Applespike Writefaggotry Part 2

Rarity’s shout had made the entire orchard fall deathly silence, broken only by a furious unicorn mare’s nigh-snarling breaths and the steady beating of Rainbow Dash’s wings, keeping her aloft. Several seconds past like this until Rarity’s patience ran out.

 

“Perhaps you did not hear me the first time, Applejack, so I will repeat: What is the meaning of this?” She repeated with a strained calmness and a clear desire to have loaded her sentence up with as many slurs and insults as possible.

 

It was Spike who chose to break the tension, deliberately slapping his forehead in an exaggerated manner. “Rarity, I’m so sorry, I’ve been forgetting to help you out at the boutique lately. See, it’s just that Applejack hurt her back pretty badly, and between my ‘magic fingers’ as Twilight calls them and some treatments she and Zecora taught me, I’ve been busy taking care of Applejack.”

 

As though fate were trying to prove his point, it was just than Applejack herself realized how long she had been standing and felt the muscles along her back began to protest with excruciating pain, forcing her to lay down on the hard deck before she lost all face and began to cry. Rarity recomposed herself entirely and looked the orange earth pony over before nodding.

 

“Well, one lady cannot deny another help she so sorely needs, but if no one minds, I would like to have a word with Applejack in private.”

 

Spike took out a small bell and offered it to Applejack. “If you need me, just ring.” before filing back into the house.

 

“By private, I mean alone with her.” Rarity clarified with some annoyance when the dragon had been the only one to heed her wishes, though the second time saw everyone slowly leave the scene, some hoping for the fashionista to start speaking while they walked away, but no such luck would be had.

 

After a few seconds of silence, Applejack chose to talk first. “Rares, Ah’m sorry Ah-” Her words were cut off as Rarity held up a single hoof.

 

The unicorn then repeated with a small flare of anger empowered magic to smack the side of the house: “I said alone!” It was followed by the sound of small, scurrying hooves and the rapid beat of wings

 

“Now then, dear, before you speak, I would like to apologize myself for coming down in such an uncouth and rude manner. As well as losing my temper.” Rarity said to open her own end of the diplomatic route. “What simply frustrates me is that you lied to me and I want to know why?”

 

That last part was the question Applejack had been dreading. She had mulled over the answer a lot since Rainbow Dash had told her to find it, and still she was coming up empty. All she knew was that, the more she thought about her life without the dragon, injury or not, she liked the scenario less and less.

 

“Well, darling?”

 

Lies had gotten her into this mess, and even if she didn’t know the truth, she was going to concede to the guess.

 

“Rarity…” Trying to get out these words was one of the hardest things in her life and she had not even reached the subject.

 

“Yes, darling.” Rarity herself remained the picture of patience, not even Applejack could see any agitation, even if she was sure it was there.

 

Her throat was seizing up and becoming uncomfortably dry, her brow was soaking with the sweat of a day of hard labor, her back was spasming painfully but her pride wouldn’t let her run to Spike to bail her out or use her injury as an excuse. She hadn’t fallen that far yet. “The reason Ah lied to ya, an’, Ah know it’s gonna sound crazy…”

 

What will her friends things (besides Rainbow Dash)?

 

She was a mare and he was a dragon. She was just a blink in his long lifetime. “But the reason, that Ah think Ah lied…”

 

He was just a child and she was a grown mare. “Is because Ah think… Jus’ think mind you, Ah’m still unsure.”

 

She was a dirty, mud pony farmer. He was a legendary beast born in a palace that rose higher than Cloudsdale. “Because, Ah think…”

 

A speck in the eyes of a great, and generous beast with  heart far bigger than he would ever grow.

 

“Ah’m…”

 

A king of all creatures who had chosen to acknowledge her. “In...” To devote time and attention to her. “love…” To tell her she was beautiful. “Spike…”

 

She finally managed to say it,and by the end, she was an aching, exhausted, tired, and crying mess. But a terrible burden felt lifted from her heart, and in its place a new one weighed in her chest.

 

There was no speculation about it. She had fallen in love with Spike, a baby dragon, and the kindest soul she had ever come to know, and against everything was taught, she wanted to selfishly hoard all of his love, his kindness, his generosity, everything about him she wanted for her and her alone.

 

Rarity’s voice broke her from revelation. “I see. Darling, you do understand there are implications to this, right?” The unicorn asked with cautious tone.

 

Applejack just nodded.

 

“He’s a dragon, you’re a pony. There’s species barriers just there alone!” Despite her mask of composure, the unicorn’s voice began to crack slightly despite her comforting tone. “He’s going to live more than a thousand years, and, well, to be fair darling, your health is not boding well, even under the best circumstances any of us who are not Twilight might live to be one hundred and fifty.” That next part ended with a choke and a sniffle. Applejack couldn’t tell from who. “He’s just a child, darling, we’re grown mares anyway, if I acted on how I felt you’d be branded a pedophile at best, thrown in jail and kept even more worlds away from him at worst…”

 

Applejack then noticed something warm and wet on her back, she looked up and saw Rarity was crying too. “Applejack, I know it’s fun, it’s wonderful. He’s the majestic, immortal beast, king of the wild and untamed but he treats you like the goddess, he places you higher than any Princess and that smile…”

 

She loved him too.

