Fillyswap

by hawthornbunny

First published 5th of February, 2013

The Mane Six wake to find themselves having swapped bodies with various fillies.

Twilight wakes up one morning to find herself in the body of a filly she doesn't recognise. And it seems like she's not the only one...

Twilight

The first thing she noticed was the mane.

Even before Twilight opened her eyes, she could feel it was wrong. A cushion of fluffy, curled hair sandwiched between her upper back and the mattress. That certainly wasn't hers. Not to mention that the mattress was too large and the blankets too heavy. Her legs had far too much room to kick underneath them.

Opening her eyes presented her with more problems, not the least of which was the fact that they weren't working properly. There was a ceiling above her, and it was a pleasant shade of cream, but that was about all she could say about it. Her vision was completely out of focus; she could barely make out her hoof in front of her face, although it was at least good enough for her to notice that her coat had turned from lavender to a pale vanilla.

Okay, let's not panic. Different bed, different body. There's obviously some weird magic at play here. A basic sensing spell will give you an idea what you're dealing with. Then you can -

She clapped a hoof to her forehead. It sat flat against her skull.

No horn.

Okay... now panic.

She leapt out of bed and instantly fell flat on her face, cushioned only minimally by a garish bedside rug. The dimensions of everyday objects had changed. And her limbs. Her legs hadn't been this short since...

Since I was a filly, she realised. No horn, a filly's body, impaired eyesight, and I don't know where I am.

She spotted a mirror on the side of a wardrobe and rushed toward it, desperate for information. Upon her approach, a blurred filly presented its reflection to her. Cream-coloured coat, frizzy vermilion mane and tail, and - she squinted and pushed her nose up against the mirror - pink eyes. No horn, no wings, just a plain earth pony.

She looked around the room. While she couldn't make out a lot of detail, she could see this was a bedroom - a filly's bedroom. There was a bed with red-and-white striped blankets, underneath which sat various dusty looking boxes and a few discarded sweet wrappers. Beside the bed was a desk, currently piled high with books that undoubtedly hadn't been correctly replaced in the bookshelf behind her. A sugary sweet smell lingered in the air. An overflowing box of stuffed animals was propping up a hockey stick next to the wall.

Okay, that was confusing. She'd woken up in the form of an unfamiliar filly, in an unfamiliar filly's bedroom. It wasn't much of a stretch to assume that the filly was the same in both cases - which meant that she, Twilight, was now inhabiting somepony else's body. The pony to whom this bedroom belonged.

Okay, that makes a lot more sense, thought Twilight. Bodyswapping was not an unfamiliar topic to her; she had in fact read several books on transmigrational magic, and could in theory even perform such a spell to allow ponies to exchange bodies. Doing so had never occurred to her, however; she couldn't think of any situation where it would be useful.

Even if that was what had happened, however, it didn't explain why this had happened. Being able to bodyswap two ponies was one thing; being able to do it without their knowledge, over a large distance, was quite something else. Celestia could do it, maybe Luna too, but why would they?

In any case, if it was true, then a filly... was now inhabiting her... powerfully magical... unicorn body. A filly who had never used magic in her life.

Oh, horseapples. This is bad.

More information. That was what she needed. She opened the door of the room and found herself on an upstairs landing. As quickly and carefully as she could, she ran down the carpeted stairs, morning light blurring into her eyes as she swept through the lounge and pulled open the front door.

"Where do you think you're going, young mare?"

Twilight jumped at the sudden voice, backing against a wall. A pink mare trotted out from what smelt like the house's kitchen. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she said in a concerned voice. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Twilight gulped. "Look," she began, wondering how to explain this in a way that wouldn't freak anypony out, "thith might thound a little thtrange, but... buth..."

What... what's wrong with my mouth? Twilight thought, her eyes widening. I can't speak properly!

"Yes?" said the mare encouragingly.

"I... I need to athk a few quethtionth," said Twilight. "Pleathe, try not to be contherned."

This must be the filly's mother. She's going to freak if she finds out her daughter is... well... not her daughter. But I can't hide this from her - the sooner she knows what's going on, the sooner we can get this fixed.

The mare's expression changed - Twilight guessed she was smiling, but it was very hard to tell. I can't believe anypony can have eyesight this bad. Surely she must own a pair of spectacles? I didn't see any in her room... oh. Duh.

"Why would I be concerned, sweetie?"

Twilight sighed. "I know it lookth like it, but I am not your daughter. My name ith Twilight Thparkle. I think there'th been thome kind of magical mithhap which hath cauthed uth to thwitch bodieth."

The mare giggled. "I see! So you're a librarian now, are you?"

"Yeth," said Twilight. "Wait, you know me?" she said, suddenly optimistic. If the mare knew that she was a librarian, then that meant she was still in Ponyville! All she had to do was get back to her home, where her bodyswapped counterpart would be, and she'd be able to find a solution! She might not even need to bother Princess Celestia about this one.

"But of course!" said the mare. "Why, Miss Sparkle provides me with all the finest recipes and cookbooks from all over Equestria! Although, you know," she said, her voice turning sly, "I bet Miss Sparkle also keeps her bedroom nice and tidy."

Twilight frowned. Something told her that the mare wasn't taking her entirely at her word.

"I'm theriouth." she stressed. "Pleathe, I need to go and fixth thith."

"Without having your breakfast?" smiled the mare.

"There'th no time!"

The mare's expression changed again, but Twilight got the sudden impression that the mare was not smiling this time. "Twist? Are you okay, sweetie?"

Twist? Weird name. She frowned, trying to place it. It wasn't familiar to her, so it wasn't much help. "I told you, I'm not... Twitht. I really am Twilight Thparkle, and I'm thorry, but I have to go."

She swung the front door open and ran out into the cold morning air.

"Twist!" yelled her mother. Twilight ignored her, trying not to feel guilty about it - there wasn't time to make her understand. She galloped to the front gate, and nudged it open, squinting at the street to figure out where she was. Her abysmal eyesight was making it difficult, but she recognised the trees and housing style on the road, which allowed her to deduce that she wasn't far from Sugarcube Corner. Perfect! It was a short run from there to the library.

Unfortunately, the run was cut even shorter than that, as Twilight hadn't counted on the filly's body being exceptionally ill-suited to running. While her legs were slightly longer than the average filly's, any advantage that provided was swallowed by the pain in her chest that Twilight experienced after only fifteen seconds of galloping. Her throat felt raw as she began hobbling to ease the stitch in her side, and by that time, the pink mare had easily caught up to her and was dragging her home by the tail.

"Pleathe!" Twilight begged, clinging to the sidewalk, which dragged beneath her hooves as her 'mother' tugged her back to the house. "I have to go! You have to believe me!"

"Come and have your breakfast and we can talk about it, sweetie," said the mare.

Twilight panted as she was unceremoniously hauled back into the house and sat at the lounge table. Her stomach was rumbling, but there was no time for food!

"Pleathe lithen to me!" Twilight moaned, as the mother brought out a bowl of honeyed oatmeal for her. "What can I do to make you believe me?"

"Enough silliness, Twist! Just eat your breakfast and get ready for school." snapped the mare, before returning to the kitchen.

School! Twilight's heart leapt - not just because, well - school! - but also because that afforded her an escape from this annoying mare. As soon as she was out of the house, she could go straight to her library. With that plan, she wolfed down her oatmeal, which was in fact far better than anything she or Spike could cook up. Ah, earth ponies, where would we be without you?

She burped and wiped her muzzle. Okay, school, school... I need a schoolbag. She squinted again, finding her impaired vision quite frustrating. Wait... I can do something about that!

"M-Mooooom..." she called out, feeling a little strange in doing so.

"Yes, sweetie?"

"Where are my glatheth?"

"Well, where did you leave them last?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. Mothers are all the same. "I don't know! Where do I... usually leave them?"

"Did you look behind your bedside cabinet? Maybe they've fallen down the back."

Perfect! Twilight got to her hooves and bolted upstairs, a little slower on her full stomach, returning to the bedroom. She scrambled up onto her bed and found her prize - a large pair of spectacles with a thick purple plastic frame. She picked them up and slipped them on, the clarity of the world rushing back to her like the breath of life as the lenses shielded her eyes.

Finally. Now, schoolbag, schoolbag... wow, this filly really does need to tidy her room. Twilight hopped off the bed, a little gingerly, as she wasn't exactly sure how her glasses stayed on, or how much she could move about while wearing them. While searching for the schoolbag, she caught sight of herself in the mirror again, and took a few moments to look at herself properly, in particular noticing that this filly already had a cutie mark - a pair of pink-and-white striped candy canes, crossed diagonally as so to form the impression of a heart shape. Awwwww. That's kind of sweet, actually. She's pretty. I really hope she's not freaking out in my body right now. It's dangerous enough when I do that.

She located the school saddlebag on top of a pile of upturned wicker baskets, and strapped it around her middle, before heading downstairs again, stumbling the last few steps. "Okay, mom, I'm ready! I'll thee you, uh, later!"

"Hold on, Twist, I'm nearly ready," said the mother, who was combing her hair in a mirror.

"But I need to... go?" said Twilight. "You're not coming, are you?"

"Of course I'm coming!" said the mare in surprise. "What's got into you this morning, Twist?"

Ugh, no, go away! Can't you see Equestria is in peril? Twilight groaned to herself. "But I'd rather go by mythelf! It'th only five minuteth trot!"

"Well, you'll only have to put up with me for five minutes then, won't you?" smiled the mare.

Twilight facehoofed.

***

She never thought there would be a day when the sight of a school would make her unhappy, but here it was. Her 'mother' had insisted on walking her right up to the school entrance. Twilight had the distinct impression that she wasn't trusted.

"Have a good day, sweetie!"

"Yeah. You too... mom." Twilight fumed.

Fillies and colts made their way past her to the classroom, as Twilight watched and waited for the parents to leave. She could just slip out -

"Twist?" came a bright, cheery adult voice. "Aren't you coming in?"

I know that voice... Twilight turned around to find herself looking up into the friendly purple face of Cheerilee, the schoolteacher.

Of course! Cheerilee! Twilight thought gleefully. She and Cheerilee were acquaintances, the teacher often visiting the library to obtain resources for her lessons. She'll believe me!

Cheerilee ducked back into her classroom to quieten down the pupils, as Twilight followed, breathing in a heavy air of nostalgia as she entered the classroom. She hadn't been in a classroom in this way for years... it felt so good!

