//------------------------------// // Goin' for a Ride // Story: Old Black Charger // by retrobrony1987 //------------------------------// After I ate my piece of Applejack's Pie I went back out side and explored the farm, I grew up on a farm with my folks and I was practically doing almost all the work feeding the chickens, bailing hay and doing odd jobs for them, I walked up a hill and saw the apple orchard, it stretched out far as the eye could see. I looked over the orchard in awe, "Wow!" I exclaimed, it was the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen in my life, I heard hoof steps from behind and turn to see Applejack walking up next to me. "Beautiful ain't it." She said looking over it as well. "It's amazing." I sighed, "It's like an ocean of apple trees, it makes me want to get in my car and just go for a long drive through the orchard." "It does?" she asked. "Yeah." I replied. "Let me ask you something, what is it with you and that... that... contraption?" She asked. I turned and looked at Applejack and sighed, "Well, Back in my world we have what you ponies here would call a series of adventures in books, but back home we call it a television show." "Uh... A television show?" She said confused. "Yup," I said, "It's kinda like... you know... comic books with moving pictures and different episodes and adventures with the same characters." I explained. "So... What does this have to do with your... car?" Applejack asked. "Well," I started, "There is a show that I love back in my world called the Dukes Of Hazzard, and that show is about two good ol' boys that drive around in a car that looks just like the one sittin' in the barn down there, and in every episode they do what right in their town called Hazzard County," I continued. I spent about at lest an hour of talking to her about the plot of the show, who Bo and Luke Duke were, and what the General Lee was and all the cool stunts it did, Applejack smiled in awe as I talked to her, she was interested in every little detail about the show. All she said was "WOW!" I could tell she was already in love with the show, "So all you have to do is paint the car orange and put a zero and a one on there and your done right?" She asked. "Close but not quite there's more stuff I've got to put on it." I said, "Come here I want to show you some pictures of what the car looks like from TV." We walked back down the hill and headed towards the barn. "That Boss Hogg sure sounds like a real meany." Applejack said sternly. "Like I said, He'll do anything to make sure he wins." I said. "And that Sheriff sound like a real nasty varmin' too." She added. "Oh, Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane kew kew kew!" I imitated. "He's not really that bad, he's dumber then he looks." We went into the barn and I went into the glove box and pulled out some pictures I've taken of General Lee's from car shows, "Here's what I want it to look like when it's done." I said. "Wow, that's one mighty fine looking machine, what's that paintin' on top on the car?" She asked. She was pointing out the confederate flag, I'm pretty sure she wouldn't understand what the flag stands for, but it's really something you don't want to talk about to a pony who want to hear about war and slavery, "Oh that, that's just a decorative flag they put up there, and plus it looks awesome on the car." I said. I looked at Applejack and smiled at here and an idea flooded into my mind, "Wanna go for a ride?" I asked, Applejack's eye's grew wide. "Ya' mean starting up your machine and ridin' it around like 'em Duke fellers from your show!?" She asked, I nodded, "Um... Sure 'ah guess." "first let me show you how I start it." I said, I turned the key, with a crank and a growl the engine roared to life. "Yeah, that's music to my ears." I sighed. Applejack was amazed at how loud the Charger was, "Whoo howdy!" she gasp, "This thing sure is loud." I drove the charger slowly out of the barn and headed for a dirt road that lead through the orchard, I drove at a steady speed of 40 mph through the orchard and let the wind blow through the Charger and through my hair and Applejack's mane. We came to an intersection in the road that lead to three places, one was to Ponyville, one was to Fluttershy's and the last was a long hilly road, perfect to hill hop with the General, give the suspension a good work out, so I started to turn in that direction. "Wait!" Yelped Applejack, "What are you doing?" "Um... I'm turning down here?" I said confused, "Why what's wrong?" "That road leads to the Everfree Forest!" She shuddered. I knew a little about what was in the Everfree Forest such as timber wolves, three headed tiger goat snake animals and other monsters I've seen from the show. "Oh Applejack," I protested, "I bet all the monsters in the forest will run for miles when they hear and see this thing speeding down the road." Applejack sighed in worry, "I hope your right John." I drove the General down a hill really fast, it was like a roller coaster taking off from the top of the summit, Applejack gave a loud "Whoa" and we rode up the hill and the General jumped what must have felt like five feet into the air, Applejack gave a loud "Yee Haw" when we jumped I could tell Applejack was lovin' this, we drove for about two miles on the hilly road hopping the Charger over hills until we came to a fallen tree in the road. I stopped on front of it