The alarm sounded, and I slammed it almost instantly. I sat up, groaning and yawning, before showering, dressing myself, and making my way into the living room for breakfast. I was greeted by six groggy, yet friendly, ponies. They all had toast and apple juice for breakfast, which everyone seemed to enjoy very well.

After breakfast, everyone returned to the living room. I stood in the corner and most of the others retired back to the sleeping bag. The odd one out was Applejack, who stood in the middle of the floor, beaming, with a blanket covering everything but her face. "Well, Ah gotta protect mah modesty, ya know?" Applejack explained.

My eyes widened, remembering the first time this happened. "Oh, right." I said, turning away. Twilight jumped off the bed and positioned herself in front of Applejack, fixing her stance so that she may be able to cast the amount of magic that was needed.

Her horn glowed brightly, then, so did Applejack's figure. The rest of the tired ponies found themselves wide awake, still new to the transformation process. The light dimmed, and a face popped out from the covers. She wobbled a bit to keep her balance, but found it easily. Her golden hair kept the ponytail style, and her freckles remained, too. She stood about my height, had a more muscular tone about her, and her skin was tanned. She looked down on her new figure, hardly able to see much past her well-proportioned chest. She squealed in excitement, almost losing her balance again.

During the transformation, I raided my closet for the gym shorts and hoodie that Fluttershy had previously worn. If I was going to agree to these daily one-on-ones, I was going to have to get them some clothes. I decided that the first order of business was clothes shopping. I paced back into the living room with Applejack's clothing at the ready. "Here ya g-" I began, but couldn't finish. Applejack danced around in the thin blanket, which she clutched tightly around her figure. "How do Ah look, sugarcube?" She asked, placing her Stetson back on her head, which to my surprise, still fit. "Well...y-you...." I stammered, but remembered the temporary clothes I brought. "J-Just put these on."

Applejack giggled and stumbled to the bathroom to change. Rarity, who had taken the computer for fashion research, rolled her eyes. "Men." She sighed, clicking on pictures of French couture. The other girls giggled at a red-faced me. "Good news!" Rainbow Dash teased, "Your nose didn't bleed!" She burst out in laughter. I narrowed my eyes at the rainbow-colored pegasus.

Applejack returned from bathroom. The hoodie was almost fitting on her torso and the shorts stopped a little bit above her knees. "These gall-durn things are SO uncomfortable." She complained, adjusting the hoodie. I, trying to fight another blush, put on my shoes. "Yeah, we're gonna go fix that now. Our first stop is a clothing store." I said while handing a pair of flip-flops to Applejack, who then gladly slipped them on. "Alright, partner! Let's go!" She cheered, pulling me to the door. Once out, Fluttershy flew to the doorframe. "Have a good day, you two! See you this evening!" She called, pulling the door shut and locking it.

Applejack wiggled in the passenger seat from the excitement, whipping her head around every so often to catch a glance of something that they passed. If I didn't find it so funny (and a tad cute), it would almost be annoying. We pulled into the clothing store's parking lot and got out of the car. Applejack struggled with the seat belt, but eventually managed to get it. She fell slightly, trying to get out of the car, but luckily, I had predicted this and caught her. Once she was righted, we made our way into the clothing store. Applejack immediately took to the racks and racks of clothes, trying on almost anything that appealed to her.

"Uh, sugarcube?" She asked me, who was looking at some clothes. "What do ya reckon Ah do about these?" She questioned, pointing to her chest. I looked around and led her to the undergarments section. She nodded and scoured the racks, looking for something to support her's. She grabbed a couple that seemed her size and ran to try them on as well.

When we emerged from the store a couple hours later, Applejack was wearing an orange t-shirt, straight-legged jeans, a pair of boots, some modest underwear, and her signature Stetson. She giggled loudly as she inspected herself. "Oh, thank ya so much! Ah really do like it!" She said, embracing me tightly. my face turned a little red again. "Um, it's fine. No problem at all, really." I reassured. As Applejack released me from her iron embrace, I leaned against my car. "So, what do you wanna do?" I asked.

We continued down the highway towards the city, while Applejack looked out the window still taking in all the sights. She would occasionally look down and check her new duds, sometimes even peeking down her shirt, which distracted me from driving a few times. When we finally made it into the city, Applejack resumed the excited seat wiggling. The city was packed to the brim with stores, restaurants, bars, and business offices. The only time she had seen anything close to this was back in Manehattan, but that was when she was a filly.

I managed to find a really cheap parking garage and parked there. I figured I could show Applejack around a little bit, since she had a pretty good window of time until she returned to pony form. I spent the next few hours walking by the nearby streets, Applejack struck with amazement from everything she saw.

