Fetlocks and Feathers

by PonymianRhapsody

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Slice of Life
Length: 7239

What happens when a narcisstic Griffin and an innocent little filly switch bodies?

Gilda and Apple Bloom have switched bodies! Enlisting the help of some odd characters, they now have to find a way to return to their old bodies, without completely destroying each others' reputations. But when the time finally comes, will they be able to give up their new-found friends?

(Hastily thrown together title image made by yours truly via MS Paint in about 5 minutes.)

[Rated Teen for: some violence, use of alcohol and tobacco, and mild language]

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-05-30 00:57:03 UTC

1: Rude Awakening

The light shone in through Gilda’s window particularly bright this morning, intensifying her headache.   She fumbled around with her covers and pulled them over her head to give herself some solitude from the harsh sun.  She sealed her eyes shut, trying to sneak in an extra hour of sleep, but her excruciating headache kept her from falling back into the blissful state.

She must have had one hell of a hangover.  Not only did she have a headache, but nearly her entire body was numb.  She couldn’t even feel her talons or wings, and she felt microscopic in her stiff, arid bed.

The must and heat of the covers over her head soon became too much to bear, and her head emerged from the thick blankets.  She opened her eyes slowly.

Something was wrong.

The paint job seemed unfamiliar, as did everything else in the room.  She looked down at her bed to see it was a different bed from hers altogether. She rubbed her eyes with her clenched talons, reassuring herself she was just seeing things. However, when she opened her eyes, not only was the room still there, but her talons had been replaced with two cream colored hooves.

Something was definitely wrong.

Before she had time to process this new information, an orange Earth Pony in a Stetson burst through the door.

“APPLE BLOOM,” the orange pony yelled in her direction, “GET UP! Yer gonna be late fer school!”

Gilda hadn’t realized the pony was talking to her.  She was still staring at her newly acquired hooves.  The pony called to her again and again, and after having no response from Gilda, let out an exasperated groan and picked her up by the scruff of her neck.

The freckled pony plopped Gilda down in front of a mirror and began to frantically brush her mane while rambling about how lazy she could be sometimes.  Sitting in front of a mirror further added to the shock Gilda was experiencing.  She hadn’t just woken up with hooves; she had woken up with an entirely new body.  Her new body was obviously very young, a lot younger than the pony behind her who was still ranting about laziness.  Her entire coat was cream-colored, and her mane and tail were both red.  She didn’t seem to have one of those butt-tattoos that other ponies seemed to have, though.

After the older pony finished with Gilda’s new mane and tail, she planted a big red bow in her mane and shoved her out the door, slamming it behind Gilda.  Two other young, blank flanked ponies came to meet her; a Unicorn and a Pegasus.

“Hey there, Apple Bloom,” the Unicorn exclaimed with a voice crack.

“Ready for another day at school?” added the Pegasus.

Gilda was at a loss for words.  She tried choking out some sort of reply, but all she got was, “…Guh?”

“Whoa, Gilda!  Are you still drunk from last night or something,” a cocky Griffin choked out between snickers.

“Yeah,” his friend joined in, also snickering, “Or did you drink some this morning?”

“That’s the first sign of an alcoholic, you know,” a third Griffin mocked.

Apple Bloom had woken up earlier that morning to find she was no longer a filly, (or a pony at all, for that matter) but a large, threatening Griffin.  Her head was throbbing, and she was adjusting to having talons rather than hooves, as well as having wings.  She spent a few hours in the messy, bottle-ridden apartment she had woken up in trying to figure out what had happened to her, or if it was all a dream. She was interrupted, however, by a group of three other Griffins claiming to be her friends and calling her Gilda, and whisked her away from the unkempt apartment.

This was Apple Bloom’s first time flying, so she was understandably having quite a bit of trouble, swaying from left to right, waving her wings chaotically just to try to stay afloat.

“Heh heh, yeah, I guess,” Apple Bloom stuttered in a much more gravelly voice than she was used to.  She didn’t want to appear crazy to the other three Griffins by telling them she was actually an Earth Pony who woke up in a Griffin’s body, so she decided to play along.  Besides, she didn’t want to ruin this “Gilda’s” relationship with her friends.

After about five minutes of flying, the other Griffins began to descend.  Apple Bloom tried to lower herself down, but ended up stopping altogether and falling on the ground with a loud “THUD!”  The other Griffins laughed once again at Apple Bloom’s dismay without offering a helping hoof.  Or talon.  Or paw.  Or whatever Griffins were supposed to offer.  Apple Bloom shook the thought from her mind and got herself back on her… paws?  She shook her head once again before surveying where they had landed.

It was a small town, similar to Ponyville, but the roads were hastily paved with seemingly random stones.  The buildings lining the street seemed a bit run down, and there were a lot more Griffins than ponies, and what few ponies were there were usually pegasi.  Although, there wasn’t much of anyone on the street to begin with.

Apple Bloom’s observations were interrupted by a nudge to her side.

“Hey,” the Griffin who had done the nudging said, “isn’t that the mule you were messin’ around with the other day?”

