She couldn’t quite decide what had made her let Pinkie Pie lead her off the train. If it was guilt, then she only had herself to blame, because Pinkie Pie certainly didn’t hold a grudge. Perhaps it was curiosity, and regardless, Pinkie Pie was right. While Pinkie had never explicitly asked before, it seemed a shame that none of them had visited Pinkie’s family before. Applejack had met Twilight’s parents, Rarity’s parents lived right there in Ponyville, and she’d met Fluttershy’s mother a few times. She’d even seen Dash’s father, though Dash tried to make them all forget that particular incident.
But no. Pinkie had never asked. Her family was busy, shy, and they kept to themselves. Being asked to visit meant something, then. It meant a whole heck of a lot, in fact. It would only be fair to respect that. To honor that. Applejack trotted after Pinkie Pie, down a frosted dirt road in a bitter chill. The road was bumpy, winding down and around and over small hills where Pinkie moved with the casual ease of the familiar. Like Applejack wove around the orchards’ trees. The area was unwelcoming, but all she remembered was Pinkie’s smile when she asked. Hope and happiness. Wanting to show Applejack something.
The road took them over a small hill, and then another. The main road, if it could be called such, led towards a small town not entirely unlike what Applejack imagined Appalloosa would look like in a hundred years: A small township well maintained but still showing signs of age. A clock tower stood as the single building of any notable height, ticking faithfully towards three o’clock.
“I guess that’s Rockopolis?” Applejack asked. Pinkie Pie nodded, taking them off the road and down a smaller path between boulders, rocks, and winter-barren trees. Pinkie stopped to wave at the town before it went out of sight, smiling wide.
“Yep! That’s the hustle-y and bustle-y centre of town where I bought my first pack of balloons! Mrs. Crag who runs the colonial store ordered them by mistake, so she gave them to me! Without them, I wouldn’t have been able to throw my first party!”
Applejack smiled despite herself. “Right. I guess we all in Ponyville owe her thanks, then.”
Pinkie Pie responded with a smile, hopping along the road now, bouncing until she stood on top of a rock that had rolled into the middle of the road. The freezing wind tugged at her mane and tail, but she didn’t seem to care much.
“Hey, that’s a great idea, actually! Maybe one day we can go visit her and all the other ponies in town, too! I’d love to show Mrs. Crag and Mr. Shimmer and all the others how great and fantastic my friends are!” Pinkie beamed.
“Yeah. Some friend I’ve been.” Applejack snorted, the hot air sending out a satisfying little puff of mist. She followed the vapour with her eyes until she couldn’t spot it against the grey clouds.
“You need to stop saying those things, right now,” Pinkie said. She hadn’t moved, staring down at her from her little rocky perch wearing a small frown.
“Stop saying what, exactly?”
“‘I’m a stupid sillyhead who’s angry because I made a tiny little mistake,’” Pinkie said. “Or ‘I’m a terrible friend just because I didn’t RSVP for a little bit.’ You sound like you think you’re some kind of comic book villain with a mustache and a cape, and that’s really stupid, because you wouldn’t look good with a mustache at all. Maybe a cape though!”
Applejack didn’t very well know what to say. It was true enough. She’d acted like a bone-head, Dash had said her piece and been her annoying self, and now it was over and done with. Apology accepted, mystery solved, visit Pinkie’s family because it was convenient and made sense, then go home and carry on, friendships intact.
It was that simple, yet she couldn’t seem to leave it at that. What was left to say? Applejack rolled her jaw as she rummaged through her brain. If she had any good sense, she’d leave it well enough alone, but there was in fact one thing she still hadn’t figured out.
“Right. I’ll try and keep a lid on it, but if you knew how I felt, why didn’t you say anything? You said you figured this out, but you never said a single darn thing.”
“Oh.” Pinkie scratched her snout sitting down on top of the rock. “Huh. I guess I don’t really know. That was really silly of me, too?”
Applejack clenched her jaw, quelled a small surge of anger and let it out as a sigh. It didn’t matter. “Okay. Great. Thanks a bunch for that.”
“Hey, I wouldn’t look good with a mustache either!” Pinkie said. “I tried. I had Twilight cast a spell on me and everything!”
“Let’s just go,” Applejack muttered, passing her by. She heard the clatter of hooves on hard soil, Pinkie following after her. It was probably a good thing on account of Applejack having no idea where they were going. All was grey and brown and snowless winter.
