• Published 15th Aug 2012
  • 6,823 Views, 350 Comments

Changin' Hooves - OneTrickPon3



Vinyl and Octavia switch bodies and learn some valuable lessons in the process

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Magical Mishaps and Somber Song

Ok before we get started here, just remember that they are in a different body now. I say this to avoid confusion when I describe a body to a name and it gets confusing. Even typing that was confusing. Dammit! What have I gotten myself into? Ok, so basically don't get confused, that's all I can say.


"...ok...THAT was unexpected," Vinyl muttered after a lengthy silence.

"To say the least," Octavia responded, flicking her electric blue mane out of her eyes. She looked over at Vinyl, the DJ meeting her gaze with her amethyst eyes. Ok, this is going to take some time to get used to. She observed as Vinyl ran a hoof through her long black mane, giving an unsatisfied grunt and a look of displeasure at the lengthy locks. Ok, there isn't enough time in all of Equestria to get used to this.

"So now what do we do?" Vinyl asked, turning her attention away from her mane and looking at Octavia.

"Well, the Princess gave us a suggestion, I say that's as good of a place to start as any," Octavia answered. Looking over at the upturned couch, her eyes furrowed in dissatisfaction. "But first, let's get this thing righted so we at least have somewhere in this hellhole to sit."

"You call it a hellhole, I call it home," Vinyl shrugged, moving with Octavia towards the couch. Vinyl watched as Octavia navigated her way to one end of the couch, placing her hooves under the bend in the couch seating. With a heavy grunt, Octavia attempted to right the stubborn piece of furniture, only to have it barely lift despite her effort.

"Come on Octy! Put your back into it!" Vinyl shouted encouragingly, still not helping Octavia move the couch. Pantomiming herself lifting a heavy object, Vinyl continued to cheer Octavia on; "You can do better than that! Show some muscle!" Octavia redoubled her efforts, sweat beginning to drop from her brow as she tried again to turn the couch upright. "OCTAVIA! DO YOU EVEN LIFT!?"

Octavia finally slumped back, panting heavily as she glared at Vinyl. "What *pant pant* does that even *pant* mean?" She took in several deep breaths, trying to get her breath back as she continued to glare at Vinyl. "And for that matter," she continued after her breathing calmed down, "why aren't you helping? Oh, I think I pulled a muscle," Octavia moaned, rubbing a hoof across a particularly sore portion of her foreleg.

"Psh, fine," Vinyl said as she rolled her eyes, "if you're gonna be a baby about it, I'll help." Trotting over to the couch, Vinyl placed both hooves on the furniture and flipped it right side up in one motion, leaving Octavia dumbfounded at what she just witnessed.

"How..did you..." Octavia managed to say, pointing a hoof between Vinyl and the couch.

"Huh? Oh, that," Vinyl stated, catching on to what Octavia was trying to say. "It wasn't that heavy."

"Wasn't that heavy!?" Octavia exclaimed, throwing both hooves in the air in exacerbation. "I couldn't lift it, and I carry a heavy instrument around.

"Used to carry one around."

"Pardon?"

"You aren't in your body anymore Octy," Vinyl answered with a snicker. "Which is why I could, since I'm you now." Octavia narrowed her eyes at Vinyl, as if she had just been insulted. "Speaking of Octy, why didn't you use magic?"

"Pardon?" Octavia said inquisitively, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, you're me now, and I'm a unicorn," Vinyl explained, gesturing to the horn atop Octavia's head. "So why didn't you just use magic to flip the thing instead of making yourself look like an idiot?"

"You're one to talk," Octavia glowered, "but to answer your question, I don't exactly know how. I just got shoved into a completely new body, a new species no less, so I'm not exactly going to know how to use magic you twit."

"Well, it looks like we've found a starting place," Vinyl beamed brightly, an unnerving grin spread across her face. "Hop up on the couch Octy, I'll go grab some supplies," she said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

"...you're insane, you know that right?" Octavia sighed as she hoisted herself onto the couch. No sooner than when her entire weight was on the furniture that it let out a sickening *CRACK*. "Eep!" Octavia squeaked, leaping from the couch and whipping around like it was going to attack her. The sound of slowly splintering wood filled the apartment before the two halves of the couch fell away from each other, hitting the floor with a soft *thud*.

