After the long night had passed Twilight woke in her crib. It was her second day in this new reality and she still wasn’t used to her new foal body, mostly her need of diapers. The alicorn looking through the wooden bars saw her new ‘mother’ still sleeping. The foal side of her mind trailed off towards the toys in her crib, especially towards her foal counterpart’s favourite Appee. Holding the red pony doll Twilight, despite not having any memory of it, felt a certain happiness while embracing it.
Soon enough Applejack sat up in her bed and glanced towards the crib seeing her ‘daughter’ awake playing with the toys in her crib. Twilight’s foal side obviously having took over her adult consciousness, “Good Mornin’.” Applejack greeted.
Twilight looked up at the orange earth pony looking down on her, smiling. The alicorn smiled back, “Mowning.”
The earth pony picked the foal out of the crib. After giving Twilight a fresh, clean diaper, she sat on her bed again with Twilight in her hooves. “What should we be doin’ today Twi?”
“We shouwd wook awound some mowe.” Twilight said, “We didn’t weawwy wook awound my castwe.”
Applejack nodded, “Yeah, guess we did just go around town.”
Later
The two were able to find their way around the castle. It hadn’t changed much, other than foal toys and some of Applejack’s belongings scattered around some places. Then they reached the library. What they saw shocked them.
The circle from the spell’s ritual was still on the floor as if nothing had changed, “It’s still here?!”
Twilight flapped her wings getting out of the older pony’s grasp. Flying around she saw it was still fully intact. Looking at the bookshelves she did find some of her magic, history and other books but there were also a lot that weren’t there before. They were for young foals like she was now.
Applejack began looking around the room herself and found a small stack of old parchment. She picked it up and called Twilight over, “Twilight what’s this?”
The little alicorn turned around, she could tell what it was, “Da Speww!”
“So, it’s still here?” Applejack questioned.
Twilight flapped her wings flying over and sitting on the small table in the library, “Wet me see it.”
The older pony set the papers in front of the foal. Twilight slid the pages across the table looking on the front and back of each page for any sign of a counter spell that she may have forgotten about but found nothing. All she found were just some lines on the back of the last page.
“Anythin’?” Applejack pressed.
Twilight shook her head expressing as much frustration as her face could which wasn’t much and just looked like a cute cranky foal, “No noting! Jus.... six wittle tiwcks on da back.”
“Six?” The earth pony tilted her head picking the paper up. She saw the alicorn was correct. There were six small ticks on the paper, four with a fifth going through them and a sixth beside them. “It’s almost like somepony was countin’ somethin’.”
Twilight closed her eyes, “Counting something? What could it be counting?”
The two kept thinking when Twilights’s tiny stomach gave a low growl. The alicorn blushed looking up at the mare with a sheepish smile.
The earth pony chuckled picking the little alicorn up into her hooves, “Let’s get ya some breakfast. Then get back to our little investigation.”
Twilight sighed, “Ok.”
As Applejack walked away she barely caught the sight of the foal gripping the papers in her magic obviously intending to keep the spell in her sight. The earth pony continued walking to the kitchen. “Abbajack?”
The older pony looked down at the foal in her grip, “Yes?”
“I’m wowwied about Stawwlight.” Twilight said, “It’s wike she disappeawed into tin air.”
“Ah’m sure she’s fine. Maybe she has a different life now like us.” Applejack assured.
Twilight perked back up, “M-maybe. But we might nevew find hew. Equestwia is huge. She could hav been bown in a diffewent town or maybe not in the countwy at aww, if-if-“
Applejack placed a hoof on the foal before Twilight could say what the earth pony knew she was going to say. “Calm down Sugarcube. Let’s not get too riled up. We can’t find her and Sunburst if we’re so negative.”
Twilight took a quick breath, “Wight.”
Upon reaching the kitchen Applejack placed Twilight in the high chair, again getting a slight grumble from the alicorn. “Nopony ewse is hewe. Can’ I jus’ sit nowmawy.”
