It took a whole week of being in laid out in bed, even restrained to keep him there, but Kamina was allowed to leave after the treatments healed his burns, and grew his fur back. However, he was told he'd be scarred for life beneath his fur. One doesn't come away from a severe magical backlash without serious repercussion. To ensure that this didn't happen again, until his horn fully healed; Twilight and Celestia both forced the limiter that Twilight kept from Nightmare's return a month prior on his horn. Since the only way for his horn to heal was simple: NO MAGIC!

Oh yeah! Celestia visited! That was FUN! Kamina was not happy to see her, even if he was touched that she broke away from her busy schedule to see him, and even heal him herself as much as she could, beings she was the goddess of the freaking SUN, burns were in her domain. She used her visit to also speak to him alone, saying she gave Twilight and her friends each a ticket so that she could speak to them all in a formal setting once she'd thought out what she wished to say to them all in apology.

This did cheer Kamina up, and he even nuzzled her back when she was saying goodbye, but he still adamantly held he wouldn't call her mom until the deed was done.

Kamina got off lucky though; Big Mac would be out of action for months, even though Kamina again used his title to use the royal treasury to pay for his hospital bills and get him the best treatment. It just didn't change the fact that Mac suffered severe breaks and fractures, which would ultimately need time to fully heal. Sure magic, medicine, and magical medicine were astounding to Kamina at how effective they were, but not even they could do everything.

Mac's bones were reset and knitted back together, but they were weak, sensitive, and could easily be hurt again, so he wasn't going to be bucking trees or pulling carts or plows anytime soon. This, of course, led to the current conversation that Kamina and Mac were having on the front porch of the Apple home. “What? AJ's insisting she buck ALL those trees for this year's bumper crop?” Kamina asked in astonishment.

“Eeyup. Since Ah got hurt, she's been pushin' herself to meet our quota. Got shipments to other towns and cities to hold up.” They were looking out at the orchards, hearing AJ grunt, holler and hit trees they couldn't see from here. To emphasis his point, Mac gestured with his weak left foreleg out at the large section of the orchard that had been harvested. “Ah tell ya; she'll kill herself before she accepts help from outside the family for Applebuck Season.” Mac groused as he shook his head in light frustration. “Darn stubborn sister o' mine can't let it go for things like this.”

“But Twilight and I helped her win that bet that got us into this mess! She should let us help get you all out of it!” Kamina argued back in exasperation, having to scratch his muzzle in irritation of the bandages. Oh yeah, right, while his burns had effectively healed, the new skin and fur was extremely sensitive to open air; feeling like he's caught fire again the moment the sun hits. So he has to wear bandages to smother them until the nerves get used to the new skin.

“That's the thing; it was just a bet, nothing more. But this is an Apple Family Tradition, to buck all the bumper crops ourselves.” Mac rolled his sprig of hay in his mouth, and shifted uncomfortably in his torso bracing bandages that were in place to keep his bones from jostling.

“But we're still partially responsible for your injuries.” Kamina tried to press, only for Big Mac to boop him on the nose, making Kamina flinch instinctively.

“Ah already told ya to drop it. Ya paid for my hospital bills and basically saved my life. Far as we're concerned you're...family.” Big Mac's eyes widened, and a thought caused a smirk to burst onto his usually stoic face. “Hold up, Ah think Ah've got a loophole for that stubborn mare's insistence on tryin' to do this without help.” Mac jumped to his hooves, and gasped sharply in pain, but before he could fall Kamina caught him with his body, and Mac took a few pained breaths before sighing. “Thanks, Ah reckon Ah was a mite excited.”

“Your plan involves me helping her right?” Kamina smirked at Mac's nodded confirmation. “Ok, let's try and convince her.”

===//////>

It took them a while, what with Kamina helping Mac along. But they eventually found AJ by following the commotion she caused with her work. Mac thought it would be as simple as declaring Kamina an Honorary Apple to let her let him help her. But that apparently wasn't the whole story, because even so-.

“For the last TIME Big Mac! Ah DON'T NEED HELP!” AJ shouted at her brother, facing the completely wrong direction, she was clearly delusional from exhaustion. Both stallions looked to each other, and then both glared at her resolutely.

