A Walk In Each Other's Horseshoes
Why Discord isn't allowed to babysit
“I want to go to the Equusonian in Canterlot! They're having an exhibit on currency throughout history and daddy says it's good for a business pony to learn about the history of making money,” Diamond Tiara argued, with Silver Spoon in the Crusader's club house. “I can pay for all our tickets!”
“Diamond, we don't care about any of that stuff,” Scootaloo pointed out bluntly.
“I know, but they have exhibits on all sorts of stuff. Like the history of apple farming and the Wonderbolts, and...Sweetie Belle, what are you into?” Diamond asked, looking to the only unicorn present.
“Music?” Sweetie Belle answered, putting a thoughtful hoof to her chin. “Oh! And fashion! Like my big sister!”
Diamond Tiara took out a pamphlet for the museum in question and looked through it. “Ah! Right here! History of Equestrian Music and Fashions exhibits!...See? I can be thoughtful too when I want to,” she replied with a little more pride than that should call for.
“That does sound kind of nice,” Sweetie Belle admitted.
“Well we wanted to go to finally explore Princess Twilight's castle and see if there's anything else cool in it besides that magic table!” Apple Bloom replied with a glare. “Yah should like that! Yah get to meet Princess Twilight and explore a big fancy castle!”
“Well...yeah, that would be cool...” Diamond admitted. Silver Spoon nodded slowly, seeming genuinely interested in the concept. “But the exhibits change! They won't be there if we don't go now! Twilight's castle will be there forever! We can visit some other time and go to the museum today!”
“Yeah, but where's the fun in just walking around looking at old stuff the whole time?” Scootaloo replied, not sounding impressed.
“You liked the Canterlot Castle statue garden!” Diamond retorted. She and Apple Bloom got in each others' faces and literally butted heads.
“Girls!” Sweetie Belle chimed in, pushing the two apart. “Let's just vote! You know, like we Crusaders do when we want to do something!”
Diamond Tiara blinked in confusion. “Wait, you three vote?! On everything?!”
Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, most of the time. Why?”
“I thought Apple Bloom just called all the shots!” the rich filly replied. Silver Spoon simply nodded.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Well we do...let's just do it...All for the castle?” she asked, her and Scootaloo both raising their hooves.
“Fine...all for the museum!” Diamond asked, raising her own hoof. Silver hesitated for a moment, then raised her own.
Both groups turned and looked at Sweetie Belle. The little filly looked back and forth between them.
“Sweetie Belle!” Apple Bloom called in disbelief.
“I'm thinking!” Sweetie Belle replied. “Exploring the castle is fun! But those music and fashion exhibits sound like fun too!” The little filly held her head, trying to think of which set of friends to go with. “Ugh! I can't decide!”
“Hehe...well, little ponies, mind if I cast a vote?” asked a familiar voice.
The group turned as a flash of light heralded Discord...who was on a unicycle for reasons only he knew. “After all, I'm your friend too, aren't I, Crusaders?”
“Discord?!” asked all five, Diamond and Silver backing away with wide eyes.
“I thought you were on probation for seeing us after the whole Tirek thing...” Sweetie Belle pointed out.
Discord rubbed the back of his head. “Well...yeah...and I deserved it...but I'm not on probation any more! Helped save Equestria, remember?” he asked, suddenly in a Super Stallion outfit. “Besides, you never took away my honorary Cutie Mark Crusaders membership, so you must still be open to the prospect, right?” he asked, now with a CMC cape.
“Wait wait wait!” Diamond Tiara asked. “HE'S an honorary Crusader?! Why aren't I an honorary Crusader?! I had a Cutie Mark problem too!”
“You never asked,” Scootaloo pointed out bluntly.
“...Well...He doesn't even have a Cutie Mark!” the wealthy pony asked, pointing at the Draconequus.
