Questions and Answers
Leading the Herds
“Yee-haw! Come on, Winona! Round ‘em up, move ‘em out!” Applejack shouted. “I ain’t let a stampede hit Ponyville before, and I ain’t about ta start now!”
The cheerful farm dog barked a reply as she leapt over the river of bovine bodies beneath her. She barked at the cows, herding them together into a tightly-pressed group, while Applejack lassoed the lead cow and began to steer the cattle in a direction away from the town.
Once the herd was finally turned away from Ponyville, Applejack dug her hooves into the ground, pulling the lead cow to a stop. The other cattle followed suit, also coming to a halt.
“Alright, now what’s all the ruckus about?” Applejack asked good-naturedly. “’Taint another snake, is it? Cuz I asked Fluttershy ta relocate the ones around the farm for ya.”
“Ooh, no, not a snake.” one of the cows replied. (Her name was Buttercup.) “It was little Apple Bloom and her two friends, don’cha know. Wee things were trying to tie fireworks onto a scooter or something, and it kind of went out of control and started comin’ our way.”
“Well, I can’t blame y’all fer bein’ flustered by that.” Applejack admitted. “Anybody else would’a run, too.”
She slipped the lasso off of the lead cow and began to lead the herd back to Sweet Apple Acres.
“Now, come on girls!” she cried. “We gotta git you back home. And besides, I hafta give a certain filly a stern talking-to.”
*************************************************
After the cows had all been brought back to the farm and sufficiently calmed down, Applejack had headed out to perform her usual duty of bucking apples. Apple Bloom had been sentenced to clean out the pigs’ pen for her actions, despite her protests that it was all Scootaloo’s idea.
The particular patch of trees Applejack was seeing to happened to be situated near the pastures, where the sheep were grazing peacefully. Applejack was thinking to herself what a picturesque sight it made as she went about her duties. Sure, she had seen some pretty impressive places in her life, like the Crystal Empire and the Canterlot palace, but to the orange earth pony, no place in Equestria was more beautiful than Sweet Apple Acres.
Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard a milky, sweet voice speak up. “Um… excuse me, Miss Applejack?”
Applejack turned to see that one of the lambs, a little ewe, was standing next to her, staring with large, golden eyes.
“Am I bothering you?” she asked.
“Not at all, young ‘un.” Applejack answered with a warm smile. “What are y’all doing away over here? The others are out in the pasture.”
“Well, I sort of had a question.” the lamb replied.
“Well, shoot.” Applejack answered, bucking another tree.
The lamb shuffled uncomfortably. “Um… I don’t mean to be disrespectful, Miss Applejack, but I was wondering… why do ponies seem to be in charge of all the cows and sheep and stuff?”
Applejack halted her applebucking.
“Well, I guess that is a mighty good question.” she answered.
“Don’t get me wrong.” the little lamb exclaimed, waving her hooves in front of herself. “I love it here, and you and your family take great care of us. I was just wondering… why are ponies in charge?”
Applejack motioned for the little lamb to come closer, which she did.
“What’s your name, young ‘un?”
“Sweet Clover.” the little lamb replied.
“Well, Sweet Clover, y’all best sit down.” Applejack told her. “It’s a bit of a long story.
*************************************************
Ya see, long ago, long before Equestria was founded, all the cows and sheep and such took care of themselves. Back then, things were easy, and everyone was happy and safe.
Now back then, ponies were the most advanced race. We were ambitious. We built houses, barns, towns, and cities. That was back in a time when the unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies were all still friendly together, and so with the unicorns’ magic, the pegasi’s flight, and the earth ponies’ farmin’ skills, we forged ourselves a right nice little society.
Now most of the other races, like sheep and cows and such, never really bothered with that stuff, cuz they didn‘t need ta. They preferred ta live how we ponies lived in the beginning’ days. They were content ta eat what the land provided, like grass and clover and stuff, and ta sleep in huts or tents, or even under the stars. Sure, it would git a mite nippy durin’ the winter, but they’d all huddle together an’ keep warm. Plus, since they didn’t have a specific place ta call home, they could migrate anywhere they wanted.”
*************************************************
“What’s migrating?” Sweet Clover asked.
