"My office, please."

Pipp internally gulped as she dropped the shovel she'd been using. Ever since the vast amounts of mud that had flooded the Great Hall had settled, the entire family had been working to clean up the mess- with shovels. By hand. When Pipp had asked why, the reason was that the floor probably wouldn't withstand heavy machinery moving about on top of it. Not only that, the carpets would have to be replaced and changed, as well as the tables repaired and cleaned.

Pipp decided to keep quiet as they walked through the corridors. They knew this journey sort of well- Lady Haven had selected an office on the first floor (second floor in US parlance), and this meant journeys up stairs.

Eventually, they arrived, Lady Haven shutting the door behind her and indicating to a chair. Pipp sat in it. "Look, I didn't mean to turn the Great Hall into the Somme, but-"

"I can tell something is wrong."

Pipp stopped. "Huh?"

"You've not been yourself the entire day. Putting up an entire funfair inside the Great Hall? That seems really unlike you, Zipp. Not to mention your selection of words. Zipp, can you please tell me what's going on?"

Pipp sighed, knowing there was no way out of this. "Zipp and I swapped bodies," she mumbled.

"Sorry?"

Pipp spoke up a bit. "Yesterday Zipp and me had a fight, and when outside I met a spirit who offered to fix things. I said to them that I wanted Zipp to appreciate what I do as a performer. The next morning, or today, I woke up and found we'd swapped bodies- Zipp and me, you see. So we've been pretending to be one another the entire day."

There was an awkward silence. Pipp fully expected her mother to tell her to stop being silly, but what was said next was unexpected.

"Tell me something only Pipp would know."

Pipp thought for a moment. "On my fifth birthday, when dad and Zipp were out, the cake was precariously balanced and fell on top of me."

Lady Haven nodded, clearly remembering the aftermath of the event. "Getting the icing out of your hair was a nightmare." She stopped, and then sighed herself. "Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you come to me when you found yourself in this mess?"

Pipp looked down. "We thought you'd think we'd gone cray cray," she replied, having abandoned any pretence of trying to talk like Zipp.

Lady Haven pulled her into a hug. "After all the things we've seen together, you think body swapping would be too far fetched for me to believe? I'm here for you, and I'm going to help you fix this problem- because that's what mothers do."

"Really?"

"It's my job to help you when you're in trouble. And I'm sorry for snapping at you when I got back- discovering that an entire room of your house is now a sea of mud is rather surprising when you've just walked in through the door."

"It's OK, mom," Pipp replied.

"But in future, when you're in trouble, talk to me. As I'm not a mind reader, I cannot help you if I don't know what's wrong."

"Understood."

Later on, Pipp ran into Zipp in the kitchen, getting some water. "This has all gone horribly wrong," she said. "The hall's a disaster zone, and we've had to acquire chairs at the last minute in order to salvage the mess."

"I was wondering what all the shovelling was about," Zipp said, sighing. "You look pretty stressed."

"Tell me about it."

"You look pretty stre-"

"Now is not the time for overused jokes, Zipp!" Pipp said. "Besides, mom knows."

"Mom knows about what?"

"The whole swapping bodies thing. She had her suspicions that something was wrong, but seemed oddly accepting of my explanation?"

"Given all the weirdness we've seen," Zipp admitted.

"So, how did being a popstar go? Was it as easy as you thought it would be?"

"No," Zipp admitted. "Carotang posted outright lies and made fatphobic remarks."

"Lipophobic. From the Greek words for fat and fear. But what happened?"

"I confronted him about it and demanded he retract what he said- but his microphone was on and the fanbase interpreted that as me threatening him."

"Rookie mistake," Pipp said. "Whenever in a conversation with a musician or a news station, assume the microphone is still on until you have left the building."

"So, how did the Great Hall end up full of mud?"

"A mudbath machine I'd added malfunctioned," Pipp admitted. "I thought the visitors might like it!"

"Most of our guests are nobility and former soldiers, and in a lot of cases both. I know combat training involves a lot of wading through mud, but formal military uniforms and mud do not mix." Zipp put a hand on her forehead. "But, we can still fix this. But for that we're going to have to work together."

"I'm guessing this is where my expertise with streaming comes in."

A few minutes later, the phone was set up, and Pipp forwarded a script to the teleprompter she had set up on a back wall. "Ready when you are, sis."

"Roll the tape."

Pipp pushed a button and set the device running. "Remember, be authentic."