“Hey! That's where you're mistaken, little pony! I can have one whenever I want to!” said Discord, snapping his finger and turning into the same guise he'd used to lure Lord Tirek, and showing off the tornado on his flank then turning back. “But that's neither here nor there, even if being those places is kind of my thing. It's even my mailing address!” he said, producing a Las Pegasus postcard from Fluttershy with the address reading 'Neither Here Nor There.' “But you girls want somewhere to go and can't decide. Well as much as I love a good argument and lack of harmony between ponies, I happen to know a place with both a ton of Equestria's history on just about everything, including currency, that just so happens to also be a Princesses' castle. How does that sound?”
The five foals looked to each other.
“The Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters?” asked Scootaloo, looking around the huge castle they'd been teleported to. It was the breathtaking sight, especially after the Mane Six's renovations.
“Yes! Honestly surprised your big sisters never took you here,” Discord commented, looking around.
“Yeah, that is kinda weird,” said Sweetie Belle, rubbing her head. “They spent all that time fixing it up, then kinda just forgot about it...”
“I know! I asked Celestia if I could take it, but they said 'no, it's a national landmark!'” Discord muttered with an annoyed sigh.
“Can't you just snap your fingers and make a castle any time you want to?” the little unicorn asked.
“Yes, but it's not the same!”
Diamond Tiara cleared her throat. “You said there was a lot of stuff about Equestria's history? Including what I'm missing out on in Canterlot?”
“Oh yes,” Discord replied, snapping his fingers and teleporting them to the castle library. “Here you go. Celestia and Luna's old personal library. I'm pretty sure Twilight made additions. I think there's an entire section on currency. Blech, so much effort into something as meaningless as keeping track of money! Under my rule we has a random currency I made from the sky every week!...Anyway, I'll come back to pick you up later. Don't worry, the castle's perfectly safe now!”
“Wait, what-”
The group blinked, as Discord suddenly disappeared into thin air.
“...And that's why Discord isn't allowed to foalsit...” said Scootaloo in a deadpan voice.
“Well now what do we do?!” asked Diamond, looking around a panic.
“Don't worry, he'll come back, otherwise Fluttershy will get on his case,” the orange pegasus replied.
“Let's just look around, this place is bound tah have somethin' worth looking at...” said Applebloom, looking around the large, impressive room.
Diamond sighed. “Fine, whatever. Come on Silver, let's find those books..”
“Right Diamond...” said Silver, eyes scanning the room. She noted how beautiful a lot of the things were. Ancient tapestry and artwork. She imagined her mother would be quite approving of the décor. The Crusaders were doing much the same, but were naturally more interested in looking for the secrets the room held. They knew from their siblings that the castle was full of them.
Unnoticed to any, a golden jeweled necklace appeared around the neck of a single statue of an Alicorn's head at the side of the room. Diamond Tiara soon trotted over to the section next to it, looking over the books. “Ah! 'Currencies of the Romare Empire'! Huh, that mismatched chaos spirit was telling the truth for once...” she said...then looked over and saw the necklace. Slowly approaching, she looked it over. It was so pretty, and here in a Princess's castle! Did that mean Celestia or Luna had worn it once?!...Certainly they wouldn't mind if she just...
“What are yah doin'?” Apple Bloom asked, noticing what she was doing.
“Just trying this thing on,” Diamond Tiara replied, reaching for the necklace.
“But that's not yours!” the farm filly said, pulling her hoof back.
“Oh come on! I'm not going to take it! I just want to try it on!” the rich filly called back.
The two got into a pushing match until Diamond finally hooked the necklace with her hoof and pulled. The statue it was attached to leaned forwards and a loud mechanical noise sounded.
“Uh oh...” the two fillies said in unison. They gave a scream as the wall and floor opened, dumping them through the floor.
“Diamond!” yelled Silver Spoon in horror.
“Apple Bloom!” screamed the other Crusaders.
The three fillies ran over as the room closed back up.
“Where are they?!” asked Silver Spoon, looking almost lost.