"Is something wrong, Twist?" said Cheerilee, staring at her as she stood in the doorway. The class was staring at her, too.

"There'th thomething I need to dithcuth with you, Cheer- Mith Cheerilee," said Twilight.

"Well, we're about to start our lesson, can't it wait until break?" said Cheerilee with a slightly stern undertone that made Twilight swoon a little inside. Focus, Twilight.

"I'm afraid not, it'th exthremely important."

"Well, we're still waiting for everyone, so very well. What do you want to talk about?" said Cheerilee.

"Can we dithcuth... in private?" said Twilight nervously. She wasn't sure if a classroom full of curious fillies and colts was the best place to drop this bombshell.

Cheerilee's green eyes widened a little, and the teacher suddenly looked a little nervous. "I think... I think it's best if you leave it until break, my dear. We'll sit down in a nice quiet room and you can tell me all about it."

Twilight blinked. "No, really, I'd rather do it now -"

"Class, quieten down please!" said Cheerilee loudly. "Sorry, Twist. At breaktime."

"But... but!" Aaagh! Why won't anypony take me seriously! I'd take me seriously if I was me! Twilight frowned and took one of the four empty seats, before getting some pens and pencils out of her saddlebag.

Cheerilee seemed to be waiting for more pupils to turn up, but after a few minutes, she stood and began writing EARLY EQUESTRIAN HISTORY at the top of the chalkboard. Underneath that she added a subheading: Post-Unification Era. She placed the chalk back on her desk and licked the dust off her lips. "Today we're moving on to a new history topic. Now, before we begin, does anypony have an idea of what the Post-Unification Era is? Yes, Twist?"

"The Potht-Unification Era referth to the period following the ditholution of the ancient pony kingdomth, the thubthequent contholidation of the three pony tribeth, and the founding of Equethtria ath a unified printhipality."

"Er... that's exactly right, Twist, very good," said Cheerilee in surprise. "Yes, the Post-Unification Era marks the very beginning of the nation of Equestria. Now..."

Despite her frustration at being unable to act, Twilight couldn't help but take an interest in the lesson. She knew pretty much everything there was to know about this period of history, but it was interesting to see how it was being taught to youngsters nowadays.

"...and so, after a long trial, Regent Limestone found Star Swirl the Bearded guilty of breaking magical law, and ordered his immediate imprisonment - yes, Twist?"

"That'th not entirely accurate. At the time, magical law wath enforthed by a dithtinct branch of the Regent'th court - the Unith Occulith, a group of learned unicorn nobleth. In fact, they were founded by Thtar Thwirl himthelf, and thuth refuthed to path thententhe, tho the Regent overruled and dithbanded the Occulith."

Ow, my tongue.

Cheerilee stared at her. "I can't teach my lesson if you keep interrupting me, my dear."

Twilight felt her cheeks grow hot. "I... I... thorry, Mith Cheerilee." Somepony behind her giggled, and she glared. But I'm right!

She kept her corrections to herself after that, although she felt that Cheerilee was vastly oversimplifying the rich and complex history of early Equestria. True, this was a first-grade class, but she was sure her classes had been much more challenging than this when she was this age.

She looked around at the other pupils, all of whom were either gazing blankly at the front or sucking on their pens. They didn't seem at all enthralled by the wondrous illumination of their own history, simplified as it may have been. She caught the eye of a pink earth pony wearing an extravagant tiara, who was giving her a curious look.

When I get my body back, first thing I'm going to do is give Cheerilee some advice on how to present her teachings more effectively, Twilight thought. These children clearly don't find the material challenging enough.

"Okay! Now I've marked your Ancient Kingdoms homework - very good from most of you, I might add," said Cheerilee, nudging a stack of papers to a filly sitting in front of her desk. "I'm going to give you a short written test now - Tootsie, would you be a dear and pass those out?"

The class groaned in unison, except Twilight, who tried not to look gleeful at this turn of events. Still got a job to do. Just do the stupid test and then you can be out of here.

She held her test face down with her hooves after she was given it, because that was the rule, and it was the same in any school. No looking at the test questions before being told to start. Otherwise, what was the point in timing the test?

"Okay, everypony ready? Begin!"

Twilight turned her test over, pen in mouth, and began reading. Name the three kingdoms and their corresponding tribe, fill in the import/export triangle, describe the major intertribal conflicts and their resolutions... outline the symbolic importance of the kazoo horn to the earth pony tribe... it looked like the most difficult part of this test was going to be mouthwriting her answers, something she hadn't done for well over a decade. Nonetheless, she still managed to finish well before everypony else, and spent the remaining quarter of an hour watching the clock. This lesson must end soon... come on...

"Okay, pens down, everypony!" said Cheerilee brightly. "If you could pass your tests to the front, please..."

Twilight turned to receive the test papers from the colt behind her, and again found the tiara-wearing filly regarding her curiously. What's with her? Twilight wondered.

Cheerilee collected the papers into a stack. "Well done, everyone! I think you've earned yourself an early break, so go out and enjoy the sunshine!"

Finally! Twilight hopped out of her seat, although she found her escape slowed by pupils who were somehow even more eager to escape than her. She followed them out through the corridor, cautiously checking to make sure Cheerilee wasn't watching before she attempted to escape the schoolgrounds. Coast looks clear. She began a surreptitious stroll out of the building -

"Hey!"

Twilight cringed and stopped in mid-trot, one forehoof held off the floor. A filly had shouted at her. She turned around to see a pair of fillies standing behind her; one was the pink tiara filly she'd seen earlier. The other was a grey-coated pony with glasses and a silvery mane.

"Can I help you?" said Twilight, looking around nervously.

"We need to talk," said the pink filly.

She then looked down, shuffling her hoof against the floor nervously.

"I mean, um, if that's okay with you..."

Author's Notes:

This was a totally random idea I had, so I've got almost no plan at all. However, I feel I need to get used to the idea of writing 'on-the-fly', as it were, so here's the first chapter! Let me know what you think. :)

Apple Bloom

Apple Bloom yawned loudly and creaked her tired back. Still early. Too early for her. Crestopher hadn't even given his usual wake-up call -

Urrrrk-a-doodle-dooooo!

Ah, there it was. Still an hour until Applejack would get her up for school. She groaned, remembering that they had a history test scheduled for today, and she was pretty sure that she was going to fail it. She'd tried vainly to cram her head with facts about the Ancient Kingdoms, but it seemed to her like the longer ago something was, the harder it was to remember. The fact that the Ancient Kingdoms were constantly bickering with each other didn't help either; it was near impossible to distinguish one tribal skirmish from the next, which she was sure was fine and dandy for ponies of thousands of years ago, but a distinct lack of help to a schoolfilly who just wanted something she could easily memorise.

She made to rub her head with her hoof. CLONK!

"Owwww!"

Her eyes widened as stars began to pop and burst in her vision, her temple throbbing painfully. She'd somehow managed to hit herself in the face quite hard with her clumsy, flailing hoof. She screwed up her eyes and rubbed her head gently, before sitting up in bed.

Blonde manehair cascaded around her shoulders as she suddenly lurched backward with a yelp, her bed's headboard turning out to be too small to support her back. Her leg jerked reflexively and kicked off the blankets, leaving her braced awkwardly against the wall and staring at her large, orange body. A trio of red apples emblazoned both her flanks.

That's impossible.

She knew exactly what she was looking at, and yet... it wasn't possible. At all. Or if it was possible, it didn't make one lick of sense.

Ah've... turned into mah sister?

She pulled at her mane, tugging bundles of silky straw-coloured hair in front of her eyes in disbelief. Did Ah wish for this or somethin'? Ah mean, Ah know Ah was wishin' for mah cutie mark, but this isn't quite what I wus expectin'.

She rolled out of bed and onto her hooves, which clomped loudly against the floorboards. And this isn't mah room, either, she noted, looking at the stetson hat hung up on the door. This is Applejack's. So if Ah'm here... does that mean...

She pushed open the door and gently trotted across the landing to her own bedroom, nervous as she nudged it open. The room was still in the shadow of its curtains, but she could see a mound sprawled underneath the blankets, red hair poking out one end, a gently twitching yellow hoof from the other.

Ah don't believe it! That's me! But it can't be... Ah'm me.

She had a pretty good idea of who she was about to wake up, but she trotted in anyway and sidled along her bed, a strange tingle in her fur from the surreal scene she was now faced with. For the first time ever, she could see her own, gently snoring face, slack-cheeked and sputtering with each deep breath. It was strangely hypnotising, and not entirely flattering.

For a moment she wondered what the most polite way to wake herself up was. How does AJ do it? Normally by opening the curtains and yelling in mah ear... well, Ah'm not gonna be so uncouth to mahself.

She gently clutched the little yellow filly's shoulders and gave her a shake. "Hey, uh, me. Wake up."

"Mrrrf... wha? AB?" murmured the filly, her eyes fluttering a little before lidding once more.

"You need ta wake up!"

"Go back t'bed AB, 's too early." she mumbled.

That's mah sis all right, thought Apple Bloom. We musta swapped bodies! Oh sweet Celestia, she ain't gonna be happy when she finds out.

She trotted to the end of the bed and gripped the blanket in her mouth. Might as well get it over with.

Applejack jerked to alertness as the covers were whipped off her bed, exposing her to the cool morning air. She rounded on her sister angrily. "Whut in tarnation d'you think yer playing at... at..."

Apple Bloom gave a sheepish toss of her head as her sister got a full view of... herself. Her own body standing clear as sunshine not three feet in front of her. The filly began mouthing silently, too astonished to voice her words.

"Yeah, that was kinda mah reaction too," giggled Apple Bloom.

Applejack's eyes were wide in panic as she began feeling her face and body with her hooves, rolling over in the bed until she was clutching her raspberry-coloured tail. "Yer kiddin' me."

"Nuh-uh! It totally happened!" said Apple Bloom gleefully, stomping her heavy hoof on the floor.

"What... what did you do?" Applejack asked in despair.

"Ah didn't do anythin'! Ah woke up jus' now like this! Isn't it great?" She gave her hips a wiggle. "Ah finally got mah cutie mark!" she added jokingly.

"That's mah cutie mark and those are mah hoofs yer stompin' around in! You give 'em back!" demanded the filly.

