Chapter 3: Applebuck Season
The trio trotted though the streets of Ponyville, collecting items that Twilight had requested for one of her checklists.
"Well, that seems to be everything." Shadow said, taking inventory of everything they had bought.
"About time!" Inferno muttered angrily, "I was starting to get really bucking sick of carrying this shit around."
"Yeah, well at least you can use magic." Streak scoffed.
Due to his natural skill, Inferno had effectively mastered levitation, and was working on creating magical barriers. Also, he had recently borrowed several books on pyromancy, and he was extremely intrigued by the destructive magic. The three former humans had also been sparring with each other frequently, and Shadow Storm was making astounding progress in flying, mostly through trial and error, and was currently working on a new project that he refused to give any details about.
Inferno opened his mouth to defend himself, but the ground began to tremor, causing the trio to stumble slightly as the quaking grew worse with each passing second. As the vibrations grew stronger, a rapid thundering ground became audible. Turning his head towards the source of the noise, Shadow was able to make out what looked like a large cloud of dust heading towards the town.
A loud cry of "STAMPEDE!" Drew the trio's attention to the air, where Rainbow Dash was currently hovering, her face a mask of worry.
As the dust cloud got closer, the former humans were able to make out a herd of cows inside of it, moving at top speed and showing no signs of stopping.
"Please don't tell me this is going to become a trend or something…" Shadow muttered irately, as he, Inferno, and Streak began to gallop towards the area the stampede seemed to be heading for.
"H-H-H-Hey!" She said, her voice quavering. "Thi-i-is ma-a-akes my-y-y v-voi-oice s-s-sou-ound si-i-il-l-l-ly!"
Her expression a mask of tension, Twilight shouted, "Pinkie Pie, are you crazy? Run!"
Having emerged from her office shortly after the tremors started, Mayor Mare attempted to calm the panicked ponies. "Everypony calm down. There is no need to panic!" She said loudly, but evenly.
Rarity trotted up to the Mayor. "But Mayor, what ever shall we do?" She asked, dramatically laying a hoof across her forehead.
Ignoring the panic and worry of the others, the trio rushed forward, quickly reaching the edge of the town and preparing to stand against the approaching stampede.
"I don't suppose we have a plan here?" Inferno asked, giving Shadow a sideways glance.
"If you'd shut up for a second I would have one!" Shadow groaned, thinking of what they could possibly do.
Streak sighed. "Buckin' great. Where did these cows even come from?"
"It looks like they came from the farm outside of town." Shadow replied.
Inferno perked up in realization. "That must be where Applejack lives."
Streak frowned. "If that's where they came from, then where the Hay is Applejack?"
As if in answer, Rainbow shouted, "Look there!" as she pointed towards the approaching herd. Following her gesture, the ponies were able to make out two forms amidst the crowd. They were notably smaller than the surrounding cows, and the trio was quickly able to identify one of them as Applejack, and the other as a dog.
"YEEHAW!" Applejack shouted in the distance while galloping on the side of the stampede.
"Move aside, Winona." A.J. ordered to her brown and white furred dog, who barked enthusiastically in reply.
"Put 'em up girl!" A.J. shouted encouragingly.
"This is the best rodeo show I've ever seen!" Pinkie exclaimed, who was eating a bag of popcorn she had gotten from seemingly nowhere. The three former humans simply put on poker faces and remained silent.
"Come on, little doggies! Turn!" A.J. shouted as she bashed one of the cows, but unfortunately the herd remained on it's collision course with Ponyville.
"Winona, put 'em up!" Applejack called. Winona started hopping from cow to cow, trying to find the leader. Applejack also hopped onto one to get a better view of her dog. "Ha hah! Gotcha!" Applejack said triumphantly as she swung her lasso around the lead cow's neck. "Attagirl!" A.J. encouraged once more. She then proceeded to tug the lead cow to make it turn. Eventually the lead cow veered away just as it was about to cross the bridge into Ponyville.
Applejack breathed a loud sigh of relief, before turning to stare sharply at the crowd of bovines before her. "Now what was that all about?" She said sternly.
The lead cow mooed loudly, before clearing its throat. "Oh my," it said in a thick Midwestern accent. "beggin' your pardon, Applejack, but Mooriella here saw one of those nasty snakes!" Immediately the herd burst into nervous chatter, and the lead cow continued, "And it just gave us all the willies, don't ya know!"
Applejack smiled and nodded in response. "Ah completely understand. Just next time, try and steer clear a'Ponyville."
"We certainly will, Applejack." The lead cow responded. "So long, Winona!" She added, to which the dog barked affirmatively in response.
Applejack and Winona went up a nearby hill, stopping at the peak to raged the cheering crowd below them. Impressed, the trio went over to Applejack, congratulating her on her performance.
