I felt the warm hay under my belly and my eyes groggily opened themselves and beheld, not surprisingly, an empty barn, lit up by sunlight. It was well past the early morning hours, probably only a little before noon. I was hoping to find Applejack in there with me, but she was away selling the harvest in the town. I slept wonderfully, but now that I was awake, I was annoyed, as I'd been every morning for the last week. I yawned and swished my tail around up to my head, and with the end of it, covered my eyes with a groan. I was admittedly quite comfortable laying there, yet embarrassed with the very fact that I was comfortable. Still in this big, awkward, unwanted, beyond humiliating... I flipped over on my back and rolled around in the hay, which also felt quite good, but I was too irritated to really enjoy it. Still no way of revealing that smug, villainous goat to everyone.

Still stuck as a dragon, I'd spent the last week mostly in the barn, which is hardly any living space to begin if I'm not curled up in a ball. I can't go in the house, I can't leave the property, and worst of all, I can't talk. Most days for the last week had been spent sitting in here thinking of what to do about Discord. Of course I wanted to scream it at the family when they spoke together about it, but it just came out of my mouth as the sound of a large animal (which was also incredibly embarrassing). Interestingly enough, we hadn't heard a peep from him all week, and it enraged me to know he probably enjoyed himself terribly at the thought me trying to live like this; he said he'd be back to "check on me and the family" in a while. Who knows what he's doing in between, preparing his schemes and roaming about.  

It's indescribably frustrating knowing something like that but not being able to tell them. Getting back to my human self was one problem. Then there was Discord overthrowing Princess Celestia, which was another problem, the latter of which I was the only person to know about. If I could figure out a way to tell Applejack that it's Discord, it'd be so much easier. We could plan something together, tell Twilight and Celestia, at least do something instead of waiting around for something to happen. I had considered just getting up and going to Canterlot myself, but when I pictured that from their point of view, that was the end of that idea.

I flipped back over on my stomach and curled my back legs up, but still kept my head raised. Even after a week, it still felt weird having four legs instead of just two, with the front ones being like my arms. Except maybe on Discord, I had no use of my claws, though I admit the new teeth were kind of nice, how they gripped and sliced through apples like nothing. Worst of all, though, I constantly felt this gas in my stomach that was directly connected to the tube going down my throat. It wasn't necessarily uncomfortable, though it's implications were... especially considering it felt like it was just waiting for me to let it to come out. Every once in a while I would hiccup and some would escape out my mouth as a ball of fire. I am rather terrified of letting that gas go, unless maybe Discord's face were right in front of me.

I felt so much heavier this way - which I was, of course, even though comparatively, still pretty lean for a dragon. I had to get used to not using as much force in anything I did, since that added weight made me so much stronger. It seems my breakfast size had increased by ten or so since I'd been like this. Speaking of which, I felt my stomach grumble. What a surprise, I'm hungry again. I'm always hungry now, I thought, rolling my eyes. My heart dropped with a hopeless longing. I wish Applejack were here. The sound of her sweet voice alone, much less having her loving eyes staring at me, was enough to cut through most of this misery. Being alone like this left me swimming in my frustration. She was in town, selling apples with Big Macintosh. On top of figuring out a plan, which didn't seem to be going anywhere at all, we still had to sell the harvested apples and continue as a functioning farm so the townsponies might not get suspicious. What a terrible thought that is, if they were to see me like this.  

Thankfully the windows were open; I raised my head and listened to the sound of the birds outside, and, taking advantage of my heightened senses, I took a deep breath of fresh farm air through my nostrils. At least I can still enjoy the day's charms... Discord hasn't taken that away from me. My stomach rumbled again and I craved to satisfy it. Fortunately though, not Applejack, but Apple Bloom had great timing, and I looked up and saw the barn door swing open at the kick of her hind legs. She was struggling to drag our largest bucket, filled with apples, along the ground in her mouth. My eyes widened. Is that breakfast? Yes! I finally felt a flicker of happiness, and raising myself up, I walked towards her and used my wing to push her aside (to which she complied) before I grabbed the bucket in my own mouth and dragged it back into the barn with ease.

