Guess Who's Back?

Chapters

Chapter one: Works as advertised?
Chapter two: Granny Smith's Day Out
chapter three: A day with a Zebra named Zecora
chapter four: The Flim Flam Foals!
Chapter five: A Night of Regret
chapter six: The Truth of the Pool
Chapter Seven: Apple Blossom is born
Chapter eight: Meeting Burnt Oak
Epilogue: A meeting between Four Apples and a Pear
Chapter nine: Scouts Honor

Chapter one: Works as advertised?

Granny Smith was alone walking through the Everfree forest by herself. It was a lovely evening to be by herself, and she was on a mission. The old mare was in search of an old hot spring to enjoy herself and get some relaxation. A little treat to herself after being unable to do her high diving anymore and her overall fear of water. But the trek was taking its toll as she stumbled along the long twisted road. Her old frail body was aching all over, and she could feel that age had taken its toll. But she wasn't going to give up. But she did wish she was a lot younger and more able. But the old mare continued down the path getting a bit lost, realizing that the forest does change over the years, and it was hard to remember where the secret hot springs were. But as she came forward, she could hear the distant howls of the timberwolves. They must have caught her scent, but she was ready to take them on. She paused, standing her ground, ready to take on a pack of any size; the old mare wasn't scared of timberwolves anymore. This wasn't the first time she had to tussle with them, and it definitely wouldn't be the last.

Then as if on cue, they came rushing forward, trying to attack her. She bucked them, smashing their bodies into shards of wood. With a smirk, she watched the rest off. Most ponies would have run or faint, but she was made of sterner stuff. Though Granny Smith did wish she was much stronger like how she was in her youth, there was so much she wanted to do. Still, she was either too busy…or too constrained by society to do anything back then. Granny then continued through the forest, groaning a little as her bones cracked from the fight. She needed that soak; it would soothe the aches and pains that were coursing through her body after a battle like that.

The old mare continued through the forest, heading to a clearing where she could see a pillar of steam rising outward. It must be the hot springs she was looking for; upon finding the giant pool of steaming bubbling water, she noticed something was off. It was as if something in the back of his mind was telling him things were off, as the water had this glassy look to it, and on top of that, there were no trees around it, not for at least a mile or so. She paused, just admiring the sheer majesty of the pool itself; there was something about it with a magical smoke rising from the water. This wasn't the spring she went to as a filly. She slowly came to the pool of water and trotted in, wading through the water until it was up to her chin. She lay down between two giant moss-covered rocks and sighed in relief. Even if this wasn't the hot springs, she remembered this would be close enough. She lay there relaxing for what felt like hours without a care in the world, letting her body soak into the depths of the water itself. The water hit her body and seemed to erase all her pain; she was feeling much better already. This was unlike anything she's ever felt before, as the water seemed to erase any trace of the battle with the timberwolves or even any aches she had beforehand. It was like her entire body was being massaged over and soothed out by unseen mystical hooves. She laid back, looking upward into the sky, watching the sunset, not even caring that it was late or how it was possible to see the sun setting in the Everfree Forest. All that mattered to her was lying there and wishing she could be here forever.

Granny Smith woke up literally hours later, seeing the moon and stars were out; she groaned, seeing she's been out way too long. The old mare slowly got up, walked out of the lake, and headed back through the Everfree Forest. She felt much more relaxed through the trek than before; her bones didn't feel like they were aching; she felt much better, not so tired and even a bit more energetic. She found herself doing a light jog through the woods. When Granny Smith returned home, she spotted the tonic she bought from Flim and Flam brothers earlier that day. She, of course, didn't forget about the scammers and how they almost took over their family farm a few years ago. But this feeling of wanting to feel younger was something she couldn't get over, she knew she didn't have long left in this world, and she wanted to enjoy her time with them just for a bit longer, no matter the cost.

"Well, I already took a dip in some magical hot spring. What's the worst that could happen?" The old farm mare took the potion, downing the entire thing in one gulp. Afterward, she smacked her lips. It had a funny taste to it…maybe it didn't do anything, and she was being scammed, but at the very least, she was still feeling better from the trip to the hot springs, and she thought it. Granny Smith then slowly went upstairs, plopped down on her bed, and had a relaxing, dreamless sleep.

Granny woke up the following day feeling like she had just awakened from a cloud. She never felt so relaxed and stretched her limbs outward as the sound of a rooster crowing could be heard from outside. As Granny slowly rose, she could already hear Applejack and Big Mac getting up from downstairs and Apple Bloom running around getting ready for school. Granny rubbed a hoof over her head; she must have overslept. She usually was up before everypony else, but maybe the potion and the little hot spring retreat made her more relaxed than normal. The old mare yawned and slowly got out of bed and blinked; something was off...her back wasn't aching, and she just sprang out of bed...it didn't even hurt to get up? Something was different. Granny Smith then slowly walked over to her mirror, and to her surprise, she saw what could only be described as a young-looking green mare staring back at her. The mare in question had to be in her early twenties with a white mane and tail, but it wasn't white from age; it just seemed like its natural color.

"May I help you? Who are you?" Granny asked the mirror and gasped, seeing the mare's mouth move as she did. Then she blinked and saw the reflection blink back; Granny stood there stunned, not believing what she was seeing, as she rubbed a hoof over her right cheek and saw the reflection do the same thing as her. Granny's heart stopped looking at her reflection, wholly stunned and scared and realizing that the reflection staring back at her was, in fact, her.

How was it possible!? How could this be? She only took that dip in that strange hot spring; there's no way that spring could've done this to her? or was it the concoction she drank the other night? Her heart thumped in her chest as she was now nervous and scared. Granny took a few deep breaths and took the time to look over her body. It was nice and thin with a good amount of muscle and fat; her muscles were more pronounced, she seemed to have regressed nearly eighty-plus years, and there was no sign of aging. She just stood there looking at her rump and how round it was, and then she smirked; most ponies would be freaking out; some would either be too excited or freaked out to do anything or overreact. She didn't care; she would enjoy her new body every second she was in it.

Granny then took some hair ties and a brush; she tied her mane and tail up, put some light makeup on her eyes and cheeks, then strutted downstairs. Applejack was the first to see her coming down and snapped. "Hey, who the buck are you, and why do ya look like Granny Smith?"

"Oh, come on, sugar cube, can't you tell it's me?" Granny snickered, flashing a pose with a smile on her face.

The orange-coated farm mare just stomped forward and snapped back. "Seriously!? You are not granny; she's almost a hundred years old; I wasn't born yesterday."

Big Mac then slowly came over and scrutinized the green-coated mare; she just wrapped her hooves around the thick neck and exclaimed, "Hey, Big Mac, it's so good to see ya!"

The big red-coated stallion seemed to stop in his tracks, and his mouth seemed to drop, and shook his head, "Ya can't be granny, I'm dreamin'."

Applejack shook her head and scoffed, "Of course not it ain't her, she's gotta be a changeling or somthin'." She walked back and forth and gasped, "I know what happened! Them Flim and Flam bros kidnapped granny and put this fake in her place to sell their snake oil."

Granny rolled her eyes. It was evident that she would have to do more to prove herself. "All right, want me to prove it!?" She pointed a hoof at Big Mac, "I remember you slept with a plush animal until you were ten."

She pointed a hoof at her granddaughter and exclaimed, "I know ya like to sneak apple cider at night and have been doin' so since when you were five!"

Applejack hid her face behind a hoof and then pointed a hoof at Apple Bloom. "I distinctly remember you like to wear those cloth nappies on your head, and I still got that photo I showed ya a year ago."

Apple Bloom didn't need any more convincing as she squealed, ran over to the green-coated mare, and hugged her. The mare hugged her youngest grandchild, keeping her close as the filly whispered, "Wow, granny, what happened to ya!?"

Granny Smith thought to herself; she wasn't sure how she became like this; was it the tonic? Maybe the strange Hotspring she found? The former old mare shrugged and replied, "Not sure, but I hope I can stay like this way for a bit now. I can go highdivin' again!"

"No, not a chance; we're gonna seek some help. This has to be magic or somthin’.” Applejack snapped back; she still seemed unconvinced it was her.

Granny Smith was getting tired of Applejack's overprotective nature. She snapped, "Oh, ya, stop ya fussin'. I'm fit as a fiddle, and feelin' better than I ever have; now, it's probably that tonic I drank last night that did this."

The orange-coated farm mare tapped a hoof to her chin and grumbled, "Ya mean that snake oil that Flim and Flam have been shilling? Yeah, right, most likely ya got cursed from your little stroll through the Everfree Forest."

Granny glared back at Applejack; she could be so darn perspective she wanted to keep those trips secret. "Oh, stop your fussin', I've been living here for nearly a century, and I've never seen anythin' in the Everfree Forest that can turn ya younger."

The green-coated mare walked over to the empty bottle she left on the kitchen counter and retorted. "If anythin' like it or not, this tonic may have done what it advertised; I'll go talk them two Flim Flam bros and see if anypony else had the same results."

She then strutted across the kitchen, got into Applejack's face, and asked sarcastically, "Unless you're gonna stop me?"

The farm mare just stepped back and threw a hoof. "Fine, do what ya want? But don't say I didn't warn ya."

Granny Smith held her head up high as she walked off; she would take no from her granddaughter, and she would enjoy herself if she likes it or not.

Granny Smith continued to walk down the street quite proudly among the crowd of ponies going about their business. They all just stopped and stared as they saw her walk by, strutting and shaking her rump about without a care in the world. Many ponies started whispering amongst each other in disbelief, some wondering who this mare was while others already recognized her, especially since her cutie mark was undeniably hers. Granny Smith just continued to rock her new body and her new mane bouncing about. The ponies whispered amongst themselves, guessing it was Granny Smith but not believing it with their own eyes. She just threw her mane and continued to trot down the street. It was almost like magic seeing how the world seemed to stop when she passed, and the old mare was enjoying it.

Granny Smith eventually came upon the giant tent the Flim Flam brothers set up selling their tonic. She slowly went through the lines of ponies who just gaped in awe at what they saw, not even believing with their own eyes that they were seeing Granny Smith looking eighty years younger.

Granny went to the head of the line, where she met the two lanky stallions, Flim and Flam. The two brothers were also somewhat stunned, seeing the mare walk over with a smirk on her face. They were so surprised by her appearance that Granny was the first to speak up first. "It's nice to see you again."

"Well, well, seems like our miracle cure-all worked!" Flim exclaimed out loud, with many ponies turning their focus toward them.

"Bu-" Flam was about to say something, but Flim slammed a hoof to his brother's mouth. "Now, we did expect results, of course, but not right away and not to this extent."

Granny Smith glared at two; she was now more convinced that the tonic probably wasn't what did this to her, but she wanted to be a hundred percent sure. "Yeah, honestly, I'm not sure this resulted from your tonic. But I wanted to thank you in advance if it did. And to see if anypony else who took it had the same results?"

Flam circled the mare as she felt that he seemed to be checking her out as he replied, "Well, it's no problem on our end; sadly, no nopony else had the same results as you have. My dear Granny Smith, would you be so kind as to advertise our tonic?"

Granny rolled her eyes; she wasn't going to showboat for these clowns, held up a hoof and explained, "Not so fast, I only trust ya two as far as I can throw ya; I want to buy another tonic so I can have a third party test it."

The brothers stared at each other and then huddled together while talking in hushed voices; they then both nodded and turned to face Granny Smith.

Flim fixed his tie before he replied with a smirk, "Of course, by all means, when you find out our tonic is the real deal, you have to promise to come by and show off that new hot body of yours."

Granny glared at the brothers; she had to agree with Applejack. She did not like them one bit, and she knew they would exploit her if her transformation was a result of their tonic. But Granny Smith had to be sure she stuck her hoof out and replied. "Alright, it's a deal, but I ain't wearing no crazy outfits."

Flim stuck his hoof out as she shook it, then Flam afterward as he commented, "Don't worry about that; you look great with your all-natural beauty." Granny just gave a "Hmph" and walked off with another tonic bottle, wondering if she was being played in some way. On the other hoof, who can she trust to test the tonic? The old mare then stomped a hoof on the ground and exclaimed, "Zecora! That zebra Apple Bloom likes can help me!"

She ran down the road heading towards the Everfree Forest, laughing maniacally as she felt the wind in her mane and loved how she could run again! The former old mare eventually found her way to Zecora's hut in the Everfree Forest; she visited the zebra and knocked on the door. The zebra opened it, was somewhat surprised to see the strange green-coated mare, and asked, "I'm sorry if this comes out rude. But who are you?"

Granny rolled her eyes, shoved a hoof at her cutie mark, and snapped, "Oh, come now, can't ya tell it's me! I'm Granny Smith," Zecora was somewhat taken aback as she looked the mare over before responding, "Well, I have to say, you're looking rather young today."

"Well, that's why I'm here; I need your help with somethin'" The mare walked into the hut with the tonic in her hoof. She placed the bottle down on a table and explained herself. "Sorry to interrupt ya, but I need ya to test this and figure out if this tonic is the cause of my younger complexion."

Zecora tapped a hoof to her chin and pondered out loud. "Hmm, you think this isn't just taking away the traces of age, but turning the hands of time to a younger stage?"

"Yes, but I need to know for sure. I also wanna know how long the effect lasts?" Granny explained Zecora took the bottle in her hoof and examined it before agreeing. "Well, I can run some tests or two, though it may take a few days, and in the meantime, maybe I should stay with you."

"Nah, that's fine; you're doing enough as it takes all the time you need,” Granny responded.

Zecora's eyes narrowed as she replied, "I must disagree; if this is some poison, then with you, I must be aware that I'm not doing this for free; I'll run the tests for a modest fee."

Granny then threw a bag of bits on the table. "That should cover ya fee, and stop your worryin' I'm fit as a fiddle and as tough as an ox! I'm gonna go enjoy myself before the effects wear off."

She then turned around and went through the hut as Zecora looked back, her cheeks flushing red; Granny paused with a smirk, seeing the zebra was checking her rump out. She had to admit the zebra wasn't bad-looking, looking rather sturdy and sleek and having this exotic feel about her. The former old mare shook her head of those thoughts and continued down the road back home. She didn't know how or what turned her into this, but she didn't care right now. Celestia knows how long this will last and will make the most of her situation before she turns back to a cranky old granny.

Chapter two: Granny Smith's Day Out

Granny Smith was pretty excited as she skipped down the street with a basket in her mouth. She wanted to surprise her youngest granddaughter with something special for lunch. She baked a few small apple pies, and though she's made hundreds if not thousands of them since getting into her golden years. This was the first time she baked food in her new body. It felt pretty good to make one without hobbling about finding ingredients or hearing her forehooves crack while stirring them together or having her back pop pouring the batter into the baking pan. The mare eventually came over to Apple Bloom, who was sitting with her friends, and all the school foals around them looked over in surprise. They gaped in awe at the strange green-coated mare, who strutted over with a smile as she greeted them, "Hello, I came to drop off a package for Apple Bloom!"

Granny saw how the foals were all gaping at her, slack-jawed and wide-eyed; she gave them all a smug grin as she waved a hoof, "Oh, stop all that starin' I'm just giving Apple Bloom some lunch."

She then handed Apple Bloom the basket and unveiled the cloth on top, and underneath was a fresh apple pie and three pints of apple cider. Apple Bloom gasped in surprise, seeing the meal, and squealed, "Wow, thanks! This looks amazing!"

She and her friends took a piece of the pie and a cup of apple cider as they all began eating and drinking to their heart's content. The sweet scents caught the attention of the other foals, who were all drooling, watching the three fillies eat their meal.

Diamond Tiara came over with a smirk, "Um, Granny Smith? Is that you?"

The old mare glared at the young filly; she remembered how the little filly insulted her a year ago and decided to play a little prank on her. "Oh, yes, it is! And I just wanted to give Apple Bloom and her friend apple pie and some cider…" She looked down at the filly as she had made an extra small pie, bringing it out right in front of Diamond Tiara, and then watched her eyes grow big at the pie coming close to her face. She was growing more tempted to take it, but that was when Granny pulled the rug under her, saying, "But ya gotta apologize for calling me old and how Apple Bloom should be embarrassed about my silly ways."

Diamond paused and then looked around at the other foals; they were all now paying attention to her; she started to quiver, wanting to take the pie but at the same time would be forced to apologize to Granny Smith! She growled and turned her back, "As I would ever eat pie baked by crazy Granny Smith!"

Granny snickered as she shrugged, "Eh, more for me then." She then took the pie and was going to chomp it down when Diamond Tiara shouted, "Fine! I'm sorry for calling you silly ways and stuff; give me the pie!"

"Ok," Granny chirped as she hoofed her the pie; Diamond then ran off with her prize while the foals around her snickered.

Apple Bloom just clapped her hooves and cheered, "That was awesome! She's not gonna be able to live that down for a while!"

