Applebuck Season

Applebuck Season is the fourth episode of the first season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. In this episode, Applejack attempts to harvest the apple crop in Sweet Apple Acres by herself because her brother, Big McIntosh, is injured. However, her stubbornness and sleep deprivation cause problems all over Ponyville.__TOC__
==Production and development==
Originally, the episode involved Applejack losing acuity from “applebumping”, using her head to bump apples off trees. “Applebumping” was replaced with "applebucking" (kicking the trunk of apple trees to knock the fruit off). Long before the episode reached the animation process, a scene where Applejack attempts to help Rarity was cut because it was repetitive and took up too much time. According to writer Amy Keating Rogers, that scene was cut by the second draft.
Hasbro started packaging a DVD of this episode with certain pony toys in January 2012.http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/shop/details.cfm?R=C974689F-5056-900B-10C7-E53E9D8B8FE5:en_US
==Summary==
===The most dependable of ponies===
At Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and Big McIntosh survey a vast apple crop ready to be harvested. With Big McIntosh injured, Applejack determines to perform the harvest herself, despite her brother's warning that the task is too much for a single pony.
While preparing to harvest, Applejack sees a herd of cows stampeding towards Ponyville. She diverts the stampede in the nick of time with the help of her dog Winona, leading the citizens to host a ceremony in her honor. At the ceremony, Twilight Sparkle tries to deliver a speech but is interrupted by Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy as they express their excitement about working with Applejack on various upcoming activities. Mayor Mare then takes over the podium and announces an award for Applejack only to realize she is absent. Moments later, a visibly sleep-deprived Applejack stumbles onstage to accept the trophy before dragging it off back home.
Twilight goes to the apple farm to check up on Applejack, who explains that "Applebuck Season" is when the apples must be harvested and that she is working alone because Big McIntosh is injured. When Twilight asks about her other relatives, Applejack says that they only stayed at Sweet Apple Acres for the family reunion and are too busy harvesting their own crops. Twilight offers to help, but Applejack refuses.
===Applejack's "help"===
Applejack shows up late for her promised appointment with Rainbow Dash, who has set up a catapult to help launch her into the air for flying practice. Applejack is tasked with jumping on one end of the catapult but keeps missing due to fatigue. She lands on the catapult in one last attempt, but an unprepared Dash is sent flying and crash-lands on the Golden Oak Library balcony. Twilight guesses that Applejack is involved and returns to Sweet Apple Acres to offer help, but Applejack declines.
Later, Applejack bakes muffins with Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner while Mr. and Mrs. Cake are away. Applejack's fatigue causes her to misunderstand her friend's instruction, and she substitutes potato chips for chocolate chips, regular soda for baking soda, a cup of sour lemon juice for a cup of flour, and earthworms for wheat germ. When the muffins are baked, Pinkie Pie hands them out to a crowd of eager ponies.
Shortly after, Twilight enters a hospital tent where many ponies lie sick from eating the baked goods, which Pinkie Pie calls "baked bads." Spike finds some discarded muffins and gleefully eats them. Twilight surmises that Applejack's "help" is involved in the incident and once more approaches her on the farm, but Applejack once again refuses.
For her final task, Applejack meets Fluttershy in the forest to help round up baby rabbits for Fluttershy's bunny census. Fluttershy tells Applejack to be gentle, but Applejack's rough attitude and Winona's barking frighten the bunnies. When Applejack and Winona corner the terrified bunnies, they panic and stampede into Ponyville, where they eat the town's plants and ruin its gardens. Seeing this, Twilight decides enough is enough and goes to confront Applejack once and for all.
===Applejack gives in===
At the orchard, Twilight lists the issues caused by Applejack's stubbornness and insists she really needs help. Applejack bucks one last tree and triumphantly claims to have just completed the harvest, whereupon Big McIntosh appears and points out that she has only harvested part of the orchard. Applejack faints from shock and exhaustion. When she regains consciousness, Twilight tells her that, although she respects the Apple family ways, Applejack must put "a little of [her] stubborn pride aside" and allow her friends to help. Applejack finally agrees, and the harvest proceeds much more efficiently than before.
In a friendship report to Princess Celestia, Twilight explains how it is just as okay to accept help from friends as it is to give help. Applejack calls a break from harvesting and serves apple juice to her friends, thanking them and apologizing for being so stubborn. Spike comes by to offer them the worm-filled muffins he found in the garbage, and the ponies walk away disgusted.
==Quotes==
:Big McIntosh: Biting off more than you can chew is just what I'm afraid of.
:Applejack: Are you sayin' my mouth is makin' promises my legs can't keep?
:Big McIntosh: Eeyup.
:Applejack: Why of all the... This is your sister Applejack, remember? The loyalest of friends and the most dependable of ponies?
:Big McIntosh: But still only one pony, and one pony plus hundreds o' apple trees just doesn't add up to...
:Applejack: Don't you use your fancy mathematics to muddy the issue!
:Pinkie Pie: [during the "earthquake"] Hey! Thiiiis maaaakes myyyyy vooooiiice soooounnnd silllyyyy!!
:Rainbow Dash: Applejack, what the hay is going on? I mean, I thought I was working with "Ponyville's best athlete".
:Twilight Sparkle: AJ, I think you're beating a dead... tree.
:Applejack: I knew that.
:Twilight Sparkle: Ugh. That pony is as stubborn as a mule. [aside] No offense.
:Mule: None taken.
:Rose: The horror, the horror.
:Lily Valley: It was awful.
:Daisy: A disaster. A horrible, horrible disaster.
:Twilight Sparkle: I don't get it.
:Applejack: [grunts] Look, I did it. I harvested the entire Sweet Apple Acres without your help. How d'ya like them apples?
:Big McIntosh: Um, how do you like them apples?
:Applejack: [mumbling] Where'd all the apple...? [mumbling] [sigh]
==Gallery==
==References==
ar:جمع التفاح
de:Apfelschüttelernte
es:Temporada de Cosecha
fr:La Pomme au Panier
id:Musim Applebuck
it:La Raccolta delle Mele
ja:一人でできるもん！
ko:애플벅 시즌
pl:Sezon na jabłka
pt:Temporada de Coice na Macieira
ru:Сбор урожая
sv:Äppelpengssäsong