Switching Up the Beats

Chapters

Chapter 1: Octi's Bad Save
Ch 2: Body Swappin' good time
Ch 3. Some of the Many Problems of Switching Bodies.
Ch 4: A rough day, but a good night.
Ch 5: The comic shop and Stan.
Ch 6. To the Doc's!

Chapter 1: Octi's Bad Save

Switching Up the Beats:

Dizzy Lightning

Chapter 1

Vinyl paced back and forth on the tile floor, her hooves making an ever so slight click noise. She was mumbling with both excitement and nervousness. Octavia sighed, “Vinyl, dear, I do wish you would stop pacing it’s making it extremely hard to practice.” She said putting down her bow.

“I’m sorry Octi, it’s just I haven’t seen Dramatic Entrance in so long. I just can’t wait for her to get here.”

“Yes, yes, I know…” Octavia said, walking over to her mare, “but please, it will do you no good to rush her, her train will get here when it gets here.”

“I guess your right I just can’t wait to-“there was a crash as a purple mare swung through the living room window on a rope.

“Swing through the window to friend’s surprise.” She chanted excitedly. She slid her back around sideways, “Skid to a halt.” She turned towards Vinyl, “Kiss the giggly one,” She said as she planted pressed Vinyl into a kiss. “And,” She saw the stone-cold-psychopathic-calm on Octavia’s face, “stay away from the grumpy one.” She turned back to Vinyl, who hugged her tightly.

“Oh my Celestia, Drama, I can’t believe it’s been so long! How’ve you been?” The one unicorn said, hugging her friend.

“I’ve been great, I’ve done Manehatten, and Prance, I even did a tour with a Pantomime troupe in the Griffon Kingdoms.” Vinyl motioned her to the couch and they both flopped down, ignoring Octavia’s deep sigh. “How about you, what’s the Great Vinyl Scratch been up to recently, last time I saw you, you were still remixin’ Tombstone, Toaster, and Mic the Microphone, have you done any singles yet?”

“Yeah, I’ve done one or two,” Vinyl said, casually motioning to the gold record hanging behind her, “But the biggest thing is, I got married.” She said motioning to Octavia. Octavia blushed. (Vinyl put very few things ahead of her music, Octavia was flattered to be one of them.)

“Oh congrats,” Drama said looking from one mare to the other, “I’m still in the market myself, but I’ve been too busy to settle down.”

“I have to ask,” Octavia put in, “It seems like with a life like yours, you’d be hard pressed to come down here, how did you ever find the time? I mean I don’t want to sound cynical but…”

“Hey, what can I say, I made time… And there is one thing…” She turned to look at Vinyl, “I need a unicorn for a play I’m writing, and I thought you might just be perfect for the part.”

“Cool,” Vinyl said, “What’s it about?”

“Well it’s actually about an earth pony that learns to work lei-lines and cast spells.” Her horn flared with a tiny touch of blue magic as she brushed it against Vinyl’s. “It will require a unicorn though, as I don’t know many earth pony’s who can cast spells...”

“Vinyl your horn,” Octavia yelped.

“What!?” Vinyl yelled, fumbling around her head, what happened.

“It’s gone!”

“WHAT,” She yelled “WHY CAN I STILL FEEL IT!?”

Drama giggled “Actually, it’s still there, it’s just invisible!”

“Impressive, I must say,” Octavia said, in spite of herself.

“But why me I mean, isn’t there another unicorn you could use?”

“Well, you look the way I imagine the character, you have the right attitude, and besides that, I need a temporary sound manager, since my old one is down for a bit.” She said, “So I figured you could do both, that is if you’re okay with it.” She said, looking at the white mare on the couch next to her.

“Well yeah, of course I’m interested.” Vinyl said with a shrug, “But I don’t know, I’ve been so used to magic ever since I was a filly, I really wouldn’t know what it would be like not having it.”

That was it… That was the series of words that flipped on the working mind of a mad, artistic, genius. “Actually, I believe I can help with that as well…” She said, looking from one mare to another, “If you’re both consenting to this idea that is.”

“What idea?” Octavia said, cocking her head a little.

“Well, it’s quite simple actually. It’s just a small rite that will temporarily place each other’s minds in the other’s body.”

“That… Sounds… Awesome…” Vinyl said with a sudden squee.

“I do admit that it would be interesting to be a unicorn, on an academic level, but I don’t know, this all sounds a little strange…”

“Oh please Octi, I promise I’ll take good care of your body, please let us do this!” Vinyl said, falling to her knees in front of the gray mare.

Octavia fought, she fought with all the will the gods had given her, (unfortunately her creator had endowed her with a slightly lower wisdom bonus then her charisma, and hadn’t made up for it with feats, and promptly rolled a 1 on her will save at this event.)

She couldn’t resist those big red puppy-dog eyes sparkling at her. “Vinyl, as long as it makes you happy, then I will consent. But, I hope you learn something from this experience.” Octavia said with a slight groan. Some way, somehow, she knew she’d regret this decision for a long, long, time.

