//------------------------------// // Chaos Looms // Story: The Mystery of a New World // by Fanthrose //------------------------------// Chapter 48 Twilight’s head throbbed as she slowly picked herself up from the floor. It felt like she had been struck upside the head by a brick. She began rubbing her head as she decided to just sit instead. As she began rubbing her head, she noticed something very important to her was mysteriously missing. “M-m-m-my horn?” She opened her eyes as she tried to spot the tip of her horn, but it was no use. She was hornless. That’s when she noticed something else. Muscles on her back she never remembered having. Turning her head, she was sure her eyes would have popped out of her skull if they weren't attached by the optic nerve. Two purple wings were sticking straight out. After a few seconds of freaking out over her new appendages, she decided to look around the room. Twilight felt as if she was suffering from shell shock as she took in her surroundings. Despite all the commotion happening around her, all she heard was muffled screams and shouts. Calling the throne room a mad house at this time would have been a compliment. AJ, for some reason, was now a mare with a pregnant bulge. The look on her face was near rabid as she reached and thrashed around for something. The only thing holding her back from ending the life of...whatever it was, was the stallion that was holding her back. That stallion just so happened to be Ditzy. Why the two of them had suddenly changed gender, she wish she knew. She really wish she knew. Dinky and Knight had their colors swapped. Dinky had a light cream colored coat and a burgundy mane, and Knight had a pale purple coat and a blond mane. She turned her head to see her teacher, and co-ruler of Equestria, Celestia. She was now bald. Like...completely bald. Not only were her flowing, ethereal mane and tail gone, but her beautiful, pearlescent coat was gone leaving her pink, naked body on display for all to see. All of her hair had fallen to the floor in a pile around her. Luna seemed to escape whatever happened unscathed. Though she seemed to be rubbing her throat with a look of worry on her face. Applejack looked very unamused that she had been transformed into a literal cow pony. While she was still the size of a pony, and held the same basic body shape, everything else was that of a cow. She had small cow horns, cow like splotches covering her orange body, a cow like snout, a cow tail, and a cows udder hanging beneath her. All the guards in the room had also suffered in some kind of way. Ranging from something as simple as being disorientated, to being turned to stone. And amid all this…this, chaos, stood Discord. With everything going on, and her head still throbbing, all Twilight could think to do was try to remember what all happened that lead up to this point. ******************** “Are you really sure you have to do this?” Ditzy asked as she uncomfortably shifted in her seat. “You just got back yesterday from your week of training, and now you’re going to just...leave Equestria for a couple of weeks?” AJ’s head lowered as he let out a sigh. “I told you before. When Lit Fuse and I were talking one night, I told him that I was just feeling a little...anxious. He said it was probably just homesickness.” “But you’re home now. Shouldn’t you be feeling better?” Ditzy asked knowing the home he was actually talking about. “Are you okay Ditzy? I can go get you a cushion or something to sit on,” Twilight said when she noticed all the squirming around Ditzy was doing. She was worried that her kitchen chairs may be to uncomfortable for the pregnant mare. “No, it’s fine. It’s not the chair that’s making me so uncomfortable.” “And this is why I wanted to talk to you about this,” AJ said before taking a sip of his tea. “This is, obviously, a big decision that shouldn’t be made lightly.” “Clearly. What made you start feeling homesick anyway?” asked Twilight. “I mean, you’ve been living in Equestria for months without any worry about going back. Why now?” AJ sat back in his seat and let out a deep sigh. “To be completely honest, I think it was getting Ditzy pregnant.” “Okay, I’m lost. What does me getting pregnant have to…” Ditzy stopped talking as she let out a small groan of discomfort. “Okay, I think I’ll take that cushion after all. Or a couch. Could we move upstairs to your couch?” Twilight’s ears lowered as she looked towards the other room. “We could, but Spike’s got Apple Bloom and the girls over to watch some movies, so they’ll have the upstairs occupied for most of the day. I’ll go get you a cushion though.” “Thank you,” Ditzy said with a smile. She watched as Twilight walked out of the room before turning back to AJ. “I swear I wasn’t this big at this point with Dinky.” “I guess he’s gonna be a big one...or something,” AJ said as he scratched his head. “I’m not going to lie, I didn’t know till just recently just how little I knew about pregnancy.” “He?” Ditzy asked with a smirk on her face. “What makes you so sure it’s going to be a he? It could very well be a she.” “I know, I know. I just don’t like saying ‘it’ all the time.” “Will this do?” came Twilight’s voice as she walked into the kitchen with a cushion. From the looks of it it was the one she had on the chair at her studying desk. Ditzy let out an audible sigh as she stood up from her seat with a smile. “That’ll be fine, thanks. As long as there’s something between me and the chair I’ll be happy,” she said as she gratefully grabbed the cushion from Twilight’s magical hold. “Okay, where were we now?” Twilight asked as she took her seat. “He was about to explain why me getting pregnant is making him want to go home.” “You make it sound like I wouldn’t be coming back,” AJ said under his breath. “Anyway, since I became 18, mom’s been joking around about me and my brother giving her grandchildren. I knew she was just joking, but I could always tell there was a hint of seriousness there too.” “So you specifically miss your mom?” asked Ditzy. “Essentially, yea. She wanted grandchildren so badly. And now that I have kids, that I’m actually