"It's no problem, but now I gotta go to check on your older sister; Celestia knows she needs help with the apple buckin'." Granny chirped as many of the foals came forward, whispering if she was Apple Bloom's grandmother; she couldn't help but burst into laughter. The former old mare waved a hoof as she jumped up and proclaimed, "That's right! I'm Apple Bloom's grandma, and don't you forget it!" She then ran off as the foals clapped and cheered; she knew deep down her odd behavior may have led to her granddaughter being bullied; maybe now she can try fixing her image. And also giving her an apple pie or two.

After giving her granddaughter and her friends their little treat, Granny Smith headed over to Sweet Apple Acres. She saw Big Mac and Applejack were already bucking the apple trees surrounding them. She just decided to stroll over to the apple orchard and looked around, enjoying the view. She longed to return and buck apples again, and now she finally has the chance. Granny then went over to some of the trees; she took a deep breath smelling the fresh scent of the apples that permeated the orchard. She then started to buck some trees with her back hooves. Granny Smith could feel her strength once more in how her body could slam into each tree, hearing that satisfying crunch of the bark beneath her hooves and the satisfying plopping of apples in buckets. The former old mare missed this feeling and wished this could last forever. Granny stopped in her tracks when she saw Applejack just glaring at her and snapped, "Seriously? What are you doing?"

Granny Smith turned her attention to her granddaughter and scoffed, "I'm apple-bucking, obviously; what does it look like?"

Big Mac snickered as Applejack rolled her eyes and replied, "You shouldn't be overexerting yourself. We don't know how that tonic may have affected you."

"Come now; you're just scared that I can buck apples more than you." Granny joked with a smirk on her face; she wanted to do this for a long time and show her granddaughter how she was in her prime.

Big Mac eyed his sister, who snickered as she just stood there with her hooves crossed over her chest and asked, "Uh-huh…sure… wanna bet?"

Granny Smith wanted to prove she didn't need to be patronized. On top of that, she would prove she is better at apple-bucking than her granddaughter and agreed with Applejack's bet, "Sure, if I buck more apples than you, then you need to stop trying to get me to turn back to normal?"

"Sure, it's a deal," The farm mare snapped back in retort; they glared at each other, then they simultaneously started running off and buck apple trees all over, slamming their back hooves into tree after tree. They were head-to-head, bucking the hundreds of apple trees covering Sweet Apple Acres. But after a few hours of apple bucking, it became clear that Granny Smith was bucking more than her granddaughter as she looked back with sweat dripping from her brow. The former old mare covered almost half the orchard when Applejack got through bucking a few dozen trees. She forgot they continued their contest for some time for what felt like hours; she was hot and sweaty from the work, but it felt so good being back in action. The mare raised her head high, feeling proud, and that was when she saw Applejack stomp over. The farm mare looked rather angry and snapped, "Seriously, you bucked half the entire orchard by yourself?"

Granny Smith rolled her eyes; she's been bucking apples her entire life and grumbled, "So what? I used to buck this entire orchard by myself for years before your dad was even born."

"That's not the point! We don't know what's happening with your body; you shouldn't be straining yourself so much." Applejack snapped back.

Granny Smith rolled her eyes as she crossed her hooves and scoffed, "Oh, please? You're just jealous that I bucked all these apples by myself! Don't even try to deny it."

"You just shut it, that's not at all what I'm talking about, and you know it!" Applejack roared.

The former old mare wasn't going to be patronized by her granddaughter and had enough of this argument; she then responded, "Forget it, you made a bet and lost, so ya need to stop your patronizing. Why don't we go get Apple Bloom and Big Mac and head to the swimming hole?"

"Fine, I guess we can go swimming, but we're not done talkin' about this." Applejack snapped as they went off. Granny Smith knew it might take time to have her granddaughter used to the new body, but she was willing to wait.

Later that evening, they were all splashing about in the swimming hole like the day prior. Still, this time Granny Smith had joined in with her family as they were swimming about having a great time together. The former old mare was throwing a beach ball back and forth between her and her grandkids. Big Mac and Apple Bloom were laughing and enjoying themselves; even Applejack seemed to be enjoying herself too, but she was keeping an eye on her. Granny, however, turned her attention to the tree overlooking the swimming hole. She scratched her chin, wondering if she should show Apple Bloom a taste of her high-diving routine.

The young filly looked over with a nervous look and whispered, "Hey, ya gonna do it, right?"

"Just watch and learn," Granny Smith replied with a smirk; she swam over to the tree and slowly climbed up it while her family just watched in anticipation. The former old mare laughed happily as she climbed the tree; she finally reached the highest branches. She readied herself, looking down at the water below; the exhilaration was swelling inside her as she prepared her high dive. Granny Smith took a deep breath and was preparing to jump, but that was when Applejack started to get angry and shouted, "Hey, stop that and get your butt down here before you go on and hurt yourself."

"How about you come up here and make me!" Granny shouted; she raised her hooves in the air and looked into the sky, taking one final breath before she jumped and plunged into the water below. Everypony gasped and watched the ripples on the surface of the water where Granny plunged in. But they all gave sighs of relief, seeing Granny raise her head with a proud smile on her face. "See, told ya I can do it!"

"That was awesome!" Apple Bloom squealed as she swam over and threw herself into Granny Smith's hooves. She laughed and ruffled her granddaughter's mane. All the while, Big Mac just chuckled, and Applejack mumbled angrily about how she should be more careful. Granny Smith groaned, hearing her bones creak from the rough landing, and decided it was probably best she didn't try that again anyways. The Apples then swam for the rest of the day into the evening.

After the sun went down and the moon rose overhead, the Apples were returned home with towels wrapped around their bodies, laughing with each other. They eventually came upon their house, where she ruffled Apple Bloom's mane. Then she thought that she wanted to do something she hasn't done since the foal was in preschool and suggested, "Hey…would you mind if I tucked ya in?"

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Apple Bloom chirped without hesitation.

Granny Smith laughed as she took the little filly and escorted her to bed; once they got to her room, she placed her under the sheets and tucked them under her granddaughter's chin. "Oh, you're so adorable."

"Don't call me that!" She cried out and hid her face behind her hooves, looking somewhat embarrassed. Granny couldn't help but draw as she kissed her on the forehead. "Oh, don't be shy; embrace being so young and cute, trust me."

"Right…and, um, thanks for earlier. Would you mind making me my friends and apple pie again?" Apple Bloom asked with her cheeks flushing pink.

"Sure, and I would love a chance to soften up Diamond Tiara too," Granny added; she then kissed her on the forehead once more before leaving the bedroom. She then came out to see Big Mac standing outside, looking downward, scraping the ground with a hoof.

She eyed her grandson; he looked like he needed something and asked, "What's wrong?"

"N…nothing…" The stallion whispered, looking away; he seemed to want to say something but was too embarrassed. Granny knew the stallion had issues with his childhood ending faster than most after their parents died. She might be bringing up old memories of his mother, and for herself, she sees a lot of her late son in him.

"Do…do you want me to tuck you in bed?" Granny Smith asked with a motherly smile.

He gave a slight nervous nod; she then took Big Mac's hoof and led him to his room; on the way there, she saw the big red stallion was rather tired; she knew he worked all day bucking apples and then sorting apples in the cellar. She knew he works a lot with little to no downtime; if the least she can be a surrogate mother to him was the least she could. The mare then assisted the giant stallion, whose cheeks flushed pink seeing how strong she was, "You can pick me up?"

"Trust me, your father was much bigger, and I could hold him with one hoof." The former old mare proclaimed proudly. She then placed the giant stallion under the covers and tucked him under the covers, and covered the sheets to his neck.

She then bent over and kissed him on the forehead. "They're all tucked in for the night."

He nuzzled under the sheets clutching some old-looking rag doll in his hooves. It was rather adorable and sweet. She then slowly crept out of the room to not wake him up. The mare then went downstairs and saw Applejack just standing at the foot of the stairs glaring at her. "You’re pushing my buttons; ya know that? You would have broken some bones pulling that stunt at the swimmin' hole."

Granny Smith had enough of this and shouted, "Alright, that's enough! We're gonna get ya to relax and have a good time!"

"What do ya mean?" Applejack asked, looking somewhat confused.

"We're going out drinking!" Granny Smith shouted; she took Applejack by the hoof and led her out.

At the bar the two were drinking beer together at all the small bars in Ponyville. It wasn't a prominent place, and not many ponies were there, mostly older ponies giving the two newcomers odd looks. Granny Smith was putting away drink after drink at the bar; Applejack just sat back as she nursed a beer herself. Granny smiled at her granddaughter, "So ya wanna talk about why you have a problem with me being young again?"

She raised her head and snapped, "First off, I don't think there's anything wrong in particular, it's just we don't even know what made you like this, and you've been pushing your body way too hard."

The former old mare shook her head and continued, "I don't either; that's why we gave the tonic to Zecora to test it; if it isn't that, then it was most definitely the hot spring I found in the Everfree Forest. Then, maybe we can test the water, and we can then see what happened to me. So, until then, relax; and let's have fun."

Applejack drank down another bottle and replied, "All right then, so what are you suggesting, a drinking contest?"

Granny Smith couldn't help but burst into laughter; she helped up a tankard of Ale in the air and proclaimed, "Oh, I don't think you're ready for that!? Back in my day, I could drink any stallion under the table, so ya better get ready."

They both got up and headed to a table in the center of the bar, where they sat across from each other. They were both glaring at each other as a rather portly stallion, who was the bartender, came by. "All right, we don't get many drinking contests here, so I'll be paying for the drinks, alright?"

"Thanks, Ale, keep them comin', " Granny snickered as she turned to face her granddaughter. They both now were staring across the table right at each other as the bartender raised a hoof, "Alright, start as soon as I say go ya start drinking. The first one to quit or collapses loses, deal?"

"Deal!" The two both shouted then Ale raised a hoof. "On your marks…get set…go!"

The two mares then began to drain bottles of beer together, chugging bottle after bottle by the time Applejack was on her twentieth beer. Granny, however, was hitting fortieth. Not even feeling drunk in the slightest, the former old mare took the time to pause to see Applejack was already stumbling about. She was drunk then joked, "so you think you're beating me?"

"Buck, yeah! I have drunk like si..six hundred beers," The farm mare stammered as she chugged another bottle down.

Granny laughed as she just sat back and watched her granddaughter keep chugging a few more beers with a smile, and she continued to nurse her next bottle alongside her. It was funny to see Applejack getting drunker over time. But she saw her granddaughter was clearly at her limit and wouldn't admit defeat until she was under the table. "Alright, I think this little competition is over."

"Oh, you s...stop! you want to stop because I'm winnin'!" Applejack roared as she squeaked and almost stumbled back in her chair. Luckily for her, Granny, she came up right behind her and kept the chair from falling. Granny shook her head under her breath as she took her hoof and whispered, "I think your pretty drunk; let's get you home."

She took Applejack by the hoof and led her home along the way; her granddaughter kept mumbling under her breath. "Hey, mom… It's not time for bed…."

Granny Smith paused for a second. Did she remind Applejack of her daughter-in-law? The way Big Mac probably sensed her to be…she shook her head right now; she had to get her granddaughter home; she can't have any pony seeing her like this.

She carried her granddaughter to their house, climbed up the stairs, and then led up the stairs and right to Applejack's bedroom, where she took the sheets and tucked the mare in her bed just like she did with Big Mac. Applejack held the bedsheets close to her as she murmured, "Hmm, thanks, mom."

Granny Smith paused once more, feeling so odd the mare was touched; she reminded her granddaughter of her daughter-in-law, but at the same time, again, the former old mare wasn't sure how to take these feelings. Maybe they can have this fantasy just for a little while. She kissed Applejack on the forehead and then left her room. Granny Smith then went to her bedroom and stretched her hooves in the air before lying down. It was a rather exciting day, and she did enjoy herself despite Applejack's constant patronizing. Granny knew this might not last, but she wished it did, and she would enjoy her new body as long as she possibly could.

chapter three: A day with a Zebra named Zecora

Granny Smith woke up groaning, rubbing a hoof over her head. She had a migraine from last night's drinking. The mare was a bit agitated, but it's been years since she drank that much. Still, before she turned sixty, she never had a hangover, no matter how hard she drank...she might have been called an alcoholic. Still, she never felt addicted to the drink. She seemed to have a strong natural ability to remain sober. She got up out of bed, trotted out of her room, and headed downstairs to the kitchen. The mare made some coffee and then mixed some herbs and raw eggs with some mashed apples. She gave the drink a whiff and made a "bleh" sound. "Ugh, I would say it's too soon to drink this again."

She then chugged down the mixture and chased it down with some coffee. Afterward, she started to make some pancakes and made some chilled apple cider. The mare spent a few hours cooking, trying to ignore her headache but chuckled, seeing Applejack coming down. Her granddaughter looked somewhat groggy and seemed to be stumbling about as she grumbled under her breath and rubbed her head. "Ugh, how much did I drink last night?"

"Not as much as me, that's for sure," Granny Smith teased as she handed her a mug of coffee and her homemade remedy, "Here, take this."

"Ugh, what is this!" Applejack reared her head at the glass as the disgusting scent wafted forth.

"Just plug your nose and drink it; you'll feel much better, trust me." Granny Smith explained.

Applejack did as Granny Smith asked as she clamped her nose with a hoof and drank down the strange mixture; she gagged but choked it down while drinking the coffee afterward. The farm mare groaned as she hugged her belly with her face turned green, "This better work."

"It will; just sit down and drink your coffee," The old mare snapped as she finished making the flapjacks. Big Mac and Apple Bloom eventually came down, and they sat down around the table as she served them their breakfasts. They all seemed to be rather in deep thought, smiling at her and whispering their thank-yous.

Granny Smith was happy to see her grandchildren at least seeing her as a motherly figure, but at the same time, it was a rather somber moment. She knew they still missed their parents dearly. Evidently, this brought up some sweet old memories, especially for Applejack and Big Mac. Apple Bloom was a bit confused. Granny Smith didn't want the filly to feel uncomfortable, so she came over and ruffled the filly's mane. "So ya want me to make you and your friends another apple pie?"

"Sure! That would be great!" The filly exclaimed.

Granny Smith snickered as she placed the saddlebag over the little filly. "I already baked ya one and placed it in your saddlebag; you have a fun day at school!"

"I will!" Apple Bloom cheered as Applejack came over. "Alright, are you gonna go see the results for that tonic?"

"Yeah, I am! Now stop naggin’ me!" Granny snapped; her granddaughter was still somewhat overprotective. She got up and left the house. It was a rather beautiful morning. Her family will most likely spend the day sorting apples and selling them while waiting for the next harvest with the apples bucked. She continued through the apple orchard and headed to the Everfree Forest; she still couldn't believe how good she felt. Her body was rejuvenated in ways she couldn't explain; the old aches and creaks in her joints were gone. She was satisfied with how her body just felt like a different pony. She eventually reached Zecora's hut, where she knocked on the door.

Zecora opened it and, with a hoof, waved her inside. "Hello, my dear, you came to lend me your ear?"

"Yes, of course, regarding that tonic I gave ya yesterday," Granny Smith added as she walked into the relatively clean hut.

The zebra, however, just took the bottle of tonic and poured the contents on the ground as she explained, "The stuff that is in this is as useful as horse piss."

Granny burst into laughter, seeing the "tonic" was indeed just nothing but snake oil. She had a feeling that it was indeed not real, but seeing that it was indeed nothing but a scam made her feel so much better. "I knew it! Those two good-for-nothing rascals were tryin' to pull one over me!"

Zecora leaned back on her table with her hooves crossed across her chest as she asked, "Yes, so now will you tell me the truth? And explain about the fountain of youth?".

Granny rolled her eyes, waved a hoof, and sighed, "Alright, well, come on, it's better if I show ya."

The zebra followed the former old mare through the forest and down a path into the middle of the woods. There even Zecora was surprised by the surrounding landscape; it was much different from the rest of the forest, with the area being vacant of trees. The hot springs themselves had an odd feel and glow over them with the bubbling water, and the steam itself seemed to give off a calming aura. Granny Smith stepped back behind Zecora; she didn't want to be turned any younger...she rather not go back to school...or diapers. She then held the hoof out and explained, "There it is, it ain't much, but this is where I turned back into my twenties."

Zecora took a moment to look over the landscape. She then put on some gloves and then carefully took out some vials and began to fill them up one by one with some of the magical water. Her eyes were aglow, somewhat astonished by the hot springs, and whispered, "I already can tell; This water has magical properties as well."

Granny was standing back, mulling things over now that it's confirmed that these hot springs caused her regression in age and that the tonic Flim and Flam were selling was snake oil. But that would mean the two knew that the tonic wasn't what caused her miraculous youthfulness. She then started to speak her thoughts out loud, "Yes, and I think that those good-for-nothing swindlers are gonna be tryin' to find out how I turned younger. If we try to confront them with this knowledge, they'll come back with askin' how I was transformed. Then they'll exploit this magical water for their purposes."

