Chapter 14

The pallet on the floor that Applejack had made out of blankets was not very comfortable. It actually prevented the farm mare from getting sleep as she tossed and turned throughout the hours of the night. Well, that and her constant worry over Rainbow Dash. The pegasus slept soundly on Applejack's bed, still probably thinking that Applejack was still up there with her when in reality, Applejack had managed to worm her way out of Rainbow's loving grasp night after night, to avoid any late night bumps into her injuries. Rainbow Dash had reported to her that falling asleep was difficult, and that it was easier to fall asleep when Applejack was there with her. Applejack, despite the request, could not bear to risk hurting her love.

Constant worrisome thoughts plagued Applejack as she layed on her less-than-suitable pallet, looking up at the ceiling. Had she administered the proper dosage of Rainbow's painkillers? Were Rainbow's bandages changed at the right time the previous day? Applejack knew these questions to be ones of a trivial nature, but they bothered her nonetheless. Applejack gulped silently and rolled over on her belly, attempting in vain again to get comfortable.

"Applejack?" She heard Rainbow say before letting out a small, adorable yawn. Applejack sat up and looked at her. "What time is it?"

"It's six p.m." Applejack said. "You slept for an awful long time." Rainbow snickered.

"I don't know if you've noticed in the past, AJ, but..." Rainbow looked up at Applejack. "I love sleep."

"Yeah, Ah know it." Applejack said with a small giggle.

"I love it almost as much as I love flying." Rainbow continued.

"Ah do know how ya love to fly, now." Applejack said, nodding and smirking.

"But I don't love it nearly as much as I love you." Rainbow said with a small smile, blushing at Applejack.

"Look at you gettin' all sappy on me, Dash." Applejack said with a small chuckle, raising her eyebrow. Rainbow Dash blushed heavily.

"Oh, shut up." Rainbow said. "I mean it."

"Ah know." Applejack replied, giving Rainbow a kiss on the lips, making the pegasus smile. "And Ah love you too."

"And what the hay are you doing out of bed?" Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow. "Is that a pallet? You said you'd sleep up here with me." Applejack chuckled and put a hoof on Rainbow's cheek.

"Now, Dash. We both know that Ah don't wanna hurt ya accidentally." Applejack said. "Speakin' of which, we should get those bandages off so you can shower. Ah'll clean the wounds and put more bandages on when we're done."

"Applejack, you don't have to help me shower anymore." Rainbow groaned as she put a front leg around Applejack's shoulders as the farm mare helped her out of the bed. "I can do it myself."

"Then how come ya can't get outta this here bed by yourself, hmm?" Applejack retorted. Rainbow, seeing Applejack's point, stopped speaking and merely blushed. "Game, set and match." Applejack quipped. Rainbow, in an intense internal struggle for a rebuttal, was able to come up with nothing as they neared the bathroom.

Applejack let Rainbow sit on the bathroom floor as she turned on the water. As they sat, waiting for the water to heat up, Rainbow smirked at Applejack.

"Staring contest. You and me. Right here, right now." Rainbow quickly said, pointing her free hoof at Applejack.

"Seriously? Is that whole fiasco about me helpin' you really gettin' to you that much?" Applejack said. "Why can't ya just be content to accept assistance for once without provin' yourself?"

"I just issued you a challenge, Applejack." Rainbow said. "Are you really going to refuse and let me win?"

"Now, Rainbow, Ah ain't playin' your little foal's game." Applejack said, rolling her eyes. "Now let's get you showered."

"One..." Rainbow said.

"Come on, Dash. Ah don't wanna-"

"Two..." Rainbow continued, ignoring Applejack's requests.

"Rainbow, it looks like the water is warm." Applejack said in a last ditch effort to distract Rainbow.

"Three!" Rainbow finally said. Both mares immediately engaged in a staring contest to end all staring contests. Applejack, giving in to her natural competetiveness, took part in the contest, staring straight into Rainbow's rose irises with an intensity that rivaled the sun's heat. Rainbow Dash smirked.

"You're going down, AJ."

