Chapters Chapter One - Just Breathe
“SPPPPPIIIIIKKKKEEE!” Twilight bellowed using her ear-shattering Royal Canterlot Voice, rendering everypony within five hundred metres of her temporarily deaf.
Upon hearing the call the purple dragon immediately dropped the mallet he had been using to bash a tent peg into the ground and into the castle. The main foyer was completely packed with a heaving mass of catering ponies. Spike tried to manoeuvre his way through the forest of legs but after his tail got stepped on twice and a heart-shaped ice sculpture almost flattened the poor reptile Spike decided enough was enough. Using his newly acquired wings the dragon hovered above the throng. Now with a birds eye view of the foyer he instantly spotted the lavender alicorn over in the far corner, talking the some of Ponyville’s local flower sellers. At a distance Princess Twilight Sparkle looked as calm and collected as ever but upon closer inspection Spike noticed the dark circles under her eyes, the raggedy edges of her mane and tail and her endless fidgeting habit that only surfaced at times like this. The purple dragon knew the last fortnight had been unbelievably stressful for the alicorn and wished he could do something more to help. He honestly was unsure as to how she hadn’t gone crazy like the last time she was put under an enormous amount of pressure (though it was mostly just her imagination going to far that time). However when Twilight did eventually turn to face him a huge smile was plastered on her face.
“Spike!” she exclaimed in relief, ”Thank goodness you’re here. Would you be so kind as to take my dress back to Rarity and ask her to let it out at the waist by a few inches? I need to be able breathe and tell under no circumstances am I ever gonna wear that corset she gave me. They’re both on the desk in my bedroom.”
“Sure thing, Twi,” Spike drew himself up in a salute before quickly flying towards the stairs.
“Thank you so much!” the princess called after him, an affectionate look on her face. Then, catching sight of a certain poofy maned earth pony Twilight bounded over to her.
“Pinkie!” she called.
“Hiya, Twilight,” her friend chirped back, bouncing in circles around the alicorn.
“I’m sorry to ask you this on such short notice but would you mind baking twenty more batches of vanilla cupcakes? Apparently all of Applejack’s, and yours I guess, extended family can make it after all!” Twilight informed Pinkie worriedly.
“Of course I don’t mind, silly. After all it’s not every a princess gets-“ the party pony was cut off as her entire body began to shake violently.
Twilight paled. “Oh sweet Celestia, not another doozy. Why did have to be today of all days?” she moaned, ”Please tell me it’s going to happen somewhere far, far away and doesn’t involve us getting chased by any monsters.”
Eventually the pink pony stopped shaking long enough to say,” I don’t think it’s monsters Twilight but the doozy is definitely going to happen Ponyville.”
The princess almost fainted at that. “Just breathe, Twilight, just breathe. Remember what Cadence taught you. Keep. It. Together,” she muttered to herself sternly and took a few, deep, long breaths.
“Ok, Pinkie. Thanks for letting me know. I will make sure to tell you about any friendship lessons I learn about trust and unexplained phenomenons today. After all, it worked last time. Hopefully nothing major will come of this because I need tomorrow to be perfect,” the alicorn said evenly.
“But it’s not unexpected if you expect it, duh! Any hoo, I better start baking. See ya later, Twiliagator!” the Element of Laughter giggled before zipping off towards the kitchen.
“I’ve lived here long enough to expect anything. Not much fazes me anymore to be honest,” Twilight remarked drily, mentally going through all the crazy, wonderful adventures she had had since she came to Ponyville all those years ago. Twilight marvelled at just how far she had come. Not only had she become the Princess of Friendship, saved Equestria numerous times, reformed various villains and become Headmare of a Friendship School, but she had also learnt many valuable lessons along the way. However, best of all Twilight had met her six best friends, her student, her idol and become an aunt. And now the princess was ready to embark the next great adventure in her life....
“Um, excuse me, Twilight,” a soft voice interrupted her thoughts. A butter cream pegasus floated down gracefully in front of the alicorn. “Angel’s gone missing. One minute he was stood right next to me will I was rehearsing with my birds, the next he just vanished! I thought he might of come in here, but there’s so many ponies. He could get trampled on, or worse!”Fluttershy explained fretfully, her huge teal eyes glistening with tears as she gazed beseechingly her friend through her soft pink mare. Large crowds still intimidated the yellow pegasus a bit and this one was no exception.
“It’s alright Fluttershy. If he’s in here, we’ll find him. I’ll help you search all day if that’s what it takes,” Twilight stated determinedly.
“Thank you, you really are a wonderful friend but I wouldn’t want you to stop preparing for your big day. I’m sure I can manage just fine on my own,” the yellow mare said, smiling gratefully. Suddenly Fluttershy spotted a blur of white through the crowd. Angel darted confidently through the maze of legs. Unfortunately one mare tripped over him and she bumped into a hefty stallion who in in turn bumped into another unicorn levitating another ice sculpture which fell and shattered. This domino effect continued until at last one of the waiters bumped into a ladder and the pony who was fixing a string of bunting on top of it fell down. The falling bunting caught onto the floral decor it all fell to the floor in a heap.
Twilight’s eye twitched, her muscles tensed and her blood began to boil as she surveyed the once beautiful foyer, now a scene that resembled a battlefield. Then, the Princess of Friendship, bearer of the Element of Magic and one of the most beloved royal figures in Equestria let out an unearthly roar of frustration that sent a tiny white bunny sheepishly edging towards the door.
“Oh my,” Fluttershy murmured quietly.
Chapter Two - Diamonds and Apples
Spike whistled cheerfully as he flew through the streets of Ponyville. In his arms he held a large cover bag containing Twilight’s dress and corset. The purple dragon knew he was lucky that Twilight needed her outfit redone otherwise he would of had to keep hammering tent pegs into the ground all day. Plus, it gave him a good reason to visit his long time crush, Rarity. Spike could of sworn that the unicorn just kept getting more and more gorgeous each time he saw her. Not to mention she was also intelligent, extremely fashion forward, kind, courageous, generous, inspirational, flawless... The scaly reptile suddenly realised he had been dragging the bottom of the bag along the dusty street. Spike hastily picked up the end and brushed off as much dirt as he could, Raity would not be best pleased if he ruined the it. After a few more minutes the dragon reached Carousel Boutique, home to Ponyville’s resident fashionista. The cream and mauve building looked as elegant and stylish as ever. Spike pressed the doorbell and faintly heard it echo through the shop. The door opened and a snow coloured mare emerged and looked down to see a small, purple dragon with a huge grin on his face.
“Spikey wikey, my darling! What brings you here...,” Rarity trailed off, noticing the cover bag he was clutching and the small brown marks on it and purses her lips, ”I see. Was Twilight not satisfied with the style, or the colour perhaps? Did it not go with the tiara she selected, I told her that rubies are SO much more in season than sapphires, but would she listen?”
“No, no,” Spike quickly reassured the unicorn,” She loves the dress. It’s just too tight around the waist. Oh, and she told me to tell you that she’s never, ever gonna wear that corset you made her.”
“Ah well. I was a long shot I suppose. Corsets are terribly uncomfortable after all, and very outdated come to think of it. Even Princess Celestia doesn’t wear them anymore. Come on in, dear. I’ll see what I can do with the dress. I’m sure I got the measurements right though,” Rarity sighed, levitating the bag out of Spike’s claws and trotting into the boutique.
“Maybe she’s been stress eating?” the scaly reptile offered, scampering after her retreating figure.
“Mmm, possibly,” the alabaster unicorn mused walking up the stairs to her bedroom. Once there she went over to her sowing machine, removed the dress from its bag and got to work.
Spike gazed at Rarity with a dreamy expression on his face. Oh, when would she finally realise he was the dashing suitor of her dreams? Suddenly a stroke of pure genius hit him. What if he asked Rarity to accompany him tomorrow? It wouldn’t be as nerve wracking as asking her out on an actual date. They could just go as friends, but he perhaps he could convince her that he was a tough, handsome dragon and get her to think of him in a more romantic way as oppose to a little brother.
“Yes, that’s a great plan,” Spike congratulated himself, ”Now, I’ll just casually drop it into the conversation...”
“There, all done,” Rarity smiled levitating the dress back into the cover bag at the same time as she removed the corset.
“Wow, that’s so amazing. You’re amazing Rarity,” the purple dragon gushed as he took the bag from her.
“Why thank you, darling. I do try my best and it is nice to be appreciated from time to time,” Rarity preened. A moment of silence ensued before Spike spoke.
“So, um, Rarity. I was wondering, if you’re not already going with somepony, maybe we could, um, possibly, er, you know, go to the-“ CRASH. Something large and grey coloured smashed into the bedroom window startling Rarity and Spike considerably.
“What in Celestia’s name was that?!” Rarity cried as the thing slid down the window. A loud bump was heard as it connected with the ground. The pair rushed downstairs to see what the mysterious creature was.
The thing turned out to be none other than Ditzy Doo, better known as Derpy Hooves, one of Ponyville’s mailponies. She currently lay face first in dirt on the ground. Spike immediately helped her up while Rarity used her magic to gather all the scattered letters and parcels before levitating them back into Derpy’s mailbag.
“Thank you very much,” the pegasus smiled gratefully, ”Sorry for crashing into your window. I’ve got a delivery for Canterlot Boutique addressed to a Miss Rarity. Is that either of you?”
“That would be me,” the alabaster unicorn said gently, used to the mare’s goldfish memory.
“Oh, well, here it is. It’s from a Mr Posh Underwear or something,” Derpy chirped, digging out a petite cream-coloured box tied with a dusk rose ribbon from the depths of her saddlebag.
“Ooh! From Fancy Pants?!” Rarity gasped in delight, snatching the parcel from the pegasus and tearing into it, “Oh, thank you very much, Miss Hooves.”
“No problem,” Derpy said with a clumsy salute, haphazardly lifting off from the ground and into the air, “Bye Rarity, bye Spike!”
“See you!” the purple dragon called after her, wincing as Derpy narrowly avoided a collision with a lamppost.
“Oh my Celestia! This is absolutely divine, what excellent taste he has!” Rarity babbled, marvelling at an exquisite gold necklace with a shimmering sapphire pendant lying in bed of crushed velvet, “There’s a letter too! Is that a hint of Clove Hoofington’s Celestial Majesty scent I detect? And just look at this penponyship, it’s positivity dripping with elegance and class. He’s requested to be my escort to the wedding, ME, of all the mares in Equestria! This is too wonderful for words, I must write back at once. Maybe I should redesign my dress, he may find it too shabby, or perhaps I should just leave it in case he thinks that I’ve put too much thought into it.”
As Spike watched his crush freak out his heart sank like a heavy stone. All of the stallions she had romanticised about in the past had turned out to either be jerks or insensitive idiots. However the scaly reptile could tell this one was different. It seemed like he really knew Rarity well and had put a lot of effort into getting her a beautiful present. A part of him mentally chastised himself for being such a coward and not asking her to go to the wedding with him as soon as he saw her. Now it was clear she was head over hooves for this stallion and had become a lovesick school filly again.
“Howdy there,” a warm voice greeted him from behind.
“Applejack!” Spike cried, glad to see the orange farmpony, and putting a big false grin. AJ wasn’t fooled at all though. She looked past him at the giggling Rarity a heaved a huge sigh.
“Lemme guess, she’s gotta new coltfriend?” Applejack questioned.
