Just as the bright purple light quickly illuminated Ponyville Marketplace, so too, did it quickly fade away. In the blink of an eye, the light all but dispersed into thin air. But as it disappeared, so did Pear Butter’s levitation. The minute it dispersed, the farm pony soon found herself dropping in mid-air. A loud thud could be heard as Pear landed flat on her belly.
“Ow!” Pear yelped as she landed on the ground with a loud thud. “Gosh, I’m gonna be feeling that one in the morning.”
Pear Butter groaned, dazed by the aftermath of Twilight’s spell. She tried to stand up, but the pain in her belly prevented her from doing so. And not only that, but her head was throbbing. She could feel it thump as she rubbed her forehead with her hoof.
Gosh, feels like I’ve woken up from a hangover. Whatever that spell thing the Princess did really left my head spinning. I can’t even see properly.
“Hey! What happened? Did yer spell work, Twilight?”
“Yup, it looks like the spell worked properly, Applejack.”
“Huh?” Pear rolled her head. She saw Applejack and Twilight talking from a distance.
“But, nothin’ happened. That pony didn’t change or anything.”
“Correct. Things turned out exactly as I expected.”
“What?! But Twilight—”
“Applejack just calm down, alright. I’ll explain everything in due time. Just let me tend to our guest first. I think she’s still reeling a bit from the spell.”
Pear Butter’s ears perked. She could hear the Princess’s voice getting louder.
“As for everypony else here: by my right as Princess, I request that you all leave.” Pear could hear the crowd of ponies chattering amongst themselves. “I know all of you have a lot of questions, but rest assured, everything’s going to be fine. I’ve got everything covered.”
Pear sighed in relief. Thank goodness. The girl’s convincin’ the crowd to leave. Hopefully, now I can talk to my family in peace!
“Hey! Are you alright?”
“Huh?” Pear Butter looked up to see Princess Twilight standing next to her.
“Oh gosh, sorry about that. I should’ve cushioned your fall with my magic.” She extended her hoof in front of Pear Butter. “Do you need some help getting up? Here, grab hold of my hoof. It’s the least I could do.”
“Oh, thank you.” Pear grabbed a hold of Twilight’s hoof and pulled herself up. “So, what happened? Did your spell thing work?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, I think it worked just fine.”
“R-really?” Pear sat down and examined herself, touching every inch of her body. “I don’t feel any different. Was something supposed to happen?”
Twilight shook her head. “No. Like I said, what I cast was simply a revealing spell meant to reveal your true form. If you were really hiding your real identity, then your disguise would’ve vanished along with the spell.”
“Oh, I see. So, I guess that means everything went okay?”
“Correct! The spell was a complete success!” Twilight assured with a smile on her face. “Though, admittingly, the only thing that was affected was your bag.”
Pear blinked. “M-my bag?” She looked to her side and noticed her bag dangling around her neck.
“Oh my gosh, my bag! I completely forgot about it!” Quickly, Pear removed the bag from her neck and examined it, looking for any signs of any damage or missing items. Much to her dismay, she found the bag’s cover completely wide open.
“M-my bag's open? How? When did this happen?” Pear panicked. She frantically moved about, trying to locate any lost items that might have fell out. “Oh no! They’re gone. My phone, my wallet. They must’ve fell out! How am I supposed to find them now?!”
Twilight coughed. “Ahem. Miss, can you please calm down. I can assure you that your belongings are safe.”
“What makes you say that?!” asked a panicking Pear Butter.
“Because, I have the right here.”
Pear turned to see Twilight’s horn shimmering again, with her items enveloped in a purple light.
“My wallet! My phone! Oh, thank goodness, they’re both okay.” Quickly, she grabbed hold of her bag and allowed the Princess to place them back inside. “Thank you so much! I don’t know how you did it, but thank you for finding these for me.”
“Your welcome, ma’am,” said Twilight. “I was lucky enough to notice both items flying my way and used my magic to catch them mid-air. Again, sorry about that. I wasn’t expecting something like that to happen.”
Pear shook her head. “No, it’s alright. Thanks for keepin’ my things safe.”
“No worries, ma’am. We all value what we own. And I know that the people from the other world do the same as well. Especially those small devices that you all carry around.”
Pear Butter gasped. “Wait, so you…” But her voice faltered and the words would not come.
They didn’t need to, for Twilight nodded. “That is correct. I know who you really are, Mrs. Buttercup. You don’t have to hide anything anymore. You can trust me.”
Pear Butter froze. The mere mention of her nickname caused her eye to twitch.
