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For the Record: Chapter 4

By: Fillydelphian on Sep 3rd, 2012 | syntax: None | size: 15.98 KB | hits: 188 | expires: Never

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>An alarm clock wakes you up at some unholy hour of the morning
>You let out a pained groan and roll over, only to be pushed off the mattress by a strong pair of hooves
>”Get up, Anon! I need you out of here before I leave for work”
Good morning to you, too...
>Groggily you rise you your feet and look around the room
>It's fairly plain. Nothing too fancy or decorative to be seen. Next to the dresser you can see a couple stacks of papers
>Cherilee is darting around with a toothbrush in her mouth and a determined look on her face
>She throws you your clothes without so much as a glance and you put them on, still half-awake
Gotta say, I'm used to this going the other way around
>You smirk
>The pink mare stops and turns to look at you as you button your shirt
>”Don't take it personally. I'm just busy on weekdays...”
>She saunters past you, deliberately brushing her flank on your arm and flicking you with her tail
>”...Not to say it wasn't a fun evening”
>You lean down as she passes close again, but she pushes you away
>”But you really do have to go now. I have to get to the school in a half-hour and I don't want to have to explain why Miss Cherilee smells funny today”
>You open the door and wave over your shoulder
Well, thanks for the warm welcome
>She slips a card into your pocket
>”My pleasure”
>The door shuts loudly behind you after Cherilee lets go of your back
>That went better than you thought it would
>Then again, it wasn't exactly a hard sell with her
1/x
>Vinyl is sitting at a table with Pinkie Pie when you walk in the door
>She looks up from her coffee with a tired expression on her face
>Must've been partying long after you went back to Cherilee's place
>Pinkie looks similarly haggard, although she seems to perk up when you come over to the table
>”Good morning, Nony! Did you like my party?”
>You see Vinyl looking at your neck and unconsciously rub the sore spot that you noticed on the way over
Yeah, Pinkie, it was a blast. Vy wasn't exaggerating when she told me you knew how to throw down
>You wince a little, poking the hickey
>”Cherilee give you a rougher time than you thought? It's always the ones you least expect, you know”
>Pinkie giggles as you give Vinyl a devious smile
Not gonna complain. How'd Octy do? I saw she was hanging out with Twilight and that crowd
>As if to answer your question, you hear Octavia coming down the stairs heavily
>She looks like hell
Woah! Rough night, Octy?
>Her eye twitches as she looks at you
>”Five...In...The....Morning...”
>You cock your head to the side slightly
>She looks over at Vinyl and Pinkie
>”Kept going until five...I didn't get to sleep until six and my alarm was set to bucking seven thirty...”
>Pinkie pours another cup of coffee
>”Aww... poor baby...”
>Octavia shoots her a death-glare
>”I hate you both...how are you even awake right now?”
>Vinyl and Pinkie look at each other silently for a second
>”Well, I didn't sleep. I've been running on coffee and sugar. I think Pinkie tried to take a nap like an hour ago, but she ended up making cupcakes instead”
>Pinkie's eyes go wide at the mention of cupcakes
>”I knew I forgot something!”
2/x
>She darts to the kitchen in a panic and you slide into the booth across from Vinyl
>”So what're you doing today? Work?”
Mostly. I'm heading over to the apple farm at like, noon, though. Getting a tour of the distillery up there
>”Oh yeah, this is where they make Applejack Daniels, isn't it?”
Yep
>Vinyl raises an eyebrow
>”That's not the only reason you're going, though...is it?”
>You smirk
You know me, Vy
>”Must you always have an ulterior motive, Anon?”
>Octavia sits next to Vinyl and cast you a look of disapproval
>”And is that a hickey?”
>You shrug
What can I say? She was a biter
>Octavia blushes and puts on a frustrated face
…And you should know me well enough by now to know the answer to that, Octy. There's no motive like an ulterior one
>”You really have no shame”
Hey, come on, Octy. Lighten up
>”No, Anon. This is excessive, even for you”
It's just harmless fun, Octy
>”Right...”
Can we talk about something else? It's too early for this whole spiel
>”Sure. How's work been going here? I assume you DID some yesterday?”
You're cranky when you're tired, you know that?
>”Well, I usually have you guys to blame, don't I?”
>Vinyl looks between the two of you with a grin
>”How have you two NOT done it yet?”
>Octavia's hoof flies to her face
>”Vinyl, don't be so crass”
>”That's not an answer, Octy”
I wouldn't want to put our professional and social relationship at risk
>Vinyl cocks an eyebrow
>”So...repeated failure?”
>”I'm going for a walk”
>Octavia is blushing, irritation evident in her expression
>She gets up and heads out the door in a huff. Vinyl follows after her
>”Hey, come on! I was just joking! Wait up!”
3/x
>Hours later
>With work out of the way and Octavia at the Twilight's place practicing, you make your way to Sweet Apple Acres for your tour of the distillery
>As you come up the dirt road you see the orchard come into view
>It's a quaint place, the farm. Rustic architecture, nothing fancy, very down-to-earth
>You walk through the gate and are greeted by frenzied barking. A very excited dog rushes up to you and leaps up to your face, the surprise of the action making you lose balance and fall over
>”Af'ernoon, par'ner. You okay?”
>An orange mare walks up to you with a bushel of apples on her back
Yeah, just fine
>”Ah see you've met Winona. Ah'll let you two git acquain'ed while Ah git these inta tha barn”
Sure thing?
>She turns around and walks off, leaving you with Winona, who is staring at you, curious
>After a couple minutes, the orange pony comes back and sends Winona off to the house
>”Glad ta see ya made it here okay. Ah was almost afraid a city-slicker lahk you'd git lost”
Hey, give me some credit. I know how to find my way around a new place
>You look around the farm and brush yourself off
Do you work this entire farm yourself? I don't see any other ponies out here
>”Big Macintosh does a lotta tha buckin' during harvest tahm, but Ah do mah fair share”
Heh, bucking...
>”Pardon?”
Nothing, just remembered something funny. So where's the magic happen?
>She looks at you askance for a moment before smiling again
>”Raht this way. Ah'll show ya tha whole process”
>The mare leads you along a gravel path that winds around the barn down to a complex of buildings at the bottom of a hill
4/x
>”Sweet Apple Acres maht be known 'round these parts fer its apples, but Ah've bin tryin' a git more reckignition fer mah pet project here: Applejack Daniels”
>As she speaks, she continues down the path and brings you to a spring coming out of a small cavern
>”This here's the water source. All the water fer the product comes from this spring. Ah found it back when Ah was a filly 'n it turns out the water comin' from it's perfect fer brewin'. The whole thing's fed from a lahmstone cavern way underground. Filters all the iron out of the water and takes out all the impurities that hurt the fahnal product”
>A pipe runs from the spring into a building a little down the way, which Applejack starts towards
This is quite the setup, Applejack. How long did this take to put together?
>”A couple months between harvests. Big Macintosh helped a might, 'n' mah friends got me mosta the supplies”
And you run the thing yourself?
>”In the off-season, yeah. Come harvest tahm Ah git help, since that's when we make mosta the product, but usually it's just me 'n' Big Mac”
>You get to the first building and Applejack slides open the large door
>The smell of apples is overpowering
>”Here we've got the main apple press 'n cider brew vats. Water from the spring gits pumped in here 'n mixed with the cider mash 'fore we heat it to 'round 100 degrees fer a couple hours. Lets the apples mingle 'n' the extra water steams off, leavin' us with a concintrated mash that we send through this here chute ta the next step a the process”
