The Great Pony Switcheroo
The Great Pony Switcheroo
“Bips” and “boops” were heard from the basement of the library. All sorts of high-technology, if a bit anachronistic, sensors and machines were working at full power as Twilight Sparkle strapped her friend Pinkie Pie to the chair. While she had abandoned the idea of trying to understand how the “Pinkie sense” worked that didn’t mean she wasn’t curios about all the seemingly impossible feats her friend was able to perform, specially that whole deal about the “fourth wall” she kept talking about. Pinkie, on the other hoof, was just happy to spend some time with Twilight. Out of all her friends, Twilight was the one she felt more difficult to approach, always locked inside her library, reading those dusty old books and never wanting to play outside. She had learned the lesson of leaving some space to those ponies who liked privacy but she still missed Twilight sometimes so, if the only way to hang out with her was to agree to get connected to dozens of wires, well; she was okay with that.
“Now Pinkie, stand still as I connected these last wires…” Twilight said.
“Oki-doki-loki!” Pinkie chimed.
“There I go….now Pinkie, let me explain what I’m about to do. Basically what I´m performing is a variation of a telepathic spell but instead of us having a conversation with our minds, I’ll use it to get inside your head and analyze your thought process which, hopefully, will help me understand you a little more, understood?”
Pinkie nodded but Twilight was sure she had not understood a thing and was most likely thinking about pastries or confetti. Whatever the case, she was about to find out.
Twilight moved to another chair and placed a device on her horn, meant to amplify her magic abilities and get inside that thick skull of Pinkie´s. The pink pony looked curios as Twilight’s horn began to glow. Suddenly, her teeth began to chatter while her tongue entangled and her ears began to buzz; a new type of combo, one she had never felt before and she was sure meant something bad was about to happen.
*****
“I told you a hundred times Rarity…I don’t want any bowtie!!”
“But Rainbow, you can´t possibly have a costume without any complement! It looks so…uncouth, ugh!”
“Who cares? It´s not like I´m going to a wedding again, it´s a live performance of the Wonderbolts!”
“Nevertheless, a lady always needs to look elegant and graceful even in a sport event.”
“It´s not a sport event…it´s a performance.”
Rarity ignored Rainbow´s latest ewmark and kept working on the suit. Rainbow growled and crossed her forelegs but that was all she could do, after all, she was the one who came asking for Rarity’s help. The Wonderbolts were about to perform in Baltimare and Rainbow had won a prize to go see them but since the seats were in the V.I.P section that meant Rainbow needed to go in a formal piece and she didn’t had any formal piece, let alone a dress or something; so, she did the only thing she could think of, swallow her pride and go ask Rarity to make her a dress.
The second she entered the Boutique she regret, especially once she saw the very first set of Rarity’s ideas; but luckily she had convinced the unicorn to make her a suit. Talking her into that was not an easy fat but once she labeled it a “challenge” the fashionista´s eyes gleamed and she began to work enthusiastically. Unfortunately, that meant that Rainbow had to remain perfectly still for hours while Rarity worked which was like a form of torture for her. She needed to flight, to feel the wind under her wings and her hooves touching nothing but air; she couldn’t stand acting like a statue and she couldn’t even complain because Rarity had break into tears three times already after she criticized her.
“Now, I need to see if your wings have movability. We better go outside and let you take a small flight.” Rarity said.
“Finally!” Rainbow shouted and almost broke the door, flying straight to it but Rarity stopped her with her magic.
“Calm down or you tear apart the seams…” Rainbow growled again as Rarity gently floated her outside. Once they were on the street they ran out on her friends Applejack and Fluttershy who came walking down the street. Applejack didn’t miss the change to mock the floating pegasus while Fluttershy seemed a bit concerned.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yes dear, we´re merely working in a new piece for Rainbow here.” Rarity explained with her usual refined air.
“Yah going tah a fancy even´?” Applejack mocked Rainbow.
“It´s not fancy, it´sa lvie performance. And what are you two doing together?”
“Fluttershy ´ere came tah mah farm fer some carrots fer Angel and tah bunch!” Fluttershy merely nodded.
“Huh, that’s weird.” Rainbow said.
“How come tah´ weird?” Applejack asked, somewhat offend.
“Well, it´s not usual to see you two together alone. You barely had any interaction so far.”
The three looked at her puzzled.
“Dear, you need to stop hanging out with Pinkie. You are starting to sound an awful lot like her.” Rarity said.
“And speaking of tah Tyrek…” Apllejakc pointed at the pink pony who was coming right to them but instead of bouncing like she usually did, she was actually trotting at full speed.
“Girls, you need to help me!” her voice was Pinkie´s but sounded a bit different. Maybe it was the urgent tone it had.
“We were just talking about you, Pinkie.” Rarity casually said.
“I´m not Pinkie! I´m Twilight!”