"Great job A.J., the town's lucky that you stopped the stampede." Shadow said, giving her a hoofshake.
"Aw shucks Shadow, it was nothin'!" She said happily.
"Yeah, too bad I couldn't help…" Streak muttered.
To Shadow and Inferno's surprise, Applejack's expression immediately darkened into a frown. "Yeah…" She grunted.
"I've gotta get back to the farm. Ah'll be see in' you." Applejack said as she turned around and began trotting towards Sweet Apple Acres.
While this discussion was taking place, the crowd continued to cheer, oblivious to the conversation between the three ponies. Pinkie Pie pranced forward, shouting excitedly, "Yee-haw! Ride 'em, cowpony!"
Mayor Mare trotted up to Rarity and Twilight, saying, "Applejack was just… just…"
"Apple-tastic!" Pinkie Pie interjected, appearing above the group, before dropping to the ground before them with a thud.
Mayor Mare smiled warmly. "Exactly!" She said. "We simply must do something to thank Applejack for saving the town."
Pinkie perked up from her place on the ground. "I know!"
Several Days Later
"A PARTY!"
Inferno turned to regard Pinkie curiously. "Uh, yeah. We're setting up Applejack's party. Why'd you just say that?"
Pinkie smiled innocently. "Because it was a scene transition, silly!"
Inferno stared blankly at Pinkie. "…What?"
Meanwhile, Twilight and Shadow approached Rarity, who was busy tying a large ribbon against a tree. Beside her, Inferno had a string of flags held within his magic, and was currently attaching them to one of the supports of Town Hall.
"We all ready?" Twilight asked, as she and Spike, from his position on her back looked to Rarity expectantly.
Rarity nodded. "Just one last thing!" She said, lifting a large, apple-themed banner in her magic, before hanging it on the top level of Town Hall. "Now we're ready."
Twilight took in the sight with a smile, before turning back to Rarity. "Is Applejack all set?"
"Actually," Rainbow Dash said, "I haven't seen her all week."
"Not since the stampede." Pinkie Pie added, trotting over.
"But she'll be here for sure." Rainbow Dash finished assuredly. "Applejack is never late!"
After Applejack's rather abrupt departure after the stampede, Shadow had come to the conclusion that something had to have happened to have caused the tension between her and Streak. His suspicions were only deepened when he found Streak manning Sweet Apple Acres' stall in Town Square a few days later, completely alone. When Shadow had questioned him about the matter, Streak's response had been evasive, at best.
"Colin, it nothing you have to bucking worry about." Streak said, looking away to haggle with a customer, who went to the next stall after deciding bartering wasn't his best choice. Turning back to Shadow, Streak continued; "Applejack and I just came to a small disagreement. It's nothing big."
"BOW CHICKA BOW WOW!" They heard Inferno shout from the other end of the market.
Shadow frowned. "Rob, Applejack hasn't been seen since the stampede. I remember her being angry with you, and now I find you here doing her job. What's going on?"
Streak groaned angrily.
"I…Just…I'll bucking take care of it, ALRIGHT!?" Streak said angrily.
Shadow sighed, "Fine, I'll let you handle it."
And so, Shadow had done exactly what Streak had told him to do and had ignored the issue altogether. When the date of the party had arrived several days later, without any sighting of either of them apart from Streak's appearances working the stall, Shadow had had enough. After the ceremony, He would find Streak and Applejack and refuse to let them leave until they told him what was going on between them. He was going to learn what the issue was, one way or another. Until they arrived however, he could only wait. So, Shadow resignedly turned his attention away from the crowd and took in the sight of Town Hall.
The front steps of Town Hall had been converted into a makeshift stage, its steps clear of ponies and allowing those upon them to address the crowd. A large golden trophy took up a position near the middle of the stage, next to a small podium. It was this podium that Twilight Sparkle was now approaching, having been selected to be the one to 'award' Applejack the trophy. As Twilight finally settled behind the podium, the crowd's chatting settled down into a dull whisper. Igniting her horn, Twilight floated a large stack of notecards before her, taking a moment to shuffle them into a more orderly state, before lifting the first one to read.
"Welcome everypony!" Twilight orated. "Today we are here to honor, a pony we can always count on to help in matters great and small!" Shifting over to the next card, she continued, "A pony whose contributions to-"
She was suddenly cut off as Rainbow Dash barged in, scattering the notecards in her excitement.
"Did you see Applejack's slick moves out there?" She said with a grin. "What an athlete! This week, she's gonna help me with my new flying trick, and I know it's gonna be so awesome!" She finished, scrunching her face into an expression that left a small grin on Shadow's face, before she was shoved away by Twilight.
