//------------------------------// // Apple Bucking Bronco // Story: Vigorous Discovery // by Mclovin //------------------------------// On the other end of town, resides a large farm that bustled with apple trees. Its vast crop expanded for miles and miles until it links to the horizon. Many Ponyvillians rely on this fruit, but more importantly, rely on the very pony who grows and harvests them. She would pick out the apples, use them for various treats and goods, and sell them for everypony to eat. The quaint little farm of Sweet Apple Acres, has had high demand for new crops and its owner had to get busy. She bucked individual trees, to shake down every last apple that hung above her. Meanwhile, in the distance, Rainbow Dash was flying at an incredible speed. Trying her hardest to shake off the tailing flock of crows she recently befriended. And by befriend, she prefers anger and wind up with half the world's birds pecking out her eye. The rainbow-maned pegasus gave her wings all she got in order to avoid those crazy crows. While Fluttershy was in hot pursuit, trying to ease the violent swarm. “Oh please, stop!” Fluttershy cried from behind as the crows continued to chase Rainbow. But her bellowing plea only encouraged the birds to attack. “It's not working Fluttershy!” Rainbow called above. “You need to find Twilight! I bet she knows about this!” The yellow pegasus obeyed as the flock was inching closer to Rainbow's tail. But then she looked down to see the Apple farm, providing Fluttershy an idea while she tries and tames these wild ravens. “I'll be right back!” Fluttershy said, as she dived towards the farm. “Wait! Where are you going!?” Rainbow shouted, “I said Twilight not Applejack!” She wanted to stop to retrieve her and get her to fix this mess, but the cawing of the flock reminded her that she need to pick up the pace. So Rainbow was left to handle this on her own, while Fluttershy raced to the farm. *** Deep in the orchard, Applejack was making her morning rounds with the apple harvesting. Her and her brother kicked tree after tree to bring down the load of clean red apples. “Whew! We're workin' faster than a beaver, eh Big Mac?” Applejack smirked as she kept her pace going. “Eeyup.” her brother replied, unfazed by the overwhelming work progress. Applejack bucks another tree. She assumes that more apples would fall, but something else decided to substitute. As she bucks the trunk, something falls and hits Applejack on top of her head. “Ow! Pony Feathers!” Applejack yelped, rubbing the throbbing pain on her frontal lobe. “Ya alright AJ?” Big Mac halted his apple bucking to aid his sister. “Yeah Ah'm fine, something just knocked me on mah...” Applejack paused for a moment when she finds the source of her ache. A yellowish bottle with a bronze horse on top, with a funny looking thing on its back. “... noggin.” Applejack finishes her sentence. The two work ponies stop what they're doing and analyze the bottle with the words “Bucking Bronco” written on its cover. “What in tarnation is that?” Applejack questioned. Big Mac was about to answer when a voice echoed from a distant. “It's not working Fluttershy!” The voice indicated it was Rainbow shouting. They look up to see Rainbow being chased by a flock of crows, that cawed loudly from afar. Applejack adorns her face with a curious expression. “What in the name of Celestia.” Applejack mumbles to herself. Suddenly, the big red stallion next to her, was knocked off his hooves with an audible grunt. But it turns out it was Fluttershy who crashed into Big Mac. He lied on his back while she stood above him, dazed by her premature landing. “Fluttershy!” Applejack exclaimed. Fluttershy groaned wearily as she boosts herself off Big Mac's chest. She opens her eyes and sees AJ's brother looking up at her with dizzily eyes. “Oh, I'm sorry Big Mac!” Fluttershy babbled in shock as she gets off of the stallion, “Are you okay?” Big Mac tried his best to lift himself up a bit. “... Eeyup.” he said wobbly, with his head still spinning, before plopping his head back on the ground. “Fluttershy!” Applejack caught the pegasus's attention, making her flinch with a squeak, “What in all of the world of Equestria were y'all doin'?” “Oh