“…you are playing that game again when you pretend to be some animal and I have to guess which one is? Because, you are doing it wrong…” Rainbow said as Rarity released her from her spell.
“I am not playing any game! And if I was, how is even possibly you consider me an animal?”
Before anypony could point out the flawed logic in that Fluttershy gently asked. “Are you all right, Pinkie? You seem agitated…”
“I am not Pinkie! I´m Twilight!”
“Give it a rest, sugarcube. Yah doing a great impression of her but we ain´ playing.”
“I told you I´m not playing! Look, I made a mistake and now Pinkie and I have exchanged minds so you need to help me find Spike so I can send a letter to the Princess and fix this and also I need to find Pinkie because she ran off just after I woke up and since I don’t have my magic now I couldn’t restrain her and now I’m afraid of what she would do with my powers I mean she is usually a walking disaster can you image how she would be with all my magical abilities? I bet she would be oh, I can make fore fields and I can levitate other ponies oh I can teleport I´m here no I´m here now! No I lied, I´m here now!”
“…yeah, she is Pinkie.”
“I said.”
“Sure as morning sunshine.”
“Definitely.”
“ARGH! Why you girls never believe me? I don’t have time for this! Look if you find Pinkie I mean Twilight which is Pinkie in Twilight’s body that is my body look just…make sure she doesn’t do anything, okay?” and before she got an answer she trotted off.
The others looked at her with a raised eyebrow just as Twilight came along, strangely bouncing around.
“Hey girls!”
“Hey…Twi?
“Yes, I´m Twilight now! It´s so funny to be inside her head it´s so full of stuff, hey Applejack, did you know that the chemical formula for apple juice is HO2CCH2CHOHCO2H and its molecular weight 134.08795 ± 0.00010 g/mol and the individual molecular weight of each element is 1.007947 plus 15.99943 plus 12.01078 and the percent of each one is 4.5102% plus 59.6602% plus 35.8296%?”
“…yeah, she is Twilight.”
“I said.”
“Sure as night dusk shine.”
“Definitely.”
They all looked at the wide grin of the lilac unicorn as she hoped around enthusiastically. “Uh sugarcube, are yah all righty?”
“Super-duper-all-righty!” she chimed.
“Are you playing some sort of role-reversal game with Pinkie Pie, dear?” Rarity asked, starting to get a bit worried.
“No, we were making experiments on her basement and then fuuush! There was a flash of light and then I was inside Twilight´s head and it´s so fun to be her because Twilight is so super-duper-smart and now I´m super-duper-smart I now lots of things like to break the sound barrier you must go at 761.2 mph, that must be the speed you reach when you do the Sonic Rainboom Rainbow uh, your bowtie is slightly crooked maybe I could fix it with magic…” and Twilight’s horn began to glow. They worried because she usually had no problems with her magic but now it seemed like she was suffering to perform a simple telekinetic spell.
Just right when Fluttershy as extending her hood to Twilight’s shoulder the unicorn magic came out raw, covering them all in a flash of purple light. Once the bright faded, Twilight scratched her head, smiled satisfied at the straight bowtie and then bounced down the street, heading to Sugarcube Corner.
“What in tarnation happen´?
Of course, the voice that said that wasn’t Applejack’s at all.
****
In the farthest side of Sweet Apple Acres, a hoof-made chariot was about to take off. Actually, it was merely the same wagon attached to Scootaloo´s scooter the Cutie Mark Crusaders have been using for months but Spike had convinced the girls to let him decorated it and pretend to be gladiators. While the reason he gave them was getting their Cutie Mark as “chariot riders” the truth was that Spike still feel a bit “girly” so he want to prove his manliness by pretending to be a fierce warrior. The fact that he asked the help of three little fillies who made all the work for him was irrelevant to Spike.
“Ready to go, Legionary Scootaloo?” he ordered.
“At your command, Centurion Spike!” Scootaloo was actually enjoying this.
“Move Applebloom!”
“What’s tah problem with yah?” Applebloom asked while Sweetie Bell kept pushing her.
“I want to be in the middle!”
“Why?”
“Because…its bad luck for a unicorn to be in the back!”
“…what?”
“Yeah, Rarity told me! Now, move!”
“Why is so important tah yah?”
In response, Sweetie blushed hard. Applebloom looked at Spike who wass till barking orders at Scootaloo and ignorant of the whole arguing at his back. Fortunately before Applebloom could connect the dots, Sweetie Bell pushed her aside and rushed to hug Spike.
“You are all set to go?” he asked, painfully ignoring how strong the unicorn was hugging him.
“YES!”
“…yeah?”
“Okay, let´s go!”
Scootaloo followed the order and rode them down the hill. Spike and Scootaloo yelled in excitement while Applebloom looked confused at Sweetie clinging to Spike. Just when they were heading full speed they crashed into a pink form that popped out of nowhere.
