Oh, Bother...
Applejack meandered out of the farmhouse, waking up right at dawn as usual. She stretched and yawned right as she walked up to her big brother, Big Macintosh.
“Well, we better get all of these apples before the big storms that are scheduled, brother.”
“Yep,” replied Big Mac, pulling an empty wooden cart behind him as they paced up the path.
The day was warm and the trees were filled to the brim with juicy, ripe apples. Reds, yellows and greens reflected off of the apples from the morning sun. The smell of the farm tingled at Applejack’s nose as she walked up to the first tree of the day. With her flank facing the tree, she gave a good solid kick to the tree as all of the fresh apples fell to the ground. Big Mac and Applejack gathered up the apples, placing them neatly into the empty cart.
After several more trees, Apple Bloom trotted up the path. “Applejack! Big brother! Can I help?” Apple Bloom jumped up and down in front of her sister.
“Yeah, you go with Big Mac. I will work on the ones on this side.”
Apple Bloom smiled as she ran down the path, Big Mac trotting after her. Applejack kept knocking off the apples till she reached a very specific tree. This tree is the tree she was dreading.
On a low hanging branch, a giant bee hive hung. Last year, Applejack didn’t even bother with this tree. This year, they knew they were going to run low over the winter. She had to pick the apples from this tree. She plopped down right below the tree and began to think.
Now, how am I going to get those apples? If I kick the tree like I normally do, the hive will fall and the bees are gonna sting the bejeezus out of me. Maybe I can….
She put her front hooves on the sides of the tree and pulled herself up. She got up a few inches, reaching with all of her might. With a thud, she fell back to the ground. Rubbing her haunches, she looked back up at the hive. Bees peacefully fluttered in and out of the opening of the hive, making tiny buzzing noises.
Well, that didn’t work. I don’t think I will get any higher than that. How about…?
She trotted back to a tree she had knocked on a little while ago and picked up a big branch that had fallen. She grabbed the giant limb in her jaw, just barely able to keep it in her mouth. She dragged the broken limb over to the bee tree. She lifted the longest end up to the beehive, trying to knock it off. She barely touched it while standing on her hind hooves. A small gust of wind came up and she felt herself begin to wobble. She toppled down, the tree branch knocking her right in the head. She rubbed her head with her hoof as a knot began to form.
“Gosh darnit,” she sat down underneath the tree opposite the bee tree.
How am I supposed to get that hive down? I have tried but there can’t be any more that I can do…
Another idea popped into the pony’s head. She galloped down the path towards their big barn. She ran in, looking around for their step ladder. She grabbed one end of the huge step ladder in her teeth as she painstakingly dragged the ladder back to the tree.
She propped it up against the tree, determination in her eyes. She slowly made her way up the ladder as it wobble back and forth with every hoof-step. She got to the top of the ladder, reaching out to try and knock the hive off of the branch. She reached and stretched, lightly tapping the hive. A slight breeze took a hold of the ladder making it stand completely straight in the air. Applejack looked down upon the ground, several feet off of the ground.
She lost her grip on the ladder as she plummeted to the earth. She closed her eyes, screaming, as she waited for the painful end. She felt herself being lifted up by something; she slowly opened one eye.
She looked up to find that friendly, buttercup pony she has come to like. Fluttershy gently lowered her to the ground.
“Applejack. Why were you falling? You know that’s not very safe,” Fluttershy said, with a worried look on her face.
“Sorry, Fluttershy. I was just trying to get that darn beehive out of that tree, so I can knock down all them there apples.”
“Oh. Well let me help,” Fluttershy quickly fluttered up to the beehive and knocked on the side gently. “Um, excuse me, Mr. and Mrs. Bees? Would you mind if I helped you move to a tree that doesn’t grow apples? Your nest is bothering Applejack’s orchard, and we would want that, would we?”
All of the bees nodded their heads, a look of sorrow and repent on their miniscule faces. Fluttershy carefully pulled the hive off of the branch, holding it in her hooves like it was a baby foal. Swiftly, she flew to a nearby tree, not of the apple-growing strain, and gently hung the hive back up. She glided back to Applejack, who by now was smiling ear to ear.
“It was really that easy? Man, I should have called you first.”
The two ponies laughed. They hugged and parted ways as Fluttershy went back to her duties and Applejack went back to picking apples. She kept on knocking out apples. Big Mac came back around with Apple Bloom. They loaded up the apples till the cart was completely full. Apple Bloom rushed back to the barn and grabbed a basket.
“Here, I’ll take the rest of the apples. You guys head on home,” Applejack said, as she watched as her brother and sister trotted back home. She didn’t get done till dusk as she walked home, smelling the fresh apple pie baked by Granny Smith. She smiled, looking into the window, spying her brother and sister laughing with their grandmother.