//------------------------------// // A Lesson to Be Learned // Story: The Family Mare // by OroKinAu //------------------------------// "AJ? AJ?" said an oddly familiar voice. "Huh? What's goin' on?" I groaned as I struggled to wake myself up. Did I oversleep again? That voice did not belong to my brother that is for sure. I slowly opened my eyes, only to quickly close them again once the bright light from outside hit my eyes. "Ugh, what the buck is the time?" I groggily exclaimed, I quickly hid under the bed sheets to shield myself for the bright sun. "It's eight in the morning hun." said the voice. I know that voice sounded familiar, but who does it belong to? Why did this clearly male voice call my 'hun'? I peeked my head from under the covers to find myself in a completely new room and bed. A bed for two ponies. "Huh?" I was confused. "Don't worry AJ, I took care of the mornin' chores, I couldn't bare to disturb you after the great night we had." said the voice again. I looked up only to get the shock of my life, a stallion stood before me by the bed, and this is not just ANY stallion but; "TRENDERHOOF?!" "Uh...yes...that's me." he looked at me like I was crazy or something. Me crazy? That would be the day! To my surprise he was wearing overalls and a straw-hat. He looked like a farm pony despite being a unicorn. "What are ya doin' here at the farm...ah told ya ah don't like ya!" I really had no idea what was going on. "Are you okay AJ?" he looked on with concern. Maybe I AM going crazy. I quickly jumped out of the bed, accidentally knocking off a picture from the nightstand with my tail. "Ah...don't know...what's goin' on?!" confused. I haven't been this confused since I last took mathematics in Elementary school. "Well...it's the day after our wedding anniversary...and-" "WEDDING ANNIVERSARY!" Me? Married to Trenderhoof? How? I never liked him that way! I looked down at the picture I accidentally knocked over. It was a shattered photo of me dressed in a fancy wedding gown cutting a wedding cake with Trenderhoof. "No..." "AJ?" he came up to me with a worried look on his face. Suddenly, the bedroom door bursts open and two foals ran in. "MOMMY! DADDY!" they both yelled as they climbed on the bed and jumped on it. One was a female filly with an orange coat and blond hair, the other was a male colt with Trenderhoof's coat and same blond hair, both were Earth ponies and both had blank flanks. "Macoun! Cortland! No jumping on the bed!" Trenderhoof ordered. "Sorry daddy." they both say in unison as they immediately stopped jumping on the bed. They quickly came up to me and hugged me. "Morning mommy!" "Uh...uh..." I'm their mother?! Since when?! I don't remember EVER getting pregnant. Is this some kind of sick twisted joke? If it is Rainbow Dash is going to get a beating. "Are you going to make pancakes today mommy?" asked Macoun, the filly. "Or is dad going to make his signature omelettes?" asked Cortland, the colt. "Why not both?" chimed in a smiling Trenderhoof to the foals. "REALLY?!" the foals say with eagerness in their voices. "Oh yes, my signature omelettes with all you can eat apple pancakes." "YAY!" and with that, they both zoomed out of the bedroom and straight downstairs. I just stood there completely confused as the stallion just stood before me with a smile on his face. "Last night was amazing as always AJ...so honored to be your loving husband of nine years." he walked up to me and kissed my cheek. I flinched. "Don't ya kiss me!" I yell out as I back away. "Hun?" "Is this some kind of joke!?" I demanded to know some answers...NOW! "AJ?" he looked at me like I was going crazy. "Did Rainbow Dash and Rarity set ya up?!" I asked. "What are you talking a-" Suddenly, the entire world stopped, Trenderhoof frozen mid-sentence. "This is not a prank Applejack." said the last voice I wanted to hear. I looked to see that it was him with a smug look on his face. "Discord! Ah should've known ya had somethin' to do with this! What did ya do!" I angrily snorted. "Oh...just taking this opportunity to show you that there is a lot more to life than just working on the farm all day." Discord said without much care. "What do ya mean?" "AJ...you really need to relax...all you do is work and work and work, putting off a social life outside your friends, missing out on what is important in life." he assured me with an evil smirk. I didn't trust him at all. "And just what IS important in life?" I asked skeptically. "That, you're going to figure out yourself." he chuckled. I stomped my hoof in anger. "BUT WHY TRENDERHOOF! AH DON'T LIKE HIM!" "Maybe not where you came from." Discord laughed. "Anyways, I guess I have to let you go so you can figure out this important lesson you need to learn...if you have any questions, comments or concerns, just say my name three times fast and then do it again but backwards. Bye!" "But-!" Discord snapped his fingers and he disappeared. Time started to move again. "-about?" resumed Trenderhoof with confusion. "Uh..." I shake my head with disbelief. "...sorry, uh, just tired from last night is all..." I nervously told him. Which was kind of true. But not the entire truth. "Ah think ah'll go take a quick shower to wake myself up...be right down." I slowly made my way to the bathroom. To my surprised, despite being in a new room, I was still in the farmhouse at Sweet Apple Acres. "What must ah do?" I asked myself unsure what to do. Should I play along? Or fight it? I am so confused.