This story is a sequel to Just Us Little Ponies
Raindrops likes being the strongest mare in town, if for no other reason than her vast strength helps her to guard her little brother, Snails, from those who would harm him. But when one of Equestria's most powerful warriors shows up in Ponyville, Raindrops finds that a strong right hook alone isn't always enough to protect those she loves. Her new opponent claims that Raindrops hurt her own little brother and insists that they duel, but though Raindrops knows she can't possibly win such a challenge, she also knows that Snails may wind up in the crossfire if she doesn't deal with this new enemy immediately. Raindrops soon learns that force of arms won't work, and neither will any other trick in her playbook. However, the magic of friendship might just enable her to prevail... and perhaps solve another brewing crisis in Ponyville's farming community while she's at it. Lunaverse story.
That is a large pony.
Same variety as Trouble Shoes maybe?
Juggernaut has arrived !!!!!
Mother Rushia makes you strongk.
Let me think...as I recall this story was planned to have Carrot Top and Applejack in it in some kind of dispute over a piece of land, right? Which didn't seem like a bad story idea at all; but rather it felt kind of shoe-horned into this and I think that me and a few others said it might work better as a distinct fic. Other than that, though, I don't recall having any real misgivings about this story.
My new policy is I'm going to wait until stories are finished, or at least until they get going, before deciding canon status; still I don't think any of my misgivings were big enough to prevent putting this in canon somewhere. If flowers are in bloom then I'm assuming a spring-time setting; probably before the World Tour kicks off?
6508586 : It comes 2 weeks after JULP, which IIRC you said comes before Dragon Coronation (hence Cheerilee not mentioning how she's looking after Spike). So before World Tour sounds about right.
Great. Somepony thinks Raindrops is NOT credit to team. Let's see if she can outsmart friendship.
6508591 Links to the referenced fics in the author's notes (or your comment here) would be nice. It's always a pain to backtrack a missed story.
6508586 "...If flowers are in bloom then I'm assuming a spring-time setting"
This is Equestria. Flowers bloom from the day after Winter Wrap-Up to the first flakes of winter, and even then I'll bet there are winter flowers hither and yon. (and tasting of Pepermint and Cloves, probably) Even Zap Apples have a one week bloom-fruit-gone cycle.
Oh, this story, so Juggernaut is going to be challenging Raindrops in a bit, interesting to see how this one turns out.
I'm not sure you can really move bee hives around that easily and frequently, maybe just planting some new tasty flowers near the other hive might work better?
Ouch, Rainbow Dash doesn't even get a mention? She'll be crushed.
Ah, my. An angry, over-protective big sister on one side and a paranoid jerk who thinks the world will end if she doesn't get everything exactly her own way. Lovely.
The legal mess with the farms, well... I'm not touching that with hundred foot long pole but it would be fun to watch!
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We're leaning away from that characterization of Applejack these days.
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Agreed with RDD. Applejack isn't paranoid; she has a legal claim and, as a businessmare, she wants to act on that claim in order to benefit her business. Nothing more than that.
Rain Drops: What if I don't ever duel you?
Juggernaut: Then we marry. Is tradition. Marriage, duel. Is same thing.
6512266 The issue we have is Carrot Top is probably going to make an idiot of herself because she hates Alternate Universe her.
Got to say it's a nice change of pace when the character with an axe to grind isn't after Trixie
I liked this opening. It was nice to see Snail's talent in action as well as highlight how it is quite a useful gift and not just some quirky trait. It is also great to see Snails and Raindrops have some quality time together.
Also after that fun character introduction I look forward to seeing the antagonist in action.
6512373 You know, I've heard/seen almost that same exchange before, but I can't remember where.
6512216 Point taken. At some point, I expect Applejack to assume that somepony Carrot Top met during her travels made her too angry at herself to think straight.
Oh I love this route for Juggernaut.