>She waves a hoof over the large vats while you walk along the catwalk above them
5/x
>”This next building is where it gets real innersting, so pay attention”
>Applejack heads into the second, larger building
>”Raht here's the starter silo”
>She raps a hoof against a metal silo near the entrance
>”This is where we keep the active yeast cultures that we use to ferment the cider 'fore we distill it. Mash comes through the chute ya saw earlier and feeds into these fermentation vats that we keep raht at 60 degrees fer three weeks”
>You come to one of the vats and Applejack opens a panel on the side after checking a couple gauges
>”Here's one a the older batches. This'n's bin goin' fer about two weeks. One more and we'll pump it out, send it ta the next building”
>She walks to a different vat and reaches for a tap on the side
>”If'n ya lahk, you kin sample some cider from this vat here. 's just about ready to send to distilling”
How could I refuse?
>You take the mug she hands you and drink some of the cloudy brown cider
>It's pulpy and bitter. You gag a little on it in surprise
>Applejack laughs at your reaction
>”Yeah, that's most p0nies' reaction. The cider here ain't exactly meant fer drinkin' as-is”
Clearly
>”Well if yer done gaggin' it's a bit of a walk over ta the distillin' building. Once tha cider's done fermentin' we pahp it over there”
Lead the way
>You put the mug down on the shelf next to the vat and follow Applejack out
6/x
>The two of you head out of the fermentation building and down the gravel path
>A large pipe runs overhead towards the next station
>Applejack keeps a few feet ahead of you
>There's a long pause as the two of you walk between the buildings
...You don't trust me, do you?
>She turns her head to look at you
>”Can't say Ah do, entirely. From what yer friend's said, yer just what Ah'd expect from a city pony”
Oh? And what would that be?
>”Unnerhanded, always lookin' fer a way inta ponies' business, playin' as many angles as ya can, always readin' p0nies... 'm Ah close?”
>You laugh
You're not far off. That IS how I do business. I have to, in the business I'm in
>”What about outsahd business? Ya lah ta p0nies fer FUN too?”
Who said anything about lying?
>”Yer friend, Octavia. She told us about how you op'rate, city-boy, 'n Ah don't lahk it”
You're showing me the distillery, so you must see some redeeming qualit-
>”Ah'm showin' you the place 'cause Ah promised ya Ah would yesterday”
...She really said I'm a liar?
>You feel your face fall
>”Well, she didn't say that exactly, but she said yer manipulative 'n ta watch out 'round ya”
Okay, manipulative might be somewhat accurate, but I'm no liar. I'm never dishonest about my intentions
>”Whah should Ah take yer word for it?”
Because Octavia's still my friend, even if she doesn't approve of how I do some things. She's not one to put up with liars, and you can ask her that yourself if you're still not sure
>You reach the next building as you finish speaking
Shall we continue the tour? It's been interesting so far, I have to say
7/x
>Applejack looks at you with an expression of scrutiny, but you catch a faint glimmer of apology on her face as she turns to open the door
>”Alraht, on with the tour, then. In this building we've got the stills”
>She motions to four large cylindrical containers with a series of pipes and coils running over and around them
>”We keep each still at a boil after we pump in the mash from the last station. The alcohol and some of the water and juice boil off and come to tha top a' each still here. Then the vapor goes inta these copper coils that we water-cool ta condense the alcohol back down”
>The two of you walk between the stills and come to a tap at the far end of the room
>”The raw liquor from Still #3 comes down to this valve that connects to this pahp here 'n sends it out to the mellowin' chamber on the other sahd a' that wall. Follow me 'n' we'll take a look at that next”
>Applejack leads you through a door into a room full of large containers, each packed with charcoal. The containers each have pipes connecting them and a drip of liquor can be seen going through them
>”We pack these containers with applewood charcoal from the apple trees that don't bear fruit anymore. We chip those up and burn 'em down 'fore we put 'em in here. Charcoal mellows out the liquor 'n' takes out some a' the impurities too. Gives it a nice pre-barrel flavor. Speakin' of, here's our last stop”
>She opens one last door to a room lined with barrel after barrel of Applejack Daniels
8/x
>“Once the liquor gets through the mellowing containers, we open up these here taps, pour it into barrels, 'n' let it age fer between 12 and 24 months 'fore it goes to bottling. We'd do that here, but there ain't exactly room fer it here on the farm, so we send the barrels to an operation out in Appeloosa 'n' they send us the bottled product back to sell”
Sounds like you've got a good system worked out. I'm impressed, Applejack
>You leave the barrel room with the orange mare closing the door behind you
>”Thank ya kindly, Anon”
No, no, thank YOU for showing me around. It's not every day I get to see how something like this gets made. But it's getting a little late. I should go make sure Octavia's doing alright. Concert's only a couple days away and I have to get everything in order. Thanks again, Applejack
>You put out a hand and she shakes it with her hoof
>”T'weren't nothin...”
>You turn to leave
>”...An' Anon?”
>You stop
Yeah?
>”...Ah'm sorry fer comin' down on ya lahk that earlier. Ah guess Ah took Octavia a lil too seriously...”
It's alright. She's a little too serious for her own good. I'll see you around
>”Lahkwise”
9/x
>The next day
>Octavia is just wrapping up her first rehearsal in the concert hall
>With the final notes you can see a look of satisfaction come over her as she opens her eyes and looks out at the small crowd of techies and floor managers
>After a beat, the applause starts and your friend smiles and leaves the stage
>You head to the wings to intercept her before she escapes to Twilight's library for practice
Hey, Octy!
>She looks up from her cello case when she hears you yell to her
Nice work today. Looks like you're happy with the set list
>”I sure am. With a little more polish I should be ready to blow those big-wigs away at the opening”
>There's a slow clopping behind you. Octavia looks up again and scowls
>A cream-colored mare with a blue mane saunters over to the two of you with a sneer
>”You do generally blow the big-wigs to get gigs, don't you Tavi?”
>She puts down a violin case and looks at you condescendingly
I wouldn't know. They're usually busy with you...Fiddlesticks
>The cream-colored mare twitches
>”My. Name. Is. VIOLINA”
>Octavia narrows her eyes
>”What are you doing here, Violina?”
>Violina looks out at the stage
>”I'm here for the big opening. Came down all the way from Manehatten too”
>She looks both of you up and down judgingly
>”He must've been at a complete loss for talent”
Yeah, why else would he sign you for something like this?
>Violina twitches again before a voice sounds from the concert hall
>”Hey, it's Violina! Over here! Over here!”
>She looks back to you
>”Well, this was a fun little chat, but I want to let my FANS know I'm here. I'd say you know how that goes, but...”
10/x
>A floor manager pokes his head backstage
>”Violina? Your rehearsal room is ready. Want us to load your gear?”
>”Sure. It's in the carriage in front of this place”
>Octavia glances you with a look of utter disappointment
>”I'll be at Sugar Cube Corner, Anon. See you later...”
>She walks off dejected while Violina looks on, that cocky sneer plastered on her face
>”Oh don't worry, Anon. I'll try and save some recognition for you two if you promise that little Tavi doesn't pull another Gala stunt”
Fuck you, Fiddlesticks
>”You already did that, remember?”
End

