The Familiar Town
Universe 25197
As the first rays of the sun gently caressed her face through the window, Applejack stirred in her sleep, fidgeting before gradually opening her eyes. She rubbed her eyes a couple of times, sat up, and let out a big yawn. Each morning followed this routine for her. Rising with the sun, she embarked on her farm duties, and today was no exception.
That was what she thought before her eyes scanned the room, revealing that it was vastly different from how it was supposed to be.… There were no family pictures and the hair strings she put on her bedside table to tie up her mane and tail were gone. It didn't take long for realization to dawn upon her. She wasn’t home! Well, technically. Her memories from the previous long day suddenly flooded her mind.
Right… She had to reconnect with a family she technically never met and get a magical stone to go back home. She couldn’t help but groan at the reminder. At least, it wasn’t like she was facing the usual Discord-level threat. Unfortunately, that adventure was going to be much more challenging mentally than physically, she guessed.
She breathed in and out, then figured she shouldn’t be wasting more time. She checked through a few drawers and managed to find two hair strings to tie up her mane and tail the way they usually were. She chided herself for not holding on to her old hair strings, but the mane stylist had discarded them after adjusting her mane and tail styles to match Jackie's.
Naturally, she didn’t bother wearing the suit either, opting to be her normal self instead. Naked, which sounded a bit weird when she thought of it like that… At least, she wore her hat!
Nevertheless, she knew that only the fake cutie mark truly mattered to make her look like Jackie. She hoped she wouldn't have to maintain this deception for too long. Lying to her family, even if they were from another universe, was never something she found appealing. However, she couldn't dismiss Jackie's point that telling the truth in this situation might cause more pain and trouble than continuing the charade. Once she stopped whatever Jackie planned and got the stone to go home, she would tell them the truth. They would probably hate her for the lie and the fact that Jackie never planned on coming here, but those were consequences she was ready to face. She thought about taking the necklace her counterpart had given her for a second before leaving the room but decided to leave it on the bedside table instead.
The first thing Applejack saw when she opened the door was Granny Smith’s surprised face and slightly open mouth.
“Oh, you’re already up? Ah was just about to wake ya!” She commented as Applejack grinned in response.
“Of course! Ah told ya Ah would do ma best, didn’t I? Ah’ll help out on the farm as much Ah need!” She replied proudly.
“Ah was expectin’ that a pony from the city would have a harder time wakin’ up that early, but ya proved me wrong, dear! Ya also have the mane and tail of a farm pony! Ah have to say it’s a welcome surprise,” Granny Smith explained as she looked at Applejack up and down.
“What can Ah say? It’s in ma blood, Granny,” The younger farm pony retorted while Granny Smith was nodding along.
“Ah can see that! Well, Ah hope ya will learn to use the tools just as fast,” Granny chuckled before turning around and walking away. “Come! Ah’ll show ya what ya will have to do for today. If ya need any help, ya can call Big Mac or Applebloom,” She added while waving her hoof for Applejack to follow.
That was right! Was she supposed to pretend she didn’t know what to do and how some things worked, now? That was going to be hard since she learned all those things when she was a filly! And it would be embarrassing, too… Sure they may have not known she lived on a farm her whole life, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t be embarrassed about pretending to struggle with something she was aware she would easily do under normal circumstances.
“Since it’s yer first day, Ah don’t want ta be too harsh on ya, so Ah won’t give ya too much work fer now,” Granny Smith stated as they went downstairs and into the kitchen. “What do ya usually have fer breakfast?” She asked while looking through the cupboards.
“Uhm…” Applejack hesitated. Since she pretended she was Jackie, did that mean she would also have to lie about her breakfast? She had to think! What did she have for breakfast when she was with Uncle and Aunt Orange? It had to be something that wouldn’t fill anyone’s appetite that was for sure. “A small salad. A really small one,” She snickered nervously.
“Ah thought city ponies would eat more than that… Oh, well! We have cornflakes if ya want! Applebloom loves them,” Granny Smith laughed as she grabbed a box of cornflakes out of one of the cupboards, and then grabbed a box of milk.
“Did somepony say ‘cornflakes’?” Applebloom excitedly ran into the room as Granny Smith put the cornflakes and milk on the table.
“Ah was just about ta go and wake ya,” Granny commented before putting two bowls on the table, one for each sister, lighting up Applebloom’s face.
“Ya like cornflakes, too?!” She nearly shouted in surprise and happiness.