“Buttercup. That’s the name my husband gave me when we were little kids.” Pear bit her lip. “Where…. where did you hear about that?”
“From Applejack. She told me everything there is to know about you,” said Twilight. Immediately, her eyes went wide. “Oh, um, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you like that, I swear.”
“No, it’s fine. You caught me off guard, that’s all,” said Pear Butter. She looked away from Twilight and began rubbing her foreleg. “How…. did you know I was out here? Didn’t you say earlier that a couple of ponies decided to report me or something?”
“That’s correct,” answered Twilight. “Now I know you’d like to hear who reported you, and while I’m not exactly inclined to let you know, I’ll let this slide. The ponies who talked to me earlier were Spoiled Rich and Mrs. Cake.”
“W-what?” Pear’s jaw fell agape again. “Hold on a sec, Spoiled Rich and Chiffon? They’re the ones who told you about me?”
Twilight nodded. “Yup. Mrs. Rich came to me first, then Mrs. Cake.”
“W-what?!” Pear stared at Twilight in disbelief. “B-but that doesn’t make sense! I mean, I expected that snobby Spoiled Rich told you ‘bout me, but Chiffon?! I was told that she went home after I met her again today.”
“About that,” interrupted Twilight. “Mrs. Cake mentioned that she saw you twice in the marketplace today, but she only came to me just a few minutes ago.”
Pear Butter stuttered, completely at a loss for words. “B-but if that’s true, then she went to you after she met me the second time. If that’s the case then—”
She gasped. Moving her head to the side, Pear spotted Cheerilee from afar. The mare stayed behind, despite Princess Twilight’s message earlier, and was carefully observing their conversation.
Cheerilee, you lied to me.
“Is something wrong, Mrs. Apple?” asked Twilight.
“W-what? Oh no, nothing’s wrong. I was jus’ thinking ‘bout a couple of things, really.” Pear quickly glanced back at Cheerilee one more time. Cheerilee, when this is over, you and I are going to have a talk. “So, how many times have you’ve been to my world? I assume you’ve familiar with my Applejack, correct?”
“Yes, I do. I’ve been to Canterlot High three times in the past year, and I’ve gotten to know your daughter several times,” said Twilight. “And just between the two of us, she and this Applejack are alike in almost every way possible.”
“I see.” Pear smiled as images of two Applejacks acting alike played in her head. The mere thought of this made her chuckle.
“Okay, funny thoughts aside, how’d you figure out that I’m not from here? From what you’re saying, it seems like you knew from the beginning that I wasn’t a threat.”
“Yes, about that. You see, I was informed by my student that she found somepony wandering around my castle and had to escort her out,” Twilight explained. “It just so happened that, earlier today, somepony recently used my mirror portal.”
“Wait, I know what you’re talking about! You’re talking about that Starlight Glimmer pony, aren’t you? And that weird crystal mirror thing that goes to my world.”
Twilight nodded. “You are correct. After I spoke with Starlight, I inspected the mirror portal again, only to find out that it had been used again. I nearly panicked, but then I thought back to the pony Starlight mention. We guessed that you were the one who used it, so we split up and searched the town.”
“And eventually you ran into both Spoiled and Chiffon,” said Pear Butter as she filled in the details herself. “Well, you found me, but what’s gonna happen now? Are you going force me back through that mirror portal thing?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, I won’t.”
“Wait, what?” Pear Butter froze. She blankly stared at Princess Twilight. Her eyes blinking just a few times. “You’re gonna let me stay? You’re not gonna drag me back to your castle and sent me home?”
“Of course not!” replied Twilight, giggling at Pear Butter’s outrageous comment. “No, I’m not forcing you to go back home. Don’t get me wrong, you’ll have to head back eventually, but not right now. You still have something to do here, don’t you?”
Pear’s jaw dropped. “So, what your saying is…. I can stay? You’re going to let me see my kids?”
Again, Princess Twilight nodded.
Pear’s eyes went wide. She sat flat on her flank staring at Princess Twilight in shock. For a moment, she remained quiet, causing the Princess to worry.
“Um, Mrs. Apple? Are you alright?” Twilight asked.
Then, out of nowhere, Pear squealed. Her voice was so loud that it caused Twilight to fumble back.
“Yes! Thank you! Thank you, so much!” Pear said heartily as she continued jumping with joy. “Thank you! Now I can have a second chance with my pony kids! Oh, you don’t know how much this means to me!”
“Y-yes, you’re quite welcome, Mrs. Apple,” said Twilight who was a bit overwhelmed by Pear’s excitement. “With everything settled, I’m pretty certain that Applejack will listen to you now. Though to be honest, I’m a bit worried about her though.”
