"Applejack, you're being too ro-OUGH!" I protested, the wheelchair I was being carted around in hitting every. Last. Bump on the dirt road to Sweet Apple Acres. It had been a week since Applejack had last visited me, and today she had just barged in and started throwing me around. It was somewhat gentler than when she'd buck me off her property, but not by much. I tried to ask her what her deal was, but I got no reply.

Finally, she relented in her mad dash in front of the rustic old home. Turning the chair around, she proceeded to drag me up the stairs onto the porch and into the house, eliciting a pained yelp from me at every step. I had regained my voice and mobility, but for some reason Applejack wouldn't let me move under my own power. When I tried, she had threatened to tie me down.

Honestly...she was scaring me. I almost preferred the unreasonably hostile pony to this new hovering menace. "Applejack, you're being ridiculous! I can walk on my own, you don't have to—"

"Now you jes' hush up an' let me work! Ah found ya, Ah saved ya, yer MAH responsibility, ya hear?" She scolded. I'd heard the same argument no less than three times since leaving the hospital. She kept saying I was her responsibility, but I didn't see it. I was the one who tried to kill myself, she didn't have anything to do with it.

...Well, she wasn't the MAIN reason. I was the one at fault. Thinking back, I can hardly believe I lasted so long. The condition I was living in was horrifying, compared to me now. I still had the shaggy beard and wild lion's mane of hair, but I no longer smelled like a sewer. My skin was regaining some of its vitality and firmness, and my body was beginning to fill out to a more natural, healthy shape. I was still unrecognizable, but at least I was feeling more like myself.

Which was exactly why I was eager to get up and walk around. I'd been bedridden for what turned out to be three weeks, even if I was unconscious for the first and most of the second. Three weeks of minimal movement, when I was used to foraging, hiding, sprinting, and climbing was making me stir-crazy. And that damnable neck brace was driving me mad! Even now, my neck was itching and uncomfortable. I could feel it was back up to strength, and I could've taken it off any time, but Applejack was having none of it.

The smothering mare had dragged me just inside the threshold of the house. I tried to stand up once she had stopped the chair, but a hoof on my chest halted my ascent, much to my chagrin. I gave a long, drawn-out sigh as the mare tried to lift me out of the chair on her own. I took advantage of her awkward two-legged stance to slip out of her hooves and stand on my own, however to avoid as much of her ire as possible, I quickly sat back down on a nearby chair.

Nonetheless, I received a dirty glare from the orange mare. Smirking, I made to speak but was interrupted by—

GURRRGGGRRGGGLRRG

...My growling stomach, I'd been on an IV drip for the first two and a half weeks of my hospitalization, and liquids for the last couple days. Along with being released from the hospital, today was also the day I was allowed to enjoy solid foods again. And I was ravenous. I hastily closed my mouth and averted my gaze, my face heating up. Applejack's hearty laughter wasn't helping my blush much.

"A-alright sugarcube, you jes'...jes' sit tight, Ah'm gonna get us both somin' ta eat." She managed between stifled giggles. I still didn't know what to make of her. Not a month ago she'd have bucked my head clean off before even trying to speak to me, but today she'd been almost unhealthily set on taking care of me, regardless of what I actually wanted. What had changed?

My train of thought came to a screeching halt once a heavenly scent came wafting through the house. A similar scent had often drawn me to Sweet Apple Acres in the mornings when I was particularly hungry and desperate, though every time I'd gotten chased away before seeing what could create such a heavenly smell. It wasn't until a hatless Applejack came trotting in with two plates, one balanced on her head and one along her back, that I finally saw.

Sweet Apple Acres fresh-baked apple-pie. My mouth began watering almost instantly, my gaze glued to the little slice of heaven.

"Jason?"

I'd dreamt of trying the famous dish since long before coming to Equestria, along with the cider. But even the crisp nectar of the gods was nothing compared to the fresh-baked delight sitting on that plate.

"Jason?"

It was so close I could taste it, the flaky crust and piping-hot filling beckoning me like a siren's call to—

"JASON!"

I snapped out of my stupor, blinking owlishly at Applejack. The mare was caught halfway between amused and annoyed, though shifting more to the latter as time went on. "Uhh...yeah?" What had I even been thinking about? It felt almost like I was possessed for a minute there.

"Are ya gonna eat yer pie, or are ya gonna stare at it?" I cleared my throat and, feeling irredeemably awkward, reached over and relieved the orange mare of one of her plates. Muttering a quick 'thank you', I dug in. Or inhaled, depending on who you ask. As the first fresh-cooked meal I'd eaten in close to three years, it was almost orgasmic. An audible moan of delight thrummed out of my chest as I savored the slice.

"Applejack?"

The mare tried to stifle a laugh, pointing a hoof at what was undoubtedly a massive mess on my face. "Y-yeah?"

"That was undoubtedly...the best thing I have ever eaten." I thought I might've seen a hint of a blush, but I wrote it off. Somewhere in my pie-addled brain, however, a thought occurred to me. "Hey, won't your family object to you bringing me in here?" Though Applejack may have been the most outspoken, I doubt any of the other apples were huge fans of mine either.

"Naw, Ah already figured that out." She waved a hoof, leaning against the wall with a confident grin on her face. I raised an eyebrow, leaning in.

"Well, don't keep me waiting!" I may have been in a better mood after getting a full belly, but I wasn't about to be turned into an imitation cow-patty courtesy of Big Macintosh's hooves.

-----

"Ya know...I think being trampled by Big Mac would've been preferable to this." I complained from inside the barn. I was propped up on a bed of hay, itching and sweating which only made the neck brace even more unbearable. And I was alone.

Over the past few years, I'd gotten used to being alone. I kept myself busy staving off the loneliness, and I turned isolation into a means of survival. But now that I've had some decent company, it felt...odd to let that go. I'd formed what could almost be called, if I were unreasonably optimistic and unhealthily generous, some manner of friendship with the orange country-mare. I may not have had any idea why she was suddenly acting the way she was—and it DID freak me out a bit—but I had to admit, it felt...nice.

I didn't dare believe things were 'finally looking up' for me, but for the time being, it was a nice respite. And I would definitely milk it for all it's worth until Applejack came back to her senses and ran me off the farm. Rolling onto my side, I struggled to find a comfortable spot to sleep in. The hay was prickly, itchy, and uncomfortable, but I'd had one Hell of a day.