Applejack stretched a bit as she walked out of her home. Big Macintosh soon followed her, bandages around his waist. During the little ‘mob’ incident over the Grand Galloping Gala ticket, the herd hadn’t noticed Big Macintosh and ended up bowling right over him. He was a bit relieved that he ended up with just two of his ribs broken and that it wasn’t Apple Cider Season. Big Macintosh frowned a bit as he recalled that his middle sister had to miss it.
He still couldn’t help but wonder just how Pinkie Pie was able to be there, first in line, every single day of Cider Season, though. Shaking that thought off in fear of the way of life for all Ponies ending, he stopped with his sister at the top of a large hill. The two overlooked acre upon acre of apple tree-coated lands.
“I never tire of seein’ this here sight,” Applejack informed with a soft smile.
“Eeyup. Always thankful fer Johnny Appleseed and his gift fer th’ world,” Big Mac agreed.
Applejack nodded as she resumed staring out at the land, giving a long, low whistle, “Boy howdy! Ah got mah work cut out fer me. That there is th’ biggest bumper crop o' apples Ah ever laid eyes on.”
“Eeyup. Too big for you to handle on your own,” Applejack’s eye twitched at Big Macintosh’s comment.
“Come on, big brother! You need t’ rest up and git yerself better. Ah haven't met an apple orchard yet that Ah can't handle!” Applejack assured as she gave a ‘love punch’ to Big Mac’s side, causing him to hiss in pain, “Oops, sorry. Ah'll take a bite out of this job by day's end.”
“Biting off more than you can chew is just what I'm afraid of,” Big Macintosh noted before she got in his face with a deadly glare.
“Are you sayin' mah mouth is makin' promises mah legs can't keep?” Applejack asked, narrowing her eyes as Big Macintosh swore he heard a dog growling in unison.
“…Eeyup,” Big Mac replied before gulping as Applejack stomped the ground and a rock nearby was sent flying into the air by a pillar of land that followed almost immediately upon her foot’s impact with the ground.
“Why of all the…! This is yer sister Applejack, remember? The loyalest of friends and the most dependable of ponies?!” Applejack demanded.
“But still only one pony, and one pony plus hundreds o' apple trees just doesn't add up to…” he paused as Applejack did the motion once more and another rock went into the air.
“Don't you use yer fancy mathematics to muddle th’ issue! Ah said Ah could handle this harvest and Ah'm gonna prove it to you! I'm gonna get every last apple out of those trees this Applebuck Season all by mahself!” Applejack snapped before turning to the trees and walked down to them, “Well I better get kickin'. These here apples aren't gonna shake themselves outta th’ trees.”
---
It was quiet that morning in Ponyville. The Pegasi were moving away the clouds from a light drizzle they had scheduled last night. The Ponies were setting up stalls on Market Street as Twilight and Spyro were opening up the library after Sparx and Spyro had to endure Twilight’s five lists for that morning. Boomer walked out from a door the Princesses has made to let him stay at the Dragon Palace but come visit Ponyville near Sugarcube Corner, smacking his lips while scratching his rear. He bent down and picked up his morning newspaper, careful to not spill his coffee. As he began to turn back to his door, the ground rumbled. Up above, Rainbow Dash was reclining on a cloud for a morning nap when her left ear twitched. She looked over her cloud and paled.
“STAMPEDE!” the cyan Pegasus screamed.
“Oh shit!” Boomer screamed, tossing his coffee and paper into the air as he ran back into his door and locking it…before unlocking it, hanging a sign reading ‘Do Not Stampede’ and then closed and locked it.
All around, the Ponies began to panic. Many screamed ‘Stampede’ as they began to hide in their homes or under things. Outside of Ponyville, a large herd of cows were running, all with panicked expressions. Pinkie Pie just laughed as she bounced around.
“He-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-ey…!” Pinkie reverberated, “Thi-i-i-i-is ma-a-a-ake-e-e-es my vo-o-o-o-ice sou-u-u-u-u-und sil-l-l-l-lly!”
