//------------------------------// // Applejack // Story: Foaling With Reality // by Zubric //------------------------------// The sun beat down on Sweet Apple Acres, as Applejack bucked tree after tree. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, making it even hotter than usual. “Phew, the Sun is a scorcher today, that’s for sure.” Applejack commented, as she wiped the sweat off her brow. Big Mac came into view, as he came from the hill with a proud stance. “Tired already, sis?” He teased, wheeling a cart full of apples behind him. “Nah, it’s just really hot today.” she replied, lowering her hat in front of her face. “Why aren’t you sweating?” “I’m a big pony, Applejack, I’m more than able to do all this work and not get tired.” “What are you talking about? I’m your sister, and I’ve done more work than you from day one!” she said, while looking at the water canteen on Big Macintosh's saddlebag “Hey can I get some of that? I think I’m gonna turn into a mummy.” “Is mah little apple seed thirsty?” He asked, pulling out a foal bottle instead of the canteen she saw just a moment before. Not that Applejack cared enough to notice. “Yes, gimme.” Applejack said approaching to her brother as sweat dripped down her face like a small stream. “Now, Applejack, ask for it nicely.” He said sternly. Applejack paid no attention to her sudden size, as she looked up at her now-gargantuan brother, “But I want it now, I’m thirsty!” “Applejack, what did papa tell you about asking for things?” He asked, looking down at her with a stone stern face. Applejack wiped sweat off her brow, thirst growing stronger second by second “Please give me water.” she said panting. “Good filly.” He said before popping the bottle into her mouth before she could even blink, smiling down at her. Applejack greedily drank the bottle, feeling refreshed afterwards. She turned, feeling ready to go buck another tree. However, Big Mac stopped her. “Whoa there little filly, that's papa’s job.” He said, pulling her away. “B-but I can do! I know I can do that!” She exclaimed. “Apple bucking is for big ponies.” He said shaking his head. “You’re too young.” “But da- Mac!” She stomped her hoof, hardly noticing the diaper that suddenly appeared on her flank. “No butt’s, yer too little.” He said, putting his own hoof down. “I-I’m a big pony.” Applejack said, while tearing up, “I can do.” “Ah said no! That’s final.” He said sternly. “Mommy!” Applejack cries out as she runs back towards the house, running right into a fog. ********* “Time to wake up, Applejack!” A soft voice called out, sunlight shining into the room blasting into Applejack's closed eyes. “Five more minutes.” Applejack grumbled not even noting the voice as she kept her eyes shut. “Come on,” the familiar voice soothed “It’s a nice day!” Applejack felt herself being gently lifted into the air. Her eyes shot wide at the sudden motion. She wiggled about, panicking, “What?” she looked toward who was holding her and gasped in confusion, “Cheerilee? What’s going on around here?!” “Oh, did I just scare my little apple seed?” She cooed, nuzzling her. “It’s okay, Applejack, it’s just your mommy.” “What, mommy? No! My parents are fertilizing the ground, how can you be one of them?” Applejack replied annoyed, twisting herself around, until she felt something wet around her crotch. “Looks like my little Apple has been dipped into cider!” Cheerilee said as she carried her over to a changing table with a red pad. As Applejack was stretched out on Cheerilee's back, she desperately tried to piece together was just happened. Why was everything so big, and why was she in a diaper? Why everything was so cryptic? Applejack looked about the room more as she was set down on the table. She couldn't explain why but this was definitely her same old room but, at the same time, it wasn’t her room. It was a nursery, decorated with apple- themed things, and featuring, over to said changing table, a cheap reproduction of a Sicilian chariot containing toys in the corner, and a big green wardrobe with gummed-up edges. She shook her head, trying to process the information, with so many questions running through her head, and so little answers. “Fidgety this morning, aren’t we, Jacky?” “Why are using that nickname, Cheerilee? You didn’t even know me when I was a little filly, and I’m pretty sure that my parents didn’t come back from the dead to tell you.” Applejack asked a bit of her annoyed at the nickname. Funny enough, one of her relative actually had that name. Cheerilee didn’t seem to understand a word, as she powdered Applejack’s lower parts giving a warm smile the whole time. Applejack let out a rather cute sneeze in the process. “Do you want go to school with mommy?” She asked, sliding a new, green diaper under her. “You can’t understand what I’m saying… that’s great.” Applejack grumbled as she kept trying to resist to the diapering but to no avail. “What’s wrong Jackie? You don’t have a rash...” Cheerilee said as she taped the diaper shut. “Where is my saddlebag?” Applebloom voice suddenly