“SPIKE!!!”
Of course, they all crashed into a tree.
“Tree sap…it´s always tree sap.”
“Spike, thanks Celestia I found you! It was actually easy now I can find anything I want it appears it just pops-out in my head like if my thoughts were in felt animation argh! It´s so confusing! I can´t resist the urge to sing! Oh, I found you my dearest friend, my little brother my spikey ♫!”
Spike blinked hard a few times before asking Pinkie why she was hugging him.
“I´m not Pinkie! I´m Twilight!”
“It´s that game again of tah animals?” Applebloom asked.
“Yeah, because you’re doing it wrong.” Scootaloo added.
“I´m not playing!” Twilight took a deep breath before explaining everything. “IwastryingtounderstandPinkie´sthoughtprocesssoImadeavariatonofatelephaticspellbutIaccidentalyendedupexchangingmindswithPinkieandnowIneedyoutosendalterrtothePrincesstofixthiswholemessandwhydoeseveryponykeepthinkingIamplayingthatgameaboutgeussingtheanimal?”
“…yeah, it´s Pinkie.”
“I said.”
“Sure as morning sunshine.”
“Yeah, definitely.”
“ARGH! Spike you have a shrine for Rarity in the broom closet!”
“What? H-how did you know that? Only Twi-Twilgiht?”
“YES!”
“Why do you keep a shrine for Rarity?” Scootaloo asked but Spike merely blushed.
“How could you…” and Sweetie Belle ran off in tears, leaving everypony and one little dragon pretty confused.
****
“Argh! This is so annoying! Stupid horn, stop levitating things!”
Sweetie Belle broke in into the Boutique, crying her heart out and rushed to hit her sister.
“You´re mean, sis! Mean, mean, mean!”
“get off me, you shrimp!” and Rarity pushed Sweetie to the ground. The filly looked dup and got scared upon seeing her sister with the meanest look she ever had.
“…sis?”
“I´m not your sis, shrimp!”
“…what?”
“Rainbow don’t treat her like that, please…”
Sweetie turned around, confused to hear Applejack speaking so softly and even more confused to see her without her hat and with such a soft look on her eyes.
“She confused me with Rarity!”
“Well, it´s understandable…”
“Argh, how can you be so calm about all this, Fluttershy?”
“Well, I’m used to walk so…”
“Well, ah ain´ surely not used tah fly around! How came yah move with them around?” Sweetie turned to the left to see Fluttershy, wearing the Stetson Hat and failing to take off, while Rainbow Dash gracefully circled over her.
“Well, in my case I already have experience so oh, Sweetie! My dearest sister! Don´t I look fabulous? This suit I make is, if I dare say, one of my greatest creations! I look simply astonishing on it! No, I look dazzling!”
“…Rarity?”
Sweetie took a good look at the ponies. “Rainbow Dash” was dancing in the air humming to herself; “Rarity” crossed her forelegs while things kept sticking to her horn, including Opal; “Applejack” took the Stetson Hat that had fallen into the ground and use it to cover her head and “Fluttershy” kept crashing into the ground.
“Are you okay sweetie?” “Applejack” asked.
“A little help will yah?” “Fluttershy asked.
“I have my own problems!” “Rarity” explained while trying to take the cat off her head.
“Rainbow” merely kept dancing around in the ceiling.
“…what´s going on in here?”
*****
Inside the bakery, the cakes were asking the same question as “Twilight Sparkle” had entered the store, happily greeted the same way Pinkie usually did, sing to the babies who looked confused and then moved to the kitchen to start baking a cake.
“Twilight, are you sure you know what you´re doing?” Mrs. Cake asked, both confused and concerned.
“Don’t worry Mrs. Cake, now I know exactly what I’m supposed to do the same way I know that the molecular mass of NaHCO3 is 84.00679 ± 0.00004 g/mol which can be divided into Na2CO3 plus H2O plus CO2!
“…sure you are okay, dear?”
“Yes, I´m fine! No no Pumpkin Cake, don’t chew the tablecloth it´s not good for your little brain! Now stand still while I teach you about the benefits of phosphorus! Here we have our special orator, Smarty Pants! She was my best friend when I wasn’t a little filly no wait, that was twilight but I now have her memories so they’re my memories uh it’s this how it feels to have a big brother? This must be how Applejack feels too! It´s so warm and fuzzy and oh I miss my sisters they ugh wha-what were their names again? I ca-cant remember their names ugh my head it hurts!” and again “Twilight’s” horn began to glow.
“Pinkie!” cried the pink pony who opened the door along with Spike.
“No, you are Pinkie!” Mr. Cake explained, trying to make some sense of this. Twilight ignored her and rushed to Pinkie´s side.
“Pinkie!”
“Twilight? Ugh my head, it hurts! Make it stop!”
“You’re losing control of your magic I mean my magic just magic!”
