Chapter 7: Learning to Applebuck

Dusk wakes up on Fluttershy’s couch. After an uncomfortable night sleep, he notices that it is still quite dark outside. He looks out the window, and sees that Luna’s moon is lowering, in the night sky, still illuminating the darkness with its cooling light.  To get up at this time, would be torture to most ponies. If anyone woke up at this time, they would try to go back to sleep again.

“Early morning, every morning.” Dusk says to himself. He tends to always wake up before everypony, out of habit, and he loves it. He decides to leave the house early, so he could go to Sweet Apple Acres for various reasons.

Knowing that Fluttershy would probably be asleep, he finds a blank scroll and a pencil to write a note to her.

Dear Fluttershy,

I have gone to Sweet Apple Acres so I can do a few favors that I promised a friend. I’ll might be back here at about 2-4 PM.

Dusk.

After he finishes the note, he starts quietly walking up the staircase. He enters Fluttershy’s room and silently steps over to her bedside table. He notices that Angel is sleeping in a nearby bed, and is thankful that he hasn’t raised an alarm and woken up Fluttershy. He puts the note on the table, and starts blushing as he sees Fluttershy.

She is lying on the left side of her body, holding her blanket despite still being asleep. Her breathing is slow and quiet and she has the look of serenity.

‘She looks adorable when she sleeps as well. How can she make anything she does,cute and adorable?!’

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As Dusk leaves Fluttershy’s to go to the apple farm, he remembers the first part of Zephyr’s plan.

(Yesterday)

“I’m listening...” said Dusk

“Well, I have a bit of a crush on Rainbow Dash.” Sheepishly replied Zephyr.

“Really? What does that have to do with me and my job?” asked Dusk.

“I’ll get to that, but I’ll need you to help me first.”

“*sigh* Does it somehow involve you and Rainbow?”

“Yeah. I have worked with her for about half a year now, but I haven’t really learnt about her personality, besides being lazy, loyal and prideful. So what I need for you to try and figure out what she likes.”

“What about her ego being stroked?” questioned Dusk.

“Everypony knows she likes that, and I tried it anyway, failed.”

“If I do this, what will you do then?”

“I’ll tell Rainbow why you should be in the weather team, and try to recruit you.” Zephyr raised his hoof. “Deal?”

“Deal.” Dusk hoofshaked Zeph.

(Present Time)

When Dusk finishes thinking about his plan with Zeph, he had arrived at the farm. Thankfully for him, the farm was a short walk for Shy’s house. Because he woke up so early, he could only see a large, red stallion who had already started bucking apples from trees. Dusk walks up to him.

“Excuse me, but do you know where Applejack is?”

“Eeyup, why do you need her?” He responds in a deep voice.

“I need her so I can ask about getting a temporary job here.”

The red earth pony was taller and much bigger than Dusk. He is much stronger than Dusk, because of his farming life. He has a rough, orange mane and a green half-apple cutie mark. He wears what looks like a harness, of some sort, around his neck.

“I’ll wake Applejack in thirty minutes.” says the unknown stallion.

“My name is Dusk.” He raises his hoof for a hoofshake.

“Name’s Big Mac.” He give Dusk a hearty, but painless hoofshake.

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Dusk and Big Mac were both talking while waiting for the sun to rise, which is when Big Mac wakes up Applejack and Applebloom, who is Big Mac’s and Applejack’s younger sister. Dusk had already told Mac about why he was in Ponyville, his failed attempt at becoming a weather pony, and that he was living at Fluttershy’s.

“I’ve almost never seen anyone wake up before me. Do you wake up this early every morning?”

“Eeyup.”

“I envy you, I wish that I could wake up early every morning. That would of let me keep my job at the Manhatten Postal Services.”

‘And let me continue a sad and boring life as well.’

“Eeyup.”

“You like working at the farm?”

“Eeyup, always have, always will.”

Just as Big Mac finished his sentence, Celestia’s sun poked out of the horizon.

“I think that I’ll wake the girls now, and I think that you should come in the farm as well.” Says Big Mac.

“OK, lead the way.”

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Big Mac had woken up both Applejack and Applebloom, while Dusk was waiting nearby. He noticed that the house was very rustic in design. The house itself was made out of wood, with wooden walls, wooden floorboards etc. His thought were interrupted by Applejack, when she started to talk to him.

“Hey Dusk.”

“Hi Applejack.”

“Mah brother told me that you wanted tah have a temporary job at the Sweet Apple Acres.” States Applejack.

“Yeah, pretty much.” Confirms Dusk.

“Well then, welcome aboard Dusk.”

“Wait... you just let me have a job, just like that?” questions Dusk.

“Sort of, ah’ heard what had happened tah you from Fluttershy, and then ah’ met you in hospital. Ah’ trust you enough to have a job here.”

“Wow, thanks Applejack.”

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Dusk was working as an applebucker with Applejack. She was trying to show him how to properly buck an apple tree.

“So when you buck, try to aim for the centre of the tree, and also try to get the impact as high as your comfortable with.” She shows him an example by effortlessly bucking all of the apples off the tree with strength and finesse. “Then, you just pick up the apples and place them all into the baskets.” Explains Applejack.