“Nope! Ah'm putting my hoof down!” Mac stomped his good right forehoof, making the local area tremble slightly, finally getting AJ to startle, and turn to give him her undivided attention, since she'd never heard Big Mac shout before. “Now look! There comes a time, when things change, usually out of need. Ah'm hurt, and it ain't your fault!” Big Mac shouted, making AJ cringe heavily, and thus, the true reason she was so adamant about this.

'What?' Kamina gaped and looked at AJ who was suddenly trying very hard to speak past her choking words. 'Why? AJ, why are you blaming yourself for something that was completely out of your control?'

“But Mac! If Ah didn't act so foalishly, and made that darned bet, ya wouldn't have even been in town to get hurt!” AJ tried to defend, only for Mac to boop her on the nose, making her flinch.

“Now y'all get that darned fool notion outta yer head this second missy!” Uh-oh, Mac only really went that deep into his drawl, let alone talk that fast when he was really upset. “If'n it wasn't me, it would'a been Kamina, or some other poor pony who was there instead. It was nopony's fault 'sides the fool who left their cart atop the hill.” He paused to let it sink in, and waited for a rebuttal, but it never came, so he instead hobbled up to her and hugged her with his left foreleg, since he needed his right to stand. “Now, now. You just stop taking this so hard y'hear?”

AJ sniffed, and nuzzled her brother. “Ah'm sorry....”

“Don't be.” The siblings had a heartwarming moment, before they both blushed lightly and broke off, realizing they had company. “Sorry ya had to see that Kamina.”

Kamina was smiling gently at them, and waved a hoof nonchalantly at Mac's apology. “No worries, I was really touched by that.” Kamina then looked to AJ, noting the heavy bags under her eyes, and how she seemed to struggle just to stand. “AJ, go home, rest. I'll do some work for you while you get some sleep.”

AJ shook herself a bit to try and wake up a bit. “B-but-*yawn*-ya don't know where-.”

“Ah'll guide him sis. Ah may not be able to work, but that don't mean Ah can't supervise.” Mac nudged her with his head to get her heading back towards the house. “Now get on back and sleep sis; we've got you covered.”

AJ smiled at the stallions, and shook herself again so she could be awake for the walk to her bed. “Thank ya fellas. It's nice to know that Ah have friends Ah can turn to for help when Ah need it.” AJ stated as she looked fondly at Kamina, who smirked at her, making her blush lightly, but she just kept smiling. “See y'all later.” She slowly trudged back home, and Kamina then looked at the trees around him, and crossed his eyes to look at his locked horn, making him sigh.

“Well, time for some good old-fashioned hard work. It'll be refreshing to actually get some exercise again, been slacking off without the Guard to train with.” 'And if I can't train in my magic, or my Spiral Power, I can at least improve my body.'

===//////>

Twilight happened upon a surprising, and very adorable sight when she went into the orchards to confront Applejack on the repercussions her stubbornness had inflicted upon Ponyville the past few days. She'd been expecting an about-to-drop-dead Applejack, trying and failing to buck trees. Instead, she happened upon a napping Kamina and Big Mac just outside the barn, clearly having just finished emptying a haul of apples into the cellars.

Kamina was exhausted to the point of admitting a need to rest, having bucked so many trees he'd lost count, and his progress was more than enough according to Big Mac. Said big stallion was tired because his injuries drew a lot of energy to heal thanks to some prescribed magic pills that took his body's generated energy to improve his recovery. The two stallions hadn't made it past the front doors of the barn, and were sleeping back to back, curled up and dozing like carefree little colts half their ages in the waning sunlight.

'This is just so CUTE! I've got to record this! Camera!' Twilight reached her hoof into her hammer space, and took out a small cheap camera, and started taking pictures, trying not to giggle. 'I'm keeping these, I don't care if he's embarrassed, these are gold!' Twilight then put the camera away, and trotted gently up to them, to nuzzle Kamina's cheek. “Kamina.” She whispered. “Kamina, are you really that deep asleep?”

“Mmph...pierce the heavens....” Kamina mumbled as he was having an awesome dream, and Twilight smiled gently, before she decided to cast a cushioning spell on the dirt under the stallions, making them sink in slightly into the temporarily pillow-like dirt. She then knocked on the door to the house, and ended up waiting a bit before young Applebloom opened the door.