“It looks like it. I mean, I was going to ask her be my date to the wedding tomorrow but things didn’t really go to plan...,” Spike trailed off sadly.
“Aw, I’m so sorry, sugarcube,” AJ murmured, pulling the dragon into a hug, “Rar don’ mean tah be all tactless like and ya know she loves ya dearly. Jus’ not in the way ya want ‘er tah.”
“I know, it just hurts so much,” Spike whimpered, a tear trickling down his cheek.
“It’ll get better, ah promise ya. Hey, ya know ah’d be mighty pleased to go with ya to the weddin’ tomorrow, jus’ as friends, obviously,” Applejack suggested.
“Oh, um, sure. Thanks, AJ,” the purple dragon sniffed, giving her a watery smile.
“Well, that’s settled then. Y’all can come and pick me up tomorrow mornin’,” the farmpony nodded, “Ah think it would be best to leave Rarity now. She’s a tad busy with, erm, stuff.”
“Yeah,” Spike agreed, wiping his face and gazing at the alabaster unicorn who was now doing a mad dance of joy, beaming from ear to ear like a loon.
“Ah’ll walk back to Twi’s with yer. After all I’m already headed there to drop off these here apple treats,” the farmpony explained, gesturing to the cart she was pulling.
The pair set off side by side, not speaking but simply enjoying each other’s company. The gentle creak of the ancient wagon’s wheels had an oddly calming effect. Both pony and dragon sunk into deep thought. Spike realised for some reason that Applejack was the only pony who truly understood his feelings for Rarity. She could read him like a book but never seemed to judge him at all. The orange mare wondered if Spike would ever get over the alabaster unicorn or if his love would continue unrequited forever. She had often hoped he would move on and find a nice young mare or dragon who was more empathetic and attainable. However this hadn’t happened yet and might never. It was heartbreaking at times, watching the lengths poor Spike would go through to win Rarity’s approval, though it always seemed to be in vain. For now at least he seemed to be at peace, so Applejack left well alone.
Chapter Three - If Only You Knew
“Being an alicorn certainly has its perks,”Twilight thought as she surveyed the now perfect foyer. After she had flipped out and sent everypony bolting the princess had realised that it was actually quite easy to sort the mess out when she could hear herself think. A simple cleaning spell here, some flying there and a mop could do wonders. Starlight Glimmer, her former nemesis then student and friend turned Guidance Counsellor had offered to lend a hoof after hearing Twilight’s enraged shouts. This made the process a hundred times easier since Starlight was one of the most powerful unicorns in all of Equestria. In fact it had only taken the pair a matter of minutes to get the foyer to its former glory.
“Thanks again Starlight,”the princess smiled gratefully,”I don’t what I’d do without you.”
“It’s the least I can do after all you done for me,”the unicorn said dismissively,”Besides coming from a mare who has anger issues, I know it’s better to let it all out inside of bottling it up. Literally.”
The princess chuckled quietly at the memory, it had been when she and her friends had gone on a Friendship Retreat and learned that there was a place and time for singing that Starlight had got extremely annoyed with Trixie and that her anger eventually led to Granny Smith, Bulk Biceps and a jeweller chasing down the terrified blue magician after being possessed by Starlight’s bottled up rage.
“Well, that was certainly a lesson learnt all round but I’m still really grateful that you helped me with this. Now I can finally get back on schedule,”Twilight beamed,”That reminds me. Where on earth is Spike, he should be back with my dress by now.”
Right on cue the door burst open and the small purple dragon trotted in, the cover bag clutched tightly in his claw. At the bottom of the steps stood Applejack with her cart of apple treats. Both of them wore sheepish, slightly dopey expressions which got a raised eyebrow from the lavender alicorn.
“What have you two been doing?”Twilight enquired, a hint of suspicion and amusement in her voice.
“Oh, um, nothing!”the scaly reptile sputtered, turning a deep shade of crimson.
“YaseeSpikewasallupsetlikecusRarwasagoinwithFancyPantstommorowsoahaskedhimifhewantedtogowithmeinsteadandheagreedbutobviouslywe’rejustgoimasfriendsnothingmorebutwe’vebeenhavingarealnicetimeandI’mreallygladahaskedhimnow!”the farmpony burst out, her orange coat reddened to match Spike’s,”Oh shoot. Ah I said too much, didn’t I? Gosh darn me and mah honesty. Ah’ll just take these here treats round to the kitchen, bye y’all!”
And with that Applejack turned on her heels and charged round Twilight’s castle and out of sight, leaving two stunned mares and a dragon behind. Starlight let out a cough that sounded oddly like,”I ship it.” However, the trio had no time to ponder over their friend’s strange behaviour as they noticed Ocellus, on a Twilight’s star pupils, standing where the wagon had once been, nervously pawing at the ground. In her hooves she held a huge, leather bound book.
“Hi Professor Twilight, Guidance Counsellor Starlight, Spike,”the blue changeling mumbled,”I’m sorry to bother you but while I was studying in the library I came across this ancient book written in some strange language. I opened and discovered...this .” Ocellus lifted the crusty cover to reveal not pages but a hole in the book, and there, nestled in a bed of red velvet, was shimmering black crystal.
“Sweet Celestia, how in Equestria did that get into the school library!”the alicorn exclaimed in shock,”I don’t remember ordering a book like that. Thank you for bringing this me, Ocellus, I will investigate it later and check the library to make sure there aren’t any other strange books.” The princess levitated the book out of the changeling’s hooves. Ocellus nodded politely in response before flying away.
“Wow, it must be a really powerful object for somepony to hide it in a book,”Starlight commented.
“I don’t know about powerful but it sure did look delicious,”Spike grinned, salivating at just the thought of how the black gem would taste. Almost inadvertently the dragon reached out his claws towards the book. Instantly Twilight lifted it out of reach.
“Oh no you don’t, mister,”she said firmly,”This is probably a rare, magical artefact which could possess all kinds of extraordinary power. Celestia knows what would happen to you if you ate it. I’m going to put this until after tomorrow and then investigate it thoroughly. This is actually quite exciting, I’ve never read anything about a crystal like this, it could be a scientific breakthrough!” Twilight’s eyes began to get that ‘I’m gonna conduct a crazy, OTT experiment’ gleam in them. Millions of different hypotheses and theories coursed through her brain, the possibilities were endless, perhaps this rock could be the dawn of a new era, she could write scientific papers about it, maybe even a book. Realising that she was daydreaming the princess snapped out her reverie, this was no time for experiments, she still had tons of preparations to do!
“Good gracious, I’m really getting behind schedule,”Twilight fretted, turning to face the unicorn and dragon,”Starlight, would you please go and help Applejack in the kitchen. I’m pretty sure she’ll need help unloading that wagon of hers. Spike, could you put my dress back upstairs and also make me a dandelion sandwich. Thanks.” The Princess of Friendship took off without waiting for a response.
“Well, we’d better do what the boss says,”Spike grinned. Starlight simply rolled her eyes and nodded.
Twilight galloped along the corridor, mane and tail streaming out behind her. Once she dealt with the book the princess needed to confirm playing times with Vinyl and Octavia, taste test several courses of the banquet, inspect the cutlery, make a request for perfect weather...
“Speaking of weather, where in Equestria is Rainbow?”Twilight thought with a twinge of annoyance. She had barely seen the pegasus all week and when she had it had either been because of Dash’s failed stunts or her naps in various trees. The alicorn was a bit hurt that Rainbow hadn’t offered to help in the slightest, all her other friends were pitching in but the cyan pegasus didn’t even seem to care.
The lavender mare reached her library door and used her magic to open the door. SPLASH! Twilight felt a mass of something cold and sticky land on her head.
“ARRGGHHH!”the princess yelped, both shocked and repulsed. The substance ran down her legs and back and trickled between her eyes and onto her muzzle, it felt absolutely disgusting.
“RAINBOW DASH!!!”the furious princess screamed,”I’M GONNA MURDER YOU!!!”
The rainbow maned pegasus sauntered into the library, wearing a totally innocent expression. “You called, Your Highness,”she simpered, then saw her red-faced, custard covered friend and burst into a cacophony of raucous cackles. “Oh, hehe, sorry, Twilight, hahaha, but you, hehehe, just look, hahaha, so, hehehehe, HILARIOUS!”Dash guffawed, tears of laughter streaking down her face as she collapsed in a fit of hysterics.
Rainbow might as well of thrown a lit match into a mountain of dynamite. Something inside of Twilight snapped and she completely lost all reason and control. In short, the alicorn erupted a spiel of unadulterated rage.
“HOW DARE YOU! This is NOT a joke! I have had it up to here with you, Rainbow! All this week I have been working my butt off while you have been lounging around doing absolutely NOTHING! I mean you haven’t even offered to help me, even through everypony else seems to have taken the initiative. Then, a few days ago you crashed into the tents we put up outside when one of your ‘flying stunts’ went wrong so we had put all of them up again and you didn’t even apologise! And now THIS?!”the princess cried, gesturing at herself and the custard covered floor,”I thought you were one of my best friends, Rainbow! I thought I meant more to you than...this. But I guess you’re just too busy being a self-absorbed BRAT to even care about what’s happening with me any more!”
For a moment the cyan pegasus just stared at her friend in shock. Then she started to feel her own anger come bubbling to the surface. Rainbow’s quick temper flared at the unjust accusations and she returned Twilight’s hateful glare with one of her own.
“WHAT THE HECK IS YOUR PROBLEM, TWI?! I can’t believe you’d say such uncool things to me! It was just a harmless prank for Celestia’s sake! I was trying to get you to lighten up and have some fun cos I know these past few weeks that been super stressful for you. And you wanna know why I didn’t offer to help? Because you never asked me. That’s right! You asked all all of our other friends to do specific things. Rarity made our dresses, Fluttershy’s gonna help with the music, AJ’s baking, Pinkie and Cheese have got an awesome reception and afterparty planned, Starlight and Trixie are doing a magic act together and Spike does all the other odd jobs. You didn’t ask me to do anything! Also, when I crashed into the tents the other day I did try to apologise. Many times actually, you were just too busy lecturing me to let me get a word in edgeways! Oh, and the reason I’ve taken so many naps recently is because I’m usually shattered after early morning and and late night Wonderbolt practices. Plus, I have to stay up planning and marking papers for lessons that I teach in YOUR school, for free I might add! So between juggling being a Wonderbolt and a teacher I don’t really get many breaks, but when I do I use them to catch up on sleep,”Rainbow growled,”So for Celestia’s sake quit acting like you’re the victim the whole time! Equestria may think that you’re the picture perfect Princess and wonderful every way but you’re NOT! Just please, stop being a hypocrite and get your facts straight before you go rage on me for literally no reason!”
Unfortunately the pair were too busy hating each other to notice the book containing the magic crystal begin to glow brighter and brighter.
“ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!”the alicorn shouted incredulously,”You think that you’ve got a hard life?! Try being a Princess, Headmare and teacher. I would kill just to be able to fly around and teach a few classes each day! But no, I have to run my school, fulfill my royal duties, teach tons of classes, deal with map Friendship problems, occasionally save the world, organise field trips and political meetings alike and you know, just generally try to spread the magic of friendship across the whole of Equestria! Oh, and I almost forgot. You’re not the one getting MARRIED tomorrow, as if all my other sttesses weren’t enough! Besides, you know perfectly well I never have or will act like I’m better than anycreature. If only you knew how hard it is to be me, even for just a day!”