“What can I do?”
Pinkie lost control of her magic again and it caused all kind of crazy things to happen aorudn the bakery such as cakes suddenly turning alive and seats to float in the air.
“Take the abbacies out!” Twilight ordered and the Cakes obeyed without bothered to argue it was Pinkie the one giving orders.
“What do we do Pinkie I mean Twilight?”
“We need to stop her but without magic…”
“What in tarnation is happening in ´ere?”
Twilight turned over to see her friends. With just one look at the sheepishly Applejack and the pissed off Rarity she understood what have happened.
“Rainbow, I need you to use your magic to restrain Pinkie!”
“Uh, that’s Rarity, Twilight…”
“But I don’t know how to sue it!” Rainbow admitted and Spike became more confused.
“Just think you’re holding her with your forelegs and the magic does the rest.”
“Oh, tis that hwo ti works?” and Rainbow began using her magic, slowly covering Pinkie with a blue glow that engulfed the purple one.
“Applejack, use the Stare on those cakes!”
“Ah can barely lift mah head!” she complained. “Fluttershy, yah have tah fight ´em!”
“Uh, m-me?” despite having Applejack natural strength Fluttershy was still very much Fluttershy so her performance was pathetic. Luckily Spike jumped at the chance to be a “man” and used his dragon breath to burn the cakes. Unfortunately, the burn cakes now were more pissed off than anything and began chased them. Twilight rolled her eyes and decided to act all “Pinkie” and began to eat the living cakes, implications be damned.
“Fafhiti!” the unicorn now turned pegasus understood the order, grabbed the tablecloth and wrapped the floating unicorn. Restrained, Pinkie struggled a little bit before she finally calmed down and fell to the ground.
“I-is it over?” the Cakes asked for the odor.
“Hardly. BLEURGH! Sorry!”
*****
“Argh, Princess Celestia is taken forever to come!”
“Relax egghead, she is surely doing some princess stuff or something!”
Hearing Rarity speaking in that rude manner was disturbing enough but seeing her sitting in a pretty un-lady manner and reading a Daring-Do book was even stranger. Spike had finished trying Pinkie to a chair, hoping than standing still will prevent more magical mishaps while Rarity was circling around the library.
“I can´t resist this! I need to fly off! My body is so light, it needs fresh air!”
“It´s not so easy being me, uh?”
“No, it’s actually unbearable! And whatever have you done to my coiffure?”
“Your what now?”
“My mane! It´s all messy and…boyish!”
“oh yeah, I couldn’t stand all that fuzzy stuff in my head so I changed it to something more comfortable. And what have you done to my mane?!”
“Well, regardless of your poor style of grooming, I managed to work something out that has style and grace!”
“You are making me look ridiculous!”
“And you are making me look like a colt!”
“Shut up!”
“Both of you shut up!” Twilight yelled. “Stop arguing about something so trivial and remain still. We have to wait for the Princess to come here. And no Rarity, you can’t go outside and fly.”
“But I need to fly!”
“Oh, stop winning!”
“I´m not whining, I’m complaining! Thiisss isss whininnnnngggg!!”
“Do I sound that annoying!”
“Shut up!”
“Uh Twilight? Do I really need to be tied up?” Pinkie asked, looking a bit hurt.
“I’m sorry Pinkie but we can risk another incident like the one in the bakery to repeat. We are not sued to each other’s body and Rainbow and you are especially vulnerable to lose control of your magic powers and cause chaos around town so we better stay all together inside.”
“Okaay. But can I least read a book, I suddenly want to!”
“Sure!” Twilight try to bring a book magically to no avail so Spike had to bring it to her. Pinkie easily levitated the book in form of her face and began to laugh. Apparently she got a children’s book.
“Now, remember to stay all indoors until the Princess arrives.”
“Hu, you didn’t say that to Applejack and Fluttershy!” Rainbow chuckled.
“Why? They’re not here?”
“Neither is Spikey-wikey…” Rarity added while hovering around.
“Agh, I can’t believe those two! I specifically told them to not leave the library! I need to find them! You two, stay indoors! Bye-bye ♫! Ugh!” and Twilight leave, trying not to do it bouncing.
“…that suits does looks nice on me.”
“Thanks.”
*****
Big MacIntosh was calmly walking down the orchard when he saw his little sister coming along, with her head down and apparently afraid of her own shadow. She squeaked when she stumbled onto him and refused to make eye contact.
“H-h-h-h-hi Big Mac…”
“...´ello Miss Fluttershy.” And he kept walking back to the barn.
“Howdy Fluttershy! AUH! Darn wings!” Applejack rubbed her head and placed the hat back to her head.
Fluttershy looked at all the buckets filled with apples and asked concerned, either for Applejack or because the rude treatment she was giving her body. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, yah are a lot stronger tah yah look, Fluttershy; an´ even if tem wings can be pretty rascals sometimes they surely help tah move them apples ´cross tah orchard, HAHAHA!!”