Pear stopped jumping about and raised an eyebrow at the Princess.
“Huh? Why is that? You doubin’ my daughter or something?”
Princess Twilight shook her head. “No, it’s not that. It’s just that—well...” The Princess bit her lip. “I’m worried that Applejack may not handle this situation well. Emotionally, mind you. She hasn’t seen her mom in years. When she finds out that you really are her mother, she might—”
“Don’t worry about her,” Pear interjected. “Leave my daughter to me. I’ll make sure she’ll be alright.”
Twilight blinked. “Um, okay then. Are you sure you don’t need any of my help?”
“No, I don’t,” said Pear Butter, firmly. She trotted up to the Princess and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Jus’ leave her to me, got it?!”
Twilight hesitated to reply. She was unsure of Pear’s proposal. But after a moment of silence, she nodded in agreement.
“Alright! I’ll leave her to you.”
“Hey! What the hay are you two blabberin’ about?!”
Pear’s ears perked, and so did Twilight’s. The two ponies moved their heads to find Applejack standing alongside her siblings, Chiffon, and Cheerilee. All of whom were waiting for an answer from their Princess.
“Twilight, are ya gonna jus’ sit there ‘an talk all day or what?” Applejack asked. “Come on, sugarcube, quit stallin’! Tell us what’s goin’ on!”
“Y-yeah, Ah’d like do know what’s goin’ on too,” said Apple Bloom, meekly. “Can you tell us who this mare is please?”
Pear watched as her family and friends all gaped at their Princess, eager for some answers. She immediately moved forward and was about to say something, but she was stopped by Princess Twilight.
“Hold on a second,” said Twilight as she pushed Pear back. “Before you talk to them, let me speak to Applejack first.”
“Huh? Why? Didn’t I jus’ tell you that I can handle this?” objected Pear Butter.
“I know that, but Applejack’s one of the few ponies in Equestria that know about the mirror portal,” explained Twilight. “If I explain to her that you’re from the other world, she’ll believe me. Besides, I don’t think she’s that eager to talk to you yet. I wouldn’t be surprised if she still thinks you’re an imposter.”
Pear tilted her head. “Okay. But what makes you think that she’ll believe you? I mean no offense, Princess, but we both know that AJ can be stubborn like a pack of mules sometimes. What makes you think you’ll convince her to listen?”
“Don’t worry. I’m confident that my she’ll listen to me,” said Twilight. “Applejack has the ability to catch ponies lying. She’ll know that I’m telling the truth once I pull her aside and talk to her privately.”
Pear raised an eyebrow at Twilight, still feeling a bit doubtful of the mare’s proposal. At first, she felt like ignoring the Princess and just push the pony aside. Her mind changed, however, when she saw Applejack.
The mare was outright glaring at her, and not exactly in the most pleasant way.
“Alright, go ahead,” Pear said to Twilight. “Jus’ be quick about it, alright? Convince them that I’m not what they think I am so I can finally talk to them.” And hopefully you’ll get Applejack to stop lookin’ at me like that.
Twilight nodded. She turned and made her way toward her subjects.
“Alright everypony, I know you all are probably confused right now. But rest assured, I can say with confidence that this pony here is no threat to us.”
“What makes you say that, Princess?” asked Chiffon. “Did your spell work, or were you able to talk some sense into this pony?”
“It’s actually, a lot more complicated than that, Mrs. Cake,” said Twilight. “The five of you will be coming with me to my castle. There, I will explain what happened and who this mare is.”
“Wait, five of us?” Cheerilee asked. “What do you mean by only five of us?”
“Applejack will stay behind,” answered Twilight, surprising the group of ponies. “She’ll be keeping this mare company and show her around town.”
“What?!
Applejack and Pear Butter shouted in response. Both surprised by Twilight’s proposal.
“What the hay? What’re you sayin’, Twilight?” Applejack asked. “Why do Ah have ta stay behind?”
“I’d like to know too,” said Pear Butter. “Princess, I thought I made myself clear that I want to spend time with all of my kids. Not just, AJ.”
The Princess, however, remained calm and replied, “I believe that it’s better this way. For the both of you. You, Mrs. Buttercup, will get the grand tour of Ponyville without causing any more confusion. Applejack will be your guide, and at the same time apologize for yelling at you.”
“What?!” Applejack trotted over to Twilight and butted her friend on the forehead. “What do ya mean by that, sugarcube? Why do Ah have ta apologize, let alone stay behind with this imposter?!”
Twilight pushed her friend back and flared. “Because she’s not an imposter!”
The group of ponies gasped.