“Purlease, I could say exactly the same about you!”Dash shot back.
Suddenly the front cover of book flipped open of its own accord, black tendrils of magic poured from the crystal and engulfed the angry mares. There was a flash of blinding white light, then everything returned to normal. Twilight and Rainbow lay semi-unconscious on the floor. After a few seconds the pair to blearily their eyes, staggered to thier hooves, took one look at each other and screamed at the top of their lungs.
Chapter Four - Happy Now?
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!”both mares screeched in a state of blind panic. Each of them had opened her eyes to find...herself staring back. It was like looking into a mirror, except they weren’t.
Hyperventilating, Twilight looked down at her now cyan coloured hooves and rainbow mane. In turn the once pegasus gawked at her custard covered alicorn body.
“What in Equestria happened to us!”Rainbow cried, then immediately clapped her hooves over her mouth. Her voice was completely different and sounded an awful lot like a certain Princess of Friendship.
“We’ve switched bodies, and voices!”Twilight groaned in Dash’s trademark rasp. She suddenly caught sight of the open book with the sparkly black crystal inside it. The remains of a magical aura still glinted around the gem. The former alicorn quickly seized the stone and began to shake it violently, as if hoping to trigger a counter spell. When that didn’t work Twilight poured over the front and back of the mysterious book. However, the only writing on it was the title and even a talented linguist such as herself couldn’t decipher the language it was written in. With a defeated sigh the recently turned pegasus slumped to the floor miserably. Soon an idea struck though.
“I know! I’ll just use my magic to switch us back. I’m sure there’s a book somewhere in my library that covers this. The spell might be quite tricky but I’m sure I’ll be able to master it. After all, I am the Element of Magic,”the princess yabbered eagerly.
“Uh, hate to break it to ya Twi but you can’t exactly do magic anymore, remember?”Rainbow said, gesturing brusquely to the horn protruding from her forehead. The former pegasus seeed to have calmed a lot and now just looked irritated at her situation.
“Ugh, why do I have to be the boring egghead?”she grumbled,”At least you get to be the most awesome pony in all of Equestria.”
“More like the most annoying and reckless pony in all of Equestria,”Twilight sniped back, doubly agitated now that she couldn’t do magic,”This whole mess is your fault too. If you hadn’t-“ She stopped herself, realising arguing would get them nowhere. Ashamed, the once alicorn remembered that she hadn’t even apologised to her friend.
“Look, Rainbow, I’m so sorry about earlier. I completely overreacted. After all, you were just trying to get me to have a little fun. Now that I can see myself I’ve got to admit I do look pretty hilarious. I also should’ve let you explain when you crashed into the tents and asked you earlier to seal our vows with a Sonic Rainboom tomorrow. I know that ever since I opened the school we’ve all had a lot more to fit into our daily schedule and I really do appreciate how hard you work. Also I completely take back that part about my life being more stressful than yours. You really are one of the most amazing mares I know and I just hope you can forgive me,”the former alicorn said humbly.
“Aw, of course I forgive you Twilight. I should also apologise, I really should’ve known better then to prank at such a hectic time. I’m sorry about not volunteering to help. I guess I was also a little jealous too. I mean, apart from Pinkie, you’re the only one of our friends who’s managed to find true love. But I’m also so happy for you. You deserve the perfect wedding and I promise I’ll do everything I can to get us to change back so tomorrow will go off without a hitch,”Rainbow grinned,”And of course I’ll do a Sonic Rainboom. It is a royal wedding after all.”
Laughing, the pair shared a sticky embrace, enjoying their moment of sappiness. There was an unspoken sense of a lesson learned and both mares fully expected to change back. However, no such thing happened.
“Oh, come on!”Rainbow as Twilight exclaimed to nopony in particular,”We did the make-up hug and everything! I mean, it worked for Celestia and Luna, didn’t it?”
“Actually, the princesses had to spend twenty-four hours doing each other’s duties first,”the still cyan pegasus corrected her,”Plus, Starlight only swapped their cutie marks, not their bodies. Wait a second. Starlight! She might know how to fix this. Come on, let’s go and find her.”
Without waiting for a response Twilight picked up the book and crystal before trotting off in the direction of the kitchen. After a few seconds Rainbow gingerly flapped her alicorn wings. They were quite a bit larger than her own and it took her a few attempts to take off. Eventually she managed it and once airborne found it was relatively easy to adapt her flight style. Rainbow found herself enjoying the bigger wing span even though Twilight’s wings weren’t as strong and toned as hers. Once she had caught up with...herself the former pegasus landed gracefully and trotted alongside her friend.
“It’s a shame you don’t do more flying, Twi. There’s tons of underdeveloped muscles in your wings. If you just practiced more you might even be able to get into the Wonderbolts Training Academy,”Rainbow commented casually.
“Well, my hooves are pretty full at the moment, but if I ever want to become an elite flyer you’ll be the first to know,”the princess chuckled.
The two mares rounded a corner and came face to face with Spike.
“Hey Twilight, Rainbow,”the scaly reptile beamed, then he took in the alicorn’s yellow, soggy appearance,”Wow, what happened to you?!”
“Oh nothing. Just a little prank Rainbow, I mean, I pulled on, er, Twilight,”Twilight as Rainbow interjected, it felt weird referring to herself in the third person,”The library’s currently in a bit of a state though.”
“It’s fine, I’ll clean it up,”the purple dragon sighed,”I made that dandelion sandwich you wanted by the way, Twi.” He held up the plate had been carrying, fully expecting the princess to use her magic to levitate it. Of course, the former pegasus had no clue how to control her magic so found herself in a bit of a pickle. She glanced at Twilight for help but the latter just shrugged helplessly. Panicking Rainbow did the first thing that came to mind and snatched the sandwich into her mouth.
“Thanks, Spike. I sure was hungry,”she snarfed, bits of dandelion, spittle and bread sprayimg out of her mouth.
“Um, you’re welcome?”he offered, unnerved by the princess’ appalling manners,”I’ll just be going then.” The scaly reptile quickly spun around and sped off.
Once he was out of earshot Rainbow rounded on Twilight.
“Why didn’t you tell him?!”she demanded,”Now he’ll think you’re going crazy or something!”
“Come on, Rainbow. Spike knows that when I get stressed I do strange things. It’s no big deal. Besides the less creatures who know about our, um, situation , the better,”the former alicorn stated calmly,”Also, once we’ve talked to Starlight you really need to have a bath.”
“I’ll say,”Rainbow as Twilight grimaced, glancing down at her slimy, matted coat.
“I suppose you deserve it though,”the now pegasus pony grinned,”After all, what goes around comes around!”
Chapter Five - Of Vermin and Stallions
“So, let me get this straight. You got into a fight, made a wish for you both to experience what each other’s lives are like and that crystal made you switch bodies?” Starlight asked, slightly incredulously. Half an hour ago she had just bid Applejack farewell when Twilight and Rainbow burst into the kitchen looking like a pair of mad mares. After a long, garbled explanation they managed to relay to her, in detail, the events of earlier.
“Exactly,” the cyan pegasus who was apparently Twilight confirmed,”We were hoping you’d be able to help us as you’ve dealt with similar things in the past.”
“I guess, but this is far beyond anything I’ve ever done,” the unicorn protested,”I mean, I’m sure you’re aware that even Starswirl hasn’t come across this, um, magical gem body switching thing.”
After living with Twilight for several years she had come except that lots of unexplained things happened quite frequently as far as the Princess of Friendship and her friends were concerned. Body switching though was definitely one the more far fetched phenomenons to occur. Even so, the usually relaxed and cocky pegasus had Twilight’s regal poise whilst the alicorn hovered in the air like only the rainbow maned Wonderbolt would. If that wasn’t enough proof their speech and mannerisms were completely swapped.
“Well, how about the title of this book?” Twilight as Rainbow asked, thrusting the ancient volume towards Starlight,”Do you know what language this is?”
The unicorn levitated the book with her magic and read the gold lettering carefully, but after a few seconds looked up cluelessly.
“Nope, sorry. I wish I could be more help but it sounds like you girls are stuck in each other’s bodies, for today at least. That crystal is probably a wishing stone or something,” Starlight shrugged, starting towards the door,”If you need me I’ll be outside.” And with that the Guidance Counsellor trotted out of the small kitchen, shutting the door behind her.
“Well, at least she only seemed to think it would last for a day,” Rainbow offered hopefully.
“I guess you’re right. But I still have all those preparations to attend to,” the former alicorn sighed. Suddenly her eyes widened with panic as she glanced at the clock on the wall.
“Oh, ponyfeathers!” Twilight gasped,”I’m supposed to be at the station now! The Crystal Empire train is due any second! But I can’t go as you, nopony will believe us or they’ll all freak out! This is bad, this is really, really bad.”
“Relax, Twi. I know what to do,” Rainbow reassured the panicking pegasus,”I’ll go to the station and pretend to be you for the day. Knowing you, you’ve probably made a checklist for everything you need to do today. It can’t be that tricky, and I’ll have Starlight and Spike helping me. Then you can go up to the Wonderbolts Academy and fake being me. I know you’re not the strongest of flyers but you just explain you’re having an off day or something. I mean even incredible flyers like me get those occasionally. We don’t have any shows today so you’ll be fine.”
“But, but,” Twilight stammered. She was totally at war with herself. A part of her hated lying to everypony, but on the other hoof it would make things easier. Besides, it was only one day, right? She had made a checklist and there wasn’t that much more to be done. But flying with the Wonderbolts was a entirely different matter. They were the most elite flying squad in the whole of Equestria. She couldn’t risk tarnishing Dash’s reputation. However, logic won out eventually and the princess turned to Rainbow with a sigh.
“Alright. But, are you sure it’s going to work? Do you really trust me to potentially ruin your greatest dream?” the former alicorn asked earnestly.
“Of course I trust you, you’re probably the most capable pony I know. Besides, I think I may have a lot more trouble convincing your finance that I’m you,” Dash replied.
“Well, if you’re certain you think we can handle it you’ve gotta go now!” Twilight urged her. The alicorn nodded and began to head for the door when the princess suddenly stopped her.
“Wait! You can’t go out looking like that !” the pegasus cried, gesturing at Dash’s garish appearance, the rainbow maned mare quickly raced over to the coat stand in the corner and shoved a deep purple cloak around her friend,”There, much better.”
“And here I thought Rarity was the fashion fanatic,” Rainbow murmured before flying out the door at top speed.
She raced along the corridors and out the nearest exit, a small side door near the back of the castle. The alicorn mentally mapped the fastest route to the station and picked up the pace, darting past houses, stalls and villagers. All of the ponies she met gave her a warm smile or a wave, some even bowed.
“I could get used to this,” Dash grinned to herself,”Princess Rainbow does have quite a nice ring to it.”
She arrived just as the train pulled in. The former pegasus had always admired the sleek exterior and breakneck speed of the Crystal Empire Express, it was quite a contrast to the Ponyville train’s quaint, sugary appearance and sedate pace. The shiny doors of the carriages slid open smoothly and a lot of pink smoke came out. Rainbow didn’t even have time to blink before a orange and blue blur came hurtling towards her and tackled her in a bone-crushing hug.
“Twilight!” Flash Sentry beamed, squeezing the life out of the alicorn,”It’s so great to see you! I’ve missed you so much!”