“I think they pulled the statue down!” Sweetie Belle replied. “Then everything opened up-wait!”
Silver Spoon didn't hesitate to pull the statue, sending herself and the other two following their friends.
Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara screamed as they landed on a pair of slides and went zooming down. Like most of the castle's other traps and special features, it was still somehow functioning after over a thousand years, but it was not entirely untarnished. As Diamond found out when she went through a cobweb, screaming rather loudly when she found (and promptly knocked away) a Star Spider on her nose. The two finally flew off their slide, both slamming into a barrel labeled 'Balance' in the middle of the room, knocking it over.
“Ow...See what yah did?!” Apple Bloom asked, rubbing her bruised head and glaring.
Diamond Tiara growled. “What I did?! It would've been just fine if you didn't try to stop me!” she called back, neither noticing the barrel rumbling like a volcano about to erupt.
The bottom lid finally burst open in an explosion of magical smoke, dispersing into a swarm of colorful, raindrop-shaped creatures. The tiny creatures seemed to giggle mischievously, looking at the two ponies with imp-like faces before raining down.
“We wouldn't be down here if yah weren't....” Apple Bloom started while the creatures washed over them. Slowly, her face contorted into a familiar sadistic smirk. “...so greedy!”
Diamond Tiara took a step back, looking hurt...then slowly turning to stubborn indignation. “And what's that supposed to mean?!” she asked, her way of speaking becoming more like her father's.
“Oh, nothing...” the youngest Apple sibling replied in a somewhat snooty, singsong manner. “Just yer ma must be so proud of ya...”
“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” screamed the other three fillies as they shot off the slides and came to a stop.
“Ugh...Where are we?” Scootaloo asked, looking around the dark room.
Sweetie Belle looked around, and finally saw Diamond and Apple Bloom, back to literally butting heads. However, the two's condition made her take a step back in shock. She rubbed her eyes with her hooves, then double checked that she hadn't gotten which was which wrong in the darkness. “Uh, girls...”
Silver Spoon gasped. “Diamond?” she asked, staring wide eyed...then blinked and looked down as the strange little creatures hopped over and surrounded the trio.
“What are these things?!” Scootaloo asked, looking at them in confusion as the creatures hopped all over them. Her expression then turned from one of confusion to childish excitement. “They're so cute!” she exclaimed, grabbing a few of them and hugging them.
Silver Spoon's expression transitioned from concern for Diamond Tiara to annoyance. “Eh, whatever...” she said, kicking one away before beginning to look around the room with an adventurous look. While dark, there were plenty of curious shapes to make out. Whatever was in here looked like machinery of some sort. “This place looks cool.”
Sweetie Belle just...sat there, looking concerned, but not acting at all.
Diamond Tiara gave a growl of annoyance. “Ugh! Let's just get outta here!” the filly exclaimed, glaring at Apple Bloom.
“Good idea. Scootaloo, go find our way out,” Apple Bloom ordered like she was commanding a butler, complete with clapping her hooves.
Scootaloo blinked, dropping the creatures she was hugging. “Huh?”
Diamond Tiara gave a growl, eyes not leaving Apple Bloom. “Fine! If you aren't gonna find our way out, then I will!” she said, showing more stubbornness than pride.
“Good luck with that,” replied the little Apple. “Don't get side tracked by another shiny thing, greedy.”
The pink filly gave a more aggravated growl and headed off to go looking for a way out while Apple Bloom merely turned her nose up snootily. Diamond's posture decidedly changed, no longer caring about the proper way for an upper crust pony to carry themselves, while Apple Bloom kept her nose almost as far in the air as Spoiled Rich.
Scootaloo blinked, raising an eyebrow. “Okay, seriously, what is going on?”
“I don't know...” said Sweetie Belle finally said, as if she'd been waiting for permission to speak. “Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara are acting really weird!”