“Migratin’s when creatures decide ta pack up and head someplace new.” Applejack explained. “Back in the day, lots of races would head south, where things were warmer, when the winter hit.”
“But… couldn’t the pegasi have just made the weather so that the sheep and cows wouldn’t get cold?” Sweet Clover questioned. “I mean, we sheep have nice wooly coats to keep us warm, but cows don’t.”
“Well, ya see, this was a very, very long time ago.” Applejack went on. “Back then, the weather happened all by itself. The sun would even raise by itself. An’ back then, there weren’t no weather ponies. Everypony just accepted what weather came.”
“What happened?” Sweet Clover asked. “What caused that to change?”
Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “Actually, I don’t rightly know that. Not many records on what happened durin’ that time. I’ll hafta ask Twilight some time. Anyhoo, as I was sayin’….
*************************************************
The ponies had a pretty advanced little society, while the other races were kinda… well, primitive. Not that that made them less smart than ponies, jes different. Back then, most zebras were jes as primitive, and lived in huts and ate grass and stuff like that, but even back then, they were still mighty clever, more so than most ponies. Even learned how ta use magic, although Celestia knows how they do it without horns.
Anyhoo, all these races were happy, cuz without a permanent home, they were free ta go pretty much anywhere they wanted. They explored all the wonders the world had ta offer ‘em.
They still traded with ponies, givin’ us milk and wool in exchange for stuff they couldn’t make very easily on the move, like cupcakes and apple pie. An’ everyone was pretty happy with the way things were. Ponies could git their milk and wool, and the other races could have a share of the fun things we ponies had without givin’ up that roaming freedom they’d grown ta love.
*************************************************
“So why did things change?” Sweet Clover queried, cocking her head.
“I was jes gettin’ ta that.” Applejack said, rubbing the little lamb’s head. “Y’all know the story of Hearth’s Warming Eve, right?”
*************************************************
Well, the terrible winter that the Windigoes had brought had caused a lot of problems, and not jes fer ponies. Cows, sheep, goats, zebras, buffalo, and other races were affected by the blizzards, too. Suddenly things weren’t as happy an’ carefree as they used ta be. Now they had ta fight ta stay alive.
Actually, the buffalo and the zebras were better off than most ponies. They knew how ta find food in even the toughest times. And the goats… well, they could eat jes about anything.
But the cows and sheep and donkeys were kind of at a loss. They were always pretty laid back, and never thought that they would have ta face something like that blizzard, so they were pretty much unprepared. They couldn’t get much food, and findin’ it took an awful lot of work. Plus, things were far too cold, even when they huddled together.
So the cows and the sheep and donkeys went to the ponies. At that time, the tribes had split, and since the earth ponies were the ones who made the food, the cows an’ sheep decided ta go ta them fer help.
‘Course, the earth ponies weren’t too well off either, but they realized that the cows and sheep and donkeys couldn’t make it without some help. So they started workin’ together. The earth ponies gave everyone what little food they could spare, and in return, the cows gave milk, the sheep gave wool for warm blankets and coats, and the donkeys helped in labor whatever way the could.
Well, this kept goin’ on fer some time, even after the earth ponies moved to Equestria. Eventually, we built barns fer the cows an’ sheep ta sleep in. Since they were used to sleepin’ outside, they didn’t mind.
*************************************************
“Um… jet ta be clear… y’all don’t mind sleepin’ in the barn, do ya?” Applejack asked Sweet Clover, looking a bit concerned.
“Oh, not in the slightest!” Sweet Clover announced. “It’s all warm and toasty when we’re all in there in the wintertime, and the straw is really comfy to sleep in. Not to mention it’s fun to play in, too!”
“Well, jes makin’ sure.” Applejack replied with a relieved smile. “I mean, we try ta keep y’all comfy.”
“But why didn’t the cows and sheep just go back to how they had lived before?” Sweet Clover asked.
Applejack grinned. “See, that’s the thing. You know how you were jes saying how ya like it in the barn?”
*************************************************
Well, the donkeys had been working alongside the ponies for so long that they eventually started to get their own jobs and houses. But the cows and sheep were pretty happy with their lives. They got good meals, a warm place ta sleep at night, and all they had ta do was give the ponies some wool or milk now and again, and let us keep a cut of the profits we made from sellin’ their milk or wool. Even then, we still gave them a nice-sized cut, so that they could buy stuff they liked as well.
