Just try until you can
It was an unparticular day in the town of Ponyville. Warm, sunny and peaceful, like many others. Tough, not all of the town's residents were as peaceful as the day was. A well-known blonde and rainbow-maned duo were having a rather heated conversation in the Ponyville's park.
"Stuff it Dash, this idea is dumb and I'm really startin' to think that you are dumb too." the blonde one rebutted.
"Hey! It's not dumb, and you know that. That's why it smarts, eh, Applejack?" the multicoloured pegaus was hovering around her friend, front hooves folded.
The duo was spotted, and consecutively approached, by a smiley-faced purple unicorn, the town's librarian, who was just enjoying her afternoon stroll.
"Hey girls." she greeted them. "What's up with the grumpy faces?"
"She just won't listen to what I'm saying!"
"I just can't believe what she's sayin'." came the simultaneous responses.
"Uh-huh. Do you mind to elaborate? Maybe I can help somehow." she said, internally rubbing her hooves at the prospect of solving yet another friendship problem.
I know that I should feel bad about my friends arguing, but this is just so exciting! she thought to herself.
Applejack gave Rainbow a sideways glance. „Go on, sugarcube.” She said. „Tell Twilight here what crazy theory you came up with.”
„Sure thing. You see, Applejack’s Element of Harmony is the worst.” Rainbow shot, while running a hoof through her mane. Twilight guffawed. Externally and internally.
„Wh- What...?”
„I’m just saying that we should remember to exclude her from doing anything when the stakes are high. You know, just keep her in the background if we need to shoot the rainbow-laser-thingy.”
„Uhh... Why?” Twilight wasn’t sure what to think. Internally, she hadn’t finished rebooting yet.
„She’s got the worst Element! And it’s lame enough so it can jeopardise the whole mission we would be on!”
„Now that’s it.” Applejack cut in. „My Element ain’t any less noble than Generosity or Loyalty.”
„I’m not talking noble!” Rainbow threw her hooves in the air. „My point is that your Element is the only one which, instead of guiding you in a time of trial, keeps you from doing something! Twilight,” She turned to the purple pony. „You look like somepony who gets what I’m saying. Back me up on this!”
Twilight sniffled to pull back the snot, closed her mouth and shook her head to clear the fog from her unfocused eyes. This was absurd.
„This is absurd.” She commented.
„No, it’s not. I mean, Honesty, seriously? She can’t tell a lie. So what if the bad guy asks her a question? 'what you’re gonna do now' or 'what’s your plan'. She’s gonna spill the beans, because she can’t. Tell. A lie.” Rainbow finished, punctuating each word with a prod to Applejack's chest. The farm pony swatted her hoof away.
„Just because I can’t tell lies doesn’t mean that I must answer every question.”
„Sometimes all you need to do is ask the right question.” Dash said wisely.
„Hmm...” Twilight scrathed her chin. „I’ve actually read a book once on indirect answers...”
„Oh come on, Twi! Don’t tell me that you’re with her on that!”
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not. I have a deep respect for the power of each Element, and would never consider one of them 'lame'. Such thing would never cross my mind." Twilight responded. Applejack visibly relaxed, seeing as she had gained an ally. "Though I have to admit, this idea piqued my curiosity, peculiar as it is." Twilight finished. Applejack's look was hardening with every word she spoke, and now the cowpony was openly glaring daggers at her.
"Yeah, she gets it!" Rainbow exclaimed happily. "And I have proof to back up my theory, too!"
"You do?" Twilight asked, genuinely surprised. The immediate area around them was practically drowning in the daggers that Applejack glared all around.
"Of course," Dash snorted, "Who do you take me for, making empty statements? I have been observing her around the clock these past few days."
"What?" Now it was Applejack's turn to be genuinely surprised, and even more angry than before, too.
"What I said. Look, just let me do a simple test." Rainbow said, producing a navy blue pen. Twilight was observing with interest. "Tell me this pen is red," Dash ordered, presenting the pen to Applejack.
"Rainbow Dash," Applejack began, carefully examining the pen. "Are you color blind?"
Twilight cracked a small smile. Many peculiar ideas on just one morning.
Dash furrowed her brow. "What does it have to do with anything? Just say that this pen is red."
"Well, it has to do with the fact that this pen is perfectly blue. That's not how red looks, y'know."
"Just say it's red!"
"But it's blue! Does it at least write in red?"
"See!" Rainbow exclaimed with exasperation, pointing the pen accusingly at Applejack. "That's what I was talking about! She can't tell a lie!"
"Applejack, are you really unable to say that this pen is red?" Twilight asked, her interest in the matter growing ever more.
"Land sakes, Twi, don't be ridiculous." the cowpony rebutted.
"Then just say it!" Rainbow urged. "Say it, and put the case to rest."
Applejack stood still for a second. Rainbow Dash, it seemed, actually had a good point for once. Further arguing wouldn't get her out of this any faster, she considered.
"Okay," She began, "This pen is blue."
Twilight noticed the look of surprise on Applejack's face. It looked as if the pony just remembered that she'd left the stove on.
"Yes, we've already established this. Now say it's red." Dash said, waving the pen in front of Applejack. The cowpony's eyes were following it's movement.
