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Applejack felt very mixed up as she kept reading Twilight's diary. She found it surprising that she was starting to care about what happened to Twilight, but she couldn't help herself. In any case, stealing the diary was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for Applejack, and she knew she couldn't pass up her chance to read it!
Most of the entries Applejack read were details about mapping the mountain, but before long, she found another narrative:
Dear Diary-
It's days like today that keep me motivated to keep going up that mountain, in spite of the dangers and getting rained on almost every time we go up there: this time, we found THREE diamonds!
It's a good thing, too, because business is getting slower for Dad. If we hadn't found those diamonds, we'd have a choice between falling behind on our mortgage, or tapping into the emergency fund that we're trying to save for medical expenses!
Shining Armor and I decided to put some of the money towards upgrading our gear. Our older ponchos were starting to wear out, so we got newer ones that are bigger, and much, MUCH warmer. It sounds weird to wish to get rained on, but I can't wait to try mine out! We also decided that it'd be a good idea to buy towels and bedrolls-taking bedrolls would let us take longer trips and explore more of the mountain at a time, and we usually find enough caves to shelter in that we don't need to buy a tent. Even if we did buy a tent, the ground is almost always rock, so we wouldn't be able to hammer the tent pegs down. We're also keeping towels with us-if an accident happens and one of us gets a tear in our ponchos, then it'd be better if we had a way of drying off and getting warm.
There's a good chunk of money left, even after the mortgage payment and the gear upgrades. We're putting most of it into the emergency fund-we'd like to save all of it for medical expenses, but if Dad's bookbinding orders keep going down, then, like it or not, we might need to spend some of it on paying the mortgage off!
It seems like every time you turn around, you hear about somepony losing his job or moving out of town. I asked Dad why, and he thought it was because of the new owner of the Savings and Loan office. He's worse about invoking some kind of rule, I think Dad said it was an old rule called Section 63 of Bankruptcy Laws or something...he said it was written hundreds of years ago because corrupt nobles would borrow money from merchants to make themselves rich, but then they'd refuse to pay back the loans-I guess the nobles thought "I'm a lord, so I don't need to pay those she little people back if I don't feel like it!" so our Princess passed a law saying that, if a creditor thought that somepony who owed him money was refusing to pay it back even though he could, then the creditor could give 24 hours' notice to demand repayment, or else everything the debtor owned would belong to the creditor, and the debtor and his whole family would have to be sold off as indentured servants!
That rule seems crazy to me! It means that anypony who goes into debt is risking everything! Why would anypony ever borrow money if that law even exists? Daddy said it was almost never used until this new banker took over his family business. Now it's being used more and more, so more and more ponies are trying to get away from town...if they can.
I'm almost glad that we can't get away; I haven't heard about other mountains like Rainbow Mountain that have constant storms, so as long as we're here in Ponyville, Shining Armor and I still have a chance to strike it rich!
It almost feels like we struck it rich today; we've actually got enough money to spare at this point that Shining Armor and I are going out for ice cream! We're also going to invite Big Mackintosh and Applejack. I'm not sure how I feel about her, but hey: Shining Armor and Big Mackintosh have been great friends since school, so we can't really leave his sister out.
Applejack thought she remembered this moment; looking back on it, she had thought at the time that Twilight was trying to guilt-trip her or something. Twilight had walked up to her while she was carrying apples to the fruit stand for Big Mackintosh to sell, had a big smile on her face, and invited her to ice cream after the family's stand closed up. Applejack had said no, because, in her mind, ice cream was something you got as a reward when business was good. At the time, business hadn't been good, and in fact her family had begun to fall behind on the mortgage right at that point, so they couldn't afford to give her an allowance. To her, no ice cream was simply just punishment for not working hard enough to keep the family's heads above water, and she'd just felt too guilty to say yes to her invitation.
But what would Twilight think of that moment? Applejack wondered. I bet she'll get it all wrong... Applejack decided to read the next entry and find out.
Dear Diary-
I can't believe Applejack! I was trying to be nice to her-and she blew me off!