“I just got caught up in hanging out with you, I tried to have fun instead of asking you about things that maybe made you sad,” Pinkie said, lowering her voice a tad as she continued. “I’m sorry. See? You’re not the only one who makes mistakes! I’m very good at having fun. And about forgetting things. Plus, I guess a tiny part of me waited and wondered if you were about to ask me out. You said you’re not going to, so I guess it doesn’t matter, but if you had asked, I would’ve said—”
“Yeah, I’m not!” Applejack hurried to interrupt. “You’re right. it doesn’t matter any more. ‘Cause of me.”
She didn’t want to hear those next words. More than anything, she needed not to hear them. No matter what she was about to say, everything would change. Too different. Pinkie Pie was Pinkie Pie. She was a creature of laughter and sugar. Might be Applejack let herself forget that—or perhaps even enjoy it—but how did that fit into the Apple family?
Adding to the family, Granny Smith had said at dinner weeks ago. As a friend, Pinkie was the sugar in the oatmeal porridge to be sure, a friendship she couldn’t be without, but at the farm? Waking up to a—well. Applejack had to admit she had no idea what morning rituals Pinkie observed. She suppressed a small grin at the thought, tried to stifle an impossible little laugh. How she wanted that, but it didn’t fit.
Applejack kept her eyes forward. Pinkie Pie trotted up to walk at her side, and this time, Pinkie didn’t make some nonsensical protest. Nevertheless, Applejack could feel her gaze boring into her, the force of her frown bearing down upon her. Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, this lasted for a full three seconds before she distracted herself.
“I hope Blinkie is still around. She usually doesn’t stay for as long as Inkie because she’s so busy, but I know you’re going to love them both—and mom! Dad’s a gem, too! Come on!” Pinkie hopped, skipped and bounced as she sped up, and Applejack didn’t have much choice but to follow. Once they crested the hill, a windmill loomed over the next, and the terrain slowly flattened out.
With the pace Pinkie set, speeding up with each building that came into view, Applejack barely had time to note their surroundings changing. The haphazard boulders and scraggly trees disappeared, giving way to completely flat expanses of land scattered with rocks. Here, a large square of land with pony-sized rocks, there, smaller rocks in large amounts. They weren’t ordered in neat rows, but there was clearly some system to it.
“Neat, huh? That’s the east field!” Pinkie said, finally slowing down a tad. “That’s where we take the younger rocks before they’re ready to yield. D’you like it?”
“Frankly, I haven’t a clue what a rock farm’s s’posed to look like,” Applejack admitted. “But I can recognise a good and tidy operation when I see one.”
“Aw. Thanks!” Pinkie said. “Oh, mom, dad! Hi!”
Up ahead and past the windmill, the silo and other sundry buildings of the farm, a well-kept house dominated the farmyard, and Pinkie Pie homed in on the two ponies by the front door. There stood a brown stallion with grey chops, mane and tail, and a faded white mare whose teal mane was pulled back in a tight bun.
Already wrapped around the two in a hug, Pinkie Pie waved Applejack closer. As was polite with these things, Applejack stopped a short ways off, waiting. Despite their rather severe first impression, she saw the two older ponies unable to deny Pinkie smiles in return. She couldn’t quite decide why this surprised her; Pinkie was Pinkie, and family was family, but the warmth with which they returned her embrace left Applejack puzzled.
“I missed you so much! Sorry for the surprise visit because I know you don’t like surprises, but I thought at least you like me, so it might work out. Oh, and here’s Applejack! Mom, dad, this is Applejack. Blinkie! Inkie, too!” she burst before Applejack had a chance to say much. A blue-grey mare with a straight-cut mane stuck her head out of the farmhouse, soon pushed outside and followed by a lighter grey mare. Pinkie danced around her parents to offer her sisters a hug, too, and Applejack took a step forward and dipped her head.
“Pleased t’make your acquaintance. I’m Applejack,” she said, reaching for her hat and cursing under her breath when her hoof hit nothing but air. It wouldn’t be the last time, she knew.
“Sue Pie,” the older mare said, flashing a muted smile before she turned to Pinkie. “You’ve never brought guests before, Pinkamina.”
“Clyde Pie,” the stallion said, reaching out to shake Applejack’s hoof. A firm shake, Applejack noted, even for a farmer.
