Applebuck Season
Another beautiful morning dawned over the town of Ponyville. In this case, the early morning sun shone above Sweet Apple Acres. On this particular day, Applejack and Big Mac were surveying a large, vast orchard, where every single tree was loaded by the tree trunk with juicy, delicious apples. And yet there was one slight detail to note, specifically from the big red pony.
"Boy howdy!" Applejack said, surveying all the apple trees. "I got my work cut out for me. That there is the biggest bumper crop o' apples I ever laid eyes on."
"Eeyup. Too big for you to handle on your own," Big Mac said.
"Come on, big brother! You need to rest up and get yourself better. I haven't met an apple orchard yet that I can't handle," Applejack stated.
Applejack accidently poked the white bandage, making Big Mac cringe. He turns toward his sister, giving her a death glare.
"Oops, sorry. I'll take a bite out of this job by day's end," Applejack said.
"Biting off more than you can chew is just what I'm afraid of," Big Mac warned his sister.
"Are you sayin' my mouth is makin' promises my legs can't keep?" Applejack retorted indignantly.
"Eeyup," Big Mac simply replied.
"Why of all the... This is your sister Applejack, remember? The loyalest of friends and the most dependable of ponies?" Applejack said with confidence.
"But still only one pony, and one pony plus hundreds o' apple trees just doesn't add up to…" Big Mac said.
"Don't you use your fancy mathematics to muddy the issue! I said I could handle this harvest and I'm gonna prove it to you. I'm gonna get every last apple out of those trees this applebuck season all by myself!" Applejack said. Yet despite her determination, Applejack just gulped. She truly did have her work cut out for her.
Meanwhile over to Ponyville, Tai and Sora were having some time to themselves.
"I've been meaning to say this for a while now, Sora. I'm sorry that it didn't work out between you and Matt," Tai said.
"It's no big deal. Matt was busy with his band and everything. Also, I never stopped thinking about you the whole time," Sora said. This made Tai smile a bit.
"You think so, Sora?" Tai asked.
"Of course," Sora replied. "You've been quite a good friend to me ever since we were little." Tai took in a deep breath as he had to ask her.
"Sora?" Tai asked. Sora turned to the light orange unicorn.
"Yes, Tai?" Sora asked.
"I've been wondering. If you're not going out with anyone: I was wondering if you could be my date for the gala?" Tai asked. Sora's face turned red. "But you don't have to answer right away, I mean, you and Matt had just broke up, so like I said, you don't have to answer me yet."
"I'll think about it, Tai," Sora said.
"Sure," Tai said with his face turning red. Sora's face was also turning red.
They weren't aware that their Digimon partners were following them and listening in on them. They turned to each other and smiled at one another.
"What did I tell you, Agumon? I told you, Sora has something special about Tai," Biyomon said.
"Sora is lucky to have Tai since he's the bravest human, or in this case, pony I have ever known in my whole life," Agumon said. Biyomon nodded in agreement.
"Yeah. I remember the battle with Etemon like it was yesterday," Biyomon said.
Agumon remembered the battle with Etemon just as much, when he Digivolved into MetalGreymon for the first time, and then being sent back to Odaiba through a blackhole.
Meanwhile, Matt was playing on his harmonica with his pegasus wings. He found it hard to use hooves, but he figured he would use his wings instead. Gabumon enjoyed him playing his harmonica more than anyone he knew.
Fluttershy by and heard him playing the harmonica being played by Matt. Fluttershy got closer and she was amazed by the music being played.
"Oh my," Fluttershy said. Matt stopped playing and saw the yellow pegasus.
"Hey, Fluttershy. What's up?" Matt asked.
"Oh! I'm not bothering you, am I? I'm sorry," Fluttershy apologized.
"It's cool, Fluttershy," Matt said.
"I have to say that is a good sound, Matt. I was just out and I just heard you playing your harmonica. It sounded beautiful," Fluttershy said.
"Thanks. TK and Gabumon thought the same thing," Matt said.
"That's right. I liked that sound just as much as TK does," Gabumon said.
"Have you always been good at playing it?" Fluttershy asked.
"Yeah. I had it even before my folks split up," Matt said.
"Your parents split up?" Fluttershy asked sadly.
"Yeah. It was a long time ago. TK was very young when it happened, so it didn't bother him as much as it did me. My dad took me with him as my mom took TK with her. It was really hard on me, because it meant I wouldn't see him as much as I wanted," Matt explained.
The image of his parents splitting up, with Nancy holding TK's hand and Hiroaki holding Matt's hand played in his head.
"That's so sad," Fluttershy said, almost crying.
"All that changed after our first adventure in the Digital World," Matt said.
"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.
"The first time I saw my mom again was right after we defeated Myotismon once and for all; or so we thought we did at first. TK lived in a different town at the time. After we got back and saved both worlds from being destroyed by Apoclymon, our parents started to get along with each other before they started arguing constantly; so we started to see each other a little bit more than we did when we were separated," Matt explained.
"Matt had to return to the real world with TK and the others and leave us behind. The last time we saw each other before the Digimon Emperor was when Gennai told us that we had to give up the power of the Crests," Gabumon said.
"And that was right after we defeated Diaboromon," Matt said.
"Davis pointed out that you and Sora used to date. What happened?" Fluttershy asked.
"Well, we went out for a while, and then one day, Sora decided that we should see other people, so I went with it. We weren't right for each other anyway," Matt said.
A little further from Matt and Gabumon, Davis was doing some kicks with his soccer ball with Pinkie Pie watching.