“Pinkie Pie, are you crazy?! Run!” Twilight snapped as she managed to grab the pinky pony and stop her bouncing.
“Everypony calm down!” Ms. Mayor ordered, “There is no need to panic!”
“But Mayor, whatever shall we do?” Rarity asked as Rainbow looked to the distance the stampede was coming from.
“Look there!” Rainbow called out.
In the distance, coming up on both sides of the stampede, was Applejack and a auburn and white-furred dog wearing a red scarf.
“YEEHAW!” Applejack cried out, “Move aside, Winona. Put 'em up, girl!”
The dog barked twice in confirmation. When the cattle would try to move away, Winona would make sure they stayed in line with a few sharp barks at them. Near the entrance of Ponyville for the stampede, Rarity nearly fainted as Pinkie Pie was munching on some cupcake-like popcorn. Sparx rested in her hair, munching on one of the kernels.
“This is the best rodeo show I've ever seen,” Pinkie Pie beamed.
“Nah. I’ve seen the Rodeo at Canterlot at times. One of the contestants I saw would’ve already stopped the stampede by now,” Sparx shrugged, “But still, this is pretty close up there.”
“Come on, little doggies! Turn!” Applejack whistled, “Winona, put 'em up!” Applejack stomped the ground and made a swinging motion that cause a curved part of land to rise up before them as Winona herded them towards it, “Ha hah! Gotcha.” Winona barked at the cows as they started to slow down from the wall that had appeared before them, “Attagirl. Yee haw!”
“She did it!” Sparx whooped as the Ponies that were still out began to cheer.
“Hooie. Now what was that all about, Daisy Jo?” Applejack asked a cow with a bonnet on her head.
The cow mooed before coughing a little, clearing her throat, “Oh my! Begging your pardon, Applejack, but Mooriella here saw one of those nasty snakes…” the cows all shuddered a bit, “And it just gave us all the willies, don'tcha know.”
“Ah completely understand. Just next time, try an’ steer clear of Ponyville, okay?”
“We certainly will, Applejack. So long, Winona!” Daisy Jo nodded as the cows began to leave, letting Applejack lower the wall she made…only to end up being tossed up and down by a large group of ponies, chanting her name.
“Yee haw! Ride 'em, cowpony!” Pinkie Pie cheered as the Mayor walked over.
“Applejack was just…just…” the Mayor couldn’t think of a word.
“Appletastic!” Pinkie Pie supplied.
“Exactly. We must do something to thank Applejack for single-hoofedly saving the town,” the Mayor noted as she took her spectacles off the clean them.
“I know!” Pinkie Pie beamed.
---
“A party!” Pinkie Pie cheered as Boomer threw a few fireworks into the air above the decorated City Hall, “Nice fireworks.”
“Hey, they go ‘BOOM!’ and I’ll love ‘em!” Boomer smirked.
“We all ready?” Twilight asked as she stood at the podium with a pile of cards set up beside her.
“Just one last thing,” Rarity replied before quickly setting up Twilight’s hair into a bun, “Now we're ready.”
Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes before turning to the flying in Rainbow, “Is Applejack all set?”
“Actually, I haven't seen her all week,” Rainbow replied sheepishly.
“Not since the stampede,” Pinkie Pie added.
“But she'll be here for sure. Applejack is never late,” Rainbow Dash assured.
“What about the time you told me about her being late for swimming with you?” Sparx asked.
“I rescheduled it for the next day, so she was early,” Rainbow shrugged, causing Sparx to roll his eyes.
=Speakers are operational= Drobot informed, earning a nod from the lavender unicorn.
“Thank you, Drobot,” Twilight nodded as she turned to the crowd that had formed, “Welcome everypony! Today we are here to honor a pony we can always count on to help in matters great and small. A pony whose contributions to…”
Rainbow Dash interrupted her, “Did you see Applejack's slick moves out there? What an athlete. This week she's gonna help me with my new flying trick, and I know it's gonna be so awesome.”
