“Girls! I thought we had gotten over this? I mean, really! Every time we have our sleepovers it’s the same thing! You guys bicker and argue about everything!” Twilight yelled. She looked at her two friends that stood before her, who were at the moment glaring daggers at each other.

They paused for a moment and looked at their host, almost as if they had forgotten what had been happening. Rarity was the first speak, “Twilight you know that’s not true. What about that time where we got rid of that horrid tree from your bedroom?”

Applejack followed Rarity’s lead, “Or like last sleepover where we agreed that yall can be a little bi-polar at times?” Applejack said as a small smirk spread across her face.
“It’s just that this time it's different. Rarity doesn’t respect the finer points of camping.” Applejack said as she focused her gaze back onto her other unicorn friend.

Rarity returned the look, shooting a deadly leer at Applejack, “It’s not that I don’t respect camping. It's just that why should we have to go outside tonight to sleep when we could just stay inside on the nice, clean beds?”

“Because sometimes going outside doesn’t always mean getting dirty like ya think it does,” Applejack shot.

“I beg to differ, going outside to lay in the grass to sleep sounds like it will do just that!”

“We can use sleeping bags? Besides, don’t ya think it could be fun looking up at the stars while ya lay in the grass?”

“What if the bag comes unzipped? Then what would happen to my mane!” Rarity shrieked as she clutched her mane as if such a thing would ruin its beauty forever. “Also, Twilight has a telescope up on her patio, so I see no reason to go outside and lay on the grass.”

The argument proceeded no further as Twilight’s horn started to glow. A loud zap turned the heads of Twilight’s friends towards her last location. She had teleported away without giving them any clue as to where she went. Rarity and Applejack looked at each other in puzzlement until a projected voice came from all around them, “Both of you! Work together to find me. We are going to play hide and seek, I read about it in the sleepover guide! The rules of the game are simple, I hide, you seek! Get it?”

Rarity and Applejack looked at each other for a moment and began to grin. Applejack yelled to the booming voice, “Sugarcube, we know how to play hide and seek, but if you insist, we’ll play along! Come on Rarity, lets go find her. You search high, I’ll search low.”

“I suppose a little game wouldn’t hurt would it? Alright Applejack, I’ll go upstairs, see if I can’t find her. You will probably want to check the basement.”

“Thats what Ah’ said...”

“Well, hop to it then. Someone is going to have to find her while the night is still young. Oh, wouldn’t that be silly if she went and fell asleep in her—”

“HURRY UP WOULD YOU!” Boomed a voice.

Rarity and Applejack’s ears flattened against their heads in embarrassment, “Sorry Twi’, ready er not, here we come!” Applejack shouted.

“Good! And hurry up!” Twilight yelled back.

Rarity turned away from Applejack and began to head up the stairs while Applejack headed for the back room that held the door to the basement. She pushed on the door and it swung open, exposing her to the basement. The smell of old, wet wood reached her nose, making it cringe a bit at the offending smell. The dim light from the lights behind her guided her down the staircase until she hit the bottom. The large basement was very quiet, save Applejack’s hoofprints against the wooden stairs. Soon the sound went from hooves hitting wood to hooves hitting concrete. Applejack nudged the light switch with her snout, bringing the lights to life.
“Alright Twi’, are ya down here?” Applejack asked into the seemingly empty room. She walked around, looking behind old bookshelves and under desks, looking for her hidden friend. She had almost done a complete rotation of the entire room before a noise from behind her made her turn around. A book came flying across the room and hit her in the face, knocking her to the ground. “The hay was that fer?” She asked her attacker, rubbing her head with a hoof.
Twilight’s voice came from the dimly light area, “Sorry Applejack, I just got so excited about this book that I couldn’t wait to show it to you.” There was a large grin stretched across her face.
“Yeah, ya couldn’t wait so you hit me in the face with it, eh?” Applejack said sarcastically.
Twilight’s grin turned sheepish, “Yeah... sorry. But, anyway! You and Rarity need to see this book! It could be the solution to your guys’ bickering problems!” The large grin returned to normal.
“Twi, we don’t have bickering problems...” Applejack began to say, before trailing off due to Twilight’s stair.
“Right, and Rainbow Dash will make it into the Wonderbolts. Come upstairs, lets show it to Rarity.” Twilight began to trot past Applejack before being interrupted.

“Twilight, Ah don’t what the title of the book is!” Applejack chided.

“Oh, right...” Twilight’s grin went sheepish again. “It’s called ‘The Art and Form of Mind Swapping.’”