"Hey Davis!" Pinkie Pie shouted, making Davis lose his concentration. He turned to Pinkie Pie with a smile.
"Pinkie," Davis said. "Do you have to do that?" Davis asked.
"Just wanted to say hi," Pinkie Pie said.
"You do that all the time, Pinkie," Davis pointed out. "What are you doing here?"
"Just I tell you that Mr. and Mrs. Cake are leaving me in charge of Sugarcube Corner, and I'm having Applejack help me make some muffins. And if you're interested, there could be some free yummy muffins in it for you," Pinkie explained.
Davis liked the idea of having some muffins for free.
"Make one of mine blueberry, and we got a deal," Davis said.
"Okie-dokie lokie!" Pinkie Pie said. She turned to the opposite side. "La, la, la, la, la!"
"Veemon would like to have some of those," Davis said.
Back at Sweet Apple Acres, it didn't take long before Big Mac let Applejack be, seeing as how there was no talking her out of this. During which time, Applejack made her way toward the apple orchards, looking around.
"Well I better get kickin'," Applejack said to herself. "These apples aren't gonna shake themselves outta the trees. It was then the ground began to rumble, an apple fell out of a tree, and bonks her square on the head. "Hey!" Applejack shouted, realizing. "Oh no."
Meanwhile, back in Ponyville, Rainbow Dash was searching for the source of the rumbling. She spots the source from the distance: A herd of mooing cows… Heading straight for Ponyville
"STAMPEDE!" Rainbow Dash shouted.
All at once, the town ponies began to panic and dashed about.
"What's going on here?!" Ken exclaimed.
"Stampede!"
"Stampede?" Yolei asked. She got her answer when she saw the cows stampeding. "Oh, I get it."
Most of the ponies had already shut their windows, closed their doors, and even pulled the welcome mats inside.
Like that was going to matter…
Anyways, despite all this chaos, Pinkie Pie was bouncing along and giggling to herself.
"H-h-h-h-h-h-hey-y-y-y-y-y…! Th-th-th-this-s-s-s-s-s m-m-m-m-m-makes-s-s-s-s m-m-m-m-my-y-y-y-y v-v-v-v-voice s-s-s-sound s-s-s-s-silly-y-y-y-y!" Pinkie remarked, her voice vibrating.
"Pinkie Pie, are you crazy?!" Twilight retorted, while dashing about. "Run!"
"Everypony calm down. There is no need to panic," Mayor Mare said, trying to calm everypony down.
"But Mayor, whatever shall we do?" Rarity asked worriedly.
"We'll have to go and do what we can to calm them down!" Agumon said as he and the other Digimon took their positions.
"Okay, let's stop these charging moo cows!" Veemon said.
Just when the Digimon were about to stop the cows, Rainbow Dash's eyes spotted something in the distance.
"Look there!" Rainbow Dash called out.
"What?" Tentomon asked.
Amongst the cows, a familiar orange pony and her faithful dog, whose name is Winona, charged beside the stampeding herd.
"YEEHAW!" Applejack chanted.
"Applejack!" The Digimon exclaimed.
The ponies stopped running about the moment they saw and heard the cow pony. They give out a loud cheer.
"Move aside, Winona," Applejack called out. "Put 'em up, girl!"
Winona barked excitedly, as she ran alongside Applejack. Rarity just moaned, as she and a few other ponies watches the cowpony in action.
"This is the best rodeo show I've ever seen, Pinkie Pie said, eating some popcorn. Twilight just rolled her eyes at Pinkie's remarks.
"I'll say," Tai said.
"Prodigious," Izzy said.
"Come on, little dogies! Turn!" Applejack called out. Seeing as how this wasn't working, Applejack knew she needed a different approach. She gives a shrill whistle toward her canine companion. "Winona, put 'em up!" Winona barked, while giving a light nudge from the other side of the stampede. "Ha hah! Gotcha."
As Applejack tried to redirect the cows, Winona gave another bark to aid her. The cows were just yards away from the bridge leading to Ponyville when Applejack and Winona successfully got the cows to turn to the side. The herd rushes toward the other side of the river, away from the Ponyville town square.
"Attagirl!" Applejack said with a grunt. "Yee haw!"
Once the cows start to slow down, Applejack manages to get ahead of the herd. Everpony all cheered hard as Applejack has successfully stopped the stampede.
"Whoaaa!" Applejack commanded, halting the cows. "Hooie! Now what was that all about?
One cow, named Daisy Jo, moos in response… Before she coughs to clear her throat.
"Oh my! Begging your pardon, Applejack," Daisy Jo apologized. "But Moo-riella here saw one of those nasty snakes…"
The other cows made startled expressions in agreement.
"The reason for the stampede was all because of a snake?" Cody asked.
"Oh, it certainly was," the cow said. "And it just gave us all the willies, don'tcha know."
Applejack merely smiled in sympathy.
"I completely understand," Applejack replied gently to the cows. "Just next time, try and steer clear of Ponyville."
"We certainly will, Applejack," the cow said. "So long, Winona!"
The dog barked in reply. And as the cows made their way back towards the farm, all the ponies watching continued to cheer excitedly, chanting Applejack's name.
"Yee haw!" Applejack shouted, striking a pose.
"Yee haw!" Pinkie added, hopping about like a cattle-ranching pony. "Ride 'em, cowpony!"
Some other ponies merely watched Pinkie, while she just hopped around and tried to mimic Applejack's pose. But otherwise, they said nothing.
Mayor Mare was most impressed… But with Applejack, not of Pinkie's impression of the farm pony.