“Er, yeah. It’s, um, wonderful to see you too, Flash. Hehe,” Dash chuckled nervously, gently disentangling herself from his vice like grip. Wait a second, was she actually blushing?! And why in Equestria was heart suddenly pounding like she’d just run a marathon or something.
“Sweet Celestia, please don’t say I’ve got Twilight’s emotions too,” the former pegasus mumbled to herself. She hadn’t noticed it before now, probably because she and the princess had felt the same way about the creatures they’d talked to before. But this feeling was entirely different and Dash didn’t like it one bit.
“Um, so how are you?” she enquired, realising that she needed to play the part convincingly.
“I’ve never been better. I can’t believe we’re actually getting married tomorrow. I feel like the luckiest stallion alive,” he grinned.
“Well that’s not the corniest thing I’ve ever heard,” the former pegasus said sarcastically then immediately regretted it. That was the worst thing that she could’ve possibly said! Twilight would never of been so rude. To her surprise the stallion burst out laughing, causing the former pegasus to exhale in relief.
“You’re right. I suppose it wasn’t the most original thing ever, but it’s the truth!” the orange pegasus declared,”What’s up with the cloak anyway? Are you cold or something?”
“Oh, um, well, actually I got pranked and ended up covered in custard,” Rainbow explained.
“Let me guess, Rainbow Dash?” the stallion chuckled,”You’re always telling me about the pranks she and Pinkie pull on you.”
“Uh, yeah. Who else but the most awesome pony in Equestria?!” the alicorn grinned, unable to resist the chance to brag,”It was pretty funny actually.”
“I’m sure it was, but don’t we still have some preparations to do? We wouldn’t wanna get behind schedule,” Flash said with a wink.
“Hey!” Rainbow cried, giving him a friendly nudge,”But, of course you’re right. We should get going.”
The pair set off back to the castle on hoof. Initially Dash thought of suggested they fly but then she remembered that the real Twilight preferred to walk. As they continued on through Ponyville, Rainbow found herself becoming more and more at ease. Flash seemed to be a genuinely lovely guy albeit with a pretty poor collection of pickup lines. If only she didn’t have all these crazy emotions rolling around inside her that made it impossible for her to completely relax. On numerous occasions the former pegasus found herself treacherously close to touching him and had to jerk away quickly. It also didn’t help that all the townsponies were gushing and staring at them, commenting on what a gorgeous couple they were and how much they were looking forward to the wedding etc, etc. Thankfully Flash seemed not to notice her internal struggle and just continued to joke and compliment her endlessly. Rainbow simply had to interject a small “Mhmm” or “That’s wonderful” or laugh.
After what seemed like an eternity to Dash but was really only a few minutes they reached ‘her’ castle. The former pegasus scanned the teams of ponies until she spotted the unicorn she was looking for.
“Hey, Starlight!” Rainbow called.
The unicorn looked up and grinned before teleporting beside the pair.
“Hi, Twilight, Flash,” Starlight smiled, going along with the act after a pointed glance from Rainbow,”What can I do for you?”
“Do you know where my checklist is? I seem to have forgotten where I left it,” the alicorn asked, hoping the orange pegasus would buy it.
“Yes, I do actually. I’ll get it for you right away,” the unicorn replied. With a flash of magic she was gone. Moments later she reappeared, checklist and pencil in hoof. Starlight handed it to a Rainbow who desperately tried to think of an excuse for not using magic.
“Thanks, Starlight,” she said, a fixed smile adorning her lips,”I’ve been so stressed lately I think it’s taken a toll on my magic, so I’ll just do things the earth pony way for now.”
“Oh shoot. I’m so sorry I haven’t been here to help you,” Flash apologised guiltily,”I promise I’ll make it up to you by doing as many of the things on the list as possible.” He took the paper from her and scanned it quickly.
“Aha! I’ll go and check all the silverware and furniture are probably cleaned,” he suggested,” Being a member of the Royal Guard I know how to make sure presentation is immaculate. Then, I’ll go and see how the reception party is coming on and make sure the banquet is in order and-“
“Thanks Flash,” Dash interrupted him,”That’s really kind of you to offer your help, I really appreciate it. But that’ll do for now, I want to spend some time with you too, you know.”
“Oh, alright. I’ll just do those things I meantioned first,. I’ll you later,sweetie,” the pegasus said, leaning forward and gently kissed Rainbow as Twilight on the cheek.
“Oh, um, ah, yes. See you,” the alicorn babbled, her face turning the colour of a tomato.
As soon as Flash had flown away the former pegasus collapsed on the ground, sweat pouring off her.
“And what, pray tell, was that?” Starlight asked her accusingly.
“It wasn’t my fault, it’s like I’ve got Twi’s emotions as well as her voice and body!” Dash wailed in protest,”I don’t know what’s come over me but when I’m with him I start acting all sappy and weird, I can’t take much more of this!”
“For Celestia’s sake pull yourself together Rainbow! You just need to avoid him as much as possible and keep your emotions in check, so nothing like THAT happens again!” the unicorn belittled the ‘alicorn’,”Do it for Twilight!”
“Right,” Dash agreed, getting to her hooves and sterling her resolve,”For Twilight!”
Inside the Friendship Castle Fluttershy was giving Spike a similar lecture.
“Mice are NOT vermin. They are adorable creatures who are much smaller than you,” the pegasus scolded the dragon. She had heard Spike’s shouts from outside and come running in only to find him trying to chase a couple of tiny white rodents from the library with a mop. Horrified Fluttershy had intervened and scooped up the little critters only to have the scaly reptile to accuse the poor dears of being unwanted vermin.
“Yeah, but they don’t belong in this castle,” the purple dragon argued,”Do you have any idea how unhygienic it would be if we let tons of critters roam around the place? Ugh, one owl is more than enough.”
“Oh, I simply cannot imagine what it must be like to have a house full of animals,” the butter cream mare remarked sarcastically, normally she was extremely meek and gentle but when it came to critters she could be intensely feisty and protective of them,”I guess if animals aren’t really clean I should have all kinds of diseases by now.”
“Fine,” the purple dragon conceded defeat,”In future I’ll just ask them nicely to leave.”
“That would be lovely,” Fluttershy smiled,”You know I think these little ones should come home with me. They must be traumatised after that awful experience.”
“Yeah, yeah,” the scaly reptile muttered,”Rub it in why don’t you?”
“Now, Spike,” the pegasus chided him,”You know that all creatures deserve to be treated with empathy and respect.”
“Of course. I’m sorry,” the purple dragon said,”By the way, have you seen Twilight recently? She was acting really strangely earlier.”
“No, not since a few hours ago. I hope she’s alright though,” Fluttershy replied.
Oh my dear, sweet Fluttershy, you don't even know the half of it.
Chapter Six - Princess Crash
Twilight Sparkle had accomplished many things in her time. Fighting ferocious beasts and spreading the magic of friendship across Equestria were pretty much a normal part of her everyday routine. However, this may just prove to be the biggest challenge of her life.
The Wonderbolts Training Workout, aka Hell on Earth.
“Hey, Dash! Wait up!”an unfamiliar voice called. Twilight turned to see a handsome, svelte pale blue pegasus with a messy, dark mane and tantalising emerald eyes canter up beside her.
“Oh, um, hello...,”the former alicorn frantically racked her brains, desperately trying to remember what this stallion was called. If they hadn’t been so cut for time she would’ve asked Rainbow what the names of all the Wonderbolts were. Wait a moment. A old memory shimmered to the forefront of her mind. Dash had mentioned this pony before, that time when they went to Rainbow Falls, and his name was...
“Soarin!”Twilight exclaimed, then realised that she had shouted totally unnecessarily,”I mean, s’up dude! How’s it going?” The princess mentally slapped herself for being so crude.
“Um, I’m fine, thanks. You just seem a bit...off today Dash, is something wrong?”the stallion asked, his green eyes showing a lot of concern.
“Oh, yeah. I’m not feeling too great, actually,”the cyan pegasus admitted.
“Well, I think you should tell Spitfire. I’m sure she’ll understand. I would hate to see you push yourself too hard. I mean, it’s really important you’re at your best for tomorrow.,”Soarin advised her.
“Gee, he sure does seem pretty fond of Rainbow,”Twilight thought to herself. It was then she felt it. The fluttering in her stomach, the racing of her heart and a slight pink tinge on her muzzle. Signs that the princess instantaneously recognised.
“My, my. You really have got it bad, my friend,”the former alicorn giggled to herself,”Rainbow, you sly mare, how come you never told me? I guess you didn’t think it was cool or something. No matter, I may not be my sister-in-law but matchmaking you two will certainly be fun.”
“Actually Soarin, you’re right. I’ll tell Spitfire after lunch, I don’t know about you but I’m famished!”Twilight beamed and trotted away across the clouds, a new spring in her step as she delighted in the prospect of playing Cupid for once.
“Okay, then,”the stallion mumbled, slightly stupefied at Rainbow’s dramatic mood change. Regardless of that fact he was glad to see her smiling. It had made his heart do a pancake flip when she grinned at him. Not to mention the her stunning rose coloured eyes sparkled and that radiant, technicolour waterfall of a-
“Snap of it, Soarin,”he scolded himself noticing that he’d been wistfully staring after her,”It’s not like she’ll ever think of you in that way. I mean she’s the most incredible, fastest mare in Equestria, plus she’s saved your life and everypony’s about ten times. There’s no way she’sd even consider me as her special somepony. Still, I guess a stallion can dream, right?” Pulling himself together Soadin flew after the rainbow maned pegasus.
Lunch was a relatively quiet affair but the pale blue pegasus couldn’t help but notice something was different about Rainbow. For example the mare would normally load her plate full of food and then bolt it down at the speed of light. Today however she only had half her normal amount and ate her food with dainty, elegant bites as if she were royalty or something. The cyan pegasus’ posture was also oddly erect and refined like her spine were made of metal or there was a rod against her back. Furthermore despite the fact there was a limited amount of talking, whenever he said something Dash would hang on his every word, nodding along fervently as if he were some inspirational motivator. And each time Soarin looked in her direction the mare would either giggle or play with her mane. The stallion grew more and more uneasy with each passing minute. The rest of the team were too focused on their meal to notice much so they were no help either. Eventually Rainbow cleaned her plate and they walked out of the dining room together.
“So, er, Soarin. There’s actually something I want to ask you,”Twilight began nervously. She knew that she was taking a massive risk by doing this, but based on Dash’s rather, intense feelings towards Soarin and way the stallion looked at her the former alicorn felt obligated to at least try to push them in the right direction. Perhaps with this extra boost they could end up becoming special someponies! Or, it could horribly backfire and she could ruin their friendship and Rainbow would hate her for all eternity. But that wouldn’t happen, she hoped.
“Well, you see, I was wondering if you would possibly consider, I mean if you’re not already going with somepony, perhaps, accompanying me to the wedding tomorrow?”the princess asked, silently praying that he would accept. It was quite ironic really. Here she was, asking one of her best friends’ crush to be her date to her own wedding. A wedding that she wasn’t even sure was still happening. However, there was no going back now.
The pegasus stallion was once again stunned by this new revelation. It was like some sort of fantasy come true in the most unexpected way. He felt himself grow lightheaded, he was floating up to Cloud Nine, sheer euphoria filled him. Then Soarin saw Rainbow was still looking at him expectantly, her gorgeous eyes brimming with hope and he remembered he still hadn’t given her an answer.
