Applejack and the Cider Factory
A Letter From Fillydelphia
Author's Note: This is my first try at a fan fic so i apologize if it's mediocre or anything like that. Please feel free to give any constructive criticism about it, and please enjoy.
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"Forget those gals, they think you're overworking yourself? Well, just let them think that and have their little slumber party..." Applejack mumbled to herself as she bucked the last tree in the apple orchard.
Applejack looked around at all the trees just to double-check she hadn't missed any apples. Satisfied that her chore was complete, she began to trot down the dusty dirt road toward the barn. Listening to the birds sing calmed her, and distracted her from her annoyance at her friends' nonchalance. They had invited Applejack to a slumber party at the library yesterday. She had to decline as she had to help Big Mac buck the newly regrown Southern orchard after that ordeal with the Flim Flam Brothers.
It was just about the crack of dawn when Applejack finally reached the front of her family's barn. She was just about go inside and shake off the restraints of the apple cart when the mail-mare cantered up to her.
"Got a mail delivery all the way from Fillydelphia for ya, Miss Applejack!" announced the jolly mail-mare.
Applejack gingerly grabbed the letter in her hooves, "Thank ya kindly miss.".
The mail-mare trotted off the same way she had come, leaving Applejack with her mail. Mail from Fillydelphia? Applejack thought to herself, What could Apple Fritter want?. She proceeded to open the letter with a swipe of her hoof and had a look.
Cud'n Applejack,
You know them Flim Flam fellers you wrote me about? Well they waltzed in here with that contraption and said they were gonna git rid of all those parasprites that've been here for so long. They took this vacuum thing from their machine and sucked all the little bitty buggers up in that machine, and the mayor gave them a bunch of money as reward! I thought they were nice and maybe they'd changed from when you saw 'em but then they started buildin' this big ol' factory thing in the middle of town. Said they were gonna give us all cider. They offered to partner up with us and use our apples for their cider, but their offer was ridiculous! Then they had the nerve to compete against us to see who would take over as cider suppliers for Fillydelphia. That big factory was way too fast for us to keep up with and made almost a hundred barrels of cider for our ten! Mah parents and little Apple Pie packed up our things an' left Fillydelphia, we couldn't afford to live their anymore without the business...
Applejack stuffed the letter in her saddlebags and galloped off to the library.
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Twilight awoke in a daze as she heard hooves galloping off in the distance. she groaned and tried to go back to sleep when she heard a loud bang on her door. She groaned again and reluctantly rolled out of bed. Twilight dragged her hooves across the hardwood floors of her tree house until she came to the stairs. She stumbled down the stairs as she tried and failed to focus on the door knob when the door almost flew off its hinges by a panicking Applejack.
"Twilight! Ah'm so glad you're home! My cousin and his family just got run out of Fillydelphia and are out of business, and homeless, and just sent me a letter saying that the Flim Flam Brothers showed up and kicked 'em out and their in big trouble!" All the information just rushed out of the orange mare's mouth in what seemed like two seconds.
Twilight's brain tried to register this sudden deluge of information through the haze of drowsiness, and swiftly came up with an answer.
"W-w-whah?" Her brain leaned back in satisfaction of this response.
The rest of the girls came tumbling down the stairs at that moment and proceeded to ask what was going on at such an early hour in the morning.
"Twilight, just look at this letter!" Applejack exclaimed as she struggled in her panic to grab the letter from her saddlebags.
She held the letter up in front of the lavender unicorn for her to peruse.
"He writes with an accent too?"
"Twilight!" Applejack groaned.
"Alright! Alright."
Twilight quietly mumbled the letter to herself until she finished when she finally asked, "Applejack, did you even read the whole letter? He's asking if it's alright if he and his family comes and lives with you at Sweet Apple Acres."
"Huh?" Applejack said before setting the letter on the ground to read for herself.
... We'd 'preciate it a lot if y'all at Sweet Apple Acres could give us a place to sleep, seeing as we ain't got nowhere else for us and all. Don't bother sending us a letter since we don't have a mailbox, just turn us away at Ponyville if ya cain't let us stay. We should be arrivin' by noon.
Yore cud'n,
Apple Fritter.
"Well hay, guess we'll just have ta greet 'em when they arrive. You girls mind comin' along?"
"Sad ponies? New to Ponyville!? Count me in!" yelled a certain party pony.
Suddenly, Pinkie Pie's face contorted in happiness, and she started vibrating violently with sheer excitement. Before anypony could ask if she needed a doctor of some sort, she literally rocketed out the roof of the library leaving a trail of pink behind her. Everypony just stared in awe at the scorch-marked hole in the library's roof until Rainbow Dash decided to break the silence.
"So, anyway... what exactly did Flim and Flam do?"
Applejack looked back down at the letter, "Well, accordin' to my cousin, they came inta town and got rid of those parasprites and got payed for it. Looks like they built some kinda factory and pulled the same trick on my cousin as they did on us; only this time, they won."
Rainbow Dash grumbled, "Grrrr, I knew i should've turned those jerks into jerk-cider when I had the chance to."
