You are not the leader and you know it.

You´re the most experienced of the group. Fluttershy may be older than you but, when she was struggling with flying lessons, you have already gone to Manehattan and back to Ponyville on your own, a little filly traveling all alone. Since then you took care of the farm pretty much in your own, harvesting the land in addition of raising your little sister. All the responsibilities laid on you, the pressure of being the middle child, the one who had to watch Big MacIntosh´s back while looking after Apple Bloom. You did all that alone, and yet you´re not the one giving orders.

You´re the strongest one in the group. Rainbow Dash may have speed but she lacks in endurance. She could stand a storm but will surely collapse before finishing half of your daily chores. Of all of them, you´re the one who can hold the most in a fight. Without her magic Twilight will be defenseless but there you are, taking the blows for her, getting bruised while she stays in the back, giving orders.

You´re smarter than you think. Twilight has academic knowledge, Rarity has business experience, even your brother has a deep knowledge of mathematics that you lack; but you´re smart. You notice things, you can put together the pieces of a puzzle. While everybody else is worried arguing about petty things like bringing a scarf to a mission, you look at the map and figure out the best way to take. It might be the longest path but it´s the safest one and they should listen to you and follow your advice but they don´t listen because you kept quiet, convinced that you´re not smart enough to talk. You´re not the intelligent one, that´s what you say to yourself.

You have abilities. You don´t need a strange sixth sense like Pinkie, you know these lands like the back of your hooves, you know exactly where to go and what to do. You don´t need fancy unicorn magic, you only need your two trusty legs. You don´t need wings, you can run as fast as any Wonderbolt cruises the sky. You have the best qualities of all of them and some more unique to you.

And yet you keep quiet.

You stand there and let weak Twilight give orders. You listen to unreliable Pinkie ramblings and meek Fluttershy protests. You keep your mouth shut despite petty Rarity demands and reckless Rainbow Dash bragging. You stand there and nod and obey every order, because you´re not the leader.

You´re the number two, you´re the assistant, the lancer, the back-up, the cannon fodder.

You´re Applejack, guardian of Honesty and yet, all you do is lie to yourself as you stand there in the background.