Louis Keller has about the strangest day at work ever when Applejack arrives to rent a Bobcat. She's got an appointment, a credit card, and an honest face, but should ponies be trusted with heavy equipment?
Louis thinks so.
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Because we needed to calm things down a bit with a sensible pony doing sensible things.
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I love stories like this.
8875901
>tfw you know an AB story by the title alone and haven't even read any of his work I mean what
8875907
You're really missing out.
8875913
I knowwwwwwwww
Now I wonder what Applejack need the Bobcat for? Also I want a picture of the Apple siblings in that dump truck. Also nice of them to clean it up so well after they used it.
Well yet again, that was... something.
Gamboge, a word you just had to use. Had to look it up, only to realize that I knew it and forgot what it was.
I'm rather curious as to what she needed a bobcat for. I dont know if you've use it in the past or not.
Having actually been around and used a bobcat, the thought of a pony operating one is *flails about*
Her shoulders and back have to be sore what with the height difference for the controls.
Also that ending.
Makes me think of a fic idea I had once but never wrote that was loosely similar in concept. Never wrote it though because it was all a bit too routine and it didn't seem interesting enough to go through with it.
Maybe I should reconsider. Hmm...
Anyway, a cute little one-shot.
At least run a credit check at least! For all we know, that's a changeling looking to get some prima earthmoving equipment.
I...
ok. *shrug*
Have an upvote.
Yeah, we've had similar issue at my workplace. And till last year, we didn't even have deposit for most of our equipment and amazingly small one for the few that did have one...
Then we got fed up with all the abuse.
My own boss also have that kind of sense of humor. Makes life easier.
Of course Big Mac drives a big Mack.
Or maybe Big Mac IS a big Mack?
8875929
What I wan't to know is how she managed to go from "here" (wherever it is) to Ponyville, use the thing, clean it very thouroughly and bring it back in such a short amount of time.
I don't think you need to al cp the "he"
OH MY GOSH THIS IS AMAZING!
8875995
Well one of her best friends is a very accomplished mage. I say magic.
8875929
Farm stuff--what else would she need one for?
So do I
This is kinda similar.
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I feel like they're the kind of ponies who would.
Is it so bad that I was expecting shenanigans to happen to Applejack, only to return the bobcat as if nothing happened?
For me it feels... devoid of something.
Maybe I am too accustomed to black comedy to settle for good ol' slice of life.
8875953
Something good, I hope.
I'm sneaky like that. For everyone who comes to the party late, gamboge is the color Applejack is.
Farm stuff--why else would she need a Bobcat?
I've never had the pleasure of driving one. I can't imagine that the controls (or the seating position) are overly pony-friendly, but she's a smart pony and therefore can figure it out.
8875959
As the King of Slice of Life, I recommend writing this type of story (and this is serious talk). Maybe there's not the fame and glory that comes with writing shipping stories, but IMHO there aren't enough stories where a pony has a rather uneventful but pleasant day.
Thanks!
8875977
She's got a credit card. As long as the credit card machine accepts it, who cares if she's a changeling?
Besides, if she doesn't bring it back, Louis will send collections people after her, and they're merciless. Moreso than sharks, even.
8875985
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That seems like something that every equipment contract should include. You'd think that was just common sense, but it turns out there's not a lot of that going around.
It does. My former boss would have said something like that; my current boss would blame me for his own decision.
He complained about me not getting a car finished before the end of work yesterday, even though he hadn't ordered all the parts for it yet. The final part I needed didn't arrive until 3:30 today.
8875994
Why wouldn't he? Seems like the kind of truck he'd drive.
"My brother, the truck." That would have been an interesting twist to this story.
8875995
Who says that she hasn't got a branch of Sweet Apple Acres in North Dakota? Rarity's got more than one boutique.
correction made; thank you!
8876047
Thanks!
8876063
While I do admit that I love throwing little twists in my stories--especially comedies--to catch the reader unaware, sometimes it's nice to just have a good slice of life story where a pony has a good day where nothing too important happens.
8875859
As opposed to "then, while Applejack hops off to grab a drink of water, Rainbow Dash swoops down and begins driving the Bobcat."
8876096
Now that you mention it, this one-shot did remind me of a manga named 'Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou' - which was entirely slice of life.
If you can find it, go on and read it - it is lovely and calm.
8876085
Oh, I agree! I just found it punny.
8876076
Sharkpony collections agency when?
img00.deviantart.net/9b98/i/2014/341/e/a/scootaloo_flys_a_huey_by_hillbe-d891l3o.jpg
MY SIS RIDES A BOBCAT
I FLY A HUEY
MY SIS JUST HAS SPIKE
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To my tired mind, this was a nice glass of warm milk... I'm kinda curious, is there a prequel? Where she deals with opening the credit/debit account? or a bank for currency exchange?
