Neigh Hard 2; Neigh Harder

by DicePony

Chapter 1 - "Come on pal' it's Hearth's Warming Eve!"

"Come on pal!" Applejack cried in frustration. "It's Hearth's Warming Eve for Celestia's sake!"

Snow fell against her body and dusted her hat in heavy flakes as she hopelessly watched a group of stallions, in thick jackets and scarves, hitch themselves to the elegant purple wagon.

As they pulled it away, the wagon's pristine, gold trimmed wheels left deep tracks in the snow-covered streets of Canterlot.

After watching the burly ponies drag the expensive new wagon away, Applejack turned her attention back to the chubby unicorn standing in front of her. He was busy scribbling in a pink notebook with a disgustingly chewed pencil, and wore a blue and silver uniform that barely fit around his portly belly.

"It's a time for ponies to come together as friends and treat each other with kindness and respect," Applejack continued, this time with a desperate smile spread across her face.

The light-grey unicorn finished his hasty scribbling and tore off a slip from the notebook with a faint haze of blue magic, thrusting it into Applejack's hooves nonchalantly.

"Then ask your friends for a new wagon," the officer pony replied, his voice thick with sarcasm and a strong Manehattan accent. "Happy Hearth's Warming."

He shot Applejack a wicked grin before turning his attention to his next victim; a pink and white striped carriage that had been left nearby.

As he walked away Applejack barely managed to restrain himself from yelling insults at the Traffic pony, instead resorting to kicking the snow-covered signpost beside her. Her back hoof struck against the cold metal, sending out a loud ringing sound as chunks of snow fell off the giant lolipop-style sign revealing the words; "No Parking".

"Stupid, Canterlot ponies." she muttered as she crumpled the parking ticket in her hooves and stuck it inside her worn and now snow-covered hat.

"Now the first thing Ah have to tell Rarity when she arrives is Ah got her fancy new wagon impounded," she sighed. "What a great way to start our first Hearth's Warming Eve together..."

Banishing thoughts of the angry unicorn from her head, Applejack took one final, quick glance of the impressive city before he. Canterlot looked like it was trapped inside a novelty Hearth's Warming Eve globes, the kind that market sellers often sold to unwary tourists during the holiday season. The beautiful spires and gold domes of the capital were covered in a thick layer of white, and the delicate flakes drifted lazily between the towers and elegant houses that lined the streets. Throughout the city, couples, families, and friends were all wrapped up in winter attire enjoying the festive season.

Pulling her green scarf tight around her neck, and shaking herself vigorously to dislodge the gathered layer snow on her coat, Applejack turned away from the frosty vista before her and made her ways towards the sprawling, awe-inspiring building that had been looming behind her.

The enormous white and gold building seemed to extend down several streets on either side of her. Ponies of all types walked in and out of the impressive building through the various glass doors that ran alongside it's front. Unicorns, earth ponies and pegasus all made their way through the wide doors, their hooves clattering against the polished marble stone that it was built from. Letting out a low whistle of admiration, Applejack made her way inside.

As she pushed open the large glass door with a front hoof and stepped inside, the cold air suddenly fell behind her and a pleasant warmth spread through her body along with the familiar sensation of magic. Within moments all the snow that had gathered on her coat and hat had melted and she felt as though she was wrapped up in a warm, cozy blanket.

The Canterlot International Airship Dock, was a fairly new additional to the heart of Equestria. Built from beautiful cut stone and full of plush furnishings, the Airship Dock Lounge was almost as impressive as Canterlot Castle itself. Although the shops and cafes spread throughout the main terminal still gave it a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere, Applejack had read that the entire building was packed full of the latest magical technology in the land.

"Ah gotta admit," she whispered to herself quietly, "sometimes that magic stuff sure is handy."

The main concourse that Applejack stood in was absolutely packed with ponies from all over Equestria. Fancy unicorns in rich looking clothing trotted daintily across the main floor, magically lifting their trunks and cases up the huge and winding stairways. Pegasi flew through the air in haste, whizzing up and down the various levels of the lounge or across the concourse. As a group of them flew overheard, she noticed that a large majority of the pegasus seemed to be wearing a similar outfit to the traffic pony outside. With a final glance around impressive entrance area she spotted a family of earth ponies dressed in traditional village clothing. Their saddlebags were bursting and they nervously clutched slips of paper in their mouths, their eyes darting all around the overwhelming expanse of the dock's main area.