Author's Note

Sorry if this felt a bit rushed. In hindsight it does seem to be a little bit crazy. I might do a chapter 1 redo after the first string of critiques comes in. Also, I only have time to write very late at night right now, and I'm usually just jutting something down on my way to bed, but stick with me here folks, I'm willing to keep going if you are.

Ch 2: Body Swappin' good time

Switching Up the Beats:
Dizzy Lightning:
Ch 2.

Drama flipped the pages of a book, looking for a spell she'd only used once in collage. "Hmmm," She said as her eyes darted from page to page. "Ha, here it is." She tapped her hoof on the page. "According to this, both of you need to lay, head to hooves, on the ground."

Octavia and Vinyl stared at each other for a minute. Octavia saw the expression of giddy-joy on Vinyl's face. She sighed inwardly, and shifted into position, as Vinyl did the same. Dramatic Entrance circled the pair, the purple aura from her horn laying runes on the ground around the two, as she muttered the incantation under her breath. Octavia and Vinyl began to feel dizzy, as if the room around them was spinning. It was an odd sensation, almost like a centrifuge attempting to force them from their bodies. Suddenly, Octavia saw her body go limp for a second, as she felt a tingling sensation that wasn't all-together unpleasant. Then with a tremendous roaring sound, she was tossed about in the air, until she saw Vinyl's body approaching on her left side. She collided with it, there was an electrifying sensation throughout her entire being. Then came blackness, and an all consuming numbness.

For Vinyl, who had natural unicorn magic built up in her body, the experience was a little more intense. Being ejected from her body felt a little like being hit by a baseball bat, as she was tossed into the air, she was able to see Octavia's...- She wasn't sure what to call it... It was everything that made Octavia who she was- fly past her, before it spread over the white coat of her now vacant body. Then all of that faded, it felt like landing on a soft downy mattress, she too faded to nothing but a momentary void.

Octavia was the first to come to. She opened her eyes, and saw the world with a purple hue. She realized that she was wearing the DJ's characteristic shades. She took her hoof, and gently removed them. She turned her gaze slightly to her right, seeing her own body laid out on the ground was a little unnerving. She took a step towards the sleeping pony, and fell on top of her. "What is it, what's happening, where am I?" Vinyl screamed as she tried to stand, which was virtually impossible with Octavia draped across her ribs.

"Vinyl, it's okay really, I just can't seem to keep my balance!" Octavia said.

Vinyl quit freaking out for a second, instead she started giggling. "Is that, is that really how I'd sound with your accent?"

"What?" Octavia, heard her voice, or rather Vinyl's voice, reply. "Oh my, I do agree it is a little funny isn't it?" She said with a light chuckle herself, as she finally managed to untangle from the pony beneath her.

"Hey," Vinyl said, standing up a little shakily, "Your voice sounds funnier without it."

Drama looked from one mare to the other, a small smile on her face. "I take it, it worked then?" She said.

"Yes, I should say so," replied Octavia, looking down at the body that would be her temporary new home.

"Hey look at me," Vinyl said, now looking at Octavia's body, "I'm damn fine." She said, with a little sachet of her tail, which caused her to lose her balance for a moment.

Octavia blushed, "I'm not so bad myself."

"Heh, nice to see you two are already at home, I guess it works better with two ponies who've known each other for a while."

"Yes, and I hope we both enjoy this experience over the next couple weeks." Octavia said with a smile. "After all, I will need it back for the show Sunday after next."

"Um," Drama said suddenly looking a little nervous, "You see, uh,"

"Yessss...." Vinyl had never heard her own voice pack such cold steel before, it scared her, it scared her a lot. "Is there going to be a problem with that?" Octavia said, bringing her new red eyes even with Drama's blue ones.

"Well, I didn't invent this spell," Dramatic Entrance began, shuffling towards the open window. "And I was afraid to mess with the basic components, I mean, with a spell you know any number of things could go wrong if you start messing with the basics and..." She stammered, as she backed into the end-table.

"Cut," Octavia said bringing her forehead to the other ponies, "to the point!"

Dramatic entrance sighed, "The basic idea is, the spell's default duration is a month."

"WHAT!?" The two mares shouted in unison.

"Drama," Vinyl said, now standing next to Octavia, "you can fix this right, I mean, I've got stuff to do too!"

"Well, I suppose I can talk to the guy who invented this spell, we had Theatre Practicum together back at Canterlot District College, he runs a little comic shop in Canterlot now, he said something about making adventures more immersive, last time I talked to him."

"Right," Octavia sighed, "Tomorrow we'll go and see this friend of yours, and see if he can help."

"In the mean time though," Vinyl said with a mischievous grin, "There's something I always wanted you to do for me, and now there's nothing left to stop me from making you."

"Oh Celestia no Vinyl, please not the..." Octavia sighed as her eyes rolled up, "Socks..."

"Oh yeah baby..." Vinyl said pressing her side against Octavia. She darted off to the other room. "I never realized how hard these darn things would be to put on without magic!" She shouted from the other room.

