The reception had moved surprisingly fast for Applejack, given her distaste for such events. As “frou-frou” as events like this got, having Pinkie be the party planner did wonders, as did seeing all her friends having such a good time.
She was hoping to have some time with Twilight to begin rebuilding their damaged friendship, but as soon as she got off the microphone the unicorn went to talk with her brother and sister-in-law, as well as her parents. She couldn’t join them, Twilight had every right to be with her relatives after today.
So she spent the early parts of the evening taking her shift at the buffet table. With every pony that came for a slice of apple pie, or a mug of fermented cider, she’d make sure to add “Courtesy of Sweet Apple Acres, located in little old Ponyville.” Unlike the Gala, this seemed to be drumming up business. Especially since those partaking in the feast included a high-ranking Wonderbolt and Fancypants himself.
Yes, big business coming in. There were plenty of new customers for the farm, less scrimping and saving this year. She wouldn’t have to entirely rely on the profits from the cider and the Zap Apple Jam for the lean months. There were plenty of reasons to smile, to be happy.
Just don’t think about it.
It was three songs after Vinyl had kicked Octavia off the stage that Cadence had come up to her personally. “Twilight tells me you’re good on the fiddle. How about playing a little for us?”
The earth pony was stunned. “Well shucks, your highness, I play pretty good. But I don’t know any songs that would be appropriate for a royal wedding.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. I hate the usual royal junk. Besides, Twilight’s my sister now, and she told me she’s an Honorary Apple Family Member. I want to learn more about her other family.”
It took all of Applejack’s willpower not to show the pain in her heart. She remembered Twilight complaining that the false Cadence didn’t recognize her, that she didn’t remember all the good times they had had together. She and the others had brushed it off as nostalgia she was trying too hard to relive.
But during the preparations with the real thing, she saw the two of them laughing, giggling like schoolfillies half their ages, remembering amusing incidents from their youth, but giving only bits and pieces of it in their excited babbling so no outsider could tell what they meant. Every laugh sent a knife through Applejack’s heart, reminding her of the warning she had ignored.
Just don’t think about it.
So she brought out her fiddle. Vinyl wasn’t happy having to give up the stage again, but eventually the unicorn begrudgingly did so, muttering something about wanting a drink anyway. And Applejack got her chance to play.
Contrary to what some of the more elitist unicorns thought, earth ponies and pegasi could, indeed, learn to play several intricate instruments without the aid of magic. It was difficult, but not impossible, Octavia’s success as a musician was a testament to that. And that night, Applejack proved it true once more.
The few Apple Family members lucky enough to merit invitations to the event danced along with her. Many of the elite turned up their noses until the bride and groom started dancing, at which point they all fell in line.
She focused on her music, on the ponies dancing. The snobs all following the music of some backwater country hick. The entire party was dancing and having a good time. Twilight was smiling and laughing, happy to be free from the day’s heartbreaking and stressful events. Everything was fine.
Just don’t think about it.
Five songs later, a new interruption came up, which started with Vinyl throwing an apple tart at Octavia. Forgetting her high class training, the grey mare responded by lobbing one right back. Unfortunately, her target ducked, causing the pastry to hit Prince Blueblood instead.
What followed was a large assortment of ponies temporarily regressing to schoolyard behavior and tossing food at whomever they happened to be carrying a grudge at. The Royal Guards quickly stepped in, though not Luna, who was off to the side with Pinkie, musing on the fact that her sister couldn’t be here to see this. The two musical mares were seen running off, two guards chasing after them.
Once her laughter had subsided, Twilight came over to relieve Applejack of her duties.
“Aw shucks, Twi, you don’t hafta help me none. I’d be happy to keep playing until the guards find those two hotheads.”
“I insist. Besides, your family’s in charge of food, so I think you better go check on the supply that’s missing now.”
Applejack suddenly realized that point. A detail she had missed that Twilight’s keen mind had caught. She stepped in and helped her, no questions asked.
Just don’t think about it.
She bowed to Twilight’s logic and walked to the buffet table, leaving the unicorn in charge of the microphone once more. The table was still standing upright, thank goodness, and Apple Fritter was looking over the damage.
