Applebuck Season

**Applebuck Season** is the 4th episode of My Little Pony: Nathan Edwardson's Friendship is Magic.

## Summary

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, even for Tyrannicus Industries.

## Plot

### The Most Dependable of Ponies

At Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and Big McIntosh survey the huge apple harvest awaiting them. With Big McIntosh injured, Applejack decides to harvest the crop of apples by herself, despite her brother's warning that it's a huge task for just one pony. However, little did she realized a couple of Applin has been wandering around Sweet Apple Acres because one of the doors that's been drawn onto the backside of the barn that Pinkie drew is connected to the Pokémon Universe as bunch of Pokémon began to explore their surroundings.

While preparing to harvest, Applejack sees a herd of cows stampeding towards Ponyville. She diverts the stampede from Ponyville in the nick of time with the help of her dog Winona. Impressed by Applejack's loyalty and reliability, the citizens host a ceremony in her honor. 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 the award, only for a visibly sleep-deprived Applejack to arrive late and stumble off with her trophy.

Later on, 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 stubbornly refuses.

### The Catapult

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. Then, a bunch of Tauros began to stampede through town which really gave her a surprise. Then, Nathan drew with magic marker to make a fence for them and keep them in until they're calm enough and ready to be set free.

### "Baked Bads"

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 and Nathan 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. Later, they see some Smeargle painting the houses, Orthworm tunneling underneath Ponyville and some Revavroom are doing some crazy stunts as well as racing each other in town to see who's the fastest.

### Bunny Stampede!

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 freak out and stampede into Ponyville, where they eat the town's plants and ruin its gardens. Seeing this, Twilight and Nathan decides enough is enough and goes to confront Applejack once and for all after they round up the bunnies.

### Applejack Gives in

At the orchard, Twilight and Nathan 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. As for Nathan and Woody Woodpecker, they were then trampled by stampeding Pokémon thankfully Livingston was there as he found the door and managed to closes it.