Ah don't sound that whiny, do Ah? Ah really thought she'd take it better than this. Don't all adults secretly wish to be a foal again?

"Ah can't! Ah don't even know how this happened!" protested Apple Bloom. "Please, sis, let me play around with it fer a while! We swapped so it's fair, right?"

"There ain't no way Ah'm lettin' you out of this house with mah body," said Applejack flatly, clambering over the bed to look her sister in the eye, trying to ignore how incredibly weird it was to see her own green eyes gazing back mournfully at her. "The las' thing Ah need is for you an' them Crusaders to go gallivantin' around with it. Now if anypony knows how to fix this, it's gonna be Twilight, so you just -"

Apple Bloom gave her a soft push in the chest. She toppled back onto her rump.

Applejack gaped at her sister in surprise. Apple Bloom was looking wide-eyed at her forehoof, then at her, as if both were extremely complicated math problems.

A cold sweat suddenly flushed over Applejack's yellow coat. Oh no. Please don't be thinkin' whut Ah think yer thinkin'.

Her panic mounted for several tense moments of inaction, until she couldn't take it any more. Her limbs stiffened as she jerked into action.

"BIG MAC!" she squealed, spinning into a retreat, only to find an enormous orange hoof stuffed into her mouth as she was suddenly lifted off her front hooves, a powerful foreleg wrapped around her belly. "Mmmmf! No! Nuuuu!"

Apple Bloom was surprised at how easy it was to restrain a filly even when it was kicking and screaming. "Now calm down, sis! Yer gonna hurt yourself!"

"Mmrrrrf!" she coughed, manoeuvring her muzzle around the hoof. "Don't you dare, y'hear me? You are gonna be in so much troub- mmmrrf!"

"One day," said Apple Bloom gently. "Jus' one. That's all Ah want."

"I'll ground yer for one year-"

"Whut's all the ruckus?" drawled Big Macintosh from the doorway, a bemused expression on his face at the pair's antics.

"Mac, do something!" demanded Applejack, pulling herself from Apple Bloom's grip and toppling onto the mattress face first. "Yer sister's gone an' stolen mah body, an' now she's plannin' some kind of escapade!"

Big Mac stared at the filly, giving her a dull look. "That all?"

"What the - wha'd'yer mean, 'that all'? Don'tcha understand, yer big galoot?"

"What Ah think Apple Bloom is tryin' ter say," said Apple Bloom, giving the filly's mane an affectionate rub, "is that she don't wanna go to school today on account of her super-difficult history test that she ain't prepared for."

Applejack gasped. "Oh, don't you dare! Big Mac, it's me! Ah'm Applejack! Don't you listen to her!"

"Stop horsin' around, AB, yer gonna wake up Granny," said Big Mac sternly.

"Yeah!" said Apple Bloom, smirking widely. "Now you be a good girl an' get yer things ready fer school. An' don't forget it's Show 'n' Tell this afternoon, so, uh, find somethin' interestin' to talk about."

Huh. Ah didn't know Ah could could blow steam out o' mah nostrils like that. Maaaaybe Ah should skedaddle before somepony explodes.

"So... Ah'm just gonna go, uh, kick some trees, 'kay?" said Apple Bloom, trotting backward slowly from the fuming filly.

"Git back here!" Applejack raged.

"Apple Bloom! You behave yerself now." scolded Big Mac. "I got this, AJ."

Apple Bloom tried not to let out the whoop of laughter that was building inside her, as she left her brother to it. Halfway down the stairs, a torrent of high-pitched abuse exploded from her room with such force that she nearly tripped the remaining steps.

Huh. Wonder what some of those words mean.

She pulled open the front door, and began galloping faster than she'd ever run in her life. "Yeeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaw!"

Rarity

"Wakey wakey, sleepyhorn! Time to get up!"

Rarity ughed and turned under her blankets, wrapping them over her ears as she hugged her soft, comforting plushie closer to her chest. She was an adult now, it really wasn't necessary for Mother to give her a wake-up call any more. She knew exactly when she needed to be up, and wouldn't rise one moment before then. Satisfied that she had made her position clear to nopony, she closed her eyes and began to drift off again.

Wait. Plushie.

She opened one eye quizzically, squeezing the object nestled between her forelegs.

This plushie isn't mine. It can't be mine because I don't have one.

Her half-asleep eye drifted over the pink wallpaper and mauve lampshade next to her.

Also, I don't live here any more.

She opened both eyes and sat up, her mind absorbing the situation with mounting concern. She stared down at her tiny forelegs.

Also, I wash my hooves before I go to bed!

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

***

"Okay, just relax, Rarity," she said to her worried reflection in the dresser mirror. There was no denying it. It was Sweetie Belle. She was Sweetie Belle, right down to the two-toned mane and the voice like a squeaky gate. "No need to panic. This is just... a phase that unicorns go through. I'm sure it is. The temporarily-becoming-your-own-little-sister phase."

"Sweetie Belle! Are you getting up?" called Mother.

"I'm up!" Rarity yelled back. Wait, why am I answering for her? Come to think of it, if I'm here, where is... is...

Her eyes enlarged as she took that thought to its obvious conclusion. Oh no.

"Welcome to the Carousel Bootick!" said Sweetie Belle, as the door jingled open, and in strode Lord Fancypants, accompanied by his extremely attractive and successful wife, who clung to him possessively as she surveyed the boutique with an air of distaste.

"Are you sure about zis, my love?" she whispered. "I do not zink zis is the right place."

"Oh now, my darling, it may look a little rustic, but I assure you that's just for show. Rarity here is a rising star in the world of high class fashion. I dare say that a few more big contracts and she'll be next in line to take the throne when Celestia retires," said Fancypants lazily.

Sweetie Belle stood there excitedly in Rarity's body, her purple mane resembling the aftermath of a firecracker in a bird's nest. "How may I help you?" she giggled. "I've been practising all morning for this!"

"Good to see you again, my dear," smiled Fancypants. "My wife, Fleur de Lis."

Sweetie Belle nodded. "That's right! She is!"

Fleur gave her husband a confused glance.

"Can I get you any clothes?" asked Sweetie Belle. "Oh! Or, I could make some!"

"My wife is looking for something to wear at the Crystal Couture Celebration," explained Fancypants. "As you know, it's the first fashion event to be held in the Crystal Empire for one thousand years, so it's going to be pretty much the single greatest opportunity of any fashion designer's life."

"Cool!" squeaked Sweetie Belle. "I mean, um... that sounds simply fabulous."

"Quite," said Fancypants. "So of course, when it comes to crystal fashions, nopony comes higher on my list than you, my dear. I believe you've even spent some time in the Empire already?"

"Oh, yes!" said Sweetie. "I went there on official business for Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, to assist in the Crystal Empire's bid for the Equestria Games. Which was a total success, I might add."

Fleur smiled at her. "You are fortunate to 'ave zuch a close relationship with ze Prinzess."

"I know..." said Sweetie with a smile. "Although... I really wish I'd been able to get one of those snowglobes."

"Snowglobes?" said Fleur with a puzzled expression. "What are zey?"

"Oh, they sell them in the gift shop," said Sweetie Belle. "They were only five bits, but I was rushing for the Ponyville Express and didn't have enough time to pick one up for my little sister."

"I see."

"Anyway!" said Sweetie Belle with a wide, cheery smile, clapping her sticky hooves together. "You want a dress, right?"

"I wuz thinking a sun gown wiz open back," said Fleur. "I 'ear ze weazzer in ze Crystal Empire is extremely clement all year round. Of courze, zis may be a razzer difficult request for you -"

"Oh, no, of course not!" said Sweetie Belle. "I'm sure I can do it! What did you say, again?"

"A sun gown wiz an open back," she repeated. "Do you zink zat will be appropriate in ze Crystal Empire? I do not know much of zeir customs."

"Oh, you'll be fine," snorted Sweetie with a dismissive wave. "They're all kind of dull to be honest. Ha ha, isn't that funny? Crystals being dull? Ha ha!"

The wife and husband exchanged another glance.

Sweetie coughed and patted her chest. "Excuse me. Okay, a sun gown it is! Now, you're a large, right?"

Fleur's eyes widened. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, wait," said Sweetie, clapping a hoof to her forehead. "Measurements! If you'll just step this way, Miss Deli, I'll have you measured up in no time."

Sweetie nudged the slender unicorn behind a privacy screen, the French pony squawking in alarm as she almost tripped over some loose clothing that was already strewn behind it. "Sorry about the mess," Sweetie apologised. "I was trying on some dresses myself before you got here. To be honest I don't really care much for these designs. They're a little too fancy, you know? I just like things to look pretty."

Her horn ignited with a shimmering blue aura as she concentrated on the measuring tape that was lying unravelled beneath Fleur's hooves. It twitched as the telekinetic glow took hold of it, and flew upward to hover in front of her, the metal capped end flicking Fleur on the nose as it passed.

"You're really tall, aren't you?" Sweetie said pleasantly, as she directed the tape to stretch and wrap itself around various parts of Fleur's body, mumbling each measurement to herself as she tried to keep them in memory. The withers-to-croup distance was the most difficult; she had to brace herself against Fleur's side and jump up and down to read the numbers off the tape. Eventually, she managed to get all the required figures, and repeated them over and over in her head as Fleur stood there with a extremely disgruntled expression.

"You are done?" she asked curtly.

"All done!" Sweetie confirmed, butting the unicorn back out from behind the screen. "I've got everything I need. Now, I don't know exactly how long it's going to take to make - do you two want to take a seat and wait, or come back later?"

"Er... well, the Celebration is in two months, my dear," said Fancypants. "I hope you can fit it into your schedule?"

"Two months?" Sweetie blurted out in shock. "Are you kidding? I could make a thousand dresses in two months! Have you seen how many sewing machines we have here?"

Fleur looked aghast at her husband. "Is zis... is zis some kind of village prank? My dear, zis mare is an imbecile! She does not know one end of a sewing needle from ze uzzer!"

"Hey!" Sweetie said indignantly. "I do too! I'm trying my hardest, okay? Now look, your dress is going to be really easy, because it's backless. That means I only have to worry about the front. Even if you add the time for the glue to dry, it's still only going to be, what, three hours at the most? See, I'm not an imbecile. I've considered all this very carefully. Now, how would you like to pay? We take cash or- "

The door jingled as the sound of galloping hooves faded away, leaving Sweetie Belle standing alone in the boutique.