"What was that?" Vinyl asked, poking her head out of the kitchen. Seeing a panicked Octavia on one side of the room, and a broken couch on the other, Vinyl let out a heavy sigh. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. Rest in pieces, my faithful friend," Vinyl said with a mock salute to the broken furniture.

"Vinyl..." Octavia began slowly, "what just happened?"

"Your fat flank broke the couch Octy, what does it look like?"

Octavia's face began turning red in anger, and she snorted a couple times threateningly before she realized that she was in Vinyl's body. Anger was replaced by annoyance as she glared at the snickering mare in the kitchen. "Very funny, but it's your flank remember? Now I'll ask again, what the BUCK happened just now?"

"Language Octy, there are fillies next door," Vinyl chided. "But in all seriousness, the couch just reached the end. I'm surprised that thing lasted as long as it did actually, it was in pretty bad shape when I found it."

"Wait, when you found it?" Octavia asked, picking up on the distinct lack of the word "bought." "What do you mean 'when you found it?'"

"Just what it sounds like," Vinyl replied in a plain tone of voice. "I found the thing lying around the streets of Canterlot, and I needed a couch, so I took it." She sighed; "Gonna be a while before I can find a replacement."

"Can't you just buy one? You know, like a normal pony?" Octavia asked.

"Does it look like I'm swimming in bits here Octy? I barely have enough for the essentials, let alone for a luxury like that."

"Barely have enough- weren't you the one bragging about 'shows being thrown at you on silver platters?' I would THINK that you have more than just enough for the essentials," Octavia asked before a look of shock, then anger appeared on her face. "Oh I get it, you spend all your bits on food and alcohol, mostly the latter, so it's not that you don't have enough, it's that your buzz comes before your home," Octavia verbally jabbed. "I'm really not surprised, after all, you-"

"That's enough!" Octavia's words caught in her throat as she saw a look of pure rage overcome Vinyl's features. "You do NOT know how my life is! Don't you stand there from your 'high and mighty' Upper Canterlot point of view and tell me what is and isn't right with my life!" Vinyl shouted, pointing an accusatory hoof at Octavia. "I barely have enough for food as it is, and that's only because - you know what? I won't tell you. You'll find out soon enough anyways," Vinyl growled. "Now just SIT and wait until I find what I'm looking for, understand?"

Octavia nodded weakly, shocked at Vinyl's sudden outburst, watching in silence as the mare retreated back into the kitchen. Slowly sitting back on her haunches, Octavia waited for Vinyl in silence, her mind reeling from the verbal lashing that Vinyl had given her. Before she could think more on the subject, her thoughts were interrupted.

"Catch Octy!" Vinyls voice commanded before Octavia saw an object flying right towards her. In a panic, Octavia threw her hooves in front of her face, shielding herself from whatever Vinyl had just thrown at her. Without even making a noise, the object harmlessly bounced off Octavia's forelegs and fell to the floor.

Peeking out from behind her hooves, Octavia's eyes fell on the object that Vinyl had just lobbed at her; a lemon. "Vinyl...why are you assaulting me with citrus fruit?" Octavia asked as Vinyl stepped out from the kitchen.

"I'm not Octy," Vinyl chirped, surprising Octavia again with her sudden change in attitude. "These," Vinyl said, punctuating the word by dropping a bowl full of lemons in front of her, "are to help you with your magic."

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Octavia asked as she picked up the lemon that was thrown to her. "Am I supposed to eat it?"

"Yes Octavia, you're supposed to eat it," Vinyl deadpanned. "How did you know? Are you a wizard?"

"Oh shut up," Octavia snapped, doing her best to suppress the embarrassed blush creeping on her cheeks. "I know nothing about the workings of magic."

"That's obvious," Vinyl smirked, dodging the lemon Octavia threw at her in response.

"Then what am I supposed to do? Rub it on my horn?"