"Applejack was just... just…"
"Appletastic!" Pinkie Pie stated.
Somehow Pinkie was to defy gravity, but fell back on the ground. The DigiDestined were puzzled by how she was able to do that.
"Exactly," Mayor Mare replied. "We must do something to thank Applejack for single-hoofedly saving the town."
"I know," Pinkie Pie said.
"And here we go," the DigiDestined all said at once.
"A party!" Pinkie Pie called out.
Within a few minutes, all the ponies of Ponyville had town square loaded with decorations, balloons, and party streamers of all kinds. It wasn't long before Twilight and Spike arrived, just as Rarity tied a beautiful red bow onto a nearby tree.
"We all ready?" Twilight asked
"Just one last thing," Rarity said. Using her magic, she lifts a large gold-colored banner, with an apple on the center, and placed it above the stage where Applejack would come to claim her special prize: A trophy crafted just for her.Now we're ready.
"Is Applejack all set?" Twilight asked.
"Actually, I haven't seen her all week,'' Rainbow Dash said, landing beside Rarity.
"Not since the stampede," Pinkie Pie added, hopping beside the three ponies.
"But she'll be here for sure. Applejack is never late," Rainbow Dash said.
Izzy and Tentomon approached the four ponies.
"All the same, one of us should go and fetch her," Izzy suggested.
"Can you do that, Izzy?" Rarity asked.
"I think I can do that. I'll go and see what Applejack is up to," Tentomon said, buzzing. He flies towards Sweet Apple Acres to find the farm pony.
Later that day, all the townponies gathered around the stage, just as Twilight Sparkle made her way towards the podium. She carries a large stage of messily stacked note cards for the occasion. Once she arrives, she used her magic to straighten her cards, holding the first one up to recite her speech.
Twilight opened up, "Welcome, everypony! Today we are here to honor a pony we can always count on to help in matters great and small. A pony whose contributions to-"
All of a sudden, Rainbow Dash flies right in front of Twilight, causing her note cards to scatter about.
"Did you see Applejack's slick moves out there?" Rainbow Dash asked. "What an athlete. This week she's gonna help me with my new flying trick, and I know it's gonna be so awesome."
"Exactly," Twilight said, pushing Rainbow Dash to the side.. "And…"
"This week, I get to run Sugarcube Corner for the first time!" Pinkie Pie jumped in, right in front of Twilight.
"What does that have to do with Applejack?" Twilight asked curiously.
"Oh. Applejack, one of the best bakers ever, is gonna help me," Pinkie answered. "Applejack makes everything great, so free samples for everypony!"
"You can count on me being there, Pinkie," Davis called out.
"Shut up!" Yolei yelled.
The other ponies cheered until Twilight shoved Pinkie off the stage.
"Oh-kay, that's great," Twilight remarked. "Now if I could just make a point without being inter-"
"Twilight?" Fluttershy spoke up appearing left from the left.
"-rupted," Twilight finished. She glares right at the yellow pegasus.
"Twilight, I'm so sorry," Fluttershy apologized, "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."
Twilight just rolled her eyes, her patience thinning. She gives Fluttershy one dirty glare, before the Pegasus slowly removes herself from the podium.
"Anyone else?" Twilight asked, irritated by the constant interruptions. "Anyone? No?" No pony dared to say anything else. "Well then, as I was trying to say…" Then Mayor Mare appears with a toothy grin, a clear sign Twilight had to wrap the speech up. The timing pushed Twilight's patience to the limit." Urgh! Never mind!"
Twilight Sparkle stomped away angrily, letting her cards scatter all over the podium. Mayor Mare just smiled as she approached the podium.
"Maybe Twilight should have gone with a shorter speech," Mimi said.
"Yeah, whatever Twilight had down would have taken so long," Cody said.
"Ah-ahem. And so, with no further ado," the mayor announced. "it is my privilege to give the prize, Pony of Ponyville Award, to our beloved guest of honor, a pony of the utmost trustworthiness, reliability, and integrity. Ponyville's most capable and dependable friend: Applejack!"
The ponies cheer as the curtain opens to reveal… No pony. Soon the cheering turns into a murmur.
"Cool! Way to go Applejack, that was awesome!" Spike soon realized just how off timing his personal cheer was, especially with Twilight Sparkle glaring at him. "I mean- heh."
"We need to work on your sense of timing, Spike," Sora said. Spike chuckled nervously.
Soon, there was nothing but silence apart from Mayor Mare clearing her throat. She stood there hoping for something to happen or at least some pony to speak up. But… Nothing.
"Awkward," Spike whispered.
Tentomon flew back to the rest of the group.
"Sorry it took me so long," Tentomon whispered.
"What took you so long?" Gomamon asked.
"Applejack is what. She was busy bucking apples, and she's even more tired than a sleepy Monochromon," Tentomon explained.
All of ponyville turned after hearing the familiar country voice, followed by a yawn and a sigh. There was Applejack, carrying some baskets overloaded with apples, some of them falling to the ground as she made her way through the crowds. Her eyes were so drowsy, there were bags under them.
"I'm here. I'm here," Applejack said with a yawn. "Sorry I'm late-whoa-I was just... whoa... Did I get your tail? Miss Mayor. Thank you kindly for this here... award thingy." Applejack yawned again.
"You weren't kidding, Tentomon, she doesn't look so good," Palmon said.
Yawning again, Applejack peers at her face in the reflection against the trophy.