"...credit."

***

"Oh, great Celestia, why!" wailed Rarity as she stood in the bathtub, water cascading from the showerhead onto her body and mane. "This is simply dreadful! How could this have happened? She must be stopped!"

"Sweetie Belle, get a move on!" yelled Mother. "You'll be late for school!"

"Ugh," Rarity pouted, as she began lathering her mane, then her tail, with her mother's imported shampoo. "School is out of the question, I'm afraid, Mother," she said quietly to herself. "I have far more important things to worry about."

She washed and rinsed her mane and tail, then gave her coat a thorough scrubbing, finding it much easier with a flexible filly's body to reach all those difficult places - which only raised the question of how Sweetie Belle managed to be so unclean in the first place. It's those silly filly friends of hers. The Crusaders. Always climbing trees and building contraptions and jumping into mud puddles. So uncouth, she thought, inspecting the underside of her hoof, finding it to be sparkling to her satisfaction.

She clambered out of the bathtub and slid off onto the floor with a thud. She gazed at the towel rack and concentrated, willing the nearest towel to come to her, but her horn only managed a few sputtering sparks and the towel twitched feebly. Sighing, she pulled the towel off with her mouth and wrapped herself in it, before finding a smaller towel to wrap her mane.

Mother was waiting for her on the landing as she opened the door and trotted out. "It's quarter to eight!" she said sharply. "What's taking you so long?"

"Hello, Mother," said Rarity. "I won't be long. By the way..." she said, the thought suddenly occurring to her, "have you seen Rarity today?"

"Rarity? No, why?"

"Oh, just curious," said Rarity. "I thought maybe... no, never mind."

She trotted into her bedroom and closed the door, before drying herself vigorously with the towels. She distracted herself by examining Sweetie's various art projects that were taped on the walls. She was certainly prolific, Rarity had to give her that. She tried so hard at everything she did, no matter how doomed she was to fail. It was almost inspiring.

She faced herself in the mirror again, feeling much better now that she was clean. If only I had time to do something with this mane, she thought, lamenting the melted-cheese curls that sat atop her head. There was so much potential in a two-toned mane that was completely wasted on Sweetie Belle. No, focus, Rarity. You've got to go to school. I mean - you've got to go and sort this out. First stop: the Boutique. Stop Sweetie Belle before she ruins your career or burns your home down. Second stop: Twilight. This is almost certainly her fault, and if it isn't, at least she can fix it.

She hopped off the cushioned stool and headed out, trotting quickly down the stairs and out the front door. "I'm off, Mother! Have a nice day!"

It was a little cold out, but the sun was shining brightly and it looked to be a fine day ahead. She began cantering alongside the river, taking the quickest route to Carousel Boutique, whilst running through all the things she would have to say to Sweetie Belle when she saw her.

I mean, it's not that I even mind switching bodies, she thought, idly watching the glistening surface of the river as it bubbled past the muddy bank. All I ask is that I be given some warning first. Is that too much to ask? That ponies give me some notice before they drop a surprise on me?

She looked up just in time to see a flying tortoise slam into her face.

Scootaloo

Scootaloo twitched underneath the cloud-duvet and rolled over, snuggling her plushie tightly.

Even two months later, she still couldn't believe she was here. The home of Rainbow Dash, greatest flyer and most awesome pony in all of Equestria. And not as a burglar or a creepy stalker, but as a guest. As a resident. This was her home now. Her face scrunched into a contented grin as she allowed herself to bask in the pleasure of that revelation.

All it had taken was the courage to ask. Just six simple words: "Will you be my big sister?". Scootaloo had been carrying those words on the tip of her tongue for two years, and yet somehow she'd never been able to spit them out when faced with her idol. She couldn't. It was a stupid thing to ask, really stupid. There probably wasn't a day that went by when Rainbow Dash didn't get asked that by some giggling fanfilly. Of course, Dash would have to refuse such an uncool request, and then Scootaloo's life would be officially over.

And so, for two years, the idea had been nothing more than the desperate dream of a lonely filly. Apparently desperate enough that it had attracted the attention of none other than Luna, Princess of the Night and Guardian of the Realm of Dreams herself. With her help, Scootaloo had finally been encouraged to face her fear and pose the question to Rainbow Dash, and well, the results spoke for themselves. Scootaloo reminded herself that she still needed to send a thankyou to the Princess.

Admittedly, this wasn't exactly the most convenient living arrangement she'd ever had. Rainbow Dash's house had a notorious access problem; the front door was a rather poorly-made construction of condensed cloud, with the result that it didn't handle variations in temperature very well. The latch would tend to get stuck in cold weather, whereas if it was too hot, the whole door would expand into the frame and jam up.

Also, the entire house was perched on top of a cloud floating one hundred feet up in the air.

This had daunted her at first - while her wingpower had improved steadily over the past few months, she couldn't manage much more than a wing-boosted vertical leap, which wasn't much use for anything other than apple-picking. But Dash had made the arrangement work. Dash could make anything work. Every morning, she would give the filly a lift to school, and then find her in the evening to ferry her back up again. It was a little hit-and-miss - sometimes Dash forgot to pick her up, sometimes she forgot to be under the cloud at the agreed times - but they had gotten through it without any major mishaps, and Dash had assured her that her flight feathers would be coming through any day now.

The warm plushie twitched sleepily in her hooves, and she squeezed it comfortingly. Dash had even been good enough to share her bed, after two failed attempts to make a cloud-bed for her. Scootaloo couldn't blame her; Dash was an architect of cloud-banks and storms, after all. Making a bed was waaaaay beneath her talents -

Wait. Plushie.

Scootaloo blinked. She didn't own one. Well, actually she did, but she hadn't slept with it since she'd started living with Dash. There was no way she'd let herself be seen doing something that uncool.

She lifted the duvet to find herself clutching a small and very real orange pegasus filly with a purple mane, who was quietly drooling onto the mattress.

Scootaloo's stomach seemed to do a barrel roll. Is that...?

The filly's eyes opened suddenly, blinking in confusion for a moment before looking into hers. Her purple pupils shrank to pinpoints.

Both ponies screamed.

***

Well, actually it was just Scootaloo who screamed. The orange filly gave more of an astonished yelp, then leapt into the air, then skittered uncontrollably with her tiny, buzzing wings, colliding with a wardrobe, then a lantern, then the doorframe before hurtling out into the corridor with a crash.

Scootaloo panted with the sudden shock, pressing a sky-blue hoof to her pulsating heart. "What's happening?" she cried fearfully. Her wings buzzed and thwacked something; there was a crash from behind her as the array of items on Dash's bedside table went crashing to the floor.

Her head swam a little as she looked down and saw something which rightly should only exist in her fantasies. Her coat was blue from head to hoof, and twin rainbow-lightning bolts adorned her flanks.

Omigosh-omigosh-omigosh-omigosh...

She looked up to see the little orange filly pelt back into the room, wide-eyed and speechless.

"Oh, Dash!" she squealed, wings flaring as she dove forth to scoop her up. "This is amazing! I can't believe you'd do this for me!"

"Nyeeergh!" Dash gasped, thumping on the adult pegasus's chest to make her relax her grip. "Slow down, kiddo! This wasn't my idea! What's going on?"

"It wasn't?" Scootaloo blinked, as she hovered effortlessly in the air. "Aaah! I'm flying! Omigosh!" She turned in a slow circle, flapping her wings steadily in place as she surveyed the room with her sister in hoof.

"Calm down and let me think!" Dash demanded, wriggling out of - her own - hooves before dropping to the ground. She buzzed her wings a few times, finding the sensation quite unsettling. "You haven't been playing with any freaky magic stuff, have you?" She looked up at the blue pegasus, who was bent double in the air as she examined her own rainbow tail, poking it with a hoof as if to verify it was actually real. "Hey! Scoots!" she yelled up at the ceiling.

"What?" said Scootaloo dreamily. "Oh! Oh! Wait till I show the Crusaders! They are gonna flip!"

"Just hold up. Don't do anything. We gotta figure out what's going on first." said Dash, checking herself over nervously.

"You're right!" agreed Scootaloo, righting herself in the air, a determined look on her features. "We need answers! We need action!"

"Yeah, so just -"

"We need Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo announced, posing in mid-air. "Stay there, Dashie! I'll figure this out!" She swept toward the open window.

"No, wait - waaaaait!" Dash squeaked, running and clambering to the window as Scootaloo swooshed through it, her wings producing a colossal backdraft as she swept past the rainbowfalls outside. A tumult of liquid rainbow coursed backward in her wake and drenched the filly from mane to hoof.

She blinked as the colourful liquid dripped from her face and body, watching herself shrink to an ecstatic dot in the distance.

***

A curiously erratic rainbow trail tore through the skies over Ponyville.

Omigosh-omigosh-omigosh-omigosh... Scootaloo could barely fly straight in her giddy excitement. This was it. Things could literally not get any better than this. She'd always thought that becoming a great flyer was the highest goal she could possibly aim for, short of actually being Rainbow Dash herself. She hadn't actually expected to attain that impossible corollary. But then, wasn't that what Rainbow Dash was famous for? Making the impossible happen?

The dirt roads and glittering streams of Ponyville swept beneath her at speeds that she couldn't even comprehend. She'd never travelled this fast before, not on her scooter, not even as Rainbow Dash's passenger.

"Oh, this is going to be so awesome!" she squeed, as she tipped one of her wings and banked toward a large grey cloud nearby. The marbled mass of air loomed solidly toward her as she powered her flight muscles, a shockfront of air forming around her as she applied boost after boost to her speed. At the last moment, she tucked her wings to her side and plunged through it like a missile.

A tunnel of white mist appeared around her for the split second she was inside the cloud; a second later, the shockwave of her impact rippled and ruptured through the cloud, blasting it into an enormous expanding ring of gas that was visible for tens of furlongs. A dull boom thrummed through the sky as a few crackles of lightning fizzled out at the centre of the explosion.

Scootaloo soared backward in the air, looking flabbergasted by her hoofiwork. "BEST DAY EVER!"

She shot down lower to the ground, puncturing through a conveniently-aligned stack of several smaller clouds until she was zooming over the treetops of the main Sweet Apple Acres orchard. Okay, I'm gonna need help with this situation, and there's only two ponies I trust to handle it. Obviously, I'll be forced to show them some insanely cool stunts just to prove that I'm capable of handling it, but after that, we gotta come up with a plan.