"I agree; we must keep this pool a secret to a degree," Zecora responded promptly as she sealed the vial with a cork. The zebra continued to collect samples for a bit, with Granny Smith trying to look at other things, the birds..trees...but her gaze would fall back on the zebra’s rump every time.

The zebra finally rose with her samples, then looked behind her and asked, “I hope you don’t mind if I ask. But we’re you just staring at my ass?”

“N...n...no! I wasn’t; let’s go back to the hut,” The farm mare stammered with her cheeks flushing pink. She then followed Zecora out of the forest and back to the hut..making sure to be walking right behind her.

The two then both went off to the hut, where Zecora placed the vials on her workbench. She started taking an eyedropper and poured some into little oval-shaped disks. Granny looked the zebra over in her work, reviewing books and verifying the spring water components. The former old mare couldn't help but ask, "So...why didn't you take a dip?"

Zecora couldn't help but chuckle, then explained, "I have spent many a year that it's wise to understand magic always has a price...and I would consider making you a cure out of the compounds of this water I can ensure."

The former old mare kicked her legs and gave her body a look, now patches in her coat; she didn't feel sick. Granny Smith had no use of a cure and replied, "No side effects so far; I'm the same age as Applejack...maybe just a bit older than her."

"Yes, but others will talk, and ponies will wonder how you gained your youth, and eventually, they will know the truth. I'm not just talking about Flim and Flam; if this waterfalls in the wrong pony's hand, it could spell disaster for all of us across the land." Zecora explained in a rather dark and sinister tone.

Granny nodded and agreed with Zecora; she trusted ponies most of the time...but the lure of eternal youth would make anypony go crazy. She tapped a hoof to her chin as she replied, "Yes...maybe I can make up some lie, Applejack may be the element of honesty, but I ain't. I can spin a tale or two if it means keeping important secrets. It ain't the first time I've done it."

Zecora turned to face the former old mare with a smile as she responded, "I've met many a pony or two, but most aren't so bold and reckless...I like that about you."

She trotted over and poked a hoof at Granny's chest to hone in on her warning. "But be warned, my dear, this isn't a matter to take lightly, I fear."

Granny had enough of being lectured and smacked Zecora's hoof, then snapped back, "I know that! The Everfree forest holds many secrets! Some ponies forget I've been here nearly my entire life and know a lot more about this forest than anypony else!"

Zecora looked over the rather sexy-looking farm mare with a smile. "Alright then, I see that there's no stopping you; now I must get to work; there's much to do."

Granny Smith sat down and watched as Zecora then started to do her tests, putting the water under various microscopes and putting multiple chemicals into the vials of water. As the zebra went about her work, she looked over and then asked, "I don't mean to be rude. But do you have anything else to do?"

"No, not really...Applejack is being a pain, Apple Bloom is at school, and Big Mac ain't much of a talker…" Granny rambled as she eyed Zecora's rump; she just watched it sway back and forth, admiring how plump it was.

The former old mare looked away, with her cheeks flushing pink as she couldn’t believe she was checking out the zebra. It’s been way too long since she had sex, especially with a mare...She looked up at the ceiling. "Ya know, there were some things back in my day that would be considered taboo..."

"Hmm, I see. Do you wish to have sex with me?" Zecora asked rather bluntly.

"Wow, straight to the point, ain't ya!" Granny laughed, being somewhat surprised that the Zebra was so brash in coming onto her advances like that.

Zecora slowly walked forward to Granny Smith, giving her bedroom eyes, and added, "As I said, these tests will take some time to do...and I would be lying if I didn't say I was attracted to you."

"So...have you ever done a mare before?" The former old mare asked with a smirk on her face looking over the Zebra. The zebra in question was built for a mare; her stocky legs, thick luscious rump, and her short mane and body were, without a doubt, turning her on.

Zecora got up close right into Granny's face and replied, "I had fun with many a mare in the old village. I swear, I will have those experiences to compare."

The former old mare rolled her eyes; back in her day, she didn't care about taboos and (in secret) had sex with many mares. It was about time she showed her that she had experience too. She then planted her mouth over Zecora's lips, and the two kissed and held each other close, locked in an embrace; then the former old mare whispered, "Of course I have! Now stop that rhymin', and let's have some fun!"

The two mares were quite exhausted and sweat-drenched after hours of hard sex. The hut itself was a disaster looking like a tornado came through, with books, vials, random potions, and even the giant cauldron knocked over and strewn about. Zecora slowly got up on all fours as she threw her mane back, and laughed, "That was amazing! I haven't had sex like that in ages!"

"I know the feeling! A...and you didn't rhyme that time..." Granny wheezed as she got up and rubbed her mane whipping the sweat and dirt from it.

The zebra's cheeks flushed pink as she struggled to catch her breath. "It... it's just a habit of mine; when I'm tired, it's harder to rhyme."

"Yeah, it's already sort of coming back…." Granny grumbled; she wasn't a fan of the constant rhyming, but she ain't one to tell another pony what to do.

Zecora went through the disaster that was her hut picking up a vial and then drinking it down. "Well, it seems you were quite the beast; I think we got that out of our systems, at least."

Looking across the hut, Granny couldn't help but chuckle under her breath, having many memories of wrecking bars after a long night of sex and booze. The former old mare rubbed a hoof on the back of her mane and apologized, "Yeah, sorry about your place; next time, I'll be more cautious."

"It is fine; the best part about living in this forest is the plenty of time that is mine," Zecora replied gently, seeming to be relatively relaxed and rejuvenated. She then went about picking things up, including the vials of the magic spring water.

Granny Smith went about helping her new "friend" pick things up around the hut. As they were tidying up, Granny had a thought go through her mind as she snickered, "Hey, the best part about having sex with a mare is there's no need to worry about having a foal afterward."

Zecora burst into more laughter, "That is so true! I was thinking about that too!"

They both burst into another round of laughter once more. Then suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by a knock on the door and a filly shouting, "Hey, is that you, Granny? Whatcha doin' in there!?"

The two mares squeaked, and Zecora went straight to look back over the water at her work table while Granny ran to the door straightening her mane, and squeaked, "J...just hold on a minute!"

She opened the door to see Apple Bloom standing outside, looking rather angry with a cute pout on her lips as she demanded. "Hey! Ya didn't answer my question; what ya doing here!?"

"I... I'm just helping Zecora figure out how I..um...w..was turned younger!?" Granny Smith stammered awkwardly. Apple Bloom eyed her granny, not buying the half-truth as she trotted inside and gasped, seeing Zecora's hut's disastrous state, and cried out, "How are ya Helpin'! Look at this place; it's a mess!"

"Y...yes, it is! We had an explosion, you see! Would you be so kind as to clean up for me!?" Zecora asked.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and grumbled under her breath, "Ugh, fine..but...seriously, something is fishy going on here…."

She walked over and started picking things up as Zecora looked over at Granny Smith. "T...the tests are almost finished, but I'm going to leave the tubes overnight...when the sun sets, I suggest coming back so I can give you the results. Is that alright?"

"Of course, it is, and I will look forward to it…." Granny whispered in a rather seductive tone. She then walked off through the Everfree Forest, looking forward to her next meet-up with the mysterious Zebra.

chapter four: The Flim Flam Foals!

The following day Flim and Flam were coming towards the Apple Family's house near the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres. Flim was leading the way as he asked, "So, brother, you think Granny Smith has something important to tell us in that message?"

Flam turned to his brother and shrugged, "I'm not worried; we only lost to their challenge before due to us being too cocky. We won't be making the same mistake again."

Flim, however, looked somewhat concerned as he replied, "Yes, brother, we should keep our guard up with this one. Though we are just dealing with the old mare, and she is rather bold. But as I said before, keep your guard up."

They eventually made it to the front of the house, where the two came face to face with Granny Smith, who was looking rather homely wearing an apron looking like your garden variety housewife. The green-coated mare looked down at the two with a charming grin, "Ah, yes, Mr. Flim and Mr. Flam, welcome. I guess you want to know how I got my youthful glow?"

Flim had a smirk on his face as he asked, "Alright, let's hear it!".

"Yes, please tell us," Flam added as well.

The former old mare gave the two a sly smile and asked, "So that means you both know that means we all know your tonic is nothing but a scam?"

The two stallions both smirked at each other. Flim then turned to face Granny Smith; he had to think about what he would say next. They are about to reveal their hand, but at the same time, they will put her in a trap to reveal the secret of her youthful appearance.

Flim then said, "Well, yes, of course, we do, but at the same time, you just gave up your hoof. Others would be curious how it happened if our tonic didn't give you your younger body."

"Precisely, Granny, you played yourself." Flam jeered, snickering behind a hoof.

Granny Smith sighed deeply as she looked downward and now looked somewhat defeated. "Oh, dear, guess I'm not as bright as I thought I was," The two unicorn stallions were standing over her, snickering.

The former old mare threw a hoof and replied, "Alright then, if I let you take a dip in the pool and even use it in your miracle tonic, I will be ok with that; now come on, I'll show you what made me younger."

The two stallions were a bit stunned at how easy this was. Flam himself was the most suspicious as this felt too easy, but they then followed Granny Smith through the depths of the Everfree Forest. The former old mare then led the two into the Everfree Forest to a small pool in the middle of the forest. The body of water was relatively small, but it looked rather beautiful, with the sun glinting off the surface, making the water sparkle and strongly smelt of flowers.

Granny Smith threw a hoof and proclaimed, "Alright, boys, here it is, the hot springs I soaked in and where I transformed. I imagine all you two would need to do is soak for a minute to get some effect."

"Sure, I could use a dip, isn't that right, Flim?" Flam asked.

Flim was a bit hesitant to dip into the pool of water. He wasn't sure if this was some trick, so he then turned to face his brother and replied, "Yes, I also agree with you, brother! Let's take a dip and be the first to have the effects of the new and improved miracle tonic!"

The two stallions then went down to the pool and soaked in the hot, steaming water. The two both gave deep, relaxing sighs as they soaked their bodies in the hot, steaming water. Within only a few minutes, they were coming out of the water and looking over their bodies.

Flam took a long look over his lean body and commented, "Huh, nothing has changed, dear brother."

Flim walked over to the pool to gaze into his reflection. It was also somewhat concerned with the outcome seeing no changes except for his mane being soaked, and added, "Me neither, brother, maybe Granny Smith is trying to dupe us."

But then Flim noticed that signs of aging like stress lines and wrinkles disappeared, but his tall body was shrinking with fat bloated out over his body. He was freaking out as his mane and tail shrank in size, and his cutie mark disappeared on his rump. Flam went from a nearly thirty-year-old stallion into a school colt! He turned to his brother, who was also shrunk in age and was running around freaking out over his regressed body.

Granny Smith gasped as she came over to the two colts and cried out in surprise, "Oh dear! The pool of life turned you much younger than I expected!"

Flim looked over at the former old mare, and the only thought in his mind was that she did this; he then cried out, "Y...you did this on purpose!"

Flam was even angrier as he ran at Granny, started smacking her forehooves with his tiny limbs, and snapped, "Yeah, ya did tis on purpose! Change us back!"

"Sorry, I didn't know it would regress you to this age, but seeing how fast it happened, I'm lucky I didn't end up like you either." Granny Smith squeaked out.

The colts just slammed their hooves on the ground as they shouted in unison. "Turn us back to normal now!"

"I...I can't! Even now, I'm unsure what this pool is and how it works!" Granny Smith cried out once more, looking rather frantic.

Flim whimpered under his breath, then growled, "You...you have to, or we'll sue you."

Flam pointed a hoof at Granny; he agreed with his brother and shouted, "Yeah, we're gonna sue ya for every last bit ya have!"

The former old mare shook her head, looking somewhat nervous, "Oh, dear, sue my family and me! I didn't mean for this to happen! H..how about I take care of you at my home free of charge while my friend Zecora looks for a cure?"

The two colts huddled with each other as they discussed the situation between the two. Flim turned to his brother, "Look, I don't trust this Granny, but I've heard of her friend Zecora. She's a zebra with a knack for making cures for strange curses."

"You're right, and it seems that this might just be an accident, but at least we know this pool is the real deal; once we're turned back to normal, we're going to be rich!" Flam squealed.

Flim was a bit unsure of this pool despite its magical properties now being verified. They were sporadic and unreliable in their results. "Yeah, but these waters need further testing; I rather not have clients turned into school foals or worse babies."

Flam then turned his attention to Granny Smith and growled, "So we gonna let her take us in for the night?"

"Sure, I don't see the problem, we can keep an eye on her, and nopony will see us like this," Flim added.

The two colts then nodded and walked over to Granny, and Flam cleared his throat and said, "My brother and I accept your invitation to stay at your house until we're back to normal."

Granny Smith wiped her tears from her eyes and seemed to relax. "Alright then, but I do have some last-minute chores that need to be done. Would you mind helping out?"

Flam wanted to protest, but Flim raised a hoof, "That's fine."

"Thank you for being so accommodating considering the circumstances, youngins." Granny chirped as she led the two colts back to her home.

As the two colts followed Granny Smith through the Everfree Forest, Flam asked his brother, "Why did you say yes to the chores?"

Flim turned to him and snapped, "That's better than being humiliated by going to school or being forced to play with other foals. Doing some chores will keep us out of sight and give us something to do, so please be quiet."

Flam was still rather disgruntled by this option, but he let his older brother take the lead. Flim himself knew something was off about all of this and wondered what Granny Smith's game was. Whatever it was, it doesn't matter; they have access to something that could make them rich beyond their wildest dreams.

The two colts were now standing next to Granny Smith, looking upward, gawking at the massive apple trees. The former old mare had a smile on her face looking at the two colts. "Now, the apple-bucking season is coming to a close, so we're just finishing up here, and I think it would be best if we just have you two trying to buck apples."

"But...but we're school colts!" Flam shouted rather angrily.

Granny Smith leaned against a tree with her four hooves crossed her chest. "Well, technically speaking, your school colts. Also, you two almost tried to take our farm a year ago. You think your silly machine could pick apples by itself?"

The colts looked at each other with unsure expressions; the two didn't think about this when they had their competition against the Apples. Flim then walked over to the apple tree and started slamming his hooves into the tree. Still, his little bucks did little to nothing against the tree, with no apples falling into the baskets below. Flam followed his older brother and started to buck alongside him. The two colts continued to smack their hooves against the tree while Granny Smith just sat back and watched the two snickering at their attempts to buck the apple trees. After some time, the two colts started slowing down, and they seemed tiring. Granny Smith saw that this was going nowhere, so she came over and asked. "Alright, that's enough; how about I buck the apples, and you two just help collect them."

"Fine," the two colts grumbled under their breaths.

The former old mare then took one solid buck to the tree as the two colts gasped in awe, seeing almost every apple fall from the tree. She brushed her forehooves and turned to look down at the young colts. "There see, that's how ya buck an apple tree."

"Haha, you humiliated us, so what?" Flam grumbled angrily.

Granny shook her head as she thought about how these two were too stubborn and arrogant for their good. She replied, "no, that's not what this is about. If anything, I just wanted to show how hard it is to keep this farm running. So how about this, I'll buck the last few trees, and you two go about and collect the apples. Sounds good?"

"Alright, fine," The two colts grumbled irritably.

They then went about picking up the apples in their baskets as she continued to buck the trees. The two colts followed her as they continued to place apples in their baskets; after an hour of picking apples, they eventually plopped on the ground, completely exhausted.

Despite having many misgivings against the two scammers, she couldn't help but draw at the two adorable colts. She then took out two juice boxes full of ice-cold apple juice and gave them to Flim and Flam. "We barely got through a few trees, and you two thought that you were going to take our farm?"

Flam threw his juice box on the ground, "No way are we going to drink that!"

"Yeah, we may look like foals, but we won't be treated like foals!" Flim shouted after his brother.

Granny approached the two, looking rather stern, "I don't care if you're three or thirty! You're going to drink that apple juice right now! I'm not having you two get dehydrated on me."

"Yes, ma’am!" The two colts cried out as they lowered their heads in shame and suckled on their juice boxes. Granny Smith couldn't help but chuckle watching them. She came over, hoisted the apples piled in the baskets onto her back, and said, "Alright, how about we go and sort these apples, store them, and call it a day."

Flam got up and helped his brother up, too, and growled, "Fine, but that better be the last of those chores."

After they got up, they went to the barn, where they placed their boxes of apples. She helped the two sort the apples, tossing the rotten or bruised ones and sorting the various apples from delicious reds, greens, and yellows. Granny Smith couldn't help but think of fond memories of teaching her son Bright Mac how to sort apples and then her grandson during the sorting. These thoughts also came with a pang of sadness and regret of how she reacted when she found out he was with Pear Butter. She almost wanted to tear up then and there but had to keep her emotions in check. Even though these two were now colts, she can't show weakness in front of them. For her plan to work, she needed to ensure she was in a place of power above them. After sorting the last of the apples, the three headed back to the kitchen. She took some of the apples and then got out eggs, milk, flour, sugar, salt, and various other small herbs and spices.

Flim and Flam eyed her and asked in unison, "What is going on here?"

