A Princess Who Likes To Skip
Entry #0
Hello,
I am starting this journal in order to assist my friend Fluttershy.
Fluttershy has finally decided she will make an effort to learn how to consciously control her stare ability, and use this power to its full potential.
To assist her, I have designed the following experiment.
Twice a week, she will attempt to place me into a deep fugue state and plant suggestions into my subconscious. She will not tell me what these suggestions are, in order to avoid any placebo effect. These will be harmless suggestions of course. It is my absolute trust in Fluttershy that makes me an ideal candidate.
My friends will all use this journal to record oddities in my behavior, and try to deduce what suggestions Fluttershy is implanting. It’ll be like a game.
Fluttershy will have full access to this journal as a measure of her own progress.
From here onward I will not read any of the journal entries until the experiment is complete.
Twilight Sparkle.
Entry #1
Hi all, Spike here.
I’m supposed to write down any ways I notice Twilight acting differently.
So far I’ve noticed one thing. Twilight is really looking forward to her next hypnosis session. She get’s this dreamy, happy, kinda dopey look whenever I talk about it.
Now, I'm not sure if this counts, but in books the hypnotist always tells the subject to relax and feel content, right? Maybe Fluttershy told her to feel good when she’s hypnotized, and now she likes being hypnotized. Does that make sense?
Spike
Entry #2
Yo,
I saw the funniest thing yesterday. I’d been napping on a cloud, and when I woke up I looked down and saw Twilight skipping.
She thought nobody was watching. It looked like she was trying to mimic that bouncy hop thing that Pinkie does.
Maybe it’s not completely out of character. The CMC told me she broke into a hop when she told them the story of how she got her cutie mark, only I wasn’t there to see that.
Rainbow Dash
Entry #3
Hi’yah
Pinkie here.
I’ve totally figured out what Fluttershy hypnotized Twilight into doing. You see she came by Sugar Cube Corner for a morning breakfast muffin, and she asked for the bran muffin. Now I know that Twilight doesn’t like the taste of bran. I also know that Fluttershy gives bran to any of her animals that can digest it. She says it’s really got some great health benefits.
So that’s the big mystery. Fluttershy made it so Twilight likes bran.
We also talked for awhile. Well I talked. She kept asking me questions, some of them kinda personal. I guess it’s nice that a friends taking interest.
Pinkie Pie
Entry #4
Applejack here,
I just finished breakfast with Twilight. She brought me my regular bran muffin.
Lately Twilight has a bit of a sweet tooth. She ate, I kid you not, three of my caramel apple fritters. Normally she’ll just take one and be really polite and proper when you ask her how it tasted. Today she gobbled em up like she couldn’t get enough.
AppleJack
Entry #5
Hello Darlings,
It is my understanding that this journal is meant to document changes in Twilights behavior. Well today I noticed something quite significant.
You see, I got in some new fabrics at my store. There was one roll of silk that I was certain Twilight would simply adore. It was a dark blue silk with embroidered stars. The stars were perfectly accurate to actual constellations. Personally, I think that’s an odd detail to get excited over, but to reiterate I was certain Twilight would be impressed.
When I showed her all my new fabric, Twilight didn’t even notice the star patterned silk. She instead went for a roll of material that was intended for Pinkie Pie.
This roll was in primary colours which clashed horribly with her more elegant lavender main. Moreover, it had a childish pattern of teddy bears on it. I’d intended to make Pinkie of pair of flannel pajamas with the material. Twilight insisted that she must have a pair of “jammies” just like it.
Rarity
Entry #6
Yesterday Twilight was trying to curl her hair. We were at the spa and Rarity showed her how, though she tried to talk her out of it. It involved rollers pins and steam.
Poor Twi seemed really disappointed when the curls wouldn’t stick. Personally I think she looks nicer with straight hair anyway.
Applejack
Entry #7
Hi Again.
Lately Twilights been asking to help out with my party planning.
It’s really fun having a friend with me. She’s getting really good at baking cakes, and setting up decorations.
She asked it we could do Derpy’s party on the twenty-fifth, then she asked about Cherilee’s party on the 4 of next month. I thought I was the only one who had every birthday in town memorized.
I asked Twilight how she was getting so much free time, between the library, her studies, and you know... being a princess. She just said don’t worry about it.
Pinkie Pie
Entry #8
I noticed something really weird today.
Twilight was looking at this book, she seemed really interested in it. This isn’t unusual of course.
What’s odd is that when I asked what she was reading, Twilight acted really spooked, like I caught her doing something bad.
