Little Sister, Big Problem

by Twinkletail

Rating: everyone
Tags: Discord, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Applejack, Apple Bloom
Length: 20147

A twisted wish by Apple Bloom turns Applejack into a foal. Shenanigans ensue.

Apple Bloom is sick and tired of having to do everything Applejack tells her just because she's the younger of the two. So when a certain embodiment of chaos offers to fulfill her desire to be the older sister, how could she say no? After all, she's always wanted to be older. This, however, wasn't exactly how she envisioned it.

Written for the Transformations group's prompt contest!

Thanks to Bitz for the cover art!

Published 2013-07-24 16:00:02 UTC
Last updated 2014-12-07 00:52:09 UTC

Chapter 1

The life of an intergalactic space pirate was a tough one. It took a well-trained pony, strong in body, mind, and heart, to not only face, but overcome the many trials and tribulations such a job entailed. Most ponies would run in fright at the sights that an ISP faced on a daily basis. Rival pirate ships, huge tentacle monsters, perilous asteroid fields...most of ponykind didn't have to deal with these threats, nor would they want to. It was up to the bravest of the brave, the strongest of the strong, the awesomest of the awesome, to keep these threats at bay, away from those who stood no chance against them. Luckily for the ponies of Equestria, they had three ponies who were up to the task.

"Officer Starscoots!" came the call from the captain's chair. "Prepare the main thrusters! We're 'bout ta go inta hyperdrive!"

"Yes sir, ma'am, sir!" Officer Starscoots responded. She lurched forward, grabbing at the control lever with both front hooves. Captain Bloom Nebula couldn't possibly overstate the value of a right-hoof mare like Officer Starscoots. She had stuck by her through thick and thin, stared down vicious Garbonaks without a care for her own well-being. She was the kind of intergalactic space pirate that every captain wanted on their crew, but only she was lucky enough to have her.

"Ensign Spacie Belle!" Bloom barked. "Ah need a status report on the phasers!"

"The phasers are set to stun, captain!" Spacie Belle shouted back.

"We need more power than that!" the captain ordered. "Set 'em ta Ultra-Stun!" Spacie was spacey, that was for sure. Still, she was an incredibly valuable asset to the crew. Nopony could fire a phaser with her precision, and her sonic scream attack was invaluable when the fight got up close and personal. Bloom would gladly give her life for her crew, and she knew they would do the same for her.

"Enemy approaching on the starboard bow!" Starscoots cried, slamming her hoof into the ship's control panel.

"It's a big one, captain!" Spacie shrieked.

"Alright crew," Bloom said sternly. "We gotta turn an' face the enemy head-on!" She flung the steering wheel to the right, preparing to give the enemy a battle it wouldn't soon forget. The captain stared defiantly at the terrible enemy's approach. It didn't take her long to recognize what she and her crew were up against. It was certainly not an uncommon foe.

"Look out, everypony!" the captain shouted. "It's the terrible Apple Titan!"

Applejack watched as the three fillies grabbed the edges of the cardboard box they were sitting in and started to run towards her. Normally, this would have been the point where she'd smirk, then take up the part that Bloom had assigned her. Playing the Apple Titan was pretty easy stuff. Regrettably, there was no time for such things right now.

"Sorry, girls, but Ah'm afraid there ain't no Apple Titan right now," AJ told them. "An' Ah'm gunna hafta take yer captain away. 'Fraid she's got some chores ta take care of in the house, an' then it's dinnertime."

"Chores?!" Bloom moaned, in a matter most unbefitting of her recent position as captain of an intergalactic space pirate ship. "But me an' Scoots an' Sweetie still gotta..."

"Ah'm sorry, Apple Bloom," AJ said, lifting her bodily out of the box. "But these chores gotta get done."

"But Applejack!" Bloom protested.

"But nothin'," AJ replied, setting Bloom on her back. "Ya gotta listen ta yer big sister, an' that's all there is to it. Now say goodbye ta yer friends." Bloom looked at Scootaloo and Sweetie, who gave her apologetic looks. The little yellow filly frowned as AJ started her trot towards the farmhouse. It just wasn't fair. At least she still had her favorite dinner and tomorrow's crusade to look forward to, though.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Whaddaya mean we ain't havin' hay fries?" Bloom asked incredulously. Hay fries were far and away her favorite meal, and it was Friday. Friday was always hay fry day, to the point that she'd renamed it Hayfriday in her mind. She'd worked her rump off with all the chores AJ had assigned her upon arriving at home, but the thing that had fueled her along (other than the promise of tomorrow's crusade with the girls) was the knowledge that sweet, salty salvation awaited her. To snatch it away from her now was...it was unspeakable. Inconceivable. Blasphemous, even. So many words that she could almost hear Scootaloo calling her a dictionary in her head.

"Ya cain't always be havin' that stuff, Apple Bloom," AJ told her as she turned the burners on the stove off. "It's okay sometimes, but too much ain't good fer ya." She smiled warmly at her little sister as she set a dish of steamed carrots in front of her. "C'mon now. These're fresh from Carrot Top's garden."

Bloom stared at the steamed carrots, trying to change them into hay fries through sheer willpower. It wasn't that she didn't like steamed carrots. In fact, she liked them a lot, especially when they came from Ms. Top's garden. That wasn't the point right now though. The point right now was that they were not hay fries.

"But it's Hayfriday!" Bloom protested. "...Ah mean Friday!" She blushed lightly at the accidental utterance of her name for the day, but there was no time to worry about it now.

"Don't matter what day it is," AJ replied, sitting down to begin her meal. "Yer a growin' filly, an' it ain't good ta eat so much junk food. Ah don't want ya havin' health problems when ya grow up." Bloom pouted. Logic was attempting to wedge itself into the situation, but it was a battle that the abstract concept could not win.

"Granny Smith always makes hay fries fer me on Fridays," Bloom whined, nudging the dish of carrots away.

"Well, Granny Smith ain't here," AJ replied, sighing. "Long as she an' Big Macintosh're away in Fillydelphia, Ah'm the oldest pony here an' Ah'm in charge. Ah know ya love hay fries, but they jus' ain't healthy ta have all the time. An' Ah know fer a fact that ya like steamed carrots too, which is why Ah made those instead." She patted her sister gently on the shoulder. "So c'mon now. Eat up, alright? Please?" Bloom knew her sister was just looking out for her, but after the disappointment of having to cut her fun time with her friends short in favor of chores, losing out on her favorite meal did not sit well with her at all. The filly reached up and smacked her sister's hoof away.

"Tain't fair," Bloom said. Applejack was startled by her sister's resistance; it wasn't like Bloom to hit her like that. The farmer furrowed her brow.

"Don't matter if it's fair," AJ said, feeling her anger take hold of her. "Ah'm yer big sister an' ya gotta listen ta me. Now eat yer carrots." Bloom looked up to protest again, and was met with the sight of her sister's tail swishing through the doorway and into the living room. AJ was always like that. If she got too upset, she'd remove herself from the situation so her temper wouldn't make her say something she didn't mean. This didn't matter to Bloom, though, not even the tiniest bit. All that mattered was that she'd once again been denied her way because Applejack had pulled the big sister card.

Bloom glared at the offending carrots, nary an intention of eating them on her mind. She'd starve herself, and AJ would feel terrible that her sister had starved because of her. The fasting protest didn't last long, though, as the filly felt her belly rumble. With a sigh, she pulled the carrots over and began to eat, acknowledging that some battles were not worth waging. She smiled as she ate the first carrot. They really were tasty. But they weren't hay fries. She quickly put a frown on her face; she wouldn't allow Applejack the satisfaction of seeing her approval if she came back in the room. It wasn't long before the carrots were but a memory. Bloom made a mental note to go and thank Ms. Top for the carrots tomorrow. it would have to be done without AJ knowing, and also after the big crusade tomorrow. She'd had so much taken away from her, but at least she still had that to look forward to.

~~~~~~~~~~

With the way things had been going today, Bloom had half-expected Applejack to make her do more chores after dinner was over. It came as a relief to her when her sister chose to spend the night relaxing and letting Bloom be. Bloom needed that time, after all, to prepare herself for tomorrow's big crusade. Previous endeavors by the three friends had all proven to be fruitless, as they were all still devoid of cutie marks. None of those past attempts could hold a candle to what tomorrow had in store for them, though. Everything in their friendship had been leading to this moment. There was no chance in Tartarus that any of them would be walking away from tomorrow's events without a cutie mark. Maybe even two cutie marks! Wait, no, just one each. Multiple cutie marks didn't work out so well last time.

Bloom felt like Twilight Sparkle as she triple-checked her checklist for tomorrow. Fishing rod, check. Butterfly net, check. Shovel, check. All the other stuff...almost check. There was one very, very important thing missing from her checklist, one that she couldn't even dream of going on this crusade without. The filly couldn't believe that she'd nearly forgotten to prepare an appropriate adventuring hat! She got right to work, whipping out a sheet of white paper and a set of crayons. It took about a half hour, including time spent on folding properly, before her work was done. As she stared in awe at her beautiful creation, she knew her time had been well-spent. When she met her friends at 1:00 PM tomorrow, the first topic of conversation would surely be her excellently-crafted hat. The vibrant colors, the stunning designs, the perfect craftsmanship...no, there was no way that the others' hats could possibly compare. She would wear perfection on her head, and the others would be forced to envy her as she led them on their mystical journey.

"Apple Bloom?" came Applejack's voice from outside her room, immediately proceeding a knock on the door. "Can Ah come in?" Bloom sat there silently for a few moments, considering her options. She couldn't pretend to not be there. If she stayed silent, AJ would likely assume that she went out with her permission and would likely barge in anyway. Maybe she was coming to apologize for all the stuff from earlier? Bloom could only hope that this was the case.

"Yeh, c'mon in," Bloom said. The door opened, and she watched her sister enter, trying to gauge the look on her face. As far as she could tell, Applejack didn't look like she was going to be hollering at her for anything. AJ was usually an easy pony to read, as her natural sense of honesty usually made her wear her emotions on her sleeve. She looked far more apologetic than angry, which relieved the little filly.

"Bloom, Ah wanna talk t'ya 'bout earlier," AJ said, sitting down next to her sister. "Ah'm awful sorry if Ah came off a might short with ya b'fore. S'jus' that Ah worry 'bout ya, an' Ah wanna make sure yer growin' up all healthy an' responsible an' such. You understand that, right?" Bloom looked up at her sister. As upset with her as she was, she couldn't help but nod. She loved Applejack despite the unfairness from earlier.

"Good," AJ said, smiling. "Now c'mere an' give me a hug." The filly smiled and leaned into her older sister's waiting embrace. She smiled from ear to ear as she hugged Applejack. She was glad this whole thing was being resolved. The last thing she needed was to go into tomorrow's crusade all upset.

"Ah'm real glad we sorted this out, Apple Bloom," AJ said, beaming. "Now the both'f us should get ta bed. T'morrow's gunna be a busy day fer us." Bloom yawned. It was getting rather late, and she was pretty ti...wait, what?

"T'morrow?" Bloom exclaimed. "What's goin' on t'morrow?"

"We got a lotta errands ta run t'morrow!" Applejack responded, getting up. "An' Ah cain't rightly do 'em on mah own! We gotta run ta the market, an' then the bank, an' then we're pickin' up that book on exotic pie recipes from the library, an' 'course We're gunna be bakin' one'f 'em with Pinkie so it can be ready ta mail out ta Braeburn..."

"No no no no NO!!" Bloom shouted, startling Applejack out of her train of thought. "Ah got plans fer t'morrow! Me an' the girls got a big crusade goin' on! Ah cain't cancel on 'em! It's too important!" The little filly beat her hooves against the bed in frustration. She couldn't let this one slip away, no way, no how.

"More important than the farm an' yer family?" AJ asked. She realized that she'd raised her voice and softened her tone, "Apple Bloom, Ah cain't do this stuff without ya. Cain't ya play with yer friends later? Ah'm sure we'll be done by 'round sundown."

"Sundown?!" Bloom yelled, not extending the same courtesy of lowering her voice. "We were gunna start at 1:00! That's hours of potential cutie mark discoverin' that Ah'd be missin' out on!" She stared directly at Applejack, turning on her most adorable and pleading of gazes. She didn't break this out often; the last time she could remember was when Twilight had first come to town and she needed convincing to stick around for a meal. This case warranted it, though. It was of the utmost importance that she get her way.

"Now don't go givin' me that look, Apple Bloom," AJ said, brushing off her sister's most potent weapon like it was nothing. "If we don't get this stuff done t'morrow, Ah'm gunna be in more trouble than a balloon in a cactus patch when Granny Smith an' Big Macintosh get home. Yer jus' gunna hafta reschedule yer...whatever ya call it."

"Ah don't wanna!" Bloom shouted. "It's no fair!" She felt the anger inside her well up and burst, and before she knew what she was doing, she'd flung a pillow across the room at her sister. She watched, powerless to stop it, as the weapon of very minor destruction careened through the air, making direct contact with Applejack's face and knocking her hat off. For her part, AJ looked more stunned than angry at the sudden bit of fluffy aggression. The anger didn't take long to surface, though, as she furrowed her brow and glared at Bloom.

"Ya know what? Fine," Applejack said, frowning. "Ya don't gotta go with me. Ah'll get one'a the girls ta help. But ya still ain't goin' ta see yer friends, cause yer grounded, missy!" Bloom gasped. The dreaded G-word had been unleashed. She felt herself shaking with a mixture of anger and sadness.

"'Tain't fair!!" Bloom shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Well too bad!" the incensed AJ shouted back. "Ah'm yer big sister an' ya gotta do what Ah say! So there!" With that, she flipped the light off and exited Bloom's room, slamming the door behind her. Bloom sat there for a few moments, trembling with rage, before throwing herself back against the pillow that hadn't been turned into a projectile. The filly slammed her front hooves uselessly against her bed. It just felt like the right way to unleash her frustrations. When this choice of action did not result in everything being fixed, she turned onto her belly and pressed her face against the pillow. She felt tears forming, but fought valiantly against them. She would not allow her sister the satisfaction of having made her cry. Unfortunately, it turned out that this, too, was a battle that she could not win. The filly had herself a good cry before drifting off to sleep. The last words she managed to mutter before slumber overtook her were the same ones she'd been saying a lot today.

"Tain't fair..."

