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Applebuck Season
Season №:	1
Season episode №:	4
Overall episode №:	4
Original airdate:	November 5, 2010
Written by:	Amy Keating Rogers
Storyboard:	Sherann Johnson & Mike West
	See also
	transcript • gallery • allusions; animation errors • statistics • speculation
	Episode guide
Previous; The Ticket Master	Next; Griffon the Brush Off

Applebuck Season is the fourth episode of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, season one. In this episode, with her big brother Big McIntosh hurt, Applejack volunteers to harvest the apple trees in Ponyville all by herself. Hasbro started packaging a DVD of this episode with certain pony toys in January 2012.^[2]

Production and developmentEdit

Originally, the episode involved "applebumping", with Applejack's loss of acuity resulting from using her head to bump apples off trees. The concept was dropped and replaced with "applebucking" (kicking the trunk of apple trees to knock the apples off the trees).^[3] Long before the episode reached the animation process, Applejack attempting to help Rarity was cut, due to time and being repetitious; writer Amy Keating Rogers recalls it having been lost in the second draft.^[4]^[5]

SummaryEdit

The most dependable of poniesEdit

At Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and Big McIntosh contemplate the huge apple harvest awaiting them. Since Big McIntosh has been injured, Applejack vows to harvest all the apples by herself, despite her brother's warning that it is a huge task for just one pony.

When Applejack is bucking the apple trees, she sees a cattle stampede heading towards Ponyville. She diverts the stampede away from Ponyville in the nick of time with the help of her dog, Winona. Impressed by Applejack's loyalty and reliability, the citizens throw a ceremonial party in her honor. At the ceremony, Twilight Sparkle tries to give a speech, but she is interrupted by Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, who express happiness at the prospect of working with Applejack on various tasks in the near future. Exasperated, Twilight gives up on finishing her speech when the mayor steps up to deliver a little speech of her own. Applejack arrives late to the ceremony, carrying two baskets laden with apples on her back. She is visibly exhausted and has bags under her eyes. She goes onstage to receive her trophy, but is distracted by her distorted reflection in the trophy's surface. A concerned Twilight finds Applejack and learns that "Applebuck Season" is when the apples must be harvested. Also, Applejack's large family only stayed for the family reunion (in the first episode) and are elsewhere in Equestria dealing with their own orchards. Twilight offers to help, but Applejack stubbornly refuses.

The catapultEdit

Having promised to help out her friends, an exhausted Applejack ends up hindering them. Rainbow Dash requests Applejack to jump from a high platform onto one end of a catapult, so Dash can be launched into the air to perform aerial tricks. Applejack's vision is blurry from fatigue and she keeps missing her end of the catapult. Annoyed, Dash wonders if Applejack is really Ponyville's best athlete. Applejack succeeds in one last attempt, but the unprepared Pegasus is sent flying onto Twilight's balcony. Twilight guesses that Applejack is involved and returns to Sweet Apple Acres to offer help. Applejack has difficulty hearing after hitting her head on a branch, but still declines.

"Baked bads"Edit

Later, Applejack bakes muffins with Pinkie Pie at Sugarcube Corner while Mr. and Mrs. Cake are away. Her fatigue causes her to misunderstand her friend's instructions, 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. Pinkie Pie hands out the muffins to a crowd of ponies, one of whom is Derpy. She exclaims "Muffins!", making it her first line on the show, although Minuette's and Sea Swirl's mouth movements also match the line.

The scene wipes into a sick-tent where many ponies are lying sick from eating the baked goods, which Pinkie Pie calls "baked bads". Spike, however, gleefully eats the discarded muffins, even one with a live worm wriggling in it.

AJ is once more offered help from Twilight, and once more she refuses. Twilight tries to reason with her and says, "Not to upset your apple cart, but you need help." Twilight is annoyed at Applejack for being "as stubborn as a mule", and says "No offense." to a nearby mule.

Bunny censusEdit

Applejack heads off to her final task. She meets Fluttershy in the forest to help round up baby rabbits for Fluttershy's bunny census. Fluttershy specifically tells Applejack not to scare them. However, Applejack's rough attitude and Winona's barking frighten the timid bunnies. Applejack and Winona corner the terrified bunnies, who freak out and stampede into Ponyville, where they eat most of the town's plants, ruin gardens and make Fluttershy's task even harder to finish. Twilight sees this and decides to confront Applejack once and for all.

Applejack finally accepts helpEdit

At the orchard, Twilight tells Applejack that her stubbornness caused as many problems with her friends as with her, and that she really needs help. Applejack thinks she's finally finished, but Big McIntosh suddenly arrives to point out that she only gathered half of the harvest. After fainting from shock and exhaustion, she wakes up to hear Twilight appreciate how reliable she normally is, but that she should set her pride aside. Applejack finally gives in and begs for her friends' help. Twilight's magical abilities and her friends' hard work make the harvesting go much quicker, and Applejack serves them apple juice when they take a break. Applejack thanks them for their help, and apologizes for causing so much trouble. Twilight realizes that it is just as okay to accept help from friends as it is to give help. Spike comes by to offer the worm-filled muffins he found in the garbage, which the ponies refuse to even touch, and the friends walk away in disgust.