“Yer a bit to small fer that Sugarcube. It’s either in the high chair, in my hooves or on the table.”
“I’w sit hewe.” Twilight said begrudgingly.
The earth pony chuckled, “Well since that’s settled. Let’s get some food in ya.”
While Applejack fed her the mushy food by the spoonful, Twilight glanced at the scroll, her mind racing as to where Starlight and Sunburst could be. Sunburst didn’t seem to be in the Crystal Empire and Starlight wasn’t in Ponyville. So where could either of them be? The little alicorn thought of every place that held meaning to the two ponies. She knew one last place that came to mind, Sire’s Hollow, their birth place.
“I gow wit!” Twilight said forgetting she had food in her mouth which caused it to fly out and splatter on Applejack’s face. The foal awkwardly chuckled, “Sowwy.”
After wiping the mush off, the older pony asked, “So what’s yer big revelation?”
Twilight continued, “If Stawwight and Sunbuwst awen’ in Ponyviwwe or da Cwystaw Empiwe dey couwd be in Siwe’s Howwow!”
“Sire’s Hollow? Well, it’s the only place we know where either of them could be. But remember how different our lives are. They could live on the other end of Equestria in this reality.” Applejack reminded the foal.
Twilight nodded knowing full well that was true, but like Applejack said it’s the only place they knew the two could be.
After eating, the pair soon left. Applejack made sure to bring to a bag with a few fresh diapers, foal powder and bottles for Twilight. Keeping the alicorn in a foal carrier on one side and the bag on the other, Applejack left the castle overlooking the vast orchard. “So ya ready for our little trip?”
“Yeah hopefuwwy dis wiww get tings back to nowmaw.” Twilight replied.
Later
After getting on the train Applejack was almost immediately swarmed by ponies fawning over the little princess she was carrying. On the long ride foals just kept wanting to play with Twilight and their parents were talking with Applejack preventing the two from talking completely about what their plan would be when they reached their destination.
After reaching the station the earth pony stepped on the platform near the small village. Walking over to the gate Applejack looked around, “Well doesn’t look like anything’s changed here.”
“Doesn’ WOOK wike it.” Twilight emphasized, “But oder dan da castle Ponyviwwe didn’ change.”
Applejack sighed, “Yeah, Yer right. Hopefully we can find Starlight or Sunburst.”
“And dey wemembew us.” Twilight added.
The earth pony began walking as Twilight looked around for any sign of her friend and former student.
Applejack was more paying attention to where she was walking but still tried to look around for the either the mare or stallion.
“Oh, welcome to Sire’s Hollow!” a voice greeted.
Applejack turned to see a mare she met a few times, Sunburst’s mother Stellar Flare.
“Oh you’re Ms. Applejack, mother of Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The older mare then noticed the little alicorn in a foal carrier, “And you brought the regale cutie herself. What brings you to our humble little town?”
Applejack paused. The unicorn acted like it was the first time they’d met. “Oh. Ah. Ah just came cause a friend of mine lives here. Ah haven’t seen her for a while.”
Stellar smiled, “Oh well that’s wonderful. I hope you two can catchup.”
The earth pony nodded. Turning away she heard the mare sigh with a saddened tone. “Is somethin’ wrong?” Applejack asked the older mare.
“Oh! No, it’s nothing.” The mare glanced at the foal who stared back at her. “I have somewhere to be.”
Before the younger mare could even say a word the unicorn hurriedly left. Twilight saw her turn a corner losing sight of her as she disappeared behind the wall of a building.
“Where’d she go, Twi?”
Twilight shrugged not seeing where the mare had gone.
“Well let’s see if we can find Starlight. With how she’s actin’ who knows where Sunburst is.” Applejack turned around, “Do ya remember where she lived?”
Twilight paused a moment and pointed ahead. The earth pony resumed their trek to find their friend despite a few ponies who stopped them to see Twilight. The alicorn internally shouted, “I can’t take this much longer.”. Then one idea came to mind that she hadn’t thought of before, if they stayed in this reality longer than they hoped. “Please do NOT make me go through puberty AGAIN!”