Hearing herself speaking with such confidence (not to mention the accent) was a strange experience for Fluttershy.
“Why did yah loose mah hair?” Applejack asked.
“Oh well, I´m more comfortable like these besides Applejack, you´re really pretty, you should use make-up a little more…if that’s what you want of course.”
“Nah, ah fine like this! ¨sides, yah really pretty yahself! Ah get many looks fer stallions on mah way ´ere!”
“Oh really? Well, you too I mean me in your body also get some comments…”
“Schuks, ´eally?”
The moment was getting pretty uncomfortable so Applejack tried to get back to work and flapped her wings but again she failed and fell down the ground with all the apples.
“Are you okay?”
Applejack growled as Fluttershy effortlessly lifted the apple buckets. It seems she was getting used to an earth pony natural strength.
“Hey Fluttershy…”
“Yes Applejack?”
“Yah think Rainbow was right about us not…hanging together much?”
“Uh well maybe but I don’t think that´s a bad thing I mean, we´re friends Applejack; we may not spend all the time together but we still are god friends, right?”
“…´ourse we are!”
And they both laugh which sounded strange since both laughed their own way with each other voice.
*****
“Ugh, Im so frustrated! Why anypony doesn’t take me seriously? Poor Pinkie, now I know how frustrated she must have felt all those times I didn’t believe her like during the parasprites infestation of with Gilda ugh, truth is I haven’t been a good friend to her lately…maybe I should throw a party for her! Uh, why I´m even thinking that? Oh hi Mr. and Mrs. Donkey! I won’t forget your four-month-versary next week! Why do I even know that? Pinkie´s head is so full of trivial information, birthdays, anniversaries, monthniversaries, she knows the birthdays for each one of us and our relatives, I don’t even know the names of Pinkie’s relatives, her memories of them are pretty dark and cold, It´s like her head is full of noise and laughter to cover for all this silence inside, the same silence…I have.”
*****
Sweetie Belle opened the Boutique door and found her sister doing something she will never have expected her to be doing…exercise.
“…Rainbow?”
“Hey shrimp! Hey, sorry I yelled at you earlier today, this whole body switcheroo got me for surprise so I was a little upset!”
“It´s Sweetie and its okay Rainbow…umh, Rainbow?”
“Yeah, shrimp?”
“You are doing pushups?”
“Yup! I need to get moving, even if it is in Rarity’s delicate body!”
“You’re going to get her all sweaty…”
“Well, tough luck! I´m an active kind of girl! I need to move!” and Rainbow rubbed Sweeties head, another gesture her sister never had.
“Uh, Rainbow, I know you are not Rarity but I need some advice, you know, big sister advice so…”
Rainbow wept the sweat of her body and placed the towel on her head in a very delicate manner. “What’s troubling you, dear?”
“Well, there´s someone I like…”
“And?”
“I mean, like like.”
“Oh, you like like him!”
“I know you don’t like all this romantic stuff Rainbow but…”
“Like him? I can’t stand them! And your sister’s head is full of it! I can’t spend two seconds without thinking about stallions!”
“…so, what should I do?”
“Ugh, I don’t know! Who is this colt anyway?”
“I don’t want to say it…”
“C´mon, I need to know!”
“Well, the thing is he´s not a pony…”
“Not a pony? Then he is a donkey?”
“No.”
“A mule?”
“No.”
“A zebra?”
“No.”
“A griffon?”
“No! He´s a dragon, all right? A dragon!”
“A dragon? But the only dragon around is…oh, you have a crush in Spike! HAHAHAHAHAHA! This is so funny! Two sister fighting for the same dragon! HAHAHA!”
“Stop it, Rainbow!”
“Okay okay, shrimp! Oh Celestia…so, you want advice to get Spike. Well, you could just give him some gems, after all they said the best way to get to a boy´s heart is through his stomach, ugh, why do I even know that?”
“You think gems would help me?”
“Nah, that’s too girly! You need to do something to impress him, to swoop him out of his hooves or claws in this case…”
“Like what?”
Rainbow suddenly acquired a strange smile that could be described as a mxi between her usual grin and Rarity’s “fabulous idea time” smile.
****
In the town plaza, Rarity was given a live performance to ponyvilians. She was surprised by how easily she adjusted to Rainbow’s body. The feeling of falling down and the rushing over, feeling the wind through her feathers and caressing her mane, oh, could she spend a whole live without knowing this sensation? The short time she had glitter wings in Cloudsdale was nothing compared to this! She was enjoying being a pegasus!
After doing her final lap, all the ponies in the plaza stomped their hooves in excitement.
“Oh thank you thank you! You’re so kind! Too bad you’re all mares! Rainbow really needs to find better fans…oh Spikey-wikey, how are you?”