 

“But, I’m not blind, Applejack, I know how he feels but I have restrained myself. Oh, such a little gentleman, Twilight raised him well, he’s going to break a lot of hearts when he’s older.” Rarity put on her best sadistic smirk in her emotionally shaken state. “And if they break his heart then we’ll be there to break their backs. Right?”

 

It was Applejack’s turn to smile weakly. “But, you know, one day it’s gonna happen. He’s gonna find himself a lucky girl. She’ll make’im real happy, and he’ll make her happy.”

 

The unicorn let her smile falter and began to wear her true feelings. “And I will hate that whore forever. Until the day I die.”

 

Applejack joined her friend in those dark thoughts. “Ah’m gonna be jealous, Ah won’ lie. Ah’m gonna spend mah nights wishin’ Ah was that mare.”

 

“But we both know what we need to do.”

 

“Ah know.”

 

And then, the pain in the farmer’s back became a shadow to the one in her heart.

 

An hour of crying, followed by a hour of trying to recompose herself, Applejack and Rarity finally parted ways, her mind heavy with her conversation with her friend, only aware enough of her world to brush aside and assure her family and Rainbow Dash everything was fine between her and Rarity. Her and Spike would prove to be another story.

 

By the time she had gotten inside, the dragon was quick to insist on helping her back to bed for her back massage, the only thing to fully break her from her stupor.

 

She actively reveled in every small sensation of Spike’s work. The scent of the oils, salves, lotions, and incenses become downright sensual, and his touch as he undid a lifetime of laborious work on her body was arousing. She burned these sensations into her mind, she wanted to remember this moment forever and made no effort to hide how much she wanted to go further.

 

At some point, she noticed Spike had lulled and heard heavy breathing that was not coming from her. Slowly turning, she noticed the number one assistant looking flushed and shaking. “A-Applejack, I’m sorry, but I think I need to stop.”

 

To Spike’s surprise, and Applejack’s own, she just smiled in a sultry way, rolled onto her back, and pulled him closer. “What’s on yer mind, partner?”

 

“I, well Twilight said…” he trailed off, unable to finish, but he had no need to.

 

Inside Applejack, a battle of wills occurred.

 

“Twilight’s not here, sugarcube. It’s just you an’ me.”

 

She had to let him go. But that lingering selfishness ate at her.

 

Just once, she promised herself.

 

“It ain’ nothin’ to be ashamed of, Spike.” She comforted him. “Just means yer all grown up.”

 

Just once so she wouldn’t spend her life wondering ‘what if’.

 

Spike hesitated, but Applejack remained inviting, spreading her legs slowly with a half-lidded gaze. “Are… Are you sure it’s okay, Applejack? I mean, what if you… What I hurt you?”

 

Always the gentleman. Just not hers, not tomorrow, not yesterday, not even tonight, just now in this moment, Spike would be hers.

 

“Shhh…” She whispered softly and and opened herself to the small dragon. “Ya don’ ever gotta worry ‘bout hurtin’ me, sugarcube.”

 

I’m more worried about you. But I’m sorry, Spike. I’m a terribly, selfish, cruel, and wicked pony.

 

They spent along time entangled together. The temperature of the room rose by magnitudes with the heat of their bodies. The incense mingled with their sweat and made the air even more heady than it already was. Applejack’s condition left her able to do little, the dragon’s skilled touch and loving ministrations of pleasure left her able to do even less. Even before he began to fill her up, she felt as though the dragon’s fire had passed through his lips when they kissed and now flickered, fluttered, and warmed her belly from within.

 

In the back of Applejack’s mind, she knew there were risks. A child born from the union of a dragon and pony should be impossible, but anything that was known about dragons was already thought impossible. Still, a black portion of her heart raced at the thought of her body growing heavy with Spike’s baby. To have a part of him always with her, an eternal reminder that just once, all this was hers.

 

This thought fueled her passions, and pushed her past any pain or discomfort to give back some of the bliss her caretaker was giving her. But despite how much control she had lost or given up, no matter how good she felt or how much her heart was ready to explode, she would never tell him she loved him. She would not chain him to her anymore than she already had.

 

She didn’t have to.

 

When everything was over, the sun had set, the room was rank with the scent of exotic alchemy and beastial passion. Spike was curled up close against her, smiling brighter than she had ever seen.

 

Please don’t look at me like that. Please don’t make me think I can love you like you deserve.

 

“That was… Wow…” Spike muttered, breathless as she was, his small heart pounding like hers, warm, contently exhausted, and happy, almost as his mate.

 

Applejack just managed a shallow laugh. “Yeah… That was- You were pretty… Wow yerself, loverboy.”

 

Spike’s laugh was a bit more hardy as her snuggled up closer. “Applejack?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“I love you.”

 

Those words made her heart fly and at the same time iced it over.

 

I am the worst pony ever.

 

Late that evening, Spike happily marched inside with a plate of dinner for both of them. “You’re gonna love this, Granny Smith lost track of time and made breakfast for dinner, Applejack. Apple pancakes for dinner! What a novelty!” The young dragon then spied his lover with a quill just finishing up with the quill and parchment he had asked him to retrieve for her earlier.

