The bright morning sun shining through the bedroom window of the library, waking Twilight Sparkle up. Twilight's eyes were heavy; it was a long night of studying last night. She had trouble getting up, because she was completely surrounded and choked by her blankets. Twilight grunted in frustration, flailing her hooves around in a frantic effort to escape her blanket.
In her struggles, Twilight Sparkle found herself falling off her bed. She hit her head hard on the wooden floor, untangling herself from her dark blue blanket. The fall seemed much larger than usual, and Twilight's head throbbed in pain. She opened her eyes, moaning in pain, her voice still sounding different. Twilight looked up at the ceiling of the library. It looked...a lot higher up than she remembered. There was definitely something wrong here...Twilight tried to look around, but to her shock, her eyes couldn't move at all! It was if they were frozen in place. She reached up to rub her eyes, and screamed. Why was her hoof brown?!
"What in the wide, wide world of Equestria is going on?" Twilight tried to cry out, but all that came out was a, "Whoo?"
That sound...that owl sound...that sounded like Owlowiscious!
"Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, no!" Twilight screamed, but again, all that came out was a "Whoo!"
Twilight dragged herself to the mirror on the other side of the room, having a dreadful feeling that the brown appendages she was dragging herself with were owl wings. She didn't want to believe it.
Twilight found herself in front of the full-length mirror, staring right at Owlowiscious. She blinked her eyes, and Owlowiscious's beady, black eyes blinked. She opened her muzzle, and Owlowiscious's orange beak opened. Twilight tried to stand up on her four hooves, but she fell on her tan feathered face. Hesitantly, Twilight pulled herself up and stood up on her little claws, rocking back and forth as she tried to steady herself on two legs.
Still looking into the mirror, Twilight ruffled her brown feathers, shock blaring out in her mind. What was going on?! Why was she Owlowiscious all of a sudden? How could she change back?
"Oh, hey, Owlowiscious," a voice resonated as Spike, Twilight Sparkle's number one assistant, walked into her room. As Spike walked up next to her, Twilight gave out a little gasp at how large he looked from Owlowiscious's perspective. She only went up to his knees.
"You're up bright and early, huh?" Spike said, his voice, which sounded much louder than usual, ringing in Twilight's ears. "Have you seen Twilight?"
"Spike, it's me, Twilight Sparkle!" Twilight exclaimed, but of course, what really came out of her beak was a "Whoo!"
"Twilight, that's who," Spike huffed. "Have you seen her?"
Twilight was about to try and speak again when a loud thump was heard. It sounded like something was bumping against the hollow tree.
"Is someone outside?" Spike wondered out loud. "C'mon, let's go see who it is. Maybe it's Twilight."
"Spike, I'M Twilight!" Twilight who'd in frustration.
"Twilight, that's who...again! Why do you have to be so questioning, Owlie?" Spike raced down the stairs. Twilight tried to follow, but her stubby owl legs couldn't move fast at all, and she kept tripping. With a sigh of anticipation, Twilight opened her brown feathered wings and gave them a few flaps, rising off the ground. She learned how to fly as an alicorn...she was determined to fly as an owl. She would need to, if she had to stay this way permanently...Twilight brushed that scary thought out of her head; she needed to concentrate on flying. Thankfully, she picked up pretty fast. Flying as an owl wasn't much different than flying as an alicorn.
Twilight slowly flapped down to the library door, where Spike was looking down at something outside.
"Oh, hi, Tank. Did Rainbow Dash send you here?" Spike asked. Twilight flew over and saw the flying turt--tortoise in question hovering outside. Maybe Tank had something to do with this!
Tank croaked something in his normal voice. He definitely wasn't speaking, but somehow, Twilight could understand what he was saying, as if he was speaking a language.
What Tank said was, "Agh, not you too, Spike! I'm not Tank, I'm Rainbow Dash! Can you understand me?!"
"Rainbow Dash?" Twilight who'd, flying over.
"Twilight?" Tank...or Rainbow Dash replied. "You're Owlowiscious!"
"Really? I had no idea," Twilight said sarcastically.
"Do you know what's going on? I just woke up this morning, and I was Tank!"
"Same here," Twilight sighed. "I have no idea what's going on. Do you think the others have been turned into their pets, too?"
"We should go check," Rainbow suggested.
"Um...what are you two talking about?" Spike scratched his head in confusion. All he heard of that conversation were croaks and who's. Wait...where are you going?!" he called out as Tank and Owlowiscious flew off.