Well, compared ta that, the roamin’ life jes didn’t seem so much fun anymore. Eatin’ frost-covered clover out in the snow on a winter’s day weren’t nearly as nice as a nice hot mash inside a toasty warm barn with soft straw ta sleep on. And they didn’t really have to do much work at all.
So, the cows and sheep decided ta keep lettin’ the earth ponies look after ‘em, an’ kept on sharing their milk and wool with the ponies in return.
*************************************************
“An’ that’s why the ponies are in charge.” Applejack finished. “That’s also why it’s the earth ponies who look after you folk, and not the unicorns or the pegasi.”
“Oh, now I see!” Sweet Clover exclaimed. “You’re in charge because you take care of us!”
“Exactly!” Applejack replied proudly. “We do our best ta make sure you git happy lives.”
“But… have cows or sheep ever done anything important?” Sweet Clover pressed.
“Well, there have been a few.” Applejack proclaimed. “Some sheep and cattle git a mite tired of the easy life an’ try their hooves at somethin’ more challengin’. Some end up gittin’ their own houses an’ makin’ a way fer themselves. ‘Course, that means they have ta git a job, go ta school, study hard, and all kinds of stuff, so it ain’t easy.”
Sweet Clover made a gagging face and stuck out her tongue. “Yuck! Who wants to go to school?” She bounced to her hooves. “Well, thanks for the story, Miss Applejack!”
“No sweat.” Applejack replied with a grin. “Now you run along an’ have fun now! I’ve got ta git these here trees bucked before sundown!”
“Okay, see ya!” The little lamb called back as she bounded off to join her friends.
Applejack watched the free-spirited little lamb as she left. A smile crossed the orange mare’s face as she watched Sweet Clover leave, and she gave a little sigh as she watched the little lambs laughing and playing.
“Well… back ta work.”
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Yeah, domesticated animals do have a pretty sweet deal.... as long as they ain't domesticated by meat eaters.
It fits as well as any idea I have heard, and it is benevolent. Have a thumbs up and a fave.
Nice. They're not kept as slaves against their will but most like how things are.
This is a fine head cannon.
I declare this to be a probable spiritual sequel to this. This was pretty good. wake up sheeple
Simple and to the point. Neat.
This was good, but I gotta ask... If the sheep and cows give their wool and milk in return for money and lodging, then what about the pigs? Pigs don't provide anything other than meat
A fun little head-cannon about donkeys,sheep, and cows. I enjoyed it. Well played
4916614
Living compost makers? And then fertilizer too afterward? I mean, since they eat everything or something? Actually, has a pig in the show ever spoken? They could be just an animal like Angel Bunny
"Huh. Maybe Ah oughtta have mentioned all the veal we sell to the griffons, or all the leather," Applejack mused, then shrugged. "Nah."
4916726
Nope. Pretty sure they are. They act like it anyway. Though Angel actually acts much smarter than the pigs.
4916614
thay make AMAZING trash compactor's really thay eat EVERTHING
4917822 Actually it was confirmed in the comics that zebras get cutie marks thus the symbol on zecoras flank
4917854 Dude their is a lot we learn from the comics new species what happened to star swirl. Celestia and king Sombra being in love. Celestia using another Luna to replaced her sister whilst she was banished. and so on
4916614
Lauren Faust said that pigs are non-sentient in Equestria, so I don't think they count the same as cows and sheep. As for their use... waste disposal, I guess. Vegetarians like ponies wouldn't have much use for pork.
4917856
The comics do have some things I find of questionable canon, as I'm not sure how closely they work with the original writers. Still, the zebra Cutie Mark thing sounds legit. However, I predict that a future episode of MLP will cover the Star Swirl thing in a different light.
Still... I would like to see a bit more about Sombra's history in the show. I know he's gone for good, but, well, Twilight has transcended time at least once before...
4918414
They forage for mushrooms and truffles for the ponies and other species to eat...
Well okay then. Cool, although I wonder if a sheep ever became a mayor.
Brilliant!
It would have been more interesting if that sheep were one of the few who wanted schooling and to get off the farm as opposed to being content. The way this was portrayed, things are likely not to change for a long long time. It reminds me of the star trek where the androids wanted to take care of us and keep us controlled.
