"Come on, Sweetie Belle! We're going to be late, and you're the one lagging behind!"
"It's not my fault you're so fast, Scootaloo! Not all of us are lucky enough to have a souped-up ride!"
"I offered you a lift in the sidecar Sweetie, but you turned me down! You have nopony to blame but yourself!"
"On that deathtrap, Scoots? You must be joking! I'd rather arrive there a few minutes late than in a hospital bed, instead! Don't you even have a safety certificate?!"
"Will you two pipe down a bit?" As usual, Apple Bloom had to take on the role of pacifist between her two warring friends. "Our first day as friendship tutors at Princess Twilight's school, and this is how ya carry on? What kinda example is that to be settin' for every creature that'll be needin' our help?"
"Hmph! Don't blame me! It's all the fault of that scaredy cat Sweetie over there!" Scootaloo huffed, pausing temporarily on her marvellous machine to stare back at the unicorn with disdain. "I've have you know, I've only crashed four times so far, and each one was a total accident!"
"Erm... yeah Scoots, that's sorta the point." Sweetie rolled her eyes at her friend getting completely the wrong end of the stick. "...And actually, it's more like five times, if you count when you nearly made me jump out of my skin by honking that stupid horn of yours last week."
"Hey! The way I see it, either you move it or lose it!" Scootaloo dismissed her horned friend's concerns, whilst softly stroking the prized recent addition to her scooter's apparatus. "If I hadn't warned you, you'd be laid out as flat as a pancake on the turf! Plus, if anything, I should be the one mad at you! I'd love to reach as high as the clouds some day..."
"Why, you..." Sweetie Belle was not usually the violent type, but Scootaloo's nonchalant attitude to her genuine worries almost made her blow her top.
"Didn't you two hear a word of what I jus' said?!" Despite her solemn pleas, Apple Bloom's request for peace had apparently gone unheeded, forcing the farm filly to retrace her steps to come between her feuding friends. "Both of you have a good point! Sweetie, the only time Scootaloo ever goes that fast is when she's on her scooter alone! She'd never risk our health if we were trailin' in the sidecar! But Scoots... I don't blame Sweetie for being concerned either. How many teeth you lost this year alone? Eight? Ten?"
"Twelve, as a matter of fact!" As if to illustrate her proud 'achievement', Scootaloo treated her fellow crusaders to a widened grin, fully showing off the extent to what many unexpected collisions can do to one's dentalwork. "To be honest, most of them might be foal teeth, but I guess we won't know 'til I'm a bit older, right? Wanna see where I sliced open my hind leg yesterday, while trying to vault the gorge next to the Everfree?"
"N-No, that won't be necessary." Apple Bloom stated with a gulp, thinking perhaps that doing so would only encourage Scoots to one day end up in a full body cast eating through a straw. "Come on, let's get going, shall we? I dunno 'bout y'all, but the last thing I wanna be is labeled 'tardy' on our first big day at the School Of Friendship!"
"T-T-Tardy?! Oh noooo!" Sweetie began to panic, her mind flooding with multiple images of her name in a register with a black mark next to it. "I-I don't want to be tardy! Especially after Miss Cheerile was nice enough to let us spend the day there for 'future experience'! We'll never be allowed back again! Come on you two, what are you waiting for? Let's goooo!!"
"H-Hey, wait up!" For a change, it was Scootaloo being left behind in the dust by the usually much more sluggish unicorn. And she didn't like it. One bit. "N-No fair! You never told me you could gallop that fast before! If it's a race you're after, it is so on!!"
"Those two, honestly." Apple Bloom shook her head in bemusement at the pair of squabbling fillies hastily disappearing into the distance. "It's a good job I know they're just playin' around or I swear... hey, hang on a sec. Don't leave without me!!"
................................
"Uh, so what's all this supposed to be about then?" Gallus inquired with a raised eyebrow, as he went to take his seat in the classroom. "Headmare Twilight must have something extra-special planned out, to set up all this today."
"I dunno, something about a 'new spell'." Smoulder shrugged her shoulders, as the duo gazed down at the two unfamiliar mares standing back-to-back in front of their teacher's desk. "I just hope it's easier than the normal kind of stuff."
