The Sousaphone Cowgirl

by HaleyC4629

Chapters

• Applejack and the Polka Pack
• Heavy Metal
• The Trouble of Applejack
• Good or Evil?
• Concert Chaos
• Saved by Applejack

Applejack and the Polka Pack

     Applejack felt honored when the DBOM (Directors of Bands and Orchestras in Music) suggested for her to enroll in Canterlot College after the graduation from Canterlot High. That was really something special for her! Their phone number was currently hung on the refrigerator, just in case if she would accept the offer. She continued to practice on her tuba as usual, and to teach Applebloom the basics of playing the euphonium. She enjoyed doing both of them as much as harvesting some apples.

     Speaking of apples, three months passed on and the Apple family were having a cider season for this year. Their business went extremely successful that they got paid extremely quickly. Two weeks later, their business was wrapped up until next year. Now they got to their regular daily basis.

     "I can't believe we got paid that quick!" said Applebloom as she then felt sheepish, "Well, I kinda expected fer that ta happen..."

     Applejack chuckled a little and said, "Really? Heh, that statement was unexpected." Then she started to laugh a little for about a few seconds. "Okay that wasn't funny," she said, "Sorry 'bout that, sugarcube..."

     "That's okay, sis," said Applebloom with a giggle. She hugged Applejack to show her that she loved her.

     The next day at Canterlot High, the intercom was turned on. "Applejack, please report to the main office," it said and then repeated the same statement one more time. Afterwards it was turned off.

     Then Applejack did so and was given an envelope by Vice Principal Luna.

     "Don't open it until you go home," said Vice Principal Luna, "Now go back to your class."

     After school, Applejack went home and opened the envelope. Inside of it was a letter that said:

"Dear Miss Applejack,

We loved your tuba performance at the Canterlot Auditorium! Your technique is extremely well and we loved the deep and dark tone of your tuba! That's the main reason why we need you to play the sousaphone in our polka band, namely "The Polka Pack". Come meet us at the same exact place tomorrow evening at 6:00 pm. We'll tell you more about ourselves and we'll get to sightread some music together by then. See you at the Canterlot Auditorium!

Sincerely,

The Polka Pack Band Crew"

     Applejack couldn't believe that she had been requested by the polka band. She knew that the sousaphone was (and it still is) exactly the same thing as her tuba but in a completely different form, so she would definitely get the hang of it.

     The next day, she did as her letter said, and saw the boys with their polka instruments and a sousaphone waiting for her to be used.

     "Miss Applejack! Nice of ya ta join us!" said the boy with his accordion, "I'm Buckwheat by the way."

     Applejack liked that name. "Nice ta meet ya!" she said, "But who're these guys?"

     "I was gettin' ta that," said Buckwheat, "On the drums is Pinecone, and on the xylophone is Dogwood."

     "Hoo-wee she's as purdy as an apple blossom!" said Dogwood, "She'd make an only female bein' in this band!"

     Applejack blushed at him with a smile.

     "Ya got that right, Dog!" agreed Pinecone.

    "Go ahead and pick up that sousaphone, Applejack," said Buckwheat, "We can't wait ta hear ya play that big 'ol horn!"

     Applejack went over to her sousaphone and got it. She placed it on her left shoulder, adjusted it to the comfortable playing position, and then started to play a couple of tunes that came into her mind. The deep and dark tone of her sousaphone came out of its huge bell. Buckwheat, Pinecone and Dogwood were extremely astonished by the way she handled its weight while playing it at the same time. When finished, the boys applauded and cheered for her.

     "Yee-haw! Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" said Buckwheat, "Let's get started with our..." Then he gestured to Applejack, "And our purdy cowgal's first practice session!"

     Applejack blushed again, at him this time.

     "Ya mean Applejack?" asked Pinecone.

     "What do y'all think?" asked Buckwheat.

     Pinecone was a little confused but then figured it out. "Yup," he said, "Ya do mean Applejack."

Heavy Metal

     After the first practice session, the three boys were curious about something.

     "Are ya with any other bands?" asked Buckwheat.

     "Of course I am!" said Applejack, "The Rainbooms and the Brass Beauties."

     "The Brass Beauties band is purdy obvious fer ya," said Dogwood, "Since yer a gal 'n' all."

     "What do ya play in the Rainbooms?" asked Pinecone.

     "My bass, obviously," said Applejack.

     The boys never knew that she could also play her bass. Then they got an idea.

     "Hey Applejack," said Buckwheat, "Just fer an experiment, play any rock song ya can think of on yer sousaphone."