Or Rarity, she too has a business (needs) that could translate well to humans. Or poorly. depends who she tries to clothe I guess.
"After consideration, the US government has decided to keep the growing trade with Equestria a secret for now. Analysis indicates that added to all the stress built up over the last two years, finding out that the largest growth element in the current economy is magical ponies is likely to drive roughly 1/10 of the US population into gibbering lunacy."
Haven’t read the story yet, was super tired when I saw the title, and thought Applejack rented a live, wild bobcat. That was a fun image while it lasted.
But anyway, this looks fun too. Definitely looking at it over the weekend.
You realise that Dash and Pinkie would be pranking AJ with the JCB Dance troupe and leaving the machine in places it should not be able to get to at all, and Pinkies camera work making the thing look like its floating in the air or driving under the ocean courtesy of a handle raincloud etc.
The hamlet at top of teh road where I lived reminds me of the equipment driving down the road. The school bus service used to go as far, and reverse three point turn into the track between two farm yards on one side to head back down the hill to the 2 lane main road. The spacng between the row of houses is wide so that cattle could be droved in the old days, that being the old coaching inn and stay over. The road slopes down towards teh houses and the phone poles are on that side, so thers almost a 4 foot difference in height in the wires. Many times the Doubledeck bus in the 80s, and the Combines haveto come up through the hamlet right over teh wrong side of the road, and in summer, a lot more carefully, not just to get under the wires, but the hottest days Ive seen the wires lift up and slide along the roof of the bus and only just miss with the combine. Im pretty sure tehres been catches and damages I havent seen. About the only thing left to be thnakful of is that after all these years, is that buyups, aucions and purchases means the farms have all expanded if any to the same locations, so we dont get 15 ton slurry spreaders criss crossing the valley, instead the odour wafting gently through in the still hot air.
SkidSteer for a day? Laying out a load of gravel or hardcore to pack a drive or scrape up barn rubble into the dump truck? Applebloom on backhoe for trenching foundations for the new building?
i love it. a grate story.
now i am wondering how this story got stuck in AB head?
maybe something work related?
a photo of the machine i plan on renting this summer.
i.ebayimg.com/images/i/332135612556-0-1/s-l1000.jpg
8876083
Well, if there was more common sense around, we would not need those in the contract in the first place.
And damm! Your boss is something special. Treasure it.
See, Applejack learned her lesson after ordering a Bobcat in Equestria and Fluttershy shipped one to her by Next Day Delivery.
"Instead of containing machinery, package contained bobcat. Would not buy again."
An enjoyable bit of surreal mundanity, or possibly the other way around. Though I do have to wonder how Applejack reached the pedals.
Also, I find myself deeply amused that there really a French Potato Lake.
How this didn't make it into the featured box, I don't know. Damn shame though, I like this one. Simple, uncomplicated, but it makes a lot of sense and isn't stupid. Some stuff could be fleshed out, but that would risk bogging it down with irrelevant details. Then again it's being presented from the perspective of those who've been in the business for years and have likely seen just short of everything in that time, so it would make sense that it would be presented as it is.
8876686
Now THAT should've been in the story.
8875929
She needed it to dig a grave for that pony who liked strawberry more than apples.
8876257
There was a story, that I cannot find, where Rarity intentionally crashed the diamond market. She was upset over the exorbitant prices for how common they are. Twilight was upset about it but it was too late for the damage to be repaired.
8876986
Its #5 with mature turned off.
Seconding FOME, "surreal mundanity" is probably the best description of this story. And I love how it is an actual story, even though the only thing that happens is that AJ rents a Bobcat and returns it sparkly clean.
8875859
Agreed. That was absolutely necessary.
This is fine.
8877106
I suspect that might be Admiral Biscuit's fic actually. Trouble with unicorns or something.
I think that what is most special about this story is the way Louis takes the whole episode in stride. A unique and fantastic character makes a mundane request, and he handles it on those merits alone. And here, at the end, when all has been resolved, he doesn't even allow that fantastic character to call attention to her uniqueness in his mundane world.
Somehow, this makes me draw some parallels with Louis in this story, to others who have throughout history chosen to do honest, ordinary, business with their societies social outcasts; thus bringing dignity and humanity to that social outsider in their corner of the world, sometimes at risk to themselves or their business.
Well now I've got to figure out how to do a surreal mundanity slice of life story of my own. That's not gonna be an easy feat to accomplish.