"Hi there!" Silverstream was the only one who initially tried greeting the new arrivals, and seemed most put out when they refused to even acknowledge her. "W-Why are they being so unfriendly? I thought ponies were supposed to be nice to each other!"
"Every creature gets upset at something sometimes, and ponies are no exception to that." Sandbar reminded his Hippogriff friend, whilst chewing thoughtfully on a pencil. "...Well, maybe not in your case. Has there ever been a time when you haven't been mega-cheerful?"
"Yona excited for lesson!" The irrepressible yak bounced up and down at the mere thought of learning something new. "Who knows what Yona can take back to tribe today from ponies? Every day is fresh experience Yona will never forget!"
"U-Um Yona, could you perhaps show your excitement in a different way?" Ocellus felt the vibrations around the room with a nervous gulp. "You won't learn anything today if the ceiling caves in again, and they have to cancel classes, and... oops, here comes the Headmare."
Here indeed did trot in Twilight, and she smartly nodded a greeting to her class before sitting in her usual seat. After shuffling a few papers about and taking a sip from a pre-prepared glass of water, she cleared her throat and dived straight into the lesson.
"Friendship. Something that can be as easily broken, as made. Take these two lifelong friends, for example. Their names are Sweetie Drops and Lyra Heartstrings, and they've recently had a massive falling out. Now, the circumstances behind their unfortunate rift are irrelevant, but I just wanted to make the point that..."
"I can't believe you went on a super-secret mission on my birthday!!" Lyra suddenly turned to chastise her companion, regardless of what Twilight had just said. "You didn't even get me a present!"
"Like I already explained a million times already, when I'm called into action, I have to be ready... whatever day it is!" Sweetie Drops responded in kind, obviously continuing a conversation from earlier. "Besides, I made you a nice dinner and got you those lovely flowers when I returned, didn't I?"
"Huh, it's not the same thing at all!" Lyra sniffed with contempt at her bestie's attempts to make things right. "I don't even know why you still live with me. I never see you any more, and when I do you're in such a rush I can't even wish you a 'Good Morning'! What's the point in you even being around, if you're going to be like a ghost?"
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but saving the world takes greater precedence than your meaningless greetings and once-a-year celebrations!". Sweetie Drops huffed, whilst crossing her hooves. "I thought you understood that, when I told you my big secret. I guess I was wrong all along..."
"If you're not careful, every creature in Ponyville and beyond will know your 'secret'!" Twilight whispered to the blabbermouth Sweetie Drops, before returning to lecture her very confused class. "A-Anyway, as you can see, these two aren't exactly on the best of terms right now. In fact, they've been this way for weeks, and the situation isn't getting any better. They've tried counselling, pleasant walks in the woods, even a bit of time apart... but nothing seems to work. We're in last resort territory here, folks. Tell me, if you were the one trying to help this belligerent, bitter pair, what would you do?"
"Hmm... maybe they could share their possessions with each other?" Gallus speculated, as if this were a huge sacrifice.
"Fight it out! The loser would be the one that apologises!" Smoulder followed her dragonic ethos to a tee.
"Hug each other! Nothing feels better than a warm cuddle!" Silverstream always took the affectionate route.
"Perhaps lend them a copy of your Friendship Journal to read?" Sandbar suggested, referring to Twilight's book which came out recently.
"Ponies should try breaking things! Smashing always loosens tension for Yona!" The only yak present suggested enthusically, as if the same thing could work for both cultures.
"I would just change into something they'd find more appealing, but I supposed that's off the table." Ocellus mused, needlessly reminding everyone that ponies weren't changelings.
"E-Erm... while some of those ideas are intriguing to say the least, they're not quite what I had in mind. Especially the one about the Friendship Journal, that particular tome has caused me more than enough trouble, thank you." Twilight frowned slightly at Sandbar, before resuming her speech. "The only thing left to do that I can think of, is to use a spot of magic to remind them of what they once had. That's what I'm going to demonstrate today: an experimental bonding enchantment between two ponies that'll hopefully jog their memories as to why they began liking each other in the first place. It's not the same as brainwashing, as the spell only brings up feelings that are laying dormant. In other words, it doesn't implant new ones..."