“Exactly,” Twilight agreed as she used her magic to push Rainbow away, “And…”
“This week, I get to run Sugarcube Corner for the first time,” Pinkie Pie informed, causing Twilight to look at her.
“What does that have to do with Applejack?” Twilight asked.
Pinkie was silent for a few moments before her eyes widened, “Oh! Applejack, one of the best bakers ever, is gonna help me. Applejack makes everything great, so free samples for everypony!”
The crowd cheered for that as Spyro pulled Pinkie Pie away with a hook cane, letting Twilight continue, “Oh-kay, that's great. Now if I could just make a point without being inter…”
“Twilight?”
“…rupted,” Twilight slumped as she motioned for Fluttershy to say what she wanted to say.
“Twilight, I'm so sorry, but I just wanted to mention that Applejack is also helping me and Mr. Drobot this week with the official bunny census, where we count up all the new baby bunnies that were born this season. She's gonna help gather them using her wonderful herding skills while Drobot helps me count them,” Fluttershy informed, the microphone barely amplifying her voice before Drobot calmly escorted her off the stage.
“Anyone else? Anyone?” Twilight looked around for anymore interruptions to her speech, “…No? Well then, as I was trying to say…” she glanced at the Mayor, who had just cleared her throat, “Urgh!” Twilight tossed her cards into the air in frustration, “Never mind.”
“Wow. Talk about a bad day, huh?” Sparx snickered until Twilight glared at him as the mayor got onto the podium once she stomped off.
“Ah-ahem. And so, with no further ado, it is my privilege to give the prize, Pony of Ponyville Award, to our beloved guest of honor, a pony of the utmost trustworthiness, reliability, and integrity. Ponyville's most capable and dependable friend: Applejack!” the Mayor declared.
The crowd began to cheer out loud. However, a few minutes passed and Applejack wasn't there. Soon, a silence followed with the mayor giving a small cough.
“…Awkward,” Boomer whispered to Spyro, who merely nodded in agreement.
“Ah'm here. Ah'm here!” a familiar voice yawned, “Sorry Ah'm late--whoa--I was just… whoa…Did Ah get yer tail?”
The crowd began to part in the middle to let Applejack approach, a basket of apples strapped to her back. Her hat was askew with her hair slightly frazzled along with her clothes messy. Thankfully, she had put on a baggy shirt under her plaid button shirt since said shirt hadn’t been tied up as normal. There were a few bags under her eyes that Twilight noticed as she walked up to the stand.
“Miss Mayor. Thank ya kindly fer this here…award thingy,” Applejack paused to yawn before looking over at the large trophy on a table on the stand next to the podium, “It's so bright and shiny and, heh, heh heh, I sure do look funny heh.”
“Okay…” Twilight blinked slowly, “Well, thank you Applejack for saving us from that scary stampede, and always being there for everypony.”
“Yeah. Ah like helpin’ th’ ponyfolks and…” Applejack yawned again, “…and stuff.” She snored a little as she started to fall asleep until Sparx poked her in the side, “Oh, uh, yeah! Uh, Thanks.”
She picked up the trophy and began to walk off. She stumbled a bit halfway through the crowd before continuing on. Slowly, the crowd began to disperse, leaving just the main group.
“Was it just me, or did Applejack seem a little…” Twilight began.
“Tired?” Rainbow Dash offered.
“Not been on the snooze train all week?” Sparx offered.
“Dizzy?” Fluttershy guessed.
“Messy?” everyone gave Rarity a look, “Well, did you see her mane?”
“She seemed fine to me,” Pinkie Pie replied as Boomer nodded.
=I performed a quick scan and sensors indicate a lack of sleep and minute signs of exhaustion forming= Drobot informed.
“Hmm…” Twilight tapped her chin in thought, “Drobot, come with me.”