We had more than enough change to buy four banana splits, so I suggested to Shining Armor that we invite Big Mackintosh and Applejack to have ice cream. Some part of me felt guilty that she and I aren't friends; I mean, Big Mackintosh and Shining Armor are really close. It almost feels like I'm betraying Shining Armor by not being friends with Applejack, too.
Almost.
Applejack looked at me all grouchy when I invited her and said she just couldn't come. She didn't even give me any excuses why not, either! What on earth is it about me that makes her hate me so much that she'd turn down ice cream just to keep away from me!?
In the end, it was just Big Mackintosh, my brother, and me. I tried not to get mad at Applejack, for Big Mack's sake, but honestly, I can't believe what a jerkface she is.
That'll teach me to ever try to be nice to her again-it'll backfire every time!
Applejack couldn't believe her eyes. Her a jerkface!? She was grouchy at the time this happened because, even though she was working herself nearly to the point of exhaustion on the farm, her family was still falling behind in their mortgage payments-her reasons for feeling grouchy and turning down the ice cream had nothing to do with Twilight!
She kept on reading. Again, most of the journal entries were details about places they'd explored where they hoped to find a cave entrance, but didn't. It took her a while, but she eventually found another narrative:
Dear Diary-
What I wouldn't give to find another diamond right about now...! It's been months since we found one, and I could really use something to cheer me up right now!
Applejack was an even bigger jerkface than usual: she offered me an apple core. An APPLE CORE! She said something about the seeds being good for something, but honestly? Offering me GARBAGE while I'm already discouraged?!
Applejack's jaw dropped. Does she have to assume that everything I do around her is always to hurt her feelings?! Applejack wondered. She'd offered her the seeds of an apple tree (albeit still in a core) so that Twilight would be able to grow her own apples in her own front yard. But Twilight had stormed off before she could explain. Applejack really had been trying to be nice to Twilight for a change! She had been offering Twilight free snacks in exchange for, well, patience and a little work watering the trees every day. And all Twilight saw was garbage?!
Applejack thought about it for a moment. It's as if Twilight's expectations are creating a wall around her mind and heart, causing any kindness on my part to bounce off and fail to reach her, because she always assumes the worst intentions are behind everything I do or say! Applejack thought. Good thing I'm smart enough not to make the same mistake!
Again, most of the journal was detailing places that they'd been to on the mountain, the vegetation and caves they'd found, and what kinds of caves had diamonds and what ones didn't. Occasionally she saw a note about how anxious Twilight was about the mortgage, but every time, they always had enough money to make their payment. That makes them luckier than us! Applejack thought. She wondered why they always had enough while her family never had enough, and after considering it for a while, concluded, It's because they just have a treehome that doubles as a workshop to pay for. We have a whole farm mortgaged!
The journal wasn't providing her with much that would help her to upset Twilight, and Applejack told herself that her frustration with not finding anything interesting was because of that. But the real reasons were because she actually liked reading stories about Twilight, and because she kept finding things that she could relate to. Most of all, it was because she was beginning to have her doubts about whether Twilight really was such a jerkface, but she didn't want to admit it to herself.
After several more pages of entries about nothing new, Applejack found another story worth reading:
Dear Diary-
I'm lucky to be alive, and lucky that the emergency fund had enough money in it to pay for a doctor! ...And I'm lucky to have a brother as strong and brave as Shining Armor, too!
I swear, I will never move my hooves when the rocks are wet-it's not enough to avoid moving your hooves when it's raining; the wet rocks are the real problem, NOT the rain!
It was almost exactly like the time Shining Armor nearly fell off the cliff...ooo, I'm shuddering even now remembering that! It was pouring rain, and I saw a cave up ahead and hoped oh so much that there were more diamonds in it, because that'd feel really good about now! I remembered my lesson from last time and didn't move my hooves until the rain stopped. As soon as the rain stopped, I started walking towards it, but the rocks were still wet and slippery, so I slipped...
Shining Armor shouted not to move (EEEEEEEEEK!), but it was too late: I'd already fallen down and fell over another cliff! Lucky for me, there was an outcropping of rock under that cliff, so I didn't fall all the way down-only about eight feet or so.