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>An alarm clock wakes you up at some unholy hour of the morning
>You let out a pained groan and roll over, only to be pushed off the mattress by a strong pair of hooves
>”Get up, Anon! I need you out of here before I leave for work”
Good morning to you, too...
>Groggily you rise you your feet and look around the room
>It's fairly plain. Nothing too fancy or decorative to be seen. Next to the dresser you can see a couple stacks of papers
>Cherilee is darting around with a toothbrush in her mouth and a determined look on her face
>She throws you your clothes without so much as a glance and you put them on, still half-awake
Gotta say, I'm used to this going the other way around
>You smirk
>The pink mare stops and turns to look at you as you button your shirt
>”Don't take it personally. I'm just busy on weekdays...”
>She saunters past you, deliberately brushing her flank on your arm and flicking you with her tail
>”...Not to say it wasn't a fun evening”
>You lean down as she passes close again, but she pushes you away
>”But you really do have to go now. I have to get to the school in a half-hour and I don't want to have to explain why Miss Cherilee smells funny today”
>You open the door and wave over your shoulder
Well, thanks for the warm welcome
>She slips a card into your pocket
>”My pleasure”
>The door shuts loudly behind you after Cherilee lets go of your back
>That went better than you thought it would
>Then again, it wasn't exactly a hard sell with her
1/x

