S5 E17: Fillydelphia Follies (Made In Manehattan What If?)
Inside her crystal castle in the center of Ponyville, Twilight was busy packing up some suitcases with her magic. Ordinarily she would pack some books in there as well, but books were the very reason why she was packing up for a trip in the first place. For you see, Twilight had gotten bored of the books she'd currently read, a fact that she made perfectly clear on multiple occasions.
She had just finished packing the last of her suitcases, and was about to check on Spike's, when Rarity came bursting in with Applejack following at a short distance.
"Twilight, the map has called us!" Rarity exclaimed, happily. "Oh, I hope it's going to call me somewhere nice! Like Canterlot or Manehattan!"
Applejack was a little less thrilled, but she still had a smile on her face as she asked Twilight. "So, where we goin'? I hope it ain't anywhere too far away, this here's a busy time of the year for us Apples."
Twilight took notice of the glowing cutie marks of her two friends, and was dismayed when she saw that her cutie mark wasn't glowing as well, meaning she wouldn't be able to take part in the map mission. But she tried her best to hide her dissatisfaction, as she said to her two friends. "Well, there's only one way to find out, to the map room!"
The three ponies trotted into the map room without hesitation, the glowing table map of all of Equestria was still impressive even after the many times they'd all seen it. And circling around a city, were the cutie mark symbols of Rarity and Applejack. More specifically, the city encircled was Fillydelphia.
Rarity's happy mood faded, while Applejack's smile grew slightly wider. Both realized that, in a way, they'd gotten what they wanted. But at the same time they were being presented with a mission at a time they would've rather preferred to stay in Ponyville.
But both friends could only think about one thing when they first saw that they were being called to Fillydelphia. "I've got to be more careful what I wish for."
"So, Fillydelphia huh?" Spike commented, looking at the map. "First the map sends all of us to this odd town nopony's ever heard of before, then it sends Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash to the crumbling city of Griffonstone, and now it's calling Applejack and Rarity to one of the biggest cities in all of Equestria? It seems like it gets more and more mysterious with each passing day."
"You two had better start packing right away," Twilight encouraged her friends. "No telling what kind of problem you'll run into."
Rarity and Applejack exchanged glances before Rarity spoke up. "Um, don't take this the wrong way darling, but are you sure the map isn't perhaps on the fritz? Fillydelphia hardly seems ideal for somepony such as me."
"And as much as I'd appreciate the chance to see some of my old relatives again, I don't really know if I've got much time for a friendship problem." Applejack added.
"Well, the map hasn't been wrong yet, and I'm not about to question its judgement," Twilight replied. "If it says there's a friendship problem meant for you two, there probably is. Which means you'd better get going at once."
"Couldn't you maybe tag along and help out?" Rarity suggested. "Fillydelphia is a big place, and surely you would love a chance to get out and about. It has been rather peaceful around Equestria since that tantibus incident a few months back."
Twilight shook her head. "As much as I would love to, I can't. Even before all this map business, I'd already made plans for the next few days. Since things are so quiet, Minuette invited me to come back to Canterlot and see her and the rest of my old friends again. Even Lyra's going to be showing up. I especially can't wait to discuss the recent Daring Do books with Moondancer."
"And you know me, if it's not official princess business Twilight doesn't want me staying home alone," Spike added. "I was gonna ask Big Mac if he'd be up for another guy's night, but he said he'll be busy for the forseeable future," He grumbled a bit as he looked at Twilight and said. "I know I'm your only son, but you don't have to treat me like a baby. I can take care of myself for a few days."
Twilight tried not to giggle. "I'm sure you could, Spike. But the last time I left you alone, you were at the mercy of a bunch of angry delegates, and intentionally or not you seem to have a knack for getting into trouble, as a certain timberwolf and 'noble dragon code' incident will attest."
"You're never going to ever forget that, are you?" Spike asked Twilight, as he rolled his eyes.
"Certainly not, the timberwolf attack alone almost gave me a heart attack," Twilight replied seriously. "And I'm not taking any chances this time. Besides, a change of scenery will do us both some good."
