//------------------------------// // I - Applejack // Story: Collision Course // by journcy //------------------------------// + + + This story takes place instead of Season 1 Episode 4, “Applebuck Season.” + + + It was Applebuck season. Applejack and Big Mac stood side by side, looking out at Sweet Apple Acres. The latter had bandages all around his middle. They were caught in the middle of an argument. “...Y’ can’t hope to do it all alone.” “Are you sayin’ I’m makin’ promises mah legs can’t keep?” “Eeyup.” “That’s it! I’ll buck the whole Acres, by mahself!” Deciding that the perfect time to start was the present, Applejack began to keep her promise immediately. + + + A week of work later... + + + “...And so I am pleased to present the winner of the Prize Pony award, Applejack!” The mayor finished her speech with a flourish. The crowd cheered and stomped their hooves in applause. After a few seconds, however, it was apparent that something was amiss—namely, a lack of the award’s winner. “Anypony seen Applejack?” said Twilight Sparkle. “I think I saw her on her way when I flew here,” said Rainbow Dash. “Hmm. I’m surprised she’s late! That’s not like her.” Their conversation was arrested by the arrival of the discussed pony...though she wasn’t acting quite normal. “Hey, y’all,” Applejack slurred, wobbling up to the crowd. “Sorry if’n Ah’m late, Ah got caught up in mah work, y’know how it is...” She continued her unsteady journey up to the stage, where her trophy waited. “Thanks for this...thing.” She took the prize in her mouth, and slowly dragged it offstage. Golden cup in tow, she lumbered messily off back to Sweet Apple Acres. Her friends all had very odd looks on their faces. “Well...” Twilight floated. “The poor dear’s obviously overworked herself!” Rarity exclaimed. “Applejack? Overworked? Not a chance!” Rainbow Dash laughed. “I may be the best athlete in Ponyville, but she comes a close second! No way could she get that tired from something as easy as bucking apples. She was probably just messin’ with us!” “I don’t know, Rainbow...” Fluttershy said, soft as always. “Oh, come on, you guys! You don’t seriously think Applejack has gotten herself overworked?” Rarity, Twilight and Fluttershy nodded their heads in sync, Pinkie whipping hers up and down manically. “I’m tellin’ ya. she’s fine! I should know! I am the best athlete in Ponyville, after all.” “If you say so, Rainbow,” Twilight replied. + + + Applejack stared at the bottle of painkillers. She had hurt her back left hoof with a poorly-executed buck, and she faced a choice—take something to stop the pain and keep working, or do the smart thing and take care of herself. Do the smart thing and lose the bet... She took twice the normal dosage, dry, and got back to work. + + + Three days later... + + + Applejack staggered into town, barely focusing on the ground before her. She knew she had to help Rainbow do...something. “Applejack! There you are! Ready to help me with my newest trick?” “Huh- Oh! You bet, RD!” “Okay! See that big ‘ol wooden thing over there?” Dash said, gesturing with her hoof. “Uhmm...” Applejack stared as hard as she could, making out a brown shape. “Yes?” “Well, I’ll stand there, you stand there, and jump down to there...” Dash rambled on, making wild shapes with her hooves and in general expressing her excitement. Applejack lost track of what she was saying, and just stood in place. “Ayyy-Jayyy,” Rainbow said, waving a hoof in front of the pony in question’s eyes. “You there?” “Wh- Yeah! Sure... thing...” “Ooookay,” Dash responded. “Then let’s go!” The next fifteen minutes probably would’ve been rather painful for Applejack had she not been half-unconscious with painkillers. The platform Rainbow Dash had her on was rather high up, though not so high she could hurt herself seriously. She hit her bad hoof several times throughout the process of attempting to stick a landing on the wooden seesaw Dash had rigged up. Unfortunately, when she finally managed it, Dash had gotten off her end, and was standing in front of the large piece of wood. Applejack fell down, the wood swung up, and the next thing Dash knew she was waking up at Nurse Redheart’s with a hairline crack on her jaw and a bad concussion. + + + Applejack, after accidentally giving Dash a good one with the seesaw, carried her friend to Redheart. She set her down on the nurse’s doorstep and knocked loudly. After a few seconds, the door opened, and Redheart looked at her and her friend. “What happened?” “Seesaws are hard,” Applejack replied, before abruptly stumbling off. Redheart’s face contained nothing but confusion and concern as she carried the hurt Rainbow Dash inside. + + + Five hours later... + + + “Aaaaapplejaaaaack!” Pinkie Pie called. “Where is that pony? We were supposed to bake cupcakes today!” She looked at her leg, just above the hoof. “I mean, it’s almost half-past three!” She continued to wander Sweet Apple Acres, looking for her friend. She finally found Applejack snoozing under an apple tree, apples lying on the ground around her. “Applejack! There you are! I know sleeping is fun, but we have baking to do!” She got no response. “Come on, sleepyhead! Wakey-wakey!” The pink pony cried. She shook Applejack vigorously. The farmer refused to budge. “Don’t make me break out the big guns, Applejack!” After waiting a few seconds for a reply, and hearing none forthcoming, she zipped off, and returned with a large water gun. “Water levels: check! Cold levels: check! Power levels-“ She pumped the gun up. “Check! Get ready for this!” She began firing at the sleeping pony. After exhausting the whole water supply to no avail, she began to suspect something was wrong. “Applejack? Wake up! Even Rainbow can’t sleep through my Super Silly Super Chilly Soaker Assault 5000!” Her pleas did nothing to awaken the orange mare. Pinkie fell into full-blown panic, and raced off to find her other friends. + + + A cluster of four mares crowded around the bed in which Applejack lay. Rainbow Dash lay in another bed next to the unconscious orange pony. “Nurse Redheart? What’s wrong with her?” Twilight asked worriedly. “She... She seems to have put herself in a coma.” “WHAT?!” The five mares exclaimed in unison. “-How can that have happened?” Twilight cried. “She seems to have been taking excessive amounts of painkillers for a few days at least. Probably because of her hoof,” Redheart replied, gesturing to the hoof she spoke of. “She probably hurt it applebucking, and took the painkillers instead of stopping.” Rainbow groaned, and slammed her head into her pillow. She winced. “I can’t believe I didn’t notice something was up! Applejack was being really weird when she helped me out earlier today. I was too caught up in my trick to pay attention...” “Oh, don’t worry, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said. “It wasn’t your fault.” “I simply knew the dear was overworked!” Rarity said. “We should’ve done something about it sooner, helped her, something! We might have stopped her before she made such bad decisions...” Twilight put on her tough face. “Girls, I know things don’t look good, but I am sure that Applejack will wake up soon. What do you think, Nurse Redheart?” The nurse looked worried. “Honestly? I’m not so sure, Twilight. Many ponies would’ve died from the size dosages she consumed. It was only her exceptional stamina that kept her as she is.” The faces of the five friends fell. “B-but she’ll wake up soon, right? Right?” Sputtered Twilight in response. “I don’t know. I’m sorry.”