=Affirmative=
---
Applejack grunted as she kicked a tree. The apples on it trembled before falling into buckets around her. She walked over to another tree and kicked, missing it by a few yards. She yelped as she fell over onto her rear.
“What on Earth is that pony doing?” Twilight frowned as she and Drobot came upon that sight.
“Whoops,” Applejack began to stand up as Twilight and Drobot approached.
“Hey Applejack!”
=Salutations= Drobot greeted before snoring was heard =Scans indicate that subject Applejack is experiencing lowered heart rate. Conclusion: She is asleep=
“No duh,” Twilight sighed before gently shaking her, “Applejack.” The Earth Pony snored, so she shook harder, “Applejack. AppleJACK!”
“Huh?! Who?! What?!” Applejack woke up and looked around before seeing the two, “Oh, howdy Twilight, Drobot.”
“What is all this?” Twilight asked.
“It's Applebuck Season.”
“Applewhat season?” Twilight blinked.
=I have researched this. Applebuck Season is a time that the Apple Family uses to harvest all the apples from their trees in order to sell or convert into baked goods to sell, such as apple fritters, apple pie, and apple dumplings= Drobot explained.
“Y’all are right ‘bout that. It's what the Apple family calls harvestin' time. We gather all th’ apples from th’ trees so we can sell 'em,” Applejack confirmed.
“But why are you doing it all alone?” Twilight asked.
“'cause Big McIntosh hurt himself,” Applejack replied as she began to move to another tree.
“What about all those relatives I've met when I first came to Ponyville? Can't they help?” Twilight asked before her friend sighed.
“They were jest here for th’ Apple Family reunion. They actually live all over Equestria and are busy harvestin' their own orchards. So, uh, Ah'm on my own. Which means, Ah should really get back to work,” Twilight and Drobot didn’t move from her path, “Ahem…hint hint? Get back to work?”
“Fine,” Twilight nodded.
“Could y’all step aside?”
=We just did. Sensors indicate that your lack of resting has resulted in optical capabilities=
“Applejack, you don't look so good,” Twilight noted.
“Eh, don't any of you ten worry none, Ah'm just fine and dandy,” Drobot and Twilight glanced at each other in concern as Applejack attempted to kick a tree five meters from her, “Whoa.”
“Do you…want some help?” Twilight offered, earning a scowl from the Earth manipulator.
“‘Help?’ No way, no how.”
=Calculations are not in your favor if you attempt to perform this enormous task by yourself= Drobot noted.
“Is that a challenge from yer fancy mathematics?” Applejack scowled.
“Umm…no?” Twilight replied.
“Well, Ah'm gonna prove to you both that Ah can do it! Now if’n y’all'll excuse me, Ah've got apples to buck,” Applejack snorted.
---
Rainbow Dash hammered a nail into place. She flew back from the structure she had been working on. It was a large platform, going a foot above a two-story building. Near it was a seesaw-like contraption. It had a flat part on the side facing the ‘tower’ and a scoop on the other side. She glanced over to see Applejack walking over.
“There you are. You were almost late.”
“Ah'm a might' sorry, Rainbow. Ah was busy applebuckin' and Ah guess ah…Ah closed mah eyes fer a second and, when Ah woke up, Ah was almost late. Now, what's this new trick a' yours?” Applejack asked.
“See this contraption?” Rainbow asked.
“Uh... Yeah,” Applejack replied, seeing twenty of them.
“Well, I'm gonna stand on one end, then you're gonna jump down from that platform, launching me into the air faster than I can take off on my own. Once I'm in the air, I'm gonna do some amazing flips and spins that are sure to impress the Wonderbolts.”
“Isn't that a might' dangerous?” Applejack asked in concern.
“Pfft, Heh, not for a pony who can fly,” Rainbow replied as she fluttered her wings a bit.
“Well, alrighty then,” Applejack nodded.