"Ah warned ya, Dash." Applejack said. "Ah didn't wanna do this, but you've gone and dug your own grave." Applejack and Rainbow Dash continued to stare, the accumulating mist in the bathroom doing nothing to improve either of their situations. Rainbow Dash winced slightly as her eyes began to water, the tears spilling down her cheeks. Applejack smirked confidently and continued to look down at her. Rainbow clenched her teeth in a smile, noticing Applejack's unchanged expression, attempting to look like her eyes weren't burning like fire. After a minute and a half, Rainbow's willpower was draining fast. Applejack's eyes had only begun to overflow with tears. Rainbow Dash groaned as she finally blinked her eyes, giving her sweet relief of the pain she had been suffering.

"You're good at that, Rainbow." Applejack said. "But Ah'm the best starer in my family. Nopony's beaten me yet!"

"Gee, I'm so happy for you." Rainbow said unenthusiastically as she wiped her eyes.

"Come on, sugarcube, let's get these bandages off of you." Applejack said as she stepped toward Rainbow, who nodded as she stood up. Very cautiously, Applejack began to unwrap Rainbow Dash's bandages that concealed her wounds from her fight with the Timber Wolf. The pegasus felt small spikes of pain that would have surely been much worse, had it not been for her medication. The process was long and drawn-out, as Applejack had to unwrap the bandages slowly to not harm Rainbow any more than she already was. Once all the bandages were off, Applejack sat back and appraised the currently healing damage to Rainbow Dash's body.

The wounds looked better, as the healing process had begun to set in. While the wounds seemed to be on the track to recovery, the stitches holding them together made the wounds uglier still. Applejack nodded subtly as she stood back a moment.

"They look good?" Rainbow Dash asked Applejack. The farm mare nodded and smiled at Rainbow.

"Lookin' better already." The farm mare said happily. "Now come on. In ya go." Rainbow Dash frowned slightly as she stepped into the shower, letting the water begin to mat her mane and tail down. Applejack chuckled and walked up to the open shower.

"Do you have to laugh every time?" Rainbow asked Applejack.

"Ah can't help it, sugarcube." The farm mare replied. "You just look so cute when you get in and start poutin'." Rainbow sighed and sat down, letting the water play down her face before she smoothed her mane back to get it out of her eyes.

"I'm glad my discomfort gives you such joy." Rainbow said. As much as the pegasus liked to act frustrated with the process, she actually liked letting Applejack help her shower. The water was always perfectly nice and warm. Not too hot to aggravate her injuries, and not too cold to freeze her. She was able to let her injuries breath, which almost always exterminated that awful itch that would develop on them over a night's sleep. But most of all, Rainbow liked these times because Applejack, the very attractive mare she was in love with would lather her and rub her body down with soap. But Rainbow would never admit that to Applejack.

"Okay, now." Applejack said, squirting shampoo in Rainbow's mane before beginning to lather it up, creating a sweet-smelling soapy foam. "If only Ah had a camera." Applejack said wistfully as she backed up for a moment, appraising her lover with a mountain of suds atop her head. Rainbow, immediately shot her head under the falling water, rinsing the soap away, making Applejack pout slightly.

"Party pooper." She said as Rainbow opened her eyes after shaking her mane out, flinging water everywhere. Rainbow Dash smirked.

"Just get on with it, huh?" Rainbow said, turning to the side, offering her body to be washed by Applejack. Applejack removed her stetson and placed it on the bathroom counter and returned to Rainbow Dash with the soap. Applejack began to rub the soap on Rainbow's body, moving up and down her torso slowly, seemingly deliberately. Of course, the slow pace at which she was washing Rainbow could have been due to her attempting to avoid Rainbow's injuries. After applying the layer of soap, Applejack began to use her hooves to spread the soap around to the hard to reach places.

Rainbow supressed a moan by biting her lip as Applejack's hooves moved extra slowly over her flank. They stopped and scrubbed small circles on her cutie marks before moving down her inner thighs. Rainbow Dash gasped and blushed at the gesture.

