When Pear Butter had learned of the pony versions of Applejack and Big Mac, she had been very eager to meet them. And for good reason, too. She needed ponies who were willing to listen to her, and she’d hoped her eldest children filled that role.
Now here she was, standing in front of them. Yet for some reason, Pear couldn’t say a word. All she did was smile, saying nothing. Her smile was no longer warm; now, it was awkward, stiff. Her lips were trembling and her eyes constantly drifted away, shifting back and forth between her children.
Um, oh dear. What should I say? Should…. should I speak to Applejack first? Or perhaps Big Mac? Or maybe I should talk to them both at the same time with Apple Bloom and hope for the best? But wouldn’t that make things worse? Good gracious, why was it that the first thing I said to my pony children was ‘I’m home?’ So stupid of me!
Pear immediately shook her head. Come on, Pear, quit thinkin’ too hard! These ponies are your children! I’m sure they’ll listen to me, I just need to give them a chance! So, stop doubting them and yerself. Just talk!
Casting her doubts aside, Pear recollected herself and trotted toward Applejack. Her daughter gasped, immediately jolting backward. Her hat nearly fell off her head as she fell to the ground.
Pear sighed. She’d expected a reaction like this from Applejack.
“Applejack,” Pear said with a stern voice. “We need to talk. Can I have a word with—”
“There you are! Finally, I found you!”
Pear’s ears perked up as she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned her head; it was Cheerilee. The mare had finally caught up to her.
Cheerilee! Oh my gosh, I was so focused on my kids that I completely forgot about her.I—wait, why’s she out of breath? We were only separated for a few minutes. I swear I didn’t run off that far.
“Please don’t run away like that again, Mrs. Apple,” moaned Cheerilee as she tried to catch her breath. “When I didn’t see you or the Apples at the stall, I panicked! I thought I lost you in the crowd, so I ran around the marketplace searching for you.”
Pear blinked. Well, that explains why she’s out of breath.
“This place may not be as crowded, but there are still quite a few ponies here!” Cheerilee yelled, still panting. “Do you know how many ponies were staring at me, or how many ponies I accidentally ran into?! I made myself look like an idiot out there all because—”
“Cheerilee, calm down,” Pear said, interrupting her friend’s rant. “I’m sorry I left you behind like that, but can you please stop ramblin’ for jus’ a sec. I’m sorta busy right now.”
“What are you talking about?” Cheerilee looked up to see Pear Butter and the Apple siblings all staring her. She gasped, eyes shifted back and forth between the four ponies, unsure of what to make of the situation.
“Oh…. dear. Um, I, well this is awkward,” Cheerilee said to herself. “Um, Applejack, I’d like to reintroduce you to—”
“Cheerilee, please, don’t make this more awkward as it is,” Pear sternly replied, glaring at the mare. “Keep quiet and leave the rest to me, got it?”
The harsh tone made Cheerilee wince. She nodded, hesitantly.
Pear Butter groaned and face-hoofed. So nice of you to make my situation worse, Cheerilee. She turned her head back toward Applejack, who had tipped her hat down, avoiding any eye contact with her mother.
“Now, Applejack, I know you’re in a bit shocked right now, but hear me out,” Pear said, as she slowly moved closer to her daughter. “You probably have a lot of questions, but that’s fine, we’ll talk about it. I’ll even go slow since there’s a lot that needs to be taken in. Jus’, please listen to me.”
Pear, now inches away from Applejack, reached out with her hoof. She was about to wrap herself around her daughter, but as soon as she did, Applejack immediately smacked Pear’s hoof away.
“Huh?” Pear flinched, immediately reeling her hoof back in pain. The strike her daughter did to her hurt, it felt harder than a hammer blow.
“Ow! Applejack that hurt! What did you do that for, sugarcube?”
Pear waited for Applejack to respond, but none came. Her daughter remained unmoved, and has not spoken a word.
Oh no, did I go too far? Pear panicked. Her teeth chattered, fearful at the possibility that she must’ve startled her pony daughter. I didn’t mean to do make her jump like that.