“Ah sure do!” Applejack answered before grabbing the cornflakes and milk while Applebloom suddenly got serious and narrowed her eyes, staring at Applejack’s bowl. “What are ya doin’?” The orange farm pony arched an eyebrow.
“Just checkin’ somethin’,” She simply replied while keeping her eyes on her older sister’s bowl.
Applejack decided to let this go, unwilling to wonder what was going on with her sister this time, and put cornflakes in her bowl, before pouring the milk over it. Appleboom’s face lit up again in joy.
“Yes! Ah knew ma sister would do it right!” She punched the air with pride as Applejack raised another eyebrow.
“Do what right?”
“You put the cornflakes first, then the milk! That’s the way ya should do it!” She clapped her hooves, making Applejack snicker in amusement. That was always how she ate her cornflakes back home, but the original Applebloom never commented on it.
“Well Ah am glad Ah passed yer little test, sister,” Applejack ruffled her sister’s mane while Applebloom was pouring milk over her cornflakes.
“Sister…” Applebloom muttered in glee before chuckling. “Oh!” She suddenly exclaimed as if she just remembered something. “Look at ma cutie mark, sis! Isn’t it cool?!” She said eagerly while showing off her cutie mark. It was exactly like the one from Applejack’s original universe.
“It sure does look cool! Ah reckon ya didn’t tell me what yer talent is,” Applejack complimented her. Of course, she even had to pretend she didn’t know her sister’s talent…
“Ah help other ponies find their talent! And Ah do it with two other friends who got the same cutie mark, we’re the cutie mark crusaders! Ya have to meet them!” Applebloom shouted excitedly.
“Now, now. Ah am sure she’ll love meeting yer friends, but only after you are both done with today’s chores,” Granny Smith interjected, making Applebloom roll her eyes.
“Ah know, Ah know,” She grumbled in disappointment before Applejack ruffled her mane again.
“That just means we have to work even faster, Sugarcube. Ya up for it?” The orange farm pony asked as Applebloom’s face lit up.
“Of course, Ah am!”
“Ah hope ya two won’t botch the job,” Granny Smith teased, already knowing and trusting that they would be careful with it.
“Don’t ya worry, Granny Smith! Ya can count on us,” Applejack assured her nonetheless.
“Good! As Ah said, ya won’t have anythin’ too complicated to do today. First, Ah want ya to pick up the chickens’ eggs, then feed the pigs, harvest two dozen apple trees, water the fields, and repair our metal fence,” Granny Smith instructed, making Applejack arch an eyebrow. Only two dozen? Granny was going really easy on her. “Applebloom will show ya where the chickens and pigs are as well as their food. If ya have any problem with the fence, call for Big Mac. Don’t hesitate ta yell at ‘im if he’s distracted. Ever since he married Sugar Belle, she’s all he thinks about,”
“Ya got it, Granny!” Applejack nodded as she finished her cornflakes. “Well, Ah better not waste any more time!” She exclaimed before standing up and walking out of the kitchen, hell-bent on not disappointing Granny Smith.
“Ah will go with her!” Applebloom added before following suit, having only eaten half of her cornflakes.
As she watched them leave, Granny Smith couldn't help but be taken aback by Applejack's surprising ease in preparing for farm life. She had expected her granddaughter to struggle, given her past reluctance for farming and her extensive time in Manehattan. But now, it seemed as though farming might truly be in Applejack's blood. The thought tempted Granny Smith to assign larger and more demanding tasks during her stay and even entertained the idea of convincing her to come back to live with them permanently.
She quickly shot down that idea before even voicing it. She realized Applejack now also had responsibilities she couldn’t ignore. She had a company to run, which probably had as many challenges as a farm. At least, Granny Smith could proudly state how fine of a mare Applejack became.
“If only yer parents were here to see ya…” She muttered to herself, a small smile creeping up her face.
Applejack was happy to have Applebloom leading her to the chickens, and then showing her where the pigs were. Since the little filly also had chores to do, she couldn’t stay around Applejack too long, much to the little sister’s dismay. Naturally, the older farm pony intended to do things the way she did back home thanks to Twilight and Rarity, but didn’t want to seem too good at it too fast. Because of that, she asked Applebloom a few questions on how to proceed with the chores and what the most efficient ways to complete them were.
She was surprisingly good at lying considering she was supposed to be the bearer of the element of honesty… Eh, better not look too much into it.
