//------------------------------// // A Little Gender Confusion // Story: The Mystery of a New World // by Fanthrose //------------------------------// Chapter 24 Thanks to her internal clock, Ditzy had woken up early like she does every day. She rolled around in the bed in a vain attempt to get comfortable once again. After trying for ten minutes she decided to just bite the bullet and ‘welcome’ the day. She uncovered herself, rolled to the side of the bed, and proceeded to plop down onto the floor with a resounding thud. “Why can’t I move my legs?” she grumbled. She finally decided to open her eyes. She looked around to see that she was in the same room she stayed in when they were in Canterlot. “Oh…right.” After a minute of trying to get her very sore legs to cooperate with the rest of her body, she finally managed to get to her hooves. She saw it was 6:24 in the morning as she stared at the clock. She eventually managed to stumble her way to the door. As she was about to open the door, the sound of somepony knocking on her door rang through her ears. She slowly opened the door to find Proper Manners standing there; a smile on his face, and a note floating next to him in his magic. “Good morning Ms. Doo. I trust you slept well?” “About as well as one can sleep after lugging a giant box halfway across Equestria. How can you even feel alive this early in the day?” asked the envious pegasus. “It is my duty to awaken with the Princess so that I may aid her in any way that I can, and right now that means passing on this message.” He hovered the note in front of Ditzy. “After you arrived the Princess requested that we send word to your place of employment. The messenger we had sent returned with a message from Mr. Brown thanking you for a job well done; along with allowing you to take the day off to recover after the long and arduous trip.” He folded the note and placed it on the table near the door. It annoyed Ditzy a little bit because she wasn’t done reading it. Not that it mattered anyway. She could barely make out the words in her exhausted state and hadn’t even finished the first sentence before forgetting what she had just read. “You are more than welcome to stay for as long as you require.” Ditzy tried, and failed to hold back a big yawn. ‘I can’t stay. I need to get back home to Dinky,’ she thought to herself. She watched Proper Manners nod and start to walk away. “Umm, excuse me. Could I ask you a question?” “Of course Ms. Doo. What would you like to know?” “What was in that box anyway?” Proper Manners smiled again. “A few days ago Princess Luna found a baby anteater in the gardens. She loved it so much she decided to make it her new pet. She named it Noodle; adorable little thing if I do say so myself. She’s making sure Sir Noodle has everything he needs to be happy, and thanks to your delivery last night he now has the most luxurious pet bed money can buy.” “Pet…bed?” Ditzy asked; hoping she had just heard him wrong. She now realized that fate must hate her as she saw him nod. She said nothing. For almost an entire minute she just stared awkwardly at Proper Manners. Then she started laughing. The laughter quickly elevated to near hysterical levels before subtly turning into crying as she curled into a ball. ******************** It was almost nine by the time Ditzy got home. Clearly too exhausted to fly all the way back Celestia had sent her home in a carriage. Ditzy was grateful that she didn’t have to fly home. She was also grateful that they had sent her away with a big thermos of freshly brewed coffee. Since she was done with the coffee she left the thermos in the carriage when she got out. She walked into the house with a smile. “It feels good to be home.” As she got closer to the living room, she heard the sound of the TV. It was just loud enough to get her attention. She poked her head in and smiled when she saw that AJ was still sleeping, but that wasn’t why she was smiling. At some point AJ had uncurled, rolled onto his side, and was now hugging Dinky to his chest. Dinky was instinctively nuzzling up to him as she slept; the smile still on her face. Ditzy was about turn and head into the kitchen when she heard the toilet flushing in the bathroom followed by the faucet being turned on. A few seconds later Apple Bloom exited the room; eyes closed and a smile on her face. “Apple Bloom?” Apple Bloom opened her eyes to see Ditzy standing there. “Hi Ditzy Doo.” As she heard the voices, Dinky started to wake up. “Hmm?” Dinky rubbed her eyes with her legs before opening them. The first thing she saw was the legs wrapped around her. She followed them to AJ and smiled; hugging him back. Ditzy noticed the movement and turned her head. “Morning my little muffin.” Hearing her mother’s voice, Dinky squeaked in happiness and squirmed out of AJ’s legs. “Mommy’s home!” “What’s home now?” AJ asked as he pushed himself up. Dinky’s squeak of happiness had woken him up. He let out a big yawn before stretching his limbs. When he opened his eyes he noticed that his world was one big blur. “Where are my glasses? I don’t remember taking them off last night.” “I believe you’re looking for these?” came a familiar voice from behind him. AJ turned to see Ditzy leaning over and place his glasses on his head. With his vision clear once more, he smiled with a slight blush. “Thanks.” Looking around the room again he saw Apple Bloom standing there. “Wasn’t Big Mac going to pick you up last night?” Apple Bloom shrugged her shoulders. “Ah don’t know. He did leave a note fer ya.” She said as she pointed to the notebook in front of him. AJ looked down at the note and quickly skimmed it; ending with an ‘ah.’ He turned to Ditzy. “Sorry about Apple Bloom. She had nothing to do yesterday so they brought her over here with me." Ditzy giggled. “It’s no trouble at all.” Smiling, AJ turned to the clock. “Oh crap! Apple Bloom, we gotta go.” “Can’t you stay a little longer?” Dinky asked with big, puppy dog eyes. That look. Not only did AJ feel his heart break at the mere sight of it, he was pretty sure he heard an audible cracking noise to go along with it. He had just found something more powerful than the CMC Special. He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Sorry Dinky. I have to get back to the farm for work, and I’m sure they’re wondering where Apple Bloom is too.” Dinky pouted. “Okay.” She jumped up and gave AJ another hug. “Thank you for playing with me.” AJ smiled and hugged her back. Ditzy giggled to herself. “So everything went well then?” AJ let Dinky back onto the floor. “Oh yea, she was the perfect little angel.” Dinky smiled up at her mom. “Well, we should get going. Come on Apple Bloom.” Apple Bloom picked up the notebook and stuck it in her bags before catching up with AJ at the door. “I’ll see you two later.” Ditzy and Dinky waved goodbye as they watched the two of them leave. When the door closed Ditzy looked down to Dinky. “Why don’t you go take a bath while I get some breakfast ready.” “Okay mommy.” Dinky hopped over to the stairs, stopping halfway there. “Mommy?” “Yes?” Ditzy asked as she turned her head, still walking to the kitchen. “Can AJ be my new daddy?” Stunned by what she was just asked, Ditzy tripped over her own hooves and fell onto her face. ‘I guess that went a little TOO well,’ she thought to herself. ******************** “Alright, that’s th’ last one,” Applejack said as she placed one last bucket onto the cart. Big Mac was ready to make the next trip to unload at the barn. “Ah’ll meet’cha in th’ north fields then.” “Eeyup.” As Applejack walked to the north field, she saw some ponies coming down the path to the farm. She smiled when she saw who it was. “Yer a little late!” she yelled to AJ as he got closer. “Sorry for sleeping in,” AJ said with a laugh. “Ditzy just got home not too long ago so it’s not like I could have left anyway.” “Don’t worry, Ah understand. So, did y’all eat yet?” AJ shook his head. “Nope. We were late enough getting home as it was.” Applejack smiled. “Well, there’s more than enough leftovers ta go around. Go get somethin’ ta eat before ya start.” “Sounds good to me. Where are we working today?” “Th’ north field. Come find me when yer ready,” Applejack said; motioning with her head. “Right. See you then.” ******************** “So, did Applejack forgive you for being late yesterday?” asked Ditzy. They were both done with work so they decided to go to Sugarcube Corner for some lunch. Sparkler had Dinky for the day. She was going to the fair for the day and invited Dinky to go with her. “Yea, she was fine with it. She said as long as I don’t make a habit of it she doesn’t mind.” AJ gave a slight sigh. “As long as Big Mac’s there to wake me up I don’t think we’ll have much of a problem though.” Ditzy let out a sigh of relief. “Well that’s good. I’d hate for you to lose your job because of me.” “Well, this is Applejack we’re talking about. If it got too bad, she’d probably just pull me aside and give me a stern talking to. Or at least I HOPE that’s as far as it would go. She’s scary when she gets angry.” “Oh come on. I’m sure she’s not that bad.” AJ stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes suddenly became distant. “You haven’t been on the receiving end of an angry Applejack before.” “Is it really that bad?” Ditzy asked. AJ started rubbing the left side of his head. “You don’t know the half of it.” It wasn’t much longer before they got to Sugarcube Corner. When they walked in they were greeted by Mrs. Cake. At the moment she was wiping down some tables. “Oh hello you two.” “Hello Mrs. Cake. How are you today?” asked Ditzy. “A little tired. Pound and Pumpkin didn’t want to go to sleep last night. Carrot’s upstairs feeding them right now before their nap.” She stopped what she was doing and walked behind the counter. “So, what can I get you two?” The two of them looked through the display case. “Hmm, I think I’ll take…” “Oh, oh, I know what you should take!” Pinkie shouted from the kitchen interrupting AJ. She came out of the kitchen with some cake balanced on her back, and a kettle with two cups on her head. Mrs. Cake stared at Pinkie with a questioning look. “Pinkie, what’s that?” “It’s tea cake!” Pinkie said with a big smile. “I thought I should try my hoof at something new!” When she got to a table she bucked her hips; sending the plate full of tea cake flying into the air, and landing perfectly on the table. She then did the same thing to the kettle on her head. “And I assume that’s some tea then?” Ditzy asked