty spots every now and then, but ah'm sure we're going to get plenty of apples this time round! Still...it bothers me that mah Pa thinks ah'm too young to be helping this time round even though ah'm a big filly! T'aint fair, that's what it is! Ah already have my cutie mark so ah'm sure ah can buck apples like the rest of 'em. Maybe if ah SHOW him what ah can do, he'll change his mind! Just you wait Diary, ah'm going to get out onto the orchards this season if it kills me!
Diary Entry 33
Dear Diary, Well...things didn't exactly go as planned. Everything was going well at first, waitin' until the dead of night before jumpin' out of the window and makin' a break for the orchard. There I was, bushels and bushels of juicy ripe apples ahead of me, perfect for buckin'! Ah got to work straight away, fillin' up as many buckets as ah could. It was all goin' fine until, about an hour in, a truly horrid smell reached me. Why, ah almost choked from one whiff! Instinctively, ah checked the apples straight away but there was nothin' wrong with them. Ah had to sit there for a while, tryin' to think of what the cause was before I finally set out to investigate.
Ah followed the smell across the star-lit orchard, passin' by rows and rows of apple trees, before ah finally came face to face with the terrifyin' Everfree Forest! Ah couldn't help but feel a chill run down mah spine as ah stood and stared through the thick bushes and trees. Imagine the shock on mah face as ah realised the bushes and tress were staring back at me! Many a pair of green eyes watched me, glowing spookily in the darkness. Ah wanted to run but found mahself frozen to the spot. Mah legs shakin' with fear as the eyes came closer and closer, the smell becomin' more and more distinct.
Ah was only knocked out of mah trance when ah heard some loud clanging echoing behind me. Ah turned to see mah Pa, faintly lit up by the lights of the house shoutin' somethin' to me. Not that ah could hear from that distance, but ah was now much more aware of the situation and began to run back to the house as ah heard low growls behind me. Ah've never run so fast in mah life! My hooves carried me through the orchard, everythin' a blur in mah vision. Ah turned mah head round, only to be confronted with the horrifyin' face of a Timberwolf! Even in the darkness, ah saw his hungry eyes and the rows upon rows of savage teeth!
Ah was almost back to the farmhouse, when ah suddenly heard mah Ma scream. A second later, ah felt those same savage teeth dig into my hindleg. Ah cried out in pain as ah fell down to the ground, screamin' and shoutin'. Ah thought it was the end of me, but suddenly two hooves bucked the wolf right in the face and the beast made a swift retreat into the forest. Ah'm still recoverin' from the bite. Don't think ah'll be going anywhere for a couple of days. Mah parents are so mad. Ah wish ah'd never tried to sneak out in the first place. This has got to be the worst day ever!
Applejack slowly closed the book, letting it fall out of her hooves. She sat there for a minute, sniffling as the events in the diary kept replaying in her head. She turned her head to look out the window, a cool evening breeze sweeping into the room as the sun began to set on the horizon. Ah can't belive Granny went through all that, ah mean... comin' across a Timberwolf like that, and at that age. She looked away from the book in shame and stuffed her face into a pillow. All of those things ah said to her, all of that complainin'. The orange mare curled up into a ball and put her hooves across her face as she failed to stop tears trickle down her cheeks. And ah didn't even consider what she might have gone through before me. Applejack continued to lay there for a while, unable to move as she muffled a sob.
Sunlight seeped through Applejack's window, birdsong filling the air as the farmer slowly rose from her slumber. She rubbed her eyes, her vision blurry and her mind even more so. Gradually, Applejack made sense of her surroundings, stifling a yawn. Suddenly, memories of the diary awoke in Applejack's head and she quickly made her way to the door, ignoring her leg crying out in pain. She stumbled through the hallway, barely keeping her footing as she hastily descended down the wooden stairs. The stairs continued to creak in protest as Applejack's hooves landed heavily on each stair. She barely made it into the kitchen in one piece.
She panted and wheezed, grunting a little as the pain in her hindleg began to reach her. Big Macintosh and Applebloom stopped eating and lifted their heads up. Big Macintosh nodded a good morning and gestured towards the table. Applebloom, on the other hoof, leapt from her seat and threw herself at Applejack, tightly hugging her neck with a giant smile on her face.
"Applejack! It was so amazing yesterday." Applebloom could barely contain her excitement as she blurted out the words. "We got so much done and Big Mac was able to knock down over three trees of apples with a single buck!"
Big Macintosh laughed and gave a hearty "Eeyup."
"Seriously sis! Why didn't you ever tell me applbuckin' was so amazin'? Maybe ah'll get an applebuckin' cutie mark at this rate." She let Applejack go and bounced back over to her chair. Applejack giggled as she reached for her Stetson, hanging on the wall.
"Well ah sure am glad that you two are gettin' along just fine and dandy without me." Applejack took her place at the table and hungrily licked her lips as the smell of apple pie reached her muzzle. "Maybe next season, you can help out some more Applebloom"
"For real?" Applebloom stretched over the table with starry eyes while Applejack simply laid back in her chair and winked at her.
"Well it seems somepony's in a good mood today" Granny Smith steadily made her way over to them. "Definitely a lot better than yesterday anyway."
"Ah do feel better. A lot better. That's why ah wanted to apologize fer what ah said." Applejack couldn't even face Granny, choosing to look down into her plate. "Ah should have known you were right about restin' up and all but ah guess mah stubborn streak got a hold of me and ah tried to take matters into my own hooves" Applejack held her stetson against her chest as she walked over to Granny and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Ah'm mighty sorry, Granny. For everythin'."
Granny smiled warmly and ruffled Applejack's mane. "Oh, it's alright child. Ah understand perfectly your want to get back to work, but believe me, the rest will do ya the world of good."
Applejack placed the stetson back on her head and looked back at her bandaged leg once more before turning back to her. "Ah know."
Today I learnt an interesting lesson about friendship. Sometimes, it's easier to believe you know what's best for yourself and hard to accept help from your friends. But the truth of the matter is, that your friends and family only care about you and want the best for you. You'll most likely find that more often than not, they're not just blowing hot air, and that advice from your friends in any situation, will actually do you the world of good.