“Of course I will, Rainbow. I’d be honoured to accompany you tomorrow,”the stallion grinned.
“Thank you so much!”Twilight cried, a mixture of joy and relief flooding her senses. Without thinking she wrapped her hooves around Soarin’s neck in a tight embrace, which he soon reciprocated.
“WHATIN THE BLUE BLAZES ARE YOU DOING?!”the former alicorn’s brain bellowed at her,”You are ENGAGED to the love of your life, and this is your BEST FRIEND’S potential special somepony!” Twilight quickly pulled out of the hug and gazed up sheepishly at the pale blue pegasus.
“Right, anyway. I think I just heard Spitfire calling us. Catch you later, bye!”the princess blurted out, racing away before he could question her.
Soarin just watched her fly away, a goofy smile plastered on his face.
“You know, I think I may just be in love with you, Crash,”he murmured softly.
Chapter Seven - The Cloud Watchers Club
“Just concentrate, Rainbow!”Starlight berated the former pegasus,”Oops, I mean Twilight.”
Dash only growled in response but still redoubled her efforts to lift a book with her recently acquired magic.
Rainbow had assumed after three gruelling hours of trying to tell the difference between an oyster fork and a strawberry spoon, having dozens of effusive bouquets thrust in her face, taste testing over fifty dishes and sorting out a feud between Vinyl and Octavia over which arrangement of music they would play, to list just a few, she would get a well deserved break. However, Starlight had other ideas. The second Dash had stopped to get a breather, the unicorn had whisked her away to the library. Starlight had insisted that learning to control Twilight’s magic would be vital if she were to continue this charade. Too exhausted to argue the former pegasus had complied. Although now she was beginning to regret it.
“Come on. Just think about channeling your energy into lifting up the object,”the unicorn instructed, a faint tinge of exasperation creeping into her voice,”Geez, I was better than you at this when I was a filly!”
“Pah! A lot of good all that magic did you. First, it enabled you to brainwash a whole village into giving you their cutie marks and becoming mindless zombies. Then, you almost destroyed Equestria with it!”Rainbow retorted. Her eyes widened in shock as she said the words, this was so unlike her!
“Touché,”the unicorn murmured, torn between offence and amusement. Starlight was more than used to being reminded of her past, both by herself and everypony else. Besides, it was way better than being locked up in Tartarus and served as a constant reminder of how far she’d come in just a few, short years.
“Oh gosh. I’m really sorry. I don’t know what happened to me just now. It was like I was a completely different pony!”the former pegasus apologised.
“Well, you are a completely different pony,”the unicorn reminded her,”But don’t worry, Twilight can actually be pretty savage when she wants to be. I mean, that mare’s got such an enormous amount of intellect she could probably roast us all for days. Of course she’s way to sweet to ever think of doing such a thing, but that in itself doesn’t reduce her ability to do so.”
“You had me at first, but I pretty much zoned after you mentioned Twi’s an egghead,”Dash confessed,”Everypony already knows that.”
“Just get back to practicing,”Starlight sighed.
Eventually, the former pegasus did manage to levitate the book. Grunting with effort she encased the volume in her dark pink aura and floated it a few inches into the air.
“YEEESSSSS! I DID IT!”Rainbow squealed in delight. The surge of power that had coursed through her veins felt electric. It was definitely one of the awesome things ever.
“Now I understand why unicorns and alicorns use their magic for everything. This is incredible!”the alicorn grinned.
“I know right. And you got that from just lifting up a book! Imagine what happens when we perform a complicated spell like teleportation or age reversal,”the unicorn beamed. It was wonderful watching her friend experience something that so many ponies just took for granted.
“Is there more basic stuff I can learn?”Dash asked eagerly, levitating five books of a shelf and making them spin in a circle above her head.
“Of course!”Starlight nodded,”I’m actually really impressed with how fast you managed to do that. Despite what I said earlier, magic, especially somepony’s as powerful as Twilight, is extremely tricky to control. I guess some of her has transferred into you so I shouldn’t be that surprised. Still, you seem to have quite a knack for this. How about we try some water manipulation next?”
“Sounds good to me,”the former pegasus said.
The next few hours passed in a blur and it wasn’t until they heard a knock on the door that Dash realised how quickly time had passed. Glancing out the window the alicorn saw it was late afternoon.
“Come in!”she called.
The door was pushed open and a tired looking Flash Sentry stumbled into the library. His orange coat looked slightly as did his mane and tail. However his eyes perked upas soon as he saw Rainbow as Twilight.
“Hey, Twi. Hi, Starlight. You should told me that’s what you’ve had to go through every day for the past fortnight! I’m surprised you’re still awake and functioning!”he exclaimed trotting up to Dash and giving her a quick nuzzle.
“Well, I guess you could say I’m pretty used to it. I’m sorry you had to experience firsthoof how stressful planning this wedding has been. We should take a break and go out somewhere,”the former pegasus suggested.
“Sure, I’d love that, Twi,”the orange stallion grinned at her.
“Okay, then what are we waiting for?”Rainbow asked,”See you later, Starlight. Thanks for the, um, talk.” Dash knew she couldn’t mention her magic lessons because it would lead to all sorts of questions she wasn’t prepared to answer. Her friend, however didn’t seem at all pleased with her quick thinking but instead seemed to be mouthing something that looked like ‘What in Celestia’s name to think you’re doing?!’ and ‘That’s a terrible idea!’, along with some desperate hoof waving. The former pegasus wasn’t sure though and pinned it down to her own terrible lip reading.
“She’s probably just cheering me on silently,”Rainbow concluded before trotting out of the library with Flash, leaving a frustrated Starlight to facehoof by herself.
“So, where do you wanna go?”the orange pegasus queried as the pair navigated their way around the castle, their hoofsteps reverberating throughout the crystal corridors.
Rainbow pondered on this silently. Twilight had often recounted her dates with Flash, albeit with much pestering from Rarity and Pinkie. She seemed to have taken him all over Ponyville already and Dash knew that her friend would always try to make each date as different and special as possible.
“Where could we go that they haven’t been before?”the former pegasus thought to herself,”I would say Sweet Apple Acres but if we run into AJ...” The alicorn shuddered, as much as she loved her cowgirl friend she knew the orange earth pony had an uncanny knack of wheedling the truth out of anypony who alluded her. And Dash couldn’t afford to come clean now.
“Sugar Cube Corner seems too obvious, not that I don’t love the food there. I doubt Flash likes shopping and I’m pretty sure Twi’s taken him to the Castle of the Two Sisters before,”the alicorn deliberated,”Gah, why did this have to be a long term relationship! They’ve already done all the cringey, mushy stuff couples do here. Celestia only knows how many romantic strolls they’ve been on. Wait! That’s it!”
“How about we go for a fly?”Rainbow asked, she was pretty sure that Twilight hadn’t mentioned anything about flying when she had talked about her and Flash’s dates. So although it might of seemed slightly out of character for Twilight her friend could easily just be being spontaneous, right?
“That would be great. I can’t actually remember the last time we flew together,”the stallion chuckled.
“Exactly!”Dash agreed, thankful her idea had been received well.
Once they stepped outside the former pegasus immediately took off, soaring upwards. She had been cooped up for far too long and her wings needed a stretch. For a moment Rainbow forgot that she was no longer in her own body, forgot that she wasn’t supposed to be the strongest flyer and just relished in the sense if freedom that swelled in her heart as she plummeted, dipped and loop-de-looped through the air. With the wind streaming through her mane and tail and the adrenaline shooting through her muscles Dash just got faster and faster was no more than a blur as she streaked across the sky. That was until she heard somepony yelling her name, or rather the name of the pony she was pretending to be. The former pegasus skidded to a halt mid-flight before guiltily turning to see a very put out Flash wheezing and hacking a few feet away from her.
“When, gasp, did you, puff, get, hack, so fast?!”the stallion snorted.
“Um, er, Rainbow’s been giving me lessons. And I’ve been taking a special potion to enhance my flying skills. But, erm, boy am I exhausted after all that. Pant, pant,”the alicorn lied unconvincingly.
Fortunately the orange pegasus was too drained to notice and simply gave her a reproachful stare.
“Anyway, now that we’ve done some exercise how about we rest for a bit,”Rainbow tried, pulling up a conveniently close fluffy cloud and lying down on it. After a moment Flash joined her.
“Sorry about the flying thing. I probably should have warned you before shooting off like that,”Dash sighed, feelimg like she had apologised more times today then she did in a year.
“It’s alright. I guess I’m just amazed at how speedy you’ve become,”the stallion chuckled.
“Um, yeah. I think it may be mostly down to the potion. It’s gonna wear off really soon though,”the former pegasus said uncomfortably, not wanting to make things hard for Twilight when they did eventually switch back,”Say, don’t you think that cloud looks a lot like a dragon eating a strawberry?” She pointed a hoof towards it, hurriedly changing the subject.
“Uh, I think it looks more like tree with the head of a pony actually,”the stallion smiled.
“It looks nothing like a tree, or a pony!”Dash protested,”Anypony can see it’s a dragon. Just look at the wings and tail.”
“I think you mean the roots and the mane,”Flash corrected her.
“Okay then. What about that one over there? Take a good look at that and tell me you don’t see a couple of intertwined flamingos.”
“Actually, that cloud does look like two flamingos,”the stallion admitted,”But the one closest to is definitely a quill and parchment.”
“Meh, it could just as easily be a rolling pin and flatttened dough,”the alicorn shrugged, then laughed,”This is so weird, I can’t believe we’re discussing the shapes of clouds!”
“Well, you started it,”the orange pegasus reminded her,”Besides, it’s kind of fun. We should do this more often.”
“Yeah, it could be like our own Cloud Watchers Club or something,”Rainbow snorted teasingly.
“That’s not a bad idea actually. Whadya say we make it our little tradition, eh?”Flash suggested.
“Oh, um, sure,”the former pegasus said haltingly, making a mental note to tell Twilight later so she it wouldn’t lead to any misunderstandings in the future. Still, it bothered her slightly that she could only do this with Flash because she was the alicorn princess. It would be cooler if she were in her own body and they could just chill together like normal friends. Suddenly she felt a warmth at her side and looked to see the stallion had snuggled in closer and put his wing over her back.
“Oh no! This is awful, what am I supposed to do? If I let this continue I’d a pretty poor Element of Loyalty, but if I pull away Flash might get offended and I could wreck his relationship with Twilight!”the alicorn screamed in her mind. Now her emotions had officially been sent into haywire. The Twilight in her wanted nothing more than to stay like this with him forever. The Rainbow in her wanted to take off and fly as far as as possible before things got out of hoof. Even though she didn’t have a special somepony Dash knew that the stallion she actually wanted wasn’t the one who was engaged to her best friend, that was for sure. Still she could do nothing to stop to unyielding thumping passion in her heart thanks to Twilight’s love for this pegasus. So, the war between these two personalities raged inside her until finally her salvation arrived in the form of a snore. Flash Sentry had fallen asleep beside her
“Flash, wake up!”the former pegasus hissed, though secretly she was jubilant because now she had to perfect excuse to scooch away from him.
“Wh-what?”the stallion murmured groggily, sitting up and opening his eyes.
“You fell asleep, doofus,”Dash grinned,”Come on, let’s go home. The sun’s going to set soon.”