She sighed. Perhaps embracing her was a bit too much. She’s still trying to get over the fact that I’m standin’ here alive n’ well. I need to take this slow. Can’t take any more risks, or else Applejack might run away like Chiffon.
As the pain on her hoof subsided, Pear began making her way toward Applejack again, determined to get through to her pony daughter.
“Sugarcube, I know yer a bit surprised to see me, but we need to talk,” Pear said, as she inched closer to Applejack once more. “Now, I know I went a bit too far that time, but please, hear me out, okay? We can talk about this. Jus’ tell me what’s wrong and I’ll help you!”
Applejack, again, remained silent. The mare continued to ignore her mother’s words, and has now turned her head away.
Pear frowned, her ears began to wilt as she realized Applejack wasn’t going to talk. “I see. I-I guess yer not ready yet. I understand. I’ll leave you alone; but if you want to talk later, I’ll be here, okay.”
With a defeated sigh, Pear trotted away from Applejack. Real shame that I can’t do anything, but it’s no use talkin’ to Applejack if she doesn’t want to. I guess…. I guess I’ll try again another time. I mean, I still have a chance with Big Mac, though. He’s a big boy, so I’m sure that he’ll listen to me and see reason.
“What the buck do ya think yer doing?”
“Huh?” Pear’s head jerked up, as she heard a familiar voice from afar. Though it was only a whisper, it was loud enough to get her attention.
That voice. Was that Applejack? As Pear looked back, her eyes widened. Applejack had stood up. Not only that, the mare was slowly trotting toward her with her hat down, still avoiding direct eye contact with her.
Seeing this, Pear squealed and clapped her hooves in excitement. She galloped back toward Applejack with glee, giving her daughter the brightest smile she had all day. As they approached each other, she noticed that Applejack’s hat was still covering her face. She cocked an eyebrow, wondering why her daughter was still avoiding direct eye contact.
“Sugarcube!” Pear said, as the two ponies finally meet again. “Oh, thank goodness. For a second there, I wasn’t sure you weren’t gonna to talk to me, but here we are now! Say, ‘bout what you said earlier. I couldn’t hear you last time. Could you ahead and repeat you said? please?”
“Will you be quiet?!”
Pear Butter froze. A loud ringing sound pierced through her, deafening her ears for a split second. She could feel her legs moving, but didn’t know why. To her, it felt like the whole world just suddenly stopped.
As she tried to recover from her stupor, Pear shifted her eyes back again toward Applejack. To her surprise, she noticed Applejack was glaring at her. For the first time since their encounter, the two ponies were finally making direct eye contact, but Applejack’s facial expressions left Pear uneasy.
“A-Applejack?” Pear Butter flinched. Though she finally made eye contact with Applejack, it was not a pleasant sight. Her daughter was not happy. The mare was giving the meanest look Pear had ever seen. If looks could kill, this would be it.
“Jus’ what the buck do ya think yer doin’?” yelled Applejack as she trotted her way toward a confused Pear Butter.
“W-what? Sugarcube, what’s gotten into you?” Pear asked as she tried to calm her daughter down as best as she could. “Please, Applejack, you need to calm down. Jus’ relax and let me explain myse—”
“Would ya quit talkin’!” Applejack yelled again. Her voice was getting louder now. “That face, that voice! Jus’ what the buck are ya tryin’ to pull?!”
“Huh?” Pear stuttered, suddenly finding it difficult to talk. She had never seen Applejack get so angry before. Yes, she’s known for losing her temper sometimes, but she’s never screamed like this.
Pear glanced over to Cheerilee, hoping that her friend had some answers, but this wasn’t the case. Cheerilee was just as shocked as she was. She then looked over to Big Mac and Apple Bloom. They fared no better. Big Mac was taken back by his sister’s screaming and Apple Bloom was outright shaking.
“What were ya plannin’, huh? Were you plannin’ on gainin’ mah sister’s trust and kidnapping her?” accused Applejack. “Ah thought you bugs were better than that now!”
Pear raised an eyebrow. “W-what? Bug? Applejack, what are you talking about?”
“Shut up! J-jus’ stop usin’ her voice!” Applejack yelled back, slamming her hoof to the ground. “If this is some kind of joke, it ain’t funny! Now turn back to normal, changeling! Stop usin’ my Ma’s face!”