“Oh! Hiya Miss Twilight. What're ya doin' here?” Applebloom was confused when Twilight gestured for her silence, and pointed to the two sleeping stallions a ways off in front of the barn, making Applebloom snicker and gesture for her to come in, and when the door closed, they both burst into laughter. “Oh sweet Celestia! That was just cute! Please tell me ya got pictures!”

“Yes, and I'll give you a few copies later.” Twilight calmed down, and got back to business. “So what's going on? Where's Applejack, I came here to intervene, but it seems I'm a bit late for that.”

“Yep! Big Macintosh and Kamina got through her thick skull, or so she says. She said Big Mac gave her a hollerin' she'd never imagine coming from him, and that Kamina was willing to work for her so she could rest.” Applebloom explained as she led Twilight upstairs, gestured for her to be quiet, and then cracked open AJ's room to reveal said orange mare already conked out, completely off in dreamland, wrapped around in her sheets with her stetson hanging on a bedpost and her bandanna carelessly tossed to the floor.

Twilight had seen enough, and smiled happily as she closed the door. “This is great, I'm glad to see this whole situation has been resolved. Hm, I think I have a Friendship Report to give about this. Kamina was willing to help Applejack, regardless of her refusal, because it was what she needed, not what she wanted. And her brother Big Macintosh stood his ground, and forced her to see reason.”

“Pretty much, youngin'.” Granny Smith startled the two, as they spun around to see the old mare sitting calmly outside her own room's door. “Ah'm glad ta see that ma little seeds are growin' up. Ah was afraid Applejack's stubbornness would git her hurt, and that Big Mac's gentle disposition wouldn't let him get what needed done, done.” Granny walked slowly towards the window in her room, and they followed to see that they could see the sleeping stallions from here. “That Kamina feller, he seems ta do somethin' ta ponies he's around.”

“I have an answer for that really.” Twilight offered, and looked down fondly at the tan tattooed stallion. “Princess Celestia and I were able to use divination to find that his cutie mark-.” She paused as she noticed Kamina shudder and twitch his ears to her amusement. “-Flank mark, represents that his talent is to, quite literally; “bring out the best in others”. So to say, he brought out the best in me by boosting my confidence, and seeing myself as a strong independent mare that didn't need to bury herself in books to escape the world.”

Applebloom gasped, and a certain sparkle shined in her eyes. “Ya mean that day, when we met, what Ah saw...?” Applebloom's eyes widened with awe, and she seemed to jitter and titter in excitement. “Ah can't wait! Ah want my cutie mark now so ah can fulfill mah destiny!”

Granny chuckled dryly, and slowly mussed with Applebloom's mane. “One seed at a time my little filly. Ah don't want ya ta grow up too fast now.” She then turned her attention back to Twilight. “Know this Miss Twilight; ya'll are welcome here anytime. Especially that coltfriend 'o yours, seein' he's such a good influence to mah little seeds.”

Twilight blushed, and her mane and tail flared slightly at Granny calling Kamina her coltfriend, which was more or less true, if devoid of any actual “dates” that normal couples go on. “Th-thank you. Since everything is just fine here, I'll just be going. It was a pleasure to speak with you Granny Smith.” Twilight then disappeared in a flash, making Granny Smith sigh in disappointment.

“Unicorns; can't ever leave out the door like normal folk.”

“But she came in through the door at least. That's better than Rainbow Dash just bargin' in through a window like she owns the place.” Applebloom defended Twilight, making Granny chuckle.

“Amen ta that.”

Author's Notes:

Now don't y'all git on mah grits about me bein' stereotypical 'bout nuthin'! Ah'm from FLORIDA! That's as far south ya can git in North America.

You try livin' across the street from honest ta goodness racist rednecks near a town infamously known for it's hanging of black men back during the slaving era for over ten years and see how your outlook on life is impacted, and the Apples are down-right saintly folk in comparison to just about anythin' Ah've ever known.

Sorry 'bout that, all this typin' in southern has me a bit heated remeberin' all the nasty things them varmints did.