The sun's first light crept its way right on through the barn's windows, and my eyes were just startin' to open up when I felt a warm blanket of something on top of me (it was AJ's wing of course, though I had kinda forgot). When the rooster crowed shortly after, I lifted my head up dazed and groggy eyed as I laid on top of that soft bed of hay. You know how when you first wake up, your mind ain't all back yet at first and you're still half asleep? Well, that's kinda where I was. I looked over to my left and saw the dim early morning sun rays comin' in through the window.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes with my hooves. I felt my usual mornin' happiness startin' to wake up. Brand new day with mah family and mah hubby! I thought, and I quickly noticed just beside me to my right was a big black head with blue stripes. I felt my inside sink with pity.  Oh, that's right. Mah husband's a... dragon. I just felt so bad for him. Still do. If I ever got turned into a dragon, I'd be mighty embarrassed. When I drew away from him, he turned over on his side and showed me his belly. Though the light shined on him a way I hadn't quite seen him last night, and I reckon I was still a little shocked to see him like this. Holy Appleseed... What a magnificent black and blue hyde he had along with those wings and that tail, though with some horrible claws. Nasty claws was not somethin' I could ever picture on him.

He was sleeping like a foal, his mouth sucking in air and blowing it back out through his nose as his body moved up and down. He would snort out some smoke through his nose here and there too. He must've been dreamin' that he wasn't a dragon nomore, because he almost looked happy. Like he was havin' some sweet dreams. I couldn't help but smile at him, laying there so peacefully. He really is a mighty adorable dragon. Though I hated havin' to wake him up, and ruin his good sleep, wakin' up to find himself the way he is. It's something just I can't explain, the way I feel when I see him happy. I thought I'd at least make his last bit a sleep a good one. This ain't stoppin' us from bein' together, doin' the things we do. So I walked back to him and sat down just in front of him, and I gently rested my hoof right down on his belly; it was smooth but strong, yet surprisingly pleasant to touch.

When he didn't move none, I began to rub it back and fourth with my hoof, just like I do with Winona. His eyes still closed, he whined with delight, though a low whine o'course outa his dragon mouth, and I reckon it felt just as good for me as it did for him. I even began to giggle as he started to move his legs up and down with my belly rubbin' while he yelped with happiness. But soon his air runnin' got a little too hyper and his claws came mighty close to my face, so close I actually had to jump back to avoid 'em. He stopped his wigglin' and laid still for a moment as he was, then he turned over on his belly, his head turned towards me.

His eyes opened slowly and there I was laying in front of him, leaning on my hooves with my best smile; I was trying to make it more comfortable for him. When he saw me laying there, he smiled and a happy groan escaped his mouth, but as soon as he heard himself, his ear thingys raised and his eyes shot open wide fear as he turned his head around and looked back at his new self, and he lowered his head with a disappointed bellow.

"Ah'm afraid it wasn't no dream, sugarcube."  He whimpered and lowered his head to the ground before he covered his eyes with his front claws. I smiled and walked towards him. "Hey, c'mon now, sugarcube, let's get you back t-"

"Keep your eyes for peeled for any sign of her!"

I was cut off by the voice of Rainbow Dash from outside the barn! AJ lifted his head and froze in terrible fear, his eyes wide with horror and embarrassment.

"I hope she wasn't... kidnapped!" said the voice of Fluttershy.

"Let's not to jump to any conclusions, girls. Let's just see if she's home and go from there," said Twilight.

AJ backed as much of himself up into the corner as he could, and with a mighty desperate look, begging me to not let them see him.

"Uh," I said uncomfortably, as my heart leaped a beat. What do ah' do? Do ah' tell 'em? He sure didn't look like he was much ready for that. As I thought about it, I wasn't mighty keen on it either. Howdy there, girls! Don't worry 'bout him, that dragon is just mah, uh... mah hubby...  Ya'll think that's bad, my body was suddenly stiffer than a board in the middle of dead winter; I saw all five of them running around the barn in terror. "Dragon!!! Flee for your lives!!!" cried Pinkie, and the town of Ponyville itself collapsed before my eyes. Then I snapped out of it.

"Uh oh," I said, as I turned to the door in fear. Just then I heard a knock on the front door of the house. Ok, think now Applejack! Won't be long 'fore they come out here! I looked back at AJ, who was, poor thing, scared outta his skin they were come in and see him like this. Suddenly the voice of Apple Bloom at the door turned my head back around.

"Howdy Twilight! Howdy girls! How was the sleepover? And where's Applejack?" asked my little sis. I trotted quietly towards the door and pointed my hears to hear them better.

"We were actually hoping you could tell us. We all fell asleep together but when we woke up, she was gone," said Twi.  