Feeding the animals and taking the chicken eggs was easy, just as much watering the fields was. She wanted to interact with Big Mac, too, but it looked like he was trying to finish his chores as quick as possible, so she didn’t bother him. He was most likely looking forward to spending some time with Sugar Belle, which made Applejack grin in amusement. It didn’t look like it from appearances alone, but he was a big softie.
She knew it was part of life, but his getting married still came off as a huge surprise. She was happy for him, but it made her think of her love life, too. She wasn’t sure why fixing a fence of all things would make her think about romance, but she couldn’t help but notice that she literally had no one. Of course, she wasn’t even in her thirties, so she didn’t need to worry that much about it now. However, it didn’t change the fact that nearly no one sought to start a romantic relationship with her. Granted, she wasn’t really looking for anyone either.
Seeing her brother be with his special somepony made her happy, but also a bit jealous because she was starting to want the same thing, she realized. Why did she not even have a single relationship in more than a decade? Was something wrong with her?
Even Jackie, her counterpart, was wealthy and successful but didn’t seem to have any special somepony from what Applejack had seen!
Maybe it should be something to ponder once she got back home… Applejack breathed out as she stepped back and admired her work. It took her an hour, but the whole fence was fixed! Maybe she should really stop even repairing it herself if it made her question her life every time for some reason…
“Now that’s done, Ah guess Ah better start bucking those trees! A two dozen should be easy enough!” Applejack adjusted her hat, then left to pick up two baskets, which she put on her sides.
“Applejack!” Big Mac called out to her just as she was approaching the apple orchard.
“Hey, Big Mac! Need any help with somethin’?” Applejack offered as the stallion shook his head.
“Nope! Granny Smith notice you’ve been quick with yer work, so she told me to tell ya to harvest a whole field of apple trees. Think ya’re up for it?” He asked as Applejack smiled in pride.
“Oh, Ah am! Ah’ll be done with it before she can even say ‘Apple’,” Applejack assured her older brother’s counterpart. That was twice as many crops to harvest than originally planned, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.
Bucking those trees was easy, which was no surprise. Unfortunately, just like with everything else today, she had to pretend she wasn’t that good. She used less strength than usual and hit bad spots on purpose, so it would take her two or three hits until all the apples fell down the tree.
She wondered how Applebloom was faring and how hard her tasks were. Even if Applejack didn’t want to seem too good at this, she still wanted to finish early so she would spend some time with her sister and have fun.
Nonetheless, she couldn’t fully relax even with that in mind. She still had no idea what Jackie was planning and if she was trustworthy. The truth was that she wasn’t even fully certain yet that she would stop her at all. She was alone in this one, and she doubted her abilities to stop a threat that would possibly need all her friends. Moreover, this wasn’t even her universe, did she really have the right to interfere? The elements of harmony still existed and had bearers here, so her friends… And Lyra… would surely stop Jackie at some point.
Besides, if Jackie was actually telling the truth, then her plan wasn’t that bad… Was it? Sure getting the monopoly over most work fields wasn’t a good thing, but if it was legal, was it really dangerous?
She bucked another tree and let the apples fall in the baskets she carried as she sighed. No matter how much she wanted to get out of this without having to fight some kind of villain, she couldn’t. Not in good conscience, at the very least. She would wait and see if Jackie did anything she couldn’t ignore.
“Are ya almost done?” A small voice broke her out of her thoughts, making the orange earth pony turn around. It was Applebloom.
“Yup! A few more trees and it should be over,” Applejack replied as Applebloom jumped up in response.
“Great! Ah can’t wait! Ma friends and I will show ya around Ponyville!” The small filly exclaimed with joy.
“Ah am sure this is a nice town,” Applejack nodded in agreement before moving over to another tree and bucking it several times.
Since her little sister was actively waiting for her, and likely finished her tasks already, Applejack decided to hurry it up. She wouldn’t be surprised if Granny Smith did something to ease Applebloom’s job so she could spend more time with Applejack.
After she was done harvesting the crops, Applejack could happily say that she was sure she made Granny Smith proud. Now all that was left was to spend the rest of the day with Applebloom. Naturally, she didn’t forget to notify Big Mac that she finished all her chores today.
Applejack stood awkwardly with Applebloom by her side while the two other fillies stared at her. The moment she was done with her work on the farm, Applebloom pulled her along out of the farm and brought her in front of the Cutie Mark Crusaders clubhouse, where Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were waiting for them.
“Uhm… Howdy,” Applejack waved embarrassingly since it was the first time Applebloom’s friends ever stared at her that way.