Pear Butter gasped. Oh no. No! Not this again! Please, not my own daughter!
“Well, what are ya waitin’ for? Are ya gonna shift back or not?!” Applejack shouted, her voice becoming louder by the second. “If you don’t change back in the next few minutes, Ah swear Ah’m gonna buck you up so hard yer flank will be poppin’ holes again.”
“I—what?” Pear Butter stared at Applejack in shock, her lips puckered dry. Tears began dropping from her eye, as her daughter’s appalling accusations hit her hard. It was if she was being rammed by a tow truck.
A-Applejack…. is threatenin’ me? Her throat suddenly became dry as she let her thoughts sink into her head. My little girl…. is threatenin’ me?
Pear’s head sunk low as more tears began to flow down on her cheeks. No! First Chiffon, then Cheerilee, a-and now my own daughter?! I-I, this is not how our meetin’ is supposed to go!
“Hey!” Pear flinched, her daughter’s loud voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “Quit fakin’ the tears, changeling! Ah’m still waitin’ over here! Now, are ya gonna change back or not!”
“A-Applejack, I—”
“Quit talkin’ and change back already!” screamed Applejack, furiously. Her yelling had gotten so loud that it got the attention of other ponies nearby.
“That’s enough, Applejack! Leave her alone!”
Pear’s ears perked up. Huh? Someone’s defending me? Who?
She wiped her tears away and looked around, trying to figure out who spoke up in her defense. Soon, Pear felt a hoof touch her shoulder. Turning her head, Pear looked behind her and found Cheerilee standing right above her shoulder.
Pear gawked at her friend. “C-Cheerilee?”
“It’s okay. I got this,” Cheerilee whispered in Pear’s ear. “Leave Applejack to me, alright?”
Pear didn’t have a chance—or perhaps the strength—to respond as Cheerilee made her way toward her daughter.
“Cheerilee?! W-what the hay are ya doin’?” cried Applejack. “Get the out of the way and leave that bug to me!”
“No, Applejack, I believe that’s quite enough!” Cheerilee said as she scolded the young farm pony. “Stop screaming at the poor mare and calm down! There’s no need for you act this way!”
“Don’t you lecture me, Cheerilee,” Applejack countered, snarling back. “Don’t ya know this changeling is impersonatin’ my Ma?! Why in the hay are ya think yer doin’, standin’ up fer that thing?!”
“Because losing your temper isn’t helping!” countered Cheerilee as she slowly made her way toward Applejack, eyes leering at the young farm pony. The two ponies glared angrily at each other for some time, causing Pear Butter to worry that something bad might happen.
Then, out of nowhere, Cheerilee smacked Applejack across the face with her hoof, an action that caught both farm ponies by surprise.
“Ow! Cheerilee, what was that for?” asked Applejack.
“Quiet! You need to see the consequences for your outburst,” said Cheerilee as she used her hoof to force Applejack to turn her head around. “Look around you, Applejack. See all these ponies here. Because of your temper, everypony here is now focused on you!”
Applejack lifted her hat and looked around the area. Pear did too. A large crowd of ponies had gathered around the area. All eyes were focused on the young apple farmer, whispering amongst themselves.
“What the hay? Where’d they all these ponies come from?” asked Applejack who immediately pulled her hat down in embarrassment. “Aw shucks. W-was my yellin’ really that bad?”
“Yes, it was,” Cheerilee answered bluntly. “And believe me, these ponies are not the least of your worries right now.”
“What’d ya mean?” asked Applejack.
“Look behind you,” replied Cheerilee, pointing her hoof behind the apple farmer.
Applejack, though a bit hesitant at first, begrudgingly turned her head around. Much to her dismay, both of her siblings were staring at her, each having their own reaction to the situation. Big Mac was shaking his head in disappointment, while a startled Apple Bloom hid behind her big brother.
Seeing this, Pear grew worried for her youngest daughter. Oh dear. Looks like Applejack’s screamin’ scared little Apple Bloom.