Rarity and Applejack reluctantly sighed. "Guess it's off to Fillydelphia for us then," She unhappily remarked. "I was hoping to set up shop there someday, but not until I'd built up quite the reputation in the fashion industry. Not knowing any big shot fashion icons like I do with Canterlot and Manehattan only makes it harder," Then another thought crossed her mind as she asked Applejack. "What about the Sisterhooves Social?"
Applejack looked at Rarity, and reluctantly told her. "We'll just have to miss it, ain't no tellin' how long this here map mission'll take. Poor Apple Bloom, she was really lookin' forward to competin' this year."
"So was Sweetie Belle," Rarity replied with a slight frown, as she and Applejack left the castle. "I do hope she won't hold it against me. When we come back we'll undoubtedly have to find a way to make it up to them."
Applejack and Rarity were hoping that whatever problem the map had called them to solve in Fillydelphia would become noticeable as soon as they arrived in the big city. After all, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had mentioned that upon arriving in Griffonstone, they were shocked to find it all run down and full of grouchy griffons, when the books had mentioned it was a thriving hub for what promised to be a grand empire.
But when the two left the train station, not only did they not see any signs of trouble related to friendship, they found the streets completely empty. The city of Fillydelphia, though not as grand as Manehattan, still boasted a huge population. Its factories and skyscrapers, as well as its many ports, were supposed to be thriving and full of life. There was supposed to be a huge crowd of ponies big and small alike, rushing to and fro, trying to get from one place to another.
But instead, everything was still and there was not a pony or other creature in sight. Even Applejack couldn't spot a single relative. It seemed as if the city had mysteriously become a ghost town with no explanation.
"Now this is most odd indeed," Rarity remarked, as the two wandered the empty streets. "It's the middle of the day, and I know there aren't any major holidays being celebrated today. Where could everypony be?"
"That's what I'm wonderin'," Applejack added. "This hard workin' city should be awake and movin'. Just what could have happened to cause the entire town to shut down like this?"
The two didn't have long to wait to find out, as the wind blew a flyer right into Applejack's face! Rarity pealed it off with her magic and examined it, it was a campaign poster depicting an earth pony stallion that a somewhat aged appearance to him but still seemed determined to project youth and vigor! His neck looked slightly crooked if you squinted really hard, but otherwise the only physical feature of his that stood out was his rather large nose. His coat was chestnut brown in color, with his mane and tail being firey streaks of red even though his mane only covered the exterior of his head. His eyes were dark brown, and his cutie mark depicted a top hat. The poster showed the stallion wearing a black suit with a noticeable white neck collar, but no tie or bow. The poster read: Support Mayor Big and his recently passed cider ban. Together, we will make Fillydelphia a shining example for the rest of Equestria to follow.
Upon reading the words "Cider Ban" Applejack felt her blood begin to boil! "Just who in the hay is this here Mayor Big, and what makes him think he has the right to pass such an outrageous and silly ban?!"
"Terrible, isn't it?" A familiar female voice called out, soon revealing itself as belonging to earth pony mare about the same size as Rarity, maybe a little smaller. Said mare had a beautiful white coat, a pale light cyan mane and tail with light opal stripes, and eyes an innocent light cyan in color. Her cutie mark was a simple feathered hat colored pink.
Rarity recognized the mare at once. "Coco. What an unexpected but pleasant surprise."
"You live here?" Applejack asked Coco.
Coco shook her head. "Oh no, Manehattan has always been my home town and that will never change. I was just here to pick up supplies for my store back home," Then she sighed. "But it looks like that and my little pet project will have to wait. The whole town's shut down in protest over this controversial ban, nothing's running except the trains and that's only because the railroad brought in replacement workers from other cities. Everything is a mess, and nopony knows what to do."
Applejack looked across to Rarity. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin', Rarity?" She asked her friend.
"Applejack, surely you're not suggesting we get involved in this political issue," Rarity retorted. "We don't even have the full story. For all we know, there's a perfectly good reason why Mayor Big would want to have cider banned in his city."
