The secret given and told
This story starts two weeks after Flim and Flam were run out of town, Applejack had asked Twilight to stop by for a drink. Twilight stopped by that night and saw Big Mac pulling a barrel of what she thought was cider out of the apple cellar. She saw him take some out and put it in a lantern.
Twilight asked, “Hey Big Mac why are you putting that cider in that lamp, it won’t burn will it?”
Big Mac said, “Why don’t you talk to my sister about that?”
Big Mac seemed like he was hiding something, he was dodging a question. Twilight went inside and saw Apple Bloom and Granny Smith putting a barrel of cider in clay jugs.
Twilight asked, “Hey Granny Smith, what are you doing?”
Granny Smith said, “Nothing much just bottling this barrel up.”
Twilight asked, “what are you exactly are you bottling up?’
Apple Bloom said, “C-Cider.”
Suddenly Applejack yelled down from the hayloft and said, “Granny I finished hiding the Moonshine, now what?”
Twilight put her forehoof over her muzzle and stared widely at everypony around the room, unsure of what to say, they all blinked in unison until Applejack finally severed the silence, jumping down she hastily walked up to her friend and begged her not to run to the authorities,
'Twilight please don't tell anyone about this!', Applejack said her eyes pleaded for a response, she pulled her hat over her chest and waited as her friend scanned her movements.
Twilight asked, “Why? If I don’t I would be breaking the law.”
Applejack said, “We use this to help pay for thing such as medical bills and repairs to the barn.”
Twilight saw how scared of losing her home Applejack was. She knew that if she told the apple would lose their home or worse. Twilight didn’t like to see her friends this scared about what they were doing.
Twilight said, “Fine I won’t tell but every cider season from now on, you have to give a total of five barrels to each one of us. That is one for me, one for Rainbow, one for Rarity, one for Pinkie, and one Fluttershy. Or else I will tell.”
The apples happily agreed to the terms that Twilight had given them. The family began to make their end of the bargain to keep her mouth shut. They made the barrels, and put them in a barn near the south forty for them to pick up.
It was three weeks before cider season the apples were making their special cider. Thing is the cider isn’t cider at all they need corn and yeast to make this cider. Applejack’s friends knew what they were making moonshine, they really liked Granny Smith’s moonshine. Twilight had pinkie promised to keep it a secret, even if meant breaking Equestrian Law.
One day, Celestia came to Twilight stating, “I need to ask a favor.”
Twilight answered, “What do you need Celestia?”
Celestia said, “Can I get you to get me a barrel of a good strong drink?”
Twilight said, “Only if you let me have anything I want in return, no questions asked.”
Celestia said, “Of course I Pinkie Promise, Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
Twilight said, “What I want is making moonshine whiskey to be legal permanently and it decreed by tomorrow.”
Celestia asked, “Why that Twilight?”
Twilight said, “I said no questions asked.”
Celestia said, “Okay Twilight first thing I do when I wake up I shall remove that law.”
The next morning Celestia removed the law as she was asked to do. Twilight sent a letter to Applejack telling her to make a barrel of the ‘cider’ and that she would come by to pick it up. Applejack went down into the apple cellar to get a barrel of the moonshine. Twilight brought Celestia with her to get the whiskey from Applejack.
Celestia asked, “Where are we going?”
Twilight said, “To get some Hard Cider from Applejack.”
Celestia asked, “She has hard cider?”
Twilight answered, “The cider will know the wind out of you.”
Soon the princesses arrived and walked into the barn where Applejack was waiting. Applejack bowed before Celestia and poured her and Twilight a cup of Moonshine.
Celestia took a sip and sprayed it and said, “I never knew that hard cider was this strong!”
Twilight said, “This is the reason I wanted that law removed is that that isn’t cider, it is moonshine whiskey.”
Celestia said, “Why my dear student I never knew you were that crafty.”
Applejack looked in horror and said, “Why did you just rat us out?”
Twilight gave her friend a smile and said, “It is legal to do here in Equestria now.”
Applejack gave her a surprised smile and gave her a kiss, before saying, “Twilight are you serious about this?”
Twilight said, “Celestia removed that law just this morning.”
Applejack asked Celestia, “Is this true princess?”
Celestia answered, “Yes it is Applejack.”
Applejack ran and told Big Mac, He went and told Apple Bloom, and she told Granny Smith. Soon the three were in the barn and saw Celestia drinking a glass of their whiskey. The family no longer had to hide their business and in a week’s time they made a legitimate business making whiskey and selling it to the public. Now the apples are richer than Diamond Tiara’s family.
Apple Bloom made the Cutie Mark crusaders an actual organization. Her and her friends made it grow all over Equestria. The group used money to fund the projects that they were doing. Big Mac was able to hire some help on the farm so that the family would be able to make enough cider for all of Ponyville.
Now the apples are happy and even harder working than ever. They still keep to their roots and still do a lot of the work around the farm. They haven’t let a little success change who they are. When Twilight stops apple’s farm and she get a barrel of the whiskey for free since she helped the apples become so successful.
Celestia came by one day and bought six dozen barrels of the cider and gave Applejack a big thanks. Then Celestia went back to Canterlot alcohol in tow. Now Celestia is even cheerier the she ever was, despite the fact that her and Luna were this free when they were fillies. Celestia keeps thanking Twilight for having her keep that a secret because her and Luna are now as close as they were before nightmare moon due to the two sharing their problems over a barrel of apple family whiskey.