Zipp looked calmly into the camera. "Hey, everybody. No doubt you've all seen and heard it by now- the business with Carotang. Truth be told, I need to give my side of the story. Sometimes, I get so caught up in the stress of the moment that I let my own emotions get the better of me. I know it's convenient and potentially tone deaf to beg for sympathy right before a major concert, but I'm simply trying to be honest with you guys. Being in the spotlight is way harder than I'd imagined, and I feel the need to tell you all the reason I reacted so badly to his remarks."

Zipp paused, then sighed, knowing she was about to be airing out something her sister had kept private for so long. "I know I present the image of a slim pop icon, but the truth is I haven't always been that way. When I was younger, I struggled to keep my weight under control. I was one of those people who seemed to gain weight with very little effort. And trust me, being the overweight kid at school was no fun. I was bullied over it, and people called me names. Lardbucket, pig, fatface- it was all really hurtful. And it left me miserable. I hated being the target of their mockery. It's something I've struggled with ever since, and although I was able to shed most of the excess pounds I've had to calorie watch ever since. So when Carotang made all those remarks, it hurt.

"No matter what, I can't help being who I am, and people shouldn't try to be somebody they aren't in order to impress other people. So, I hope you take this to heart- just be yourself, not what other people try to make you. See you tonight."

Zipp looked at Pipp as she stopped the stream. "How'd I do?"

"Excellently!" Pipp said. "You did a fab job. Now, let's get this party started!"

"We've still got a few hours."

Sunny walked into town, stopping at a restaurant she had visited a few times in the summer. "It said he was from here," she said.

"What's going on, Sunny?" asked a familiar voice. Sunny looked over to see Misty nursing a coffee whilst sat outdoors.

"Why are you outdoors?" Sunny asked.

"Inside was full," Misty explained. "It seems everybody and their dog had the exact same idea as me at the exact same time. Crazy, huh?"

"I need to talk to the owner," Sunny said. "He's got some info I need."

"Is this to do with the whole situation with Pipp and Zipp?" Misty asked.

"How do you know that they've switched bodies?" Sunny asked.

"Because you just told me."

Sunny facepalmed. "You'd make an amazing detective, Misty."

"Thanks. Besides, Carotang is going to be doing a meet and greet here, and I intend to give him a piece of my mind."

Sunny went indoors as an older man made his way to the till. He had yellowy skin and greyish hair, and had been a part of the Falmouth waterfront community for a few years now. "Hello Sunny!" he said. "You wanted to meet?"

"Hey, Panini," Sunny replied. That, of course, was not his real name- Patrick was his actual name. However, his nickname came from his love of baking. "So, what can you tell me about Milky Way?"

Panini frowned as he remembered that day. "Ever since I was a child I had dreamed of running my own cafe. But buying a store and running a cafe is expensive, so I needed money. I made a wish with Milky Way to get one, thinking she would just magic a cafe into existance for me."

"I assume that didn't happen," Sunny replied.

"Nope!" Panini replied. "She instead ensured I secured a high paying job to earn the money. But I wasn't earning money fast enough for her liking, so she changed the spell to ensure I could never sleep. I was making money at an impressive rate, but I was exhausted, miserable, and depressed. My colleagues saw my state and feared for my sanity, and when I explained what was going on it turned out some of them had prior encounters with Milky Way. Their combined outrage convinced her to reverse the wish, and she vanished from Falmouth, seemingly forever."

Panini sighed. "I spent some more time working there, then secured a loan and opened this little place. I never thought I'd hear the name again, but to hear she's been causing trouble for your friends sounds awful."

One thing he had said stuck in Sunny's head. "You said Milky Way reversed the wish? Because she said to my friend that she can't!"

"Well, Milky Way is lying," Panini replied. "Perhaps this is her big comeback!"

Sunny then had a brainwave. "I think I know what I need to do. Thanks for the help Panini!"

"No problem," Panini smiled. "Best of luck!"

As Sunny left, Carotang swanned in. "Who's here to party?"

The room fell completely silent as they looked. Carotang looked about, and got out his guitar. "Well, perhaps some music would he-"

"Bully."

Carotang looked in the direction of the voice. "Excuse me?"

A customer walked out. "I won't associate with bullies like you."

More people walked out, shaking their heads at him.

"What's going on?" the musician asked, utterly confused.

Suddenly, a voice caught his attention.

"Not so much fun when the shoe is on the other foot, is it?"

He saw Misty standing there. "I recognise you from somewhere."

"You made fun of my sister," Misty said, her voice dripping with contempt.

