I stumbled across something interesting recently.

It's the very first outline I made when planning out Petriculture in February 2012. As you can see, it's... well, it's rather different than the story I eventually ended up with. For those who haven't heard me explain this before, this was originally to be a slice-of-life about the CMC attempting to get their cutie marks in rock farming. It changed drastically because at the time, I couldn't come up with a satisfactory explanation of what rock farming actually was, or how it might have possibly worked. Most of those frustrations ended up being transferred to Twilight Sparkle in the finished story. Of course, I eventually did come up with an approach that satisfied me, and you can find variations of that approach in both Flash Fog and Pandelirium.

But enough rambling. Here's the main event:

Petriculture

Starring Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Pinkie Pie, and her sisters [Shoofly Pie and Rhubarb Pie?]

1. Background/Arrival at Pie & Daughters Rock Farm

2. Introductions
- S&R "smile" (barely).

3. Get up before dawn to turn over rocks.
- How rock farming actually works.

4. Bored!
- S&R tell "jokes"

"What did the pumice say to the gneiss?"

Apple Bloom wasn't certain what those things were, so she truthfully answered: "Um, I dunno. What?"

"Do you have any change?"

"Ha, ha, ha," Rhubarb said, not bothering to change her neutral expression. "That was a good one, Shoofliana. It is funny because gneiss is metamorphic, and thus would have already "changed," unlike the igneous pumice."

"Thank you, Rhubarbara," Shoofly replied. "I just came up with that on my own."

Apple Bloom did her best to force out a laugh. "Heh-heh, yeah, that, was pretty good, ah guess."

"You think so? Perhaps I should tell another."

"Uh, don't we got a whole field of rocks to turn over?" Apple Bloom asked hurriedly.

5. Dinner

- "Actually, the fact that more muscles are used means that each muscle has less work to do, which means that frowning is much easier than smiling."

6. After dinner - "Clopping" (basically Riverdance, but with ponies)

7. Next day - Harvest!

8. Party! (For maybe 15 minutes, since outward expressions of happiness tire the Pies out quickly.)

9. Back home
- Rock farming is out, but Apple Bloom and Sweetie Pie can't wait to tell Scootaloo about their new idea - Clopping!

Comments

[The Letter J]

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Pie can't wait to tell Scootaloo

I think you left the part about Sweetie Belle marrying into the Pie family out of your outline.

[Themaskedferret]

*Grins* Very cool.

[Kwakerjak]

2453014 - Hey, I'd only recently discovered the show. I didn't have all the names straight at the time.

[Spectrumancer]

<.<
So, from SoL with humor-challenged relatives, to world-shaking magic feats involving the creation of sentient life?

Well, that sure escalated

[Idsertian]

6. After dinner - "Clopping" (basically Riverdance, but with ponies)

*sniggers*

Behave yourself, Kwakers.

So yeah, I totally read the Pie sisters' dialogue in Maud's voice. I think it should speak to your ability that you managed to make that happen with absolutely no narrative description whatsoever.

[blank check]

2453014

It is a discreet love affair.

[Kwakerjak]

2453435 - But... Pretty Hate Machine basically is a slightly edgier Depeche Mode album.

[Tillion]

- "Actually, the fact that more muscles are used means that each muscle has less work to do, which means that frowning is much easier than smiling."

i need to use this some time.......

[Nadnerb]

"Ha, ha, ha," Rhubarb said, not bothering to change her neutral expression. "That was a good one, Shoofliana. It is funny because gneiss is metamorphic [...]"

Wait, did you write dialogue for Maud before Maud existed?

[Narrative Style]

2453920 Kwakerjak is prescient! All hail!

[Captain Snark]

2453920 Yes, yes he did. Cause Kwakerjak is just that awesome.

Or a time traveler.