"Now, now Rainbow Dash," chimed in Rarity, "that's simply not lady-like, even if it is to get back at those cruel, conceited ruffians." She said the last few words through slightly clenched teeth.
"Oh dear, maybe we should hurry to Sweet Apple Acres to greet your cousin Applejack... you know, if that's okay with you..." murmured Fluttershy, as she looked down and off to the side with her hair covering most of her face.
"That's a great idea," replied Twilight, "C'mon, Pinkie probably already has a surprise party set up for the newcomers."
Everypony nodded in agreement as they trotted towards the door.
"Spike! We're heading over to Sweet Apple Acres to greet some of AJ's relatives! Do you want come along?"
Her only response was an annoyed, childish grumble from upstairs. Twilight chuckled to herself and cantered out the door with the rest of her friends.
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Applejack quietly nudged open the barn door to let the other four mares inside. It was almost pitch black in the barn and the all the windows were closed. Applejack felt her way to a window and pushed it open. She nearly had a heart attack when a pink pony exploded from behind a pile of hay at the other end of the room.
"SURPRIIIIIIIIIIIISE!... Awwww, you're not the new ponies."
"Pinkie, I think you startled Applejack a little too much..." Fluttershy mumbled.
Applejack was breathing heavily while clenching her chest. She normally saw that coming, her mind was just in such a haze right now that it hadn't occurred to her just where Pinkie had rocketed off to or what she planned to do there.
"Aw, sorry AJ, I was just preparing a surprise party for the new ponies coming to town. Have you heard about them? Of course you have! I wonder if your cousin will like my chimicherrry, or would he prefer cherrychanga? Chimicher-"
Applejack quickly shoved a hoof in Pinkie Pie's mouth to save herself from the torturous onslaught of nonsense that would have ensued had she not interfered. Pinkie, however was still trying to talk through the hoof covering her mouth, her words barely audible.
Just then, a scarlet coated stallion with an orange mane stuck his head through the barn door, "Uh, cud'n AJ? Have ya made up yer mind on whether or not me and muh fam'ly can stay here?"
A pregnant silence hung in the room as everypony turned to stare at the sudden newcomer. Another, smaller pony stuck her head through the door. This little filly had a golden-brown coat with a yellow mane, and had a very excited and curious look on her face.
"A party!? C'mon big brother let's go inside!"
Unfortunately, the hyperactive filly was stopped by a large scarlet hoof.
"Now, now Apple Pie, we don't even know if we're welcome here." Apple Fritter stated gently as he turned towards Applejack. The filly's whole body seemed to deflate at these words and her eyes stared longingly at the streamers and balloons hanging everywhere and the several cakes stacked upon a table in the corner.
"What are y'all talkin' about? Of course you're welcome here! You're family after all!" Applejack stated happily and somewhat bluntly. The filly's eyes lit up and her body re-inflated as she dashed past her older brother to the cake on the other side of the room. Fritter turned around in the door frame and motioned for someone outside to come in. A couple seconds later, a middle-aged couple trotted into the barn.
"Aunt and Uncle Caramel Apple! It's been so long! How've you been?"
"Why hello Applejack, my you've grown since the last time we saw you. When was that again dear?" inquired Aunt Caramel, as she turned to her husband.
"Well honey, that was back three years ago when the Annual Apple Festival was held over in Fillydelphia." reminisced Uncle Apple.
Rarity decided to join in on the conversation as well, "Applejack, aren't you going to be a polite host and introduce us to your family?"
"Oh, right." Mumbled Applejack as she reached up with a hoof to scratch underneath her hat. "Well, this here's muh friend Rarity, she makes dresses in her boutique in town." she continued, pointing a hoof in Rarity's direction.
"Pleased to meet you." Rarity interjected.
"Likewise." Uncle Apple responded, along with a nod of agreement by his companions. Applejack continued introducing the rest of her friends (although it seemed like Pinkie had already gotten to know Apple pie pretty well), and was just about to ask her Aunt and Uncle about their trip when Applebloom came barging in on everypony.
"Howdy everypony! Y'all should come on down to city hall! Mayor Mare has an announcement ta make, and- wait, Aunt and Uncle Caramel Apple!? Apple Fritter!? Apple Pie!? What are y'all doin' here?"
"Ah'll explain later, but ya said that Mayor Mare is makin' an announcement at city hall?" replied Applejack"
"Eeyup! Everypony's saying it's some big news from Fillydelphia!"
"Fillydelphia!?" Everypony except Applebloom cried in unison.
"Everypony, Ah think we should head on down ta city hall to see what all this ruckus is about." Applejack announced with a large sense of urgency.
"Maybe it has something to do with the Flim Flam Brothers?" Twilight inquired.
Rainbow hovered above them and began punching the air, "Well let's go find out! If I see those jerks there, I'm gonna make them feel like those apples that get thrown in that stupid machine of theirs!"
Everypony turned and began to canter one-by-one out of the barn.
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The Mane 6 and the Apple family (including Big Mac and Granny Smith) started pushing through the throng of ponies gathered near city hall to see just what the announcement was about. Everypony gasped when they saw who was standing next to Mayor Mare at the podium.
