My honesty for your forgiveness
I paused to inhale the fresh scent of fresh grass and dirt, something that was impossible to find in the capital of Equestria, Canterlot. Of course, Canterlot had no such thing as ‘farms’, and that would have meant that I was (quite obviously) not in Canterlot. Where was I? I appreciate the concern for asking, although if you want me to be honest, I seem that I have no choice but to tell these voices that give me an unnerving feeling of being followed.
This town, my friends, is the rural town of Ponyville, an earth pony settlement that insists on living life the old, traditional way, even though so much technology was available to improve their standards of living. This was the home to Aunt Tia’s faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, as well as her five other friends. Why was I here at the entrance of this farm called ‘Sweet Apple Acres’? Heavens, no! I wouldn’t ever go to order things by myself when I had servants who were more than willing to help me with more trivial things! If they were all busy, however, I was sure that a prince could still do some manual delivering to his own room. Anyway, before I begin digressing, I was here because of a more personal affair: I owed somepony a heartfelt apology.
I continued my trotting through the farmland, relishing in the fragrance of mother nature once again as I did so. At times like these, I could see why farm ponies actually didn’t mind their labour, but as a unicorn, I probably wouldn’t have the strength and endurance to toil the fields like an earth pony does. A sad fate, I know, for almost all my life revolved around nobles, and trust me: Nobles are not fun at all. Not one bit. The farmer’s life must have been so much more peaceful and less complicated than having to deal with all those dukes and ladies, but oh well… It is my destiny… And I hate destiny sometimes…
“Hey mister! Yer lost or somethin’?” I snapped out of my thoughts to see a small filly, probably not more than thirteen years old, sporting an adorable smile. The southern accent of her voice reminded me of you, and seeing her smile made me flash my own. Ahhh… This must be somepony related to Applejack. She seemed unaware of the bad terms that I may have got off from with you, so maybe asking for her help without getting bucked in the face would not be too impossible a task.
“Ah! hello there, young mare. I was actually wondering if you could bring me to Miss Applejack? I do owe her an apology, and the sooner I do so, the less guilty I would feel.” I looked at the grin vanish from her face, replaced by an analytical squint of her eyes as she studied me for a moment. I had half the mind to continue my rather futile search for you (been searching for two hours already. Not that I minded, though. I loved the fresh air here.), but the smile appeared back on the filly’s muzzle, and she signalled me to follow her. "Thank you so much, miss. May I know your name? Mine is Blueblood.”
“Mah name’s Applebloom!” She chirped back as she continued leading the way. It only took a few more seconds before a red barn came into view, and I couldn’t help but wince at its slightly weathered look. It wasn’t too bad, I guess. Could have been because I was just used to the flawlessness of the structures in Canterlot, no offense to the other buildings, of course. “And Ah’d say that yer sense of direction’s quite good! We were just a few steps away from the house!” I chuckled as she continued running on about cutie marks and how she wanted me to help her get a navigating cutie mark, but as much as I hated to admit, I did cut her voice out after it became too much to handle. As soon as we reached the doorstep of the barn, however, she had stopped and yelled out. “Applejack! Somepony called Blueblood’s here to see ya!”
I had wished that the filly had more subtlety than to just alert me of your presence, but I could only tell myself that I should have taken note that there was not much need for beating around the bush like Canterlot citizens do. I heard a muffled “what?” come from the depths of the house, and I could easily identify it as your voice. Your question didn’t seem to have been detected by your sister, however, as she appeared not to have even heard it.
“I’m really sorry, miss Applebloom, but is it alright if you just excuse your sister and I for a moment? I doubt siblings like to see each other angry, yes?” I could hear your hoofsteps climbing down the stairs, and in my heart, I was panicking as Applebloom was still here. The last thing I needed was a foal hating me for anything that her sister was going to accuse me of. “I’ll see you back here in any hour and I’ll teach you some basic navigation!”
“Really?!” I nodded quickly as I caught sight of orange hooves as they came down the stairway, and the three apples that made the cutie mark on her flank was all that I needed to see to know that I had finally found you. Applebloom, after having heard my offer, seemed to grin widely before shouting a “Yes, sir!” and dashing off into the distance, leaving me alone to talk to you, Applejack of the Apple family. The idea of talking to a mare more than capable of bucking me all the way back to Canterlot was less than desirable, and you had more than enough reason to do so, but I was going to take my chances.
“Applebloom?” I heard your voice just at the door, and I took a step or two backwards, just in time for the door to miss my muzzle and for your orange stetson-wearing face to appear before me. I saw your expression immediately darken, and I couldn’t help but give a nervous chuckle as you stepped out menacingly. “You… Why’re you back here? And where’s my sister?”