rang from down the hall. “Try under your bed.” Cheerilee called back, before putting Applejack on her back. Applejack let out a small giggle. Applebloom was always misplacing her things, once she even lost her bow, only to find it in the pigpen. She felt a little relieved that something familiar was still there, but she was still very confused at what was going on. “I did search there, even in my closet.” Applebloom replied from her room, a sound of frantic hooves also coming from there. “Applebloom! Over here! It’s me, your supposedly big sister!” Applejack called out hoping that she would be able to understand her. “Mornin’, Jackie.” Applebloom said, walking up to Cheerilee, seemingly forgetful of her quest for the saddleback. Applejack groaned, and face hoofed “Can nopony understand me or somethin.” she says to herself. “I’m sure it’s just downstairs again.” Cheerilee said, “Now come on, your brother has made flapjacks!” Cheerilee said in a singsong voice, setting Applejack on her back once more and headed downstairs. As they passed the photos on the stairwell, Applejack couldn't believe her eyes. Their family photo was now Cheerilee and Big Mac hugging each other, with Applebloom and her on the ground. Granny Smith was nowhere to be found, the only thing even faintly connected to her was a bonnet left on the ground. “What, how does that make any sense?” she said squirming. The next photo down showed a pregnant Cheerilee, with Applebloom apparently knocking the bell and Big Mac holding a hoof around his wife’s neck. “Huh? No this ain’t right.” She shook her head again, having a momentary headache. Once downstairs, Applebloom ran ahead into the living room, and jumped on the green destroyed couch, only to then raise her head with a brown leather saddlebag in her mouth “Found it.” She said. “See? I told you.” Cheerilee said, taking Applejack into the kitchen. “Good mornin’.” Big Mac groaned a forced smile on his face as he set the table. Applejack couldn’t believe this, she knew Cheerilee and her brother had been dating (albeit by the power of a love potion made by her sister and her two friends) but that didn’t explain why they decided to marry and have a foal all of sudden. A horrible thought hit her mind: if she was now a foal, who ran the farm? Certainly not Granny, because she had bit the dust, and Big Mac was always more for labor than paperwork. Unless… The image of Filthy Rich asking the 70% of the crops formed in Applejack’s mind. And the image of Diamond Tiara turning the farm into a legal slave labor camp shocked Applejack even more. She just hoped that wasn’t the case. “Morning Mac.” Cheerilee replied as she set Applejack in the surprising soft seat of the highchair. Applejack didn’t bother to resist, as the tray was set in place. She took a deep sniff at the apple cinnamon aroma that filled the kitchen, her stomach rumbled reminding her how hungry she was now. “Sounds like Jackie is hungry!” Cheerilee said, getting out a jar of foal food out of the nearby cupboard. Applejack stared at the jar slightly curious, she never really had to taste the stuff, even when she used to feed Applebloom at the age she was now. Then again, Applejack wasn’t one for experimentation. “Open wide.” She said scooping some of it up, offering it to her. Applejack wanted to refuse, but her hunger was impossible to hold back, and took over her, as a spoonful of the apple-tasting mush entered in her oral cavity. “Apple? Why is it always apple, why not cherry, or banana?” Applejack questioned, slipping in heresy for few brief seconds. She continued to eat each spoonful offered not even caring about all the foal talk Cheerilee was spewing out of her mouth during all of it. “Good filly.” Cheerilee cooed, patting Applejack’s head. Applejack shook her head for a moment at the sudden contact and smiled looking over at her sister as she ate her breakfast. The irony of her current situation made her think back to all her teasing she had done to Applebloom about her being just ‘a little filly’. Funny how right now she was now truly foal and all. She was brought out of her thoughts as a loud knocking was heard. “I’ll get it.” Big Mac said as he got up and answered the door. Standing in the doorway there was a grey unicorn with blue eyes “Mr. Apple, I know it’s a bit early but I was wonder if I could have the day off, my wife’s sister is coming with her kids and I think she needs all the help she can get, before our house gets set on fire and we will need to sleep with your sheeps once again.” “Well...”Big Mac said, rubbing his chin. “I don’t see why not. We are ahead of our harvest schedule.” “Ah thanks Mr. Apple, you're always so kind! We will see tomorrow, then! Have a good day, and wish me good luck!” The unicorn replied before galloping off. “Wait, so we have farm hooves now?” Applejack thought to herself as her brother waved goodbye, “Well ah guess that makes sense ah suppose. It’s not like, ya know, we couldn’t afford an extra pony around the farm,” She continued to watch her sister finish up