QuotesEdit

For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.

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 muddle the issue!

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

Twilight Sparkle: Now, if I can just make a point without being inter--

Fluttershy: Twilight?

Twilight Sparkle: ...--rupted!

Twilight Sparkle: Anyone else? Anyone? No? Well then, as I was trying to say... UGH! Never mind!

Rainbow Dash: Applejack, what the 'hay' is going on? I mean, I thought I was working with "Ponyville's best athlete".

Applejack: Heh heh... Here I go!

Rainbow Dash: Wait, Applejaaaaack!

Applejack: You're welcome!

Twilight Sparkle: Oh no! What happened?

Nurse Redheart: It was a mishap with some of the baked goods.

Pinkie Pie : No... not baked goods. baked... bads...

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. No offense...

Mule: None taken.

Rose: The horror, the horror.

Lily: It was awful.

Daisy: A disaster. A horrible, horrible disaster.

Twilight Sparkle: All right, Applejack. Your apple-bucking hasn't just caused you problems. It's over-propelled Pegasus, practically poisoned plenty of ponies, and terrorized bushels of brand-new bouncing baby bunnies. I don't care what you say, you need help!

Applejack: I harvested the entire Sweet Apple Acres without your help. How do you like them apples?

Big McIntosh: Um... How do you like them apples?

GalleryEdit

Applebuck Season image gallery

ReferencesEdit

↑ Raven Molisee's deviantART journal (2012-02-23). Retrieved on 2012 February 23.
↑ http://www.hasbro.com/mylittlepony/en_US/shop/details.cfm?R=C974689F-5056-900B-10C7-E53E9D8B8FE5:en_US
↑ Jayson Thiessen answering various questions at BroNYcon (2011-09-24). Retrieved on 2011 September 25.
↑ Twitter / KeatingRogers: #bronies, did you know that ... (2013-01-13). Retrieved on 2013 January 15.
↑ Twitter / KeatingRogers: @_xalius It was cut WAY before ... (2013-01-13). Retrieved on 2013 January 15.

v • e My Little Pony Friendship is Magic — episodes

Season one

Episode 1 Friendship is Magic, part 1	Episode 2 Friendship is Magic, part 2	Episode 3 The Ticket Master	Episode 4 Applebuck Season


Episode 5 Griffon the Brush Off	Episode 6 Boast Busters	Episode 7 Dragonshy	Episode 8 Look Before You Sleep


Episode 9 Bridle Gossip	Episode 10 Swarm of the Century	Episode 11 Winter Wrap Up	Episode 12 Call of the Cutie


Episode 13 Fall Weather Friends	Episode 14 Suited For Success	Episode 15 Feeling Pinkie Keen	Episode 16 Sonic Rainboom


Episode 17 Stare Master	Episode 18 The Show Stoppers	Episode 19 A Dog and Pony Show	Episode 20 Green Isn't Your Color


Episode 21 Over a Barrel	Episode 22 A Bird in the Hoof	Episode 23 The Cutie Mark Chronicles	Episode 24 Owl's Well That Ends Well


	Episode 25 Party of One	Episode 26 The Best Night Ever

Season two

Episode 1 The Return of Harmony Part 1	Episode 2 The Return of Harmony Part 2	Episode 3 Lesson Zero	Episode 4 Luna Eclipsed


Episode 5 Sisterhooves Social	Episode 6 The Cutie Pox	Episode 7 May the Best Pet Win!	Episode 8 The Mysterious Mare Do Well


Episode 9 Sweet and Elite	Episode 10 Secret of My Excess	Episode 11 Hearth's Warming Eve	Episode 12 Family Appreciation Day


Episode 13 Baby Cakes	Episode 14 The Last Roundup	Episode 15 The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000	Episode 16 Read It and Weep


Episode 17 Hearts and Hooves Day	Episode 18 A Friend in Deed	Episode 19 Putting Your Hoof Down	Episode 20 It's About Time


Episode 21 Dragon Quest	Episode 22 Hurricane Fluttershy	Episode 23 Ponyville Confidential	Episode 24 MMMystery on the Friendship Express


	Episode 25 A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1	Episode 26 A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2

Season three

Episode 1 The Crystal Empire - Part 1	Episode 2 The Crystal Empire - Part 2	Episode 3 Too Many Pinkie Pies	Episode 4 One Bad Apple


Episode 5 Magic Duel	Episode 6 Sleepless in Ponyville	Episode 7 Wonderbolts Academy	Episode 8 Apple Family Reunion


Episode 9 Spike at Your Service	Episode 10 Keep Calm and Flutter On	Episode 11 Just for Sidekicks	Episode 12 Games Ponies Play


Episode 13 Magical Mystery Cure