“Uh, n-nothing to worry about, Miss Applejack!” I stammered as I took a few more steps back, with you keeping the same distance between us as you covered the distance I tried to make so desperately. The darkness on your face was probably enough to block out Celestia’s sun, if you actually asked me. “I just asked her for some privacy between us, and all I’m here for is to offer you my apologies for that night at the Grand Galloping Gala! Nothing more, nothing less!”
“Apology?” My heart slowed down from its racing as I watched your anger turn into slight confusion, and I assured myself that you were willing to listen to what I had to say. Still, you did not seem like you were going to be giving me anywhere to sit down for now, so I settled for standing up and talking to you instead. The last thing I wanted was for you to get angry again by asking if you could invite me in. “Now why the hay would some snooty noble like you come apologising to me for? Shouldn’t you be apologising to somepony else?”
“Uhm…” I looked down at my hooves for a moment, unsure if the next few words that came out of my mouth would sour the fragile mood between us. It was now or never, and my silence was not making the situation any better. “Now, I mean no offense to miss Rarity, of course, but I simply acted that way to try to hint to her that I was not interested. You, miss Applejack, were simply caught in the crossfire of my attempts to push her away.”
“Crossfire?” Your expression darkened again, and I let out a whimper of fear. I could already imagine your hooves kicking me in the gut, and it wasn’t going to be too pleasant. Not. One. Bit. “Well, Ah have no say on what type of mare yer want, but excuUUUuuuse me, prince! How is insulting mah family specialty supposed to be a tactic to push her away?!” At times like these, I was starting to wish that I had taken Shining Armor up on his offer to teach me how to conjure shields. Time to go to plan B: honesty.
“I-it’s not what it looks like! I was going to try to start talking to you and ignore Rarity when we got the food, but it was just unfortunate timing, is all!” I raised my hooves in defence, and fortunately for me, you were still willing enough to listen, although I wasn’t sure if you were doing so to find even more fault with me to beat me up. “I have a phobia of carnival fare! I’m serious!” Confusion again. You stared long and hard at me, and I was starting to believe that as the element of honesty, you could stare within the very souls of ponies and tell their sincerity. That same confusion led to a smirk, and the smirk led to full-blown laughter as you went from growling in anger to laughing on the ground in what probably was the most amusing statement you had ever heard in your life.
“Yer actually honest about it!” You giggled, making me roll my eyes as I waited for you to recover from your laughing fit. As one can see, my phobia was a unique one, and it was so unique that any pony would laugh at it the moment it reached their ears. The worst part about me telling this to you, however, was that you were the element of honesty, and that meant that it was impossible to dismiss it as a rumor if you decided to spread it. “Ah can’t believe it! Yer actually scared of circus food?! BWAHAHAHA!”
“Yes, yes, Miss Applejack. I know it’s a rather comical fear to have, but trust me when I tell you that I am sincerely sorry if I offended you. I had a… traumatic experience with carnival food, and I honestly believe that I can never get over it.” That got you laughing even more, but this time, you were able to get back up on your hooves and wave me to follow you back to the barn.
“Well then, Prince Blueblood. If yer so serious about getting mah forgiveness, yer gonna have to tell your entire story honestly. Ah wanna hear it!”
I sighed as I hung my head in defeat. I had rarely felt so pathetic that I had to share my secrets, but I knew that this was going to be so much more worth it in the long run. Oh well, I thought to myself as I entered the barn and was brought to the couch. At least I have somewhere to sit down.
-------
"You can't be serious!" I exclaimed as I tried to break away from the grip of a pair of royal guards. "I have done nothing wrong to deserve this, you two! I demand that you let me go this instant!" Snickers from the guards greeted my ears, and I growled at them for even thinking that my situation was amusing.
"Relax, Blues..." The guard on my left, High Grate, chuckled. "It's only a carnival for Celestia's sakes. How bad can it be?" I struggled to break out of their iron grip on me, but alas, my efforts proved futile as I found myself held in a tighter grip that threatened to strangle me. "Now, we don't want to bring you close to suffocation to bring you there, do we?" The one on my right, High Stake, shook his head as I looked at him, and together, the both of them managed to haul me out of my room.
Now, before you think that I was some spoilt colt back then, Applejack, I just want to clarify that these two guards were my friends, and like many friends did, they pounced on me at the worst of times; my very own bedtime. I'm sure you understand that everypony needs their rest, and since I was already barely getting by with two hours of sleep per day because of the paperwork I did for aunt Tia, rest meant the world to me, and my friends were stealing that away from me.