Her slipstream cut a furrow in the orchard's canopy as she zoomed toward the main building of Sweet Apple Acres, seeking out the yellow form of Apple Bloom. She'd be on her way to school right now, but with sixteen wingpower's worth of flight muscle strapped to her back, this wasn't going to take long.

She roared over the path that AB usually took to school, but couldn't find any sign of her. Huh. Maybe she's late today? She tilted her wings up and felt the joyful whump of air lift her skyward, the pegasus swooping until she was upside-down, dangling in the sky as she surveyed the tiny treetops and farm buildings beneath her.

A speck of yellow caught her attention as it galloped slowly along a streaky dirt path toward Ponyville. Wait. There she is! But what's she up to? She's not heading for school. And what's with the hat?

Winds whipped at her rainbow mane and tail as she allowed herself to drop from the sky, letting gravity do all the work. Dash had taught her all about that.

"Gravity is like lending bits to a friend," Dash had said. "At first, she just asks if she can borrow ten bits so she can go see a movie because it's the last showing in the theatre. Then, later, you ask her to pay you back, and she's all like, 'Oh, I didn't actually go see the movie after all, I had to babysit my friend's little brother,' so you figure she must still have the money, right? But then she tells you that it's her mother's birthday next week, and she really wanted to get her this awesome necklace because it's on special offer, but she needs five more bits, but it's okay because she's getting paid the week after and she'll totally have the money to pay you back by then. So I lend her the five bits, but I'm getting pretty suspicious by now, because I'm pretty sure her mom just had a birthday, and seriously, she can't afford five bits but she can still get her horn varnished every week? So it gets round to a month later and I go and visit her and tell her that, you know, this is not cool, seriously, just give me my money and I'll say no more about it. And she's all like..."

Scootaloo hmmed. Now that she thought about it, she might have fallen asleep somewhere during that explanation. It had been pretty late. But she got the gist of it anyway. What goes up, must come down. She gently eased her wings open as she neared the ground, curving into a graceful arc until she was parallel with the galloping Apple Bloom and gaining on her from behind. Where's she going in such a hurry?

She closed in on her prey, which noticed the shadow a little too late; Scootaloo seized her by the middle and rocketed back up into the sky with her new charge.

"WuaaaaAAAAAaaah! Whut in the world? Rainbow Dash! Whut in the name of sanity d'yer think yer doin'?" the filly demanded, clutching her stetson to her head. "You put me down right this instant! Ah've had a bad enough mornin' already, Ah don't have time for yer nonsense!"

"AB, it's me!" Scootaloo grinned. "It's Scootaloo! The most amazing thing happened!"

"Scoota..." she took a moment to absorb that. "'kay. You're Scootaloo. That makes sense. No reason why me an' AB should be the only ones, Ah guess."

"Huh?" Scootaloo blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Ah mean, this 'amazin'' thing that's happened to you also happened to me an' Apple Bloom. Pardon me if Ah don't share yer excitement. That filly friend o' yours ran off with mah body!"

"Applejack? But... but..." Scootaloo's eyes were shining with excitement. "But that's awesome! That means Sweetie Belle probably swapped with her sister too! All three of us!"

"It ain't as awesome as yer might think, young missy," frowned Applejack, pouting at Scootaloo in a way she found eeriely familiar. "Me an' Rainbow Dash an' Rarity all have jobs to do. Are you gonna do those jobs?"

"Me? I can clear the sky in ten seconds flat if I need to! Piece of cake!" Scootaloo proclaimed defiantly.

Applejack's golden eyes narrowed. "You sure yer not Rainbow Dash?"

Scootaloo giggled. "One hundred percent. So where is Apple Bloom?"

"Darned if Ah know! That little hoodlum took off like a rabbit on rollerskates!" said Applejack, folding her forelegs grumpily. "Now would yer mind puttin' me down? In fact, while yer at it, yer might as well take me inter town if yer goin' that way."

"Er, sure thing," said Scootaloo, adjusting her heading toward the tall town hall building in the distance. "So, er... do you know why this is all happening?"

"Nope," said Applejack brusquely. "But Ah'd bet mah right hindleg that Twilight Sparkle has somethin' all to do with this. Some cockamamie spell that went wrong as usual Ah'm guessin'."

Scootaloo had to agree with that theory. She'd been on the receiving end of an accidental brainwashing spell from Twilight last year. Even now, she still couldn't think about that incredible, amazing doll without squeeing a little. If anypony could cast a spell capable of affecting ponies all over town like this, it was her.

The rainbow pegasus soared into the town square and gently lowered Applejack to the ground, a short trot from Twilight's tree.

"Thank yer kindly," said Applejack, adjusting her hat. "An' if yer find Apple Bloom, tell her she's grounded for the next thousand years."

"I will! See you later Applejack!" said Scootaloo, powering back into the air again.

This changes everything! I've got to call a Crusader Crisis Conference, stat. She pondered using the beacon relay system they'd set up for just such an emergency, but quickly dismissed the idea. Apple Bloom's location was unknown and Sweetie Belle presumably wasn't at home, so it wouldn't achieve much beyond setting the east orchard on fire again. She soared up to a small nearby raincloud and alighted for a moment, giving herself a rest from all the zipping around. Even Rainbow Dash needed to take a power break every so often.

Her hooves and belly squelched into the hazy skin of the raincloud as she draped her nose over the edge, peering down at the toylike town beneath. Apple Bloom's probably trying to do the exact same thing I'm doing now. Round up the Crusaders. She lifted her left wing and gave it a few heavy flaps, lodging a hoof deep beneath the moist cloud surface as it began to spin gently, allowing her to survey a full circle around Ponyville. She squinted along the route Apple Bloom would most likely take out of Sweet Apple Acres, following the river to Twinmill Creek, where Sweetie Belle lived. Too far away to see.

With a few deep breaths, she stood and stretched out her wings, pushing gently up off the cloud and climbing above it.

Deep down, she knew perfectly well that these clouds were here for a reason; they'd been placed here by a weather pegasus according to a schedule which had been carefully planned out by researchers from the Ponyville Meteorological Office. Dash sometimes brought upcoming weather plans home if there was a particularly tricky operation that she needed to prepare for.

She hammered downward toward the cloud and shot straight through, bursting out through the bottom in a shower of raindrops as the cloud went POP behind her, shattering into a mini-deluge. Her rainbow trail arced away from the descending column of rain as she sped toward the river.

On the other hoof... zooming through them was just so fun.

***

Apple Bloom peeked out from behind the twisted trunk of an old willow tree, watching the door of Sweetie Belle's home and awaiting the filly's exit. "Whut's takin' her so long? Surely she hasn't left already. Ah can't just go up an' knock on the door now, can Ah?"

"Nah, you don't wanna do that," said Scootaloo from behind her.

Apple Bloom yelped and leapt into the air, flailing for a moment before landing on her belly with an enormous crash.

"Hey... Applejack," Scootaloo grinned, folding her wings back lazily. "Whatcha up to?"

"Oh! Rainbow Dash!" Apple Bloom squeaked, finding herself prostrate in front of the blue pegasus. She scrambled to her hooves, brushing her mane out of her eyes. "Ah wus just... ah... gonna visit Sweetie Belle's mom! Yeah, Mrs Belle asked me to take a look at her, uh, oven."

"Sounds boring," smirked Scootaloo. "How about we go find 'Rarity' and head on over to the Clubhouse instead?"

"A who whut now? What're you talkin' about?" said Apple Bloom, perplexed. "You mean mah Clubhouse? Ah mean, Apple Bloom's Clubhouse?"

Scootaloo giggled, unable to keep up the pretense any longer. "Apple Bloom, it's me! Scootaloo!"

Apple Bloom's green eyes popped out a little at this revelation. "No way! Seriously?"

"Seriously!" Scootaloo grinned, hovering up a few feet and posing dramatically. "Can you believe it? It's totally like a dream come true!"

"Wait wait wait," Apple Bloom interrupted. "This is happening to everypony? Ah thought it wus just some weird thing with me an' Applejack!"

"Well, it's just you and me as far as I know," said Scootaloo, "But it stands to reason that it must have happened to Sweetie Belle too, right? There's no way it'd be just the two of us. Magic doesn't work that way."

"Makes sense," Apple Bloom agreed. "So, wait - yer reckon Sweetie Belle isn't at home?"

"Of course not, she'll be at the Carousel Boutique, won't she?" said Scootaloo. "We gotta find her ASAP so we can have an Crisis Conference and decide what we're going to do about this situation."

"Agreed," Apple Bloom said, nodding. "Let's go!"

Fluttershy

An enormous pillar of swirling air loomed in front of Fluttershy as she stood before it, eyes shielded by her flight goggles as her pink mane flapped in the roaring wind. Two dozen pegasi were contained within the cylindrical vortex, their combined motion and wingpower the only things sustaining it. It had to hold. They had to transport an entire reservoir of water to the cloud factory in Cloudsdale, a full vertical furlong away, and they had to do it in one single shot. Only a tornado could provide the necessary lifting power.

But it was failing. Two dozen pegasi was simply too few. The vortex was sputtering and thinning, the mass of water stubbornly refusing to climb. In moments it would be all over; the water would crash back into the reservoir; the pegasi would be too exhausted to try again; Cloudsdale would be unable to manufacture any new clouds, and the crops of the earth ponies would fail to receive their precious rainwater.

Worst of all, Rainbow Dash would be devastated. She'd put her heart and soul into this operation; now all her hard work would be for nothing.

"Fluttershy, you have to get in there!" Twilight yelled, the purple unicorn standing well back next to her wind-measuring equipment.

"I can't!" Fluttershy whimpered. "It won't make a difference!"

"We have every confidence in you!" yelled Princess Luna, scooping a hoofful of popcorn from the large box perched on her belly.

"They need you!" said Twilight, looking slightly puzzled at the Princess, who was reclining on a large, synthetic leather bean bag. "You have to try, Fluttershy, if not for them then for yourself!"

Fluttershy glanced back at her. She could see the fear in Twilight's eyes. And in that moment, she understood. Twilight wasn't afraid that she was going to fail. Twilight was afraid that she wasn't going to try. That she would run away again and live in the pain of not knowing whether she could have made a difference.