     Applejack was confused about that. So shrugged her shoulders and went to get her sousaphone. She came back with it, and took a few steps away from the boys. She cleared her throat as she was getting ready, and placed the mouthpiece to her lips. Out of nowhere, the energetic rock accompaniment started to play as she then started playing her sousaphone with avidity and got into a groove. Her fingers were flying fast when pressing the valves. When she was still playing, an orange glow shined brightly around her and she was floating from the floor. Her pony ears appeared and her lower part of her hair turned into a long braid.

     The boys couldn't believe their eyes when seeing her transformation. They got to see her transformation again but this time, in person. Buckwheat was extremely astonished by Applejack's fast flying fingers, Pinecone was amazed by the way Applejack was producing the deep and dark tone of her sousaphone, and Dogwood was very amazingly shocked by Applejack's groove. When Applejack and the rock accompaniment stopped playing at the same time, they applauded and cheered for her again.

     "Yee-haw, what a sound!!!" Buckwheat exclaimed excitingly.

     "Yeah," agreed Dogwood, "What a sound is right!"

     Applejack smiled in response. She loved Buckwheat's enthusiasm. "Thank ya sugarcubes," she said.

     Hearing the word "sugarcubes", the boys tried their very best not to giggle or laugh at what she said by covering their mouths. They thought that it was really funny, but they didn't want to hurt her feelings or make her furious.

     "Sorry there, Applejack," said Dogwood as he tried very hard not to giggle or laugh, "I guess we ain't used ta words like that."

     Applejack became unimpressed, rolled her eyes and said nothing. When she got back to her home, she went upstairs to her room. "Well that was fun till the last part," she said, "Anyway, I better hit the hay." She changed into her pajamas, got into her bed and slept the night away.

The Trouble of Applejack

     The next day at Canterlot High, Applejack was doing her usual classwork in her scheduled classrooms until time to leave for a day. When she was about to go to her truck, she heard her name calling out from the distance.

     "APPLEJACK!!!" called the familiar voice.

     She looked behind her, turned around and saw Rainbow with a stern look. But Rainbow wasn't alone; Pinkie, Scootaloo and Applebloom were there with her. Applejack was confused about why they were mad at her.

     "You ditched us!" exclaimed Pinkie.

     "I dunno what yer talkin' about, sugarcube," said Applejack confusingly.

     "Don't play dumb with us, Applejack!" said Rainbow, "You KNOW what you did!"

     "No, I seriously don't know what's goin' on!" said Applejack, suddenly getting upset, "What exactly are y'all talkin' about?!?" She felt as if she was being framed for doing something she absolutely did not do.

     Rainbow smacked her forehead with her palm in anger. "You were hanging out with those three guys at the Canterlot Auditorium last night!!!" she said.

     "Ya mean the Polka Pack?" asked Applejack, "Anythin' wrong about 'em?"

     "They're pure evil!" said Pinkie, "You're already targeted and they're using you for something bad they're planning to do!

     "Oh that's ridiculous," said Applejack with a stern look, "They ain't evil and they ain't usin' me fer somethin' bad bein' planned! Yer just misjudgin' 'em by their personalities."

     "That's what they want you to think!" said Pinkie, "Ditch them and come back with us!"

     Applejack then started to get angry internally. "Look, I ain't takin' just one side," she as she was getting into her truck while taking Applebloom with her, "I'm takin' both sides. Don't worry, I'll still be with y'all, no matter what side I'm takin'." She started the engine and drove away with Applebloom.

     "Pinkie, are you sure they're evil?" Rainbow asked.

     "I think so," said Pinkie, "These guys look very suspicious to me."

     "Same here," agreed Rainbow.

     Scootaloo was confused about whether the Polka Pack were evil or not. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

     Rainbow smacked her forehead with her palm again, and Pinkie became bemused.

     "What? It's not my fault that it doesn't make sense!" said Scootaloo.

     Rainbow sighed. "Let's just go home, Scoots," she said as she and Scootaloo got into her car, started the engine and drove away.

     Pinkie shrugged she shoulders and she got into her car, started the engine and drove away too.    

     Meanwhile at home, Applejack was still internally angry about the misjudgment of the Polka Pack. "Why that nerve of those gals!" she said as she was clinching her fists. She was getting tensed up as she was trying her best to control her temper. She didn't lose it which was good. She sat on the couch and thought of some of the ways to calm herself down. She went to her room and tried playing her guitar, her banjo, her fiddle, her bass, her mandolin, her euphonium, her tuba, and singing one thing at a time. Some of her instruments she was playing made her feel better, especially playing her tuba.