---
=Current Status: 14 out of 53 book upon Sleep Deprivation and all things relative to the subject completed= Drobot noted as he flipped through the pages of a book.
“Good job on your end,” Twilight nodded before her left ear twitched, “…Do you hear screaming?”
=Affirmative= Drobot replied.
The screaming grew louder before a crash followed. Drobot blinked his non-robotic eye in bewilderment. All over the place, books had fallen off the shelves, a picture had fallen nearby and hadn’t had its glass cracked, and the chair he was across from now sported an upside-down, slightly injured Rainbow Dash.
“…Can I help you?” Twilight asked between clenched teeth and a twitching eye.
“I think somepony else needs your help,” Rainbow groaned.
“Applejack?”
“Yep,” the Pegasus replied before Drobot began to look over her.
=Status: Minor concussion, 0.00000001centi-inch crack in left femur. Twilight Sparkle, I will escort Rainbow Dash to receive immediate medical treatment=
“Good idea. I’ll handle Applejack.”
“Hold on a minute! No way am I…” Rainbow began before Drobot lifted her up and put her into a fireman’s hold before walking out, “Hey! Stop this right now! Aw buck me!”
---
“Ow!”
Applejack hissed in pain as she rubbed her head. She looked up to see thirteen low-hanging branches where just one was. She put a finger in her left ear, unable to stop hearing a ringing noise.
“Applejack, can we talk?” Applejack turned to see a few Twilight there as they were becoming just one image, “Applejack, can we talk?”
“Can bees squawk?! Ah don't think so!” Applejack shouted.
“No. Can we talk?” Twilight asked.
“Twenty stalks? Bean or celery?” Applejack called.
“No! I need to talk to you!”
“You need to walk to the zoo? Well, who's stoppin' you?”
“I need to talk to you!”
“Oh! Well why didn't you say so?” Twilight facepalmed at that point, “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. Ah wasn't feelin’ quite mahself this morning,” Applejack blushed.
“Because you're working too hard and you need help.”
“What? Kelp? I don't need kelp!” Applejack argued before muttering, “I don't even like seaweed.”
“HELP! You need HELP!” Twilight screamed.
“Nothin' doin', Twilight! Ah'm gonna prove to you, t'everypony, that Ah can do this on mah own. Ow! Now if’n you'll excuse me, Ah've gotta go help Pinkie Pie!”
“Ugh!” Twilight facepalmed before teleporting away.
---
=It could have been worse= Drobot informed as he sat near the bedridden Rainbow Dash, a bandage wrapped around her head.
“I’m stuck here for the rest of the day and tonight,” Rainbow Dash frowned before Twilight appeared via teleporting.
“She’s stubborn,” Twilight frowned before looking at Rainbow, “Staying here for the night for observations?”
“Yep,” Rainbow scowled.
“Well, at least you have just tonight,” a curtain moved to show Spyro in the other bed with Sparx flying beside him.
“Hey, guys,” Rainbow waved, “Was wondering where you went to yesterday.”
Spyro looked up at Sparx, “Tubby here needed to get his tonsils removed, just like last year. And the year before that. And the years before that, too.”
“Huh?” Rainbow blinked.
“Dragons are able to regenerate any lost organs in roughly a single year,” Twilight explained, “Princess Celestia always had to royal doctor remove his tonsils each year since it causes problems with his breaths.” Spyro nodded, “But Spyro’s gotten used to it now since we get to enjoy some ice cream during the week after his surgery.”
Spyro beamed a bit at that. In Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie paused in instructing the semi-deaf Applejack.
“My Dessert Senses are tingling,” Pinkie Pie narrowed her eyes, “The stores will be out of Strawberry, Cookie Dough, and Mint Chocolate Chip for the next week. I must prepare for this nightmare!”
“Anything else, Pinkie?” Applejack called.
“…Cupcakes first, prepare later. One last thing, Applejack. Wheat germ.”