“Aw shucks, looks like Ah really done it this time,” said Applejack as her cheeks flushed red. “Dang nabbit. Ah didn’t mean to cause a scene like that, let alone embarrass mah family and scare my little sister.”
She sighed, and tilted her head down in shame. “Looks like Ah’m gonna have to apologize. Jus’ hope Apple Bloom will forgive me fer my outburst…. and that Big Mac won’t lecture me.”
“Hold on a second!” said Cheerilee, preventing Applejack from trotting toward her siblings. “Before you go anywhere, there’s still one pony that you have to apologize first.”
“Huh? There is?” Applejack asked. “Who?”
“You need to apologize to her,” said Cheerilee, pointing her hoof directly at Pear Butter.
“What?!” shouted Applejack.
Pear covered her ears. Applejack’s loud outburst took her by surprise, as well as Cheerilee and several other ponies in the area. Though she wished her daughter would stop yelling, she was surprised by Cheerilee’s actions.
Gosh, I didn’t think that Cheerilee would do this for me. Especially since she accused me of being that changeling thing earlier. I wonder what caused her to change her mind about me?
“First of all, Applejack, calm down. You’re going to cause a scene again if you keep shouting like that,” said Cheerilee as she removed her hooves from her ears. “Second, what you did, although understandable, was not appropriate. This mare may be a changeling, or may not be one. Regardless, what you did wasn’t right, Applejack. You need to apologize.”
“B-but, Ah can’t,” said Applejack. “Ah shouldn’t apologize to this thing. She’s the one who started this mess when she impersonated by Ma.”
“Applejack, apologize.”
Pear’s ears perked up again, as well as Cheerilee and Applejack. A pony with a deep masculine voice had spoken up amongst the crowd, taking the mares by surprise. They looked to see who it was and almost immediately found Big Mac staring right at his sister, standing perfectly firm.
“Big Mac?” Applejack raised an eyebrow and turned to her sibling. “Was that you who spoke up?”
“Eeyup, Ah did,” he admitted. “Go on, AJ, apologize to that mare now.”
“What?!” Applejack’s voice became loud again. “Big Mac not you too!”
“Jus’ do it, Applejack,” said Big Mac, sternly. “Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“Why?!” whined Applejack. “She’s the one who started this whole mess by turnin’ into our Ma! Ah shouldn’t—”
“Land’s sakes, Applejack, stop bein’ so stubbon and jus’ apologize,” said Big Mac, interrupting his sister’s rant. “Believe me, Ah know you don’t want to, but can ya at least do it fer yer sister?”
Big Mac tilted his head over to Apple Bloom, who was still hiding behind him. The young filly refused to make eye contact with Applejack, still shaken by her sister’s outburst. Seeing this, Applejack sighed, kicking the dirt in frustration.
“Fine, Ah’ll do it,” muttered Applejack. “Jus’ let me make this clear, Ah’m only doin’ this fer Apple Bloom, alright. Ah owe it to her, since mah yellin’ scared her.”
“Thank you,” said Big Mac. “Now swallow that pride of yers and go apologize.”
“Yeah, alright, Ah get it. Ya don’t have to keep repeatin’ yerself.” Applejacked huffed, before she begrudgingly trotted back toward Pear Butter.
Pear watched as Applejack approached her for the second time today.
“Alright, let me jus’ make myself clear,” said Applejack. “The only reason Ah’m apologizin’ is because of Apple Bloom, ya hear! Don’t think yer off the hook jus’ yet, changeling. Ah’m still mad that ya decided to turn into mah ma!”
Pear sighed. “Applejack, I’m glad that you're apologizing for your mistake, but there’s clearly some misunderstandin’ here. If you would jus’ give me time and explain myself, I’m sure we can clear this up.”
“Misunderstanding?” Applejack said. “What the hay are ya talking about? Yer the one who started this mess!”
“Sugarcube, calm down. Please, let me explain myself, okay? If you would give me jus’ five minutes to explain everything, I swear I’ll give you the answers you’re looking for.”
Applejack scowled. “Fine, but Ah’m only givin’ you a minute, understand? Yer excuse better be worth mah time, or else Ah’m gonna be kickin’ ya right in the flank!”