"It's so bright and shiny and, heh, heh heh, I sure do look funny heh. Ooo-ooo," Applejack began leaning back and forth at her reflection with a woozy smirk on her face. Pinkie Pie even joined her.
"Woo-ooo/Ooo-ooo," the earth ponies chanted together.
"Okay," Twilight nervously said, reaching the stage. "Well, thank you Applejack for saving us from that scary stampede, and always being there for everypony."
Applejack yawned, "Yeah. I like helping the ponyfolks and," yawn, "and stuff," snore, for two seconds before shooting up with a snort and shook her head. "Oh, uh, yeah. Uh, Thanks."
Applejack grabbed the handle of the trophy by the mouth, dragging it offstage, going down the exact path she came from but walking backwards. The other ponies stayed quiet, as Applejack took her leave.
"Was it just me, or did Applejack seem a little-" Twilight started.
Rainbow Dash, "Tired?"
Fluttershy, "Dizzy?"
Kari, "Drowsy."
Rarity, "Messy?"
Rarity received funny looks from the other ponies and Digimon.
"Messy, really?" Matt asked.
"Well, did you see her mane?" Rarity retorted.
"I'm with Rarity, she looked terrible," Mimi agreed with the white unicorn.
Pinkie Pie right towards Twilight.
"She seemed fine to me," Pinkie Pie said. "Woo! Woo!"
Twilight knew something was wrong, so she was filled with concern for Applejack. She went off to Sweet Apple Acres along with Joe and Gomamon.
Applejack was busily working hard trying to collect as many apples as she could. As tired and exhausted as she was, she breathed rather heavily while bucking a couple more apple trees.
At times, Applejack nearly fell asleep but caught herself and got back to work. She tried bucking another tree, but it was so far away her rear legs hit air.
Applejack stumbled before trying to recompose herself. Twilight, Joe, and Gomamon were not too far away when they saw her working.
"What on Earth is that pony doing?" Twilight asked.
"We should come back when she's not too worn out," Joe said.
"Or just go talk to her," Gomamon said.
"Whoops," Applejack said as she knocked over a barrel of apples. She went to clean up the mess when they went up to the orange earth pony.
"Hey, Applejack!" Twilight called out to her. But by then, Applejack had fallen asleep while standing up… again. "Hey Applejack!" Applejack snores. "Applejack."
Applejack keeps on snoring. "Applejack."
"Let's all try at once," Joe suggested.
"Okay," Gomamon saidml.
"APPLEJACK!" Twilight, Joe, and Gomamon all shouted at once, waking the farm pony up.
"Oh, howdy, Twilight," Applejack greeted, trying to stay awake. "Howdy, Joe, howdy, Gomamon."
"What is all this?" Twilight asked.
"Yeah, what are you doing?" Joe asked.
"It's Applebuck season," Applejack said, nearly losing her balance. "Whoa."
Twilight used her horn to teleport towards her. By now, she could handle short distances without getting too dizzy.
"Applewhat season?" Twilight asked.
"Neh," Applejack answered, not bothering to correct her. "It's what the Apple family calls harvestin' time. We gather all the apples from the trees so we can sell 'em."
Applejack ventured forward, as Twilight teleported back in front of her once more.
"But why are you doing it all alone?" Joe asked.
" 'Cause Big McIntosh hurt himself," Applejack answered.
"What about all those relatives I've met when I first came to Ponyville? Can't they help?" Twilight asked.
"Davis and Cody mentioned you had relatives, so can't you just call them over?" Joe asked.
"I can't bother them over something like this. They were just here for the Apple family reunion," Applejack said. "They actually live all over Equestria and are busy harvestin' their own orchards. So, uh, I'm on my own. Which means, I should really get back to work." But the lavender unicorn refused to move, as if she was still trying to process the situation. "Ahem... hint hint? Get back to work?"
"Fine," Twilight answered, with a snooty demeanor.
"Could you step aside, Twilight?" Twilight asked woozily.
"I just did," Twilight said. Applejack just looked right at Twilight and Joe. Her vision looked all fuzzy. "Applejack, you don't look so good."
"She's right. You should get yourself some sleep," Joe added.
Applejack shook her head again to regain her focus.
"Eh, don't any of you nine worry none, I'm just fine and dandy. Whoa." Applejack nearly lost her balance again, when Twilight stepped in front of her.
"Do you... want some help?" Twilight asked.
"Help?" Applejack retorted. "No way, no how."
"But there's no way you can do it all on your own," Twilight told Applejack.
"Is that a challenge?" Applejack demanded, getting into her face.
"A challenge would be how long you can go without water after eating eighteen bags of potato chips, or how much ice cream you can eat fast before you end up getting brain freeze," Gomamon said.
"Uhm... no?" Twilight responded timidly.
"Well, I'm gonna prove to you that I can do it! Now if you'll excuse me, I've got apples to buck," Applejack said.
The next day, Rainbow Dash stood upon a support post of a nearby fence waiting for Applejack to arrive. She tapped one of her front hooves impatiently when her friend finally arrived.
"There you are!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, impatiently.
Applejack yawned, "I'm a mite sorry, Rainbow. I was busy applebuckin' and I guess ah, I closed my eyes for a second and, when I woke up, I was late. Now, what's this new trick a' yours?"
"See this contraption?" Rainbow pointed out. Just a few yards away, a tall platform with a teeter-totter like mechanism nearby stood before them.
"Uh... Yeah," Applejack answered.
Rainbow began to explain the plan, mentally drawing she wanted Applejack to do.