“W-what?” Applejack stuttered. Twilight’s sudden burst seemed to have mellowed her out a bit. “What’re you sayin’, sugarcube?”
“You heard me loud and clear, Applejack. This pony is no imposter.” Twilight lit her horn and used her magic to push her friend away from the group. “Come on, there’s something you need to know about this mare. Let me talk to you in private and I’ll explain everything.”
The ponies watched as their Princess dragged her friend away. Once far enough, Twilight’s horn lit up and a light purple dome enveloped around her and Applejack. The Princess then turned to her friend again and began to talk, though no pony within the vicinity heard a thing.
The group of ponies exchanged worried glances, unsure about their Princess’s motives. Then, Apple Bloom quietly spoke up.
“Um, what’re my sister and Twilight talkin’ about? Does it have something to do with that mare over there?”
“I suppose so,” replied Cheerilee. “But is it really necessary that she needed to cast a silence spell? Why all the secrecy?”
“Maybe they’re talking about something important,” suggested Chiffon.
Pear thought the same way. Curious, she slowly trotted closer to the purple dome and watched as Applejack and the Princess spoke to one another. They talked back and forth, though she couldn’t really make out what they were saying. Whatever the Princess did, it prevented Pear and the rest of ponies from hearing anything.
Then, something peculiar happened within the dome. It was a sudden shift in mood, something Pear quickly noticed. Reacting quickly, she moved to get a better look. When she arrived, she noticed something strange happening to her daughter.
Applejack was sitting still. Her head looking down on the ground. Princess Twilight stood next to her with her hoof wrapped around her friend. Though Pear was confused at first, the look of her daughter’s expression made her gasp.
Applejack was crying.
Suddenly, the purple dome surrounding the two mares began to fade, and the light enveloping Twilight’s horn dimmed. As the magic disappeared, Pear could hear her daughter again, though all she heard from her were sobs.
Soon, Pear could hear loud hoofsteps behind her. She looked back to see her pony family and her friends rushing toward their Princess. They were about to ask some questions, but all of them abruptly stopped as they saw Applejack crying on the dirt road.
Apple Bloom spoke up first. “Applejack?” Worried, the filly slowly made her way toward her sister. “What’s wrong, big sis? Why’re you cryin’?”
“AJ!” Big Mac hurried to his sister, trying to comfort her as best as he could. “W-what happened? What did Twilight tell you?”
“The truth,” replied Twilight. She trotted over to Applejack and nudged her backside. “Come on, Applejack, chin up. Now’s not the time to be upset. There’s a pony over there that’s waiting for you.”
Applejack looked up at her friend, simply nodding in response. She wiped the tears away with her hooves and stood up, straightening her hat in the process. Though her siblings and her friends loaded her with questions, Applejack ignored them and made her way to her mother.
Pear Butter examined her daughter’s expression. All the anger she had earlier was now gone, replaced with tears and sobs. Her body was outright trembling, and the tears just couldn’t stop flowing. For all that Pear knew, it looked like Applejack was about to collapse on her.
“Applejack?” Concerned, Pear reached out to Applejack with her hoof. “Are you alright?
Then, unexpectedly, Applejack dashed and leapt toward Pear Butter. She clenched her hooves tightly around her mother and buried her face in Pear’s coat. The sobs were beginning to get louder as the young farm pony began to cry in her mother’s arms.
“Mama! It’s you!” Applejack hiccupped as she looked at Pear Butter with a teary face. “Oh gosh. Ma, Ah’m so sorry. A-Ah swear, I didn’t mean to yell at you like that! Ah didn’t know!”
“Sugarcube.” Pear Butter looked down at her crying daughter and hugged her tightly in return. “Shh, it’s okay, Applejack. Everything’s going to be okay. You don’t have to apologize for nothin’. You were jus’ lookin’ out for your family, that’s all. And I appreciate that.”
“Y-ya do?” asked Applejack.
“Of course,” assured Pear Butter as she too got teary eyed. “For all it’s worth, you’ve shown me how dedicated you are into protectin’ your kin. And that’s admirable sugarcube. I’m proud of you.”
“Ma.”
As mother and daughter embraced, the rest of the group of ponies stared at them in shock. They were left completely speechless, both by Applejack’s sudden shift in emotion and her willingness to accept this pony as her mother. It wasn’t until Cheerilee broke the silence and finally spoke up.
“W-what in the world? Just a minute ago, Applejack was outright fuming at the mare. And now she’s accepting her as her mother?!” She turned toward the Princess. “Twilight, just what in Celestia’s name is going on here?”