~~~~~~~~~~

It seemed like mere moments before Bloom woke up, her attention drawn towards her window by a quiet knocking sound. To say that she was surprised was an understatement. It was far too late at night for any of her friends to be visiting, and even if it had been the middle of the day, reaching her second-floor window would prove to be difficult. Her only good pegasus friend was Scootaloo, and while she had been getting better recently, she was nowhere near capable enough to fly up here. Bloom found herself apprehensive of what might be knocking on her window at this hour, but curiosity was one of her weak points. Plus, what kind of Cutie Mark Crusader would she be if she weren't brave? She was sure something about being brave was in the CMC Official Manual. Or at least it would be once she finished editing it. Slowly, cautiously, the filly rose from her bed and inched towards the window. As she approached, the knocking sound came again. This time, Bloom caught sight of the perpetrator: a small black cat.

"Shucks, is that what Ah've been all nervous about?" Bloom asked nopony in particular. She opened her window and allowed the little cat entry, an offer it accepted immediately. Bloom smiled warmly at the feline. She still had no clear explanation of how it had made it up to her window, but what harm could a cat do? She picked her visitor up, giving it a smile and looking into its little yellow eyes.

"Well hay there, lil' guy!" she whispered. "Ain't you jus' the cutest thing?"

"What a kind thing to say, Apple Bloom!" the cat replied in a deep, charming voice. The startled pony stumbled backwards, releasing the cat from her hold. She stared in shock as the cat hovered in the air, its body growing and changing into that of an all-too-familiar figure.

"I didn't know you felt that way about little old me," the embodiment of chaos sang, fluttering his eyelashes at the filly. "But I'm afraid we simply aren't meant to be." He chuckled to himself as he sat down on the stunned pony's bed. "Did you hear that rhyme? I swear it wasn't intentional. I'm no Zecora, after all."

"Discord!" Bloom exclaimed, having regained her voice. "A-Ah'm gunna tell Applejack!" She began to run, but a snap from Discord's fingers turned the ground below Bloom's hooves into a treadmill.

"Oh, do calm down, Apple Bloom," Discord said, stretching out to make himself comfortable. "I'm not going to hurt you. I'm on Celestia's side now, remember? I'm a..." He lolled his tongue out of his mouth, making a bleh noise. "...Good guy now." Another snap of his fingers removed the treadmill, sending an unprepared Bloom hurtling forward. The filly winced and braced for impact against the door, but was snatched up safely by Discord's lion arm. Discord spun the filly carefully before setting her down on the mattress.

"Besides," the draconequus said with a smirk. "From what I understand of your situation, you're not very happy with your sister right now, are you?"

"H-how'd you know that?" Bloom stammered. Her fear of the being before her was beginning to diminish; after all, he had told the Princess and everypony else that he would use his powers for good. She still couldn't quite shake off the odd feeling she got from him, though, and his apparent knowledge of her current predicament wasn't helping matters.

"What a silly question," Discord answered, his tone light and flippant. "I AM the spirit of chaos, remember? The ponies in Ponyville are usually so happy and peaceful. So when I sensed your yelling and tears, my face just...lit up!" Discord's face suddenly became illuminated, to illustrate his point. Bloom couldn't help but giggle lightly. Visual gags were kinda funny.

"Alright," she said, "Then why'd ya..." Discord held one finger up to stop her, seeming to know exactly what she was going to ask.

"I wanted to run right over here and get a front-row seat!" he told her. "But of course, running down the street with my infamy and these devilishly good looks would draw quite a bit of attention." A snap of his fingers transformed him back into the cat form that he'd arrived in. "But nopony would question a cute widdle puddy-tat, would they?" Bloom tapped her chin with a hoof, thinking this over.

"Well...Ah s'pose that makes sense..." the filly was forced to admit. A puff of smoke accompanied Discord's transformation back into his normal form, and he sat down on the bed next to her.

"Now Apple Bloom," he said, sounding as gentle and caring as was possible. "Tell friendly old Mr. Discord what the problem is." Bloom looked up to him, and he gave her a big, toothy smile and a pleading look.

"Well," Bloom said, then took a deep, deep breath. "Ah was playin' with mah friends an' Applejack came by an' told me Ah had ta stop an' do chores, an' then she told me she wouldn't make me hay fries fer dinner even though t'day's Hayfriday, an' then Ah had this big ol' plan with mah friends fer t'morrow but she told me Ah had ta go runnin' errands with her, an' then Ah got mad an' threw a pillow at her an' she grounded me, an' she kept sayin' Ah gotta listen ta her on account'a she's the big sister, an' it jus' ain't fair!!" She flumped back down onto her back with a mighty flump and took a look at Discord. He was sitting beside her on the bed, wearing a set of spectacles and puffing on a bubble pipe.

"Hmm...this sounds very, very serious," Discord said gravely.

"It is!" Bloom exclaimed, sitting up. "Ah'm glad SOMEPONY noticed!" She sighed and laid back again. "Ah wish Ah could be the older sister fer once. Then Ah wouldn't hafta listen ta a thing she said." Discord raised a single brow, a smile crossing his face.

"Would you mind repeating that, my dear Apple Bloom?" the embodiment of chaos asked, flopping onto his belly and placing both hands on his chin in "I'm listening" position.

"Ah said," Bloom repeated, "Ah wish Ah could be the older sister fer once. Then Ah wouldn't hafta listen ta a thing Applejack said!" Discord's smile grew wider.

"Hmmm," he said, his eagle claw playing with his goatee. "I think I could do something about that." Bloom's head rose off of the pillow, and she stared at the mismatched being in front of her. He simply smiled at her, waggling his eyebrows.

"Whaddaya mean ya could do somethin' 'bout it?" Bloom asked, her interest piqued.

"Exactly what I said!" Discord responded, grinning and poking Bloom on her nose. "I said that I would use my magic for good from now on, and making a little filly happy is good, isn't it?" He gave Bloom a little tickle with the tip of his tail. "You just say the word, and I'll make sure that by the time you wake up tomorrow morning, you'll be the older sister." Bloom stared silently at Discord for a few moments, trying to process all of this. It all seemed just a bit too surreal. Why would Discord, the formerly-evil embodiment of chaos, suddenly show up, knowing about her argument with Applejack? Why would he come and offer to help her and offer her exactly what she'd been thinking of without asking for anything in return? Upon thinking about it now, it all seemed inconceivable. Unless...

Of course! It was a dream! That explained it perfectly! She'd fallen asleep while upset with Applejack's insistence on how anything she said went because she was the older sister. After what felt like only a few moments, she "woke up" to find Discord, probably the only one other than the princesses who was capable of granting such a wish, in her room and offering to do it for her. It all made sense to her now! She chuckled to herself, curious to see where this dream would go if she accepted. She couldn't wait to feel what it was like to be a grown-up and make Applejack do whatever SHE said.

"Okay then!" Bloom replied, beaming.

"Excellent!" Discord said. "Buuuut...I'll only do it on one condition. You have to promise me that you won't tell anypony that I had anything to do with it." Bloom blinked, confused.

"Why not?" she asked him. Discord chuckled and nudged at her with his tail again.

"Now now now," Discord said. "All you need to know is that it's a condition of the deal. I will fulfill your desire, and you won't tell anypony that I had any involvement in it. Do we have a deal?" He extended his lion paw towards Bloom, grinning like a madman. Bloom pondered this for about five seconds before figuring that there was no harm in agreeing. It was a dream, after all.

"Deal!" Bloom said, offering her hoof. Discord gladly took hold of the hoof and gave it a hearty shake.

"Wonderful!" he exclaimed, shaking vigorously before letting go of her hoof. "Now, you get yourself to bed, and when you wake up, you'll find that you've gotten exactly what you asked for." Bloom beamed and slipped under the covers, watching Discord transform once again into a cat. She gave him a wave as he exited her room. Not wanting to waste another minute in the boring part of the dream, the filly got comfortable and closed her eyes. She hoped beyond hope that this wouldn't be one of those dreams where she woke up before the good part, because this dream sure was a lot more interesting than what tomorrow had in store for her.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sunlight was only barely beginning to shine through Bloom's window when she woke up. It was much earlier than she usually woke up, and her first instinct as she yawned a mighty yawn was to get back to bed. Applejack wouldn't even be up this early; there was no need for her to be.

...Or there wouldn't be if it weren't for wanting to see what it was like to be a grown-up! Bloom could barely believe she'd nearly forgotten all about the earlier part of the dream. Excitement built as she threw off her bedsheets to reveal...her regular old filly body.

"Aw, horsefeathers!" Bloom whined, slamming one hoof against the pillow. "Ah musta woken up b'fore the good part!" She pounded the pillow again, utterly disappointed with herself. This happened with all of her cool dreams! She'd missed the big final battle against the robot overlord two nights ago, lost out on seeing what the ancient treasure of the hidden tomb was a few days before that, and even more. This, though, really took the cake. It was almost as if her dreams were taunting her, offering her the most awesome stuff ever and then forcing her awake before she could see them. It was just another thing that wasn't fair.

Bloom began to turn onto her side and try to get back to sleep, but a curious sight stopped her. Last night wasn't a particularly warm one, and she would never leave her window open on a night that didn't require it. Granny Smith's constant reminders about not wanting bugs in the house had conditioned her against such a thing. Yet there was her window, wide open. Bloom knew she hadn't opened it. In fact, the only heed she'd paid to the window at all was when...

Bloom couldn't believe it. Did that actually happen last night? Was he actually here? Did she actually make that wish? But then why wasn't she older?

"Dangit, Ah shoulda known better than ta trust him," Bloom lamented. "Comes in here in the dead'a night an' makes a promise he don't even keep!" The filly couldn't think of a time where she'd been more upset with Discord. Well, actually, there was the whole "trying to turn Ponyville into the chaos capital of the world" thing. But this was an easy second place.

Bloom groaned and slipped out of bed. She was far too frustrated right now to even consider getting back to sleep, and figured a nice warm glass of water would help the process along. As she snuck past Applejack's room, she noted that for once, AJ wasn't snoring. On one hoof, this was a relief, as that sound was capable of bringing fully-grown ponies (like she should be right now) to their knees. On the other hoof, Applejack snored every single night. Something told Bloom that a lack of that bone-rattling noise meant that something was off. Despite how angry she was with AJ for denying her so many nice things, she was still her sister, and she was still concerned. Slowly, carefully, the little filly nudged her sister's door open. She looked towards AJ's bed, not knowing exactly what to expect. When she didn't see her sister's form under her covers, her nerves stood on end. Fearing the worst, she threw the covers off of AJ's bed. She stared, dumbfounded, at the tiny orange foal sleeping in her sister's place.

"...Oh, horsefeathers," was all Bloom could utter.

Chapter 2

"Alright, Apple Bloom...don't panic."