"Well, I'm gonna stand on one end, then you're gonna jump down from that platform, launching me into the air faster than I can take off on my own. Once I'm in the air, I'm gonna do some amazing flips and spins that are sure to impress the Wonderbolts," Rainbow Dash concluded.
"Isn't that a mite dangerous?" Applejack asked, not fully understanding the plan.
"Pfft, Heh, not for a pony who can fly," Rainbow Dash confidently said. Rainbow zooms about the sky, while Applejack just smiled.
"Well, all right-y then," Applejack said. A while later, Applejack makes her way to the top of the platform. As she gazed down from the platform, she started feeling a bit nervous. Whether it was her lack of sleep or a sudden case of vertigo, Applejack had trouble focusing on her landing point. Rainbow just sat quietly on her end of the teeter-totter. "Oh my."
"Ready?" Rainbow Dash asked. "One... two... THREE!"
Not too far, Ken and Wormmon were close by taking a stroll and they spotted Applejack and Rainbow Dash. They see Applejack had made her jump… But landed beside the landing point with a plop.
"What is Applejack doing?" Wormmon asked.
"I don't know. It must be some kind of attempt to get her into the Wonderbolts. Rainbow Dash did mention she was working a new flying trick," Ken pointed out.
"Umm... maybe I wasn't clear," Rainbow Dash said, slowly. "You're supposed to land on the other end."
"Got it," Applejack said, trying again.
Each time, Applejack missed the platform. First landing on her stomach, than her flank, and even on her head. Ken and Wormmon were observing the failures Applejack was making. Poor Rainbow was losing her patience.
"Applejack, what the hay is going on?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I mean, I thought I was working with Ponyville's best athlete!"
Applejack shook her head, trying to recompose herself.
"You are," Applejack replied. "I'm okay. Really. I-I have an idea. Watch this!" Applejack groaned as she pulled the other side of the teeter-totter and sat squarely on it. "Ta da!" Rainbow just glared, clearly unamused. Applejack was sheepish. "Oh... Maybe not. Okay, one more try. I'm sure to get it this time."
Applejack crawled off, causing Rainbow's end to slap back down to the ground.
"Ugh!" Rainbow groaned, slightly dazed.
"I have a feeling it's not going to end well," Ken said.
Applejack chuckled a bit, "Heh heh... Here I go!"
Applejack took off for a belly flop as Rainbow Dash was flailing her hooves.
"Wait!" Too late. Applejack stuck her landing perfectly, sending Rainbow into the air at high speed. "Applejaaaaack!" Rainbow Dash screamed at the top of her lungs as she flies completely out of sight.
"And there she goes," Ken said.
"You're welcome!" Applejack called out. Feeling she did her job, Applejack proceeds to head back to the orchard.
A few seconds later, while Twilight was enjoying a book from her bedroom balcony, she heard a set of screams and saw Rainbow hurling toward the front railing.
"Can I help you?" Twilight asked.
"I think somepony else needs your help," Rainbow Dash said.
"Applejack?" Twilight asked
"Yep," Rainbow said, lowering her head.
Twilight just felt indignant, so she decided that she needed to speak with Applejack again.
By now, Applejack was back on the farm resuming her work. The fatigue continued to take its toll on her. She bent down to pick up some apples, only to hit a low branch underneath her head.
"Ow!" Applejack exclaimed.
Applejack rubs the back of her head when Twilight just arrived.
"Applejack, can we talk? Applejack, can we talk?" Twilight asked. Apparently, the impact did a number on Applejack's hearing. For she was having a difficult time comprehending what Twilight was saying.
"Can bees squawk?! I don't think so," Applejack said.
"No. Can we talk?" Twilight asked firmly.
"Twenty stalks? Bean or celery?" Applejack asked.
"No! I need to talk to you," Twilight said, raising her voice.
"You need to walk to the zoo? Well, who's stoppin' you?" Applejack asked.
Twilight Sparkle yelled, "I need to talk to you!"
"Oh! Well why didn't you say so? What you wanna talk about?" Applejack asked.
"Rainbow Dash dropped in to see me today," Twilight explained.
"That's quite neighborly of her," Applejack said.
"Yes, except that she crashed onto my balcony after you launched her into the air," Twilight said, indignantly.
Applejack just blinked before turning her head in shame.
"Oh, yeah. I wasn't feeling quite myself this morning," Applejack said
"Because you're working too hard and you need help," Twilight snapped, approaching her.
"What? Kelp?" Applejack asked. "I don't need kelp. I don't even like seaweed."
"HELP!" Twilight yelled. "You need HELP!"
"Nothin' doin', Twilight," Applejack shot back. "I'm gonna prove to you, t'everypony, that I can do this on my own." Applejack turned to leave, only to collide forehead first into that same low branch. "Ow! Now if you'll excuse me, I've gotta go help Pinkie Pie."
Ugh!" was all Twilight could say, as Applejack wobbled away. But seeing as she couldn't get through to her, Twilight decided to head back to the library.
"Now Pinkie Pie, are you sure you're up for baking the muffins and running the store this afternoon?" Mrs. Cake asked.
A short time later, Saffron Cake, the wife of Carrot Cake and co-proprietor of the sweetest and most delicious bakery in Ponyville, Sugarcube Corner, was double-checking things with their assistant/apprentice, Pinkie Pie.
It wasn't that they didn't trust Pinkie Pie, but the pink pony's randomness often times made ponies question if she could handle serious responsibility. Pinkie didn't seem to mind these opinions, as she was ready to prove herself.