"No!" Vinyl exclaimed, causing Octavia to jump in surprise. "I mean uh, no," Vinyl said, regaining some composure. Don't rub anything on your horn."

"Why?" Octavia asked innocently. "Is it a bad thing?"

"Yes, er I mean no, I mean, ugh," Vinyl fumbled, trying to find a way to explain in a way that made sense. "It's just, a unicorn's horn is sensitive."

"Sensitive? How so?" Octavia pressed, causing Vinyl to look extremely uncomfortable.

"...Octy," Vinyl said slowly, "have you ever been with anypony before?" The look on Vinyl's face was a strained one, as if she was completely out of her comfort zone.

"I've had the pleasure of being acquainted with several ponies before, usually nothing more than polite conversation though. Why is that important though?" Octavia asked, completely oblivious as to what Vinyl meant.

"No no, I mean BEEN with anypony," Vinyl pressed desperately. "You know, dunk the doughnut? Plow the field? Plant the corn? Burying the bone? Going for a roll in the hay? Wink wink, nudge nudge?" A blank look was all Vinyl got as an answer, causing the mare to facehoof. "Sex, I'm talking about sex."

"Oh," Octavia answered in surprise, blushing a deep shade of crimson. "N-no, I've never done that!" Octavia hid her face behind her hooves, blocking the vulgar earth pony from her view. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Oh Celestia," Vinyl groaned, "she HAD to be a kinesthetic learner, of course. Well, looks like I'm going to have to show you, ugh. For science, I guess," she halfheartedly stated before moving in front of Octavia. Lifting a hoof, Vinyl traced from the tip of Octavia's horn to the base and back, causing the unicorn to lock up at the sensations running directly to her brain. Octavia involuntarily let out a little whimper of a moan before Vinyl took that as the perfect time to stop. "Ew, I can't believe I just did that," she said with minor disgust.

"Why...did you have to do that!?" Octavia nearly shouted, her face so flushed her coat seemed to be a different color entirely. "That was uncalled for!"

"Well, if I didn't do anything now, it could have happened later, in public," Vinyl deadpanned, causing Octavia to groan and hide behind her hooves again. "Besides, it's not like I WANTED to do that. It's not my fault you're so sheltered."

"...just...shut up and let me keep what little dignity I have left," Octavia moaned.

"No time for that," Vinyl said, placing a lemon before Octavia. "We have stuff to do. Now this is really simple Octy, all you have to do is pick up the lemon."

Coming back from hiding behind her hooves, Octavia looked at the lemon, then to Vinyl, receiving a nod from the mare to continue. Slowly extending a hoof, she reached to pick up the lemon before promptly being swatted by Vinyl's hoof.

"Ow! What was that for!?" Octavia exclaimed, pulling her hoof back and rubbing it. "I was doing what you told me to you dolt!"

"No Octavia, you're supposed to pick it up with magic, that's the whole point of this. To teach you magic," Vinyl answered.

"Oh..."

"I swear, and you call me the idiot," Vinyl stated humorlessly.

"You still are," Octavia grumbled, turning her attention back to the lemon. Squinting her eyes, Octavia tried to will the lemon to lift off the ground. The lemon refused to budge. Trying again, Octavia gritted her teeth and willed even harder, screaming at the fruit in her mind to rise. Come on you stupid, I mean nice lemon, please levitate. Please? The lemon, being a fruit and therefore having neither ears or a conscious mind, paid no heed to her desperate mental pleading and remained firmly on the ground.

Octavia took the fruit's insolence as an insult and glared daggers at the yellow object that seemed to mock her attempts. A pox on you and the tree you came from. Octavia stood up, taking a broad stance and pointing her horn at the lemon, grunting and straining with all her might. Finally, after a couple minutes, she slumped down, tired and defeated, while the lemon sat on the ground in triumph. "Dumb fruit," Octavia grumbled.

Vinyl snickered, her facial features hinting that she was on the verge of hysterics. "You're doing it wrong Octy."

"You think?" Octavia snapped before returning to glaring at the fruit.