Apple Bloom looked to the supposed “mule” he had indicated.  But the mule wasn’t a mule at all; he was a frazzled looking pegasus stallion with a brown coat and dark, almost black mane, and a construction hammer imprinted on his flank.  He looked exhausted and beaten, and most of his feathers seemed to be out of place or missing altogether.

“Yeah, I think I saw him hangin’ round Gerald’s bar last night,” answered another of the Griffins from the group.  “I don’t think he learned his lesson from last time, Geoff!”

“Well then,” the first Griffin from the group, Geoff, as was apparently his name, continued in a dark, sly tone, “we’ll just have to… review our previous lesson.”

The other two Griffins let out a grim laugh while Geoff felt around on the ground for any loose stones in the road.  He was a pudgy little Griffin, much smaller than Apple Bloom in her new body.  In fact, he only came up to just under her beak (when he really tried to stand up tall), though there was something… scary about him.  Threatening, even.

“Yeah, that’s a good one,” he decided, inspecting a stone about the size of Apple Bloom’s talon from the pitifully paved path.

“Hey, why don’t we let Gilda do it,” said one of the other Griffins.  “After all, she’s the one who taught him his lesson before!”

Geoff immediately turned around and gave the Griffin a cold glare.  “What did you say?”  He shrunk back the more Geoff stared.  “Did you just give me, me, of all Griffins, an order?”

“I-I’m sorry, Geoff,” the Griffin said.  “I didn’t mean anything by it, I just-“

Wrong answer.  “Oh, so now you’re going to argue?  Is that how it’s going to be, wise guy?”  Geoff was now right in front of the Griffin.  Although Geoff was only half the size of the other, he seemed to tower over him like an eagle looming its prey.

“N-No, of course not, Geoff, I just thought that since…” he was scrambling for words that would not further anger the small yet terrifying Griffin.

But just as soon as he was provoked, he let out a hearty laugh, slapping the Griffin on the back.  “Oh boy, I had you goin’ there, didn’t I?”

The Griffin wasn’t quite sure what had happened, but decided it was better to laugh along with him rather than get him angry again.  “Ha ha, yeah, great one, Geoff!”

The other two quickly joined in nervous laughter.  Apple Bloom just looked on, not really sure how to react.  Was this really their idea of a joke?  It looked to her like Geoff had really scared the other Griffin.  She just couldn’t wrap her head around it.

Her train of thought was interrupted by a rock getting shoved into her talon.  “You were right, though.  It’s only fittin’ that Gilda be the one who teach him a lesson.”  Apple Bloom gave him a confused look, as if to say, “me?”

Geoff just responded by pushing her out into the road, bridging the gap a little between her and the Pegasus.  “Well, go ahead!  Chuck ‘er at him!”

Apple Bloom looked down at the rock, wrapped in her clenched talon.  Throw it at him?

“What’s the matter, Gils?”  Geoff said.  “Ain’t got the gizzard for it?”

Apple Bloom gave a nervous look back at the three Griffins, who looked on impatiently.  Well, Apple Bloom thought, Ah don’t wanna scare Gilda’s friends off.  Maybe if Ah just throw it near him without hurtin’ him…

Apple Bloom reluctantly chucked the stone at the Pegasus, intentionally missing and going right behind him.  She threw it harder than she meant to, as it kept going and crashed into the house behind him.  Apple Bloom winced, and turned back around nervously to see Geoff wearing a disapproving expression.

“What in the hell was that supposed to be?  Were you aimin’ at the mule or the house?”

“S-sorry.  It must have slipped…”

“Ah, outta my way!”  Geoff impatiently shoved Apple Bloom out of his way, picking up another, much larger rock.

He wound his arm back, grasping the heavy looking rock.  “Ya see Gils, this is how ya do it!”

His arm shot back, heaving the stone towards the innocent Pegasus.  The stone collided hard with his side, causing a thunderous “CRACK!”  The Griffins laughed uncontrollably to the point of tears, but Apple Bloom just stared on in horror.  She watched as the wounded Pegasus struggled fruitlessly to get back on his hooves.  After having given up, he turned his head to inspect his limp wing.  That was when Apple Bloom noticed that his right eye was gone, marked by three long scars going down his face.

“That’ll show ya to show up on our side of town, ya dumb mule!”

Apple Bloom was horrified that the three Griffins found this so amusing.  Well, if that’s how they wanna be, then Ah refuse to stay with ‘em!  Apple Bloom ran over as quickly as she could to the fallen Pegasus, ready to offer a helping… talon.

“Gilda!  What the hell are you doin’?”  Geoff called after her, all previous laughter abruptly subsided.

Apple Bloom ignored him, focusing on helping the hurt pony.  “Are you okay?”

“Gilda, are you crazy?”  One of the other Griffins said.

Apple Bloom had had it with them.  “What is wrong with you Griffins?  Can’t you tell he’s hurt? Even if you don’t have any compassion, that doesn’t mean that I don’t have any, either!”  Gilda stood back up on her four legs.  “It’s just a pony!  He never did anything to you!  Can’t you see that this is all wrong?”