“Come on, Silver Spoon, let's get outta here!” called Diamond Tiara, her tone notably less commanding and more friendly than even her post reformation self.
“No!” Silver Spoon called back, continuing to look around.
Everypony suddenly looked at her with their jaws dropped.
“Hehe...Hehe!” the filly giggled, sounding giddy. “No! So this is what it feels like to tell somepony 'no'! No no no no no! Hehe!”
“What do you mean no?!” asked Diamond Tiara. “We're stuck down here!”
“I wanna check this place out! It's too soon to leave!” called the gray filly, finding a stone button on the wall and pressing it without hesitation. Crystals on the ceiling flickered on, magically lighting up the room. If the CMC didn't know better, they'd have sworn they were in Twilight's old basement laboratory, except much more ancient. The center of the floor had a star and crescent moon engraved on it and the walls were lined with books. “Cool!” the normally submissive and passive filly yelled, dashing off to explore at full gallop, launching some of the little creatures into the air. They didn't seem to care, and just continued to giggle mischievously.
“Silver...” said Diamond Tiara, looking a bit lonely. She then started looking around the room for a way out, stubbornly trying the same statue (identical to the one that'd gotten them down here in the first place) five times for a hidden lever. Meanwhile Apple Bloom just set there looking snooty, like she expected to just let everypony do the work.
“Okay, Diamond Tiara's acting all stubborn like Apple Bloom and Apple Bloom's acting like old Diamond, and Silver Spoon is being all adventurous!” Scootaloo exclaimed, her body motions and voice a good bit more energetic.
Sweetie Belle merely stood there with a look of concern, but not taking any initiative of her own.
“And what are these cute little things?” the orange pegasus asked, looking at one and petting it with a sweet smile.
“I don't know,” Sweetie Belle replied simply. She didn't react as the creatures hopped on her head and all over her.
Silver Spoon jumped up onto a table, then jumped off onto a bookshelf. “Just look at this place!” she yelled, then grabbed a piece of cloth and jumped off, wrapping it around a rope running along the room on the ceiling and zip-lining across the room, laughing like it was the funnest thing she'd ever done.
Diamond Tiara tried an eleventh identical statue to see if it led to another secret door to no avail. She gave an impatient, frustrated growl. “I want outta here and I want outta here now!”
Scootaloo started walking around, but far more cautiously than Diamond Tiara and Silver were. Sweetie Belle simply followed behind. “Okay, think Scootaloo...Ah! This place is like Twilight's lab right?”
Sweetie Belle simply nodded. “Yeah, it looks like it.”
“And Twilight doesn't keep anything in her lab she's studying without keeping notes, right?” Scootaloo asked, actually being careful not to trample any of the cute little things.
“She takes notes on everything, so yeah.”
“And that means if this place is like Twilight's lab, then there's gotta be something here telling us what's going on with Diamond, Silver, and Apple Bloom, right?!” Scootaloo asked, getting an excited look.
“Sounds right. That was really logical, Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle pointed out with a supportive smile.
Scootaloo stopped in her tracks, eyes wide. “Wait...Did I say that?!”
The unicorn nodded. “Yeah.”
The orange pony blinked. “Okay, when I start thinking things out that well, then you know something's weird...”
“Yep!”
The duo jumped as Silver Spoon landed in front of them, her signature pearl necklace and glasses no longer on and mane hanging loose and free rather than her normal pigtails. “Look girls! I'm naked!”
Scootaloo blinked, looking over to see Apple Bloom pick up her discarded pearls and put them on, taking a pose like she was showing them off. Diamond Tiara was still stubbornly trying to find an exit and impulsively trying everything that even remotely looked like it. “...Silver Spoon, you're always naked.”
“...Well I'd be naked at home as far as momma is concerned! And that's the point!” exclaimed the silver filly with a rebellious smile. “No pony can tell me what to do and I love it!”
“...Don't you need your glasses to see?” the orange filly asked, Sweetie giving a worried glance.