"Oh, we're going to make an apple casserole and an apple pie, and you two will help me." Granny Smith chirped.

Flam pointed a hoof at her and snapped, "That wasn't a part of the agreement!"

His brother chimed in as well, "Yeah, we're not making any stupid pies!"

Granny rolled her eyes at these two brats and was now getting rather angry at the two and snapped, "Fine; you don't have to help; I just think having some extra hooves will make dinner and dessert."

The two colts pouted, looking at each other with unsure looks on their faces. This probably wouldn't work on them as adults, but as foals, they felt somewhat guilty and taken in by the Apples for the time being. That guilt seemed to have eaten at them as Flim replied, "Fine, we'll help."

"What!? But bi-" Flam cried out.

The older brother then held up a hoof. "Hush, brother, we can help make dinner. It's not like we did this before as colts."

Flam reluctantly agreed, and they began helping Granny Smith make the food.

After the food was baked, they served a slice of casserole and apple pie to the rest of the Apple family; however, Granny Smith noticed that the rest of her family was glaring at the two colts.

Applejack was gnashing her teeth while her hooves crossed her chest as she snapped, "What are these two doing here?"

Granny Smith looked over at them. She couldn't reveal her plans just yet; for now, she'll just give them a brief explanation, "Well, I had these two follow me to the pool that turned me younger; there they regressed to a younger age as for why? I'm not sure."

"Y...yeah! Like we would be here eating apple pie with you two!" Flim shouted.

Flam nodded and added, "Yeah, what my brother said."

Big Mac glared at the two colts, and Apple Bloom was chomping down on her apple pie but was watching the two.

Granny realized the tension was growing around the table and cleared her throat before she continued. "Well, they won't be with us long; Zecora is whipping up a cure as we speak, so they should be back to normal by tomorrow."

Big Mac rose, seeming to have his fill of the two, "Doesn't mean we need to be around these two." He stomped off as Applejack snapped, "I'm with Big Mac; I'll be outside until they're asleep." She also walked off, following after her brother.

The two colts seemed to be saddened by the two left, and Granny Smith sat across from them, "You two are regretting what you tried to take our farm?"

Flam pouted, "We didn't want to take your farm, we were going to split the earnings on selling your apple cider thirty seventy; that was fair!"

"Yeah! We didn't want to take your farm! You're the one who made that stupid bet with us!" Flim added.

Granny Smith's cheeks flushed, remembering she made that bet without considering the consequences. She then looked down at the foals, "Yes, I made that dumb bet, but you two were threatening our livelihood here, and besides, you actively wanted to take our farm without even realizing how hard it was to run?"

"Yeah…" Flam grumbled irritably as he finished his apple pie, and Flim did so as well. Granny Smith wiped their mouths and replied, "Look, that's all water under the bridge, at least for me, but it'll take more time for my grandkids to forgive you."

The two seemed to relax a little, and they continued to eat for some time. When they were about finished with their meal, Apple Bloom, being the last of the family at the table, spoke up, "Hey, they don't have to sleep with me, right? I'm not sharing my room with colts, let alone those two."

Flim and Flam glared at the filly, but the former old mark held up a hoof and snapped, "Oh, hush, Apple Bloom, they'll be sleeping in my bed; I'll bunk on the couch."

"Good, just making sure!" Apple Bloom chirped as she then bounced off, seeming not to be around the Flim Flam brothers either.

After cleaning up, Granny then took the colts upstairs to her bedroom, where she tucked the two under the sheets. She ensured they were comfortable and kept an eye on the two until she could hear them snoring. As she walked downstairs, she thought more about her past, regretting her own decisions and how she was so against her son's marriage with Pear Butter. She caused so much pain and suffering within her own family. What right did she have to pass judgment on those two when she was feeling doubt within herself at the end of the day on seeing how close she was to ending up being worse than the Flim Flam brothers? She then went on the living room couch, looking upward at the wooden planks that made up the ceiling. She tossed and turned, seeming unable to go to sleep with these thoughts of regret invading her mind. Maybe she had a second chance to make up for her mistakes with this new body. She may need to visit the Pear family...but will she be able to do such a task? Would they be willing to accept her? Granny got up with sweat dripping from her forehead. All of these negative thoughts were making it impossible to fall asleep. She then headed off to the dinner table to see that Applejack and Big Mac were there.

Applejack looked over with a glare at her. "Alright, Granny, what's going on here? Why are the Flim Flam brothers foals?"

Granny Smith chuckled as she sat down at the table. She'll handle her regrets later; for now, she'll focus on the task at hand. She looked over at her grandkids, seeing that it was about time she filled them in on her plan. "Fine, I'll tell ya what's happening, but first…."

She took out a giant jug of liquor and slammed it on the table. "We're gonna get wasted!"

Chapter five: A Night of Regret

Granny Smith was chugging down the whiskey bottle for some time, mulling things over as she snickered, watching her grandkids, who could barely keep up with her. The former old mare continued to drink down the bottle of whiskey while pondering her plan and how to explain everything to her grandkids and said, "I'm just gonna explain this the best way I possibly can, but I want to make this clear, what I'm going to do is a gamble."

Big Mac and Applejack looked somewhat concerned as her granddaughter replied, "Alright, please continue; I hope you're not going to try doing anything too dangerous."

Granny Smith shook her head as the entire process wasn't as complicated as her grandkids were thinking and explained, "Well, I need to make sure that Flim and Flam don't abuse the magic of the Everfree Forest, and the only way to do that is to make them see that the water doesn't work, and I'm turned back into an old mare."

Applejack and Big Mac were both wholly baffled and concerned even more so. However, the orange-coated mare got angry, slammed her hooves on the ground, and snapped, "what did you do to the Flim and Flam brothers!?"

Granny Smith gulped; she knew Applejack would be rather angry with her, but she should tell them the truth, "I turned them into foals using a much more subtle version of the water that turned me younger. Zecora blended the poison joke with a lighter form of the magic pool water. She designed the formula to regress folks much faster than it normally would."

Applejack eyed her grandmother and asked, "So, how are you going to trick them, and you are going to turn them back to their original forms?"

The former old mare took a sip from her bottle of whiskey and continued, "Zecora found a cure as well; she called it a "reverse agent." to change my age back to a cranky old granny once again. That's how I'll show them, brothers, that the pool is not only volatile, but the effects aren't permanent, so it's not worth the investment in taking it."

Applejack eyed her, seeming to not trust in taking Granny Smith at her word, and asked, "So you're gonna turn back to our old normal Granny Smith, right?"

She took another swig of the whiskey bottle and then looked up as she continued to explain, "Yes, but this could go bad; I'll be the first test in using the reverse agent, and you two don't need to be involved. This may be deceitful, but I ain't allowin' the magic of the Everfree Forest to be abused on my watch."

Applejack shook her head and looked rather gloomy as she grumbled, "This is wrong; I don't like this one bit; we're messing with Poison Joke and lying to ponies."

Granny Smith shook her head; this may be the only way to protect the Everfree Forest, but she wasn't going to drag her grandkids down with her as she continued, "as much as I agree, there are more important things at stake, once I do this and take the experimental "reverse agent" or whatever Zecora was yammerin' about, anything could happen."

Big Mac seemed to think the plan over, and he shook his head "no" before responding, "I agree with Applejack. This is a bad idea."

The green-coated mare gave a sigh as she replied, "Alright, but this ain't a vote; I'm sorry, but I'm going through with this if you like it or not."

The two ponies were stunned as they looked rather drunk, and they were all just unsure of what to say, seeing they weren't going to be able to change Granny Smith's mind.

Despite the risks involved, Granny Smith wanted to reassure her grandchildren she will be alright. The former old mare threw a hoof and replied, "Oh, please, the worst that'll happen is the reverse agent backfires, and I turn into a school foal for a few hours, and that's it. Either way, those two dimwits ain't gonna be too keen on suddenly risking a bunch of ponies turning old or young."

Applejack hesitated before asking again, "So, does that mean this is the last night you will look like this?"

Granny Smith looked up, reflecting on her decision, wishing she could remain young. But she already made up her mind and continued in a disgruntled tone, "Yes, by tomorrow morning, I will be old once more."

Big Mac bent his head into his drink, seeming to look somewhat disappointed as Applejack was rather shocked, "Ya serious? But why don't ya want to stay like this? Let's say we trick the Flim and Flam brothers, and they leave town. Why don't ya take another dip in that magic pool and turn younger again?"

Granny Smith took another swig of the bottle before slamming it down. She then turned right at her granddaughter and explained, "I am, look...Applejack, ya should know by now that the Everfree Forest ain't natural, and there's stuff in it that ain't meant for us normal folk. I know for a fact that if ponies abuse the magic in there, it will only cause more harm than good. Me tricking the Flim Flam brothers tomorrow and ensuring that the secret of the pool that turned me younger dies is all that matters. For that to happen, I have to go back to being a cranky old granny."

Big Mac started to tear up and wiped his face with a hoof, "T...this is so sudden…."

Granny Smith smiled at her grandson and smiled at him, "Hey, cheer up, it was fun being young again, and I loved being a mother to you."

Big Mac looked up with his big adorable puppy eyes filled with tears as he asked, "Is there anything else you would look to do before you turned back to normal?"

Granny Smith looked upwards. She did want to do something: seeing Grandpear and trying to repair the damages from their feud. The young farm mare took in the silence of the night, and when she felt ready, she turned her attention to her grandkids and replied, "I would like to make amends with your mom's side of the family before I let my old age take over once again. But maybe that's somthin' that'll have to wait."

Applejack took another gulp of her whiskey and then asked, "Ya talkin' about the Pears, right?"

Granny Smith looked down at the bottom of the whiskey jug, watching the alcohol swish about. She didn't have the stomach to look her grandchildren in the eyes. "There's something you should know about your parents and how I helped spurred the ruining of the relationship with the Pears. It's not something I'm proud of, and I honestly would rather not talk about it."

Big Mac was balling his eyes out, seeming to be getting rather emotional, while Applejack was somewhat surprised, "What do you mean by that!? Are you gonna elaborate? I mean, we've been asking about our mom for years, and every time we try bringing up the subject, ya get snippy and clam up."

"Right...well, this ain't easy to talk about, and it's a hard story to tell, ok," Granny grumbled before taking another swig and then continuing. "After I make amends with Grand Pear, I'll explain everything; I promise, ok? For now, let's finish up this whiskey. I ain't letting a single drop go to waste."

She poured some more of the whiskey into the mugs of her grandchildren, then took her bottle and held it up. "To Bright Mac and Pear Butter! May they rest in peace!"

Applejack and Big Mac held their mugs up as well and shouted, "To mom and dad!"

The three drained the rest of the strong drink down their gullets. Granny Smith then slammed the mug down on the table and gave a loud burp. She snickered and looked up to see Applejack and Big Mac both looking rather drunk, with her grandson still weeping and Applejack wobbling back and forth.

Granny Smith shook her head, seeing her strong tolerance to alcohol didn't run in the family. She got up and stretched her hooves before commenting, "Alright, we're all pretty drunk; why don't we hit the hay."

Her grandkids were drunk as Big Mac got up and started to stumble about as he gave a simple "Eyup."

Applejack was throwing a hoof and snapped, "Oh, shut up and give me another round! I ain't no lightweight!"

Granny Smith walked over and hoisted her granddaughter over her back. "Ya stop being stubborn, and let's get ya to bed, come on, Big Mac."

Applejack tried protesting, waving her hooves about, while Big Mac stumbled behind her doing his best not to fall over or trip on the steps. She first went to her granddaughter's bedroom and helped tuck her under the covers. Then followed Big Mac to his bed, gave him the smarty-pants doll he's kept, tucked the ragdoll into his hooves, and tucked him under the sheets. After slowly closing the door to her grandson's room, she slowly took off down the hall and headed down the stairs. She was alone, and the only pony she wanted to see was Zecora. She walked out of the house and towards the Everfree forest.

Granny Smith took some time as she walked up to Zecora's hut and knocked on the door; she waited patiently, feeling nervous as the zebra opened the door and smiled at her. "Hello, Granny Smith; it's nice to see you came; I was waiting for you just the same."

The green-coated mare snickered behind a hoof, "Ya sounding like we're going to do somethin' nefarious."

The zebra shook her head, "In this case, I may agree this entire plan is rather risky. I cannot reassure you that the brew I cooked will not be a cure."

"Eh, it's fine, your plan is almost flawless, and we ain't gonna be doing anything too crazy." Granny Smith replied rather nonchalantly as she walked into the rustic-looking hut.

The two didn't talk much as they stood apart before Granny Smith gave the zebra bedroom eyes, admiring Zecora’s body. She’s never seen a mare so well built and who was so intelligent and wise to boot. The only thing that was going through her mind was that she wanted to be with her one last time and whispered, "this may be the last night I'm this young and sexy wanna…."

Zecora didn't need any more pillow talk to land a kiss on her lips; the two started making out before they trotted back into the hut, where they had one last night of passion with the sounds of cracking bottles and bangs of a cauldron being knocked over.

A few hours later, the two mares finished their night of passion once more; they were both lying down in the hut, with the entire place being trashed once more.

Granny Smith just sighed as she looked up at the ceiling, now deep in thought about how. "Ya know somethin' In truth, I don't wanna go back to my old cranky form; being old sucks, and I want more than anything to try to relive my life.."

Zecora turned her attention to her lover and added, "I can tell; however, you are not the only one. I felt the same temptations as well."

Granny Smith looked over at Zecora and asked, "Then why don't ya!? Don't tell me ya scared of the side effects; ya know better than me, the water doesn't have any. You don't have any obligations to this forest? Heck, you have done a lot in helpin' us already; if it weren't for you, Trixie would have enslaved all of us."

The zebra got up and helped Granny Smith onto her hooves; she seemed deep in thought before she replied, "I have grown attached to the ponies in Ponyville, and I do not wish to see the abuse of magic turn against them still."

Granny Smith nodded; she felt that the zebra must be one of the strongest and most resistant ponies she's ever met. Despite that, she is willing to put aside her wants and needs to help others. The least she could do was turn herself back to her old cranky granny self once more to keep the residents of Ponyville from drinking it and abusing it. She then walked over to Zecora and kissed her on the lips one last time. They held the embrace for a moment, and after they broke off, Granny Smith then looked down and said, "Yeah, you're right, this isn't about us; gotta remind me of that."

The two mares then headed out of the hut and walked down to the pool together. It didn't take long until they came upon the pond the two made, and Granny Smith was now standing over the edge of a pool of water, gazing down at her reflection. She rubbed a hoof over her face looking at her young body, and just stood there admiring it for a while, her big orange eyes, tight curly white mane, smooth coat, and sturdy build. Zecora came over with a flask of clear liquid and then looked over at the former old mare and asked, "Are there any last requests? I hope you don't have any regrets."

"No, I'm ready; it's time for old Granny Smith to come back." Granny Smith growled as she swallowed down the contents. The potion was sour tasting, but it wasn't like she had just drank half a bottle of whiskey by herself. The green-coated mare then felt her body slowly transform back into an old mare; she could feel her resilient young body degrading in the water. She could feel her muscles atrophied and her bones degrade; she could feel her smooth coat and skin wrinkle and degrade. When she exited the water, she looked down at her old wrinkly body and face and how any trace of her youth was gone.

Granny Smith looked down into the pool of water and saw her reflection again. She saw her old wrinkly body, tired-looking eyes, her stocky legs, and thinner frame and grumbled angrily, "Well, looks like I'm back to being an old mare again," But Zecora came over and whispered, "Please don't regret your decision; you're beautiful even now despite you age's revision."

"It's fine; I'm just gonna go to bed," Granny Smith grumbled irritably as she walked off. She knew that Zecora was trying to be nice, but nothing anypony would say right now would cheer her up. She continued to walk off to the house. She then collapses on the couch, hoping that tomorrow she can convince the Flim Flam brothers to leave the Everfree forest alone, then this entire ordeal will finally be over.

chapter six: The Truth of the Pool

Granny Smith woke up what had to be a few hours later as she realized she was next to the pond that turned her younger a few days ago. The field was as it was on that night, with the stars sparkling in the night sky and the field of grass stretched out over a few miles. The old mare wondered how she ended up here and what was happening. She then turned to see the actual pond with the enchanted water stretched out before her. That the surface of the pond started to bubble and froth. She stepped back as a strange-looking creature emerged from the pond, unlike anything Granny Smith had ever seen. The being was equestrian in nature, having a lanky body with multiple horse heads and two giant wings spread out from its back. The creature looked rather beautiful but was also somewhat disturbing, as a mass of spirits merged into one. The old mare has seen ghosts before, foolish ponies who fell due to their idiocy or who were foolish enough to do so, roam the Everfree Forest. But this was unlike anything she's ever seen before, and it gave her pause. The creature spoke with all the heads in unison, "Granny Smith, we have watched you, and we are glad that you have been keen on keeping the fountain of youth a secret. We believe it's time we reveal what's happened to you and our secret. The pool that you have been bathing in was cursed with the blood of alicorns thousands of years before the pony race existed. It was produced after a long and bloody war where our bodies were laid and buried, our blood mixed with an underground wellspring that produced the pond that you've seen. We, the spirits of the fallen, knew that this pool must never be found or used by mortals, so we did our best to scare others away from it. Those who drink from this pool or bathe in it will gain immortality and no longer age."