"Exactly." Twilight said pointedly. "And-"
"This week, I get to run Sugarcube Corner for the first time!" Pinkie said excitedly, popping up in front of Twilight form behind the podium.
Twisting around the excited mare, Twilight asked confusedly, "What does that have to do with Applejack?"
Pinkie appeared contemplative for a moment, before perking up. "Oh! Applejack, one of the best bakers ever, is gonna help me. Applejack makes everything great, so free samples for everypony!" She finished grandly, as the crowd answered with cheers and stomping hooves. Pinkie seemed to absorb the praise, gesturing eminently.
Composing herself, Twilight put on a false smile as she continued, "Well then, if I could just make a point without being inter-"
"Twilight?" Fluttershy said softly.
"-rupted." Twilight finished with a grunt.
Fluttershy gently moved behind the podium, while Twilight reluctantly made room for her.
"Twilight, I'm so sorry, but I just wanted to mention that Applejack is also helping me 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." Fluttershy ended her explanation with a smile, which faded as Twilight shot her a glare.
"Anyone else? Anyone?" Twilight asked, facing the crowd with a cross expression. Hearing no response, she gave a smug grin as she continued, "Well then, as I was trying to say…" She trailed off as she spotted Mayor Mare standing beside the podium, an expectant smile on her face. Tossing her notecards in the air with a grunt of exasperation, Twilight trotted off the stage, muttering, "Never mind!"
Trotting up to the podium, Mayor Mare smiled and cleared her throat softly as she began a speech of her own. "And so, without further ado, it is my privilege to give the 'Prize Pony of Ponyville' Award to out beloved guest of honor, a pony of the utmost trustworthiness, reliability, and integrity. Ponyville's most capable and dependable friend, Applejack!"
As the crowd erupted into cheers, Mayor Mare gestured grandly over to a section of the stage that had been covered by a set of curtains, which promptly drew back to reveal…
…Nothing, simply a blank stage.
The applause rapidly died down, until Spike was the only one left cheering.
"Way to go Applejack, that was awesome! I mean… heh…" He trailed off, as he realized that everypony was staring at him. Giving a small awkward laugh, he observed the blank stage where Applejack was supposed to be and muttered, "Awk-ward."
Shadow frowned uncertainly at Applejack's empty spot on the stage, until a sudden, if slightly garbled cry of "I'm here!" drew his attention back towards the crowd.
From his place upon the Town Hall's steps, he was able to make out the form of Applejack, laden down with two basketfuls of apples, stumbling through the crowd, murmuring jumbled apologies as she tripped over and into ponies.
Behind her, Streak strode through the crowd, smiling sheepishly at the crowd as they parted before him.
Finally, Applejack arrived at the stage, taking her place at the podium and facing the crowd, as Streak moved to stand beside her.
It was from this perspective that Shadow was able to make out the deep lines that marked Applejack's face, as well as the large purple bags beneath her eyes. Looking to Streak, Shadow noticed much the same, although he seemed to be doing his best to hide it.
Shadow arched an eyebrow as he saw the state that these two were in.
From the look of it, neither of them had gotten any sleep in at least a few days. Applejack's exhaustion certainly became clear as she began to speak.
"Miss Mayor, thank you kindly for this here… award thingy." She said, striding over to the trophy with a bemused expression. "It's so bright and shiny and, heh heh, I sure do look funny." Applejack giggled, then began to lean closer and away from the trophy, admiring her warped reflection and making "woo, woo, woo" noises. After a moment, Pinkie joined her, copying both her movements and the noises she was making.
Twilight however, seemed to take this in moderate stride, simply raising a brow as she said, "Oookay. Well, thank you again Applejack for saving us from the stampede, and Applejack, for always being there for everypony."
Applejack finally seemed to take her attention away from the trophy as she yawned widely before responding, "Yeah, I like helping the ponyfolks and-" She yawned again. "-and stuff."
For a moment, she seemed to nod off where she stood, before a quick nudge from Streak caused her to jerk awake. "Oh yeah, uh, thanks." Then, grabbing one handle of the trophy in her teeth, Applejack began dragging it off the stage and down the street, to the sound of screeching metal as the trophy's base ground against the cobblestones of the street. Streak followed her, trotting up to her with a worried expression, but a sharp glare from Applejack caused him to shrink back, a resigned expression on his face.
Shadow watched them leave, a focused expression on his face. If he needed any more proof that something was going wrong down at Sweet Apple Acres, then he had it now. He was going to make Streak tell him exactly what the issue was, one way or another.
Glancing over to where Twilight, as the mare was stepping off the stage to watch Applejack depart with a worried expression, he began walking over to inform her of his decision.