"Magic's actually pretty simple," Vinyl stated, grabbing Octavia's attention again. "You don't just glare at something to make it move. It's an inanimate object, you can't scare it, it doesn't even have eyes, or a brain for that matter. Think of it this way; your magic is like having an extra limb that's all wibbly-wobbly. All you have to do is imagine you're reaching out to the object," she stated, reaching a hoof out for demonstration, "and that's pretty much it. Now give it another shot."

Octavia slowly stood back up, processing the information that was given to her. Looking down at the lemon once more, her face hardened into a look of determination. Just reach out and grab it. Slowly, she allowed her mind to imagine it was reaching out and grabbing the lemon. At the same time, her magic flared to life, emitting a high-pitched hum and enveloping the lemon in a blue aura. Grinning to herself, she then imagined that she was lifting the lemon off the ground, and sure enough, her magic lifted the fruit slowly off the floor.

Vinyl cracked a grin. She sure is a quick learner. Or maybe I'm just a great teacher. Yeah, let's go with that one.

Octavia held the lemon in place, hovering a few feet off the floor while she grinned in triumph. I did it! I actually did it! I'm using magic! Her internal celebration took away from her concentration however, and her active magic, lacking direction, began to overload. The lemon began to glow brightly, pulsating with a white light as Octavia's directionless magic seeped into the fruit, causing Octavia's grin to be replaced with a look of fear, and Vinyl backed away in concern. Without warning, the lemon became overloaded with magic and promptly burst into flames, burning brilliantly before falling back to the floor as a pile of ash.

The two mares sat absolutely still, shocked at what they had just witnessed. After the shock of the situation wore off, Vinyl spoke up; "Huh, combustible lemons...that's a new one." Octavia continued to sit, staring slack-jawed at the pile of ash that used to be an edible fruit. Vinyl nudged the shocked unicorn, breaking her out of her stupor. "Come on Octy, we've got more lemons, we can keep going. Just don't lose your concentration and you'll be fine."

Twenty minutes (and a dozen lemons) later, and the only progress Octavia had made had been the lemons, instead of bursting into flames, instead smouldered until the outside was charred black. Vinyl sat behind Octavia, scratching her head in confusion at what could be causing the volatile reactions. Ok, maybe I'm not as good of a teacher as I thought I was.

"Let's...take a break Octy, you're looking a bit worn from this. More importantly though, I'm out of lemons now."

"Whatever," Octavia sighed in defeat. "Well, while I'm resting, I might as well attempt to teach you something. Celestia knows I have to be a better teacher than you," she stated, a little resentment seeping into her voice.

"Fine with me," Vinyl answered, oblivious to the mare's frustration.

"Alright," Octavia stated, "let me think a minute of what I could teach you easily and quickly." As Octavia tried to think of something to teach Vinyl, she allowed her eyes to wander aimlessly around the apartment. Proper table manners? No, that would be like pulling teeth. Proper hygiene? No, that would take forever. What about - hello, what's this? Octaiva's eyes fell upon a familiar shape, the neck of a stringed instrument, sitting on one of the shelves near the door to Vinyl's bedroom. Trotting over, she picked up the instrument (which turned out to be a violin) and examined it.

This is in remarkably good condition, but what is it doing here of all places? Ah, no matter, I think I've found the perfect thing to teach her. Idiot probably wouldn't even know which end to hold. Octavia grinned wickedly. This will get her back for the magic. Truth be told, she knew it wasn't Vinyl's fault the lemons failed, but Octavia was in Vinyl's body, so it was close enough.

"Hey Octy, you think of anything?" Vinyl asked from across the room.

"Oh yes," Octavia responded with a bit of smugness in her voice. "I've found just the thing."

Vinyl watched as Octavia sauntered back towards her, holding something behind her back. Craning her neck to get a better look, her efforts were thwarted by Octavia moving her body to continue hiding whatever it was she found. Finally, when Octavia was right in front of her, Vinyl was presented with the instrument.

"Play this," Octavia commanded, trying her best to conceal the grin of sadistic glee that was threatening to overtake her facial features.

