At least the day was wearing on as they made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. As the sun got lower, Rainbow felt less like she was going to dry out. She had to be psyching herself out in any case—no way a creature could really be so connected to the water and survive.
Besides, she’d had enough water in her to somehow cut through a wall. There were no other ponies on the road, so no worries about anything happening along the way. Maybe everypony is on their way to Canterlot by now, getting as far away from here as possible. Attack of the Magical Foxes did seem like it could be a sweet new Daring Do book.
“It’s nice out here,” Fluttershy said conversationally, as they passed between the trees up the hill to the farm. “Nicer than in town. More… welcoming.”
“I do like the shade,” Rainbow said. “But I’d like it better if we were just back to normal. How long do you think it takes Twilight to fix us? A few hours? I’ve got Wonderbolt practice coming up in three days, and I don’t think I’d do well at my maneuvers with this.” She lifted her oversized tail over her back for emphasis, though she let it settle behind her quickly.
“They’ll understand,” Fluttershy said. “I wouldn’t be in such a rush. It’s not often ponies get a chance to understand animals the way we are. Even if we are magical animals.”
“I’m with Rainbow,” said one of the kits beside her, Scootaloo’s voice so small that Rainbow Dash almost missed it completely. Apple Bloom was riding Fluttershy’s back, but Scootaloo was too proud for that. Even though they had a bear with them. “The sooner we can fix this, the better. Nopony should be this small.”
“My sister was,” Apple Bloom said. “She didn’t like it much. I thought it was kinda cute. Now I’m… understanding why she felt that way.”
“I think it’s fascinating,” Fluttershy said. “Not that I don’t understand why you’d want to be back to normal. But looking at you… I’ve seen plenty of creatures with complex life cycles before, but not many higher mammals that are so different between their adolescent stage and adulthood. It almost seems like you kits don’t have whatever elemental magic you get when you’re older.” She frowned. “I don’t think parties are an element.”
“Maybe it’s more abstract?” Apple Bloom suggested. “Elements ‘a Harmony aren’t like… fire and water either.”
“Don’t encourage her,” Rainbow said, though there wasn’t any actual anger in it. Only amusement. “She’s having way too much fun.”
“I am,” Fluttershy said firmly. “And I’m not going to let you convince me not to.”
The front gate was shut, but at their size it hardly mattered. They walked under easily, up towards the old farmhouse. Rainbow tensed in anticipation of an attack from Applejack’s dog, or at least some friendly slobbering—but she didn’t come either.
She did keep her eyes open, scanning the field for any sign of Applejack. Despite everything, there was still a chance that the farmpony might have been spared their fate.
But her nose told her a different story. Even as they reached the farmhouse, she could smell something inside, something that made her attentive to it the same way Fluttershy and even the kits did. Applejack hadn’t gotten out of this, and she was here.
Should I feel guilty I’m relieved?
“Now be careful around her family,” Fluttershy said. “Twilight didn’t, um… didn’t want us to spread this. If Pinkie did, there’s a chance that the rest of us can too.”
“Nopony else in town got small like us,” Scootaloo said. “I think we’ll be fine so long as we don’t make promises. Or… sing?”
“I don’t think that’s actually what did it,” Fluttershy said.
But Rainbow wasn’t the kind of pony to wait patiently and think things through—much less so now that she wasn’t a pony at all.
Applejack’s farmhouse didn’t have doors that locked, so all she had to do was reach up and push. Not a unicorn house, so there wasn’t anything to worry about with knobs either.
“Applejack!” she called, glancing around the ground floor. “AJ, we know what happened and we’re here to help!”
A figure appeared from the kitchen, eyes wide as she stared at her.
Granny Smith was wearing an apron, and from the smell of it she’d been cooking something. “What in tarnation is a Vaporeon?” she asked, bad eyes scanning the room for almost five full seconds before she settled on them.
“Granny!” Apple Bloom leapt off Fluttershy’s back, scampering across the ground towards her. She made it all the way to one of her hooves, wrapping her little paws around her.
“Well I’ll be.” Granny Smith looked down, staring at her. “If this ain’t the strangest thing I saw since the zap apple harvest of 81, I just don’t know what is.”
At least the bear didn’t follow them inside.
But Rainbow wasn’t really patient enough to sit through this reunion, however touching it might be. She needed to see that her friend was okay. And some part of her was morbidly curious to see just what she’d become. Would she be adorable, like the little foxes, or more interesting in some other way?
Applejack’s room was at the end of the house, and for the first time Rainbow could remember the door was shut before she got there.
“Hey Apples, friends are here.” She nudged the door with one paw, and it swung only a few inches before it hit something and came to a sudden stop.
“I ain’t in the mood today,” Applejack answered from the other side. “Granny should ‘a sent you away, Rainbow. It ain’t the time.”
She sounded normal to her—but so had Fluttershy. Other creatures might hear them differently, but Rainbow didn’t have a way to experience that herself.
Rainbow braced her hindlegs against the old wood, then shoved with her forelegs as hard as she could. As she expected, Applejack’s dresser was in front of the door—but that wouldn’t stop somepony determined.
It slid forward another foot or so, enough room for her to poke her head inside.