Rather than be like Galeb she instead appears to adopt the Bart and Lisa Simpson method. Keep asking until the target says yes. And you know being the equestrian version of Russian mean she has the stamina for it, I would make a sleeping Bear joke here but I honestly not sure how.
Though please have a scene of her and Big Mac meeting because I think it would be hilarious.
I also liked Applejack in this. She comes across as reasonable but steadfast, which is how she is meant to be. She wants that land but that is purely business. There is nothing malicious behind her intent. I do however find myself in a position where in any other story I would almost be on her side. Sure she is the big business of this and probably doesn't really 'need' the land but at the same Carrot Top is using her friendship with Trixie as way to help gain leverage on the Mayor's opinion.
Its situation with no inherent right or wrong side which I like.
Though what I'm unclear on, so the land is given back to Ponyville, which makes sense. Now is the mayor going to just 'give' the land to the party she feels needs it more or is it that she is giving that party first buying rights?
I look forward to seeing more.
I like how it's going so far, I do hope that with a bit more time and characterisation Juggernaut will get a bit more depth, she's a little 2D at the moment but she's clearly a bit more than a bruiser, although maybe not entirely socialised.
I'd think Raindrops wouldn't be much of a drinker given her self control issues, still it's been a difficult day.
Something unrelated I noticed from today's episode is how tall Snails is, I think in the crowd shots he's almost twice as tall as most foals, he's about the same height as Cheerilee, how tall will he be when full grown? If the pest control job doesn't work out then basketball might.
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For the purposes of this story, it doesn't really matter. Assume any fees are purely nominal and either farmer can afford them.
Given that this whole thing is about avenging a kid brother put in danger, Raindrops might have to steal from Jack McCoy and point out that Juggernaut is doing the thing she's accusing her of. As for the side-show with Carrot Top, I wonder when she'll start talking about that doormat in the bizarre alternate world who gave up her farm. I mean, I'm looking AT the blurb for Two Many Carrot Tops as I type this and realize this is why she's in AJ's face about this.
I like the story and am curious as to how Raindrops will deal with Juggernaut. I wonder if she might be as lacking in social grace or comprehension as Goliath in some way. And I like your interpretation of Snails' cutie mark. He's adorable!
However, there is one thing that strikes me as a bit odd: the field issue with Carrot Top. It might just be me, but I find it a the idea that she might get the land because of either (a) her status as a national hero or (b) because of Trixie is her friend, as smacking of nepotism. Yes, Applejack and the Trust don't need new land the way Carrot Top or the Farmers Union does, but does that automatically mean that Carrot Top is entitled to it? Maybe if the land was going to be held in common by several of the Farmers Union ponies or shared with the Apple family I'd be okay with this. But as it is ... I don't see why I'm supposed to be in Carrot Top's corner on this.
Hmm. I see some problems with this plan. Juggernaut isn't going to break the law. She rented an apartment, which means she isn't trespassing. Rushia is probably in a political limbo at the moment and dealing with Juggernaut is probably a very low priority on any new noble's list of things to do. And Luna can't stop Juggernaut because she isn't doing anything illegal thanks to obscure dueling laws. If anything I think the most that would end up happening there is Juggernaut explains her reasoning to Luna, and provided it's the same as it was in the Brainstorming thread, there's even odds that Luna might back her.
Interesting that Maud's in town, although I don't think Raindrops actually met her, *shrug* maybe it was between scenes. I wonder if she might have something to say about the rock covered field CT and AJ are fighting over.
Well if she didn't already have a cutie mark I'd think Jugger's would be in being annoying.
1) Hmm. It would seem that Spoiled Rich of the bad muzzle job is also a multiversal constant.
2) While it's obvious that AJ and CT can at least agree to split the disputed land evenly (which was probably what you had it mind), it's less obvious what will get Juggernaut to back off. My guess is that her big sister instinct will have to bow to Dropsie's.
Yep I spotted the new addition to our universe, I wonder what she thinks of Scoots?
That's still sort of a secret at this point, one of the worse kept ones ever but a secret. I guess Fluttering blabbed at one of the spa visits, honestly, that mare, you get one wine cooler in her and she just won't shut up!
