It's been twelve years since Applejack's ascent to her current status as the Earth Goddess, Princess Mara of Equestria. In that time, she's gotten quite used to her duties, be they ceremonial, executive, or judicial in nature. But when she's called upon to rule on a particularly contentious lawsuit involving some of the most obnoxious ponies from her past, the results may end up altering the very nature of Equestrian law.
This story is a spin-off of Blue Print's Appleverse, however, it's not necessary to read his stories first (though I do recommend them for a more thorough explanation of the backstory).
Cover image by Page Turner
Chapters (4)
Looks interesting. Will have to read the other first though.
What if I want an illegal comedy?
1918964
Or an illegal danish?
I'll have to put this on my "read later" list, but I look forward to seeing how someone else handles Applejackicorn.
I'm Blue Print and I approve this message.
1919006
1919019 I'm iloveportalz0r, and Gak is back!
1919019
Good, because if you didn't I'd have to call in reverse-werepony Lyra. And nobody wants that, now.
1919058
Exactly.
1919066 Indeedility
All of my yes. This is fun, and I desire more.
1919082 Fun!
not sure which side i am on
1919166 Why not both?
1919193 cant do that not a politician
1919198 You are now. Congratulations
Well this looks fun, good opener. Just out of curiosity, do you work in the legal field yourself Kwakerjak?
I am reminded of Pegasus Brigades' story by reading this, only to the mere fact that he was the first to touch down on flim and flam and pony lawsuits.
Seems interesting
Huh. Turns out I dislike Diamond Tiara way more than I dislike the FlimFlams. I think I will be rooting for them for the time being. And a sister named Slim? Headcanon tentatively acquired.
1919379 Diamond Tiara is best filly
Y'know, I'm actually more interested in why Applejack dropped her contract for the distribution of Zap Apple Jam. I doubt it 's simply because Diamond Tiara is a vicious little nag with a personality as abrasive as an emery board. Applejack is loyal to family but she also is very pragmatic. I strongly suspect that Diamond tried to do something underhand to get a better deal and learnt that attempting to fool a goddess is the act of a fool.
This case, on the other hand, strikes me as being a case of "he said" verses "she said". Everything depends on who can prove what was the agreed usage of the disputed amount. If Diamond and Silver Spoon can prove that Flim and Flam understated their likely costs, then she'll win. If Flim, Flam and Slim can show Diamond just didn't ask enough questions and assumed things about what would be done with her bits then... Well, AJ and the law can't protect her from her stupidity.
Poor AJ will need a lot of AJ to get through this.
Huh?
There's either something missing or something extra (of)
Shouldn't that be a question mark.
I guess AJ could serve as an impartial judge in this case, since she dislikes both parties almost equally.
Still, is there any way we could have both sides lose the case? Because I just can't bring myself to root for either the Flim Flam Fibbers or Diamond Tiara the Shrew. Poor Applejack.
A very interesting idea. However, a few slight problems -
Don't judges need to be unbiased? How then did she get saddled with this case? Sure, she has good reason to hate both parties, however, that doesn't equate to a 'fair' trial' - simply one in which neither party receives justice.
And I'm afraid you completely confused me with that 'Mara's Apples' thing.
I like
1919379 Seconded n_n Though lavender mane? I can run with that.
This is gonna be good, if this starting chapter is any indication.
That was fun, too short, but fun! I hope to read more soon <3
Boy, reading Slim's line in a semi-singsong voice was quite delightful with how well her lines were written lol
Something tells me Silver Spoons is rather miffed at DT. Wonder what keeps those two bound so close.
Friendship is a weird thing sometimes. You may know a friend is a brat, yet you still end up doing what you can to help.
1919058 it's a gak attack, run!
1920160 - Blue Paint and I went through a lot of brainstorming about how the Equestrian legal system might be set up in order to keep AJ from recusing herself from the case. In this case, it's because there's no lower court opinion for her to let stand, and because none of the Princesses interfere with each other's Ducal Courts in order to maintain a separation of powers.
As for Mara's Apples...
For the first time ever, I am going to be cheering for Diamond Tiara.
1920723 - She's not really miffed. She just believes that an attorney should be stoic when arguing a case, so she's holding back her emotions.
1921957 hehe ok I thought it was foreshadowing or a hint that maybe she wasn't too pleased at DT for getting into this mess since she was glowering at DT.
EDIT: Silver Spoon super serious. In an attorney's suit? I'd like to see that drawn!
EDIT2: Actually I think I have already! XD I'll look!
EDIT3: nope... man there is a severe drought of FiM characters in attorney outfits :(
There's definitely a lot of potential for comedy here, but it's strange that you didn't include much, or any really, in this first chapter. Not a fan of starting with a bang?
I can already tell why Diamond Tiara lost the Zap Apple rights, because she is a bitch with a stick so far up her ass that it acts as her tongue.
1919592 Actually most likely it wasn't Applejack. There are lots of reasons why even if she's still working the farm she isn't the one really running the farm. And remember this is 12 years down the road so it's most likely Applebloom that dropped the contract. AJ did say she lost it because she lost her temper, and she seems way more likely do do that dealing with Applebloom.
Umm, you named her Princess Mara?
...
Look at this... but cover your eyes.
http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Mara
1922622 - First off, I didn't name her that, Blue Print did. Second, the Mara she's named after isn't the Hindu Goddess of death, it's the Latvian Goddess of the Earth.
1921123 I shall run into it!
1922773 Keep calm and Gak on?
1922916 Indeedility
Go Diamond Tiara! WOO!
It's a pity they can't both lose.
Most enjoyable thus far. I look forward to more, especially if plantiff and/or defendant attempts... extralegal means of swaying the outcome.
If this is true, then I would transfer ownership of the instruments to Diamond Tiara and be done with it.
"triumvirate" seems particularly inapropos here. 5 minutes of googling suggests the coinage "triumequaate" (trium "three" + equa "mare").
1945946 - Take it up with Blue Print.
1945966
fair enough
1945946>>1945966>>1945982 Sorry, nope! You are thinking of Triumhominate. Triumvirate, taken back to its roots, means three striplings or three heroic potentates. It refers to masculinity, in the antiquated sense of dominance and potency, not mankind, or even gender really. The feminine equivalent would probably be triummollitate, meaning three soft, effeminate things, or something. In any case, that isn't the message you'd want to send to a populace under oligarchic rule. (This being a term used under the first unified government of Equestria, and predating Celestia and Luna's rule by centuries)
tl;dr
I over-think things.
Gongrats on having this recognized as canon to the AoAJ-verse.
A bit disappointed in myself that I didn't get at it fast enough, but I love this chapter. I feel like posting the link for the original song, but I don't wanna scare off any readers
Up to you, I guess.