“I know! I have never brought guests before, so I thought I’d start now!” Pinkie said. “Applejack, these’re my sisters, Inkie—” the light grey one partially disentangled herself from Pinkie and waved. “—and Blinkie!” The other one with more blue in her coat gave a small nod. They both looked about Applejack and Pinkie’s age, but Applejack couldn’t find much by way of familial similarities, beyond them being earth ponies, all muted colours and straight hair.
“Right, well, you’re welcome here, of course,” Pinkie’s father said, scratching his scraggly chops. “It’s not a problem, but you’ll have to share a bed since the whole flock’s home.” He turned to look at the ball of Pie sisters as though counting them to make sure.
“S’okay!” Pinkie said, unceremoniously dropping her sisters on to the ground to only mild protests. She beamed brightly at her mom and dad, nosing the door to the farmhouse open. “Did you get my letter, huh?”
“We did,” Pinkie’s mother said, nodding. “I have it in the drawer somewhere. We missed you, you know.”
The entire Pie family reached some sort of wordless consensus while they spoke, the family making to move inside the farmhouse with Pinkie Pie at the front. Pinkie’s hooves were loud against the wooden floorboards while she bounced, but her voice was louder still as she fired off questions and comments, often to single-word answers from her parents—but there was always an answer given, and they couldn’t quite not smile. Even Blinkie Pie, who had said nothing, slunk after her sister.
“Something wrong?”
Applejack hadn’t noticed Inkie Pie had stayed outside. The light grey mare gave Applejack an odd look from behind the bangs of her mane, and it was warranted, she supposed. Applejack’d been staring. Inkie’s eyebrows were raised, reinforcing the question.
“Nothing much. Just a bit more noise and hustle and bustle’n I’m used to, I guess,” Applejack said. It was far nicer than admitting she had expected Pinkie’s family to offer a cool reception just because Pinkie never spoke much of them.
“Pinkie Pie talks a lot about you,” Inkie said. She held the door open for their guest as was polite, but she still looked like she had something very particular on her mind.
Applejack chuckled, nodding her thanks in passing. “Don’t know what she’s been saying about us or if I should be worried, but I reckon there’ve been a fair few stories about the whole changeling mess and everything what went on up in the Crystal Kingdom.”
Inkie tilted her head, her mane falling on front of her face. “Huh? Oh, she mentioned something like that, too, sure. Anyway. We should probably go inside; don’t mind Blinkie. She’s a little shy. Uh, and dad can be a bit of a pain. And mom too. You know how families are.”
Applejack exhaled through her nose. “Right. Thanks.”
Through the doorway and into the heart of the Pie family home, it quickly became apparent that Pinkie Pie was a different creature in her childhood home. Different but the same, rather. They’d interrupted dinner-making, judging by Blinkie’s stirring a pot of something that smelled heavenly. Clyde had a cleaver in his mouth, busy dicing vegetables, and Sue made the table. It looked like a completely normal family preparing dinner, even when Pinkie was taken into account. Almost, at least.
Pinkie Pie did a little bit of everything. She was a blur, darting between helping her mother with the table, tossing vegetables in the pot without asking, and being everywhere else a Pinkie Pie would fit, always talking, asking how the townsfolk were, how the rocks were doing, but never taking charge of the dinner—never, as Applejack half expected, suggesting they add marshmallows to their dinner, and never once being asked to stop or simmer down.
Applejack’s stomach let out a loud growl. When was the last time she’d eaten, anyway? She entertained the notion of asking if they needed help, but given that Inkie didn’t appear to find anything to do either, Applejack settled for keeping out of the way. She could’ve watched Pinkie Pie bustle about the kitchen all day long, but instead made a point of looking about the house, not eager to be caught staring again.
The large room was simple, given no more furniture than what was strictly needed but certainly not lacking in personal effects. Through the open portal that separated the joint kitchen and dining room from the living room, Applejack could see tiny sculptures, home-made tablecloths, a heavily burdened hat rack and all that came with a home that had been lived in for generations. It was hard not to feel at least a little at home.
Old pictures lined the walls, too, which wasn’t all that surprising. A little more surprising was how new some of the pictures that hung in places were. The Blinkie Pie who faced the camera from outside the walls of some large, overgrown fortress titled “Mossy Rock, 1002” looked an awful lot like the pony stirring the dinner pot, and next to that, Pinkie Pie smiled down at her wearing last year’s Nightmare Night costume.
“She sends a lot of pictures and letters,” Inkie said, walking up to her side.