"We'll be back, Spike," Twilight said, about to turn in midair to look at Spike as they left the library, but instead, by instinct, Twilight found her head swiveling 180 degrees as she said this.
"I'll never get used to that," Dash sighed, staring at Twilight. "Whoa!" she yelled as she spun out of control, smashing into a nearby house.
"This is going to be a long day," Twilight groaned, flying down to help Rainbow Dash out.
Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash flew to Sugarcube Corner, the latter crashing into something every five seconds. The flight that would normally take a couple minutes took ten.
"We're here...finally," Twilight muttered, giving Rainbow Dash a look.
"Shut it, egghead," Dash growled, wobbling in midair. "You try flying as a turtle-helicopter sometime. Not aerodynamic at all."
"Whatever. Let's just see if Pinkie Pie is okay."
The two of them flew up, and through the open window of Pinkie Pie's bedroom above Sugarcube Corner. What they saw was not what they expected.
"Well, then," Twilight grimaced, landing on the windowsill and swiveling her neck to scan the room. There was cake batter, smashed cakes and other desserts, and frosting splattered against every inch of the room. Pinkie Pie was nowhere to be found...but there, in the corner, was Gummy, Pinkie's pet alligator, sobs racking his green body.
"Gummy?" Twilight asked, flying down next to the gator, her claws making squishing sounds as she landed in a huge drift of pink frosting. "Or...Pinkie Pie?"
Gummy/Pinkie answered with a keening wail, tears pouring out of his/her giant, pink eyes. "Gummy doesn't have teeth...I CAN'T EAT DESSERTS!" To punctuate her point, Pinkie bit into a cupcake, but her huge gums smashed the cupcake into mush that splattered everywhere.
"You've been turned into your pet, too," Twilight observed.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Pinkie sniffled. "I just want to get my sugar fix!"
Rainbow Dash flew in from the window, skidding in a patch of chocolate cake batter as she landed. "Pinkie Pie, we've been turned into our pets, nopony can understand what we're saying, and all you care about is SUGAR?!"
Pinkie pondered that. "Pretty much," she giggled. "I'm not worried! Twilight can just fix us with some crazy magic spell!"
"Oh, yeah! Twilight, can you?"
Twilight Sparkle screwed up her feathery face, concentrating hard, but nothing happened. "M-my magic's not w-working!" she blubbered.
"Well, you ARE an owl, silly," Pinkie laughed.
Twilight sighed. "You're right. We need to find the others and find a cure for this. Alright girls, let's go find Rarity." Rainbow Dash and Twilight took off. Twilight dove down and took hold of Pinkie's green, scaly ridged back, struggling to fly with the weight.
"NO!" Pinkie Pie shrieked as she was carried out against her will. "MUST...HAVE...SUGAR!"
Rarity frowned as she padded back and forth next to her mirror, her long, white tail swishing back and forth. "Hm, I suppose I can design a dress for myself while in this form. I'll want to look stylish, even when I'm a feline!"
Rarity sniffed the air, and caught scent of something tantalizing. "Ooh, is somepony making crepes outside? Or quiche, or caviar?" Following her tiny pink nose, Rarity bounded across the room and found herself right in front of the source...Opal's old chew toy, a fake mouse falling apart at the seams.
"Ick, no!" Rarity squeaked. "I shall not resort myself to such lows as chew toys! Just because I am a cat, does not mean I have to act like one!" She turned away from the mouse, her head held high.
Rarity looked back. "Hm, well, maybe one little bite won't hurt..."
When Twilight, Rainbow, and Pinkie flew into Carousel Boutique, there they saw Rarity.
"Wow, she's really going to town on that chew toy!" Pinkie snorted in laughter. Indeed, Opal was snarling and spitting as she visciously attacked the fake mouse, fangs and claws bared. It was a scary sight.
"Er...sorry to interrupt, but is that you, Rarity?" Twilight spoke up.
Immediately, the fluffy white cat jumped away from the chew toy. "Oh, my goodness!" Rarity cried. "I'm very sorry you all had to witness me acting so uncouth! You saw nothing, alright?"
"But we did see something," Pinkie protested. "Oh, no, was it all an illusion?!"
Rainbow Dash facepalmed. "No, Pinkie, she means that we shouldn't tell anypony about this."
"That doesn't make sense! Why say that we saw nothing when we obviously saw something? Just because we saw it--" Before Pinkie could continue her rant, Rainbow shoved her foreleg into her toothless mouth.
"I see that you are all in the same predicament as I," Rarity stated, licking her paw and swiping it across her face.