'Okay...that was definitely intentional. Just hold out. She's obviously just messing with you...' Rainbow Dash thought to herself. Still, she couldn't help but pant, trying as hard as she could to be silent. Despite this, she was confident that Applejack could hear her. Applejack moved further into the shower as she wrapped her front legs around Rainbow's lower back to gain access to her lower belly, tantalizingly close to her sex. 'Buck it.' Rainbow thought, her heart beating against her chest as she turned to Applejack.

"AJ-" Her words were cut off by Applejack's lips, silencing her with a kiss. Rainbow Dash moaned with need into the kiss, making Applejack smile. Applejack had always been aware that Rainbow enjoyed these times for different reasons than getting clean. Rainbow quickly separated from the kiss and looked at Applejack.

"Applejack, did you-"

"Lock the door? Yep." Applejack smiled as she returned her lips to Rainbow's, sliding her tongue into the pegasus' mouth. Rainbow reciprocated the motion as their kiss escalated in intensity. Their ears splayed back as they moved their tongues together, both mares blushing heavily. Applejack moved her hooves along Rainbow's body, her breathing beginning to escalate as she lost herself further and further in her passion for her lover. Rainbow sucked on Applejack's bottom lip for a moment before moving her tongue against it. Rainbow felt Applejack's hoof move lower and lower down her body until it connected with her already aching marehood. Rainbow disconnected from the kiss and gasped before putting her forehead to Applejack's, both mares taking in the feeling of each other's bodies and the water playing down the both of them.

Rainbow, amidst the euphoria of the pleasure she was experiencing felt Applejack's other hoof move up her side before feeling a sudden, unexpected blinding pain shoot up her body. She let out a cry and gritted her teeth. Applejack immediately threw herself off of Rainbow and landed outside the shower, falling onto her back. Rainbow, recovering from the pain quickly, looked up at Applejack. She beheld her lover, breathing heavily, her eyes widened and filled with terror.

"Rainbow! Are you okay?" Applejack asked as she stood up and frantically looked her over.

"I'm alright, AJ." Rainbow said.

"Ah hit one of your injuries, didn't Ah?" Applejack asked, still dripping with water.

"Yeah. But it's fine. Seriously." Rainbow said. "It was an accident. You didn't mean too."

"But Ah still did." Applejack said. "Ah shouldn't have started that. It was selfish of me. Ah didn't consider that Ah could hurt you." Applejack's eyes brimmed with tears and her ears splayed back, making Rainbow's heart ache for her.

"AJ, it's alright. Really. I'm okay." Rainbow said comfortingly. Applejack continued to breath heavily as she let out a small sob.

"It just scared me so bad..." Applejack said. "Ah thought Ah had reopened one of 'em." Rainbow wrapped her free front leg around Applejack and pulled her closer to her in a hug, nuzzling the farm mare's neck. Applejack wrapped her front legs around Rainbow and wiped her eyes. Rainbow disconnected from the hug to turn off the water before returning to it.

"Ah won't do anything like that again until you're better, Rainbow." Applejack said. "Ah couldn't take it if that happened again." Applejack moved away from the hug and looked at Rainbow.

"But you didn't mean to Applejack." Rainbow said, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not angry or anything, and in case you didn't notice, up until that point, I was enjoying myself...a lot."

"It's just the fact that Ah caused you physical harm." Applejack said. "My heart's still poundin'."

"I know. I felt it when we hugged." Rainbow said before looking down at herself. Rainbow mentally opted to stop her attempts to return to what they were doing. Once Applejack set her mind to something, there was no swaying it. "Could we uh...get me dried off now?" Applejack smiled and nodded.

"Sure, Dash. Although Ah still think Ah'm a little too petrified to do anything." Applejack said with a sniffle and a small laugh before grabbing a towel and drying off Rainbow's mane before pulling it extremely gently over her body and finishing up by drying off her flank. Rainbow smiled.

"For what it's worth." The pegasus said with a smile. "Those minutes were pretty awesome." Applejack laughed as she grabbed the antibiotic ointment and gently applied it to Rainbow's lacerations. The pegasus felt small spikes of pain, but supressed a groan to spare Applejack a heart attack. After applying the ointment, Applejack slowly and carefully wrapped Rainbow's torso in bandages. The cyan mare sighed and looked at her lover.