“Seems she ain’t the only one,” Applejack said, eyes still roaming the walls. “None of y’all live here?”
“Oh. No.” Inkie cast a glance towards the dinner table which was being set, eyes settling on Blinkie with a smile. “Blinkie plays the clarinet. She’s always travelling with her quartet all over Equestria, and I travel a lot too.” She gestured to her flank, adorned with a cluster of crystals. “I have to travel to look into how other farms work, and I love exploring caves and such. Maybe one day I’ll come home and take up the family business. And Pinkie Pie? She’s busy saving the world, I guess. You’d know, huh?”
“Sounds about right. Saving the world one pastry at a time,” Applejack said, grinning at Pinkie. Pinkie turned and smiled as if she could sense them talking about her. She then waved as though they weren’t in the same room, too. Applejack crossed her forelegs, leaning against the wall. “Just surprised, if’n you don’t mind me saying. You seem as close as any family.”
Inkie didn’t take offense. She smiled and shrugged. “Sure. We visit as often as we can, and the letters probably help. We got to keep in touch somehow, right? Things would probably be different if we didn’t work at it, but we’re a close family, so we do, and they aren’t.”
“There’s a nugget of wisdom if I ever heard one,” Applejack said, letting out an appreciative snort.
“Food!” Pinkie declared. “Come get your yummies! We’re having, um—” she paused, trotting after Blinkie as she carried the large casserole over to the low dinner table, Pinkie desperately craning her neck trying to get a peek.
Blinkie slid the casserole on to the table, and Pinkie finally got her look. “Food. We’re having food,” she concluded, planting her tush by the tableside as the first one to do so. Her sisters sat at her side, crowding one side of the table, and with her parents on the ends, it left Applejack with one side of the table all to herself. It looked a little bit too much like an inquisition.
“It’s your father’s summer day casserole,” Sue said. “At least it was until you added sweet corn and beans to it.”
“Can’t hurt, I’m sure,” Clyde said. “Somepony say thanks, then.”
Blinkie, the quiet-most of the three sisters, closed her eyes. “For day and night, for bread and oat, Celestia, Luna, thank you both.”
“You know, I told Celestia thanks last time I saw her. It’s fine.” Pinkie giggled, reaching for the ladle, only to have her mother tap her hoof to deny her.
“Guests,” she said, simple as that.
“Oh! Oopsie.”
“Aw shoot, no need to stand at attention,” Applejack said, but Sue didn’t look like she was taking humility for an answer. The glare directed Applejack’s way over the rim of her glasses was every bit as steely as the one that had told Pinkie Pie “no.” Tradition and manners would be observed, then.
“But, uh, right. Thank you much,” Applejack murmured, wishing she had her hat to hide the way her ears were pinned back in reflex. She scooped up a healthy three full ladles of stew and nodded her thanks, noting Pinkie’s covert little grin and Inkie’s giggle. Clyde wasted no time in going for the food the second Applejack let go of the ladle.
It smelled divine, and tasted even better. Applejack didn’t concern herself too much with the table politics until her belly was full, and the Pie family apparently didn’t chat much at the table while eating. It suited her just fine. The only surprise was that Pinkie Pie didn’t say too much, either. Grinning, beaming, smiling and bouncing in her seat, certainly, having atrocious table manners as per usual, yes, but no chatter. Twice, Pinkie began to tell a story, but both times she plugged her own muzzle with a hoof and giggled. Only after the last plate was clean were muzzles used for anything other than eating.
“Thank you kindly. Was some fine eating, that,” Applejack said. Sue nodded once, adding her own thanks, as did the others.
“I’m really glad you liked it! I thought maybe you wouldn’t think it was that tasty because it didn’t have any apples,” Pinkie said, “And then I remembered that you love plenty of things that don’t have apples!”
“Pinkie, you know I ain’t actually allergic to everything what ain’t apples. Nopony’s that simple. Don’t see you all here refuse to build your farmhouse out of wood ‘cause it ain’t rocks.” Applejack frowned inwardly, wondering if maybe she’d misspoke. “Unless this is some kind of wood-like rock, ‘cause if it turns out all you ever do here is stuff what’s all, uh, rock-y, then that’s fine too.”
Clyde laughed. It was a sharp, coarse noise that drowned out Pinkie’s own laughter or her sisters’ own giggles too. Applejack was glad of it, though she felt her cheeks heat up.