"Ugh... Fine. My sleep is precious, gentlecolts. Just name your price. I'll do it, and you shall let me go back to bed, are we clear?" The two brothers shot each other a smirk, and I immediately began bracing myself for a humiliating task, regretting the words that left my mouth.
"Anything, huh?" High Stake grinned, levitating me in the air to save their energy of trying to restrain me.
"No! Not anything! I am not about to date somepony for a one night stand, or anything that would be lewd!" I yelled out as we passed the castle gates. I glared at the guards guarding the entrance who were chuckling at my plight, and it was enough to make them go back to their stoic expressions, although I was quite sure that they would break out in laughter once again when they were out from my line of sight.
"Ahh... Lewd, huh?" High Grate's sinister snicker made me fear for my not-so-distant future, and I fell silent, preparing myself to teleport away from the pair of psychopathic guards that were my friends. "Aww don't worry, Blueblood! We just signed you up for an eating contest! Besides, it's not like any mare likes you in the first place! They'd flee at the very sight of your majesty's ugliness!" He slapped my back hard, causing me to stumble forward and into a mare who yelled at me to watch where I was going.
"That's really reassuring, guys." I rolled my eyes as I continued trotting, observing how so many tents obscured the originally empty view of the plaza. It must have been a HUGE festival, and if it wasn't held while it was midnight, I would have minded less about coming here. Nevertheless, an eating contest seemed something that wasn't going to drain too much of my time and energy, so I didn't find the need to flee from the pair of guards that flanked me, even though their presence was less than desirable.
The three of us trotted to a particularly huge tent, and just the sheer number of ponies present was enough to make me feel slightly nervous. I wasn't really much of a talker, mind you, and the looks I always receive in public made me think twice about going out frequently. However, this time, everypony seemed merry, and it was as if nopony disliked my presence anymore. As we got to the table where a wide spread of carnival food was laid before each seat, I took a glance at each of my opponents, using my keen eye to gauge my chances of victory. The first one was an orange stallion, scrawny, freckled, and overall: not quite capable-looking in terms of eating. The second one was a blue mare with a pink mane, and although it certainly was rude to say so, but I was guessing that she was going to be the likely winner. That is what I'd say to put her size in nicer terms. The last opponent was a strapping light blue stallion with a dark blue mane, and by the way he gazed longingly at the pies laid in front of him, I was starting to wonder why my friends would even think I'd be able to win this. Could it be that they just wanted to shame me? Well, I would prove them wrong!
As the emcee of the event began counting down, the carnival food in front of me received a harsh glare from me as I contemplated different strategies to bring me to victory...
-----
"Now... Why the hay does that explain your phobia of carnival food?!" I calmly sipped at the tea that you had offered me as my throat was getting parched. I could tell that a part of you wanted me out and gone, but I was extremely grateful that you decided to give me a second chance. Your growing annoyance at how slow-paced my story was, however, reminded me that I was threading on thin ice here.
"Now, now, Applejack. I just need to tell you that it is important to know the whole story before you start assuming that I'm just an oversensitive colt." I could hear you mutter something offensive under your breath, but I pretended not to hear it as I continued speaking. "So, with the contest on, we had all begun eating our food, and unfortunately for me, although it was really unsurprising, I found myself defeated. I went home feeling down in the dumps, of course, although there was some comfort that I no longer had those two guards with me."
"So you have a phobia of carnival food from losing an all-you-can-eat contest? Ah like the sound of that." You snarked. I sighed once again, somewhat disappointed that you did not enjoy my company, although I honestly couldn't blame you for it; I had offended you, after all. This time between us was mercy that you gave me.
"No, no, Miss Applejack. It's not the process, but the destination. Once you know what happened to me, I'm sure you will see that I have reason to be paranoid over such things." I waved a hoof at you to catch your attention once again, and I promised myself to make it quick so that you wouldn't lose interest and kick me out. "I was all tired out by the time I had arrived back at the castle, and I had promptly fallen asleep. What I didn't expect, however, was the next morning..."
-------
"Blueblood..."
I groaned as I pulled a pillow over my face, hoping that my bed intruder would just leave me alone. Last night had given me very little sleep, and I really didn't need my Aunt calling me to wake up. Besides, doesn't she have better things to do than to lay on my bed, caressing my- wait a second...
"I like your new look, nephew..." My mind seemed to spring into overdrive right then, and with a very unstallionly squeal, I found myself up and about, my mind running a million miles per hour as I registered what my aunt just said. I looked down at myself to see that I was in a totally different body, but to say that it was different was also wrong. I still looked the same, but... “Or should I say: Niece?”