"How do I look?" The pegasus asked satirically. Applejack smiled.

"Good enough to eat." The farm mare replied. Rainbow saucily raised an eyebrow at her. "Soon." Applejack corrected herself. Rainbow rolled her eyes, sighed and nodded before moving closer to the bed. Applejack helped Rainbow up and pulled the covers over her slowly and gingerly.

"I'm not very tired..." Rainbow said. "Could you, uh..." Rainbow finished her sentence with quiet, embarrassed mumbling.

"Come again?" Applejack asked her, leaning closer to her.

"Could you read to me?" Rainbow asked, blushing heavily and looking away from her. Applejack laughed and nodded.

"Of course Ah will." Applejack replied with a sweet smile. "Which one do you want me to read?" Rainbow shrugged.

"Any one of them is fine, really." Rainbow said. "I just like listening to your voice." Applejack giggled and blushed before grabbing a book. Rainbow looked up at her, smiling as Applejack appraised the cover.

"Alright, then." Applejack said. "Daring Do and the Revenge of...Ahooitzootle?" Applejack raised an eyebrow and looked at Rainbow Dash, who giggled.

"Ahuitzotl. He's her arch nemesis." Rainbow Dash explained. Applejack sighed.

"Ah, alright. Daring Do and the Revenge of Ahuitzotl." She said before turning to the first page. "Chapter 1..."

"Applejack..." Rainbow Dash said, jarring Applejack from her already unsteady slumber. "Applejack...please wake up..." Applejack immediately stood and looked down at Rainbow Dash with worry. The pegasus layed in the bed, her eyes squeezed shut, curled up slightly.

"What's wrong, Dash?" Applejack immediately asked. Rainbow Dash clutched her stomach before looking up at Applejack.

"I'm feeling really nauseous..." She said. "I think I might throw up..." Applejack immediately went into action, helping Rainbow Dash fromt he bed. Rainbow cried out in pain quietly through clenched teeth.

"You shouldn't be feelin' pain unless..." Applejack looked at the clock on her bedroom wall, seeing that it was 12:45 A.M. She had given Rainbow Dash her last pill more than twelve hours ago. "You're pill has worn off." Applejack helped Rainbow Dash to the bathroom. The sick mare bent over the toilet and heaved into it, her body tensing up, before allowing her to breath heavily.

"Ah know it's bad, sweetie. Just let it out." Applejack said. "It's just a side effect of your pain-killers." Rainbow Dash heaved into the toilet again before looking at Applejack incredulously.

"That...stupid pill is causing this?" Rainbow said in between heavy breaths. Applejack slowly nodded as Rainbow continued to gag into the toilet. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Ah knew you wouldn't take it if Ah did." Applejack said. "Would ya rather deal with blinding pain in your sides all the time?" Rainbow continued to breath heavily.

"I...take your point." She said before heaving into the toilet once more, groaning from the pain of her body tensing up so much in it's attempts to vomit without the actual release of the vomit. "This...is awful..." Applejack nodded, rubbing Rainbow Dash's back.

"Ah know." Applejack said understandingly. "It's just something we gotta deal with. Just two more weeks." Rainbow frowned as she looked back at Applejack, her tired eyes brimming with tears.

"Applejack...I don't wanna take it anymore." She said.

"Ya have to, Rainbow." Applejack said. "You may think you can take the pain...but Ah know better. Ah don't wanna see ya suffer."

"Please AJ, I-" Rainbow's sentence was cut off by her finally vomiting into the toilet, her body tensing up greatly before finally going limp over bowl. She groaned.

"Feelin' any better?" Applejack asked Rainbow, rubbing her back softly and comfortingly. Rainbow breathed heavily for a moment before nodding subtly.

"A little." Rainbow said. "I don't need to puke anymore...I just wanna go back to bed." The pegasus slowly stood up as Applejack flushed the toilet.

"Well hold on, now. Lemme help ya." Applejack said.