making something of my life...I guess I kinda want to see mom happy about something.” Twilight nodded in understanding. “That makes sense.” “And it’s not like we won’t be coming back. It’ll only be a visit. Like...about two weeks probably.” “We?” “Well, Applejack noticed me acting a bit down last night and I talked to her about it. She said that if I go, she’d be interested in meeting my family. Maybe learning more about me in the process.” “Well, family is very important to Applejack,” Ditzy said with a nod of understanding. “I assume Big Mac would be staying home?” asked Twilight. “Of course. Somepony needs to stay and watch the farm. And since Apple Bloom would be too young to stay home alone for weeks at a time, that responsibility would fall upon Big Mac. I was actually wondering if you wanted to go too,” he said as he turned to Twilight. Twilight’s eyes widened slightly before a smile creased her lips. “You want me to go to your world with you? Why, I’d…” “Now just hold on!” interrupted Ditzy. Everypony turned to her to see a disgruntled look on her face. “You invite her, but never once think to ask me?” “Ditzy, just calm down,” AJ said to try to keep Ditzy from getting too mad at him. “I’m not even completely sure if I’ll be going just yet, but I have a good reason for not wanting you to come.” “And just what would that be, hmm?” AJ looked down, his ears falling, as he let out a sigh. “If we do go, everypony that’s coming with me would need to be changed into a human.” Ditzy’s eyes widened at this news. “The transformation would put a huge amount of stress on your body, not to mention the...other things. Correct me if I’m wrong, but can’t a lot of stress lead to a miscarriage?” “That’s right, but what did you mean about, ‘other things?’” Twilight asked curious about what the transformation was like. AJ sat back in his seat as he bit his lower lip; trying to remember everything that happened during Luna’s spell. “Well...where should I start? There was the extreme pain. The growing of an actual tail. The shifting, breaking bones that sickeningly snapped and readjusted themselves into place. To be completely honest, I’m not sure what bones went where to change my body from what it was to what it is now. Much less what it would go through to be changed back. Pretty sure I either lost some bones, or they at least shrunk a bit. Then there’s the muscles. Well, you remember how much pain I was in after it all happened.” Twilight looked at AJ with a slightly horrified face. “B-b-but I’ve done transformation spells before. Nothing like that ever happened.” “Luna said that any normal spell would just fade after a bit. To make it last, she needed to use a special type of spell. Don’t ask me what made it so special, because I have no clue.” “Could we please stop talking about breaking bones and stuff like that?” asked Ditzy. The other two ponies looked over at Ditzy to see her looking a bit green. Twilight’s eyes widened before she whipped her head towards the door. “Spike! Bring me down the bathroom bucket, now!” There was silence for a second. “Can’t you come get it? I’m kinda…” “Not the time Spike, just bring it!” Twilight knew Spike, while grumbling the whole time, would do as she said. While she waited for the bucket, she could hear AJ walking around the table to tend to his fillyfriend. “You gonna be okay?” he asked as he started rubbing her back.” Ditzy began taking deep breaths to try to calm her stomach down. “D-don’t worry, don’t worry. I’m fine.” Spike could be heard grumbling as he came into the kitchen. “Here’s the bucket Twilight.” “Thank you Spike!” Twilight said as she quickly grabbed the bucket from him with her magic and passed it over to Ditzy. “I’m fine Twilight, I don’t need a bucket,” Ditzy said more to convince herself. “Sorry for interrupting your get together,” Twilight said as she grabbed decent sized ruby from the cupboard and presented it to the dragon. Spike looked between the ruby and Twilight for a second before his grumpy exterior began to crack. “Aww, I can’t stay mad at you for something like this,” he said as he took the ruby. “Just try not to make a habit out of it,” he said with a chuckle before heading back upstairs. “Would you stop fussing? I-I-I said I’m fine.” Twilight turned her attention back to Ditzy. “You don’t need to hide it Ditzy. You still look like you’re feeling pretty nauseous.” “For the last time, I’m fi…” Ditzy suddenly interrupted herself as her stomach suddenly started a revolution. “N-no I’m not.” She quickly grabbed the bucket in front of her and began upchucking. Twilight recoiled slightly as the sound hit her. The sound of somepony vomiting was never a pleasant sound. As she looked at AJ, she could see that he was actually smiling...kinda. To be honest it looked like he himself was about to start vomiting. AJ could see Twilight staring at him in confusion. “I heard on a show once that smiling can help with nausea,” he said as he continued to hold the smile. They remained silent until Ditzy finished upchucking. She looked a bit worse for wear as she pulled her face from the bucket. She let out a groan as she spit the last of the bile into the bucket. “W-w-we’re not...finished with this conversation yet.” “I think we’ve talked about it enough for now,” AJ said as he gave his body a small shake to ease his tension. “Besides, I’m not even completely sure if I’m going yet.” Ditzy just glared at AJ as she placed the bucket on the floor. “He’s right. There’s no reason to get so worked up about this. Especially in your condition.” With her magic, she moved the bucket to the sink to be taken care of later. “Stay out of this Twilight,” Ditzy grumbled as she shifted in her seat once again. She let out a small growl as she looked at her back. “I forgot how uncomfortable these stupid wing bindings can be.” “Why don’t you take it off for a bit? I’m sure just stretching your wings wouldn’t hurt,” AJ suggested to try to get back on her good side. “Don’t you need to get back to the farm?” Ditzy questioned as she scowled at the stallion. AJ’s ears fell back as he looked at the clock. She was right. He did need to