Niece...? What was she talking abou-
Oh by Aunt Tia's beard... WHAT IN TARTARUS HAPPENED TO MY DI- *ahem*. Okay, Blueblood... Take it slow now... I forced myself to keep from hyperventilating as I was given a full view of my mare parts, and I couldn't help but blush as I realized that I had an audience with me. My very own aunt, in my bed... Molesting me while I was sleeping. This doesn't make sense!
Doesn't make sense... I forced myself to think for a logical reason, and the only one I came out with was that I was dreaming! I broke into laughter as I realized my current predicament, and Celestia's smirk only widened as she chuckled along with me.
"I can't believe I was actually so dumb as to believe that somepony had the nerve to turn me into a mare!" I giggled hysterically as I got up from bed and walked towards my bathroom, stumbling as I wasn't used to my shifted centre of gravity. That didn't matter to me right then, though. The voice of the mare I was was just so cute, and besides, it wasn’t like I wouldn’t be able to snap out of this after having my enjoyment. I was going to wake up the moment I found somethi-
"And I can't believe you are actually so dumb as to think that you are in a dream, niece Blueblood." Celestia giggled as she sauntered up behind me. "Is it that hard to tell?" I shook my head.
"Naw... I know it's a dream, auntie! As I'm sure we both know, a certain stimulus in our dreams wake us up! Just see: if I take a razor and cut myself right over here, I'll feel pain and..." I raised up a razor with my telekinesis and brought it over to my face before giving it a small nick. I winced as the new wound began leaking tiny globules of blood, but I turned back to Celestia nevertheless with a wide grin. "And I'll be awake!" It took a few moments on my part to realize that I was still in the same spot with my aunt smirking at me, and a quick look between my hindhooves made me begin to hyperventilate for real as realization dawned on me. "No... NO! This can't be happening, auntie!" The thought of losing my masculinity was horrific, and I bowed down to my aunt with all my zeal, knowing that not all my hope was lost as long as she was here. "Auntie! You need to help me! I don't want to be a mare!"
"Don't want to be a mare?" Celestia asked with an innocent look on her face, and I was sure she actually knew the answer in the first place. "But why not, Blueblood? Are you saying that you think stallions are more superior than us mares?"
"No- auntie Tia! I didn't mean anything like that!" I tried to protest, but Celestia took a gasp of mock horror and offense. This wasn't going to end well...
"Didn't mean anything? Didn't mean ANYTHING?! Blueblood, I'm offended that you tried to undermine the female gender, and now I feel even more offended since you're trying to lie to me to help you out of your situation!" Her harrumph had never been so horrible as it reached my ears, and my pupils shrunk as she turned tail and began trotting away. "I was contemplating on helping you, missy, but I think you need to show more respect to other ponies!"
And so Celestia left me in my room once again, now a distraught stallion-turned-mare. I knew that she was joking, for I could see the amusement behind her eyes, but she always loved a good prank here and there, and it just so happened that I was the victim of this... Prank.
Prank.
I let the word sink in as my sorrow turned to anger, and I with renewed determination, I stepped out of my quarters, ignoring the looks of shock from the castle staff and guards as I stormed off to find a certain pair of guards who were probably laughing their heads off. On my aunt's non-existent beard, I swear:
REVENGE SHALL BE MINE!
--------
"So... You don't like carnival food because yer scared that it's drugged?" You had laughed when you had realized what had happened in my recount, but at least I think you are starting to sympathize with me and my phobia. "Well, aren't ya just a poor colt."
"Don't look at me like that, Applejack." I chuckled as I tried not to lose myself in your deep emerald eyes that stared back at me. "I'm serious! Once bitten, twice shy, am I right? If somepony spiked your food, I'm sure you'd avoid that food for a while, right?"
"Yeah... Ah guess that's true..." The smile on your face was enough to set my heart fluttering, and I couldn't hold back my own smile at knowing that I was successful in my endeavor. "Y'know, you ain't half as bad as Ah thought you were back at the gala." Those words meant so much to me, and even though you may not have realized, but my smile had grown wider. "If it's a second chance at friendship ya want, then ya got it, pardner! And lemme just apologize for Rarity. She gets ahead of herself sometimes, that mare."
"Yeah... Do tell her that I apologize too." I muttered. "I realized that I have been acting really uncouth back then, and it was definitely wrong of me to act that way." At that moment, I felt like a heavy burden had finally lifted off my soul, and feeling more alive than I have ever felt for the past few weeks, I thanked you for your time, informing you that I had to teach your sister some navigating skills.
I'm a stallion of my word, after all.