pointing at the kettle. “Mmhm! It’s a special blend that’s supposedly really yummy! You two should try it!” AJ and Ditzy looked at each other. “Well, what do you say Ditzy? Do we eat cake?” “Sure why not. It never hurts to try something new.” “YAY!!!” AJ and Ditzy sat down at the table the cake was sitting at. Pinkie poured the two of them some tea. AJ and Ditzy grabbed up some cake and started digging in. ******************** Big Mac let out a yawn as he walked across the hall. Today was going to be a good day. The weather reports called for a light cloud cover today. The extra shade is going to make bucking all the more enjoyable. He knocked on AJ’s door, and poked his head in. “Time ta wake up.” As he looked at the bed, the only thing he saw was a bit of brown mane sticking out from the covers. AJ grumbled something incomprehensible letting Big Mac know he was awake. Happy, Big Mac closed the door again. AJ was feeling sore and exhausted. He didn’t even know why. He didn’t overdo it yesterday, so why was he feeling this crappy. He tried to levitate his glasses, but was just feeling too weak right now. So he had to fumble with his glasses until he finally worked them on to his head. He slowly got out of bed. As his hooves got to the floor, he noted that the bed felt like it was a bit higher off the floor than usual. He just figured it was just because he was feeling out of it right now. “Oh, this is going to be a FUN…” He stopped mid sentence. Something wasn’t right. “Is my voice…” He threw his hooves to his mouth. “What’s wrong with my voice?!” His voice sounded much lighter in tone. He sat down and looked around the room. He stopped dead when his eyes locked onto the mirror. His eyes grew wide. ******************** Applejack walked out of the room with a smile on her face. “T’day’s goin’ ta be a great day ta buck!” Big Mac nodded. “Eeyup.” The two of them went to go wake up Apple Bloom until. “EEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!” Applejack looked at Big Mac, and then to AJ’s room. “Ah swear, if there’s another spider in there…” Applejack slowly walked to the door and started opening it. As soon as she cracked it open, she felt something slam into the other side; holding it closed. “AJ? Everythin’ alright in there?” There was silence for a minute. “Sugarcu…” “Yup, everything’s fine, nothing’s wrong in here. Nothing at all. Go away now…please?” came a voice from the other side of the door. Applejack looked at Big Mac again. “Uhh sugarcube? Are you alright? Ya sound kinda strange. Do ya got a cold’r somethin'?” “YES, uh I mean yes, a cold, that’s it.” The sound of obviously fake coughing could be heard from the other side of the door. “Oh, it looks like I’ll have to stay in here for, oh I don’t know, the rest of my life. Don’t want to get anypony else sick, now do we.” More fake coughing followed. Applejack gave the door a blank stare. “That’s it, Ah’m comin in.” “NO!!! You can’t! You’ll get sick. Then who will buck apples?” Applejack tried to open the door again. “Please! You can’t come in here!” “Ah’m sorry sugarcube, but somethin’ fishy’s goin’ on in there, an’ Ah plan on findin’ out what it is.” Applejack gave the door a small shoulder tackle. Still no luck. She was starting to get annoyed. She backed up to the other end of the hall, and crashed into the door as hard as she could. The door flew open as the pony on the other side tumbled forward. Applejack smiled. “Now ta get some answers.” After his tumble, he ended up resting on his neck, eyes spinning, as his back end hung in the air leaning on the foot of the bed. As Applejack looked at the pony before her, her jaw dropped. The pony before her was definitely AJ. The indigo coat, and the lack of a cutie mark gave that away. But there were a few differences. His mane and tail were longer. His body was smaller, more delicate, and had soft curves. His muzzle was no longer angular, but instead more rounded. But there was one more very big change. AJ was missing a very important piece of equipment between his legs. Instead, there were a pair of teats and a set of lower lips. He…was now a she. Big Mac poked his head in. “Everythin’ alright in…” He stared ahead at the now mare in front of him. He squinted his eyes as if trying to make sure he was actually seeing what he was seeing. “Umm, Ah’m not th’ only one seein’ this, right?” “Nnope.” AJ finally started coming to hi…her senses. As she looked forward she saw the other two ponies in the room. “Eeep!” AJ quickly got onto her hooves and leapt back into bed, covering herself with the blanket. “DON’T LOOK AT ME!!!” Applejack was still dumbfounded. “Wh-what? What happened?! Yer a mare!” AJ poked her head out of the sheets. Her face was angry and she had tears rolling down her cheeks. “No shit! Why don’t you tell us something we don’t all know?!” Applejack backed up a step. She didn’t expect AJ to get so angry. “Hey, settle down now. Ah was just wonderin’ why yer a mare.” “STOP SAYING THAT!!!” “But…” “FUCK YOU!!!” “ENOUGH!!!” commanded Big Mac. He rarely yelled. In fact, he outright hated to, but when he did it was enough to shake the world. “She didn’t do anythin’ to ya! So just calm down!” The anger fell from AJ’s face. Only sadness remained. “Now, will ya tell us