Chapter Six: A Friend in Need is a Friend indeed.
Twilight sat down on top of a wooden chair. She has all of her hoof cuffed and her horn blocked from doing any magic. She looked at Atom walking towards her with his faux unicorn horn glowing in bright golden light. "Umm on second thought maybe I should..." She struggled against the bindings.
Atom sighed as if he has been having this conversation numerous times. "Look, you've already agreed to do this. Nothing you say or do will make me let you go." He said, walking closer towards the unicorn.
The Lavender Unicorn hissed in agony as a burning pain could be felt on her flanks. She can feel her powers disappearing and a part of herself removed forcefully from her body. "Gah!" She lets out a yelp in pain before Atom's horn stopped glowing and the pain disappeared.
"Holy hell, it worked..." He muttered, watching the star shaped cutie mark floating in front of his face. "Let me try something..." He forcefully put the Cutie Mark above his Atom shaped Cutie Mark.
Flashes of skills and information flashed in front of his eyes as the power of Twilight's Magic was transfered into him. "This is pretty dang dangerous..." He muttered, rubbing his eyes to free himself from the headache. "But wow, I can't believe you can do all these with magic..." He muttered to himself.
"You have your fun, now would you please give that back to me?" Twilight exclaimed dully. "I'm not feeling so well." She added.
Atom's eyes widened as he easily took off Twilight's Cutie Mark and put it into a small jar. "Just one more thing..." He walked towards a table nearby and drink a vial.
In a flash of light, Atom turned back into a human and he held the jar of Twilight's Cutie Mark with a smirk on his face. "I wonder what will happen if a human ever get a cutie mark..." He took off the lid and grabbed the Cutie Mark with his bare hands.
"Whoa!" Bruce exclaimed as the cutie mark stuck into his palm. "This is awesome! I can feel your magic within me!" He levitated a bunch of tools nearby with a smirk on his face. "I'm like a freaking Jedi!!!" He said with a giddy smile on his face. "This is so cool!"
Then he noticed Twilight Sparkle looking at him blankly from the chair. Her coats and mane are pale and she doesn't look so good. "Bruce... Please..." She whispered.
"Yeah! So, sorry!" The Cutie Mark detached from his palm and it floated back towards Twilight's flanks. She regained her colors and energy in a matter of seconds. "Sorry, I got a bit carried away. You have no idea how powerful your magic is..." He apologized.
Twilight nodded and took a deep breath. "Apology accepted, now would you please let me go?" She asked with a flat look on her face.
"So sorry! Here, let me open that up for you." He opened the bindings and Twilight stood off the chair before looking around the workshop.
She observed the odd mechanical trinkets Bruce has in the room. "What is that?" She asked, looking at a shotgun hanging on the wall near her. "A weapon?"
Bruce smirked. "That's Jeffery, he's my old trusty weapon. I never leave home without him." He said in nostalgia. "But now that I'm in paradise, I don't need him anymore. I just kept him around for old times sake." He explained.
Twilight nodded and sighed. "I can only imagine what you've been through if you need to have a weapon wherever you go..." She muttered. "Have you ever... kill anyone?" She asked him.
The human looked at her flatly. "Do you really wanna know the answer?" He asked incredulously.
"So you did... I know it's obvious but..." She took a deep breath before walking to the end of the room. "I wanted to know about you and your kind but..." She let the words hang and Bruce nodded understandingly.
"I know, you're not used to bloodbath, war, and violence in Equestria. But that's okay, perhaps by knowing more about my kind, you can learn to be more grateful of what you already have." Bruce said comfortingly. "Now, what do you want to talk about?" He asked her.
Twilight knew she's gonna regret ever asking about this but... "What's your sister like?" She asked.
The human took a long exhausted sigh before smirking at her. "You're not pulling any punches aren't you?" He asked in amusement.
"Sorry..."
Bruce waved his hand dismissively. "Well, her name is Lily. She embodies everything good about humanity. Our nature to stick together, our desire to learn and discover, our love to create art and beauty... She was the last light in the world of madness." He said with a longing look on his face.
"One day, I finally finished my portal gun. I asked, no, begged her to come with me and leave that wretched world." Bruce curled his hands into fists. "If only she said yes... Oh she would love it here, she doesn't deserve to be trapped in that hell hole and yet..." He closed his eyes as a trickle of tear rolled down his face.
"She was still determined to change humanity. She still have that hope in her heart that she can change humanity." He took a deep breath and looked. "Until she was killed in front of my very eyes by the very thing she tried to save." He muttered darkly.
"My vision goes blank and the next thing I know, I am standing in front of my workshop with a dozen corpse piling up behind me." Twilight gasped in horror and shock. "Of course, I know for a fact that there's nothing else worth living for in my world so I grabbed my portal gun and shoot it."