Applejack hadn’t torn her room apart the way Fluttershy had. She sat up in bed, watching angrily. But her anger faded as she finally saw her. “What in tarnation are you?”
“Not a clue,” Rainbow said, sliding the rest of the way through the doorway. It wasn’t quite wide enough, but she was so flexible—just a little pressure, and things worked themselves out, sliding like water under her scales.
She sat on her haunches near the doorway, grinning up at Applejack. “Wait, that’s not true. Granny Smith just said Vaporeon. I guess that’s what I am. I don’t have all the names yet… but it doesn’t matter. Twilight’s gonna fix this.”
“Wait, she knows already?”
Applejack hopped down off her bed, making her way over—and finally Rainbow got a good look at her.
She was bright orange, with so much fluff that she was just begging to be snuggled. She resisted only thanks to the knowledge that Apple Bloom might be following her in at any moment, and that the tiny kit would be able to get in through a half-open door without even trying.
Applejack’s mane and tail didn’t even seem like they’d changed much, just gotten a lot fluffier.
But Applejack was still talking, apparently not as distracted by how Rainbow looked as much as Rainbow was distracted with her. So pretty typical there too. “Don’t tell me you marched through Ponyville looking like that. I bet you’d scare half the town.”
“Didn’t scare anypony until Pinkie…” Then she stopped, trailing off. “Look, it’s not just us two. Fluttershy is out there, and she’s got leaves growing in her hair. Twilight is some kinda cat, Pinkie has these creepy ribbons that move on their own… I’m sure Rarity is all spooky and dark or something.”
“All the Elements, huh?” Applejack sighed. “I was hopin’ it was some kinda bad dream. I’d wake up and… be back to normal. This mornin’ I woke up and right near burned the farmhouse down. All this dry wood around me, just beggin’ for it…”
Her eyes widened, with a pain that few ponies understood. Her brother knew, and Granny Smith. But not many others.
Rainbow did, though. She hurried over, resting her head on Applejack’s shoulder. It didn’t feel quite as nice as when she was a pony, but she could make it work. Even if her friend felt uncomfortably warm. Something told her that she wasn’t in as much danger of burning as Applejack was from her moisture.
“You’d never hurt anypony,” she said. “Don’t even think about it. There aren’t going to be any more fires on the apple farm.”
“I know,” Applejack gasped. Her voice cracked, and she sounded like she might break into tears—but then she cleared her throat, moving away from her. “Is it just us? Anypony else come down with this… weird sickness? Or is it somethin’ to do with the Elements specific-like?”
“Well…” Rainbow turned away. “Why don’t you see for yourself. We split up to get you—every one of us is going back to Twilight’s castle to try and fix this.”
“But you said Twilight was a cat,” Applejack said, following close behind. She shoved sideways against the dresser, leaving dark pawprints in the wood almost like burn marks. But it didn’t actually catch fire, and soon enough she was following her out again. “How is a cat going to put this right, even if she probably is the smartest cat in Equestria?”
“I don’t think she is,” Rainbow said. “But Starlight Glimmer is pretty smart too, right? She almost ended the whole world that one time, so she can probably fix a few foxes. Or maybe Princess Celestia has to do it.” She shrugged. “Some smart pony will fix things. They always do.”
Applejack followed her out into the hallway, all the way back to the kitchen.
They weren’t even halfway there when a set of little paws skittered along the ground past Rainbow, so fast she barely even saw the little blur of brown fur. “Sis, it got you too! I knew I should’a checked on you this mornin’. I’m sorry I kept goin’ to school!”
Applejack stopped dead in the hall, embracing Apple Bloom much more easily than Granny Smith had. But if Apple Bloom seemed uncomfortable with how warm Applejack was, she didn’t show it.
“Hold on.” Applejack pushed her a few inches away, looking down and meeting her eyes. “I know your friends go to that school, but you ain’t that dedicated. You got… blasted by the same magic as the Elements, and you went to school anyway? On those little hooves? Did you have to run all mornin’ to get there?”
“No,” Apple Bloom said. “I was a pony until a little while ago, when Pinkie Pie changed us.”
The air in the little farmhouse seemed suddenly hot—the way it had felt outside in direct sunlight, during the height of noonday. But nothing near her actually burned.
“Pinkie’s done some mighty strange things…” Applejack began. “But are you actually sayin’ she did this on purpose?”
“I… think so?” Apple Bloom tilted her head to one side. “It’s kinda hard to tell why Pinkie Pie does everything, even if she was a fox. But there was this whole song, and some promises, and… my friends and I are small now. I’m sorry I wasn’t nicer to you when you were small!”
Applejack patted her on the head with a paw, shoving past her to Rainbow. “You didn’t say anythin’ about mah sis.”
“I said you had to see for yourself!” Rainbow argued. “I didn’t lie! I just thought it would be better to get it over with all at once.”
Applejack wavered for a moment, before nodding curtly. She glanced briefly at the kitchen, where Granny Smith still sat, watching them. The old pony didn’t seem to be able to understand a word of what they were saying, but maybe she didn’t care.
“Granny, I’m goin’ into town,” Applejack said. “I’ve got to talk to Pinkie. I can’t wait to hear her explanation for what she did to Apple Bloom. It better be apple-buckin’ fantastic.”