“...And then Daring Do does this backflip and kicks Ahuizotl right in the face! Sending him falling off the tower!” Rainbow Dash explained, the Pegasus darting about the sky like a school filly as Applejack went about her daily farm work.
“Uh huh...” the farmer pony replied, looking out of the corner of her eye at her cyan friend as AJ coiled her hind legs up and bucked a tree, sending a cascade of apples falling into waiting baskets.
“Of course Ahuizotl's still around, cause, ya know, he's immortal, but she got the artifact and saved the world and that's the important thing!”
“Sounds like it,” Applejack replied, lifting one of the filled baskets with her mouth and putting it in a wagon. “Yah still love Darin' Do, huh? Thought it'd lose some of its magic when ya found out it weren't just stories..”
“Nah,” Rainbow replied, giving a chuckle and a dismissive wave. “I'm sure somepony out there loves reading about our adventures...Huh, maybe we should write a book on it.”
“Eh, ain't much tah read outside the world savin' stuff,” the orange Earth Pony replied as she bucked another tree. “Unless they wanna read about mah rodeos. Don't mind that none.”
“Your call, I guess...” the cyan pegasus replied, though she could kinda see it. Having little foals cheer for her as a Wonderbolt did ironically bring her more pride than the stained glass windows at Canterlot Castle. Not that she didn't enjoy or take pride in those. Oh boy, did she ever. More it was more of a personal kind of pride to be admired for the thing that meant the most to you and not something that, to Rainbow, was exciting but not a personal goal. “You know, you should read Daring Do, it's our kinda thing.”
Applejack was silent for a few moments, almost seeming to freeze up for a brief moment. “Uh...sorry...Ah don't have the time.”
“Oh come on! I'm captain of the Weather Team AND a Wonderbolt, and I STILL have time to read and go to cons!” the cyan pegasus replied in disbelief.
“Yeah, and that's because yah cut down on your naps so yah can get your weather work done quick. Which yah could already get done in 10 seconds anyway,” the orange farmer replied, putting the next basket into the cart. She mentally counted the apples, something her family had down to a science. Kind of had to, given how hard it'd be to counter them all one at a time.
“And how is that a bad thing, exactly?” Rainbow Dash questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“...It's not. Ah'm kinda proud of ya for it. Just sayin' Ah don't have that option. Takin' care of a farm this big ain't easy,” Applejack replied, giving a serious look as she motioned to the massive farm her family owned. Which from their current standpoint, stretched out as far as the eye could see. “Ah have time tah spend with you girls, and that's more important tah meh than a book.”
The cyan pegasus rubbed the back of her head. “Oh...Well...what if we could do both?”
“Pardon?”
Rainbow Dash gave a sigh and rubbed the back of her head. “Well Twilight is starting a Daring Do book club and we're meeting tomorrow night, and the others are kinda busy. That's why I was asking...just didn't want to sound desperate. Not that I am.”
“All of 'em?” the orange farmer asked, taking a pause from her work to listen with a raised eyebrow. She'd question Rainbow Dash being part of a book club, but Daring Do got Rainbow to go to a convention and enjoy every minute of it without caring who saw her. At this point Rainbow was far past worrying about ponies thinking she was 'an egghead' and everypony knew it.
“Yeah, Rarity's swamped because Sapphire Shores, Rara, and Octavia are all going on tour at the same time and need new outfits, and even with Sassy Saddles helping and my mom coming over to lend a hoof it'll take a while...”
Applejack blinked in confusion. “Wait, yer ma?”
“Yeah, my mom's a fashion designer and a friend of Rarity's...don't laugh.”
The orange farmer stifled a chuckle. “Right...well, what about Pinkie? She's up for anythin', ain't she?”
“Yeah, but Pinkie and the Cakes are busy making their entry in this years National Dessert Competition and me, Rarity, and Fluttershy are still 'forever banished' from being involved after last time,” the newest Wonderbolt said, looking down with a frown.
Applejack cringed a little. “Oh yeah...well, at least you're allowed back in Sugar Cube Corner...How about Fluttershy? She'd at least listen.”