"Huh! Chance would be a fine thing!" Lyra huffed, already convinced of the uselessness of this procedure.
"This'll never work, she just has to learn to be more reasonable!" Sweetie Drops seemed equally skeptical at the potential success of what was planned.
"Shhhh! You both volunteered for this experiment of your own volition, so don't start complaining about it now! Remember: either of you are free to leave at anytime!" Twilight chastised the two other so-called 'grown-ups' in the room, before returning sheepishly to her bored-looking students. "I-I'm so sorry about all of this. If I'd have known they'd be so argumentative, maybe I would've chosen a couple of other guine-I mean, ponies. Anyway..."
After taking another (much longer) swill of her water, Twilight felt that she'd recovered most of her nerves, and so returned to the issue at hoof. "As I was trying to say, this spell will hopefully have the desired effect of mending a relationship in danger of collapse, when all else fails. A word of warning though: it is only to be used by the most responsible of ponies, so if you see Trixie attempting it, come and inform me immediately. It is also specifically designed to work on adults only, as children tend to overcome their differences much sooner. What I'm getting at is this: practicing the spell on any creature that's a teenager or lower in age is strictly forbidden. Do you understand, every creature? It's very important you get this."
A mixture of half-hearted nods and grunts came from around the classroom, and Twilight seemed satisfied by the general response to her stern instructions.
"Thank you. I know most of you can't use magic, but just in case you're ever with some creature that can and they're messing with dangerous forces beyond their control, this is the kind of thing you need to remember. Anyway, without further ado, and before there are even more unexpected interruptions from our test subjects, let's get started, shall we? First of all I read this ancient parchment... then I need to concentrate... can I have complete silence, please? It's absolutely essential that nothing goes wrong here. I'll need to store enough energy for two ponies... that should do it! Now brace yourselves everyone, for possible history in the making! Here goes nothing..."
A huge ball of violet energy had began forming atop Twilight's horn, and was now dividing itself into two separate entities. The prospect of being zapped by such immense power had led Sweetie Drops and Lyra to temporarily forget their grudge, as they held each other shakingly whilst the build-up of magic got bigger and bigger. They didn't try to run though, as the hypnotic sight before them reduced both to the status of awestruck zombies.
The class too were also utterly mesmerised in what was going to happen next, from almost being in a comatose state just a few minutes earlier. Either it was going to be a beautiful triumph, or a beautiful disaster. Either way, they couldn't tear their eyes off what was now unfolding in front of them.
Everything was all set...
Twilight was ready to unleash the motherlode...
The room held it's breath...
And then...
The doors burst open at the worst possible time .
"I was first into the classroom! Score one for Sweetie Belle!"
"Hey, no fair! I was clearly the first pony in!"
"Pffff! Not likely! You just don't like being beaten at your own game, Scoots!"
"Well, let's get the view of an impartial observer, shall we Sweetie? And let's make it interesting: the loser cleans the other one's scooter... for an entire week!"
"It's a deal! I can say with absolute certainty that you've already los... hold on, I don't even have a scooter, Scootaloo! So what am I supposed to get out of this bet?!"
"Too late, Sweetie! You've already accepted the terms! Now, before I get you hoof-deep in hot soapy water and oil, let's just check with the judge. Princess Twilight, please tell my clueless friend here that she clearly trailed me by at least an inch when we arrive... P-Princess...?"
Unluckily, Twilight happened to have other things on her mind right now (quite literally), and two boisterous fillies bustling in during a very delicate operation and making a huge racket was not something she expected at all...
...Which might explain the next tragic chain of events that started, which this story is all about.
A few mere milliseconds from releasing her huge outlay of power, Twilight was startled by the sudden ruckus...
Then, hearing her name being loudly called, she instinctively turned around...
This was the exact moment the huge balls of energy, unable to remain where they were any longer, were unintentionally dislodged from their vantage point upon Twilight's head...
...Shooting like an arrow straight towards an unsuspecting Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, still caught up in the middle of their seemingly endless argument.