With a pitying smile towards the bewildered earth ponies, Applejack made her way across to a desk near the centre of the main concourse. Bold lettering across the desk read "Dock Information Desk", and a pretty, pale blue, pegasus sat behind it.

"Howdy ma'am," Applejack said, smiling. "Ah'm hoping you can help me with something?"

The pegasus blushed slightly as Applejack tipped her signature brown hat to her.

"Of course! How can I help miss?" she answered sweetly. Applejack noticed the pegasus bat her long lashes at her a few times, a manoeuvre Rarity had been known to employ when trying to get Applejack to do something she didn't like.

Applejack let out a nervous chuckle and leaned against the desk with a front hoof. "Ah'm waiting on an arrival from Fillydephia, the five o’clock one, but Ah've never been to a place like this before and Ah got about as much of an idea on where to go as a unicorn knows about growing apples?"

The friendly desk assistant leaned towards her in return, resting her front hooves against the help desk and tucking them under her chin, batting her eye lashes a few more times.

"Oh certainly! The next flight in from Fillydelphia is expected to land in the next hour or so. The arrival's lounge is just up the stairs and to the left." she instructed, pointing a hoof towards a large set of pristine white stone steps with gold hand-railings. "All the incoming airships have to pass through security and come out in the long corridor running alongside it, so you can't miss anybody arriving if you wait there."

She smiled and looked at Applejack curiously. "Are you... meeting your family for the holidays?"

"You could say that yeah," Applejack answered with a wistful smile.

Applejack's felt her heart flutter a little as she thought about the purple-maned unicorn she was waiting for.

"Well, um, I finish soon and there's a café up in the lounge. Seeing as you've got to wait a little bit, maybe I could join you for a drink?" the young pegasus asked shyly, her lashed eyes fluttering once more.

Applejack felt herself flush and resisted the urge to smack her own face with a hoof for being so clueless. She bashfully smiled back and nervously rubbed a hoof against the back of her neck..

"Well that's a mighty nice offer from such a pretty gal' like yourself but Ah don't reckon my special somepony would look on that too kindly," she replied as gently as she could.

The pegasus turned an intense shade of red and laughed nervously before diverting her attention to a stack of blank papers on her desk.

"Oh I'm so..." she began, clearly mortified.

"Now don'tcha even think about apologising ma'am!" Applejack remarked sternly. "Ah'm mighty flattered and Ah should be the one apologising."

The embarrassed pegasus let out a weak smile.

"Besides, Ah reckon you just made my day. Ain't too often a country gal like me gets invited for a drink by a pretty Canterlot pony." Applejack added with a wink and tip of her hat.

They enjoyed a short, shy laugh together before Applejack decided to make an exit and let the poor pony put the whole incident behind her.

Heading up the tall white stairs the pegasus had pointed to, Applejack saw a long corridor running left to right with a wall-spanning window that rose up to the ceiling. Outside, amidst the heavy snow and frosty glass, she could see the impressive docking towers themselves.

Applejack had already seen the towers as she had made her way into the city, they had looked like tall, thin white spires with purple and gold motifs spiraling around them like a helter-skelter. Various struts, bridges and platforms stuck out from the towers like thorns on a dangerous piece of briar and Applejack remembered their flashing magical lights blinking away in the fading sunlight.

Up close, however, Applejack could fully realise the sheer scale of the towers. Each one was about the same size around as Ponyville Town Hall, but rose up miles into the sky. The struts and bridges that had stuck out like tiny thorns from afar were long corridors, held up by various supports and criss-crossing wires. The multiple towers dwarfed the main building itself and were all connected by bridges and corridors like points in a spider-web.

And then, of course, there were the airships themselves. Pairs of beautiful looking airships straddled alongside each one of the wide, secure looking platforms. Each ship's balloon completely different to the next. Where one was long and thin, another other was fat and round. Some had multiple balloons, some had winged supports, whilst others had enormous rudders. All of the ships bore elaborate carriages beneath the balloon, each of them painted beautifully with various cities colours and flags.

"You won't catch me on one of these flying bathtubs anytime soon, that's for sure," she murmured to herself apprehensively, watching one of the airships bob in the heavy snow and precariously make it's way into the air from the docking platform..