Drama looked pensive for a moment, "Can I use that in my play?" She asked.

"Sure," Vinyl said, as she strutted around the corner. Octavia face-hoofed. Her own body was wearing, THOSE! Pink and white stripes ran up the offending articles, making her hooves look like some sort of malformed candy canes.

"Really Vinyl, must you?"

"Sorry Octi, but for the next little bit, that decision is all mine." She said flopping on the couch, "Besides, they make my hooves feel all warm and tingly."

Octavia simply shrugged at her mare, Octavia really had married Vinyl for her quirks anyways. But, still, "Fix this... Soon..." She whispered to Drama.

"Um, I think I hear my uh... My CUE!" she said, laughing nervously as she jumped onto the table, "Laters!" She said, throwing a salute with her hoof, as she jumped out the broken window.

There was a brief pause before Octavia turned to Vinyl, "Dear, I do think you should go help your friend out of the rose thorns."

"Yeah, I suppose your right," The, now, gray mare said standing up off the couch. "Just so you know," She said looking at the sheepish purple mare in the bush, "you brought this on yourself."

Ch 3. Some of the Many Problems of Switching Bodies.

Switching Up the Beats
Dizzy Lightning
Ch 3

Octavia walked into the living room, holding firmly to her scalding cup of coffee. She shuddered a little in the cold morning air, breezing through the broken, boarded window. It rustled her robe, that didn’t quite fit Vinyl’s body as well. “I wish that could be fixed.” She grumbled as she sank down onto the couch. Before her coffee reached her lips she felt a small tingle running from her scalp into her new horn. There was a crackling sound as blue magic filled the vacant space where the window’s glass had been. The shards of glass drifted out of the small trash can just next to the sill. Almost as quickly as it started, it was over. The window had repaired itself. Octavia blinked slightly, “Why the hell didn’t Vinyl just do that earlier?”
“Why didn’t I do what earlier?” Vinyl said shuffling out from the kitchen, her own coffee steaming away.
“The window…” Octavia said, waving a hoof at the wall.
“What about the window?” She said.
“It was extremely easy to fix, all I had to do was think about it and it happened.’
Vinyl took a second to look up from her coffee, “Well, that’s how magic works for ya.”
The white mare sighed as she settled back onto the couch, “You might have wanted to tell me about that.” Octavia said.
“I know,” Vinyl said as she hopped onto the couch with her partner. “I just got caught up in the whole ‘hocus-pocus switching bodies’ thing.” She hugged her mare. “Gee, I never realized I was so soft…”
“There are a few other things you could’ve warned me about.” Octavia blew on her coffee before taking a sip, and shuttering. “Though I should’ve guessed from the way the bathroom’s resembled a psychopathic rampage every morning.”

“Um… Sorry… on both counts.”

“It’s aright but, I do expect a box of chocolates from the store later.”

“I’m not going to the store though.” Vinyl looked over at Octavia. “Or maybe I am…”

Vinyl stood up, “I guess I should get on that.”

As she started over to the door, Octavia gave her a gentle nuzzle, and passed her the list. “Thanks Vinyl and I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

“Ah that’s okay,” She said, she lowered her head to the door, “Oh wait,” she moved her hoof to the door, and shifted out into the chill morning.

“Well, this isn’t so bad, Octavia’s not as bothered by the cold as I am,” she said walking towards the small market plaza. She checked the list, “Eggs, carrots, vegetable oil, and…” She looked up a little confused, “Cello strings? Where the heck do I get cello strings?” She wandered off into the market, merging into the crowd.

Octavia, in the mean time, was having a little bit harder of a time. “Geeze, how does Vinyl do this?” she said holding her stomach a little, “I mean really, I have a rough time of it, but this is ridiculous!” She looked at her cello, “Well, if I can’t beat it, I best try to take my mind off of it.”

She sat on her usual stool, adjusting to accommodate the minor size differences between her own body and Vinyl’s, she placed her hoof to form the first chord of her new composition. The strings thrummed, as she moved the bow with her other hoof, it was all going perfectly. Then she shifted to the next chord, and had to suppress a shudder as the note mangled itself around her. She stared at her hooves, suddenly remembering all the years of practice and toning that her own body had endured, making playing the notes seamless. Vinyl’s hooves alone were not properly trained for the job, nor were her shoulder and elbow muscles trained for the speed and stamina required. She sighed as she laid her instrument carefully back into its case, giving it a loving caress. She looked at her sheet music just before putting it into the special binder she kept her compositions in. She heard it loudly and clearly in her mind, as each note flowed into the next. Suddenly though, she realized the tingling sensation had been there the whole time she’d been reading. Looking over at her cello, she’d turned just in time to see the bow fall sideways into the case. “Oh,” Was all she had time to say before the phone rang.

“Hello?” She said, as she willed the phone to her ear.

“Oc… Octi…” She heard her voice respond from the other side.

“Yes dear, what is it?”