The last thing both fillies felt before losing consciousness was an intense flash of white light, followed by an indescribably painful sensation of being twisted and turned almost inside out, and the feeling that a farm filly standing watch nearby in abject horror would take a long time to recover from what she was currently witnessing.
...............................
"...What have you done to my friends? Why can't you help them?! I-I thought you were supposed to be one of the most powerful ponies in the world, or somethin'..." sob Gee, what's the matter with Apple Bloom, Sweetie? I've never heard her sound so angry before... or upset, come to think of it.
"A-Apple Bloom, if only I could tell you how s-sorry... I swear to you, on my honour as the Princess Of Friendship, I won't rest for a moment until I've fixed this and returned them to their normal selves. " Hey, don't blame her, Scoots! If only you'd admitted that you lost the race in the first place, she wouldn't be in this state, and we wouldn't be... where exactly are we, anyway?
"Well, that don't help them now, does it Twilight? What am I supposed to tell Rarity or Scootaloo's aunts when they come to pick them up later? Are you going to show them... this?" I don't know where we are Sweetie, but I don't like what Apple Bloom is saying at all. What happened to us? And why can I hear your thoughts?!
"E-Everything will be fine, you'll see! I'll explain everything to them, you just concentrate on helping your friends in their hour of need until this mess has been rectified. Something tells me they'll need all the help they can get adjusting to their new... oh, they're awake! It's not just you, Scoots! It know what you're thinking too! W-What's going on? W-Why does my body feel so... weird?
Gradually, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo opened their eyes together, and as the world once more began swimming into focus they realised they must be in the School Of Friendship infirmary. Not a place they'd been to before, but the pale walls and the stench of disinfectant in the air were a bit of a dead giveaway.
Before either could grow accustomed to their new surroundings though, Twilight took a few steps forward to place a comforting hoof on one of their shoulders, Strangely enough though, both fillies felt it. "Welcome back, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. You've been out for quite a few hours, and it's nearly the end of the school day. Before I tell you more though, I want you both to mentally prepare yourself for what I'm about to tell you. Be in no doubt though, that whatever happens next, me and the rest of my friends will be with you to help every step of the way, and I'll leave no stone unturned in trying to find a cure for..."
Despite Twilight's best efforts at calming the situation however, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had now truly hit the panic button. N-Not only can we hear each others thoughts, but we seem to be able to control each others limbs as well, Scoots! I got a real bad feeling about this, Sweetie. We need a mirror, now. Like the one Apple Bloom is standing in front of over there.
Without wasting another second, they pair rose together from their bed to dash past a surprised Twilight and make a beeline straight towards the mirror their farmyard chum was so determinedly guarding, for whatever reason.
Without much effort, the pair smartly brushed Apple Bloom aside, so determined were they to see their reflection they didn't even notice the many tears in her eyes or how much taller both were than her now.
What stared back at them from the glass wasn't quite what they expected. For starters, there was only one pony standing there, when there should really be two. It was also apparent that this stranger looking back at them was about the same size as Rarity or Rainbow Dash, a far cry from their former diminutive filly selves.
But other things seemed more familiar... Like the dusty orange fur, for instance. Or the coiffured purplish mane and tail. And the wings. And the horn. And the unique cutie marks, one on each side. And the... Uh. Oh.
Fortunately, Apple Bloom was there once more to catch the newly created creature before it fully collapsed to the ground again.
Author's Note
In case there's any confusion... purple = Sweetie Belle's thoughts orange = Scootaloo's thoughts Got it? I may not use this format past this chapter, but we'll see.
I have a few stories I need to update, but I'm just putting the initial chapter of a new idea I had out there, before I lose either inspiration or motivation for it. Hopefully, depending how popular it is, I can start building more on it soon. Thanks for reading, and let me know what you think! 
It would be nice to say the second occasion the new hybrid life form Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had apparently transmogrified into awoke that day, it was an easier experience than the first.
Alas, no such blissful respite was forthcoming. Aside from the first few initial seconds that is, when the two former fillies were under the shared delusion this had all been some dreadful nightmare...