4916449
imgs.xkcd.com/comics/wake_up_sheeple.png
...
I think some of the historical scenarios could have been fleshed out a bit more, but I suppose it had to be short since it was basically Applejack giving an oral history of the relationships between the earth ponies and herd animals.
You might also want to get an editor, too. All the dialogue ended with periods instead of commas. Just got to get someone to give it a quick lookover and it should be nice and neat.
Other than that, it was a nice fic. Have an upvote.
4920084 Huh. Not a bad idea. Still, when one is young, one tends to be more capricious and carefree. I suppose I could have fun with a story about a "black sheep" who leaves the herd to go do something more, but that'll only happen only if I get the mood. I'm pretty capricious myself.
The way I see it, most of the cows and sheep and stuff are too comfortable and complacent in their live to really care about rising to new heights. Maybe it's contentment, maybe it's laziness, I don't know. All I know is that, from the show, I don't get the impression it happens a lot.
4918583 I doubt it. Sheep are kind of known for being followers, not leaders.
A cow, on the udder hand....
4916866 "That's a terrible lie!
The Griffons would never eat our livestock, they love pigs and goats and sheep and cows! Why, every month Gregor the Griffon buys a bunch of all of them off us to be pets for loving Griffon families back home! He even worries if they aren't getting enough to eat, just last time he visited he told Applejack to 'fatten 'em up more.'" 
Don't listen her lies! It behooves the slave owner to keep her property well maintained!
4918583 Still waiting to hear on an episode, the Celestia's Head Chef is named Chef Ramsay...
Applejack is a Pony Racist.
4921353 "Hey Applejack! Got any extra pigs left over? I wanna host another hot dog eating contest!"
"I won last time."
"A contest, eh?"
"Oh, pigs are so succulent and moist!"
"Ayup."
"I thought we were all vegetarians."
"Maybe you prefer... BANANAS?"
4922586
I damn hope Equestrians eat meat.
In my Human Equestrian stories, they all eat meat. Because I eat meat. And meat is deeeeeeeeeee-licious.
So you're a vegan? *Le Willy Wonka Face* s3-ak.buzzfeed.com/static/campaign_images/webdr06/2013/7/30/11/22-questions-willy-wonka-the-chocolate-factory-le-1-31822-1375199158-10_big.jpg How's that working out for you?
EDIT:
This is my face when people tell me they don't eat meat.
s21.postimg.org/k0wtcrosn/Le_monkey_face.png
4922628
Well, in Pinkie's song to the Appleloosans, she noted that they're all vegetarians. But she also mentioned a hot dog eating contest at another point. So I like the idea that ponies all publicly claim to be vegetarians, but some of them are familiar with the succulent flavors of cow, lamb, chicken, fish, pig, and other delicious delicious meats.
4923048
In Harry Potter, there is an equine race that eats meat(Thestrals).
So I am not at all concerned about this turn of events.
By the way, I have heard it said that Human Flesh tastes like pork. Why did I mention this? Oh, no reason. No reason at all.
Applejack is such a liar.
I mean, seriously? The sun rising on its own? Where did she come up with that idea?
4923057
It's not so much a question of being concerned as it is being consistent with the facts as established in the show. Pinkie said they're all vegetarians, so at least the cultural assumption is that everyone is a vegetarian. Ponies finding out that this assumption is wrong is the source of the amusement.
4923048 Well, they could be vegetarian hot dogs. Maybe they're made of soy. The term "hot dog" doesn't necessarily mean "meat dog". After all, vegetarian sausages exist.
4921576 There's always a neighsayer....
4922582 Um... I think you missed the point.
The point is that ponies take care of the sheep and cows and such. The sheep and cows are as free as any other citizen, they're just usually to complacent in their lives to do anything that important.
4922628 Every now and again, I wonder why we humans kill a creature, char the dead corpse over a fire, and then put it in our mouths.
No, I'm not a vegetarian, but I try not to eat a lot of meat. I might have become a vegetarian if it hadn't been for Five Guys. Or seafood. Succulent, succulent seafood.
This was quite enjoyable, because it quelled the worries in the back of my mind that the cows and sheep really are slaves in Equestria. Thank you for writing this.