Applejack eventually got the ponies to leave and the two found Starlight’s old home. The earth pony knocked on the door
She tried again after not getting a response. “I’ll be right there!” a male voice called.
Twilight closed her eyes remembering the voice as Starlight’s father, “Please still be living here. Please still be living here.”
Applejack completely unknowingly was thinking the same thing as the foal. The minute it took for the door to open felt more like an hour.
The door opened as the ‘mother’ and ‘daughter’ held their breath. In a few seconds the opened door revealed a unicorn stallion, Starlight’s father Firelight.
The stallion greeted, “Hello, I wasn’t expecting anyone to visit.” Firelight exclaimed, “Oh! Ms. Applejack and Princess Twilight.“
Applejack smiled, “Yeah, Does anypony else life here? Ah remember a friend of mine livin’ here.”
The stallion shook his head, “No, nopony else lives here. I do know where everypony lives though. I could help you find your friend.”
Applejack thought about what the stallion said before she headed Twilight try to get her attention. The alicorn pointed to her diaper. Taking her out of the foal carrier patting her diaper Applejack realized she needed a change, “Sure. Do ya know somewhere Ah can get this one into a new diaper.”
“You can change her in here.” Firelight offered.
“Um. Ok.” Applejack accepted
The stallion slid back inside holding the door open for the younger pony.
While she was carried through the halls Twilight looked around seeing multiple pictures of Starlight as a foal with her father. Twilight let out a sigh of relief knowing Starlight still existed in this reality, “We just need to find her. Maybe Firelight will know.“
Firelight motioned his hoof towards a door, “You can use the bathroom.”
“Ok thanks.” Applejack nodded.
The earth pony entered softly placing Twilight on the fairly large counter.
Twilight blushed, “I hate weawing a diapew. Sowwy you have to put up with dis.”
Applejack smiled, “Don’t worry about it. Ah ain’t exactly thrilled about changin’ diapers after Apple Bloom was potty trained but Ah’m fine with it.”
“We at weast know Stawwight was hewe once.” Twilight explained, “Maybe ask Fiwewight.”
“But what would Ah even ask?” Applejack questioned.
Twilight thought for a moment before answering, “Twy asking as anothew pawent?”
“Another parent?”
Twilight nodded, “Yea twy saying how you notwiced the pictuwes and wewe cuwious about dem.”
Applejack nodded as she wrapped a fresh diaper around the alicorn foal.
The earth pony carried the foal out of the bathroom meeting the stallion and together they sat down in what seemed to be a Living Room, “Thanks fer lettin’ me do that.”
“No problem. Now who were you looking for?” Firelight asked.
Applejack paused. She knew she had to blend in so she thought about how she would answer this question, “She’s a unicorn. Her name is Starlight.”
“Starlight.” Firelight said distantly, “That’s a really nice name it’s actually my daughter’s name.”
“You’re daughter?” Applejack feigned ignorance.
The stallion nodded, “She was a very energetic filly. I don’t remember anypony else with the same first name as her ever living here.”
Applejack paused, “Maybe Ah was mistaken. Ah could have sworn she lived here.”
Firelight nodded, “Sorry I couldn’t help you much.”
“It’s fine. Ah’m a little curious about yer daughter. Does she still live anywhere around here or has she moved outta town? Ah don’t see any pictures of her as a mare.” Applejack examined.
Firelight seemed to choke slightly, “No. She doesn’t live here anymore.”
Applejack nodded letting the stallion continue. Only to see a tear run down his cheek.
“Why..... Starlight.” Firelight spoke without looking up almost like he was in thought.
Applejack tried to speak up but saw the older pony levitate a plaque towards himself that was hanging in the wall. He seemed to stare at it, glancing between it and Twilight.
“Is somethin’ wrong sir?” Applejack asked.
“I’m sure as a mother, you know how important a foal is to their parent.”