As she watched the airship, which was decorated in pink and purple with the flag of Manehattan emblazoned on the balloon, the smell of hot cocoa and baked goods wafted through the air. Looking around she spotted a little café with rows of plush seating nearby, as the scent of cinnamon, chocolate, and gingerbread hit her nostrils her mouth began to water and she found herself inexplicitly drawn towards the simple little stand.

With a flash of her hoof and nod of her head, the smiling serving pony brought over a steaming cup of freshly made cocoa. He grinned as Applejack threw in a few extra marshmallows than she expected was company policy. Nearby a group of three fillies and their mother were chanting Hearth's Warming Eve songs, likely waiting for the rest of their family to arrive from some far off location so they could spend the heart-warming season together.

As the gentle chorus of the song echoed through the waiting area, Applejack's imagination began running turning over with thoughts of warm fires, family and a certain fussy, fashion-manic unicorn.

- - -

Cloudy Quick busied herself at her desk, desperately trying not to think about the embarrassing situation with the hat wearing earth pony mare.

She stacked various files, arranged her pencils, and counted her paperclips to keep her mind off the twisted feeling in her stomach. However, despite her best efforts at distracting busy-work, she could still feel the same old thoughts creeping into her head.

"I'm going to be single and lonely for Hearth's Warming Eve. Again." she thought with a depressed sigh.

Looking up at the bustling crowds, she couldn't help but notice all the cute couples holding hooves and making their way to some exotic location to spend the holidays together. A particularly sweet looking grey pegasus with odd-looking yellow eyes happily chatted and hugged a tan-coloured colt with an hourglass cutie mark as they made their way to the departure platforms.

Cloudy let out another, more exaggerated, depressed sigh. "Guess it's just me and my good buddy eggnog this Hearth's Warming."

She slumped herself on top of the help desk, tucking her folded hooves beneath her chin and starring vacantly at the entrance.

Cloudy's attention was suddenly caught, as a large group of bulky-looking stallions entered the building.

At first she thought they might be a hoof-ball team or body-builders as they were all incredibly athletic. They all wore similar long jackets, that mostly hid their muscular legs and hooves, as well as dull-coloured scarves. One of the group looked like he had a black and white striped coat beneath his jacket, with a short crest of thick black hair for a mane.

As she watched them, one of them stepped forward from the main group and pointed in several directions with a giant hoof. The stallions all diverged from the others and went off in various directions at his command.

The stallion who had stepped forward was a unicorn and even larger than the others. His mane was cut incredibly short, in a uniformed and rigid manner, and a few days worth of stubble surrounded his muzzle. He scanned the concourse with cold and piercing eyes before moving towards the information desk. Cloudy Quick smiled devilishly to herself as he approached.

But as the dangerous looking stallion walked straight past her into another area of the lounge, she pouted and let out yet another depressed sigh.

"What is it about these rugged and rough looking ponies that I love so much?" she thought to herself desperately. "Maybe mom's right and I just need to find a nice, quiet, normal pony to settle down with..."

- - -

As she tipped the glass back delicately with her magic the champagne crisply bubbled against Rarity's tongue. The taste was exquisite, her pallet singing with a delicate fruitiness mixed with the sharp and fresh tang that accompanied good champagne.

"Here's to another successful venture!" She said merrily to the grey earth pony sat across from her in the luxurious first class cabin of the airship.

The airship cabin was decorated in royal purples and gold, the cushioned booth in which she sat was a deep red with dark wood paneling. Around her, the sound of upper-class ponies chattering away mixed with the delicate clink of toasts and the sound of plates being cleared. Rarity cast her eyes around the dining cart and smiled to herself as the tingle of champagne worked it's way through her body. The magical warmth of the heat crystals, the humdrum of socialite conversation, and elegant interior was a stark contrast to the stark white sheets of snow falling down outside the window she sat beside.

"A successful venture indeed Miss Rarity! And all thanks to your stunning new country collection!" Hoity Toity responded in his unusual accent, his signature sunglasses covering his eyes even aboard the enclosed aircraft. "To think such a simple style could be the height of next year's Summer collection!"

Rarity tittered politely at the compliment. "Well I've had a particularly inspirational model to work with as of late, Hoity," she offered warmly.

Hoity Toity tipped his sunglasses down to look at her in confusion, but she dismissively waved a foreleg at him

"Nevermind," she replied with a nervous giggle. "I must say what an absolute pleasure it is to travel in such class. And to think we are sat only a few feet away from foreign royalty!"

