Applejack felt the hard wood under her head and groaned. It felt like all those times she had tripped onto the barn floor. She opened her eyes and wondered where she was. Turning, she saw Twilight sigh looking at the book.
"W-where are we?" Applejack asked, looking around. They were in a dirty attic with only a pile of blankets in one corner and a very small cracked mirror next to it.
"The last story, and we have to do it quick! Look." Twilight said. Applejack glanced at the book and gasped. "NO!"
"Cinderella!"
The mares glanced at the door.
"No." Applejack hissed under her breath again, walking to the door. Twilight sighed. "I'm sorry, you have to. It'll all be over soon."
"Ha, ha! And I thought I had it bad!" Rainbow laughed.
"I personally think Applejack would look nice in blue, or perhaps gold? Oh, no, that would clash with her mane…" Rarity sighed.
Spike had told them who he thought Applejack was, Cinderella and also the story.
"I can't wait for the ball!" Alice squealed, hopping up and down.
"I hope it's Aj's ball!" Pinkie replied.
"Don't worry, everything is convenient around here." Goldi laughed.
"We don't exactly look the part of fancy ponies, do we?" Dorothy asked. They glanced at themselves, their previous encounters with villains had left them covered in dust.
"If we act like we belong, we will look like it." Goldi replied.
"That's what you said about that evil Queen's castle!" Alice groaned.
"Isn't that all in the past? Won't she just forget about you?" Starlight asked.
The three sharing knowing glances. They sighed together, "Villains never forget."
"Cinderella, what took you so long?" Asked a yellow pony with orange hair tied in a pony tail.
"Hey! I don't know ya'! Who are you?" Applejack asked.
Her fake stepmother rolled her eyes. "How crazy are you?"
"She probably gets it from singing all the time." A purple pony with matching hair snickered.
"Hm… Yeah, maybe it's 'cause she talks to little mice!" Another step sister said with a blue coat.
"Cinderella talks to mice? I really needed to read this." Applejack whispered to herself.
"Would you stop muttering, you insolent child?" The stepmother growled.
"I am never getting all of this done in time, Twi!" Applejack cried, wiping the floor. Twilight shook her head. "You're right, but it's what happened in the original."
"But don't we want to change it? Fluttershy said Sunset let it slip that." Applejack said.
Twilight shook her head. "Fluttershy must have heard it wrong, that can't be the way."
"Why not?"
The princess shook her head again. "Y-you
wouldn't get it."
About a hour later, Applejack gave a mutter.
"Are you-"
"No, I'm not okay!" The pony groaned.
Twilight gave a nod. "Good to know… Hey, we're gonna need to take this off." She said, fixing Applejack's mane.
"What is coming off?"
"Um… your hat…"
"I HATE this stupid book!"
A few minutes later, Applejack trudged down the steps. "Wait… for me." She groaned.
The stepsisters and mother turned.
"Oh, and here I thought you couldn't look more miserable." Adajio chuckled.
"... It's my mother's." Applejack said, giving off her lines, with the tinest bit more feeling after seeing Twilight pale from the steps watching her lacking performance.
"Aw! That's so cute!" Sonata cooed. Her family glared at her. "Well, it is! I never thought she'd look good in pink and bows to be honest, but it's adorable!"
Applejack resisted the erge to scream, "DESTROY IT ALREADY!"
"Yes, but it don't think it's your style, dear." The stepmother said.
Applejack bit back her return of no kidding.
The stepmother waked up and looked at her dress. "Hm, not your style at all…"
She ripped part of it so hard that Applejack frowned slightly at it. "Um… Okay, rethinking it, I put a lot of work into-"
The stepsisters started destroying her dress and she backed away in horror. "Hey, stop! How could you be this… awful?!"
Twilight couldn't do anything to stop it, not if she wanted to keep the story on track.
Applejack looked at her ruined dress and gasped. "I might not have liked it, but that poor mare would've! Y-you're so evil!" She cried.
Her family stared. "Has she ever done that before?" Sonata whispered. "Just ignore it." Her sister hissed back.
"Applejack! Please-"
Applejack threw the pink dress behind a bush. "I'm done wearing that! That mare, Cinderella, why stick with ponies as awful as them?! They ruined her dress and they lied about taking her! That's evil!"