Never before had Bloom felt so incapable of performing a two-word command before. Well, maybe once before. "No cookies" was a hard one to adhere to. It was far more manageable than this, though. She could always eat something else to get around a cookie ban, such as cupcakes, brownies, or, in times of desperation, vegetables. As far as Bloom knew, eating something would not change her formerly-big sister back to normal. Unless it would. It was Discord that did this, after all. A solution as ridiculous as that wasn't really out of the question. However, it was unlikely enough that going down and trying everything in the kitchen wasn't a feasible plan of action.

The filly stared at her newly-infantilized sister. Part of her was still in shock over the discovery. In fact, most of her was. The parts of her that weren't were no help at all, for they were too busy fawning over how adorable Applejack was like this. She remembered Granny Smith telling her around the time of the last Apple family reunion that AJ was a pudgy little foal, but seeing her fat little belly heave up and down as she dozed peacefully was enough to take her mind off of her troubles for the moment. She almost wanted to go over there and tickle that little belly, but she managed to come to her senses and resist. This wasn't a time for belly-tickling. This was a time for action. That would be exactly what her sister would say if she wasn't currently a hoof-sucking foal. This caused Bloom to chuckle a bit; she hadn't even noticed the hoof-sucking until now.

"Discord?" Bloom whispered, hoping that he would be hanging out around the area. He didn't answer, of course. The big meanie probably wouldn't have answered even if he was here. He was probably sitting at home right now, laughing at how he'd pulled one over on one of the Elements of Harmony and her little--well, big for the time being--sister. Bloom decided right then and there that Discord was the jerkiest jerk that had ever jerked. Then she hung her head. None of this would have happened if she hadn't asked for it, even though this wasn't exactly what she'd asked for. Well, perhaps it was, but it wasn't what she'd meant to ask for. She'd hoped this was a dream to begin with, but if it had to be real, she'd wanted to wake up and be around Big Macintosh's age, so she could ignore AJ's orders and make some orders of her own. She supposed she could still throw out some orders in this situation, but it wouldn't be the same.

Bloom's train of thought abruptly stopped as she noticed her tiny sister begin to stir. The filly froze, preparing herself for the burst of yelling and crying that baby Applejack would surely unleash as soon as she realized what had happened to her. The foal opened her little green eyes, rubbing them with the hoof that she'd been sucking on moments ago. She sat up, barely even seeming to notice that she did so with a level of difficulty that she wouldn't have the day prior. She gave a sleepy glance towards Bloom, a glance that soon turned to one of preposterously adorable anger.

"Apple Bloom!" AJ exclaimed in a comically high version of her usual voice. "Who said ya could leave yer room?"

Bloom covered her mouth with a hoof, trying desperately to hold back giggles. A look of confused consternation crossed AJ's face after hearing her voice, as she tried to register what had happened to her vocal register.

"What the hay's wrong with mah voice?" AJ asked, smacking the bed with a hoof. This was too much for Bloom to take. She felt terrible about what she'd done to her sister and she very much wanted to fix it, but none of that could stop the peals of laughter that followed. This only served to incense Applejack further. She pointed a hoof at her sister.

"What's so..." she began to shout, but her sentence was cut off as she stared at her foreleg. It was tiny. Very, very tiny. And something about her little hoof looked so enticing. She wanted to suck on it. In fact, she was hit with an overwhelming urge to do so. Her willpower was strong, though, and she managed to resist. She wasn't sure why she wanted to do that so badly. She hadn't sucked her hoof since she was a...

She looked down at herself, and what she saw shocked her. Gone was her big, fit body, replaced with a tiny, chubby belly and short, stubby legs. She tried to wiggle her hind legs, and sure enough, the little orange hind legs in front of her wiggled in response. Something in her mind was again informing her of how nice and relaxing it would be to pick one of those hooves up and shove it in her mouth, but again she resisted the urge. She was far too angry and confused for such endeavors.

"Why am Ah a foal?!" the miniature mare shrieked, beating away at the mattress with her hooves. Apple Bloom, whose laughter had finally subsided, pulled herself to her hooves. Now that the initial hilarity of AJ's voice had worn off, worry and anxiety were beginning to set in again. As entertaining a sight as this was, it was imperative that a solution be found.

"Ah'm sorry Applejack!" Bloom whined. "Ah..."

She hesitated. As unnatural a sight as an infantilized Applejack was, it momentarily took a backseat to the image that she saw in the painting on the wall behind her sister's bed. It was a painting she'd seen thousands of times before, so often that she had practically memorized the depiction of the orchard during a rainstorm down to the last raindrop. In as many times as she'd seen it, it had certainly never moved before. She watched in wonder as a little draconequus, illustrated in the same style as the painting, strolled out from behind one of the painted trees.

"Remember, Apple Bloom," the painted Discord whispered, opening up an umbrella as if to shield himself from the non-moving raindrops. "You promised." He did a quick twirl and let go of the umbrella, which floated up into the sky and vanished off the top of the canvas. He then leapt behind a tree, vanishing from sight. The filly gulped. Even though Discord was a meanie who twisted her wish into this mess, she'd been taught ever since she was little that a promise was not to be broken. It was something that her sister was very insistent on, especially since she'd come back from running away to Dodge Junction for some reason.

"Ya what?" the tiny Applejack demanded adorably. Bloom gulped. She didn't want to lie to her sister, who valued honesty so much, but a promise was a promise.

"...A-Ah don't know what happened!" Bloom said. "Ah jus' came in ta see ya an' ya were like this!" She held still, looking at her perturbed little big sister. She took solace in the fact that what she said was only partially a lie; she DID come in to see her and found her like this. The other part was a different story altogether. The foal stared at her, tiny green eyes narrowed as if she was trying to read her. After a few moments of silent tension, Applejack let up on her accusatory gaze, much to Bloom's relief.

"This is crazy!" Applejack whined. She didn't intend to whine, but found herself doing it anyway. She also felt a stinging in her eyes. A strong impulse in her was trying to have her react to this frustration by crying. One small whimper managed its way out of her, but she refused to let any more of that impulse take over. She was stuck in the body of a foal, but that didn't mean she was about to act like one. She beat a hoof against the pillow once more, turning her gaze back on her sister. "C'mon Bloom, yer takin' me ta Twilight's. if anypony can fix this, it's her!"

Bloom stared incredulously at Applejack. This wasn't how she wanted her wish to go, but either way, it was she who was technically the older sister now, not Applejack. And here she was, still trying to boss her around! The nerve! She may have had to listen to Applejack before, but there was no way she was letting a little foal boss her around. She wanted to help Applejack, but this was a matter of principle, in a situation that she'd very likely never be in again. She let a little grin cross her face.

"Beg yer pardon?" Bloom said, stepping closer. "Ah don't think Ah gotta do what a lil' foal tells me."

"What?!" AJ exclaimed. "Apple Bloom! Ah'm yer big sister, an'-"

"Ya don't -look- like a big sister ta me!" Bloom giggled. "Ya look more like a lil' sister!"

"Dangit, Apple Bloom!" AJ yelled. Bloom climbed up onto the bed, taking a seat by AJ's hind hooves.

"A teeny-tiny widdle baby sister!" Bloom taunted. AJ frowned, once again feeling unwanted tears threaten to spring forth. Bloom was being a meanie.

"C-cut that out..." AJ said quietly, trying not to sound too upset.

"Aww, don't be sad, widdle baby," Bloom cooed. "Yer too cute ta be sad!" She reached forward, taking one of AJ's hind hooves in hers. She tickled the bottom of the tiny hoof, taking some pleasure in messing around with her sister. AJ knew she was upset with her sister for treating her like this, but all of that was forgotten as the little foal giggled happily in response to the tickle torture. Bloom giggled as well; as much as she wanted to fix things, this was pretty adorable. She quickly pinned her sister's hind hooves down, then leaned forward and blew a raspberry on her belly, causing the foal to erupt into laughter. The former farmer wanted so badly to be angry, but she could barely remember why as she giggled and squealed.

The two sisters were knocked out of their reverie by a sudden knock from downstairs. Bloom's face stopped just inches from her sister's belly as she looked towards the door.

"Now who in Equestria could that be?" Bloom mused, picking herself back up to a sitting position.

"Hopefully it's somepony who can help us fix this mess!" AJ said, shifting into a more dignified position. "You go down an' answer it. Ah don't wanna be seen like this!" Bloom frowned a bit as her sister once again made demands of her, but she granted her this one. She didn't feel like arguing at the moment, and it was rude to keep a pony waiting at the door.

The knocking got louder and faster as Bloom headed down the stairs. She'd been heading at a leisurely pace, but the urgency in the knock was enough to make her speed up. They certainly weren't expecting company; Applejack was supposed to be going out on errands, and it was hours until Bloom was supposed to meet her friends for the crusade that she almost definitely wouldn't be able to attend, despite AJ being in no condition to uphold her punishment. The filly opened the door, uncertain of what to expect, and was nearly bowled over by a pink ball of energy.

"Apple Bloom!" Pinkie Pie shouted, surveying the area. "Where is he? Or she? Or both! It wasn't really specific!" The typically-youngest Apple family member looked up at Pinkie, clearly baffled.

"What in the hay are ya talkin' 'bout, Pinkie?" Bloom asked, readjusting her bow.

"My nose was twitch-a-twitching!" Pinkie answered. "And that came right after a double-leg kick and a shoulder shake!" She reenacted each motion pointedly, as if that was all the explanation necessary.

"Oh!" Bloom responded, before raising a single brow. "...An' what does all that mean?" She, like most Ponyville residents, was accustomed to the Pinkie Sense, but this was a series of events in the pink mare's body that she'd never heard of before.

"It means there's a foal emergency!" Pinkie exclaimed. She bounced in place, causing the saddlebags she was carrying to bounce along with her. "And it led me right here! Now where's the cute little foal?" Bloom paled, remembering her sister's request. Before she could say a word, Pinkie was no longer standing in front of her, already en route to the stairs. Bloom scrambled to follow her. She stood no chance of stopping Pinkie in her tracks, but this way she'd at least ensure that she was there to give an explanation.

Applejack had been waiting in her room for her sister to deflect whoever was at the door. Normally, waiting for this short period of time would have been nothing for her. She typically had an abundance of patience, plenty enough to handle the minute or so since Bloom had left the room. Right now, though, she felt a strange need for some form of stimulation. She glanced down at her right front hoof. The enticing sensation from earlier returned, and without Bloom in the room, she had one less reasons to feel uncomfortable about it. The little pony picked up her hoof and put it in her mouth, suckling intently on the tip. Something in her mind told her that this was a good thing, and that was enough to keep her sucking. For those few moments, her hoof was her entire world, a fuzzy feeling that lasted until Pinkie burst through her door.

"Is the foal in Applejack's room?" Pinkie shouted, looking left and right. AJ snapped out of her stupor, her hoof falling out of her mouth. She was very much startled, and for some reason, her first instinct was to cry. She willed herself through that urge, but still found herself trembling slightly, partially from the now-waning shock but mostly thanks to the frustration at being found like this by one of her best friends. Bloom was supposed to send whoever was at the door away so this exact thing wouldn't happen. She saw Bloom run into the room shortly after Pinkie and was ready to give her a tongue-lashing, but there was no time for such things.

"APPLEJACK?!" Pinkie yelped, recognizing the tiny foal instantly. AJ took a deep breath, preparing to respond to Pinkie. Before she could get a word out, she found herself scooped up into Pinkie's forelegs.

"Omigosh you're adorable!!" Pinkie gushed, holding the helpless foal's face right up to her own. AJ squirmed uselessly, completely unable to escape the much larger pony's hold.

"Pinkie..." AJ began, but her voice only caused Pinkie to giggle and squeal.

"I could just eat you up!" the pink mare giggled, rubbing her nose against AJ's. AJ found herself placed back on the bed, but escape from Pinkie's affections proved impossible as she found herself being nuzzled, tickled, cooed at, and spoken to in foal-talk by her friend. Much like when Bloom was playing with her earlier, AJ found herself quickly not wanting to escape said affections anymore for a reason that she couldn't quite place. She giggled joyfully as Pinkie played with her, and found herself in a bit of a happy daze once Pinkie was finally able to tear herself away. Bloom, meanwhile, watched the whole scene, a look of bemusement plastered to her face. Despite her concern, something about watching AJ be treated like this was cathartic after how often her sister would talk down to her like she was younger than she actually was.

"So!" Pinkie said, plunking herself down onto the bed and pulling AJ into her lap. "What happened? I mean its not like Applejack to just turn into a foal like this! I mean I guess it's not like anypony to suddenly turn into a foal, but I guess that's kind of unfair for me to say when I haven't met everypony in the world yet. I know it isn't like Applejack though!" AJ found herself being bounced on Pinkie's knee as she spoke, an activity which was enough to delight her and remove her from the conversation.