Rarity looked over towards an exceedingly well dressed pony surrounded by several tough looking stallions. The rich looking pony wore a red and white military coat with a yellow sash emblazoned with various medals. A thick moustache, curled at either end, complimented his slicked back mane and gave him the appearance of a distinguished gentlecolt.

"Indeed! I hadn't realised the Tzar of Stalliongrad would be flying into Canterlot on this particular flight. I wonder what he is travelling to Canterlot for?" Hoity asked.

"Whatever it is, his presence certainly explains the extra security when we boarded at Fillydelphia." Rarity mused.

"I say quite! Anyway, shall we have another glass of champagne before we arrive? Not long till we land in Canterlot now." Hoity hadn't finished his question before he beckoned over one of the pegasus flight attendants.

Rarity let her imagination wander a moment, thoughts of bounding out of the airship and into the waiting forehooves of a certain freckled, hat wearing, farmpony, ran through her mind.

"Most certainly!" she agreed.

- - -

Applejack groaned loudly.

"You have gotta be kiddin' me?!"

The large sign had been brought in by a team of pegasus and had been hoisted onto the wall for all the waiting ponies to see. The sign loomed over the concourse and the cacophony of groans, as it had been placed into view, had echoed around the marble building loudly.

In big, red, letters it read, "All flights delayed. Please standby for further details."

Applejack's face soured as she let out an unhappy huff and tapped her hoof against the railing looking out over the concourse. Her body felt tight and she fidgeted uncontrollably, it had been over an hour since she had arrived and there was only so many times she could walk around the waiting area to pass the time.

In the absence of anything physical to do, Applejack began to let her imagination wander instead. She conjured images of pushing Applebloom down the snowy hills of Ponyville, roasting chestnuts with Big Macintosh, and sat by a warm fire exchanging presents with Rarity's family. A loud bong echoed through throughout the dock's waiting area, interrupting the homely daydream, and was quickly followed by a crackling voice booming throughout the vast space of the arrival and departure lounges.

"Mares and Gentlecolts, we are sorry to announce that all flights in and out of Canterlot International Airship Dock are delayed by approximately two hours or more. This is due to the unexpected snow storm moving in from the Everfree Forest. Our weather teams are sadly unable to clear the skies and we are having to rely on magical guidance systems to bring the airships in one by one. We apologise for the inconvenience."

Looking up, Applejack noticed the crackling announcement had come from several speakers tucked into the corners of the ceiling.

"The Canterlot International Airship Dock uses a lot of new magical devices, it's very exciting!" The surprisingly energetic voice of Twilight Sparkle echoed in Applejack's memory. As Ponyville's residential brainiac and all-round egghead, Twilight had been particularly educational about the new dock before Applejack had set off.

"They use paired crystals, enchanted with space distortion magic, to transmit sound waves across great distances. Primarily it's used as a way for the airship pilots and the control tower to communicate and navigate the various take offs and landings, but Shining Armour told me that had even set up a system to communicate with the City Guard and to send messages throughout the dock itself." Applejack's eye had started twitching as Twilight began explaining the scientific, magical theory behind the enchantments.

"Are you sure you don't want Spike and I to come along and keep you company, I'd love to examine the enchantments up close..."

Applejack had quickly cut her off with a polite, "Thanks but no thanks." But now, facing a two or more hour wait on her own, she was beginning to regret her decision. At least Spike could have kept her company.

With another groan and unhappy sigh, Applejack tucked a hoof under her chin, leaned against the railing and stared down at the ponies in the concourse below. She watched as a particularly snooty looking unicorn ordered his spindly and bedraggled footcolt to carry his heavy bags over to some sort of checking desk. A team of rowdy but harmless Hoofball players were calling out to passing pegasus girls, whistling and jovially shoving each other to get the girls attention.

Applejack rolled her eyes with an amused chuckle as the pegasus girls giggled to each other and promptly ignored the boisterous colts.

Beyond the disappointed hoofball team nothing else interesting immediately caught her eye, just the usual hustle and bustle of a busy public building, but eventually she noticed two, heavily built, stallions standing by a service entrance. Both of the imposing ponies were wearing long overcoats and thick scarves that hid their faces and they cautiously watched the passers by with narrow eyes and suspicious glances. Applejack watched as one of the stallions moved in front of the other and gave a quick signal to his companion when they were relatively alone, the other stallion's horn glowed briefly and the staff-only door swung open. After another suspicious glance to see if anybody had noticed their actions, the two male ponies made their way inside.