"Don't be so upset, my child." Said a voice suddenly. "I am here to help."
Applejack and Twilight looked around. "W-who-"
There was a sudden light and a familiar pony stood beside them.
"Princess Cadance?" Applejack frowned.
The alicorn frowned slightly and tilted her head. "Who? I am your fairy Godmother."
Applejack stared for a few seconds.
"... What?"
"Please let us in!" Alice pleaded. The guard didn't even glance at her. "Everypony in the kingdom is invited! You know that!"
"Where are your invites?" He grunted.
"Here!" Dorothy cried, pulling out her invite.
"You three were invited to a Prince's ball?!" Rarity gasped.
"Like Alice said, everypony in the kingdom." Goldi said.
"What about you all?" The guard asked, looking up after the three were waiting.
"Um… don't you see these crowns?" Rarity gasped, pointing to her circlet. She pointed to Pinkie's as well. "Yeah! We're princesses, mister!" Pinkie cried.
"And those four?" He pointed at Fluttershy, Rainbow, Starlight, and Spike.
"Oh! Um…" Starlight bit her lip.
Suddenly the guard touched his head and his expression of toughness melted into fear. "A-actually, you don't need them anymore! Welcome!" He laughed nervously.
"Huh?" Rainbow gasped.
"That was the best welcome I've ever seen!" Pinkie laughed, bouncing pass. Once they were inside, she whispered, "Are you kidding me? It's obvious that something's wrong, I've looked in the mirror, guys! I have the best welcome!
He has the weirdest…" The others nodded in agreement.
"To go to the ball in this state, it will not do." Cadance said, looking at Applejack up and down.
"You're right, I need my hat-"
"I think you'll look nice in… blue!" Cadence smiled.
"Um… Thanks? But I-" Sparkles surrounded Applejack before she could finish.
She glanced at her ball gown, which was shorter than the last, which she was happy from but noticed on her hooves something peculiar. "Are these slippers… glass?!"
The Godmother smiled. "Every princess has her special detail."
"But I'm not-"
"I know, but you do look like one. Now you must be off! Oh!" Cadance gasped. "One more thing! Everything goes back to normal at midnight, including that apple." She nodded to the carriage.
"Just… breathe." Applejack whispered. "It won't be so bad." She saw the doors open and gulped. Twilight had already entered, she was alone.
"Walk… now!" She whispered, ridgly walking in the room. Ponies gasped in wonder at her. She blushed. The mare quickly stepped down the steps.
She nodded to ponies who were still gaking at the mysterious princess. Then, she saw her friends, all of them waving at her. Rainbow was laughing. Applejack was about to give her a piece of her mind when a hoof touched her. "Pardon me-"
"You're pardoned." Applejack said, trying to walk and not turn.
"M'lady, I'm trying to ask you for a dance!"
She turned to face him and groaned.
The Prince Blueblood gave a charming smile.
"I was actually just leaving." She sighed, trying to walk away. She then saw Twilight shake her head in horror. "... Fine."
Applejack twirled around in her blue dress and tripped. Blueblood caught her. "My, quite forward!" The Prince laughed. Applejack gaged. He then dipped her and saw Dorothy giggling. She wrinkled her noise in playful at the girl who looked
and acted so much like her sister.
A few minutes later, they were still dancing and Applejack had gotten used to the steps, only stepping on his hooves once or twice every five minutes.
The mare twirled again and saw her friends looking around frantically for something. She saw Twilight shaking her head with her eyes closed, she seemed to be whispering something.
Applejack coughed slightly. "Um, I have to go for a second!"
"Do you think they'll be worried?" Dorothy asked. "I can't believe we got lost!"
"Sorry, I thought I saw… that stallion… he looked just like the legends!" Goldi creid.
"Why go chasing after him?!" Alice gasped.
Goldilocks frowned. "I think he has something against our friends. Didn't you see Twilight?! She's whispering underneath her breath all the time now! We have to help her."
Dorothy shook her head. "I know… but… if he is the stallion, the one from the legends…"
Alice bit her lip. "H-he… could… do that to us?"
The others nodded. "Like the guard…"
"We have to find the girls and quickly!" Twilight creid.
"I'm sure they just went to get punch or something." Rainbow shrugged.
Applejack shook her head. "I don't think so… Why would they not tell us where they were going?"