“Okay,”he consented and followed the alicorn off the cloud and back to the castle.
A grey and pink butterfly watched their retreating figures disappear. A few minutes later it began to laugh, a soft tinkling sound that soon grew into a manical cackle. In a flash of light the insect vanished and in its place appeared the Lord of Chaos himself.
“Oh, this is going to be such fun,”Discord murmured, an grin of pure evil spreading across his face.
Chapter Eight - Make A Plan
The cold stream of air that flowed beneath Twilight’s wings felt both invigorating and refreshing. She had left the academy a few minutes ago and was now heading home, well, technically the castle was hers although it nopony would believe it in her current state. The former alicorn glanced down at her cyan body and rainbow mane, it still felt really weird being in somepony else’s body. Twilight flapped her aching wings to keep herself airborne. The second half of training was nowhere near as exhausting as the first but it had still taken a harsh toll on her, even with Rainbow’s althetic physique and stamina.
Soarin had offered to fly her home, but she had insisted on going alone as she had stop off at ‘Twilight’s’ castle on the way. Naturally he had been perfectly understanding and but had still seen her off safely like the gentlecolt he was. The pegasus giggled, congratulating herself on successfully securing Dash a date for her wedding tomorrow. Twilight felt reasonably confident that the crystal’s spell would wear off by then, after all they had only made the wish to experience being each other for one day.
“Boy, I will never question Dash’s struggles again. How in Equestria does she do it?”the princess wondered aloud.
Soon her shimmering home came into view. Twilight felt a swell of pride and affection upon seeing it. Of course, nothing would ever quite replace the Golden Oak Library but she loved her castle dearly and wouldn’t part with it for the world.
“Hopefully no crazed villain will blow it up. Although, to be honest the Tree of Harmony would probably just give me another one,”the former alicorn mused, landing on the soft grass and trotting up the steps to the front door.
“Dash would never knock anyway,”Twilight reasoned, pushing the door open and stepping inside. Now all she had to do was find Rainbow and-
“TWILIGHT!”the former pegasus yelled, galloping over to her friend,”Thank Celestia you’ve come, I didn’t know how long I could keep up the act.”
“Well, you may have to keep it up for the night,”the princess said,”I’ve thought it through and I think that we should sleep in each other’s houses tonight. That way we’ll hopefully wake up in our own beds.”
“Are you sure about that, Twi?”Dash asked doubtfully,”What if this spell lasts longer than that? Why can’t we just tell everypony the truth, I’m sure they’ll understand. If worse comes to worse you’re gonna have to call off the wedding...”
“No!”the former alicorn cried, more forcefully than she had intended,”Sorry. It’s just, we’ve been planning this for months, years even and to have to cancel it now...I would just hate disappointing everypony, especially Flash.”
“Fine. But if we’re not swapped back by tomorrow morning, I’m going to confess,”Rainbow stated firmly.
“Deal. Thanks, you’re the best!”Twilight grinned, hugging the former pegasus before flinching away slightly,”Oh gee. You still haven’t washed, huh?”
“Well, I’ve been kinda busy planning your wedding, ya know,”Rainbow said, rolling her eyes,”I guess everypony else was too polite to comment.”
“Probably,”the princess chuckled,”Where’s Flash by the way? I wanna say hi to him.”
“He’s in the throne room,”the alicorn replied,”Oh, by the way we kinda started a new tradition where we sit on a cloud and argue about the shapes of the other clouds. Also, he may or may not think that you’ve taken a potion that makes you fly extremely fast. But don’t worry, I told him it’s gonna wear off really soon. Sorry.”
“Oh purlease. That’s nothing!”Twilight sniggered,”Guess who’s your date for my wedding tomorrow? Soarin! Your, ahem, crush, I believe...”
“WHAT?!”the former pegasus shrieked, turning beet red,”HOW, WHA, WHEN, AH- Hey, get back here!”
The princess had turned and strutted off towards her library, an indignant Rainbow chased after her, demanding to know what in the name of all things holy she gone and done. Twilight just smiled mysteriously and sped up, cantering towards her destination with the air of somepony going to meet their long lost love. However when they actually reached the throne room and she saw the orange pegasus the princess’ demeanour changed completely.
“Yo, Flash, my man. S’up,”the former alicorn drawled, flying up to the stallion and hoof bumping him.
“Well, if it isn’t the fastest flyer in all of Equestria,”Flash grinned, he and Rainbow had always ben on good terms as they both appreciated the art of flying and respected each other’s jobs.
As they continued to banter with each other Rainbow began to feel slightly unnerved watching Twilight pull off being her so effortlessly. Well, two could play at that game.
“My goodness, would look at the time, it’s nearly sunset! I’ll ask Spike to prepare dinner, would you care to join us, Rainbow ?”Dash asked in her most regal voice that had a subtle, challenging undertone to it which the former alicorn quickly picked up on.
“Well , I would love to be I really should be heading home,”the princess hastened to say,”See you guys tomorrow.” And with that the cyan pegasus zipped out the window in a rainbow blur.
“Okkkaayy then,”Rainbow said slowly, then turned to face the orange stallion,”How does mac and cheese sound?”
Upon seeing the orange pegasus smirk she coloured slightly.
“What? Were you expecting something more princess-like? Look, I’ve been sampling the finest gourmet dishes from all over Equestria today! This mare needs her comfort food!”Rainbow declared.
“Hey, I wasn’t complaining,”Flash protested,”I love mac and cheese too.”
The former pegasus just snorted and took off, leaving the amused stallion to continue to wonder what kind of tree grew a magical castle out of a tiny chest.
Meanwhile, on the other side of Ponyville a buttercream pegasus was trying to charm some snakes to sleep. Them a certain draconequus teleported into a cottage with a loud bang, promptly disturbing all the critters and creating total chaos.
“Discord!”Fluttershy reprimanded the creature sternly,”How many times have I asked you not to appear so loudly at bedtime!”
“I’m so sorry, my dear, but I have just heard the most wonderful news concerning that insanely happy friend of yours which she has asked me to relate to you on her behalf,”the Lord of Chaos explained, not showing the slightest bit repentance for the disturbance he had just caused.
“Pinkie Pie!”the yellow mare cried,”Oh my, what is it?”
“Well...,”the draconequus began.
Discord then proceeded to tell Fluttershy something that isn’t too relevant at the moment so I’m sure everyone can wait a bit longer, right? ;)
Chapter Nine - Wait, WHAT!!!
As the first rays of Celestia’s golden sun pierced through the window of the cloud home they illuminated a blue bed with small bulge. The form of a sleeping pegasus that rose and fell slightly with each, deep breath the she took. Eventually the figure began to stir, then sit up, then get her bearings, then-
“NOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Twilight screamed in horror and disbelief,”I’m still Rainbow Dash!”
The former alicorn continued to freak out for about five minutes before she suddenly remembered that it was the day of her wedding. Then the realisation that she would have to cancel it set it. The princess’ look of panic faded into a face of pitiful woe. It was unfair and cruel. Why did it have to be today? The princess knew that the wedding could always take place another day, but what if they never switched back? What if she was stuck like this forever and would never marry the stallion she loved so very, very much. A small, choked sob escaped her lips. Twilight gulped, trying in vain to fight back the incoming surge of tears that threatened to leak from her eyes. However it was no use and she began to cry brokenly, a steady stream of liquid gushing down her face and making a puddle on the sheets below her. Ironically, she realised that she must look exactly like the real Dash had done when her pet tortoise, Tank, was about to go into hibernation. The princess continued to bawl until a very unwelcome voice cut through her fog of despair.
“Oh come now Rainbow, why so glum? Or should I say, Your Highness,”Discord grinned, as he flew through the window onboard a flying carpet.
“What do you want?”the former alicorn practically spat,”I swear you seem to take some sort of sick delight in my misery.”
“Why, I would never! I’m extremely offended you would even entertain such a ridiculous notion!”the draconequus huffed, putting a claw to his chest. A distinct sound of something breaking could be heard.
“Whatever, the only reason you ever to visit me is to put me through some test or play mind games with me, usually both,”the princess reasoned,”I mean, I know that you’re reformed and my friend but a leopard can’t change his spots completely.”
“I suppose you’re right, Oh Masterful Teacher of Friendship. But I think you know why I’m here,”the draconequus grinned cryptically.
“No I don’t!”Twilight snapped,”I think you were just bored so decided to-“
Suddenly she caught sight of herself in the mirror above Dash’s dressing table. A cyan pegasus stared back, so how in Equestria had Discord known it was her? Unless...
“Have you been watching me since yesterday?!”the former alicorn demanded angrily,”Why didn’t you help us if you knew? I mean this whole of body switching thing must be like second nature for you. Hang on a moment. That does sound like you, too much like you... OH MY CELESTIA! It was you all along! You somehow made Ocellus find that book didn’t you? Because you knew that she would bring it to me! You wanted us to get into a fight so that crystal thingy would make us swap bodies! This was all a PRANK, wasn’t it?!”
“YES! Congratulations Twilight, you’ve once again discovered your inferiority in the ways of being manipulated by moi!”the Lord of Choas guffawed doing the classic confetti explosion, unfurling of banners bearing Twilight’s face wearing her trademark deadpan expression and the words ‘I JUST GOT WRECKED” splashed in bright red paint over her head,”You know , it was way too easy really. I mean all I had to do was get Rainbow to feel left out with a few basic mind tricks. A simple memory spell to ensure you never asked her to perform that rainbow explosion whatcha-ma-call it, then a quick visit a remind Dash of the old days when she Ponyville’s top prankster and everything was set in motion. I actually just happened upon that crystal when doing a bit of spring cleaning. I put some of my powers into it and BAM! One magical, body switching gem. That changeling was an obvious target to place the book next to while she was studying in the library. And of course, everything just went perfectly from there. Your reactions were absolutely priceless! It was quite the entertaining show, except for that disgustingly mushy scene between your friend and your finance. Yeesh!”
There was a moment of complete silence as Twilight took all this in. She waited to feel something, shock, anger, hurt... When of those emotions surfaced the former alicorn realised that the only think she really felt...was relief. Relief that she wasn’t stuck in Dash’s body forever, relief that she could actually get married today. That was, if she played her cards right.
“Haha. That’s so funny Discord, you really got me there,”the princess smiled through gritted teeth,’Could you please change us back now?”
The draconequus arched an eyebrow at Twilight’s lack of emotion. He was a little disappointed with her reaction but still answered with a flamboyant flourish.
“Of course, my dear. I just have one teensy, tiny request for you though before I do,”Discord said lightly.
“What? And it better not be a glass of water.”the former alicorn said threateningly .
“Purlease, that reference is getting sooo old. What I was going to say was that I understand you and your future husband will eventually get round to having foals, will you not?”the Lord of Chaos smirked.
“Um, sure, I guess,”the princess said uncomfortably,”I mean that probably won’t be for a long time though.”
“Fine, but when you do get around it I wish to be his or hers godfather,”the draconequus grinned.
“Wait, WHAT!”Twilight yelped, of all the ridiculous demands Discord could’ve made he chose this one?
“Oh no, if you think I’m going to trust you my future foal you’ve got a another thing coming, mister!”she refused.
“Then I hope you enjoy spending the rest of your life as a pegasus, or maybe just another week since we are friends after all,”Discord sang cheerfully.