     "Sis?" Applebloom called from downstairs and the coming up to Applejack's room, "I heard a bunch of different instruments from down here. Why're ya doin' that?"

     "Ta calm myself down from losin' my temper," Applejack replied, "Just lookin' fer some ways." Then she began to play her tuba.

     Applebloom was confused but she came inside anyway. She liked listening to Applejack playing the tuba. Applejack didn't mind letting her come inside her room while she was still playing. The Apple sisters liked bonding with each other, especially when they were in a bad situation.

Good or Evil?

     Applejack had been practicing with the Polka Pack for the polka concert in a few weeks, not forgetting the Brass Beauties and the Rainbooms like she said. So far, she hadn't witnessed any of the Polka Pack's so-called evil doings. She was still thinking that her friends were just misjudging the three boys. But then again, she was also thinking that they maybe be right all along. At the moment she became confused. She didn't know whether to trust herself of her friends about the situation. At Canterlot High, she ran to her friends to get some answers.

     "Sugarcubes!" she called to them as she was still running, "I need help!"

     Rainbow wasn't surprised, but bemused. "Well look who just showed up," she said while rolling up her eyes. Her expression tells her that she was still mad at her for not believing her and Pinkie.

     Applejack then stopped running as she got there. "Now don't ya hold that grudge, Rainbow," she said with a very stern look on her face, "Besides, I'm confused about whether ta believe y'all 'er not. Fer a minute there, I thought that I'm maybe right all along, but then again, I thought that I might have ta trust y'all about those three guys y'all're talkin' about. Are they even fake people?"

     "What do you think?" Rainbow asked sarcastically.

     "What'dya think I'm gonna say?" Applejack sarcastically asked back.

     "Come on, girls!" Pinkie said while trying to prevent the two girls from fighting each other, "We need to find out before the polka concert next week!"

     "How're we gonna do it?" asked Applejack.

     Rainbow had a plan idea. "I just got an idea!" she said, "AJ, you keep practicing with those three guys while Pinkie and I keep our sharp eyes and ears out for any evil schemes the three guys might be up to."

     Applejack agreed with her. Later that night, Applejack practiced with the Polka Pack on her sousaphone while Rainbow and Pinkie were outside spying on the three boys who were practicing with her.

     "Pinkie, you keep an eye on AJ to make sure she's okay," whispered Rainbow, "And I'll keep an eye on those three guys."

     "Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie said.

     Rainbow was alarmed and shushed her. "Pinkie, be quiet!" she whispered and then got into her position.

     They both peeked through the windows and began to look out for what could be happening.

     Meanwhile inside of the Canterlot Auditorium, Applejack and the Polka Pack practiced the songs they were going to play for the polka concert. The deep and dark tone of Applejack's sousaphone filled up the whole auditorium as Applejack was playing it. So far, nothing bad happened. About a few hours later, the practice was over for the day.

     "Ya lookin' forward to yer first polka concert, Applejack?" asked Buckwheat.

     "Sure am!" Applejack replied with a smile.

     "Them folks're gonna love yer sousaphone playin'!" Pinecone said.

     Applejack was kind of confused and surprised at the same time when she heard it. "Ya think so?" she asked.

     "Sure!" said Dogwood, "Yer the main attraction in this band 'cuz yer a gal who can play it like a champ!"

     "Aww shucks," said Applejack while she was blushing.

     After the three boys were done talking to her, they went to their homes and got ready for bed. Rainbow and Pinkie asked her to keep a sharp eye and ear out on one of the boys. The three girls spied on each one of the boys through the windows. So far, the boys weren't plotting any evil schemes. When the boys were asleep, the girls stopped spying and went away.

     "I guess you're right, AJ," Rainbow said with a sigh.

     "I probably lied to Dashie and you," Pinkie confessed.

     "Wait what?!?" Rainbow said, shockingly, "What do you mean you lied to us?!?"

     "Perhaps I wasn't thinking straight," said Pinkie, "Sorry, guys..."

     "Well, we all make mistakes," said Applejack, "Besides, that happens sometimes ta a lot of us."

     It was a good thing tomorrow was the weekend. They were very tired from spying so they went to their homes and also got ready for bed.

     In the next few days, they kept spying on the three boys for any unusual things and evil schemes they might be plotting. The girls were safe so far until they saw the boys changing into some creepy looking demon-like shape shifting creatures they hadn't seen before, and plotted an evil scheme just as Rainbow and Pinkie suspected.