"You know the rest, I became a dimensional traveler looking for a new home. I spent the earlier days of my dimensional shenanigans unleashing my pent up anger to all life forms in vicinity. I was literally a dimensional serial murderer until one day I got bored and decided to go with the flow." Bruce chuckled mirthlessly. "Bet you didn't see that one coming did ya?" Twilight Sparkle just shook her head mutely.
"Soon, I found a perfect place to start a new life called Equestria. Filled with magical ponies and power of harmony." He gave Twilight a genuine smile. "Thanks for listening, I suggest you call Princess Luna tonight to make sure you sleep well tonight." He added.
The unicorn sighed and smiled at him. "Is that why you love them so much?" She asked him.
"Who?" Bruce asked in confusion.
"The Crusaders, they stick together, they love to learn new things, and they're creative!" She said with a teasing smile on her face.
The human sighed before chuckling to himself. "Okay you got me, I just adore them so much. They reminded me so much of her and..." he leaned closer to the unicorn. "Don't tell Rainbow Dash, but I've made the three of them power suits before I finished RD's." He whispered.
Twilight laughed before looking back at him. "Oh Bruce, you've already promised her!" She playfully hoof punched his shoulder. "Besides, how hard is it for the most powerful creature that has ever existed to make a highly sophisticated armor?"
Bruce was about to answer her question when a beeping sound suddenly came out of a telephone nearby. He walked towards the telephone and pressed a button. "Sup Crusaders! Gunderson and MDW here!" He said.
"Bruce! Can you please come over and watch Applejack's training?" A voice came from the phone.
"Sure!" Bruce looked back. "Hey Twilight, can you teleport us to Applejack's?" He asked her.
The Unicorn shook her head. "Bruce, that's too far. Besides, don't you like flying?" She asked him.
The human walked towards his working table and grabbed a small helmet with a slot for a unicorn horn above it. "Here, this is a part of your uncompleted armor. Try it on." He said, putting the helmet on her head. "Like a glove!"
Twilight felt a familiar sensation when wearing the helmet. She feels like she's wearing her element of harmony. "Wow, this is amazing! You used the elements to power this up?" She asked him. "I feel like I can take on Discord one on one!"
Bruce chuckled. "Discord? Twilight, you're not a reality warper! What's stopping him from turning that helmet into chocolate?" He asked her. "Besides, it doesn't give you nearly the same amount of power the crown would. It only give you a fraction of its power."
The Unicorn nodded before her horn starts glowing in a brilliant purple light. "Well Bruce, time to go!" They disappeared in a flash and appeared right behind the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Sup Crusaders! How's Applejack doing?" Bruce asked them. Applebloom pointed at a clearing nearby with an obstacle course strewn all over it.
"SHE'S AWESOME! She's gonna win for sure!" Applebloom exclaimed while the Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell just nodded in agreement.
Bruce watched in interest as Applejack ran through the clearing faster than he can hope to run even with his armor. Applejack jumped over a huge pile of haystacks and landed without even breaking a sweat. She ran towards a huge pit full of mud and jumped over it. Just before she fell on the mud, she trust her hoofs down and jumped again in midair.
"Did she just double jumped!?" Bruce exclaimed in disbelief as he watched Applejack cleared off almost ten meters long gap by kicking the Laws of Physics in the hindquarters. "She can double jump?" He asked Applebloom in shock.
The Filly nodded proudly. "That's Applejack! She is the ten-time rodeo champeen of Ponyville! Why, she's got more blue ribbons than anypony in Ponyville ever! And I can't wait for my big sis to win every blue ribbon in Equestria and bring home the title of Equestria Rodeo champeen! " She exclaimed in excitement.
Already, Bruce's IECDS (Internal Early Chaos Detection System) is blaring to life. "So... Has she ever lost before?" He asked her warily.
Applebloom shook her head. "No way! She's the champeen! She never loses!" She exclaimed with a huge smile on her face. "She'll win everytime and I'm sure that she'll win this time!"
Bruce held up his hand. "Okay girl that's enough! Stop tempting fate..." He said, while thinking of how everything can go wrong. "But seriously though, how many people are expecting her to win?" He asked her again.
Suddenly, a wild Pinkie Pie appears. "Ponies all over Ponyville are expecting her to win! The worst thing that could happen is if she ever loses. That will surely crushes her spirit and make her feel very terrible for disappointing her friends, family's, and town. She will sink into an emotional wreck and she will feel so terrible that she can't even see our faces ever again!!!" Pinkie Pie used Foreshadowing, it's super effective.
