What Happens in the Cellar...

Inside a small, wooden shack, not far from the edge of the Apple family orchard, there was a chest cooler. It once was full of chunks of ice, but now resembled something more like an overgrown, half-melted snow cone. A fan, held in a soft green magical aura, wafted the cold air around the small room, barely providing enough of a breeze to soothe the three teenaged fillies who were each sprawled out on the floor in various states of discomfort.

"Ugh, I can't stand this heat!" Apple Bloom whined.

"Which one?" Sweetie Belle groaned.

Apple Bloom raised a hoof, waving at nothing. "Both of them," she clarified. "One or the other is easy, but both together? This is hell.” She rolled onto her side to face her other friend. “Scootaloo, can't you use your wings to help Sweetie Belle with the circulation?"

Scootaloo was facing the ceiling, her eyes closed. "No!" she shouted softly, not wanting to actually expend the effort to shout loudly. "That's work, and work means sweat. Sweetie Belle's magic doesn't cause her to overheat."

For her own part, Sweetie Belle was already breathing heavily. She was certainly suffering the most, but had the advantage of controlling the direction of the breeze, which she didn't hesitate to do, wafting the cool air right across her nethers. "Why can't we go swimming?" she complained.

Apple Bloom huffed, her hoof clattering to the floor of the shack. "I already told you," she said, patience wearing thin. "The pegasi took up too much water to supply the clouds yesterday and now the river's mostly dried up."

"Why not go to the pool, then?" Scootaloo suggested.

"No," Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle said simultaneously.

"Rarity says I can't go to the public pool while I'm in heat," Sweetie Belle explained. "Not during co-ed hours, anyway."

"Applejack says the same thing," Apple Bloom griped. "And Rarity and Applejack never agree on anything."

Scootaloo frowned. "That's true..."

Birds chirped happily in the late-spring air, unfazed by the heat.

"Water!" Apple Bloom rolled to her hooves and peered into the chest. The floating ice mocked her with its coolness. She stuck her lips into the mix and sucked up some cool water before laying back on the wooden floor. "Haaa... I wish this cooler was big enough to soak in."

"We could soak ourselves down with the pitcher pump," Scootaloo suggested.

Sweetie Belle sat up. "What?"

"Like rain!" Scootaloo explained. "You stand under it while somepony else pumps the handle."

"I guess we can do that," Apple Bloom agreed. "Come on, girls."

Without even waiting for their reply, Apple Bloom hopped to her hooves and stepped out into the heat.

The trio moved together across the orchard, awkwardly zig-zagging between the tallest trees to maximize the amount of shade they had. It didn't take long for the big red barn to come into view, and the farm house just beyond that. A large stack of hay bales was pushed up against the barn's back side, looking almost like one of the pyramids from one of A.K. Yearling’s Daring Do novels.

Due to the need to hear each other over the rushing winds, pegasus hearing was much better-developed than the other types of ponies, and as the fillies came around the far side of the barn, Scootaloo held up a hoof and hissed for the others to be quiet.

"—dance, this is a special party! And remember, all of this planning is super secret!" a voice said excitedly from within the big red barn.

That was Pinkie Pie's voice.

Scootaloo looked around quickly, surveying the barn. The loft window was open, and the piled hay bales provided a convenient staircase right up to it. "Come on," Scootaloo whispered.

Following Scootaloo's lead, the three fillies quietly climbed up to the loft. The loft was covered in hay that muffled their hoofsteps and allowed them to cautiously peer over the railing at what was going on down below.

A large, empty cauldron sat in the middle of the barn, where Zecora stood amongst several jars of various materials and three larger, seemingly empty jars. Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and Princess Cadance stood around the cauldron as Zecora explained the situation to Cadance.

"To keep the magic working right all throughout the eve and night, you mix six parts dried poison joke with three parts dried up elder oak." She added the specified number of jars of each of the materials to the cauldron as she mentioned them. Apple Bloom, in particular, paid close attention to her mentor's brew. "Then mix ten quarts of fresh-pressed cider, for taste, to offset the two crushed wood spider." She threw two massive, dead spiders into the cauldron, followed by a jar of blue flakes. "Sapphire shards to keep the soul bound, and stir it all up to set the compound. And after it sets we must make it infrangible, with one mane strand each to define what is tangible."

"What's infrangible mean?" Scootaloo whispered.

"It means unbreakable or inviolable," Sweetie Belle replied.

Zecora continued to stir, still continuing. "Once strands from the manes of all the ponies have been plucked, mix them in and then drink and then all can get—"

"PINKIE!" Granny Smith hollered from the barn door, drowning out Zecora and causing everypony in the barn to turn toward her. "I need ya to help Applejack in the kitchen! Poor girl's about to have a meltdown making all them apple sweets."

"I'll be right there," Pinkie said. "We're almost done here."

Zecora stirred the cauldron as Granny tottered away. She addressed Cadance directly. "Where I come from, swapping of forms is tradition, a common ritual for spouse acquisition. I'm proud to have customs to share with you ponies, Love Princess for this year's master of ceremonies!" She sniffed the cauldron one last time and smiled, setting aside her massive ladle. "Mix the manes in and the mixture is done. I'm sorry to go now, but I've got to run!" The zebra began collecting all of her now-empty jars.