what happened?” asked Applejack. AJ sniffled before speaking. “I…I don’t know. I just woke up feeling terrible, looked in the mirror, and…” More tears started welling up in her eyes. “Whoa now, don’t cry, don’t cry. Ah’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation fer all this,” Applejack said to try to calm her down. “Why don’t we just go ta Twilight’s and…” “NO!!! I can’t go out like…like this!” AJ said as she sat up; letting the covers drop off her body. “How do you think everypony will act if I just suddenly show up as a mare?! Nopony else must know about this.” “But…how will we know what happened if ya don’t see somepony?” Applejack asked. “Don’t care. Not leaving this room.” Applejack facehoofed. ‘It’s too early ta deal with this,’ she thought. She looked to Big Mac. “Big Mac, get mah rope.” “Eeyup.” ******************** AJ managed to put up quite a fight. Before they were able to tie her up, she managed to give Applejack a black eye and a bruised chin. Now she was hog tied and lying on Big Mac’s back as she was forcefully taken to the library. “I will destroy you! I will destroy you SOOO hard!” “Oh shush you! At least we covered ya in a sheet an’ took th’ back roads ta prevent any ponies from seein’ ya,” said Applejack as she knocked on the door to the library. The door was opened by Spike. “Hey you two. What can I…” Spike noticed the wriggling sheet on Big Mac’s back. “What’s with the sheet?” “That’s actually what we’re here about. Is Twilight home?” asked Applejack. “Yep, come on in while I go get her.” Spike let them in before running upstairs. A couple minutes later Twilight came down the stairs, stopping half way down to yawn into her hoof. “Morning Applejack, Big Mac. What can I do for you?” “Sorry fer wakin’ ya like ths Twi, but we got a bit of an emergency here,” Applejack said as she motioned to the squirming sheet. “Untie me you bandits! I will MAME you!” said the sheet. Twilight just stared at the sheet with a questioning look. “Who’s in the sheet?” The squirming sheet suddenly slipped off Big Mac’s back, landing on the floor with a loud thud, and an ‘Oof!’ from the sheet. An indigo hoof shot out of the sheet and pointed upwards. “Don’t worry! I am fine! My spine broke my fall! Oww.” As AJ continued to struggle on the floor, the sheet stopped doing its job and came off of her, revealing the indigo mare with three hooves still bound. She was desperately biting at the rope to try to get it undone. Twilight just stared in awe. “Applejack, who is this?” “Ah think you can already guess that fer yerself.” Twilight took another look at the struggling pony. The indigo coat, the brown mane and tail, the lack of a cutie mark, there was only one pony she knew that held these traits. Her eyes widened. “Is that AJ?!” she asked pointing a hoof. “Yes, and I’d like it if you didn’t announce this to all of Ponyville thank you very much,” AJ said before going back to undoing the knot around her ankles. “What happened to him?!” “We don’t rightly know,” Big Mac said. “Said he just woke up like…” “HaHA!!! I’m free!” AJ got up and bolted for the door. Only to run straight into the brick wall that is Big Mac who stepped in front of the door to block her path. As AJ sat in a heap on the floor, she looked up at the pony she had just run into. Her eyes stared at the muscular neck; slowly moving down to his toned, muscular flanks and legs. She looked back to his head. That chiseled chin, those soft, green eyes, that rugged, orange mane, those adorable freckles. The stallion before her looked as if he had been sculpted by the gods themselves. Why did AJ never notice how handsome Big Mac was before? Applejack noticed the blush start to grow on AJ’s face. “Umm,you okay?”. AJ slowly nodded, keeping her gaze on Big Mac. “Y-yea. I’m fine.” Applejack looked between AJ and Big Mac before leaning down next to AJ. “Ah don’t know what’s goin’ on, but Ah don’t think now’s th’ time ta be checkin’ mah brother out.” AJ’s face grew crimson as she turned to Applejack. “Sh-shutup! I wasn’t checking him out!” “Mmhm,” Applejack said clearly unconvinced. She looked to Twilight. “So, ya think ya could do somethin’ fer’im?” Twilight put a hoof to her chin. “I don’t know. I’ve never come across a spell that can change somepony’s gender like this, and without knowing exactly what happened…” Twilight got close to AJ and started examining her. AJ started getting very nervous as the purple mare slowly walked around her. “W-what are you looking for?” “Any sign’s that could tell us what happened.” Once she finished her round, she stepped away with a grimace. “Nothing.” “So there’s nothing you can do for me?” AJ asked with desperation in her voice. “Hmmm, I’ll have to look into this. Maybe there’s some old spell books locked away in the closet downstairs that I missed,” said Twilight as she walked towards the basement door. “Well that was a bust,” AJ said in disappointment. Applejack put a hoof on her shoulder. “Don’t worry sugarcube. Ah’m sure Twilight will be able ta find some way ta help ya. Until then, why don’t we get back ta th’ farm.” “Ooooh no. You are NOT taking me out there again.” Applejack sighed. “We can do this th’ easy way, or th’ hard way.” She grabbed up her rope to emphasize her point. AJ was