Then she smiled. "Of course, that won't happen because she'll win for sure!!!" She took out a flag with Applejack's face on it. "GO APPLEJACK!!!" She exclaimed in excitement, making Bruce even more worried than before.
"She's not gonna win..." Bruce muttered. "And she's not gonna take it very well..." He added to himself.
He took out his walkie talkie and pressed a button on the side of it. "Skywalker, I have a new mission for you."
Bruce stood in front of a broken town hall. Although, the better words for it would be Demolished Beyond All Recognition. With half of the building torn apart and the upper part of the building missing, it wouldn't be possible to fix it. Yet the mayor insist that they fix it instead of just building a new one.
Bruce wore his Pegasus might armor holding a briefcase full of tools. "Tell me again why you can't just fix the building like you fixed the dam..." he muttered towards the Mare Do Well in annoyance.
"Because I don't have the spell to do that. When I fixed that dam, I already know the spell needed to fix a dam." Twilight replied easily. "Besides, you're the one who destroyed it in the first place!" She exclaimed.
Bruce gave her disgruntled sigh before taking off to the air. There he saw Rainbow Dash trying to fix the roof. "What's the situation?" He asked her.
"Derpy..." Rainbow Dash muttered replied in annoyance. Then she pointed at the interior of the town hall. "Hey can you help the workers inside? We're having trouble with the foundation." She said.
Bruce nodded and flew down into the building. There, he saw a bunch of workers trying to raise a huge wooden pillar to go with the rest of the building. He swooped down and easily picked up the foundation with the help of his armors. "Thanks Bruce." A pony said. "You're welcome, now where should I put this?"
They spend almost three hours fixing up the roofs until... "Seriously? We ran out of woods? Last I check we're in the middle of a freaking forest!" Bruce said in disbelief. He flew out of the building to get a better look at the town hall. "Well, at least we finished half of the town hall..." He muttered before landing right beside the mayor.
"Oh, no need to worry Bruce; you might not hear it from inside the building, but Applejack promised that she is going to use all of her prize money to help fix the town hall." The Mayor said, pointing at a certain Earth Pony walking among a huge crowds of ponies. "While it won't cover all of the losses, it will certainly help us."
"Great... Just what she needed, even more pressure..." Bruce muttered sarcastically. "Everything's gonna be just fine indeed."
Twilight walked towards him. "What's wrong Bruce? you're awfully sarcastic today." She said in concern. "Is something bothering you?"
Bruce sighed. "I'm just afraid Applejack's gonna lose and overreact. I mean, I know I didn't know her that much but..." He let the words hang and Twilight nodded understandingly.
"I'm also afraid things like this will happen, but I have faith on AJ and to me that's enough." Twilight replied. "Now go and finish Rainbow Dash's suit." She added.
Everypony in Ponyville were all working together in preparing a surprise for Applejack's arrival and victory. Granny Smith with the help of Rarity and many more ponies worked together in decorating the barn for the party. Big Mac with the help of Pinkie Pie and some cooks from the village were creating a huge sculpture of Applejack made out of cakes and candies. Fluttershy was preparing a small orchestra of birds while Rainbow Dash decided to welcome her with the good old Sonic Rainboom.
Meanwhile the CMC plus Bruce Gunderson and the Mare Do Well were sitting on a boulder near the barn. They all looked down in deep thought, trying to find out how to make the surprise party even more special.
Scootaloo's ears perked up and she smiled excitedly. "Ooh! I know, how about you and Rainbow Dash make another Cosmic Rainboom? The whole Equestria can see it and it will be super awesome!" She exclaimed.
Bruce cringed when he heard that. "You might wanna look slightly to my left..." He muttered warily
The Filly looked at Bruce's left and noticed Twilight Sparkle glaring daggers at both her and the human. She cringed and looked down. "Maybe Apple Bloom has a better idea..." She looked at Apple Bloom who was rubbing her chin in deep thought.
"I don't know! I never threw a surprise party at Applejack before..." Apple Bloom looked at Twilight. "Twilight, yer the smart one, what should we do! My sister'll be here any moment!" She exclaimed in slight panic.
Twilight shook her head in response. "I'm sorry Apple Bloom, but I'm all out of ideas." Then she smiled comfortingly. "Besides, Applejack's your sister. Anything you give her will always be special."
Apple Bloom's widened when she heard that. "You're right... But I still don't know what to give her!" She paced around worriedly.
Bruce shook his head patiently. "How about we give her this..." He took out two saddlebags from his backpack. One of them is bright blue with a picture of Rainbow Dash's cutie mark on top of it and the other one is light brown with a picture of Applejack's cutie mark on top of it. "This one's Applejack's." He tossed the brown one towards Apple Bloom. "And this one's..."