"Right," Twilight said, beaming. "Come on, Cadance, we need to go over some of your responsibilities."

Twilight and Cadance walked toward the open barn door, with Zecora following behind shortly, having left behind the three large, empty jars.

"Ah, excellent," Pinkie said deviously, showing no signs that she was being observed by the three fillies. "Perfect distraction timing by Granny Smith, as usual!" Then, she stopped suddenly. Her leg vibrated, then her eye twitched, and finally her tail crackled with static. “Ohhhhh… Interesting!” she cheered.

Humming a happy tune, Pinkie began pouring the contents of the cauldron into the three jars Zecora had left behind. There was still a small amount left in the cauldron when she was done. "Waste not, want not!" Pinkie chirped, producing a fourth, smaller jar from her mane.

"I've seen her do it my entire life, but I still don't know how she does that," Apple Bloom whispered.

"You mean it's not earth pony magic?" Scootaloo whispered back.

"No, dummy," Apple Bloom replied. "Our magic is all about plants and earth and stuff."

"Heh, heh, heh," Pinkie laughed to herself, pouring the last of the mixture into the jar, causing a spinning, sparkling glow within that faded after a moment, and then she twisted a lid on it. "Now to hide this dose in the corner for later."

Once Pinkie had left, hauling all three of the larger jars with her, the teenagers immediately set about locating the hidden jar. It didn't take them long, as Pinkie had merely hidden it behind some crates in the corner, exactly where she'd said she'd put it.

"What do you think the potion does?" Scootaloo asked in hushed tones, staring at the jar of sparkling brown fluid.

"I know exactly what it does," Apple Bloom whispered back. "Zecora's been apprenticing me for years, and I've seen this one written down in one of her books. It's a body-swap potion! Everyone puts some of their mane in it, and then they swap bodies."

"Ooooo..." both other Crusaders oo-ed.

Apple Bloom was the first to pluck a strand of her mane out and drop it into the mix. A slight hissing sound accompanied a bubbling in the mixture as the strand of mane began glowing and then seemed to dissolve into the rest of the liquid.

Scootaloo stared at the dancing glow with wonder. "Wow, that’s so cool!" she cheered, plucking one of her own mane strands.

Sweete Belle frowned. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" she asked. "What if something goes wrong?"

"It's fine," Apple Bloom scoffed. "What's the worst that could possibly happen? Just don't drink too much."

Scootaloo was the first to jump, taking a sip of the mixture as soon as Sweetie's mane had dissolved into sparkles and magic. But nothing happened.

"We all have to drink it," Apple Bloom explained. "It doesn't work unless every mane is accounted for."

"Okay," Sweetie Belle replied. She took the bottle from Scootaloo and took a small sip herself, and swallowed quickly to get the strange taste out of her mouth. "Ugh, it tastes like apple cider mixed with maple syrup.”

Apple Bloom was the last to drink, putting the stopper back on the flask and setting it back in the corner they'd found it in.

And then they waited.

And waited.

"Damnit," Scootaloo whined. "I wanted to use magic."

"I'm okay with nothing happening," Sweetie Belle admitted. "The thought of losing my magic is really scary."

They waited for a few minutes more, but nothing seemed to happen.

"I think something's missing," Scootaloo opined. "It's just not working."

Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement. "It's hot in here, girls. Can we go soak in the pitcher pump now?"

"Yeah, sure.” Apple Bloom couldn't help but go along with them - the barn was poorly ventilated and was basically an oven. “I was really hoping something would happen, though."

The Next Day

"Okay," Pinkie Pie said, Big Macintosh's deep voice reverberating through the air. "I did what you asked, Granny. I went with the mixed group. And look what happened! I’m Big Macintosh!"

"I see that," Granny replied, looking up and down the form of her eldest grandchild. "Hmm... he's a fine boy. Good and healthy. Was a fun ride a couple years ago, good stamina." She continued to pace around Pinkie Pie, who stood still and let Granny examine the body she was stuck with. "I'll take him."

Outside, the party was just starting, and it was time for Pinkie and Granny to do the 'other' swap - the one only Twilight knew about. Twilight, currently in the form of a pegasus mare named Blossomforth, was standing watch outside of the secluded corner of the barn while all the other ponies filed out.

"All clear," Blossomforth's voice hissed.

Pinkie uncorked the flask and imbibed the sickly sweet apple mixture, then passed it to Granny Smith, who did the same.

"Okay," Pinkie said. "We're ready."

Twilight dropped a small, blue gemstone on the ground and attempted to crush it with a hoof, unsuccessfully. "I can't break it!" she complained. "Blossom's a bit too weak. You'll need to break it to release the stored spell!"

The Pinkie Pie that was also Big Macintosh stepped out of the secluded corner room, peering around to make sure no one could see her. "Okay, let me do it. Big Mac should be strong enough."