Silver Spoon shook her head. “No way! Watch!” she exclaimed, as if taking Scootaloo's question as a challenge. She dashed off full gallop...and the other two cringed as the Earth Pony filly slammed right into the bookcase, the impact seeming to cause one book that just happened to be slightly further forward than the rest to fall out and flip open, happening to land face up on the ground. “Ow...”
“...She needs her glasses...” Scootaloo replied with a sigh.
Sweetie Belle politely grabbed Silver's glasses in her telekinesis and floated them over to her.
“...Fine, but only because I want to wear them!” the gray filly replied, putting the framed glass she needed to see back in its proper place.
Scootaloo groaned and rubbed her forehead to quell a growing headache. “Come on, Sweetie Belle, one of these books has to have something in it to help us! Help me find it!”
“Okay...” said Sweetie Belle obediently. As Scootaloo began looking over the bookshelves, Sweetie Belle's hoof bumped into the fallen book, knocking one of the little creatures off it to reveal a picture of them underneath it. She looked down, reading through it. “Scootaloo, I found it!”
Diamond Tiara pulled on one last statue, the last one in the room. “Come on! Let us outta here!” she yelled, pulling until the statue finally gave way and she fell to the floor, the statue landing next to her and shattering. Her Tiara went flying and she was covered in dust from the old dirty floor, but didn't seem to care. “Stupid statue! What pony even has this many identical statues?!...I just wanna go home...”
The heiress to the Rich Family then blinked, looking over to see the strange creatures all flocking towards one specific wall, hopping towards a lever on it. The filly gasped with a wide smile. “Found the exit!” she exclaimed, dashing over and preparing to pull it.
“Wait!” screamed Scootaloo, book held under her wing, right as Diamond was about to jump up and grab the lever.
“Why?” asked the pink filly, hoof reaching up to the device.
“Listen to this!” the orange filly called, dashing over and opening the book. “'In the barrel we hath found art protoplasmic creatures called Frazzits. According to our experience with the chaotic pests, they doth scramble the personalities of any group of beings they come in contact with!' That's what happened! Our personalities got scrambled by these Frazzits!” Scootaloo explained, looking down at the creatures, which just continued to hop around randomly. “That's why we're all acting so weird!”
“Then why is Apple Bloom acting like old me? I don't act like that anymore!” Diamond Tiara defended, looking to the youngest Apple sibling. The yellow Earth Pony was finding anything pretty she could find (mainly from a table labeled 'For Celly and Lulu's birthdays') and putting it on before admiring herself in a large mirror in the room. “...Okay, I still kinda act like that, but not all mean and nasty!”
“Yeah, but you had to learn not to be! Apple Bloom never had to!” replied Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle merely nodded, but kept a concerned look on her face. “Just like Silver Spoon never had to learn not to be THAT daredevil!”
As if to emphasize her statement, Silver Spoon gave an excited cry as she used a makeshift catapult made from several odds and ends to fire herself across the room with a crash. “I'm okay!”
“Also, I'm thinking things out and being cautious!” the orange pegasus explained. “Even I know that's weird!”
“Okay, I think I get your point. But why can't we just get out of here?” Diamond Tiara asked, impatiently. “I wanna get back to daddy and...and...and my m-” Diamond cringed, pinning her ears. Why did thinking of her mother's behavior hurt so much more than normal?
Sweetie Belle merely trotted over and gave her a hug.
Once Diamond had gotten her composure back, Scootaloo opened the book again. “'Frazzits seem inherently drawn to orderly systems like moths to a flame. We doth fear if they art ever to escape the castle, they shall head straight for Cloudsdale to wreak havoc on the weather system.' If we let them get out of here, they'll do this to all of Cloudsdale! We have to lock them up again!”
“And how do we do THAT?!” asked Diamond Tiara, eyes wide.
“Oh! Hehe, right!” Scootaloo said, giving a chuckle and rubbing her head. “'The Frazzits must be contained back into the specially enchanted and warded barrel. It tis the only way to contain them and reverse their power.'”