“She wanted to, but her bear is sick and she needs to take care of him.”
Applejack rubbed the back of her head. “Ah know how much trouble a sick animal can be...Starlight?”
“She's busy helping Trixie prepare for a show that night,” Rainbow Dash replied. “And Spike is going to Dragon Town to visit a friend of his.”
“Well, maybe yah can reschedule?” the orange mare asked, a bead of sweat forming on her head.
The cyan pegasus rolled her eyes. “Applejack, it's TWILIGHT who scheduled it.”
“Oh...yeah, right...”
“And besides, it's the only night this week I don't have Wonderbolts practice or a show!” Rainbow Dash flew up to Applejack, a bit of desperation in her tone. “So can you come? If you don't it'll just be me, Twilight, and Derpy!”
Applejack startled, staring for a moment. “Derpy? Ah didn't think she was...”
The cyan pegasus cocked her head. “Was what?”
The orange mare twitched slightly...though Rainbow Dash couldn't help noting she actually seemed...ashamed? “Well...Derpy ain't exactly a thinker...no offense tah her...”
“Oh...yeah, she reads Daring Do, but Twilight says we need at least four ponies for a 'proper book club'...Personally, I think it's her OCD making her not like having an uneven number...” the Cyan Pegasus replied. “So please! Otherwise Twilight will be too focused on that for us to have any fun! You don't even have to read the whole thing, just the first chapter!”
Applejack backed up, starting to sweat. “Well...Ah don't have any of the books! Ain't that a shame?!” she asked, a nervous smile on her face.
“Gotcha covered,” Rainbow Dash said, digging through her saddlebags and producing a Daring Do book. “I've got the first edition of that one, so you can borrow my extra copy.”
There were times Applejack wondered what it would be like to not both despise lying with a passion and royally stink at it.
“Ah'll...Ah'll see if Ah can get enough work done in time tah read it...Yah never know when it comes to farm work.”
Applejack trotted back through the farmhouse that evening after the day's work was done...and took note of what Big Macintosh was doing. Namely, her big brother was sat at the dining room table, going over the farm's paperwork (any business had it by the barrel full), and it was as massive in size as the farm itself was. He'd even figured out a tax deduction they could take based on the two colonies of Fruit Bat on the property. Turned out the Vampire Fruit Bats were an endangered species due to generally being seen and (in her mind mostly rightly) treated as pests, but due to setting aside an area for them, Sweet Apple Acres could take out a pretty big deduction...but that also meant another bit of already sizable paperwork that needed done.
...Applejack just lowered her head and walked on by.
The orange farmer cracked the door enough to peak into little Apple Bloom's room, finding the young filly working away at a sizable pile of Equestrian (the language, not the country) homework. Apple Bloom was a hard worker, she was an Apple, of course she was, and Applejack had always encouraged her to do her best. She might have been impatient and impulsive, but she was anything but dumb...and Applejack was proud of her for that.
Applejack just continued on and sat the book down on her bedside with a sigh.
The next night, Applejack sat in her room, staring at the book where it still sat. She trotted over and opened it, looking over the first page. Her face scrunched up in focus...then frustration after several moments. She finally slammed it shut with a loud bang and gave a sigh. She'd considered taking longer to finish work than normal...but that would've been selfish and a mare had her pride, especially when it involved the family business. “...Yah've heard RD talk about Darin' Do enough...And maybe Rainbow Dash just won't come to pick yah up...”
“Applejack!” called Big Macintosh's voice from down stairs. “Rainbow Dash is here for yah!”
The orange mare gulped. “Horseapples...”
“Thanks for coming, Applejack,” Rainbow Dash said, the two walking through the long hallways of Twilight's crystal castle. Applejack was feeling like they were longer than they normally were.
“Oh it's nothin'...just doin' what friends do,” Applejack replied, eyes batting around slightly. “...Not sure Ah'll have much to say though.”
“Eh, I'm sure you'll do fine. You're all about rough and tumble stuff like this!” the cyan pegasus replied with a big grin and an elbow nudge.
