WOW.  Excellent writing and moving story.

(Why can't I hold all these feels...?)

wow

damn, man...just...damn...

talk about feels. good story

no words to decribe this. just epic and perfeclty written, amazing work you did here, great plot and great end

HOW DO YOU DO THIS WELL WITH EVERY STORY YOU WRITE? I am happy that i can read the amazing stories that you write, this being no exception. I wish i could atleast FINISH a single story. Oh, one other thing:

Image: http://arch.413chan.net/MLP_-_Luna_-_You_Make_Luna_Happy-%28n1297486947649%29.jpg

>>760350760350 Vivas Noctus! *salute*

Another wonderful story. My complements to you sir.

Dang...

The Party is pleased... for now

Huh.

I HAVE FEELINGS? WHAT IS THIS TRICKERY?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSf9aEETnvE

Moving story, Mr. Shield. Keep up the marvelous work.

This was a really touching story. I practically cheered when Applejack stood up to her father.

There is something that's bothering me though. Rainbow's appearance feels too forced to me. Cheerilee makes sense since she's Applebloom's school teacher and trained to notice signs of abuse or neglect, but I just find too difficult that Rainbow, and only Rainbow, showed up. I mean, it's a nice sentiment that Rainbow was there for her friend, but it just felt unnecessary.

So sad...

What is this liquid coming from my eyes?!

(shudders)  Aegis, you have a positive talent for finding story topics that are right on the borderline of my "Nope, not going there!" reflex, and then writing them so well that I'm sucked in before I can really register the topic, experiencing things right along with the lead players.  This version of the Apple family has some serious rot along one of the branches of the family tree (although, with what you've given for background on the issue, I suspect that if there were a pony grief counselor available, this probably could have been avoided.)   I'm a little surprised that Rainbow Dash showed up in the story, I really hadn't considered that she'd have a friendship going back that far with Applejack.  (I guess though, that Dash was already starting to use the Apple Orchard trees as her private napping zone, so I can accept that Applejack would know her, especially since with this version she'd need to be helping keep Dash out of her Dad's notice.)

I'm a little curious now, does this story fit in with the continuity that includes "Tough Love"?  It would seem to mesh with some of the comments we got from her in the last chapter there.

This is certainly an intresting take on what happend to Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Applebloom's parents.

>>763037763037 Nah, this was just a bolt of lightning from the storm of inspiration, it doesn't connect to anything else. That, and I'mma big Garth Brooks fan.

>>763594763594

Ah, ok.  I can respect that, too.  A good songfic inspiration is always respectable (well, unless you are posting the story with song lyrics included over at fanfiction.net, anyway.)  You have to admit, though, that it does seem to link in with "Tough Love," and with the timing of the two, it looked like a reasonable match to me.

Poor Applejack.

That was great

An excellent piece of literary work!

This has become my all time fav fic on the site  Cheers to you kind sir

Beautiful. That's all I can say.

another awesome songfic.

This could've been a lot better with a brief memory of what their family life was like in the past rather then jumping right into the darkness as that would've likely added a bit to the characters on all sides.  Still this was a really quite well written and vividly done story.  Thanks very much for sharing it.

....as someone with an abusive father...it's damn hard to stand up to someone who can beat the hair off of you *sighs* and i'm 22. still haven't yet. thanks for the story

I usually don't read Applejack stuff as I tend not to relate to her, but you sir have given me a whole new respect for that mare. HUZZAH!

I guess I'm a bit late to the party, but I gotta throw my two bits in. This was a fantastic short story. You did it again, Captain Shield.

-Vivas Noctus!

Damn. This is just... Damn. Words cannot describe. Amazing story.

:D

...

I'm happy Pa Apple went to jail.

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Pa Apple deserved that more than anyone.

brb gonna wipe my face...

AWESOME!! I love the hat thing!

I have no words to describe how good I think this story is. But why the hell can't I find the song?! I've tried to find it amongst my family's enormous CD collection but I cant even find it on the few Garth Brooks CDs we have. I tried to look it up on youtube but all I could find were crappy renditions of it by fans and never the original song. Am I doomed to never hear this song as it was meant to be heard?

Okay wow ... um yeah that all I can come up with.

So many feels... GO AJ!

wow thats a kick in the emotions!

Love the song and this story goes so well.

wow, you have true talent with writing. probably the single best one shot i have read. Bravo

Goodness does my heart hurt!

Well that's... different.

>>788068788068

Would that there was something I could do to help. You wouldn't be the first I've met that's had family problems screwing them over.

....................(Great story!)

Coming from someone who ended up doing just this, but thankfully with a bit more success... nothing can ever remove the pain felt by the abusiveness of a parent. Forgiveness is... all but impossible, for your heart simply doesn't want to risk it. I discovered one day I was stronger than my father, and any time he got uppity with my mother, brother, or myself, it was him that got the worst of it... but for nearly sixteen years I suffered and feared through his drunken rage... no more. He can never hurt my family now... the sad part of it all is he still tries to talk to me, to pretend like everything is okay and that it never happened... he will never know his grandchildren, at least not from my side. He will never get the chance to abuse them.

It was depressing and happy, to me at least. It was a good story.

I think Granny Smith isn't as innocent as she seems in this story. As the adult mare in the situation it was her responsibility to contact the authorities. In not doing so, she is just as responsible for the abuse as Pa Apple is. Shouldn't she also be punished for being an accomplice?

>>19776211977621 Could you call the cops on your own child, though?

Jake, if it came to protecting my grandchildren, then yes. She was the adult in the situation. It was her responsibility. The fact that it fell onto Applejack is a bit shameful and all the suffering she had to go through in the mean time was also awful and could have been prevented by Granny Smith doing the right thing.