“We got lucky, cuz,” she said, her accent even thicker than Applejack’s. “Them crazy varmints only got through a single plate of th’ tarts. Ah reckon we still have enough that ya’ll be eating the leftovers for a week.”
“Well that’s a relief,” the orange earth pony muttered. “With the hit we took in our orchards thanks to Flim n’ Flam, we could use some extra eats.”
“Speakin’ o’ which, y’all be happy to know them varmints actually tried to pitch their machine in Appaloosa. Braeburn weren’t too happy once he realized who they were. Ran them right outta town...and right inna Chief Thunderhooves’ camp, and them buffalo weren’t too happy to find their friends were bullied either.”
“Whoo doggy, I’ll bet those two snakes ain’t gonna be recovering from that any time soon.”
“You bet. The sheriff actually had to rescue ‘em, though their fancy gadget got trashed. Had to put ‘em on a train to Canterlot, ‘cause that’s th’ only place they could get medical care without half th’ town trying to trample ‘em.”
Applejack blinked. “You mean there here n’ Canterlot?” she asked.
“Nah, not any more. Them varmints heard you’re friends with Celestia, so they skipped town as soon as they’s good enough to walk. Last I heard, they’s headin’ towards Fillydelphia. Celestia weren’t too happy to find she missed ‘em. Wanted to give ‘em a good talkin’ to about their actions. Had her madder than a rattlesnake in a sleeping bag.”
“Yeah, they weren’t the only ones she got sore at,” Applejack sighed. “When th’ Princess found out about th’ whole fiasco, she actually flew down to Ponyville. Was real steamed Granny bet th’ farm she had given her. She gave us all a long lecture about not lettin’ ponies use your pride to goad you into doin’ things. Even made me rewrite the letter I sent her.”
“Ooh,” Fritter winced. “Not fun havin’ th’ Princess mad at ya, Ah suppose.”
“It ain’t. But all she usually does is give a lecture, and she stops bein’ mad quick. Really, Twi usually overreacts when she thinks Celestia’s gonna be mad at her.”
But Celestia’s approval means the world to Twilight. Just look at what her cold reaction did to her.
What you did to her.
Just don’t think about it.
“Ahh, Twi. She’s a good filly, ain’t she? Why, Ah remember when you sent that telegram sayin’ you wasn’t comin’ back to Ponyville after th’ rodeo. First thang she did was round up all of your friends n’ hopped th’ first train there lookin’ for ya.”
A knife went through Applejack’s heart. “Just like that, huh?”
“Darn tootin. Real dependable like. Ah can see why ya’ll made her an honorary Apple. She’s like family.”
Another knife. “Yeah. Like a sister to me. To all of us.”
“Well, you couldn’ta picked a better one. Bit too much a’ egghead fer my tastes, but Ah reckon those brains a hers come in might handy.”
A third knife. “Yeah, she’s th’ one who figured out the loophole that let them compete in Flim n’ Flam’s contest, then she got them all organized to the point where we were beatin’ that fancy contraption of their’s.”
“Can’t complain with those results,” Fritter nodded. “She seems right friendly, too.”
“No doubt. Why, when Princess Luna visited Ponyville for th’ first time since gettin’ free of Nightmare Moon, she was th’ first to go up to her ‘an...”
She trailed off as realization hit her. She had been the first one to look past Luna’s past as Nightmare Moon and treat her kindly, and this was after their last encounter had largely been spent with the Alicorn trying to kill her. And then memories of her seeing Zecora for the first time came to her as well. How she had seen past her strange outer appearance, only thinking Zecora was evil when all the evidence pointed to her.
She was always so friendly towards others until she had reason to be confrontational. Her hostility to Cadence was unusual.
That should have been your first sign something was wrong, you dumb hick.
A fourth knife.
“AJ? You alright?”
It was at that point that Applejack realized she had stopped speaking. Apple Fritter looked at her with suspicion. “I’m fine, Frits.”
“Don’t lie ta me, AJ. You’re awful quiet for such a big celebration.”
