"Cool! Way to go Applejack, that was awesome! I mean-- heh." Spike saw why everypony was quiet, the Mayor coughed, and Spike rubbed his arm, "Awkward."
"I'm here. I'm here." They all turned their heads to see AJ walking up the open path looking very tired, apples dropped from the basket she was carrying as she stumbled around, "Sorry I'm late, I was just, whoa... Did I get your tail?" AJ pushed the mare aside, "Miss Mayor. Thank you kindly for this here... award thingy." She yawned walking over to it.
"It's so bright and shiny and..." She looked into it, "Heh, heh heh, I sure do look funny heh. Woo-woo." She moved her body in and out and Pinkie joined her doing the same thing.
"Okay. Well, thank you Applejack for saving us from that scary stampede, and always being there for everypony." Twi said looking at AJ, was it just her or did AJ seem a bit out of it?
AJ yawned, "Yeah. I like helping the ponyfolks and..." She yawned again, "And stuff." AJ fell asleep standing up, she even started to snore.
Twi looked a bit worried, then AJ shook herself awake, "Oh, uh, yeah. Uh, Thanks."
AJ dragged the trophy away and it was just as awkward as it was loud, Twi walked over to her friends, "Was it just me, or did Applejack seem a little--"
"Tired?" Dash offered.
"Dizzy?" Shy said.
"Messy?" Rarity asked and Dash looked at her, "Well, did you see her mane?"
Pinkie hopped next to Twi, "She seemed fine to me. Woo! Woo!" Twi hummed she needed to check out what was going on with AJ.
Twi traveled to Sweet Apple Acres then she found AJ bucking the trees, she still looked very tired, she even bucked over a basket, "What in Equestria is that pony doing? Hey, Applejack!" AJ feel asleep standing up again and started to snore. "Applejack?" She got more snores as a response. "Applejack?!" She teleported over, "APPLEJACK!"
AJ shook herself awake, "Oh, howdy, Twilight."
"What is all this?" Twi asked looking at all the baskets.
"It's Applebuck season."
Twi teleported in front of AJ again, "Applewhat season?"
"Neh, It's what the Apple family calls harvestin' time." AJ said as she went towards another tree, "We gather all the apples from the trees so we can sell 'em."
"And how is this any different then what you do every day?"
"It's that special time when all the apples are ripe for a picking."
"But why are you doing it all alone?"
"Because Big McIntosh hurt himself."
Twi teleported, "What about all those relatives I've met when I first came to Ponyville? Can't they help?"
AJ sighed, "They were just here for the Apple family reunion. They actually live all over Equestria and are busy harvestin' their own orchards." Twi teleported in front of AJ again. "So, uh, I'm on my own. Which means, I should really get back to work. Ahem... hint hint? Get back to work?"
"Fine." Twi said moving aside.
"Could you step aside, Twilight?" AJ asked wobbling.
"I just did. Applejack, you don't look so good."
"Eh, don't any of you three worry none, I'm just fine and dandy."
AJ tried to buck another tree but missed, Twi teleported again, "Do you want some help?"
"Help? No way, no how." AJ said shaking her head.
"But there's no way you can do it all on your own." Even I can clearly tell that with the tired look, the wobbly walk, the yawning and falling asleep.
"Is that a challenge?"
"Uhm... no?" What made her think that?
"Well, I'm gonna prove to you that I can do it! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got apples to buck." Twi watched her go, she had a worried look again.
A day passed and Twi was reading a book on her balcony when a sudden crash made her look up to see Dash, "Can I help you?"
Dash moaned, "I think somepony else needs your help."
"Applejack?"
"Yep."
Then Dash fainted right there on the spot, Twi put her on a soft blanket before going to see AJ again, she finally spotted AJ who just hit her head on a branch, "Applejack, can we talk?"
"Can bees squawk?! I don't think so." AJ shouted.
Oh goody, she can barely hear me this will be fun... "No. Can we talk?"
"Twenty stalks? Bean or celery?"
"No! I need to talk to you."
"You need to walk to the zoo? Well, who's stoppin' you?"
Twi finally shouted, "I need to talk to you!" Honestly not only was AJ sleep deprived, but now she could barely hear me, she needed help and maybe some rest.
"Oh! Well, why didn't you say so? What you wanna talk about?"
"Rainbow Dash dropped in to see me today."
"That's quite neighborly of her."
"Yes, except that she crashed onto my balcony after you launched her into the air."
"Oh, yeah. I wasn't feeling quite myself this morning."
Twi refused to roll her eyes, no really? "Because you're working too hard and you need help."
"What? Kelp? I don't need kelp. I don't even like seaweed."
"HELP! You need HELP!"
"Nothin' doin', Twilight. I'm gonna prove to you, to everypony, that I can do this on my own. Ow! Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go help Pinkie Pie."
This will not turn out so well... and as she thought the next day she heard ponies were sick in the hospital, "We came as soon as we heard."
Nurse Redheart sighed in relief, "Oh thank you, Twilight. We need all the help we can get."
Twi looked over all the ponies moaning and groaning, "Oh no! What happened?" Spike sniffed something and picked up one of the muffins.
"It was a mishap with some of the baked goods."