“Yeah...rough and tumble...That's meh...” the orange mare replied, trying to avoid eye contact.
The two finally arrived at their destination, finding Princess Twilight had set up one of the many, many, many rooms of the castle for the club, arranging chairs in a circle. And was currently making sure they were all perfectly aligned with one another. “Hi girls!” called the lavender alicorn, giving a warm smile. “I'm glad you could make it.”
“Hi, Rainbow Dash!” called Derpy, currently sat with her book open. Applejack couldn't help shuddering at the fact she was looking at the book with one eye while looking at them with her other one.
“Hey girls,” Rainbow Dash replied with a wave. “Ready for some Daring Do?!”
Twilight nodded, taking her seat. “Yes, I even brought my note cards,” she explained, producing several stacks of perfectly organized note cards.
'Maybe Twili will get so caught up lecturin' she eats up all the time...' Applejack thought to herself with a small bit of optimism.
“Okay, so how are we going to do this? Take turns talking about how awesome Daring Do is?! Or how cool the fight scene with those thugs was?! Or-” Rainbow Dash rambled on excitedly until Twilight gave her a look. “Sorry...”
“Well, I was thinking we just have an open discussion,” the Princess explained. She couldn't help but wonder if Rainbow's energy came from suppressing herself a bit while on duty as a Bolt. Maybe that's how that pranking rampage of hers happened. “I'm sure we all have plenty we want to say, so that seems fair.”
Applejack gave a small sigh of relief.
Then started coughing along with everypony else when a smoke bomb went off.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie has arrived!” announced a certain azure stage magician, now standing in the room with Starlight Glimmer as the smoke cleared enough to see them.
“...Trixie finished early and decided to come join the book club...I hope you don't mind,” Twilight's student explained, giving a small chuckle at her friend's antics.
“The more the merrier,” Twilight replied, using a spell to help clear the smoke still hanging in the air.
“Hey Trix', didn't know you liked Daring Do,” Rainbow Dash questioned, giving the mare a small wave. Any animosity between the two had ended awhile ago, starting in the Diamond Dog Kingdom and ending in Ex-Queen Chrysalis' throne room.
“Of course Trixie does! Though she admits she's more of a Harry Trotter fan,” the show mare replied with a smirk. “But it's definitely in her top three!”
The two blue, somewhat self-absorbed ponies exchanged a high hoof.
Meanwhile, Applejack turned her attention to their 'seventh ranger' (as Pinkie Pie liked to call her). “Yer into Daring Do too? No offense, just didn't think she was yer kinda hero.”
“Oh, well Trixie introduced me,” Starlight explained. “She was into it and I decided to give it a chance. I admit, I'm not a huge fan of the action, but the archeological parts are actually pretty interesting. Trixie told me in a few books some of Mage Meadowbrook's artifacts are used and I'm kind of a fan of hers.”
“Ah see...so yah read it fer Trixie's sake?”
The purple unicorn nodded. “That's right.”
Applejack pinned her ears and looked down, her hat hiding her eyes. “Must be nice...”
Starlight gave a blink of confusion before Twilight clapped her hooves to get everypony's attention.
“Alright, everypony! Let's start the first meeting of the Daring Do Book Club. Today's book is Daring Do: Raiders of the Lost Temple!” Twilight said, in her adorkably excited fashion. She then levitated her note cards up and sorted them. “I'll go first!”
“And that's why I like the cantina part!” Derpy Hooves explained with a big smile.
“Hmm...I never thought about the significance of Daring Do ordering blue berry muffins before...” Twilight replied, putting a hoof to her chin. “Fascinating...”
Applejack simply sat, having her book open and saying nothing. They'd been there for some time and she'd not said anything. Just let the others talk and listened, even if she didn't follow much of anything being said. It helped that Pinkie Pie had shown up midway through to add another voice to keep the attention, having apparently finished early with the Cakes.
“I just liked how she described the food!” Pinkie Pie shouted cheerfully. The pink party pony licked her lips. “Mmm...Blue berries...”