 

She was quick to roll it up and greet him with a smile. “Well welcome back, sug, ‘fore we settle in, mind sendin’ a letter to Twilight for me?”

 

The dragon was eager to please his new girlfriend, and once he set down their dinner he sent the scroll in a puff of fire and smoke.

 

“Thank you kindly.”

 

“You’re welcome kindly.” Spike replied, adding a bit of a drawl to his normal speech before kissing Applejack on the muzzle, his smile fading a bit when he noticed the sorrow in the earth pony’s eyes. “Applejack, are you okay? You seem really sad.”

 

It was time to lie again. “Oh, nothin’ to worry ‘bout, sugarcube, jus’ don’t wanna be cooped up in here for much longer.” At least it wasn’t a complete one.

 

“Well don’t worry about it, Applejack. You’ve been making some good recovery progress, and you have that new walker bed thing!” Twilight’s assistant reassured while cutting up the pancakes, stabbing a forkful and then holding it to her lips.

 

“Spike, Ah appreciate it, but Ah can feed mahself.”

 

“Come on, Applejack, isn’t that what couples do?” The word was a knife through her heart and almost broke her mask. “Hey, you okay?”

 

Instead of answering, she opened her mouth and accepted the warm and fluffy treat, savoring the taste as well as being spoiled like so.

 

Spike, though, was not easily deterred. “Applejack, there’s something really bothering you, and it’s not what you said it was, was it? Was it about what you talked with Rarity about?”

 

Damn, the kid was persistent.

 

Applejack considered trying to break his train of thought with a kiss, but she decided against using him further. “Well… Ya’ll said we’re a ‘couple’, Ah mean Ah don’ do what Ah did fer any pony, but what about Rarity?”

 

Spike just smiled and kissed Applejack assuringly on the cheek. “Well, you don’t need to worry about that. I doubt Rarity ever thought of me that way.” He then laughed with a mix of hope and bitterness. “I mean, she, Twilight, Fluttershy. They all just see me as a kid. A baby. To be coddled or cooed at. When I’m not a baby, I’m a joke, when I’m not a joke I sometimes feel like I’m just… Not even there.”

 

“Almost like you’ve become invisible?” The mare ventured.

 

His expression became downcast and he nodded. “I hate to feel that way, but when Twilight’s often so busy and I never have any friends of my own-” He was cut off when two orange forelegs wrapped themselves around him.

 

“Ya got a friend in me, sugarcube.” A friend, but she can’t be -shouldn’t be- anything else.

 

The purple dragon brightened considerably at those words. “I know I do. And I know you’re able to see past my whole sidekick thing too.” kissing the pony again, he touched his head to hers. “That’s why this afternoon’s been pretty special to me.”

 

And that sound of tearing flesh was another knife in her heart.

 

She couldn’t keep her hear from hanging, or the tears from welling in her eyes.

 

“The first time is supposed to be special. Something sacred shared between two loving ponies.” Its what Applejack had been taught, and she had ignored both parts. She had monopolized Spike for herself, attempted to isolate him from other his daily life, stolen his love like a changeling and now attempted to steal his body like a harlot.

 

Before she realized it, scaly arms wrapped around her, stroking her mane and back. “Hey, Applejack, don’t cry.”

 

She had to think about what was best for Spike.

 

“Come on, just tell me what’s wrong and I’ll make it better, no matter what it takes.”

 

It was time to stop being selfish.

 

“It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”

 

And to do that, she would have to hurt him a little to keep from hurting him massively.

 

“Applejack?”

 

Every bit of anger, frustration, and self-loathing, she would somehow channel.

 

“Spike?...”

 

Right onto the one who she loved most.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Go away.”

 

The hurt in his eyes made her almost break. She wanted to throw herself at him, back or not, and beg for forgiveness, beg him to stay, offer him her body, her heart, her everything just to not leave her side.

 

But Spike recomposed himself and even smiled before nodding. “Alright then, I’ll give you some space, guess I do need a bath anyway, and to brush my teeth.” He laughed it off. Dammit, he had such faith in her he couldn’t believe she really would mean to hurt him.

 

Applejack had to convince him otherwise.

 

“Ah don’ mean ‘gimme some space’, Spike. Ah mean get outta mah house! Off mah farm! An march yer scaly butt back to tha library! Even better, take it back to tha sty in Tartarus that spawned ya!” It was an ordeal to keep her voice steady, a trial not to cry, and a tribulation not to shake. She failed them all and only managed to keep the barest shreds of anger and hatred in her voice, and only by closing her eyes and pretending Spike wasn’t there, but a mirror image of herself.

 

“I don’t understand…” The pain was now clear, his will and faith was breaking apart.

 

She went in for the kill. “Yeah, you wouldn’ get it and ya never will ‘cause yer a kid an’ ‘r still gonna be a kid when Ah’m grey, cold, and buried in tha ground!”

 

It was done. Spike’s heart was broken a little bit now so not to completely shatter it later. And with a sniff that became a sob, the small dragon fled the room, and after several moments, she heard him leave the house. Applejack then joined him, even with the physical distance growing between them, both lovers wept and wailed as one.