“I ain’t lying,” she snapped defensively. “It’s just been a long day, is all. I’d like to see you be all full o’ energy after you fight off a horde of changelings.”
Apple Fritter raised her eyebrow suspiciously. “Ain’t you ‘posta be th’ Element a’ Honesty?”
Applejack opened her mouth to protest, and then sadly sighed. “I reckon I am,” she grumbled. “But th’ truth ain’t exactly easy to face right now.”
“It weren’t easy ta face when you was hidin’ at Dodge Junction, but when ya finally did fess up, things got better.”
The orange earth pony couldn’t help but chuckle. “I guess you’re right. You’d figure I’d learn mah lesson the first time. Well, I’m willin’ to bet the others are all gonna pour their hearts out to anypony who’d listen, so I guess it’s my turn.”
So, once again, a bearer of the Elements of Harmony found herself telling the day’s events to an outside observer. Fritter nodded in understanding throughout, not interrupting until the story was finished.
“So how’d that bug fool you? Don’t th’ Element a’ Honesty give ya some sorta freaky truth seeing powers?”
“It don’t work like that,” Applejack muttered, rolling her eyes. It was clear to Fritter that this wasn’t the first time she had explained this to another. “Princess Celestia told us that we just make the Elements work. The powers in them fancy necklaces, we just have the right traits to use them.”
“Well alright, so what’s th’ problem? She ain’t holdin’ no grudge ‘ginst you.”
“But I’m holdin’ one against myself,” she said sadly. “We all are. No matter how much it mighta made sense for us to think Twilight was just bein’ possessive of her brother, each and ev’ry one ah us felt like mud when we found out th’ truth. And then we felt even worse when she forgave us so durn easily. It might make no sense for us to keep bein’ down on ourselves, but there ya go.”
Fritter kicked the ground a bit in nervousness, wondering what the best way to put this. “Well, Ah mean...it sounds like she was actin’ like a brat, but...Ah mean, what were you thinkin’ of when you stopped talkin’ like that?”
“Well, when Princess Luna showed up in Ponyville on Nightmare Night, we were all jumpin’ like jackrabbits ‘cause we were so scared-a her. I guess her entrance and attitude just shook us up a bit, and we forgot how she was after she stopped bein’ Nightmare Moon. Then I was thinkin’ on somepony else in Ponyville named Zecora. We were all afraid of her ‘cause she looked weird and creepy. Twilight set us strait on both of them, she never judged them for a second. Well, okay, she did think Zecora was evil for a while, but there was extenuating circumstances there. I just...I shoulda known better than to think Twilight would accuse somepony like that without good reason.”
Her cousin nodded. “So you thought-a somin’ else that you shoulda believed Twi for?”
“I keep thinkin’ of ‘em,” she said sadly. “I keep goin’ back and forth on this. Half th’ time I convince myself Twilight’s right, she sounded half-crazed and we were right to think she was just bein’ jealous. But every time I do, I remember what a great pal she’s been, and all the reasons we should have at least looked into what she was sayin’. I can’t make up my mind on who was wrong.”
“Ain’t it obvious?” Fritter said with a stern expression.
Applejack blinked. “What?” she asked, sure she wasn’t going to like the answer.
“You both were.”
It took the apple farmer a few moments to process the information. Before she could speak, Fritter continued. “Y’all both made mistakes today. Nopony blames you for ‘em, but y’all did. Nopony blames Twilight for flippin’ out when she saw her brother bein’ brainwashed. Nopony blames the rest of ya for thinkin’ she was just makin’ a foal of herself givin’ how she went about things. But they were still mistakes. Y’all messed up.”
“Well, yeah,” Applejack said simply. “I knew that. But which one ‘a us was more wrong?”
“It don’t matter,” she said simply. “Yer tryin’ to makes things simpler by pickin’ one side to be mad at, but that ain’t nuttin’ to fret about. What ya should be focusin’ on is what ya learned from all this. That’s the only thing that’s gonna make all that guilt an’ anger you're feelin’ go away.”
Once again, Fritter let her cousin process what she had just said. Finally, the orange earth pony smiled. “Well shoot, you always were th’ wise one in the family.”