...Which was soon shattered upon the unwelcome discovery of the longer limbs on their 'adult' body, and the fact that one could sense every anxious thought and feeling the other one was currently perceiving.
As you can imagine, it would be a minor understatement to tell you it was a lot for both to take in.
A high-pitched scream borne out of sheer panic soon followed, an odd aural manifestation of Sweetie's squeaky tones and Scootaloo's raucous yelp.
It sounded like an echoed combination of the two, bouncing off each other in an attempt to gain ultimate supremacy. In the event, the result could be declared a draw, as the bizarre noise ended up sounding like neither... but both, at the same time.
Such a unique phenomenon is harder to describe than you'd think, and in terms of unprecedented changes, they were to find out this was just the opening salvo.
In the meantime though, let's switch focus to good old loyal Apple Bloom, currently tucked up in bed with her newly amalgamated friends to undoubtedly keep them company during their hour of need.
As soon as the cacophonic roar escaped from their joint mouth, that was the farm filly's cue to rise from her light sleep and hug the freshly created creature with all her might.
This unexpected display of affection soon came to the notice of the strange being, who abruptly stopped its blaring racket to glance down in surprise at their now much tinier friend's caring embrace.
"A-Apple Bloom... what's going on? I-I'm scared... and so am I!" The speaking voice of the creature sounded just like its scream, a combination of Sweetie and Scootaloo's usual speech patterns to form an inimitable dual vocalisation. "What? I never thought I'd hear you say that about yourself, Scoots! Well, can you blame me, Sweetie?! This kind of thing doesn't exactly happen every day."
Apple Bloom lifted her head up from her warm administrations to wipe a few stray tears away, while listening nonplussed as her two best friends carried on their heated debate from earlier. Even after such a terrible accident and subsequent transformation, neither seemed ready to give an inch in the longstanding fight.
"This is all your fault! I told you that racing me was a bad idea! Not only is it incredibly dangerous, you'll always lose! W-What? I won, and you know it! And if you hadn't goaded me so much, maybe I wouldn't have tried so hard to beat you, and we wouldn't be in this mess! Excuse me?! You take that back..."
"Quiet"!!
If anything could rival the new creature's earlier screech for sheer volume, it had to be Apple Bloom's sudden yell. If the intention was to shut down their somewhat confusing argument, it certainly had the desired effect. Both Scootaloo and Sweetie moved their singular head together, to stare at a very irate farm filly ready to deliver a stern lecture of her own.
"Is any of that stupid stuff really important right now? You two have been turned into... somethin', an' you're still arguin' over who won some silly contest?! Who gives a hoot! You both need to stop this pointless squabblin', make up an' try to get used to being 'round each other til' all this is all over. Which I hope'll be soon, but from the way Twilight was talkin' earlier, maybe not."
As much as Apple Bloom would love to put her friends' minds at ease by telling them everything would be fine and they'd soon return to normal, she was essentially a truthful filly. Like her sister had taught her almost everyday, honesty was always the best policy, and better they find out the reality of the situation now than be shocked later on.
For now though, her firm reprimand had seemingly succeeded in making her pals take stock of everything, and with a long and meaningful gulp, the new being proceeded to hesitantly apologise to itself. Twice.
"She's right, Scoots. I-I'm sorry. Me too, Sweetie. It's only a dumb race, and now because of my recklessness I might be stuck with you for the rest of my life. Hey! I-I didn't mean to make that as harsh as it sounded. I-I know..."
"Look, will you two learn to talk with one voice or somethin'. Just tryin' to figure out who's sayin' what an' who's talkin' to who is givin' me the mother of all headaches." Apple Bloom had her hooves on her head, as if anticipating a major migraine to arrive any second.
"But, how do we do that? Yeah, tell us!" Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle inquired of their friend, as if she'd have a better understanding of their new capabilities than they did.
"Well, let's see now..." Apple Bloom climbed out of bed as she pondered, tapping her chin pensively whilst doing so. "Tell ya what. Why don't you try doin' what me an' Applejack did, whenever we had a disagreement? We would sit down together an' not get up again 'til we'd agreed on a way to end it. In other words, only say somethin' if it's what both of you believe, or things are goin' to get very counfoundin' 'round here, if you're just gonna be quarrellin' with yourselves the whole time."
