Anything but the Spa

by SapphireRose87


Chapter One

I had been working on the farm all day, bucking the apple trees and putting baskets of apples away.  I placed a basket of apples in the barn, I looked up when I heard my marefriend Rainbow Dash clear her throat, "Applejack, Twilight wants to do a spa day for us. You should come with us and take a break. You've been working all day."

I groaned and looked down at the ground. 

"Oh come on Applejack it'll be fun!" Rainbow Dash said. 

"Now look here Rainbow Dash," I said. "I would love to, really I would, but granny's hips failed and she's in the hospital again."

My eye twitches every time I even attempt to lie. Rainbow Dash laughed, "I can tell you really don't want to, I think you need this."

I sighed, "Fine. I'll go."

I didn't want to go do a spa day today. But of course, Twilight wants to do it when I'm in the middle of working. Anything but this, I didn't feel like making a trip to the spa today. I didn't want to go pamper myself like any other mare would every once in and awhile. I mean, pampering yourself when you feel like it is a good thing, but today I didn't feel like it. I didn't have the heart to tell them no. 

Why the spa? Do we have to do this today? I thought Why can't I just tell them no? I need to be honest, I mean I am the element of honesty after all. It's one simple word, no. But I just can't bring myself to say it. Especially with Rainbow Dash, I mean, she is my marefriend after all. Crap, even Granny's hips failed and she's in the hospital again excuse didn't work! But no, think Applejack, think…

I kept trying to think of a way out of this but came up with nothing. When Rainbow Dash and I met up with the others, it finally came to me. Maybe if I get Pinkie to distract the spa ponies, it'll be just enough to gallop out of here and go do something else. I'll say I have to do something like getting some presents for everypony. Everypony likes presents, especially Pinkie Pie.

I smiled when I saw Pinkie jumping up and down excited about going to the spa today. This should be easy. Pinkie loves to play games. 

I went up to Pinkie and nudged her on the shoulder. She turned around and looked at me, "What's up Applejack?"

This should work, I thought it just as to...

"I was wondering," I said. "Could we play a game before we go into the spa?" 

"Sure what kind of game?" Pinkie said.

"Well let's see if you can be a decoy game," I said. For some reason, my eye didn't twitch so much that time. 

Pinkie's eyes lit up and she smiled. "Oh, that's a wonderful idea! Who should I be a decoy for?"

I smiled, "Well you could be one for me. Once we get to the spa all you have to do is distract the spa ponies long enough for me to run over and get the presents I forgot to get before we headed over here."

Please let this plan work. I begged in my thoughts. I tried to put on my most convincing smile. I gulped, wondering if she would take the bait so I could get away from here as fast as possible. Before I could get Pinkie to agree to my plan, I heard Rainbow say, "I know that look Applejack."

"What look? I don't have a look!" I said. I could feel my eye twitching a little more this time as I knew I was lying. What made things worse is that I was lying to Rainbow. 

"Oh please Applejack," Rainbow said. "I know when you're trying to pull off a lie. I mean you can't tell a lie without it being written on your face." 

I gave a nervous laugh and gulped, "I'm not lying Rainbow! What in Equestria would give you that idea?"

Great, this just keeps snowballing from one lie to the next.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "Uh-huh." She turned to Twilight and got her attention.

Twilight turned around and looked at Rainbow, "What's up Rainbow?"

I think Applejack here might be lying about something," Rainbow said. "I have no idea what it is. I just heard her trying to get Pinkie to be a decoy for her."

Twilight gasped, "I don't believe you Rainbow! Applejack couldn't tell a lie to save her life, let alone trick somepony by it."

Twilight had a look on her face of disbelief. It seemed that Pinkie had no problem telling the truth today. If I didn't know I'd say she was the element of honesty instead. 

"Well Rainbow is right," said Pinkie. "Applejack did ask me to play a game to be a decoy for the spa ponies."

"But I had Spike make a reservation for this Applejack!" Twilight whined. 

I gulped again trying to think of a way to cover my tracks. Darn it, what do I do now? Maybe give this one more try. I have to make it look good this time. So good, they would have to believe me.

"It's not that I don't want to but I just told Pinkie I need to go get those presents that I bought for everyone! Honest!" I said. I gulped once again, trying to put on my best convincing smile. Oh crap I know I'm lying and I just told three of them today. The first one being I can't say no to my friends about going to the stupid spa in the first place. The second was about Pinkie being the decoy for getting those so-called presents for everyone. The third would be what I said right now. Maintaining honesty about getting those presents. This whole day has been a killer of my honesty. After today, I'm not hanging around my friends much. I'm going to need some time by myself. 

I hoped that my friends would buy the lie I was telling. Unfortunately, it didn't work. Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Twilight! Knock some sense into her will you?"

"Look Applejack," said Twilight. "I know when you are reluctant to do something but we care about you and we want what's best for you okay? The spa is a relaxing place to go. All you ever seem to do is work, work, work. And you can't seem to stop yourself from working. We're right about this because we're your friends."

Of course, Twilight knows exactly what to say as always...

"But that's not always the case," I argued. "I just so happen to love apples. I love taking care of my apple farm. My 'me time' is working on the farm. Let's see Rainbow over here likes napping. Does that mean we should take her to the spa because we want to keep her from falling asleep?"

Although the Spa is a relaxing place to be so Rainbow might just fall asleep anyway.

"Hey!" Rainbow protested. "I'll have you know that I don't nap all the time! True, don't get me wrong, it's my favorite thing to do, but I do take a break from it every once and awhile!" 

Yeah right I thought Rainbow the best napper in the world takes a break from napping. Now that I don't believe for a moment. Just like she can't take a break from admiring herself in the mirror every day. A mental note, after today, steer clear of your friends if you want to avoid going to the Spa.

I sighed and followed my friends into the spa, the next thing I knew, I was in the mud pool and somehow I had been pushed into it. I struggled to sit up and when I did I got my bearings. I sighed again when I looked around to see everypony sittin around enjoying themselves while ignoring my discomfort. Out of nowhere, Pinkie said, "Hey you know what? We haven't done a group hug in a while, let's do it!"

I groaned as everypony crowded around me and pushed me into the group, making me hug them. Yup, and I couldn't tell them the word no. It's simple one word with two letters 'n' and 'o'. Pinkie wants to do a group hug. Why does that not surprise me?

As I sat in the group hug in the mud pool I kept kicking myself in the flank for not saying no when I should've done so in the first place. I stopped kicking myself in the butt and thought to myself. I've been a very bad pony today. This is the most dishonest I have ever been. My friends knew I was being dishonest about it too. All I had to do was be honest about this in the first place. Maybe I should go get those imaginary presents that I told everypony about? That would make up for things today.

It just had to be a day at the spa. I didn't want to be here in the first place. I should probably take a crash course on how to be honest again. Now that I'm here, I might as well stay.