“Gilda, you dumb-“ one of the Griffins began, but he was interrupted by Geoff’s talon thrust in font of his face, silencing him.  “But, Geoff-“

“I don’t wanna hear any of it,” he said, quickly hushing the Griffin.  “She knows the consequences.  She’ll come to her senses.  And if she don’t, then…” Geoff turned to the other Griffins for emphasis, “I pity her.”

The other two Griffins looked down in silence.  “C’mon, let’s go to Gerald’s.  I need a drink.”

The three Griffins were silent as they took off, with Geoff shooting Apple Bloom one last look.  It felt like they held eye contact for an eternity; his intense eyes full of anger and remorse.

After forcing her eyes away from Geoff’s, Apple Bloom turned back to the hurt pegasus.  “Are you okay?”

Wordlessly, he shoved Apple Bloom away with his foreleg.  This time, he stayed standing, however.

Apple Bloom wasn’t sure what to say.  The other Griffins had mentioned Gilda picking on this poor Pegasus before, so it made sense why he was so distrusting of her.

“I’m really sorry about all that,” Apple Bloom said.

The Pegasus made no attempt to respond, yet Apple Bloom kept following the limping Pegasus, determined to make up for the other Griffins’ cruelty.

“I mean, I don’t really know those other Griffins…  They just sort of showed up this morning, saying they were my friends… I’m not supposed to be here… I don’t even know where ‘here’ is!”

The weathered stallion gave no response, but a pained stare.  “Why are you following me?” he asked in a frail, yet stern voice.  “Haven’t you had your fun for today?”

Apple Bloom hesitated.  “Well, I…” She struggled to find the right words.  Certainly he would think her crazy if she told him the truth, right?  “Well…”

The battered Pegasus turned his head back to look in front of him as he limped along slowly.  “All you Griffins, always giving us ponies a hard time, simply because we’re different...”  He paused a moment to let his words sink in.  “Because we’re poor.”

Apple Bloom was running out of options.  “I…”

The pegasus turned to face Apple Bloom, giving her a stern one-eyed glare.  “What?  What do you want?  Are you here for my family now, too?”  He gave Apple Bloom the most terrifying glare she had ever had the displeasure of being on the receiving end of.  “You’ve already taken my money and home and eye, and now my wing!”

Apple Bloom was overwhelmed with fear and guilt.  Sure, she hadn’t actually done any of the things he was talking about, but it was still aimed at her nonetheless.  She felt tears begin to well up in her eagle eyes.

“What will it take to satisfy you greedy Griffins!?  Blood?  I’ve already given plenty of that just to keep you punks out of my hair!”  Apple Bloom could barely hold back the tears in her eyes at this point.  “Just go away!”

That was the last straw.  Apple Bloom could no longer hold it back.  She bawled as the tears flowed heavily from her eyes.  The Pegasus just watched, not quite registering what was happening.

He debated just leaving her there, but there was clearly something different about Gilda this time.  He let out a weary sigh.  “I don’t have time for this...”

Gilda trotted ahead the young pegasus and unicorn, struggling to adjust to the sudden change in size (and species all together).  It was difficult for her, walking on hard, stiff hooves rather than her talons in the front and paws in the back, but she was managing.

After a few minutes of silent walking to who knows where, Gilda finally decided to break the silence.  “So where’re we goin’ anyway?”  Gilda cringed immediately upon hearing the sickeningly hick-ish earth pony accent that had escaped from her mouth.

The Pegasus tweaked her head on its side and furrowed an eyebrow in confusion.  “We’re going to school, like always."

Gilda let out an exasperated sigh.  “Ah know we’re goin’ ta school, feather brain!  Ah meant which way was it?”

The two other ponies shrank back.  “Are you feeling okay, Apple Bloom?” the Unicorn asked with a concerned squeak.

“’Course Ah am,” Gilda said.  “Never felt better!”

The Pegasus and Unicorn began whispering to each other, concerned with their friend’s odd behavior.  Gilda noticed it, but decided it wasn’t worth it to interrupt.  Instead, she opted to inspect the scenery.  They trotted along on a surprisingly clean and relatively flat dirt road, framed by a cluster of trees on the right, and a small, quaint looking town on the left.  Aside from the chirping of the birds and the sound of the three ponies’ hooves clopping against the dirt, not a sound could be heard.  It was all so quiet and peaceful.

Much too quiet and peaceful for Gilda’s tastes.  She wanted so much to take off into the sky at top speed and race around the skies for a few hours before heading off to her favorite bar, but she knew she couldn't.  Trying to fly as an earth pony would only make her look foolish, so she suffered in silence.

Before long, they came up on the school.  Gilda had trouble seeing it at first, since her eyesight had been greatly compromised by her new earth pony body, but after having it pointed out to her by the squeaky voiced unicorn, it came into view.  It was a small school with a playground outside, nothing special or particularly noteworthy.

“Alright, let’s git this over with,” Gilda said.