about to retaliate, but stopped as she weighed the options. She could either go outside willingly and risk being seen, or she could be tied up and taken outside and risk being seen. “If we did things the hard way, would I be tied to Big Mac again?” She asked with a slight blush. Applejack raised an eyebrow at the question. “What th’ hay does that have ta do with anythin’?” “N-nothing.” ******************** In the end AJ decided to do things the easy way. She figured that everything would go much smoother if she just went along with it. AJ still insisted they go through the back roads though. By the time they got to the farm AJ felt like crying once again. She was having a hard time trying to cope with being female. As soon as she got into the door AJ fell to her haunches and started whimpering. She felt a leg fall around her shoulders. As she turned her head she saw Applejack looking at her with a soft smile. “Why don’t ya go upstairs an’ get some rest. Ah’m sure some sleep’ll help ya calm down some.” AJ sniffled a bit. “W-what are you going to do?” “Ah’m goin’ ta go see if maybe Zecora’ll know about what’s goin’ on.” For the first time since she woke up this morning, AJ smiled. “T-thanks Applejack. This means a lot to me.” “No problem at all. Now go on, get. Ah’ll be back as soon as Ah can.” ******************** Applejack walked back through the door about three hours later. The first thing she heard was somepony in the kitchen. Going in she saw Big Mac making some lunch. From the looks of it he was almost done. “Ah’m back.” Big Mac turned his head and smiled. “You hungry?” “As a horse.” Applejack sat down in a chair and sighed. “So, were ya able ta figure anythin’ out with Zecora?” asked Big Mac. Applejack shook her head. “She’s never heard of anythin’ like this either. So how’s AJ doin’?” “Ask’im…her yerself,” Big Mac said as he pointed into the living room. Applejack stood up and walked into the living room. When she did she saw a lump wrapped in a sheet on the couch. She walked up to the couch and sat down next to the lump. “Uhh, everythin’ alright?” No response. “How ya feelin’?” “Like I’m going to die of embarrassment,” said the lump. “Say what now?” Applejack pulled the sheet off of AJ’s head to see the intense blush on her face. “What happened?” “Well, I went upstairs to take a nap like you said. I woke up about an hour and a half later. After that I just sat there in bed to collect my thoughts, and well…” Applejack waited. “Well what?” “Well, my thoughts eventually turned to…well…” AJ said nothing. She just looked to the kitchen. “Turned to…” Applejack followed AJ’s eyes to the kitchen. Not understanding at first, she remembered just who was in the kitchen. Her eyes widened slightly. “Oooh.” She turned back to AJ. “Ah still don’t see what’s wrong.” AJ started to shift around, clearly uncomfortable with what they were talking about. “W-well, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. He’s just perfect. His face, his coat, his strong legs. His firm, muscular butt, his…” “Alright, Ah get it, ya think mah brother’s hot! Just get on with it already!” Applejack said; slightly disgusted. She didn’t want to think of her brother like that…ever. “Well…” ******************** Big Mac wiped the sweat off his brow. He may have gotten a late start, but he made up for it by working hard this morning. He looked up into the sky. From the position of the sun, he could guess that it was getting to be around lunch time, and since they didn’t eat breakfast, he was going to have to make this a big one. He walked into the house. Before he got into the kitchen he stopped. ‘Ah should go check on AJ. See how she’s doin’. He headed upstairs to AJ’s room. He cracked the door open and poked his head in. “Hey AJ, how ya…” His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. AJ was lying on the bed. Her rump was up in the air, and her tail was off to the side. Her hooves were quite busy between her hind legs. Her head was buried into her pillow to hide her moans of ecstasy. Though he was pretty sure he could hear his name being called. With the position of the bed, Big Mac was getting quite the show. “Uhh…” AJ’s eyes shot open as her body froze up when she heard the voice. She turned her head to see Big Mac’s head sticking through the door; a blush visible on his face. Her face became redder than Big Mac’s coat. “Umm, Ah’ll come back later.” He quickly pulled his head from the door and closed it. AJ just sat there for a minute. To say that she was mortified was an understatement. ******************** “Oh fer th’ love of…” said Applejack as she facehoofed; a light blush showing on her face. “I was…I was curious,” AJ said; the blush on her face was even more intense than earlier. “Looks like Ah’ll have ta have another talk with Big Mac about privacy an’ knockin’ before enterin’.” Applejack got up off the couch. “Come on. It’s about time fer lunch, an’ you must be hungry.” AJ shook her head. “I can’t go in there. Not while he’s in there.” Applejack sighed. “Look, Ah know how embarrassed ya must feel right now. It’s happened ta me too, remember? We talked about this. Ya can’t let somethin’ like this beat ya.” “But what if he hates me now? I don’t want him to hate me.” Applejack giggled and put