Granny Smith's eyes lit up as she exclaimed, "Wait...I realized I wasn't getting drunk when I was drinking all that whiskey! I ain't no lightweight, but I wasn't even tipsy. Was your magic water doing that?"

The spiritual being paused and seemed to be somewhat surprised by the random comment as the heads replied, "Yes, your body could not be intoxicated as your cells were rapidly healing from all the alcohol you drank for the past few days. However, we warn you and others that immortality is not a blessing for mortals but a curse. The pool shall take away your soul little by little until you end up in our collective."

Granny smith slammed a hoof on the ground and shouted, "Oh gosh dang it! Zecora was right that the pool was cursed!"

"Yes, she was, and we see your plan was well thought out in stopping the stallions known as Flim and Flam Designers from using the pool for their own devices. However, we fear their wanton greed will outweigh their conscience, and we have decided the only option is to remove the threat entirely."

Granny Smith gulped as she realized what this spirit creature wanted to do. She raised a hoof and asked, "Wait, you're not saying ya gonna off them, right!?"

The spirit's faces all blinked, trying to understand what Granny was saying, and responded, "That is true; we will "off them," as you put it. We cannot, in good faith, allow this knowledge to leave if they do so; they risk your entire race to extinction."

Granny smith growled, "Why don't ya try explaining to them what's going on then?"

"We have, and they just scoffed at us and told us they are not scared; the fools think we are just a trick. We waited patiently to see how your plan will progress and applauded your efforts. But sadly, we as a whole realized it will fail."

Granny Smith had to find a way to convince this spirit to leave those idiot brothers alone. "They may be scum, but nopony is being spirited away under my watch! "

The spirit, this time, paused and responded, "Then what do you propose?"

Granny Smith took a second to tap a hoof to her chin, then responded, "Alright, how about a deal? What if you give me tomorrow to convince them to leave the pool alone?"

"No deal shall be made; our decision is final." the spirit responded.

Granny Smith saw this conversation was going nowhere, and she would have to do something drastic. "Okay...this might sound crazy, but you gotta give me a chance! They're still foals, so they ain't leaving my house anytime soon, and on top of that, I'm not somepony who gives up so easily. I will get them two to change their mind; ya have my word."

The spirit's many heads muttered to each other. Then the tallest one bowed, "We voted and have decided you shall convince the two, but we need some insurance on your behalf."

Granny Smith gave a second to blink, wondering what they could mean by that, and asked, "What ya talking about?"

The creature raised its enormous wings as magic tendrils began to wrap around her; she could feel her body changing once more; she could feel her body shrinking, her muscles growing thicker once more. But unlike the first time, she turned younger and pudgier and could feel her face bloat out. She looked down into the pool, and her eyes widened, seeing she was indeed a school foal! "You have got to be kidding me!" Granny cried out loud.

The spirits looked down and declared, "This will be your form until you have done your duty!"

"You're gonna owe me big time, ya hear me!" The filly shouted as a mist covered the field, enveloping the little filly as everything went dark.

Granny Smith groaned as she slowly woke up. She was half expecting to find herself grappling with aching bones, but she felt rather well. She felt more sprung and energetic than she was before. That wasn't good; she was feeling somewhat nervous, getting a look over her body. Her frame was much smaller and stubbier; she took a hoof and held it out in front of her, and that was when she realized she was indeed not only in size but in age. Upon this realization, Granny Smith jumped and started to stomp around, cursing out loud, "Oh gosh dangit! Son of a biscuit! Mother bucking Celestia! That wasn't just some crazy fever dream!"

She groaned, hearing her high-pitched voice and realizing that her voice sounded much like her granddaughter Apple Bloom.

"Hey, is that you, Apple Bloom?" Granny heard Applejack shout from upstairs, and she threw herself over the couch and stayed quiet. She listened to the farm mare's hoof steps descending the stairs and waited for her to pass. She must be still hungover from all that drinking the previous night and is making herself some coffee. But she seemed to be still too drowsy and seemed to be tired to have noticed her, which was a good thing. She stood there trying to remain calm and rational, but she couldn't. Granny Smith got up, ran over to her granddaughter, and shouted, "Applejack!!!"

"Huh, Apple Bloom, what's up?" Applejack grumbled as she rubbed her eyes, looked down, and was somewhat stunned upon seeing the filly.

Granny Smith was irritated about being mistaken for Apple Bloom as she slammed a hoof to her chest. "I'm Granny Smith! I learned the dark secrets of that pool of youth, and it turned me into a little filly!"

"Um...just explain what happened," The farm mare asked, seeming to be still rather used to the magical shenanigans by now and was still quite tired and hungover as she sipped her coffee.

"Ugh!? Some spooky spirits seem to be trying to keep ponies from abusing their magic! And for a good reason! But I had to save the rumps of that good-for-nothing Flim and Flam bros!" Granny roared.

Applejack blinked as she sipped her coffee, looking somewhat confused, "Wait? Explain that again?"

Granny tore at her mane as this was a lot to take in, and seeing Applejack looking still dreary and hungover, she tried to explain the situation again, "Ok, the spirit threatened to hurt the Flim Flam foals, and I had to sacrifice most of my age to buy me time to reason with them! Now I have to convince them to leave that gosh darn pool alone!"

Applejack was still standing there, looking confused. This just made Granny Smith roar, "So ya gonna help me or just stand there!?"

Applejack shook her head and rubbed a hoof over her forehead. "Okay, so how do we go about convincing them to leave the pool alone exactly?"

Just then, the colts looked somewhat concerned as they came down the stairs seeming to have been awakened by Granny's cursing earlier. Seeing the young green filly, Flam rubbed his eyes and asked, "Hey, what's going on here?"

Flim shook his head and grumbled, "Yeah, how did ya turn into a foal!? You needed to turn us back to normal!"

Granny Smith got rather angry as she snapped, “What do you think happened!? That I did this to myself!?"

Flim and Flam both looked at each other with concerned looks on their faces. Then Flam replied, "Wait, if the effects made us foals the first time we went into the pool, how come it only made you into a foal a few days later?"

Granny Smith shrugged as she replied, "I have no idea! I'm not an expert on magic pools of water!"

Flim slammed a hoof to the ground and shouted, "There is something fishy going on here!"

The now much young filly pushed a hoof into her snout. "I'm telling the truth! I have no idea what's going on here!? But you two must stop being stubborn and let this magic pool stuff go!"

Flim and Flam both now looked concerned as Flam replied, "Wait, did you have a strange dream of a crazy-looking alicorn with a dozen heads and giant wings?"

"Yeah, and you two knuckleheads better knock it off! Now you two get your heads out of your rumps and leave us alone!" Granny Smith shouted at them in her squeaky voice.

Flim and Flam both stepped back and huddled together, talking things over. Granny stood there tapping a hoof on the ground waiting for them to respond. Flim turned around, first walking up to the little filly, and said, "it seems that you may have a point; this pool, even if it's real, is obviously, not worth the risk of using it for profit."

Granny sighed in relief, seeing that this was all going to be finally over; however, Flim held up a hoof and replied, "But ya saying you're in this form until we agree not to interfere with the pool, is that correct?"

Granny Smith eyed them, somewhat suspicious of this, "but," and cautiously explained, "Yes, and ya better not be trying anything stupid; I just saved your sorry rumps!"

Flam threw his hooves across his chest and scoffed, "But we ain't going out empty hoofed either; we still need to make a living...we want you to sell baked goods with us."

"What!?" The filly roared.

Flim came over the Granny Smith and held up a hoof. "This is a rare opportunity! We are three cute foals; in other towns, they have these things called scouts. We use our adorable features to sell some of your treats; in return, we split the earnings fifty/fifty, and then we will be on our way."

Granny grumbled irritably, but despite her misgivings, it wasn't a bad idea as she shook Flim's hoof and responded, "Fine, but we need to make it clear we're just some foals out of town or somethin'."

Applejack shook her head, coming over to the little filly and ruffling her mane. "Granny, you're more alike with these two than you realize, lying and all that. But seeing we at least came to a decision, I guess I'll bake the goods to sell."

The two colts slammed their hooves together as Applejack turned to face the colts and held up a hoof, and added, "Hold on, it seems not only are ya putting us in this predicament, but we're baking the goods. How about we split the bits thirty-seventy? Sounds fair?"

Granny groaned; she agreed fifty/fifty wasn't fair, considering they were putting more effort into this and are in this mess because of these two. But at the same time, they were almost out of the woods, and Applejack just had to smack a hornet nest on the way out.

Flam was going to protest, but Flim held a hoof up before responding, "Fine, thirty/seventy, but we ain't going any lower."

"Deal!" Applejack exclaimed as she shook hooves with the two. She then stretched her hooves, "Alright, I better get to making the goods. You three just stay put until I'm finished."

Applejack then left the three foals with Granny turning towards the two colts and added, "now listen here, we can't let ponies know we got turned into foals by some magic water. If any pony asks, we're just some foals from out of town, got it!"

"Yeah, yeah, it's not like we want ponies to know about us being colts either," Flim added as he waved a hoof.

Apple Bloom overheard them as she bounded over, "Hey, ya gonna be scouts, huh? Well, that means ya three need uniforms! While Applejack is baking them goodies, let's go to Rarity and have her craft some adorable uniforms!"

The two colts groaned, and Granny Smith burst into laughter, "Sure, why not!? Gotta dress the part, don't we?"

Flam wanted to protest again, but his older brother held a hoof and said, "I agree; we need to look the part to ensure our identities remain hidden."

"Great! Let's get going then!" Apple Bloom cheered as she led the rest of the foals out the door. Before leaving the house, however, Granny Smith sighed, being somewhat relieved that Flim took the spirit's message more seriously than his brother. But at the same time, this pool was disturbing to her with such a powerful being guarding it; she could only ponder how lucky it was that it hadn't been discovered by others and had its magic exploited. As she walked outside, she saw a small puddle and stared at her reflection, seeing her rather pudgy adorable frame again. The guilt, however, started to overwhelm her, seeing she now had to find another lie to tell ponies about their appearances, another sin added to the bucket load she carried around her. Granny Smith then trotted down the road, trying to catch up with her friends as the feelings of dread, guilt, and anger swelled up inside herself; she then grumbled, "I swear! If I make it through this without turning into a helpless baby, I'll never complain about being old again!"

Chapter Seven: Apple Blossom is born

Granny Smith followed behind the two colts and her granddaughter down the street, heading towards the carousel Boutique. She was looking downward, trying to avoid bringing attention to herself, still somewhat embarrassed about being a school foal. But no matter how well she tried not to bring attention to herself, her efforts to remain invisible were all in vain as many ponies waved a hoof at the foals and gave the foals friendly smiles. The young filly grumbled irritably, muttering curses under her breath, keeping her head down and trying to avoid talking to anypony. She continued on the path trotting off even faster while her cheeks flushed red. The filly wasn't just embarrassed by the unwanted attention. Still, she needed to make sure she kept her identity a secret.

The little filly was still nervous about her identity being exposed when she heard her granddaughter turn around and asked, "Hey, Granny, why ya lagging' behind?"

"I'm comin', and don't say my name out loud!" Granny whined as she ran over to catch up with the other foals.

As the little filly caught up with the rest of the foals, Apple Bloom continued to trot ahead of the little herd as she chirped out loud, "seems like we got three new crusaders, huh?"

Flim and Flam looked at each other in confusion, then they both asked in unison. "What are crusaders?"

Apple Bloom seemed to get rather excited as she started to explain. "Oh, it's a club my friends, and I created to work together to find our cutie marks! Maybe we can help ya two find new cutie marks that don't involve scammin' ponies out of their hard-earned bits."

Flam slammed a hoof in the dirt and snapped, "Our cutie marks have nothin' to do with scammin' ponies!"

"That's right! We are entrepreneurs, little filly; we try making bits any way we can." Flim added in a more confident tone.

Granny couldn't help but roll her eyes at the remark. No matter what their cutie marks actually mean or how they got them but most likely, it seems that some ponies may be born to be more on the morally gray side, or that's what she believed and scoffed, "Yeah, sure, and I'm the princess of Equestria, give me a break ya two were swindlers the day you were born no doubt."

Flim turned over, faced the green-coated filly, and shouted, "Say that again!"

"Ya no good for nothin' scammer who got what he deserved! Turning himself into a little foal and then tryin' to insult a spirit!" Granny Shouted back, having more than enough of these two colts acting like nothing was wrong and they weren't in this mess because of them.

The two pressed their heads together, with tension brewing as it looked like the two foals were probably going to get into a fight. Apple Bloom got in the middle of the two, throwing her hooves out and shouting, "Will you two stop it!"

She stood over them and placed a hoof over her chest, "As far as I'm aware, I'm in charge of yall, so you three better start behaving."

Flim couldn't help but snicker behind a hoof. "Yeah, Granny, you better start listening to your granddaughter."

"Haha! Ok, fine! Let's get going; hopefully, after this is over, I will see you two again!" Granny jeered back before trotting alongside Apple Bloom.

"Likewise," both Flim and Flam spat back as they followed the Apples down the dirt road.

The Cutie mark crusader continued leading the foals to Carousel Boutique without much incident after that. Apple Bloom knocked on the door when they reached the posh-looking fashion store. Granny Smith stood there feeling somewhat nervous as she shook in place. She didn't want Rarity to open the door and was slightly surprised to see the four foals and asked, "Apple Bloom, what are you doing here?" She then pointed a hoof at the other foals and asked, "And who are you three!?"

Apple Bloom started to get excited, jumping and down in place as she began to exclaim, "You're not gonna believe this! But this is Granny Smith! And long story short, those two colts are the Flim Flam brothers; we need some cute scout uniforms!"

"We told you not to use our real names!" The two colts and Granny all shouted at once.

Apple Bloom's face turned a beat red as she suddenly realized her mistake and squeaked out an apology, "Sorry!"

Rarity blinked, being somewhat concerned as she turned her attention to the regressed adults and asked, "I don't mean to pry, but may I ask how you three turned into foals exactly?"

Granny Smith rubbed a hoof over her mane, seeing that she can't explain everything. But the filly decided she will do her best as she explained, "It's a very long story, but we need to use our cute appearances to sell some baked goods, and we need ya to make some scout uniforms."

Flim came forth over and held a hoof up. "To be fair! We put her in this situation, so we're making it up to her and to make us earn a decent amount of bits."

"It's more like you're here to make yourselves some bits," Granny Smith grumbled irritably, knowing full well they could've easily just taken the cure and turned back to normal instead of having them go through the hassle of selling baked goods.

Rarity was still unsure of what was happening. Still, she threw a hoof in the air and cried out, "Alright, darlings, I guess if there's a good reason for it...and you three would look adorable in some outfits, and the request doesn't seem too hard to pull off…."

The three foals just waited in anticipation as she gave one more sigh before she replied, "All alright, I'll do it; follow me!" She then led the foals into the boutique with Granny Smith gulping and feeling a sense of dread that she would be dolled up…she could only hope that Rarity could control herself.

Rarity then went upstairs (followed by Apple Bloom, who would probably find her friend Sweetie Belle) to her studio to craft the uniforms. Flim and Flam took the opportunity to look around the boutique and took the time to admire some fancy suits. Granny Smith just sat there in the boutique, mulling things over. She was wondering if maybe she should take advantage of her filly form. As a young adult, it was almost obvious what her identity was. But now she had anonymity without a cutie mark and her young filly body...she could, in a sense, actually start over. Change her name, maybe start a new life? The idea sounded tempting, but it would make Applejack and Big Mac become her legal guardian. She wouldn't wish to put more unnecessary responsibility on them.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle came downstairs chatting together. The little white-coated filly was surprised as she saw the other foals at the bottom of the stairs.

"So you're saying that your granny is a foal!" Sweetie Belle shouted with her eyes wide, looking astonished.

"No, just my granny and those scammers, the Flim and Flam brothers. They got turned into foals too." Apple Bloom casually explained as the two foals reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Apple Bloom!" The three shouted again as the yellow-coated filly squeaked, throwing her hooves up. "I'm so sorry!"

"You're gonna be if ya keep doing that!" Granny snapped, getting somewhat agitated.

Sweetie Belle was still rather stunned by the news as she came over and asked, "Wait, Apple Bloom isn't pulling my leg here?"

Granny Smith rubbed a hoof over her mane and sighed, seeing there wasn't going to be any way to explain everything again. "No, she ain't, but we can't tell ya how we turned younger, ok?"

"Ok...still, that's cool! We could use more crusaders!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, seeming to be getting excited at this prospect of more members.