>Vinyl is sitting at a table with Pinkie Pie when you walk in the door
>She looks up from her coffee with a tired expression on her face
>Must've been partying long after you went back to Cherilee's place
>Pinkie looks similarly haggard, although she seems to perk up when you come over to the table
>”Good morning, Nony! Did you like my party?”
>You see Vinyl looking at your neck and unconsciously rub the sore spot that you noticed on the way over
Yeah, Pinkie, it was a blast. Vy wasn't exaggerating when she told me you knew how to throw down
>You wince a little, poking the hickey
>”Cherilee give you a rougher time than you thought? It's always the ones you least expect, you know”
>Pinkie giggles as you give Vinyl a devious smile
Not gonna complain. How'd Octy do? I saw she was hanging out with Twilight and that crowd
>As if to answer your question, you hear Octavia coming down the stairs heavily
>She looks like hell
Woah! Rough night, Octy?
>Her eye twitches as she looks at you
>”Five...In...The....Morning...”
>You cock your head to the side slightly
>She looks over at Vinyl and Pinkie
>”Kept going until five...I didn't get to sleep until six and my alarm was set to bucking seven thirty...”
>Pinkie pours another cup of coffee
>”Aww... poor baby...”
>Octavia shoots her a death-glare
>”I hate you both...how are you even awake right now?”
>Vinyl and Pinkie look at each other silently for a second
>”Well, I didn't sleep. I've been running on coffee and sugar. I think Pinkie tried to take a nap like an hour ago, but she ended up making cupcakes instead”
>Pinkie's eyes go wide at the mention of cupcakes
>”I knew I forgot something!”
2/x

