• Story: 'Applejack: Exposure'

    by

    [Sad] [Shipping] The continuation of Saddlesoap's Pony Psychology series. You can find Pinkie's here, Fluttershy's here, and Rainbow Dash's here.

    Author: SaddlesoapOpera
    Description: Though already a straight-talker, Applejack suddenly finds herself utterly unable to lie...even to herself. A Pony Psychology Series story - previous episodes include Fluttershy: Origins, Pinkie Pie: Schism, and Rainbow Dash: Dependence.
    Applejack: Exposure

    Additional tags: Psychological, Emotional, Truth, Violence, Secrets
    Friday, May 20, 2011 op
    Labels: , , , ,
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    53 comments:

    1. JeanSpliceMay 20, 2011 at 11:01 PM

      Ah, i do like this series, but i've never quite enjoyed fics that make them all out to be Lesbians. I'm conflicted.

      ReplyDelete
    2. AnonymousMay 20, 2011 at 11:02 PM

      Like a kick in the head. In a good way.

      ReplyDelete
    3. NinestempestMay 20, 2011 at 11:06 PM

      ... they aren't all lesbians? Jeez.

      This is a great story, every character having such strong emotional issues and problems is tying together ridiculously well.

      And that ending, holy shit.

      ReplyDelete
    4. SaddlesoapMay 20, 2011 at 11:18 PM

      @JeanSplice

      Well, there *is* an apparent gender balance issue in Equestria, so the stats might skew that way...

      To be fair, though, I've only characterized AJ and FS as true "filly-foolers," while RD is apparently both ways, Rarity is straight, and PP and TS's 'interests' haven't really been dealt with yet.

      ReplyDelete
    5. AnonymousMay 20, 2011 at 11:23 PM

      Dude, this just keeps getting better and better

      ReplyDelete
    6. NightmommyMay 20, 2011 at 11:23 PM

      oh god this series is amazing
      i love you

      ReplyDelete
    7. TwilightSparkMay 20, 2011 at 11:24 PM

      Well done again, Cereal. I like the subtle smaller text whenever Fluttershy speaks. The only thing is if you could go into a bit more detail, well, everywhere, maybe just describe the room more, it would be a lot more immersive.

      ReplyDelete
    8. AnonymousMay 20, 2011 at 11:27 PM

      >in bed, browsing Internet on laptop
      >read this series while listening to Eurobeat Brony's "Luna" from earlier post
      >realize "Schism" describes pretty well how I feel
      >trying not to cover keyboard in tears

      Confound these ponies, they drive me to sad.

      ReplyDelete
    9. daffyphackMay 20, 2011 at 11:31 PM

      God, I wish I was an artist. I'd love to do something for the next chapter. This stuff is great, SSO, but you are sadding the hay out of me over here.

      ReplyDelete
    10. Doc SteedlyMay 20, 2011 at 11:32 PM

      UGH . . . . . I HATE YOU!!! I was just starting another story, that i had just gone thru two pages . . .now this is out and i have to STOP reading it to find out whats going to happen now in this awesomeness . . . WHY DID I CHECK EQ BEFORE BED!?!!?!?!?!

      that aside . . . thank you thank you thank you n.n



      O.o that sounded a little harsh . . . . .

      THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! Im going to read this tomoorrow on my break at work. awww wtHAY! im not tired anymore . . . . @.@ oh well early start for me them. *glues eyes to cell phone where story will be displayed*

      ReplyDelete
    11. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 12:01 AM

      Oooh wow, just read through all four and they were amazing. Everything is just deep enough to draw you into the characters, but not so deep as to be pretentious or philosophical. Just the wonderful raw human(pony?) emotion, and beautiful conflict! I really wouldn't mind if these were canon personalities.

      Gold stars for you, sir!

      ReplyDelete
    12. FireantMay 21, 2011 at 12:08 AM

      I can see the future. Poor Rarity, being so generous make her shop don't earn a darn bit for her living. I would feed her on the spot, poor little Rarity.

      Also, Dat Story. *teeth clench with lower lip bite*
      Awesome way in which you take their Element and make them SUFFER from it is just Awesome.

      And sad. Like hell it is :p

      ReplyDelete
    13. Kill me, I'm a PONYMay 21, 2011 at 12:37 AM

      "Can I have her oatmeal?"