a hoof on AJ’s shoulder. “Trust me. He doesn’t hate ya. It’ll take a lot more than that ta make him start ta dislike ya. Now come on. He’s probably wonderin’ where we…” Applejack was interrupted by a knock on the door. “Now just who could that be.” Applejack got up and opened the door. “Oh, Hey Rares. What can Ah do fer ya?” she asked with a big smile on her face. “You’re late,” Rarity said with an annoyed look on her face. “Late? Fer what?” “For our lunch date of course. We planned this yesterday, remember?” Rarity started tapping her hoof on the ground. Applejack stared at Rarity for a moment. Then her eyes got wide. “Oh ponyfeathers! Ah plumb forgot!” Applejack’s face became apologetic. “Sorry sugarcube. T’day’s been a pretty crazy day.” The anger dropped from Rarity’s face and was replaced with concern. “Is everything alright?” “Well…” Applejack looked back to the couch. “Not really.” Wondering what Applejack was looking at, Rarity poked her head through the door. Everything looked alright, the only thing she saw was the indigo mare lying on the couch who eeped and covered herself with a sheet when she realized she’d been seen. “Applejack, who’s this,” she asked in a level tone. Applejack started to sweat a little bit. She wasn’t so sure she should tell Rarity who that was. “She’s uh…she’s just a friend.” Applejack silently cursed at herself for being such a bad you liar. “Just a friend, hmm?” Rarity took an angry step towards Applejack. “Applejack, do you think I’m stupid?” “What? Of course not. Why would ya think that?” “Then why are you lying to me about who this mare is?” Rarity suddenly gasped. “Y-you’re cheating on me, aren’t you?” “What?!” Applejack couldn’t believe Rarity would suggest something like that. “Of course Ah ain’t! Ah love ya Rares. Ah could never cheat on ya.” “Then tell me who she is!” “Ah can’t.” “Tell me!” “No, uhh…” “Tell me, tell me tell me tellmetellmetellmetellmetellme! Tell me!” “It’s AJ, alright!” Applejack said; finally relenting. Once again the anger dropped off Rarity’s face. This time replaced with confusion. “I’m sorry, what now?” “That mare is AJ. He just kinda woke up like that.” Rarity looked from Applejack to the mare on the couch. Using her magic she pulled the sheet off of AJ who just stared at her with wide eyes. Getting a better look at the mare confirmed what Applejack had said. Rarity’s eyes got wide. “How…” Applejack shook her head. “We don’t know. We’ve talked ta Twilight an’ Zecora, an’ neither of them knows what’s goin’ on.” Rarity took another look at AJ. “Well, how is sh…he…how’s the poor dear handling it?” “Not too great.” “Hmm.” Rarity walked up to the couch. AJ was now sitting up, though she was looking away from the other mares in the room. Rarity examined AJ more closely. “Ah ha! I know what we could do.” AJ’s eyes brightened with hope. “You mean you know how to change me back?” “Oh, no. If Twilight doesn’t know, how would I know.” AJ immediately deflated. “But I do know how to make this more bearable for you.” “How?” AJ asked starting to lose hope. Rarity turned to Applejack. “Applejack, do you still have that makeover kit I gave you last year?” Applejack groaned. “Ah don’t know why, but yes. Why?” “It seems like he…she…” Rarity turned to AJ. “Would it be okay with you if I just said she?” AJ just shrugged. “Well, it seems like she’s very self conscious right now. A make over might show her that she has nothing to be self conscious about.” Applejack looked doubtful. “Ah don’t know Rares. Are you sure that’s really what she needs?” “It couldn’t hurt to try.” Rarity turned to AJ. “How does that sound darling?” AJ shook her head. “I-I don’t know.” Rarity smiled. “Come on. I’ll make you feel better about yourself, or die trying.” She helped AJ off the couch and led her upstairs. ******************** “Alright. Just a few more finishing touches and…done!” Rarity levitated AJ’s glasses back onto her head so she could look at the new her. AJ’s eyes grew wide. Rarity had washed her mane, put in cream colored highlights, and put it in a braided ponytail that was hanging over her left shoulder. She also had bangs that were hanging over her left eye just slightly. Her tail got the same treatment. Her coat had been brushed to a fine sheen and looked better than it ever had. Rarity had also used a bit of makeup. Not too much, just a small amount of blush, and some eye shadow to bring out her eyes. AJ had to admit, she did look good. But there was one problem she just couldn’t overlook. One major problem that ruined this entire experience. This wasn’t who she was. Seeing just how different she looked in the mirror brought tears to her eyes. Tears started rolling down her cheeks, ruining her makeup. Rarity became concerned. “Darling, what’s wrong?” AJ brought her hooves up to her eyes and started to cry. “Aww, shh shh, it’s okay. Just tell Rarity what’s wrong,” Rarity said as she drew AJ into a hug. “I…I can’t do this Rarity, I just can’t do this.” She stopped to sniffle. “I’m constantly battling with my emotions. I can’t get them under control. I can’t even think about Big Mac without turning into a weak kneed little filly. Even going to the bathroom’s a chore now!” She stopped to take a ragged breath. “I hate this. I just want to be me