"A-Ah don't know," Bloom lied, glancing up at the painting to see if Discord would make another appearance. He didn't, but she still wouldn't break her promise. "Ah jus' came inta her room this mornin' an' she was a foal!"

"Well that's weird!" Pinkie answered. "I guess this really WAS a foal emergency! Well, let's at least get her situated for the moment!"

"Situated?" Bloom asked, confused. Her answer came quickly as Pinkie laid AJ on the bed and pulled a diaper from her saddlebags. The sight of the diaper was enough to snap AJ out of her happy mindset. She began to protest, but it was too little, too late. Pinkie was practiced at this by this point, having spent a lot of time around the rambunctious Cake twins, and before AJ could stop her, Pinkie had expertly diapered her. The orange foal frowned, not at all pleased with the offending garment that now hugged her lower half snugly.

"There we go!" Pinkie sang, poking Applejack's nose with a hoof. "Doesn't that feel all comfy-womfy on the widdle filly's bottom?" Even the coddling and foal-talk that had made her smile earlier was not enough to make her okay with her situation this time.

"No!" she exclaimed, pouting adorably. "Ah don't wanna wear a dang diaper!" Bloom had to restrain herself from giggling at her sister's predicament. AJ was upset enough as it was; she didn't need Bloom laughing at her too.

"Well I'm sorry, Applejack," Pinkie said in her best motherly tone, patting her on the head. "But as long as you're a cute little foal, you have to! You don't want to ruin your nice furniture or floors or anything, do you?" AJ's cheeks turned bright red, and she looked down, not wishing to acknowledge this line of conversation. Pinkie took this as a sign of compliance and smiled, kissing the foal on the forehead, eliciting another bout of blushing from AJ.

"That's a good filly!" the pink mare said, beaming. Then she turned to Bloom. "I brought a bunch of foal supplies cause I knew there was a foal emergency, but if you want, I can take care of Applejack while you try and figure out how to change her back! I'm sure the Cake twins would love a playmate!" Bloom tapped her chin, considering this offer. With Applejack safely in Pinkie's care, she would have plenty of time to not only try to find out how to change her sister back, but also to go crusading with her friends like she was supposed to! The more she thought about it, though, the more guilty she felt about it. Applejack was in this mess because of her, and to pass off responsibility for her just didn't feel right.

"That's alright, Pinkie," Bloom said. "She's mah sister, so Ah'll take care'a her. How 'bout you go ta Twilight an' see if she cain't figure out a way ta fix it?" If there was one pony who could fix a magical mishap like this (without getting the princesses involved), it was Twilight.

"That's a great idea!" Pinkie bubbled. AJ, on the other hoof, didn't seem to agree.

"Now see here!" Applejack shouted. "Ah don't want Twilight an' the others seein' me like this! It's bad enough that Pinkie has!" Bloom just rolled her eyes and sat down next to her sister.

"Applejack," Bloom began. "Ya know Twilight's real smart an' real good with magic. Ah bet that even though none of us, me included, knows how this happened, she can find a way ta fix it." She noticed the pout forming on AJ's little face and hugged her. "Ah know it's embarrassin', but if Twilight don't help, ya could be stuck like this. Ya don't wanna be stuck like this, right?"

"N-no..." AJ was forced to concede.

"Then let Pinkie go tell her!" Bloom said. "An' don't worry. Ah'll take care'a ya till it's all sorted out!" Applejack didn't look so convinced about the last part, but finally nodded her consent.

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie said cheerfully, then tossed her saddlebags onto the bed. "Here's everything you'll need!"

"What's all that?" Bloom asked, eyeing the saddlebags.

"Foal supplies!" Pinkie replied, unloading things onto the bed. "Here's a whole bunch of spare diapers, a couple of pacifiers, some toys, a few bottles..."

"Ain't no way Ah'm drinkin' milk out of a bottle!" AJ spoke up.

"Hmm..." Pinkie responded. "Well I mean there's another way foals get milk, but I don't think any of the girls would..."

"Ah'll take the bottles!" Applejack said hurriedly, before this conversation could go any further. Pinkie smiled and ruffled her little mane.

Don't you worry, widdle Applejack!" the pink mare said in a soothing tone. "Auntie Pinkie Pie will make sure we get you back to your big, strong apple-bucking self! You just stay here and be the cutest widdle thing in the world!" She smooshed AJ's cheeks together with her hooves. AJ tried to resist it, but she couldn't help giggling lightly in response. Pinkie, encouraged by her happiness, started tickling her belly, causing AJ to begin flailing and giggling again.

"Uh, this is cute an' all," Bloom spoke up, "But don'tcha think we should get Twilight?"

"Oh! Right!" Pinkie laughed. "It's just so hard to pull myself away from the little cutie!" She gave Applejack's mane another ruffle. "Now you be good for your big sister, alright?" The orange foal blushed and nodded quietly. Bloom couldn't help but smile; this may not have been the way she wanted it, but for now, she really was the big sister.

Chapter 3

For the first time in her short life, Apple Bloom felt like she was truly in charge of something that wasn't imaginary. Sure, she had her moments where she was left to watch Winona while the rest of the family was out, but beyond giving her meals and taking her for the occasional walk, that job didn't require a whole lot of effort. A foal, on the other hoof, was a true test of responsibility. Granted, the foal she was put in charge of was just a teensy bit more self-reliant than a typical foal, but the point still stood. Applejack, for the time being, was still a foal, and despite her attitude, there were things that she wouldn't be able to do on her own. Bloom would take care of all of those things for her, no matter how weird or gross some of them might be. It was all her fault that Applejack was in this mess. Taking care of her until a solution was found was the least she could do.

The filly looked at her infantilized sister. Applejack still seemed quite bothered by the diaper wrapped around her waist, and was trying to pull off the pieces of tape that held it closed. Bloom couldn't help but smile a bit as she watched this. As adorable as it was, though, it was her responsibility to make sure that AJ didn't do things like that. She gently placed one hoof on Applejack's, nudging it away from the tape.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Bloom said, the slightest bit of teasing undertone in her voice. "No playin' with that, missy!" AJ looked up at her, giving her the sternest little look she was capable of.

"Ah don't wanna wear this thing!" the former farmer said, crossing her forelegs. "Ah may look like a foal, but Ah'm still mahself, an' Ah can use the bathroom like a grownup!"

"Oh really?" Bloom asked. "How d'ya expect ta get up on the seat?" She sat herself down next to Applejack in order to emphasize the size difference.

"Well...uh..." AJ tried to protest. "...Ah'll use a stepstool!"

"An' then you'll fall right through the seat," Bloom said with a little giggle. She noted her sister's negative reaction to the giggle and put a stop to any more that threatened to come out. "Look, Ah'm sure Twilight'll be able ta find a way ta change ya back, but fer now, ya jus' gotta wear the diapers, okay? Besides, we got no clue how strong this magic is. What if ya couldn't hold it?" AJ glared at Bloom, then sighed a resigned sigh.

"Ah s'pose yer right," Applejack said, glaring at the diaper with disdain. Bloom smiled and gave AJ a kiss on the forehead.

"Good filly," Bloom said, waiting to see the cute little angry reaction that would cause. There was no angry reaction, however, as Applejack just smiled lightly. Bloom, encouraged by this, picked her sister up and pulled her onto her lap.

"Does this mean yer gunna be good fer me?" Bloom asked in a motherly tone that surprised even her. Applejack gave her a look that fell somewhere between consternation and acceptance. She then nodded slightly.

"S'pose," she answered simply. "...But don't go doin' anythin' too embarrassin', alright?" Bloom smiled and nodded. She looked at her sister sitting there on her knee. Unable to resist the urge, she took hold of AJ's sides and began gently bouncing her on her knee. She watched to see if it would get the same reaction as it did with Pinkie, and sure enough, AJ began to giggle happily. Bloom was still baffled by how fast AJ's mood changed in situations like this. Part of her figured that it was due to some latent feelings that had been pent up within her, feelings of a desire to regain a fillyhood lost after the passing of their parents forced her to grow up much earlier than she might have otherwise. The other part of her called the first part an egghead.

Once she felt that Applejack was sufficiently calmed down, Bloom stopped bouncing her, letting her rest on her knee. She hummed quietly to herself. The filly had never really spent any time around foals before now. None of her friends had younger siblings, she didn't really stick around Sugarcube Corner enough to deal with the Cake twins, and the Apples who had young children didn't live close enough for her to see them regularly. So what in the hay was she supposed to do with this foal in her lap? It didn't take her very long to find an answer, as AJ's belly began to rumble.

"Oh yeh! Breakfast!" Bloom exclaimed. She rifled through the saddlebag that Pinkie had left her, finally finding a few jars of foal food. She showed one to Applejack, and was quickly met with a look of disapproval.

"Bleh! That looks terrible!" AJ said. "Ah don't wanna eat that!" Bloom sighed lightly to herself.

"Well then, what DO ya wanna eat?" she asked her now-little sister. The foal tapped a tiny hoof to her chin.

"...Apple fritters?" she asked. Bloom, feeling a bit sympathetic for all that her sister had to deal with already, figured that granting her this one thing couldn't hurt much. Plus, they had some pre-made in the fridge already, so she didn't even have to make them.

"Okay, Applejack," Bloom said with a smile. She put the foal food jar back in the saddlebag, then noticed something she hadn't caught before. She smiled as she inspected the other side of the saddlebag, which was designed to comfortably carry a foal. Before AJ could say a word, she found herself lifted up. She squirmed as Bloom tried to move her so that her legs fit through the holes.

"What in tarnation d'ya think yer doin'?" the foal protested, trying in vain to keep her legs out of the holes. "Ah can go down stairs mahself!"

"Uhh...Ah don't think so," Bloom replied as she guided AJ's hind legs through the proper holes. "Yer way too small fer that! Ah don't wantcha ta get hurt!" Applejack attempted to argue, but she didn't have much of an argument. She sighed and stopped struggling, allowing Bloom to slip her forelegs into their holes and secure her in the foal carrier. Bloom then slipped the saddlebag/foal carrier combo onto her back. She couldn't help but giggle a bit as she looked to her side and saw AJ dangling helplessly from it, a sour puss on her face.

"It's okay, Applejack!" Bloom said cheerfully. "No need ta get so down in the dumps! Big sister Apple Bloom's here ta take care of ya!" AJ managed a small smile, a smile which grew once Bloom got to trotting. The gentle bouncing motion created by her position as a saddlebag accessory was oddly soothing, and by the time they'd reached the kitchen, she had nearly fallen back asleep.

"Rise an' shine, sleepyhead!" Bloom sang as they arrived in the kitchen. Applejack's eyes fluttered open. She looked around, immediately catching sight of the delicious apple fritters that her sister was taking out of the fridge. Her mouth watered as she watched the delectable morsels go into the microwave. So distracted was she by her forthcoming meal that she didn't even pay attention to Bloom filling one of the bottles up with milk.

"Now we don't got a high chair or nothin'," Bloom told her sister as she pulled the now-warm fritters out of the microwave. "So if ya wanna eat, yer gunna hafta sit on my lap like a good lil' foal, alright?" Applejack was too enamored by the smell of the fritters to argue, and nodded eagerly. Bloom gave her a little nuzzle as she pulled her out of the foal carrier. She sat down, nestling her sister into her lap, and held out a fritter.

"Choo-choo!" Bloom said, remembering how her family would play with her when she was this age. "Here comes the choo-choo train! Next stop: Tastytown!" She giggled, partially expecting a little pout or protest from AJ over how she was treating her like a real foal, but the tiny orange filly didn't seem to care at the moment. Tastytown was preparing for departing passengers, if AJ's wide-open mouth was any indication. Bloom kept one foreleg secure around AJ's middle as she hoof-fed her the fritter with the other. It was quickly gobbled down by the voracious infant, so quickly that Bloom couldn't help but think about how right Granny Smith was when she described AJ's more-than-healthy appetite at this age. The next three fritters went just as fast, and by the time they were gone, Applejack's face was adorned with a very satisfied, almost vacant smile.

"That was good, right?" Bloom asked, already settling into this temporary new role. She glanced at the bottle of milk, then at Applejack. Figuring this moment of satisfaction was the best possible time to get around AJ's previous aversion to the idea, she picked the bottle up and held the amber nipple near AJ's muzzle. The foal took it in her mouth without a word of protest and began to suckle contently. Bloom smiled down at her sister and sighed happily as she watched her drink. She really was too adorable like this, almost to the point that the filly thought she might miss having her like this whenever Discord's spell was broken. She watched as her sister drank. Her appetite seemed to stretch to her thirst too, as she was already about three quarters of the way done with the bottle. At that moment, she couldn't think of a single reason why she'd been so concerned about this unintentional arrangement.