"IT'S FINISHED!?" A huge arc of rainbow could be seen heading towards them. At the end of the rainbow is a blue Pegasus flying towards them with an excited smile on her face.
Bruce sidestepped and Rainbow Dash came crashing down on to the ground, leaving a small crater on where she landed. He looked at RD slowly climbing out of the crater with a permanent grin on her face. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked with a hopeful smile on her face.
The human tossed her the saddlebag. "Yep, go nuts." He said flatly.
Rainbow Dash put on the saddlebag and pressed the button on her chest area. The saddlebag unfolded itself into an electric blue armor with glowing rainbow linings at the sides of it. The wings are electric blue with rainbow pattern all over it. It fits perfectly with RD's small stature and it doesn't restrict any of her movement.
'BOOM' Rainbow Dash took off like rocket, blasting all ponies in 5 meters radius around her. Bruce smirked and looked at Rainbow Dash soaring higher and higher into the atmosphere.
"Five..." Bruce said in amusement.
He watched as Rainbow Dash created a horizontal Sonic Rainboom just because she can.
"Four..."
The Pegasus is now creating a small rainbow tornado above the sky.
"Three..."
Rainbow Dash flew up higher into the sky and dived down with all her might. 'BOOM' 'BOOM' 'BOOM' Three Sonic Rainboom formed out of sheer awesomeness.
"Two..."
Rainbow Dash created a huge cloud sculpture of herself in midair.
"One..." Bruce took a couple of steps back and picked up Scootaloo from her position.
'Crash' the Pegasus crash landed right in front of them. "By the way, that suit is powered with your magic. So yeah, it can feel a bit draining..." Bruce explained with a smirk on his face.
"Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?" Twilight walked towards her to check on her condition. The Pegasus's face is pale white and she is breathing erratically. "Oh RD... Is there anypony here who can heal?" She asked, looking around in slight panic.
Sweetie Bell smiled and hopped around excitedly. "Oh! I do! I do! It's one of my perks!" She hopped towards Rainbow Dash and her horn started to glow. Slowly but surely, Rainbow Dash started to regain her colors. She groaned in exhaustion and pressed her hoof on to her head. "Okay, I'm all out..." Sweetie Bell said before snuffing out her horn with her hoof.
"Ugh... What happened..." Rainbow Dash muttered in exhaustion. She stood up from her position before dropping down to the ground. Twilight took off Rainbow Dash's saddlebag to relieve her weight. "Thank's Twilight..."
Twilight shook her head. "Come on Rainbow Dash, let's get you home..." She picked Rainbow Dash up with her magic and prepared to teleport her back home.
"N-no! I-I have to welcome Applejack too..." She muttered in exhaustion. "Element... of... Loyalty and whatever..." She dropped down again on to the ground and passed out.
"Let's take her to the barn..." Twilight muttered while picking RD up with her magic. "Come on everypony, Applejack should arrive in a few minutes." She said. Bruce and the Crusaders nodded and followed her back into the barn.
Soon, the party is almost started and everypony are waiting anxiously for AJ to arrive. Pinkie Pie is standing in front of Applejack's Cake Sculpture while growling at anyone who got close like a guard dog. Rarity is walking around the place, taking double check on every ribbons and decorations. Fluttershy is doing another sound tests on her birds while Rainbow Dash is sleeping on top of a haystack.
A sound of knocking came from the entrance and all ponies but Rainbow Dash quickly moved in to position. "SURPRISE!!!" They all shouted at the same time as the door opened, revealing a mail pony standing in front of them with a smile on his face.
"Wow, this is the best surprise ever! How did you know it was my birthday?" He asked in excitement, much to everypony's dismay. Twilight took the letter and slammed the door closed in front of his face. Then Pinkie Pie opened it again and put a slice of cake in front of Parcel Pony before slamming the door closed again.
Inside the barn, everypony are surrounding Twilight Sparkle in curiosity. "Who's it from, Twilight? What's it say?" Apple Bloom asked in curiosity.
"It's from Applejack..." Twilight opened the letter and start reading the content. "Family and friends, not coming back to Ponyville." She and all of the ponies in the barn gasped in shock. "Don't worry, will send money soon..." She read in disbelief. "That's all there is..."
Apple Bloom's eyes started to well up. "Applejack's... not comin' back?" The rest of the Cutie Mark Crusaders embraced her comfortingly.
Bruce watched Apple Bloom sobbing quietly on Sweetie Bell's shoulder and narrowed his eyes. "Oh she's coming back all right." He said suddenly. "She's gonna come back and apologize for making us worry like this." His backpack folded into his Pegasus Might Armor before he took off into the distance.
Rarity shook her head in disbelief. "Applejack will never leave us alone like this... Something just dreadful must have happened to Applejack to make her not return!" She exclaimed.
