//------------------------------// // Happy Tails // Story: Appledashery // by Just Essay //------------------------------// "You excited, AJ?" "Hmmm?" "I mean... about Shindig and all." "Oh! Shucks... you bet!" "Really?" "I dun said so, didn't I?" "Cuz you don't exactly seem excited." "Rainbow, this has been one of the best years of my life." "... ... ... f-for real?" "Mmmhmmm. What, with the farm havin' gotten a bunch of new buyers and Sweet Apple Acres makin' a real boom as of late? We're doin' way better than we ever did in all the years my Granny worked with Filthy Rich. Things are lookin' up up up with each pasisn' day. As a matter of fact, I can't rightly remember a time when I didn't feel so... so proud of where we are and what we've been doin'." "So... in other words... this whole Shindig business in Orlandoats—" "—is just another dollop of cream on the apple pie, so to speak. Eheheh... it sure is a wonderful thang, Rainbow. But after so many moments of bright smiles and happy hugs, I'm tryin' my best to... how should I put it..." "Mellow out?" "Heh. Reckon so. I mean, I'm all for celebratin' and everythang, but deep down beneath this pretty face is a business mare who knows not to count all her chickens before they've done hatched, no matter how good the eggs might seem from the outside." "Heeheeheehee..." "... ... ...? What in tarnation are ya chortlin' about now?" "Nothing." "Out with it. I know yer hidin' something." "It's just that I've never heard you use the word 'pretty' to describe yourself before." "... ... ... for real?" "I-I-I mean... uhhh... erm... it's not a stupid thing to say, or nothing! It's just so... so..." "... ... ...just so 'Rarity?'" "Hah! Yes! Totally!" "Eh heh heh heh... well, reckon Rarity's always had a big chip on her shoulder. I've always sorta scowled at it. But... dog gone it... Celestia help me if I'm actually startin' to understand how the mare feels." "In what way?" "I mean—and dun you be spreadin' this around the other girls." "N-not at all! It's a secret with me, AJ. Pinkie Pie swear." "Right right. Ahem... but I've always kinda sorta envied how Rarity manages to put on airs all the time. I mean, she just breathes confidence. Usually in situations when it'll only come back to bite her, butttt..." "Heeheehee... yeah, I know what you mean." "She's always in such smooth control of her enterprise. I'm not sayin' that dress-makin' is just a shake-of-the-leg away from Apple buckin', but she and I are very much alike." "Brbrbrbrbrbrbb... pleeeease don't say that." "Hmmm? Why not?" "Erm... uhh... Ahem. Y-you were saying, AJ? About apple bucking, that is?" "What I mean is that Rarity and I are both entrepreneurs, in a way. We both have businesses that we have to manage very, very carefully. Only she's not nearly as family-oriented as I am, ya reckon?" "I wasn't foaled yesterday, AJ." "Eheheh... But for the longest time I felt that what I had was a great deal more of an uphill battle than what Rarity's gone through. Seems like she never has trouble findin' clients. Me, on the other hoof? When Filthy Rich dropped Sweet Apple Acres like a bad habit, I was flounderin', sugarcube. I was honestly flounderin'." "Yeah... ... ..." "But, almost overnight, things changed. It's... it's so much clearer now, like all the clouds have been lifted from my life. Clouds that I never thought were there to begin with. For the longest time, I figured that all I had to do was just follow through with what Ma and Pa taught me, and the harvest would take care of itself. Whelp, I did that for years and years. All of us did. Me, Big Mac, Granny. Even Apple Bloom. And only now does it feel as though our faith and hard work has rewarded us." "That's great, AJ. Like... super great. I'm happy for you." "But... it's a little too dang easy to let all that get to my head, ya feel me?" "Uhm... s-sure?" "Heh... I know you, Rainbow." "Do you, now...?" "Eeyup. You absolutely lurve the spotlight. No doubt if you were runnin' a farm like me and you had run into this sort of fantastic luck, you'd be flyin' and zippin' all over the place in a Pegasus Victory Prance." "Pegasus Victory... what?" "Dun mind me. I'm improvisin'." "Yeah, well, you suck at it." "Pfft! Go soak yer paint bucket head!" "Heeheehee... ahem... you were saying about your good luck?" "I just dun wanna give into the euphoria too much, ya dig? I'm mighty afraid of goin' blind with confidence. I done told ya that I ain't got the experience with the matter like Rarity has. It'd be a real shame to walk in on Shindig, expectin' the whole world, only to be given a speck of dust... if ya catch my drift." "Okay, Applejack. First mistake? Comparing yourself to Rarity." "Heheh... alright. Is there a second mistake?" "Being confident is a good thing. If nothing else, walking in on Shindig's Cider Factory with a smug grin on your face is gonna—like—show her that you mean business. You're here to take the keys to her industry and make something friggin' awesome out of it. If she doesn't see that confidence in your... 'pretty' face..." "Heheheheh... go on." "Ahem. She won't give you the benefit of a doubt... so long as you don't give yourself the same benefit. A little confidence goes a long way. But don't compare it to Rarity confidence. Just focus on... y'know... Applejack confidence." "I'm not sure I've got much to go by." "You've got yourself. So dig the spurs in and see where the ride takes you. I promise, it won't be a let down." "Ya really think so?" "Know so." "Heh..." "Applejack, for real. I have every reason to believe that—in spite of all the good that's already happened to you this year—you're about to embark on your finest chapter yet. And if I had my way, I would... uh... I-I would make sure of it." "... ... ...hmmm... thanks a lot, Rainbow." "Don't mention it." "Fitting. Ain't nopony in all of Equestria who's a better expert on confidence than you." "Yeahhhhhhh... uh... imagine that... eh heh heh heh... phweeee..."