A reminder came quickly, however, as AJ's previously-content face suddenly filled with worry. The tiny foal started squirming, looking very uncomfortable and upset, but her suckling on the bottle had become so autonomous that she was having difficulty expressing what was troubling her. It didn't take Bloom very long to figure it out, though, as her nose crinkled up.

"Oh Applejack, ya didn't..." Bloom sighed. Applejack finally managed to pull away from the bottle. Bloom expected some sort of angry response from her sister, and was surprised to see AJ's eyes well up with tears.

"I-it jus' happened!" AJ whimpered. "Oh gosh, Ah'm so embarrassed..." Before Bloom could say another word, her sister began to cry. Bloom was almost more taken aback by this than what had just happened. It was certainly not like her sister to cry so openly. The filly sighed heavily and hugged her sister.

"Shh, shh...it's okay," Bloom said, trying to remember the things AJ and the rest of the family did to stop her crying when she was this young. "It's jus' a wet diaper. Nothin' ta cry 'bout. Ah'll take care of it."

"B-but Ah'm a big pony..." AJ sniffled.

"Ah know, Ah know," Bloom responded, gently turning AJ to face her, then rubbing her back. "Fer now, though, yer a foal, an' foals do that. Nothin' ta get upset 'bout." Bloom failed to mention that she would be mortified if she was in AJ's position. Such information probably wasn't helpful at the moment. AJ's crying gradually stopped, and Bloom relinquished the hug. "Now c'mon, let's get you changed."

A few minutes later, Applejack was situated in a nice, fresh diaper. After seeing what happened happen, her aversion towards wearing the garment had mostly faded. Apple Bloom had never changed a diaper before this, and was admittedly not too keen on the idea of doing so. As it turned out, it wasn't the most disgusting thing in the world. It was kinda gross, there was no doubting that. But it was tolerable, and if it meant helping her sister, whom she'd put into a big mess, then she could at least help her out of the smaller messes she made.

Applejack seemed quite sleepy after her change, so Bloom opted to let her take a nap in her bed. She found herself surprised once again at how easily AJ allowed her to do this. It was such a relief not having tonight with her at every turn like she thought she might have. The filly sat at the kitchen table, a small smile across her muzzle. If this whole situation remained as easy as this, waiting for Twilight to find a magical antidote might not be so bad.

"Well well well...you seem to be taking a liking to this new role, don't you?"

Apple Bloom whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. Her gaze eventually settled on the sugar bowl. She jumped up and ran to the bowl, removing the cover. She sneered at the tiny Discord in the bowl, and he responded with a playful smile.

"Oh, have you heard this one?" Discord asked, swimming his way through the sugar. "A pony is eating at a restaurant. She calls the waiter over and says, 'Waiter! What is this draconequus doing in my sugar bowl?' The waiter replies, 'the backstroke!' Isn't...isn't that priceless?" Discord let out a raucous laugh, tickled by his own humor. When he saw that Bloom was not reciprocating his mirth, he rolled his eyes. "I suppose you had to be there."

"Now cut that out!" Bloom said, incensed at his very presence. "Ah cain't believe yer showin' up here after what you've done!"

"What I've done?" Discord asked innocently. He ducked his head under the sugar, seeming to vanish before Bloom's eyes.

"Yes!" the filly responded. She began to lean closer to the sugar bowl, but decided against it. She had a good feeling that he was waiting for her to do so, at which point he'd pop out and spit sugar at her. This expectation only served to make her even more surprised when he suddenly appeared behind her, scooping her up with his lion paw.

"Silly Apple Bloom," Discord said, using his eagle claw to tousle her mane. "You know as well as I that you asked me for this." He snapped his talons, and a small cardboard box appeared out of thin air. He placed it gingerly on Bloom's head and whisked her over to a mirror. The filly looked at it, confused.

"...Emalb?" she asked. Discord rolled his eyes.

"Blame," he corrected her. "Get it?"

"Get what?" the bewildered filly asked.

"It says blame," Discord answered, sighing impatiently. "And it's a square. The blame falls squarely on your head." He turned his gaze to a random direction and spoke as if he were addressing somepony that wasn't even there. "The joke really is less funny if you have to explain it."

"Well...either way, Ah didn't ask fer this!" Bloom told him as she was placed back in her chair.

"Didn't you?" Discord chuckled, having a seat next to her. "You wanted to be the older sister. You are now the older sister. That sounds correct to me."

"But ya know that ain't what Ah meant!" Bloom practically shouted.

"Of course I know that, my dear," Discord said with a grin. "But where's the fun in doing just what you expected? I'm not the embodiment of order!"

"It still ain't nice!" Bloom cried out. "An' Pinkie's on her way ta Twilight's right now! They'll find a way ta fix this" Ain't no way mah sister's gunna be stuck as a foal ferever!" Discord smiled a sly smile, putting his arm around her.

"Dear, sweet little Apple Bloom," he cooed. "I never intended this to be permanent! As I told you, I told Celestia that I would use my magic for good, and I am! Casting an unbreakable spell on Applejack wouldn't be good, so the spell isn't unbreakable!" He traced one talon along the underside of Bloom's chin, grinning madly. "Of course, it's not exactly easy to break either. Even Twilight might have some difficulty."

"Well..." Bloom started, trying to keep a brave air around her voice but unable to hide the crack that her nervousness had caused. "...Twilight'll do it! She's real good with magic!"

"Why are you so desperate to change Applejack back anyway?" the draconequus asked, his claws tapping a steady beat in the table. "You're in charge of her for now. She can't boss you around or punish you like she spent most of yesterday afternoon doing. What's the harm in just letting her stay a foal for a little while?" Bloom tilted her head as Discord's logic tried to invade it. He had already said that it wouldn't be permanent. What WAS the harm in leaving her like this for a bit? Discord grinned as his words sank deeper into Bloom's mind, but her thought process was interrupted when her sister suddenly called from upstairs.

"Apple Bloom!" Applejack's little voice called out. "Ah need ya up here!" Bloom snapped out of her train of thought instantly and looked towards the stairs.

"Be right there!" she called out. Then she turned her gaze back on Discord. "Ah wanna change her back cause Ah love her an' she don't wanna be this way. So there!" The filly slid off of her chair and made an about-face, heading straight upstairs. Discord waited until she was gone, then hummed.

"I didn't expect her to get Twilight involved so quickly..." Discord mused to himself. "I suppose I'll have to up the ante a bit." The embodiment of chaos smirked and did a swandive back into the sugar bowl.

Bloom arrived upstairs and opened the door to Applejack's room. She was relieved to find her sister still on the bed, having worried that she might have accidentally rolled off. Neither pony noticed Discord pop up in the painting over the bed again. AJ was not at an appropriate angle to see him, and Bloom was paying too much attention to AJ.

"What's wrong, sis?" Bloom asked, taking a seat on the bed.

"Well...Ah cain't sleep," AJ told her, looking a little sheepish.

"Is that all?" Bloom chuckled, giving her sister's belly a little poke. AJ giggled a little.

"Well...Ah kinda wanted ya ta read me a story..." the foal said, blushing. "Mebbe it'll help me sleep."

"Well, sure!" Bloom said, smiling warmly. She rolled off of the bed and headed to the bookcase to look for the perfect book. Discord, meanwhile, watched with glee from the painting. He trotted off to the corner of the painting and snapped his fingers. A banner appeared just above his head that read, "Exposition Corner." He cleared his throat.

"My spell's been working just fine so far," Discord soliloquized. "Applejack's will is strong, but every time somepony treats her like the foal she now is, her will breaks more and more. Soon, she'll be quite happy just as she is. But I'm not quite done having fun yet. Perhaps miss Apple Bloom needs a little bit of magical assistance to become more accepting of this temporary new role." The draconequus snapped his fingers once more.

Applejack blinked, feeling a bit of a strange feeling inside her. She chose to say nothing about it, figuring that it was just her body working to adjust to the change it had been through.

"She doesn't suspect a thing," Discord said, a mad grin on his malformed face. "Something tells me Apple Bloom is going to have some difficulty resisting little Applejack's foalish charms." Having no need to stay any longer, Discord snapped his fingers a final time, and he and his banner vanished from the painting just as Bloom returned with a storybook.

"Alright, Applejack," Bloom said, hopping up onto the bed and sliding up next to her sister. "This is the one ya always read ta me when Ah was yer age an' Ah couldn't sleep."

"Johnny Appleseed?" AJ asked, perking up. Bloom nodded with a smile and opened the book. She felt AJ cuddle up against her as she began to read.

Bloom kept looking to her side as she read to AJ. Her sister looked so happy and content to just snuggle up and listen to the story. Bloom sighed happily, marveling at how adorable AJ was. As she did, she felt a warm, tingly feeling begin to overcome her. Had she the presence of mind to think about it, she would have probably felt that such a feeling coming up all of a sudden was a bit odd. As it turned out, though, she really wasn't too concerned about it. All that mattered to her right now was being here to take care of her little sister.

Chapter 4

"Twilight! Twilight Twilight Twilight!!"

Twilight sighed lightly, looking up from her book. Rainbow Dash did the same. Neither of them liked to be interrupted while reading. Twilight, though, was quite used to the interruptions, having been privy to them for a long while now. Rainbow, on the other hoof, wasn't quite as accustomed to the interruptions. She was a new reader, after all, and often one of the ponies who caused the interruptions for Twilight rather than the type to be on the receiving end.

"Hello, Pinkie Pie," Twilight said, putting a serene smile on her face to mask her slight frustration.

"Twilightwilightwilightwilightwilight!" Pinkie continued. Twilight rolled her eyes, an action mirrored by Rainbow.

"Yes, Pinkie?" Twilight asked, a slight point to her tone.

"Twilightwilightwilightliwi...tliwi..." Pinkie stopped, a confused look plastered to her face, then burst out laughing. "Did-did you hear that? Who's Tliwight?!" Twilight and Rainbow exchanged looks, the latter's more irritated than the former's. Even disregarding her predisposition to the reading-time interruptions, it was safe to say that Twilight's patience was just a smidge better than Rainbow's.

"Yes, Pinkie, we heard you," the librarian responded. "And it was very funny. Now what's got you so worked up?"

"Yeah, spit it out," Rainbow said, fores crossed. "I'm nearly at the end of the new Daring Do book and I wanna know how it ends!"

"Oh, that's easy!" Pinkie said with a smile. "Daring Do uses the silver buckle on the new hat that Plucky Pith gave her to deflect the Lazy Laser and make it zap Medico Malo instead and that made him too tired to stop his repentant minion Intern Al Conflict from freeing her and helping her escape the Dungeon of Displeasure as it crumbled to rubble around the diabolical doctor!"

Rainbow stared in disbelief at Pinkie. She looked at Twilight for confirmation. Twilight gave her a wan smile and nodded. Rainbow frowned and tossed the book to the side with a loud groan.

"Well, now that you've totally ruined the book for me, I guess I can hear whatever the hay you're going on about," Rainbow muttered.

"Yes," Twilight said with a nod. "Let's hear it."

"Oh! Right!" Pinkie said. "There's something really, really important that you need to see at Sweet Apple Acres!"

Twilight tilted her head. It was hard to tell when Pinkie was really and truly being serious. She had a way of sounding serious when she wasn't and not sounding serious when she was. Reading her was next to impossible, but she figured it was best to err on the side of caution and take her seriously.

"What is it?" Twilight asked, looking a bit concerned. Even the previously-annoyed Rainbow looked worried.

"Applejack..." Pinkie began.

"Yes?" Twilight and Rainbow asked in unison.

"Has been..." Pinkie continued.

"Yes??" Twilight and Rainbow asked, getting tense.

"...Selling apples at half price all this week!" Pinkie finished. Twilight and Rainbow facehooved in unison.

"Are you kidding me?" Rainbow shouted at Pinkie's oblivious smile.

"I know, right? The prices are so low!" Pinkie exclaimed. "I'm totally gonna buy a ton once Twilight fixes Applejack!"

"Yes, Pinkie," Twilight said dismissively. "I'm sure we all..." She hesitated. "...Once I fix Applejack?"

"Well duh!" Pinkie answered, bouncing around. "I mean I guess we could buy the apples from Apple Bloom while Applejack's a foal, but-"

"Wait!" Rainbow shouted. "Applejack's a foal?"

"Yuppers!" Pinkie bubbled. "My Pinkie Sense told me that there was a foal emergency at the farm and it turns out Applejack was magically turned into a foal somehow!"

"Pinkie...why the hay didn't you tell us this first?" an exasperated Rainbow asked. Twilight gave her a nudge and shook her hoof as if to say, "Don't even ask."