During our walk, we spotted a Western-themed bar and grill. It had been a little while since breakfast and the farm hand was already getting hungry for lunch. I got out of the car first, rushing around to assist Applejack, who had found it much easier to get out on her own this time. We exited the parking garage and stepped right under the summer sun that was beating down on the city. We continued on towards the bar, Applejack occasionally fanning herself with her hat.

We finally made our way into the bar, the air conditioning feeling amazing after walking in the blistering heat. The waitress sat us at a booth and took our drink orders. As the waitress walked away, I noticed that Applejack had relaxed a little. She was still looking around, but her smile had formed into a half-frown.

"Are you okay, A.J.?" I asked, concerned. Applejack tried to force a smile, but I narrowed my eyes, seeing straight through her facade. "Ah guess Ah'm just missin' home a bit, ya know?" She confessed. "This here place reminds me a bit of Sweet Apple Acres. I wonder how Big Mac and Applebloom and Granny Smith are doin'." Applejack trailed off, her voice carrying some sadness. She looked down to the table in thought. I moved from my spot in the booth and scooted in next to her.

"I'm really sorry," I began. "We can go eat somewhere else if you'd like." I placed an arm on Applejack's shoulder, which made her look up at me. She smiled warmly at me. "Ah, ya don't gotta do that, sugarcube." She replied. The waitress came by with our drinks and asked to take our food order. We didn't even get a chance to look at the menu.

Applejack, not trying to stray away from the ordinary, ordered the fresh apple salad. I, not wanting to offend A.J. by ordering my usual burger, got the same. I was gonna have to get my daily dose of protein back, somehow.

Meanwhile, back at the house....

Twilight stared intensely at the computer screen, checking out websites for museums and libraries that were close to the city, and taking notes. Rainbow Dash flew up beside her, watching her work before figuring out that she was bored and returned to the mirror. She had been watching taped wrestling on the television and re-enacting catch phrases and entrances that some of the wrestlers used. She flexed her front legs in a power pose and slowly lifted herself towards the ceiling.

"CAN YOU SMELL WHAT RAINBOW DASH IS COOKIN'?!" She yelled proudly, letting loose a flurry of punches against the air.

Pinkie Pie looked up at her, giggling. "You're not cooking anything, Dashie." She explained. Rainbow Dash ignored her and continued with her new routine. Pinkie walked towards the kitchen, looking to grab something to drink. She pulled open the newly stocked fridge to find a big green box. It had depictions of abstract trees and big, red and green lettering. Curious, she looked inside. She found the shiny, cylindrical containers inside, all the same size, and each with the same artwork as the box. "Oooh, shiny!" She whispered. She pulled a shiny container from the box and shut the door to the refrigerator.

Carrying the can in her mouth, Pinkie trotted over to Rarity, who was busy sketching her new designs. Pinkie sat the can down next to her. "Rarity, can you open this for me, pretty please?" She asked. The white unicorn, not paying attention, pulled the tab on the can, the carbonation letting out a loud snap, then an appealing fizz. Pinkie cheered and stuck a straw in the can. Making sure none of the others was looking, she took a small sip of the green liquid. Her eyes widened.

"Hey, guys! You gotta try this stuff!"

Applejack and I, finishing our light lunch, stepped outside. The heat had died down quite a bit, making the weather enjoyable. I looked around the busy street. It seemed drastically more full of life than the street I live on just twenty minutes away. I checked my cell phone for the time.

"Well, we still have a couple hours until we have to head back home." I said. "What do you wanna do until then?" Applejack pondered for a second then smiled. "Ah'd be alright just walkin' around s'more, if'n that's okay with you." She answered. "Ah hadn't been to the city since Ah was just a little filly."

Filly. For some reason, that word snapped me back to reality. She wasn't really a human. She was a pony that happened to look like a human for right now. I was having a great time with A.J. so far, but for some reason, that word put a small dent in it. And that question was, why?

I shook the matter and perked up a smile. "Of course." I said, and we walked down the street, window shopping and taking in the city's lights and sounds.

After about an hour and a half, Applejack and I arrived back at the vehicle. I paid for the ticket to the parking garage and we hit the main street in the direction of home. The car ride was a little more silent than usual. Actually, it was completely silent. I looked over at Applejack, who smiled warmly back at me. I wished that there would have been something extravagant that we could have done together, but surprisingly, there wasn't that much to do for her in the big city. The thought kinda depressed me.

We arrived at home, just a few minutes left to spare before Applejack returned to her pony form. We exited the car and walked up the front steps. I stopped Applejack before we could enter the house. Applejack saw that I wasn't quite myself. "Ya okay there, sugarcube?" She asked, concerned. I let out a sigh. "I'm sorry that we didn't exactly get to do much." I confessed. "I wish I could have shown you a better time." Applejack gave a sympathetic smile and put her hand on my shoulder. "Aw, shucks. Ah had a great time with ya today." She comforted. "Ah was just glad to get out of the house for a spell." I smiled, knowing that I did some good today. I knocked on the door, expecting Twilight Sparkle to answer the door. Instead it was a panicky Rarity.