Applejack paused for just a moment before nodding in response.
Firelight could barely even speak his next words, only turning the picture around. Applejack first saw the picture of a smiling filly that she recognized as Starlight but then she saw the text beneath the image. It caused her heart to drop. Starlight Glimmer, Age: 8 1085-1093. You will be forever missed.
Twilight needed to read it over several times but could not let herself believe it. Firelight levitated the plaque back over to the wall. “It was years ago. She and her friend, a colt named Sunburst were at the old library. But something went wrong with an oil lamp and the building caught fire. They must have been so scared they could barely move..... somepony went in to rescue them but a shelf fell and trapped all three of them. The fire was eventually was put out but it was too late.“ the stallion finished breaking down completely.
Applejack thought about what she could or should do next but then her thoughts were interrupted by Twilight screaming at the top of her lungs.
The stallion quickly looked up upon hearing the loud wail. It was a foal’s cry louder than any he’d ever heard, “Wh-what’s wrong. She sounds so upset. How can a foal make such a loud sound?”
“It’s just a thing alicorns can do. Ah think Ah’ll be leavin’ thanks again fer lettin’ me in and Ah’m sorry fer what happened.”
“Thank you.”
After leaving Applejack just took a seat next to the fountain rubbing Twilight’s back trying to calm her down. “Sh-Shh. I-it’s a-alright.” All her attempts were futile and she soon found herself tearing up.
After nearly an hour Twilight’s tears had stopped but she still sobbed for a good few minutes. Many ponies had come by asking if something was seriously wrong. Applejack replied to everyone that everything was alright and that Twilight was just having a cranky day or that she had tripped and scrapped her knee or any other excuse for a foal to be crying.
After Twilight had calmed down the earth pony just continued her journey to the train station. It wasn’t too long before the next train came. Once it got there the two remained completely silent the entire ride home, neither making a sound other than an occasional sniff or quiet sob from the alicorn.
“How are we going to fix this now?” Twilight internally lamented, “Maybe we should try and look at the spell again.”
Once the train arrived in Ponyville Applejack stepped out of the car, “So we’re just goin’ back to the castle?”
Twilight nodded, “I wan’ to wook at daw speww again. We had to have missed someting.”
[Later]
Twilight sternly looked down at the parchment scanning for she could have missed, “Theres nothing! I don’t even know who created this so I can’t even look through their other spells for some pattern I don’t know about!“
“Anythin’?” Applejack asked simply.
“No just those tiwcks.” Twilight replied, “Could it be the ink is worn out? No if it was why would the spell still be legible? Was it rewritten? Wait could be.....“
Applejack looked down trying to hide her growing smirk. It was still amusing to see a foal thinking so deeply.
“Disappeawing wink?” Twilight questioned herself.
The earth pony straightened up not fully understanding what the foal had said and taking a moment she realized the foal had said, ‘Disappeawing ink’
Twilight tried to light her horn. Magic fizzled from the foal’s head. The light flashed on and off as she attempted to cast a spell to reveal any message on the back of the parchment. Only she found herself unable to control her magic well enough sending a small blast by mistake. Applejack ducked, the blast slightly singeing her mane while barely missing her face.
“What was that about?!” Applejack nearly screamed
“I didn’ mean to! I was jus twying to uncovew the wink!” Twilight defended.
“Well maybe don’t use magic while we’re here.”
A Twilight confused replied, “But wif I stiww fixed Stawswiww’s speww, I had to have used magic to wwite it.”
Applejack paused, “Maybe, but didn’t ya say levitation is really simple. Maybe ya can’t control yer magic enough fer anyin’ more advanced?”
The alicorn slumped into her high chair. ”I can’t do anything anymore!” she thought, “Ok I guess youw wight. But how ewse can we uncovew the wink?”
Applejack thought for a brief moment this wasn’t exactly that something she was knowledgeable about, “Well Ah don’t know anythin’ that would work.”