“Hey, blank flanks!”  Gilda and the other two ponies hadn’t set two hooves on the playground before the snobbish voice called out to them.

“Ugh, it’s Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon,” the pegasus said.

“Just ignore them,” the unicorn added.

Gilda wasn’t one to take insults lying down, but she was in somepony else’s body.  The insults weren’t aimed at her; they were aimed at this Apple Bloom.  I'll let it slide this time, Gilda thought.

The hours passed by in the schoolhouse as the teacher, Miss Cheerilee, lectured about… well, Gilda wasn't paying attention, so she didn’t really know what the lecture was about.  Gilda let out a yawn and tried to make herself sleep through the rest of class, but to no avail.  No matter how many times she shut her eyes and lay her head on her desk, her mind refused to turn off.  With a sigh of defeat, Gilda rested her face on her hoof, willing her long since retired imagination to return and whisk her away from the drabness of class.

Before she had a chance to drift off, the bell for recess rang, and all the ponies sprang to their hooves and dashed out the door to the playground.  Gilda slowly and lazily forced herself out of her seat and up onto her hooves.  She turned towards the door to see the white unicorn and orange pegasus from earlier eagerly waiting for her at the door.  Gilda sighed as she began to trot over to the two fillies.

“So, what are we going to do today to try and earn our cutie marks?” the unicorn asked as they trotted out the door to the playground.

“Well, I was thinking…” It didn’t take long for Gilda to drown the two fillies on either side of her out.

Gilda observed all that was going on on the playground.  Most of the young equines happily played on the swings or slides or other contraptions set up around the playground, with a few bullies hustling some of the smaller fillies and colts.  Gilda scoffed at the whole thing.  Back when she was still in school as a young cub, recess meant getting stomped on by all the bigger Griffins.

“Apple Bloom!”  Hearing her new name pulled Gilda out of her train of thought.  “Are you okay? You seem out of it.”

“Ah’m fine,” Gilda responded curtly to the orange pegasus.

The Unicorn warily cut in.  “So then it’s decided?  After school gets out, we’ll repaint the clubhouse!”

Gilda rolled her eyes.  They couldn’t be serious, could they?  Repainting some lame clubhouse just for fun?  Of all the ponies in the world, she just had to get stuck in the body of the one with the most boring and goody-horse-shoes friends…

“Hey! What are you Blank Flanks doing over here?”  The mocking voice came from Diamond Tiara, the pink pony from earlier.

“Yeah,” her gray, spectacled friend said, “this part of the playground is for us special ponies!”

“We’re special, too,” the unicorn argued.  “We just haven’t found what makes us special!”

“Ugh!  Give me a break!”  Tiara stole the words from Gilda’s mouth.  “There’s nothing special about any of you ponies!”  She turned to Gilda.  “Everything about you three is just so plain, and dull,” she said to Gilda, plucking at the red bow in her hair.

Gilda gave a fierce glare.  “Ah’d watch what Ah was sayin’ if Ah were you.”

“’Ah’d wawch wut Ah wuz sayin’ if Ah wuz yoo,” the pink filly returned.

And that was it.  Although Gilda knew it was actually aimed at the pony whose body she currently resided in, she had heard enough.  Without another thought, she reached back her foreleg and shot it directly into the face of the prissy pink pony, knocking her backwards.  The gray colored one watched in shock as her friend hit the ground, groaning, almost crying, in pain and shock.

“Hey! Nopony treats Diamond Tiara like that!”  Gilda would hear none of it, though.  She was in a fighting mood now, and before she knew it, the gray filly was on the ground with her friend, a crack in her spectacles.

“C’mon! Is that all ya got?”  Gilda shouted at them.

“Apple Bloom, what are you-“ the small unicorn began, but Gilda didn’t give her time to finish.

“If y’all wanna just get pushed around, that’s fine by me, but Ah’m not gonna lay down and take it like a wimp!”  Gilda turned her gaze back to the prissy ponies, struggling to get back on their hooves, and smirked.  “’Sides, someone’s gotta teach these two snot balls a lesson.”

The unicorn opened her mouth to argue, but an orange hoof on her shoulder stopped her.  “Just let her get it out of her system,” the pegasus said calmly, and with one last snort, the two fillies backed off from the fight.

Silver Spoon got back up on her hooves slowly, whining about every little scratch and bruise and her ruined glasses.  Diamond Tiara spit out a tooth gently, regaining her composure.  “Alright, its time we showed this ignorant hick who’s boss!”  She turned to her silver-maned friend.  “Let’s get her, Silver Spoon!”

Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara lunged towards Gilda, who quickly side stepped and swatted at Tiara with her hoof.  She had forgotten that she was a pony now, with hooves, rather than talons.  The attack normally would have done a lot more damage.  But she could tell it still hurt, so it would have to do.  Silver Spoon was quick to turn around and charge once again at Gilda, but she was met with a face-full of hoof.  Maybe these things did have a use, after all.  They may not have dealt the same slashing effect of her talons, but they were still hard and good for boxing.