“Ugh fine…Rarity?” Spike wasn’t looking fine at all. He watched all the performance with a sad look.
“Spike, whatever is the problem?”
“Ugh nothing is just…well, I think I´m having troubles seeing you like well this.”
“Oh I know! I tried my best to improve Rainbow´s appearance but I still ended up looking like a tomcolt! And what’s even worse is that every colt in town treats me like one of them!”
“Hey Rainbows´, you’re still in for the ball game tomorrow?” a random stallion asked her.
“Yes, I will! See? This has happened all day! This is all Rainbows fault! Please, can she at least try to act like a lady once in a while? A lady can´t spend all day covered dins sweat and mud! Ugh!”
“I don’t like this!”
“I know! It´s so uncouth!”
“No rarity I mean I don’t like you like this! You’re acting all petty and haughty! I just can’t stand your attitude! You’re not the Rarity I love so much!” and Spike ran off in a hurry.
“Spikey…” Rarity looked at her cyan hooves, wondering if there were really hers.
*****
Pinkie laughed at closed the book with her magic. She was getting better in this, as long as she focused on something small like a book she could contain the magic. She looked around and realized she was all alone. Without Twilight to control them, Rarity and Rainbow left the library. They did ask Pinkie if she wanted to be untied but she said no. She didn’t want Twilight to freak out anymore when she returned besides she was enjoying the peace and quiet, perhaps a bit too much. This wasn’t her. This was Twilight. Her tastes, her ideas, Pinkie could feel slowly how Twilight behavior was taking over her. She did enjoyed things like reading and organizing stuff but there was a big difference between just liking them and Twilight’s exaggeratedly organized mind. Her head was full of ideas and lists and curios thoughts, thoughts that Pinkie had never had. Twilight’s mind was a curious place, one like Pinkie had never seen and she was drowning on it.
*****
“Hi Big MacIntosh, look it´s hard to explain bu-“
“That way Mrs. Twilight.” And he pointed at the barn.
“O-kay. Thanks. Oh by the way, Cheerilee´s favorite color is purple! Wonder why I say that?” Twilight wondered while Big Mac smiled and pondered a little.
Twilight went to the barn but before she knocked she heard the sound of giggles.
“Girls?” she opened the door and found the strangest scene she had ever seen. Applejack drinking tea, without her hat while Fluttershy was caressing Winona; which wouldn’t be so strange if she wasn’t covered in mud.
“Oh, hi Twilight!”
“Hey, Twi!”
“What happened here?”
“Oh Fluttershy and ah just switched some choirs, she made all mah farm duties…”
“And she took care of all the animals in my cottage.”
Angel then hopped to the table and demanded more salad to Fluttershy.
“No Angel, I already told you that you have to ask Applejack for food now.”
Angel looked back at Applejack, that being Applejack in Fluttershy body, and back to Fluttershy in Applejack body.
Fluttershy gently pointed back at Applejack at which Angel just give up and threw all the vegetables away.
“Well, I’m glad you two are comfortable with this situation but I want to apologize to you for this.”
“Don´ swat it, sugarcube.”
“Yes Twilight we know it was just an accident.”
“Maybe…”
Applejack and Fluttershy looked at each other confused.
“What ah mean?”
“Well, maybe a little part of me wanted to understand Pinkie better, to get into her hooves if you get what I mean, I wasn’t aiming for that literally but…”
Applejack gently placed her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “Calm down sugarcube. We know what yah mean.”
“You do?”
“Yes. This little time I have spent in Applejacks body have taught me a lot of things about her and I think it has strengthened our friendship.” Fluttershy explained.
“Ah bet yah think yah haven´ been a good friend tah Pinkie lately, right?”
Twilight sadly nodded.
“Oh Twilight, just because you don’t understand Pinkie sometimes doesn’t mean you are being a bad friend. I don’t share a lot of things wit Rainbow but we have been friends for years regardless of that.”
“Thanks girls, that means a lot for me.”
The three ponies hugged while Angel drew some cards to help him tell the ponies apart.
“But once the princess rives and we will recover our right bodies and put things back to normal!”
And Angel just threw the cards away.
*****
Instead of going back to the library, Spike went to Sugarcube Corner, hoping that if he helped the Cakes clean they´ll treat him to some pastries, maybe another muffin covered in sapphires. He opened the door and got the biggest surprise of the day.
“Hey Spike!”
“…Sweetie, what happened to you?”
Sweetie had suffered an extreme makeover on the radical hooves of Rainbow Dash. No longer the sweet and delicate girl from before, now Sweetie was a full hard-rock affirmative type of girl with a jacket, a bandana and earrings.
“You like my new style?”
Poor Spike could only blink hard a few times.