“Your sister is… The CEO of Apple Industries?!” Sweetie Belle gasped with her jaw almost hitting the floor. “This is amazing! And hey! Why did you never tell us you were rich?”
“Ah didn’t know she was ma sister either,” Applebloom shrugged while smiling pridefully.
“She’s cool, I guess. But not as cool as Rainbow Dash…” Scootaloo muttered with her forelegs crossed. Applejack couldn’t help but roll her eyes but still remained amused.
“Ah am happy to meet you too. The name’s Applejack!” The orange earth pony introduced herself and tipped her hat.
“I-I know! My sister always buys so many gems from your company that it would be hard not to recognize you! I am Sweetie Belle,” The small unicorn replied eagerly. “It’s too bad Rarity isn’t in Ponyville right now because she would have loved to meet you! Oh, Rarity is the name of my sister by the way,” She added with a small nervous chuckle.
“Well, maybe she’ll come back before Ah have to leave…” Applejack hesitantly retorted since she still wasn’t sure if meeting any of her friends in this universe was a bright idea. “And you are?” She turned to ask Scootaloo.
“Scootaloo, only one of the three coolest fillies in Equestria,” She introduced herself in a tone that was clearly meant to imitate Rainbow Dash’s.
“That so? It’s mighty nice to meet ya! Is the Rainbow Dash ya mentioned yer sister?” Applejack inquired as Scootaloo instantly blushed, dropping her false confidence.
“You heard that?” She asked in embarrassment and looked away. “S-She’s not my sister… But I’d like her to be…” She answered while shyly fiddling with her hooves. “She feels like a sister, you know…” She added bashfully.
Applejack grinned before noticing out of the corner of her eye that Applebloom slightly winced at Scootaloo’s comment, which swiftly passed as the little filly suddenly hugged one of Applejack’s forelegs. The older mare simply ruffled her mane again and chose not to address it, at least, not yet.
“So, Applebloom said ya wanted to show me around Ponyville?” She asked, making the three of them nod.
“You’ll see, the town is awesome!” Scootaloo smiled excitedly.
“Let’s show her Sugarcube Corner first!” Applebloom suggested, to which the two other fillies quickly agreed.
If you had to ask Applejack, the most logical thing would have been to show her the town square first since it was the center of the town, but she couldn’t blame the fillies for wanting to introduce her to one of the most fun places in town. Unfortunately, it wasn’t nearly as fun when Pinkie wasn’t there.
“Hello there, you three!” Mr. Cake greeted the three fillies as they entered the shop with Applejack in tow. “And I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before,” He told Applejack, who opened her mouth to reply, only for Applebloom to beat her to it.
“She’s ma big sister! She’s visitin’!” She answered eagerly as Mr. Cake widened his eyes in surprise before smiling.
“I didn’t know you had an older sister, but welcome to Ponyville! I’m Carrot Cake,” He extended a hoof, which Applejack promptly shook.
“And Ah am Applejack, nice to meet ya,” She greeted him while smiling. Seeing more familiar faces was pleasant, after all.
“Don’t forget to say she’s from Manehattan!” Sweetie Belle added as she shook Applebloom’s shoulder, making the other filly nod excitedly.
“Oh, really? I hope our sweets will serve as a good presentation of Ponyville! We wouldn’t mind the publicity,” He chuckled while Applejack blushed.
She was embarrassed because she not only wasn’t actually from the city, but she wasn’t even from this universe in the first place. She doubted Mr. Cake would receive any publicity at all from this.
“Do you four want to order something or were you just showing her around?” He asked the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who didn’t answer right away and simply looked at the sweets, then let their pleading eyes wander to Applejack.
“Ah get it, Ah get it,” Applejack rolled her eyes playfully as she took out a few bits from her saddlebag. “Give them whatever they want,” She instructed as she held the bits ready. She was lucky Jackie gave her some money in case she needed it because it would have been really awkward if the supposed rich sister didn’t even have enough change to pay for cupcakes.
“Thank you, Applejack!” Applebloom hugged her sister again.
They had always been close, but this was the first time Applebloom had been so affectionate with her so many times in a single day. And it wasn’t like they grew up together. Applebloom only met her yesterday! Applejack would seriously need to talk to her about this and why finding out she had a sister was so great to her.
She could understand that finding out you had a sibling would come out as a shock and as something positive, but the swift affection was still unexpected.