Gilda turned away for a moment to see that all the ponies on the playground had gathered round and watched the fight attentively.  Some cheered Apple Bloom’s name, while others cheered on for the two stuck up little princesses.  Gilda had looked for too long, and turned back to see the two fillies had gotten back up and tackled her.

They boxed and bit her, and it surprisingly hurt quite a bit.  Gilda tried pushing them off, but her lanky legs lacked the strength to push the fillies off.  She cursed and screamed and kicked, but nothing seemed to force them off.  Stupid scrawny little legs, Gilda thought as the hooves continued to rain down on her.

“Ah said…”  Gilda reared up her hind legs, “GIT OFF!”

She shot her hind legs at the attacking ponies, knocking them back off of her and causing the crowd to cheer especially loud.  Gilda got up slowly and faced the battered fillies again, ready should they decide to get back up and launch another attack.  But that moment never came.

The sound of groaning and tears from the grounded fillies was music to Gilda's ears.  The ponies that had gathered around to spectate the fight cheered Gilda on, who stood up on her hind legs to flex and show off to the crowd.

“APPLE BLOOM!”  All the ponies instantly stopped their cheering, recognizing the voice as Miss Cheerilee’s.  “What is the meaning of this?”

“Meanin’ of what?”  Gilda looked around playfully before stopping at the sobbing piles of pain behind her.  “You mean that?  Oh, we were just playin’ a game!”

The two battered fillies began to cry, and ran to Miss Cheerilee’s side.

“She beat us up, Miss Cheerilee,” Diamond Tiara fibbed.

Silver Spoon joined in.  “We didn’t do anything!  We just wanted to be friends with her!"

“Why, you little lyin…”

“Apple Bloom,” said Cheerilee in a stern voice.  “What do you have to say for yourself?”

Gilda hesitated for a moment before hopping back up on her hind legs, her hooves in front of her in a fighting stance.  “What, you want some, too?  Go ahead!  Ah can do this all- WHOA!”  Gilda quickly lost her balance and fell hard on her plot.  Cheerilee stood over Gilda, looking down on her with a powerful glare.

“Inside the schoolhouse. Now.”

2: Adjustment Issues

“What in the hay were you thinkin’?”

Gilda sat in silence, focusing attentively on a spot on the floor as she was being scolded by the orange earth pony.  She had heard it all before in her own childhood: “If you keep getting in fights, you’ll never end up anywhere!”  “Fighting is a fast track to an early death.”  And all the other comments like that.  Not that her parents ever cared much, it was just usually from the teachers.  She had learned quickly that in the real world, it was survival of the fittest, kill or be killed.  Eventually, she had permanently adopted this mindset.

And it really had gotten her places.  Whenever she walked through Clawderdale, ponies and Griffins alike would watch on in fear and respect.  They knew that it wasn’t smart to get in Gilda’s way.

But now, here she was, a bumpkin foal getting a hoof waggled at her for roughing up a few spoiled ponies.  She really missed her old body.

“Are you even listenin’ to me?”

The query interrupted Gilda’s train of thought.  “'Course Ah was,” Gilda lied through her newly acquired teeth.

The orange coated mare let out a sigh.  “Is this ‘cause of mom and dad?”

Oh, no.  Gilda had heard this one quite a few times.  “Ah know its tough to take, losin’ mom and dad in the accident… but that don’t give ya the right to act out!  What would dad say if he saw you now?”

I don’t know, Gilda thought with a scowl, I’ve never met the hick.

With one last sigh, Applejack got up on her hooves to leave the room.  “Think about what Ah said.  And don’t even think about comin’ down for supper."  Applejack punctuated her last statement by slamming the door behind her.

“Like Ah’d want any of your damn country food!” Gilda shouted back at the closed door.

Gilda looked out the window to see that the sun was just starting to set.  The sky was a lot clearer here than it usually was in Clawderdale.  A lot quieter, too.  That was still driving Gilda mad.  She missed it all already.  She could almost hear the hushed shouts of her gang, “Apple Bloom! Apple Bloom!”

Wait.  That sounded like it actually was coming from outside.  Gilda slumped off of her bed and opened up the window, peering outside to see the two fillies from earlier: Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, as she found out their names were in detention.  Sickeningly sweet, just like the rest of the ponies.

“Apple Bloom,” Sweetie Belle called in a hushed voice.

“’Bout time y’all got here,” Gilda shouted.  “Now hurry up and help me get outta here!”

The two ponies glanced at each other with an uncertain look.  Oh no, Gilda thought.

“Actually,” Scootaloo said, “we were just here because you dropped your bow during the fight.”

“...Yer kiddin’ right?”

“Well, we knew how much you loved this bow, seeing as it was given to you by your parents and all…” Sweetie Belle said, her voice beginning to trail off.

“Forget the damn bow,” Gilda snapped.  “Just help me get outta here!”

Once again, the two fillies looked to each other for support.  Gilda rolled her eyes.

“Are y’all my friends or aren’t ya?”  That line always got the more timid ones, as Gilda learned from experience.