“Seems simple enough, I think I’ll have a try.” Dusk walks up to a nearby apple tree and bucks it with some finesse, but low strength. One apple drops, as if taunting him to do a better job.

“Don’t worry about it sugarcube, one of the other workers had trouble with it as well, but he got a lot better. His name is Caramel Apple.” Reassures Applejack. “Also, about your pay, I’ll give you 5 bits for every two trees you buck.”

“Sounds reasonable enough”

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About ten minutes later, and Dusk was still stuck on his first tree, whereas Applejack had already finished five trees. Everytime he bucks the tree, only one apple falls out of the tree. Constantly disappointing him. Dusk was getting the technique better and better, but he had no strength in his kicks.

He notices that the tree is mostly finished, so instead of trying to buck all of the apples at once, he unleases a constant barrage of smaller bucks, which slowly drop more and more apples. After 30 seconds of doing this, all of the apples dropped from the tress. He points his hoof at the tree.

“HAH, suck it up you stupid tree, I just bucked you up.”

Applejack was watching Dusk from a distance, smirking at him for his little outburst on the tree.

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Dusk, using his new technique, had successfully bucked seven trees in 30 minutes, but there was a problem with this technique, it tires him out too quickly. He started talking to Applejack who was nearby, bucking her 18th tree.

“Applejack, I’m curious about something, are you and Rainbow rivals or something, because Shy told me that you two were really competitive.”

“Pretty much Dusk, has she told you about the Running of the Leaves incident?”

“No, what happened?”

“I challenged Rainbow ta ah race in the annual Running of the Leaves, and wha’ happened, is that we started ta fight unfairly and tried ta sabotage the other runner. At the end, because of this, we forgot about the other racers and came shared last.”

“Ouch, that would of hit hard.”

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Dusk was trying to buck his 8th tree, but was starting to run out of energy. His bucks were slower, his aim was off and less apples would fall with each kick. He could see that Applejack was still doing fine with her side of the trees. She had finished her 27th tree, and was hardly breaking a sweat. Dusk uses his last bits of energy on the tree, until all the apples finally drop. He picks up any dropped apples and put them in the baskets.

He walked up to Applejack, “Do you mind if I could have a small rest, I think I’ve burnt myself out.”

“But its only been an hour and ah bit.” She comments.

“It is a lot harder for me, considering any hard working job I’ve done, usually involves my wings.” He looks at his left wing with a disappointed expression.

“That’s ah good point Dusk, why don’t you just sit under ah tree and have ah few apples?” She hands him two apples.

“Thanks for that.”

He sits on his haunches, gingerly eating the apples. He also watches her as she continues applebucking, trying to further increase his technique.

‘By the look of how she bucks, I could improve on a couple of thinks. I could probably stand further back, so I can let my body fully stretch and deliver the most force to the tree. This would improve efficiency, letting me get more apples with less energy usage. I could also slightly push myself with my forelegs, while I buck, to slightly increase the power applied.’

After the 15 minute break, he decides to try out the new technique.

He approaches a trees, and stands a bit further back than usual. He kicks, and completely misses everything, falling into a slump. He could here Applejack laughing in the distance.

“I’M TRYING TO IMPROVE MY TECHNIQUE!” He yelled at Applejack. She shrugs, and starts watching Dusk.

He edges a bit closer, and bucks, barely touching the tree. ‘Still to far out.’

A bit closer, good hit, but not good enough. One apple fell.

Even closer, *kick*... Perfect hit, about ten apples fell from the tree. Dusk felt proud of himself, he may not have the strength to applebuck but he had the technique to. He heard Applejack cheering from a distance. After three more bucks from Dusk, all of the apples dropped from the tree. He places them into the basket and is now determined to buck as many trees as physically possible.

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“Lunch break Dusk!” yells Applejack signalling him to follow her.

“Thank Celestia, I’m even more tired than before.” Complains Dusk.

“But you were determined to do your work, you were so confident.” She states.

“Yeah, but two and a half hours of constant bucking, can really exhaust an inexperienced worker, even if I am determined.”

“Even so, you did a great job on the farm, you completely bucked 24 trees, which brings your bit count up to 60 bits.”

Dusk didn’t realize how many trees he cleared. His eyes were wide open, “W-Whoa, I’ve n-never earned that many b-bits in my life.”

“Well you deserve it.” Complements Applejack.

They arrive at the farm house, and start to talk to each other. Dusk is the first of the two to start a conversation.

“So, I have a friend, who has a massive crush on Rainbow, and I;m trying to help him get-”

“Ah’d stop right there sugarcube.” She interrupts.

“What... Why?” implores Dusk.

“Rainbow is already in ah relationship with Pinkie Pie.” answers Applejack.

“Really?”

‘At least that it makes makes my part of Zeph’s plan a whole lot easier. He is going to hate this news’ Next Chapter: Chapter 8: Pinkamena's Party Estimated time remaining: 7 Hours, 51 Minutes