“Darn tootin’,” Fritter nodded proudly. “Ya feel better?”
“A little. Ya got any other advice for me?”
“Yeah, talk to Twilight again in the mornin’ an’ make sure she doesn’t go taking th’ full blame fer this on ‘erself. She needs ta understand y’all’re at fault too, or else she’s gonna beat herself up over it.”
“Good call, cousin. I promise, we’ll all talk to Twilight again on the way home tomorrow. Or maybe even tonight, if I can get her after the bride and groom leave. Believe me, I’ve been wantin’ this whole shindig to be over with so I can talk to Twi again.”
Fritter nodded understandingly. “That sounds like the best thing fer ya. Just bein’ around yer friend’ll make things better, Ah promise.”
She grinned, looking over at where Twilight was singing onstage. To the casual observer she seemed to be a perfectly happy pony. Applejack couldn’t help but wonder what was going through her friend’s mind. Was she truly happy, completely relieved over the fact that her friends, family, and mentor were no longer angry with her? Was she harboring guilt over her outburst at the rehearsal, still convinced that the near destruction of Canterlot had been her fault? Was some part of her still harboring some anger at her friends for dismissing her, regardless of what she had told them?
She had to know, she had to talk to her. But she couldn’t now.
She sighed. The Gala, and now this. Why did all these frou-frou parties have to be so horrible?
Okay, only just started on this, but this jumps out at me: consider rewording that second paragraph, with more names (or, if that gets too repetitive, descriptive terms like "the earth pony") and fewer pronouns. The way it's written, half the time, I can't tell who "she" refers to, particularly as it seems to switch mid-sentence at least once. This is a general problem with passages describing someone thinking about a person of the same gender, and it frustrates me as well when I try my hand at writing.
The one thing I don't like is how the Flimflam Brothers were sentenced to prison for scamming and fraud. They never ever did, they just pioneered a new method of industrialised production. They're not evil, just pragmatic, slippery businessmen. Just seems like Celestia's abusing her power to punish ponies her friends don't like.
Decent chapter, the writing looks pretty good.
637740
Good advice, thanks.
637741
Given their personalities, I wouldn't put it past them that they did some double-dealing offscreen, but I could have made that clearer, yes. Besides, breaking up the elements would mean trouble the next time someone like Nightmare Moon or Discord came along, so I think Celestia would have some incintive to be hard on them. I'll probably re-edit the chapter later to account for your criticisms, because I think they are valid.
The accent felt natural. Personally, I never really like seeing "ah", because I'll read it in her accent anyway, but that's nitpicky.
More importantly, I'm thoroughly enjoying this story
637741
The FlimFlam brothers quoted an unreasonable price for the use of their machine, baited and goaded the Apple family into a 'all-or-nothing' competition (they could have just prove that their machine is worth the price, instead of asking for the whole farm) and from their plans, have no intention of taking care of the farm once all the apples have been harvested. The brothers are not pragmatic. They're just plain unscrupulous.
Edit to head off potential comment section derailment: Nevertheless, we're here for the fic, not to debate about the brothers. If you disagree with me about the brothers, Okay. I'll agree that we disagree about them. And we'll leave it at that. I'd rather just enjoy the story.
637931
Well, it's going to be awhile. This fic is going to be about ten chapters, then I'm continuing it in a sequel, which will expand on Soarin and Scootaloo. As for what's going on...stay tuned!
637741
I got to agree, they never did anything illegal--even on a technical level. Obnoxious, smarmy and skeezy, yes, illegal? Not under any laws that I can think of.
637741, 637961
Okay, I edited in a line or two to better justify the Princess arresting them. Really, I did forget they technically did nothing illegal during the episode.
Still, with names like Flim and Flam, it's really not that much of a steach that they participated in some Offscreen Villainry.
I was looking forward to this chapter, as AJ was in full-on "main support" mode for these episodes, repeatedly being the one to approach Twilight, ultimately leading the others to walk out on her, and then being the only one to offer any kind of in-episode apology to her.