get back to the farm to help Applejack, but he also knew he should probably stay until everything can be explained. Then again, you do not want to get on Applejack’s badside. He let out a sigh. “I...guess I should get going. I’ll try to get over to your place later so we can finish this. If I can’t, I’ll be over tomorrow. Promise. ” AJ said as he leaned over and kissed Ditzy on the cheek. “See you later Twilight.” Twilight waved to AJ as he walked out of the room. When she heard the door close, she heard Ditzy let out an angry sigh. “Can you believe him?” “Excuse me?” “Inviting every pony other than me to come with him on his little trip. Who the hell does he think he is?!” “Ditzy, you need to calm down. He’s just worried about the health of both you and your foal. That’s all.” “Oh, but he’s just fine with you and Applejack going through all of that. If the two of you can handle it, then I sure as hell can! I birthed a foal for Celestia’s sake! I think I can handle my body being broken apart and rebuilt!” “Those...are very different things. Look, I’m going to go take the bucket back upstairs to clean it since you look like you’re done with it for now. We’ll talk more about this when I get back, please just try to calm down.” Ditzy let out an annoyed grunt. “Whatever.” “Oookay, good. I’ll be back shortly.” With a hopeful smile, Twilight gently lifted the bucket with her magic and left the room. She made sure to keep the bucket far enough away so she wouldn’t have to look at, or smell the vomit. She let out a sigh about half way up the stairs to the second floor before stopping to look back down. “I hope she understands why he’s doing this.” “Why who understands what?” Twilight jumped a little, nearly spilling the bucket in the process. She let out a vocal sigh of relief when she made sure she had a firm, magical, grip on it. Looking up the stairs, she noticed Scootaloo staring at her from the top step. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just business between AJ, Ditzy and I. So how are you doing? Something wrong?” Scootaloo had a slight look of annoyance as she mumbled to herself. “Mom said I had to be home before two since grandma and grandpa are going to be here for dinner.” “Where do your grandparents live?” “Just Cloudsdale, but they’re staying for the weekend. And mom said it would be rude if I wasn’t there, so I gotta go.” Twilight just nodded and stepped aside so the filly could get around her. “By the way, what was the bucket for?” “Trust me, you don’t want to know.” With a shrug, the orange filly scooted around Twilight and continued down the stairs. Now that the path was clear, Twilight finished the last few steps up the stairs. As she did, she was greeted by the smiling faces of the remaining CMC and Spike. “Hello. Sorry Scootaloo had to leave so early.” “Don’t worry about it,” Spike said with a wave of his claw. “Yea. Besides, it ain’t like we can’t just hang out with’er any other day.” “Ugh hughg,” added Sweetie Belle after stuffing multiple marshmallows in her mouth. “Well, maybe she’ll be able to stay longer next time. Now if you’ll excuse me, this thing’s really starting to smell,” Twilight said before hurrying into the bathroom. After emptying and cleaning out the bucket, she placed it back under the sink. “Let’s hope we won’t need to use that again anytime soon.” She let out a sigh as she walked out of the bathroom. Not wanting to interrupt the get together anymore than she already had, she made as little noise as she could. Before she could reach the stairs, she was stopped by Spike. “Hey Twilight, do you think Apple Bloom could sleep over tonight?” “Just Apple Bloom?” Twilight asked as she turned around. “I have to get home and pack tonight. I’m going back to mom and dads tomorrow morning,” Sweetie said with a smile. “So can she?” Spike asked with a bright smile. Twilight tapped her chin with a hoof. “Did you run this by Applejack before you came over?” Apple Bloom’s excitement dwindled slightly. “N-no.” Twilight thought about it or a bit before smiling. “Well, I have no problem with it. As long as you clean up your mess.” “It’s not that messy up here,” Spike said ignoring the landfill of strewn snack bags and sarsaparilla bottles between them and the TV. Twilight just stared at him with an unamused look. “You can’t be serious.” Spike gave her a sheepish smile. “I may be your mom, but you’re old enough to clean up your own messes.” “Yer mom?” questioned Apple Bloom. She turned to notice the slight blush on Spikes face. “I always thought she was more of a sister if anything,” Sweetie said as she looked between the two of them. “Sister? Please. Every year I can remember he’s gotten me something for mother’s day. Not to mention all the times he talks in his sleep. Which dream should I tell them about? The one where ‘mommy’ feeds you spoonfuls of crushed gems, or the one where ‘mommy’ has to come to your aid because you have a boo boo?” Spike’s face was glowing by now. “N-n-n-no! You can’t!” Twilight giggled to herself. “Oh I’m just teasing you Spike. Apple Bloom can stay the night. Just...try to clean up a bit. This place is a mess.” Twilight left the second floor to the sound of giggling coming from the girls. As she reached the bottom, a different sound hit her ears. “Crying? Who could be…” Her eyes widened when she remembered who was in her kitchen. “Uh oh.” As she walked into the kitchen, her fears were realised. Ditzy was sobbing into her legs. She couldn’t know just how long Ditzy was crying for, but from the looks of her cheeks, she could imagine it must have started shortly after she went upstairs. “Ditzy, is everything okay?” Ditzy looked up with a big sniffle. “I-I-I-I yelled at him! I was mad at him for no reason! And now he’s going to be mad at me! And he’s gonna leave me! And he’s not going to wanna be my coltfriend anymohohohohohore!” Twilight only watched as Ditzy buried her face in her legs again. Her ears dropped as she thought about the situation. ‘Mom always told me that your hormones can go a bit nuts when you’re pregnant,’ she thought to herself. ‘Guess I can only try to calm her down.’ A smile suddenly crossed her features. ‘And mom told me about her secret weapon. The one thing that will always help in a situation like this.’ “Hey Ditzy, I have some chocolate oat crunch in the freezer. Why don’t we talk about this over some ice cream?” Ditzy looked up from her legs to stare at Twilight for a moment. A smile began to show on her face as she nodded. “I-I’d like that.” ******************** “Has AJ told you anymore about the trip?” Twilight asked as she and Applejack walked down the wintery street to Ditzy’s house. “Nothin’ more than what he’s told you, Ah reckon. He did drop one ‘minor’ detail he kinda left out th’ first time though.” “You mean the fact that we’re all going to have to be changed into humans for the trip?” “Eeyup. Somethin’ like that would have been nice ta know from th’ start.” “Did he mention what that all entails?” “He mentioned th’ basics. Nothin’ Ah haven’t dealt with before. Day’er two of bedrest an’ Ah’ll be right as rain again.” “Yea, well not all of us can jump back from something like that as quickly as you can.” “Trust me. If AJ can deal with it, you sure as heck can,” Applejack said with a smirk. “How’s Knight been taking the news that he won’t be going with?” Applejack let out a small sigh as she shook her head. “Let’s just say that AJ’s still dealin’ with that little...problem.” “That bad?” “Hasn’t shut up ‘bout it since.” “Can you blame AJ for not wanting him to go though? He was shaken up for a couple weeks after all the pain he put Knight through to regress him. I can only guess he’d be catatonic after something like this.” “Yea. Ah reckon yer right.” “You sure you don’t want us to bring you something back?” Twilight and Applejack turned to see Carrot Top and Fine Tuned standing in the doorway of her house. “Yea. Ah know how much ya like those there muffins they got. An’ after that job Ah jus’ got finished with, bits’re th’ last thin’ Ah’m worryin’ ‘bout. Not ta mention th’ money Feather brings in.” “I’m sure, I’m sure,” Ditzy said as she shooed them out of the house. “I was planning on just making my own,” Carrot just stared at Ditzy with a smirk. “You’re going to apologize to AJ with muffins, aren’t you?” Ditzy’s look told her she was spot on. “I don’t know, from the way he was acting, something tells me that’s not necessary.” “Don’t care,” Ditzy said with a smile. “Now get out of here,” she said with one last push. “You have a date to go on.” “Yea, yea. See you later,” Carrot said with a roll of her eyes. Ditzy closed the door as the two of them turned away. As they did, they saw Applejack and Twilight coming up the walk way. “Hey. What’s up?” “Oh nothing much. We’re just here to see Ditzy,” Twilight said with a smile. “Good luck with that,” Finn said with a smile. “She’s in a super bakin’ mode right now. Tryin’ ta make it up ta AJ fer bitchin’im out yesterday’er somethin’.” “Which is funny because I don’t remember getting any ‘sorry muffins’ for all the times she’s chewed me a new ass for the simplest things,” Carrot said with a smirk. “I swear, compared to this pregnancy, she was completely normal when she was pregnant with Dinky.” “Maybe...maybe she’s got more than one bun in’er oven,” Applejack said with a hoof to her chin. “Don’t even joke about that,” Carrot said with a serious look. “Who said Ah was jokin’?” Applejack said in a defensive tone. “Ah know fer a fact that a mare’s hormones tend ta be more extreme when she’s caryin’ around twins. That’s something Ah had ta learn when Big Mac was home schoolin’ me.” When she was done, Applejack noticed that the other ponies were staring at her with a surprised look on their faces. “Hey, just because Ah wasn’t able ta go through proper schoolin’, doesn’t mean Ah’m stupid,” she said with an annoyed look on her face. “I-I’m not saying you are!” Twilight said as she waved her hooves in front of her defensively. “Just surprised he went into something like that,” she said as she scratched the back of her head. “He wanted ta make sure Ah’d be ready fer anything that might happen ta me in mah future.” “Right.” “I pray to Celestia that you’re wrong. I don’t know if her psyche could handle having two new foals around. Not to mention the lack of room. There just wouldn’t be enough room for another two permanent residents in my house.” “It might be a good idea to watch this pregnancy closely then,” Twilight said with a hint worry. “That way you’d be able to prepare for the worst. Anyway, could we go in and talk to Ditzy?” “Yea sure, have a blast.” Carrot said with a shrug. “Now if you’ll excuse us, we have a date to finally start,” she said as she and Finn walked around Twilight and Applejack. With a smile, the two ponies entered the house. “Ditzy? It’s Twilight and Applejack!” called out Twilight. After a moment, Ditzy’s head poked out from the kitchen with a smile. “Hey! What brings the two of you over here?” “We just came ta check up on ya after yesterday,” Applejack said as she undid her scarf. “AJ told me ‘bout yer reaction when he came back from th’ library.” Ditzy scratched the back of her head. “Yyyeah, not my finest moment.” “It’s not like it’s your fault or anything,” Twilight said to try to cheer her up. “Oh, I know. It just sucks that my hormones decided to go nuts like that while he was around.” She stopped to sniff the air before turning to the kitchen. She motioned to the other ponies to follow her as she walked back into the kitchen. “As you can see I’m feeling much less hostile today. Heck, I was actually feeling much better after eating all of Twilight’s ice cream yesterday.” She turned to Twilight with a guilty look on her face. “Sorry again. I swear I’ll buy you another tub.” “Again, don’t worry about it. If you hadn’t have done it, Spike probably would have. And all that ice cream’s the last thing he needs right now. He’s starting to put on a bit of pudge,” she said with a giggle. Ditzy pulled out a tray of muffins from the oven before placing them on a cooling tray. “Would you two mind trying these after they cooled? I’ve never tried baking chocolate muffins. Much less dark chocolate.” Applejack twisted her face in disgust. “Ah’ll pass. Can’t stand dark chocolate.” “Well I’ll try one. A bit of dark chocolate is good for you every now and then. It’s good for your heart.” “Ah’ll stick to good ol’ fashion exercise.” “Well AJ likes it, and these are going to be for him. Well, most of them are anyway,” Ditzy said as she took a seat at the table. “Most of them?” “My friends from Canterlot are coming down to visit for the night. Maxie’s attempting to work chocolate back into his diet after shunning it for so long. I figured I could make something sweet for him to munch on while he’s here.” “Maxie? He?” asked Twilight. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Maxie more of a mare’s name?” “Maxie’s short for Maximilian. Trust me, once you see him you’ll see that Maxie fits him so much better.” “Uh huh. Are they coming down just for a visit?” questioned Twilight as she and Applejack joined her at the table. Ditzy thought back to the letter she got. “Well...yes and no. They did want to come and visit. Say hello. Get a chance to really meet AJ after the...less than impressive meeting back in Canterlot. Show off their new foal. But Maxie also remembered Carrot mentioning Fluttershy being the go to pony if you wanted a pet.” “Ah guess that’s why ya wanted AJ over here t’day then,” Applejack said as she leaned back in her seat. “He made it sound urgent that he get back over here.” “Yea. I may have still been a little emotional when I told him to come back over here.” “Speaking of AJ, how did everything go last night when he came over to talk?” “A lot better than it went at your place,” Ditzy said with a sigh. “It took a bit, but I eventually understood everything.” “Ah’m glad ya understand sugarcube. Ah’d hate ta see somethin’ happen ta you or th’ foal durin’ th’ change. An’ if it makes ya feel any better, he doesn’t want Knight goin’ fer th’ same reason.” “Yea, he mentioned that.” Ditzy let out a sigh. “I still wish I could go. He said that he would be going for a couple weeks. It’ll feel awfully lonely without him here.” “Don’t you worry ‘bout that none,” Applejack said with a grin. “Ah’m sure Dinky an’ Carrot will make sure yer never lonely.” “Yea. I’m sure you’ll get through it just fine. And we’ll make sure AJ comes home in one piece.” “If it were any other pony we wouldn’t even need ta make a promise like that,” Applejack said to nopony in particular. “Well, Ah should get goin’. Ah’ll let AJ know yer waitin’ fer him,” she said as she stood up from her seat. “Alright. Thanks for stopping over Applejack,” Ditzy said with a smile. Applejack grabbed her scarf; wrapping it around her neck before opening the door. Her eyes widened as a hoof flew at her face; stopping inches before striking her. “W-w-what in tarnation?!” “Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t expect the door to just open like that,” said the stallion as he lowered his hoof. “Are you okay.” “J-just peachy,” Applejack said as she let out a breath of air she wasn’t even aware she was holding. After regaining her composure, she took another look at the stallion at the door. “Hey, aren’t you one of them ponies that was stayin’ here at Ditzy’s that one time?” “That would be me,” he said with a smile. “And If I remember right, you’re the pony Maxie and I bought some apples from before going back to Canterlot.” He extended his hoof for a hoof shake. “Fresh Start.” “Applejack,” she said as she extended her own hoof. “Applejack, what’s going on out he…” Ditzy stopped herself when she saw Star standing in the door “Fresh Start! You’re early!” “We decided to get a personal taxi rather than wait for the train. Figured it would be an easier ride for little Crystal Blossom here,” he said as he motioned with his head to the foal carrier on his side. “Oh! Oh oh oh! She must be freezing out there. Please come in!” Ditzy as she shooed Applejack to the side without thinking. “All ya had ta do was ask,” Applejack said with an understanding smirk on her face. “Ah’ll talk to ya later. And Ah’ll make sure ta send AJ over right away if he isn’t already on his way.” Star snickered as he walked into the house; giving Ditzy a hug as he did. “How have things been since we last saw you?” “The word chaotic comes to mind.” “I believe that word fits quite well actually,” Twilight said as she came out from the kitchen. “And who’s this?” “This is Twilight Sparkle. She lives in, and takes care of, the town library.” Star looked Twilight over for a moment. “You look like a very learned pony.” Twilight’s face practically glowed with pride. “Why, yes! Yes I am.” “She practically lives in her books. I’ve heard the stories about her studying almost a week straight,” Ditzy said with a giggle. “Hey!” Twilight said as her face pulled a complete 180. Star laughed right alongside Ditzy until he felt movement in the carrier. He turned as he heard Crystal Blossom let out a small yawn. “Sounds like somepony’s up.” he said as he reached for the little filly. “Ditzy, Twilight, meet Crystal Blossom.” “Aww, she’s so cute!” squeed Ditzy as she eyed the green filly with the magenta mane. “I haven’t seen a foal so adorable since Dinky was born. Hard to believe you were the donor.” She grabbed the foal from Star’s hold. “And just what’s that supposed to mean?” Star asked with an unamused stare. “I’ll have you know that it was Maxie who donated his sperm to help make this little one a reality. It was a decision we both agreed on.” “Well looks like you got lucky,” Ditzy said in a baby voice to Crystal. “If you would have gotten Daddy Star’s genes, you would look like a big, scary, monster pony.” Ditzy ended with a silly face, complete with letting her eyes go nuts to get the foal laughing. “Remind me why we came to visit again?” “Because you love me,” Ditzy said with a cheerful smile. “I’m beginning to question that love,” Star said with a slight smirk. He and Ditzy looked at each other for a second before the two of them started laughing. “Speaking of this Maxie pony, where is he? Ditzy said the two of you were coming,” asked Twilight. “He’ll be along shortly. He was dropped off at that Fluttershy pony’s place to get a pet before we came here. I told him to wait, but