"Yes siree bob, Mrs. Cake. Plus, I have Ponyville's prized pony to help me out. Why, she's the best baker ever. Right, Applejack?" Pinkie Pie asked.
Applejack just gave a rough shake of her head since she was trying not to doze off. Plus, instead of not hearing ponies, everything Applejack washearing felt as if she were underwater or moving in slow motion.
"No? You're not the best baker ever?" Mr. Cake asked puzzled.
"WHAT?" Applejack exclaimed, waking up. "Oh no! I mean, don't you fret. I can bake anything from fritters to pies in the blink of an eye," Applejack said.
Mrs. Cake still didn't feel sure about this, but she and Mr. Cake really needed to leave for an errand outside the shop and these two ponies were the only help they got.
"All right," Mrs. Cake sighed. "Well, see you later, girls!"
Mrs. Cake then made her way out of the shop once all was settled. Applejack still shook her head trying to stay away when Pinkie grabbed for her.
"Stop with the shakin', it's time to get bakin'," Pinkie Pie said. Soon, Pinkie Pie had the recipe book open and Applejack stood across the table with the mixing bowl before her. "All right-y! I'll get the sugar and the eggs. Can you get me some chocolate chips?"
Poor Applejack was still zoning out, and still having hearing trouble as much as she tried to deny it.
"Eh, uh, whu, what was that?" Applejack asked.
"Chocolate chips," Pinkie Pie repeated.
"Chips... got it," Applejack replied, grabbing a bag off the shelf. "Tater chips, a little salty and dry, okie-dokie. What next?"
"Baking soda," Pinkie Pie replied.
Soda," Applejack repeated, grabbing a bottle from the fridge. "Perfect. That'll get the tater chips nice and wet. Now what?"
"A cup of flour," Pinkie Pie answered.
"A cup o' sour? Well, lemons are sure sour. One cup o' sour, comin' up," Applejack poured some lemon juice into the bowl. "Anything else, Pinkie?"
"One last thing. Wheat germ," Pinkie Pie said.
"Wheat worms?" Applejack repeated, making a face. "Oh, that must be fancy talk for earthworms."
Applejack went outside and dig up some earthworms to dump in the bowl with all the other ingredients. Pinkie by this time just dumped the sugar and eggs without looking at the bowl.
"Now that's gonna be delicious," Pinkie Pie said excitedly.
Either Applejack trusted Pinkie's judgment or Pinkie put too much trust in Applejack. In any case, had any pony actually saw what's inside the bowl, they'd be noticing a different story.
"If you say so," Applejack said.
Regardless of the mixture, once the muffins were cooked, they were placed on a tray before a group of ponies waiting excitedly to try a free sample.
Davis and Veemon was among the patrons to gave a sample of the muffins freshly made.
"Free muffin sample spectacular!" Announced.
Muffins, muffins, muffins!"
"Lay 'em on me!" Davis said, taking one.
"I'll take some of that action!" Veemon added.
"Yeah! Muffin spectacles! Get 'em while they're hot," Applejack said.
Davis and Veemon happily ate the muffins they received as did the rest. Pinkie Pie even partook in the eating of the muffins. As they ate, they could all feel their stomachs churning.
"Oh man, All of a sudden, I don't feel so good," Davis groaned, holding his stomach.
"I don't feel good either," Veemon groaned, also clutching his stomach. Both he and Veemon were making pukey faces. They even saw an earthworm from each of the muffins.
"Oh no," Davis and Veemon both said.
It wasn't long before Twilight, the DigiDestined, the Digimon, and Spike arrived at what appeared to be a temporary hospital.
"We came as soon as we heard," Twilight said, worriedly.
"Oh thank you, Twilight," a white pony named Nurse Redheart said. "We need all the help we can get."
Twilight Sparkle gasped as the sight of dozens of ponies, looking very sick and moaning, caught her attention. The DigiDestined were shocked as they saw Davis and Veemon among the sick. Their faces were just as green as the others; even Pinkie Pie's. Veemon grabbed his bucket and puked inside it.
"Oh no! What happened?" Twilight asked.
"What happened to you, Davis?" Yolei asked. Davis groaned very sickly.
"It was a mishap with some of the baked goods," Nurse Redheart said.
Spike grabbed a muffin and sniffed it.
"No, not baked goods, baked bads," Pinkie Pie groaned.
"You mean someone just mixed-up the ingredients in the muffins?" Sora asked.
"Davis, what happened to you?" Joe asked.
"You could ask Applejack! She helped make me sick!" Davis exclaimed before grabbing his bucket.
"Applejack," Twilight sneered.
"Want one?" Spike offered Spike was chomping on what was apparently the bad muffins that had been made. Twilight and just made a face. She turned to the horizon glaring indignantly to find a certain farm pony once again. Spike shrugged his shoulders as soon as Twilight left. "What about the rest of you? Don't you want one?"
The DigiDestined and Digimon all made the same face as Twilight's as Davis and Veemon both puked in their buckets once again.
"Spike, I like muffins as much as the next guy, but those I don't think I can even stomach," Tai said.
"Even I'm not that hungry," Agumon offered.
"I think I hear Nurse Redheart asking for help," Joe said.
"Um, yeah," Gomamon added.
"I'm with you," Cody said.
"Don't forget about me," Armadillomon said.
"I think we should help clean those out," TK said.
The rest of the DigiDestined went to assist as Spike just ate the muffins.
"I don't know what everypony is making a big fuss over, these are great," Spike said.
