"Thanks for helpin' out at the farm, Twi'." Applejack said, appreciating the assistance for the harvest. Twilight nodded earnestly before taking a deep breath. The Apples always rewarded people that helped them, and Apple Bloom had brought Twilight a few apple fritters, snacks, and a mug of apple cider, which she received thankfully.

"No problem, Applejack. I'm just glad I could help." Twilight said, getting ready to leave. "I'm going to check up on Spike," she strapped her saddlebags to her side and bid her friends goodbye.

"Bye, Twilight!" Applebloom cheerily shouted and sent Twilight a wave goodbye with her hoof. She lost her balance and tipped over,and caused Applejack to laugh heartily.

"Bye Applebloom, bye Annie." Twilight teased about Applejack's "middle name," and it had caused the orange pony to groan in displeasure.

        Twilight walked back home still she had a weird feeling about the book. It had just disappeared randomly with a slight spark of magic, and she was sure she hadn't seen the last of that book. "Strange that our cutie marks just appeared on the book like nothing." Twilight said to herself. She had found herself past the simple dirt roads of the orchard and headed back to Ponyville's town square.                            

                                                                                    --

Tara's eyes shot open and she rubbed her sore head from the pain. She soon realized that she was back in Sweet Apple Acres only something felt... different. She felt much taller than the scenery around her. The area seemed a lot more colorful than she remembered, as if everything was a shade or two brighter. Tara regained her balance and stared into the streets off in the distance; it was dark out so it left Tara in the early night sky. Wobbling slightly, she stood up on her feet and set out for her home in the library.

"Umph!" Tara groaned in pain after she hit a branch on an apple tree. "I don't remember the branches being this low." She rubbed her cheek and tried to dull the pain on the side of her face.  Tara was about to enter the empty streets near her library until she noticed many strange entities in the streets.

Horses but different; each horse had a coat of different bright, fruity colors some of them had horns or wings. The horses-- no ponies seemed as if they talked to each other and they understood each other. Tara's eyes opened in surprise and was convinced that she was seeing things. Tara placed her hand back onto the small bump on her face, rubbing it to soothe the searing pain that reappeared. Tara began to make false excuses that her eyes were playing tricks on her, but that was before she saw the sign that was right next to her.

Welcome to Ponyville. Have a nice day!

"This can't be happening. I'm just seeing things!" Tara said to herself as she rubbed her eyes in disbelief. Unfortunately, she still saw the joyful ponies that attended their business in the streets. Is it really possible... no, of course not, she thought. Tara took a deep breath and looked out of the bush, making sure she wasn't spotted.

"Hey, Bon Bon, look over there, did you see it?" A seagreen unicorn pointed to a bush near the Ponyville sign.

"What? I don't see anything, Lyra," the earth pony replied, irritated by her friend's sudden outburst.

"Right there, in the bush. It's a human." Lyra whispered this time, using it as a tactic to avoid scaring the alleged human.

Tara noticed the two ponies that spotted her and quickly ducked back in the bush just before Bonbon turned to look at the bush. She turned back to her friend with an unamused expression while Lyra smiled back weakly.

"You're just seeing things Lyra," she said annoyed. Lyra just sighed in defeat and placed her attention back to the streets of the town.

"That was too close." Tara sighed. She raised her left hand to her forehead and wiped the sweat off her brow. She couldn't stay here becaus of the risk of getting caught. Tara began to think of all the places where she could have been stuck in. The book mentioned other dimensions, and it was the thing that brought her here in the first place. Tara started to construct a list of all of the possible places she could stay at night.

"The library? No too risky. I could meet my other self, and then we'll watch the entire universe blow up while we shake hands-- hooves-- whatever." Her mind drew a blank on where to go.  Her choices were either the Everfree Forest or the orchards of Sweet Apple Acres. Both places provided excellent cover. Both had someone that can find her if she wasn't careful. Tara decided it was her best bet to go to Sweet Apple Acres and hide herself with the trees.

Tara made her way through the orchard stealthily; she made sure to steer clear of the barn, the treehouse, and the farmhouse in case of anyone outside after hours. She finally managed to find a tree that she could use as both cover and a place to sleep for the night. Celeste forbid that she'd be exposed to whatever lurker around at night. Tara used her magic to test the pressure that the tree could handle and she found it to be acceptable.

She jumped in the air and reached for a branch and caught it after a second attempt. Tara then placed her foot onto the sturdy bark and used the sudden traction as a boost to lift herself up. The human girl repeated the steps untIl she found herself at the area she had previously tested to be safe and stable enough to hold her weight. Tara searched her bag for anything that could help her survive. After a brief second, she felt a soft cloth at the bottom of the handbag, and she connected it to her friend whom she was supposed to give it to.