 

Her family soon came in, asking what had happened but she didn’t notice them, didn’t answer them, couldn’t answer. All she could do is sob, can cry, and wail herself raw. She felt empty inside where fire once filled her, cold when there had been warmth, halved when for a few precious hours, she felt completed.

 

Heartbroken and despondent to the world, all Applejack could do was accept her state and allow her mind to replay the past few days again, and again, and again, giving an empty comfort of what had once been hers. Until she destroyed it.

 

Spike didn’t remember getting back to the library, but he knew even in the light of dawn, the treehouse felt unfamiliar, cold, and quiet. In shadows he could see his memories play out and in each one he tried to find out what he had done to offend the mare. But the darkness gave no answers and the sun’s light illuminated nothing. The only reason he had was the one Applejack had given to him, the simple fact that he could never comprehend because he was just a child, a baby.

 

A deep booming voice shook even the natural woodwork of the library, the powerful baritone of Big Macintosh: “Spike! Open up this door right now ‘r Ah’m bustin’ it down!”

 

While a creature more alive would scurry and hide or quickly give into the demands to appease, Spike only gave a half a glance to the trembling entrance of his home, in his hands a photograph of Twilight and her friends, small claws running over the image of Applejack forelornly.

 

The library door finally caved, glass, splinters, and the twisted wreckage of hinges and locking mechanisms flew, followed by the earthquake of the charging red stallion pinning the small dragon to one of the shelves with enough force to shake the whole tree. “What did you do ta mah sister?” The stallion snorted, his nostrils flared and green eyes red.

 

After enough some seconds of depressed silence, the stallion tried to force the answer again by backing up then slamming Spike once again into the wall. “What did ya do ta mah sister?!” He repeated slower, louder, and angrier.

 

It was after recovering from this second blow, the assistant finally acknowledged the stallion he had bounded with so closely not so long ago, only able to echo his sister’s statement with tearful eyes. “I don’t understand.”

 

Spike was dropped to the floor and then pinned under one of Mac’s massive hooves and his body’s weight and strength began to press down, little by little. “Mah sister’s been cryin’ non-stop, she’s in pain, an’ you left outta nowhere last night! Ya’ll were tha last one wit’ ‘er ‘fore this all happened! Ya brought ‘er dinner! What did ya say? What did ya do to her?!” He shifted his weight with alarming methodical precision, just enough to crack even one of the dragon’s ribs, finally getting the pained reaction he was hoping for.

 

“I don’t know! She told me I wouldn’t understand!” Spike cried out, both from the pain and the sorrow.

 

Big Macintosh suddenly jumped back as though burned. The haze of rage had cleared enough from his mind to realize that if this had been another stallion, they would have been a bloody smear on the library wall and he would have never known the answer, or possibly hurt his sister even worse. It sent chills down his massive spine.

 

“She said I wouldn’t understand because I’m a child.” The dragon now didn’t care if the one he was talking to nearly murdered him just now. He didn’t even care anymore if there was anyone there to hear him, he just needed to say it aloud in hopes it would make sense. “And she’s right, I don’t understand! I keep going over and over again in my mind what happened. I gave her a massage, we made love, I told her how I felt, and then she just suddenly wants me gone! I don’t understand, what did I do wrong?!”

 

It took a few seconds for Big Macintosh to recover from the shock that the little dragon before him was not a virgin, nor was his sister anymore, but when it all sunk in, he felt half an inch tall. He had barged into Spike’s home, destroying his property in the process, nearly murdered him, and all because… Applejack was being a stubborn ass. Again.

 

Taking a deep breath, Macintosh apologized to Spike, though the number one assistant remained unresponsive to the outside world, instead continuing to recap the events of previous days, trying to understand what had led to the breakup. Sighing, shaking out his mane, and breaking into full gallop, Macintosh knew it was time to do some further digging with his little sister. After sending Nurse Redheart to the library to help with Spike’s broken rib.

 

The Carousel Boutique was closed to the public for the moment, allowing Rarity some vital time to catch up on some personal projects of hers. But her free time was not to be spent so leisurely when a familiar face pounded at her door with such force they nearly cracked the glass.

 

“Big Macintosh, is that honestly how you approach a lady?” The white unicorn said calmly over his incoherent shouts. “I will not open this door until you speak clearly, a lady does not needs to be-” Her rant made her miss his counter ultimatum of what he had been doing to doors for most of today when the owner had not yielded them willingly, and thus she was cut off as one of Gordian Knot’s premium locks was smashed through the frame. Rarity then found herself pinned under Macintosh’s impressive weight and flushed.

 

“Oh! I had no idea you wanted to get back togethe-”

 

“What did ya’ll tell Applejack yesterday?”

 

The unicorn remained the picture of calm. “What is spoken between two ladies is private. Even a brute like-” Once again, she was interrupted.

 

“Mah sister’s been cryin’ since last night, Spike’s run back to tha library in tears, Ah’ve gotten a pretty good idea what goes on ‘round my family’s farm, the only blank spot left is you!” Rarity’s calm broke, and for a moment, it was replaced by genuine terror that this stallion was planning on murdering her.

 

To her surprise though, after feeling his hot breath bearing down on her like hot ashes of a volcano, it was gone, along with his weight.