Pinkie moaned, "No, not baked goods, baked bads."
"Applejack."
Spike chomped on the muffin, "Want one?"
Twi just rolled her eyes and went to go see AJ, she found her in her cart upside down, at this point she was half tempted to cast a sleeping spell on AJ so she could finally get some rest, "Applejack, we need to talk."
AJ snorted awake, "Wha, huh? Oh, it's you, Twilight." She yawned again, "I know what you're gonna say, but the answer is still no."
"Not to upset your applecart, but you need help."
"Hardy har." AJ groaned, "And no I don't. "
"Here, let me help."
"Help? No thanks." Twi watched as AJ tried to tip her cart back forwards and Twi slapped her face with her claw when it was just getting pathetic. "I'll prove that this apple can handle these apples." AJ said starting to kick a tree, "Come on apples fall off!"
"AJ, I think you're beating a dead... tree."
AJ looked up, "I knew that."
No, she didn't... they started walking, "Actually, Applejack, I had something else to talk to you about. I just came back from Ponyville Urgent Care and--"
"You know, I'm a little busy to get lectured right now, Twilight."
"But if you'd just let me help--"
"Ugh. No, no, NO! How many times do I gotta say it? I don't need no help from nopony!" AJ walked off.
"Ugh. That pony is stubborn as a mule." A mule neighed. "No offense." Twi said turning to the mule.
"None taken." The next day Twi was going through town humming when she saw ponies laying on the ground, she gasped.
"The horror, the horror."
"It was awful."
"A disaster. A horrible, horrible disaster."
Twi looked at the town, it seemed perfectly fine to her, "I don't get it."
"Our gardens, destroyed."
"Every last flower devoured."
"By... by... THEM!" Daisy pointed to the bunnies eating every plant.
"Oh, my. Oh... Please stop, little bunnies. Oh no! Please, let's go home. Oh, my goodness." Shy said as she tried to stop them.
"All right. Enough is enough." She trotted over to the farm, she looked around until she finally found AJ, she trotted right up to her.
"All right, Applejack. Your apple bucking hasn't just caused you problems, it's over-propelled Pegasus', practically poisoned plenty of ponies, and terrorized bushels of brand new bouncing baby bunnies. I don't care what you say, you. Need. Help."
AJ kicked the tree she was trying to kick before, "Ha! No, I don't. Look, I did it." Twi looked over to see all the bare trees. "I harvested the entire Sweet Apple Acres without your help. How d'ya like them apples?"
"Um, how do you like them apples?" Big McIntosh asked.
All the trees on the other side were still full of apples, AJ mumbled, "Where'd all the apple...?"
She sighed as she feinted, Twi stood over her, "Applejack? Applejack!"
AJ let out a, "Huh?"
"Oh, good, you're okay. Now Applejack, I completely respect the Apple family ways. You're always there to help anypony in need, so maybe you can put a little of your stubborn pride aside and allow your friends to help you."
AJ looked at all the trees, "Okay, Twilight."
"I am not taking "no" for an answer--"
Then she heard what AJ said, "What?"
"Yes, Twilight. Yes, please. I could really use your help."
AJ looked like she was begging and Twi chuckled and then she sighed, "Finally you see reason." She got all her friends to help out as she got Spike to take a letter, "Dear Princess Celestia, My friend Applejack is the best friend a pony could ever have, and she's always there to help anypony, the only trouble is, when she needs help, she finds it hard to accept it."
"So while friendship is about giving of ourselves to friends, it's also about accepting what our friends have to offer. Your faithful student, Twilight Amethyst Sparkle." Spike finished the letter as she finished levitating a whole bunch of apples to huge baskets.
"How about y'all take a little break? I got some fine apple juice waitin' for ya!" AJ asked then she sighed, "Girls, I can't thank you enough for this help. I was acting a bit stubborn."
Twi looked at her, "A bit?"
"Okay. A mite stubborn, and I'm awful sorry."
"Now, I know the town gave me the Prized Pony award, but the real award is having you five as my friends."
"Phew! That apple bucking sure made me hungry."
"And I've got the perfect treat." Spike said holding up a bunch of the bad muffins.
"Eeew... Spike, I threw those all away. Where'd you get them?"
"From the trash." He answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, everypony said ew and started walking away, "Just a little nibble? Come on."
They all said, "Ew! Gross!"
Even Twi joined them and she was a hybrid, so it must be a full dragon thing, she finally got Spike home and allowed him to eat the bad muffins, "Come on sis you haven't even tried one little bite."
Twi looked at him holding up one, "Thanks but no thanks, I am half pony I don't think it will agree with me, and I'm not willing to test that out."
"Suit yourself." He munched on the muffins more, and Twi almost wanted to gag, thankfully she had something to distract herself from Spike, writing a letter.
"Dear mother, Spike and I have been wanting to visit you and meet our new cousin for a while, I'm sure my friends won't mind if we leave for a few days, we await your response, love Twilight and Spike." She sent it, "I think sending letters through our fire is a lot quicker than the mail system."
A letter appeared. "You know what sis I agree, sending things our way is a lot faster then any mail system can ever be." When Spike finished his last muffin he was disappointed, seeing his look she laughed and he finally joined her.