A ten page short:
What if all the magic we see in the show is exactly what it appears to be? Does that concept scare you? It should.
After a shocking discovery changes his life, a young griffon follows in the hoofprints of his childhood hero, and mounts an expedition deep into the frozen west.

Both 'The Brightest Shine' and 'Piracy' redirect here, and with good reason; read on and it will make sense.

Most of the time, Applejack is honest. A lot of times, she's a dependable pony.

Then, sometimes, she's full of militant squirrels piloting her in a war with the Chipmunk Confederacy over a sacred acorn.

This is a realistic view on how shipping would actually happen in the show. Almost every pony has been shipped with everypony else, but this is what would actually happen if two ponies ever attempted at a relationship.

...

No offense to any shippers, even though you shouldn't take any. If anypony would like to see any other shippings done on this fic, just leave a comment. Maybe I'll write it if I feel like it.