Pear groaned, smacking herself in the face with her hoof. Oh gosh, she’s so stubborn! I don’t recall my Applejack ever acting like this! Did my counterpart allow our daughter to behave like this, or did Applejack start actin’ this way after the she died?
“Hey! Are ya gonna keep smakin’ yerself in the face or are ya gonna talk?” asked Applejack. “Didn’t Ah jus’ say ya only have a minute to talk! Come on, Ah haven’t had all day!”
Pear sighed. Oh well, guess I should bear with it for now. After shrugging of her daughter’s poor attitude, Pear stood up and looked at Applejack in the eye.
“Alright, sugarcube, I’ll explain myself as quickly as I can. I don’t know if I can do it in one minute, but I’ll try,” said Pear Butter. “You see, Applejack, I—”
“Princess, I found her!”
Pear flinched, her ears perked up again. A loud voice had spoken up within the crowd of ponies. The voice came out of nowhere, interrupting the talk between herself and Applejack.
“This way, Princess! She’s right over there!”
Pear groaned. Oh, come on! What now?! Can’t these ponies see that I’m tryin’ to talk to my daughter!
Begrudgingly, Pear turned away from Applejack to face the pony. I swear, these ponies are startin’ to aggravate me! Why can’t I have at least one normal conversation with one of them! I—
Pear froze. As she turned to face the pony who had interrupted her talk, her eyes widened. Standing in front of her was a familiar mare with a blue coat and pink mane that looked like swirled ice cream.
“C-Chiffon?” Pear’s jaw fell agape as she saw her friend’s pony counterpart standing in front of her once again. What…. what is she doin’ here? I thought she went home earlier after her talk with Cheerilee.
“Here she is, Princess,” yelled Chiffon as she called out to some pony in the crowd. “She’s over here with Applejack! Please, you need to see this for yourself.”
Pear tilted her head. Huh? Who is she talking to?
Just then, the crowd of ponies behind Chiffon began to move. The ponies scattered away, splitting the crowd into two groups. Chatter began arising amongst the ponies too, their murmurs got so loud that it could be heard from a distance.
Pear raised an eyebrow. What in the world? What’s gotten these ponies riled up all of a sudden? She tilted her head and tried to get a look past Chiffon, trying to catch whatever caught these ponies attention.
Then she spotted it. In between the crowd stood another pony.
At first glance, Pear noticed that the new pony was a bit taller than the others. Not as tall as her son, but this pony was much taller than average. Even taller than Applejack, Cheerilee, and most of the adult mares she encountered today.
Who is that pony? And why’re all the other ponies around movin’ outta the way? Is this pony important or something?
Deciding that she needed a better look, Pear trotted past Chiffon and squinted at the newcomer. As soon as the new pony moved out of the crowd, Pear gasped. Standing in front of her was not just any normal pony.
What in the world? This pony. She has a pair wings and a horn! How?
Quickly, Pear examined the newcomer’s features as the mare got closer to her. Hmm, she has a purple coat and a blue mane with purple streaks. Doesn’t look like anyone I know from my world. I wonder who this she is?
“Twilight! Boy am I glad to see you!” said Applejack, quickly trotting toward the newcomer’s side.
Hearing this, Pear’s eyes went wide. Wait a second! This is Twilight?! The same girl who befriended my daughter at Canterlot High?
Her jaw fell agape again. This mare. She’s the one that I’ve been looking for this whole time! The same one that Starlight Glimmer pony mentioned back at the castle! And if I recall correctly, that mare said that this winged-horned pony is also a Princess!
Pear twitched. Oh my gosh! All this time, my daughter has been associating with a Princess from pony world! This is so crazy!
“Thank goodness yer here, Twi’,” said Applejack. “Ah’m in a really tough spot right now. Ya think you can help me out a bit here.”
“It’s alright, Applejack,” replied Twilight. “I’m already aware of the situation. You don’t really have to get into too much detail, Mrs. Cake already informed me about what’s going on.”
“Oh, thank Celestia,” said Applejack, sighing in relief.