My leg hurt so badly-I don't think I've ever felt such awful pain! I was screaming, and now I know what Shining Armor felt when he told me not to move, because I yelled up at him not to move, either, until the rocks were dry! I could hear him shouting back at me, but I couldn't tell what he was saying. After a few minutes, which felt like hours because I was in so much pain and so worried, Shining Armor peeked over the cliff, saw that I was alive, and the relief on his face...it even made me feel relieved just to see how relieved he was!
He knew my leg was broken, so he used our towels to tie it to his shovel to splint it, and then he used our rain ponchos to tie me to his back while he climbed back up the cliff.
Once again, Applejack had to stop. This reminded her just a little too much of the moment where she and her father had tied Big Mackintosh's leg to a stick and then carried him away from the fallen silo and up the stairs to their room. She'd been so afraid that she'd make a mistake, that he'd slip off their backs and fall and break another bone..!
Applejack thought to herself, Shouldn't I be wishing this pain on Twilight? She's the jerkface, here! Doesn't she deserve this for going out on a dangerous mountain, when there's safe, gainful work waiting for her at home? Shouldn't I be gloating to her that now she can't go playing around outside anymore? But Applejack found herself absolutely unable to take pleasure in Twilight's misfortune.
She read on:
He carried me straight home-I tried to talk him into checking that cave, but he insisted I should see a doctor right away. I guess that emergency fund really was smart-the doctor set the broken bone and put a cast around my leg. Now I'm bedridden for the next six weeks, but at least I'm alive!
Once the cast was on and I was in bed, Shining Armor wouldn't stop hugging and nuzzling me. I let him, and I hugged and nuzzled him back; I know he's just glad I'm alive. He told me that it's going to take all of his courage to go back up on that mountain, because he'd never been more scared than the moment he thought he'd already lost me. I know that feeling too well! I told him not to worry: he was strong for me when I was afraid to go up on the mountain again after our first accident, and he was strong for me when I needed him to carry me home, so it's only fair that I start paying him back by being strong for him in six weeks when we it's time to start exploring the mountain, again!
The problem is: what am I going to do to occupy myself for the next six weeks while I heal?
Applejack's eyes widened as she read the next entry.
Dear Diary-
We found a way to pass the time: Dad's put me to work again, binding books.
They're actually bringing the work right into the bedroom for me and carrying it away when I'm done! Who knows? I might even get a little extra money for this.
It actually feels really good to be working. It's almost like a game: how quickly can we fill out one of Dad's orders? Sure, it's repetitive, but I'm starting to get better at it. The more orders we fill, the more money we can make, after all!
Applejack read on about how many orders they'd managed to fill and how much Twilight had enjoyed it, but she couldn't believe it. Twilight actually liked working hard for her family?! That was the exact philosophy Applejack herself always stuck to! Twilight had tried it, and she had enjoyed it and threw herself into it just as vigorously as Applejack did!
So why didn't Twilight just stick to that, like Applejack did?!
Even if she didn't stick to it, it was shocking to Applejack that Twilight, the pony she'd always believed was lazy and played all day in the mountains while her parents worked, could actually be a hard worker when she wanted to be! She even enjoyed it when she put her mind to it-just like Applejack did!
The scary thought that she and Twilight weren't much different from each other popped up in her head. Applejack shook her head to try to get that crazy idea out of her brain, but it kept sticking in her mind: they were so much alike! She re-read the entry where Shining Armor was dangling over a cliff, then the entry where Twilight had broken her leg, and she realized that Twilight had felt the exact same emotions that she had felt when her own brother had broken his leg. Then she re-read the entries where Applejack had given Twilight a taste of ice cream, where Twilight had offered her ice cream, and where she'd offered apple seeds to her, and she realized that both of them really had tried to extend an olive branch to the other, but each time had been shot down.
No, Applejack thought to herself, Each time, it was Twilight not understanding my intentions that made her get mad at me for no reason! I am not like her; I'm wise enough to stick to working close with my family, and I'm also wise enough to know when she is trying to be nice to me. THAT is the difference between her and me! Why, if she caught me at the right time, and actually did something to help, I just know I'd be able to recognize that she was being nice, and she'd know I knew it, too!