After they picked the sweets they wanted, the three fillies led Applejack throughout all of Ponyville. The first thing they showed her after Sugarcube Corner was the town hall and the town square, then told her that it was used to host events, weddings, or celebrations and that ponies often gathered there.
Next, they showed her the Carousel Boutique, which was also Rarity and Sweetie Belle’s home. Evidently, it was closed to customers since Rarity wasn’t in town. It hadn’t even been that long since Applejack had seen it last, but it brought a wave of nostalgia nonetheless. Mostly because she knew this didn’t belong to the unicorn she knew. It made her realize just how much she missed her friends but decided not to dwell on it too much. Otherwise, the Cutie Mark Crusaders would quickly notice her discomfort.
After the Carousel Boutique, they led her to the Ponyville Theater and quickly explained that they put on a play there, which was loved by the whole town. At least, according to Scootaloo’s words.
Funnily enough, they totally skipped the spa and immediately showed her the marketplace next. Her little sister told her she sold apples there sometimes. She looked so proud while explaining that there were times she was doing it all on her own. Applejack couldn’t help but congratulate her for it.
They didn’t waste any more time before showing her the Castle of Friendship, and a closed building that they said was going to be the School of Friendship. Applejack was so tempted to just go in there and take a breath to try and feel at home, not that the farm wasn’t already helping. However, she knew she would just end up disappointed. As much as she desired, she didn’t belong there. And if she went inside the castle, she most likely would see Lyra’s cutie mark where hers was supposed to be. What a way to cheer her up, right?
Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle both bragged about Rainbow Dash and Rarity being Equestria’s heroes and having seats in the castle while Applebloom remained silent. She didn’t seem sad, but she was looking at the castle longingly for some reason.
Applejack figured it was better to leave before both of them broke down for one reason or another. It certainly wouldn’t do any good.
They proceeded to show her many other shops around Ponyville or places to have fun, and the older farm pony had to admit that revisiting these places as if she was just being introduced to them was fun. It was a good reminder of how great her hometown was. From what she could see, Ponyville remained the same as it was back in her original universe.
It wasn’t long before nightfall and the Cutie Mark Crusaders had to split up and go home. Sweetie Belle left with Scootaloo since she was taken care of by the pegasus’ aunts while Rarity was away. Naturally, Applejack was going back to the farm with Applebloom by her side.
They were both tired but had only positive feelings about today. Applebloom asked her older sister what she thought of her friends quite a lot until she abruptly changed the subject.
“Oh, Ah just remembered! Tomorrow, we have to do a presentation in class on a pony we admire! Ah was goin’ to do it on Granny Smith again since Big Mac can’t come because of work, but Ah was thinkin’… It would be nice if ya… Ya know… If ya came with me to talk about what ya do. Ya could be the pony of ma presentation!” Applebloom asked with starry eyes as if already knowing Applejack wouldn’t be able to refuse.
“Ah. Uhm… Ah am not sure…” Applejack bit her inner cheek. What was she even supposed to say at this presentation?! It wasn’t like she actually led a gem mining company!
“Please?” Applebloom begged while making her lower lip quiver, finally breaking her older sister’s spirit.
“Alright… Ah guess a small presentation wouldn’t hurt,” She conceded as Applebloom jumped up in joy.
“Yay! Ah knew Ah could count on ya, big sis!” The small filly shouted before hugging Applejack for the hundredth time today.
“Yup… Just a little presentation…” Applejack nervously chuckled while hugging the filly back. It wouldn’t be so hard, would it?
“Ah am screwed!” Applejack paced in her room while holding her forehead. Why did she even accept it in the first place? “They’re just foals, aren’t they? There’s no way they would see Ah’m not the real deal, is there?” She sweated before pausing.
Her eyes traveled to the bedside table as she remembered the necklace Jackie had given her. There was no other way but to call her to ask for some pointers, wasn’t there? It was either that or exposing herself and breaking Applebloom’s heart. She sighed, quickly coming to a decision before walking up to the necklace and picking it up.
“Alright… Now what do I do?” She asked herself. Jackie never told her how this thing worked. They didn’t even have that in her original universe! How was she supposed to use it? “Hello? Anypony in there? Jackie? Applejack? Ah wanna talk to Applejack,” She told the necklace, which, with no surprise, remained unresponsive.
She grumbled a few words under her breath before shaking the necklace around and calling for Jackie’s name again. Then tried to do it while wearing it before putting it back on the bedside table and punching it.