Pear tilted her head, confused by Twilight’s words. Wait what? What did she mean when she said she’s already aware of the situation? And what does Chiffon have to do with any of this?
“That pony over there,” said Twilight, pointing her hoof toward Pear Butter. “Is she the one whose causing all this trouble around town?”
“What?! Trouble?!” Pear said to herself, wincing at Princess Twilight’s accusations.Pear What the heck?! Why does this princess pony think I’m causing trouble around town? I’ve done no such thing!
“Yeah, that’s her,” replied Applejack.
“I see.” Twilight frowned. “Have you tried talking to her, Applejack? Try and convince her to change back?”
Applejack shook her head. “Ah don’t think Ah did any good, Twi’. Ah let mah temper get the better of me. In the end, Ah ended up scarin’ Apple Bloom. Think it’d be best if Ah leave rest ta you.”
Twilight nodded. “I understand. No offense, Applejack, but Mrs. Cake and I heard you screaming from so far away. To be honest, I’m quite shocked. I’d never thought that you of all ponies could get so angry. I mean, I heard you got really upset when somepony around town insulted you, but this.”
“Sorry that ya heard that, sugarcube,” said Applejack, as she pulled her hat down in shame. “It’s jus’ that, when it comes to mah family, Ah can get pretty—”
“You don’t have to talk about it, Applejack,” said Twilight, throwing her hoof around her friend’s body. “I’ll deal with this. Just stay near Mrs. Cake and let me do the talking.”
Applejack slowly nodded. “Thank ya, Twilight.”
Pear Butter watched as Applejack silently made her way toward Chiffon. Out of pure instinct, she almost called out to her, hoping that her daughter was alright. However, Pear immediately reeled herself back as soon as she saw Princess Twilight flying toward her.
“Hello, Miss,” said Twilight as she greeted Pear Butter with a straight face.
Pear flinched as Princess Twilight descended upon her. She could feel her regal presence overshadowing her at every whim.
“Oh, um, why hello, there, Princess. C-can I help you with something?” Pear twitched. Oh gosh. I’ve never spoken with an actual princess before! What should I do? What should I say? Is my mane alright? Do I look good enough for a princess?
“Miss, please, there’s no need for you to get all worked up over me,” replied Twilight. “And yes, you can help me. I just to get some answers from you, that’s it.”
“O-oh, I see. So, you jus’ want talk then, huh? That’s fine, I’m okay with that,” said Pear Butter, feeling a bit relieved by Twilight’s words.
“Perfect!” said Twilight as she sat down in front of Pear Butter. “It’d be better off if we do this quickly though. I don’t want the both of us to linger here for too long. We’ve already dragged enough ponies into this mess and we don’t want any more attention.”
“O-of course, thank you!” said Pear Butter, happily. Yes! Finally, a pony who is willing to listen to me! She inched closer to Twilight, ready to respond to any questions the princess had to ask. “Okay, what is it that you want?”
“Answers,” Twilight replied bluntly with a stern face. “You see, I’ve been hearing a lot of commotion around town lately. Ponies chatting about a newcomer arriving in town.”
“I-I see. So, you think your ponies have been talking about me?” asked Pear Butter. Wait a second. How is it that these townsponies are already talking about me?! I’ve only been here for only half a day fer cryin’ out loud!
“That is correct,” answered Twilight. “You see, Ponyville is a small town. The ponies here know each other like the back of their hoof. So, when a newcomer comes into town, everypony gets…. excited, to say the least.”
“Huh? You say that like it’s a bad thing,” said Pear Butter, taking notice of Princess Twilight’s hesitation.
“Well… there have been a few incidents where this town’s friendliness got a bit over the top,” said Twilight. “But I assure you, we treat our newcomers well.”
“Um, okay. What does this have to do with me?” Pear asked.
“Because I’ve been notified by quite a few ponies that you’ve been causing some trouble around town,” answered Twilight.
“What?!” Pear gasped, throwing her head back. “I-I’ve done no such thing! All I’ve been doin’ is jus’ wanderin’ ‘round town, enjoyin’ the scenery!”
“That’s not what I heard,” said Twilight. “I had two mares come up to me today, yelling fanatically that they’ve seen a disguised changeling wandering around town today.”