No. I'm not going to run away from this. Not this time. Win or lose, I'm going to be there for you, Dashie. She stiffened and turned back to the roiling mass in front of her, glaring defiantly. "You're... you're right, Twilight. I can do this!"

"Yay, Fluttershy! Woo hoo!" Luna cheered, securing her popcorn in her telekinetic grip as she extended an enormous foam appendage that she was wearing on her hoof. It had 'FLUTTERSHY #1' printed on it in large, bold letters.

"Princess Luna... I know it's not my place to suggest such a thing, but you could help too," said Twilight, frowning at the night alicorn. "Your wingpower must be at least the equal of a pegasus, right?"

"Our wingpower defies measure," Luna replied lazily. "But we are afraid we must decline. This is Fluttershy's moment, not ours. Popcorn?" she said, offering the box to Twilight.

"No, thank you," said Twilight disapprovingly, although Spike eagerly grabbed a few clawfuls as Luna proffered the box to him. "Hey, where... where did Fluttershy go?"

"She has entered the tempest," said Luna, munching. "Pay attention, Twilight Sparkle. You will miss the good bits."

"Well, it's kind of hard to see what's going on," said Twilight. "Is she making a difference? The anenometer still says 795."

"One moment," said Luna, her horn shining briefly; a glowing rectangular window opened before the trio, floating in mid-air. The rectangle began to magically display an image of the tornado's swirling interior, tracking Fluttershy as she tried to find her place among the circling pegasi.

"Oooh, nice resolution," Spike praised, stuffing another clawful of popcorn into his snout. "Go Fluttershy! Look, she's totally doing it!" he said, watching the tiny Fluttershy on the screen begin to match pace with the rest of the pegasi. "That's got to be enough, right?"

"No!" Twilight said worriedly, glancing back at the windspeed meter. "798! That's her highest wingpower yet, but it's still not enough!"

"Keep watching," Luna grinned. "We love this bit."

Spike clutched his face with a tensed paw as the yellow pegasus began to falter, her wingbeats falling out of rhythm as she became distracted. "I can't watch! She's falling apart!"

"Have faith in your friends, Spike," said Luna prudently.

Twilight forced herself to keep watching the magic window as Fluttershy struggled to gain speed, the pegasus apparently fighting the torments of some painful memory.

"Nooo!" screamed the Fluttershy on the screen, a primal surge of power running through her body as she suddenly took off like a lightning bolt, spurred on by an unexpected burst of determination.

"YES!" Twilight and Spike cheered as she shot past the other bewildered pegasi. "Yeeeeeeeees! She's done it! Eight hundred wingpower!" Twilight yelled ecstatically. They hushed in awe as the column of water from the reservoir began to ascend, climbing to the top of the tornado before erupting forth and soaring in a great arc over the land, making a perfect splashdown in the Cloudsdale containment pool several furlongs away.

Luna giggled. "Told you!" She watched and yawned with a sleepy smile as the tornado broke apart, the pegasi regrouping on the ground and chanting Fluttershy's name. "We must retire for the morning," she said, floating the remainder of the popcorn over to Spike, and magically shrinking her bean bag to the size of a pea before it popped out of existence. "Go and celebrate with your companions, Twilight Sparkle."

"Take care, Princess!" said Twilight, bowing to the moon goddess as she flapped away and vanished in a swirl of space and light. The purple unicorn ran over to the throng of pegasi who were holding an extremely bashful-looking Fluttershy aloft, cheering their champion. "That was amazing, Fluttershy!" said Twilight. "You more than doubled your wingpower! I don't even know how that's possible!"

Fluttershy excused herself from the crowd, giving hoofbumps as she flapped over her fellows, before alighting next to Twilight. "I... I don't know how I did it! I just couldn't let Rainbow Dash down - oooof!" she squeaked, as the rainbow pegasus barrelled into her with a rib-cracking hug. "Oh... D-Dash!" she gasped, patting her back.

"I don't even have the words to thank you," said Rainbow Dash, her eyes burning with suppressed tears as she removed her goggles. "I knew you could do it, Fluttershy, I always knew."

"It... it was nothing, really Dashie..." Fluttershy gasped, falling back on her hooves as Dash released her.

"Well, this calls for a celebration!" said Twilight, smiling happily. "I guess you'll be wanting to hang with the pegasi for a while, but how about we treat you both to dinner this evening?"

"Oh, that sounds wonderful," said Fluttershy with a smile. "You don't have to do that for us, really Twilight."

"Yeah, not unless you want to treat the whole weather team as well," said Rainbow, before chuckling at the look on Twilight's face. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Sounds -----, I'll be there! Meet you at -----?"

Fluttershy rubbed her ear with a hoof. The roar of the tornado was still rushing in her ears, she was having trouble hearing the conversation.

"Better make it -----, I've got to ----- this all back to ----- -----." said Twilight, gesturing at her instruments.

"Need any ----- ----- that? I'm sure the ----- will be ----- to ----- once they've had ----- -----." said Rainbow, her mane fluttering in the breeze. "Fluttershy, you -----?"

Fluttershy's head was tilted to the ground as she patted her ear with a hoof. The roaring noise was even louder now, she could barely make out a word anypony was saying.

The three of them looked at her worriedly. "I'm fine," she said. "I'm fine," she repeated more loudly, "just feeling a little deafened. Don't worry about me."

"----- sure?" said Twilight with concern, her mane flapping in the wind.

Fluttershy opened her mouth to respond, but her mane blew wildly over her face and muffled her for a moment. She turned around to try to find out what was causing it, and saw something that made her coat flush with a chill.

A tornado. Identical to the one she had just helped produce.

"----- we just get rid of that?" said Spike, looking alarmed.

"----- not possible!" said Rainbow, leaping into the air and hovering as she stared at the vortex in shock. It was beginning to move, causing the grounded pegasi to panic into flight. There was nopony that could possibly be producing the tornado; it was somehow sustaining itself. And heading in their direction, fast.

"Move! Move!" bellowed Rainbow. "Fluttershy, take Spike!"

Fluttershy swooped in and clutched the little dragon as Rainbow Dash did the same with Twilight, hoisting the unicorn into her arms as the pair took off as fast as they could. Spike shivered in terror as the tornado tore behind the zooming pegasi, shredding earth and swallowing trees with little impediment.

"How is this happening?" Fluttershy cried, but she couldn't even hear herself. Nothing they did seemed to sway their course from the tornado's - it was always directly behind them, and gaining. She could see Rainbow Dash breathing heavily in panic - the two pegasi were absolutely exhausted after all they'd been through. This was the worst time for them to be trying to outfly a force of nature.

She felt tiny tendrils of wind tug back at her mane, the outer slipstream of the tornado enveloping her like a cool blanket. Her forward momentum dulled. "Daaaash!" she squealed, as the tornado began to suck her inside.

"FLUTTERSHY!"

Her body convulsed; she jerked awake with a gasp.

***

"Oh," she sighed with a swell of relief, as the roar of the tornado was replaced by the harmless whirr of an ordinary vacuum cleaner. "It was just a dream. Just a dream."

She took several deep breaths and wiped her sweaty brow with a short, pink hoof. There was nothing to be worried about. Dreams were just dreams, they didn't have any bearing on... real...ity...

Fluttershy stared at her hoof. Then her other hoof, which was equally diminutive, and the same shade of pink. Both were sporting an extremely fine hooficure, which pretty much ruled them out immediately as being her own hooves.

This was certainly not normal. She wondered if she should panic, but after her terrifying dream she was somehow unable to muster her usual reserves of fear. Right now, she was more stunned than anything.

Not only was her body the wrong size and colour, but she was also in the wrong place. She was sitting up in an extremely comfortable four-poster bed, a pink cloth canopy suspended above her. Beyond the open drapes of the four-poster, she could see a spacious, spotlessly tidy bedroom; beyond that, an open door revealed an oak-panelled landing. The sound of the vacuum cleaner was echoing in through the doorway.

She stood on the bed, the blanket slipping off her body as she tried to get a grip on the situation. She stared at her own flank, finding not her beloved trio of pink butterflies, but something rather more stark and artificial; an intricate construct that resembled a wiry crown. It was regal looking and attractive in its own way, but certainly not any kind of symbol that meant anything to her. This isn't... me. What's happened to me?

Her darting eyes swept over a silver hand-mirror laid next to a manebrush on her nightstand, and she quickly scooped it up, clutching it between her hooves as she gazed into the reflective surface.

A bright-blue-eyed filly stared back at her, her two-toned mane falling over her pinched face in elegantly curled and twisted locks.

She screamed and let go of the mirror, her flailing hooves knocking it to the floor, where it shattered into splinters of silvery glass.

The vacuum cleaner outside her room switched itself off. Seconds later, an almond-coloured unicorn mare came cantering in, wearing a smart maid's apron and looking concerned. "Is something the matter, Miss Tiara?" Her eyes surveyed the wreckage. "Don't move; I'll get that cleared up for you at once."

"Oh, no, it's quite all right," said Fluttershy softly, her eyes wide with equal concern as she hopped down off the bed. "I was just s-startled, that's all, I'm very sorry to have caused such a mess! Do you have a dustpan and brush I could borrow?"

The maid stared at her, aghast. Then she screamed and bolted from the room.

Fluttershy blinked. That wasn't the reaction she had expected. "H-Hello?" she said nervously, trotting around the broken mirror to the doorway.

Her first view of the landing took her breath away. It stretched out on either side of her, fenced by a wooden balustrade that curled down into a panelled cavern of a room that looked to descend for at least two more levels. The exquisite balusters alone each looked to be worth more than her entire cottage. This is... this is a mansion! Why am I here?

The maid's agitated voice was twittering from downstairs, tempered with interjections from a deeper, chuckling stallion's voice. Fluttershy retreated back into the bedroom as she heard heavy footsteps ascend the staircase.

A brown coated, slick-maned stallion poked his head in at the doorway, looking down on her with amusement.

"Oh!" squeaked Fluttershy. "Mr Rich!"

She knew this stallion - not personally, but she knew he was a business associate of Applejack's. Apparently he'd helped her out of a tight legal spot more than once; Applejack didn't have much of a head for the finer details of litigation.

Mr Rich laughed heartily, trotting into the room and pulling a cord with his mouth to open the wide curtains. Light swept across the room. "I gotta hoof it to you, it's a magnificent effort. Poor Feather is convinced you've come down with a case of the crazies. But you're not getting out of school this time."