When the chips are down in adventure episodes, AJ and Twilight look out for each other... AJ often saving Twilight from physical dangers, Twilight choosing to first go to Applejack when she was winning her friends back from Discord, the two of them fighting back-to-back (though Twi was a changeling) and Twilight rescuing AJ from the dog pile of her doppelgängers. When one of them is in trouble, the other is usually the first that they turn to. If Twilight is the leader of the Mane Six, then Applejack is her second-in-command... So loosing her support had to hurt.
You have me looking forward to the morning after conversation as much as the characters are.
I think AJ's accent was fine. Personally, I write it much more heavily, but that's more about how I've always pictured it. Just watch your consistency--if Fritter is going to use "fer" instead of "for," make sure you write it that way each time unless there's an obvious reason to do otherwise, like if she's putting on a fake accent or certain words have different sounds depending on the words surrounding them (like "a" versus "an").
638210 While it's technically true that any relationship can be called "shipping", the term is usually used more narrowly among fanfic writers and readers, and would very likely lead to confusion if used according to the wider definition. "Shipping" implies a romantic relationship; anything else is usually qualified, as seen in the EqD term "friendshipping".
638099
Well, I hope the chapter lived up to your expectations. And yeah, AJ really is close to Twilight. That's why I had her do most of the talking in chapter one. The morning after will be chapter ten, following Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Spike, and Shining Armour.
638143
Thanks for the advice...I'll go over her accent this weekend.
638162
If Soarin actually did that to Rainbow Dash now, when she's deep in guilt like she is, I would call his worth into question. Even if she was consenting, in her state I think Soarin would decline.
638210
As long as people know I'm not shipping them romantically, they can call it whatever they want. And if you call it that, then yes, I am a mother/daughter reslationship Twilestia shipper.
Well, you have a fascinating concept here. Like I mean, a really good idea. Regrettably, you have grammar and tense issues... I doubt I'm the first to say it, but I'm just stating my opinion. I'll be tracking this.
Let me just say these are awesome, I cannot wait for me (even if none of my ships are getting any support) but this isn't really a shipfic so I could never use such a petty reason to hate such a great story, also will Shining Armor and Cadence get chapters cause that would be SOOOOO BOSS!
Also WOOT fellow southern Brony/Pegasisters /)
638099
That's exactly the way I've always seen it, Twilight may be the leader but Applejack is her LT., the one that always has her back and their relationship is really one of the strongest within the Mane 6, glad to see I'm not the only one who noticed that
638571
Shining Armour is currently scheduled for Chapter 9. Cadance...I don't know, I really have no ideas. She didn't turn her back on Twilight, so she really has no reason to angst. She has her happy ending, case closed.
And yeah, not much shipping...maybe another fic.
638700
Cool looking forward to it and after I read the Applejack chapter I was stoked to see another fan from the South
Great Job with the Royal Graden-wide Food fight made by Vynil and Octavia, but there's one mistake there: OCTAVIA IS GRAY NOT BROWN!, you reffered to here on that color so you better correct this
"Even made me rewrite the letter I sent her." Hah!
This is an excellent story, and I am very much looking forward to more.
I would be surprised if there isn't one with Shining Armor.
"Please sir, may I have some more?"
img.ponibooru.org/_images/fe90b696f325ac4fdedc98c247004fdd/137617%20-%20animated%20artist%3Adeathpwny%20derpy_hooves%20fluttershy%20fourth_wall%20pinkie_pie%20puppy_dog_eyes%20twilight_sparkle.gif
Best part of this whole chapter "she even made me rewrite the letter" that's what you get for trolling the princess A.J.
I just wanna weigh in with I hate doing her accent when I write so much. I try to do it justice but I suspect she comes off without more often then not. Least everyone knows how she sounds and can do it their headsdl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/shrug_Luna_apple.png
Loving this story!!! I can't wait for more
And I thought you did perfect with the accent. I hate (well not hate, but not a fan) when people use ah, instead of I for applejack. I'm reading it in her voice, I'm going to make that sound anyway lol.
