Takes place after "The Break Up Break Down"
Applejack is wondering if she's been a good influence on her quiet, withdrawn older brother or not. Rainbow Dash drops by to toss in her two bits as the two discuss how big an influence siblings are in shaping a pony's life, liberally punctuated by snark.
Note: I wrote this up shortly after the episode aired and promptly forgot about it. It's a pretty unpolished work, just a one-shot of two characters chatting, but I figured I might as well share it. If nothing else, hopefully the two trading barbs is good for a few chuckles.
Chapters (1)
Well, the guy does fell estranged in his own house, so, yeah, AJ... I mean, the guy had to adopt an entire new persona just to be able to be there for his sister, albeit for reasons outside that, but still, the problem remains.
Oh dear. This does seem like how a conversation between AJ and Dash would go - Dash ribbing AJ, but providing a listening ear when it's needed and good advice to go with that... and then leaving AJ with one last shot fired, since that's the kind of pony Rainbow Dash is. XD
Very touching. I like how Rainbow is sincerely trying to help but undermines herself every few sentences with a quip for most of it.
I wish I could write something 'unpolished' like this and have it turn out so amazing. ;) but damn, this was great. You really got their voices down pat.
This was a rather engaging read, no small feat considering that all you had to work with was just two characters conversing with one another from start to finish. Rainbow Dash and Applejack do have that quippy sort of dynamic, more so than any other two members of the Mane 6. The subject in this fic - just how much someone influences a sibling's path in life - was an interesting idea to explore, even if only through dialogue. But I wonder how Applejack's conversation with Big Mac afterwards would've gone. We see Rainbow and Applejack tossing around ideas about why Big Mac is the way he is, but we don't get to hear it from the 'horse's mouth', so to speak. Applejack is so concerned that she may have influenced her brother to become less able to stand up for himself, that she seems to completely overlook the positive aspects of him being a quieter pony, simply because of one negative instance.
I think that given a chance to express his thoughts on the matter, Big Mac would assure Applejack that his actions are his own, and not the direct result of Applejack's influence. He might also remind her, that it was not her constant expressions of irritation that ultimately made him decide to talk less, but it was seeing how his choosing to provoke her with his words contributed to her taking steps to prove herself prematurely - which ended in a fiasco because she was not yet ready. He might tell Applejack that if indeed she did influence him in any way, it was by helping him to see that the way he was speaking was an irresponsible way in which to use his voice. And so he was faced with a decision... Act as he pleased, or become more mindful and considerate with how and when he spoke - his diminished utterances the result of his choice.
Seeing that his silences aren't the result of her 'put-downs', but because of his desire to be a better older brother - and a good all around pony... I think that Applejack could feel sufficiently relieved of her guilt, and be put in the position to then simply encourage Big Mac not to be afraid to break the silence every now and again if the situation calls for it.
We all have our strengths and weaknesses, but it's important to remember that Big Mac being quiet rarely seems to be a cause for unhappiness to him, as we don't see him moping around often - he usually possesses a very cheerful demeanor. For him - as I see it anyway - being quiet is a state of empowerment, because he feels it is often more important to listen to others than to speak a lot and ignore their thoughts. And I suspect the change was likely a more gradual process from the time of his decision to the present than one might initially think, whereas an abrupt cease in speaking might be indicative of a loss in confidence, and sadness at the prospect of being too inept to use words kindly, instead of the conscious choice to typically use more considerate language in addition to quietly listening. :D
In any case, as it is you pose a question, speculate, and leave the reader to mull over how our choices could influence a sibling, or anyone close to us for that matter. And it is perfectly reasonable to say that Applejack could stop and ask herself this question. Personally I think that following this chapter the brother and sister in question would have a real heart-to-heart, leaving a certain orange pony feeling vindicated by the resolution. But in any case... There were authentic bits of characterization with the banter you wrote, and a philosophical aspect to the story to boot. Nice work with the grammar too.
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Thanks for your thoughtful review!
Speaking myself as a middle-child, I was always interested in how the show chose to subvert (deliberately or not) a lot of the stereotypes that come with middle children when it came to Applejack and her siblings. I was left a bit uncomfortable with the implications "Where the Apple Lies" carried with regards to Applejack and Big Macintosh; which gave the impression that it was AJ reaming Big Mac out that caused him to clam up and that this was somehow a good thing (especially since all the problems in the episode were caused by AJ shooting off her mouth and not listening to anyone). Maybe that wasn't the intention, or wasn't meant to be the main takeaway from the episode, but that's what it felt like to me. I wanted to have Applejack have a moment of realization regarding that, while also tackling the idea that one exchange from AJ would be enough to totally remake Big Mac's personality.
I also just wanted to offer my two-cents about the theories that boil a character's personality down to a single fact about them: be it being an only child vs. having lots of siblings, what order you were born in, your Meyers-Briggs personality test, astrological/zodiac sign, etc. There's a college humor sketch on this that I like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri7RXWVxxSA
One of the reasons I love MLP so much is how rich and even nuanced the characters are. Attempts to sum any of them up on the basis of one factoid about them (i.e. Rainbow Dash is super confident because she's an only child) is ridiculous and silly.
HOW DARE YOU! SCOOTALOO IS DASH'S LITTLE SISTER!
Shining catching strays in stories he's not even in
Guess she doesn't realize her parents have sex. I don't wanna be the one to break that to her.
Great story. I loved the friendship between Rainbow and Applejack. Them just back and forth insulting each other is very funny.