her meal, unable to do anything else. Cheerilee drank down the last of her cup of coffee as she glanced up the clock. “Well Mac, it’s about time Applebloom and I get to school.” Cheerilee said as she went over to the door and set her saddlebags on her back. “You should take Jackie to the park, it’s a nice day.” Cheerilee suggested “Then, after lunch you can bring her to the school. The students just love her.” She said smiling. “That sounds like a wonderful idea.” Big Mac replied giving Cheerilee a kiss. “Gah! Big Mac! Not while I'm here.” Applebloom says running out the door, making a face. Applejack giggled remembering the story Applebloom told her when she had accidentally mixed the very love potion that set off this whole mess. To be fair it did help Big Mac find love in the first place. She started to shift in her seat now feeling restless by doing nothing for so long. Big Mac came over and ruffled her mane “I see you’re just full of energy today aren’t you?” “This ain’t right Mac, you know it, right?” Applejack said with a frown, staring into his eyes. “Oh, what’s the matter, Apple seed? Did you make a stinky?” He asks as he checked her diaper. “Whoa! Don’t do that!” Applejack protested squirming more at the sudden contact on her rump. “Looks like yer clean.” He said, nuzzling her. “Now why don’t we go to the park?” Before Applejack could reply, she was lifted out of the highchair and set on her brother back. “I still don’t have a choice, do I?” Applejack said, sighing resigned and watched as her brother brought her over to a foal carriage of sorts. “You know I can walk, right?” Applejack commented as she was laid down in the wagon. “Maybe yer friends will be there.” He suggested, buckling himself into the harness that pulled the thing. Applejack beamed with hope, “Yeah maybe, Twilight will know what's going on around here, I hope.” she says to herself Big Mac opened the door and left the house. The warm summer day shined down on her and, Applejack had to admit it was a nice day for a walk at least. She took a moment to look down at her diaper, giggling at the tiny apples on it “Sometimes I really do think we obsess over apples.” Big Mac walked to the park, passing in-between the stone-paved streets of the town, and the occasional vendor trying to sell clock knockoffs and good luck trinkets. And, naturally, with the carriage squeaking endlessly, too much of Applejack’s chagrin. Once in the park, actually a series of oaks placed in concentric circles, he smiled, spotting Fluttershy and little Rainbow Dash. “Oh hello Big Mac.” Fluttershy greeted, waving at him. Applejack tried to see who was talking, but unable to do so, because the Sun shined right in her tiny eyes. She knew it was Fluttershy though kind of hard to miss a voice so soft and well, shy. Why Mac didn’t lift, the sun tarp was a mystery. “Howdy Fluttershy, How's Angel Bunny?” Big Mac asked stopping the carriage near the bench. “Fluttershy let me go!” A familiar voice whined. Applejack did a double take. Was that Rainbow? It sounded so young. “Oh please, no!” She begged gulping. “R-rainbow? Is that you?” She asked, biting her lip. Just hoping she was wrong. “Applejack!?” Dash shouted, confirming Applejack’s fears. Big Mac came over, scooped Applejack out, and sat her on the grass. She gasped as she saw a foal Rainbow Dash sitting on Fluttershy’s lap. “What the Hay!” Dash groaned putting her hooves to her face “Not you too.” “That’s what I was about to say.” Applejack replied as her brother took a seat on the bench next to shy. “So have any clues about how this happened?” She asked. Applejack shrugged, “I don’t know. I just woke up like this.” she says “Can’t even recall what I did last night.” “Same here...I woke up to find out that Fluttershy and ...Discord,” She said shivering again, “They’re my parents.” Applejack tilted her head at the statement, “Discord? You’re joking right?” “Why would I even joke about that?!” Dash replied glaring down at her friend. “I don’t know. I woke up as a foal, so anything is possible and impossible at the same time.” She says “I just hope the others are okay.” “Hello everypony!” Twilight’s voice called out, the alicorn trotting over to them. Both foals turned to look in Twilight’s direction. Fluttershy waved her over with another smile, “Oh, hi Twilight, nice to see you here, how’s Flash?” “He’s fine, his hind leg is healing nicely, should be mobile again in a few weeks.” “That's good to hear.” Mac said nodding. “Hey! Stop ignoring me!” A very familiar voice called from Twilight’s side. “Wait is that who I think it is?” Applejack said to Rainbow puzzled. “No...It can’t be.” She replied, shaking her head. Twilight lifted the foal from her carrier at set her down on the grass “There you go sweetie.” “Trixie is not a sweetie!” Trixie said huffing before striking a dramatic pose,”Ai-men. Behold! The Great and Powerful Princess Trixie, Daughter of Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry!” She shouted, and to add to her proclamation, tiny pair of wings extends from her back.