“Wheat worms? Oh, that must be fancy talk for earthworms,” Applejack whispered to herself before she walked outside to dig up a few worms and put them into a bowl as Pinkie Pie was distracted by her preparations for the ice cream shortage.
---
“I’m sure Rainbow will like to read this series,” Twilight noted as she walked up to the hospital with a book…only to be grabbed by a white-coated, soft bubblegum-colored mane Unicorn nurse.
“Oh thank you, Twilight. We need all the help we can get,” she informed.
“Huh? Wh-What?” Twilight pondered before the nurse pulled her into a room full of green-faced Ponies…and a happily-eating Boomer.
“Oh no!” Twilight gasped as she almost dropped the book in her arms, “What happened, Nurse Redheart?”
“It was a mishap with some of the baked goods.”
“No, not baked goods…” the two turned to a bed nearby to see it was a green-faced Pinkie Pie, “Baked Bads.”
Twilight Sparkle narrowed her eyes, “Applejack.”
“Want one?” Boomer offered a green cupcake with a worm sticking out of it.
“Ugh! Boomer!” Twilight exclaimed.
“Out with those, Mr. Boomer,” Nurse Redheart frowned.
“Okay, okay,” Boomer rolled his eyes before tossing Pinkie Pie a firecracker that popped into a ‘Get Well Soon’ Card for her.
“Aw~…Thanks, Boomer! Ugh…” Pinkie Pie groaned before putting the card to the side so she could grab a trashcan and empty her stomach once more.
---
Applejack grunted as she back the cart she was strapped to. Unfortunately, she ended up in a ditch and the rocking caused her to start falling asleep. It was the sound of Twilight teleporting in.
“What? Huh?” Applejack looked around, upside-down, before seeing Twilight.
“Applejack, we need to talk,” Twilight frowned.
“Wha, huh? Oh, it's you, Twilight,” she paused to yawn, “Ah know what y’all're gonna say, but th’ answer is still no.”
“Not to upset your applecart, but you need help.”
“Hardy har,” Applejack groaned, “And no Ah don't.”
“Here, let me help,” Twilight offered.
“Help? No thanks,” Applejack grunted as she began to swing, “A little more…” sweat formed on her forehead, “Little…” with a final grunt, she finally got the cart back to position, “There. Ah'll prove that this Apple can handle these apples.” She began to kick a nearby tree, “Come on! Apples! Fall off!”
“AJ, think you're beating a dead…tree,” Twilight deadpanned.
“…Ah knew that…” Applejack blushed.
“Actually Applejack, I had something else to talk to you about. I just came back from Ponyville Urgent Care and…”
“You know, Ah'm a little busy t’ get lectured right now, Twilight.”
“But if you'd just let me help…”
“Ugh. No, no, NO!” Applejack screamed as she stomped the ground and caused the dead tree to get sent flying off, “How many times do Ah gotta say it?! Ah don't need no help from nopony! You got that?!”
She never gave Twilight a chance to respond. She immediately stomped the ground and Twilight screamed as she was sent over the barn by a pillar of earth. Twilight grunted before managing to teleport over her bed, landing in it with the force she was flying at.
“Ugh. That pony is stubborn as a mule!” Twilight growled before hearing a mule neigh outside, making her look out and down to see a mule, “No offense.”
“None taken,” the mule called up before continuing his day.
---
“Oh Applejack! Thank you so much for offering your herding skills for the annual rabbit round up,” Fluttershy smiled as she flew beside the sleep-deprived Mare and her dog Winona.
“Ugh. Why are we doin' this?”
“Well, lots of new baby bunnies have been born, so it's my job to get a count of all the new families.”
“Fine. Can we just get on with it? Ah need t’ finish th’ harvestin’.”
“Certainly, but remember, these are bunnies we're dealing with, not cows. They're a timid bunch and need to be treated gently.”
Applejack narrowed her eyes at Fluttershy, “Ah do NOT need any direction on corrallin' critters. Right, Winona?”