Twilight tried to wrack her brain for any memory of a way to reveal the ink. Magic was frequently used to uncover secret messages but there were other ways to uncover invisible ink. “The only ting I can tink of is heat.”
“Heat? How does that work?” Applejack questioned.
Twilight tapped her hoof in thought, “It’s a wittwe compwicated but to put it simpwy the heat wiww tuwn da papew gowden bwown but where da wink is won’ be as affected. At weast it shouwd with how owd dis speww is. The wink could be too aged to do dat.”
“Well, it’s worth a try.”
Twilight looked down at the parchment. Her attempt to use magic to reveal the message failed before an effect was even visible. So that wasn’t a real option unless they waited a few years for her to be able her magic. The alicorn nodded acknowledging the earth pony’s statement.
Applejack walked over to the stove turning an element on and waiting for the heat to build up. Twilight levitated the paper over the element, letting it warm up. The mare and foal watched as the paper seemed to distort, slowly revealing a faded message. The lines of the letters were slightly disconnected having worn away from age but it was still legible.
After a few minutes the two read the message when enough was revealed.
“My name is Orion Swirl. This is my spell. I created it hoping to make my land more even peaceful. I cast it with two others and suddenly woke up in a completely different house and that was the least of my changes. My family was changed, even order of events changed.”
Twilight turned to Applejack as the two continued reading the old message.
“I thought the change would be good. But I was heartbroken when I learned my old family had completely forgotten me. I found that only ponies closest to the spell as it was cast remembered the previous reality. I tried to get back to my original timeline but after six attempts none of the realities were close. I keep living different lives and have been placed in many different times in life in each reality. This will be my seventh attempt I can’t, I won’t stop until I can at least get my old family back. Once I do, I will destroy this spell immediately..”
The ponies looked down at the barely visible last line, just repeating two words.
“DON’T FORGET.”
Twilight kept reading it over and over again in her head, “But if he found his family why would he not have destroyed this spell. Could he not find it?”
Applejack paused before the painful truth of what happened to Starlight came to mind, “D-Do ya think he.....?”
Twilight froze. The earth pony didn’t have to say another word she knew exactly what Applejack was implying, “Y-you tink he died?”
Applejack could only shrug, “If he did it seven times, he definitely wanted his family back and definitely wanted to get rid of this thing. Ah can’t think of anythin’ else expect him bein’ erased from existence or somethin’. Is that even possible?”
“I don’ know. So many tings awe diffewent fow us and so many tings couwd have changed dat it couwd have happened.” Twilight replied, “But wit how many ponies thewe have been in Equestwia’s wecowded histowy it wouwd be impossibwe to know. We’d need a wist of evewypony bwon in both weawities!”
“Yeah, even then it’d be so much work. You’d have grown into a mare in this reality by the time we finished.” Applejack placed her hoof on the side of her head.
Twilight nodded realizing how hard it was going to be to find their old reality with the only other two ponies who knew about it being gone. The pain of losing her family resurfaced. Looking up at the mare who was her new mother she asked, “How did you deaw wit it?”
“Huh? What do ya mean deal with it? Ah’m just as confused as you with this.”
Twilight shook her head before replying with a slight tremble in her voice, “H-how did you deaw wit w-wosing y-youw- y-youw-.” The alicorn choked unable to finish the question.
It took Applejack a moment to realize what the alicorn foal was attempting to ask, “M-mah parents?”
Twilight shakily nodded, “I-I know it’s diffewent d-den dem dying. Dey’re stiww awive but Dey definitewy don’ wemembew Dey had a daughtew. Shining doesn’ wemembew he had a wittwe sistew unwess somepony ewse was bown in my pwace.”
“Is that even-“ Applejack started before realizing what she was about to say and the situation they were in. “Never mind it’s possible.”
“So how did you?” Twilight pressed.