As he approached, he heard Twilight address her friends, asking, "Was it just me, or did Applejack seem a little…"
"Tired?" Suggested Rainbow Dash.
"Dizzy?" Proposed Fluttershy.
"Messy?" All eyes turned to Rarity, who sniffed, "Well, did you see her mane?"
"High?" Everypony's gaze turned from Rarity to Inferno, who observed the Elements' scandalized expressions and added, "What? C'mon, she looked like Shadow that one time he OD'd in that gun factory a few years back ."
"Hey! You promised never to bring that up ever again!" Shadow groaned embarrassingly.
Inferno ignored him as he continued, "I mean, she was playing with her damn reflection, who in their right mind does that?"
"Woo! Woo!" The group's gaze turned to Pinkie, watching as she continued to make faces in the trophy, oblivious to the conversation taking place.
Inferno looked from Pinkie to the others' dubious expressions, and snapped, "I said in their right mind!"
Shadow sighed, "I think it's about time we figured out what was going on. I'm going to go to Sweet Apple Acres and make Streak explain the situation. If anyone want's to come with me, then be my guest."
Twilight didn't hesitate to accept the offer. "I think that is an excellent idea." She said with a nod. "Let's go, I want to find out what exactly is going on here."
Twilight and Shadow then proceeded to make their way away from Town Hall, and towards Sweet Apple Acres.
/
When the group arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, they were met with a strange sight.
Applejack was languidly moving from tree to tree, giving each a solid buck to send its apples into baskets below before moving on to the next. After bucking one tree, she began panting heavily, appearing to nod off for a moment before shaking herself awake. She cocked her legs back and bucked again, missing her mark, a tree that she had previously bucked, entirely.
"What on Earth is that pony doing?" Twilight asked, observing her friend's actions with concern.
Shadow however, was more focused on Streak. While Applejack was struggling to get her bearings after having bucked, not a tree, but a basket of apples she had just collected, Streak remained off to the side, a defeated look on his face.
"Look guys, I can explain-"
"Explain WHAT?!" Shadow snapped, "Applejack is exhausted with all the work she's doing, and you're sitting there on your ass!"
Streak gave a deep sigh before sitting down.
"It all began a few weeks ago when you destroyed that cart and Big Mac got injured. Right now in Sweet Apple Acres, it's harvest season, and with Big Mac out of the game, Applejack's doing the whole thing by herself."
"Then why aren't you assisting her?" Shadow asked.
Streak groaned angrily.
"She's to bucking stubborn to LET ME!" He shouted.
"Really? That's it?" Shadow asked.
"…Yeah." Streak replied.
"Well, In that case, I have a plan." Shadow smirked.
"Torture?"
"Sadly…No."
/
"THERE you are." Rainbow Dash said in a disappointed tone.
"I'm a might' sorry, Rainbow. Ah' was busy applebucki'n and Ah' guessed Ah' closed my eyes for a second, and, when Ah' woke up, Ah' was late. Now what's with this new trick of yours?" Applejack asked.
"See this contraption?" Dash asked as she pointed at a giant seesaw-like machine and a tall platform.
"Uh…yeah." A.J. replied unsurely.
"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 Wonderbolts!" Dash explained excitedly.
"Isn't that a' might dangerous?" A.J. asked.
"Pfft, not for a pony who can fly!" Dash assured as she got into position.
"Well, alrighty then." Applejack said as she got onto the scaffhold.
"Ready? 1…2…3!" Dash counted down.
A.J. attempted to jump up onto the platform, but missed as badly as Church using a sniper rifle.
"Ummm…maybe I wasn't clear. You're supposed to land on the other end." Dash deadpanned, eyebrow raised.
"Got it." The cowpony replied tiredly, and continued to attempt to hit the platform, but still missed every single time.
"Applejack, what the hay is going on? I mean, I thought I was working with Ponyville's best athlete?" Dash asked.
Applejack met Rainbow's gaze with a cross-eyed one of her own. "You are!" She insisted, sighing. When she opened her eyes, they'd returned to normal. "I'm okay. Really. Ah, Ah have an idea." Applejack turned and, with a grunt, pushed her end of the see-saw down, lifting Rainbow into the air, but clearly offering little in the way of thrust. "Ta da!" She said, frowning when Rainbow only gave a hard glare in response. "Oh. Maybe not."
Giving Rainbow a reassuring smile, Applejack said, "Okay, one more try. Ah'm sure ta get it this time!"
With that, she hopped off the see-saw, sending Rainbow crashing to the ground. The heavy and unexpected impact stunned the Pegasus, who groaned as stars and colors swirled in her vision.
Atop the scaffold, Applejack squinted as she fought to bring the world into focus. Finally settling her aim on her side of the see-saw, she said, "Here Ah go!" Applejack then took a few steps back, before launching herself from the scaffold.