“Please, isn’t their anything else you want! True friends wouldn’t make such impossible requests, well, actually, true friends wouldn’t pull this stunt to begin with but whatever,”the former alicorn blustered,”Come on, this is straight up blackmail!”
The draconequus only beamed down at her. Sighing, Twilight began to thoroughly think it through. If she and Flash did decide to have a foal, which was likely, then she would probably regret making Discord their godfather for the rest of her life. Although it wasn’t like a godfather had to be that important in the foal’s life. And it would mean she could get married today...
“Ok, you can be my firstborn foal’s godfather, if I have one,”the princess relented,”Now will you please change us back!”
No sooner said, than done.
Author's Note
Oooohh, PLOT TWIST!!! Discord has been the evil puppet master pulling strings the whole time! Muhahahaha!
Chapter Ten - Fabulous, Darling
That same morning Rainbow had also awoken to find herself in a different body. Her reaction was a lot calmer than the princess’ had been though. She had sort of suspected that the spell wouldn’t be fixed by the morning.
“Our intial reactions were waaaayyy overboard,”the former pegasus thought.
After all, they had come face to face with their counterparts from another world not long ago, and Twilight had transformed into a weird two-legged creature thrice before so it wasn’t like she wasn’t used it. Sighing, Dash rubbed the sleep from her eyes and sat up. Her friend’s bed was really comfy, she had to admit, but of course nothing could compare to her own cloud mattress back home. A pang went through the alicorn as she thought of her floating house, then Rainbow remembered what she had to do and her spirits sank even further. Guilt and sadness coursed through her and the former pegasus wondered if perhaps she could stall for a bit longer. The pain she felt at the thought of Twilight’s misery when she suggested cancelling the wedding was worse than any injury had ever had. But, no, it wouldn’t do to lie any longer. The door burst open and Rarity galloped into the bedroom wearing a gorgeous lilac bridesmaids gown and a matching flower wreath on her head.
“TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”she screeched in horror when she saw the alicorn still in bed,”You should’ve of been awake and getting ready hours ago! Why in Equestria didn’t Spike wake you?! Creatures from all across Equestria have been arriving since dawn, we need to get you ready NOW!” The unicorn’s horn lit up and Dash was dragged out from under the covers, carried out the door, along the corridor before being unceremoniously chucked into the bathroom.
“Shower, now ,”Rarity commanded in a tone that was completely different from her normally affected and flamboyant one. A tone that the former pegasus knew better than to disobey. Grumbling to herself Dash complied, a good wash never hurt anypony. She would just explain the situation afterwards. But Rarity had a point, where was Spike? And Starlight for that matter...
However the fashionista gave her no time to ask these questions or explain herself. The instant the alicorn stepped out of the bathroom, Rarity pushed her back towards the bedroom where a team of makeup artists and hair stylists were waiting. The former pegasus didn’t enough get time to blink before they converged on her, ignoring Dash’s yelps of protest that were soon smothered by the sounds of blow drying and spraying. The white unicorn levitated the wedding dress over to the alicorn and slipped it over her head. The dress fitted like a glove and was the perfect of blend traditional white with midnight blue accents along bottom, giving the ensemble a unique, elegant flair. Rarity mentally praised herself on her tiny, intricate stitching and flawless line and form of her marvellous creation. The sparkling silver horseshoes, velvet choker and sapphire studded tiara completed the outfit superbly. Even though Twilight would never normally wear makeup she had consented to change that earlier in the week for this occasion. It was the first Royal Wedding for quite some time after all, not to mention a huge collection of dignitaries would be attending. After the process was finally completed a large mirror was pulled up for Dash to admire herself in. The former pegasus gasped when caught sight of her reflection. The white unicorn really had outdone herself once again, the former pegasus barely recognised her friend. And not because these ponies had completely changed her, oh no, they had simply enhanced her already beautiful face. The change was that Twilight looked so happy, so in love that she practically glowed. Recently Rainbow could only remember as an agitated, sleep deprived and frazzled , as Fluttershy so eloquently described the look. Now however the Princess of Friendship was at her best once more. Dash’s eyes drifted down to her wings and saw that the makeup ponies had put a small sheen of glitter over their tips that winked and shone in the morning sun.
“Twilight, you really do look...,”Rarity started then trailed off as she saw the former pegasus smirking at her, knowing exactly what she was about to say.
“Fabulous, darling,”the two mares breathed in unison, then burst into a fit of giggles. Rainbow embraced her friend.
“Thank you so, so much Rar,”she whispered, tears formulating in her rose-coloured eyes. She ended the hug and turned to the other ponies.
“And thank you all too. You’ve done an incredible job,”the alicorn smiled. Then she remembered what she’d been trying to say all along.
“Um, actually, there’s something you really need to know Rarity,”Dash began,”I’m not-“ She was cut off as a sudden burst of light filled the room. The former pegasus felt the ground lurch beneath her and everything went dark, then it was like she being spun around in a hurricane.
“GAAAHHH!”Rainbow squealed, squeezing her eyes shut. Her hooves abruptly hit something soft. Dash cautiously opened her eyes and found herself...back in her own house. Looking down Rainbow saw her own wonderful cyan hooves and rainbow mane.
“YEEESSSS!”the pegasus whooped in delight doing a celebratory victory lap of her bedroom and hugging herself in glee. It felt soooo good to be herself again!
“Oh yeah! It’s me, uh huh, that’s right! I’m back! Woohoo!”the rainbow maned mare crowed,”Just wait til’- Omigosh! Twilight! The wedding!”
The wonderbolt immediately shoved on the crimson aerodynamic bridesmaids dress that had been hanging up in her wardrobe and grabbed the flower wreath in her mouth. Then she raced out through one of her bedroom walls, leaving a gaping, pony-shaped hole in the side of her house.
Similar thoughts were racing through the princess’ head after she had opened her eyes to find herself back in her bedroom along with a Rarity stunned team of hair and makeup artists.
“Um, what just happened Twilight?”the white unicorn asked, her voice full of confusion.
The alicorn only grinned at her friend, resisting the urge to jump up and down and squeal like a filly. She was in her own body! That wretched draconequus had actually done something good for once! Then Twilight caught sight of herself in the mirror and her jaw dropped. She looked absolutely ravishing, like some sort of supermodel. The outfit was perfect. From the divine dress, to the glittering shoes to the tiara nestled within her expertly styled, shiny mane. Her friend was truly the best dress maker in Equestria. The lavender mare turned and hugged Rarity, unbeknownst to the princess, for the second time.
“Okkayyy, you’re acting really strangely, darling. I you literally hugged me a minute ago. Then you were about to tell something when POOF! There was a magical explosion! Although nothing seems to have happened except you repeating yourself,”the slightly miffed unicorn said. Twilight let go of her friend.
“Oh, sorry. I guess that explosion must have done something to my brain so I completely lost all memories from two minutes ago,”the princess smiled, thinking quickly.
“Right, well, we cannot afford to waste any more time. The ceremony starts in less than an hour!”Rarity cried. With the help of the other ponies the white unicorn frog marched the princess towards the door.
“It’s show time!”the fashionista declared.
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Chapter Eleven - A Royal Wedding in Ponyville
The town square was absolutely packed, heaving with not only the residents of Ponyville but creatures from all corners of Equestria and beyond. Luckily, Fluttershy had expanded her bird choir and had a supporting orchestra so when Twilight began her walk down the aisle everycreature was able to here the stunning rendition of ‘Here Comes The Bride’. The CMC were more than willing to be flower fillies again and cheerfully skipped up the aisle, baskets waving crimson rose petals to pave the way for the alicorn. Several birds carried the extremely long white train behind her. There were many oohs and aahs as she passed the awed crowd, of course, now that Rarity was one of the most renowned designers in all of Equestria the princess’ wedding dress would be the hottest new look for weeks to come. As Twilight looked over the sea of faces, she saw many familiar faces. Her friends from Canterlot, Trixie, Thorax, Ember, Prince Rutherford, Queen Nova, Princess Skystar, the Wonderbolts, Starswirl, Sonambula, Mistmane, Rockhoof, Mage Meadowbrooke, Sunburst, all her students and many more. Then Twilight locked eyes with a certain fiery maned unicorn and stopped dead in tracks causing the birds to squawk with alarm and the music come to an abrupt halt.
“Sunset?!”Twilight cried in shock and delight, rushing over to embrace her friend. The unicorn was completely taken aback but chuckled all the same.
“It’s great to see you too Twilight. But aren’t you suppose to be getting married now?”Sunset Shimmer asked, gazing at the shocked faces all around them.
“Oh, right. Whoops, sorry,”the princess cringed, turning red and walking back onto the aisle, the birds resumed their positions and the music picked up again.
The procession continued Twilight smiled when she reached the front row. Her parents couldn’t of looked more ecstatic or proud and Shining Armour was having one his ‘liquid pride’ attacks. Her grin only widened when she saw Spike and her bridesmaids. To her they were so much more than just her best friends, they were her family too. However it was only when she can face to face with Flash that her euphoria reached its peak. It all suddenly seemed surreal, her she was, about to marry the most wonderful stallion in Equestria. He looked especially dashing in his black and gold tuxedo and when she looked into his gorgeous, deep blue eyes she saw the best of herself reflected in them. He too seemed to be a state of shock, drinking the sight of his incredible bride. To him, she was like a friend, lover and confident all rolled into one. The pony he wanted to be with for the rest of his life. Suddenly the orange pegasus felt a hoof nudge him. He looked over his shoulder to see his best mare and sister, Aquamarine, giving him a ‘come on already’ look. Flash coughed nervously and took Twilight’s hoof before leading her to the altar where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna waited them. The music came to a triumphant close and Fluttershy quickly hurried to her place beside Pinkie Pie and Rarity, both of whom were sobbing shamelessly.
“Fillies, gentlecolts and every other creature present, we are gathered here today to celebrate a most joyous occasion. The union of Princess Twilight Sparkle and Flash Sentry,”the white alicorn began,”Their love and commitment for one another is undeniable. The strength of the bond, unbreakable. May we have the rings, please.”
The ring bearer, Princess Flurry Heart, with a little help from her mother Princess Cadence presented a velvet cushion with two rings upon. One was a simple band with a chain attached to it, the other had two diamonds imbedded in it. A golden aura surrounded both and the one on the chain was lifted over Flash’s head and into his neck while the other ring slipped into Twilight’s horn.
“Do you, Flash Sentry, take this mare to be your lawfully wedded wife. Through sickness and health, until death do you part?”Celestia asked.
“I do,”the orange pegasus smiled.
“And do you, Twilight Sparkle, take this stallion to be your lawfully wedded husband. Through sickness and health, until death do you part?”the alicorn continued.
“I do,”the alicorn said, tears of joy shining in her eyes.
“Are there any objections as to why this couple should not be joined in matrimony?”Celestia enquired, when nobody answered she smiled,”Then I pronounce you mare and colt, you may now kiss the bride.”
The stallion leaned forward, planting a passionate kiss on the princess’ lips before sweeping her of her hooves amid deafening cheers and thunderous applause that made the ground shake beneath them. At the same time Rainbow took to the skies and performed a gorgeous Sonic Rainboom to seal the deal. A few moments later Flash broke the kiss and gazed at his new wife adoringly.
“I love you, Twilight,”he whispered to which the alicorn just rolled her eyes.