Fluttershy nodded in agreement. "Maybe she's hurt, or sad, or scared!" She said, not knowing that it is exactly what happened. "We have to rescue her!" She exclaimed.
Twilight nodded in agreement. "All right everypony, we're going to rescue Applejack." She was about to walk out of the barn when a voice came from inside the barn.
Twilight turned around and saw Rainbow Dash walking towards them with all her might. "Wait..." Rainbow Dash whispered weakly. She dragged her saddlebag towards Fluttershy and dropped down in front of her. "Fluttershy... Take my armor... Promise me you'll bring her back." She said weakly.
Fluttershy closed her eyes and nodded. "I-I will..." She replied in confidence. "I promise I will bring her back home." Rainbow Dash smiled and closed her eyes.
Twilight looked at Applejack's saddlebag lying in the corner. "Pinkie Pie, you should wear Applejack's armor." She said, picking up the saddlebag and put it on Pinkie Pie's back.
The Pink Pony wasted no time pressing the button. The saddlebag unfolded into a brown armor with light brown branching pattern at the side of it. It doesn't came with wings or horn, but it came with a booster on its hoofs. "Ouch! My tail..." She muttered.
Twilight watched the sand dunes and cactus passed by from behind the train window. She has a tired look on her face as she fiddle with the walkie-talkie in her hoofs. "Excuse me but, where are we heading?" A soft voice came from right behind her.
Twilight looked back and saw Fluttershy looking at her in concern. "Bruce told me he found Applejack in the Dodge Junction working on a Cherry Farm." She showed her the walkie-talkie. "He decided not to confront her yet and stay undercover." Fluttershy nodded before walking back to the group.
Not a moment too soon, the train stopped in front of a small station in the middle of a desert. The five of them walked out of the station and saw a light brown stallion welcoming them into the city. The Stallion is wearing a dark brown fedora and a brown vest. "Step right up Mares n' Stallions and welcome to the Dodge Junction. Home of the famous Cherry Hill Ranch." He said.
"Atom?" Twilight asked, noticing a strand of blue mane among his black mane. The stallion winked at them. "The name's Cowboy Jones. Pleasure to meet you all, tourists from..." He let the words hang.
The purple unicorn smiled. "Ponyville, we are here to visit the famous Cherry Ranch nearby?" She asked him.
Cowboy Jones nodded. "Right this way everypony, meanwhile, lemme show you round the town." He led them through the Dodge Junction like an actual tour guide who has been living there for a life time.
"Owh... Pickles..." Pinkie Pie muttered. "Umm Mr. Jones, I don't think I can hold on much longer..." Cowboy Jones pointed at a small public outhouse near the station. Pinkie Pie wasted no time and starts banging the door.
Cowboy Jones continued the tour and left Pinkie Pie with her business. He pointed at a small blacksmith with a symbol of anvil on top of it. "There's the Anvil Hoof, if ya need any tools or anythin' iron, look no more. Anvil Hoof can make anythin'."
Then he pointed at a small store selling many souvenirs. "Lookin' for antique gifts n' trinkets? Saddle Corner got you covered, feel free to browse through those beautiful handcrafted items. I'm sure ya'll find the designs inspirational." Rarity's ears perked up and she walked towards the gift shop in curiosity.
Twilight was about to stop her when Jones held up his hoof. "Wait, there's more..." He pointed at a small building in the distance. "Right there is the Hidden Sand library, lots of lost knowledge n' ancient magics can be found in there." Then he laughed. "If only we can read latin, we would've conquered Euqestria!!"
The Unicorn couldn't held herself back anymore. She looked at Jones in annoyance. "What do you think you're doing?" She asked him.
The Stallion took a deep breath and looked at Twilight seriously. "I'm splitting you up to make sure Applejack wouldn't see any of you until the time is right." He explained in a normal voice. "If she knows you're here, there's a slight chance of her trying to escape."
"What happened to her? Is it because she lost?" Twilight whispered to him.
"No, I don't think so. I saw her coming here with a saddlebag packed full with ribbons." He replied. "But I can assure you that she's fine. Just a tad bit depressed... I think."
Twilight sighed and looked at the library. "How are you so good at this? Is it because you're a human?" She asked him.
"I'll tell you later, but now, we are almost to the Cherry Hill Ranch." He pointed at a small green hill in the distance. "Ya see that hill in the distance? Quite a sight to see in the middle of desert. Used to be an oasis but we decided to use it for many more useful stuff."
Then, they all saw Rarity walking towards them in a hurry wearing a traditional country dress. "How do I look everypony? Do I look... charmingly rustic enough?" She asked, showing them the light brown vest and the brown Fedora she's wearing.