"It ain't exactly a workin' ban if the whole town's shuttin' down in response," Applejack replied, frowning a bit. "I can't even imagine why anypony would want to ban cider. It's been an Apple Family staple for generations, every branch in every city's made it at some point or another."
"Times are a changing, I guess," Coco unhappily shrugged, and turned to leave. "Just how do I get into these situations? I thought my luck had changed for the better once I stopped working for Suri. I should've known it was too good to last."
Rarity hated to see Coco so upset, for whatever reason she felt guilty seeing a pony she had once helped now down on her luck. "I suppose I owe her one for sorting out everything during Fashion Week." She thought to herself, and called out to Coco. "Coco, dear, please don't give up so easily. Applejack and I want to help."
"Really?" Coco asked, freezing in her tracks and turning back around.
Applejack nodded. "We came to this city for a reason, and I think Rarity and I just figured out what that reason is. If this here Mayor Big really thinks his ban can go unopposed, he's got another thing comin'."
"But, what are we going to do, Applejack?" Rarity asked with concern. "Between the three of us, there's hardly enough money to organize a campaign, and even then we wouldn't be able to compete since we're not native to Fillydelphia. Going up against a ban is sure to result in disaster, and we'll return to Ponyville as failures! Oh, how can this be?!" She would've fainted onto the ground had Applejack not caught her immediately.
With a sigh, Applejack put a hoof to Rarity's mouth and told her and Coco. "Look, let's not worry about what we can't do, and just focus on what we can do," Clearing her throat she then asked Coco. "Do you know of any good places where we can stay for a few days? Maybe a week or two if we must?"
Coco nodded. "There's a hotel just a few blocks down the road," She told Rarity and Applejack. "It's not the most glamorus and it has seen better days, but it's relatively cheap as far as hotels go."
"Then take us to it," Applejack instructed. "That's gonna serve as our base for a little resistance movement."
Rarity was quite concerned when Applejack made that statement. "Um, are you suggesting we try to make our own cider and sell it in defiance of the ban?" She asked.
Applejack shook her head. "I may think that ban is silly, but I ain't about to land us in jail for tryin' to defy it. Just not likin' the law is no excuse for breakin' it," She then explained. "What we're gonna do, is we're gonna assemble as many towns ponies we can, and form a group to decide how to best get Mayor Big to change his mind. Maybe once he sees how little support he has, he'll be willin' to reconsider and maybe work on somethin' more reasonable."
Applejack and Rarity followed Coco to the hotel, and they soon discovered that Coco hadn't been exaggerating. The hotel looked like it hadn't been maintained in years, as if whoever owned it had been content to just let it fall into decay.
"I know it's not the greatest or anything, but it's better than nothing, right?" Coco asked her two friends, as they made their way up to their designated room on the top floor, which had a balcony that looked out over the city. The emptiness caused by the cider ban could be seen even more obviously from high above.
"So, what's our plan?" Rarity asked Applejack. "Exactly how do we go about getting word out about our plan to challenge the cider ban?"
Applejack looked around, and scratched her head. "To be honest, I don't really know. I was reckonin' we could try to find some of my cousins, like Apple Cobbler, and Apple Brown Betty, and gettin' them to spread it from ear to ear until word of mouth brought the crowds to us."
Rarity was silent for a moment, before she looked at Applejack rather seriously and replied. "Well, that's hardly a bad idea, Applejack. But if we truly want to make a difference, we need to have a clear plan of how to get information out to our supporters. We need them to be able to know what we stand for, what we want, and how they can help us. You think Mayor Mare or any other politican ever got where they were solely by word of mouth?"
"So, what, is this supposed to be our campaign headquarters or somethin'?" Applejack remarked. "I thought we weren't gonna be throwin' our hats into the ring to challenge Mayor Big?"
"We're not, but even the best of resistance movements need good publicity and recruitment strategies," Rarity explained. "Whether you're an up and coming fashionista managing your first boutique, or issuing a call to action for an entire city, it pays to have good PR. And fortunately, I think I know just how to get word out across this city in a matter of days!" She then instructed Applejack and Coco to come close, and she whispered her plan to them.