4923048
4924077 Well, in one episode, Spike purchases a 'carrot dog', which is just a carrot in a hot dog bun. So maybe 'hot dog' is another term for 'carrot dog.'
4924077
4924161
I prefer the idea that Pinkie accidentally revealed her omnivorous proclivities, myself. It adds that nice 'MUAHAHAHAHA' moment.
4924077
We eat succulent animal flesh, oozing blood and fat, because we have front-facing eyes and canines.
Apex Predator 4 life, yo. I sink my fangs into the animal muscle and tear it from the bone.
4924077
Horses can eat meat though.
4924271 Can they? Huh. I'll have to look that up.
) but while it may be possible for equines to eat meat, I don't think the ones in Equestria do. At least not the meats we're used to. Beef and mutton are most certainly off the menu, and I'm getting the impression so are pork and chicken. Although we do see Rarity's dad fishing, so maybe ponies eat fish. I don't know. We know they eat eggs, but I don't know if they would eat, say, shrimp or something. Still, I doubt it. All the episodes seem to point towards the fact that Equestrian ponies at least are vegetarian. (That's different than vegan, folks. Eggs could still be on the menu for a vegetarian.)
Still, you probably knew that, but I couldn't resist a little shout-out for animal rights.
Well, regardless, Pinkie did state that the ponies of Equestria at least are vegetarian. Of course, Fluttershy would be a vegetarian even if she got turned into a lion, (eating cute little critters?
Oh yeah, it doesn't count as eating meat when we feed horses those awful feeds that are pretty much ground-up everything.
Guise, guise, I just thought of something.
MLP:FiM ponies have front facing eyes, don't they? So they have the binocular vision of an apex predator that eats meat.
Their eyes appear to face the front. I mean, there are instances where you can only see one eye on one side of their head, like this
I don't even know anymore, man. If they have canine teeth, it's a wrap.
4924077
Cooking meat kills pathogens and parasites. That is why we cook meat.
Humans are omnivores with near-obligate carnivorism. While humans can survive without meat, doing so requires much more care and forethought. Humans need a minimum of 50 grams of protein per day to survive, for example.
Veganism was outright impossible until very recently; there is no place on the planet where the mix of plants required for a survivable vegan diet grows naturally. It's only through modern geoengineering, agricultural technology, and genetic engineering that such a thing can happen, and prior to the advent of powered ships you couldn't even maintain such a diet through imports.
Horses don't need to eat meat, but they will occasionally eat a rat or bird. Their inability to vomit makes food poisoning deadly, but otherwise they can eat meat just fine.
4925709
We also cook meat because blah blah glycogens and other molecules that only appear when food is cooked, which allowed us to extract more food energy from the food we ate, which then allowed us to evolve with these gigantic four-pound-weight or more chunks of grey matter in our skullbones.
I'm not a chemist so I don't know what the process is exactly.
It's a conspiracy man!
4925565
Fluttershy also fed some of her animals fish, so it's likely that fish aren't cute talketive talks at least.
That comment about school, while very typical of children everywhere, made me feel a little sad. Who wants to be educated when it's nice and warm in Plato's Cave, know what I mean?
Anyway, great read.
4925696 Maybe their eyeballs are so huge so they have a really wide field of vision? Dunno, heh!
What AJ doesn't mention is if the sheep and cows who strike out beyond the farm face an accepting environment. Makes ya wonder, dunnit?
4922586 I saw another fic that explained the pigs pretty well, though: garbage disposals. They eat anything. So maybe that's it?
4925709 Dude, I was saying it jokingly. I'm not really questioning why we cook meat. It's like when I question eggs and milk. I really know why, but it's fun to ask people, "why do we eat eggs and drink milk, considering where they come from?"
Anyhoo, charring dead meat is sure better than eating it raw. Unless it's sushi, of course.
4925565
Oh yeah, horses can eat meat. There have been real accounts of horses living on meat.
Horses also can become man-eaters.
Don't believe me? There was an entire book written on it.
Horses are not nice animals. They can be very, very scary when they want to be.
I was reading on of the accounts from the book about a horse in India that basically became a serial killer.
It was like something out of a horror story, and I don't mean a cheesy one, I mean a legitimately scary story.
So yeah. That's a thing that happened.
Great story by the way.