Applejack tried to shake off her doubts and keep reading, but she was actually beginning to feel anxious about this whole journal. It was telling her things about Twilight that she never would've been able to guess at, and telling her things about herself that she did NOT feel comfortable with.
She came to a part she already knew would happen: the part where Twilight's leg healed, and she and Shining Armor immediately ditched bookbinding and went right back to exploring. It still made Applejack's head spin that they'd give up this safe, honest work for more exploring, even when they were enjoying the work, and when exploring was so dangerous! Why couldn't they see that sticking close to your family and working hard was better?!
Then came the entry she dreaded, where Twilight went back to that same cave that had baited her into moving her hooves too soon, and found another diamond in it. Was that the answer to Applejack's question: that it really wasn't better to stay close to your family and work hard?
Applejack's jaw dropped as she realized that, for all her hard work, her family had still fallen behind on the mortgage payments. She hadn't tasted ice cream or gotten an allowance in over a year. And in the cave-chamber behind her was Twilight, bringing diamonds home for her family, and finally even securing enough mineral rights for them to be rich!
Tears dripped from Applejack's eyes as she felt like the world had betrayed her all over again. It's not fair!She thought to herself. I work every day, I go to bed exhausted every night, I work so hard, and all I and my family get is poorer every month! But SHE gets to do what she likes so much, exploring outside on the mountain, and SHE ends up rich?! How can that really be the right answer?! Shouldn't somepony have told me-!
Applejack sat still and spent several minutes with a clenched jaw, trying very hard not to cry. For a few minutes after that, she began to wonder whether she should rip the journal to pieces...it would be revenge on Twilight for sure, but then again: wouldn't that break the truce? Fluttershy had saved their lives and deserved better than to have to watch her and Twilight fight...just the thought of Fluttershy and her fragile-looking face deflated Applejack's lust for revenge.
Even if tearing this journal up is the right move, Applejack thought, I should finish reading it first. It's not like I can read it after it's been torn up...
Again, almost all the entries in Twilight's journal were listing places on the mountain that she'd looked for caves. Only occasionally did they find a diamond, but the moments when they did were almost exactly like the ones before: they saved most of the money, replaced a piece of exploration gear if they had to, and felt renewed motivation to continue.
Apparently, this kind of thing had gone on for a few years at least, but there was a change in the journal's tone as time went on: Twilight's exploration of the mountain wasn't just aimless wandering, but a systematic search for the cave system's entrance. And every place they found that wasn't the entrance wasn't a reason to feel discouraged, but instead brought them one step closer to finding the entrance, because Twilight was searching by process of elimination. And Twilight was narrowing down the search more and more as the months turned to years, and the narrower the search got, the more excited Twilight got.
Applejack found herself getting more excited, too. Something about this journal drew her in and made her feel what Twilight was feeling and forget where she was and what she felt, at least for a while.
But Applejack began to remember where she was and what she felt when she got to the entry where Twilight finally found her prize:
Dear diary-
The most AMAZING thing happened today! I mean-I was expecting it, I KNEW it'd be today because it was the last part of the mountain that we hadn't explored, but...we finally found it! The mother lode of Rainbow Diamonds!
YEARS of scientific study, exploring and mapping...and now I'm writing this in a cave COVERED with diamonds! Soon, they'll be ALL OURS!
I can't WAIT to see the look at Applejack's face when we come back richer than Filthy Rich himself! I can't tell you how nasty and mean that bumpkin is...! She NEEDS somepony to take her down a peg or three! Well, I'll be just the pony to do that, just as soon as Shining Armor and I get a couple bagfuls of gems back to Ponyville! She thinks that sticking close to home and doing the same jobs over and over again is the best way to earn money and dig your family out of debt. To her, science is just a waste of time. Well, Applejack, tell me this: did all your mindless hard work get your family a cave FULL of diamonds?! Because my SCIENTIFIC hard work sure did!