"Actually, that outfit gives me an idea..." Jones muttered.
Cherry Jubilee just finished checking up on Applejack. She couldn't believe it when she found her walking away from the rodeo with a ridiculous amount of awards. She also couldn't believe when the said pony just accepted her proposal without any complaints. Now she has an actual powerhouse working for her Ranch. She just hoped that Applejack stick around for at least a year.
She was interrupted from her musings when she saw a very familiar stallion walking in front of four unfamiliar mares. She waved at them kindly. "Cowboy Jones! Howdy, are you here to pick up your Cherry Jams? And who are those lovely mares behind you?"
Cowboy shook his head and pointed at the ponies behind him. "Nope, these fellas are wonderin' if they can get a job here in the Cherry Ranch." He replied. "They all have potential I can tell you that."
Cherry Jubilee smiled. "Well of course! Applejack would love to have some company. Why don' ya'll introduce yourselves?" She asked.
A Unicorn with light yellow mane and light brown coat stepped forward. "My name's Twinkle Mares, pleasure to meet'cha." She said.
A Unicorn with pure white mane and light grey coat stepped forward. "I'm Special, pleasure to meet ya'll." She said.
An earth pony with bright red mane and orange coat hopped forward. "I'm Crimson Orange!" She said.
Finally, a Pegasus with light purple mane and pink coat stepped forward. "I-I'm Flu- I mean I'm Flurry Blossom." She said nervously.
Cherry Jubilee smiled at all of them before motioning them all to follow her. "Follow me everypony, I'll give you a quick tour around my ranch." She walked into the ranch and opened it, revealing a conveyor belt with a few cherries on top of it and a treadmill at the side of it.
"Special, Twinkle, ya'll gonna be my cherry-sorters." Cherry pointed at the conveyor belt. "Your job is to sort the cherries, the red one goes to the red bin and the yellow one goes to the yellow bin." She explained. "Applejack's job is to turn that wheel to move the cherries, so you gotta work together understand?"
Twinkle and Special nodded. "Yes ma'am we're ready for the job." They exclaimed.
Cherry smiled. "That's the spirit, but we're on a break now. Come on, let me show ya'll my Cherry Orchard." She walked out of the ranch and led everyone towards a small woods near the ranch.
The Cherry Orchard stood on top of a small grassy hill in the middle of the desert. Many kinds of Cherry Trees and lots more covered the whole hill, turning it into an odd woods in the middle of a desert.
"Orange, Flurry, your job is to help Applejack with harvesting the cherry trees." She explained. "Oh and Orange, you will also help Applejack in turning the conveyor belt." They both nodded and Cherry Jubilee smiled in excitement. "Terrific! Now we'll just have to wait for Applejack to finish her break.
As if on cue, a certain ponyville mare walked towards them. She looked at the newcomers in curiosity. "Well howdy there fella, the name's Applejack, pleasure to meet ya'll." She said, shaking Twinkle's hoof kindly.
Cherry smiled after seeing their first interaction. "Applejack, say hello to your new acquaintance. They'll be helpin' you doin' your job here at my ranch." She said.
Twinkle gulped nervously at how Applejack shook her hoof. It reminds her too much of how she welcomed her to Ponyville. "Yes, my name's Twinkle, a pleasure to meet you too Applejack." She replied.
Applejack let go of her and looked at the other ponies. "Well, here at the Ranch we need all the we can get. So ya'll need to give it your all and don't slack off." She said.
It was a very frustrating experience for Flurry/Fluttershy. She is working together with her friend Applejack, yet she acts like she never knew her before. She wants nothing more but to wash the paint and tell Applejack to go back home, but Cowboy/Atom's plan is too flawless.
If only she can act as normal as Pinkie Pie...
"So, what about you? You haven't talk much since we met." Flurry looked back and saw Applejack walking towards her with a basket full of Cherries. "Orange told me you're good with Animals. Is that true?" She asked.
Flurry nodded nervously. "Y-yes... I do..." She muttered. "I always like animals..." She looked down nervously, trying not to blew her cover.
Applejack smiled at her. "Honestly, you remind me of someone..." She said with a longing look on her face. "Her name's Fluttershy, sweet and kind with animals, but downright scary when provoked." She chuckled a little. "She took down the cockatrice with a stare."
Flurry smiled at her. "Really...? Where is your friend now?" She asked her.
Applejack shook her head. "Back in Ponyville, I haven't seen her for a week..." She replied.
"Don't you miss her?" Flurry asked again.
The earth pony nodded. "I do, but I got work to do..." She turned around and walked back to the ranch to return the harvest.
Flurry watched Applejack walking away from her with a sad look on her face. "Oh Applejack... What happened to you..." She whispered sadly.
