It Happened One April Foal's Day

by Dreadnought

Revelations

Cock-A-Doodle-Doo!

Rainbow Dash groggily opened her eyes. The blinding sunshine hurt, and she snapped them shut again. She rolled over, every muscle in her body screaming in the effort, and buried herself deeper under the covers....

The next thing Rainbow Dash knew was violent shaking. She bolted upright, and the shaking suddenly stopped. “Huh? Was that an earthquake?” she mumbled as she attempted to get her bearings.

“Applejack, it’s time tah get up.”

She gazed over to the smiling yellow face and shining orange eyes of the youngest Apple. Rainbow Dash grumbled, “I keep telling you – I’m not Applejack. I’m Rainbow Dash.”

Apple Bloom frowned and waved off the mare with a hoof, “Yeah, yeah. Yah know yah can stop now, Applejack. April Foal’s Day was yesterday.”

Rainbow Dash groaned at her “sister’s” insistence.

“Anyways,” continued the filly, “Granny says breakfast is ’bout ready. Yah better get yer flank downstairs.” She turned and left the orange earth pony alone in the bedroom.

Rainbow Dash brought a hoof to her head to massage away the headache that was forming.

The faint smells emanating from the kitchen caught her attention. She slowly climbed down from the bed, grimacing as all her muscles formed a chorus of pain. How did Applejack do this everyday? Rainbow Dash couldn’t figure it out but managed to stagger down the hall and descend the stairs to the kitchen.

“There yah are, Applejack,” said Granny. “Get on over tah the table.”

Rainbow Dash stumbled to Applejack’s place at the table and sat down hard. She reflected on all the hard work of the day before. It was worse, or better depending on your point of view, than her normal workouts. She mused that a few more months of this and she’d be as ripped as Big Mac.

“Yah better eat up, ’cause y’all got ’nother full day of chores ahead,” said Granny Smith.

“Eeyup,” said Big Mac and he entered from outside.

Rainbow Dash suddenly felt even worse at the prospect of having to go through another day of Applejack’s chores. She needed at least three days to recover from yesterday. Two backbreaking days in a row would require her to recuperate for at least a week. In total defeat she hung her head low and vacantly stared at the empty table in front of her.

She snapped out of her trance as a plate full of scrambled eggs and butter toast filled her vision. A bowl with half a grapefruit was set next to it along with a glass of orange juice.

“What’s this?” she began. “Where’s all the apples?”

Sitting down at the head of the table, Granny Smith said, “If’n y’all want apples, you can make yer own darn breakfast.”

“Eeyup,” added Big Mac as he joined the rest of the family for breakfast.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She’d had her monthly fill of apples the day before so this was more than a welcome change. She eagerly began devouring the savory food, having eyes only for the loaded plate in front of her.

The kitchen door creaked open.

“It’s ’bout time yah showed up,” greeted Granny Smith.

Rainbow Dash looked up to see standing in the doorframe... Rainbow Dash?

The pegasus smiled, “How y’all doin’, Applejack?”

“Applejack?” sputtered Rainbow Dash. “Wait, what’s going on?” she demanded.

The three other ponies started to snicker as they looked amongst themselves. Snickering quickly became laughing, with wry smiles on their faces. Laughing turned to howling, with Big Mac again pounding on the table and Apple Bloom tearing up.

Ignoring the pain, Rainbow Dash hopped to her orange hooves. “Would somepony tell me what the buck is going on around here!?” she roared.

Granny Smith eyed the pony masquerading as her grandaughter. “Here now, ain’t any need fer such langauge at the table, ’specially with a youngin’ present.”

“Well, Applejack,” began Apple Bloom with special emphasis on the irate orange pony’s name, “it all started the day before yesterday. Ah was goin’ to visit Zecora for help with one of mah potions. When Ah got there, Ah overheard y’all talkin’ ’bout prankin’ us with some polyjuice potion. Ah came right home an’ informed the family as to what you were plannin’.”

“With how hard she’s been pushin’ herself,” continued Granny Smith, “between Winter Wrap Up an’ plantin’, we conspired tah give Applejack – our Applejack – the day off.”

“Eeyup,” confirmed Big Mac.

“An’ since we couldn’t have two Applejacks runnin’ around, we figured that we should turn Applejack into Rainbow Dash,” explained Apple Bloom.

“What’s good fer the goose is good fer the gander,” said Granny Smith with a shake of her head.

“Eeyup.”

“So, this was all a prank on me?” asked Rainbow Dash as she attempted to wrap her head around it.

“Eeyup.”

Granny Smith chuckled, “How’s it feel to have some of yer own medicine?”

Rainbow Dash rubbed her aching head, “It feels like DeJa’Vu all over again.”

“So, Rainbow Dash,” Apple Bloom asked as she looked at the blue pegasus, “how was yer day off? Was it nice an’ relaxin’?”

Rubbing the back of her head, Applejack hesitated. “Well....”