"WAIT!" Rainbow shouted in an attempt to prevent the mare from jumping.
Despite Dash's warning, Applejack landed, dead center, on the platform, driving it into the ground and catapulting Rainbow into the air.
"APPLEJAAAAAACK!" Dash shouted as she rocketed through the sky.
/
Twilight Sparkle lay on the balcony outside her bedroom, contentedly reading the book propped up by several others before her. To her left, leaning with his back against the railing, Inferno stood, with his forehooves crossed before him. His expression was one of deep though with a touch of scheming, and his gaze was fixed upon the floor. Suddenly though, he perked up, his ears twitching slightly. Twilight looked up from her book, asking, "What's wrong Inferno?"
He didn't respond, instead falling to four hooves and turning to stare out over the balcony. Immediately, his eyes widened, and he turned back to Twilight, leaping over to her shouting, "Incoming!" He then summoned a small shield around him and Twilight. A moment later, a blur of color smashed into it, bouncing off the repellant shield and flying into Twilight's room.
Dispelling the shield, Inferno stepped away from Twilight, allowing her to get to her hooves. "What was that?" She asked, stepping towards her bedroom.
"I think it was…" Inferno said, following her, "…Rainbow Dash?" He finished dumbly, looking at the sight in front of him.
Seeing Twilight and Inferno looking on in shock, Rainbow grinned weakly, reaching a hoof back to scratch the back of her neck. "Uh, hey guys!" She said, faux-jovially. "What's up?"
"Let me guess," Inferno deadpanned, "Applejack?"
"Applejack." Rainbow replied.
"Son of a bitch…" Inferno muttered, "I'll go get the others."
/
Applejack delivered another harsh buck to the tree behind her, the familiar thwack followed by a series of thumps signaling that she had thankfully hit her mark. Turning, she bent down to grab one of the apples in her mouth by the stem. Lifting it up, she felt a flash of pain as her head impacted a branch above her, sending her brain spinning and ears ringing.
While Applejack stumbled back from the hit, Shadow, Streak, and Inferno walked up to her from behind.
Streak was about to say something when Shadow shushed him and pulled a megaphone out of his saddlebag.
"Applejack, we need to talk." He said in a booming amplified voice.
Streak and Inferno covered their ears from the noise, but Applejack, understanding him perfectly, nodded.
"Whatch'a want to talk to me about?" She asked sleepily.
"Twilight and I ran into Rainbow Dash earlier." Inferno replied.
"Oh? Well, that's nice." Applejack said, smiling innocently.
"Not really," Inferno answered sardonically. "given that we met when she crashed into the Library. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
Applejack sagged visibly, turning away from the two. "Oh, yeah. Ah wasn't feeling quite myself this morning."
"Yes, because you're working too hard and you need help!" Streak said, stepping forward.
"What? Kelp?" Applejack asked bewilderedly. "Ah don't need kelp. Ah don't even like seaweed."
"HELP! YOU NEED BUCKING HELP!" The trio all shouted in exasperation.
Applejack, shaken by the volume, quickly recovered with a glare. "Nothin' doin' you three. Ah'm gonna prove ta all of you, and ta everypony, that Ah can do this on my own." She turned away, only to walk straight into the same branch again. Stumbling away, she added, "Now if you'll excuse me, Ah need ta go help Pinkie Pie."
Shadow growled in anger as Applejack walked away, his 'I want to kill everyone' face on.
"Hey, look at the bright side." Inferno said, "What Kind of harm could she do in a bakery?"
/
"We came as soon as we heard." Shadow said, as he, Spike, Streak, and Nurse Redheart approached the large tent erected near Sugarcube Corner.
Stepping inside, They was immediately bombarded with the various sights, sounds and smells of dozens of sick ponies, all laid out on cots and each of them literally green with sickness.
"Oh thank you, to both of you." Nurse Redheart said, nodding to Shadow and Streak respectively. "We need all the help we can get."
Behind her, several ponies groaned, and the sound of vomiting could be heard from more than one of the cots.
"What happened?" Shadow asked.
In response, a loud groan drew their attention to a cot in the far corner of the room, and its unfortunate occupant.
"Dear God…" Streak breathed, stepping towards the cot. "Inferno, is that you?"
The question was certainly a valid one, as the figure on the cot was almost indistinguishable from the element of hope.
Inferno's steel-white coat had paled considerably, leaving him the color of ghost. His normally spiked mane lay limp and tangled, and his crimson irises were matched by the bloodshot whites surrounding them. All around his cot, half a dozen buckets full of liquids Shadow didn't want to identify surrounded him. Inferno slowly turned his shaky gaze towards Shadow. "G-guys?" He breathed. "I… I hurt, guys."