>She darts to the kitchen in a panic and you slide into the booth across from Vinyl
>”So what're you doing today? Work?”
Mostly. I'm heading over to the apple farm at like, noon, though. Getting a tour of the distillery up there
>”Oh yeah, this is where they make Applejack Daniels, isn't it?”
Yep
>Vinyl raises an eyebrow
>”That's not the only reason you're going, though...is it?”
>You smirk
You know me, Vy
>”Must you always have an ulterior motive, Anon?”
>Octavia sits next to Vinyl and cast you a look of disapproval
>”And is that a hickey?”
>You shrug
What can I say? She was a biter
>Octavia blushes and puts on a frustrated face
…And you should know me well enough by now to know the answer to that, Octy. There's no motive like an ulterior one
>”You really have no shame”
Hey, come on, Octy. Lighten up
>”No, Anon. This is excessive, even for you”
It's just harmless fun, Octy
>”Right...”
Can we talk about something else? It's too early for this whole spiel
>”Sure. How's work been going here? I assume you DID some yesterday?”
You're cranky when you're tired, you know that?
>”Well, I usually have you guys to blame, don't I?”
>Vinyl looks between the two of you with a grin
>”How have you two NOT done it yet?”
>Octavia's hoof flies to her face
>”Vinyl, don't be so crass”
>”That's not an answer, Octy”
I wouldn't want to put our professional and social relationship at risk
>Vinyl cocks an eyebrow
>”So...repeated failure?”
>”I'm going for a walk”
>Octavia is blushing, irritation evident in her expression
>She gets up and heads out the door in a huff. Vinyl follows after her
>”Hey, come on! I was just joking! Wait up!”
3/x

>Hours later
>With work out of the way and Octavia at the Twilight's place practicing, you make your way to Sweet Apple Acres for your tour of the distillery
>As you come up the dirt road you see the orchard come into view
>It's a quaint place, the farm. Rustic architecture, nothing fancy, very down-to-earth
>You walk through the gate and are greeted by frenzied barking. A very excited dog rushes up to you and leaps up to your face, the surprise of the action making you lose balance and fall over
>”Af'ernoon, par'ner. You okay?”
>An orange mare walks up to you with a bushel of apples on her back
Yeah, just fine
>”Ah see you've met Winona. Ah'll let you two git acquain'ed while Ah git these inta tha barn”
Sure thing?
>She turns around and walks off, leaving you with Winona, who is staring at you, curious
>After a couple minutes, the orange pony comes back and sends Winona off to the house
>”Glad ta see ya made it here okay. Ah was almost afraid a city-slicker lahk you'd git lost”
Hey, give me some credit. I know how to find my way around a new place
>You look around the farm and brush yourself off
Do you work this entire farm yourself? I don't see any other ponies out here
>”Big Macintosh does a lotta tha buckin' during harvest tahm, but Ah do mah fair share”
Heh, bucking...
>”Pardon?”
Nothing, just remembered something funny. So where's the magic happen?
>She looks at you askance for a moment before smiling again
>”Raht this way. Ah'll show ya tha whole process”
>The mare leads you along a gravel path that winds around the barn down to a complex of buildings at the bottom of a hill
4/x