“Oh! That's easy! We just have to get them back in the barrel me and Apple Bloom smashed into on our way down here and we're home free!” the pink Earth Pony said with a grin.
“Uh...Diamond...” Scootaloo said, pointing at the room, showing the massive number of raindrop shaped Frazzits covering the floor.
“...Horseapples...Don't tell my parents I said that...”
“Sweetie, can you pick them up in your telekinesis?” asked the orange filly to her unicorn friend.
Sweetie Bell nodded and tried picking the Frazzits up in her magic...only for it to fail and the little creatures to multiply. “Oops...”
“Oh come on! That just makes more of them?!” Scootaloo asked in disbelief, throwing her hooves up in frustration. “Diamond! Your talent is leading ponies! What do we do?!”
“I...I don't know! I'm not the leader one right now!” Diamond replied. “I'm Apple Bloom!”
The three collectively looked over to Apple Bloom still admiring herself in the mirror.
“Apple Bloom!” Scootaloo called, galloping over to her friend.
“Oh, hey girls, how do Ah look?” the Yellow Earth Pony asked, flaunting Silver Spoon's pearls and a few other pieces of jewelry she'd plundered from Starswirl's unused birthday presents for the Princesses.
“Fancy...” said Sweetie Belle, simply.
“Thank you. So did Greedy find our way out?” asked Apple Bloom with a smirk.
Diamond Tiara growled. “Yes, yes I did! But we need your help to get out of here!”
“Eh, sounds like work,” Apple Bloom replied smugly. “Get back to meh once yah figure it out.”
“...Ugh! Why are you so annoying?!” the pink filly screamed, looking like she wanted to pull her ears out. She then blinked as the irony of the situation hit her. “...Oh...right...because you're old me...Ugh! Is this what you girls had to put up with? I'm even more sorry now!”
The yellow Earth Pony gave a raised eyebrow. “Old you? What are yah talkin' about?”
“...Here, try this on...” Scootaloo said, getting Diamond's tiara (and knocking a few Frazzits off of it) and handing it to Apple Bloom.
“Why thank yah,” the youngest Apple replied, taking off her bow and putting on the Tiara, rearranging her mane to fit.
“Here, let me help you with that,” the orange Pegasus replied, not seeming to care how 'girly' doing somepony's mane was as she redid Apple Bloom's mane and to some degree enjoying it. “There...take a look at yourself...”
Apple Bloom looked in the mirror...then gasped when she found the spitting image of Diamond Tiara's pre-redemption self looking back at her, sadistic, smug grin and all. “Ah...B-But...”
“Told you you were old me,” Diamond Tiara replied.
“These cute little things did it!” Scootaloo said, holding up one of the Frazzits on her hoof. “They're called Frazzits and when they got out, it scrambled our personalities!”
“B-But...Ah...” Apple Bloom replied, backing away from the mirror in horror. She looked to Diamond, her repeatedly calling her greedy echoing in her head...and slowly transitioning into the phrase 'blank flanks'. “Ah...”
Diamond put a hoof on her shoulder. “You just realized what it's like to find out you're the bad guy...trust me, I know the feeling...And now I know what it's like to be on the receiving end...So now we're even, right?”
“Ah...Ah...Ah guess...S-Sorry...Ah just...Ah just felt like Ah had a right tah be mean tah yah...”
“Apple Bloom, you've got my old personality, I know...But now we need my leadership! So please, help us!”
Scootaloo nodded. “We've got to get all these Frazzits back into their barrel to break the spell!”
Apple Bloom rubbed her chin, looking around at the room full of bouncing, raindrop-shaped imps...and one silver filly who was doing anything she could that seemed exciting or fun. “Ah got it!” she said, running over to the barrel and with Diamond's help pushing it up right. “Hey Silver Spoon!”
