Thirty-Minute Pony Stories

by Silvernis

297: Honesty

297: HONESTY

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Applejack is an honest pony. She knows that honesty is always the best policy. She knows it’s better to be straight-up and direct and one-hundred-percent truthful all the time, even if it hurts, because in the end, being dishonest hurts more. She knows that even well-intentioned little white lies can grow into uncontrollable monsters that gnaw at a pony’s life until there’s nothing left but emptiness and pain.

Applejack is an honest pony. She always has been. It’s how she’s kept Sweet Apple Acres afloat over the years. Pa always said that an honest day’s work was something to be proud of, that if a pony could look back and see that he’d built something strong and solid and true, then he could count himself successful. Ma always said that it was better to be honest even if it meant being poor, because ponies who lied to better their business poisoned themselves on the inside. Ever since they—well, Applejack has kept them close, and she’s kept the farm going. She knows it could be bigger and the coffers deeper if she was a little less scrupulous and a little more sly, but that’s not the Apple way. It’s not Applejack’s way.

Applejack is an honest pony. She calls things the way she sees them. Sometimes her friends might frown and tell her she could ease up a little, but she knows they appreciate her candor. She knows they can count on dependable old Applejack to give them the unvarnished truth, no matter what. She won’t hide behind niceties and half-truths, because a half-truth is sort of like a half-lie when you think about it, and Applejack doesn’t lie.

So when Rarity takes her aside after the ceremony and asks, “Applejack, darling, are you all right? I’ve never seen you cry so much,” Applejack thinks for a moment. To be honest—and she is; she’s Applejack—she’s very far from all right. Right here, right now, she hates Rarity. She hates this prissy little unicorn for leaving and getting herself hitched to some big-wig from Canterlot. She hates those ridiculous sapphire eyes she’ll never quite be able to look at the same way again. She hates that pretty violet mane and tail, with their funny little curls. She hates those blue diamonds on those sleek alabaster flanks that she’s always longed to run her hooves over—not that she can see them now beneath that amazing gown. She hates that she’ll never have any it, that she’ll never have her, and she’s going to tell her that because even if it hurts them both it’s the honest truth and Applejack is an honest pony so she opens her mouth and speaks and she hears: “Aw, shucks, Rarity. Ah’m just happy fer ya. Can’t blame a gal fer gettin’ a mite teary-eyed at her best friend’s weddin’, right?”

Applejack is an honest pony, but sometimes the truth hurts a little too much.

Comments

[Arteries]

She hates that she’ll never have any it,

Again, nicely done. It's a short and sweet piece, and it can stand on its own if need be. Although, this all begs the question of why Applejack waited so long with these feelings, and that can be taken in a few directions; so it has great potential as part of a longer story with this passage providing closure, or something of the sort.

[Silvernis]

2313022
That would be a sad piece indeed. As I imagined it, AJ never acted on her feelings mostly due to her stubborn pride, and later fear. She's not worried about being seen as mushy or sentimental, like Rainbow Dash might be, but she considers herself first and foremost to be a practical pony. She's proud of being sensible and pragmatic, and given that romantic entanglements tend to be anything but, she doesn't want to go down that road -- or rather, that's what she keeps telling herself and everyone else. Even when she does eventually admit to herself that she's interested in Rarity, she's hesitant to pursue her for fear of upsetting the status quo. Rarity is the elegant romantic; AJ sees herself as a simple farm pony. Regardless of how badly AJ wants Rarity, she can't convince herself that the match would work. She's also simply afraid of rejection. In the end, she doesn't want to risk their existing friendship, so she does nothing. Rarity eventually finds someone else (I was thinking Fancy Pants), bringing us to the scene here where not-so-honest Applejack is furious at herself for giving up.

Geez, all dem words. Maybe I ought to do a longer fic of this after all.

[Arteries]

Well, you obviously have a sense of where you'd take it.

I haven't read enough decent Mane6 shipping to know how confined to clichés the possibilities are--though that's just me not reading as much as I should--but if the idea seems appealing, go for it. I'm confident that you could do whatever you work with some justice.