“Oh sweet Celestia... okay, Twi. We’ll have a look at it. Let me just say a few prayers first. Ahem... Dear Celestia, what did Ah do to deserve this? Is it because Ah like to try on strapless saddles when no one is looking?” Applejack muttered under her breath, holding her hat against her chest.

“Applejack!”

“Hehe... sorry Twi, lets go.”

“Finally... hey what was that about wearing strapless saddles?” Twilight gave an inquisitive look towards her friend.

Applejack felt herself blush, “Erm... nothin.”

“Wanna’ talk about it?”

“Nope.”

“You sure?”

“Eeyup.”

“Okay... please?”

“Twilight!”

“Okay, okay sorry!”

The rest of the walk to the main sitting room went on in an awkward silence. Applejack noticed a small grin on Twilight’s face and that she looked like she was daydreaming. “Twilight, are you imagining me in a strapless saddle!?”

Twilight’s cheeks went flush, “No, no! I was thinking about how... um... Rarity might react towards this book!” Twilight stumbled on her words.

“Uh huh... speaking of, where is she?” Applejack asked, still watching Twilight out of the corner of her eye.

“Rarity, come out come out wherever you are! We got something to show you!” Twilight yelled into the loft above.

A white head poked its way out over the ledge, “Is it picutres of Applejack in a strapless saddle?!” Rarity asked excitedly.

“Confound it... No! Twilight found a book,” Applejack grunted in frustration.

Rarity’s ears and posture drooped at that fact. “Oh... what book is it?”

“The Art and Form of Mind Swapping,” Twilight said proudly, her smile slapped back on her face.

“Uh huh... and what does that have to do with me?” Rarity questioned.

“Well... I uh... thought that... maybe we could read it and find out what’s inside?” Twilight asked hopefully.

Applejack cut in, “Okay, but Ah still don’t know what it has to do solving our bickering problem.”

“Thought you two didn’t have a bickering problem?” Twilight said flatly.

“We don’t... anyway, what do you want with it? Since when do you need help reading a book?” Applejack eyed Twilight suspiciously.

“Oh come now Applejack. Use that down-to-earth pony logic you have. She wants us to trade places so we can see what each other’s life is like. Oh, and Twilight... NO!” Rarity yelled.

“Oh, Ah get it... Yeah, absolutely not,” Applejack said.

“Aw, why not? It would be a perfect chance for you guys to walk in each other’s hooves for a small while,” Twilight begged.

“And what advantage would that give us? We know what each other is like hun. I’ma hard workin pony who doesn’t mind getting dirty, where Rarity is a clean, town pony who would rather make dresses than do honest labour,” Applejack said smugly.

“Twilight, what I think Applejack means to say is that I’m a lady who likes the finer things in life, not rolling around in the dirt with the hogs,” Rarity retorted.

“Hey! Ah only done that once, and it was fun, I might add!”

The room became quiet at that statement, until Twilight spoke, “Uh huh... anyway, what I think it is, is that you two are too afraid to try each others lives out.”

“I ain’t afraid of nothin! I just think that my talents could be put to use doing something more productive, say feeding the citizens of Ponyville?” Applejack scoffed.

“I’m inclined to agree with Applejack on this one Twilight. I would definitely rather spend my time making my dresses and clothing for the famous ponies of Equestria than do some silly experiment,” Rarity chimed in.

“Or maybe you think it will be too difficult to do each other's jobs and live each others lives...” Twilight said darkly.

“Thats it! Cmon Rarity, lets do Twilight’s little experiment to prove to her that Ah can be... ech... lady-like and have finesse like you do. And so Ah can watch you fail at being me,” Applejack said flatly.

"I do not think so, Applejack. Twilight is clearly baiting you into doing this so she can get her way," Rarity said smugly.

"Rarity, hush. You know as well as I that you couldn't succeed," Twilight pressed.

"Nice try Twilight, but that wont work on a lady like me."

"Isn't true that a lady shouldn't step down from a small challenge? If that's the case, you shouldn't be called very lady like at all!"

Rarity gasped in shock before focusing her glare on Twilight, "Oh it. Is. On!"

“So, we are in agreement then!?” Twilight asked excitedly. A curt nod from Applejack and a small flick of the hoof from Rarity indicated they were indeed. “Yes yes yes yes! Anyway, this book says you two might feel a bit of a pinch...” Twilight's eyes scrolled through a few pages before closing it, satisfied. "Here we go!" Twilight’s horn flashed a bright white.