"At least I can put this to good use." Tara reasoned before she wrapped herself with the cloth to keep herself warm. She dug through her book some more and noticed something different. She had discovered the same book  that had brought her there in the first place. She grunted and tossed it to the floor, and it hit the grass with a soft thud.

"Great i'm stuck here for Celeste knows how long," she complained, staring at the book on the floor. Tara looked deeper into her bag and noticed the things she had brought along. She found her wallet, which contained some cash that she still hoped was legal tender wherever she was, and a picture of her little brother. She remembered the day when they took that picture, and she lulled herself to sleep with the warm feelings of nostalgia.

--

           It was right about the time she was going to take her entrance exam for the most prestigious school for magicians. Her goal was to hatch a chicken out of an egg. Her mother had recently given birth to Sam and she had him placed on a small stroller. Tara was extremely nervous in front of the group of ponies that judged her action. All she had to do was hatch a chicken, but something went wrong, and she choked. Her magic was being unresponsive and uncooperative to her.

           "I'm sorry I wasted your time," she hung her head in shame and was ready to leave the room. The little girl turned her back against the egg and faced her family, hoping to go into their comforting embrace. Then there was the life altering explosion. Her magic suddenly came back and it amplified her power. Her magic discharged and hatched the chicken like she should've, lifted the judges a few feet in the air, turned her parents into plants, and she had managed to perform an aging spell that had aged her newborn baby brother into an adult twice her age. Her magic fired again and it blasted the chick again. The baby chicken grew until it had crashed through the ceiling.

--

Tara woke up on the grassy floor with a pain in her back, realizing she fell off said tree.

"It's going to be a long day," she thought while she straightened her back and stretched out her sore limbs. Tara levitated her missing items back into her bag and planned out her next move.

"I would kill for a shower and some food right now," she complained. Her thoughts were cut short as an ear piercing growl came from the confines of Tara's gut. She groaned as she placed a hand onto her stomach as a force of habit. She noticed a stray apple at the top of a tall tree close to the house, surveying the area it seemed to be the only tree with an apple hanging on it. Whoever harvested did a really good job.

"The one apple, and its that high up." Tara whipped up her magic, but she was unable to scrape up the energy to pull the apple off the tree. Tara, in a last ditch effort, decided to climb the tree manually she grabbed a branch and hid in the tree's leaves. Acquiring many cuts and bruises, Tara finally got the apple she set out for. Luck wasn't on her side today, and she felt it as well. Out of a stroke of bad luck, Tara lost her balance and went tumbling down the tree branches.

THUD

"My back" Tara groaned as she gasped for air she decided to stay put and catch her breath.

                                                                                                 --

THUD

"Big Mac did ya' hear that?" Applejack asked, she was answered with a simple shake of the head.

"I'm gonna go check it out, watch Applebloom for me," AJ instructed while she prepared to leave the farmhouse. Applejack's loyal pet, Winona ran over to Applejack's side and greeted her with a friendly bark.

"Winona come with me." she instructed as she walked into the orchard to investigate the noise.

Winona barked and then ran into the orchard after she found an all too familiar scent.

"Wait come back!" Applejack yelled in surprise, chasing after her her dog. Something didn't sit well with the earth pony, and Applejack was ready for anything that might jump from anywhere. Luckily for her, she harvested the apples the day before, so there wasn't any danger of her crops being stolen.

Tara heard barking from a distance, an all too familiar bark.

"Oh no Winona" she thought still wheezing from the fall. She struggled against the floor and fought for breath. The barking sounds came closer and closer until the sight of a dog came into view, with the owner not too far behind.

Tara held her eyes shut, afraid of what ever was after her. The agonizing pain of the fall left her with a weak breathing pattern, and she anticipated being bitten by a guard dog.

Instead she was met with a warm tongue across her face.

"Huh?" she asked as she opened her eyes. "Hi Winona, so nice to see a familiar face." Tara giggled lightly as she lifted the dog away from her .

"What in the world?" The southern accent of one of her best friends was all she heard. Her voice coming out of a pony? All Tara could do is to just lie there and stare into the eyes of a complete stranger. The equestrian creature, sounded, acted, and looked just liked her best friend Jackie. Tara had to break the silence after a brief moment of staring and confusion.

"Uhh, hi Applejack" Tara said with a small wheeze and a weak smile.