Sweetie Bell looked up at the huge machine with some concern. Apple Bloom was currently stood at the controls with her rear legs in the steering stirrups and front hooves playing with various levers and buttons.
"Can't be that hard to drive this critter. My sister were all over it like bees on a flower and it says here that'n it's so easy to work that 'even a foal can drive'. Look, there's even a picture."
Sweety Bell caught the instruction book in her magic and studied the cover. It did indeed have the caption with a nice art work of a colt driving the machine across a field. "Well, I guess it can't be that hard if a colt can do it. You do a lap around the yard first and then I can try."
Opening the book to the first page she began to study the index, but was interrupted by whirling noises from inside the belly of the machine. Looking up she saw an expression of sheer delight on Apple Blooms face who was still busy pulling various levers.
Eventually the small filly found the right combination and took off with a lurch across the farm yard. All was going well as she trundled across the cobbles as though she knew what she was doing. Her expression soon turned to deep concentration as she made best efforts to turn before they ran out of space. To Sweety Bells surprise the heavy piece of equipment kept going in a straight line until there was no time left to turn.
The fence did nothing to dissuade the rampaging beast, but the shallow ditch on the other side did. This new violent route threw the panicked filly sideways toward one of the large metal drive wheels. In response she made a desperate attempt to hang on via any means possible. With her body lurching toward a good mangling it was all she could do to grab the largest control lever available.
It was a poor choice...
That one fateful lever made all the difference to the situation and was conspicuously obvious, as it was the one used most often. With hoof tensed and mouth wide open she arrested her fall by pulling the speed control to maximum.
With near instant response the wheels dug in hard, throwing up lumps of grass as the tractor launched itself from the ditch. Apple Bloom screamed as her left rear hoof slipped from the drive stirrup, leaving it waving uselessly. The machine instantly made a sharp left hand turn while still pulling a 'wheely'. It made two full rotations before she successfully slammed her foot back down.
Looking wide eyed along it's bonnet she now had the whole length of field to figure out what to do next. As long as the cows moved she was probably home free?....
Sweety Bell was now fully engaged in events and was screaming advice read from the booklet. "Check the oil and the Lug nuts before moving off!"
Apple Bloom spared a second to turn and shout back, "Page five, Page five, forget page one, I need to stop this monster!"
Far off in the middle of the field the day was progressing at a slower pace. Mrs Dandelion was the last to move. She had seen a lot of the comings and going around the Apple's farm over the years. The Apple family had always kept her safe and there was no reason to assume today was any different. It was true that the little one did crazy noisy stuff, but even she had always appeared to wish the best for cow-kind.
Luckily most of the herd wasn't so convinced and legged it in all directions with gusto. With tails and hooves flailing they easily outran the newcomer to the farm. The frantic cries of; "Git outta the way," certainly helped.
Apple Bloom realised she needed to take evasive action as soon as the only remaining animal was the one in her path. Mr's D had the same thought at the same moment and broke left just as Apple Bloom released the left stirup, making a sharp left turn....
Left, right, moo, left, moo, shriek. It looked as though it might work, but several times the cow snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Eventually fate won out and Mrs dandelion disappeared out of view under the front of the machine.
Although she fitted under the front she didn't fit under the back and machine heaved upward as it's metal spiked wheels climbed over her body. Apple Bloom just managed to ram the speed lever fully forward into the stop position as she was thrown clear. Landing in a heap she turned to see the tractor come to a sedate stop just past the unfortunate bovine.
Sweetie Bell came cantering across the field to admire the situation. She opened the booklet with her magic and placed it in front of her friend. "Page Two is all about the speed lever," she beamed.
The End