“Pardon. I have to admit, and I’m sorry to say, I ain’t got a clue as to what rock farming’s really like,” Applejack said.
“It’s not so much about the rocks,” Inkie said, scratching her head. “Actually, mom, can we show Applejack the barn? You still haven’t shipped for the season, right?”
“Not until next week, no, and you know you girls don’t need to ask for permission,” Sue said, getting up. She fixed Applejack with a look, then her husband. “Actually, Pinkie, give your dad and me a hoof with the table, will you?”
Pinkie stopped dead in her tracks, mid-bounce towards the door. “Aw, but—but—moom. No, wait, I mean, daaad!” she tried.
Clyde looked between Pinkie’s mother and Pinkie herself, shrugging before he started ferrying things from the table to the kitchen sink. Pinkie let out a loud, theatrical sigh and picked up a single plate, carrying it like it weighed more than Mount Canterlot itself.
“Come on,” Inkie said. Blinkie disappeared outside, and the light grey mare waited by the door. “Pinkie will live.”
“Maybe!” Pinkie said. She made her back sag under the imagined weight of two empty glasses. Her bottom lip quivered, her eyes big, wide and pleading. “This work could scar me forever! Maybe I’ll never bounce again, maybe—”
“Pinkamina,” said Sue.
“Aw fine. See you in a bit!” Pinkie waved.
Applejack laughed. “Right. Thanks again for dinner.”
I was wondering why this wasn't updating. Turned out I'd somehow forgotten to favorite it.
...oh hey, 8 chapters!
...I'll keep this for my bus ride tomorrow, I think~
HERBERT DARING DASHWOOD!!!!!
Well, another great two chapters, thank you. Really funny scene with Pinkie and the magazine on the train.
I wonder if anyone ever wrote a Pinkie-pairing where she is always bouncy and hyper, and which poor soul would be able to withstand such an onslaught(er).
Great as always but damn it AJ you done goofed, ASK HER OUT ALREADY!!
Applejack is so in character it hurts, because I don't really like canon Applejack . I completely believe she'd be this ridiculously stupid.
I love this Pinkie Pie, though. Particularly how you managed to make her as ADHD as she is in the show without making her a moron like too many authors do.
3098142
Here! Here! I agree with this statement.
3097928 That is one hell of a commute, sir!
(Or a ridiculously respectable wpm)
3097950 I did wonder where I had that from, but simple googling failed me (at least as I remember it). Thank you!
3098041 I think the idea of a story that dedicates itself to keeping Pinkie 100% bouncy all the time is a bit like a story that tries to keep any other character happy for the duration of the story--I don't think Pinkie is significantly different from all other ponies in demeanour, it's just all too easy to forget that the majority of the time (canon!) she doesn't actually drive people nuts with her antics.
That said, I do like the idea of writing "painless" ship fics, as I've come to call them in my mind, where there's a minimum of drama. It's hard to make it feel worthwhile as a story needs tension, but the idea I have for FlutterPie is pretty much Pinkie being 100% Pinkie, and Fluttershy being 100% Fluttershy, which is plenty conflict in and by itself!
3098059 Glad if you're enjoying it still!
3098142 3098516 A few chapters left, we'll see what happens!
3098496 Aww, see, while I know (or presume, rather) you didn't mean it like that, I feel I have to come to Applejack's defense here. She's not, and has never been stupid. Love and unfamiliar feelings can make a fool of the best of us, but generally, Applejack isn't stupid or even dense. The word I'd like to use to describe Applejack is "simple," but that word's become tainted. If you describe someone as simple, you're insulting them, but what I mean to say is that she tends to break issues, matters and thoughts down to bare bones before approaching them.
That's not the same as being unable to appreciate complexity, and it doesn't mean one is incapable of complex thoughts, it's just the default approach, and a really useful skill.
S'just my approach on it anyway! The story isn't concerned with trying to explain Applejack in depth, but I feel a little sad if people think for a second that I believe Applejack is stupid in any capacity.
Wrt. Pinkie, thank you very much! Same principle applies: She isn't, and has never been stupid. She just has her own unique take on things. It's a deceptively easy mindset to get into if you take a few shortcuts from brain to mouth and envision a person who has entirely too many thoughts all at once and struggles a bit to filter them, sometimes!
The Pie family made me smile so much.