Applejack frowned, her mind ticking away like the old grandfather clock Granny Smith hung in the pantry. She looked away from the staff only door the stallions had seemingly broken into and glanced back to the ponyfolk going about their business.

"Maybe they work here and that door's busted." she thought apprehensively. Nearby the sound of a young filly crying caught her attention.

"But mom, what if his airship crashed! Or something goes wrong and he can't get home!" The little, pastel yellow, earth pony cried in-between big sobs.

Applejack turned to see a light cream mare with a pink and yellow striped mane kneel down beside her, and hugging the little filly tightly.

"Oh sweetie, don't worry. Nothing like that is going to happen. Daddy will be here soon, he's just a little late that's all." She lowered her neck and began softly nuzzling her daughter on the cheek.

The image of the suspicious stallions breaking into the maintenance area was still fresh in her mind and Applejack's imagination soon started to work at what possible trouble they could case.

With another roll of her eyes, Applejack moved away from the railing overlooking the concourse and made her way towards the stairs leading down. She shook her head and let out a small sigh.

"How the hay do Ah keep getting myself into these things?"

- - -

The baggage service room of the Canterlot International Airship Dock was bathed in a gloomy red light that emanated from several crystals embedded into the walls. The room was tightly packed with stacks of luggage, large machines and a labyrinth like maze of rolling tracks, elevated belts and sorting chutes. Despite the freezing temperatures outside, the motorised tracks vented out hot, dry air constantly and the smell of oil permeated every square foot of the room. It was a place the repair staff of the airship dock tried to avoid as much as possible.

Despite this, however, two unicorn stallions sat hunched in thick overcoats and scarves, beside an uncovered section of machinery. The glow of one of the unicorn stallion's horns blended in with the dim red light of the room itself and enveloped a dark purple gemstone that pulsed with magic. As his horn throbbed in time with the gemstone, sweat poured down the stallions forehead and his eyes narrowed in concentration, the rivulets of moisture running down his dark grey muzzle.

"Work faster. Commander expects us back by eighteen hundred hours," the other stallion warned, looming over his colleague and occasionally glancing back at the door on the other side of the room.

The concentrating unicorn gritted his teeth, his eyes briefly flicking to the side to try and glare at his colleague beside him.

"Enchantment magic very difficult. No rushing me," he replied irritably.

Minutes passed and the droning hum of the machines echoing through the room without pause. Soon the focused unicorn relaxed, his horn's glow diminished, and he wiped a hoof across his sweat drenched brow.

"Primary communication to city blocked. We should--"

Before the unicorn could finish, the door into the service room opened with a loud creak. Bright light poured into the room from the concourse and the stallions eyes struggled to adjust to it from the previous gloom. Raising their hooves to shield their eyes, the two stallions tried to look at who had almost interrupted their mission.

"Howdy fella's," a voice called out from the bright light, before the door shut and plunged the room back into a red glow. "Maybe ya'll didn't spot the sign but Ah don't think you're s'pose to be in here".

Standing by the door, behind several chest height tracks of the moving baggage, stood a orange earth pony with a worn looking brown hat and white freckles speckled over her cheeks.

Applejack watched the two stallions looked at her in silence, their expression a mix of confusion and uncertainty. The drone of the machines made it difficult to hear and the stifling heat in the room was a complete change to the cool but pleasant concourse outside. She watched the two stallions intently as eventually the unicorn stepped forward.

"Ahh no. We work here. Sent to check faulty machine," he replied in a heavily accented and gruff voice. The unicorn let out a nervous laugh, to which his earth pony partner joined in.

Applejack smiled incredulously. "Well then you stallion's won't mind showing me some identification then?"

The unicorn shrugged his shoulders calmly. "Of course, we have identification. No problem."

Applejack felt something tingle at the back of her neck, her adrenaline began pumping furiously and her body tensed.

As the unicorn's horn flared into life a familiar-looking, wooden device with various gears and springs flew out of the stallion's jacket and out to in front of him. Applejack's reflexes took over as she recognised the weapon from a display in the Royal Armoury, she felt herself dive to the ground behind one of the tall, rotating conveyor belts sending baggage all over the airship dock.

She felt something sharp whiz past her cheek as she tumbled through the air before crashing into the hard metallic belt. She glanced back to where she had been standing seconds before and three vicious looking darts were embedded into the wall behind her.