"Howdy! How ya doin' this mornin'?" she said with bright enthusiasm. Even though I can't respond with words, I've always found it cute and appreciated her talking to me like she always did, if not with even more interest and then before. "Applejack said ah' could tell Miss Cheerilee you was sick, and that ah' was the only one able to take care of you seein' as she and Big Mac both had to go in to town."

I murmured an attempt at a "thank you" through my teeth as I continued to pull it back before I stopped and took a delightful whiff of the bucket. I looked up and smiled at the filly (my new way of saying thank you), raising my ears, and she beamed widely with a terrific sense of self accomplishment, which I couldn't help but feel better at. I looked down and licked my lips at the sixty or so apples; part of me was almost reluctant to plunge my mouth into the bucket, like I had this strange, almost degrading feeling that Discord would find it funny to see me eating this way or something, but I decided I didn't really care, and I opened my mouth wide and gripped about six apples in my mouth at once before I sliced them in my mouth and threw them back. Screw Discord, I'm hungry. I could swallow more than one apple whole without even chewing it.

As usual, Apple Bloom watched me eat with intensity, as it seemed to fascinate her wildly; she hasn't been phased by this whole thing at all, she just thinks it's exciting. I tried to ignore her and enjoy my food, but when she began to giggle, I had gotten past my initial annoyance and interiorly confessed I rather enjoyed her teasing. I was gaining better control over my new body, as I swung the end of my tail across the floor and gently wapped her with the end of it.

"Hey!" she yelled with a laugh, which I largely ignored as I struck the bucket with my head and spilled the last few apples onto the floor. Since I'm not getting the ones at the bottom with my tongue, sorry Winona. I bit the last apples in my teeth and threw them back. I sat back, licked my lips with my forked tongue, and that was it for breakfast. It felt great for a moment, having somewhat satisfied my hunger, but then I felt my old feelings returning. Ugh, not this again. I sighed, and decided to focus on Apple Bloom to help me feel better, relishing her the innocence of her company. For a brief moment of complete silence, I laid myself back down on my stomach in the hay and smiled at her, ignoring all other things and letting her eager expression give me some comfort.  

"So, uh..." she said, twirling her hoof around in the hay before turning up with a hopeful grin, "do you think you'll try flyin' some today?"

I should've known. I stared at her with a dull expression before I rolled my eyes and snorted, followed by lowering my head to the ground, eventually covering my face with the end of my tail again. And bracing for protests.

"But c'mon! Ya can't just not do nothin' with those wings! "

"No," I grumbled, though it of course came out as nothing more than a grumble. I swung my tail back behind me and turned my head away from her, resting it down on the opposite side, refusing to look her in the eye. Hmph. I'm not becoming a dragon, for gosh sakes. I hadn't even tried to fly yet, though I had beat me wings a couple of times; I was bitter about the thought of "getting used" to being a dragon, though deep down I thought flying sounded like a lot of fun. I also didn't like the idea of having fun as a dragon because then I'd have to partially attribute it to Discord in some way. That was one of the things I hated the most; despite all of my frustrations, I kind of actually didn't mind some aspects of being a dragon. Yer an adorable dragon! I chuckled warmly remembering her words; I was actually quite flattered, but I quickly shook my head and snorted. No. She's not here, so I can't enjoy myself.

On top of the filly's voice, I heard the sound of hooves rushing over to the side where my head was resting, and it wasn't hardly a second before yellow and red appeared.

"Please, AJ! Ya got to at least try. Think about all the things ah' could- ah' mean, you could see up there," she said with wide, pleading eyes. "Ya don't have to leave the farm! Oh, and once you learn, you think you could take me too?"

She brought her face just a foot or so from mine and stared with wide eyes, waiting for a more positive response. After a moment of silence, I slowly stood up and began walking towards the door, realizing I wasn't prepared to stay in the barn listening to her incessant pleading. Big Mac had said not to leave the barn during the day, running the risk of ponies seeing me (which I really, really do not want), but I was not going to put up with staying in there all day this time.