Applejack was already back at the farm. She was so exhausted to even get all the apples into the baskets and was using a single cart to carry them all. She continues to grunt and snore as she tried to keep herself from falling asleep. Then she reached for a larger basket to dump her apples into it, only to end up tilting the kart too far back and ended up stuck in the harness… Upside down… And now asleep. That was when Twilight arrived.
"Applejack, we need to talk," Twilight said.
Applejack asked. "Wha, huh? Oh, it's you, Twilight." Applejack yawned. "I know what you're gonna say, but the answer is still no."
"Not to upset your applecart, but you need help," Twilight said.
"Hardy har," Applejack groaned. "And no I don't."
Twilight Sparkle offered, "Here, let me help."
"Help? No thanks," Applejack rebutted. With a groan, Applejack tried to get herself and the cart upright. "A little more… Little… There…" Twilight just groaned, even though Applejack did succeed in getting herself upright. "I'll prove that this here apple can handle these apples. Come on… apples… fall off!" Applejack grunted and bucked, she used one and eventually both hind legs trying to buck the apples off the tree.
"A.J., you're beating a dead… tree," Twilight pointed out.
Applejack turned and found that not only was the tree fruitless, but only a few leaves had fallen off.
"I knew that," Applejack said plainly.
As the cowgirl walked away, Twilight followed close behind.
"Actually, Applejack, I had something else to talk to you about. I just came back from Ponyville Urgent Care and-"
"You know, I'm a little busy to get lectured right now, Twilight!" Applejack said.
"But if you'd just let me help-"
"Ugh. No, no, NO! How many times do I gotta say it? I don't need no help from nopony!"
Applejack took off once more as Twilight groaned in frustration.
"Ugh. That pony is stubborn as a mule," Twilight said when a mule braying is heard." No offense."
"None taken," the mule replied.
How the mule got there in the first place can be anypony's guess.
Later, Applejack was with Fluttershy in an area just outside Ponyville. This particular spot was loaded to the brim with bunnies of all shapes, colors, and sizes.
"Oh Applejack!" Fluttershy said happily. "Thank you so much for offering your herding skills for the annual rabbit roundup."
"Ugh," Applejack groaned, irritated. "Why are we doin' this?"
"Well, lots of new baby bunnies have been born, so it's my job to get a count of all the new families," Fluttershy explained.
"Fine!" Applejack snapped. "Can we just get on with it?"
"Certainly," Fluttershy answered, oblivious to Applejack's sour mood, "but remember, these are bunnies we're dealing with, not cows. They're a timid bunch and need to be treated gently."
"I do NOT need any direction on corrallin' critters," Applejack snapped. "Right, Winona?" Winona barks in response.
"Okay, little bunnies!" Fluttershy called out excitedly. "I need you to all gather here in the middle."
All of a sudden, Applejack charged forward and began rounding them up her own way, completely ignoring Fluttershy's advice.
"That's right! Let's go, bunnies. In the center. Hop to it!" Applejack told the bunnies. Obviously, Applejack's way wasn't very effective. In fact, some of the bunnies ran away from her. "Swell. Just swell. Put 'em up, Winona!"
Winona barked on command, as they chased the bunnies about.
"Applejack! Winona! Stop!" Fluttershy cried out. "You're scaring them!"
"We know what we're doin'," Applejack retorted. "Get along, little bunnies."
After some effort, Applejack and Winona were able to successfully gather the bunnies into the middle area that Fluttershy wanted. Unfortunately, the poor bunnies were trembling and terrified. A worried Fluttershy knew what would happen next.
"Oh no," Fluttershy said softly.
And it wasn't long before the bunnies were overwhelmed, as they charged between Applejack and Winona towards Ponyville.
Once again, another earthquake-like rumble was heard and felt by the man ponies in town. Rainbow Dash took to the air and began surveying the land. She soon saw the smoke cloud approaching.
"STAMPEDE!" Rainbow Dash called out.
Unlike last time, while all the ponies locked their doors and shut the windows, there was no stopping the bunnies from charging over the bridge and into the town. Near the temporary hospital tent, Mimi pushed the flaps open and looked out.
"What is going on out here?" Mimi asked.
"Stamped!" Daisy called out, before yelping.
Confused, Mimi looked ahead, and her eyes went wide. For right before her, the rampaging bunnies were hopping through the town.
"Guys, I think you should see this," Mimi said.
All the other ponies were screaming, desperately seeking some place to hide. One pony, Lily Valley by name, saw the bunnies hopping madly toward her. She was so frightened, the poor mare passed out on the street. And yet, all the bunnies did was run around her and kept going.
The rest of the DigiDestined all looked out and saw the stampeding bunnies.
"What got those rabbits running?" Hawkmon asked.
"Didn't Fluttershy mention that Applejack was helping her out with the bunnies?" Kari pointed out.
"Like she helped out Rainbow Dash, but not the way Rainbow Dash planned it," Wormmon said.
"And she did help out Pinkie with the muffins," Tentomon added.
"It is not going to end well if this keeps up," Hawkmon said.
"He's right. We have got to put a stop to this before it gets even worse than it already has," Tai said.
All of the DigiDestined all agreed with him and set off to find the farm pony.
A couple minutes later, Twilight Sparkle was enjoying a nice little walk. After the heated confrontation with Applejack she decided to take a nice relaxing walk through Ponyville to clear her mind. Twilight agreed and soon found herself in good spirits, humming a merry tune as she reached the town square. But all at once, she gasped after finding Lily Valley, Rose, and Daisy laying on the ground, looking traumatized.
"The horror, the horror," Rose said, dramatically.
"It was awful," Lily Valley added.