>”Sweet Apple Acres maht be known 'round these parts fer its apples, but Ah've bin tryin' a git more reckignition fer mah pet project here: Applejack Daniels”
>As she speaks, she continues down the path and brings you to a spring coming out of a small cavern
>”This here's the water source. All the water fer the product comes from this spring. Ah found it back when Ah was a filly 'n it turns out the water comin' from it's perfect fer brewin'. The whole thing's fed from a lahmstone cavern way underground. Filters all the iron out of the water and takes out all the impurities that hurt the fahnal product”
>A pipe runs from the spring into a building a little down the way, which Applejack starts towards
This is quite the setup, Applejack. How long did this take to put together?
>”A couple months between harvests. Big Macintosh helped a might, 'n' mah friends got me mosta the supplies”
And you run the thing yourself?
>”In the off-season, yeah. Come harvest tahm Ah git help, since that's when we make mosta the product, but usually it's just me 'n' Big Mac”
>You get to the first building and Applejack slides open the large door
>The smell of apples is overpowering
>”Here we've got the main apple press 'n cider brew vats. Water from the spring gits pumped in here 'n mixed with the cider mash 'fore we heat it to 'round 100 degrees fer a couple hours. Lets the apples mingle 'n' the extra water steams off, leavin' us with a concintrated mash that we send through this here chute ta the next step a the process”
>She waves a hoof over the large vats while you walk along the catwalk above them
5/x

>”This next building is where it gets real innersting, so pay attention”
>Applejack heads into the second, larger building
>”Raht here's the starter silo”
>She raps a hoof against a metal silo near the entrance
>”This is where we keep the active yeast cultures that we use to ferment the cider 'fore we distill it. Mash comes through the chute ya saw earlier and feeds into these fermentation vats that we keep raht at 60 degrees fer three weeks”
>You come to one of the vats and Applejack opens a panel on the side after checking a couple gauges
>”Here's one a the older batches. This'n's bin goin' fer about two weeks. One more and we'll pump it out, send it ta the next building”
>She walks to a different vat and reaches for a tap on the side
>”If'n ya lahk, you kin sample some cider from this vat here. 's just about ready to send to distilling”
How could I refuse?
>You take the mug she hands you and drink some of the cloudy brown cider
>It's pulpy and bitter. You gag a little on it in surprise
>Applejack laughs at your reaction
>”Yeah, that's most p0nies' reaction. The cider here ain't exactly meant fer drinkin' as-is”
Clearly
>”Well if yer done gaggin' it's a bit of a walk over ta the distillin' building. Once tha cider's done fermentin' we pahp it over there”
Lead the way
>You put the mug down on the shelf next to the vat and follow Applejack out
6/x

>The two of you head out of the fermentation building and down the gravel path
>A large pipe runs overhead towards the next station
>Applejack keeps a few feet ahead of you
>There's a long pause as the two of you walk between the buildings
...You don't trust me, do you?
>She turns her head to look at you
>”Can't say Ah do, entirely. From what yer friend's said, yer just what Ah'd expect from a city pony”
Oh? And what would that be?
>”Unnerhanded, always lookin' fer a way inta ponies' business, playin' as many angles as ya can, always readin' p0nies... 'm Ah close?”
>You laugh
You're not far off. That IS how I do business. I have to, in the business I'm in
>”What about outsahd business? Ya lah ta p0nies fer FUN too?”
Who said anything about lying?
>”Yer friend, Octavia. She told us about how you op'rate, city-boy, 'n Ah don't lahk it”
You're showing me the distillery, so you must see some redeeming qualit-
>”Ah'm showin' you the place 'cause Ah promised ya Ah would yesterday”
...She really said I'm a liar?
>You feel your face fall
>”Well, she didn't say that exactly, but she said yer manipulative 'n ta watch out 'round ya”
Okay, manipulative might be somewhat accurate, but I'm no liar. I'm never dishonest about my intentions
>”Whah should Ah take yer word for it?”
Because Octavia's still my friend, even if she doesn't approve of how I do some things. She's not one to put up with liars, and you can ask her that yourself if you're still not sure
>You reach the next building as you finish speaking
Shall we continue the tour? It's been interesting so far, I have to say
7/x