Galeb is a Zebrony. It's a nitpick I know but Trixie spent the whole of Title Match correcting anyone who called Galeb a Zebra so it's weird for her to start doing it now.
Anyway, good chapter. I'm really starting to enjoy Juggernaut. Trixie was on tpp form and it's always good to see the characters attempt non confrontational means of resolving the issue.
And I must admit Juggernaut is doing a masterful job at wearing Raindrops down.
Nice to see Ivory Scrolls laying down the law.
Though it does not help Raindrops that was a legit point for why she can't just trespass Juggernaut.
This made me smile just. Applejack may be the head of the family but Big Mac still handles the fancy mathematics.
Somehow I picture such an interaction going like this.
Regardless of whether or not Big Mac could actually win, he's not going to pick a fight with someone who actually hasn't done anything wrong (especially since he could be done for assault no matter what the outcome) and it's not like he'd be able to intimidate her.
So more or less everything is coming to a head between Juggernaut and Raindrops, now part of me thinks that Raindrops should has just taken the money but I understand why she refused.
All the authority figures were acting reasonable despite and I can understand where they are coming from.
I look forward to seeing what happens next.
Ah ha! Merging the plot streams. Well played.
I still kind of wish that Carrot Top and AJ's thing was its own distinct fic - plus I'm not entirely certain why AJ would hire Juggernaut - but you're otherwise managing to bring to streams together fairly well.
6522907 : As CT says:
So AJ can't use herself, Big Mac, or any of her farmhands because they have harvests due soon and don't want to risk being injured in a competition which is going to boil down to "throwing heavy rocks around at high speeds." There's also the time constraint which prevents AJ from getting reinforcements from Trust central. They need somepony big and strong, without harvests to worry about, which is where Juggers comes in.
Summon the Muad! As referee
Giant sword pony? Probably completely safe.
Ugh so she's here for an honor duel on behalf of her brother. I already kind of dislike her. I am impressed that Raindrops said no, though, at least for the moment.
I'm going to buck the trend and root for AJ to get the land.
Okay, I like her slightly more now after that delivery of pies and rocks.
I think I would have preferred the original plan for Dash and the wingplates, as written she straight up took a bribe to modify the work activities of one of her subordinates. That's the sort of thing that gets you fired, especially in this new world of post-ATGGG government oversight.
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As long as all the work gets done--and Dash explicitly says she's covering Raindrops' shift--I don't think anyone would care. I mean, maybe the other weathermares would gripe that Raindrops is getting off easy by being assigned the 'follow Juggernaut with a cloud' duty, but I don't think they would have grounds for a legal complaint. At most they could just threaten to quit, which they wouldn't because it's ultimately not a big deal to them.
Ooooo, I like this possibility of compromise on the disposition of the plot of land. I had kind of figured that Carrot Top would win largely on account of protagonist narrative power.
It was too easy a solution anyway.
Trixie knows that Max and Fragrant are in a relationship? Eh, keeping it a secret was probably way too much to hope for.
Uh oh.
That's a good argument about Applejack and town sales tax. If the town needs to fairly sell the land, it's a pretty good argument to go with the option that turns it into the most public good.
Ah, so that's how the story is coming together.
6523384 Speaking as a government employee, if I did what Dash did and assigned tasks to a subordinate in exchange for gifts, I would be fired so fast, and it's pretty hard to get fired as a government employee. We're even required to report all work associated gifts over twenty dollars to prevent even the appearance of impropriety.
6523480 There's been a recent focus on that in the last ten years or so. Maybe Equestria hasn't gotten there yet?
Because, yeah, she straight up took a bribe. It was a bribe to do something that she was legally allowed to do and probably does all the time (take a special request for weather that doesn't interfere with the overall plan) but that doesn't make it not a bribe.
Its a good reason, although I can't help but feel that she might still have a second speech prepared for giving the land to CT.