With a sigh, the reluctant fillies finally agreed.  They two trotted off while Gilda scoured the room for anything that could be of use.  She came across some foal-sized saddle bags, a rotten apple core, a broken toy, and a few bits.  It would have to do.

As Gilda deposited the currency into a sub-pocket on the inside of the saddle bag, the sound of voices outside her window emerged.  Gilda peaked out the window to see a ladder had been propped up against the wall of the house, leading to the ground and freedom.

“Excellent, guys,” Gilda said as she climbed down the ladder.

“Great,” Sweetie Belle said, lack luster, once Gilda had joined them on the ground.  “You were already in big trouble with your sister, and now that’s going to be DOUBLED if she finds out about this!”

“You’ll be grounded forever,” Scootaloo said.

“Forget her.  Ah just need a drink right now… Do either of y’all know any good bars ‘round here?”

The two fillies stared on a moment in shock, before Sweetie Belle regained her composure.  “What’s gotten into you today, Apple Bloom?  Getting in fights, disobeying your sister, and now you want a drink?  What’s happened to you?”

“Ah’ve had a stressful day, so Ah need a drink.  What’s so hard to get about that?”

“Its wrong, though,” Scootaloo objected.

“Ah, come on!  Live a little!  Don’t any of you ponies ever break a rule or somethin’?”

Silence.  The disapproving stares Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo gave Gilda spoke volumes more than words ever could.

“Fine,” Gilda spat as she turned to leave the fillies behind.  “See what Ah care.  Ah didn’t want to hang out with you lame ponies, anyway!”

A pained groan sounded from the broken pegasus draped over Apple Bloom’s back.

“Oh, sorry,” Apple Bloom said.  “I didn’t see that bump there.”

“I’m fine,” he answered with a grunt.  “We’re almost there.  Just follow the path out of town, then turn left at the first fork.”

The better part of the last hour had been spent trying to calm Apple Bloom down.  Then came the introductions, and Apple Bloom tried to explain her curious situation.  Steady Hoof didn’t seem all that convinced, however.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Apple Bloom asked in a raspy voice.

“To see a friend.  She should be able to help you out, if your story is true.”

Apple Bloom didn’t bother to ask anymore questions as she turned the fork.  In the distance, she thought she saw an old castle… or maybe a fort… maybe if she focused she could make it out…

But suddenly, the crumbling old castle, in all its faded glory, seemed to be right in front of her, but just far away enough not to touch.  Apple Bloom jumped at suddenly being able to see so far ahead, causing the stallion on her back to let out another pitiful yelp.

“Oh, sorry."

“It’s fine, just… warn me next time you do that.”

Apple Bloom zoomed her eyes again, though this time she knew what to expect.  “So is that old castle where we’re going?”

“Yeah, that’s the place,” he said through gritted teeth, still recuperating from the previous jump.

“Well, looks like we’re in luck!  We’re almost there!”

Steady Hoof turned his head to look skeptically.  “Already? But we just turned the fork…”

Apple Bloom turned, cancelling the previous zoom she had on the castle.  “Yeah! Looks like we’ll be there in no time at-“

She turned back around with un-zoomed vision to see a long, winding path going through a valley and a forest between them and their destination.

She gulped.  “No time at all…”

By the time the disembodied filly and the disheveled pegasus got to the old castle, the sun was already going down.  The journey through the valley and forest had been long, but thankfully, uneventful.

“Well, we’re here,” Apple Bloom whimpered, intimidated by the towering castle.

The broken pony let out a sigh of relief.  “Great, now we just need to get to the top of the tower…”

“Top of the tower?”  Apple Bloom gazed back up at the crumbling citadel.

“It’s not as bad as it sounds,” Steady Hoof replied, nonchalant.

Right.  ‘Top of the tower,’ ‘Not as bad as it sounds,’ Apple Bloom mocked in her head as the battered stallion climbed off her back.  Once he was off, Apple Bloom reared up on her hind legs to nudge the two massive wooden doors open, and into the rustic castle.

The castle looked like it hadn’t been lived in for years, maybe even centuries.  Everything looked like it had once held brilliant reds and yellows and other royal colors, but now everything was the same: stone gray.  The dust seemed to build up on everything.  And the cobwebs… they were everywhere!  They seemed to cover up the entire wall, as well as the floor, and were slowly creeping their way all across the ceiling.

“Are… you sure your friend lives here?” Apple Bloom said.

“Positive.  She’s never been very good at housekeeping.”

That’s a bit of an understatement...

Steady Hoof began to limp across a section of floor that seemed to have not nearly as many cobwebs, or have just been trampled to the point where they were not as noticeable anymore, to a box in the middle of the tower.  It was big enough to fit two, maybe three ponies, and had a double door on the front.  Steady Hoof came up to the box and pressed a hoof on a button on the side, and the doors slid open.

“Come on, this way is faster,” he said, beckoning Apple Bloom to step inside the small box.

Apple Bloom just stared at it for a moment before replying.  “Uh… what is it?”