“I uh,” There was a pause as she tried to think of the right wording, “I need you to bail me out…”

“Why, whatever for?”

“I tried to use MY Charge card, and ID at the music store.”

“So?”

“Well, the clerk happened to notice that I haven’t exactly been myself recently.” Vinyl said with slight sarcasm, “And he decided it would be a better idea to have me explain the story to the cops instead of wasting his time.”

Octavia couldn’t really move for a second. Why, didn’t we think of that? She thought as she lowered her head. “Alright Vinyl, I’ll be down there as quickly as I can to get this whole mess straightened out.”

“Okay, see you when you get down here.”

Octavia put on her coat, and saddle bags. “That’s it, tomorrow morning; Drama is going with us to Canterlot to have a little chat with this friend of hers.” She said, as she sulked out the door into the cold.

Author's Note

I just now realized what a bad pun "Charge Card" actually was in this context, I'd intended it to be a parody of Chase, but still...

Also, I apologize sincerely if I offend anyone with the humor in this chapter.

Thanks to those who are supporting me in my first fic in a while. Bro-hooves all around.

Ch 4: A rough day, but a good night.

Switching Up the Beats
Ch 4.

Vinyl sat in the small holding cell. Shivering out of nerves and the slight chill in the air. Across from her, a white pony sat hugging her hind legs with her front, muttering under her breath, and constantly twitching. To Vinyl's right was a purple pony who'd obviously had too much fun, and too much to drink. She lie snoozing, occasionally trying to use Vinyl's lap as a pillow. Vinyl had to politely and repeatedly move her aside. The most unnerving of all was the black gryphon, with a red band around her beak and claws cuffed behind her back, eying Octavia's body with a little more than casual interest. Vinyl was on the verge of tears, wishing she could undo this entire process.

Suddenly, the cell door came open, and the bright light of the lobby streamed into the dark little holding cell. Octavia came through the door, and looked directly at her mare. "Vinyl dear, it's time to go."

Vinyl leaped off the bench, throwing the poor drunken fool to the floor (it's alright, she didn't even notice,) and grabbed Octavia in a hug. "Let's get out of here." Vinyl said, as she walked out the door.

"I cleared everything up with the officer who arrested you, even though I had to repeat the entire bloody story at least eight times for him to understand."

Vinyl was taken to the front desk, where a gray pony retrieved a small box marked 'Vinyl Scratch?' The box contained her saddle bag, wallet, her ID and charge card which were both wrapped in 'evidence' bags, and a rather squished parcel tied with a blue ribbon. Vinyl took the last item on the line and passed it to Octavia. "Here's your chocolates Octi," she said looking a little down trodden, "they got a little smooshed when I got thrown into the police wagon."

Octavia pulled Vinyl close, "That's okay Vinyl, it's not your fault." She said as the two mares walked back towards their house.

When they got home, Octavia removed Vinyl's saddle bag, taking the mostly intact groceries to the kitchen. Vinyl flopped down on the couch, Octavia's long black hair trailing over her face. Soon her mare arrived with a wonderful smelling soup, and a couple bowls of salad. "After we're done with dinner, I've got something special to melt off the stress of the day." Octavia said, "a couple mugs of warm, delicious, Canterlot Brandy."

Vinyl sighed, "I'm sorry I got us into all of this." The normally peppy DJ said.

"Oh dear, I had to agree to it too, I'm equally guilty. Yet the one I'm really mad at is that purple-maned lunatic you call a friend."

"Still, it's been fun being you so far, seeing what it's like to be an earth pony. I even tried to mix a little yesterday, and I had to basically relearn to use my mixer all over again."

"I'm enjoying being a unicorn. Fixing dinner, for instance, is much easier with a horn."

The two snuggled a little closer, the soup and salad completely eaten. With a blue aura around her horn, Octavia called the mugs and brandy over to the couch. "That's impressive," Vinyl said, watching the drink pour into the mugs, "most of the time that takes months or years to get right."

Octavia giggled a bit, "I don't know, maybe it's just that we know each other so well, your bodies magic just wants to work with me."

The two mares clinked mugs together, taking a bracing sip of the warm drink. Vinyl laid her head back on Octavia's lap. "Man, my coat just seems to keep getting softer..." She said, as her eyes started to close. Octavia willed a blanket over to cover the softly snoring mare, before kissing her hoof, and placing it gently on the sleeping pony's brow. She started to nod off herself, until she heard a bizarre fluttering sound at the newly repaired window. As she opened her eyes again, she noticed a small piece of paper taped to the window. She opened the window and brought it in, careful not to disturb Vinyl. It read

"Dear pals of mine. Sorry I couldn't meet you guys today, as it appears you weren't home. I considered breaking in and waiting for you to show up, but thought the better of it. Instead I left you this note. If I'm not here before noon tomorrow, just head over to House of Enchanted Comics in Canterlot, that's the shop my friend owns, and I'll meet you there between noon to one at the cafe across the street. Much love and well wishes, Dramatic Entrance, P.S. Hope you're not too mad at me."

