Appledashery

by Just Essay

Beginning of the Alphabet

Another hour had gone by. More ponies trotted in, arriving in droves. They were the same doppelgangers of equines like Big Mac, Granny Smith, and Apple Bloom before, only now their coats seemed somehow brighter and there was a fire in their eyes that matched their tempestuous vigor.

"How dare they try n'take my big sister away!" One of several Apple Blooms stomped their hooves. "I'm gonna make them pay!"

"Pay and a half!" another foal added.

"Pay and four quarters!" a Granny Smith yodeled.

"Eeeyup!" One Big Mac glared out the window slits of the warehouse, nostrils flaring.

Mulia Mild looked nervously past the Apple Family and Ponyville constructs to see the edge of sunlight peeking through the fissures in the aged warehouse. "It's getting close. The Coronation is just hours away." She glanced about at her friends. "No doubt these ponies will aid us, but there's so many of them! And they're making quite a row!" Her eyes narrowed. "Are we certain they won't attract attention?"

"Did you see this place?" Donut Joe remarked. "We're deeper in this city than drunken botflies!" He smiled, shaking hooves with more and more assembling citizens. "Besides, all of Shindig's security is gathered in the top level. Whew! Boy do they have no idea what's gonna hit them!"

"Let's just make sure that we don't flatten the Cider Princess in the process," Gustave remarked. "After all of this hard work, it would be a shame to get out of here without her body intact, no?"

"Hey everypony!" Epcot rode in on a Filthy Rich's backside. She hopped up, bounced over a Sweetie Belle, and came to a grinning stop. "I just did a head count! We've got three hundred ponies 'awoken!'"

"Three hundred?!" Mulia gasped. "It was just at thirty an hour ago!"

"Heehee!" Epcot giggle-snorted. "I know, right? The numbers increase exponentially! Like alicorn fleas!"

Gustave grimaced. Alicorns had fleas?"

"You think immortal blood isn't tasty? What else did they escape the real world for?" Epcot rolled her purple eyes. "Anyways, if the Coronation is in two hours, I suspect we'll have half-a-thousand ponies on our side for when the proceedings begin. That should be enough to make something pretty snazzy happen!"

Donut Joe looked across the room. "You hear that, Leaves? Seems like we've actually got an edge."

Stu Leaves stared out a boarded window, his ears folded back.

Epcot wandered closely towards his side. "You don't seem to be a Whinnying Wallace right now. We could really use a Whinny Wallace, Mr. Red Rook."

"This should really be Rainbow Dash's charge to lead, not mine," Stu muttered. A sigh escaped his nostrils. "I just hope she's okay... even though I'm sure she's not."

"Rainbow's made it clear that time and time again, she'll do everything she can to save Applejack." Epcot winked. "Aside from Shindig, she's the one pony sure not to miss the Coronation."

"I know." Stu gulped. "Which makes me worried over the one reason why she would miss it."

Epcot fidgeted. Eventually, she leaned in and hugged Stu.

Stu shuddered at the receiving end of her fuzzy embrace. She looked back and spoke above the sound of the gathered mob. "Hugging me isn't going to make this situation any less sucky."

"No." Epcot shook her head, nuzzling Stu. "But it wouldn't hurt." She smiled. "And it wouldn't hurt to have some faith in Rainbow."

"Yeah..." Stu sighed. "She is awesome... isn't she?" A faint grin.

"I was going to say 'adorable,'" Epcot said.

"You're cute enough to be forgiven." Stu patted her shoulder, then limped off towards the crowd. "Alright... time to aim this civilian scepter at Shindig..."

Comments

[RoboRed]

it would be a shame to get out of here without her body in tact, no?"

That's supposed to be one word.

"Yeah..." Stu sighed. "She is awesome... isn't she?" A faint grin.

"I was going to say 'adorable,'" Epcot said.

Wrong A-word, best pony. Stu got it right.

[Sheendough]

And so it begins...

[TIAS-A1927]

So, yeah, I caught up. But, could I caught up in a slice of life arc, or some other adventure? Oooo noooo. I have to caught up JUST EXACTLY in the most tense and exciting part of the story as far! how the buck I'm gonna wait day after day for whats coming?
O my, I SOOOOOO love this story. And this arch! I was a little sceptic in the beginning but then WROOOM! All aboard the princess cider train!
From what I get, there should be plenty of shards still missing to go searching, so, this story does'nt end with this arch, but what frustrates most is that despite I will love that we get some real appledash adeventures aftes this chapters, I'm afraid that Das will, SOMEHOW, manage to end this arch WITHOUT telling AJ that she loves him.

Also, it has been reaally a pleasure read this story with so much fun in the comment sections, really guys, I wouldn't be the same hehehe
(Sorry for the bad english).

[The Danish Adonis]

Screw everything else. They have an army of Big Macs. Everyone's fucked.

[zaponator]

Side note: Rainbow Dash has now technically been killed in both stories. Just noticed that. Hah.

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

5856371

"You're cute enough to be forgiven." Stu patted her shoulder, then limped off towards the crowd.

Best Pony gets special privelege, Red.

5856493 They've also got an army of unicorn Twilight Sparkle's. It's a regular apocalypse. Ooooh, not to mention the scariest thing of all time.