The stallion cursed loudly over the constant thrumming of the conveyor belts. Applejack glanced over the top of the track and watched the pair split off in either direction, using the cover of the tall machinery to hide their approach. She felt her chest tighten, looking around she saw that they would be able to easily approach her before she could see them through the mass of stacked baggage and whirring magical technology.

She bashed her head back against the belt, trying to think. The constant drone filling her head like a thick fog, she looked back at the source of the annoyance. Bags of golf clubs, heavy trunks and bags all sailed past and up towards another floor of tracks leading to different parts of the dock.

She watched as a large box slowly chugged past and began to make it's way up the ramped belt when the idea finally dawned on her.

Comments

[Y1]

Yes-yes-yes! It doesn't suck!
I can totally see Applejack as Mclane. I hope that you unhinge Applejack and have her talking to herself and insulting herself and stuff. I loved that about die hard.
Know I've got to go read your original. This is getting a like for now.

[Cry Havoc]

I am disappointed by the lack of Bruce Willis, but excellent nonetheless.

[DicePony]

699717

Thanks man! I'm so glad it doesn't suck!

Oh don't worry, there will be plenty of McClane being channeled! This is a parody of the two best Die Hards after all.

My original, Jewel, is a much sappier piece of french toast. This is Hollywood Action, Jewel is Disney Adventure. Still hope you enjoy!

[DicePony]

699735

Hahaha, sorry friend. I don't think I could write a crossover with the REAL John McClane and Applejack working together. Maybe somebody else can pick that one up!

[DicePony]

699770

Awww yeah! A Bad Ass Medal! Now I'm pumped!

Hopefully I can keep up the bad-assery'ness!

Thanks man!

[Eli]

What an interesting plot, I'm glad we have you to provide us with awesome rarijack adventures. If I may ask, what was your source of inspiration for this fic ?

[DicePony]

700023

Oh, sorry. I guess some people may not have seen these movies.

This Fic is heavily inspired by/parodying the first two movies from the Die Hard series starring Bruce Willis (Die Hard and Die Hard 2: Die Harder). The main premise is the plot to Die Hard 2, in the movie a Los Angeles cop is picking his wife up at Washington DC Airport on Christmas Eve when terrorists take it over. He then foils their plots so his wife can land safely. I'll be adding in references to the first movie as well.

Mine takes the "Bad guys take over airport/airdock" theme and adds an extra subplot of Rarity aboard the airship. Applejack suits the tough and determined Action Hero role so thought this worked quite nicely.

It's all for a bit of fun, but I guess if people haven't seen the movies that wouldn't be very obvious!

If you enjoy action movies, I definitely recommend watching Die Hard and Die Hard 2, they are some of my favourites! Language and violence is a little strong in the movies though, just as a warning.

Thanks for the comment! Hope you enjoy it as a standalone piece of adventure!

[Cry Havoc]

700112 DIE HARD 4 FTW!!!!

[Y1]

699746
I'll read it anyway. and post a review in the comments there.

[Kail]

All of the epic winnings go to you for making this.

[DicePony]

701864

Yay! ALL THE WINS!

[DicePony]

700801

Die Hard 4 is ACE, not quite 1 or 2 but still a freaking ace movie. Can't wait for 5!

[Cry Havoc]

701875 If it has F-35's, it's win. Plain and simple. Plus, the concept of a massive cyber attack... that's harsh stuff, bru.

[Thespurgin]

Color me intrigued enough to fav and read more as it comes out.

[Sugar Moon]

Two things I like. Rarijack shipping and die hard. This honestly rocks. Weird to get a pony movie adaption fic that doesnt suck, not that im complaining. Keep it up

[justanothermonday]

Yay! This rocks so far. I may have to go see those movies now, but without ponies, I don't know how they could stack up to this story. Your amazing talent for adventure/romance continues to astound me. Update soon, okay?

Also, is it odd that I like the part with the help desk pony so much? Hm.... If romance fics were more accurate, things like that would likely happen to AJ much more often, given how awesome she is. Maybe that's just me

And Shining Armor in the tags, I wonder where this could lead....

[DicePony]

702235

Thanks man, hope future instalments entertain!

702865

You sir win some internets for liking two of the *best* things. And thanks for letting me know it doesn't suck! I worry since I'm new to this writing shizz!