      Daw'd right there, I did

      ReplyDelete
    14. NinestempestMay 21, 2011 at 12:38 AM

      @fireant
      I hope you realize your wording at the end there means you don't think it's sad.

      You should say "It is sad as hell," or something.

      Or are you intentionally saying that it's not sad? Because it's pretty sad. I think anyway.

      ReplyDelete
    15. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 12:43 AM

      Geez, man. You're good. I felt so bad when Applejack and Rainbow fought, and when it got to the part about [?]Fluttershy's Cutie Mark[/?] I wanted to jump into the story and STOP EVERYTHING.

      Very well written, GOD I hope this ends up alright.


      And the shipping is d'awwwww.

      ReplyDelete
    16. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 12:59 AM

      Interesting...
      Perhaps a bit too over-the-top for my tastes in terms of the drama, but I suppose everyone has stuff that he/she likes.

      To me, a fight breaking out that quickly between two good friends seems a little unrealistic.

      Looking forward to the next chapter, though!

      ReplyDelete
    17. Joe EnglandMay 21, 2011 at 1:34 AM

      Yeesh, this is harsh on them. But I'm thinking you'll bring the series around to a happy resolution somehow. The theme seems to be what happens when virtues are taken too far. Fluttershy is being overwhelmed with emotion, Pinkie is crushed by her standards of happiness, Rarity is killing herself with generosity, Applejack... well, her affliction is comparatively blunt. Anyway, point is, great work!

      ReplyDelete
    18. ZAquanimusMay 21, 2011 at 1:34 AM

      D''':

      Confound the perfection in which this is written!!!

      I wants to fall into a pony pile and hug them all whilst i cry.

      ReplyDelete
    19. FireantMay 21, 2011 at 1:58 AM

      @NinesTempest

      Of course its not sad.
      Its goddamn hilarious!
      Just look at them, trying.
      - - -
      Am I Evil?

      ReplyDelete
    20. Joe EnglandMay 21, 2011 at 2:21 AM

      Actually, looking back, and... at your pen name, specifically, it's clearly more like a soap opera than anything else. A really good soap opera (though, as has been well established, anything's better with ponies). And soap operas, as I understand them, tend to walk a line between "happy" and "sad." It's tricky not putting fan fiction into one category or another, but I think you deserve the effort.

      ReplyDelete
    21. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 2:27 AM

      I have to give this one slight criticism. I enjoyed it but I found it a bid odd that while the others in the series where about legit psychological disorders or at least psychological effects in Dash's case this is a bit more magical.

      I actually like the fanon that the mane six are still intrinsically tied to the elements and that, that being the case, it could effect them in some way positive or negative. It just seemed a bit jarring in the context of this series.

      (Oh, also I'm totally not biased because flutterdash is the one dash ship I'm not a huge fan of while appledash is.)

      Seriously though, this entire series is great especially as far as alternate character interpretations go.

      ReplyDelete
    22. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 3:40 AM

      I'm crying right now. It's so heartwrenching, so sad, so deep and emotional...

      ReplyDelete
    23. carniMay 21, 2011 at 4:38 AM

      this is so fucking amazing.
      I'm going to draw fanart for all of the chapters. Definitely.

      ReplyDelete
    24. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 4:51 AM

      GodDAMN this series is sad. What's next, is Big Macintosh going to turn out to be a narcissist? We find out Derpy Hooves self-harms? Spike's a bitter nihilist?

      ReplyDelete
    25. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 7:22 AM

      This entire series is... powerful, really. One thing I did realize during Dash's story though is that (I think) you're playing off their Harmony elements, which is so cool.

      Fluttershy's kindness to anger and violence, Pinkie's laughter to sadness, Rainbow's loyalty being exaggurated, and now AJ's unstoppable honesty. If that was all plainly obvious... I suppose I'm not a clever pony. D:

      Keep it up! This is one of the few series I'm actually waiting for more from, it's so awesome.

      ReplyDelete
    26. rangergx9May 21, 2011 at 7:50 AM

      This is an excellent and powerful story. Each charactar having great charactar development and just simply being interesting.

      This is some of the best fanfiction on the site for sure.

      ReplyDelete
    27. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 7:52 AM

      This is intense!

      Hope the next chapter is on it's way!

      ReplyDelete
    28. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 8:06 AM

      Love the story. Hope for next chapter soon.