Applejack grit her teeth. Hard work? she thought. What you were doing doesn't sound like hard work at all! But then again, no matter how much Twilight had enjoyed it, the fact is that Twilight had been walking all over the mountain looking for the cave system, and had basically walked over every inch of it in her searching...
Applejack's face went pale as she realized: Twilight was working-she really was, and exploring was just another aspect of the work. To Twilight, exploration was as much a part of science as all the research and reading she'd done on air and earth magic, and what she was doing was science.
Applejack squinted her eyes shut in fury as she remembered how little she'd paid attention to science courses when she was in school. She'd always figured it couldn't do her a lick of good, because working hard at her parents' farm was her destiny. But now she saw that science and hard work had given Twilight a much better life than she was able to give herself and her family through old-fashioned elbow grease.
She didn't know what color her face was turning, but she knew she didn't like it.
She read on:
Getting these diamonds sold off and converted into silver and gold bits is gonna be pretty easy, and I made it a point to figure out who to talk to and...well, I won't mince words: whose frog to grease so we can get EXCLUSIVE mineral rights, and get them fast! Wow...the thought of all these gems, all belonging to MY FAMILY!
Applejack smirked at last. Bribery, eh? she thought. It figures you'd get into that kind of thing. Well, my family may be poor, but at least we're honest! And I wouldn't trade that for all the diamonds in the mountain, no sir!
Applejack kept reading that entry and kept going into the next one after that:
It doesn't even bother me that I tore my rain poncho by accident on the way here-I can buy a better one, now! Those ponchos...I had to work hard at dad's bookbinding shop and save up for MONTHS just to buy my first one! I didn't get to eat anything sweet for that whole time, because every cent I could scrape had to go to buying exploration gear...actually, it represented a pretty big investment...if I weren't sitting in a cave full of diamonds right now, I'd probably be REALLY disappointed, but now that I'm here-all that means is that I can use the space in my saddlebags that otherwise would've been taken up by that poncho to hold more diamonds! Ooo, we'll be able to pay more than half the mortgage off with just our first load!
I've triangulated exactly where the cave mouth is, and the way the mineral rights are set up legally, we'll get the rights to this whole cave system if we can get the rights to this cave mouth. We are on EASY STREET!
...Actually, I don't even know what we'll do with all that money after we pay off our debts... I mean, there's at least hundreds of times more value in this cave system than the worth of our house; we'll literally have tons of money after the mortgage gets paid! How are we even going to spend that much money?! I sure can't think what we'll do with it right now, but I guess we'll have to think of something!
Oh-before I forget, Shining Armor did something very sweet for me while we were finding this cave: a storm surprised us just after we'd gotten out of a thicket, and I pulled my poncho out of my bag so fast, I wasn't paying attention, and it got caught on my pick, and I accidentally tore my poncho in two! I was so afraid I'd catch a nasty cold, or even pneumonia! I was huddled down on the ground, covering my head with my hooves-and then Shining Armor stood above me and wrapped his poncho around me to keep me dry! It was so warm and cozy-it makes me wonder why we didn't do that every time we went up the mountain! Shoot...I'm going to need to do something sweet for him, won't I? I wonder if I can find his favorite vegetables at the farmer's market for dinner tonight? I know he likes masculine dishes like grilled vegetables...he's certainly earned it for believing in me and going with me up the mountain all this time, saving my life, and risking his life time and again!
Dear Diary-
I can't believe it! It's so awful...!
I ought to be going to bed happy after our discovery, but I just know I'm going to be crying myself to sleep...!
Filthy Rich lives up to the "Filthy" part of his name, all right! He slapped Section 63 on us, and he's got a legal excuse just because our last mortgage payment before this one was an hour late! ONE STUPID HOUR! And now he's trying to get the mineral rights to OUR diamond cave! It's so not fair-if he wanted that cave, he could've hired ponies to go out and explore for it, himself! I did the hard work of researching air and earth magic to prove those diamonds existed! Shining Armor and I did the years of exploring that it took to find it-and now he wants to swoop in and take it from us?! And the law is on his side?!
Applejack's jaw dropped at the next sentence:
I feel like the whole world just betrayed me!