 

“Miss Rarity, Mah family’s n shambles, an’ even if Ah don’ have tha right to call ‘im that, Ah’m countin’ Spike too. Yer onna the only ponies Ah know who might be able to explain what’s goin’ on wit’ Spike an’ my sister.” The great stallion said far more calmly, but still clearly distraught as indicated by the lack of his usual laconia.

 

Taking a breath in the time Macintosh apologized for the door (“It’s been a bad day.”) Rarity worked to once more recompose herself, unlike most times this would be to avoid breaking apart mid-explanation. “She loves Spike-”

 

“Ah know that! Spike loves her too, what tha hay is wrong with that?”

 

“Stop interrupting me!” The fashionista had lost her patience and smacked the farmer on the muzzle with a lash of magic. She briefly realized her mistake but was soon grateful for Macintosh always being the bigger pony. At least most of the time.

 

“Sorry, as I was saying, I what’s wrong with that is that Spike- Well he’s a child first off! His work is just small chores around a library for Twilight.”

 

“Boy’s also been asked to do work fer tha royal sisters ‘fore Twilight joined ‘em, Twilight’s gone on ‘bout ‘ow she’d be dead without ‘em, he takes care o’ her as much as she does fer him, an’ ‘e’s saved tha entire Crystal Empire-”

 

“By falling and getting Princess Cadance thrown at him!”

 

Big Macintosh shook his head. “Well I found out what Ah needed. You went an’ filled Applejack’s head with a whole lotta nonsense an’ now she’s gone an’ filled Spike with all kinds o’ nonsense-”

 

“It’s not nonsense! He’s a dragon! He is going to live forever! We are not, and just being friends with ephemeral creatures like us, raised by us, only sets him up for a world of heartache later!”

 

Still, Big Macintosh walked away. As he did he threw over his broad shoulders. “His heart seems ta be achin’ a lot now.” And with those words, he walked out through the wrecked door.

 

First things first, the Apple stallion needed to clear things up with Spike, he needed to know immediately how his sister really felt. His powerful hoofbeats heralded his arrival and his passing, ensuring every pony knew to stay clear of him or be trampled. When he made it back to the library, he found no sign of the Dragon in any of the rooms, only an open book of departures to Canterlot.

 

He hadn’t come back, he didn’t see through her, he didn’t recognize her lies or how much she hated herself for every word she said. On top of hating herself period. Maybe it was for the best. Doesn’t true love conquer all delusions, break all obstacles, banished Changelings to mildly inconvenient locations for them to become a problem later? Applejack.

 

Sighing, she stared up at the ceiling dismally, not caring if she ever left this bed again or if her backpains killed her. Applejack! She just wanted to disappear from the world, maybe even never exist at all. It would have saved her from this pain, Spike from his, and maybe some other pony who was genuinely special to take her place at Twilight’s friend.

 

“APPLEJACK!” She continued to ignore Rainbow Dash’s sudden appearance in her room, right up until the pegasus decided to kick her aching back prompting an agonized earth pony to kick her friend right back and miss, straining her back further.

 

“Dammit, Rainbow, cain’cha leave a girl ta weep?!”

 

“No!” The rainbow mare replied in all her brutal honesty before snatching Applejack around the midsection and crashing out the window. Part of Applejack feared her room was not going to survive the month at this rate.

 

“What in tarnation’s gotten inta yer head to steal me outta mah own bedroom?! You been talkin’ ta Granny Smith again?” Applejack grunted and struggled, but her weakened state and the adrenaline empowering the pegasus meant all she did was hurt herself more.

 

“Spike is leaving for Canterlot.” She stopped struggling. ice water briefly filling her veins and tears threatening to pour out. “I ran into Big Mac and asked me to help you get there before the train gets there.” Rainbow Dash elaborated with an unusually solemn tone.

 

The farm pony shook her head. “So what if he is? Canterlot’s better fer ‘im than this dingy mudhole filled with awful ponies that take advantage o’ his- AH!” She was suddenly released at top speeds and seized again so her green eyes met her friend’s violet ones filled with flames.

 

“Applejack, cut the emo ‘I’m not good enough for him’ ass shit right now. I’m tired of this mushy drama crap, all this hidden ‘woe! I’m not special snowflake or alicorn princess!’, and everything else they both entail.” Their muzzles touched, more like ground abreast like an axe blade to a whetstone. “Keep it up, and I’m tying you and Rarity both up, locking you in Pinkie Pie’s secret basement, and telling her you both need to be talked to. Twenty four hours.”

 

Applejack trembled and tried to hold her non-existent ground. “You wouldn’ dare.”

 

“HEY, PINK-”

 

“Let’s at least see Spike off.” In the remaining minute between Sweet Apple Acres and the train station, the earth pony felt a storm of emotions rage inside of her. Her heart soared with the rest of her, she wanted to beg Spike to be hers and hers alone, you apologize for being stupid, to at least see him again. The other half though fought, she needed to keep her distance, she couldn’t be selfish, she couldn’t think only of herself. Not only that, but after everything she had said, what reason would he have to love her again?

 

The whistle of the Friendship Express interrupted her thoughts along with Rainbow Dash’s long list of oaths and vulgarities. They sped faster toward the platform, hoping for some sign Spike had yet to board when a glimpse of purple was locked in on.