Octavia groaned quietly, looking down at the sleeping gray mare in her lap, and thinking about the day she'd had. "No, why would I be mad?" Octavia said sarcastically, as she settled back down on the couch. With a roll of her eyes, and a soft click, the lights went off and the TV came on. Before long, Octavia's eyes closed, and she fell asleep.

Author's Note

Indeed it was a long time coming, hope it was worth the wait.

I've had a bunch occur in my life recently, Psych essays, Comp 1 essays, Acting 1 assignments (Dramatic Entrance, in retrospect, reminds me of my drama teacher a little bit,) and several things, including turning 20 (KAZOO!)
I'm not sure now how long it will be until the next chapter, especially since the idea for a fic called Mare Citizen is now rattling around in my head, but I promised myself I'd finish this one before I started any others.
Anyways, I've got a few ideas for the next chapter, and a surprise planned a little ways down the line that I think a lot of you will love.
As always though,
Much thanks and a series of appologies, DL your humble word bender.

Ch 5: The comic shop and Stan.

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long to get out, sorry again if it doesn't seem that well polished.

Life sort of got in the way of things recently. Being a full-time student, and trying to work at the same time doesn't leave too much time for hobby work, yet I have a little while before I got back to work full-time, and an even longer while before school starts again. So, I'll get as many chapters as I can up in that time.

The good news: Because of my studying I made a 3.8 GPA,
The bad: I delayed you lovelies the surprise in store for Vinyl and Octavia in the NEXT chapter for a while longer. Simply because I can't think of how to build up to it. A few of you might guess what the secret is from some context given here, but if you do, don't spoil it.

Thanks and Apologies as always, humble wordsmith DL

Ch 5: The comic shop and Stan.

Switching Up The Beats
Ch. 5
By: Dizzy Lightning.

Octavia stood outside the bathroom door, trying to offer sympathy to the pony who sounded like she was dying within. "Vinyl dear," She said above the terrible retching sound, "Are you sure you want to go today?"

"Octavia we -hurp-, we've put this off for two days now." The gray mare replied through the door.

"It's just that you sound so ill, I don't want you putting too much strain on yourself."

The door opened, as Vinyl walked out into the hallway. "I feel better now," she said, "besides, Drama isn't going to be in town much longer, if we wait we might not have this fixed in time for our concerts."

As the time for their meeting approached, there was still no sign of the deranged purple nuisance coming up the path to their house. Eventually the two mares decided to head to the alternate meeting spot, the little cafe just across the road from the comic shop. "Canterlot's House of Enchanted Comics?" Vinyl said with her head tilted slightly. "Funny, I've been up and down the streets of this city, and I've never seen that shop before."

Before Octavia could reply, the waitress returned with their orders. A simple tea for Octavia, and a mountain of hay-fries and a veggie burger for Vinyl. "Should you be eating that? I mean, after this morning it doesn't seem wise."

"I don't know what it is Octi," Vinyl said in between massive mouth-fulls. "But I smelled the burgers cooking and I suddenly wanted one."

"Well, if you're craving it, eating it probably isn't that bad for you."

Octavia paused the conversation long enough for her suddenly gluttonous mare to eat. "Where is that bedeviled friend of yours anyway?" She finally asked.

"She should be here any minute."

There was a sudden puff of smoke. The purple mare appeared, wrapped in a large black cape. "Greetings!" She shouted, ignoring the coughing of the two mares in front of her. "We can go into the shop if you like, I've got a key, but Stan's gonna be a few minutes, he's busy testing his new comic."

Vinyl suddenly seemed to recover from her coughing. "Wait a minute, Stan... No, you can't be..."

"Vinyl, what is it dear?" Octavia asked.

"You can't mean Stan Za, only the most famous comic writer ever?"

"Yep."

"Founder of Marevel comics?"

"Yep."

"Author of the Power Ponies?"

"Yep, and creator of the enchanted adventure comic."

Vinyl let out a fan-girl squee, "I have so many of his comics, I can't believe you never mentioned this before."

"To be fair, we haven't spoken in a while."

Octavia cleared her throat. "So, can we go in now, I'd like to get this situation resolved as quickly as possible."

Drama sighed, Vinyl and Octavia left a tip on the table, and the three mares crossed the street. The little door bell tinkled as they entered the shop. All along the walls were brightly colored comics, each wrapped in a clear plastic case. One comic sat open on the counter, flipped to the last page. A note sat next to it on the counter, "Drama, if you're here before I'm back, go ahead and start setting up, my spell journal's in the back - Stan."

"Hey Octavia," Drama said with a sideways glance, "you want to work some actual magic?"

Octavia thought about it for a moment. She looked at Vinyl with a huge grin, "Yes, ever since I tapped into Vinyl's magic on accident I've wondered what it would be like to do something bigger."

