Dark Trance

"Who the buck are you?!" Rainbow Dash said, challanging the strange pony. The pony raised his hoof and, in a very loud and very distorted-sounding voice, he replied thusly:

"FOR TOO LONG HAVE WE BEEN IGNORED! WE ARE THE TRUE CREATORS OF NIGHTMARE NIGHT! WE CREATED THE HOLIDAY AND INSTEAD YOU CELEBRATE IT IN THE NAME OF THE LUNAR PRINCESS! WELL NOW YOU CAN CELEBRATE IT EVERYDAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR MISERABLE EXISTANCE!"

Before anypony could react, he disappeared in a plume of smoke and ashes, but that wasn't all that happened. The moon turned from pure white to red, and it shone light on everything in Equestria...Including Sugarcube Corner. Suddenly, every pony and creature that was dressed up in a costume, became the very creatures they were dressed as!

Fluttershy's fur turned fluffier and her teeth developed long canine fangs. Applejack suddenly collapsed from only being made of hay and cloth. Rarity developed supernatural powers, Pinkie turned semi-transparent and couldn't figure out how to get back down from the air, Rainbow Dash's eyes turned yellow and her mane turned black, Twilight lost all her powers she originally had as a unicorn, and the fangs suddenly fused into her teeth and turned real...

But the worst possible outcome was for Austin and his girlfriend...They shrunk, developed hooves, and their faces turned much different. They found themselves in the bodies of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, and both stumbled when they realized they couldn't stand upright on their hind legs. They both dropped to all fours and looked at each other curiously, and it took a minute for it to click. But when the gears in their heads started to go to work, they eventually figured it out.

Every pony suddenly screamed and ran around, while some tried desperately to take off their costumes, others were running around panicking. The mane 6, Austin and his girlfriend all stood around, not panicking, but knowing that something had to be done. But first, they needed to find the princess to make sure she's alright...If it affected EVERY pony, the Princess could be in danger. They immediately set out toward Canterlot in Twilight's balloon. Or...tried to.

Pinkie was still trying to figure out exactly how to move or interact in general with the world around her. Fluttershy gathered up the ragdoll that had become of Applejack, and they now had to help Pinkie. But how? She was an undead, and she can't be touched, grabbed, poked...Nothing. She was a literal mass of electromagnetic energy. Twilight then had an idea.

"Pinkie! You can possess everyday objects right? You're a ghost!"

"Yeah so?"

"Possess Applejack! Now Fluttershy won't need to carry her, and you can both get there at the same time!"

Meanwhile, Austin let out a rather annoyed grunt.

"Ahem?"

They looked at the two new ponies.

"Oh yeah...What about them?" Rarity asked Twilight.

She was just as confused as the rest of her friends.

"um....I'm not sure..."

Meanwhile, Pinkie took the opertunity to fill up Applejack's empty husk of a body. They both suddenly rose to their hooves and looked around. Applejack didn't feel right, having Pinkie in her body, but it was the only way for either of them to be mobile until something else was done.

Rainbow Dash was hovering a few feet off the ground, her yellow goggles glowing in the night.

"What now?"

"We find the princess. Umm...Austin....girl....You just follow us...or do your best to follow us."

"My name is Jennifer." the girl stated.

"Oh. Well come on."

They ran to Twilight's house and hopped into her balloon, then set out towards Canterlot Castle.

They arrived shortly after, with the help of Rainbow's newfound speed. They ran to the doors of the throne room, then Austin and Jen bucked the doors down. Suddenly Pinkie/Applejack screamed.

"OH MY CELESTIA THEY'RE just fine....."

The princesses looked fine. Not a scratch. They looked over their shoulders at the group of ponies, and there was a rather awkward silence until Twilight finally said.

"Princess Celestia! Princess Luna! You're okay!!"

"Twilight, thank goodness you're here...I was just about to send a letter to you." Luna said.

"Umm...I'm sorry? Why? You're just fine...Besides, I thought Princess Celestia sends the letters."

"She does." Princess Celestia chimed in.

"Why are you talking in 2nd person?"

Now everypony was confused...Well, besides the royal sisters.

"Look, it's hard to explain..." Luna said calmly.

"But we will do our best to explaineth to thou." Celestia said.

"Is it just me, or are these two acting a lot like...each other?!" Austin finally asked.

"That's what happened." Luna explained. "We were dressed as one another, in costume. That's when the curse broke out, and we became like this."

"Still confused." Jen said.

Luna sighed.

"Look, I'm actually Celestia, but I was dressed as my little sister when the curse broke out. Now I've become Luna."

"And We have become her."

"Oh. So you've swapped bodies?"

"Yes, thou could sayest that."

Austin just blinked. As did Jen.

Finally, after another brief moment of silence, Twilight asked the Princesses if they knew anything about the curse.

"Well...no. We have no idea who that mysterious colt was who burst into Sugarcube Corner. All we know is that he holds very strong magic."

"Stronger than yours?" Rarity asked in disbelief.

"No, but close. Girls, you will need to don the Elements of Harmony, but I'm afraid they've gone missing yet again."

"You REALLY need better security..." Austin said. "Man I sound weird...all...girlish and squeaky..."

Pinkie giggle-snorted, but because she was in AJ's body, it was hard to watch.

"So is there anything you can tell us?" Twilight finally asked.

"No...Not at the moment, I'm afraid. Please, tell us if you find any clues. But be quick. From what we've learned already, the curse becomes permanent at sunrise. And due to obvious reasons, we have to raise the sun...Otherwise Equestria will be shrouded in eternal darkness."

"How long have we got?" Rainbow asked.

"You have less than 10 hours..."

"Can you just stall for a while?"

"We're sorry, but if we do, the crops around Equestria will die and we could starve."

"So we have 10 hours time?"

"Good luck my little ponies..."

"And humans..." Austin and Jen said angrily.

"Oh. Right. Of course. You too."

The ponies all set out to find the Elements of Harmony, though still confused at where to start. In such a vast land, how can 8 ponies find 6 necklaces in time?

And with the strange colt watching their every move...

There are so many questions left unanswered.

How will Twilight hold back her bloodlust?

Will Rarity suddenly learn how to turn water into wine?

Will Pinkie and Applejack ever be seperated?

How will Austin and Jen cope with their newfound abilities?

Will Austin break the 4th wall?

Is Fluttershy still adorable or is she too fearsome for words?

Why am I asking you all these questions?!

All these thoughts buzzed through the minds of the group, who knew that they needed to figure this out later. Their main and only priority is to find the Elements, get the goon, and cure the curse before sunrise, which is only 10 short hours away...

So they decided to take the smart route, and look to the one pony who knows of everything supernatural. The striped shaman. The mysterious mare. YES! THE ONE AND ONLY.....LYRA HEARTSTRINGS!

Wait I mean Zecora. Zecora.