“…”
Hiding behind the counter, Rainbow was grinning. While she was still not used to Rarity’s magical powers she still was proud of her work. In just a few hours she had changed Sweetie for a plain boring filly into an almost grown-up mare with awesomeness, radicalness and coolness. She was the little sister Rainbow always wanted to have.
“…uh, Sweetie?”
“Yeah, Spike?” Act cool, act cool, Sweetie repeated herself, trying to remember the lesson Rainbow gave him a few hours ago.
“Are yo…”
“Hi Spike!”
They turned over to see Scootaloo and Applebloom entering the store.
“Hi…Sweetie? Pfft, what happened to you?” Sweetie was giving a death glare to Scootaloo while she asked Applebloom for help. Unfortunately, the farmer girl was oblivious to that.
“There yah are, we have been looking fry ha all ´ver town! We were worried ´cause yah ran off in tears!”
“I´m fine! Now go!” she clenched the last part but the girls ignored her again.
“Hey spike, pretty crazy stuff is happening today, uh?”
“Tell me about it…”
“He, why do you say we try to do that chariot thing again?”
“Nah, I’m not in eh mood.”
“C´mon, it´ll be fun! Or we can just take a rid eon my scooter around town!”
“Well, I do need to distract myself a little…”
“Sweet!”
Desperate, Sweetie looked at Rainbow for help but she was busy facehoofing.
“Uuh, Sweetie, yah okay?”
“Let´s go then!”
“Wait!”
They turned over to face the sweating unicorn.
“What?”
“You can´t go out!”
“Why not?”
“Because uhhh because…it´s raining chocolate rain outside!”
“…uh?”
Rainbow facehoofed, again.
“I mean…I mean…”
“Hey girls!”
“Hi…Rainbow, I´ll never get used to this.” Scootaloo said.
“Yeah, me neither. Hey Spike why don’t you come to the kitchen with me?”
“Why?”
“Because I was uh baking cupcakes and I uh need you to try them for me!”
“I thought you hated cupcakes!”
“You kidding? I love cupcakes!”
“But you told Twilight th-“ Rainbow grabbed Spike by his tail and dragged him inside.
“What’s going on in here?” demanded to know Applebloom but Sweetie instead turned to yell at Scootaloo.
“You can’t go out with Spike!”
“uh, how come?”
“Because…because…because I said so!”
“What? You can´t tell me who I can have for a friend!”
“it´s not that! It´s just…you are driving him away from me!”
“I´m what?”
“you know, with your tomboyish and your scooter and all that, I can’t compete with that!”
“why would you even want to compete with me?”
“Just stop being so friendly with him!”
“Why? Because you said so?”
“Yes!”
“Stop it! Ah think ah know what’s going on in here.” Applebloom said.
“You do? Because I´m very confused.” Scootaloo admitted.
“Sweetie…” Applebloom turned to her friend. “Did yah…like Spike? Ah mean like like it?”
Sweetie Belle nodded.
“What? You like Spike?” Scootalo asked surprised and bit disgusted.
“So yah been jealous of Scoot all along?”
“Yeah, because she hangs out with Spike all he time and they like the same things and I can´t be such a tomcolt like she is!”
“Hey!”
“So yah like Spike too, Scoot?”
“What? You crazy! Boys are all yeugh!”
“Scootaloo sorry I yelled at you.” Sweetie Belle apologized.
“I´m not mad but I don’t like you deciding who I can be friends with…” seeing how devastated Sweetie looked Scootaloo added. “But we´re still friends, don’t worry”
Sweetie was basically gleaming.
“How come you like Spike? That’s so weird!”
“Why is tah weird? Spike is really funny and nice and he´s always friendly and why are yah looking at me like that?”
“Applebloom, how could you?”
“What?”
“That sounded a lot like you´re the one Sweetie should be worried about…”
“What?”
“Why are you taking Spike form me? I thought you were my friend!”
“Ah´m not taking Spike! Ah don’t like him!”
“You sure? Because you sounded an awful lot interested on him…” Scootallo teased her.
“Ah´m not!
“So, what do you suppose they´re talking about!” Spike asked to Rainbow Dash. They were too far away to listen to the CMC but Rainbow already had a pretty good idea of what the talk was about.
“Ah, girl stuff. Don’t worry about it, spikey!” and she rubbed his head In a pretty "un-Rarity" way.
“Umh Rainbow I just wanted to say that you don’t have to worry about me uhg going after you just because you´re in Rarity’s body I mean…” that last one came wrong judging by Rainbow expression. “I mean I think I´m starting to think some things and maybe Rarity is not…”
“Hey, Rarity is a great gal! Sure she can be a bit annoying sometimes but that’s because you don’t know what’s it’s like inside her head where everything has to be in the perfect place and there’s classic music sounding in all the time but le time tell she does thinks about her friends all the time and that include you, Spikey-wikey!”
“Thanks Rainbow I never thought about that and I never thought you could be so kind actually now that I think bout it…”
“Don’t go there!” and she hurried to do something really Rainbow and punched him.