“Ah’d like to know myself,” said Big Mac. “Princess, what did ya say to Applejack? Is that pony not a changeling? I-is that really our Ma?”
Twilight nodded. “Yes, she is.”
Her response surprised the group, causing them all to gasp.
“But that can’t be,” said Chiffon. “Pear Butter died over ten years ago. How is it that she’s standing here right now?’
“I know it’s hard to believe, but that pony standing there right now is Pear Buttercup Apple,” said Twilight. “And to prove it, I’d like you all to accompany me to Castle Friendship. There, I’ll prove to all of you that this mare standing right here is in fact your longtime friend and mother.”
The group exchanged looks again, unsure what to do. Big Mac and Apple Bloom were left speechless while Cheerilee and Chiffon looked at each other with worry.
“Y’all better go along with Twilight,” Applejack said, surprising her family and friends. “Believe me, all of this seems unreal, but she’s tellin’ the truth.”
Apple Bloom and Big Mac made to protest, but the farmer mare held up a hoof.
“Big Mac, Apple Bloom, Ah promise that Twilight is telling the truth and this pony here is the real deal,” continued Applejack. “Please, jus’ give her a chance. You’ll see. She’ll explain everything. And once she’s done, we can all meet up at Sweet Apple Acres ta catch up and talk.”
Big Mac and Apple Bloom exchanged looks again, unsure how to respond. Then, Big Mac spoke up.
“Alright, sis, Ah’ll believe ya. If what yer sayin’ is true, then Ah’ll be happy to go along with the Princess.”
Applejack smiled. She went up to her brother and gave him a hug. “Thanks, Big Mac. Ah swear to you that what yer seeing now is real deal. Pretty soon we’ll all be a family again.”
Pear Butter blinked. Wait, what? Applejack, what’re you sayin’?
“Ah…. Ah hope so too AJ.” Big Mac glanced up at Pear Butter and gave a worried look. “Ah hope so too.”
He turned around and faced the Princess. “Alright yer highness, Ah’ll follow ya back to yer castle. If yer really tellin’ the truth and Applejack believes in you, then Ah’ll listen.”
“I’ll go too,” said Mrs Cake. “If the Princess and Applejack trust this mare, then I’d like to hear their explanation.”
“Same. I’ll go will everypony too,” replied Cheerilee. “But what about, Apple Bloom? Will she go with us too?”
Cheerilee’s question, however, got Pear Butter riled up.
“Now hold on a sec! Don’t I have a say in—”
“Ah’ll go too,” replied Apple Bloom. “Ah…. Ah’d like to know what’s goin’ on. See if this pony really is my Ma.”
The Princess smiled at the filly. Then replied with a smile on her cheek. “Thank you, Apple Bloom. I promise, by the time our meeting is over, all of your questions will be answered.”
She then glanced over to Pear Butter one more time. “Mrs. Apple, I want you to follow Applejack to Sweet Apple Acres. From there, you can tour around the farm and we’ll all meet you two over there once everything’s been settled down.”
“Now wait jus’ a minute! Don’t I have a say in this?” asked Pear Butter. “I mean, I appreciate y’all are tryin’ to help, but you can’t jus’ make any plans without gettin’ me involved. Can’t I speak to my other kids first before we leave?”
Twilight shook her head. “Sorry, ma’am, but I think it’s best if I’d gather everypony you’ve met today and explained the situation. That way there will be no more confusion and we can all talk on agreeable terms.”
Pear Butter was about to protest, but was immediately held back by her daughter.
“Ma, it’s okay. Twilight’s my best friend, you can leave everything to her,” said Applejack.
“But I came all this way! I jus’ can’t let Big Mac and Apple Bloom walk away like this. There’s so much that I want to talk about!”
“Don’t worry ‘bout it, Ma, you’ll get yer chance,” Applejack replied. “Besides, there’s a pair of ponies that Ah’d like ya to meet at Sweet Apple Acres.”
Pear blinked. “Wait, really? Who are they?”
“You’ll see when we get ta the farm,” said Applejack as she tugged on her mother’s hoof. “Come on, let’s go.
Pear sighed. Oh well. Guess there ain’t no point in protestin’. Especially, when you’re dealing with your daughter and her princess friend.
“Alright, AJ, you win. I’ll follow you were ever you go.”
Applejack smiled. “Yes! Thanks, Ma. Ah promise you’ll talk ta Big Mac n’ Apple Bloom soon. Jus’ follow me ta the farm! There’s a lot of things Ah gotta show ya!”
Pear giggled at her daughter’s bright enthusiasm.
“Of course, dear. Lead the way.”