Great story you've got here! As for this chapter, my only, admitedly minor, problems are that the accent seems a little forced in some parts, and the Flim Flam Brothers being thrown in jail - even a crappy defense attorney could get their sentance down to parole and community service judging from what we've seen of them. Again, these are minor things, and everything else is looking great so far!
You described Octavia as brown, she is light gray.
Applejack's accent seemed slightly weak to me, but to be fair I'm used to authors laying it on thickly.
You deserve a thumbs up!
Nailing Applejack's ponality like this is a surefire sign that you're an author worth tracking
639076
Moral of that story: never troll someone who's better at it than you are.
One major problem with the Flim Flam brothers I have is people keep getting one very important detail wrong; the apple family didn't bet the farm, they bet the cider selling rights for ponyvile. And even then they still control the raw goods needed to make cider, which means that Flim and Flam need to buy from them. Honestly, losing that bet wouldn't have been as big a deal as they seem to think it would have been
638728, 639309
Fixed it, yeah. That was a hiccup in my thought process, sorry.
638974
Yes, you may...next week. It'll be Fluttershy's turn.
639078
Honestly, I never even here the "ah" when I watch the show. It sounds normal to me...but then again, Texas native talking here. I probably do it and don't even realize it.
639124
Considering how many upvotes I had before I got my fitst downvote, I'm good...Really, I wasn't expecting such positive feedback. And remember, Shining was brainwashed, so he gets a bit of a free pass.
639268
Yeah, I hated writing the accent, thanks for the criticism. And like I've said, they were messing with the Elements of Harmony, which would be a matter of national security. Celestia would probably be tough on them.
639377
Another mistake, fixed. Yeah, remembering Rarity's speech patterns was a bit of a challenge.
642329
HAHA! Well you might do it and not realize it, or maybe you don't do it at all. I've met several people from Texas, and half of them have an accent, and half of them didn't. Texas is large enough to have a few different accents lol.
537129 that kind of made me a little sad inside...haven't gotten around to reading this one yet but Twilestia has to be tied for my favorite shipping...but I'll still read and most likely enjoy it because other Twi ships are amazing
oh god. you terrible amazing author you. terrible because there is not a chapter six...
648883
Oh don't worry, that problem will be rectified this Wednesday...hopefully.
But Celestia’s approval means the world to Twilight.
(just a quick correction)
okay, gotta gripe here. Flim and Flam did not cheat anyone.
Yes, they goaded Granny into betting the farm, but that was the Apple family's lookout. They shouldn't be letting their increasingly senile matriarch make choices like that anyway. The machine worked precisely as advertised, until Applejack cheated----yes cheated, that's what you call it when you exploit a loophole that badly--- and got her friends to help, and the FlimFlam brothers had to shut off the quality control to try and keep up.
Furthermore:
They offered to work WITH the Apples first, but the Apples flat refused, rather than trying to negotiate. (Big hint: when someone makes you an offer, it's the one they expect to be rejected out of hand. You're expected to dicker the price down.)
Finally: If anything Flim and Flam were excessively fair: when ponies didn't like the cider they served (and if they'd used the FIRST batch instead of the LAST, things would have gone quite differently) they gave up their rightfully claimed winnings and left to do business elsewhere.
And how in the HELL did their actions threaten to break up the Elements of Harmony?
So on what grounds would Celestia be throwing two law-abiding ponies in jail?
I'm with 672336 on this. As slimy as they seem to be Flim and Flam despite their name never truly did anything wrong. Hell, Celestia's charges of "breaking up the Elements of Harmony" is completely false. If anything when Applejack used that loophole to call in extra help, it brought them closer together.
Heck, if anything I blame Applejack for being a poor sales pony and for letting their hundred year + granny make big decisions for the farm. Heck Granny Smith initiated the whole debacle when she insinuated the brother's cider was inferior because it wasn't made the same way. If anything it was the Apple's stubborn pride that caused all of their problems. I mean really? They took on a wager with those astronomical stakes because Flim (or was it Flam) called Granny a chicken?
Ah should be in bed right now. 'Stead Ah'm readin' this.
Just don't think about it.