Just a bit longer and Applejack was in the clear.
“Applejack?”
Applejack jumped, looking up at her lavender friend while cussing in her head. “Y-Yeah, Twili?”
“We haven't heard from you yet,” Twilight replied, giving a warm smile. “So what did you think of the chapter?”
The orange farmer began to sweat. “Oh...Well, nothin' no pony else hasn't already said...”
“Oh that's not true,” the Princess of Friendship replied. “You must have some input the rest of us don't.”
“Uh...well...Ah...” Applejack's eyes darted around the room at the eyes now looking at her. Or eye in Derpy's case.
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, noting how AJ's mood had suddenly changed. While Rainbow wasn't always the most observant pony, Applejack was her rival who she'd done multiple competitions against. If there was one thing the farmer wasn't, it was shy about speaking her mind.
“How about just a part you liked?” asked the lavender Alicorn, noting AJ's nervousness, but, unlike their cyan friend, not catching on to the oddness of it.
“Ah...well...” The orange Earth Pony looked down at the book and flipped through the pages. In her mind the letters just started swirling into a whirlpool of black, illegible, incomprehensible tar. “Well...Ah...Ah liked that part with Ahuizotl...”
The others all blinked and looked to each other. Derpy picked up her book and gazed into the pages as if she'd missed something.
“Ahuizotl?” asked Rainbow Dash, now looking a bit suspicious.
“Uh...yeah...” Applejack replied, forcing a smile. It wasn't a lie. She had liked the part about Ahuizotl she's heard earlier.
“Uh, Applejack. This is the first book, Ahuizotl won't even be in it until the last act,” the cyan pegasus replied, narrowing her eyes.
Applejack's face dropped and she started sweating harder. “O-Oh...Well...Ah...”
“Did you even read the chapter?” Rainbow Dash asked, narrowing eyes becoming an angry glare.
Applejack knew that tone. Disappointment. Maybe a little betrayal. This was why she hated deceiving others. This was how it always ended.
“...No...Ah...Ah didn't...” the Earth Pony admitted, hanging her head and trying to hide her face behind her hat.
“...Did you just not have time?” Twilight asked, cocking her head and trotting over with a concerned expression.
“...No...It's just...Ah...” Applejack stuttered, peaking up and finding all eyes on her. Her heart was racing. Was this how Fluttershy felt during the tornado? Like the room was full of eyes silently watching and judging you?
“...Applejack, what's wrong?” Rainbow Dash asked, her tone changing ever so slightly.
“Uh...why...why would you think something is wrong, Rainbow?” Applejack asked, giving a nervous, forced smile. She wondered if she should just swallow her pride and run...then shot down that idea when she recalled how it'd gone the last time. She still remembered how peeved off Rarity had been when she and Pinkie got back from the desert.
“Because you're Applejack! You know 'the most dependable of ponies?' You don't tell us you'll do something and then not do it unless you have a reason!” Rainbow Dash replied. “And you've been acting weird this whole time! So what's the reason?!”
Applejack backed up as Pinkie Pie, Starlight, Trixie, and even Derpy were now looking at her. She felt like an animal in a trap.
The orange Earth Pony felt like her heart was a drum in her ears.
“Applejack...what's wrong? This really isn't like you...” Twilight said, reaching out and putting a hoof on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, noticing something behind the orange mare. But Applejack wasn't paying attention to that. “What happened that you wouldn't be honest with us about reading the book?”
Honest. That word rang over and over in Applejack's head like a gong.
“Yah want meh tah be honest?! Fine! Ah didn't read it because Ah can't, alright?!” Applejack yelled, causing everypony to back up. “AH CAN'T! AH CAN'T! AH CAN'T! AH'M A DUMMY WHO CAN'T READ WORTH A LICK! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?!”
The orange mare panted, a nervous sweat dripping from her brow as everypony just stared in stunned silence.
“Oh...oh dear...”
Applejack blinked, turning and looking behind her to find Fluttershy and Rarity standing at the just opened door staring in stunned silence. “R-Rarity? F-Fluttershy?”