Winona barked in agreement despite the concerned look on her face. The three soon came upon a large group of bunnies in a field. Some were playing around together, other with a tiny ball Fluttershy had given them before going to get Applejack, and some were just together watching the others.
“Okay, little bunnies! I need you to all gather here in the middle,” Fluttershy gently informed.
“That's right!” Applejack stomped the ground, “Let's go, bunnies. In the center. Hop to it!”
The only response was the bunnies starting to shiver. They were not comfortable with the orange one shouting.
---
"I’m really sorry that I’ve made you late, Drobot.”
=It is of no concern, Ms. Sparkle. I already informed Ms. Fluttershy that I would be unable to attend to the census for multiple reasons= Drobot replied before both stopped at seeing three Mares on the ground.
“The horror, the horror,” a Mare moaned.
“It was awful,” another shivered.
“A disaster. A horrible, horrible disaster!” a third Mare nearly cried as the two looked around the seemingly-fine Ponyville.
“I don't get it.”
=Scans show no drastic changes= Drobot added.
“Our gardens, destroyed!”
“Every last flower, devoured!”
“By…by…THEM!” the third pointed over at all the bunnies nibbling on the plants on Ponyville as Fluttershy tried to stop them.
“Oh my. Oh…Please stop, little bunnies. Oh no! Please, let's go home. Oh my goodness.”
“Alright. Enough is enough!” Twilight growled as her mane and tail went up in flames with her coat turning cream and her eyes crimson for just a moment.
=…= Drobot slowly backed away from Twilight.
---
“Must! Keep! Buckin'…” Applejack panted between steps, “Jest! A few! More. Must finish harvestin'…”
She was stopped by a massive wall of flames. Twilight stomped out of them with a dark glare in her eyes.
“Alright, Applejack. Your Applebucking 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. And if you say ‘no,’ then I’m burning down the next tree you try to buck!” Twilight growled.
“No AD don't!” Applejack growled before slamming a fist into the tree beside her, sending the apples it had onto the cart behind her, “Look, Ah did it. Ah harvested th’ entire Sweet Apple Acres without your help. How d'ya like them apples?”
Twilight’s eye twitched as her fire wall was put out by Drobot via fire extinguisher in his robotic hand. Big Macintosh walked over and calmly put a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. He nodded to her before walking over to Applejack.
“Um, how do you like them apples?” Big Macintosh asked as he pointed at the entire east field, showing they still had their apples.
“Where'd all the apple…? Ah just...Now Ah'm...” Applejack began to babble a bit before giving a sigh and collapsed in a faint.
---
“Applejack. Applejack.”
'H-Huh?'
“Come on, now. Don’t you dare let me find out you died from something like seeing a field of apples!”
Slowly, Applejack began to open her eyes. The images were blurred at first, but slowly focused. She was surrounded by her friends, her brother and little sister, her grandmother, and Terrador. Each of them all had concerned looks. The soft feeling she was getting made her realize she was in her bed.
“T-Terrador?” Applejack groaned out.
“Oh thank the Ancestors,” Terrador gave a relieved sigh, “Your brother, sister, and grandmother sent me a message by the Rookie’s breath about you fainting and I panicked. Rush right over to make sure you were fine.”
“It was true. The moment Spyro here sent it, about five minutes later we had a panicking Earth Dragon at the barn,” Sparx confirmed.
“Granny though he was a giant snake and nearly hightailed it t’ git th’ shotgun,” AppleBloom added while Granny Smith turned away with an embarrassed blush.
“Twilight came to get us all when you collapsed,” Fluttershy added.
=You’re suffering from exhaustion and dehydration= Drobot informed.
“We were really worried about you, you know?” Boomer frowned at the Earth Pony, “Plus, it explains why the place got overrun by little rabbits yesterday.”
“Why didn’t you just ask us to give you help?” Rarity pondered.