Inferno's eyes then bulged, and he reached for the bucket by his bed before heaving into it loudly.
Streak turned to Redheart.
"What the hay happened to him!?" He questioned disbelievingly.
Redheart looked from Streak to Inferno with a sympathetic gaze. "His case was by far the worst. We believe his rapid metabolism resulted in him feeling more… adverse, effects than the others."
"Oh God, it's worse than when I ate those spoiled donuts!" Inferno moaned, before burying his muzzle in the bucket again.
Redheart winced, before continuing, "It was a mishap with some of the baked goods." She explained, as Spike lifted up one of the offending pastries and sniffed it curiously.
"No, not baked goods." All eyes turned to Pinkie, as the green-faced mare lay in a cot nearby. "Baked bads!" She finished, her cheeks bulging as she fought the urge to hurl.
"Everyone, shut up." Shadow said as he took out a syringe, walked up to Inferno, and stabbed him with it, injecting him with the fluid inside.
Inferno's eyes immediately widened as he proceeded to jump off his cot and vomit up all of the contents of his stomach. into one of the buckets causing it to overflow.
Shadow then grabbed Inferno by the horn and dragged him out of the tent, Streak following.
/
"Oh Applejack, thank you so much for offering your herding skills for the annual rabbit round up." Fluttershy said gratefully, smiling at her friend.
Applejack only huffed in response, her exhaustion making itself clear in her sour demeanor. "Why are we doin' this?" She asked gruffly.
Fluttershy seemed to ignore Applejack's harsh tone, as she eagerly explained, "Well, lots of new baby bunnies have been born, so it's my job to get a count of all the new families."
Applejack's frown didn't lessen, despite the kindness in her friend's tone. "Fine." She grunted. "Can we just get on with it?"
Again, Fluttershy seemed oblivious to Applejack's attitude, as she smiled and answered, "Certainly. But remember, these are bunnies we're dealing with, not cows. They're a timid bunch, and need to be treated gently."
"Ah do not need any direction on corrallin' critters." Applejack growled, rounding on the pegasust. "Right Winona?" She added, looking to her canine companion, who barked excitedly in response.
Fluttershy, apparently satisfied with the answer, nodded and gently called out to the meadow, "Okay, little bunnies! I need you all to gather here in the middle."
"That's right!" Applejack cut in, barking, "Let's go, bunnies; in the center. Hop to it!" The rabbits, naturally perturbed by Applejack's harsh tone, the bunnies scattered, bolting away from the frightening mare. Applejack grunted in frustration. "Swell, jus' swell!" Chasing after the fleeing bunnies, she called, "Put 'em up, Winona!"
The dog barked again in response, and began moving around the herd of rabbits, while Fluttershy looked on in horror. "Applejack! Winona! Stop!" Fluttershy cried. "You're scaring them!"
Applejack huffed as she continued to chase the terrified bunnies. "We know what we're doin'." She said. Turning her attention back to the chase, she shouted, "Get along, little bunnies!"
Within moments the bunnies had been herded into a small circle, while a scowling Applejack and a growling Winona approached them slowly.
Fluttershy stepped forward, frowning. "Applejack, if you keep this up, they'll…"
Applejack, who had been stalking closer to the rabbits, looked back to glare at Shy, only to be bowled over as the desperate rabbits seized the moment of distraction to rush past her, bolting away from the meadow and heading towards Ponyville.
"…panic."
/
"…And what I don't seem to get is why the town is so tolerant about all this!" Shadow said as he, Streak, and Inferno made their way through town towards Sweet Apple Acres, "So far, Applejack as nearly paralyzed Rainbow Dash, and poisoned half the town. She should be on trial for negligent assault, and perhaps mayhem if you count the 'baked bads' incident."
"Well, nobody was permanently hurt." Streak pointed out, "Even Jack got better."
"Yeah, after getting my stomach pumped. Twice." Inferno deadpanned.
"And how long exactly are we going to wait before we help?" Shadow asked.
"I'd say we wait until she cracks and asks for help." Streak replied.
"Do you think the town will survive that?" Inferno chuckled.
"She wasn't that ba…" He trailed off as he beheld the three mares lying despondently upon the road before them.
"The horror, the horror!" One said.
"It was awful!" Said another.
"A disaster." Finished the third. "A horrible, horrible disaster!"
Inferno looked up from the trio to take in the empty, yet intact street before her, before turning to Shadow and muttering, "I don't get it."
In a second, the three mares were on their hooves, the first zipping over to several rows of dirt, with only the torn remains of flowers remaining. "Our gardens, destroyed!" She exclaimed.