Granny Smith gave a loud groan seeing the two fillies weren't getting what she was trying to say, and shouted, "Ugh! No! We ain't staying like this!"

She walked over and pointed a hoof at the colts. "These two got us in this mess, and we're just trying to settle a deal, then we're all turning back to normal."

Flim pointed a hoof to his chest and explained, "We plan that we're going to sell some treats, the Apples made to make up for our failed endeavors here."

Sweetie Belle eyed the two colts and said, "Ya mean, you two are gonna stop shilling that fake tonic?"

"Yes," The colts grumbled irritably.

Granny Smith walked over with a determined look on her face and exclaimed, "Okay, so now we're all caught up; we need to come up with a cover story before we leave this boutique and stick to it!"

Sweetie Belle shrugged, "why don't ya do what I said earlier? Apple Bloom has tons of cousins nopony will blink an eye seeing ya three are just siblings coming down to visit."

Apple Bloom clapped her hooves and squealed, "That sounds like a great idea!"

Flim and Flam both slammed their hooves on the ground in protest. "No way!"

Granny turned around, facing the two colts, and shouted, "Yes, way! If ya ain't gonna pretend to be my cousins, then you two will have to do a good job explainin' why you look like Flim and Flam."

The two colts huddled together, whispering amongst each other. While Granny turned to Apple Bloom and, feeling a tad embarrassed, she asked, "So...um, what should my fake name be?"

Apple Bloom tapped a hoof to her chin, then suddenly snickered, "Now that I think about it, being called a granny as a foal is rather silly."

"Yes, I know!" Granny Smith snapped; she came out more aggressive than she wanted to, as she didn't have the best memories of being mocked by her fellow foals during her early years in Ponyville.

Sweetie Belle nodded as she replied, "This is interesting; I never named a pony before. Maybe something like Apple Pie?"

"Ya know, not everypony in my family has Apple in their name." Apple Bloom snapped, getting a bit angry at her.

Sweetie Belle held up a hoof and scoffed, "Okay, take it easy! I didn't mean it like that; I'm just trying to figure out what we should name her and the colts?"

Granny Smith cleared her throat; there was one name she constantly desired but was always too embarrassed to say out loud. She took a long pause before speaking out loud. "Well, I think a good name for me could be Apple Blossom."

"Sure...guess that works," Sweetie Belle responded sort of sarcastically.

Apple Bloom clapped her hooves and cheered rather cheerfully. "Yes, that's a perfect name!"

Flim and Flam finished their meeting as they both trotted over to the other foals. Flim held up a hoof, "We have decided to agree to pretend to be your cousins."

Granny Smith rolled her eyes, knowing another "but" was coming, and asked, "What's the catch?"

Flim came forward and pointed a hoof at himself, "Yes, there is. We will choose our names; mine will be Apple Peel!"

"And I'll be Apple Core!" Flam exclaimed proudly.

Everypony groaned as the names were all pretty generic. Sweetie Belle looked at Apple Bloom and scoffed, "And you're telling me I'm not creative?"

"Yeah, yeah, guess ya can be triplets or something but, I'm older than ya." Apple Bloom responded with a smirk on her face.

The colts looked at each other, wanting to protest against this idea. Still, Granny Smith stomped over, went right into Apple Bloom's face, and pointed a hoof at her granddaughter's chest. "For now, don't forget Sugarcube; I'm still your granny."

Apple Bloom threw her hooves in the air. "Ok, take it easy; I'm just playing with ya!"

Granny stepped back with a smirk seeing her granddaughter couldn't tell if she was teasing or not. But at the same time, she didn't want her to make her think she was in charge; no matter how she looked, she was much older than her.

"Alright, the outfits are finished!" Rarity exclaimed as she clapped her hooves with a smile on her face.

The little green filly was snickering as she watched Rarity dress the colts in little green sashes and plop two little berets on their heads. The colts were rather angry and were grumbling their grievances. Still, Rarity had none of it, throwing a hoof, "Oh, stop your whining; you all look adorable."

Rarity then turned her attention to Granny Smith and dressed her in a little beret, a small green sash, and a little green skirt. She looked in the mirror and looked at her reflection, getting a good look at the outfit dressed over her body. Granny Smith didn't want to admit it, but she did look adorable, with the skirt fitting squarely around her midriff, a dark green sash across her chest, and the little beret on her head.

"Could you turn around? I would love to get a few photos of you?" The fashionista asked as she brought out a camera.

Granny wanted to protest as she held up her hooves, "We-" but it was too late Rarity started to snap away as Granny Smith squeaked with the bright flash of light, blinding her as she performed various poses. Rarity then turned her attention to the Flim Flam brothers, getting some pictures of the colts, who were much more accommodating, posing on purpose. She then ruffled the filly's mane and asked, "oS, can you explain exactly what happened? I've seen you in your young adult form, and you were just stunning. I have to say, darling, what turned you so young?"

The green-coated filly shook her head, being adamant on the subject, and said, "As I said, it's a long story, and I can't explain everything right now….but thank you for making these outfits. I know this was putting you on the spot here, and you didn't have to do all this."

"It's quite alright, darling, and I only wish you the best of luck." Rarity whispered as she nuzzled the filly and ruffled her mane.

Granny Smith was so embarrassed being treated in such a little foal, but she couldn't help but feel the appeal of being patronized and cared for. She then turned her attention to the other colts and waved a hoof, having them all come close before she explained, "Ok, so remember we are scouts from...um...Appleloosa, and we're here to sell some Apple products. My name is Apple Blossom, Flim is Apple Core, and Flam is Apple Peel. We stick to that story and these names, alright?" She emphasized the final part glaring right at Apple Bloom, who held up her hooves in response. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I won't slip up again, I swear!"

Sweetie Belle snickered and teased, "Yeah, Apple Bloom, don't blow your granny's cover."

The farm filly shook her head as she looked downward, "Fine, sorry…."

Granny Smith trotted over and nuzzled her granddaughter. "Hey, it's alright if ya mess up; I can just say I look like ya Granny or somethin', alright?"

"Yeah, sure…" Apple Bloom stammered as she looked away, seeming embarrassed to be almost the same age as her grandmother.

Rarity then came over and asked, "So...is there anything else you foals need? I don't mean to be rude, but I have some work that I need to catch up on?"

Flim bowed, "Yes, we wasted enough time as it is; thank you again, Rarity, for these stunning outfits."

Rarity gave the colts a smirk and said, "Don't think flattery is going to make me forget your little schemes."

"Trust me, we'll come clean about our fake tonic when we're normal, but for now, we have a deal," Flim responded before he and his brother skipped off with their heads in the air.

Granny Smith stood there still, looking at her young body in the mirror; her reflection was more than just making her feel embarrassed now. It was like looking at a window through time, seeing her so young, and that thought crept into her mind, the one telling her that maybe she should stay like this. That she could restart her life again…

"Hey, ya alright?"

Granny blinked, realizing that she was staring at her reflection, and looked over at Apple Bloom and said, "Yeah, I'm fine, sorry, just in shock is all…."

"Yeah, I bet you can't believe ya the same age as me," Apple Bloom chirped; she then blinked, seeming to pause for a second. She then took the opportunity and came over to nuzzle her granny as she whispered, "Yeah...even I can't believe it…."

Granny Smith suddenly became overwhelmed with emotion as she hugged her granddaughter back, holding back tears and whispered back. "Yeah, too bad this ain't gonna be long until I'm a cranky old mare again; let's try to make the most of today."

"Yeah, let's do that," Apple Bloom responded once more as the two trotted off, almost looking like twin sisters with Sweetie Belle following them.

Chapter eight: Meeting Burnt Oak

Granny Smith was now following along with the other foals and conversing with Apple Bloom regarding finding her cutie mark. It was nice to have a seamless conversation without having a considerable age barrier get in the way for once. The five of them soon gathered around a wagon full of pastries. She was somewhat surprised that Applejack could bake so many goodies in only a few hours. Granny Smith had to admit she taught her grandchildren well. Applejack herself was standing over the foals and looking somewhat exhausted. She wiped the sweat from her brow and proclaimed, "Alright, I was able to bake a dozen apple pies and a dozen apple fritters; I think that should be more than enough to earn a good chunk of bits."

Flam looked over the baked goods and shook his head, looking unimpressed; he raised a hoof and scoffed, "This is all you made?"

"Is that all!? Do you know how much work went into making all of this!?" Applejack shouted back at the ungrateful colt.

Big Mac shook his head and replied, "Eeyup."

"Just saying, we're only going to make a hundred bits...but I guess that works," Flam grumbled under his breath.

Flim walked forward and held up a hoof over his brother, and bowed, "I must apologize for my brother's behavior; he didn't mean to say that."

"Sure, just don't forget our bargain," Applejack growled as she eyed the colts, still being somewhat suspicious of the two.

"Of course, we get thirty percent, and you get fifty as agreed," Flim responded rather smugly.

Granny Smith was busy talking with Apple Bloom as they were in a discussion about cutie marks. "So...anyways, as I was sayin', a late bloomer runs in the family, as Applejack said. I didn't get mine until I was a teenager."

"That's crazy! I dun wanna end up like that! I would be a laughing stock for years!" Apple Bloom wailed.

Granny couldn't help but chuckle behind her hoof, seeing that the school filly reminded her of herself. She trotted over and ruffled her granddaughter's mane as she replied, "Hey, dun ya fret, I doubt it'll take ya that long. Just saying it's gonna take time is all; Ya can't just force getting ya cutie mark."

"Guess, your right...thanks for the advice," Apple Bloom whimpered as she came over and hugged the young filly. Granny Smith was somewhat surprised by the hug and stood there quivering, and she hugged her granddaughter back.

Granny Smith then saw that a shadow fell over her as she looked up to see Applejack standing over the two with tears in her eyes. The farm mare wiped the tears from her face before she commented, "Oh, this is so adorable."

"Don't get all sappy on me," Granny Smith joked as she couldn't help but feel the same way as Applejack. The two fillies broke their embrace, and the young green-coated filly looked over at the others now gathered around them; she sighed, "All right, but we should get going. I rather we get this nonsense cleaned up as soon as possible."

"Right, sorry about that," Apple Bloom squeaked, feeling somewhat embarrassed for acting weirdly with her grandma.

"It's alright," Granny whispered and gave Apple Bloom another pat on the head.

As the foals were about to head oddly out of nowhere, A silver coated pony came overlooking somewhat concerned, "Hey, um, do any of you know where Flim and Flam are? The last time anypony saw them was over here?"

Everypony just gave the stallion a blank look. Silver Shill scratched his mane, then peered down at the colts and blinked. Upon realization, seeing the two colts looking similar to his employers, he cried out, "No way!? How did you two turn into foals!? It wasn't a fake tonic, right?"

The colts groaned as the rest of the ponies burst into laughter, with Applejack rolling on the ground in tears.

Silver Shill got rather angry as he then pointed a hoof at the Apples threateningly. "Did you do this to them!?"

Applejack got up on her hooves, still snickering as she waved a hoof. "Of course not."

"Yes, this happened all by accident." Granny Smith snapped; she then pointed at a hoof at her chest and continued, "If you think I turned myself into a foal, ya crazier than a bee building a beehive next to a bear cave."

"Maybe you just turned yourself into a foal to cover up your crime!" Silver Shill shouted back.

Granny Smith pounded a hoof into the dirt and stomped over, "Oh, yeah! how would that help, smart guy!"

The two started shouting and throwing curses at each other as Applejack placed her hooves over Apple Bloom's ears. Flim walked between the two arguing ponies, then cleared his throat and said, "My dear Silver Shill, Granny Smith is not lying; it is not her fault my brother, and I were turned into foals. Now, may we have a word with you in private?"

"Fine," Silver Shill snapped as he stomped off, but as he made his way to the colts, he turned back around and pointed a hoof at Granny Smith. "We're not done."

"Oh, yeah, bring it on." Granny scoffed as she trotted off to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Silver Shill followed the two brothers, and they huddled, talking and whispering in hushed tones. Granny Smith just glared at them knowing they were cooking up some plan. She knew that the temptation of using the magical pool in the Everfree Forest was lingering in their minds. But she couldn't do anything and hoped they weren't planning to backstab her. Flim eventually turned around with a smirk, "Granny Smith, we came up with a proposal. I believe we shall create a grand event in the center of Ponyville and get the attention of everypony!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle got excited, shouting, "Yeah, that sounds like a lot of fun!"

Granny was somewhat suspicious of the two colts, who looked like they were scheming something. But, if she wanted to get them to take the cure from Zecora, she didn't have many other options but to tag along. The filly walked over, held out a hoof towards the colts, and said, "As ya two promised, we sell the baked goods, you take thirty percent of the cut, then you take the cure, no ifs, ands or buts."

Flam gulped, looking somewhat nervous, unlike his brother Flim who walked towards the filly with an air of confidence as he held out his hoof and shook Granny Smith's and said, "We understand and agree to these conditions, now come along, we have a show to perform!"

Flim walked off as he rambled on about how they needed to move their stage to the center of Ponyville, with Granny Smith eyeing them suspiciously.

She turned her attention to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle; she waved a hoof for them to come closer. When the two fillies walked over, she had them huddle close to her as she whispered, "I don't trust them two no farther than I can throw them. If you two see them do anything suspicious, ya let me know."

"Understood!" The cutie mark crusaders chirped in unison.

Granny Smith nuzzled the fillies, "Alright, I trust ya two to help me. Now, let's sell these baked goods before they spoil."

Big Mac already hitched himself to the wagon as he said, "Just lead the way."

"Thanks, Big Mac," Granny replied with a smile; she then led the two other fillies, and Big Mac lugging the wagon behind, followed suit as they headed towards the center of town.

It didn't take long for Flim and Flam to set up their stage in the middle of Ponyville, and they were now performing on stage, singing a tune and making the crowd roar and cheer. While the colts were wooing the crowd, the cutie mark crusaders were busy working the stand a few meters away from the performance selling the pastries. Sweetie Belle was taking orders and cashing the bits. At the same time, Apple Bloom was busy hoofing out the baked goods to the customers. Granny Smith was assisting the two fillies, taking the orders from Sweetie Belle, running to the wagon to retrieve the baked goods, and hoofing them off to Apple Bloom. It was only an hour in, and most of the baked goods in the cart were gone, and the three fillies were somewhat exhausted. Nothing significant occurred until a stallion approached the stand and asked, "Hello, Apple Bloom, how ya doing?"

Granny paused as her eyes lit up; she recognized the voice but didn't dare look behind her as the conversation continued.

"Hey ya, Burnt Oak! Wana apple pie!?"

"Oh, you bet I do."

"Hey, Gr- I mean Apple Blossom! We need an apple pie over here!" The filly chimed.

"Apple Blossom," gulped as she took an apple pie and hoofed it over to her gratefully. As she placed the pie on the stand, the filly looked over and saw a middle-aged dark-coated stallion and instantly recognized him as Burnt Oak. Granny Smith just stood there in complete recognition of her son's old friend. She paused, seeing it was an opportunity to maybe make amends with him despite not having talked to him in years. All these thoughts rushed through her mind, and she just stood there shaking like a leaf.

"Uh...Apple Blossom is somthin' wrong?" Apple Bloom asked, looking somewhat concerned.

"Y...yes...um, hey, I need ya help with somethin'!" Granny exclaimed as she took her granddaughter to the side.

She took a second to calm down as Apple Bloom asked, "Ok?"

Apple Bloom grumbled irritably and looked over at Granny, "So um...what ya need me for?"

The green-coated filly lowered her head and whispered, "Look...I need ya help to um...help me talk to your um... dad's best friend."

Apple Bloom's eyes went wide at the sudden realization. "What!? My dad's best friend!"

Granny Smith placed a hoof into Apple Bloom's mouth. "Shhh! Keep it down!"

"Right!" the filly squeaked.

Granny took a second to regain her composure before she continued, "Remember I'm your cousin from Manehattan, alright? I'll keep him engaged; you just introduced me, ok?"

"Ok…" Apple Bloom whispered in a rather somber tone, looking somewhat confused. She was still nervous but seemed to be rather excited to learn about her dad.

The two foals walked back to the stand with the stallion waiting patiently. As Apple Bloom waved a hoof, Granny Smith hid her face, "Sorry about that, my, um...cousin just got nervous."

"I see...can you introduce me to her?" Burnt Oak asked with a wave of a hoof.

"Yeah! She's my grandma!" Apple Bloom exclaimed.

Granny Smith groaned as she slammed a hoof into her face and then shouted, "Cousin! You mean cousin!"

"R...right cousin…." Apple Bloom stammered.

Burnt Oak chuckled as he waved a hoof, "Well, it's nice to see ya two...now I wanna see the show goin' on, so I'll see ya two later."

The stallion began to walk away. Granny Smith realized she would lose the opportunity to apologize to him and slammed a hoof into the ground. Apple Bloom, however, quickly shouted, "Wait! I think you're my dad's friend!

