Honesty and Dragons
Chapter 3
Late Night Thoughts
That evening, Applejack was lying down on her bed. It was a great birthday party that she had, with all of her friends and her family there, the presents, the cake, and everything else. She was pretty sure that her stomach was stuffed and will be for until dinner the next day. Leave it to Pinkie to have so much ready and for a lot of ponies.
Suddenly, Applejack remembered that her granny wanted to talk to her about something earlier. She got herself off her bed and quietly trotted over to her granny's bedroom. The light was on, so that meant that she was still up.
AJ knocked on the door. "Granny?" She called out softly, so that every pony else wouldn't hear her.
"Come on in, Applejack." Granny said.
Applejack quietly entered the room. Granny Smith was sitting up in her bed, with a large pile of pillows behind her. The elderly pony patted the side of the bed, telling her granddaughter to come sit. AJ obeyed.
"Ya said that ya wanted to talk to me earlier?" Applejack asked, curious as to what her granny meant.
"Yeah." Granny confirmed. "What's been bugging ya, sugarcube?" She asked. Applejack blinked and tilted her head, not understanding. "For the past five months, ya had been lost in thought. There something ya wanted to say?"
Applejack felt her blood starting to run cold. Now she understood what her granny meant. But, she couldn't tell any pony other than her friends or the princesses about what was being bothering her. Celestia herself even gave her and her friends, except Twilight, about this. They must not tell anyone. Sooner or later, they would have to make their decision, and the pressure was already enough. They didn't need any pony else's opinions about the matter. It would just make it harder than it already is.
AJ knew she couldn't lie, so how was she going to explain this to Granny? Finally, the younger mare answered her. "I... I couldn't really tell ya, Granny. It's hard to say right now, but it is somethin' that I need to figure out myself. Once I know what I need to do, I'll explain everything to ya. I promise."
Granny knew that there was still something else that Applejack wasn't telling her, but seeing the conflicted look on her granddaughter's face, she knew that she wasn't quite ready to tell the complete truth.
She remembered her son and daughter-in-law when they were around that age that Applejack is right now. They were keeping the secret of them being in love from her and Grand Pear because they knew that if they were discovered, they would be in trouble. Yet they couldn't help it. Maybe something similar is going on with Applejack. Maybe she isn't in love, but there is something that only she needed to figure out.
"All right, sugarcube." Granny eventually complied, putting a frail hoof over her granddaughter's own. "Go and find whatever's pulling on ya. But remember, yer family will always be with ya, no matter the choices ya make."
Applejack felt a weight go off her shoulders and smiled at her. "Thanks, Granny." She said.
Granny returned the smile tiredly. "Git on and hit the hay, sugarcube." She said. "We have another day ahead of us."
AJ nodded, and gave her granny a hug goodnight. Then, she left the room, closing the door behind her. But, she wasn't quite ready to go back to bed yet. Instead, she quietly trotted down the stairs and went outside.
Feeling the cool night air hit her face felt so wonderful. And Luna had the full moon high up in the sky, shining brightly. Applejack wandered throughout the orchards, seeing that the apple blossoms were closed for the night, and that the ground around the trees were littered with fallen pale pink petals.
Applejack soon saw that she had arrived over at the pond where she and her family or friends would go swimming. She went down to the shore, looking down at her reflection. For a brief moment, she swore that she saw something feathery from behind her back and something sharp pertruding out of her forehead.
The country mare blinked, ridding herself of what she saw. She hated this. She hated keeping a secret from her family, and a life-changing one at that as well. Well, how could she explain what was going on to them? If any pony was told that they could become royalty and had to keep it on the down low, even to their own families, it would be pretty hard.
"What should I do?" Applejack said to herself. "Am I really willing to give up everything I thought I knew for something else? I just... I just don't know what to do." Feeling the conflict building up, she then began to sing.
Applejack: The earth's still cold,
The fields no more bare.
The branches fold
Against the wind that's everywhere.
A breeze then started to blow, making Applejack's mane fly in the wind and apple blossom petals dance in the wind and around the earth mare.
The birds had left
So they'll survive.
That snow so deep, all critters sleep
To keep themselves alive.
AJ then began walking away from the pond and up the hill where she would wait for the sun to rise so that she could begin her errands through the orchards.
They do what they must for now
And trust in their plan.
If I trust in mine, somehow
I might find who I am.
But where do I go from here?
So many voices ringing in my ear.
Applejack watched as the petals flew around, and in her mind, she saw images forming. The first was her family smiling at her, with Apple Bloom holding out an apple pie.
The image disappeared as the petals flew past her again, this time showing an image of Princess Celestia. She used her golden magic to levitate a crown and floated it toward her. Then, the image faded again, leaving Applejack more conflicted.
Which is the voice
That I was meant to hear?
How will I know?
Where do I go from here?
Applejack then started running through the orchards until she reached the tree that represented the love between her parents. The breeze softly blew the apple blossom petals all around her again, this time showing an image of her own parents to her. AJ smiled fondly at them before they faded.
My world has changed,
And so have I.
I've learned to choose,
And even learned to say goodbye.
She then placed a hoof on the base of the tree, while looking around the clearing. All of the trees, whether they were apple or pear, seemed to form a path for her to follow.
The path ahead,
So hard to see.
It winds and bends, but where it ends
Depends on only me.
Applejack left the tree and started down the path while she kept singing.
In my heart, I don't feel part
Of so much I've known.
Soon, AJ reached the outskirts of Ponyville, in the field where she and her friends would have their monthly picnic, which actually was the next afternoon. The town was still sleeping, and in the distance, Applejack could see the city of Canterlot. The flower petals were back, still dancing in the wind around her as she slowly sat down.
Now, it seems it's time to start
A new life on my own.
But where do I go from here?
So many voices ringing in my ear.
In her mind, Applejack saw her family, Princess Celestia, and her parents again. Her head started to pound from all of the pressure and she quickly pushed them away.
Which is the voice
That I was meant to hear?
How will I know?
Where do I go from here?
After she finished singing, Applejack sighed heavily. Maybe she needs some rest. That could get her mind off of all this for at least a few hours. Maybe at the picnic, she can talk with Twilight and see what she can do.
With a small yawn, Applejack stood up and started walking back to Sweet Apple Acres. However, her heartfelt lament didn't go unheard. Once she had left, Spike emerged from a nearby bush. He was also feeling restless and was wandering around the fields when he heard AJ singing. He stopped and hid in the shrubbery, listening to her sing.
All of this must really be hard on her. Just a few months ago, she was living happily with her family, not really too much of a care. Now, she was really lost in thought about this. Personally, Spike could see how she could be a princess, and so do the rest of the girls, but he knew that she never even dwelled on the thought. Being a simple farm pony was her destiny, yet she was so much more than that.
I hate that eavesdropping I did on AJ, but I couldn't help it. He thought to himself. "What can I do to help her?" He quickly asked himself.
Then, he remembered. "I still haven't gotten my birthday present for her." He said. "But what can I give her?" As he pondered, his eyes wandered over to Canterlot in the distance. An idea then came up.
"I think I know what to give her." Spike said. "And I think somepony might be willing to help."