“Auh!”
*****
Nighttime have arrived in Ponyville which meant Princes Luna was soon to arrive and she did so escorted by thunderstorm and her bat-winged royal guards.
“CITIZENS OF PONYVILLE THY PRINCESS OF THE NIGHT HAD ARRIVED!!!!!!!”
It took less than five seconds for everypony to run inside the safety of their houses.
“Hmph! We thought we have deal with this before. It is merely protocol to announce ourselves in the traditional Royal Canterlot Voice. Very well, if thou chose to ignore us we maybe proceed with the task at hoof!” Princess Luna knocked on the library door and was greeted by a pink pony.
“Oh Princess Luna, I´m so glad to see yo-“Princess Luna ignored “Pinkie” and moved straight to the tied up “Twilight”
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE! THOU HAD PLAYED WITH FORCES BEYOND THE HOOVES OF COMMON PONIES! THOU HAD COMMITED A GREAT HERESY! AS THE RULER OF NIGHTTIME WE…what’s so funny?”
While Pinkie kept laughing aloud on her chair, Twilight approached the princess to explain what was going on.
“I´m sorry Princess, you didn’t let me explain. That’s not me, it´s Pinkie. We accidentally switched bodies. I explained all to the Princess in my letter.”
“oh, We I didn’t read that. My sister had some urgent business to attend and merely told me to come to Ponyville to fix some problems you caused, Twilight Sparkle. Now come outside, a simple spell like this can be fixed easily enough.”
“Thanks Princess but let me ask you, what exactly did you think I have done?”
“Brought back ponies from the grave.”
“Please Princess, that imposable!”
“Yes, it is impossible…” Princess Luna put on her best Liarjack impression.
Once all the ponies ere gathered in a circle around her Princess Luna began to gather her magical energies.
“Thank goodness, I´m finally getting rid of this awful rock music!” Rarity said.
“Tyr having a carnival fanfare sounding all the time...”
“I like your electronic beats, Twilight!”
“I´m listening to country music. What are you listening to Applejack?”
“Nursery rhymes.”
Since they both started giggling, Rainbow pressed the process to hurry up. Princess Luna rose to the sky and the six ponies were engulfed in a silver bright.
“That should do it.”
“Ahh Princess? I don’t think that went well…” said a really sulking Fluttershy.
“Oh my stars!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“Yupiiii I can fly!” Rainbow Dash shouted while doing some loops.
“Great, I’m Applejack now!” Applejack complained.
“Oh my goodness, I feel so…pretty!” Rarity said while checking her body.
“Ha, now ah know all about tem fancy mathematics! That should show that brother o´ mine!” Twilight Sparkle said.
***
Half and hour and several failed attempts later.
“Finally. Thank Celestia we are an even number of ponies.” Twilight complained.
“But it was fun! I liked being Fluttershy and Rarity and then Applejack!” Pinkie shouted while bouncing around back into her lovely body.
“Yes, it had some funny moments…” Twilight admitted.
“But I liked being you the most Twilight!”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you’re really pretty and funny and your head is full of lots and lots of stuff and I like being a smart pony for once!”
“Pinkie you are a smart pony!”
“No, I’m not. You are the smart pony Twilight!”
“No Pinkie you are a very smart pony and you shouldn’t let anypony tell you otherwise, especially not me…”
Pinkie hugged Twilight, reassuring her she was her friend no matter what.
“Hey Twi, since you are such and organized pony, want to help me pack?”
“Sure, where are you going?”
“I’m going to visit my relatives.”
“So sugarcube want to eat dinner with us? We always have an extra seat at the table.” Applejack invited Fluttershy.
“Oh I´ll love too!”
Angel happily hopped to greet them and extended his pawns in a hug to Applejack.
“Uh sorry sugarcube, that´s Fluttershy now.”
Fluttershy waved at him and the poor bunny twitched his eye before falling down.
“Oh right! I´m back baby! Finally I can stretch my wings! I think I’m going to take a night flight!”
“Rainbow Dash. I just wanted to say… I was wrong. I thought that a lady needed to act all the times delicate and graceful but just because you like to act like one of the boys doesn’t mean you are any less lady-like. The truth is you are a pretty tough lady, Rainbow.”
“Thanks Rarity oh, and you should spend some more time with your little sis she needs your help with all her crush on Spike and everything.”
“What? She has a crush on Spike?”
“…really?”
Satisfied with her work, Princess Luna trotted back to her carriage.
“It was certainly entertaining but I´m glad everything is finally solved.”
“I wouldn’t say that just yet, Princess.”
Princess Luna turned over to face a grey pegasus with blonde mane and crossed eyes and a really sullen expression. Next to her was an earth brown stallion who made a goofy expression.
“I just don’t know what went wrong!”
THE END