"Ah' can't find AJ neither," said the little filly.

"Maybe they just couldn't spend a night away from one another," joked the voice of Rarity, and true as it was, Twi was havin' none of it.

"It's not like her to leave us like that without a note, and AJ isn't here either! What if they're in trouble?"

Oh shoot! I looked back and the two of us looked nervously at each other. I knew was gonna have to do something soon. Then my sister...

"Ah' did find Winona in front of the barn this mornin'," she said, and my heart sank all the way to the hay and my hoof slammed itself over my mouth.

"Well, there's a start!" said Twi, and suddenly the sound of hooves moved from the house towards the barn. I looked back at AJ. What do ah' do? What do ah' do! They were gonna walk in and see him! I didn't know what was gonna happen; but in some the quickest thinking this mare has ever done, I sucked in a bunch of air and slipped out the barn door before they got there. They all stopped in their tracks startled.

"Howdy girls!" I said, with a mighty-nervous grin.

"Oh! There you are!" said Twilight. Keep it casual, Applejack!

"Uh, yep! Here ah' am! Ah'm fine, and so is AJ... Uh, fine in the sense that you don't have to go lookin' fer him, that is. Yep, that's the scoop 'round here," I said, chuckling the most uncomfortable chuckle I ever chuckled. Twilight looked back at the rest of my friends, all of whom were still lookin' unglued.

"Why did you leave in the middle of the storm last night?" she pressed, and I felt sweat trickle down my neck. Just let it be done already!

"'Cause ah' was worried about my husband! Ah' left and ah' didn't wanna wake none of you up," I said, with one more forced smile. After a quick pause, they all smiled, and I secretly felt the world of relief. Best part was, it was all true too!

"Oh, well that's good to know," said Twi, and she began to trot forward. "I'd love to see him before I head back to Canterlot. Do you mind?" She pointed her eyes behind me towards the barn door. Suddenly all that relief was gone in a jiffy, and I was back to the way I was.

"Uh, ya can't go in there," I said quickly, and Twilight drew back with surprise. "AJ's not feelin' like himself right now and uh, doesn't want nopony botherin' him. He and ah' 'er both real sorry, we hope you can catch him some other time!"

"Oh my, is he alright?" said Fluttershy, speaking for the rest of them. I had to look away from them for a moment. Fluttershy in particular has a terrible fear of dragons.  

"Yeah, he's lookin' a little blue, but ah'm confident he'll be just fine in the end, ah'm gonna take care of 'em, he's mine to take care of after all," I said, throwing out my hoof. They turned their heads at each other. Seemed it was good enough for 'em, if just barely.

"Oh, um, ok! Well, I'll see you later Applejack! Thank you for the wonderful time last night, and I hope AJ feels better," said Twi.

"Oh ah'm sure he will, thanks!" I said. I felt even worse now. When I was with them, I did have a wonderful time with them.

They all said their goodbyes and started to walk towards the exit. Crisis dodged. But I wasn't feelin' a whole lot better. I had still had a darn dragon in my barn, and that dragon happened to be my heart's content. I wondered if I could just tell Twilight; I couldn't figure out how to get AJ back to normal all by myself. There they go! C'mon girl, think!

"Uh, Twilight?" I called, and the whole lot of them turned around. "Could ah' speak to you in private?" Twi looked at me funny for a moment with the rest of them, then turned her body around and walked towards me.

"Sure!"

"Ugh," sighed Rainbow, and to my great relief she flew off towards Ponyville. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all kept going too, though Apple Bloom was watching me from the porch before she turned back inside. Twi came to halt right in front of me.

"What's up?" she said.

I chuckled and took a deep breath. Alright, ah' gotta think this through... How do ah' word it?

"Hey Twi, ah' was just wonderin' about somethin', and uh, ok, let's just say fer the sake of argument," she was watching me more careful than a long-tailed cat watches a rocking chair, and it wasn't helpin' me none. But this day, my wit this was quicker than a whip, though the words came out of my mouth slower than molasses in wintertime. "Ah' got a wild imagination, but uh, let's just say fer the sake of argument that ah' know a wild little one, and they done decide they wanna turn themselves into a dragon, ya know, just to see what it's like, but, uh..."

Twilight unsurprisingly looked at me like I had two heads, well I just smiled and looked away and kept on talkin'.

"But they didn't wanna stay that way forever, so they wanted to make sure a unicorn could change 'em back. Mah question to you then is, ah' guess, is that sorta thing possible fer someone like you? Ah' know it's a silly question, ah' got a silly imagination, but uh, what do ya think?"

Twilight looked at me for a moment, then she smiled. She smiled and began to laugh cheerfully.