he was just too excited to wait.” “Sooooo your pet’s going to be staying here for the night too?” Ditzy asked with a look of apprehension. Star let out a sigh. “I’m sorry hun. It’ll just be for the night, and I’ll make sure it doesn’t destroy anything.” “It’s Carrot I’m worried about. I don’t know how fond she’ll be of the idea.” She looked up at Star to see him leaving the house to grab a couple bags. “Oh, do you need some help?” Star turned to Ditzy with a smirk. “And what kind of pony would I be if I made a mare in your condition help me lifting my bags.” “Oh phooey. I’m not helpless just yet. I can still work. I’m just a bit limited right now,” Ditzy said as she looked at her bound wings. “You still shouldn’t push yourself too hard,” Twilight said as she took Star’s side. “Two on one,” Star said as he walked passed Ditzy with the bags. “Besides, it’s mostly stuff for Crystal. Nothing you need to worry yourself with.” “I don’t know, sweetie. She may be able to give you some pointers.” The three ponies turned to see Maxie standing in the door. He had a decent sized, blanket covered pet carrier sitting on his back. “You need a lot of work changing diapers.” “Maxie, hello! How did you get here already?” Ditzy asked as she eyed up the light rose stallion. “Fluttershy’s cottage isn’t exactly next door.” “Yea. I expected you to be gone for at least an hour,” Star said as he set the bags in the hallway. Oh, it didn’t take very long at all. Fluttershy and I have been in contact for a while now finding the perfect pet, and I sent her a letter yesterday asking if she could set everything up for a quick pick up this morning. If it had been any faster, I probably would have been able to see the cab disappear into the distance,” Maxie said as he closed the door. “She was happy to see one of her critters go to a good home.” Twilight stared at Maxie for a moment as Ditzy’s words ran through her head. “Wow. Maxie really does fit him better,” she said under her breath. “What was that hun?” asked Maxie. “Oh uh, nothing,” she said with a slight blush. “Anyway, my name is Twilight Sparkle. It’s nice to meet you.” “Nice to meet you too, Miss Sparkle.” “So what kind of pet did you get? I know that any pet under Fluttershy’s care has got to be a winner,” Twilight asked with a smile. Maxie’s face lit up. “Oh, I just know you’ll love her! I know we’ll all be able to get along.” He placed the carrier on the floor and removed the blanket to get to the door. “That’s a pretty big carrier,” Star said to himself as Maxie began digging the pet out of the carrier. “Everypony, say hello to Basilisk.” Both Star and Twilight’s faces went pale as Maxie turned around with a six foot python wrapped around his hooves and neck. “Isn’t she just adorable?” Maxie just couldn’t contain his smile as he kissed Basilisk on the nose. “Fluttershy said she was so happy when she heard she was getting adopted by us.” “Th-th-that’s lovely,” Star said as he backed away from his husband. “W-w-w-why did it have to be a snake?” “A snake?” asked Ditzy. “That...wouldn’t have been my first guess.” “There were plenty of other cute animals to pick from. Dogs, cats, bunnies, squirrels, but the instant I saw this cutie, it was love at first sight.” Basilisk gave Maxie an appreciative smile and hiss. “Come on sweetie, give her a kiss,” Maxie said as brought the snake closer to them. Both Twilight and Star fled further into the house, Star tripping over their bags before fleeing into the living room. “Huh...I wonder what that’s all about. Well, I know one brave little pony that would love to meet you,” he said as he got closer to Ditzy. “Basilisk, meet Crystal Blossom.” Basilisk extended her head towards Crystal before sticking her tongue out; tickling Crystal’s nose. Crystal began giggling at the snake before reaching out for her and hugging her head. “Aww, that’s adorable...in a bit of a creepy kinda way,” Ditzy said as Basilisk and Crystal continued to bond. “Star honey, come say hello.” “I-I’m fine all the way over here, thanks!” Star said from behind the couch. “Hey, does this house happen to have a back door?” asked Twilight who was hiding right next to Star. “I’d rather not have to get near that thing.” “No...no it does not.” Twilight and Star looked at each other and gave an involuntary shudder as they both turned to look at the snake. “Why did it have to be a snake?” he asked again as he watched Basilisk affectionately wrap her body around Crystal as she had done with Maxie, and lift her away from Ditzy. ******************** “Remind me again why I did this?” AJ asked as he sat at the farm’s kitchen table. In front of him sat a letter from the princesses discussing the matter of his trip back to his Earth. He looked out the window to see only a small portion of the sun still peaking out from behind the mountains. “Because after two weeks you thought you were finally ready to make the trip,” Twilight said with a smile on her face. “Come on, smile a little. I know I am. I’m so giddy just thinking about exploring this new world.” “An’ Ah’d be lyin’ if Ah said Ah wasn’t a mite excited ta meet yer family an’ friends back in yer world.” Applejack said as she took a swig of her hard apple cider. “But I’m not ready to do this.” AJ’s head made a loud thud as it smacked down onto the table. “Ow.” “Then why, exactly, did you have Spike send the letter to the princesses this morning?” “Because I thought it would have taken them longer to respond.” “How long are we talkin’ ‘bout?” “I dunno...couple days at least.” AJ looked at the letter again with a sigh. “At least enough time for me to make sure I have everything under control.” “Oh please. From what Ah can see, everythin’s already set. Ditzy’s alright with it. Big Mac agreed ta deal with any temper tantrums Knight’s goin’ ta throw. Th’ princesses agreed ta help with anythin’ else ya need help with. So what are ya so worried about?” “Lets see. How about explaining to mom where I’ve been? How to explain my now metal limb, or lack there of if I can’t get a replacement or anything of the like, not to mention all the scars I can only imagine lie under my coat. Finding