"Every last flower, devoured!" Said a second, inspecting the shredded husks left in her various flower pots.
The third, still curled up on the ground, tearfully continued, "By… by… Them!"
The trio followed the hysterical mare's gesture, their mouths dropping open in shock at the spectacle before them.
All throughout the streets dozens of rabbits hopped about, attacking nearby plant life and reducing it to naked stumps within moments. Fluttershy as well trotted about, hoping to placate the animals, and failing miserably.
"SON OF A BITCH!"
/
They knew where Applejack had been, by simply following the trees that were missing apples. Unfortunately, most trees had already been bucked, which left them with lots of paths, and lots of ground to cover.
After nearly a half hour of searching, the trio finally spotted her on the ground, a short distance away. Quickly heading over to check on her, they were unsurprised to see A.J. collapsed on the ground, fast asleep.
Shadow, Inferno and Streak looked at each other, then back at the sleeping pony.
"It looks to me like she's bucked herself out cold…." Streak muttered.
"Bow chicka bow wow." Inferno said.
"Shut up." Shadow muttered, "Since she's asleep, I suppose this would be the best time to execute our plan. We'll start at the east corner, and work our way north from there."
"How hard could it be?" Inferno asked, mostly to himself.
They would live to regret those words.
/
"Anything?" Shadow asked Streak, who was watching him buck the tree as hard and as fast as he could.
Streak was absolutely bewildered at the lack of movement in the top of the tree.
Seeing that Shadow had stopped his assault on the tree for the moment, he moved toward the trunk and looked up at the apples above him.
"Hey!" Inferno said , "You got something off of it!"
"Really?" Shadow asked as he moved toward Inferno. However, he quickly saw what it was that had fallen out. A single leaf was drifting down from the top. "Buck…" He groaned.
"Here, let me try!" Streak said as he got into position, bringing his legs back.
"…3…2…1..."
CRACK
"Uh…Rob? You might wanna turn around…" Inferno muttered.
Looking over his shoulder, Streak saw that his back hooves had gone through the tree's trunk, and were sticking out the other side.
"DAMMIT!" He shouted as he tried to free himself, but to no avail.
"Crap, how are we supposed get him out?" Inferno asked.
"…We could use one of the farm tools to amputate his legs, and you could use fire magic to cauterize the stumps." Shadow suggested slowly.
Inferno and Streak's heads both slowly turned towards the offending pegasus, scandalized looks on their faced.
"WHAT THE BUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU!?" Streak shouted in disbelief and anger.
"Hey! It seemed like a good idea at the time!" Shadow retorted defensively.
"That's because you're insane!"
"Hey!" Shadow snapped, "I am perfectly sane!"
"You wish, cockbite!" Inferno sneered.
"Are you suggesting something, asshole?" Shadow said darkly.
"Maybe I am, dipshit!"
"Bring it, bucker!"
"Dickhead!"
"Asshat!"
"Team-killing bucktard!"
"Mare-stalking pyromaniac!"
Streak looked back and forth at the two colts traded insults, sighing.
"BABY KILLER!"
"PERVERT!"
"NECROPHILLIAC!"
Shadow's eyes immediately widened as he gasped in shock. His eyes began to narrow dangerously.
"Oh. It's on." He said, his voice full of hatred, yet dangerously calm.
Shadow and Inferno slowly circled each other, fighting stances on and ready to kill.
Shadow was about to make the first move, when he heard them.
They had come back.
The things he feared most.
Colin thought they had gone away when he entered Equestria, but of course that was too good to be true.
The voices.
At first he could only hear their echoey murmurs, but then they got louder and louder until they became raspy, demonic, distorted screams.
"They're behind…They're behind…THEY'RE BEHIND! THEY'RE BEHIND! THEY'RE BEHIND! Fetch…FETCH…FETCH ME THEIR SOULS!" The voices screamed, causing an unnatural pain to assault Shadow's head.
Turning his head around, Shadow was met with the sight of eight manticores, which were lion-like creatures with wings and large scorpion tails.
And they were headed straight for them.
"Guys! We're under attack!" Shadow said, drawing Streak and Inferno's attention.
"SON OF A BITCH!" Streak, Inferno, and Shadow shouted simultaneously as two of the monsters charged forward, a feral rage in their feline eyes.
Shadow barely managed to leap out of the manticore's path while Inferno summoned a small shield around himself, causing the monster to be repelled backwards. Inferno quickly dispelled his personal barrier and erected a shield that enclosed the whole trio.
"Any ideas?" Shadow panted, looking around at the manticores that surrounded them.
"I dunno." Streak replied, "Do we have any nukes?"
"You mean besides the one I'm about to drop on you two if you don't shut up and let me concentrate?!" Inferno grunted as the manticores chipped away at the shield, causing him to feel like his head was being repeatedly poked with a hot iron.