Applejack sighed, “It took awhile even when you and Spike first came to Ponyville. Ah admit Ah was still healin’ from it. Ah was older than ya think, lookin’ into their room after wakin’ up every night, hopin’ they’d be back and everythin’ was jus’ a horrible nightmare.” The earth pony explained, “But what really made me move forward and get mahself past it was Apple Bloom. She was too young to understand why Ma and Dad weren’t around. Ah needed to be strong, not just fer me but even more for her.”
Twilight sighed she didn’t have anyone else to be strong for she was alone in losing her family no one else had lost anyone, at least that remembered their old lives so she could only be strong for herself.
“So what do we do now?” Applejack questioned, “Unless Somepony else was at yer castle that we’re not rememberin’ we can’t find Spike and Starlight and Sunburst are-.” The earth pony shook her head, “Ah can’t use magic like you so Ah can’t do anythin’.”
Twilight shook her head and in a defeated tone responded, “Dere’s nopony ewse. We can’ ask anypony because dey’ll tink you’re cwazy!”
“So what will we do. Wait years just to try and get our reality back? We could just end up with you as a foal all over again or worse.” Applejack added, “Doesn’t sound like a good plan but do we really have a choice.”
Twilight looked down at the spell, “I was so excited to try a spell that could have been a great rediscovery. But if only I knew what would happen. I almost wish I was a normal foal only remembering basic voices and faces. Remembering everything I used to have and knowing it’s next to impossible to get it back. Who knows if the seven attempts this Orion Swirl made are the only times this spell has changed reality. There could have been countless others.”
Applejack let the alicorn think for a few minutes before speaking up, “So what do you want to do?”
Twilight kept looking down while responding, “I can’t cast dis speww by mysewf. But even when we can cast it we wouwd need two oder unicowns jus’ as powewfuw as Stawwight and Sunbuwst. But is dat wowth da wisk? We couwd jus’ end up back at square one. Who knows whewe we’d be. We could end up sepawated or wowse we couwd bot’ be-be-.”
Applejack placed a hoof on the foal’s head attempting to calm her down.
Twilight felt her eyes start to water, her foal mind not being able to handle the strong surge of emotions she was experiencing. Her adult consciousness trying to find some logic in the situation was the only thing holding her back from completely breaking down.
“Just breathe in and out like-“ Applejack started, realizing she was just about to mention Cadance and knowing she it was far from ideal to bring her up at this moment, she changed the next part of her statement, “like you always do.”
Twilight sniffled and a shiver showed just how much she was trying to hold back tears, “I-I’m not dat obwivious I-I know you wewe going to say wike Cadance towd me to.”
“S-sorry Ah didn’t mean to rub salt in yer wounds.”
“I-it’s fine Abbajack I’ww deaw wit’ it. Dere’s onwy one ting we can do.” Twilight replied, “No matter how painful it’s going to be.”, the alicorn thought before looking up a very noticeable pain in her eyes.
“T-Twilight?” the orange mare asked with an equally strong concern
“W-we need to pwevent anyting wowse fwom h-happening.” Twilight looked up at the mare, “S-so dere’s onwy one way to do dat.”
“And that’s......?”
[Later]
Twilight stared into the fireplace, the wood stacked with the spell alongside to act as kindling.
Applejack paused, “Are ya sure ya want to do this? Ya said there’s no turning back without the spell.”
Twilight nervously nodded, “It’s going to be next to impossible to have even a close semblance of our old lives back and too it’s risky to try.”
Applejack nodded in understanding before she lit a match and carefully threw it into the pile in the hearth, then carefully walking back to the foal, sitting a few feet from the slowly growing fire.
Twilight watched as the spell darkened as the paper burned, up as the fire grew larger. Soon the parchment was completely black. It quickly disappeared into the blaze.
That was that. The spell was destroyed no chance of being repaired and recast.
“So that’s it then?” Applejack asked.
Twilight nodded keeping her eyes closed knowing full well what her decision really meant. Reality would be forever changed. She would always be Applejack’s daughter. She’d have to live her life as Twilight Sparkle Apple. Now the question was how should she feel about it? Could she really make the emotions of her foal mind her own? Could they be a real mother and daughter?