With that Octavia and Drama vanished into the back. Vinyl was totally lost in the wonderland of geeks. She stopped to look at the comic on the desk. *SQUEEE!* It was the newest issue of Power Ponies, this hadn't even been released to the publisher yet. She flipped it excitedly back to the beginning, struggling not to tear it with her hooves. She had just gotten through the second page when the book began to glow. She shut her eyes and stepped away from the book. With a bright flash, a tan colored stallion, with a close-cut gray mane, a cutie-mark that looked like a comic page, and a pair of brown sunglasses emerged from the pages. "STAN ZA!" Vinyl said, letting out a fan-girl scream, "Will you sign my comic?" She asked, holding the issue she'd been browsing.

"I believe you mean MY comic?" The stallion said with a chuckle

"Oh, right..." Vinyl said, placing it back on the counter.

With a smile, the unicorn took a comic off the shelf, moving aside the plastic cover. "Although, for a friend of Drama's, I'm willing to do this." He said, signing the comic and placing it back in the wrapper.

Vinyl looked at the article, a signed issue of the first-ever Power Ponies comic, where all of their back stories are explained. Vinyl started jumping around the shop letting out several whoops of joy. "What's all the racket?" a voice from the back shouted, "We're trying to concentrate remember." Drama said as she slid out from the back of the store. "Oh hey Stan, glad you're with us, maybe now we can get to work on this."

Stan nodded and headed towards the back. As he turned, he saw Vinyl a little down trodden. "Hey, I know you can't really help us right now, but feel free to read anything in the store." No sooner had he said this, then Vinyl began compiling a To Read list of comics on the counter. Stan chuckled to himself as he passed into the back of the shop.

Ch 6. To the Doc's!

Author's Note

Sorry this took so long to publish. I'm starting school again... that's also why it's kind of rushed. I've also had some flooding at my house, a burglary while we were cleaning up the flood, I've been told by my doctor to go see a therapist for some depression issues, and I've got some other things going on in my life that make writing difficult. Anyways, thanks lovelies, as always

Dizzy Lightning, your humble wordsmith.

Ch 6. To the Doc's!

Ch 6.

The work at the comic shop went on long into the night. When Octavia emerged, stretching and yawning from the back, she found Vinyl curled up in a stack of comics. She was snoring softly, one of the articles lying pressed against her face. She giggled at the image of herself lying in a pile of comics, in such disarray. She strolled over and gently moved the comic, planting a kiss on Vinyl's now exposed nose. The gray pony woke slightly, returning the kiss. She yawned and got to her hooves. "What time is it Octi?"

"Well past two in the morning."

"We'd best get home then, if you're all finished."

"We're not entirely done," Drama said, shaking her head, "I'm afraid I made a bit of a debacle on the casting runes and now we're, as we say in the business, 'fixing it in post.'"

"It's not major, but we have to get the timing readjusted, if we don't you'll be stuck like this until it wears off... in a month." Stan said.

"A MONTH! YOU SAID TWO WEEKS!" Vinyl said, bolting up and staring at Drama.

Drama backed up, "whoa!" She raised and lowered her hooves in a calming motion, "relax, breath, calm-down..."

"We're fixing it Vinyl, don't worry, we'll have it done before our concerts." Octavia said, hugging her mare.

Vinyl started to say something, but when she opened her mouth, she immediately closed it again. She ran over behind the counter and buried her face in the trash can. An audible hurp sound emerged from behind the glass display. Octavia put her hand on her back, "are you okay?"

Vinyl nodded weakly, another heave came before she could verbalize an answer. After a few minutes she finally stopped. "I'm fine," she said wiping her mouth off, "I don't know what's going on, I felt fine all day."

"Except this morning..." Octavia said worriedly, nuzzling her shoulder, "maybe we should take you to the doctor in the morning."

Vinyl curled away a little bit, "I don't know Octi, going to the doc in your body, that'd feel... weird..."

"I know but I think it's for the best."

"You should also go get some sleep in a proper bed," Drama said, walking towards the door, "you can use my room at the hotel since it's just down the street a little."

"Where will you stay?" Vinyl said, looking at her friend.

"I'll couch surf at Stan's tonight."

After hugging her friend in thanks, Vinyl and her mare left the shop. They walked down the street a little ways, past the cafe they had visited just a few hours before. The hotel was one of the nicer ones in Canterlot. It was about six stories tall, and fairly wide. The key identified the room as "625." The two walked into the darkened lobby, a gray pony at the desk looked up as the two passed. "Can I help you ladies?"

"We're just headed up to our friend's room." Octavia said, showing him the key.

He nodded and went back to reading his comic. A few seconds later he looked up again. "HEY, YOU'RE NOT..." he said running over towards the pair, Octavia braced for an ensuing lecture. The stallion came up to their sides, "YOU ARE!" He clocked his hooves together. "You're Vinyl Scratch and Octavia!" He said.

The pair looked at each other with a grin, relieved that no yelling was about to occur, "Yes we are." said Octavia holding out her hoof.

The stallion blinked, pointing towards Vinyl, "I thought you had the accent..." He said raising his eyebrow. Before she could answer however he dropped back into fan-boy mode. "OH MY GOSH, YOU AND DRAMATIC ENTRANCE ALL STAYING IN MY HOTEL!" He was practically dancing at this point, "will you sign my albums."