>Applejack looks at you with an expression of scrutiny, but you catch a faint glimmer of apology on her face as she turns to open the door
>”Alraht, on with the tour, then. In this building we've got the stills”
>She motions to four large cylindrical containers with a series of pipes and coils running over and around them
>”We keep each still at a boil after we pump in the mash from the last station. The alcohol and some of the water and juice boil off and come to tha top a' each still here. Then the vapor goes inta these copper coils that we water-cool ta condense the alcohol back down”
>The two of you walk between the stills and come to a tap at the far end of the room
>”The raw liquor from Still #3 comes down to this valve that connects to this pahp here 'n sends it out to the mellowin' chamber on the other sahd a' that wall. Follow me 'n' we'll take a look at that next”
>Applejack leads you through a door into a room full of large containers, each packed with charcoal. The containers each have pipes connecting them and a drip of liquor can be seen going through them
>”We pack these containers with applewood charcoal from the apple trees that don't bear fruit anymore. We chip those up and burn 'em down 'fore we put 'em in here. Charcoal mellows out the liquor 'n' takes out some a' the impurities too. Gives it a nice pre-barrel flavor. Speakin' of, here's our last stop”
>She opens one last door to a room lined with barrel after barrel of Applejack Daniels
8/x

>“Once the liquor gets through the mellowing containers, we open up these here taps, pour it into barrels, 'n' let it age fer between 12 and 24 months 'fore it goes to bottling. We'd do that here, but there ain't exactly room fer it here on the farm, so we send the barrels to an operation out in Appeloosa 'n' they send us the bottled product back to sell”
Sounds like you've got a good system worked out. I'm impressed, Applejack
>You leave the barrel room with the orange mare closing the door behind you
>”Thank ya kindly, Anon”
No, no, thank YOU for showing me around. It's not every day I get to see how something like this gets made. But it's getting a little late. I should go make sure Octavia's doing alright. Concert's only a couple days away and I have to get everything in order. Thanks again, Applejack
>You put out a hand and she shakes it with her hoof
>”T'weren't nothin...”
>You turn to leave
>”...An' Anon?”
>You stop
Yeah?
>”...Ah'm sorry fer comin' down on ya lahk that earlier. Ah guess Ah took Octavia a lil too seriously...”
It's alright. She's a little too serious for her own good. I'll see you around
>”Lahkwise”
9/x

>The next day

>Octavia is just wrapping up her first rehearsal in the concert hall
>With the final notes you can see a look of satisfaction come over her as she opens her eyes and looks out at the small crowd of techies and floor managers
>After a beat, the applause starts and your friend smiles and leaves the stage
>You head to the wings to intercept her before she escapes to Twilight's library for practice
Hey, Octy!
>She looks up from her cello case when she hears you yell to her
Nice work today. Looks like you're happy with the set list
>”I sure am. With a little more polish I should be ready to blow those big-wigs away at the opening”
>There's a slow clopping behind you. Octavia looks up again and scowls
>A cream-colored mare with a blue mane saunters over to the two of you with a sneer
>”You do generally blow the big-wigs to get gigs, don't you Tavi?”
>She puts down a violin case and looks at you condescendingly
I wouldn't know. They're usually busy with you...Fiddlesticks
>The cream-colored mare twitches
>”My. Name. Is. VIOLINA”
>Octavia narrows her eyes
>”What are you doing here, Violina?”
>Violina looks out at the stage
>”I'm here for the big opening. Came down all the way from Manehatten too”
>She looks both of you up and down judgingly
>”He must've been at a complete loss for talent”
Yeah, why else would he sign you for something like this?
>Violina twitches again before a voice sounds from the concert hall
>”Hey, it's Violina! Over here! Over here!”
>She looks back to you
>”Well, this was a fun little chat, but I want to let my FANS know I'm here. I'd say you know how that goes, but...”
10/x

>A floor manager pokes his head backstage
>”Violina? Your rehearsal room is ready. Want us to load your gear?”
>”Sure. It's in the carriage in front of this place”
>Octavia glances you with a look of utter disappointment
>”I'll be at Sugar Cube Corner, Anon. See you later...”
>She walks off dejected while Violina looks on, that cocky sneer plastered on her face
>”Oh don't worry, Anon. I'll try and save some recognition for you two if you promise that little Tavi doesn't pull another Gala stunt”
Fuck you, Fiddlesticks
>”You already did that, remember?”
End

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