673546>>672336>>640109>>639268>>637741There seems to be a whole lot of trouble with the Flim-Flam brothers in this. We have to notice something. The way one reacts (and the way many react), is a matter of who is thinking most of the times. And on the show, that can apply as well. There are many valid reasons why they should have gone to prison. There's many why they shouldn't.
Here's my point of view. The brothers didn't do the worst thing on Earth, but they weren't exactly fit for goodness all the while. I had to rewatch the episode to see this well (I know, shame on me, but it's best if I have a better reference for this). The brothers threatened to take Sweet Apple Acres out of business. AKA, the home of the Apples. Besides, even before that, they tried to get the more profits out of the whole thing, even when it waw the Apples doing ALL the work to get the best apples. And even before that, Applejack did mention that the cider selling was what kept them afloat on Winter, as well as her objective for the Gala to win money so as to get better on the farm. Was Granny prideful? Yes, but the brothers took as much advantage of that as they could, whether the intention was of malice or just of business. Also, Flim and Flam were supposed to be famous around the whole world. Why in the world would they come Ponyville when there are many cities they could have gone to that would be more famous, and that maybe didn't even have as much cider selling? Surely they must have heard about the Apples excellent work over there, and therefore, do a deal that was convenient for them, and not necessarily an equal for all those. Business related, that was obvious, but still. And with Applejack having to move, the friendship in general of the mane six WAS going to be affected. Not to mention, measures were going to be taken (more than probably by Pinkie and Rainbow). This is more than enough for Celestia to imagine what would have happened, and thus, her anger. The Flim-Flam brothers were not the most bad of them all, but they were on the way there by how the whole thing went. And even more, remember when at the end, when they were losing, the brothers went full machine and did cider out of EVERYTHING, branches, bad apples, and leaves included? That in itself shows, that they were going to do ANYTHING to win, no matter what that was. The way one can think of something that happen can influence the story, but if you have the valid reason, then that's fine. Of course, one is free to do an opinion so...it'd be best if I just shup up right now.
And now for my thinking of the chapter...so much southern accent...being from Argentina, I say "OUCH! MY HEAD!" But I understood almost everything, don't worry. Also, with what I said before, I like how you based the whole thing with the brothers. I believe they got what they deserved, but also that Celestia's reaction to how the Apples did was also correct. That was a nice touch. Because they have been threatened, but they did let their pride get in the way...or at least in Granny's case. And for last, I think the "she made me rewrite my letter" thing was hilarious, but my favorite thing was when she used the words "extenuating circumstances". You know she is defending someone, when she uses "fancy" words. Great chapter ans see you on the next one!
Octavia and Vinyl Scrath started a food fight and hit Prince Blueblood, well even if he's an obxinous stuck up jerk he just never gets a break does he?
And of course it was funny to see that Celestia got so mad with the Apples that she made Applejake rewrite the letter, lesson learned never write a report to the Princess saying you were right all along unless you're prepared to face the consquences.
I loved the letter rewriting bit, that episode has always bugged the crap out of me. The Apples held all the power, why would you bet anything with a couple con men?
That's what they are by the way, CON MEN. Neither Flim nor Flam spent any resources of their own, twisted the emotions of the Apples and the town to get the results they wanted (confidence game), wanted a gross amount of profit for no effort, and caused property damage. It doesn't have to be strictly illegal to be a con, you just have to gain something from nothing with your words twisting about and making another lose something. Manipulation is a con; and Celestia would have been within the right to do whatever she wished with them.
I knew that it was Apple Fritter before she was mentioned in this chapeter. Called it!
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Classic! ROFL
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I feel the same way.
FEELS!!!
and with Applejack's devotion to family, that has GOT to twist that knife
I think I found a typo.
I think you forgot to remove the "unfortunately" at the start of that sentence.
Once again, my interest is recaptured. Applejack's chapter was approached a little differently, which is a welcome sight. It's just too bad you had to come up with some little-known side character for her to talk to instead of an established one like Rarity had with Fancy Pants or Rainbow had with Soarin. The dialogue issue kept creeping in every now and then, but for the most part I didn't see it this time.
4745581 It should've just been Braeburn, he's an established character and everything Apple Fritter is.