Enraged Pinkie Pie

[Sharp Quill]

5856593 What happened to Discord in this story flatly contradicts what happened to him in the other story.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5856546 5856604 Could you guys tell me just what other story besides this one that you're talking about, with Dash getting killed, and that thing about Discord?

I is plenty puzzled and perplexed about that.

5856493 5856556 This. So much this.

'Cause any way that you slice it, Flim and Flam (and, to a certain extent, their dear mother) are so beyond royally screwed right now that it ain't even funny!

Because I just have the feeling that for every one of her family and friends that are freed and fully themselves again, Applejack's consciousness is just a little bit closer to being fully hers, and to her being her totally gorgeous, Bearer of the Element of Honesty, applebucking country girl self again.

And that, my friends, does not spell anything anywhere near good for the Brothers Flim and Flam.

Not at all.

Mainly 'cause I've just got a feeling that she'll let them know in no very uncertain terms just what she thinks about them maligning her beloved family and farm like they've been doing.

Now all we gotta do is find out what's going on with our dear Rainbow in...wherever the heck she is right now.

Heh, wouldn't it be a kick if she somehow met Mr. Philanthropy himself, and she let him know just what his two sleazebag sons are up to?

Ooooooo, I have a feeling that we have some awesome fireworks incoming pretty soon!

Next chapter soon! Please!

[Sharp Quill]

5856689 This story here: Austraeoh

Be warned: there are already six sequels in existence, and there'll be another five before it's done. There have been numerous references to it in this story.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5856702 Okay, thanks, Sharp (Or do you prefer "Quill"?). I'll give it a read pretty soon.

And thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind when I go to start reading it.

Ooooo, yeah! I know the one that you mean now. There was a reference to that last sequel (well, I think it was the last one, anyway) in the April Fool's Day chapter that got taken down after April 1st. Gotcha.

[Sharp Quill]

5856706 Also keep in mind that details on what the heck is going on are dribbled out slowly.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5856717 Yeah, that's for sure!

Oh, well. I'm cool with that.

[Sharp Quill]

5856719 Yes, that was the April fools' chapter.

And by slowly, I mean slowly.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5856725 Thought so.

Yeah, I got that.

Hey, it's all good. I don't mind a bit of suspense, or wait.

Just as long as that wait isn't too horribly long.

Heck, I've got stories in my Favorites and "Read Later" Bookshelves that haven't updated in like literally years!

A day or so, I can deal with.

[Sharp Quill]

5856747 Oh, it's updated every day, just like Appledashery. And just like this story... this arc is a good example. It's nearly a hundred chapters long, maybe nearing its climatic conclusion, and we still don't have a strong sense of what the hell is going on. Like that, only more so. But Austraeoh takes itself far more seriously than this one does, and we have the advantage of knowing that any given arc must finish by the two hundredth chapter of a book.

[The Danish Adonis]

5856556
Yeah, Twilight and Pinkie can be scary, but these guys have ponynapped his little sister, and are trying to kill her right in the soul. You think Mac is gonna stand for that?
th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/i/2012/241/5/e/angry_big_macintosh_by_baumkuchenpony-d4vnf8c.png

... Eenope.

( I was trying to find a picture of a terrifying, furious Big Mac, but my internetz skills are lacking, so this was all i could find.)

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5856779 Really? Well, that's cool to know.

Heh, looks like I've got a bit more reading to do.

5856805 Very well put, indeed.

Yeah, now that I think about it, to heck with Twilight and the girls (although an army of them (and most especially Pinkie Pie) would be equally terrifying). They've got an army of very pissed off big brothers about to head their way.

They just might as well surrender now, and spare themselves some major pain and suffering.

Because, after what they've been doing, and have done, to AJ, Big Mac's gonna show them what real pain is.

[BabySkittleMonster]

5856604
I thought I said no amount of arguing or proof would convince me this isn't a prequel. Do not underestimate the sheer stubbornness of a fan when they have their eyes set on something. Logically I know it isn't, but I want it to be so there. Therefore, any contradictions are rendered null and void.

[Sheendough]

5856689 I had the feeling that Rainbow would also contact Mr. P and she'd come back fully prepared to kick flank.

[Sam the Anti-Ninja]

5856805 I don't think ANY of them are gonna stand for it. And you're right, he is pretty much built like a bulldozer, so getting him mad=bad idea.

but now my curiosity is piqued: How hilarious is it gonna be to see an army of granny smiths and apple blooms in action?

[Lightning Bearer]

It looks like this story's going the route of "The Cutie Map", with the supporting cast saving the protagonist. What I'm curious about is how they're going to save Rainbow.

[WhitewolfStormrunner]

5857535 Yep.

And I can-not wait to see that happen!

5857922 As to this:

How hilarious is it gonna be to see an army of granny smiths and apple blooms in action?

My answer is this:

[Leftover of Saikano]

Three hundred ponies are enough to defend the Thermopylae for almost a month.

One day more for revolution
We will buck them in the flank

[arancaytar]

Beginning of the Alphabet

A is for Apple, that's good enough for me.

Stu shuddered at the receiving end of her fuzzy embrace. She looked back and spoke above the sound of the gathered mob. "Hugging me isn't going to make this situation any less sucky."

Epoctsnuggles make all situations less sucky.

"Yeah..." Stu sighed. "She is awesome... isn't she?" A faint grin.

"I was going to say 'adorable,'" Epcot said.

Oh that's what the chapter title was referring to! No, both of those are the correct A-words.