"Do you think it will work?" Coco asked, hopefully.
"Knowin' Rarity, you bet your boots it will!" Applejack proudly boasted. "That cider ban's as good as gone!"
But Coco replied. "Oh, I don't really wear boots. I find they chafe my calf when I walk."
Applejack barley resisted the urge to facehoof. "It's just an expression." She said in a deadpan tone.
Coco blushed. "I knew that, I did." She said with a nervous laugh, even though she knew that wasn't true. Thankfully, Applejack didn't press her on it.
The next two days passed in a blur for the three ponies, as they spent time working on flyers and posters to distribute all over town, announcing their intention to challenge the cider ban.
Rarity was mostly busy with designing the flyers and posters so they would look appealing, while getting the message across. She also made it a point to distribute some of them to a few key population areas she had heard about.
Applejack focused on distributing the flyers and posters to everypony she could, not only her relatives (who quickly promised to help) but also many of the average citizens and even some of the wealthier ones.
As for Coco, she dealt with the response letters mailed to the hotel room she, Rarity, and Applejack were staying in. Some were offers to donate, others asked questions about when and where to show up, and at least one was a letter from city hall issued by Mayor Big's secretary which read as follows:
While it's great to see the citizens of Fillydelphia organizing themselves and becoming interested in the issues affecting their great city, your actions will only make it harder to enforce this cider ban.
The mayor will gladly hear any complaints you wish to deliver to him, but you are notified to stop this protest gathering at once. Failure to do so may result in legal action.
Kind regards,
The concerned office of Mayor Big
"What are we gonna do now?!" Coco frantically asked Applejack and Rarity, showing them the letter. "I can't risk getting tangled up in court, I'm not even supposed to have stayed for this long," She sighed as she added reluctantly. "Things were so much simpler under Suri. At least when I was an assistant I didn't have to worry about things like this."
But Applejack was quite firm in her commitment to challenging the ban. "We've come too far to turn back now!" She replied, stomping her hooves in frustration. "If we give in now we'll just prove that the mayor can threaten us and we'll fold! We haven't really done anythin' wrong so far, and the meetin' is already gonna be held tomorrow! If the mayor wants to stop us, he'll have to come and do it himself!"
"And you think he'll fight to protect that ban of his?" Rarity asked Applejack. "Not for nothing, Applejack, but surely it wouldn't hurt to at least take him up on his offer to discuss things with him face to face."
Applejack sighed and groaned. "Normally I'd agree with you, Rarity. But I've seen firsthoof how things are run with our own Mayor Mare in Ponyville. Things are never that simple, there's always somethin' that gets in the way. Mayor Mare's been workin' to improve response times and make city hall more open, but it's clear that all the big cities have mayors who need time to decide what they'll actually work on and what they'll ignore. Mayor Big doesn't seem any different. If he truly wished to talk to us, he wouldn't be tellin' us to stop what we're doin', he'd have come over here and done it already. So either he comes to us, or we'll go to him. Either way, we're havin' a talk whether he likes it or not!"
Rarity reluctantly realized that Applejack had made up her mind, and there was little she could do to change it. "You know, if Mayor Mare ever decides to take a vacation, I think she could put you in charge and nothing would change," She remarked. "It's scary how that stubborn determination of yours can sometimes be right."
"We promised the folks a meetin' and a chance to talk to Mayor Big, and we're gonna give it to 'em or my name's not Applejack," Applejack said with a grin, as she then added. "Which it is, so there."
The next evening, there was no sign of Mayor Big or anyone associated with him. A letter from his secretary arrived in the morning, once again expressing his hopes that Applejack and Rarity would not hold their meeting after all and talk to him instead, but it seemed that either nopony wanted to enforce Mayor's Big request, or Mayor Big himself secretly wanted Applejack and Rarity to approach him and talk to him.
Either way, by the time Celestia's sun was beginning to set, almost the entire town had shown up at the front door of the hotel. When the door was opened, they began pouring into the front lobby, many of them pushing and shouting as they struggled to get a good view of the ponies responsible for bringing them together.