a good reason as to why Ditzy couldn't come with me despite being the one carrying my foal. The questions go on.” “Why don’t you just tell the truth?” Twilight asked as if it were a stupid question. “Oh yea, tell my family and friends that I was teleported to a world inhabited by talking, technicolor ponies and other assorted creatures from mythology. All that would do is earn me a one way ticket to the happy hotel.” He shook his head. “And then, to turn into one of those technicolor ponies myself just so I could be with the one I fell in love with. And that adds a whole new layer onto it.” Applejack and Twilight looked at each other in confusion. “Such as…” Applejack asked to get him to elaborate on the subject. “Well, despite me being a pony at the time, what we did would most likely be considered bestiality. Which, at least in the state I live in, is a crime.” “Are you serious?” “I understand that interspecies relationships are seen differently on this version of Earth, see Apple Bloom and Spike, but on my planet, people are a bit more close minded about the subject...at least most people. Mainly because the animals can’t give consent. Humans are the only species that are sentient enough in my world. Horses, or ponies in this case, cattle, mules, they’re all just animals in my world. It would be like if somepony tried to have...’relations,’ with Winona.” “Don’t even joke about that,” Applejack said with a serious look. “Just using it as an example. I’m just saying that if it was just as easy as telling the truth, I probably would have sent that letter a week ago.” “Okay, so it’s not that easy.” “Well Ah still think th’ truth is th’ best policy,” Applejack said as she finished off her mug. “They’re yer kin. Ah’m sure they’d understand.” AJ let out a sigh. “I really wish the human race was as understanding as you ponies are.” He glanced over at Applejack for a moment before a dull, phantom pain grew on the left side of his head. “M-most of the time, anyway,” he said as he rubbed the side of his head. Looking down, he read through the letter again. “You think Princess Celestia or Luna would have any ideas?” “It wouldn’t hurt to ask, I suppose,” Twilight said with a shrug. “What would you do if they can’t help you?” “Before or after I panic?” “Ya need ta just calm down.” “That’s easy for you to say. You don’t need to explain to your family where you’ve been for the last three fourths of a year, and how all of this happened to you,” he said as he motioned to the left side of his body.” Applejack just rolled her eyes before getting up to refill her mug. “Yer just thinkin’ ‘bout it too much. As always.” She ignored the dirty look AJ shot her. “She’s right. I’m sure the answer’s much easier than you’re making it out to be,” agreed Twilight. AJ’s head dropped to the table as he let out a sigh. “I...I wish I could be as calm and collected about all this as the two of…” He was interrupted by Applejack putting a mug in front of him. Looking at it, he could only guess that it was full of the same hard cider Applejack was drinking. “You need ta lighten up. Now Ah don’t wanna hear another word about this outta you tonight,” she said as she took her spot at the table. “Tomorrow's yer day off. No work ta worry ‘bout, so that gives ya plenty of time ta think of some answers. Just relax fer th’ rest of th’ night.” She took a swig from her mug. As she pulled away, some of the foam remained on her muzzle. “An’ if ya still can’t think of anythin’, ya can just ask Princess Luna fer help. Th’ two of ya seem ta get along pretty well.” She ended by licking the foam from her face. “Do you really think you should be giving him alcohol?” Twilight asked knowing AJ’s history with the stuff. “Ah’ll make sure he doesn’t do anythin’ stupid.” AJ, who had the mug up to his mouth, glared at Applejack over the mug. “You act as if I’ve always been irresponsible when I was drunk.” “Name one time when ya have been responsible while under th’ influence.” He continued to glare at her for a few seconds as he remained silent; the mug still hovering just in front of his mouth. “...Touché.” ******************** “What…” “Th’…” “Fuck…” “Is going on here?” asked the four adult ponies standing in front of the castle. It was complete chaos at the castle. Unicorn guards were running around everywhere doing everything they could to fix the many magical changes the castle had sucumed to while the rest evacuated the bystanders and delegates. As the six ponies watched, things seemed to get worse and worse. More changes kept happening to the castle such as the spires turning into giant ice cream cones. While Ditzy, AJ, Dinky, and Knight watched on in awe, Applejack and Twilight looked at each other with a knowing look. “Discord!” they both said before taking off towards the castle. Before the two of them could even make it five feet, Applejack suddenly disappeared. Twilight skid to a halt as she looked around for her orange ally. “Applejack?!” She heard another magical pop behind her. “Ditzy/Mommy!” cried AJ and the kids as Ditzy disappeared just as Applejack had. “What is going…” Twilight was interrupted as AJ and Dinky were the next to go. “D-d-d-daddy?!” “Knight, come over here! It’s not sa…” Before she could finish, both she and Knight were teleported away. ******************** “W-w-waaaaahh!” cried Twilight as she immediately began plummeted towards the floor. A second later, she was caught in a cobalt blue glow, along with Knight and two other ponies, and gently placed on the ground. “Welcome to the party Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said as she turned to catch another pony. “Princess Luna, what’s going on here?! Where’s Discord?!” “Believe me when I say it isn’t what it looks like,” Came Celestia’s voice from behind her. Twilight turned to see her teacher let out a sigh. She looked around the room, seemingly looking for more ponies that may be falling. “It looks like it’s slowing down for now. Blueblood, we’ll be fine here. Make sure the delegates made it to safety.” “Of course auntie.” With a bow, Blueblood and his guards rushed from the room. Now that she had a moment, Twilight