"Mr Rich, I need your help!" Fluttershy said softly. "I'm not where I'm supposed to be -"

"No, you're supposed to be getting to school," said Mr Rich, picking up an wiry tiara and placing it firmly on Fluttershy's head. "You're late as it is."

"No... please, this is really important..." Fluttershy begged, as she was ushered out of the bedroom with a designer saddlebag draped over her side. "I think there might be magic involved... some kind of spell that's gone wrong..." Her hooves slipped on the polished black marble of the staircase as she was backed onto it.

Mr Rich ignored the weak excuses of his daughter and continued to back her down the flights of stairs and toward the front door. The maid shot her a repulsed look as she passed the main lounge.

"Have a good day, my precious gem!" he said jovially as she found herself out on an expansive porch, a huge fountain in the yard casting a shadow onto the front of the mansion. "I might be home late tonight, so make sure you get to bed at a reasonable time, okay?"

"I..." Fluttershy blinked stupidly as the large door clunked shut, sealing her outside in the cool morning air.

She shook her head rapidly, trying to see if she could shake some sense into the world. Unfortunately, she remained just as filly-shaped as ever.

Tiara. The maid called me Tiara. I guess that's my name, Fluttershy thought, staring at her new cutie mark again. I'm Mr Rich's daughter! How did that happen? she wondered, as she trudged across the wide gravel yard to the front gate. She hadn't done anything out of the ordinary lately. The most recent event of any note had been her trip to the Crystal Empire as part of the welcoming committee for the Equestria Games inspector, a week ago. It was unlikely that had anything to do with this.

I need somepony's help, she thought, as she left the grounds and began walking toward town. Rarity... no, Twilight. This is exactly her kind of thing. She'll be able to figure out what's wrong with me. I don't know how I'm going to explain this to her though... I just hope she -

"Hey!" yelled a filly's voice, making her jump. She turned around to see a silver-maned grey filly standing there, looking at her incredulously through a large pair of silver glasses. "Didn't you see me?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," said Fluttershy quickly, although she wasn't sure what she'd done wrong. She'd walked past the filly, but that was all.

The filly raised a brow at this, but shrugged and trotted alongside her. Fluttershy looked at her nervously. Who is she?

After a minute or so, the filly spoke up, still looking puzzled. "You okay?"

"Um... well, not really," Fluttershy admitted. She must be a friend of 'Tiara'. "I've had a rather strange morning."

"Why, what's wrong?" said the silver filly with concern. "Nothing bad's happened has it?"

"I... I don't know, exactly," said Fluttershy. "It's hard to explain... and I'm not sure if you'd believe me."

"Well... tell me, and I'll tell you if I believe you or not," she said shrewdly.

She doesn't trust me. I thought she was a friend... in fact, I can tell she is. But why would she think I'd lie to her?

Fluttershy took a breath, raising a hoof to steady the tiara that was wobbling on her head. "I'm not who you think I am. My name is Fluttershy, and I'm not really a filly... I'm actually a grown mare."

The silver filly stared at her for a moment. Then she smirked. "Okay."

Fluttershy looked relieved. "You believe me?"

"Yeah, sure," she replied, although Fluttershy didn't like the snarky tone in her voice. "Come on, Diamond, you don't think I'm that dumb, do you?"

Fluttershy groaned. Diamond? Oh, as in Diamond Tiara. Wait... I know that name! The Crusaders are always talking about her.

"I'm sorry," she said, bowing her head. "I don't know how I can convince you, exactly. I need to go see a friend of mine to see if she can help me."

The filly giggled. "Not buying it. Come on, Diamond, you've got to admit it's a bit transparent. You might fool Snips and Snails with that, but not me. I don't think even the Cutie Mark Cry-babies would fall for it."

"It's not a trick!"

"Prove it then." she said lazily.

Fluttershy faltered. "I... I can't."

The filly looked like she was about to make another snarky comment, but she just rolled her eyes and carried on walking alongside her, saddlebag bumping and jingling as the two kept pace.

Well, I guess I couldn't have expected that to work. I'll just walk with her to school and then go find somepony who can help.

She took a glance at the filly's cutie mark, an ornate silver demitasse spoon with a heart-shaped decoration. It was startlingly pretty. I wonder what her special talent is? I'd guess mine - well, this filly's - is making jewellery... I can't imagine what a spoon represents, though. A talent for making tea?

"Oh, look who it is," said the filly, with a sudden grin. "I thought she'd stopped coming this way to school."

Fluttershy squinted ahead, finding a greyish unicorn filly skipping along ahead of them, her straw-coloured mane bouncing with each happy trot. A schoolbag cleverly made from a spare mail sack was secured around her middle with a long piece of twine.

"Oh, I know her," said Fluttershy. "That's Ditzy Doo's daughter, Dinky. She's such a sweet little foal," she smiled.

Her colleague's eyes flickered at her briefly in bemusement. "Well? We're just going to let her go?"

Fluttershy looked puzzled. "Is she a friend of yours?"

"What... seriously, Diamond, did you hit your head or something?" said the filly in exasperation. "Hey! Stinky Doo!"

Dinky froze in mid hop, her joviality melting away in a second as she turned to face them. Her jaw was trembling in terror as she watched them approach.

"What's in the bag today, Stinky? Did your mother earn enough to buy you a lunch this week?" leered her schoolfriend as they trotted nonchalantly toward the shaking unicorn.

Fluttershy gasped. "N-now... that's not very nice!"

"Oh, it's nice for Stinky. It's probably the biggest compliment she'll get today," she said, loud enough for Dinky to hear. "Can you smell that, Diamond? Stinky Doo didn't wash her hooves again today."

"I d-did!" squeaked Dinky. "I mean, I always do!"

"Why are you being so mean?" Fluttershy said indignantly. "Can't you see she's afraid of you?"

The silver filly blinked. "What are you playing at?" she hissed angrily. "Are you trying to make me look like an idiot? Back me up here!"

"I'm not going to help you bully an innocent foal!" she hissed back.

The filly stared back, aghast. "Diamond, come on! Whatever kind of trick you're playing, it's not -"

SPLOOOOOSH!

A house-sized deluge of water fell out of the sky and smashed down upon them, soaking them both from mane to tail faster than they could blink. The water crashed and rolled outward in an enormous puddle, flooding off the sidewalk and into the road, leaving the two earth ponies dripping in bewilderment.

Well, at least that's only the second most surprising thing that's happened today, thought Fluttershy. Her colleague seemed rather less inclined to take it in stride; she was shaking her now-straggly mane in fury, glaring daggers at the completely dry Dinky.

"Did you... did you see what she just did?" she choked. "Nopony does that to us and gets away with it!" She broke into a run, her hooves flailing the first few steps as she slipped in the puddle.

Dinky squealed and galloped for her life as Fluttershy took chase after the furious silver filly.

"It wasn't her!" Fluttershy insisted. "She's only a foal, she couldn't cast a spell like that!" Her protests fell on deaf ears as she gallopped alongside her friend, panting with the effort. The silver filly was in better shape than she was, she couldn't keep up this pace for long. She did the best thing she could think of, and leapt upon her.

"I'll show her what happens to ponies who mess with - get off, Diamond!" she snarled, as Fluttershy tackled her. She gave a squeal as her legs tripped over each other and the two tumbled to the sidewalk, rolling to a halt. Dinky's terrified hoofsteps pattered into the distance as Fluttershy pinned the filly to the ground.

"Diamond, you jerk!" she seethed. "What in the name of the moon do you think you're -"

"HUSH!!"

The filly's protest died in her throat as she suddenly found herself staring up into an ocular abyss. The hard blue eyes of her friend had become wells of space in which time and distance had no meaning. She was a foal again, a newborn, an orphaned mind with no protection from the universe that now sought to unmake her, to pull her thread from thread until her every flaw was exposed. She was a celestial pyre of guilt, with no hope of redemption, no power to quell her own terrible turmoil, no voice to plead for mercy. She was nothing, an unworthy speck in the cosmos, with no greater right to exist than a grain of dust.

Fluttershy stopped glaring down at the stunned filly and blinked apologetically. She hadn't quite meant for that to happen.

"You're not Diamond," croaked the silver filly.

***

"So... how did this happen?" asked Silver Spoon. After the filly had recovered from the shock, the two had shaken themselves dry and properly introduced themselves to each other before continuing their walk to school.

"I have no idea," said Fluttershy. "I was having a strange nightmare, and then I woke up like this, in a mansion. It's a mystery to me."

"And... if you're here, then doesn't that mean that my friend is in your body right now?" asked Silver.

Fluttershy blinked. "Oh my! I didn't think of that! Will she be okay? I keep a lot of animals in my cottage, and I know some people can be... scared of being close to unfamiliar creatures."

"She'll be fine," Silver lied, knowing perfectly well that Diamond despised any animal whose lineage couldn't be traced back for more than six generations. "She loves animals. There aren't any dangerous ones, are there?"

"Oh, no, they're all quite harmless, although Angel Bunny can be quite a hoofful at times. Oh, I really think I should go and check on her, just to make sure she's okay..."

"You can't," said Silver. "Don't you know what'll happen if Diamond misses another day of school? Her papa said he'd take away her allowance for a month. And we've got a history test this morning, you can't miss that!"

"But... I'm not Diamond," Fluttershy pointed out.

"As far as everyone else is concerned you are," said Silver. "You don't want to make her papa angry, do you?"

"No, of course not..."

Silver giggled. "You know, this is really weird for me. You're so much... I don't know, gentler than Diamond. Except for that scary thing you did with your eyes."

"I'm sorry about that," Fluttershy said softly. "I didn't expect it to happen. But you were being awfully mean."

"I was angry!" Silver retorted. "I'm telling you, somepony made that rain on purpose. It didn't rain anywhere else except where we were standing. If it wasn't Stinky - sorry, Dinky - who was it?"

Fluttershy shrugged. "I'm sure it was an accident."

Silver harrumphed. "Well, whatever. I don't like it when ponies make a fool of me."

The wind vane and belltower of Ponyville School came into view as they began descending the shallow hill toward it.

"So, er..." began Silver. "If you're really a grown up, you went to school already, right?"

"Oh, yes," said Fluttershy. "I went to Funnel Cloud Elementary in Cloudsdale. It was very nice... although some of the foals were rather mean at times..."

