Element of Faith

Fairy Wishes belongs to me. Steal her and I steal from you. Everypony else goes to Hasbro

Three Days after The Ticket Master

Waking up that morning, my first thought was to check the calendar. For a couple days now, Applejack has been explaining Applebuck Season was coming up and how much money it brought to the farm, not nearly as much as Zap Apples, but still a lot.

It started today.

Applejack also agreed to help me bring some supplies over to Ditzy's house for the renovation next week. After the ticket, the two of us finished the planning and came to an agreement on the design plan. But some of the furniture needed moving and Applejack was the strongest earth pony I knew.

Getting ready for the day, I made myself a small blueberry muffin for breakfast and went off to go meet Twilight on some friendship stuff.

About halfway there, the ground started shaking.

"STAMPEDE!" I heard Rainbow Dash yell from the sky.

The whole town started freaking out, they closed the windows, locked doors and brought in door mats.

Pinkie Pie was laughing about how weird her voice sounded. Twilight ran up to us both before running off.

Pinkie looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. Going back to vibrating along the ground.

"Pinkie Pie are you crazy? RUN!" She shouted.

"Everypony calm down! There is no need to panic." Mayor Ivory Scroll yelled to the townponies.

"But Mayor, whatever shall we do?!" Rarity cried dramatically.

Looking over in the direction of the dust cloud, I saw an orange blur.

"Girls look!" I yelled, pointing on the direction of the stampede.

"Yeehaw!" A familiar farmer voice yelled from the herd.

"Go Applejack!" I screamed. "Woohoo!"

"This is the best rodeo show I've ever seen!" Pinkie cheered.

"Me too," I laughed, "Could I have some of that popcorn?"

"Sure!" Grabbing a small hoofful I watched Applejack steer the cows away from town.

The stampede was getting close to the town, almost too close for them to stop.

Applejack appeared on one of their backs, lassoed the lead cow's neck and got the whole thing to turn before getting to the bridge!

"Yeah! Go Applejack!" I cheered from the small crowd gathered to see it.

Applejack soon left the cow herd and was greeted by the cheers of what looked to be all of Ponyville.

"Yeehaw! Ride um cowpony!" Pinkie cheered while doing a strange dance.

Laughing at the strange party pony's ways I turned towards Mayor Ivory Scroll, Twilight and Rarity.

"Applejack was just...just..." The Mayor began...

"AppleTASTIC!" Pinkie cheered from above us, soon falling on her head. She bounced it off soon after.

"Exactly. We must do something to thank Applejack for single hoofidly saving the town!" Ivory announced.

"I know."

Here it comes.

"A party!"

Never would've guessed.

A week after the stampede, we had the town center decorated for the 'Thanks for Saving Ponyville Party' for Applejack. All planned by Twilight.

Balloons were hung almost everywhere, streamers wrapped around tree trunks, Rarity even made a golden banner with an apple on it for the event.

"This place looks fantastic!" I told Twilight.

"I know. But we still need to find Applejack." Twilight said as Rainbow Dash flew over.

"Couldn't find her." She admitted. Pinkie walked up next to me.

"Haven't seen her since the stampede!" She cheered.

"But she'll be here for sure. Applejack is never late!"

Later though... as the time for the party came close Applejack was still nowhere to be found. The townsponies had arrived and the trophy we had made was ready to go.

Twilight walked into the stage and began her very long speech. Half of which I believed the ponies would zone out during.

"Did you see Applejack slick moves out there!" Rainbow interrupted. "What an athlete! This week, she's gonna help me with my new flying trick and I know it's gonna be so awesome!"

At least Twilight hadn't gotten too far into her speech.

"Exactly!" Twilight shoved Rainbow aside. "And..."

Pinkie Pie took the stand by jumping in front of Twilight, continue the interruptions.

"This week I get to run Sugarcube Corner for the first time!"

"What does that have to do with Applejack?" Twilight asked, oblivious to the fact she had been interrupted. Twice.

"Oh! Applejack, one of the best bakers ever, is gonna help me! Applejack makes everything great so free samples for everypony!"

The whole crowd began cheering. It was always fun to get free samples from Sugarcube Corner.

Twilight pushed Pinkie aside, mumbling about something, then brought the card pile back up.

Fluttershy took the stand, Twilight looked pretty mad at this point.

"Umm...I'm so sorry... but I just wanted to mention that Applejack is also helping me this week with the Official Bunny Census. When we count all the new baby bunnies that were born this season. She's gonna help gather them using her wondrous herding skills."