"Ekhm," she cleared her throat. "This pen is blue. This pen is blue," She repeated. "What I want to say, is that this pen is red. This pen is blue!"
A big grin was slowly growing on Rainbow's face. "The color of the pen" Applejack pointed her hoof at the aforementioned object "that Dash HOLDS in her hoof is... rrrrr-rrroyal blue!" She sounded as if she was struggling with the last words. Breathing harder, Applejack looked down at her outstretched hoof as if it wasn't hers. "What is this?" She asked in disbelief.
"Applejack," Twilight started, looking the earth pony in the face, "you're not joking, are you?" she asked, even though Applejack's performance appeared extremely genuine to her.
"No," she responded simply, still staring at the pen.
"Ha!" Rainbow Dash seemed pleased with herself. "I knew I was right!"
Suddenly, Applejack shook out of her stupor. With a quick move, she snatched the pen out of Dash's extended hoof, turned tail and ran away.
"Applejack!" Twilight called after her, but the earth pony kept on running.
"Let her be," Rainbow said. "I think she needs to digest the truth, that honest pony" she sniggered.
Applejack slowed down only after reaching the sanctuary of her home. She didn't like ignoring all her friends and friendly calls on the way here, but her mind was in a mess. She was glad that there was nopony home as she ran up to her room, but she shut and locked the doors after her anyway. Panting, she put the pen on a nightstand and sat down heavily on her bed. Her gaze was pinned to the pen.
"This pen is blue, " she muttered "blue, this pen is blue..." She closed her eyes and lied down. Even thinking about saying that the pen was anything other than blue made her feel uneasy. Still, she tried and tried...
Applejack opened her eyes, as she heard intense rapping. The room was bathed in half light. I must have fallen asleep on the bed, she decided. Then she thought about the situation that led her to it in the first place. It hit her like a train, slow-going, but crushing everything on its way. All she tried to do was to say that a pen was red instead of blue.
"Applejack" came her brother's voice from behind the door. "Supper is ready!"
"I'm coming!"
When she got downstairs, everyone was already seated at the table. As she sat down, Granny Smith gave her a scrutinising gaze, Big Macintosh had his "I don't mind your business" look on his face, while little Apple Bloom seemed oblivious to everything, playing with her fork.
"Applejack," Granny Smith began, her gaze still levelled on her granddaughter. "What were you doing up in that room, all afternoon?"
"Nothing," she replied.
"Nothing?" Granny's eyebrows rose higher. "Locked up in your room, all by your lonesome?"
"Yes, nothing." Applejack repeated. "I didn't feel too good when I came back from the town, and I lied down."
"Oh, I see." Granny made a sagely expression. "You still have your sweets for that stallion, and -"
"Granny, could you pass the bowl?" Big Macintosh interrupted. "It's been a long day since lunch." Applejack gave him a thankful look.
"Aw, what's the world came to, that I can't even tease my granddaughter anymore?"
"Supper."
"Oh, shush, you."
"How was that teasing? Granny just asked you about what you were doing." Apple Bloom piqued up.
"And she wasn't satisfied with a simple answer, drilling at the topic." Applejack smiled a devious smile. "So, did you get your last week's test results today? How did it go?"
"Uhh..." Apple Bloom paused. "Fine. just fine," she said, going back to toying with her fork.
"Oh yes?" Applejack inquired further. "How fine, exactly?"
"Uhm, very fine, actually. I've had one of the best results in class." she smiled a toothy, though obviously fake grin.
"Mhm." Applejack nodded. "Y'know, I've seen Ms Cheerilee at the market yesterday. You are going to do at least three math exercises every day."
"Aww, horse apples..." Apple Bloom muttered, casting her eyes down on her plate.
When she finished cleaning after the supper, Applejack went back to her room. She prepared herself to sleep and lied down for the second time that day. When she reached to the night stand to turn off the lamp, she noticed the offensively blue pen laying there.
"You won't let me sleep, won't you, little bugger?" She asked the pen. Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed the object and held it in her hooves.
"This pen is blue... This pen is blue..." She repeated the mantra a few times.
"What is going on? Was Dash really right? It's not like I couldn't tell lies in the past... Heck, I remember my lies to be taller than myself at the time." She pondered.
True enough, she couldn't recall a time in the past couple years when she would try to deceive anyone. She grew out of lying rather fast and abruptly. Laying in her bed, Applejack tried to remember how it felt to lie.
"What I wanted... What I needed was for the lie to be true. I wanted to believe my own lies with all my heart." she whispered to herself.
Looking down at the pen in her hooves, she closed her eyes and lied back. "Firstly, I had to convince myself that the reality was different..."
Princess Celestia usually went to bed soon after sunset, earlier than most ponies. It wasn't just her given role in the world, she was a morning pony ever since she could remember. It was much later that she became The morning pony. She was already fast asleep when something happened.
She sat upright in her bed, feeling shivers racking her body. The sleep still hazed her mind, and she felt only confusion and unease. After a minute or two, the door to her bedroom burst open.
"Sister! Have you felt it, too?" Princess Luna asked, barging into the room.
"I don't know. I felt something, something not good, that's for sure." Celestia replied, rubbing her eyes. "Do you have any idea what it could've been?"
"No, but it was powerful. We have to stay vigilant..."
"This pen is red..." Applejack muttered, falling asleep.