Applejack had finally finished her inspections and was looking over the orchard with a sense of satisfaction. Despite her speed and experience, the orchard always took the better half of the day to walk, and even the solid earth pony was a little tired. She had just sat back and was enjoying a glass of lemonade when she suddenly heard a voice right next to her ear.
"Applejack, I need your hel-"
"WhhAAHHH!" Applejack jumped at the sudden appearance of Twilight, whose worried face was mere inches from hers.
"Jiminy, you gotta WARN me before you just run up and start talkin' into my ear, Twilight! You dang near gave me a heart attack."
"I'm sorry, Applejack, it's just that there's something I need your help with and I don't want anypony finding out and getting upset."
"Well why didn't you just say so? The family's off down to Appleloosa this week, there ain't nopony around but me."
"It's about that magical disturbance I was telling you about earlier. Me and Trixie went to take a look at it."
"Oh yeah? I'm guessin' you didn't end up fixin' whatever it was if yer comin' and talkin' to me about it again. Are you sure Celestia ain't back yet?"
"Positive. Anyway, we need your help to solve this thing."
"Shucks, Twilight, I done told you I don't know nothin' about magic. I think the biggest mystery here is why y'all keep comin' to ME for help."
"That's just the thing, Applejack! It's not a magical object that's causing it. It's a giant apple."
Applejack raised an eyebrow at the excited unicorn, dumbstruck.
"Say what now?"
"I said it's a giant apple."
"Well, you sure as sugar got my attention. Explain."
"We don't know much about it... I think it's some kind of metal beast. It's got an eye, and it shot some kind of beam at us. All it's doing otherwise is sitting there and pushing magic away."
"So hold on. Y'all found a giant monster that LOOKS like an apple."
"Yes, like I just said it's a huge metal--"
"And y'all thought to come to me because I know about apples."
"Well, umm... yeah."
"Twilight, that's just about the dumbest idea I've heard all week. What do you expect ME to do? Buck it?"
"I don't know! It was Trixie's idea. Look, maybe you can take a look at this sheet and just see if something comes to you."
"If it'll get you to calm down and go to Canterlot about this, then sure."
Twilight opened up her saddlebag and floated the paper over to the table. Applejack took a look at it, not expecting to see anything, but did a double-take and began to scrutinize it more carefully.
"What did y'all say this was?"
"It's a recording of this strange energy we were detecting from within the apple."
"And y'all thought it was just magic, huh?"
"Well, I don't know what else it could be."
Applejack gave a hearty chuckle.
"This ain't magic, Twilight!"
She tapped the table in an oddly specific way, almost as if she was ordering a drink.
Suddenly, a strange rumbling began in the ground. Twilight looked around, confused, thinking something was wrong. The dirt began to vibrate a little under their hooves as an unseen trapdoor opened with a mechanical whir in the very earth next to the barn, revealing a set of stairs. Soft beeping and whirring could be heard from within, and a faint blue glow was visible.
Twilight gawked at the secret entrance, then turned back to the earth pony, who was grinning confidently.
"I reckon this here... is BINARY!"