3098636
2.5 hour commute to dublin! Though i read quick so i'll likely be done in 30ish min~
3098636
Yeah, that was poorly phrased. I don't think Applejack is stupid in the general sense, I think she's acting stupidly re: the whole Pinkie situation (forgive me, Korzybski-sama!). What annoys me about Canon Applejack is that she wants everything to always stay the same. Rarity wants to rule the fashion world, Dash wants to be a Wonderbolt, Twi is constantly pushing herself to master new magic and friendship and all of that, but it seems like Applejack doesn't have any ambitions (except possibly negatively defined ones, like "don't lose the farm"). Pinkie and Fluttershy both have things about themselves they're not happy about (Pinkie's insecurity, Fluttershy's cowardice). These things give them areas of improvement and things to learn. Applejack is too competent in her area and not ambitious enough outside of it for her to learn much, which is why all her letters to Celestia seem forced and all her problems are self-inflicted, usually for no good reason.
I dunno, I guess there's not much more to say. That's just, like, my opinion, man.
3098636 Fluttershy is probably the best fit for Bouncy Pinkie among the Mane Six. She would not complain about having Pinkie all over her personal space, because a) she is to kind and/or meek to complain, and b) she is so withdrawn that it would compensate for Pinkie's outgoingness (can't remember the correct word). I would imagine that Rarity, Twilight and Applejack (and Celestia, *hint*) could get a little annoyed without some respite.
Not that Pinkie would have to be sad, just calm down, like her talk with AJ in chapter 3.
3097908 The end of Stubborn as Ponies has forever linked dentists with Apple Pie makeouts in my mind. Probably not an intentional reference on your part, but still. Squees and giggles, all the same.
...And now I'm in love with Pinkie's family. Hnng.
Pinkie's family is awesome.
I'm really enjoying this story. Looking forward to how Applejack will finally get her hoof out of her mouth.
3082774
Honestly, I don't even know if everything I said is even a critique. I dunno. It's something interesting I noticed while I was reading/rereading, so I thought maybe I'd mention it.
Also: You write great scene transitions.
Huh. Going full Pac-man on us, 'eh Cloudy?
Yay, new chapters! I'm quite pleased at how quickly this story has been updating, too, as I've kind of been compulsively checking Fimfiction every day to see if there are new chapters, heh.
I continue to really enjoy your characterizations of Pinkie and Applejack. I don't think AJ is being stupid here so much as stubborn. She's decided that a romantic relationship between her and Pinkie could never work out--an understandable position to take, too, all things considered--and that's what she sticking with. Can't work, won't work, might turn out like Mac and Caramel--so in her mind, there aren't any good reasons to ask out Pinkie and at least one good reason not to ask out Pinkie. With Pinkie, it seems she's sweet on AJ, too, though she might not quite realize that herself, but she's not bothered by that in the way Applejack is. While AJ's worried about change tearing them apart, Pinkie's taken Applejack's crush in perfect stride. I really like that, as well as her taking a moment to realize she's angry with AJ (and then that flash of glee at figuring out that anger is what she's feeling).
I'm really interested in seeing more of the Pie family. There's some nice characterization here--they're somewhat stern and stuffy here yet obviously love and accept Pinkie. I like that interpretation a lot.
3098873
All ApplePie fics should include a mention of Colgate, as a tip of the Stetson to Stubborn as Ponies.
3098648 Aw, I'm glad! I certainly had a bunch of fun writing them--normally I'd probably spend a lot of time deliberating how to characterise, but in this case I just sort of let them sort themselves out, and it kinda worked I think!
3098799 Naw I get entirely, that's why I kind of prefaced my comment as I did--I fully assumed you didn't mean it like that! She's definitively acting stupid in this situation, but that's fine so long as it makes sense and doesn't feel contrived.
Regarding AJ, I fully understand some are annoyed by her demeanour wrt. the letter to Celestia etc. Personally, I didn't find it annoying at all, nor do I think a person who has less ambition--is more content, more to the point--is necessarily a bad thing, but that's just a matter of perspective. I always figured she has things she wants, things she strives for, but I don't feel her character's hurt by her not wanting something huge.
But yeah. Really, I tend to autocomplete characters and find solutions to these things as I think of them. I'm terrible at criticising the mane 6 like that, so I wouldn't listen to me on this in particular, hah. S'opinion, like you said!
3098802 Well, if nothing else, I think it's safe to say I haven't written my last Pinkie Pie ship fic yet!
3098873 Oh gosh, I'd plain forgotten!
See, this fic is already seeded with quite a few references and tips-of-the-hat, but that one, huh. I am a) very sorry that I forgot, but also b) glad that my subconscious picks up my slack!