“What?” asked the filly, currently swinging from one of the lights.
“Wanna play a game?” the yellow filly asked. “Start throwing them into the barrel!” she whispered to her friends.
Diamond Tiara ran over and used a well placed buck to launch a few of the Frazzits into the barrel. Scootaloo briefly worried she'd hurt them, but the little imps didn't seem to care. They just continued to giggle mischievously.
Silver Spoon got a smirk and ran over. “That sounds like fun!”
“Scootaloo! Think yah can get those wings of yours blowing the Frazzits to her? Diamond, yah corral the little buggers!” Apple Bloom ordered, now having an air of efficiently.
Scootaloo smiled and flapped her wings in their normal motor boat fashion to blow some of the Frazzits to Silver, who started throwing them into the barrel like they were basketballs. “We'll be back to normal in no time!”
Diamond kept working hard to corral the Frazzits. Hehe...it was kinda fun in all honesty. A 'high class pony' working hard and enjoying it! That wasn't very lady-like! Imagine the look on her mother's face! Maybe this wasn't all bad...
=Being Somebody Else – My Little Pony Mish Mash Melee=
“Gee, but it's a thrill being somepony else!
Somepony other than me!
Not trapped by high society!
Oh! From mother's strings I'm free!” the little pink filly sang.
Sweetie Belle, unable to use her magic directly on the Frazzits grabbed a broom in her telekinesis and started sweeping them towards Silver Spoon, who was having a blast just throwing them into the barrel. She gave a smile, realizing sometimes listening to others when they knew better could be a good thing. Apple Bloom had gotten into her rhythm and was keeping everypony moving like the picture of efficiency.
“Gee, but it's a blast being somepony else!
And listen so helpfully!” sang Sweetie Belle, giving the others a happy smile.
“Now I have patience on my side,
I can make us a good team!” Apple Bloom sung, feeling Diamond's patience for longer plans and cunning in place of her normal impatient stubbornness.
“It's fun to behave like somepony
Who's so confident and brave!” Silver Spoon continued, continuing to throw the Frazzits sent her way into the barrel in increasingly elaborate and fun ways.
“Something I never knew,
But it's nice being somepony who thinks things through!” Scootaloo joined in, carefully directing her wings to keep the Frazzits going to Silver, but not blowing past her.
“Gee but it's a joy being somepony else!
It makes you walk on air!
It let's you find the you inside
You never dreamed...
No, you never dreamed was there!” the group sang together, Diamond Tiara continuing to drive the Frazzits to Scootaloo to give her a steady line of them to blow to Silver while Sweetie Belle kept sweeping them over for the same purpose. Apple Bloom kept giving orders, making sure they got all of them.
Finally, the final Frazzit landed in the barrel and Apple Bloom put the lid shut. “That's the last of them!”
Scootaloo looked around...and found no pony changed. “Nothing changed!”
Apple Bloom looked down, seeing the lid of the barrel labeled 'This Side Down'. “Maybe we've got to turn it over!”
The group came over and all five worked together to flip the barrel over into its upright position. The barrel rumbled and then settled, the top reading 'This Side Up'.
Apple Bloom suddenly blinked, shaking her head. She took Diamond's Tiara and Silver's pearls off and returned them to their proper owners.
Diamond gave a slight gag and dusted herself off while Silver put her pearl's back on and redid her hair.
“Eew! Did I really act like those things were all cute?!” asked Scootaloo with a disgusted look as she recalled hugging the Frazzits.
In a bright flash, a familiar Draconequus suddenly appeared in this midst, dressed like Daring Do with a magnifying glass in claw. “Ah! There you kids are! I've been searching all over for you! When you said you were exploring the castle, you really meant it, my little ponies!”
The five foals replied by staring at him with deadpan expressions.
“What? You think I would do something like intentionally get five foals lost in a castle? Perish the thought!” replied Discord, crossing his arms and turning up his nose.
The foals continued to glare at him.