     "What in tarnation...?!?" Applejack whispered shockingly, "Rainbow 'n' Pinkie were right all along! Now what is that critter?" The creature she was spying got a rope and a gag. Applejack had a bad feeling that she would be the victim, so she had to prepare herself for fighting against the creature to defend herself. The creature might not know what could be coming. Then there was a lot of banging and crashing going on, and the creature then had nothing else to carry but its bare hands.

     Maybe that wasn't Applejack the creature would be after. Applejack could tell that it was holding one of the real three boys hostage because it might be wanting something from him. The only way to find out what was really going was to risk herself in a serious matter.

Concert Chaos

     On the day of the polka concert on backstage, Applejack stayed as calm as she could until the right moment would come. The three boys were warming up on their own and she went along with it. She heard several people talking to each other while warming up on her sousaphone. When it was about time to perform on the stage at the Canterlot County Fair, she adjusted her sousaphone to a comfortable playing position, getting ready to play.

     "Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer man said over the microphone, "Introducing, the three boy and one girl polka band, 'The Polka Pack'!"

     Applejack and the Polka Pack came up to the stage, and began playing their songs they practiced. Rainbow and Pinkie were there to support Applejack and wish her good luck. Applejack was having a lot of fun playing her sousaphone until the point she saw the three boys' eyes glowing red while performing. That was not a good sign for her instincts. She kept an eye on them while she was still playing. A few hours later when she and the fake boys finished their final song, the crowd cheered and applauded until they saw the fake boys changing into the same exact creatures Applejack, Rainbow and Pinkie saw last time. The crowd screamed and ran away from the stage with extreme fear.

     The three monsters placed down the polka instruments, unplugged their ears and started trying to capture Applejack. Well good thing Applejack managed to get away from them while carrying her sousaphone with her. She hid from them for a moment to place it down at a place where she would know where to find it. Luckily, Big Mac happened to come by to look for her.

     "Big Mac, guard that sousaphone fer me while Rainbow, Pinkie and I deal with them," said Applejack as she went to face the three monsters. Her sousaphone was indeed guarded by her older brother.

     The three monsters were running toward her but they were blasted from a party cannon that belonged to Pinkie.

     "Let's get this polka fight party started!!!" Pinkie shrieked excitingly while loading it with confetti bombs again. One of the three monsters hissed at her nastily. Before she could fire, she was attacked and was thrown away, flew and then landed on the bushes. Luckily she was only covered with leaves and twigs, especially on her crazy curly hair. "I'm okay!" she hollered.

     Rainbow and Applejack were fighting against the three monsters side by side. Somehow they couldn't get the three monsters to take the injuries. Those three monsters were impossible to fight against.

     "Those guys are indestructible!" said Rainbow, "There has to be at least one weakness for us to easily defeat!"

     Then there was some music that was coming from the speakers. The three monsters stopped attacking them and started to cover their ears and shriek.

     "That's it!" exclaimed Applejack, "Music is their weakness!"

     All of the sudden, the speakers were disconnected and the three monsters stopped dancing and started to attack again. The girls were petrified and scared stiff.

      Applejack had an idea or two in mind. "At least I have a backup kind of a music," she said.

     "What's your backup music?" asked Rainbow, "Are you gonna sing or something?"

     "I dunno," said Applejack, "I won't hurt ta try." She cleared her throat and began to sing Raise This Barn, but when she sang, "Grab yer partner here we go!", she forgot that there were three monsters instead of two. She slapped her forehead with her palm and said, "Oh gosh darn it! It requires two people ta grab each other not three!" Then she sighed heavily. "I'll just get my sousaphone." With that, she went away and came back with her sousaphone.

     "AJ!" said Rainbow, "Play some other song you know and hurry! I can't fight against these freaks alone!"

     Applejack knew what other song she had in mind to play, which was Apples to the Core. She started to play the starting melody to get the three monsters' attention. The deep and dark tone of her sousaphone caused them to screech loudly. Towards the end of the song, they turned into one pile of dust.

     The crowd stopped running around and screaming and then were confused. They went over to Applejack and took a glance at the dust pile. When they realized that Applejack defeated the three monsters, they began to cheer greatly and said her name repeatedly with enthusiasm.

     "But what about the real Polka Pack?" asked Pinkie, "They're still at their houses, being held hostage!" Her hair was still covered with leaves and twigs from the bushes she fell into.

     The crowd gasped shockingly when hearing this.

     "Was it something I said?" Pinkie asked again.