Rarity and Coco looked out at the crowd with looks of concern and partial dismay, the crowd looked ready for a fight and it seemed like very little would be needed to set them off. "Goodness, we sure know how to bring a crowd," Rarity remarked and turned to Applejack. "Not too late to change your mind and send them home. I'm sure there's another reason why the map called us here."
But Applejack only shook her head. "We ain't turnin' them away now, not after we went through all the trouble of bringin' em together! Friendship problem or not, we owe it to these ponies to give them what we promised them. You're good at attractin' customers, so use that to help keep 'em under control."
"And what about me?" Coco asked.
"You'll come out with me and help keep an eye on things," Applejack explained to Coco. "When the march kicks in I'll need you at the back to make sure they're under control. I'll be leadin' from the front."
"I.... guess I can handle that, but what kind of signal should I use if it looks like trouble's about to start?" Coco asked Applejack.
"You can whistle, can't ya?" Applejack asked Coco, who nodded in response. "So, just give a little whistle if things threaten to get out of hoof."
With those arrangements set, Rarity trotted out in front of the crowd and stood behind the abandoned front desk. "Uh..... attention everypony," She nervously called, only for her voice to be lost amidst the chanting and chattering of the crowd. Rarity then pressed the bell mounted on the front desk, that caught everyone's attention. They all turned to look at her, and even with her years of experience of pitching ideas and concepts, Rarity couldn't help but feel a little nervous. What she said next would be most important, if she said the wrong thing she risked setting off an angry mob. "Thank you," Rarity said, clearing her throat. "Now, you all know why you're here... correct?"
"Yeah, we're here to make that good for nothing mayor pay for passing such a stupid ban!" One pony at the back of the crowd shouted, and several others started chanting in agreement.
Rarity shook her head. "Close but not quite. We are going to see Mayor Big, but we're simply interested in talking with him and making him see why the ban should be lifted." She told the crowd.
An uncomfortable silence fell over the crowd, everyone looked at each other, whispering and chattering. That was when Applejack came trotting out and stood next to Rarity. "Look, we ain't gonna promise we'll be able to get that ban to go away," She honestly explained. "But we're gonna see to it that the mayor hears straight from the horse's mouth about why his ban isn't workin', and why we want it gone. However, if we're gonna do this, then we need to all work together and be on our best behavior. We won't prove anythin' if we get rowdy and start yellin', screamin', and fightin'. We don't want our message to be lost because of the actions we choose to take. The discussion with the mayor will be a polite one."
"Why should we be polite and calm when this ban is hurting our profits and has caused our city so much grief?" Apple Brown Betty demanded (she was an elderly earth pony with a dark brown coat, a white mane and tail, red eyes, and a cutie mark depicting the treat for which she was named). "Mayor Big didn't listen to our complaints when he passed this ban, what makes you think he'll listen to us this time?"
"Because this time we're all together and all united," Applejack explained. "Individually we may not be much, but together we're a force that cannot be ignored. We have the power to bring about change, but it's our responsibility to use that power wisely. If we try to force our way down Mayor Big's throat, we're no better than he is," That point seemed to silence those who had desires for a more vocal and more dramatic demonstration of their disapproval of the ban, and Applejack smiled as she saw that the crowd seemed to be pleased for the time being. "Okay then, the time for talk is over, now's the time for action. Together, let's march on over to city hall and make our voices heard. Are ya'll ready?!"
"Yeah!" The crowd shouted.
"Then follow me!" Applejack instructed, waving a hoof, as she trotted out in front of the crowd while Rarity stood next to her. The hotel door swung open, and with Applejack and Rarity leading them, the crowd of ponies marched out into the streets of Fillydelphia as Luna's moon began to rise into the night sky.
The march to city hall passed mostly uneventfully, Coco and Rarity worked to keep the crowd under control and notified Applejack whenever it seemed like someone had plans to break off and attempt a more radical approach.
Eventually, the bright red brick roof and walls of Fillydelphia's city hall came into view. And standing right there on the steps, was Mayor Big himself dressed up in the finest outfit imaginable. His expression was hard to judge, but it seemed he was both relieved but also troubled at the fact that such a huge crowd had assembled peacefully but angrily.