 

“Spike! Hold up!” The pegasus shouted, and before Applejack knew it, she had joined in, shouting pleas and apologies until their vision was no longer blurred by their velocity, and saw instead of a small, heartbroken dragon, a fledgling, yet incomparably powerful alicorn before them.

 

“Applejack, I think we need to talk.” Twilight Sparkle said in a hard, mirthless voice.

 

Before any protests could be made, a wash of fuschia overtook Applejack’s vision, followed by a blinding white light, then darkness.

 

When the earth pony mare came to, her world was defined by two sensations; the pain in her back and the pain in her head. An alien shroud of numbness soon set in though, allowing her to open her eyes to see the dimly lit room of lavender velvets, alight with flickering, tyrian flames and not want to just die. Again.

 

“And Spike had told me even with your back shot you still got up early.” Twilight’s voice pierced the flittering shadows of the room before seemingly materializing before her friend like a purple wraith.

 

Still dazed and confused, Applejack gave a quizzical look to Twilight’s unusual gravity. “Twi’, beggin’ yer pardon but what’re ya doin’ here? What am Ah doin’ here? Where is here anywho?”

 

Twilight seemed to ignore her and with her magic shuffled a deck of cards for a few seconds, but answered before her earth pony friend’s frustration could grow. “‘Where is here?’” she echoed and did a few trick shuffles more befitting of Trixie than the simple and utilitarian princess, and when Applejack glimpsed the faces of the cards as they danced briefly in the air, the iconography seemed like something straight from the hut of Zecora. “‘Here’ is betwixt and between. Liminality between dreams and reality. A ‘place’ between places, a during a time between times. The Twilight Zone, if you will. Though I personally like to call it ‘The Velvet Room’ and Princess Celestia calls it the eastwing, basement, broom closet.”

 

Applejack felt some relief when her friend’s more snarky and familiar tone returned at the lattermost part of the sentence. “Also, to answer the first question, you sent for me, remember?” The new princess said with an annoyed tone, summoning the scroll she had written the night before in front of the earth pony.

 

“But there is another reason. I’ve had Spike keeping me abreast of your situation since I left, and, well, I love the little guy but he’s not so great at keeping things professional and turned medical reports into his personal diary.” In spite of Twilight’s amused tone, the pit of Applejack’s stomach bottomed out as dozens of scrolls dropped before her, burying her own letter, many of them falling open.

 

She’s so kind and beautiful

 

She said she appreciated my work

 

Applejack said

 

she really likes my massages

makes the cutest sounds

really fun to hangout with Applejack told me so beautiful

 

Dear, Twilight, they say sometimes, it takes only a minute to fall in love, and I think I love Applejack.

 

“And then…” Twilight spoke up her tone somber. “this letter came just today.” A final letter dropped before her, the penmanship was nigh illegible from trembling hands and the ink had run and parchment stained by falling tears, Applejack’s own soon joined them as she read on.

 

Twilight, I want to leave Ponyville. I can’t be here anymore. I don’t belong anymore. I want this hurting to stop. Applejack, I’m sorry I never will understand and when I do I won’t understand ponies either. I failed. I’m sorry.

 

Between the shaking of the hands that had written the letter, the tears, old and new smearing the page, and Applejack’s shimmering eyes, further reading fell apart.

 

“Twilight… Ah can’ apologize ‘r ever make up what Ah’ve done to you, much less Spike himself. But please, Ah wanna at least say Ah’m sorry!”

 

“Is an apology enough, Applejack?” Twilight asked with melancholy apathy, her deck evidently shuffled and the first card drawn, when trepidation filled the earth pony, she looked up and saw nine swords hanging overhead. “Fear weighs down your heart, Applejack, and doubt clouds your mind. Do you even know what you want to apologize for? Do you really want to apologize?”

 

Applejack forced herself to scurry out from under the dangling blades, but as the rainbow was ever elusive, these blades persisted over her like hounds or circling vultures. “But it’s all irrelevant, you have nothing to apologize to Spike for anymore, and you’ll never have to worry again?”

 

“Pardon?” Applejack nearly blanched and looked to her princess friend.

 

Twilight cast her deck aside, the cards fluttering everywhere and led Applejack to another room. And there Spike lay, upon stone slab, looking cold as a reptile beneath his true nature. Applejack trembled, her heart racing, unminding of the swords closing in.

 

As his eyes slowly fluttered open, she noticed the scarring around his head.

 

“Who are you?”

 

Three words made Applejack crumble, the blades now pinning her flesh as Twilight approached her. “Nevermind her, just continue to rest.” She assured Spike while casting what seemed to be a sleep spell. “Now then, Applejack, Spike no longer remembers the pain. Shall I take your memories too?”

 

“No…” She whimpered too soft to be heard and felt magic tear through her mind. Memories, moments frozen in time, playing again and again, fading, hazing over, vanishing as the alicorn began to remove them one by one.

 

“No! Please! Twilight stop!” She tried to resist but an earth pony was helpless against a the powers of a princess, her memories slipping away, the feeling of Spike’s hands on her back, his smile, his confession, all of it fading into nothing.

 

“AH DON’ WANNA LOSE SPIKE! AH LOVE HIM!”