"We sure are," Twilight said. "But you know, Rarity, I would've expected you to have...a much bigger reaction to this."
"Yeah, I thought you were gonna be screaming and crying like you always do when something goes wrong," Rainbow blurted out.
Rarity glared at her. "Now, now, Dash, I know you must be cranky from being a slow, lazy tortoise--"
"HEY!"
"But let's not sink to petty insults," Rarity finished, her nose in the air.
"Aren't you being a bit hypocritical, Rarity?" Twilight said, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah, Rarity, stop criticizing hippos!" Pinkie Pie butted in.
"That's not what hypocritical means, Pinkie!" Twilight seethed.
"How was I supposed to know?" Pinkie raged. "I'm not some nerdy bookworm who spends all her time studying!"
"Haha, nice one, Pinkie!" Dash chuckled.
"Stop it, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity scolded. "It is not nice to laugh at other ponies! Especially trivial, petty insults like that!"
"Hey, I thought my insults were pretty sassy!" Pinkie retorted. Soon enough, everypony was arguing.
"Girls, STOP IT!" Twilight roared. "Let's just stop fighting and go find Applejack and Fluttershy!"
The other animals nodded, although they still trembled in anger.
The four of them took off towards Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight carrying Pinkie and Rainbow Dash carrying Rarity.
"Egghead," Rainbow Dash breathed as they left.
"What was that, Rainbow Dash?!" Twilight whipped her owl head around, face contorted in rage.
"Nothing," Dash muttered.
"Ew, stop dragging me so low, Rainbow Dash!" Rarity complained as the four of them flew over the rich soil of Sweet Apple Acres. "You're getting my paws dirty!"
"Sorry," Rainbow Dash snickered. "Your fat cat butt is just so heavy!"
"I am not fat, I am pleasingly plump!"
"Pleasingly plump my flank."
"You're not so skinny either, turtle!" Rarity countered. "I suppose your name isn't Tank for nothing!"
"Fat jokes? Really?" Twilight said, exasperated. "How much farther can you sink?"
"I think they're hilarious!" Pinkie guffawed. "Her name isn't Tank for nothing...hahaha!"
"Let's see how funny they are when they're about you, hm?" Rarity said. "With all that sugar you eat, it's a wonder that you aren't the fattest pony in the world!"
"ARGH!" Twilight screamed. "You're all acting like unconsiderate animals!"
"We ARE animals, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes. "And here I thought you were smart!"
Twilight screamed again.
"What the hay is goin' on with all this shoutin'?!" A familiar, country voice yelled. It came from Winona, or Applejack, as she ran up to her friends.
Oh, thank Celestia. Applejack will be able to resolve this; she's a wise and down-to-earth pony, Twilight thought.
"Ah see y'all have been turned into yer pets as well," Applejack commented as they landed in front of her. Applejack surveyed her animal friends, eyes widening.
The other animals nodded gravely. Twilight was relieved, Applejack was always a soothing, helpful pony, she could calm any situation--Just then, Applejack's gaze drifted towards Rarity, and the herding dog growled and lunged for the cat, barking madly.
"Applejack, stop!" Twilight cried as she chased Rarity up a tree.
"I agree!" Rarity hissed. "Applejack, just because you are a mindless, uncouth farm animal doesn't mean you have to act like one!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?" Applejack howled. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash burst into hysterical laughter.
So much for wise and down-to-earth, Twilight grimaced.
It took a long time, but Twilight Sparkle was finally able to drag the angry mess that was her friends to Fluttershy's cottage by the Everfree Forest. Rarity wouldn't stop calling everypony "uncouth," Applejack was having some serious anger management problems, Rainbow Dash wouldn't stop making offensive jokes, and Pinkie just kept making everything worse with her zany attitude. Twilight knew her friemds were just frazzled and cranky...but they were acting so rude!
The five of them stared at Fluttershy's cottage, which was practically overflowing with animals.
"So, which animal do y'all think Fluttershy is?" Applejack asked.
"Angel, maybe?" Twilight thought out loud. "Let's knock on her door and see."
They went up the path and to the door. Rainbow Dash banged into the door a few times, her hard shell making a loud noise as it knocked against the wood.
"Hold on, I'll be right out!" Fluttershy's voice was muffled from the inside. A few seconds later, the door opened.
"Hello, little animals," Fluttershy said. "Are you here to have a playdate with Angel?"
Fluttershy wasn't an animal. She was a completely normal pegasus. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack were already steaming mad from the events of that day.
This was the last straw.