Twilight paced the floor in the horribly small room. “They want to break us!” She shouted, she was unrelenting. Each of her friends trying to get some sleep. Staying up all night would not release them from their captivity, and shouting certainly would not convince the villagers to let them go.

The five ponies, curled up around the room. Growing restless at the sounds of Twilight’s trotting and murmuring. “You must stop this endless motion, Twilight. It is getting us nowhere.” Rarity insisted.

Apple Jack rose from her comfortable position. Her legs groggy with having tried bucking the door for hours on end. “Sugar cube, it’s best we get some rest, this is fight we can keep fightin’ tomorraw’”.

Twilight looked around at all her exhausted friends. They all seemed so defeated. She sat on her hind legs before slowly dropping into a more comfortable position… “fine, but only a moment of rest,” she yawned now. “Then, I will think of a way out of this.”

Opening her eyes, Twilight realized she had been separated from her friends. What seemed like just moments ago, she was locked in a room with her five friends. Though they had had their cutie-marks ripped from their bodies, at least they were together.

“Good morning, Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The voice was glossy, charismatic, but also terrifying. The room was dark. The only light just above her head. She could not see who spoke to her, but she knew all too well.

“Starlight Glimmer, what have you done with my friends?!” Twilight shouted, pulling at her restraints. She was shackled on all four hooves, chained to a single stake concreted into the floor.

Starlight Glimmer laughed, “your friends are fine, Twilight. Why don’t you just relax.” It was just the two of them, in a room that seemed to have no windows or doors. “I need your help, Twilight, and your friends aren’t really any use to me. So, they are still back in that wretched little room.”

Twilight struggled again, pulling her body. She flared her wings, lifting off then being pulled back with as much force as she has used to attempt her escape “I will never help you!” She screamed, slamming into the concrete.

To this, Starlight laughed. “I had a sneaking suspicion that you might decline my offer of willing participation.” The lighter-toned mare was quick on her toes, hopping from hoof-to-hoof.

“What is this?” She looked around, but the lack of light offered no source of comfort.

There was a moment of hemming and hawing; as Starlight debated her choice of words. “I have studied at great length the magic of the soul.” She snickered to herself. “Until I met someone you might be fairly familiar with… near Ponyville, actually.”

Twilight studied her, her coat dulled as if she too had given up her magic, but what reason could she have to do such a thing?

“A Zebra on the outskirts of town provided me with an elixir, that will ease your willingness to cooperate.”

“Zecora?!” Twilight asked, in disbelief. Another pony entered, white in color, a hair net and other sterile looking clothing dawned. He was holding two vials containing a green substance. “Why would Zecora help you?”

Starlight rolled her eyes. “You seem to ask all of the most worthless questions. Every pony, except for you, seems to believe I am a good pony. That my ideals are just that, ideal. Even your little pal, Zecora. And soon, when your friends come to their senses, they will join us. If I can convince this many ponies, imagine how many more will be convinced once I take the form of a princess!” Starlight swung her front legs grandly.

Twilight shuttered. “… what do you mean?” She rose to her feet once more, standing hooves shoulder width apart.

Suddenly, the third pony shoved the open vial into Twilight’s mouth forcefully forcing her to swallow its contents.

Starlight willingly guzzled the second bottle. Suddenly, in a blast of glowing light, the pair had swapped places… Only, they hadn’t.
Twilight looked on at her own body. Purple fur, tricolored mane, a horn and wings… only she was not occupying herself. She seemed to move on her own.

As she spoke, her voice did not sound like her own. “What have you done to me!?” The present Starlight screamed.

“Oh… I’m not sure what you mean?” The supposed ‘Twilight’ replied in a sweet voice.

“You cannot steal my body! This is the gravest crime ever committed in all of Equestria.” She pulled, even more weakly now as her stature had decreased.

“Oh, your body?” She looked over the mare standing in her own vessel. Straight bangs, and light purple fur. “Well, maybe you can have it back, once ‘the Princess of Friendship’ declares her favor of my way of thinking, that is.” She chuckled, flexing her new wings. “With your support, our village will grow. Soon all of Equestria will be under my rule.”

Twilight Glimmer… or Starlight Sparkle jumped, but was pulled back to the hard floor by her shackles. “You cannot, you must not. I’ll have you thrown in Tartarus for this.”

Starlight… or rather, Twilight, fluttered her wings, raising her body from the ground. “Who are they going to believe, a no-pony, or the Princess of Friendship..”

“I am the Princess of Friendship!”

“Not anymore!” She said, giggling as she fluttered up.

Another pony arrived, standing, with a glass jar with the lid screwed tightly down. Twilight bucked the glass with a single hoof. Within it, was the princess’s cutie-mark. It snapped to the flank of the imposter.

Tears welled in the purple eyes of the shackled mare. “I am the princess!” She screamed, but her body betrayed her. “I AM THE PRINCESS!”

But, in a purple poof of dust, she was gone.

Twilight opened her eyes, back in the room with the single window. Her ears rang as she sat up. Every pony else was in front of her. Their mouths moving, but she could not quite hear what they were saying.

“Twilight?” Fluttershy said, sweetly.

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash screamed. “You alright?”

“Oh-“ she looked from side to side, shaking her head as she came to. “Oh Celestia- I had a terrible nightmare.”

Author's Note

Inspired by a deleted scene from Cars (2006) called “The Engine Transplant” and Season 9, Episode 18 of MLPFIM.