again.” AJ continued to cry into Rarity’s shoulder. Rarity rubbed AJ’s back, trying to get her to calm down. “It’s okay. I know you must be scared right now, but this isn’t the end of the world. I’m sure Twilight’s close to finding the cause of this, and will have a cure by tomorrow.” “B-b-but what if she doesn’t. I’ll be stuck like this forever.” “If that’s the case, then we’ll be here to help you though this,” Rarity said in a reassuring voice. “Huh?” Rarity grabbed AJ by the shoulders and held her out slightly so she could look her in the eye. “You heard me. Me, Applejack, Twilight, everypony would be there for you in your time of need to make this transition easier on you. We’ll all be right behind you. So dry those tears and turn that frown upside down. You’re much more beautiful when you smile.” AJ’s mouth slowly curled into a smile. She sniffled before hugging Rarity. “Thank you.” There was a knock on the door. “Everythin’ alright in there?” came Applejack’s voice. “Everything fine! We’ll be out in just a minute!” Rarity called out. She turned back to AJ. “Now, let’s fix your makeup. Then we can get out there and show them that you’re not afraid of who you are.” ******************** A few minutes later Rarity and AJ left the room and walked downstairs. They found Applejack sitting on the couch, waiting anxiously. Hearing the sound of hooves coming down the stairs, she turned her head and smiled. She got up and met them halfway. “Well now, don’t you look beautiful.” AJ turned away in embarrassment with a smile on her face. “Thanks.” “So, how’re ya feelin’?” AJ turned to Rarity who nodded at her. “Better. Much better.” Applejack adjusted her hat with a smile. “Well, Ah guess there really is somethin’ ta that makeover stuff after all.” “Indeed there is,” Rarity said with a wink to AJ. AJ just smiled at Rarity. “Now, th’ two of ya must be starvin’. Ah’m goin’ ta go heat up th’ leftovers fer ya.” With that, Applejack trotted into the kitchen. ******************** AJ woke up the next day with a big yawn. She levitated her glasses onto her head and looked into her mirror. ‘Yup, still a mare,’ she thought with a discouraging sigh. The conversation she had with Rarity the previous day ran through her head. A look of determination ran across her face. ‘No, I have to be strong. Everypony will be here for me.’ “I can do this!” She looked back into the mirror. AJ decided to keep the braided ponytail, and the highlights were there to stay. “And look good doing it.” She closed one eye and stuck out her tongue at her reflection. With her head held high, AJ trotted out of her room; only to run straight into Applejack. “Whoa, watch out now sugarcube.” “Hehe, sorry Applejack.” Applejack smiled. “Well, somepony seems ta be in a good mood this mornin’.” “Mmhm! Thanks to Rarity, I now know that I have nothing to worry about. If I have to stay like this, I know everypony will be there for me.” Applejack chuckled. “Speakin’ of ponies bein’ here fer ya, Carrot Tops at th’ door. She’s askin’ fer ya.” “Oh really? Well I shouldn’t keep her waiting then.” AJ happily trotted past Applejack and downstairs. She got to the door smiled. “Oh, hello Carrot Top. How was Las Pegasus?” Carrot just stared at the mare in front of her. “Holy shit. Applejack wasn’t kidding. You really have changed.” AJ looked at herself. “Heh, yea. I kinda like it though. I think the look suits me, don’t’ you?” “Umm, sure?” Carrot said, a little uncomfortable with the question. “You know, you don’t seem to be too surprised to see me like this. Something wrong?” “I probably would have been surprised, if I didn’t have to deal with the exact same thing yesterday.” AJ looked confused. “I’m sorry, what?” “Just…see for yourself.” Carrot looked over and motioned somepony over. “I-I can’t let him see me. Not like this,” came another pony’s voice. “Oh come on! We talked about this! You said you’d do this, and you’re going to do this if I have to make you!” “No!” “Fine, let’s do this the hard way!” AJ watched Carrot walk off to the side. “Noo! You can’t make mehehehe!” “Yes…I…can!” Carrot said between grunts. After a minute of struggling, Carrot finally managed to drag the other pony over to the door by his tail. She wiped her brow. “Oh Celestia you’re heavy. No more muffins for you mister.” AJ blinked as she looked at the pegasus stallion before her. He had a bluish grey coat, a blond mane, and bubbles for a cutie mark. His eyes were amber and were off kilter. He had a bandage on his forehead. AJ’s jaw dropped. “Ditzy?!” The stallion looked to the door. His reaction was the same. “AJ?!” Applejack came up behind AJ and peered over her shoulder. Her eyes widened. “Is that who Ah think it is?” AJ nodded her head. “Eeyup.” ******************** “So you got home from Las Pegasus to find Ditzy a stallion?” asked AJ. Applejack had invited Ditzy and Carrot Top in to talk about what had happened. “Yea. I didn’t know who this was, and I was scared, so I…got a little defensive,” Carrot said with a slight blush. “A little defensive?! You broke the frying pan over my head! Dinky was more accepting of this than you!” Ditzy yelled. “Hey, I said I was sorry!” “Well, I guess that explains the bandage,” AJ said with a giggle. Carrot nodded. “And I’m guessing you’re