Fluttershy nodded. "That… is strange."
Pinkie suddenly zipped away. They waited and she came back. "They're not at the snack table! But this cupcake was!" She cried, eating it.
Rarity smiled suddenly. "Oh! There they are!"
They turned to where she pointed and saw the three girls standing in the garden entrance.
"Girls! We were worried sick!" Twilight cried.
"Sorry!" Alice giggled. "We were getting some fresh air."
"Could you tell us next time?!" Applejack cried, hugging the three.
Dorothy nodded. "Of course! But…"
"But what?" Pinkie asked.
"W-we just saw… the stallion, who controls the stories…" Goldi exsplianed. "We must leave! Now!"
They gave each other knowing glances. "Let's go!" Twilight creid.
Alice glanced at Twilight. "Your book! Where is it?!" She gasped.
"Right here." Twilight whispered, letting the book tumble out of the saddle bag she had gotten from Cinderella's house. Goldi nodded. "I knew you would have it! Quick! We need to see it!"
"W-why?" Starlight whispered.
"… He… he can't have our stories, Twilight… If that book still has us in it… we could be…" Dorothy didn't finish.
Twilight felt her heart drop. She glanced at her friends. "Twilight? What is she talking about?" Spike gasped.
Twilight slowly gave the book to Alice. "Just rip your stories out. I'm sorry I forgot… your lives were on the line."
Alice took the book and smirked. Twilight felt a cold rush in her and wondered if the others felt it too.
"Oh, Twilight… It's too late, our lives were never our own anyway!" The girl giggled.
"Alice, what are you talking about?!" Rarity asked.
"Yeah…" Rainbow said. "Your lives are yours to live!"
Twilight gasped in shock and lit her horn. She was suddenly knocked back with a blast of magic.
"Twilight!" Her friends gasped, trying to help her stand.
Alice, Dorothy and Goldi didn't run to help. "They're lives are all mine." The Story Keeper chuckled, walking out from behind a bush. Alice gave him the book and he smiled and patted the girl on the head. "Oh, my characters
are so… obedient to their creator."
"No! They wouldn't betray us! Y-you've done something! This isn't right!" Fluttershy creid.
Applejack glanced back at the ballroom. "Wait… this story is over?! Since when?"
"It isn't. Our deal has been broken!" The Keeper sighed.
He lit his horn and the world around them disappeared. They were in the Story Keeper's room.
"Now… where were we?" He asked. "Oh, that's right, I was just about to explain how weak you all are, especially these brats." He said, nodding to the fillies. "They're such good little puppets! I had to redraw them,
of course, to look like and sound like your friends but no matter what they look like, I still made them and own them… I force them to do the same things over and over again. They didn't struggle long when I found them. They were such useful traps
for you" He explained. "And now… that I have this," He said, holding the book. "and you meddlesome girls," They still stared in horror. "I have no need for them." The Queen walked up from the shadows and took the
girls with her magic. "Could you stop controlling them? I want they're true reactions to this!" She asked.
The Story Keeper nodded and tilted his head. The three girls shook their heads in confusion. "W-where… are we?" Goldi whispered. Alice paled when she saw the Story Keeper. "Y-you didn't-"
"I did. I told you three you shouldn't have meddled around with different stories then your own!"
"Yes, and now, you and your hearts belong to me!" The Queen laughed. The girls gasped in horror.
"I told you that you couldn't save your precious friends! I can't understand why you would be so stubborn!" The Story Keeper snarled.
The girls cowered as he came up to them.
"They're stubborn because they hate being controlled and manipulated by you! They don't want to hurt us!" Twilight creid.
"Yeah! You can't do this to them!" Spike yelled.
The Story Keeper turned around with such sharpness that they fell back. "Still the same whining children that you were years ago I see!" He hissed.
"What are you talking about?!" Applejack asked, stepping on front of her friends.
"Explain right now!" Rainbow added.
"Ask Twilight…" The Keeper yawned.
They turned. "Twilight… what does he want from you?" Rarity gasped.
"H-he wants my life, girls… he wants to get his revenge on me, on Spike too…"
"What did you do, Twilight?!" Spike gasped.
"I… I'm the reason fairytales don't exist in our world. I'm the one… who started all of this!" She cried. "I'm so, so sorry!"