Burnt Oak paused as he turned around and looked somewhat surprised at first, but his confounded expression changed to a soft smile as he said, "Yes, I was...is there somthin' you wanted to ask me?"

"Yeah, I got loads of questions, but um..." Apple Bloom trailed off as she then held a hoof and pointed it at Granny Smith. "My cousin has somethin' to say ya see, her name's Apple Blossom. She's my cousin...and...um, she came down to visit my family and me for a few days."

"Apple Blossom," waved a hoof with her cheeks flushing pink and feeling somewhat embarrassed being introduced as a filly.

Burnt Oak chuckled as he bent down to the filly's level. "Hello, I'm not family, but I was your uncle's friend."

"Um...yeah, I heard of ya before…." Apple Blossom mumbled under her breath.

Burnt Oak ruffled her mane, then turned his attention to Apple Bloom and asked, "So what are you two doing? Seems like ya foals are putting on quite a show."

"Apple Blossom" rolled her eyes, looking over at the Flim Flam brothers still dancing and singing. The filly had to admit those two had stamina; she then turned her head back to Burnt Oak and said, "Yeah, it wasn't my idea, my um...brothers...put this show on to help raise bits for our troupe...we're Foal Scouts."

Burnt Oak looked over, watched the colts continue their routine, and chuckled, "I admit your brothers are quite the showstoppers."

Granny gnashed her teeth just at the thought of those two being her brothers made her skin crawl, and growled, "Yeah, they're quite the pair, anyways...I just wanted to say…."

Granny Smith closed her eyes and took one long deep breath; she was shaking a little as she was nervous to say what was on her mind. The filly paused for some time, with both Apple Bloom and Burnt Oak waiting for her to finish. Granny Smith eventually said, "I...I...I want to ask...can you accept an apology from somepony…."

The filly started to shake again, feeling somewhat nervous about the response. But Burnt Oak replied, "Sure, I don't hold grudges,"

The little green-coated filly gulped as tears started to fill her eyes, and she began to whimper. What she was about to say was probably the most challenging thing she's ever said out loud...she took a deep breath once more before she stammered, "Well...G...Granny Smith wanted to say that she's sorry for almost ruining Bright Mac's wedding…."

The stallion paused, and his eyes lit up as if he knew who he was talking to. But he then regained his composure before replying, "I see...I accept Granny Smith's apology, and I've never held any grudges regarding what happened that night."

The filly perked up, somewhat surprised and relieved at the response; she then cried, "Ya serious! Ya not mad at m-...I...mean Granny Smith."

The stallion's smile grew even more, and said, "Of course not, sadly; I assumed she didn't want to talk to me after Bright Mac's passing. I assumed it had something to do with that night..." His voice trailed off as he started grinding his hoof into the ground before he asked somberly. "Maybe she wouldn't mind me visiting my friend's foals now and again."

"That sounds wonderful," Granny whispered back with a relieved sigh, seeing all that stress and worrying rolling off her shoulders. Then as if she was in a trance, she slowly trotted over to the stallion and hugged him; she felt a wave of emotion wash over her as tears started rolling down her eyes.

Burnt Oak gave her a few pats on the back as her tears turned into balling, and he nuzzled her back. "Hey, it's alright."

"I...I know…" Granny whimpered as she nuzzled into Burnt Oak one last time before breaking the embrace. She looked more relaxed as she felt like a weight was lifted from her shoulders. The filly wiped the tears from her eyes before taking the stallion's bits. "Th...thank you…f...for your p..a...patronage."

"It's no problem; I hope I see you again soon." Burnt Oak replied as he ruffled her mane; he looked over at Apple Bloom and waved a hoof. "I hope I see you again as well."

"Yeah! Ya better come over; I got a lotta questions for ya!" Apple Bloom shouted back at the gray-coated stallion, then trotted off back into the crowd.

Granny stood there watching him walk away, feeling relieved and happy. It was a feeling she seemed to have forgotten about, and she felt glad that, deep down that feeling was still in her. Her thoughts were interrupted by her granddaughter tapping a hoof on her shoulder.

The green-coated filly wiped the tears from her eyes before she asked, "What's up?"

"So...um...what were you and Burnt Oak talking about?" Apple Bloom asked in a concerned tone.

The filly paused as she looked at her granddaughter; she was ready to tell her and the rest of her family the truth about their mother...but she should do it when they were all together. Granny Smith placed a hoof on her granddaughter's shoulder and said, "It's a hard story to tell...I promise when I'm back to normal; I'll tell you and the others."

"Ok, ya better," The filly mumbled; she still felt left out.

Granny Smith's overwhelming emotions haven't left her, and she couldn't help but throw herself over Apple Bloom, hugging her close as she squealed, "Thank you. If you weren't there, I don't think I would've had the courage to do that."

"It's okay...I... I'm just glad to see that I can finally learn more about my dad," Apple Bloom cried out, and she started to tear up too. Granny Smith took her and held the filly close to her chest, letting her weep a little. She let the filly cry and sniffle for some time before whispering sweetly. "It's alright; let it out."

As Apple Bloom wiped her tears as she rose and nuzzled into Granny Smith. "Thank you...I look forward to ya explaining everythin'."

"Of course," Granny replied, and the two fillies feeling much better, they saw that there were no more patrons or anypony in line despite the two being preoccupied.

The filly scratched a hoof over her mane and asked out loud, "Where did everypony go bingo?"

Apple Bloom snickered at the joke. "Hehe, bingo, that's a good one."

Just then, the two saw Sweetie Belle running over to them, shouting, "Hey! You two need to see this! The Flim and Flam bros are doing something fishy!"

Granny Smith wasn't surprised and could only wonder what the two scammers were up to and asked, "What's going on?"

"It's Flim and Flam! I don't know what they're doing! But they're selling their tonic again! And this time, I don't think it's a scam!" Sweetie Belle cried.

Apple Bloom was confused and asked more questions. But Granny Smith's eyes went wide as everything around her seemed to fade around her. The filly realized what they were doing using the magic water of the pool hidden in the Everfree Forest. Whether they were using the mixture Zecora crafted or the actual pool regardless, those two were risking their lives...and hers as well. Without a word, she ran towards the stage towards the crowd surrounding it. She could only hope she wasn't too late in saving those idiots.

Epilogue: A meeting between Four Apples and a Pear

Granny Smith slowly woke up one-morning breathing in the fresh morning air. It was still relatively early, but the former old mare couldn't fall back to sleep. She then slowly got up on all fours and took a moment to stretch herself, lowering her upper torso and sticking her rump up in the air. As she stretched, Granny thought how despite being a young mare for a week now, the former old mare still couldn't help but feel relieved that she didn't wake up to any aches or pains like she used to. After she finished stretching, Granny Smith took a moment to look out the window onto the lush green fields and the other small quaint houses that made up Ponyville. It was such a beautiful day, but her mind drifted to the fact that instead of enjoying it, she would have to deal with family drama. The thought of Grand Pear coming and not knowing how things would turn out made her feel unsure and somewhat worried that the meeting could turn into a fight. Turning away from the window, she then took her time to admire Zecora, still sleeping soundly in her bed. With her striped mane a mess, her beautiful striped coat had droplets of sweat rolling down her body. Granny Smith just stood there as thoughts of lying in bed all day with her and not doing anything overshadow those of the dread of Grand Pear's visit.

Granny then crawled back into bed and waited patiently for the zebra to wake up slowly. As she did, Zecora flashed her beautiful teal eyes at her making Granny quiver a little at how beautiful Zecora was. The zebra gave her marefriend a gentle smile as she kissed her on the cheek. "Good morning; I hope I didn't wake you with my snoring?"

"Nope, I just had a lot on my mind, is all," The former old mare yawned as she then nuzzled into Zecora, not feeling ready to get up just yet. The zebra lay there looking up at the ceiling as she asked, "So you ready for today? Grand Pear comes as you say."

"Yeah, he's comin' today," Granny Smith grumbled as she lay there for a second pondering what her mare friend said; she did have doubts about how this meeting would take place. It's been decades since she last saw him, and seeing how Grand Pear was before he left, she thought he would have just torn the invite they sent him. But he sent a response not long after, and it was rather surprising seeing he wanted to see his grandkids.

Zecora, nuzzling into her, interrupted Granny's thoughts as she looked down at the zebra with a warm smile and whispered, "Sorry, I must've been thinking about our faithful meeting."

"Right, I know this meeting is important for yours and his sake," The zebra then maneuvered herself until she was now pressing over Granny's body. The former old mare looked up, seeing those beautiful teal eyes giving her that sexy bedroom look. The zebra then bent her head close to Granny's ear and whispered, "I just can't help having one last round before we wake."

Granny Smith didn't need any more "persuading" as she took the opportunity to plant her mouth onto Zecora's. They both held each other in their shared embrace as they dove back under the covers for one more round of sex.

After a few more hours of "snuggling," the two come down the stairs with big smiles, nuzzling each other as they slowly walk towards the small dining table. As the two sat down, Big Mac and Applejack just glared at the two. While Apple Bloom sat in her chair, looking rather curious, she asked, "So, were you two wrestling or something? You two were making an awful lot of noise up there?"

Zecora looked away, trying to avoid eye contact while Granny snickered behind a hoof as she replied, "oh, we were just fixing things, ya know, making sure the ceiling wasn't...um leaking…."

"Yes, it was quite leaky; indeed, I had to make sure it was fixed, you see," Zecora stammered in a somewhat embarrassed tone. Applejack and Big Mac just groaned while Granny couldn't help but snicker at her marefriend's lie. If she was being honest, the former old mare wanted to tell Apple Bloom the truth. The filly was getting to the age she should learn about the birds and the bees. But...that was a conversation for another day.

The green-coated mare rose on her hooves as she went to get some apple and cinnamon-flavored pancakes, scrambled eggs, and coffee for breakfast; she then sat down with the rest of the family. There they had an excellent quiet breakfast together. However, there was an atmosphere of dread that hung over the table. Everypony looked rather sullen, all except for Apple Bloom, confused at why everypony was so quiet.

"Hey! What were you all doing!? I mean, it's just our grandpa coming to visit?" The little filly asked out loud.

Granny Smith looked down at the filly with a smile as Zecora ruffled her mane. "As they say, the truth is often spoken from the mouths of the youth."

The young green-coated mare rose from the table and exclaimed, "That's right! Let's all stop moping about! We should greet Grand Pear with smiles!"

"Yeah, but ya should also consider controlling yourself as well," Applejack grumbled bitterly as she chugged down a mug of coffee.

Big Mac nodded and scoffed, "Eeyup."

Granny's cheeks flushed pink, and she waved a hoof, still feeling embarrassed about how loud she and Zecora were, and said, "Oh, are you two still angry about this morning'? Please, I can behave myself just fine."

As if on cue, Zecora rose from the table and kissed her marefriend on the cheek. "As for me, I think it's best if I take my leave."

"Alright, you take care of yourself," Granny replied as she also kissed Zecora on the cheek. As Zecora walked off, Granny couldn't help but watch the zebra's rump as she strutted out the back door. Granny had to admit she scored well with such a sexy zebra, and she could only hope they could have another night of fun tomorrow.

The former old mare then sat down with the rest of the Apple family. They all waited in anticipation at the dinner table; the only sound that echoed across the room was a clock overhead. Granny Smith twiddled her hooves with sweat coming down her brow. Despite this, she has made peace with herself and was finally ready to end this feud. It has been many years since she last saw the stallion, since that dreadful night when the two stumbled on their children's secret wedding. That fight has scarred their families for two generations; the question loomed over their heads; will this meeting be enough to mend the feud?

They then heard a knock at the door, and all the ponies at the table paused, but Granny quickly got up and ran to the front door. When she reached a hoof out at the doorknob, she took a moment to catch her breath. She started to shake a little from nervousness and anticipation of what would happen next. Regardless of the outcome, she was resolved to see this reunion through. Granny then opened the door, and there he was, the old yellow-coated stallion, standing on the front porch brushing the ground with a hoof. The old stallion was much older than Granny realized, as she hadn't seen him since he was in his late forties. He was a bit hunched over, with a wrinkly yellow coat, sunken gold eyes, and a scruffy gray and white striped tail. The old stallion seemed somewhat nervous, looking downward momentarily before facing Granny Smith. When he did, his eyes widened in surprise. Granny looked away, feeling somewhat embarrassed, knowing that her new young body was probably resurfacing some old memories. The old stallion walked forward and brushed a hoof over her face. She could feel his hoof touch her soft, supple skin and fur as he whispered, "Well, it seems the rumors were true. You don't look a day older than when I last saw you."

Granny Smith's cheeks flushed pink, and waved a hoof. "Yes, but you're still looking good yourself."

The old Pear chuckled, letting his hoof down as he walked in, and there Applejack came forward to greet him with a smile. "Hey, why don't ya sit down and have something to eat? It must've been a long trip?"

"Thank you," Grand Pear sat down at the small dining table with his family. There Granny Smith took out a platter of pear butter and apple jam sandwiches and a few mugs of some fresh apple cider.

The old, yellow-coated stallion was surprised and looked at the jar of pear butter on the table and asked, "Where did you get this?"

"Oh, ya know, I went up to Vanhoover and delivered that letter. I got something there to make some sandwiches." Granny Smith explained with a wink.

He took a bite of the sandwich and took a moment to munch on the simple meal. Then a smile came to his face. "Well...this is rather special…apples and pears coming together."

"Just like how it was meant to be, now let's dig in!" Granny exclaimed in excitement, taking a sandwich of her own.

The stallion continued munching away with his family, everypony being relatively quiet. It was a completely awkward silence for a few moments until Apple Bloom jumping up and down in her chair, asked out loud, "So you're our grandpa, right?"

Everypony was surprised by this, and the stallion nodded and asked, "Yes, little one...and your name is?"

"I'm Apple Bloom, the big colt over there is Big Mac; he's my oldest brother, and over there is my older sis Applejack!" Apple Bloom chirped.

Grand Pear laughed at his granddaughter's outburst as he ruffled the little filly's mane and commented, "You remind me so much of your mom."

"Really!? What makes you say that?" Apple Bloom asked with her eyes now wide, being rather curious.

The old stallion seemed to look down at her with a fond look in his eye. "You have her coat color, that's for sure, and that cheerful smile that can brighten even the darkest of days."

"Awww, thanks," The filly squealed with a smile on her face.

The Apples all got sullen at the mention of Apple Butter, and nopony spoke for some time. Applejack eventually looked up with a nervous expression and broke the silence as she asked, "Look...our um, mother...she was a Pear... that's what Granny told us anyway."

The old stallion looked with a smile and gave a nod as he replied, "Yes, that's true; she was my little girl."

He then took another bite of his sandwich and whispered, "So...she went by the name of Apple Butter all this time."

"Eeyup," Big Mac chirped with a smile trying to be friendly as well.

The old stallion seemed to look away, unable to look at Big Mac. "You look so much like your dad."

Big Mac's cheeks flushed pink as he lowered his head, seeming unsure how to take the comment. Granny Smith wanted to say something, but Applejack cleared her throat, "Yeah, so Granny told us about the night our folks got married. I forgive ya, seeing that it all happened a long time ago. But...we have to end the feud here and now if we are gonna continue being a family."

Everypony turned to face Grand Pear as he finished his sandwich; tears started to fill his eyes as he took hold of his grandkids and pulled them in a tight hug, bawling like a baby, "Of course, I want to end the feud! Thank you for letting me come...I...I didn't know if you all would hate me."

The four Apples were all somewhat stunned, as if they didn't know what to say. Granny Smith slowly came over and hugged him. "No, it's my fault; I should've introduced them to you long ago."

They all stayed there hugging each other, and then they broke off with everypony smiling and looking a lot more cheerful. Granny Smith herself was feeling quite relieved as it seemed that the Pears and Apples would reunite today, and the long-standing feud will finally end. Granny Smith returned to her seat and took out a small box wrapped in red wrapping paper with a yellow bow.

"A...a...a gift?" Grand Pear asked, looking somewhat confused.

The former old mare stood back as she teased, "Don't get too used to them, just thought it would be appropriate."

The old stallion chuckled under his breath as he unwrapped the bow and unveiled a glass bottle filled with water in the box. He took it out and gasped, "Oh, is this famous elixir you and Zecora are making?"

Granny Smith bit the bottom of her lip as she wanted to ask if he wished to take a dip in the pool as well. She didn't like playing favorites...but at the very least, she felt that a bottle of the diluted elixir would be enough. "Yes, now it won't make ya younger like me, but it will help deal with aches and pains...if you want…."

"Thank you, Granny...as much as I yearn for my younger days... I'm content with living out my final years," Grand Pear responded rather bluntly, placing the bottle back in the box.

Granny Smith growled, seeing that he was like her a week ago. She pointed a hoof at their grandchildren and snapped, "Listen, stop acting guilty; we both bucked up big time, and I've finally come to terms with what we did. Don't take that elixir for yourself; do it to spend more time with your grandchildren. Like it or not, you and I are family."