to blame for Applejack getting those?” she asked pointing to Applejack’s head. “Uhh, yea. Long story. I wasn’t exactly…accepting of the changes yesterday,” AJ said as she scratched the side of her head. “Speaking of which, do either of ya know what happened? Why did th’ two of ya suddenly change genders like this?” Applejack asked. Ditzy shook his head. “We don’t know. We don’t even know what could do this.” “We couldn’t get any answers either,” AJ said with a sigh. There was a knock on the door. “Ah’ll get it.” Applejack opened the door to see an angry Twilight Sparkle, a guilty looking Pinkie, and an annoyed looking Rainbow Dash. “Hey girls. What can Ah do fer ya.” “It’s not what you can do for us, but what these two…” Twilight emphasized her words by grabbing Pinkie and Rainbow by the ears with her magic. “Can do for AJ.” “Oh come on Twilight, isn’t this a bit much?” Rainbow asked. Twilight didn’t answer. She just glared at the rainbow maned pegasus. “What’re y’all talkin’ about?” “I’ll let them explain it.” Twilight walked into the house, dragging Rainbow with her. Pinkie followed under her own free will. As she looked into the living room she gasped when she saw that Ditzy was now a stallion. She glared at the two ponies behind her again. “Ditzy too?!” “What’s going on?” asked AJ. Rainbow zoomed ahead of Twilight. “No way!” She looked AJ and Ditzy over; taking in every detail. “PFFFBUAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” Rainbow fell the floor as she laughed. “Oh man, this is great!” As Rainbow laughed her flank off, Pinkie walked over looking much more apologetic. “We’re sorry.” “Sorry for what?” AJ asked. “For pranking you like this.” AJ just stared at Pinkie for a minute. “A…prank?” Twilight decided to step in. “Yes. Those Tea cakes you ate, and the tea you drank that day at Sugarcube Corner where laced with a plant called poison joke. It’s a lot like poison oak, but instead of being all itchy and stuff, it just plays a prank on you. It’s mostly harmless; just really, really annoying.” The room was silent aside from Rainbow's laughter. AJ and Ditzy just stared between Rainbow and Pinkie. The look on AJ’s face slowly went from emotionless, to pure anger. “A JOKE?!?!?! THIS IS NOT A JOKE!!! HOW THE HELL IS THIS A JOKE?!?!?!” “Hey now, Ah thought ya came ta terms with bein’ a mare?” Applejack asked. “I did! Back when we thought it was just some evil magic or some bull shit like that!” AJ looked over to Rainbow who was still laughing. Her horn erupted in anger, lifting Rainbow off the floor. “H-hey, what gives?” “You think this is funny?! Is my torment funny to you?!” AJ asked as she walked up to Rainbow’s floating form. “Hey, lighten up! We were just having some fun!” “Fun?! How would you like it if something important to you was taken away from you, hmm?! How would you like it if I took your wings?!” Dash looked both confused, and slightly terrified. “W-what?” AJ started fuming. She started violently shaking Dashes body. “Give back what you stole from me! I WANT MY BALLS BACK!!!” “Oookay, I think we’ve had enough of this,” said Twilight as she took hold of Rainbow in her magic, breaking AJ’s hold on her. As she was placed back on the floor, Dash looked like she was fighting to keep her breakfast down. “Just calm down. The effects of poison joke are easy enough to cure. The bath is available down at the Ponyville spa. I’m sure Pinkie and Rainbow would be more than happy to pay the expenses, right you two?” “I think I’m going to be sick,” Rainbow said as Pinkie just nodded enthusiasticly. ******************** “Oh, man. It feels SO good to be back,” AJ said as he stretched his limbs. “Gotta say. It’s good ta see ya back. It was pretty weird seein’ ya as a mare,” Applejack said as they reached the farm house. “Though Ah got ta ask, how was it livin’ life as th’ opposite sex fer a day?” “It was an…experience. Let’s just say I have a LOT more respect for what you have to go through.” Applejack chuckled a bit. “So what’re you goin ta do about that?” she asked as she pointed to AJ’s mane. “What, the highlights?” Applejack nodded. “Don’t know. They’re here to stay for now. Might keep them though, I kinda like them.” Looking back to the farm, he saw Big Mac leaving the barn. “Hold on, there’s one thing I need to make sure of. Hey Big Mac! Come here for a minute!” Big Mac came over with a smile on his face. “Well look at ya. Yer back ta normal.” “Yea, yea, back to normal. Look just…stand there for a moment.” AJ started staring intently at Big Mac. After a minute he started to slowly circling around him. Needless to say, Big Mac started feeling a bit awkward. Once AJ finished circling him a smile formed across his face. “No gay thought’s. I’m not gay anymore! I’M BACK BABY!!!” he shouted as he pumped his hoof. **************************************** ((I hope to god I don’t turn any of my female readers off with this chapter. Being that I have a penis, and therefore a man, I know little to nothing of the strange creature known as woman. So I am sorry if I offend any of the women out there XP For reference, have a few pics. This is normal, stallion AJ And this is mare AJ Before and after Rarity got done with her My little pony © Hasbro Friendship is magic © Lauren Faust))