...That was just how Applejack had felt when they found the diamond mines in the first place! Twilight felt that, too? ...Applejack tried to bring herself to believe that Twilight deserved what she got, but after everything she'd read, she couldn't...she just couldn't!
She read on:
I feel like the whole world just betrayed me! We do the work and somepony else gets rich?! Why even do this work in the first place if somepony else is just going to take it all away from you?! What's the point?!
Ugh...! I have this idea in the back of my mind that Applejack was the one who told Filthy Rich all about our cave so that he'd know to do this, but...but it was probably ME, bragging in front of the whole town that we had those mineral rights, that tipped him off. Either way, I've brought this onto myself: if I'd kept my mouth shut until after the mortgage was fully paid off, then Filthy Rich wouldn't have any way of stealing those mineral rights from us! A few days-if I'd just waited a few days, I and my family would be safe!
Tears again stained the page, and Applejack had to turn the page before she could read on. She didn't know whether to have her eyes as big as saucers from seeing Twilight's perspective of the second-worst moment of her life, or to have them squinted half-shut in fury for when Twilight had rubbed her wealth in her face, but she kept on reading.
Even the moment I should be proud of right now, the moment where I took Applejack down a peg, I can't feel proud of, anymore. And it's not just because I put my family in danger when I opened my big mouth, either: I sent her running away crying, and now I'm feeling the same way, and I can't feel proud of doing that to somepony else, anymore. Is this karma?! I thought I was delivering a heaping helping of karma to Applejack when I took her down a peg; she's the nastiest jerkface you could hope never to meet!
Applejack scowled. "Now, you see here," she said out loud. She checked herself, realizing she didn't want to wake Twilight or Shining Armor, or even Fluttershy, and continued in thought instead of with her lips: I've never done a single mean thing to you that you didn't start, yourself! It's all happening because you always insist on thinking that everything I do is done with the worst intentions! Stop acting like I'm the jerkface here!
Applejack's tone shifted. You're right on the edge, Twilight. You're almost ready to realize that you're the real jerkface, and that you've been it the whole time. If you just, just were ready to acknowledge that your attitude is the problem, that you need to change, then maybe, maybe we came make some progress!
Applejack shook her head, realizing for the first time since she started her mental rant that Twilight couldn't hear her, and that it was just as well, because she would just get defensive and refuse to believe her if she'd said this to her face.
She kept reading:
There's one silver lining to all this: the bankruptcy law gives us 24 hours to pay up. I've run through the calculations, and with just the two of us, Shining Armor and I can't carry enough diamonds to pay off the full amount, but three ponies can, and Shining Armor says that he and Dad have arranged for a third pony to help us. If we can just get enough diamonds back from that cave in time (and we probably can, but the weather up there can be unpredictable), then Filthy Rich can't touch us, and we get to keep the cave...our work won't be for nothing!
Oooo, I hope I can sleep...I'm so nervous!
Applejack found herself hoping Twilight could sleep.
She came to the final entry in the journal before the blank pages began, still waiting for future events to happen and get written about:
Dear Diary-
I'm so glad I have you-I've never felt so alone, before!
Where do I begin...?
First of all, Shining Armor practically stabbed me in the back. Dad, too, for that matter. I don't think it could've been much worse if he'd taken the mineral rights all for himself and left me with nothing! The pony he hired? It was only the queen of jerkfaces herself, Applejack! APPLEJACK! They hired her?!
She's the pony who wished our whole family would end up on the auction block! ...I forgot to write that in yesterday, but right before I gave her a gold coin to prove to her that science works, she said she hoped we'd go bankrupt, and that our whole family would end up auctioned off as indentured servants! She said she'd laugh when that happened!
Okay-there's no way it's karma that's biting me right now: there's no doubt about it; only jerkfaces would wish things like THAT on other ponies!
Right now, she's standing just on the other side of Shining Armor. It's pouring down rain right now, so we're huddled together, we can't move, and I'm bored, so I'm writing this here. Investing in this new poncho was a VERY good idea; I'm cozy and warm and there's enough space to write under this without that jerkface seeing a single thing I'm writing! ...That's about the only good thing about all this...