“She was prideful,” Terrador stated, earning a confirming flinch from Applejack, “Back when it was just me, Ignitus, Volteer, Cyril, and Celestia, I decided to take on the Dark Armies on my own once. I ended up nearly killed because I wanted to fight by myself. If the others hadn’t come to save me, I would’ve been gone for sure.” He put a paw/claw on her shoulder, “Applejack, while you’re a proud Mare, you need to know that there is a time to be proud and then there is a time when you need to just swallow it up and let someone give you help.”
Applejack slowly nodded.
“Now Applejack, I completely respect the Apple family ways. You're always there to help any pony in need, so maybe you can put a little of your stubborn pride aside and allow your friends to help you,” Twilight spoke.
“Okay, Twilight.”
“I am not taking ‘no’ for an answer--what?”
“She said ‘yes,’” Terrador rolled his eyes.
“Yes, Twilight. Yes, please. Ah could really use yer help. Ah could use th’ help of mah friends,” Applejack informed.
---
‘‘Dear Princess Celestia, My friend Applejack is the best friend a pony could ever have, and she's always there to help any pony. 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 Sparkle,’’ Twilight wrote down on a scroll while using her magic to harvest a few dozen trees in Sweet Apple Acres.
Nearby, Drobot drew a few more numbers into the dirt before nodding. He turned to Rainbow and pointed over at a root that was sticking out of the ground. Rainbow Dash nodded before doing a flying kick to the root. The kick’s impact went through the plants before dozens of apples dropped from the trees, being caught by Boomer, AppleBloom, and Pinkie Pie. Nearby, Rarity was sorting through the apples to remove the bad ones. Terrador slammed the ground with his tail as Spyro flew about, catching the apples that had fallen from Terrador’s tail-slam.
“How about y'all take a little break? Ah got some fine apple juice waitin' for ya!” Applejack called as he walked over with Big Macintosh, the two carrying a few plates that had applejuice cups on them (though Big Macintosh was also carrying a keg of apple cider for Terrador since it was big enough for him to use as a cup), “Girls, Master Terrador, Fellers, Ah can't thank y’all enough fer this help. Ah was acting a bit stubborn.”
“A bit?” Terrador repeated, having heard what had been going on with her around Ponyville the last few days.
“Okay. A mite stubborn, and Ah'm awful sorry. Now, Ah know th’ town gave me th’ Prized Pony award, but th’ real award is havin’ y’all here, mah friends,” Applejack informed.
“Well said, my pupil of the Earth,” Terrador nodded, “Ignitus once told me about a proverb he read about; ‘Pride goes before destruction. A hearty spirit before a fall. A lesson Fayton in learned too late.’”
“Fayton?” Applejack repeated.
“Long before Celestia showed that she controlled the sun, there was tale of a Stallion that would ride upon a chariot that was actually the sun. He had a son named ‘Fayton,’ who wished to learn to control the chariot. However, his father is frightened as well. Yet the child’s pride was too great and it caused terrors to occur on the lands.”
“That sounds terrible,” Twilight gasped.
“Yes. Bad choices can hurt others, such as Rainbow Dash ending up with a concussion and a tiny fracture, Pinkie Pie and dozens of others being sent to the hospital for stomach problems from the ‘baked bads,’ and the small rabbits that had been frightened by Applejack and ended up stampeding through Ponyville,” Terrador nodded before his stomach went off…causing the area to rumble in time with it, “Heh. Now you see that, do some good work and you get the need to enjoy a good amount of a hearty meal.”
“You said it! Phew! That applebucking sure made me hungry,” Rainbow Dash declared.
“And I've got the perfect treat,” Boomer smirked as he held up a familiar platter of cupcakes.
“Eeew…! Boomie, I threw those all away. Where'd you get them?”
“From the trash.”
“Ew!” the Mares all exclaimed before Terrador sniffed one.
“Ugh. Worms…” Terrador shuddered as Applejack tilted her head to hide her blushing face.