Plot Bunny Theater: The House of Apple · 3:07am Nov 2nd, 2019
Granny Smith: "Oh fer landsakes, Applejack! Will ya stop frettin' over the farm? Sure, we got expenses and sure we got bills t' pay, but the land's ours."
Applejack: "Well yeah, it is, but all those payments-"
Granny Smith: "No, ah mean it's literally and legally ours. Princess Celestia bestowed it t' us. We are technically a dukedom."
Applejack: "Wha?!"
Granny Smith: "Ah'm a duchess, or country-colonel-Depends on th' situation. Have been since ah got it bestowed on me when ah was 21 by Princess Celestia herself."
Applejack: "But-But-But-!"
Granny Smith: "What? Tain't somethin' t' brag about. Or make fancy airs over. As landed nobles our duty is t' see t' the defense o' the realm and maintain th' borders o' the Everfree Forest. Which we been doin' an all right job of so fer."
In essence, the Apples would be minor nobles, but still members of the Equestian peerage. Full title being "Lords of Ponyville". They have the primary responsibility of guarding the borders of the Everfree Forest, farming the Zap Apples and so on, and raising and maintaining the local militia. Applejack's parents held the titles, but after their deaths Granny Smith took them up again. With the incredible task of handling the farm's workload, Granny never got around to informing her grandchildren about the nobility aspects. But she assumed they would be minor parts of their lives due to how quiet Ponyville is.
Then Nightmare Moon returned, and Applejack became one of the bearers of the Elements of Harmony. Suddenly, these minor country nobles are thrust into the world spotlight and far more important as far as the nobles of Canterlot are concerned. What kinds of plots could be made from this situation?
-Applejack and Big Macintosh suddenly getting marriage proposals from nobles in Canterlot?
-Applebloom finding Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sucking up to her, as technically Filthy Rich's family swore fealty to them?
-Rarity taking more of an interest in Applejack's social niceties and trying to help her while also helping herself?
Does anyone know of any stories that explore this premise? Or have any additional ideas about plots involving it?
Applejack being a noble is something that Estee includes in his written continuity. But the family is actually aware of it, they just have no desire to move to Canterlot or change their living situation.
I believe the answer to all of those choices is Yes.
I can totally see Apple Bloom taking full advantage of DT and SS, if this was pre-cutie mark.
-Applejack finds herself on the wrong end of a populist uprising against the bourgeoise led by Starlight Glimmer
I only know of Estee’s work with this. Here is her chapter from Triptych, where the Bearers are introduced at a formal gathering. Chapter title: Plinth. (Later in the story Twilight wonders how she keeps the family out of the Who’s Who peerage books.)
In the follow up story, A Duet For Land And Sky, Applejack tells Applebloom they are nobles. A.B. Is annoyed that nothing happened that one time she and the other crusaders tried for a nobles cutie-mark. Chapter title: Sforzando. (Mac and A.J. use their respective titles as the last insult during arguments.)
Yeah, Applejack worrying about losing the farm always bothered me. Lose it to whom? How many mortgages have you taken out on the place, Applehorse? The princess bequeathed the site unto your ancestors; you're landed gentry.
As for story ideas, imagining the others' reactions leads to some most entertaining shenanigans.
• The world finds out shortly after Pinkie finds out, thanks to the Surprise! You're Nobility! party.
• Applejack is invited to (and unbanned from) the Canterlot Garden Party as Lady Ponyville, and thus has to dust off those speech lessons she took in Manehattan. Rarity swoons even as she gives her a crash course in etiquette.
• Rainbow Dash frantically searches her family tree for any hint of nobillity. Then she writes to Luna and asks if she can be, like, a viscount or something. She can't let Applejack win this one!
• Celestia made sure Twilight studied courtly etiquette as fervently as magic, so now Twilight has to stop herself from reflexively delivering the twenty-seven degree and thirty minute bow owed to the second child of a duke every time she sees Applejack. To say nothing of her diction.
• And Fluttershy quietly points out how they're all knights of the realm after cleansing Luna. And since we're talking about the Garden Party, they've probably gone up the ranks a bit further, even if we're not quite at Princess Twilight.
Jet Set very carefully didn't let his eyelids twitch. Dealing with the princesses'... eccentricities made the foibles of commoners almost tolerable. "It is generally done to only bring a plus-one."
Lady Ponyville tittered at that. It was admittedly a passable titter, full of the carefree attitude that came from basking in the achievements of one's great-grandparents. "My good sir, when you invite one member of the Order of Harmony, you invite all of them."
"... The what?"
She pointed out a member of her entourage and began walking towards her. "I'm sure you recall Twilight Sparkle from last year, but I don't believe you've been properly introduced. Bearer of Magic, Princess Celestia's personal student, and such a dear. Come, come, don't want to keep her waiting. She'll compress time on us again." There came that titter again, but this time it had knives in it.
5149563
Whoops, I read that wrong, I thought he was asking which subjects he should write about.
5149549
please write more of this
5149549
...Well? Don't stop.
I'd be interesting if all of them were secret nobles of one level or another. Pinkie being landed. Is her family. Rainbow and Fluttershy being nobles.via Clouds Dale or some sort of knights or mare de arms for their work in ponyville. Rarity would have to be a lesser Noble less she'd of bragged a bit unless you take the tract of her going out to prove herself and her skills without a title.
... Dammit, now I kinda want to write this. Probably not a multi part story, but just a bundle of short stories with various misadventures of Lady Ponyville. Maybe with write-ins from the others. I already know I'm going to cannibalize on some of the treats I've seen here.
5151020
Nothing wrong with writing shorts! I keep trying that but the stories just keep getting longer.
5149440
Hey Andrew, I was looking over this blog again, and I want to clear something up. When I said how Estee came up with something similar, I wasn't trying to discourage you from implementing any story ideas, even if there were similar ones already out there.
5149549
Fortunately the threat of "lose the farm" went away early in the show's lifespan. Which I am glad for, because that makes it seem like the family got it's affairs in order. Or that Celestia started giving AJ big hunks of cash for saving Equestia.
Not possible!