“Henry was feeling better so I decided to help Rarity finish so we could both come...” Fluttershy muttered, still staring in shock at the situation in front of her.
“...Derpy...Trixie...can you please...” Twilight said as politely as she could, looking to the others.
Derpy gave a worried look, but nodded and departed with her book in tow.
Trixie nodded slowly. “Trixie...can see why this would be private...” the azure showmare muttered, then looked to Starlight with a small smile. “...This was fun, Starlight...for the most part...”
Starlight nodded, but gave Applejack a concerned look. “If you don't mind...I'd like to stay...”
“Say no more...” the azure unicorn replied, giving a bow...and having the tact to not throw out another smoke bomb. But did back out of the room dramatically.
Twilight closed the door behind them and took in a deep breath. “...Applejack...I need to know...did you mean you literally can't read?”
Applejack lowered her head, ears pinned back. The truth was out. “...No...Ah can't...”
The group gasped.
“Applejack, darling...I never would have guessed...” Rarity said, approaching her friend. Applejack didn't look her in the eye. “What happened?”
The Earth Pony pinned her ears and slowly trotted over to a window, looking out towards Sweet Apple Acres. “...Ma and pa...when they passed Ah was old enough tah work on the farm...and we were suddenly down the two most experienced hooves who weren't gettin' too old tah do the work...So...Ah dropped out tah help...it was all Ah could do! Apple Bloom was a baby, Granny Smith was old, and Big Mac weren't as big and strong as he is now!”
Tears hit the crystal floor around Applejack's hooves. Fluttershy slowly trotted over and put a kindly hoof on her shoulder.
“...Ah was just too busy tah learn...and by the time Apple Bloom was old enough tah take the load off and Big Mac strong enough tah buck a tree with one leg, it felt like it was too late...Yah know what they say: can't teach an old dog new tricks...Ah think Big Mac would've been in the same boat if Cheerilee hadn't practically dragged him inta finishing his learnin'...There...now yah know...go on...laugh...laugh at dumb old Applejack...”
Applejack didn't care she was 'crying on the outside'. “Go on! Laugh! Mah baby sister's smarter than meh! A little grade schooler is smarter than Ah am! So go on! Laugh!”
“...Applejack...” Rarity said, the fashionista coming over and standing next to her with a hoof on the opposite shoulder from Fluttershy's. “I don't think you're dumb, darling. Not at all.”
The orange Earth Pony blinked, a few tears running down her face. “Yah...Yah don't?”
The white unicorn shook her head. “I saw how smart you were back at the spa, darling. You help run an entire farm..I'm a business owner too who has three locations to deal with, I know how tough even a fraction of that is...”
Twilight nodded. “Rarity's right, Applejack...just because you can't read doesn't mean you're dumb. There are different types of intelligence...Remember when I first came to Ponyville? I might have been book smart...but I definitely wasn't smart when it came to interpersonal intelligence, quite the opposite...You might not know how to read, but you're smart in plenty of other ways.”
Pinkie Pie hopped over to Applejack and nodded. “And I kinda WAS you for a few days, remember?! I nearly destroyed your farm because I didn't know what to do, so you have to be pretty smart, silly!”
Applejack blinked. “You're...You're right...Ah'd forgotten that...” That was admittedly another reason she'd nearly ruined Rarity's business...there was a reason Big Mac did all Sweet Apple Acres paper work.
“And Applejack?” Rainbow Dash asked, flying over. Any ounce of anger or upset from before was gone. “...I know how it feels to feel like you're an idiot...” the mare explained, giving a rare look of humility. “...Remember? Back when you girls had to figure out some crazy way to get me to learn anything?...Trust me, Applejack, if ANYPONY knows how you feel, it's me.”
Fluttershy merely walked over and hugged her, leading to a group hug. “..I was always so far behind everypony else in flight school...I know how that feels too.”
“...T-Thanks girls...” Applejack said, wiping away some tears. “...Now Ah really do feel dumb...Ah shoulda known better...”