Both mares were extremely tired, but neither willing to disappoint the eager fan. He handed them the two records. Vinyl got one of Octavia's and vice-versa, the two shared a glance and traded the albums. "What'd you do that for?"

"Well," Vinyl said, quickly searching for cover, "Uh this will make them rarer... many people have OUR records signed by us, but not many have one's signed by our spouse and us TOGETHER!" Vinyl said hoping her rouse would work, "that'll make 'em rarer!"

The stallion pondered this for a second before deciding she was right. Vinyl popped the pen into her mouth, scrolling her signature carefully (having been a long time since she wrote like this,) Octavia started to do the same, before she realized the stallion was expecting to see her use her magic. She visualized the pen scrawling her neat signature along the cover, it worked. The pen delicately scrolled out her signature. They traded again and repeated the signing process. The stallion almost fainted upon receiving his albums back. That being concluded, the exhausted mares bid him goodnight, and headed into the elevator. Vinyl leaned against Octavia on the way up. The white mare was glad her own body was so light, otherwise she probably would've collapsed under the mix of exhaustion and Vinyl's weight pressing against her.

They finally reached the sixth floor. Walking down to the room, they opened the door and flicked on the lights. The room was beyond nice, it's furnishings consisted of: a large desk (topped with scripts, photographs and design notes,) a full dresser and closet (both filled with odds-and-ends of costumes,) two end-tables with nice white lamps on them, a queen-sized bed, and a unicorn-magic-air-conditioning unit. Vinyl opened the door to the bathroom and looked at the tub. "I think I might take a bath before I turn in," Vinyl said, clopping across the bathroom tile. She paused for a second, "Octi, could you help me run the bath." She said, trying to figure out how to work the dial without her magic.

The white mare nodded, walking over towards the tub. Vinyl slid down into the bottom of the white basin. "Tell me when it's just right."

Vinyl sat testing the water as it flowed out, "there." She said, leaning back into the tub. Octavia plugged the tub, and let it start filling.

She then did something Vinyl wasn't really expecting and slid down into the spacious tub with her. Both had room to lie back until their shoulders were covered in the luxurious suite's tub. Octavia wished the water was a little warmer, as she knew Vinyl often did, but she snuggled up against the other mare in the water all the same. Both sat letting the warmth soak into their bodies, and relaxing all of their muscles. Octavia picked up the small bar of soap in her magic and told Vinyl to roll over. Without questioning, or opening her eyes, the gray mare obliged. Octavia lathered Vinyl's back with the soap, before gently taking her hooves and running them in gentle circles just beneath her shoulders. There was an audible pop, as Vinyl let out a moan of relief. The bath and massage lasted for almost a full hour. When the two were done they emerged from the tub, stepping out onto the mat outside. Octavia, without even putting much effort into it, popped the plug from the drain. She helped Vinyl towel down, before drying herself. Finally it was time to settle into that big luxurious bed. The two slid under the sheet and blanket, snuggling into each other and a few of the many pillows that topped it. With one final kiss, the two drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, Vinyl awoke to the smell of maple syrup. She found a plate of waffles sitting on the end table next to her. She started to sit up and grab the food, but she got interrupted in the process. Every part of her being screamed for her to run to the bathroom. She barely made it before heaving once again. The room door opened and Octavia's voice could be heard. "Sorry I had to run out again, I realized I'd forgotten to get you some juice." Her hoof steps paused outside the bathroom door. "Not again... You poor thing."

Vinyl was too busy to answer. Finally though, she opened the door. The smell of waffles making her mouth water even through the taste of vomit. She sat at the table, in the comfy recliner, and brought her breakfast with her. Without even pausing to say thanks to the mare in front of her, she tucked in. As she was eating, she felt a hoof placed gently on her forehead, followed by a long kiss. "Hmm..." Octavia sighed, "you're not running any fever, I suppose that's good at least." She sat next to her mare on the floor, nuzzling her shoulder. "And even though you're throwing up, your appetite actually seems to be in good order."

Vinyl finished the food, placing her hooves on her stomach as she blinked. "Wow, I don't know what it was about that, but it hit the spot..." Vinyl said, "thank you for thinking of me Octi." She said, remembering that she had gone immediately from the bathroom to the table without even a word to her mate.

Octavia shifted back to a standing position, "I called the doctor, and told her your symptoms, she said she wanted to see you as soon as we could get there." She paused, tapping her chin, "She didn't really sound concerned though, so I guess whatever it is it's fairly minor."

After waking up a little more, and having a couple cups of coffee (which is pretty much the same thing in retrospect,) the two mares headed out of the hotel. The doctor's office was on the other side of town, closer to their home than the hotel. They made finally made it to the doctor's office, both a little hot from the day's sun beating down on them. As they walked in, the white mare behind the desk smiled. "Welcome to Canterlot Family Health, who may I ask is checking in?"