"Before we go back," Rainbow said. "Could you get me...some mouthwash?" Applejack nodded before grabbing the mouthwash from the bathroom counter and pouring some into the cap. Rainbow Dash sipped the blue liquid from the cup and swished it around in her mouth for thirty seconds before spitting it into the sink. Rainbow nodded at Applejack before they began their venture back to the bed. Rainbow Dash exhaled heavily from the pain of getting back into the bed.

"Now we need to give you your next dose." Applejack said. Rainbow Dash nodded.

"AJ, I...I understand that I have to take the medicine." Rainbow said. "It's a necessary sacrifice."

"That's true, Dash." Applejack said. "This probably won't even happen again. And even if it does, it's just two more weeks. Ah'll be back in a flash." Rainbow Dash nodded as Applejack kissed her on the forehead and trotted quickly to the kitchen. Applejack poured a cup of applejuice for her and swiftly returned to the bedroom. Upon her return to the bedroom with the cup, Rainbow Dash smiled.

"I assume that I have to take the pill with that?" Rainbow said. Applejack chuckled.

"Well now, you're smarter than you look." Applejack responded. "Just take your pill." Rainbow Dash dropped the small pill into her mouth before taking a sip of the applejuice to swallow it. Rainbow Dash sighed as she layed back in the bed.

"Now try not to move until the pill sets in." Applejack said. Rainbow smiled.

"I know that, AJ. I'm the one who's in pain, remember?" Applejack frowned and raised an eyebrow at the pegasus who snickered weakly. "I"m just kidding. Geez." Applejack sighed and shook her head at the pegasus.

"What am I gonna do with you?" Applejack said with a small smile. "You're feelin' all sickly and you're still jokin' around."

"Look, AJ...I wanna thank you..." Rainbow Dash said, looking at Applejack. "Truly. You've been doing so much for me lately." Applejack shook her head.

"No, Rainbow." Applejack said. "You don't have to thank me. Ah love you too much to not take care of you like this."

"Seriously, Applejack." Rainbow Dash said. "You've been losing sleep every night over me. You always talk to me when I can't sleep, even if you're sleepy...You never hesitate to help me out of bed whenever I ask you to. You even decorated your room to accomidate me."

"Rainbow, Ah'd do all this for you every day until Ah die if Ah had to." Applejack said. "Ah want to do this. Ah want you to feel at home here." Applejack said.

"It's just...I'm sorry that you're missing so much sleep and getting yourself exhausted over me." Rainbow said, her ears splaying back. "You mean so much to me. Please...get some sleep. I'll be okay."

"You sure?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash nodded. "If there's anything you need..."

"Go to sleep, AJ!" Rainbow Dash said with a small laugh. Applejack nuzzled Rainbow Dash's cheek before placing a small kiss upon her lips. "I love you."

"And Ah love you." Applejack said before laying down on the pallet next to the bed Rainbow layed upon. "Sleep sweet, Dash."

Three Weeks Later

"Come on, Applejack!" Rainbow Dash said as she sat at the kitchen table for breakfast. "Just a couple of minutes. If it starts to hurt, I'll stop. I swear!" Applejack regarded Rainbow Dash with a small chuckle as she placed the small baked apple pie before the pegasus.

"Ah don't know, Dash." Applejack said. "You could still hurt yourself pretty bad, and you still got your cast on." Rainbow groaned loudly.

"It's been three weeks, AJ. My wounds are pretty much healed and I'm virtually pain free now." Rainbow stated.

"Ah love how ya said 'pretty much' and 'virtually' there so ya can't be held fully responsible if ya do hurt yourself." Applejack said with a smile. "Eat your pie, it's gonna get cold." Rainbow eyed the small pastry in front of her and frowned.

"I don't need your permission, you know." Rainbow said, looking up at Applejack and raising an eyebrow. Applejack nodded once.

"Ah don't reckon ya do, but you're a little impaired with that cast there. Shouldn't be too hard to hogtie ya." The farm mare said with a wink. Rainbow rolled her eyes, furrowed her brow and dropped her chin onto the table. She looked at her pie, ever approaching cooling down to room temperature.

"Fine. If you don't let me fly, I don't eat the pie." Rainbow said.