“Will ya work already?! Ah need to talk to Jackie or Applejack or whatever!” She shouted at the necklace while hitting it several times.
Suddenly, a light escaped from it, nearly blinding Applejack before it reduced its brightness itself. The light flashed a few times, then faded away. The farm pony was about to curse it again until a green smoke came out of it and formed a mirror, showing Jackie’s tired face. It looked like she was in her bed considering the sleeping mask she pulled above her eyes.
“What are ya callin’ for? It’s one in the freakin’ mornin’ for Celestia’s sake,” Jackie groaned while rubbing her eyes. “And ya don’t need to scream either. Did nopony teach ya how to use that thing where ya from?”
“Ya will get over it! Ah need help for somethin’” Applejack demanded while Jackie arched an eyebrow.
“Help? With what? If it’s for family bonding, there ain’t much Ah can help with, Sugar,”
“Ah need to do a presentation on ma work for school tomorrow,” Applejack stated bluntly, making Jackie snicker in amusement.
“How did ya get in that situation?” She laughed mockingly while Applejack rolled her eyes.
“It doesn’t matter. Will ya help me or not? Ah have no idea of what to say out there. What if somepony sees Ah am not the one Ah am pretending to be?”
“Ya think a room full of school foals will realize that?” Jackie cocked an eyebrow as if asking her if she was serious. When she only received a glare in response, Jackie simply rolled her eyes and groaned. “Alright. Ah guess Ah can help ya with that, at least. Grab some paper and a pencil, and start writin’ what Ah’ll tell ya. Ah’ll just give ya some points to go over and what Ah do in ma daily job, and ya will take care of the speech, okay?” She conceded as Applejack nodded, then looked through the drawers to find what she needed.
“So, how do I start?”
“Ya introduce yerself, doofus. Next thing ya should do is talk about what Apple Industries strives for,” Jackie replied before further talking about her company.
Applejack sighed as she figured this was going to be a long night and an even longer day next. She could only wonder how the others were doing in whatever universes they ended up. She hoped it wasn’t anything as challenging as lying to copies of her friends and families at least.
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Apple Bloom is such a treasure in this. Oh, the heartbreaking truth just might make her soul weep when it comes out!
A prequel? Hm... it is usually a hard sell to get me on board. I blame all those anime that does the "recap episode" and the "backstory arcs". They were borderline boring, especially when the finale is pushed back for those "episodes".
Unless there truly is something special, something interesting happens, or basically will have the same or higher multiversal impact than this story, I would otherwise probably hold off from reading it.
As for Applejack's arc, I like the idea that the Element of Honesty is now dipping into the morally grey area. I do have some critiques about this though...
So far, Applejack has been lying, which is par for the course. The issue comes when there is nothing but familiar faces talking but no internalising. I don't really see Applejack struggling with keeping up the facade mentally, which is the only thing going for her in this arc. She's more like going through the paces.
The one good thing that happens here was Applejack reflecting on her life while doing manual labour. This is the first time we see Applejack truly struggling with her action. It is admittedly small, but this is a small step into a spiralling guilt.
You go against your values, you question your life. Then eventually, a spiral where you slowly lose yourself because your fix-all solution is "this isn't my universe".
Elsewise, Applejack's story is kinda bland when we focus on her lying instead of her suffering the repercussion, at least internally.
Tl;dr
I hope we get to see Applejack's internal struggle more. We know she can keep up the charade, but we are more interested whether her personality will survive.
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Thanks for the comment! It would technically be a prequel since it tells how that universe got to where it is; however, if I do a story on it (still not totally sure I will, it depends on how I feel when I finish this story), it wouldn't exactly take the same path. For exemple, if I do it on the Council of Harmony's universe, it would reach the current timeline at some point, but Fluttershy wouldn't appear in it (think of it as another universe where Fluttershy didn't show up), and it will follow how their story progresses even further. Since it wouldn't exactly be the same universe, even their journey to how they got there would probably not be the same (meaning their plan to become alicorns could have been accomplished years prior, for exemple). But as I said, still not sure I will do it nor the universe I would do it on since I also had idea for the one where magic doesn't exist.
As for Applejack, well I won't spoil anything, but as you have seen, among the five universes they were sent to, some of the mane 6 have to go through a big adventure with a powerful villain waiting for them, while some of the others only have to find the stone. The latter (basically Applejack and Rarity) will have to go through internal struggles more than physical ones. There will be more internal struggle later in Applejack's case, and it will be partially related to Applebloom.
Missed an a