"A disaster," Daisy cried. "A horrible, horrible disaster."
Twilight Sparkle had a blank look on her face, when.
"I don't get it," Twilight .
"Our gardens, destroyed," Lily Valley pointed out.
"Every last flower, devoured," Rose added, showing her ruined garden.
"By… by… THEM!" Daisy finished.
Twilight turned to Daisy pointed hoof and sure enough discovered a large collection of bunnies literally nibbling and chewing everything in sight.
"Oh my. Oh… Please stop, little bunnies," Fluttershy pleaded. "Oh no! Please, let's go home! Oh my goodness!"
The unicorn can only watch as Fluttershy was having a difficult time. Her pleas falling on deaf long ears.
"All right," Twilight declared. "Enough is enough!"
Just as Twilight expected, Applejack returned to work. But now, she was so worn out she couldn't even buck the tree at all.
"Must… keep… buckin'…" Applejack panted heavily. "Just… a few… more. Must finish harvestin'."
The unicorn approached Applejack and this time she was determined to stand her ground.
"All right Applejack," Twilight spoke sternly. "Your applebucking hasn't just caused you problems, it's over-propelled Pegasus. Practically poisoned plenty of ponies."
"Along with Davis and Veemon!" Tai added.
"And terrorized bushels of brand new bouncing baby bunnies," Twilight said.
"Sooner or later that stubbornness is going to get you into loads of trouble if you aren't careful," Agumon said.
"We don't care what you say," Twilight continued.
"You… Need… Help," Twilight, the DigiDestined, and the Digimon all said.
"Um, how do you like them apples?" He told his sister.
Big Mac tilts his head in the other direction, Applejack turns, and her eyes went wide with a loud gasp. Apparently, she had only done half the field, possibly two-thirds, but either way she still had work to be done.
"Where'd all the apple…?"
Applejack mumbled for a few seconds, as her eyes crossed before fainting. Fortunately, she wasn't out for long and as she opened her eyes, Twilight Sparkle stood before her.
"Applejack," Twilight spoke. "Applejack."
"Huh?" Applejack mumbled.
Sure enough, Applejack found herself laying on the ground.
"Oh good, you're okay," Twilight sighed. "Now Applejack, I completely respect the Apple family's ways. You're always there to help anypony in need, so maybe you can put a little of your stubborn pride aside and allow your friends to help you."
As Twilight spoke Applejack's eyes shifted from the ponies to the remaining portion of the orchard. Seeing her eyes big as saucers, none of the DigiDestined could tell if Applejack was going to scream or cry. Instead, she just released a long sigh.
"Okay Twilight," Applejack said, defeated.
"We're not taking 'no' for an answer—" Twilight continued, then stopped. "What?"
"Do you finally admit that you need help?" Joe asked.
Yes, Twilight," Applejack replied. "Please. I could really use your help."
The poor pony placed her front hooves together, as if practically begging or pleading. The two unicorns chuckled, releasing a sigh of relief.
"But we can worry about that after you have had yourself a good rest," Joe said.
Applejack agreed as she was led to the house and right up to her bedroom. As soon as Applejack had placed her head on her pillow, Applejack was sleeping soundly. They quietly stepped out, not wanting to wake her up.
The Mane Six, the DigiDestined, and the Digimon all helped out with the apple bucking.
Dear Princess Celestia,
My friend Applejack is the best friend a pony could ever have, and she's always there to help anypony. The only trouble is, when she needs help, she finds it hard to accept it, so while friendship is about giving of ourselves to friends, it's also about accepting what our friends have to offer.
Your faithful student,
Twilight Sparkle
Just as they collected a large amount of apples, Applejack returned fully rejuvenated and better than ever. She pushes a metal serving cart with drinks that had straws and then placed the drinks onto a wooden table.
"How about y'all take a little break? I got some fine apple juice waitin' for ya!" Applejack offered.
"Good, because I'm really working up a sweat," Ken said.
"Me too," Wormmon said.
The others gathered around her, to enjoy their drinks. As they all settled down, Applejack released a sigh.
"Everypony, I can't thank you enough for this help. I was acting a bit stubborn," Applejack said.
"A bit?" Twilight and Tai asked.
"Okay. A mite stubborn, and I'm awful sorry. Now, I know the town gave me the Prized Pony award, but the real award is having all of you as my friends.
"I'll drink to that," Agumon said.
"So will I," Tentomon added.
Everyone all agreed as they took a sip of their apple juice.
"Phew! That applebucking sure made me hungry," Rainbow Dash said.
"So am I. I could use a good bit to eat," TK said.
"And I've got the perfect treat," Spike said, taking out some muffins. Pinkie Pie knew what those were.
"Eeew... Spike, I threw those all away," Pinkie said, leaning away. "Where'd you get them?"
"From the trash," Spike answered.
"Ew!" Everyone all said.
"Gross," Tai said.
The ponies and Digimon all left the table in disgust. Spike, not seeing the big deal, tried to catch up with the group.
"That's nasty, Spike," Davis said. "And I just got out of the hospital!"
"I'm not that hungry," Armadillomon said.
"Just a little nibble?" Spike asked. "Come on."
"No way!" Gomamon said.
"I'm not eating that," Kari said.
"I'm a cat, not a raccoon," Gatomon said.
"We could get sick eating those," Joe said.
"How is it that Spike wasn't sick eating it?" Cody asked.
"Maybe dragons can tolerate it better than we can," Izzy said.
"Lucky Spike," Matt said with a hint of sarcasm.
"Come on, just one bite?" Spike offered.