This went on for about a minute until the largest manticore slammed it's whole weight into the shield, causing it to shatter.
The manticore let out a triumphant roar, until it was suddenly silenced.
Inferno and Streak watched in shock as a gold medallion with a skull engraved in it appeared around Shadow's neck, and his right foreleg suddenly transformed into a black, curved, scythe-like blade, which was now buried in the manticore's skull.
Shadow pulled his bloodstained scythe-hoof out of the deceased manticore's cranium, looking at in shock, before looking up.
"Guys, you have your medals too!" He said in surprise.
Inferno and Streak immediately looked down and discovered they had their elements as well.
Trying one last time to free himself from the tree, Streak was shocked to see the tree completely shatter from his new strength.
Using the manticores' shock to his advantage, Shadow rushed the closest one, and slashed it's stomach open while at the same time tearing out intestines and causing bucketfuls of blood to spray all over him as he continued to butcher the monster, a twisted grin on his face.
Streak charged a manticore head-on, and once his hoof came in contact with the creature's face, it went straight through it's skull, shattering it's head and completely collapsing the spinal cord.
"HOORAH!" He shouted vigorously as he pulled his hoof out of the manticore's skull and turned around to buck another in the ribcage, completely decimating it.
Inferno felt more magical power than he could ever remember being compressed in the tip of his horn, and when he released it in the direction of two manticores, a gigantic explosion of white hot flame erupted from his horn, causing many of the manticores' body parts to spontaneously combust, killing them instantaneously.
With five of the Manticores dead, the remaining three ran straight at Shadow in an attempt to corner him, but this was their greatest mistake yet.
As the manticores snuck up on Shadow, one of them got overexcited and pulled a Leroy Jenkins, charging full speed at the pegasus.
However, his attack was cut short when a dozen black, razor-sharp, shadowy tendrils erupted from Shadow's spine, skewered the manticore in almost every part of it's body, and proceeded to tear it in half, causing internal organs, bone fragments, and blood to paint the ground.
Shadow stood his ground and grinned. The feeling of power he had was unmatched, and he felt as if he could keep going; murdering, butchering, destroying, forever.
Suddenly, a gigantic surge of power shot through his body, causing him to double over. He could feel the arcs of energy coursing through his body rapidly, concentrating in his front hooves.
Black lighting began to spew from Shadow, his death tendrils receding back into his spine, and in their place, three long, black needles slid out of each of his shoulders, and his font hooves were covered in a bright light.
When the light finally faded away, all three former humans were flabbergasted to see that where his hooves should have been were two deathly cannons similar to the ones he had acquired during the fight with Nightmare Moon, but significantly smaller.
Shadow took both of the cannons and put them both together in a firing squad-like position as the deathly electricity began to feed into the cannons, an ominous humming sound accompanying the charging sequence.
"Kaboom." Shadow smirked as a faint click was heard.
A bright white light briefly flashed from the barrels of the guns before a gigantic black and white blast of deathly energy about twelve feet in diameter exploded from the cannons.
The look on the manticores' faces could be roughly translated into "Oh, son of a-" Before the explosion of energy reduced them to smoking heaps of electric ash.
Inferno walked forward, taking a whiff of the air around the kill sight.
"Gah, it smells like SHIT!" Jack groaned, creating a miniature shield around his muzzle to keep out the repugnant oder of burnt flesh.
"I think it's kinda nice…" Shadow muttered as his medallion disappeared in a flash of light along with the death cannons.
"Aw COME ON!" Streak shouted as he realized the Element of Rage had left him.
"Dammit…" Inferno said as he attempted to create a storm of flame, but his horn only managed to produce a large spark.
"Well…How are we gonna explain this?" Streak asked, pointing at a bloodstained Shadow.
"How about we don't?" Inferno suggested, "I mean, Flutters would flip out if she found out that we killed potential pets of hers."
"That's a good idea." Shadow agreed, "The question that stands though, is how exactly did the manticores get here?"
But before anyone could reply, a voice rang out.
"Well that was tons of FUN, wasn't IT?!" The voice said, "I guess not all of you ponies are so BORING!"
Just as the voice silenced, all evidence of the battle disappeared; the blood, the corpses, the damage, everything.
"…W-what…?" Streak said after about thirty seconds of silence.
"I think even though we were going to help Applejack with the harvest, the others can deal with it…" Shadow said slowly, beginning to quickly trot away, his eyes darting back and forth.
"Yeah…Good idea!' Inferno said quickly, breaking into a full gallop.
While Shadow ran, he noticed the voices were no longer present. He figured the recent battle had sated their thirst for bloodshed, at least, for now.
/
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