"Octavia Melody-Scratch." Vinyl said, walking up to the desk.

"And do you have an appointment?" The nurse said, flipping through some papers.

"No, the doctor said she wanted to see her as soon as she could." Octavia said, walking up to the counter.

"Alright, let me go check with Dr. Remedy and I'll be right with you." She disappeared into the back for a second. Before the mares could even sit in the waiting room chairs, the nurse motioned for them to come back into the back area.

Vinyl was ushered into an exam room, and she parked on the exam bed. The nurse placed a sphygmomanometer cuff onto her forehoove (to take her blood pressure,) while simultaneously holding a stethoscope to her chest with her magic. She wrote down results on her chart, and then placed a thermometer in her mouth, her temperature (as Octavia thought) was normal. The nurse took a few more triage readings before setting the chart in a shelf on the door. "The doctor will be right in with you." The nurse said, walking away.

She was right with them, only a few seconds after the nurse left then the mares' doctor walked inside. "Hello Octavia, how've you been?" She said, hopping onto a stool in the center of the room, "Your mate tells me you've been having some stomach troubles."

"Yeah, but for most of the day, like right now, I feel fine."

"So when's this affecting you?" The doctor said making notes

"Well it's been mostly in the mornings, or when I wake up from sleeping for more than about an hour."

"Huh... Any other problems, diarrhea, gas, any bloating or cramping besides the normal?"

Vinyl shrugged, "No not really."

"Have you eaten anything you normally wouldn't, traveled anywhere outside of Equestria recently?"

"No, I've stayed near Canterlot for the past couple months, before that we were both on tours but only in Equestria."

The doctor nodded, before she stood up again, "Well, from what you're telling me I can't find any illness, but I would like to run some tests." The doctor made some notes, "I'm ordering a urinalysis and a blood test, to see if anything comes up on either of those." The doctor smiled "It was nice to see you two again, we'll have to catch-up when I've got more time." The doctor said, placing her chart back in the shelf, "A nurse should be by to collect the samples in a moment."

Vinyl curled into a ball, she'd had a life-long fear of needles. Octavia moved over, and began rubbing her back. "It's okay." She said.

The unicorn nurse returned, with a small tray. She used her magic to tie a small yellow band around Vinyl's foreleg, before using her magic to locate a vein. Vinyl buried her face in Octavia's chest as the nurse swabbed her arm. She squeaked softly when the needle went in, not wanting to look as the small test-tube filled. The nurse applied a cotton ball, and then pressed a band-aid against the test site. Vinyl finally peeped out from her mare's chest, accepting the small cup the nurse handed her. After filling and returning it, the nurse said the tests the doctor ordered shouldn't take long, and could be done in the in-house labs. The two were told to go back out to the waiting room. A few hours later, the nurse poked her head through the door again "You can come back now, she's got your results Mrs. Octavia."
This time they were ushered back into the back office, the one where the doctor conducted the business end of things instead of dealing with patients. The doctor came through the door, and looked at Vinyl sitting in the chair, slumped and looking worried. "Well," the Doctor said, "Why so worried? The news is good, in fact it's wonderful."

Vinyl perked up a bit, looking at the doctor puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"Well, all the tests line up, your symptoms match and we caught it early."

Now Vinyl was really puzzled. "What the heck are you talking about?" an edge of panic creeping back into her voice.

The next sound anyone in the waiting room heard was Vinyl's voice (wielded by Octavia,) screaming "I'M WHAT?!" Octavia calmed down, breathing slower, "sorry, I mean, she's what?"

"Pregnant!" The doctor said grinning.

"Wha... How... I mean... We're both..."

"It's perfectly normal, when a unicorn falls in love, sometimes their bodies magic can make it happen. I assure you, you're BOTH going to be the foal's parents." The doctor said, patting Vinyl's stomach gently.

Vinyl could hardly believe what she'd just learned. Suddenly she had a pressing question, "Uh... Doc..." Vinyl said, rubbing her mane with her hoof, "A friend cast a spell on us recently, causing us to swap bodies for a while... Do you think that will, you know, affect the baby in any way?"

"I was wondering about the whole accent thing..." The doctor mumbled as she scratched her chin, "I might have majored in Magic-specific medicine," she said, "but I've gotta be honest, I've never thought of this being a possibility before." Her smile came back though, "I'll tell you what I think though, I think that since the spell only affected you two in the first place it will probably only affect you two again." She moved her hoof on Vinyl's stomach, "besides Oct... I mean Vinyl... The baby's protected fairly well, it shouldn't be any harm." The doctor paused "How long have you two been switched?"

"About three days or so."

"There's your answer, it didn't affect her the first time you switched, I doubt it will affect her the second time."

Vinyl and Octavia finally let the news take hold, as they relaxed. "We're going to be, mummies!" Octavia said, hugging her mare.

Vinyl giggled slightly, "Hey, you can definitely have your body back now... I think I want to go through this on the OUTSIDE!" The three laughed as the doctor congratulated the two, as they left the office.