I got a look at what the book was, so I tried to pull if off the shelves when she was gone, but it wasn’t on the shelves. I guess she’s not done reading it yet.
Spike
Entry #9
Hello,
I was cleaning yesterday, and I found the book hidden under Twilights pillow.
It’s a book of powerful spells, the type only an Alicorn could pull off.
There was a bookmark on this page about body swapping. What would Twilight want with a body swapping spell.
Spike
Entry #10
Something’s wrong. I asked Rainbow Dash why she hasn’t entered anything in the journal lately. She told me not to worry about it. She was really defensive.
It was the same for Applejack and Rarity.
What’s going on?
Spike.
Entry #11
I have to show this journal to Princess Celestia. Something really weird is happening, and this is the only evidence I have.
I’m on the friendship express, heading for Canterlot right now.
Entry #12
Rainbow Dash is attacking the train.
She’s after me. She has this weird zombie expression, her eyes are all glazed over, and she’s after me.
I’m going to hide this journal, so she can’t get it. If you find this, whoever you are, please, I beg you, take it to Princesss Celestia!!!!
Rainbow Dash carried Spike through the air.
“Spike, calm down. Will you please just listen to me.”
“Ouch!”
Spike bit into Rainbow Dashes arm.
Even through the pain, Rainbow Dash struggled not to drop the squirming Dragon.
“Spike will you please just listen to me.”
“Why should I. You’re under her evil spell, aren’t you.”
“Who’s evil spell?” Rainbow knew who Spike was talking about. She wanted the Dragon to say it so that he would realize how ridiculous it sounded.
“Uh... Fluttershy’s.”
Rainbow glided to the ground, and put the dragon down. They were in the middle of nowhere, but still within view of the train tracks.
“Listen, hear me out, and if you still think you have to run to Celestia I’ll take you their myself.”
Spike crossed his arms and tapped his feet. “Fine talk.”
Rainbow Dash sighed, she didn’t feel she was the one who should be telling him this, but keeping it from him certainly hasn’t done any good.
“Twilights been having anxiety problems.”
“Anxiety.”
“Yes anxiety. I don’t fully understand it myself. I guess she’s just had a lot on her mind since she became a princess. Apparently she’s also had a pretty bad case of insomnia. Twi thought you were too young to understand, so she made up this silly little game. The real reason she’s been seeing Fluttershy is for therapy.”
“Therapy.”
“Yeah. Hypnosis was the only thing that helped her sleep. At the same time she worried about becoming dependent on it.”
Spike thought. He knew Twilight was having trouble sleeping, he just thought it was because she couldn’t sleep on her back anymore with those new wings.
“What about...
“The Pinkie stuff. I don’t get that either. Best we can figure it started as some kinda role playing exercise that was supposed to take her mind off her troubles. Twilight can explain it better. We should have put a stop to it as soon as she started acting weird.”
“Why didn’t you.”
“Well back then Twilight was aware of how she was acting, but she enjoyed it. Pinkie didn’t mind, Pinkie was kinda oblivious actually, and to tell the truth.... it was kinda funny.” Rainbow lowered her head before continuing. “Two days ago Twilight woke up believing she really was Pinkie. She freaked out at her own reflection. She came running to us for help. We had no choice but to tie her down and have Fluttershy hypnotize her back into being Twilight..”
Once promised that Twilight was okay, the two made their way back to Ponyville. Spike still had some questions but his alarm level had dropped from changeling invasion down to cutie pox levels.
When he entered the tree library, Twilight rushed to greet him. She apologized and told him how worried she’d been. She seemed a little more affectionate than normal, but perhaps she really was just worried about him.
They spent the rest of the day together. They finished all their regular chores.
At night Twilight put on her silly teddybear pajamas and crawled into bed.
Spike laid in the basket bed across from her.
“Twilight, Spike asked. Were you really serious about that body swap spell.”
“Body swap spell. What body swap spell?”
The next day Pinkie awoke startled. She’d had this awful dream about being a princess.
It’s not that princesses weren’t great and all. One of her best friends was a princess. It just wasn’t the life for her. In the dream she was so organized and she always had to set a good example for those around her. She looked in the mirror at her pink coat, and her unruly mess of curls. She wasn’t the pony that had to solve everyones problems. She just helped them forget their troubles for a little while. Pinkie could make anyone smile, how could she herself not love being Pinkie Pie.
Author's Note
The idea was stuck in my head like one of Pinkies songs, so I wrote this in a single afternoon. A short story written in a single day.