I was used to walking on my new limbs by now, and last night I even briefly tried running (and found I can move pretty fast despite the weight). I folded my wings on my back and squeezed my way through the open barn doors with Apple Bloom trailing right behind me, yakking away, begging me to fly. I took some delight in the blue skies and puffy clouds, but not nearly enough. I started making my way into the apple trees, where I could semi-hide myself from any pony passing by the farm, though we lived on a private road, so ponies rarely passed by unless it was a pegasus overhead. I'd wished there were apples on them, even though I'd just eaten. Then I shook my head and thought for a moment, ignoring Apple Bloom's chattering. I don't have thumbs anymore, so I can't even dream of gripping a pen or pencil in these claws to write his filthy name down. Think, AJ, think... Then I caught something Apple Bloom said, who still hadn't given up.

"What if somethin' bad happens? What if ya got to protect Applejack and the rest of us from somethin'? You'll wanna know how to fly then."

I stopped in my tracks, my folded wings fell the ground, and I stared straight ahead in stunning realization. She's right. What if I do need to protect Applejack and the family? I turned my head up at the sky in thought. Discord's power was frightening, but what if I could learn to use his own cruel joke against him? No doubt about it, at some point flying will probably really come in handy. That was good enough of an excuse for me to fly, though I ignored the part of me that was really excited to try it.

I looked down at Apple Bloom, who was waiting patiently for an answer. I smiled at her knowing that she would at least get some fun out of it. I certainly wasn't angry with her. I love her like she's my own little sister. I just wasn't happy with Discord. Not at all. But the little sister of my precious best friend and wife was able to soften my anger for a few moments.

"So you'll do it?" she cried excitedly.

I nodded my head up and down.

"Yee haw!" she sang, and began to hop around me.

As soon as she was out of my way, I leapt away, leaving her behind me and prancing through the trees with towards the goal of getting somewhere I could beat my wings and attempt to fly. I wanted to be completely alone but not confined to the barn, without having to worry about Apple Bloom or anyone else watching. Sprinting on all fours was still very new to me, but I did it anyway, and I had to duck my head to avoid all the low branches, and even that wasn't enough as the top of my back and my wings seemed to cut through them with ease, leaving a trail of debris behind me. I was eager to run freely out in the open for the first time in a week and hopefully release some frustration in the process.

I could feel the wind strong in my face as I ran in the direction away from Ponyville towards the meadows and hills. It didn't take me long at all to reach them, yet while I ran, my anger towards Discord seemed to grow exponentially as I thought freely about all of the misfortune he had caused Applejack and me by turning me into this. It didn't take long before it was not since Manehattan that I had been this furious. I lowered my eyebrows and began to spread my huge wings as far out as they could go. This is for Applejack. Protecting her. I briefly closed my eyes while I focused on my back and wing muscles. I flapped my wings once and for a moment I felt light as a feather while the air lifted up under my wings and my legs briefly lifted off the ground.

At first my anger turned into fear and shock at the thrill of flying, but I forgot to flap a second time, and I came crashing to the ground hard, sending a cloud of dirt into the air around me and leaving a large crevice in the earth behind me. Ow... I laid there still for a moment as my body seared in pain, but it didn't last. It just made me angrier and more frustrated. I snarled and stood myself up, and began running wildly again. Look what he's done. Look at what he's gotten her into. A week of (mostly) sitting in the barn as a dragon, not able to think of a way to fix it or tell my wife who was responsible had worn me thin.

I remembered what Discord had said shortly before he did this. "If not, have fun raising your child this way." Part of me liked being a dragon, as I said, but when I thought about this, my anger reached new heights. If I don't agree to help him, he expects me to remain this way... forever? That means... I pictured Applejack, our foal, and I, in my current form. From Applejack's point of view, her husband, who was formerly a human, is now involuntarily a dragon, while she's expecting a foal with him. Unable to love him the way she had, whilst ponies everywhere laughed at her misfortune. My blood boiled, and the gas that I felt in my stomach was strong and eager to come up through my throat and out of my mouth. I will not allow her to be laughed at. I didn't realize how far I was from what I'd been just two weeks ago.

