//------------------------------// // Truth // Story: Under the Apple Orchard // by Artie Downer //------------------------------// "Nothing..." I said rather unconvincingly to Applejack. Nonetheless, she came over to my side to see what it was. "A parchment and a quill? You must be writin' something." I tried everything to hide my phony letter to my parents. Put it behind my back, under my bed, and at one point, I even tried eating it. It would have been viewed as humorous to anypony who had seen it. But Applejack persisted in seeing the letter until she eventually grabbed it out of my hoof. Worst of all, she started reading it out loud. "Dear Mom and Dad, Today, Ah discovered a completely deserted civilization filled with statues and- Hehe! Is this a story you're writing, Wanderer? Course Ah gotta say, it's pretty good!" She seemed to have liked it. I stood there in front of her with sweat running down my muzzle. It was the apple tree all over again. If I said yes, I would have lied to her again. If I said no, she would figure out I was planning on lying to my parents. So, I did the only reasonable thing a colt could do in that situation. I ran like mad. I jolted right out of the door in my room and sped off. I won't be welcome there anymore, I thought. They won't want a liar like me to live with them. I could hear somepony else chasing me. It was Applejack, of course. "Hey, Wanderer, wait up! Where ya goin'!?" She won't want to see me anymore. I lied again! Why must I do this? I'm sorry, Applejack. By this point, as I continued running, i had tears running down my face. It wasn't because I wouldn't have a home or a place to sleep. It was because I would never see her again. I thought she'd hate me. A big, stupid liar like me wasn't worthy enough to be with her. To love her. After running for a couple of yards, I sat down to catch my breath. My hooves were aching in pain. It was somewhere in the apple orchard where I laid to rest. I looked around my surroundings to see if Applejack was still around. I didn't see her, but I did notice where I was. In an ironic twist, I ended up at the very same tree where I lied to Applejack for the first time. It was quite demeaning for me. And then she came. The orange earth pony with lovingly green eyes, those cute white freckles, and the rough but silky blonde mane, ironically, in a ponytail. All that was missing was her Stetson. And she didn't look very pleased. "For corn's sake, Wanderer! What's gotten into ya!?" I didn't bother replying. I just hanged my head in shame. Then AJ took me by the muzzle and told me right in my face, "Now listen here, Ah won't be havin' any of this mopin' business and you not tellin' me what's wrong!" Her expression changed to one of concern. "Now, let me, sugarcube. What's wrong?" I looked at Applejack in the eyes and sighed. "Applejack... I lied. I lied to you. Not just once, but twice." "What are ya talkin' about?" "Well... the thing is, that parchment you were reading, it's not a story. It's a letter to my parents that I'm supposed to send. You see my parents, Searcher and Explorer, are great adventurers. Before I was born, they'd go anywhere and everywhere for the simple thrill and excitement of it." Applejack looked like she was listening as she sat right next to me under the tree. "And I guess I inherited that from them. That's why my cutie mark here is a map with an X on it. I wanted to be just like them. So, a few weeks ago, I left them. To discover to places to fight monsters and stuff. But I ran out of money pretty quickly and I was so tired with walking all over Equestria. But I couldn't go back. Not having any money didn't stop them from going out across the world. And if I were to come back after giving up, they'd be disappointed with me." Applejack interrupted and asked, "Is that why you wrote that letter? So you can send it to you parents to make them believe you're having all sorts of adventures and stuff like that?" I simply nodded. "But I lied. And I don't think your family would want somepony like me who lies around. ...I'm leaving, Applejack." I got up and said, "I'll go get my things and be on my way back home. Give my best wishes to your family and friends. I really did like that party." As I started to walk away, I felt something grab me. Not necessarily grab me, but rather embrace me. I realized that it was Applejack who was hugging her warm orange coat against my rather cold, blue one. All it took was a hug to keep me from walking any further. "Listen here, sugarcube," Applejack began in the sweetest voice I ever heard. "Ah may not be one who supports lyin', but Ah understand why you did. Just like this morning with this apple tree. You didn't lie to hurt anypony's feelings. You did it to make your family feel proud of you." She let go of me and I turned around to face her. "But still, you shouldn't lie. And Ah'll tell ya something else. If your parents really love ya, they'd still love ya no matter what you did with your life." "Really? Do you really think so?" "Now listen here. What Ah'm sayin' to you is the honest truth." Applejack's words shocked me. I had heard the same thing from Twilight earlier that night. Twilight walked up to me while we were eating cake and said, "You know, Wanderer, I think you're awfully lucky to be friends with such a dependable and honest pony like Applejack." I looked back at Twilight and asked, "Really? What makes you say that?" Twilight giggled and said, "Well, it goes back to when I first met her. It was when Nightmare Moon came back and we were all trying to get to the Elements of Harmony. I didn't want any of these fillies you see here to come with me, but they persisted and came anyways." I was intrigues by Twilight's story and nodded for her to continue. "Well, when a cliff cracked and I was almost this close to falling to my doom, Applejack came and grabbed me by my hooves. Then she told me to let go and I told her she was crazy. But then she looked in my eyes and said, 'What I'm saying to you is the honest truth.' I decided to trust her and here I am! So no matter what Applejack says, Wanderer, remember. Everything she says is the truth. The honest truth. I guessed it was my turn to trust Applejack. After reassuring me that my parents would still love me no matter what I did, I smiled back at Applejack. "AJ, from this point on, I promise to Celestia that I'll also be as honest as you!" Applejack laughed and said, "That's the way to go, partner!" Then she gave me a nudge on the shoulder. After realizing what i had just promised, I started to blush. "Hey, what's the matter, Wanderer? You're face is all red!" I looked back at her and said, "Well... I was just thinking. If I have to be completely honest with myself and those around me, I thought I'd ought to tell you, Applejack." Applejack gave me a perplexed look and asked, "And what would that be, sugarcube." By this point, I struggled with my words. "I just... well... Ever since I saw you... I always sort of... you know, liked you." By this point, I hid my face in front of my hooves. "Oh, shucks, Wanderer, Ah could tell from a mile away you liked me!" Then she laughed. "Wait, what?" "Oh, c'mon, partner! Ah saw the way you looked at me." Then she chuckled teasingly. "And you think Ah didn't see the way you were looking at mah flank?" By this time, she was blushing a little bit. Of course, I was blushing a lot more. "Well, then, if that's the way you're gonna do it, Ah think Ah outta tell you something as well." I looked at her with a sense of hope in my eyes. "Ah, well... think you're a pretty nice stallion too. A cute one at best." She lowered the tip of her hat to cover her blushing face. And then I started laughing. We stood there for a couple of seconds laughing at the situation until I said, "So... do you think... I can... um..." By the time I finished my sentence, Applejack already had her lips perked. "Well, what are ya waitin' for, cowboy?" I smiled. I wasn't smiling because I was about to have my first kiss. I was smiling because I was about to have my first kiss with a mare I love. Applejack and I made contact and kissed as we stood under the apple orchard. Dear Mom and Dad, Today, I'm writing to you about the greatest adventure I've ever had. Her name is Applejack and I couldn't be happier...