 

She blinked, her eyes hazy from tears and found herself still standing on the platform, still standing next to a confused Rainbow Dash and a smiling Twilight. But the princess’s eyes were smoking a dark purple, sclera green, and iris red.

 

“Twilight…” The pegasus began to speak hesitantly. “What the hay did you do to Applejack?”

 

The alicorn blinked the smoke away, her eyes slowly returning to normal, the red irises the last to go. “A spell I learned back in the Crystal Empire the hard way I dubbed ‘Sombra’s Door’. It shows us our worst fears, and I take it what you saw Applejack made you realized what you don’t want to happen.”

 

“Ah don’ think anyone would want the memories o’ their loved one ripped outta their head, Twilight.”

 

“Alright, it’s a little bit abstract and but!” The alicorn went from frustrated over the failure of her psychological magic to far more serious. “Fear, doubt, anger. These things are as much a part of our lives and our relationships as honesty, laughter, and loyalty. Friendship, platonic, romantic, or even just with ourselves, we all face these things. What’s important is if we let these things define us, if we allow our relationships to become the sums of ours or their shortcomings, or if we push past all of these and embrace ourselves and eachother for everything we are and that makes us whole?”

 

The groaning of steel and chugging of the steam engine alerted the pegasus and Earth pony of the train’s departure. Pulling free from the station, and building speed and power to climb the mountain to Canterlot.

 

“So.” Twilight interrupted the sense of defeat weighing in on Applejack’s mind. “What is your answer to me, Applejack?”

 

The Earth Pony snarled and rose up on her hooves. “Ah thought you knew me well enough to know tha answer!” And just like that, she jumped down onto the tracks and began to chase after the train, her back sore and crying out, but she herself only saw her chance to atone to her love, her Spike.

 

“Applejack, are you craz-” Rainbow Dash winced as Twilight stopped her by her tail with a smile.

 

“Twilight, what are you doing that for? Applejack’s gonna get hurt, and why can’t she just wait for the next train?”

 

Twilight continued to smile then look towards the tunnel Applejack had taken off into. “Because I’m not gonna give up my number one assistant just THAT easily, she’s still gotta work for it. Besides, it would ruin everyone else’s chance to shine.”

 

Before the speedster could question her friend’s seemingly off-kilter logic, a small tempest rushed past them, on the wind Dash swore she heard “Cutiemark Crusader Train Chasers! Yay!”

 

After a moment moment of dumbfounded silence, Rainbow Dash found herself enough to ask: “So you’re okay otherwise with Spike and Applejack together?”

 

“Rainbow Dash, if you’ve read the things he’s written about her and seen the look in his eyes, you’d know there’s little you could do to stop things anyway.”

 

She was a wreck, her breath was getting short, her back and lungs had hot knives digging into them, her hooves were aching, and sweat formed a thick sheet over her coat, but she would not give up or give in to her exhaustion. She had broken out from the shadow of the tunnel and now the train was in sight.

 

Just a bit closer and she could hop onto the caboose car.

 

But her body failed her, her hoof caught one of the ribs of the track, twisted, and Applejack went flying through the air, watching the train slowly leave her behind before she crashed into the gravel. Before her defeat could set in though, the buzz of rapid wingbeats and the rolling noise of steel on steel alerted her to a handcar slowing down to a stop just behind her, manning the pumps her own sister and Sweetie Belle, boosting its speed further was a strapped in Scootaloo, all beaming at the earth pony.

 

“C’mon, sis! Spike’s gonna get away from you if ya don’ climb on!” The yellow filly urged and helped her sister onto the small platform.

 

“Hang on tight, ‘cause we’re gonna crash right into the Friendship Express!” Scootaloo boasted, and before any of the other three ponies could protest, the orange pegasus was putting out enough power and speed with her small wings to propel the two hundred fifty pound cart and it’s passengers to head turning speeds, even before Sweetie Belle and Applebloom resumed their pumping of the walking arms.

 

The train was soon back in sight, distant but there, as was the dangerously sharp turn they were headed for.

 

“Scootaloo, slow down ‘r we’re gonna die!” Applejack pleaded while Sweetie Belle’s attempt to hit the break lever only broke it against the ground.

 

But the pegasus Filly instead smirked and jerked her body hard, splaying the jigger across the two sets of tracks to and from Canterlot. And as they took the turn, they didn’t lose a bit of speed, even as Scootaloo, literally, got them back on track.

 

“Scoots! That was amazing.”

 

She was clearly exhausted. “Hope you were watching closely, ‘cause it’s gonna be awhile before I can do that again…” She’s or flapping her wings as fast or as hard anymore.

 

So close.

 

“Scootaloo, thank you, but please, don’ push yerself ‘r you’ll end up like me.” Applejack told the orange filly gently who began to take up her offer.

 

Between panting gasps of air, she looked up at Applejack and smiled. “To be honest… I always thought… If I couldn’t be like Rainbow Dash… Being like you would be pretty cool too…”

 

They were starting to fall behind again.

 

“Thanks, girls, I’ll take it from here!” A familiar voice announced streaked towards them in a rainbow blur that made the pegasus go star-struck.

 

“Cool trick with the multi-track drifting, by the way!” Rainbow Dash complimented and snagged up Applejack by her midsection and raced towards the train until they crashed through the caboose door.

