Reversal of the Cutie Marks
Chapter 2:
As the friends headed towards the farm, they heard a familiar voice.
"Girls! Wait up!"
The four mares looked behind them to see Twilight Sparkle racing to them, a big smile on her face. "I got a letter from the Princess! She told me that…"
The friends kept on the path to the farm while the purple unicorn droned on about Princess Celestia's letter. They loved Twilight, but she did get a bit..egotistical when she talked about her studies or relationship to the princess.
As the five arrived to the farm, Granny Smith was just finishing up her baking. She poked her head out the window and smiled.
"Applejack! It's good you brought your friends. I made plenty of fritters and cider for everyone."
The mares licked their lips. The smell of the pastries was getting to them. Big Mac and Apple Bloom came in from the fields to have some fresh fritters as well.
Pinkie Pie just looked at her plate, poking and pushing around her fritter. She was still upset because of her failed cooking and Rainbow Dash's failure to show up. Granny Pie looked over to the pink pony a bit puzzled. Usually her granddaughter's poofy-haired friend chowed down on fritters. Something was bugging her. The elderly pony shrugged it off and turned to make her apple pie. But, as she went to her bushel of apples. she noticed there weren't enough to make the number of pies she needed to.
"Applejack honey," Granny Smith spoke, "would ya' please go to the apple tree right out the back an' buck down some apples for pie?"
"Sure thing, Granny!" Applejack said, hopping up and trotting out the back door. She loved to buck apple trees. It showed just how powerful she could be. Apple Bloom followed. She loved watching her sister kick the trees down for apples. She wanted to do the same when she was grown.
Applejack positioned herself and prepared to buck the tree. She couldn't help but to howl "Yee-haw!" as she kicked the tree. She turned to see her harvest and was stunned.
Nothing fell down.
The sisters looked up. Some of the apples WERE ready. Applejack snorted and tried again, a little harder.
Nothing.
Applejack began to get annoyed. Apple Bloom began to worry.
"Alright ya darn finicky tree." Applejack huffed. "Ya'll better give up ya apples or I'll buck ya till ya timber down!" Applejack reared her back legs and went for the strongest kick ever. Applebloom backed up and hid behind a barrel. . She felt deep down this wasn't going to end well.
She was right. As Applejack went to buck the tree, her back hooves missed the tree,sending her falling back and tumbling down the hill. The orange mare backwards somersaulted faster and faster until
WOOSH
Applejack propelled off an open wheelbarrow and went flying into the air
CRASH
Applebloom ran to her sister. "Applejack! Applejack! Are y'all okay?!".
The stack of hay Applebloom talked to rustled a bit. Applejack poked her head out, spitting out straw and dusting her hat off. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, Applebloom."
Applebloom looked to her sister and gasped. "Sis! Ya cutie mark looks different!"
Applejack looked to her flank. Something was different. Her cutie mark of three apples looked smaller.
What was going on?
When the siblings went back to the house, the other four mares met them outside. "We have a problem." Twilight said. "All of our cutie marks look different". The five compared their marks. Fluttershy's butterflies looked smaller, Pinkie Pie's balloons were a bit deflated, Twilight's sparkles looked smaller, and Rarity's diamonds were smaller too.
Something was going on, and the Elements of Harmony, minus one, were going to find out.
The five headed back to town as quick as they could to get some answers.