"Did ya mean for that to rhyme?" Applejack asked, smiling as she returned the different ingredients to their respective cabinets and drawers. "It's fine if ya don't eat it. Ah guess Ah'll eat it and you'll go hungry."

"Applejack, please." Rainbow pleaded. "Why would you just not let me without even thinking about it?" Applejack chuckled subtly before she shrugged. "It's so unfair."

"Life ain't fair, Rainbow." Applejack said. "Ah don't want you to hurt yourself again."

"I've flown carrying you before!" Rainbow spouted. "I just don't get why you won't let me."

"Ah never said that Ah wouldn't let ya." Applejack said. Rainbow brought her head up from the table and beamed at Applejack, who had just finished cleaning up the mess made from preparing breakfast. Rainbow, not satisfied at the rather ambiguous statement the farm mare had given, gestured her hoof in a circle and nodded.

"Go on..." She said. Applejack cleared her throat and moved down to where she was looking down the hallway toward all the bedrooms.

"Breakfast is ready! Come and get it!" She yelled. Applejack returned to the kitchen and placed the rest of the small apple pies she had made at different seats at the table before sitting down herself. Applebloom came bounding into the room first, smiling at her sister and Rainbow Dash.

"Mornin' y'all!" She said happilly.

"Mornin' AB." Applejack said with a smile.

"Morning." Rainbow Dash replied, also smiling at the happy little filly. She looked tired, and her mane was unkempt, but she was as adorable as ever. Big Mac sauntered into the dining room with Granny Smith in tow. He nodded at Applejack and Rainbow before sitting down.

"Well, now! Look at you, Rainbow, up all bright and early in the mornin'!" Granny Smith. "You're feelin' better than yesterday, Ah take it?" Rainbow nodded and smiled at the old mare.

"Yes, ma'am." Rainbow said. "Getting better every day." Granny Smith giggled before taking a small bite of her pie.

"Now, Ah heard y'all bickerin' from my bedroom. Woke me up, actually." Granny Smith said. "What's the problem?"

"I'm feeling so good this morning, that I feel like I can go outside and fly again. But Applejack won't let me." Rainbow tattled, looking over at Applejack, who shrugged her shoulders.

"Ah never said that Ah wasn't gonna let ya." Applejack stated once again before taking a bite of her pie. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes.

"Or so she says." The pegasus said to Granny Smith. The old mare giggled to herself.

"Ah think you should let her give it a go, Applejack." Granny Smith said. "Ah'm sure she would stop herself if it started to hurt her." Applejack looked at her grandmother, and then her marefriend, who wore a look of victory on her face. Smiling, Applejack sighed and nodded. Rainbow Dash cheered and threw a hoof into the air.

"One condition, though." Granny Smith said. Rainbow nodded.

"Alright. Anything." Rainbow Dash said happily. Granny Smith looked at her slyly.

"Ya have to eat that pie Applejack slaved away to make ya." Granny Smith said. "And ya have to thank her for gettin' up so early to make it." Rainbow, feeling slightly guilty looked down at the pie and over at Applejack, who raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her momentary victory. Rainbow Dash nodded.

"No problem." Rainbow said before taking a bite of her pie. The pastry, while lukewarm, was delicious and warming to the mouth and soul. Rainbow Dash marvelled at the taste and looked at Applejack. The flavors of the apples, the breading and the cinnamon blended perfectly in her mouth, creating an explosion of warming flavor.

"Applejack, it's awesome." Rainbow said. Applejack nodded and smiled as Rainbow continued to tear into the small pastry appreciatively. "You could partner up with Pinkie Pie and run the Cakes out of business." Everypony laughed as Applejack nodded at Rainbow.

"Don't wanna fly on an empty stomach, now do ya?"

Obligatory End-of-Chapter Author's Note: There is the shortest chapter that will probably ever be in this story. I promise the next one will be longer, so please don't find me and kill me. This chapter was good to write, because it chronicles the different stages of Rainbow Dash's recovery. Yeah, I came dangerously close to (romantic) sex, I know. So my apoligies to you readers who were wanting some (romantic) sex. You'll just have to wait a little while longer. How much longer, you ask? Could be next chapter, could be the end of the story. You'll just have to see. Cheers!