//------------------------------// // Conduct // Story: Talking Is Hard // by Leoshi //------------------------------// "We need to talk." "Oh! Uh, okay. Like, now?" "Now." "Ah'm just about to lock up the barn. Can we walk an' talk at the same time?" "As long as we walk and talk now." "Okay, okay! Sheesh, you're more fired up than Granny's stove durin' pie day. Nnnguh! C'mon, then, speak your mind." "You've heard about what Big Mac had to go through at the market today, right?" "Ah, that. Yup, Ah heard. Nasty business, that." "Nasty business? He tore the leg off that table like it was a twig! The poor stall worker looked like he would have a panic attack!" "From what Ah hear, it wa'nt any more than he deserved." "Yeah, I know, the pony at the stall was being rude." "Insultin' mah brother about his choice in words goes just a mite past rude, Twilight." "I get it, okay? The guy was being mean, and Big Macintosh reacted. But now the whole town is talking about it." "Let 'em." "The whole town is talking to me, Applejack." "And what are...hold up a tick. Hn-gah! Whew, that harness digs a little deeper every day. Ah'm gonna get scars at this rate. What're they sayin'?" "They're divided, actually. Some are saying that Big Mac was justified in scaring the worker, but some others are crying foul. They're saying they will stop buying from you and your orchard if this is how your family responds to a little teasing." "Teasin', is it, Twilight? Callin' mah brother-" "Their words, not mine!" "Callin' him names enough times that he feels like he needs to fight back? That what they are sayin'? They think this is just some schoolyard squabble?" "Hey now, don't get all-" "Nuh-uh, Twilight. You wanted to talk. You don't get to tell me to be quiet." "Ah..." "These stallions ain't young anymore, Twilight. They're grown, they have jobs and needs, and each of 'em are smart enough to know what their choices might lead to. Mah brother tried bein' nice. He tried bein' firm. Then he tried bein' scary. Guess which one finally got the out-of-towner to stop gabbin'?" "Applejack, just-" "And then there's him! Some touring salespony, having the nerve to set up a stall here and call us wrong! Ah betchya all the bits in mah pillowcase that he knew exactly what he was doin' when he started to insult Big Mac. Probably thinks that just because he's from some fancy city, he gets to hold himself above the rest of us. Now, we Apples, we don't care what ponies think about us in other towns. But they got another thing comin' if they choose to waltz into our home and start callin' us names to our faces!" "Okay, okay! I'm guessing Big Mac feels the same way?" "You kiddin'? He had a smile on his lips when he told me about it. He was proud of what he'd done." "A lot of ponies still think he took it too far." "He didn't take anythin' anywhere, Twilight, he stopped it." "Stopped it by breaking someone else's hard work." "Someone else who was insultin' our hard work." "Ugh. I had forgotten how stubborn you can be." "Stubborn? Twilight, now don't make me get mad at you, too." "But you are, Applejack. You're not even trying to hear the other side of things." "Mah brother was victimized and harassed. He was insulted, his apple stall was insulted, and Ah reckon his family - my family - was insulted right along with 'im! We are the other side, Twilight. Right now, it's your job to hear both. Don't call it stubborn." "And what about the ponies who saw this happen? The ones who say they won't give you their business unless Big Mac apologizes?" "Pfft, they must have forgotten how little he talks." "Applejack! This is going to make a bad image for buyers in other towns!" "What're they gonna do, stop eatin'? If they want to quit buyin' from our stalls and carts, fine. Let 'em. That's the thing about selling food, Twilight: there is always a buyer. Ah won't run outta demand anytime soon. An' soon enough, those ponies who think that Ah rely on their money will come back around, because they get hungry too. An' we'll sell 'em our food, 'cause it's the kind of family we are." "Right now, all anypony is talking about is how the largest in the family is an angry monster prone to outbursts." "Well, then, maybe Big Mac ought'a pay them a visit too." "You'd just be proving them right." "It was a joke, Twilight. He ain't gonna go around bustin' up any homes. He's not that kinda stallion, he's a gentle soul." "Not today, he wasn't." "Today, he was pushed. You got wings now, Twilight, so maybe you won't understand this, but if you're bein' pushed toward the edge of a cliff, you can either let yourself fall over or push back and keep standin'. Sure, a few ponies might have their feelings hurt, but at least none of it was serious." "The salespony thinks it was serious." "Good. Then he'll think twice the next time he decides to call mah brother a dumb baby who can't talk." "Oh, for the love of..." "Heard enough of our side yet? 'Cause Ah can keep goin'." "I think I have heard enough. I'll talk to everypony on your behalf-" "Hey, if they want to hear mah side, they can come up here just like you did." "Trust me, it's probably better if they hear it from me." "You ain't gonna leave out some of what Ah said, are you?" "Applejack, if I just quote what you've told me, it'll make things harder." "What, for you?" "You." "Don't worry about me, Twilight." "You're one of my best friends. I worry." "Well, then don't worry about this. It ain't the first time it's happened. The Apple Family has had roots here in Ponyville longer'n you have." "That's true. I'm still going to try and smooth things over, but I don't think I can completely fix this." "About that. Sorry you're bein' bothered with this, Twi'. It wa'nt meant to be your problem." "Just part of being a Princess, I suppose."