     "Never mind, Pinkie!" said Rainbow, "We have to rescue those three guys before they suffer too much!"

     Applejack asked Big Mac to guard her sousaphone again while she, Pinkie and Rainbow ran from the Canterlot County Fair and went to each one of the Polka Pack's houses. They untied Buckwheat, Pinecone and Dogwood one by one, and removed the gags from their mouths. The three girls helped the three boys getting up and they all came back to the Canterlot County Fair. Applejack got her sousaphone back from Big Mac who was guarding it.

     The three boys just then noticed the dust pile.

     "What's with that dust pile?" asked Dogwood.

     "Applejack defeated those three shape shifting monsters just by playing her sousaphone," said Rainbow.

     "She did?" asked Pinecone.

     "Yep yep yep!" said Pinkie, "She sure did!"

     The boys were shocked and couldn't believe what they were hearing.

     "Anyways, they were the ones who kept you hostage," said Rainbow, "They tried to catch AJ for some reason I have no idea what it was, but like I said, she beat those freaks by playing a song she knew." She then turned to Applejack with a smile, "Do you mind playing that song again like you did in front of those shape shifting creeps?"

     "I sure don't mind at all, sugarcube," said Applejack as she did so.

     While Applejack was still playing, she noticed Applebloom coming to her, singing, "No matter what comes we will face the weather, We're Apples to the core!" That was the exact same melody Applejack was playing while her little sister was singing. At the end of the song, she played some extra notes just for fun and smiled at Applebloom.

     "I thought I heard a familiar song, but I knew it," said Applebloom, "Besides, Granny--"

     "Who's this cute lil' gal?" asked Buckwheat.

     "That's my lil' sis Applebloom," said Applejack.

     When the boys also met Big Mac and Granny Smith, they asked Granny if they could stay at their house for a visit after the concert redo. Granny approved their request to do so.    

Saved by Applejack

     The announcer man came up to the stage. "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the chaos that just happened, the concert will not be stopped," he said, "As the saying goes, 'the show must go on'!"

     The crowd cheered as Applejack and the real Polka Pack got on stage. The boys were relieved that their instruments were safe and sound. As they got them, Buckwheat came up to the microphone.

     "The Canterlot County Fair has just been saved by our newest member, which is Miss Applejack," said Buckwheat, "She's that sousaphone player we asked her ta join. In a token of our appreciation fer savin' the fair and rescuin' us from bein' held hostage by them shape shiftin' monstrous critters, we'd like ta let 'er get the spotlight she deserves t'night!"

     The crowd cheered and said Applejack's name repeatedly with enthusiasm while they were jumping up and down happily.

     "Aw shucks," Applejack said while blushing. She started to play the starting melody and went on with the song in a cappella. Her random notes and articulations she played on her sousaphone somehow made the crowd clap their hands to the beat. Applejack was kind of confused but got along with it as she was still playing. The boys then started to play with her. The crowd applauded for the entrance. Applejack's bouncy articulation from her sousaphone excited the crowd. She was getting into a little groove while she was still playing. Towards the end of the song, she simply played her final notes and the crowd went wild. She and the boys bowed down.

     "Thank y'all fer comin' ta hear us play t'night," Buckwheat said over the microphone, "Once again, we wanna thank Applejack fer savin' us and the fair. If it wasn't fer her, we would've been attacked by those three nasty varmints, and the fair would've been destroyed by now." He went to to Applejack and slid a ring of gratitude on her ring finger, which it fitted perfectly. "Our hero," he said as he kissed her on the cheek.

     Applejack was surprised and touched her cheek where kissed on. She became speechless and she was blushing hard. She surely didn't expect that to happen to her, but smiled anyway. "Aw shucks," she said, "I do what I can."

     The crowd cheered and applauded wildly for about 2 minutes. Then they started to leave the stage and enjoy the other attractions of the fair. Applejack and the boys left the stage with their instruments and packed them up.

     "Can she keep that sousaphone?" Applebloom asked Buckwheat, "She might need it ta get our customers' attention when it the cider season comes."

     "Of course she can," said Buckwheat, "She earned it!"

     Applejack overheard what he said about her sousaphone. "Really?" she asked, "I get ta own it?"

     "Absolutely guaranteed!" said Buckwheat, "It's all yers!"

     Applejack thanked him and kissed him on the cheek while blushing again.

     When the fair was closed down, the boys visited the Apple family's house and had some quality time together with the Apples. They got to know each other and talk about some things they had in mind. This was the best night ever.