"Too bad we wasted so much time hating each other," Grand Pear mumbled, still looking downward.

Granny lowered her head with tears filling her eyes. She was trying her best not to get dramatic, but she couldn't help it at this point. "Me neither...how stupid have we been."

The two embraced each other again as Applejack came over and snapped, "Alright, break it up, you two; all this sappy talk is ruining the mood. How about we go to the swimming hole or somethin'."

Granny Smith flashed her granddaughter a smile. Applejack was right; it was about time they made Grand Pear's trip fun and not so sentimental. "Good idea! It's about time I show ya my highdivin!"

"No, Granny! I don't care if you're eighty years younger; you're not doing no high divin'!" Applejack snapped at her.

Granny Smith couldn't help but laugh at Applejack, still being overprotective, and said, "Alright, alright, no high divin', let's get goin' then."

Applejack grumbled curses under her breath as she helped Grand Pear off his chair, and they all headed to the swimming hole. Apple Bloom trotted by the older stallion asking more questions about her mom. It was all rather heartwarming, and everything seemed to be going much better than expected. She can only hope this joyous atmosphere can last.

After a very memorable and fun time at their swimming hole, they were all at the Ponyville train station later that evening. Grand Pear stood there with his bags, looking rather happy, much more so than when he first came to Ponyville.

He looked over at the rest of his family, then back at Granny, and smiled at her as he said, "I hope we can have another day like this; it was fun."

"Of course, come over anytime! Ya hear!?" Granny replied with a smile; she was happy to see that this trip ended so well and that the feud between the Apples and the Pears was over.

Applejack then slowly trotted over to her grandfather and asked, "Why don't ya just come back to Ponyville? Ya used to live here, right?"

Grand Pear stood there pondering for a second before replying, "Maybe...the Pears are mostly all settled in Vanhoover, but I wouldn't mind moving back here myself."

Granny Smith hoped he did come live with them; however, she wanted to throw another offer at the old coot. She trotted up to Grand Pear as well and held out a hoof. "Alright, and just letting ya know my offer still stands regarding the pool. If ya want to be young again for the sake of our grandkids, ya let me know."

The old stallion took out his hoof, and they shook, then he responded, "Thank you. I'll think about it."

He then turned to Big Mac, and with a more solemn tone, he said, "sorry for ignoring you earlier...it was nice meeting you; you're a good lad."

"Eeyup," was all the big stallion said, with him bending his head down with a blush on his cheeks once more.

Apple Bloom then threw herself over the mare, hugged her grandfather, and cried, "Just bring more of that Pear Butter! Ok!"

"Alright, my little Pear! I'm glad you like it so much, I mean, it's why I named you-" Grand Pear paused as he placed a hoof over his mouth, and tears started coming to his eyes. "S...s...sorry…."

His eyes filled with tears as they started dripping down his cheeks. The rest of the family hugged the old stallion, and they all embraced each other until the train's whistle echoed across the station.

"That's my cue," Grand Pear replied with a sigh, taking up his suitcase before waving a hoof at his family again.

Granny Smith stood there with tears running down her cheeks as she waved a hoof and watched the train slowly leave the station. As the train puffed down the trail of steam as it flew down the tracks, the former old mare stood there with a painful smile on her face. Despite everything that's happened, she finally was able to make amends with the past.

Apple Bloom then hopped onto Granny's back, making the mare squeak in surprise. The filly then bent her head over and asked, "Can I ride on your back seeing your, um...ya know...not old?"

Applejack turned rather stern and was going to say something, but Granny Smith couldn't help but skip off with Apple Bloom feeling as light as a feather. Seeing that carrying her granddaughter wasn't going to be a problem at all, she chirped, "Ok! Just hold on tight!"

Apple Bloom started to burst into squeals of excitement as Granny's skips turned into a full-on sprint as she raced back to her home. The former old mare laid her head back, letting the wind rush through her mane and the power of her legs rushing along like a bolt of green lightning. The future looked brighter, and she only wondered what else it had in store.

Chapter nine: Scouts Honor

Granny Smith ran as fast as she could across Ponyville with her heart pounding in her chest; she could only hope she could stop Flim and Flam before they did anything stupid. As she reached the center of Ponyville, she came across a bunch of ponies standing before the stage where Flim and Flam were performing. The crowd around her had their eyes all just glued to the stage watching in anticipation as the two colts stood over them.

Flim was standing there, showing he ditched the scout uniform and was now sporting a small straw hat and a red and yellow striped vest. He was twirling a cane with a smile on his face as he proclaimed, "Now! Come one and all and drink the new elixir of youth! See what it's done for us!"

Flam trotted over next to his brother, wearing a similar outfit with his hoof held out. "That's right! Come and enjoy being young again! Only one cup and you will be fit as a filly! Or a colt!"

Many ponies looked at each other nervously as one old stallion raised his hoof. "Would we be turned into foals like you?"

Flim smirked as he hopped over and held out a hoof. "Of course not; these waters will make you only as young as you wish to be; now, how about you come on up and show everypony what you were like in your prime!"

The old stallion slowly walked up the steps of the stage, shaking like a leaf, looking like he would keel over at any minute. Flim smiled at him and then asked, "So? How old are you?"

"O...one hundred and five," The old stallion stammered. Granny Smith blushed, seeing she wasn't much older than him, technically about a hundred and two.

"You don't look a day over fifty!" Flim laughed as he clapped the stallion on the back. "Come now! Don't you wish to be young and fit again!"

The old stallion shouted, "Of course I do!"

Everypony watched in anticipation as Flam brought out a small vial and hoofed it over the old stallion. "Bottoms up!"

Granny Smith watched with her own eyes, wondering if they were using water from the fake pond she and Zecora made or if it was the real deal. She watched the stallion carefully as he started regressing as his old body began to put on mass, with his wrinkly old legs becoming stalker and bulkier. His face became more pronounced and square, with his mane now falling down his body. He then stood on stage with everypony watching in amazement as he trotted forward and exclaimed, "It works! Just look at me now!"

The former old stallion now bounced around the stage as everypony cheered while Granny's eyes lit up, realizing that it was indeed the water from the real pool of life and not the fake one she and Zecora made. She ran across the stage and ran to the two colts; she smashed her hoof into the wooden panels and roared, "You gotta be kidding me! Didn't I warn you two not to do this!"

"We're selling a tonic, of course!" Flim explained triumphantly as he walked over and got into Granny's face. "What, you didn't think we believe your little ghost story and scare us out of using the pool so you can have it to yourself? Classic moves, but it's not something we tried before."

"Until some meddling foals got in the way," Flam grumbled irritably.

The young green-coated filly started to fume as she stomped about and shouted, "Seriously!? I didn't trick you!"

"Oh, yeah! You mean you didn't use a fake pond to turn us into colts!?" Flim asked with a smirk.

The filly closed her eyes and looked downward, seeing that they knew the truth all along. "I...I was trying to keep ya from using the pool. I was trying to save your lives…."

Granny Smith looked down and saw the other ponies rushing the stand drinking down the tonic as many started regressing before her eyes. Many older mares and stallions looked years younger, wrinkles disappearing, and crinkly old frames becoming bulkier. But to the astonishment of the tonic's effects, the many who hadn't taken the tonic yet started actually to fight each other over the last of the stock. The green-coated filly watched the ponies begin to fight each other, pulling at manes and throwing hooves at each other, some shouting that they were hogging it all, tearing tonics from others, and drinking it down. It was becoming quite a horrific scene just as the Spirit warned her what would happen; all the while, Silver Shill stood there raking in all the bits with this evil grin on his face.

As the chaos unfolded, Flim just stood there laughing as he wiped the tears from his eyes and shouted, "What? You thought we were going to just go along with your plan!? Come on, scaring ponies to get them to do what you want is so elementary! My brother and I are going to be rich! Besides, we'll still give you a sh-"

Granny instinctively stomped over, slapped the colt across the face, and shouted, "This isn't about bits!" Flim was now rubbing his cheek as Granny stood there with tears in her eyes. These idiots don't get it; they still think she was trying to trick them and horde the power of the pool of life. They have no idea that they're risking not only their lives but everypony in Ponyville...she had to do something!

The filly then ran to the microphone on stage and shouted at the top of her shrill young voice. "EVERYPONY, STOP!!!!"

While others continued fighting, some of the ponies in the crowd turned towards her as the little green-coated filly was now standing there at the center of attention. She took a second to gather herself before she held up her hooves. Granny knew she was in the thick of it now, and there was no turning back; she gave one last breath before she proclaimed, "I'm Granny Smith! And yes, what you're gonna drink will make you younger and may even give you your youth back! But...this isn't a gift, it's a curse!"

Everypony had now stopped fighting, and the crowd was now all staring at the little filly. Granny Smith was still somewhat nervous, shaking a little as she continued her speech. "When I was younger, I spent most of my adult life hating the Pears, and helped me ruin my son's marriage! On top of that, I never made amends with my daughter-in-law's family before she passed...I spent so many years wallowing in anger and self-pity, and I thought this new youth would give me a second chance."

She had to pause then, and she took the time to wipe her face with tears now streaming down her cheeks; she then took another deep breath and continued, "I understand why yall are fighting over this tonic. Do you know how tempted I was to act like some random cousin to Apple Bloom, act like nothing was wrong, and relive my life again!? But over time, I realized that no matter how much I apologize or try to forgive myself, I will always have that weight of guilt around my neck. Turning younger isn't going to make that guilt vanish or go away."

Everypony started to tear up as Granny Smith stood there quivering; she had no idea what she was saying; all of this was pouring out. She was trying to save them, the Flim Flam brothers, and herself. She had to do whatever it took to fix her mistakes; the young filly then continued her speech, "All I'm saying is that turning younger isn't going to solve your problems or make you better. If you drink that potion and all you think about is yourself, all you're doing will end up the same way you are now or worse off. Look at yall now and tell me, are ya willing to sacrifice your souls for a few more years?"

The ponies paused, then came a loud crack as ponies started tossing the vials to the ground one by one as they marched to Silver Shill and demanded their bits back.

Silver Shill squeaked, trying to tell ponies to drink the potion and how the little filly was crazy. Still, they weren't listening as they took their bits back, and the stallion desperately tried to tell them to stop. The colts just looked down into the crowd in shock at what was happening. Seeing that she had stopped the madness, Granny Smith stomped down from the stage, tears in her eyes as she looked over at Flim and Flam, then snapped, "Ya happy now!?"

Flim lowered his head, seeming to be looking guilty and apologetic as he stammered, "W... we're sorry...we….we didn't me…."

But Granny Smith honestly didn't care, having shared her darkest secrets and feelings with many strangers. She shoved a hoof into his chest and cried out. "Just shut up! Go to Zecora, take the cure, and never come back, ya hear?" She then walked off down the road, still crying as she headed to the pool, hoping that she did enough to save everypony.

Granny Smith eventually found herself at the true pool again, looking down at her reflection in the water. The small chubby face of a young school filly stared back with a tear-stricken face and looked somewhat defeated. She just stood there crying and still feeling miserable. How could she forgive herself? Did she fail to keep the secret of the pool?

The filly threw her head back and exclaimed, "Spirit, I'm sorry! I failed and ruined everything! I put my selfish desires first, and now everypony knows about the pool!"

The Spirit sprung forth from the pool in its pure majesty, with its dozens of heads now looking downward as they spoke in unison. "Granny Smith, we must apologize for our behavior; you not only proved that we were wrong, but we must hold trust with ponies."

"Huh? I... I'm confused!" Granny asked, looking baffled as the Spirit bowed their heads, "We no longer feel that taking the lives of those you call the Flim Flam brothers is necessary. Your words on how this pool will curse those who drink from it ensured that nopony will fall victim to it, and you even put your own heart on the line. In turn, you were willing to sacrifice your own life. You have proven we were wrong not to trust you."

"I don't deserve this! I have destroyed everything! I ruined the chance to stop the rivalry between the Apples and Pears! I swindled ponies and lied! I did it all because I want to believe I'm making it up for how I almost destroyed my son's marriage! How could I ever forgive myself!" Granny shouted, standing there with her chest heaving. The words came out like a stream of hot coals from her mouth. The whole truth of how she felt now lay to bear in front of this god-like being.

The Spirit paused, looking down at all the faces having a confused expressions on them as they continued to explain, "You have done more in the last few days than we have in the last ten thousand years. You are starting the healing process and have made new friends. Be proud of your accomplishments."

"I…I don't feel accomplished; despite everything, the ponies of Ponyville are gonna go crazy seeking these waters!?" Granny Smith responded rather frantically, knowing her little speech only bought them time to find a way to stop the ponies of Ponyville from going crazy.

"Oh my, dear, please do not fear," Granny Smith looked around and saw Zecora slowly trotting over and pulling her into a hug. The young filly nuzzled into her girlfriend's body, loving the warmth and security washing over her. Granny Smith then looked upward with tears still streaming down her face. The zebra then smiled as she whispered, "Hush now, my dear, there's no reason to shed a tear."

The filly whimpered as she nuzzled into Zecora's lap; she just wanted to lay there for as long as she possibly could with only the sounds of crickets chirping and wind hitting the water. The little filly looked upward and whispered, "Hey, Zecora, did ya turn those idiot brothers back to normal?"

"Yes, they have been given the cure, and they did feel bad for their deceit, I can assure you," Zecora responded with a smug grin.

"And the ponies who took their tonic?" Granny Smith asked, starting to feel a bit better, seeing things were returning to normal.

"Yes, and you did good, giving them a good talking, too," The zebra explained. "Many agree, they may have felt better physically, but deep down, they were in agony."

Seeing that she did save the souls of everypony in Ponyville, Granny got up on all fours; feeling more confident, she decided it was time to finish her conversation with the Spirit. She trotted to the pool's bank and asked, "So...what now?"

The Spirit raised itself over the waters once more and said, "Now, we will return you to your old age once more before you touch these waters. However, due to your bravery, we decided to bestow you with a choice: you can stay as you are now or turn back into a young adult. Whatever you desire will be yours."

Granny Smith paused so she could stay as a foal and restart her life as she was previously thinking, or relive her life as a young adult and maybe try having a real relationship with Zecora...or should she return to her old age? And live out her days humbled? Granny Smith wasn't sure as she looked upward with a blush on her cheeks and admitted, "I don't know…."

Zecora walked up next to the filly and suggested, "if I can object, make your decision without all that past regret. You can't absolve the past; that's true, but what happens now and in the future is up to you."

The temptation to stay as a young filly, a young adult, started to well up within Granny Smith. But she paused to reflect on everypony else...ponies like Golden Delicious or the hundreds of other old ponies in Ponyville that she knew. "But what about my other friends? What about everypony else? It wouldn't be fair…." She looked down at the reflection of the water and sighed, "as much as I would love to restart my life or try again as a young adult…. I wouldn't feel right being the only one to have been given a second chance."

Zecora stood over her with a gentle smile, "this is a second chance, you see, to heal the wounds between the Pears and Apples; believe me."

The zebra hugged the filly close to her chest, with Granny now smothered by the striped coat of her marefriend. She then felt her mane being brushed gently as Zecora whispered, "I'm afraid I'm not thinking straight as of late. If you become old again, my dear, I fear our time together will be cut short."

Granny Smith took a deep breath and realized what she wanted; she looked up at Zecora with a smile. "Hey, I ain't going anywhere fast! But I get your points...and I think I know what I want!"

She then took off the cute little scout uniform she was wearing and hoofed it over to her marefriend. She took a few steps into the water as the water rushed around her, and she started to age, her young body growing taller, her mane growing outward again. Granny Smith closed her eyes and winced as her mussels and body grew up and more pronounced, but it hurt like hell, with her entire body feeling like it was on fire. When she opened her eyes, she looked downward at her reflection, seeing a young mare no older than twenty-five with her lush mane now all over her head and her tail dripping into the pool.

Granny Smith slowly trotted out of the pool, and seeing Zecora's bedroom eyes; she couldn't help but blush, knowing she was a young sexy mare again. She then whispered, "S...so...um...Guess who's back?"

Zecora then rushed her, placing a kiss on her lips, and the two held each other close in their embrace. They stood there making out, and Granny Smith held Zecora close. She fell in love with her husband before he died, and this felt exactly like that. A second chance…

Granny Smith came off from the embrace with a playful smile. "So, that's it, huh? We're gonna make a real miracle tonic?"

"That's right, you see, I have a plan to make a true miracle tonic, and it will be free!" Zecora explained as she and Granny Smith walked away from the pool, chatting about the future like excited school fillies.

The Spirit watching the pool with all its heads, smiled at the couple and whispered, "Thank...you...Granny Smith and Zecora, we leave you with the pool in your hooves." Then the creature dissipated in a mist and disappeared.

Granny Smith felt a chill go down her spine as she looked back towards the pool but saw only the sun's rays reflecting off the surface. She smiled, seeing the spirits held bondage there, and finally moved on to the afterlife as she whispered, "don't worry, we'll keep your pool safe. Scouts honor."