Applejack trotted right up to the mayor with Rarity and Coco beside her, and eyeing the mayor she asked him. "You the one who passed this here cider ban into law?"
"Y-yes," Mayor Big stuttered slightly while trying to stay calm, he didn't want to seem weak. "I take it you're the ones who've organized this protest march that's become a major pain in my flank?"
"It was mostly Applejack's idea, though I did have something to do with it." Rarity confessed.
"Same here, I'm not actually from around here and would've really liked to have avoided this," Coco added and apologized. "I'm sorry in advance for any trouble this causes you."
Mayor Big wanted to laugh, but he could only chuckle nervously. "Oh, it's quite alright. When you're mayor, you gotta get used to ponies hating your guts no matter what you do. Gotta say though, I knew the ban was controversial, but I didn't expect such a huge backlash."
"What did you think was going to happen when you ignored us and passed that ban?!" Apple Brown Betty shouted, but was quickly silenced with a shush from her family.
"Look, we don't want any problems," Applejack said to Mayor Big. "All we want is for you to see for yourself just how terrible this ban has worked out. And also, we want to know, just why in the hay did you pass such a ban in the first place? Cider sales are part of what gets this city movin'."
Mayor Big sighed, he had expected the protesters to be mad but he hadn't expected them to make such a huge demand of him. Still, he knew he had to offer them at least some kind of explanation, they seemed unlikely to leave until they had gotten that. "You're right, cider sales are part of what made this city what it is," He spoke in his booming voice. "But here in Fillydelphia, we've always prided ourselves on innovation and advancement. We always like to be on the cutting edge of progress. Lately, some of the new drinks being cranked out here in our factories haven't been selling well. Ponies just don't want to buy 'em."
"Is that why you enacted this ban in the first place?" Rarity asked the mayor.
"Yes and no," Mayor Big answered, and reluctantly he explained. "I knew I had to do something to encourage ponies to try drinks like orange juice and grape juice. But I was told by the council members that it would take something big, like a ban on cider, to get ponies to stop drinking it so much. But, it appears that there was not much research put into the ban to see if it would be supported or work as intended."
"So, would you be willing to consider droppin' the ban?" Applejack asked him. "If you do, we promise to leave ya alone."
"I would like that very much," Mayor Big replied. "But it wouldn't solve the issue the ban was intended to correct in the first place. How do I encourage ponies to try those new drinks if they can easily get access to cider?"
Surprisingly, it was Apple Cobbler, an earth pony mare with a dark green coat, a brown mane and tail, brown eyes, and an apple cobbler for a cutie mark, who spoke up and said to Mayor Big. "Why not just put a tax on the cider so it's at the same price as the other drinks? Those new drinks are tasty, but cider's so cheap that we've got more of a demand for it than we can keep up with. With even just a small tax on cider, we could improve production in our factories and make enough for those who it want, while also letting ponies who want to try the new drinks have a chance to do so."
The crowd began to stomp their hooves in approval, creating a deafening noise. But even so Applejack still managed to chuckle as she said to Mayor Big. "Guess the crowd has spoken."
Mayor Big reluctantly agreed, and after calling for and receiving quiet, he made his announcement. "While it is not up to me to pass the laws, I shall be submitting the idea for the tax to city hall effective the following day. And once the tax has been passed, I shall sign it if that is what you wish of me. And the tax shall last until the end of the next month, at which time we shall vote to decide whether the tax should be kept or dropped."
Everyone seemed to agree that was the best course of action, and the crowd departed town hall in peace.
Once back at the hotel, various ponies thanked Rarity and Applejack. "I used to think I didn't have any time to get involved with what was going on in this city," One pony announced. "But now, thanks to you, I realize that I don't have to make a huge commitment. I can just devote a little time to the issues that most concern me, and play a role in how my city grows."
"Same here," Another pony chimed in. "I'll be sure to spend more time in the community getting to know ponies, that way I can find out if there's something I can do to help them, and catch up on news that I might not otherwise hear about."