“Well, duh,”the princess grinned,”Now shut up and kiss me again.” The stallion smirked at this and happily obliged.
“Best. Wedding. EVER!!!”Pinkie Pie yelled hysterically, a party cannon exploding behind her, covering everycreature within ten metres in multicoloured confetti.
Chapter Twelve - An Afterparty Of The Ages
In years the come the Mane Six would often refer to Twilight’s wedding as being the biggest and fanciest all of theirs. However, it was the afterparty that went down in history as being one of Pinkie’s best Super Duper Parties. Not only were there hundreds of creatures in attendance, everything from the food to the decorations was turned up to the max. But what really made the night was the special performance from AJ’s foalhood friend Coloratura, aka Rara. Ever since her last performance in Ponyville, the popstar and been busy doing her World Tour and performing in under a new label. So when Pinkie and Cheese announced the singer would be performing there was a lot of screaming and stamping. Everypony was pretty much freaking out and when Coloratura took to the stage in seemed as though their inner fan ponies had been released. The creatures from outside Equestria were slightly confused at this display but quickly accepted that the technicolour equines just had strange traditions.
The gorgeous earth pony looked as striking as ever in a soft coral, off the shoulder gown the perfectly offset her aquamarine grey coat. Her dark indigo mane with opal streaks was twisted into a simple yet still elegant bun with a few strings of pearls holding it in place. Coloratura walked confidently onstage and announced that she was performing a song specially written for the occasion and congratulated Twilight and Flash, before adding how happy she was to perform to Ponyville again. This was met with roar of approval and hundreds of stamping hooves, claws and paws alike. However when the popstar began to sing everycreature instantly fell silent. Her voice was so pure and clear as a bell, yet at same time it was full of passion and tenderness. The bride and groom took to the floor, gracefully waltzing on the manicured lawn outside the Friendship Castle. Lots of other couples soon followed suit. Fancy Pants and Rarity whispered and swayed together whilst the pair of party ponies seemed to be experts at the waltz. Applejack and Spike stood side by side, watching from the sidelines. The purple dragon had failed to rouse the princess in the morning because he had flown over to Sweet Apples Acres bright and early to escort the orange farmpony to the wedding. However he went a little too bright and early. AJ was touched his eagerness though so allowed him to help her do her morning chores. The pair ended up having a lot of fun together. Now, on the other hoof, the tension and silence between them was palpable. The huge crowd and dozens of dancing couples were neither of their cups of tea. The purple dragon loathed to neglect his duty as the earth pony’s escort so cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Er, so do you, um, maybe wanna dance?”he offered.
“Ah, shucks. Ah’m dreadfully sorry Spike but ah’ve never danced a waltz before. I wouldn’ wanna embarass y’all,”Applejack answered honestly, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks.
“Embarrass me! Purlease, you could never,”the scaly reptile scoffed,”I’m sure I could teach you. After all, me and Twilight took a master class on it a few weeks ago and look how great she is now.”
The farmpony had to admit the lavender alicorn had certainly grown past her dancing like a complete maniac ways.
“Oh, alright. Ah suppose it wouldn’ hurt to try,”AJ conceded allowing Spike to lead her onto the dance floor.
Rainbow Dash watched her friends with a mixture of pride and disgust. While she couldn’t be happier for them, there was a part of her wanting to gag at all the fluff and mush. That was until she spotted a certain pale blue pegasus making his way towards her.
“Hey Dash,”Soarin greeted her, trotting up beside the cyan pegasus,”I thought I was gonna be your escort today. I mean, I did wait for half an hour outside your house. Eventually I figured you must of forgotten or something.” There was a slight hint of hurt in his voice despite the light and chilled tone he had adopted.
“Oh, ponyfeathers! I did forget, I’m so sorry. There was an emergency at Twilight’s and I guess I must of just missed you. Sorry, again. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”the rainbow-maned pegasus asked, aghast that she had accidentally stood up her crush.
“Well, I guess a dance and dinner tonight would just about cover it,”the stallion smirked playfully.
“Done,”Dash said quickly, then flushed. Normally the mere mention of a waltz would be enough to send her bolting. But, this was Soarin after all, so she could probably make an exception. Obviously it had nothing to do with her thumping, treacherous heart.
The two pegasui joined the mix of creatures on the floor and were soon just as entranced as the rest of them. There seemed to be magic in the air and the gorgeous love ballad being sung in the background only added to the mood. However, the song did eventually came to a close, much to the disappointment of the crowd who hollered for an encore. Coloratura simply bowed and blew kisses before walking offstage. The banquet then took place and Octavia and Vinyl started up a dubstep track with a lot of classical influences. A toast was held and many speeches said before everyone went off to enjoy the feast. Each of the white tents housed around one hundred creatures and the menu had taken into account each of their special dietary requirements. Everyone needed only to read to item they desired off the menu and it would appear on the plate in front of them, a little spell courtesy of Starlight Glimmer. Even the yaks could’nt find anything to complain about.
Later, when Twilight had finally managed to escape from dozens of creatures wanting to either congratulate, cry onto, catch up with or crush her with a hug she slipped over to Rainbow Dash, who was signing some autographs with the Wonderbolts.
“Psst, Rainbow,”the alicorn hissed. The cyan pegasus turned to her with a grin.
“Oh, hey Twi,”she said,”Would you like a free, signed picture of Yours Truly?”
“Of course not! I see you every day!”the alicorn cried,”And that’s more than enough. I just need to borrow you for a sec.”
“Okay, okay. I’m sorry, I can’t help that I’m adored by the masses,”Rainbow sighed melodramatically, giving Spitfire a questionimg glance. Her commander nodded and Dash walked off with Twilight.
“I was thinking we should probably tell the girls, Spike, Soarin and Flash now about the little, um, incident yesterday,”the princess said pointedly.
“Oh, right. Yeah, I guess we should,”the rainbow maned pegasus agreed. The pair had already caught up that morning and gone through the whole ‘thank goodness we’re back to normal’ hug and excited chatter. Twilight had had to restrain the Rainbow however after she told her that it was all Discord’s doing. She had made the cyan pegasus swear not to murder him on sight. Speaking of the draconequus, he didn’t seem to have showed up to her wedding, not that Twilight was complaining, of course.
“So, do you want to go round everypony up and bring here?”the alicorn asked.
“Sure thing,”Dash said, zipping off into the crowd.
Five minutes later Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, Rarity, Spike, Flash and Soarin were assembled at the foot of the castle. Each wore a slightly confused expression.
“Um, so we’ve brought all here to tell about something really strange that happened yesterday,”Twilight began.
“OMC!LemmeguessYouguysgotintoamassivefightandmadeawushfireachothertoexperiencewhatitwaslikebeingyouforadaybutthenamagicalcrystalOcellusfoundactuallymadeyouswapbodiesandyoutotallyfreakedoutbutthenyoujusthadtoacceptyoursituationandyouactedaseachotherforthedaywhichwasreallyhardanditwasreallyawkwardespeciallyaroundyourloveintereststhenyousleptineachothersbedsbutinthemorningyoustillhadn’tswitchedbackthenyoualmostgaveuphopeuntilDiscordappearedinRainbow’shouseandofferedtoswitchyoubackinexchangeofbeingTwilight’sfuturefoalsgodfatherandTwilightacceptedthenyouswitchedbackbutreallyitwas Discord’s fault all along!”Pinkie yelled, before collapsing onto the ground.
“Another hunch?”the princess asked dryly, to which the pink party pony could only nod.
“Wait, so you guys SWITCHED BODIES!”Flash cried.
“Y’ALL SHOULD OF TOLD US!”AJ lambasted.
“That sounds awfully uncomfortable,”Fluttershy added.
“So, it was you who actually asked me to your own wedding?!”Soarin gaped at Twilight.
“THIS IS SOOO WEIRD!”Spike yelped.
“Darling, how could you agree to Discord being your future foal’s godfather?!”Rarity gasped in horror. Everyone just looked at her in disbelief.
“Seriously?! That’s what y’all got from that whole thing?”Applejack sighed, shaking her head.
As everybody continued to demand answers from the pair Twilight and Rainbow gave each other a look that simply said ‘Oh Celestia, this is gonna be a looonnnggg afternoon.’
Chapter Thirteen - You Know You Love Me
“So, um, are you sure this thing is safe to travel in?”Flash asked eyeing the lilac hot air balloon with large degree of uncertainty.
“Oh come on, quite being such a worry wart. That’s my job, you know,”Twilight teased,”Besides, this ‘thing’ has served me well over the years. It’s taken me and the girls to Cloudsdale, the Smokey Mountains and even Yakyakistan on several occasions.”
“Yeah, but it’s never made a two day journey to Abaco Island before,”the orange pegasus countered. With a sigh Twilight levitated Flash into the air before dumping him into the pink basket.
“I assure you sweetheart , it will be fine,”the alicorn smiled before turning to her friends and family,”Bye, everypony, thank you so much for coming today.”
It had taken the whole afternoon to get her friends, Spike, Flash and Soarin to calm down enough to listen to her and Rainbow but eventually they managed to convince them to accept it as just another one of Discord’s ‘hilarious’ pranks. Pinkie Pie had then dropped the baby bombshell and announced that the doozy was that she was pregnant, much to Twilight’s surprise. Though as Pinkie said, a doozy was always the most unexpected thing. The perpetually positive pink pony was the first to tackle the princess in a suffocating hug.
“Don’t forget me, Twilight,”she bawled, tears streaming down her face.
“I won’t Pinkie,”the lavender alicorn mumbled, patting her back. It would be pointless to tell the party pony she would be back within a fortnight as she already knew that.
Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike, Starlight, Sunset, Shining Armour, Starswirl, her parents, students and princesses all took turns in hugging and congratulating her. Then, finally, Rainbow Dash flew up to Twilight and embraced her tightly. The past couple of days had brought them closer than ever.
“Thanks, Rainbow,”the alicorn whispered,”For everything.”
“It’s fine. Just, make sure you go enjoy yourself, you hear?”the cyan pegasus said roughly, brushing what was totally NOT a tear from the corner of her eye before hurriedly letting go of her friend.
Grinning, Twilight trotted up the platform and into the hot air balloon basket, using her magic to untie to ropes that were keeping it down and levitating them into the basket. Flash disentangling himself from his parents, sister and a bunch of the Crystal Empire royal guards. As they began to rise into the air the couple waved down and their friends, family and other wedding guests. The princess suddenly realised she was still holding her bride’s bouquet so chucked into down into the crowd of creatures. After an almighty scramble for it Yona the yak ended up with the rather mangled bunch of flowers, which she immediately began to destroy by jumping upon them, much to Rarity’s horror.
“Wow, this is one heck of a send off,”Flash commented.
“It certainly is,”Twilight beamed, nuzzling her husband affectionately.
A mini explosion on the ground sent creatures careening in every direction as a certain draconequus made an appearance at long last.
“Bye, Twilight and Twilight’s boy toy! I’ll miss you so very much!”Discord called, descending into a fit of fake hysteria, blowing his nose on an enormous purple and yellow handkerchief and sending bits of hard boiled candy flying everywhere in the process. However, when the Lord of Chaos looked up he was met with set of large, disapproving, teal coloured eyes.
“You, mister, have a LOT of explaining to do,”Fluttershy said sternly.
“Oh come now, my dear,”the draconequus smirked,”You know you love me really.”
THEEND