took a minute to look around the room. They were currently in the throne room. On one side of the room she could see AJ fretting over Ditzy and Dinky. A moment later Knight made himself known as he threw himself at AJ, wrapping his little legs around him as best he could. AJ quickly returned the hug in an attempt to comfort the foal. Applejack was helping a couple soldiers up on the other side of the room. Other than them, the room was filled with guards, both standing and dazed, and both princesses of Equestria. “Princess Celestia, what’s going on here?! Is Discord on another rampage?!” “If only things were that simple,” Luna said as she joined her sister. “Indeed. All this...chaos, is indeed Discord’s doing, but it’s not what you think.” “W-what? What do you mean?” “After Fluttershy reformed him, Discord decided to travel,” Celestia said as she watched one more pony getting teleported into the room, only to be caught by one of the guards. “Around the world?” questioned Twilight. “No. Around the cosmos,” Luna said as she motioned towards the ceiling. “E-excuse me?” “He went...planet hopping, as he put it.” “Discord always did have weird tastes,” Luna added with a grimace. Twilight let that bit of info run through her head. “So...what you’re telling me is he’s been traveling through space this entire time?” “Until today, yes. But...something was wrong when he returned.” “What happened?” “That idiot got sick,” Luna said in a very un-princess like manner. “You’d think somepony as smart as he claims to be would be smart enough to bring something to keep himself warm in the vacuum of space.” “Very...eloquent way of putting it sister.” “Sick?” “Yes, since he got back, he’s been sneezing and coughing seemingly non-stop,” Celestia said as she shook her head. “Every time he does so...well, you’ve seen the damages.” “Apparently his magic is uncontrollable when he’s sick,” added Luna. “And we got the ‘honor’ of dealing with him as he’s sick. I wish this was just the usual Discord bull shit. Much easier to deal with.” “I have to agree,” Celestia said with a hint of annoyance cracking through her regal features. She may have a much better poker face than Luna, but even she had her limits. “So you mean ta tell me this is all because Discord’s got a cold?” asked Applejack as she approached the three of them. “I...guess so,” Twilight said with a hint of relief in her voice. “Is there anything we can…” “AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHCHOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Discord’s sneeze thundered through the throne room moments before he popped into the room himself. He was looking much worse for wear, complete with a sickly green shade tinging his coat. Afterwards, he went into a sneezing fit. Each and every sneeze sent bolts of magic throughout the room, striking either the ponies that littered the room, or the walls around them. Nopony was spared from the assault, not even the princesses. Twilight was able to evade the first bolt of magic, but ended up getting caught off guard by a second one immediately following the first. The bolt sent her to the ground as another one flew over her head and struck a guard behind her. Just as she was moving to stand up once again, she heard Celestia call out to her. “Twilight, look out!” “Wha…” Before Twilight know what happened, a brick that had been dislodged by Discord’s magic fell, striking her in the head. The last thing she remembered feeling was her head making contact with the floor. ******************** Twilight’s head throbbed as she slowly picked herself up from the floor. It felt like she had been struck upside the head by a brick. She began rubbing her head as she decided to just sit instead. As she began rubbing her head, she noticed something very important to her was mysteriously missing. “M-m-m-my horn?” She opened her eyes as she tried to spot the tip of her horn, but it was no use. She was hornless. That’s when she noticed something else. Muscles on her back she never remembered having. Turning her head, she was sure her eyes would have popped out of her skull if they weren't attached by the optic nerve. Two purple wings were sticking straight out. After a few seconds of freaking out over her new appendages, she decided to look around the room. Twilight felt as if she was suffering from shell shock as she took in her surroundings. Despite all the commotion happening around her, all she heard was muffled screams and shouts. Calling the throne room a mad house at this time would have been a compliment. AJ, for some reason, was now a mare with a pregnant bulge. The look on her face was near rabid as she reached and thrashed around for something. The only thing holding her back from ending the life of...whatever it was, was the stallion that was holding her back. That stallion just so happened to be Ditzy. Why the two of them had suddenly changed gender, she wish she knew. She really wish she knew. Dinky and Knight had their colors swapped. Dinky had a light cream colored coat and a burgundy mane, and Knight had a pale purple coat and a blond mane. She turned her head to see her teacher, and co-ruler of Equestria, Celestia. She was now bald. Like...completely bald. Not only were her flowing, ethereal mane and tail gone, but her beautiful, pearlescent coat was gone leaving her pink, naked body on display for all to see. All of her hair had fallen to the floor in a pile around her. Luna seemed to escape whatever happened unscathed. Though she seemed to be rubbing her throat with a look of worry on her face. Applejack looked very unamused that she had been transformed into a literal cow pony. While she was still the size of a pony, and held the same basic body shape, everything else was that of a cow. She had small cow horns, cow like splotches covering her orange body, a cow like snout, a cow tail, and a cows udder hanging beneath her. All the guards in the room had also suffered in some kind of way. Ranging from something as simple as being disorientated, to being turned to stone. And amid all this…this, chaos, stood Discord. ****************************************