“...Besides, even if I did, is that really a bad thing?” the Spirit of Chaos asked. “After all, you did find a secret room...” Discord then gasped, teleporting over to the barrel. “And you found my barrel of pet Frazzits! Oh I wondered where they got to when Celly and Lulu defeated me! Did they cause you any trouble?”
“They scrambled all our personalities!” Diamond Tiara growled.
“Yes, they tend to do that...but come now, was it really that bad?” Discord questioned. “I'm often told taking a walk in another pony's horseshoes is normally a beneficial experience.”
The five fillies blinked, then looked to one another.
“...I...didn't do much...but it was kinda nice to care about everypony else like that and be able to just...listen and help!” said Sweetie Belle, back to her excited self. “I didn't know Silver Spoon felt like that!”
“Well...It's less I'm all empathetic to everypony and more like I just don't think about myself so much as think about what other ponies want...” Silver Spoon explained.
“Well you're really helpful either way.”
“I guess it was kinda cool being smart and actually thinking ahead for a change...” Scootaloo replied, rubbing her head.
Sweetie Belle blinked. “...You think I'm smart, Scootaloo?”
“...Yeah...Sometimes...you at least think things out better than I do a lot of the time...” the orange Pegasus replied.
“...It was really fun being you, Scootaloo...” said Silver Spoon, giving a small smile. “Just...being that confident and brave! I could never do any of that stuff as just me!”
“And...I guess it was kinda cool to have so much drive and everything...” Diamond Tiara admitted. “And not feel like having to do what momma drove into my head all the time...”
Apple Bloom nodded. “And it felt good to be able to take things slower and not be so 'Ah want it now!' about everythin', and knowin' how tah make everypony work like a well oiled machine!”
Discord gave a blech at that description. “Yes, yes...point is, you learned something! Which is enough for me to justify any upset your parents and/or guardians may have about this little misadventure!”
Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “Of course...”
“...Discord, we got tah explore a castle like we wanted tah...mind teleporting us tah the Equusonian?” Apple Bloom asked. “Diamond didn't get tah see what she wanted tah...and Ah think Ah can appreciate it a little more now that Ah've been her.”
Diamond Tiara's jaw dropped. “You...you want to...”
Apple Bloom nodded. “Yah, Ah do...”
“Ugh, a museum?! Really?” Discord asked in disbelief. Then blinked as the little filly unleashed her signature Puppy Dog Eyes. “...Sometimes I wish I still had a blackhole where my heart should be...” he said, pull his chest, which opened like a coat (revealing nothing graphic, just a black void) to show a protostar in his chest surrounded by a nebula. “Huh, it used to just be a nebula. Guess saving Equestria made it evolve a little further...Anyway, off we go!”
Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom looked at the display for the History of Apple Farming. The youngest Apple sibling had to admit, she was actually interested in a lot of what was depicted. Though she had found the exhibit on rock farming more interesting, mainly because she could bring back some information to talk with her Pie Family cousins.
She slowly looked over to Diamond. “...Diamond...while our personalities were scrambled like that...Ah realized something...” she said, looking at the picture of the Apple and Rich Families as part of the exhibit that showed the discovery of Zap Apples.
“Yeah?” Diamond Tiara asked, actually finding herself getting a bit into the exhibit...if only because her family was involved.
“...Our Great Grandpas started the business, but neither of 'em was rich from the beginnin'...if things had gone a little different...Ah mighta ended up the rich bully instead of yah...”
The pink filly blinked, thinking about it. She looked up to the picture of their ancestors...and imagined their positions reversed. “Y-Yeah...that's right...so how we were when the Frazzits got us...”
“Coulda really happened,” Apple Bloom replied. “...Now we know how that would've felt, huh?”
“...Yeah...we do...At least we understand each other better, huh?”
“Yep...”
The two smiled and looked at the picture.
“Nothin' makes yah understand somepony like bein' 'em...”
The End