Applejack stood on top of a treadmill while Twilight/Twinkle and Rarity/Special stood in front of the conveyor belt. "Okay everyone, just let me know if you think I'm goin' too fast or too slow." Applejack said before turning the wheel.
The earth pony slowly turned on the conveyor belt. The unicorns effortlessly picked up and put all cherries into their respective bin with magic. Special handles the yellow cherries while Twinkle handles the red cherries. "You can go faster Applejack." Twinkle said.
Applejack nodded and walked faster on the treadmill. She looked back and saw cherries flowing through the air into the bins with magic. "Just go at your own pace darling, we can handle it." Special said.
The earth pony nodded and start running on the treadmill. "Is this fast enough?" She asked them.
Special and Twinkle nodded as they all put the cherries with the power of magic. "Don't hesitate to ask Orange's help if you're tired." Twinkle reminded her. "She's quite energetic."
Applejack chuckled. "Yeah, I know, reminds me of somepony I knew." She replied, slowing down just a bit to catch her breath. "She's like a five years old in a permanent sugar rush. Kinda like Orange, but less clingy." She explained.
Twinkle smiled and looked at Applejack. "Seems like you have good friends back home, what are you doing here?" She asked her.
"Working, just want a change in scenery." She said quickly. "Besides, I'm pretty sure they're fine without me..." She added.
Special narrowed her eyes and looked at Applejack. "What about your family Applejack? Don't you miss them?" She asked her.
Applejack took a deep breath and sighed. "I know... Just that I don't think I can show my face to them again." She shook her head. "If only they know what happened. I don't think they'll forgive me..." She muttered. Special and Twinkle didn't say anything. They just looked away from her and focused on their tasks.
A few minutes later, no more cherries appeared from the conveyor belt. Applejack stopped running on the treadmill and sat down to catch her breath. "Phew! That took a lot outta me, I think I'm gettin' old.." She muttered.
Twinkle and Special also took a deep breath to regain their composure. "No kidding, I never used my magic that long before." Twinkle muttered in exhaustion. "By the way, Cherry told me you're a rodeo champion." She asked.
Applejack rubbed the back of her head nervously. "Not anymore, I got the second place..." She sighed and looked at her saddlebag resting in the corner. "If only I can make that jump..."
A look of realization flashed across Twinkle's eyes. She walked towards Applejack and looked at her nervously. "Are you afraid your friends gonna be disappointed in you if you go back home?" She asked.
"You're pretty smart." She said. "But yeah, that's one of the reasons. But there's more than just that..."
Twinkle looked at Applejack in concern. "What is it Applejack? Did something back happen at the rodeo?" She asked her.
AJ shook her head. "I don' wanna talk about it." Then she walk out of the treadmill. "Come on, Cherry Jubilee is expecting us."
Finally, it is time for Princess Celestia to lower the sun and let Princess Luna raise the moon. All of the Cherry Ranch workers bid each other farewell and walked back to dodge junction.
Suddenly, a very familiar stallion walked towards them. "Well howdy there lovely mares, how is your first day of work?" Cowboy asked. "I can almost taste those delicious Cherry Jams the other side of the town."
"Wouldn't have done that without Applejack here." Twinkle said, pointing at Applejack who just blushed in embarrassment. "She's a powerhouse I'm tellin' you that."
"Aw, shucks, it was nothin'. You're all helpin' too." Applejack replied. "See you tomorrow?" She asked them all.
"See you tomorrow, bye Applejack!" Twinkle said before she and the others walked back to the town.
When Applejack is out of sight, Twinkle, Flurry, Orange, and Special starts discussing about their next move.
"Why can't we just reveal ourselves to her?" Special asked. "It is obvious that she is just feeling guilty for failing competition. All we have to do is to tell her that there is nothing she should be worrying about."
Twinkle shook her head. "No, it's more than that. She told me that something happened at the Rodeo." She looked at Cowboy Jones. "Do you know what happened? What about your connections?"
Jones nodded. "Yeah, looks like Applejack got herself in some trouble with... bets..." He cringed at the look Twinkle gave him. "Yeah, I know I still doubt it, but hear me out. When I tested Bastion's new magic repellent armor, the town hall was wrecked beyond recognition. Applejack must've been so confident that she decided to get more money to fix the town hall." He explained.
Twinkle sighed and looked at the Cherry Farm. "How long do you think it would take for her to pay it off?" She asked him.
Cowboy Jones took off his fedora and held it above his chest. "Can't say for sure, but until that happens, we'll be here to help her." Then he smirked. "Or maybe, we can help her pay it off and get her out of that job at the same time..."