703373

Oh man, thank you! To be honest, this opening chapter is pretty much following the plot of Die Hard 2 so far, so any win is really down to the movie!

Not odd at all, I really enjoyed writing that scene. It's a little bit of a nod to an in-joke from the movies (the main character is married but constantly gets hit on by attractive young women) but also I felt that Rarity, being the fabulous unicorn she is, gets so much attention that it would be fair to give AJ a bit of extra attention. And she is definitely awesome (My "Best Pony", followed VERY closely by Rarity obviously )

And yup, Shining Armour is indeed in the tags.

[Y1]

Oh, I'm really excited for future chapters of this now, especially after reading your previous Rarijack fic. I normally have a rule about not faving until I see at least three chapters but I think I'll make an exception.
I know the tones of this story will probably be different from the original (die hard as opposed to a disney cartoon) but are you going to have this fic be PG 13 with the violence or are you going to make it more like the movie in terms of violence?

[DicePony]

704759

PG-13, definitely not movie level.

Mainly because I like trying to write within the show's tone. Even if I am adding a bit of romance etc, I like to try and keep it show-level. But given they have fights, scary monsters and life-threatening situations I think you can still write exciting adventure/action!

Thanks for the fave man and really glad you enjoyed it!

[Y1]

704974
PG-13 die hard?... How do you plan on doing that? I'm interested but I seem to recall a some of the appeal of die hard is just how badly beaten up Mclane ends being, and just how unhinged he ends ups being. Talking, arguing, insulting and joking with himself. It's as if he's the only sane person in the world despite being pretty obviously insane himself, that can also be pretty dark too. Basically I'm asking how much of die hard you can really channel with a PG-13 rating.

[DicePony]

706610

That's definitely the case with Die Hard 1, but also a lot of the appeal for me comes from the humour. John and Han's quips to each other for example.

This is definitely more of a "Inspired By/Parody" than a straight up re-telling.

[Y1]

707036
Ah. Ok that sounds cool, not what I thought it would be but still cool.

[Hobbestc]

Lookin' good. Nice to see a fic with Applejack & Rarity already set in the relationship instead of just another one where they walk in circles around each other until one finally admits they like the other & all that.

[Hobbestc]

Lol, i just checked yer main page & realized I already read yer other fic. Which I enjoyed a lot. Good to know the stories just gonna keep geting better and better.

[DicePony]

713538

Hah! Yeah this is supposed to take place a while after Jewel. I didn't want to make that obvious in-case it looked like a plug but maybe I'll add a little Authors Note to the description!

The relationship in this is almost more of a plot device, I'll get some cute moments in there though. This will be a lot less sappy, Rarity will probably tell AJ off a lot more!

Thanks man! Hope you enjoy!

[canius]

yes APplejack is so Brucve WIllis right now

[rainbowhyphen]

You have my undivided attention.

Also, you keep typing "starring" instead of "staring." It's all over the other fic as well. So you may want to go do a word replace on that.

+1 for Stalliongrad, Die Hard, and making me smell that bakery. Why isn't Starbucks open at this hour, anyway? *grumble*

...and then I realized this was posted six months ago. This isn't continuing, is it?

[Juxtapony]

Your story "The Jewel of Reinsburg" alone has made you one of my favourite fanfic authors, and has ruined any story I read now that doesn't have a RariJack shipping in it! While the premise behind this one isn't as exciting as the last, I am definitely anticipating the next chapters, and think I speak for everybody when I say, "please don't stop!"
Else there will be and .

[DicePony]

1637291

Thanks dude! I've been working my way through just to pick up errors and re-writing huge chunks of this first chapter so I'll keep an eye out for those starring's. ;)

I'm really trying to continue this, I've gone back and changed a few bits so that stuff makes more sense later and taken down Chapter 2 which requires a heavy edit to fit in with those changes. It's not dead, more like in cryo-stasis at the moment! XD

1749829

Awww, you have no idea how happy that makes me! Thank you sooo much!

Neigh Hard isn't really meant to be a serious story, it's just a silly little project I had the idea for back when I finished the first draft of Jewel and wanted to do as a bit of a break from editing. I'm trying to write more, but I've really struggled lately... Jewel was something of a special case that just popped out of my head and into a word doc without much trouble. (Though it's given me more trouble now I'm trying to really polish it to perfection).

Thanks again!

[canius]

Please continue Its so awesome
Rainbow dash will kiss you if you continue