"Any pony else? Anypony?" Twilight dared as Fluttershy quietly trotted off the stage.

"She's helping me with some work this week also buts that should be it." I said from the crowd.

"Well then now as I was trying to say..." We all noticed Mayor Ivory Scroll come towards the stage. "UGH! Forget it!" Twilight cried as her cards became confetti.

Walking up to Twilight, I patted her on the back.

"Maybe next time." I comforted.

"Yeah right..." She grumbled.

"...Ponyville's Most Capable and Dependable Friend... APPLEJACK!"

The whole crowed cheered, but no Applejack. After an awkward moment from Spike, the Mayor tried again and still no Applejack.

"I'M HERE!" Turning towards the direction if the tell I saw a cowpony hat and big bushel of apples walking towards the stage. I'm here. *yawn* sorry I'm late. Woah! I was jest- did I hit yet tail? Wope!"

When the orange mare finally arrived onto the stage, she looked like a wreck.

Her usual bright demeanor was dimmed, parts of her body looked tired from over-use, hugs bags appeared under her forest green eyes. Her hair was a frantic mess that not even those red mane ties were working on them. From the looks of it...

Applejack looked exhausted.

She walked onto the stage like some drunk, looking into the reflective surface of the trophy.

"Twilight, does Applejack look a little off to you?" Twilight to a card look at the earth pony *ahem*ponies making fools of themselves on stage.

"She does. Looks exhausted. I should go back up there." Going up to our two friends, Twilight thanked Applejack, who kept yawning and even fell asleep at one point.

Shaking the sleep off, Applejack took the trophy away.

"Did anypony else notice how tired Applejack looked?" I asked the others.

"Yeah," Rainbow Dash said, "She looked like she would drop at any second."

"Oh I noticed it too! What do you think it is?" Fluttershy asked.

"I would like to find out." Twilight stated.

"What are you mares talking about? I thought she looked great!" Pinkie cheered.

As Pinkie went on wooing I walked over to Twilight.

"We need to go to the farm and check on her. Maybe it has something to do with the start of Applebuck Season." Twilight wordlessly agreed.

I loved Sweet Apple Acres. The place always smelled of fresh fruit and air. Apples tress as far as my eyes could see, other food stock too of course.

A big red barn-shaped house served as the living arrangement for the Apples, the bright apple red made me want an apple desperately.

But I didn't have time for that. Running out towards the orchards Twilight and I found tress without apples, and the further we walked the more and more fruitless trees we saw…

And the more apple bucking we heard.

"What on earth is that pony doing?" Twilight asked me.

"Working herself to death." I replied as I walked over to the orange pony bucking air. "Applejack…Applejack…"

*snore*

"APPLEJACK!" I screamed.

"Who hah what?!? Oh, just you Fairy. What brings ya… down...here." Applejack nearly fell asleep three times during that sentence.

Twilight trotted up to us, trying to check on Applejack.

"Why are you doing this all alone? Didn't you tell us it was a family thing?" Twilight asked.

"Cause Big Macintosh hurt himself." Twilight teleported in front of Applejack.

"What about all those relatives I met when I first came to Ponyville? Can't they help?"

"They were just here for the Apple Family Reunion. They actually live all over Equestria and are busy harvesting their own orchards."

I quickly stood in front of Applejack, blocking her escape as she was trying to buck another tree.

"So I'm alone and I should really get back to work." Applejack groaned.

"You should be getting some sleep!" I yelled. "Applejack you're exhausting yourself. You can't even stand on your hooves!" It was true, Applejack was swaying back and forth.

Shaking her head and walking around me, Applejack laughed.

"Fairy now that's ridiculous. You six don't go worryin' yerselves." Applejack explained.

Twilight teleported in front of Applejack after she failed to buck a tree.

"Do you want some help?" Twilight asked.

"Help? No way no how!" The stubborn mare refused.

"Isn't there something you can do? You look like you're about to drop." I reasoned. Applejack locked me right in the eye, closing in on me.

"Is that a challenge?" She asked.

"I'm not challenging you I’m asking if you need help!"

"Well I'm gonna prove to you that I can do it! No if ya'll excuse me I've for apples to buck!" Applejack yelled as she walked away from us.

"This is bad. Really bad." I told Twilight.

"I know but she won't accept our help so what can we do about it?"

Knowing she was, the two if us left the farm. I was hoping Applejack wouldn't do something stupid during the season.

Arriving at Ditzy's house, I slowly began moving the furniture around. Knowing Applejack was probably still exhausting herself I thought it would be friendly if I did it without her help.

Ditzy was being very helpful even with her… condition.