Jugger is a bit less socialised that I hoped she would be, I did sort of hope she'd have a family of her own and act as a sort of role model for Raindrops to show how she can live her life without being afraid of her own strength. Oh well, maybe theirs still hope. It'll be interesting to see how the contest goes, I'd assume Jugger is stronger, however, given how much effort she puts into being strong compared to Raindrops who just seems to be strong it seems Raindrops would be potentially stronger if she chose to work at it.
Of course they might both get beaten by the little filly who casually lifted the school house with one hoof.
Everybody wins....which is what the point was.
Uh. What? Raindrops' strength has always been in her hooves, not her wings.
6526589 : Oops, that was a typo on my part. It's fixed now.
The story is now complete, btw. (You said earlier you wanted to wait for it to be done before deciding on canonicity).
I'm awaiting for the day Corona unleash her forces upon Equestria, so Snails can show off his bug armies. It will be epic.
Well I like this story. The characters actions and motives were believable. Nor was there a moment that the plot was forced. Overall I give this story 8 out of 10. It has been a while since I read such an enjoyable story.
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Everything seems fine, from a canon perspective, though I still wish that Carrot Top and Applejack's role in this had been its own fic. Still, I'll slot it into Springtime.
I really love the competition at the end of this story, and Ivory Scrolls was great as the mayor throughout. I love how they split it into sections instead of making it winner take all.
There's one thing that jumps out at me though: After Cheerilee and Raindrops illegally broke into government offices to get inside information on a future land ruling, they know Applejack will receive the land if no compromise is reached, and its only then that they propose this contest. It seems like if the Mayor was planning on selling the land to Carrot Top, the friends were fine with not compromising at all.
When they get Applejack to agree to this contest, do they tell her they have inside information that AJ will get the land if she does nothing? Because if they don't, it really seems like they conned her out of that land. This seems like the sort of thing Max and his SIU investigators should be looking into.
That's a secr... on never mind.
Looks like I've been given a bunch of ideas to fill up some gaps in Mountain coming up... if I can ever get to the end of the Nulpar section, I'm not been the most productive of people for the last two months. Still I'm hoping to get some more traction soon.
I liked Maud's appearance and Gummy's new home, I think she'd be a fair match for our other strong ponies particularly as she is an earth pony, I would have liked the strong foal to make an appearance as well but In suppose she is very new.
Has the ownership of the plot actually ended up intermingled, or is it more of less CT on one side and AJ on the other?
Fun ending with the closure on the JULP connected events, especially Max's squad of ponies to get in trouble with. I rather liked Maud's participation and results, too.
But regarding the results of the contest itself, I find myself agreeing with 6527134. Once again the L6 take the underhanded approach, and this time it was purely for the personal benefit of one of their own as opposed to anything for the good of the country. Applejack was straight up robbed of half of the field.
This is set after the gala, members of the Court such as the Element Bearers (I'm assuming they roughly count as such as Knights with the right of approach) are supposed to be keeping their noses clean.
6528405 When I read this paragraph:
I thought "Really cynical? Sounds like Svelte understands exactly what is happening here."
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I'm personally okay with writing it like that because the knowledge didn't actually change Carrot Top's actions. She worked all day to find a compromise before learning what Scrolls had planned, and she still worked on it more afterwards until she figured it was impossible and went to Raindrops to complain. The only affect of her learning what Scrolls planned was to make her more depressed when she and Applejack couldn't work out an agreement. And when she learned a compromise did exist, she took it, but she would have done that anyways even if she hadn't known Scrolls' plans. Similarly, Raindrops would have proposed the compromise she worked out as soon as she thought of it and got Juggernaut on board, even if she hadn't known CT was doomed otherwise.
But eve if it's slightly shady, I think it works here. The 'Trixie and Blueblood' scene from ATGGG was put back in, and I feel that minor things like this are thereby congruent with the characters' personalities as we've seen them thus far. The ultimate result was relatively fair to all concerned, and there was no malice at any point, so I think it's okay.