"What the hay is going on in here?" Applejack demanded.

"Both of you! Get in here! QUICK!!!!" Rarity screamed, pulling us in and slamming the door.

The scene inside the house was scary. Actually, it was downright disturbing. Twilight was rapidly clicking on the computer's mouse. Her hair was a few strands out of place and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates. The computer screen flashed rapidly before her.

"Studystudystudystudystudy GOTTA STUDY!!!!" She screamed, letting out a maniacal cackle afterwards.

"What the heck?" I thought to myself. I was about to confront her when I was knocked back by a rainbow blur. Out of breath and in slight pain, I looked up to see the source.

It was Rainbow Dash, carrying an extremely hyped up Pinkie Pie on her back. They were screaming and laughing ecstatically.

"How fast was that, Pinkie?!" Rainbow Dash shouted. Pinkie looked at her stopwatch. "Point eight seconds!" She replied, screaming louder than Rainbow Dash. They cheered and did another lap.

I could do nothing but watch in horror. I looked over at Applejack to find that amid the chaos, she had transformed back to her original pony state. I looked at Rarity for an explanation. The unicorn just shook her head.

"I don't know how this escalated so quickly." She cried. "All I know is that Pinkie Pie asked me to open a small canister of something. Figuring it wasn't too much trouble, I opened it for her. Then she started acting all crazy and convinced Dash and Twilight to partake in it as well. They've all gone insane, I tell you! INSANE!!!!!!" Rarity started bawling. Applejack looked around the room, finding that Fluttershy was missing.

"Wait. Where's Fluttershy?" She asked. Rarity shrugged. "I didn't see her drink any of it. In fact, I think she went and hid somewhere. Which honestly sounds like a brilliant idea right now."

"Hold on a second." I thought. I bent down and picked up one of the cans that occupied the floor. Sure enough, Pinkie had found my stash of Alpine Blitz, a citrus soda that had been found to be packed full of caffeine. I had no clue how I was going to stop this. Suddenly, an idea formed.

"What goes up must come down." I muttered to myself.

Applejack looked at me. "What was that, sugarcube?" She asked. "Ah didn't quite catch that."

"Quickly! To my room!" I ordered. The two mares and I ran full speed to my bedroom. I slammed the door behind us and locked it. As I wiped a bead of sweat from my brow, I heard voices coming from the closet. I sneaked over and flung the closet door open.

"Oh, no! They found me!" Fluttershy screamed, covering her head with her front legs and whimpering.

"Don't worry," I said. "It's just me."

The yellow pegasus looked up and ran over to me, burying her face in my chest. "It was horrible!" She wailed. I patted her head and she pulled away slightly. "What are we going to do?" Fluttershy asked.

I looked at the door. "The effects of the caffeine will wear off eventually." I began. "And when they do, everything will go right back to normal. So for now we're just going to wait." I told her.

About half an hour later, I peeked outside the door. Everything had gone quiet, almost TOO quiet. I motioned for the others to come, and they followed me into the living room. The others were scattered about, holding their stomachs and groaning.

I walked over to Pinkie Pie, narrowing my eyes slightly. Pinkie Pie tried to let out a nervous laugh, but found that it hurt her stomach too much. I cleaned up the soda cans with Rarity while Applejack and Fluttershy prepared dinner. Needless to say, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle didn't have as much of an appetite as the others.

With dinner eaten and the dishes washed, the ponies retired to the camping bed. Twilight had decided to take the night off for studying and went to bed herself as well. I wished them all good night, and the ones who weren't sick from the massive soda intake cheerfully returned it.

After my light went out in my room, all the ponies turned their attention to Applejack. She was bombarded by questions, many of which she couldn't understand. She waved her hoof around in the air to try and silence them. "Please, everypony!" She begged, "One at a time!" The chatter died down a little and Twilight Sparkle took the first question. "What was the outside world like?" She asked.

Applejack chuckled. "It was great! We went clothes shoppin', we walked around the city for a while, and we had lunch at a place that was almost like Sweet Apple Acres! After that, we-"

"You two had lunch together?" Rarity confirmed cutting Applejacks sentence off. "Like a lunch date?" She continued.

Applejack tried to hide her blush. "Aw, shucks, Rarity. 'Twasn't like that at all." She said. "We were just hungry and we stopped for a quick bite. Ah imagine it'll be the same for each of ya when it's y'all's turn to go."

The girls giggled at the thought of having one-on-one lunch with me. After a couple more minutes of quiet chit-chat, the ponies finally settled down and fell asleep. Next Chapter: Chapter 7 - Just A Little Dash Here, And A Little Dash There Estimated time remaining: 2 Hours, 32 Minutes