"Is Applejack still at Sweet Apple Acres?" Twilight asked, as calmly as her already-starting-to-worry mind would allow.

"As far as I know!" Pinkie responded. "I said that I should take her so she could play with the Cake twins while you figured out how to make her grow up, but Apple Bloom wanted to take care of her!"

"Right," Twilight said, determination in her eyes. "Pinkie, Rainbow, you two go get Fluttershy and Rarity, just in case we need to use the Elements."

"But one of the Elements is a little foal!" Rainbow said.

"I'm sure it's fine," Twilight said, even though she wasn't. "Applejack is still Applejack, no matter what age she is. Now let's go!"

Rainbow and Pinkie saluted, Pinkie's accompanied by a party horn and streamers, and the three ran out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~

Apple Bloom had never taken herself for the caretaking type. It just never seemed to be much of a fit for her. She figured that if she ended up finding a special somepony and having foals when she got older, it would come to her then. Now, though? Absolutely not. Even though she was a big pony, she wasn't that big a pony. Besides, she was too busy trying to get her cutie mark and spending time with her friends to even think about taking care of a foal. Although to be fair, they hadn't tried to be Cutie Mark Crusaders Foalsitters yet...but there was no way Scootaloo would agree to that.

The more she thought about it, though, the more Bloom felt at peace with the concept of caring for her foalified sister. It hadn't much appealed to her at first, but the more time she spent around Applejack while she was in this form, the more she enjoyed it. The feeling of responsibility was definitely a part or it. Applejack needed her right now. As much as she wanted to believe that she could take care of herself in this form, the fact remained that she simply couldn't. Bloom had to help her climb down from the bed after their nap, and it didn't take her long to realize that she was due for another diaper change. For the time being, Applejack relied on her, and that was all there was to it. Bloom was okay with that.

The unmitigated cuteness that her now-little sister seeped from every pore was also a factor, and arguably the larger factor of the two. She could barely tear her eyes off of Applejack for a moment. She wasn't typically crazy about cute things; she liked to think that she was somewhere between the two extremes of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle as far as reaction to cuteness went. She usually didn't get all bothered by them like Scootaloo or fall head over hooves for them like Sweetie. Applejack, however, was a different case. Every little thing that Applejack did was ridiculously adorable, even if she didn't want it to be. And the strangest thing was that Applejack's reluctance to purposely be adorable seemed to be waning. She was still upset when she realized that she needed another diaper change, and there was still a bit of resistance and insistence upon doing things for herself, but for the most part, she seemed to be getting accustomed to her temporary role. Bloom would have found that absolutely startling if she weren't so happy taking care of her.

Bloom smiled a silly little smile as she rolled a ball to Applejack. Simply rolling a ball normally wouldn't be enough to stimulate her at all, much less Applejack. But the foal seemed to be having a wonderful time with it, giggling with childish wonder each time she caught the ball or sent it rolling back. The giggling was far too infectious to resist, and soon Bloom was laughing along with her. A warm feeling washed over her as her cares began to fade away. She was pretty positive that there was something she was concerned about a little while ago, but she couldn't for the life of her remember what it was. She figured she'd worry about whatever it was later. Right now, nothing was more important than taking care of her little sister. Worries could wait until Granny Smith and Big Macintosh got home.

"Hay AJ!" Bloom called out. "Guess what?"

Applejack looked at Bloom, head tilted. If Bloom wasn't so distracted by the joy of playing with her little sister and had remembered just what it was that was bothering her earlier, she might have found it odd that she wasn't answered verbally. The way she saw it, though, it wasn't too strange. Ponies Applejack's age weren't always very strong speakers.

"Guess what time it is?" Bloom asked playfully. Applejack looked up at the clock on the wall, then back towards Bloom with a shrug. Bloom was proud of her for knowing to look at the clock, but acknowledged that maybe she was too young to know how to tell time just yet. Which was fine; the answer to her question couldn't be found on any clock, let alone that one.

"It's tickle time!" Bloom shouted. Applejack's ears perked and she turned tail to run, but the bigger Bloom was already upon her. The little foal found herself flipped onto her back, then erupting in peals of laughter as her sister began tickling the bottoms of her hooves. She tried desperately to get away, but Bloom was simply too strong for her. She was left with no option but to endure the ticklish torture until Bloom found it fit to end it.

Luckily for Applejack, the sound of an urgent knock at the front door granted her salvation from her fate. Bloom raised a brow, wondering who could be visiting at this time. She turned to answer the door, but made sure to close Applejack in her little playpen. She couldn't have her just galloping out the door, after all. She was a rambunctious little tyke. The filly eventually reached the door, pulling it open.

"Oh! Hay Sweetie Belle! Hay Scootaloo!" Bloom said cheerfully. "How're y'all..." Bloom then stopped. She paled a little under the frowns of her two best friends, knowing instantly what was wrong.

"How are we doing?" Scootaloo asked. "Oh, just great for two ponies whose best friend forgot to come out for their big crusade today, thanks. How are you?"

"That was a little mean, Scootaloo..." Sweetie said, her frown softening a bit. "You didn't say you were going to be mean."

"And Bloom didn't say she was going to ditch us," Scootaloo responded. "Looks like there's a bunch of surprises today." Sweetie sat on her rump and crossed her forelegs.

"If you're just gonna be mean, then I'm not gonna be upset anymore," Sweetie said defiantly. "You can be upset about Bloom forgetting to come out by yourself!"

"Ugh...fine," Scootaloo groaned, then turned to Bloom. "I won't say anything mean anymore. But I'm still upset that you forgot to meet us on time!"

"And I'm upset too, now that Scoots isn't being mean anymore!" Sweetie said, standing back up. Bloom sighed a heavy sigh; she hated disappointing her friends, but plans had changed.

"Ah'm sorry, girls..." Bloom said, looking down at the floor. "Ah really wanted ta come, but Ah got caught up. An' Ah should prolly stay in anyway. Ah gotta take care of mah sister." Scootaloo and Sweetie looked at each other.

"...Is she sick?" Sweetie asked.

"Nah, she's fine," Bloom said.

"Is she injured?" Scootaloo asked.

"No, she's fine!" Bloom said. "Cut that out!" She frowned at her friends, aghast that they would even talk about such bad things happening to poor Applejack.

"Then...why do you need to take care of her?" Sweetie asked, looking utterly confused. Bloom gave her an equally confused look.

"Uh...cause she's mah sister?" Bloom said. "An' she cain't take care of herself?" Sweetie's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Oh! Did you have another sister?" Sweetie asked excitedly.

"How could she have another sister?" Scootaloo asked. "She'd need to-" She cut herself off instantly, not wanting to talk about that any longer.

"No..." Bloom said. "What's gotten inta y'all? Ah gotta take care of Applejack."

"Why?" the two asked at the same time. Now Bloom was frowning. This had to be a joke.

"Well when's the last time y'all knew a foal that could take care of herself?" Bloom asked indignantly.

"What does that have to do with anything?!" Scootaloo shouted. Bloom facehooved, then pointed behind her.

"Everythin'!" Bloom shouted back. Both Scootaloo and Sweetie craned their necks to look around to where their friend was pointing. It was only then that they noticed the tiny orange foal in the playpen behind them. The two galloped past Bloom and up to the playpen.

"What happened?!" Scootaloo gasped.

"She's so cute!!" Sweetie swooned. A stern look from Scootaloo made her smile awkwardly. "I mean, what happened?"

"Whaddaya mean, what happened?" Bloom asked, raising a brow. "She's fine! Ah jus' gotta stay an' watch her."

Sweetie began to open her mouth, but Scootaloo stopped her. She looked between Bloom, who was staring at them as if they each had three heads, and Applejack, who stopped playing with the blocks in the pen just long enough to give the two a little wave. Scootaloo pulled Sweetie aside and leaned in to whisper to her.

"Okay, Bloom's clearly gone crazy," Scootaloo said.

"What?" Sweetie asked.

"Well," Scootaloo whispered. "Clearly something wacky happened and turned Applejack into a foal. And you know how sometimes when something really traumatic happens to somepony that somepony cares about, the somepony who cares about that somepony gets so upset that they get crazy and their mind tries to make them thing that nothing's wrong?"

"I know that now!" Sweetie responded.

"Close enough!" Scootaloo said. "Well, that seems to be what's happened with Bloom here. She thinks Applejack's really supposed to be a foal! So you know what we have to do, right?"

"Not at all!" Sweetie said, eliciting a groan from her friend.

"What it means," Scootaloo said, emphasizing that last word, "is that we have to play along with it and act like nothing's wrong so she won't freak out. And meanwhile, we'll try to figure out what happened to Applejack so we can fix it and maybe earn our cutie marks in hex fixing!" Scootaloo smiled, proud of her brilliance. Sweetie, on the other hoof, did not look nearly as convinced.

"...That sounds like a terrible idea," Sweetie said flatly.

"Well, do you have a better one?" Scootaloo demanded. After a good ten seconds of thinking, Sweetie was forced to concede that no, she did not have a better idea.

"Exactly," Scootaloo whispered. "So here's what we do. We convince Apple Bloom to come out with us and bring Applejack. I'll go with her to Sugarcube Corner while you go grab some books on weird magic transformations and stuff from the library. Then we'll meet at Sugarcube Corner and read up on how to fix this."

"Why Sugarcube Corner?" Sweetie asked.

"Cause Mr. and Mrs. Cake can watch Applejack along with the twins!" Scootaloo told her. "Which frees Bloom up to read up on it with us! And then we'll find the solution, make Applejack the right age again, and all get our cutie marks!"

Sweetie Belle stared at her friend for a few moments. Scootaloo's eager smile remained unwavering.

"That's...just overcomplicated enough to work!" Sweetie whispered excitedly. She offered Scootaloo a hoof bump, which she gladly reciprocated.

"What the hay have y'all been whisperin' about over there?" Bloom called out. The two fillies had practically forgotten that she was even there. They gave each other a wink, then turned to Bloom.

"We were just discussing how you could still crusade with us while making sure Applejack is safe!" Sweetie said.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo chimed in. "Sweetie's gonna go pick some books up, and we're gonna go to Sugarcube Corner! That way, we can read about stuff and try to get our...uh...studying cutie marks!"

Now it was Bloom's turn to stare blankly at her friend.

"You're suggestin' studyin'?" she asked incredulously. "Who are ya an' what didja do with Scootaloo?"

"I appreciate that, really," Scootaloo responded. "But who knows? It could be our special talent!"

"And doesn't a cute little playdate for Applejack and the Cake twins sound nice?" Sweetie asked.

"Heh...yeh, s'pose yer right," Bloom said with a giggle. "It'd be nice fer her ta have ponies her own age ta play with." Her two friends exchanged worried glances again before nodding.

"Then gather her up and let's go!" Scootaloo shouted. The loud noise caused little Applejack to fold her ears back, startled. Her eyes flooded with tears and she began to bawl, causing Bloom to give her stunned friends a stern look.

"Don't yell like that 'round her!" Bloom chided as she sat down and pulled Applejack into a hug. It only took a little bit of sisterly hugging and nuzzling for the little foal to call down, and Bloom soon had her situated in the foal carrier.

"Let's go!" Scootaloo said, now keeping a careful eye on her volume. Sweetie gave her friends a salute, then headed in the direction of the library. Bloom and Scootaloo returned the salute, and even Applejack did the same from her carrier. Then the three of them were off as well, bound towards Sugarcube Corner.

As they passed the last tree on Sweet Apple Acres land, a set of mismatched eyes poked out from its leaves. Discord slowly coiled down the tree's trunk once the fillies had passed.

"Oh, this is too much," Discord said with a sly grin. "I almost feel bad for the Apple sisters."

Discord then hummed lightly to himself. "Huh...actually, I think I do feel slightly bad for them. What a strange and unique feeling." The draconequus whipped a thermometer from out of nowhere and stuck it under his tongue. He crossed his eyes to take a look at the reading, and watche as the mercury reached the level noted with the word "empathy."

"I thought I was coming down with something..." Discord mused to himself. "I suppose I should follow those girls and make sure nothing too terrible happens to them. After all, it's all fun and games until somepony gets hurt." He began to leap behind the tree, but stopped in midair, reaching into the leaves. His claw emerged from the branches with an unpopped bag of popcorn.

"I do hope this is ready by the time I arrive," Discord chuckled. "I have a feeling I'll need it." He then vanished behind the tree.

Chapter 5

Twilight was no athlete. Anypony who knew her knew this to be true. She was more comfortable sitting and reading than being up and active, and while she was not in bad shape by any means, she did have a tiny paunch that made her level of physicality rather clear. When it came to matters involving her friends in danger, though, nothing could stop her, even if her muscles and her lungs regretted it later.