and figured turn around, "Well," I sighed. "I guess we turn around." I backed the car up and turned around and then as soon we were turned around we both gasped, six large timber wolves were standing in front of the car growling with their wooden fangs and staring at us with their glowing green eyes. "OH MY CELESTIA JOHN WE'RE TRAPPED!" Applejack said in short heavy breaths. I was scared too but I wasn't gonna let them hurt me or Applejack or the General, I gave the car a loud rev that made them back up a little then I gave another louder rev that caused one of them to jump, I looked over at Applejack, "Put that seat belt on." I said sternly and she did, I gave the car one last rev and put the front brakes on and stomp the gas pedal to the floor to gave the General one heak of a burnout, dirt and tire smoke filled the air with the burnout I was doing to scare the timber wolves away, they backed up enough that I took the brake off and the car hurdled forward the wolves jumped out of the way but one didn't it got on the hood while the car was still moving and looked at me dead square in the face. Applejack screamed and covered her eyes, "GET IT OFF GET IT OFF!" She cried, the only idea that came to my mind was I slammed on the brakes and the car came to a dead stop and the wolf was sent hurling toward a tree and was smashed into a bunch firewood. I looked at Applejack and cupped her face, "Are you okay?" I asked. "Uh... John?" She stuttered looking out the front of the car, the timber wolf was putting itself back together. "AW CRUD!" I gasped then heard growling from behind and saw the rest of the timber wolf running towards us, "DOUBLE CRUD!" I put the pedal to the floor and we raced off with those things in pursuit. The timber wolves were fast and they were gaining on us, "How fast are things?" I asked. "You don't wanna know!" She said looking in the side view mirror. "Don't you worry they can't touch the General, COME ON BOY!" I said patting the dash and puttin' the pedal to the floor. "VRRROOOOOMMM" We came to a split in the road that had one that would lead out of the forest but another wolf was in the way so I turn down the open road. "Uh John!?" Applejack said. "Yeah?" "This way is no good!" She cried. "Why?" I asked. "CAUSE THE BRIDGE IS OUT!" I looked ahead and saw the wreaked bridge that had a ramp in front, and the only thing that came into my mind was... we got to jump it, it was do or die. "HANG OOOONN!" I yelled, I was doing about 90mph and I gripped the steering wheel hard, we both started to scream and the General hit the ramp and we went flying into the air and over the river. We were about 35 feet in the air a million things were going through my head, "Are we gonna crash? Are we gonna make it? whats going to happen?" But reality brought me back when I notice we were making it across and we were starting to land perfectly and a wave of joy went through me. "YEEEEEEE HAAWWWW!" I screamed in joy as the General landed on all four tires and the car kept on going, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw the timber wolves on the other side of the river growling and howling in anger that we got away, we were out of the Everfree Forest and away from those timber wolves that's one place I won't be going back to anytime soon, I slowed the car down and brought the General to a stop, my heart was still pounding cause I just jump my 69 Dodge Charger over a river and landed perfectly unharmed. I looked at Applejack who was in a catatonic state of shock but she quickly snapped out of it, Applejack looked me, "Are you alright?" She asked. I turned to her with my wide eyes, "That... Was..." "AWESOME!" Screamed a voice from above, it was Rainbow Dash flying towards us and stopped just outside the driver side window, "That was so amazing, I was flying above when I heard this loud growl that I never heard before and I flew to see what it was and I saw you two in trouble and was just about to help when I saw this thing making all that cool smoke and noises and you hit that timber wolf and slammed him into the tree, awesome, and the way you making this thing move through the forest, AMAZING, And then I was scared when you were approaching that bridge and I was just about to fly down and help you when your car went VROOM over the river and you yelled YEE HAW and then you went BOOM when you guy's landed, that was the most awesome thing I've ever seen in my life!" She said really fast like Pinkie Pie. I stepped out of the car and looked at the General to make sure everything was okay and notice something weird, "Not a scratch on it!?" I said, the General was not dented or scratched or anything it looked the same after Twilight used her magic on it, she must have done something else to the General? "Could we go back to the farm." Applejack asked, "Cause I could use something to drink after all the screamin' and yellin' I did." "Yeah sure." I said. "Ooh, can I go for a ride too!?" Said Rainbow Dash, "I wanna see this thing in action again." "Um, Okay." I said, I put the seat back and help her in through the window, after she was in I was just about to open the door when I decided to climb through the window like a real Duke boy. Applejack gave me a funny look, "Why did you do that?" She asked. "That's how they get into the General Lee in the show." I replied, I started the car back up and peeled out back on the dirt road back to the farm.