 

“Sorry I’m late, I had a few choice questions for our royal friend back there.” The cyan pegasus excused herself while setting the injured earth pony on her back.

 

Eliciting her curiosity, Applejack felt compelled to ask “What kinda questions?” to which her friend just smiled and responded:

 

“Don’t worry about them, just know Twilight’s not gonna get between you two. Be a good mare to him and she said she might even lend a hoof with some barriers.”

 

“An’ what about you? Ah mean, no offence, but you been investin’ an awful lot into yerself fer a mare who hates romance.”

 

The rainbow mare paused as she reached for the handle to the next train car before she turned back to her friend on her back with a mock groan. “C’mon, you’re gonna make me talk about this when your future husband is somewhat on this train?”

 

“Is it really somethin’ ya don’ wanna talk about? Loved an’ lost yerself? If ya don’ mind me askin’.” The earth pony asked and only midway through became very aware what a touchy subject this might be for her only means of traversing the train’s passages.

 

Taking a breath and sliding open the door, over the din of rail and wheel, the noise of rattling connectors, she responded to her friend, seemingly hoping not to be heard but Applejack could still hear her say: “I know I’m not always a good friend like you or Fluttershy are to the others. But you all mean a lot to me, so I want this to be my way of cementing, without a doubt, you and Spike are my friends.”

 

As they pushed into the next car, Applejack noted Rainbow Dash was red in her face, embarrassed over ‘more mushy’ stuff no doubt, but the sincerity of her words warmed the disabled mare’s heart. “Rainbow, no matter how this turns out, ya’ll always have a partner in me.”

 

“You never needed to say that for me to know it.”

 

The two made a steady advance through the train’s compartments, in each cabin they would search for their draconic companion, as the number of possibilities dwindled, Applejack felt herself grow more and more nervous at the prospect of seeing the assistant again. Would he take her back, after everything said and done? Did she deserve it?

 

As though reading her mind, Rainbow Dash spoke up as they reached the last cabin. “Hey, relax, would you? Nice as that back massage your heart is giving me feels, you gotta remember what Twilight said: fear is natural, but are you gonna let it control you after facing down Nightmare Moon, Discord, The Changeling Queen, King Sombra, the weird find, things which I guess also counts for Discord.”

 

Applejack smiled and weakly squeezed her friend. “Spike faced Sombra, in case you forgot. And deserves credit fer it too.” Slowly, she willed herself off of the pegasus and to stand on twisted leg, to reach up and slide open the cabin.

 

“Can we help you?” A griffon asked during his chess game with a zebra.

 

“Have either of you seen a purple and green baby dragon around here? Roughly this tall?” Rainbow Dash quickly spoke and gestured, the two shaking their head curiously.

 

Applejack sunk to the floor as the door closed and began to cry.

 

“He ain’ on this train.. Ah missed him. He’s gone.”

 

“Hey! Don’t worry, we know he’s at least in Canterlot, we can find him through Princess Celestia! Or Twilight! Or someone!” The winged mare tried to reassure as the train slowed to a stop.

 

“C’mon, AJ, just have faith, don’t give up yet!” She urged her friend while taking Applejack onto her back once more. “Heck, he’s probably at Donut Joe’s, asking for extra sprinkles!” Rainbow Dash said once they were off the train, then she stopped and gawked at what she saw.

 

“Or…” The Pegasus corrected herself and nearly threw the miserable earth pony over to see what she saw. “He could be waiting for us.”

 

Of all places, there was Spike, waiting for them. His eyes red from hours of crying, his nose snotty from hours of sniffling. His body still shaken as he was emotionally. By his side was Princess Celestia.

 

The two lovers stuttered each others names, mirroring one another they reached out and brushed their faces.

 

“I think you two have a lot to talk about, and probably in private.” The Maternal Alicorn observed aloud with a smile, and in a flash of golden light, Applejack and Spike were beet red and found themselves on the royal bed of Princess Celestia while the regent in question stood off to the side with a still gawking Rainbow Dash.

 

“As I said, ‘in private’. We have some visiting Wonderbolt’s Rainbow Dash, would you like to meet them?” The pegasus Celestia asked though was still wrapping her head over what just happened, and would not get the chance when she was taken with the white princess in another flash of light.

 

The next twenty minutes between the dragon and mare were spent in awkward ‘uhs’ and ‘ums’, each attempt at real conversation resulted in the two, tangling words with one another at once, falling to shame, and returning to silence.

 

Finally, Applejack spoke first. “Spike, Ah wanna say Ah’m sorry, fer everythin’ Ah said, an’ everythin’ Ah’ve done. Ah can understand if you ain’ gonna forgive me fer bein’ a bullheaded jacka-”

 

Spike on the other hand chose to let his actions speak for him and pull her into a deep, long kiss, breaking only when their lungs burned for oxygen.

 

“So… you forgive me fer bein’ a bullheaded, jackass?” Applejack asked with hope and affection in her voice.

 

“You’re forgiven for being a bullheaded jackass who tried to protect me from herself.” Spike replied with a grin and pulled the pony closer.

 

“I love you, Spike.”

 

“I love you too, Applejack.”