I hardly waited to flap my wings a second time and once again I lifted off the ground, only this time I added a second slow, efficient flap that allowed the wind under my wings to carry me up even higher as I glided above the grass. I was picking it up very quickly, and I drifted over some trees and hill, focused on tilting my wings so they allowed even more air to lift myself upward, but it was too new to me, and I lost balance in my wings and crashed into the earth by a lake. Enraged, I raised myself up out of the cloud of dust and turned my head out towards the water. Interiorly, I held my breath and drew the gas up up through my throat and let it issue with great force from my mouth in tremendous streams of orange fire that spread out over the lake. After a long spout, I took a breath and roared at the top of my lungs for as long as I could, allowing the gas in my stomach to empty itself in flames over the surface of the lake.

When the last of the gas in my stomach was gone, I fell to the ground winded from from the long breaths of fire and the expenditure of oxygen. I could feel the gas slowly beginning to replenish itself in my stomach. My face was on the edge of the lake, and I saw that there was my reflection. I looked in and saw myself for the first time like this, my teeth, my jet black skin, my blue stripes and spikes. But more importantly, the anger in my eyes that reflected the state of my heart. And immediately, I reverted back to my old, helpless self.

I had relieved myself of my rage, but it immediately replaced itself with crippling sadness. I took a good, long look, and realized I had let myself become what Discord certainly hoped that I would become; an image of misery and anger. When I imagined Applejack's caring face next to my own in the water, I was so ashamed of the monstrous creature that I saw next to her that I let my entire body sink to the ground, and I laid there motionless. The worst part about it was that I was Applejack's husband. This is not what she fell in love with. She's tried to so hard to stay positive and to make sure I'm feeling ok. She's never once complained about me being a human. Or now a dragon. She's adjusted so well and tried so hard. I buried my face in the dirt and became teary eyed with myself.

Hey, ah'll have none of that, I heard her say. Ah' love you no matter what you are. We just gotta make of the most of this, that's all. Ah' wanna see you happy, sugarcube. Ain't you still my husband? Like ah' said, ah' think yer an adorable dragon. I rolled over on my back and stared up at the puffy white clouds. I let the light shine through them down on me as I thought about it, and almost no time at all, her love seemed to wash away my sadness and frustration. She's right. Discord wants us to be miserable. He wants us to have problems and let it bother us. But this won't stop us from being happy if we're together. It tickled me to think about going back to the farm and being with her that day. As a young farm mare, her lessons are often beautifully simple and easy to understand, on top of being profoundly true, sometimes just in her attitude towards those she loves. And why should I let that stop me from having fun with what I do have? Why not use it against him? I'm still me, after all, dragon or human.

I slithered ahead right into the lake and submerged myself in the lake's cool waters before coming back out and shaking it off. I turned my head and around and looked back at my body. Applejack still thinks I'm adorable, so for the time being, that's good enough for me. I'll just have to make the most of it. Let's be honest... being a dragon does have its kicks.  the I still want to get back to my human self obviously - I have no intention of being a father like this, and it's still a painful thought- as well as figure out a way to expose Discord, but at least I was no longer afraid to take pride in my some of my new form; I could actually enjoy it without feeling guilty. I looked up and noted the gorgeous skies. I bet it's pretty romantic up there when the sun sets.

Looking back down across the lake, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a large fish swimming on the surface near the shore. I stared at it intently; it was strangely captivating. It seemed I was still hungry. No... what am I thinking? I'm out of here, that's what. I turned my back to it and walked away, though my hunger was mentally drawing me back to it at the same time. I angrily shook my head and kept walking away from the lake and back towards the meadow. I am not eating a raw fish. I took a few more steps before I stopped again. Then again, if I eat simply the orchard's apples, we're gonna be way below our profit margin... No, no, no. I took a few more steps forward before I closed my eyes. Grrr... I turned around, sprinted, and hurled myself into the lake, face first and an open mouth. My head emerged from the surface with the large fish futilely struggling to free itself from my teeth. I climbed out of the lake and threw it back, swallowing it whole. It was salty, but it was a surprisingly pleasant taste on my tongue.  

Finally my hunger was satisfied. That was humiliating, but better than nothing. Though I knew this lake would probably be frequent stopping point for me in the future. Well then. Where was I? I pranced away from the lake towards the meadows again and flapped my wings, and the thrill of flying returned when I initially lifted off the ground. This is gonna be a fun afternoon.