"Are you related to Pipp?" Carotang asked.

Misty then played the entire video Zipp (as Pipp) had recorded and streamed. Watching Carotang's face shift from his usual smugness to one of shock. "What?" he said, sitting down in a chair. "She's had to go through that her whole life?"

Misty looked at Carotang in disgust. "You made fun of her because of something she can't control and would rather she didn't have to live with. The fact you feel the need to punch down to make yourself feel better really tells me all I need to know about you- you're nothing but a toxic bully. And I cannot in good conscience support that, nor can many of your fans. My time as a fan of your music is over- much like this conversation."

Carotang sat there, silent. There was nothing he could really say. He'd had no clue Pipp had to live with that her whole life. Truth be told it reminded him of his own struggle with controlling his temper. After a while of silence, and a flood of messages from former fans saying they wanted the pre-order of his new album refunded, he sighed. "I owe Pipp an apology."

"Are you going to order anything?" Panini asked.

Carotang shook his head, and left the store. "Sorry for wasting your time."

Sunny got to Falmouth Manor as fast as her legs could carry her, sliding in through the door and finding the Great Hall was almost cleaned. A familiar song played over some speakers.

"Gonna work, work, work!
Got so much to do!
Well I don't mind the work/
'Cause I get to work with you!

"Gonna work, work, work!
Make our dreams come true!
'Cause when you work together/
There's nothing we, nothing we can't do!"

Most of the mud was gone, and many of the guests who had already arrived. The Duke of Norfolk looked quite curious in heavy duty work clothing. "Get your backs into it, lads!" he called. "This mud isn't going to clean itself!"

"Aye, my lord!" called the Duke of Grafton. "Attend to His Grace's orders!"

Several more Dukes and Duchesses moved past them, this a very surreal sight.

"What's going on?" Sunny asked.

"They arrived early and offered to help," Zipp said. "Wanna muck in?"

Sunny smiled. "How could I say no?"

Milky Way suddenly appeared above them. "What is this?" she said. "Good Lord, what a mess."

"Yeah, we're cleaning it," Pipp said. "Then we'll be getting everything set up for tonight again."

"And the concert?" Milky Way asked.

"Got the lyrics learned and the choreography down," Zipp said. "So, as you see I do understand what my sister goes through. So, if you could switch us back that'd be fab."

Milky Way looked cross. "No, you have to appreciate what she does as a performer, not understand."

"Now who's being a pedant?" Sunny asked, with a wry smile.

Milky Way looked despondant. "No chaos... such a disaster. This has to work or I'm ruined!"

"You could save yourself the embarrassment and just switch us back now, and we promise not to tell anybody," Zipp said.

Milky Way smiled. "You know, maybe I will... but remember who has the power here. Zipp can only truly appreciate what it's like to be a performer if she performs to a live audience at a concert. Too bad that the concert won't be happening!"

Suddenly, the heavens opened, and rain began thundering down to the ground, raindrops exploding on the ground as they landed. "Enjoy the storm!"

"You just keep moving the goalposts!" Pipp protested.

"When you made your wish you never said I couldn't," Milky Way smirked.

"Would you really be so selfish that you'd happily see a charity event ruind rather than reverse your spell?" Sunny asked.

"No good deed goes unpunished," Milky Way said, as she flew off.

"Bad news, Your Ladyship!" said Wadsworth. "The road into Falmouth is blocked, and a tree fell on the line! Nobody can get in or out of town now!"

Zipp sighed. "And we've got less than two hours to go! What are we going to do?"

Author's Note

This chapter is an adaptation of Issue 19 of the MLP G5 comics, which continues the ongoing mini arc we've been following up to this point.

Pipp's story connects to my own past in a number of ways- I've struggled to keep my weight under control for much of my life and got bullied over it as well. I think that's part of the reason Pipp is a positive inspiration, to me at least- she's somewhat chunkier than her friends, but nopony judges her over it and she is clearly happy, making her a much-needed positive depiction of a plus sized pony (especially given I grew up in an age when the 'fat idiot' stereotype was still seen as acceptable in children's media).

One of my major frustrations with the comic series this is adapting is that Carotang faces no consequences for his actions- yes, Zipp shouldn't have threatened him, but the fact remains that he faces no onscreen consequences for outright lying about his main musical opponent (his words arguably constitute slander). As a result, I decided it be only fair he face actual consequences for his actions.

And now, the storm has arrived! How are our heroes going to resolve this one?