Soon enough we had both moved most of the furniture by the time Applejack came in.

"I'm not late am I?" She asked, possibly looking worse than when I last saw her.

"No, Ditzy and I just started early. Have you gotten any sleep AJ?" I asked her.

"I was just helpin' Pinkie Pie at the Corner so now I can help you and Ditzy." Applejack explained.

"Maybe it would be better if Ditzy and I finished without you. You look like you still need sleep." I explained.

"I said I's gonna help and I'm gonna help!" Applejack went over to the large dark brown couch by a wall we had yet to move.

"Applejack…" I warned her. This wasn't my house and I didn't want Applejack to embarrass herself.

*CRACK*

*BOOF*

My jaw dropped. Applejack had accidentally pushed the couch towards the wall. Breaking it and making the couch fall out the other side.

"Ah shoot! I've gotta get ta Fluttershy!" Applejack yelled as she ran out the front door of towards the woods.

"Ditzy, I am so sorry. I had no idea she was going to do that! I knew I should have told her to cancel helping me!" I apologized.

"Don't worry about it Fairy. I was meaning to put a window their anyway." I knew Ditzy was trying to spare my feelings, but I still felt responsible.

"I'll go get Twilight. Applejack needs some help before she wrecks something else. Again, I'm so sorry!"

Ditzy waved a grey hoof at me. "Fairy don't worry about it! If Applejack hadn't done that then I might have."

"I told you that you have to stop blaming all your problems on that." I explained to her. "I'll be back in twenty minutes. You stay here and try moving some of the lighter things around."

Running off to get Twilight, I found a large tent filled with ponies. All of them sick.

"What happened?" I asked Nurse Redheart.

"Apparently there was an accident with some cupcakes. All of these ponies came in sick as dogs."

Applejack.

"Oh my. Have you seen Twilight?" I asked the white earth pony.

"She went off that direction." Redheart pointed off towards a small cafe.

"Thank you." I said before running off.

I soon found Twilight and Spike.

"Twilight!" I yelled.

"Fairy Wishes? Weren't you supposed to be helping Derby with redecorating?" Twilight asked me.

"I was! Until Applejack showed up and broke Ditzy's wall!" Twilight and Spike gasped.

"She did what?" Spike asked.

"While moving one of the couches she pushed it the wrong way and it broke the wall! Completely broke it!" I explained.

"First Rainbow, then the cupcakes and now this!" Twilight yelled. "What else could that mare possibly do?"

"Fluttershy! Applejack was going to help Fluttershy with the Bunny Census!"

Twilight for a scared look in her eye.

We both ran off in the direction of the woods and found an ugly sight. The three flower ponies were lying across the ground. All of the flowers being eaten by small bunnies, Fluttershy was trying to coral them all together.

"All right. Enough is enough!" Twilight yelled.

The two of us began running towards the Acres, bent on getting Applejack help.

"Alright Applejack. You're apple bucking hasn't just caused you problems, it's over-propelled a pegasus, practically poisoned plenty of ponies, busted a wall, and terrorized bushels of brand new bouncing bunnies. I don't know what you say…"

"You. Need. Help!" We both told her as last of the apples in the tree fell into the baskets.

"Ha, no I don't. Look" she gestured towards all of the fruitless trees. "I did it! I harvested the entire Sweet Apple Acres without yer help. How'd ya like them apples?"

Looking over on the other side of the orchard I saw lots and lots of trees still filled with apples.

"How do ya like thems apples?" Big Mac gestured towards the other trees.

Applejack fainted.

When she woke up, Applejack finally relented and let us all help her. We got all the trees bucked and all the apples ready to sell. She got some much needed sleep.

Soon after, Applejack came to us with seven glasses of apple juice.

"Why don't y'all take a little break? I got some fine apple juice waitin' fer ya!"

Glad for the break, I ran up to the small table and stood next to Applejack.

"Girls, I can't thank y'all enough fer thus help. I was actin' a bit stubborn-" Applejack started.

"A bit?" I asked her.

"Okay a mighty bit stubborn! And I'm awful sorry. Now I know the town gave me the Prized Pony Award but the real award is having you six as my friends."

Smiling, I began drinking the apple juice.

"That apple bucking sure made me hungry!" Rainbow cheered.

Spike walked over, holding the weirdest looking muffins.

"And I've got the perfect treat!" Spike said.

"EW! Spike, I threw those away! Where'd you get them?" Pinkie asked, looking at them like they were made of rocks.

"From the trash."

"EW!" The seven of us yelled as Spike tried talking us into eating them.