um...” Fluttershy uttered, “I-I was just... trying to help Rainbow with, um, those crows.” She points up into the sky. Applejack follows her direction to still see Rainbow flying like her life depends on it. And with the murderous swarm behind her, that left AJ guessing that that must be what she's running from. “Well how did she git a whole bunch a crows to folla her like bait on a hook?” Applejack said with a raised eyebrow. “I don't know, they wouldn’t leave my house when they came in and-” “Wait, you've had those crows in yer house? But why?” “Well only one came over and then a bunch of them followed after.” Applejack is even more confused when all these answers don't seem to provide a clear cut answer. She sighed while pinching the bridge of her snout. “Okay, Fluttershy. What were y'all doin' before those crows came?” “I was just talking to one of them in a tree, when it flew off into a bush with... “ Fluttershy's mind jolted with the last image she had seen: That odd looking bottle shaped like a crow. “With what?” Applejack questioned. “... I... kind of found a bottle. And... I drank it.” All these ludicrous stories of Fluttershy weren't getting any clearer. But the word bottle suddenly springs to mind. “Wait, did you say bottle?” Applejack asked Fluttershy, who nodded slightly, “Ya mean like this?” She points to the yellow bottle on the ground. Its shape was nothing like the other one Fluttershy encountered. “Well, no.” Fluttershy shook her head, “It wasn't like that one. It was shaped like a bird. What is that anyway?” Applejack picked up the sloshing bottle to inspect it. “Ah ain't too sure.” AJ mused, “Ah found it in Bloomberg Jr here.” She gestures to the tree the bottle tumbled down from, apparently a relative of her prized tree she took to Appleloosa. The trinket's origin puzzled Fluttershy greatly, for when she found that Murder of Crows bottle, it too was coincidentaly located at random. The two mares gaze upon the eerie bottle as its fluids jiggled inside. The words “Bucking Bronco” barely made sense to Applejack. But somehow, she started pondering on what it actually meant. And just like Fluttershy, her curiosity got the best of her. “Well whatever it is, it must be good.” Applejack produced a sly smile, “Maybe this 'Bucking Bronco' stuff is an energy drink.” That shocked Fluttershy all too much when she remembered the somewhat similar assumption she made. She watches in horror as Applejack pops the bronze stallion off the top with her mouth, spits it out, and begins to raise the bottle up to her slowly opening lips. “Wait, Applejack don't!” Fluttershy implored hastily. But is was already too late when the tip of the bottle connects to her lips and she starts chugging its contents down her gullet. It tasted somewhat between bitter and quenching. The sour concentration played with Applejack's taste buds while the overall deluge soothed her dry throat from all that apple bucking. Finally, she finishes the last gram of yellow juice and pulls it out of her mouth with a loud pop. “Ahhh...” Applejack sighed with relief, “That's sure is mighty tasty. A bit sour like lemons but purty good in mah book.” Fluttershy was expecting some sort of after effect just like hers, but she saw no signs of nausea or dizziness amongst the cowmare. “How do you feel?” Fluttershy asked. “Not bad, but now that you mention it,” Applejack said as she touches her forehead, “Ah do feel kinda funny.” Then the inevitable finally happened. Applejack starts feeling a bizarre sensation coming from her fore hooves. As if her coat was being pulled off by an unseen force. She raises a fore hoof in front of her face, and instantly witness with wide eyes that her orange hoof was levitating off its bones. Veins from underneath gush slightly with blood as the blunt limb began to glow a bright yellow color. And she could swear she heard a horse winy every time more fur tried to pull itself apart. Fluttershy was appalled by the gruesome process her friend was enduring. While AJ could only stand there in horrendous shock as her hooves glow brighter and brighter until both mares are blinded by a sudden flash. Once the light cleared, Applejack looked at her hooves to see that the appendages remained intact. As if