Vinyl slowly reached out and took the instrument and bow in hoof, glancing from one to the other in what to Octavia looked like confusion. She can't be serious? Sigh...not this again. Well at least Octy is in for a surprise.

(Meanwhile, in Octavia's head) Oh she has no idea what to do. This should be good.

Vinyl reared up on her back hooves, assuming a stable yet comfortable stance before bringing the violin to bear, resting it with practiced ease in the crook of her neck. With her other hoof, she brought the bow to rest lightly on top of the strings. With her posture set, she looked back at Octavia, the unicorn raising one eyebrow in surprise that she was able to get into the stance quickly.

"Well, go on," Octavia urged, waving a hoof in emphasis.

With a deep breath, Vinyl drew the bow slowly across the strings, producing a pure, somber note the entire duration of the bow's draw. Once the note ended, Vinyl paused momentarily, closing her eyes and gathering her concentration. Slowly, she began to run the bow faster across the strings, her face furrowed in concentration as her playing took form into a melody that was both upbeat in tempo yet somber in sound. As Vinyl finished her piece, she opened her eyes and exhaled slowly. Looking at Octavia, Vinyl was greeted with a look of dumbfounded surprise on the unicorn mare's face.

"But...how..." Octavia stammered in disbelief. "That...was Handel's Sonata VI...transposed and played perfectly..." Her words trailed off as she regarded Vinyl with a wonderment and confusion.

"Music, Octavia," Vinyl sighed, her mood depressed by the playing.

"Pardon?"

"My special talent is music. I didn't become a DJ until after I got my cutie mark. This instrument I'm holding," she regarded the violin with a look between sadness and disgust, "it's the instrument that gave me my cutie mark."

"I...I didn't know," Octavia whispered.

"No, you didn't," Vinyl spat. "Let's just drop it and move on, ok," Vinyl stated, not leaving anything up for debate.

"No, wait," Octavia attempted to reopen the conversation, "I just need to know -"

"You don't need to know anything!" Vinyl shouted, her words having an effect on Octavia akin to if she had been slapped across the face. "I said to drop it, but no! You had to keep pressing. When can you learn to just butt out of ponies' business Octavia!?" Vinyl angrily trotted to the front door, throwing it open in a fit of rage. "Goodbye," she spat at Octavia before trotting away, leaving the door wide open.

Rooted in place by the initial shock, Octavia shook herself out of it and realized that Vinyl had just left her. As the realization sunk in, her hooves sprang into action, galloping through the door as she passively slammed the door shut with her magic. Oh Celestia I hope that I didn't just set the door on fire. Looking out over the railing, she saw Vinyl just getting off the stairs at the bottom floor and trotting towards the Middle District of Canterlot. What's gotten into you Vinyl Scratch? Octavia sprinted towards the stairwell and leaped down each flight of stairs, determined to not let Vinyl get away from her. I don't know what's going on, but I have to help...Oh Octavia, what are you getting yourself into and why?


I don't get it. What's gotten into Vinyl? She certainly doesn't sound like the carefree mare that I've heard about.

Bwuh!? Sister!? H-how long have you been there!?

The whole time, but that's not important. What happened to Vinyl? And for that matter, what about Octaiva? She's acting different as well.

Oh, uh, right. Well, I didn't know this until recently, but Vinyl Scratch has a bit of a bad past, and Octavia wasn't exactly helping. Their history isn't exactly helping either.

Oh? Care to elaborate on that dear sister?

Ah ah, that would be telling sister.

Yeah! You don't wanna give away all the juicy bits right away, otherwise there's nothing to look forward to!

Gah! Miss Pie, how in Equestria did you get into my room!? ...and for that matter, where did that popcorn come from?

Hehe! That's an easy one! The popcorn came from corn, silly!

Yes, I know that, but-

Then why did you ask if you knew already?

Sister, I would advise you just let it lie.

The popcorn isn't important! How did you get into my room? It's the most secret and hidden room in Canterlot, and you just appeared in it!

*GASP* I'm in Canterlot!? Oh wowie!

...nevermind. Now where was I...