“It’s an elevator.  It’s a box operated by magic that will lift us up to the top floor.”  He signaled again with a hoof.  “Now come on! It’s perfectly safe.”

Apple Bloom hesitantly stepped inside the cramped box, which was designed for the small build of ponies, rather than Griffins.  With another push of a button, the box began the slow ascent.  Although it was moving rather slow, it still surprised Apple Bloom, who jumped once again, bumping into Steady Hoof’s bad side.  He suppressed a squeal.

“Oops, sorry,” Apple Bloom said sheepishly.  He waved her off with a hoof.

The trip didn’t last long.  Within the minute, they were at the top of the tower, and the double door opened up, revealing a cobblestone study with enough candles lit to light a dragon's cave, only filled with books rather than gems.  Towards the front of the chamber was a desk, with a light blue unicorn sporting a pink mane and large hat, with her star-burst cutie mark stitched into it in various places and bells hanging around the brim.  She was sleeping in an awkward, bent back position, snoring audibly.

“Starswirl,” Steady Hoof called out.  The only answer he got was another snore.  “Starswirl!” he tried again, louder.  Still no response.  Steady Hoof took in a deep breath and…

“STARSWIRL!”

“WHOA!”  The blue Unicorn kicked around with her hind legs as she was ripped from her dream world, causing her to fall back behind her desk with a squeal, and landed with a thud.  “Ouch.”

Apple Bloom watched skeptically.  This is the pony who’s supposed to help me get back my normal body?

“You alright, Star?”  Steady Hoof said.

A blue hoof came up from behind the desk and waved in response.  “Yeah, I’m fine.”  The hoof felt around on the desk for a spot to rest, then pushed down, pulling the drowsy Unicorn back up.  “So, what can I do for you, Steady?”

“Well, my friend here claims to be a filly trapped in a Griffin’s body,” Steady Hoof said, indicating Apple Bloom with a nod.  “I was wondering if you could do me a favor and see if you could help her out.”

Starswirl gave an ecstatic grin.  “Sure, Steady!  Anything for you!”

The bells hanging around the brim of her hat jingled quietly, yet joyously as Starswirl cantered over to the spot where Apple Bloom stood.  Starswirl looked into her eyes, then touched her longer than average horn to Apple Bloom’s forehead, her horn faintly glowing.  Apple Bloom’s head began to swim, and her feathers stood up on end.  She heard a low hum, though she couldn’t discern who or what was making it, nor where it was coming from.  It was a very soothing hum, though, almost on the edge of hearing.  She tried focusing on the hum, but when she tried to, it retreated further.

When she closed her eyes, the sound returned, a little louder than before.  It was much easier to focus on now.  Apple Bloom squeezed her eyelids closed and focused on the sound as hard as she could, and the sound began to sound like a voice.  She listened harder, trying to make out what the voice was saying, but no distinguishable words came to her ears.  And just as suddenly as it had come, it was gone again.

“Well, she’s definitely been in a Switch, that’s for sure,” Starswirl said in a more serious tone.

“So that means she really is just a filly in there?”

“She sure is."

Apple Bloom opened her eyes, trying to form a smile, which was very hard with a beak.  “Great!  That means you can put me back in my own body, right?”

“Well…  Thing is, I may be good at magic, but a Switch is an incredibly difficult spell.  Much higher than any master level spell I know.  It would take at least five other ponies with as much strength as me to be able to pull off a Switch.”  Starswirl scratched the back of her head with a hoof in embarrassment.  “The only pony I can think of who could pull it off on her own would be Princess Celestia herself…”

Apple Bloom’s joy died instantly.  “So then… I’m stuck like this?  Forever?”

“Not necessarily forever,” Starswirl said.  She trotted over to a book shelf, levitating down a dusty tome.  She flipped through the pages until she found the one she was looking for.  “Ah-ha!  ‘Although a Switch may be reversed by the original caster or casters, a psychic link will often form between the two subjects involved in the switch.  With time, they may be able to use this psychic link to communicate, and there are rare cases where the two involved in the Switch are able to regain their old bodies on their own.’”

“So then, there’s still a chance for me to get back to my old body?”

“I don’t know,” Starswirl answered.  “The two ponies involved in the Switch usually already know each other, and psychic links don’t usually hold up over great distances.”  Starswirl thought for a moment.  “Where did you say you came from again?”

“Ponyville."

Starswirl hopped over to her desk, levitating and opening books, looking through them, then tossing them aside, all the while muttering, “Ponyville, Ponyville, Ponyville…” under her breath.  “Ah-HA!” Starswirl suddenly shouted, bringing her hoof down hard on her desk.  “Ponyville!”  But the grin suddenly melted away from her face.

Steady Hoof looked on with a concerned stare.  “What’s wrong?”

Starswirl looked up from her book.  “Ponyville… it's miles away.”  She rotated the book around for them to see the map printed inside.  “Ponyville is here,” she said, using magic to levitate a quill which indicated a small town near the center of Equestria, “and we’re here, just outside the border.”