If anyone ever asks in the future, I'm pretending that was entirely intentional tho.
And thanks! The scene with Pinkie and the mag and everything--I still wonder if the delivery was as elegant as I'd have liked, but I'm glad!
3099275 Glad you think so! I haven't read many stories that deal with them, so if there's a solid fanon on them I don't know it--which isn't necessarily a problem I guess!
3099296 Aw, but I'm sure we can jam another few hooves in there. She's got such a big mouth on her, that one!
3099873 Appreciate it!
3100200 I am... eating weird pills and chasing ghosts? Okay--
Oh! Pinkie's family. Right. Yeah, I expect some people will object since we recently learned they have semi-canon (comics aren't technically canon iirc) names and all, but I frankly adore the names of Blinkie and Inkie so much, I don't care. Maybe I'll do it differently if they're canonized for realsies. I always want to respect canon.
Clyde and Sue are a bit more awkward if you stop and ask why there are "normal" names in there, but Equestria isn't terribly consistent anyway. That, and it's part of the fanon. I don't often subscribe to fanon stuff, but meh!
3100212 I'm of course very flattered, but in case you haven't figured it out yet, Wednesdays and Saturdays are the go-tos! Next Weds may be a bit delayed though since it's a special/slightly bigger batch (i.e. last one) and I haven't written the Author's Notes and such yet.
I don't have terribly much to say except to thank you for your compliment, and to say that it makes me very happy to read your take on this. If you read the journal, this story wasn't easy to write at all, and much of that was because the first iteration of the story was terribly vague. To see you read most of my intent into the story and recount it so simply makes me feel very good about this final version of the story--it makes me think that maybe all those edits actually paid off.
I'm sorry if it sounds like I'm patting myself on the back here. Not my intent, and I apologise for that particular piece of inedibility. I'm merely happy that it doesn't look as bad as I once feared. There were times where I was ready to scrap this entire fic. That's only really happened with one other fic of mine ever before.
3100833
Yes, I heard about Marble Pie and Limestone Pie.
Actually they are almost canonized, considering it was confirmed that we'll see at least one Pinkie's sister in season 4.
So, most probably, they would use those names.
Awesome chapter! If I could like this story again then I would. I'm wondering what Pinkie would have said to AppleJack if she'd asked her out. Oh well, I'm sure you'll answer that at some point soon!
I absolutely love how you represent Pinkie Pie. She's my favorite of the main six, simply because I understand her to be like this. a lot of fans think that she's just silly and crazy, but shes.'s a lot more smart, understanding, and friendly than that. I've also thought that Pinkie Pie's craziness and jokes are just her trying to have fun, or make her friends happy.
Ohhhh, Cloouuuudddyyy, you CLEVER author!
You're making Applejack see that Pinkie can fit in on the farm by showing her the way she exists with her family! That is GOOD!
I approve of this story, indeed I do.
3100833
Heh, no, actually, I hadn't noticed. I'm ... sometimes not the sharpest tool in the shed. *cough*
The way you're getting the theme of family across is tying the story together really well. Resolving the final conflict about her family duty in AJ's head by showing Pinkie's family? It's one of those things where you're like "Oh, I should have seen that coming a mile away!" but you don't. Well, at least I'm assuming that's where we're headed.
Regardless, I'm quite enjoying Pinkie's family, and how she interacts with them, being herself but different and such.
I'm looking forward to seeing how you resolve this.
3101004
when was THAT confirmed?
'cause I'm totally hyped for Grey DeLisle as the Pie sisters.
Why do I get the feeling Applejack is going to manage to not find out what rock farming actually is?
3100833
Well, you can say that 'Clyde' and 'Sue' come from the same place as 'Diane', and then it all works out.
[quoteAdding to the family, Granny Smith had said at dinner weeks ago.] Found another one. On a non grammar nazi related note, Applejack is all. I think Inkie's about to , though, so hopefully appejack'll be all now, instead of just being so worthy
Cute little prayer. With a bit it fiddling, it could be sung to the same tune as one my parents used to use: "For health and strength and daily bread, we praise thy name, O Lord."
I'm trying to figure out what a faded white actually looks like.
Do we have any photos of the family Pie, or specifically Sue?
Ha - a 'gem' is a type of stone, and the Pie family primarily consists of rock-oholics.
Nice one.