      ReplyDelete
    29. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 9:41 AM

      This series just keeps getting better and better!
      I have a feeling things are going to get much worse before they get better.

      ReplyDelete
    30. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 9:43 AM

      So let me see if I understand this correctly. Applejack had a huge secret bottled up inside her, and the Element of Honesty within her didn't sit well with that. So it was trying to force the secret out, along with anything else she might be holding back.

      If that's true, then is she now "cured" after her confession? I think maybe the next chapter should answer that question somehow. (If I were writing this, I'd have added a scene where AJ and Rainbow catch up with Fluttershy, and Rainbow makes something up to explain their injuries. Whether AJ disagrees with her or not would supply the answer.)

      ReplyDelete
    31. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 10:54 AM

      @Anonymous
      After thinking about it for a while, I realize that Rainbow actually wouldn't want to see Fluttershy like that, at least not right away. More likely she'd send Pinkie to reassure Fluttershy in her place.

      So, this is okay the way it is. I'm still curious as to whether AJ is "cured" or not, though.

      ReplyDelete
    32. AnonymousMay 21, 2011 at 12:12 PM

      I just read all four of these stories and I love them all. I can't wait for the next one! They're really well written!

      ReplyDelete
    33. Prof. Salviatore DiMareo, M.D. (St Cavallo Institute of Pony Neurophisiology)May 21, 2011 at 1:07 PM

      Cured? she's suddenly unable to keep her inner monologue separate from her speech, has become volatile and prone to sudden mood swings and random cursing, her personality and identity is splitting and fraying each passing minute, her vision has narrowed and tunneled, and her head aches as if bucked by wild mustangs each times it worsens...

      Brosky, AJ had a frontal lobe stroke while overexerting this morning and unless Twi's Dark arts and Necromancy tomes include detailed and accurate endovascular therapy spells she'll die within the next 24 hours. That is, if getting down to blows whit RD dint broke something else in AJ's pumpkin

      ReplyDelete
    34. SaddlesoapMay 21, 2011 at 1:37 PM

      @Prof. Salviatore DiMareo, M.D. (St Cavallo Institute of Pony Neurophisiology)

      Tarnation!

      And I thought *I* was getting too dark with these Ponies...!

      -------

      Also, thank you all for your tons of praise on this series, and all your critiques and encouragement.

      It shall most definitely continue.

      I reiterate: Best. Fandom. Ever.

      ReplyDelete
    35. YetAnotherBronyMay 21, 2011 at 1:53 PM

      The Applejack part was a bit different than the other three. While the other three dealt with parental neglect, "Stepford Smiler" syndrome, and substance abuse, respectively, this is about...being unable to lie? Is that a psychological condition?

      Anyway, with the preview and title of the next installment...I think that Rarity is either obsessive-compulsive or has an eating disorder. Considering she's a fashion designer (and occasional model), this would be very fitting.

      ReplyDelete
    36. SaddlesoapMay 21, 2011 at 2:17 PM

      The Ponies' problems have, yes, mirrored Psychological conditions to a certain extent, but they are also (as some have surmised) based on their respective Elements of Harmony.

      As for Applejack, think of the truthfulness less as as the disease and more as the symptom. Her "psychological" problem is implied to be lingering shame and disquiet about her orientation - aggravated by the urge to be Honest and producing something like Depression or Borderline Personality Disorder.

      Her story was partially inspired by (though less extreme than) the tone of Ricky's father in American Beauty, if that helps crystallize things...

      ReplyDelete
    37. La BarataMay 21, 2011 at 7:10 PM

      Okay, I call shenanigans. All you ever do is win. You have to be hacking. CONFOUND THESE PONIES, THEY DRIVE ME TO CALL HAX.