Twilight hoofed the gemstone over to the farmer, who proceeded to crush it easily underhoof. A flash of light temporarily blinded Twilight, and when the light faded, she was standing next to the lithe curves of Sweetie Belle.

"What?!" Twilight shrieked. Blossomforth's high pitched voice would have shattered glass, if the barn had any in it.

Sweetie Belle blinked a few times, shaking her head. "What in the doozy?!" the filly spat. "This isn't Granny Smith!"

"Why would you turn into..." With dawning horror, Twilight realized that something was dreadfully wrong. "The girls must have gotten into the potion somehow! Quick, check on Granny!"

"Oh mi gosh!" Pinkie Pie gasped, sounding incredibly cute coming from Sweetie Belle's lips. "She's Apple Bloom."

"Oh, horse apples," Twilight cursed. "Now we need to get you both out of here before somepony sees."

"Why?" Pinkie Pie said, confused. "Shouldn't we be concerned with finding the girls, instead?"

Twilight sucked in some air through clenched teeth. "Yes, but it's also really important that we don't have two teenagers at an adults-only event! Particularly this adults-only event."

"Oooooh, yeah," Pinkie said, not sounding convinced or concerned.

"What in the blazes is going on," Apple Bloom's voice interrupted them. "Sweetie Belle, what are you..." The elderly mare with the young voice trailed off. "Twilight, why do I sound like little 'Blossom?"

Twilight slapped a hoof to her face. "You can't just walk around as your own granddaughter and... do... the things. We can't have children here at all! And I’m sure wherever she is, she has no idea what is going on."

Granny Smith paused for a few moments, looking between the figures of Blossomforth and Sweetie Belle. "I might be old, but I ain't stupid. I don't like it, but I understand what yer gettin' at. And what about the real little 'Blossom and Sweetie Belle?"

"You and Pinkie Pie need to sneak into the farmhouse, hide in the cellar - no one will look there.” Twilight fluffed her wings. “As for the fillies, I'll fly around and see if I can find any sign of them. And if I see any of them, I'll try and bring them to the farmhouse so we can fix this."

Pinkie turned to Granny Smith. "Granny, how sneaky can you be?"

"Uh, don't know..." she mumbled. "At my age, you don't sneak things anymore, you just stop giving a crap what other ponies see or think."

The purple and pink curls of Sweetie Belle's mane bobbed up and down as Pinkie nodded. "Well, we're going to have to find out. We just gotta get across the yard without being seen. We're small enough to crawl under the tables... uh, I think. Should be super easy if we're quick. Try not to bump anypony."

Apple Bloom lay on the rickety wooden platform that surrounded the little clubhouse, the ends of her forehooves dangling languidly over the edge of the platform. The sun was slowly setting over the orchard, bathing her in a warm glow and providing for some gorgeous scenery.

She let out a heavy sigh. She was supposed to be at Carousel Boutique with her friends, but after walking in on Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo doing... that... she panicked and ran off. It was probably best that she give them some privacy anyway.

Still, she hadn't known her friends had that kind of relationship, and it hurt a little bit to know that she'd been kept out of the loop. She wasn't jealous or anything; she wasn't even sure if she was into fillies. Her own sexuality was something she was still struggling to figure out.

When it came to relationships and sexuality, all of the mares she was close to–her teacher Cheerilee, her sister and all her sister's friends–they always seemed so indecisive about everything where dating was concerned. None of them had a steady partner, or even a stable relationship. Dating seemed so... unimportant and transient.

Would it be different if she was a colt? she wondered. All of the stallions in her life seemed so sure about themselves. Though, she had to admit, the number of stallions that had any prominent position in her life was limited: Mr. Cake and her own brother. And that was a pretty small sample.

She thought back to her friends again, their tongues doing—A strange feeling welled up in her chest. Was this... heartache? Was she more jealous than she initially believed?

A sudden dizziness overtook her as her entire body began to feel numb. This was definitely something else. A loud cracking sound echoed in her ears as she suddenly felt herself falling, hitting the ground before she could even flail her legs in a panic.

The ground had rushed up to meet her with unforgiving steadfastness, but hadn’t done any real damage. Her body slowly returned to a more normal feeling and the dizziness subsided, providing an experience that had been far more scary than painful.

As she stood up to her hooves everything was... off. Especially the clubhouse, which seemed much smaller than it normally was.

"What in the hay?" she blurted. What she heard was the low sound of a stallion's voice instead. Had the universe heard her question?

Her heart began to race, thundering in her chest as she peered down at her hooves. Her forelegs were thick and muscular - the same color as her brother. She turned her head to gaze back at the rest of herself - a rippling, muscular frame accented by an orange mane and tail, and adorned with a very familiar green apple cutie mark.

"W-what?! What's happening?!" she shrieked, now realizing that the voice she was speaking with was her brother's own, as well.

This wasn't right. Somepony had to help her. Her friends couldn't possibly help with this; she needed somepony that would know about this kind of situation. Somepony who knew advanced magic, like Twilight or Starlight. And both of them would be at the forbidden party.

Apple Bloom set her eyes toward the farmhouse and began galloping.