"I'm sorry Applejack, but you're fired." Cherry Jubilee said in regret. Applejack jerked back in shock and shook her head in disbelief.
"Wh-what? Di-did I do somethin' wrong?" Applejack stuttered. "Mrs. Cherry Jubilee, please! I need this job! Didn't I work hard enough?" She asked.
Cherry nodded and opened the Ranch, revealing a huge machine in the middle of the room. "A nice stallion came to me yesterday." She walked into the room to show her how the machine works. "He sold me this machine at a generous price of 1500 bits." She pressed a button at the side of it and a jar full of cherry jams appeared on the side of it. "It does everything a pony can with just a click, it can make cherry jams, sort cherries, and a couple more of the same machine can harvest the cherries faster than we can ever do."
Applejack looked down and nodded. "I-I understand... It was a pleasure doing business with you..." She walked back to the ranch entrance in sadness and confusion. Now what should we she do? What about her friends back in Ponyville? What would they think of her now?
She opened the door and gasped in disbelief. She watched with teary eyes as Twilight, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie stood in front of her with a smile. "Hi Applejack..." Twilight said, walking towards her. "It's all right, we have everything under control. Let's just go back home..."
Applejack nodded and embraced Twilight into a hug. "I-I missed ya'll so much... I haven't seen ya'll for weeks and..." She let go of the hug and looked down in regret. "I suppose you already know what happened." She muttered.
The Unicorn nodded. "Applejack, I don't care if you got the fiftieth place or the second place. You're still our friends! We'll always be here for you no matter what." Then she smiled and pointed at Rarity. "Special." She pointed at Fluttershy. "Flurry Blossom." Finally she pointed at Pinkie Pie. "Crimson Orange."
Everypony walked towards her with a smile on their faces. "You've all been with me from the start..." Applejack whispered. "I really don't deserve this..."
"That's what I also thought when I first came here." Applejack looked back and saw Bruce wearing a very familiar fedora and vest. "I still can't find anything in the multiverse that is more precious than friends and family."
Applejack smiled at the sight of the human. "Bruce... Figures..." She said. "Bet you've been spying on me since the rodeo."
Bruce shook his head. "Nah, I didn't spy during the rodeo. But I do spy on you after you sent us that cursed message." He took out a huge bag of bits from his backpack and gave it to her. "Here's 1500 bits, should be enough to free you from whatever mess you got yourself into. I got it from Cherry Jubilee after selling my latest masterpiece."
Applejack took the money back and exhaled a deep breath of relief. "Thanks everyone, couldn't have done it without any of you." Then she walked away from the ranch. "Come on everypony, let's go home."
"Wait!" Bruce exclaimed suddenly. "I forgot to return this!" He took out a small jar containing a cutie mark with the shape of a compass. "I borrowed this from a nice old stallion at the dodge junction. Said something about I need it more than he do."
Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity looked at the cutie mark in Bruce's hand in curiosity. "You can take off your Cutie Mark?" Rarity asked. "That's... rather disturbing..." She muttered.
The human shrugged. "How else am I going to convince the local? Besides, old stallion Jones doesn't mind." He said. "Come on, let's bring this back to him."
A few hours later...
Bruce sat on vacant seat in the train. He looked at the jar of Cutie Mark in front of him in deep thought. "What do you think Twilight?" He asked the purple Unicorn sitting in front of him. "What should I do with this? Old Stallion Jones is pretty happy for being blank flanks for the last time and I have no use for this."
Twilight sighed and opened the jar. The cutie mark floated out of the jar before returning back into it. "Remember back in your workshop when you took my cutie mark? It flew back towards me after you took it off." She looked at the Cutie Mark in front of her. "This one made no move to return to its owner when we gave it back to him."
"So, I guess it's mine now?" Bruce asked, putting on the Cutie Mark one more time.
Twilight nodded. "Perhaps..." Then she smirked at him. "At least now you don't need to experiment on me again." She said.
Bruce chuckled and closed the jar of Cutie Mark. "You're right... I think it's time to experiment on sompony else... You think Princess Celestia wouldn't mind?"
Twilight hoof punched him playfully. "Stop that Bruce! I can't tell if you're joking or not!" She exclaimed.
Bruce held up his hand. "Okay, okay geez..." Then he looked out of the window. "Although I don't mind if she wants to be a volunteer."
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I'm having a bit of a hard time distinguishing whether Bruce is in his pony form or human.
8464743
When he's a pony I refer him as Atom. When he's a human I refer him as Bruce.
Easy enough right?
... Need a scene with Celestia's butt mark being put on hooman.
8563398
There is one in Chapter Nine: Wedding of Love and Destruction.
Bruce used Princess Celestia's Power to Curb Stomp Chrysalis into Submission.