Once the crowd had left, Rarity and Applejack were surprised to see that their cutie marks were glowing. Coco was amazed! "My cutie mark NEVER does that!" She exclaimed! "What's your secret?! Please, you must tell me!"
"It ain't anythin' we do, sugarcube," Applejack chuckled. "That's just a sign of the map that we've accomplished what we were sent here to do."
Coco scratched her head. "I don't get it."
Rarity snickered and smiled. "It's a long story, my dear," And she changed the subject. "It was nice running into you again, you were a big help in making all this possible."
Coco blushed a bit. "Well, it's because of my role model and inspiration," She pulled out her wallet and showed a picture of an older earth pony that seemed to have a few noticeable wrinkles on her light yellow coat. Her dusty blue mane and tail had a few bangs out of place, and her blue eyes were hidden behind a pair of noticeable red glasses, but she didn't seem to care much about her exterior appearance, as she stood besides a filly that looked like Coco herself. Coco explained. "That's Charity Kindheart. She was a well-known costume designer on Bridleway. She started the Midsummer Theater Revival in Manehattan as a way to share her passion for theater with the neighborhood. No matter how busy she was, she always made time for the Revival. She always told me it was important to take time to be part of your community, even if it was just a small contribution. She believed that even the smallest acts of compassion could have a long lasting impact," She then sighed. "She moved to Baltimare to be closer to her grandchildren not too long ago, and left me to take over the Midsummer Theater Revival. I came here to Manehattan to get some supplies to fix up the old stage in the park."
"Well, we can help with that," Rarity offered, elbowing Applejack. "Right, Applejack?"
"I guess it couldn't hurt," Applejack replied. "Coco, we'll help ya get those supplies ya need. But then Rarity and I are gonna be on the first train back to Ponyville tomorrow. I want to check in with Apple Bloom and find out how the Sisterhooves Social turned out."
Coco hugged Applejack and Rarity. "You girls are the best!" She happily commented. "Come on, if we hurry we can still make it to the stores before they close down for the night!"
But Applejack only chuckled. "We've got all the time we could ever need. After a victory like the one we had tonight, the whole city's gonna be celebratin' like there's no tomorrow. Every buildin''s gonna be open til midnight, maybe even later." Even so, she followed Rarity and Coco as they frantically trotted out of the hotel.
All in all, the trip to Fillydelphia promised to be one that neither Applejack or Rarity were likely to forget anytime soon. And unknown to Applejack, a big surprise was waiting for her back in Ponyville.
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Once again, great job on this latest chapter. As usual, the reasons for the re-write are well-thought out. The exchanges, emotional content and wrap-up were, once more, also superb in all the right places.
I particularly liked your giving Coco more of a real role (as well as a good reason to be in Fillydelphia in the first place). Further kudos for doing a careful balance between protesting an unpopular law and staying within the law while doing it.
Unfortunately, I STILL can't think of anything to help on the written "Previously On" part, so if you can't think of anything by the time you get around to your version of "the Cutie Re-Mark", perhaps it would be better to skip the "Previously on" and get straight to the action (albeit with Spike doing a few second rant that covers most of the "highlights" of part one while he and Twilight are dodging an attack).
However, I DO have a possible line for "the Cart Before the Ponies" (assuming you haven't thought of a similar or better line [which is entirely possible]): At an appropriate point, Diamond can flat out tell her mother two of the awards actually directly contradict each other; which means that it would be literally impossible for her to win ALL THREE awards. (leaving out the stuff about playing fair and having fun being more important than winning anyway because, while Diamond might think that now, she also knows her mother too well to think she would listen).
At any rate, good luck on your real life stuff. And I will still be looking forward to more of this, but I understand real world stuff comes first.
7946617 You know, that would actually be a good point to raise. Probably once Spoiled's efforts at ensuring her and Diamond Tiara win backfire and ruin the race for everypony involved, just to add the cherry on top of the call-out sundae for Spoiled.
7946867 Yeah. That would be great. :-D Thanks very much. :-D
I thought that was the opposite of what that meant? Presumably, you mean that it wasn't glowing.
Cider? Press?
"It isn't anythin'