The orange farmer then blinked as Starlight slowly trotted over and joined the group hug. “...Mare who spent over a decade thinking her only friend had been a genius who left her in the dust, remember?” Starlight asked, giving a sympathetic smile.
One hug later, the group separated...and then looked awkward.
“...So...uh...what now?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“...Well...the obvious thing is...” Twilight started...then blinked as Starlight was the one to step forward.
“...Applejack...do you still want to learn how to read?” Twilight's student asked with a surprisingly serious expression.
Applejack blinked...and looked genuinely thoughtful. “...Ah...Ah guess Ah do...Ah could help Big Mac with the paper work, and Apple Bloom with her Equestrian Homework...and Granny Smith with her meds...and read with you girls...But how would Ah? Ah'm not a kid anymore...”
Starlight took a deep breath, looking back to Twilight. Her teacher nodded encouragingly. “...Back when I was...you know...total-”
“Sugarcube?” the farmer interjected, giving a serious look. “If you're gonna say 'totally evil' again, yah weren't. Tirek is totally evil. Discord used tah be. Chrysalis still is. You?...Yah were a bad filly, but at least yer heart was in the right place even if yer brain wasn't...Ah know yah still feel rotten about your little revenge plan and the other stuff yah did, but don't it say somethin' that outta all our baddies, you were the one who gave up when she realized the damage she caused?”
“...Thank you, Applejack...”
“Yer welcome, sugarcube...just tired of yah bein' harder on yerself than yah should be.”
Twilight's student steadied herself again. Everypony knew Starlight had issues about taking a control of a situation. “Back when I was running Our Town, I did bring most ponies down to the lowest common denominator and called it equality...but when it came to some things...I had to help ponies up instead of throwing them down...” she explained. “...And one of those things was literacy. After all, it was a basic right it felt wrong to deny anypony...that and ponies couldn't understand my Equality Pamphlets if they couldn't read, and Our Town simply couldn't function without somepony able to...I know how to teach you...”
Applejack blinked. “...You can?”
Starlight nodded. “Yes...if you want to...I do still feel like it's wrong you missed out on that...It's a real inequality I think I could still help fix...”
The orange farm looked uncertain. “...Ah don't know...Ah ain't one tah take pity...”
“It isn't PITY, Applejack,” the former well-intentioned extremist replied. “...Pity is thinking less of you, and I don't...Just like you don't think I was as bad as sometimes I do...This isn't pity...it's me wanting to undo an unfairness that was dealt to you you had no control over because you want to have it undone...”
“She's right,” Fluttershy said, looking to her orange friend with her trademark kindness. “...None of us think any less of you...But if you want something, and we can help you, why shouldn't we? We're your friends.”
“And Applejack?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Was it pity when you girls made a town wide study gauntlet to help me pass my Wonderbolts exam when I needed it?...No, you were being my friends and helping me get somewhere I wanted to go but didn't know how to get to on my own...Trust me, I know how hard it is to accept help, but I wouldn't be a Wonderbolt right now without you girls doing that for me!...And that's important enough to me I'm not ashamed to admit it.”
Applejack looked down at her hooves, giving a long, hard thought. On one hoof...pride was a hard thing to shake off...On the other, last time she'd let her pride get the better of her and refused help when she needed it...She ended up nearly killing herself trying to accomplish the impossible. “...Okay...Starlight...Ah guess we can...”
Starlight nodded slowly, giving a smile. “Alright, we can start whenever you're ready.”
The two shared a friendly hug.
“And she might have experience, but I'm sure the rest of us are willing to help however we can,” Twilight said, looking to the others, who all nodded.
“Hey, I owe you one, remember?” Rainbow Dash asked, giving a smirk.
Applejack felt tears going down her face as she separated from her and Starlight's hug. After so long of knowing these ponies, of fighting with them. Of saving the world with them...she'd still expected them to look down on her for a shortcoming of hers...To not understand. She felt like such a silly pony: of course they'd understand. True friends always did...She felt like a weight had been lifted off her back. “...Thank yah kindly...”
The End.