This was one of those matters, as was clearly evident by the speed she was running and how hard she was breathing. Once Pinkie and Rainbow had headed off to get the other girls, Twilight had spent time grabbing every single book she could find on age manipulation magic. Normally, she would have done the necessary research at home, but thinking of her poor friend trapped as a foal had put her in a bit of a rush. The pile of relevant tomes hovered alongside her, teetering but never falling thanks to her level of magical control. As soon as she reached Sweet Apple Acres and met up with her other friends, she'd actually hit the books and find the solution.

Twilight was so singularly focused on getting to Sweet Apple Acres in record time (or at least record time for anypony not named Rainbow Dash) that she nearly tripped over the small white streak that zoomed across her path. This did nothing to help her previously-documented lack of physical acumen, and it was only by the grace of Celestia that she was able to stop herself from eating dirt or causing an impromptu hailstorm of books.

"What the...Sweetie Belle?" Twilight said, trying to catch her breath. "What's got you in such a rush?"

Sweetie stared at Twilight. This ruined the plan completely. She was pretty sure that a distinct lack of librarian pony would put a bit of a damper on her chances of getting the books she needed.

"Well, I was going to the library," Sweetie lamented.

"In such a rush?" Twilight asked, unable to help a grin. "Well, I'm glad to see you so eager to read, but I'm afraid the library's closed until I return."

Sweetie groaned. It was a big, exasperated groan, enough to startle Twilight. Apparently Sweetie had been taking lessons on theatrics from her sister.

"Wow, you're more eager than I thought," Twilight said, a bemused grin on her face. "It's good to see young minds so excited to learn." She made a mental note to compile a list of books that Sweetie might be interested in. It would be her top priority after Applejack was back to normal.

"It's not that!" Sweetie shouted. She felt a bit bad as she watched the disappointment begin to grow in Twilight's expression, but she didn't have time for misconceptions. "There's something wrong with Applejack and now there's something wrong with Apple Bloom too!"

"What?" Twilight exclaimed. "Oh no! Is Apple Bloom a foal now too?"

"You know about that?" Sweetie asked. "Uh, I mean, no, it's just Applejack that's a foal. But Apple Bloom is acting weird, like she doesn't know that Applejack was ever not a foal!"

Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. Things were bad enough already, but now it looked like it was causing residual effects. Apple Bloom had been exposed to Applejack for the longest time. What if being around her caused whatever was affecting her to mess with her mind? Twilight would have been impressed with and intrigued by the concept if she wasn't too busy being terrified for her friends.

"Oh dear," Twilight said, aware of the severe underreaction apparent in her reaction. She couldn't help it though; she'd gone through her mental Rolodex for a proper reaction to such a situation, but strangely enough, her search had come up fruitless.

"So what do we do?" Sweetie asked, her tone dripping with urgency. "You're the super-amazing magic pony! How do we fix this? I don't want Applejack to stay a foal, no matter how adorably cute she is like that!"

Twilight thought. She thought and thought, long enough that she could see the worry in Sweetie's face build and build.

"A-ha!" Twilight suddenly exclaimed, loudly enough to startle her little filly friend. "We're going to need more books! How do you feel about being my research partner for this, Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie's heart sank. She was okay with a little bit of searching through books, but being a study partner for Twilight sounded like a lot more than a little bit of work. In fact, it sounded dangerously close to a lot of work, so much so that she nearly wanted to back out right then and there. If it wasn't for how much she wanted to help her friends, she likely would have turned tail right then and there. As it stood, though, rejecting the concept was not an option if she wanted Bloom and Applejack to be fixed.

"...Sure?" Sweetie replied. She hoped that Twilight would overlook her unsure tone, and thankfully for her, the study high that she was currently on allowed for exactly that.

"Great! Let's go!" Twilight said. Sweetie felt herself lifted off of the ground and deposited on Twilight's back, and the two were off to the exciting world of studying.

~~~~~~~~~~

Carrot and Cup Cake had seen some strange things during their lives in Ponyville, even before Pinkie Pie moved in with them and forever altered their definition of "strange." Ponyville, despite its outward appearance of "sleepy little town," was anything but, and often seemed like a veritable magnet for any oddities that beset Equestria, and the Cakes had lived through their fair share of bizarre goings-on. They were seasoned veterans when it came to the town's weird events. "They saw a lot of odd things" would be the bullet point that they would wish to get across, had they been presenting this information as some kind of narrative.

Yet today still managed to throw them a curveball.

A visit from Apple Bloom and Scootaloo (and usually Sweetie Belle, although she was absent today) was usually an adventure in itself. The little fillies had a certain way of trailing chaos with them wherever they went. The Cakes still remembered when the three had come in here with Big Macintosh and Cheerilee under the effects of what they later found to be a "love poison." Never before had they seen two ponies act that ridiculously affectionate towards each other--or at least not in public, since they thought themselves to be a rather affectionate couple behind closed doors.

Today, though, was a brand new one. The two had brought a mysterious little foal with them. Apple Bloom was insisting that she was her little sister Applejack, which, given their knowledge of Applejack, was a logical fallacy. But Bloom was absolutely insistent about the fact, and would not be convinced otherwise. Scootaloo, on the other hoof, was agreeing with Bloom to her face, but insisting that she was crazy and that they were working on fixing her and Applejack, and requesting that they play along. This only served to make the Cakes certain that both of them were crazy.

And yet here they were, playing along anyway. The Cakes blamed their overactive parenting instincts; Bloom was insisting that she was in charge of her "little sister," and while Bloom was probably the most responsible of her friends, that wasn't saying a lot. Until they could sort out exactly what happened--which likely wouldn't happen until Big Macintosh and Granny Smith got back from their trip that Bloom had informed them of--they would be taking care of "Applejack," and that was that. Besides, it was rare that the twins had somepony around their own age to play with.

Applejack had been quite resistant to being taken away from her sister, but it didn't take long for her to warm up to Mrs. Cake's nuzzling and cooing, and soon she was giggling and squirming in the maternal mare's hooves. Upon closer inspection, Applejack seemed to even be a little younger than the twins, maybe by a couple of months or so. Mrs. Cake quietly reflected on how the twins had gotten so big as she held the tiny foal in her forelegs. She missed them being this size.

Applejack was placed in a playpen with the twins, Bloom insisting on staying close by with Scootaloo and not letting her out of her sight. The twins seemed confused by the new arrival, and if she didn't know better, Scootaloo would have thought that they knew something was up. They inspected the new arrival in their play area carefully. She was inspected from every angle, and one of her hooves fell subject to Pumpkin's traditional test of putting anything new in her mouth. This elicited an identical reaction from Applejack with Pumpkin's hoof, and a bond was quickly formed.

"Aww, they're friends already!" Bloom said with a smile. "Ain't that jus' the cutest thing?"

Scootaloo forced an eye roll as she looked at the foals playing. There was no way that she would admit how heart-wrenchingly adorable the sight was, because to do so would compromise her attitude and reduce her awesomeness quotient by at least 30 percent. It was pretty cute, though, but nopony else needed to know that she thought that.

"Whatever," Scootaloo responded. "So now the Cakes are looking after Applejack. That means you're free to study with us when Sweetie Belle gets back, right?"

"Ah still don't know why yer so dead-set on studyin' all of a sudden," Bloom said. "Don't seem like you at all. Is somethin' up?"

"You don't know the half of it," Scootaloo muttered under her breath.

"What was that?" Bloom asked.

"I said, 'You don't have a graph of it,' " Scootaloo replied quickly.

"What does that even mean?" Bloom asked.

"Wanna go get some cupcakes?" Scootaloo asked.

Any questions that Bloom had about Scootaloo's odd statement were quickly forgotten in the name of cupcakes. She hurried over to the playpen and removed Pumpkin's hoof from Applejack's mouth long enough to give her a nuzzle and a kiss.

"Big sis'll be right back, okay cutie?" Bloom told her. She was answered with a coo and a giggle from her sister before she reached for Pumpkin's hoof again. Bloom smiled as she watched Pumpkin offer her hoof back up for suckling, then joined Scootaloo in leaving the room for delicious sugary goodness.

~~~~~~~~~~

There was absolutely no good reason for Sweetie to take an entire hour getting books. Scootaloo knew this for a fact. Then again, it was Sweetie they were talking about. She wasn't dumb, but she could be a little ditzy at times, and she was certainly easy to distract. If Scootaloo had gone to get the books...no. No, she didn't want to even finish that thought, for the mere idea of stepping hoof into the library was nearly enough to make her break out in boredom hives, and they didn't need to stack an allergic reaction to learning on top of all of their other problems. If Scootaloo had been sent out instead of Sweetie Belle to retrieve something that certainly had nothing at all to do with studying, reading, or anything even remotely scholarly, she would have been back in a half hour at the very most.

It was taking all of Scootaloo's efforts to keep Bloom from checking on Applejack every few minutes. She reassured her over and over and over again that she and the twins were fine in their playpen and didn't have anything with them that could possibly hurt them, and that Mr. and Mrs. Cake, who were taking turns going into the room every five or so minutes, had everything under control.

"What if she needs a bottle?" Bloom asked.

"The Cakes will take care of it," Scootaloo told her.

"What if she needs her diaper changed?" Bloom asked, panic setting in.

"The Cakes have twins," Scootaloo told her. "I'm sure they know how to change diapers."

"But only Ah know how ta make her calm down during it!" the nervous filly exclaimed. "She likes ta have her hooves tickled after it's off, an' if she keeps cryin' then Ah gotta..."

"Enough!" Scootaloo said. "I really don't need to hear the specifics about your sister's diaper changes! I'm sure the Cakes will be able to take care of it." She shook her head a bit, wondering what it might have been like to be Applejack right now. She could only imagine how torturous it would be to be trapped in a foal's body, whatever magic that was in effect making her helplessly behave like one too. Just the idea of losing all semblance of control and watching others take care of her...it sent shivers down her spine.

"Why're ya shiverin?" Bloom asked. Scootaloo, caught in the act, smiled awkwardly.

"Uhh...I was just thinking about...how gross it would be to have to pick up dog droppings for a living!" Scootaloo responded.

"...Ew," Bloom said. "Weirdo." Sometimes, Scootaloo thought, it was good to be known as the one who said weird, gross things. It saved her in situations like this.

The two fillies' attention was drawn to Sugarcube Corner's front door as it flew open. Scootaloo's eyes lit up, expecting Sweetie Belle, but that wasn't the case.

"A-HA!" Pinkie exclaimed, leading Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Rarity into the bakery. "I knew my Pinkie Sense was right! Here's Apple Bloom!"

"Hay girls!" Bloom said with a smile. "Why were ya lookin' fer me?"

"Where's Applejack?" Rainbow shouted.

"Shhh!" Bloom responded. "Applejack don't like it when ponies're hollerin' like that! She's right here in the nursery."

Before Apple Bloom could explain that she had the situation under control, all four adults took off, galloping past the two fillies and towards the nursery. Bloom, furious that they wouldn't even consider the possibility that she knew what she was doing, charged after them, with an exasperated Scootaloo in hot pursuit. The two skidded to a halt just before they would have collided with the grownups, who had frozen in their tracks upon entering the nursery. They peered around the four to take a look at what had gotten them so stunned. There, in the playpen, were Applejack and the Cake twins, snuggled up with each other and napping peacefully.

It was a simple fact that everypony, even those who were stronger than their peers, had a limit to what they could handle. No matter how tough one claimed to be, everypony had a limit, a point where even their gruff demeanor couldn't hold up anymore. Scootaloo, thanks to the adorable sight before her eyes, had reached her limit.

"Awwwww!" Scootaloo cooed, her wings buzzing happily. She quickly threw a hoof over her mouth as soon as she realized what she'd just said, hoping that nopony, especially Rainbow Dash, would notice. Thankfully for her, the attention of the ponies in the room was drawn to the much more pronounced reaction of Fluttershy. The typically-shy pegasus practically flew across the room, hovering over the playpen with a huge smile on her face.

"Isn't she just the cutest, sweetest little dear?" Fluttershy said to nopony in particular. "Oooo, I could just smoosh those little cheeks!" Her reaction seemed to stir Applejack from her sleep, the little foal letting out a sweet little yawn as her little green eyes looked up at the yellow face floating above her, a face that she recognized and that made her smile from ear to ear.

"Futtashy!" Applejack exclaimed, her tiny little voice barely wrapping itself around the name.

If one looked close enough, they could likely see the exact moment that Fluttershy's heart melted. She carefully scooped Applejack up from between the twins and held her close to her face, squeeing happily as she rubbed her nose against the foal's and peppered her with comments about how cute and sweet she was. It took Fluttershy a good 20 or 30 seconds to snap out of her foal-induced reverie, cradling Applejack in her forelegs as she looked back at the other ponies, who were all now staring at her. She blushed lightly and smiled an awkward smile.