      ReplyDelete
    38. Doc SteedlyMay 21, 2011 at 11:31 PM

      Whoo. Got me. I just read this today . . . . and i did it after work cause i couldnt get a break today >.< anywho . . . . i dont recommend trying to read these while half asleep . . . I had a messed up dream . .. O.o

      I cant beleive how this is turning out . . . really. This story got soo fast paced the last few pages flew by . . . . and i ended up re-reading them numerous times to really build a visual sense of what was going on ( by choice i did so, i didnt need to, its very well written ). I really am loving this series, my fav so far is Rainbow Dash: Dependence. Poor Aj got hersilf in bit of a pickle, her mental state and BUCK FIRST attitude got the better of her this time . . . . . While i was getting a knot in my throat i had to keep reading, just like the last chapter with RBD. Im excited a series like this appeared and i stomp for the author gratefully for giving us this epicness. I want to nicker much much more about the story but i dont want to ruin the peak first, then read ponies that might be browsing. If you havent read this series DO IT. Its a wrencher, really strong. I dont like seeing the mane cast in trouble . . . but their beleiveability is extended far more now because of stories like this. MUST READ in ORDER tho. Ok now i have to go to bed . . . with this stories description haunting my memory yet again. . . . . HIGH CLOP!! dontthinkaboutitdontthinkaboutitdontthinkaboutitdontthinkaboutit x.x

      ReplyDelete
    39. AnonymousMay 22, 2011 at 12:52 AM

      After reading this... I can't say I like it. AJ has shown tact to be blunt and honest before but not in an offensive way. This curse is forcing her out of character to just be a %&*#&. To the writers credit the parts with CT and Rarity were witty and entertaining but with the shipwreck of Big Mac/Mayor and the AJ/Rarity/RD thing the apple family comes of as...very loose to put it lightly. Throw in a bloody fist-fight and crying pinkie to maximize drama and we have an episode of Jerry Springer complete with use and abuse of the word 'buck off.'

      ReplyDelete
    40. AnonymousMay 22, 2011 at 8:51 AM

      Moar manly tears...

      And I thought the previous installments were dramatic, and it's probably only going to get more so. I fear for Twilight's part.

      I have no nitpicks here–at least, none that haven't already been called out several times–but I want to point out a possible plot hole concerning the hint for the next part. It seems that Rarity is so generous that she doesn't even have any bits to rub together. Yet, it's been established that the spa is an expensive service that RD was unwilling to try due to its cost. Yet, Rarity apparently chooses to visit it regularly rather than buy food. I realize that since the next part isn't out yet, I don't have the full picture, but I hope this disparity receives an explantion that doesn't stretch the readers' willing suspension of disbelief.

      In anycase, good show. I await your next part eagerly.

      ReplyDelete
    41. AnonymousMay 22, 2011 at 4:29 PM

      I'm imagining Macintosh climaxing right now, and it is HILarious.

      ReplyDelete
    42. AnonymousMay 22, 2011 at 11:00 PM

      I love the way this series is written, it just keeps me coming back for more. I have no idea how this will end, but I don't see it being very happy. Who knew all our favorite ponies could be so raw?

      ReplyDelete
    43. AnonymousMay 23, 2011 at 6:44 AM

      So much drama going on!

      ReplyDelete
    44. DooDawDayMay 23, 2011 at 11:35 PM

      it's getting so complex, but I want MOAR! it's like your rewriting the characters but somehow keeping them the same...? I'm not even sure how to describe it!

      ReplyDelete
    45. CitrusweetMay 27, 2011 at 8:23 AM

      Loving these! Can't wait for the next ones. Keep it up! :D

      ReplyDelete
    46. AnonymousJune 1, 2011 at 1:20 AM

      As much as I dislike shipping fics, I can see why this has a 6 star rating.

      ReplyDelete
    47. AnonymousJune 4, 2011 at 2:54 PM

      This one has been banned on google docs....

      ReplyDelete
    48. SaddlesoapJune 4, 2011 at 4:25 PM

      Author here...I will be replacing the links with FF.net ones soon.

      ReplyDelete
    49. AnonymousJune 5, 2011 at 9:03 PM

      When is Loss coming out Saddle?

      ReplyDelete
    50. SaddlesoapJune 5, 2011 at 11:24 PM

      @Anonymous

      My n00b lockout for FF.net ends Monday evening, at which point I will up load Pony Psychology at Sonic Rainboom speed, and send E.D. the links to switch out.

      This will include ALL six episodes, including the missing Twilight Sparkle: Spellbound.

      ReplyDelete
    51. SaddlesoapJune 6, 2011 at 8:37 PM

      So it was written, so it has come to pass.

      All six are now back online.

      ReplyDelete
    52. DarkApostleMattNovember 27, 2011 at 8:39 PM

      So intense, it just keeps getting better.

      ReplyDelete
    53. TheMultiCasterJanuary 31, 2012 at 1:28 PM

      So good... so good...

      ReplyDelete

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