*Thoughts*
"Speech"
An Apple's Confession
O/O/O/O
Applejack trotted nervously up the pathway to her farmhouse.
*Alright ya'll, today's the day. Ya gotta get this off yer chest.*
She paused at the door.
She removed the stetson off of her head and held it in her hooves.
*Just remember what Pap told ya. Honesty is the best policy.*
*Honesty is the best policy.*
*...*
*Honesty is the best policy.*
Placing it back on her head, the orange earth-pony inhaled and entered the house.
Seated within were the four members of her immediate family.
All looked up at her.
"Alright ya'll, I assume yer wonderin' why I gathered every one of ya here."
"Eyeup."
"Darn tootin'! This better be important, dadgumnit, I'm missin' mah afternoon nap!"
"What's goin' on, Applejack?"
She held up a hoof, silencing them.
She sighed.
"Now, as ya'll know, the Apple Family is one of tradition."
She turned her head, facing the window.
"Tradition; tradition that makes up the very foundation o' this here farm. Tradition that makes up the very--forgive mah pun--core o' this family.
"And in all them traditions, one stands out ta me."
Her orange eyelids closed.
She turned, facing them all.
Her family.
Her loving...
...amazing...
...accepting family.
She lowered her head.
"One I..."
She looked up at them, removing the hat from her head once more and placing it over her chest.
"...Have broken."
A gasp echoed in the room.
Granny Smith glared at her granddaughter.
"Why didn't ya'll tell us sooner?!"
Applejack sighed.
"I..."
She wagged her head back and forth.
Big Mac and Applebloom shared a distraught glance.
"Sis? Which one was it?" The youngest Apple questioned, comforting concern in her voice.
"If it was the one 'bout crossdressin', I already broke it." Big Mac put in, getting a smack over the back of the head from Granny.
The orange mare wagged her head back and forth forlornly.
"If only it were that simple, brother."
Tears began to sting the sides of Applejack's eyes. She clamped them shut and turned her head away with a whimper.
Her mind flashed back to all the nights she would be alone in her room, sneaking out of her window and into the barn just to plug in the radio.
All the times she would paint her face and play air guitar, doing horrible dance moves that could counter Twilight Sparkle herself.
How she would hide her disdain at all of the Family Reunions, masking it with either her hat or a smile; heck, sometimes she would just excuse herself to the bathroom just to escape!!
But, there were many times she couldn't escape. She was trapped, forced to endure the pain, and act like she enjoyed such misery.
Then there was the time they spent Hearthswarming Eve at the Pie's Farm. She found that Marble Pie and herself were both breaking a tradition of their family, and had swapped tastes.
This secret had been weighing on her shoulders since her time in Manehatten.
*Ma was a...whaddya call it, a Steelhead?? Ugh, nevermin' that!!! Just tell 'em already!!! Yer makin' it worse!!*
She finally spat it out.
"Idon'tlikeCountryStyleMusic."
A collective gasp filled the room.
Granny Smith's forehooves shot up to her chest, checking for her heartbeat; Big Mac rocked back and forth, dizzy: Applebloom's jaw hung open.
Shakily, she inhaled, opened her eyes, and continued.
"I never have. At least, not fer a while. Anyhow, I...well, I told y'all it was a bad tradition I dun broke!!!"
Applebloom spluttered, staring the mare dead in the eyes.
"APPLEJACK!!! Ya always acted like ya loved it!!! I seen ya dance!! I seen ya play yer fiddle and yer harmonica and yer banjo!!! I seen ya--"
"Actin', sugarcube. Actin'."
A shattering sound was heard as Applebloom's entire world was broken into thousands of tiny peices.
Big Mac, having an existential crisis, was covered in sweat and inhaling/exhaling like a madman. He was still rocking back and forth.
Grabbing one of her nearby canes, Granny Smith chucked it at Applejack.
Said mare dodged the item, faintly hearing an ''ow'' when it hit the wall.
"How dare ya lie to us fer all these gosh-darn years!!! I didn' raise no liar!!"
"Ain't ya supposed to be the Element o' Honesty?!" Applebloom snapped, near tears.
Applejack sniffed.
"Ah know. Ah know. But I'm fixin' to tell ya'll the truth right here, right now."
Her knees rattled, sweat was still pouring down her face, and her heart pounded so hard against her chest that the mare could hear it in her ringing ears.
"I...I..."
*One more sentence, Applejack. One more. Just get it out, an' you'll be outta this nightmare. Just don't pass out before ya say it.*
"I..."
Her voice cracked.
"I...I..."
"I like..."
"Just say it!! Ya can't make it any worse now!!" Applebloom snapped, hurt evident in her voice.
*Finish the betrayal, sugarcube. It's now or never...actually, it's just now, at this here point.*
Applejack fell on her rump, blonde mane covering her emerald eyes.
She ended up forcing the words out of her dry throat.
"I like Rock Music."
She finally broke, collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.
Granny Smith passed out as well, her heart still beating yet unable to handle the pressure.
Big Mac actually passed out a while ago, so...
Applebloom, dizzy, stumbled to the doorway before her legs gave out, mutterng a quiet "Why..." before she too joined the land of the lost.
So in the end, everyone fainted.
"Well, who would have thought??" Discord laughed, changing his form from the cane to his natural, draconequus self.
"Applejack, the rocker!!! Nonexistent mother of me!!!"
Teleporting to the door, he unleahed another round of laughter whilst turning Applebloom into a red potato with legs and a bow.
"I cannot WAIT to dish out THESE deets to ol' Fluttershy next Tuesday!! This will DEFINITELY top Celestia's Guard cloning scandal~" He chortled, flying off into the fading daylight.
Not before changing every apple on the farm into an orange, of course.
Author's Note
Thanks for reading!!!
I'll say this now: I DO NOT HATE COUNTRY MUSIC. It can get kinda redundant, but I don't HATE it. I actually do like it. This was just for fun.