"Um...sorry..." Fluttershy squeaked.

"Quite alright, darling," Rarity responded. "She really is the cutest thing, isn't she? Hello, little Applejack!" She reached out and took the bundle of joy from Fluttershy, rubbing noses with her. Suddenly, she stopped.

"Oh," Rarity said, frowning. "She's wet. Here, you may have her back." She passed the foal back to Fluttershy, conjuring up a wet nap and wiping her hooves with it.

"Alright, come on," Rainbow said. "We have to fix her!"

"Fix her?" Bloom piped up. "Ah don't see nothin' wrong with her!"

The grownups, even Pinkie, all stared at Bloom as if she had three heads, and all of them were saying that there was nothing wrong with Applejack.

"Are you loco in the coco?" Pinkie asked. "Applejack's a mph!" It wasn't completely out of the realm of possibility for Pinkie to purposely cut herself off in a silly fashion, but this time it was due to Scootaloo clamping a hoof over her mouth.

"Yeaaah!" Scootaloo said quickly. "She's just fine! Uhh, Apple Bloom, do you mind if I talk to them in private?"

"Free country," Bloom responded with a shrug. Scootaloo quickly helped Fluttershy pass Applejack into Bloom's waiting forelegs--a task which proved difficult with Fluttershy's unwillingness to let the cute little foal go--and urged the four into the front hall.

"Okay, something's wrong with Apple Bloom too," Scootaloo told them once they were alone. "I mean I'm sure you noticed that Applejack's a foal now..."

"Yes, Scootaloo, we've picked up on that," Rarity said.

"Do you know anything about how it happened?" Rainbow asked.

"Not at all," Scootaloo replied. "But what I do know is that it seems to have traumatized Apple Bloom, because now she thinks Applejack's supposed to be a foal!"

"What?!" Rarity exclaimed, her shock echoed by the other three. "How could that be?"

"Search me!" Scootaloo answered. "But there's gonna be no telling her that it's not the case until we figure out how to fix it, because if she hears that, then she's gonna go even more crazy and I don't wanna be responsible for that!"

A moment of silence passed.

"...You read way too many comic books," Rainbow said flatly.

"Now hold on!" Pinkie said. "I saw Apple Bloom right after Applejack became a foal, and she didn't seem nutty at all! What happened between then and now?" Before Anypony could say anything else, the excitable pink pony continued. "Ouh, maybe she fell and bumped her head, and then she woke up and saw Applejack as an adorable little foal and the bump made her brain go all cuckoo and think that she really was a foal! Oh, or maybe she got kidnapped by evil aliens who used a mind control gun to make her think everything was fine! Or maybe there's an alternate dimension where Apple Bloom's older than Applejack and our Apple Bloom got switched with theirs?"

"...Okay," Rainbow said, looking to Scootaloo. "I was wrong. She reads way too many comic books."

"Well, whatever the case may be, we must fix both of them," Rarity said. "Does anypony have any ideas?"

The five ponies stood silent, even Pinkie. Thankfully for them, the silence was soon broken by the front door bursting open.

"I have an idea!" Twilight said as she, Sweetie Belle, and Spike ran into the bakery. "Or rather, we have an idea!"

"Twilight!" Scootaloo exclaimed. "You're here! Wait, how did you know that Rarity asked if anypony had any ideas?"

"What? I didn't know," Twilight said, smiling awkwardly. "I was just excited about our idea. But I guess it worked out well, didn't it? Now where are the Apple sisters?"

The entire group piled into the nursery. The commotion of the eight other ponies (and one dragon) now in the room was enough to wake the twins up, and they both glared at the intruders who dared to disturb their slumber. Applejack, on the other hoof, looked quite happy to see all the company, and waved her hoofsies cheerfully.

"Tiligh!" Applejack exclaimed.

Sweetie nearly passed out from the sheer adorableness of it all, and Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity couldn't help but giggle. Even Scootaloo and Rainbow had to smile.

"Heehee..." Twilight giggled. "She is pretty cute like this." A nudge from Spike broke her out of her moment of distraction. "But we still have to fix her!" The rest of the older ponies in the room nodded resolute nods, save for one very perturbed yellow filly.

"Now why in the world do y'all keep sayin' we gotta fix her?" Bloom protested. "There ain't nothin' broken about her!" Scootaloo tensed up, ready to pounce on Twilight and stop her from blowing Bloom's mind, but she was stopped by Sweetie suddenly grabbing and restraining her.

"Hey! What gives?" Scootaloo grumbled.

"I told Twilight about your plan," Sweetie said, wrapping her forelegs around Scootaloo's midsection. "And she said that we need to tell Apple Bloom the truth! And you know how smart Twilight is, so she must be right!"

"Ugh...fiiiiiiine," Scootaloo said. "Nice grapple, by the way. Never knew you had it in you."

"Thanks!" Sweetie said, smiling proudly. "I learned it when we were trying to be Cutie Mark Crusaders cage fighters."

"That's very nice, girls," Twilight said. "But right now, we've got to fix things, and we have to start with Apple Bloom."

"Me now?!" Bloom exclaimed. "What is with you ponies? Why do ya think there's somethin' wrong with us? Ya got somethin' against us Apples?"

"Of course not, Apple Bloom," Twilight said softly, lighting her horn up. "I love you girls, which is exactly why I need to do this." She leaned down, touching the tip of her horn to Bloom's head. The filly opened her mouth to question it, but stopped as a flood of visions and memories flooded her mind. For about ten seconds, Bloom stood silently, staring off into the middle distance as the spell assaulted her senses, her friends looking on with worry. Finally, the spell ran its course and dissipated. It took a few more seconds before Bloom moved, rubbing her forehead with a hoof.

"Whoa..." Bloom slurred. "That was intense..." She glanced around the room at the ponies staring at her. Her eyes settled on her foalified sister, then went wide.

"Applejack!" Bloom exclaimed. "We gotta fix ya, ASAP!"

"It worked! You're fixed!" Sweetie shouted, throwing her forelegs around her friend. A collective sigh of relief rippled amongst the other ponies in the room.

"Eheh...s-sorry 'bout all that," Bloom said sheepishly. "Ah dunno what came over me..."

"A simple mind control spell," Twilight said with a smile. "Causes by whatever changed your sister. Thankfully, your friend Sweetie Belle is a smart young filly who remembered me telling her about the memory spell I used on the girls to save them from the spells of Discord and...um...myself, by accident." She took a look at the tiny Applejack, who was now idly suckling on her hoof. "I think this might require more than a memory spell, though. If only we knew what had caused it..."

Bloom had already fallen silent as soon as Twilight had even said the word "Discord." After all the trouble that had been caused by not only Applejack's transformation, but her own bout of magic-induced memory alteration, the guilt was getting to be too much for her. She suddenly let out a shout, attracting the attention of everypony in the room.

"It was me!" the filly shouted. "Ah was all upset at Applejack fer bossin' me around so much an' then Discord showed up at mah window an' he said he'd help me an' Ah wished Ah could be the older sister cause Ah thought it was a dream but it wasn't a dream an' even if it was Ah thought he'd make me older but instead he made Applejack a foal an' Ah couldn't tell nopony cause he made me promise Ah wouldn't tell a soul but Ah already caused too much trouble with this an' Ah'm sorry an' Ah jus' want mah normal big sister back!"

All eyes fell on Apple Bloom, who now had her face buried in her forelegs, completely ashamed of herself. Even Applejack and the twins were now staring at her. Twelve sets of eyes bore holes in the filly from different angles; a number made especially odd by the fact that other than Bloom, there had only been ten ponies and one dragon in the room.

"Apple Bloom!" a baritone voice suddenly called out. "I'm must say I'm surprised. I thought you'd keep a promise."

The focus of the ponies and dragon in the room now turned to the nearby hat rack, which bore a set of mismatched eyes; a fact whose strangeness was compounded by the fact that there had not been a hat rack in the room at all prior to now. The fact that it was also holding a bag of half-popped popcorn was another story altogether.

"Discord!" Twilight shouted, flaring her wings out in anger. "How dare you!"

"Well, ex-cuuuuuuuuuse me, Princess," the hat rack responded as it poofed into the familiar shape of the draconequus. "I was only trying my best to bring happiness to a little filly's heart." He snapped his fingers and produced a handkerchief, which he promptly blew his now-runny nose in. "Is that so wrong? Am I so bad?" A trio of mini-Discords popped into existence and began applauding the original's touching speech, the middle of which tossing a bouquet of roses in his direction.

"Enough, Discord!" Twilight demanded. "You shouldn't have-"

"Wait!" Bloom shouted, stepping between the two. "Don't be mad at him! It's not his fault!" Then she hesitated. "...Well, it's not all his fault! It's...mostly mah fault, actually."

"Apple Bloom, you don't have to..." Rarity began, but Bloom silenced her.

"No, Ah really do," Bloom said. "Discord never woulda done this if Ah didn't ask fer it...even though it wasn't exactly what Ah wanted. But it happened cause Ah was upset with Applejack, even though she wasn't tryin' ta upset me. She was jus' lookin' out fer me, an' Ah was begin' a brat." She walked over to her currently-little sister and hugged her. "Ah'm real sorry, Applejack, an' Ah really want ya back ta normal." The others smiled as the little foal reached her tiny forelegs up and hugged back.

"That's very mature of you, Apple Bloom," Twilight said. Then she turned her gaze to Discord. "And I certainly hope that somepony will change her back."

"What? Of course I will!" Discord said. "I'm no monster, my dear Twilight. I've even taught little Apple Bloom a valuable lesson about friendship! In fact, I should probably inform Princess Celestia. That's what you used to always do, isn't it? Spike! Take a letter!"

"In your dreams," Spike muttered.

"Perhaps," Discord mused, turning a devilish grin towards Spike. "Although I certainly wouldn't want to do that in your dreams, Spikey-Poo, I don't believe Rarity would want to share the stage."

"C'mon, Discord," Bloom said, frowning a little. "Couldja please jus' change her back?" She employed her most potent weapon once more, this time in Discord's direction, giving him the biggest, saddest eyes she could muster.

"Please, please! Holster your weapons!" Discord exclaimed, wincing. "I'm doing it, I'm doing it!" Then he patted Bloom on her head. "You know, I would have fixed this so much sooner if you only told on me sooner."

"What?!" Bloom shouted. "But you made me promise not to!"

"A-ha! My second lesson!" Discord laughed. "A promise is important, but isn't the well-being of your sister much more so?"

"Well if Ah knew that woulda gotten ha ta change her back, then Ah woulda said somethin' sooner!" Bloom protested.

"Hm...I guess I did leave that bit of information out," Discord said with a smile. "How forgetful of me. Now come on, let's make your Apple not so teeny." The draconequus snapped his fingers, and there was a puff of smoke localized around Applejack. When it dissipated, the mare was standing there, fully grown once more and looking quite dazed.

"Applejack!" Bloom shouted, throwing her forelegs around her once-again-big sister. "Ah'm so sorry fer what Ah did ta ya! Please don't be upset at me! Ah promise Ah'll listen ta ya an' not overreact so much anymore!"

Applejack was silent. She had just spent the better part of the day as a tiny foal, a large portion of which was spent so deep under the spell that she was thinking like a foal as well. Reorienting herself to a grownup body and adult thoughts was taking some getting used to. Some foalish thoughts hadn't quite faded yet, and part of her wanted to start crying at the sudden change. She fought that urge off as she finally managed to wrap a foreleg around Bloom.

"...Ah never wanna experience that again," Applejack said. "But yeh...Ah fergive ya, Apple Bloom. Ah ain't completely innocent either, ya know. Ah coulda met ya halfway on some things. Ah'll try not ta be so demand in' in the future."

"No!" Bloom said. "You were right, really. Ah shouldn't have acted like Ah did." She gave her sister a nuzzle, and Applejack nuzzled back.

"Yer right," Applejack said. "Ah'm glad ya understand. An' Ah sure hope ya understand when Ah say that yer grounded fer the rest of the day."

"Ah understand completely!" Bloom said with a smile. She let go of Applejack, then suddenly began to snicker.

"Now what's so funny?" Applejack asked. Her attention was turned to her backside as Bloom scampered behind her. It was then that she noticed that the damp diaper she'd been wearing had been resized with her. She blushed beet red as she felt Bloom pat it.

"Does Applejack need her sister ta give her a change~?" Bloom asked sweetly, much to the embarrassment of her padded sister.

"Oh shush," Applejack squeaked as the others burst into laughter.