Pear’s jaw dropped. No! Are you serious?! This Princess is gonna accuse me of bein’ that thing too? She slid down to the floor, shocked that these allegations came up again. First, Chiffon, then Cheerilee, then my own daughter, and now this town’s Princess?! When will this accusations end?!
“Um, ma’am? Are you alright?” asked Twilight.
“No, I am not alright!” wailed Pear Butter as she frantically threw her hooves up in the air. “All day I’ve been accused of something I’m not! By my family, by my friends, and now by this town’s Princess!”
She groaned and threw herself onto the ground, landing on her backside. "Why can’t anyone jus’ listen to me?! I’m not that changeling thing, alright! Can’t you all see that I jus’ wanted to talk to my family?!”
“No, miss, you misunderstand,” Twilight replied as she tried to calm Pear down. “I’m not accusing you of being a changeling at all. Just hear me out, alright! We can have a civil discussion.”
Pear blinked, her eyes fixated on Princess Twilight. “Wait, you’re…. not accusin’ me of being that changeling thing?”
“No, I’m not,” assured Twilight as she helped Pear Butter off the ground. “Like I said earlier, I just want answers. I’m not going to jump into any conclusions just yet. So, just calm down, alright. I’m willing to listen to whatever you have to say.”
Pear stared at Twilight in silence. For the first time since she arrived in Ponyville, she felt at ease. “T-thank you, Princess,” said Pear Butter. “You don’t know how much this means for me.”
“Believe me, I understand,” replied Twilight. “There have been plenty of times where the ponies in this town refuse to listen to reason. We try to learn from our past mistakes, but they always find a way back.”
“I see.” Pear stood up and brushed off the dirt from her coat. “So, how are you gonna convince your ponies that I’m not a threat?”
“Simple,” said Twilight. “I’m going to cast a magic spell on you.”
Pear blinked. “Wait, a magic spell. An actual magic spell?!”
Twilight nodded. “That is correct. The purpose of this spell is to reveal your true nature. It’s supposed to be a countermeasure against actual changelings, or any other magical beings that can shapeshift.”
Pear blinked again, her mouth began to stutter. Oh my gosh. Actual magic! If I was a little girl, I’d be screaming with joy right now!
“I-I see,” Pear said as she tried to remain tempered. “So, what’s going to happen to me when you cast that spell? It’s not gonna hurt, right?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, it won’t. What’s going to happen is that this spell will encircle your entire body and reveal your true form. Again, if you’re not a changeling, it won’t affect you. At worst, you’ll just float off the ground and fall flat when the spell is over.”
Pear raised an eyebrow. She was a bit skeptical of the Princess’ plan. After all, she’d just met the pony, nor has she ever scene magic before. Was there a possibility that the spell could fail, or could this be a trick?
Pear grumbled, thinking about all the possibilities made her head hurt. She tilted her head and spotted her children from afar. Their eyes were all on her and their Princess, waiting for something to happen.
Seeing this caused Pear to sigh. She’d hoped that her pony children would listen to her, but nothing went according to plan. If she wanted to be with her children, she needed this Princess’ help.
Looks like I got no choice but to accept the Princess’ offer. I’m a bit nervous, but if I want to prove to my children that I’m their mother, then I need to do this.
Pear looked at Princess Twilight in the eye. “Alright, do it. Cast yer spell. Do it so I can be with my family.”
Twilight nodded. She stepped away from Pear Butter and raised her head, her horn began to ignite. The crowd of ponies watched as sparks of purple enveloped their Princess’ horn, all of whom anticipated something magical is about to happen.
As magic flowed through Princess Twilight, she pointed her horn at Pear Butter and fired the spell on the farm mare. Pear closed her eyes, expecting to experience some sort of pain, but none came. Instead, Pear found herself floating. The magical energies began to surround her entire body.
With a flick of her head, Twilight stopped Pear Butter in mid-air. Her horn lit brighter, as the bright lights soon engulfed the farm mare, covering Ponyville marketplace with a shroud of purple.
And at that moment, where the light shined its brightest, Pear Butter screamed.