To a pair of fillies as radically different as Sweetie and Scootaloo obviously were, this seemed almost like mission impossible. But seeing no other viable alternative other than to reduce everyone else to a state of bewilderment, they decided to give it a try. And what better place to start, than right now?
"We... would like to look at ourselves in the mirror again first." The two of them concurred together, in that weird new voice of theirs. "We feel curious about our new appearance, and would like to get a closer examination."
"A-Are ya sure 'bout this?" Apple Bloom rose an eyebrow out of trepidation. "I don't want ya faintin' again. Rarity and Scoots aunts should be over any minute now. Only Twilight is still here to explain things to them as soon as they arrive, an' the rest of the students an' teachers went home ages ago. Lyra and Sweetie Drops patched things up, by the way. It's amazin' how witnessin' a horrific event can make ya appreciate the preciousness of life."
"Uh huh." The hybrid creature wasn't exactly listening to a word their farm friend was saying, having left the sanctity of the duvet to brave their new reflection a few yards away.
It was pretty much what it'd been before, with Scootaloo's orange fur and Sweetie Belle's purple mane and tail being the obvious standouts of this adult body. But the addition of a full-size pair of wings and horn would also take some getting used to, and having a lightning cutie mark combined with a song note symbol either side of their flank was just plain... ridiculous.
"We wonder if this means we'll be able to do both scooter tricks now, and sing well." The creature speculated, as it examined it's greenish-lavender eyes closely, a mix-up of their former owners' colours. "We wish to explore this matter further later, as well as other things. But for now, we are hungry, and we wish to eat tasty junk food while we ponder our next move... Hey, speak for yourself! I want a piece of fruit! Bor-ing! Not while I'm around! It's cookies and ice cream all the way, baby! I am not going to get fat on account of your unhealthy diet, Scoots! Don't worry about it, Sweetie! When I take you out for a ride each day every day, we'll soon shift those pounds! P-Pardon?! I told you before, I refuse to go on that thing! You have no choice! I can't wait until we're separated to use my pride and joy again! I'll go stir crazy...!"
Great, I should've realised it wouldn't be more than a few seconds before they resumed their petty bickering again. They just can't help themselves, can they? Apple Bloom facehooved with a sigh, upon witnessing the hasty disintegration of her friends short-lived truce. It feels kinda weird though, calling Sweetie and Scoots 'their' or 'them' all the time. Perhaps I should give them a temporary name, until the enchantment is removed: Sweet Scoot? Scooty Belle? Hmm, this'll require some thought, and maybe some input from the girls themselves...
At that precise moment though, Apple Bloom's train of thought and the new creature's solo argument were unexpectedly interrupted, as the door to the infirmary burst open to reveal none other than top fashionista and businesspony herself, Rarity. She was closely followed by two pegasus mares lovingly holding hooves, who anypony who knew them could tell you happened to be Scootaloo's aunts, Holiday and Lofty.
"M-My darling Sweetie Belle, T-Twilight told me everything!" A visibly devastated Rarity sobbed, as she galloped anxiously into the room. Her frantic demeanour was in stark contrast to the aunts behind her, who seemed more stunned than anything else. "Please let me look at you, my dear. I'm sure it can't be as bad as how she describes it... shriek"
Alas, despite being forewarned in advance as to the enormous changes wrought on her beloved sister, the sight of a full-grown Sweetie with differently hued fur, large wings and two unique cutie marks was too much for the notoriously emotive Rarity.
So it was that in front of one filly, two aunts and an uncommon creature that the swooning unicorn became the second pony to pass out in that very room today, the stress of everything which had occurred just too much to process...
.... And for once, she hadn't even bought her infamous fainting couch with her either. Darn it.
Author's Note
I decided to persevere with the coloured dialogue for now, as otherwise I'd have no other way of distinguishing between Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's voices when they talk separately. Hope that's okay!
I am also looking for a name for this unique life form they've turned into. If you can think of any good ones, please comment below. I'm not saying I'll definitely use it, but I'll be interested to read some suggestions.