nothing ever happened to them. “Land sakes!” Applejack shouted, “What the hay was that!?” She glares at Fluttershy as if she knew the answer, but sadly she didn't. “I... I don't know.” Fluttershy floundered, scared out of her wits. It wanted to click in Applejack's mind when she looks back at what she just saw. However, she doesn't feel unusual after that freak show. No stomach aches, no head throbbing, no pain what so ever. Applejack began to calm down. “Well, whatever that was, it's gone now.” Applejack assured. The terrifying effect of that beverage, blew past her mind like dust. She forgot about it rather quickly in Fluttershy's perspective. Then the stunned mares were interrupted by Big Mac's groggy moaning. He begins to retain consciousness, lifting himself of the ground and rubbing his aching head. “Ow,” Big Mac groaned, “What happened?” His tired eyes open up to see Fluttershy and his oldest sister standing in front of him looking worrisome at him. But it was mostly Fluttershy who was most concerned since she knocked him to the ground. "I um, sort of hit you when I wanted to ask Applejack something. Sorry about that." Fluttershy replied apologetically. "No big deal." Big Mac muttered as he kept groaning in pain. Applejack trots towards her big brother. “Ya alright big bro?” she asked as she lends a hoof for him to pull himself up. “Ah'm fine.” Big Mac replied. “How 'bout you, are you alright?” “Ah... ah think so.” “She drank that bottle you two found.” Fluttershy interjects, pointing at the now empty bottle with the bronze horse separated from its top. Big Mac looks back at Applejack with a serious expression. “Why did ya drink that?” Big Mac interrogated. “Ah thought it was some rejuvenatin' liquid er somethin'.” Applejack defended. “Well what if it isn't?” “Ah wantin' to find out, okay?” “What if it coulda been poisoned er somethin'? Y'all could've been killed!” Big Mac raises his voice. Applejack copies his shouting. “Well Ah'm still standing ain't Ah!? So quit yer worryin'!” she shot back. Fluttershy on the other hoof, watched the two farm ponies argue. “Um, guys?” Fluttershy tried to stop their yelling, but was ignored when they continued to bark at each other. “Ah worry a lot 'bout ya AJ!” Big Mac spat. “Ah ain't a lil' filly, ya know that right?” “Then how do ya explain drinkin' that weird potion!?” That sent Applejack in an infuriated fuss. “Would ya kindly...” she raises her fore hooves, and stomps them hard on the ground, “Shut yer trap!” Unfortunately, she had the right to worry, for her furious trample suddenly caused chunks of the ground in front of her to rise into the air. Which traveled up to Big Mac, also levitating him at the sound of an invisible horse's cry. “WHA-WHOA! WHAT THE HAY!!!???” Applejack gasped in astonishment when she sees her sibling floating five feet off the ground. “Oh mah stars and garters!” Applejack yelled, “Ah-Ah'm so sorry Big Mac!” The red stallion screamed in the air as he gyrated uncontrollably. “No time fer apologizing!” Big Mac replied, “Git me down!” “Ah don't know how!” This constant yelling was too much for the shaky cream yellow pony. “Stop it!” Flutteshy screamed louder than the two bickerers, “We need to get Twilight. She'll know what to do.” Applejack agreed with a nod of her head. “Good idea.” She turns back to Big Mac, still hovering above her. “Hang in there Big Mac. We'll git help. Just stay where ya are.” The two mares gallop straight towards town, leaving Big Mac to himself. “Well it's not like Ah'm gonna go anywhere!” Big Mac calls with sarcasm as the ponies race into town, “Just hurry back if ya can, Ah don't wanna be here ferever!” Though it was unexpected, the universe proved him wrong when he suddenly feels the cowmare's powers ware off. The aura around him vanishes and he falls flat to the ground. "Oof!" Big Mac muffles when his head is buried into the ground. He then pulls himself out of the dirt. “Er maybe, Ah don't have to be.” he grumbled to himself, with bits of earth stuck in his mane. Even though it was miraculous that the stallion was no longer suspended in mid-air, the mares were already far from the Apple farm, on the trail of solving this unusual phenomenon with the help of a magic-wise unicorn.