Applespike

Applespike is the het ship between Applejack and Spike from the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom.

Canon
Spike At Your Service

Twilight Sparkle is busy with 12 books that Princess Celestia has assigned her to read over the course of a weekend. Realizing how busy such an assignment will be keeping her, Twilight gives Spike the day off. Spike jumps at the chance to do the activities on his to-do list, but there aren't very many of them and quickly runs out of things to do. Bored, Spike wanders through Ponyville for a bit before deciding to take a ride in a hot-air-balloon, but accidentally sets the balloon loose and sends it floating away. By the time Spike catches it, he finds himself deep in the Everfree Forest and chased by timberwolves. Spike suddenly gets cornered, and just when he's about to be gobbled up the ravenous creatures, Applejack appears out of nowhere (meaning to investigate why the balloon is there) and smashes the timberwolves to pieces while Spike runs away. The two then meet up again and Spike immensely thanks Applejack."Spike: Wow, Applejack! That was amazing! I mean, you rocketed those boulders at them like they were... rockets! Pow, pow, pow pow pow! You saved my life! (softly) You... saved... my life."Spike clutches Applejack's mane in a warm hug, and Applejack then shrugs it off like it was nothing. But because Applejack saved his life, Spike insists on helping with Applejack's chores around Sweet Apple Acres. She initially turns down his gesture, dismissing her actions as something friends do for each other, but agrees when Spike is insistent. At first, Spike's services—while somewhat clumsy—are indeed helpful, as far as Applejack is concerned. But as time goes by, Spike becomes ever more determined to assist, and as a result, large messes are made, which he quickly proves by clumsily causing more trouble than good. Applejack once again tries to send Spike on his way, but the little dragon will hear none of it, explaining that his intent to help is part of his "Dragon Code"; he owes his very life to Applejack. Granny Smith mentions Twilight, and Spike comes to a realization: he has to "break the news" to her. He returns to the library and explains to her that Applejack saved his life and that, according to his dragon code, he must now serve her for the rest of his life. However, Twilight, due to being too wrapped up in her reading to pay attention to what Spike is saying, distractedly gives him permission to start his new life at Sweet Apple Acres.

Applejack and Granny Smith are beyond surprised to hear that Twilight allowed him, and Spike, still committed to serving Applejack, proceeds to make a mess in the kitchen that Applejack and Granny Smith just got through cleaning, meaning he's free to "help" the Apple family forever. Applejack can't stand the messes Spike keeps making of things, but doesn't have the heart to make him think he's not a noble dragon. She and the other ponies do everything they can to keep Spike preoccupied but they all backfire spectacularly—Spike easily tackles Rainbow Dash's "impossible" task of building a tower of rocks for her to smash through and Fluttershy's suggestion to tell him Applejack doesn't need help makes him find other ways to help her, from scratching her back to breathing. Finally at the end of her rope, Applejack snaps Twilight out of her study-induced trance for help. Now that she's brought up to speed, Twilight comes up with the solution: have Spike save Applejack's life from a timberwolf!

The plan is to set up a fake puppet timberwolf attack where Applejack pretends to get her leg stuck between some rocks so Spike can free her. But Spike sees right through their makeshift timberwolf puppet, citing the lack of nasty timberwolf breath as a dead giveaway, until a pack of real timberwolves show up. Applejack easily smashes these wolves with a weighty rock, only to actually get stuck under a rock for real as the wolves reform into one giant timberwolf monster ready to devour her. Applejack tells Spike to run, but Spike resolves to stay and save her. He chucks one of the smaller rocks at the giant timberwolf, and it becomes lodged in the beast's windpipe. The timberwolf starts choking as Spike pries Applejack's trapped hoof loose, and the two run away as the giant timberwolf falls apart from suffocation. Applejack's friends are surprised to hear that she'd actually gotten herself stuck, and she both thanks Spike for saving her and apologizes for attempting to trick him. Spike blushes and replies, "Aw, it was nothing." but Applejack avers, "It was somethin' alright!" Reconciling, the two agree if one ends up saving the other's life in the future, to say "that's what friends do" and leave it at that, on the condition that they try to avoid such situations. They seal the deal with a hoof/claw-bump.

Fanon
In the fanfiction "Bride of Discord", Applejack appears to have a crush on Spike, which is explained for the reason of the episode "Spike at Your Service".

Fandom
AO3

Youtube
 * Bride of Discord Playlist