"Wait, wait. Cloudsdale?" said Silver, puzzled. "You're a pegasus?"

"Well, I usually am," Fluttershy replied, looking back over her pink body and giving a strange wiggle that would have emphasised her wings, if she still had them. "Although I'm quite enjoying being an earth pony. It feels nice being so connected to the ground."

"Really? I'd love to be able to fly like a pegasus," said Silver. They joined the throng of fillies and colts at the entrance to the school, and made their way inside.

"Good morning, Silver Spoon! Good morning, Diamond Tiara!" said Cheerilee brightly as they entered. Fluttershy gave the teacher a polite smile as she entered, which produced a slightly bemused response from Cheerilee.

Fluttershy looked around the classroom, finding her spirits raised by the friendly, innocent setting. The classroom was filled with the scent of the fresh straw that lined the floor, and the walls were colourfully decorated with paintings, photographs, poetry and pupils' projects. She had a feeling she would have enjoyed studying here if she'd lived in Ponyville in her youth. Oh well, I'll enjoy this while I can, she thought.

Silver noticed her smile, and grinned back. "I've never seen Diamond that happy to be in this classroom. It's really weird!"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Fluttershy apologised, taking the seat indicated by her friend. "This is just rather new... well, actually I guess rather old for me. It's strange to see Cheerilee up there too."

"Why... do you know her?" asked Silver, suddenly curious.

"Well, we have a chat now and then," said Fluttershy. "In fact I believe I even provided some blinkfrog spawn for your class once."

"Oh, that was you?" said Silver genially, deciding not to make any mention of any classroom disasters involving teleportation-capable amphibians. "Yes, that was... a fun project."

"Is something the matter, Twist?" asked Cheerilee, speaking to a lost-looking filly with a fuzzy orange mane at the front of the classroom. Silver Spoon eyed the new arrival curiously.

"There'th thomething I need to dithcuth with you, Cheer - Mith Cheerilee," said Twist.

"Well, we're about to start our lesson, can't it wait until break?"

Silver watched with interest as Twist tried and failed to negotiate with her teacher, before giving in and storming moodily to her seat. "Huh. Wonder what's up with her."

"What books do I need for this lesson?" asked Fluttershy, leaning over. "I've got a bag full of books and a big velvet jewellery box."

"Firstly, that is not a bag," said Silver firmly. "That is a designer Cheval saddlepurse which costs more than everypony else's bags put together. You need the green exercise book for history class. The box is for Show-and-Tell this afternoon."

"What's in it?"

"Diamond's latest creation. I don't know what it is, she won't tell me." Silver's eyes widened. "Oooh, but you can show me! Let me see it!"

"I'm not sure if it's mine to open..."

"Oh, don't be a spoilsport. You're here, you're on Diamond's stool, you can look at her stuff. Come on, give it here!"

Fluttershy reluctantly began to slide the box out of her bag, but at that moment, Cheerilee began her introduction to the lesson. "Today, we're moving onto a new history topic..."

"Oh, les archets." Silver fumed, as they were forced to pay attention. "Show me at break."

"Yes, Twist?" said Cheerilee, as the cream-coloured filly's hoof shot into the air.

"The Potht-Unification Era referth to the period following the ditholution of the ancient pony kingdomth, the thubthequent contholidation of the three pony tribeth, and the founding of Equethtria ath a unified printhipality."

"Awww, she's so sweet," Fluttershy said, smiling.

"Ugh, you're really not Diamond," hissed Silver. "We can't stand her."

"Why not? Is she mean?"

"She's ugly. Look, she hasn't even brushed her mane."

"I think she looks nice," said Fluttershy. "What does it matter if a pony looks ugly or not? It's what's inside that counts."

"Oh, you would be one of those ponies, wouldn't you," Silver snorted.

Fluttershy listened with interest to the lesson, which was punctuated by Twist's occasional interruptions and corrections. I'd never have had the nerve to correct a teacher like that when I was her age, she noted. Cheerilee didn't seem to appreciate the filly's boldness, either; Fluttershy could see she was getting increasingly short with Twist. Finally, after a long interjection from Twist about something to do with ancient unicorns and Star Swirl the Bearded, she appeared to have had enough.

"I can't teach my lesson if you keep interrupting me, my dear," she said as diplomatically as she could. Silver giggled out loud as Twist's face fell.

"What a dork," Silver whispered across to Fluttershy. "Like she knows anything about -" she stopped, suddenly, fearful as she noticed Fluttershy's eyes hardening at her again. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."

"Good," said Fluttershy. "You know, she kind of reminds me of my friend Twilight Sparkle."

"Really?" said Silver, looking surprised. "I've met Miss Sparkle, and she doesn't look anything like that."

"I mean, she's really smart. And she uses long words. And she knows a lot about Star Swirl the Bearded. Twilight's always talking about him."

"Huh," said Silver. "Well, the funny thing is... Twist isn't smart. I'm not saying that to be mean!" she added hurriedly. "I just mean that she's not usually this... knowledgeable."

Fluttershy blinked as a faint possibility tickled at her mind. Could it be her? I mean, there's no reason why it would be Twilight, but then, there's no reason why I'm in a little filly's body at the moment either. She tried to catch the filly's eye as she turned around for a moment, but there didn't seem to be any recognition in her expression.

"I wonder if -"

"You're thinking she's your friend, aren't you?" said Silver. "So am I. We should ask her."

Fluttershy nodded her agreement, but unfortunately the opportunity to do so was lost, as Cheerilee announced that she was giving them a written history test. Even though they all knew it was coming, there was still a collective groan from the class.

Fluttershy felt a flutter of nerves. Although Cheerilee's lesson had jogged some of her old memories of history class, she was still totally unprepared for a test. Okay, calm down, Fluttershy. It's not your test. Just do the best you can.

"Good luck!" whispered Silver, as a little unicorn filly merrily hoofed out test papers around the class. "And don't worry, Diamond is terrible at history. You'll probably do even better than she would."

Fluttershy nodded appreciatively, trying to swallow her worry. After an age or two, Cheerilee called the beginning of the test, and she turned the paper over to read the questions.

Oh my... school hasn't got any easier since I was a filly. She looked down at the paper, trying vainly to remember everything she knew about the Ancient Kingdoms era. The question about fashion and apparel was easy; she'd dressed up to play a pre-Unification pegasus in the Canterlot Hearth's Warming pageant last year. When it came to questions about conflicts and wars and trade disputes, however, she was stumped. Oh... if only those ponies had gotten along a little better, this wouldn't be such a difficult test...

She struggled to the end of the paper, glad for the final question which was essentially just a recap of the Hearth's Warming story, and was glad when Cheerilee finally called an end to the test.

"Okay, pens down, everypony! If you could pass your tests to the front, please..."

Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief, looking over at Silver Spoon with a nervous smile. She passed her test to the filly in front of her, before returning her attention to 'Twist'. Once again, she managed to catch her eye, but the filly seemed a little disgruntled by it, forcing Fluttershy to turn her gaze away.

"I'm not so sure now..." she whispered to Silver. "She seems a little... grumpy."

"Oh, just ask her, the worst she can say is no," said Silver.

"Well done, everyone! I think you've earned yourself an early break, so go out and enjoy the sunshine!"

Fluttershy rose from her stool, straightening her tiara, as pupils flooded toward the door. She gave Cheerilee a polite nod, and exited into the corridor, followed by Silver.

"What should I say?" whispered Fluttershy. "It's going to sound kind of weird..."

"It doesn't matter, just talk to her!" hissed Silver. "Hey!" she yelled at Twist, who had almost made it out of the doors.

She gave Fluttershy a nudge as Twist turned to face them, a resigned look on her face.

"Can I help you?" asked Twist, looking uncertainly at them.

"We need to talk," said Fluttershy, feeling rather silly about this. "I mean, um, if that's okay with you..."

Twist's eyes widened. She tilted her head for a moment. "...Flutterthy?"

Fluttershy blinked, a swell of joy rising in her stomach. "What? Yes! Yes, it's me! Oh, please say that's you, Twilight."

"It ith! B-but... how did thith happen?" said Twilight, looking over the pink filly incredulously.

"I don't know..." said Fluttershy, "I was hoping you could help me."

"I can't help anyone until I get out of here," said Twilight. "Come on, before Cheerilee sees uth!"

"Oh... I-I can't," said Fluttershy. "I have to stay in school or I'll get in trouble."

Twilight rolled her borrowed eyes. "You'll only get in trouble if Cheerilee catcheth uth. We have to fixth thith!"

"Hey," said Silver, "Fluttershy. You go. I can cover for you."

"But... you said I'd be - I mean, Diamond would get in trouble?"

"Oh, I'm afraid Diamond got really sick at breaktime and had to go home. She's been feeling poorly all morning, ever since she got mysteriously drenched by a sudden downpour," smirked Silver. "I've got this. Just get my friend back, will you?"

Fluttershy smiled and nodded. "Thank you so much -"

"Go!" hissed Silver, keeping one eye on the classroom door.

"Thankth," said Twilight, as the pair made a run for it, bolting out of the doors and through the schoolyard, before stealing out through the gates. Twilight didn't dare to slow down until the school was completely out of sight around a corner.

They both panted as they regained their breath, Twilight leaning against a wall with one hoof.

"I have had... a bad morning," Twilight noted between wheezes. "But I thee I'm not the only one."

"Oh, well, my morning's been okay actually, except for the nightmare and the waking up as someone else and getting unexpectedly rained on and the sudden history exam," said Fluttershy. "Are we... are we all like this now?"

"You mean Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow and Rarity? I have no idea, but I'm willing to bet that they're exthperienthing thomething thimilar. Before we do anything we need to go to my houthe, find whoever hath my real body, and then do thome rethearch into thith thituation. Thpike can thend a letter to keep Printheth Thelethtia informed and damn it all, I hate not being able to thpeak properly! I mith my thibilanth!"

Fluttershy put a gentle hoof on the fuming filly's shoulder. "It's okay, Twilight. I know you'll do everything you can to fix this."

Twilight took a deep breath and sighed. "Thankth, Flutterthy."

"Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not unleth you can perform a frenulectomy in leth than a minute," said Twilight. "Jutht come with me, I'll need thome backup in cathe I run into trouble again. And keep an eye out for the otherth."

Fluttershy nodded and trotted alongside her as they set off again in the direction of Twilight's library.

"Nithe crown by the way," Twilight added.