Appledashery Vol. Two

by Just Essay


Elementary, My Dear Stu

The next afternoon...

"Frightenin'?" Applejack wiped sweat and grease off her forehead. She lay underneath a wagon that had been propped up on concrete blocks near the entrance to her barn. "Well, I suppose she was. I'd reckon the words 'fabulously villainous' would better describe her. The small brown wrench, please."

Stu Leaves fished through a toolbox and hoofed her the appropriate tool. "But... she's Nightmare Moon!" He leaned down to get a better look at the mare working on the underchassis of the vehicle. "Everypony in Cloudsdale says that she had fangs like a vampire! And she could suck the light out of a room with just a wave of her hoof!"

"Did any of them folk from Clousdale actually see Nightmare Moon with their own eyes?"

"Well..." Stu Leaves fidgeted. "...no."

"Well, there ya have it!" Applejack smiled sweatily as she twisted a bolt or two. "Tall tales for high-flyin' bird ponies! Heheheh..."

"But... she had to have been intimidating in some fashion!" Stu Leaves practically wheezed. "She delayed the sunrise for hours on end!"

"Well... reckon she was mighty good at bein' all creepy and shadowy," Applejack declared, wiping her brow again. "As for the fangs... it was a mite bit unsettlin' at first. But—the longer you stared at 'em—the more she resembled a big ol' kitty cat."

"Pfffft!" Stu Leaves chuckled. "Now you're just messin' with me!"

"Only cuz yer so plum easy to mess with." Applejack pointed at her work. "You've been payin' close attention?"

"Yes! Or... uhm... I think so."

"Rnnngh..." Applejack face-hoofed, immediately regretting it. She had a fetlock-sized smear of grease along her forehead now. "Dag nabbit..." She shifted the brim of her hat back. "Do ya at least know what the next step is?"

"Yeah. We test the firmness of the axle and then we attach the wheels."

"Hah! Shows how much you know!" Applejack grinned wide. "Next step is... uhm... erm..."

"... ... ...?" Stu Leaves cocked his head to the side.

Applejack silently tongued the inside of her muzzle. At long last, she coughed. "Reckon we t-test the firmness of the axle next."

"H-hey!" Stu Leaves grinned wide. "I was right!"

"Don't rub it in."

"Rub what in?"

"Rnnngh... just give me a hoof, will ya?"

"Oh! Sure thing!" Stu Leaves squatted low, reaching in to steady the frame while Applejack smacked the wrench along the length of the axel. Together, they listened to the tonality of the metallic strikes. "Soooo... uhhh... what's all this I've heard in town about the 'Elements of Harmony?' I hear they can blow the roof off of buildings with a single swipe!"