"Applejack, is Apple Bloom by any chance wondering what it's like to be a dragon?"

"Uh," I said, chuckling. Well I just laughed and looked away. Not exactly...

"Applejack, I know how fillies are! You don't have to sound embarrassed, I had a wild imagination when I was her age too."

"Uh, yeah, hehe," I said. Just answer the question and be done with it! She stopped laughing and her tone dropped down, but she nonetheless didn't suspect a thing no more.

"I'm afraid she may be a little disappointed," she said. That don't sound good...

"Wha, what do ya mean?"

"Turning ponies into dragons? That's beyond anything I've ever heard of. I certainly couldn't do it, and," she started to blush, as I secretly began to cringe on the inside, "not to be rude, but do you know anypony who knows more about magic than me?"

My heart sank, though I tried my best not to show it. Then what coulda done this?

"Oh, uh, ok. Thanks Twi. It was great seein' ya last night," I said, with a deep breath.

"I'm going to Canterlot for a while, but I'll be back before long. I'll see you when I come back," she said reassuringly. I didn't say nothin'. My gears were turnin' in my head, and I was mighty worried. What do we do now? Do ah' tell her? What if she don't believe that's AJ? I knew it was AJ from the moment I saw his big blue eyes. He's closer to me that if he'd been changed into an itty bitty mouse I reckon I could spot him just as quick. But ain't no one else knew him like I did. The smile on Twi's face disappeared into concern. I reckon I must of been showin' something. We were supposed to be telling them something else, something you know full well by now. But instead that was hardly an afterthought.

"Is everything alright?" she asked. I let out a deep sigh.

"Ah'm doin' alright," I replied, looking down at the ground. I thought of the only thing good of the situation. At least my sugarcube ain't been takin' away from me. I don't feel no different about dragon AJ than I do about human AJ. It's still the same special boy on the inside. With those thoughts I looked back up at her and managed a sincere smile good enough to reassure her. "Ah'll be fine, Twilight, long as I got mah friends, mah family, and mah sugarcube with me."

Twilight smiled and spread her wings. In my heart I knew she had some part to play in this. I reckon they all do. But it ain't here yet. Part of me didn't want her to leave.

"You'll be in touch, Twi?" I said, as she floated off.

"Yes, yes I will be. Bye Applejack!" and she was gone.

I took a deep breath and rested my hoof on my forehead, which was covered in sweat. What kinda first five minutes of the day that was. Now of course, the big question was who or what did this, and what do we do now? How do we reverse it? Behind my back, on the other side of the barn door, I heard a low murmur. Don't forget, ya got someone to take care of at the moment.

I opened the door to the barn and slipped my way back in and shut the door quick. I turned around, and there he was waitin' for me, sitting like we fourleggers do, in all his dragonness with his wings folded on his back, looking at me with wide thoughtful eyes. I went to walk forward and sit just across from him, but he suddenly he started howling and groaning over and over.

"What is it sugarcube?"

I could see him yellin' me in his head, tryin' so hard to talk to me, but his thoughts were comin' out his toothy mouth as yelps and roars. They were getting louder and louder, and I started gettin' anxious someone would hear him! Frustrated, he turned all the way around in a circle. I had to duck down to dodge his big tail as it scraped the sides of the barn.

"Whoa! Whoa, sugarcube, it's alright, calm down!" I yelled as I reared on my hind legs to calm him down. He was quite the spectacle with his huge size crashing around the barn. He finally spread his wings and propelled himself off the ground with his four legs. I think he went higher than he wanted to, and he smacked the top of his head on a low hanging beam. He crashed to the barn floor noisily and moaned softly in pain with his eyes closed as he curled his head back in towards his belly and grasped the top of it with his claws, and his wings fell across the floor.

"Hey, it's alright!" I quickly ran forward behind him, bent myself down to the top of his neck, and stretched out my hoof out till it was right on top of his claw. He let out one final soft cry and removed his claws, and rolled over on his side so I could grab the back of his head. I lowered myself down and I hugged his thick, short neck with my forelegs and pressed my head into him, and while I certainly wasn't quite used it bein' so big, nor the feeling of his new hyde, I could feel my heart easin' a little bit on the inside as his breathing slowed down. We laid there like that for a good long moment.

"There, there, sugarcube. Feelin' better now?"

A much softer and more comfortable noise came out his mouth, and the both of us were suddenly feelin' very warm on the inside. At least we were learnin' to make the most of the situation. Ah' still got him in mah arms...

Our calming down and peace was over quickly though when we heard what we heard right then. We shot both of our heads up in unison. It was Apple Bloom's young voice comin' from the house.

"Ah' don't know, but ah'm gonna go out there and find out right now!"