Know what the worst part is? I feel so alone! It's like my whole family turned against me. It's like they didn't even try to find a better way of getting the mortgage paid off than sending me on a trip with Applejack!
Applejack snorted. I sure know that feeling! she thought to herself. My family sent me with you, didn't they? I work my tail off every day for them, and this is the thanks I get for that! I'm the one who's alone out here! She kept reading:
If Shining Armor didn't insist on taking Applejack's side every time we have an argument, then I wouldn't be alone, up here. But he keeps shutting ME down! He's my brother for pete's sake! He's always had my back covered before, even literally yesterday. But today? The one time in my life when I most need somepony backing me up? He's not on my side, and it's grinding me up even more than being within ten feet of Applejack is grinding me up!
Applejack's got this huge trench coat and cowboy hat on-at first, it was really funny and even satisfying to watch her struggling with the rain: her hat has this big cutout on the front of it that was letting the rain pour down onto her nose. Splat-splat-splat right between her nostrils! It was so funny to watch her reacting to that, wiggling her nose all over the place to try to dry it off, only for more raindrops to tap it and get it soaking wet...! Then she tilted her head down to try to keep the rain off her nose, and that just exposed the back of her neck! It was hilarious to watch her shuddering and gasping and squirming under the rain!
At least, it was hilarious at first...then after a few minutes, I actually started to feel sorry for her...I mean, how would I feel if I was getting rained on and didn't have a way of keeping myself dry? ...The only time I can think of where that happened was the moment where Shining Armor was dangling off the cliff, or...or yesterday where Shining Armor kept me warm and dry... Yeah, those were about as un-fun as you can get, so I decided to help Applejack by telling her to turn up her collars so she can keep her neck covered; then she can tilt her head down and keep her nose dry.
But that just proves I hadn't learned my lesson: never try to be nice to Applejack! She turned her collars up all right, and she could keep the rain off her nose, but then she spat at me! Of course, spitting doesn't do much to a pony who's already in a raincoat, but still! I made a face at her, and she made faces back at me, and it kept going until Shining Armor put a stop to it.
After that, I got bored, and started writing.
This whole trip is like walking through Tartarus! At least Applejack is being quiet now...is she'd just keep her big mouth shut, this trip might be bearable!
That was the end of the journal. Applejack scowled. Where's the entry where you said that you wish I would jump off a cliff?she thought. You think I'm the jerkface when you wished death on me?!
Applejack shook her head. Twilight, Twilight, Twilight. You're just on the cusp of realizing that you are the real jerkface! How can you not see it?! Seriously, how?! It's only jerkfaces that wish awful things on other ponies and their families like that! And you're refusing to realize that you're the jerkface! Why, if I wished something horrible on your family, I wouldn't pretend-
Then Applejack remembered what she'd said the previous day: "Your family is going to end up on that auction block next, and when you get there, I will laugh!"
There was a long pause. Applejack couldn't tell whether her face was turning white or green.
Finally, she re-read the last journal entry, and saw that Twilight really had been trying to be nice to her. She re-read the journal entry where Twilight had offered her ice cream when she couldn't afford it herself, and realized that she'd been trying to be nice then, too.
Applejack tried to choke back the tears and shudders that were coming over her as she realized: she and Twilight really were the same. They both always assumed the worst of the other's intentions; the same wall around Twilight's heart that caused any kindness on Applejack's part to bounce off was also built around Applejack's heart, causing kindness on Twilight's part to bounce right off, too. They were both exasperated by the other's inability to understand. They had both been jerkfaces to each other.
Then Applejack thought: when a bear had actually shown up in response to Applejack's wish to be eaten by a bear, Applejack immediately knew that she hadn't meant her wish. So maybe, just maybe, Twilight hadn't meant it when she'd wished Applejack would jump off a cliff.
No-not maybe. Twilight had been crying her eyes out after Shining Armor told her not to say things like that and told her she was a better mare than that. She hadn't meant it. She wasn't any more of a jerkface than Applejack herself was.
Applejack was horrified at herself and at Twilight for this, but now an even scarier question entered her mind:
NOW what do I do?!