Apple Bloom looked at the map in horror.  “I knew I was far away from home, but…”  Tears began to well up in her eyes again.

Steady Hoof turned back to Starswirl.  “Are you sure there’s nothing you can do?”

“I don’t know,” Starswirl said with a sigh.  “I can try, but… I’ll need some time to research.”

Apple Bloom’s face lit up.  “So that means you’ll help?”

“Of course I’ll help,” said Starswirl with a grin.

"Oh, thank you," Apple Bloom exclaimed as she threw herself at Swarswirl in a hug.  Starswirl just laughed and returned the hug

“Oh, and Starswirl?”  Starswirl turned back to the limping stallion.  “Could I ask one more favor of you?”  He lifted his wing slowly to show the damage that had been done earlier that day.  Starswirl chuckled.

The sound of a hoof coming down hard and bits tumbling all over the bar sounded behind the bartender, and it was music to his ears.

He put on the biggest smile he could muster as he turned around.  “Hi, and welcome to-“

“Hardest thing ya got.  And make it snappy, would ya?”

He couldn’t believe his eyes.  “A… Apple Bloom?  Does your sister know you’re here?”

The apple scented filly sighed.  “Look,” she said in a commanding voice, “y’all want mah money or not?”

“Apple Bloom, you’re much too young to drink.  Go home, I’m sure Applejack’s worried sick about you.”

“Ah’m not leavin’ til Ah get a drink,” Apple Bloom asserted by bringing her hoof down against the bar hard, shaking the loose bits and knocking over the drink of the pony next to her.

The bartender just gave a stern stare in response.  “Out.  Now.”

“Stupid ponies,” Gilda muttered to herself.  “Not acceptin’ mah hard earned cash… Ah don’t think he realizes how hard it is pick pocketin’ with hooves.”

Gilda trudged Ponyville, which was now dark.  The streets were filled with less and less ponies as the evening got later and later, and the lights from the houses started to flip on.  Gilda let out a yawn.  So soon, she thought to herself.  But it’s just now getting dark.  Damn, this stupid little body…

Gilda looked around for any sort of hotel, but there were none to be seen.  Even so, they probably wouldn’t let me stay the night like that bartender refused to let me have a drink…  Why’d I have to be stuck in the body of such a young pony?

Gilda wandered around Ponyville for what felt like hours, not paying attention to where she was going, just let her legs take her wherever they wished.  She reminisced about when she was back in her rightful body, pushing around anyone that got in her way just because she could, as if it had been years ago.

“Okay, now just calm down, Miss Applejack.  Can you describe the events leading up to your sister’s disappearance?”

Gilda heard it suddenly, along with the sounds of somepony sobbing, snapping her out of her stupor.  She looked around and, to her dismay, was greeted by the sight of familiar apple trees planted strategically in the field around her.  Gilda silently cursed herself for being so careless and quickly hid behind a tree, fixing her eyes on the small two-story house in the distance, listening intently.

“Well, earlier today she got into a fight at school,” Applejack told the cop in between sobs, “so Ah had to go pick ‘er up.  ‘Course Ah gave her a right good talkin’ to when we got home, and…”  Applejack could barely hold the tears back anymore.

Gilda smirked at the sound of the pitiful pony’s tears.  Serves her right, trying to hold me back like that.  I almost feel sorry for her, though… crying in front of the cops like that…

Gilda shook the thought from her mind.  No, crying is a sign of weakness.  If something as small as her sister running away is enough to make her cry, then I don’t care.

Gilda listened in again: “Alright, that should be all we need.  Thank you, Miss Applejack, and have a pleasant evening.”

Damn pony eyes, I can’t see a thing, Gilda cursed in her head as she tried to focus in on the cops as they left the property.

Once the cops left, Gilda turned her attention back to the house.  Applejack was still standing in the open doorway, streams of tears running down her cheeks.  A red stallion appeared behind her, placing a foreleg around the orange mare’s neck.  Gilda strained to hear when he opened his mouth to speak.

“We should get to bed soon,” the stallion said.  “There’s a lot to get done tomorrow before the storm comes.”

Applejack just nodded, then turned to go back into the house.  Now’s my chance, Gilda thought as she placed a hoof forward… and stepped on a twig.  She cringed as the twig made a loud “SNAP!”  Applejack whipped her head around to the sound, knowing she had heard something.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothin’.  Just thought Ah heard…”

The stallion sighed.  “Apple Bloom will come back.  She just needs a little time to cool off, is all.”

It was now Applejack’s turn to sigh.  “Yeah, s’pose your right.  Ah just hope she doesn’t get hurt or nothin’…”

“Apple Bloom’s a smart filly.  She’ll be fine,” he said.

Applejack turned back to the house, looked up at her brother, and smiled.  “Yeah, Ah suppose she is.”

The door finally closed, and Gilda then let out a sigh of her own, slumping against the tree.

A/N: Big thanks to StarlightSpark, creator of the Starswirl Adventures tumblr for letting me use her character, Starswirl!  I hope I wrote her well...