Rainbow crossed her costumed legs across her face as a tree came zooming at her. It was far from the first time a tree had done so. What had she ever done to trees to make them so mad? Or maybe she was looking at it the wrong way. Maybe trees really liked her flying and wanted to help catch her when things went wrong? Yeah, that was a better view.
Neither perspective softened the landing as she crashed through branches and came to a halt in the embrace of the tree. She let out a pained groan, but nothing felt busted or bent out of place, just banged up. As the stars fled her vision, she slowly slid to her hooves on the heavy branch she had landed on and carefully balanced on her way to the trunk. "Prickle's way stronger than I thought," she said to herself. She slowly began to climb down as a very familiar sound reached her ears. She peeked up to see her body coming in fast with a squealing Scootaloo clinging to her scooter with her entire body.
"Uh, hey guys." Rainbow waved a costumed hoof.
Scootaloo pulled to a stop. Prickle zipped past her, but Rainbow caught her easily and brought her to a stop. "Woah there. Let me guess, you're not Scootaloo."
Prickle took a shaking step off the scooter. "You have my body."
"And I'm guessing I wasn't hearing things before, so that makes you..." Rainbow looked at her body, which was blushing and looking awkward. "Scoots?"
Scootaloo landed, flapping her wings perhaps more than required. "Rainbow, your body is amazing!"
Rainbow puffed out her little chest. "Well, duh. I work hard to make sure it stays that way. I hope you had fun, now give it back. Being a mighty bouncing super hero is not my style."
Prickle poked Rainbow in the flank. "I don't think she can just... give it back."
"Has she tried?" retorted Rainbow. "Until she does, it doesn't count."
Prickle flashed a bright smile. "You have my body, why don't you try giving that back first?"
"Well fine then!" Rainbow glared at Prickle before thinking how to do that act she requested. She approached Prickle in Prickle's body and gave Prickle in Scootaloo's body a big hug.
A painful hug. "Easy! Super strength!" squeaked out prickle as she was compressed.
Rainbow released Prickle. "Your body is tricky. I can't do anything without overdoing it. I'm used to dialing it to 110%!"
Prickle held her hooves close together. "I aim for maybe 1 to 5 percent?" She had paid attention in math and felt proud of herself. "
Rainbow shook her head. "You are scary, but in all the good ways, seeing as you're a hero."
Scootaloo, not being paid attention to, lifted into the air higher and higher. She did slow spins, looking around for trouble. With a thrust hoof, she pointed at a flash in the city. "Our troublemaker is busy making more trouble. If we don't do something, the whole town'll be swapped around."
Rainbow grunted. "If Twilight finds her, this'll be over fast. Magic is one thing she barely ever loses at."
"Except today," spoke... Big Mac? No, that voice was certainly Twilight's, walking towards them. "She took my magic away."
Rainbow let out a little cough, then fell over, hooves in the air and cycling as she laughed.
Twilight scowled with Big Mac's face. "That means you're not getting your wings back, Rainbow."
"Oh, right." Rainbow rolled upright, laughter dying ignobly. "So where's Big Mac if you're borrowing his body?"
Twilight pointed to where a smiling and distant figure that was herself flew through the air. "He's enjoying the experience. Our rogue wizard seems to get a real kick out of swaps that leaves at least one pony happy about it."
Prickle shrugged. "The first one I learned about was Cheerilee and Snails. Cheerilee was annoyed and Snails was busy being Snails and wasn't thinking about it."
Twilight nodded. "Right, but she thought he'd like being an adult, one he knew was in a position of authority. Simply, she made a mistake."
Rainbow rolled a hoof at Twilight. "Yeah yeah, that's fascinating and all, but how do we start fixing all of this?"
Twilight's eyes darted between Rainbow, Prickle, and Scootaloo. "Just so we're on the same page, can I get a roll call?"
All three stated their true name in a chorus.
"Right. I know I said to come at her seperately, but that clearly isn't working. There's always somepony around for her to work her magic with. I have a new proposal."
Scootaloo flew down to easier conversation level. "What's your idea, Twilight?"
She swung a red-furred hoof at each of them. "We go in pairs, preferably with ponies we're alright with switching back with, so that when she tries to zap us, we know where we're going. Also, sunglasses." She pulled out a bouquet of them, spread out in a fan. "We can't afford to let that flash disorient us."
"Good idea!" Rainbow snatched her glasses and popped them on. "Looking stylish too."
Prickle and Scootaloo took their own, and Twilight put on the last to cover her enlarged snout. "Alright, Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, you two seem like a natural fit."
Prickle pouted at that. That didn't set her up to be in her right body at all. "Who am I with?"
Twilight perked her ears. "Are you sure you even want to be involved? We'll get everyone's body's back once this is over, and we find yours."
Prickle blinked with confusion. "Find it?"
Twilight got a smile on her face. "Are you saying it's nearby?"
Prickle realized what she was about to do and shut up about it. "I still want to help! This is my town too. She's a bad pony and needs to be taken care of."
Twilight reached and grabbed Prickle by the nape of the neck. With a toss of her bulked neck, she sent Prickle soaring to land on Twilight's back. "We'll go together then. Everyone ready?"
"Just one question," asked Scootaloo, hovering in place. "What's going on with the others? I mean, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy? You know."
Twilight heaved a sigh. "At a guess, they're just as mixed up as the rest of us, or are about to be. Stick to your partner, and let's play this smart."
They split up then. Twilight and Prickle in Big Mac and Scootaloo's body. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo in Rainbow and Prickle's body.
As they went, Scootaloo came in real low to fly just beside Rainbow. "I bet you're real worried."
"I trust you," Rainbow replied with a smile. "My Scootaloo would do the right thing. It's part of what makes her awesome."
"Yeah..." Scootaloo grabbed Rainbow Dash from above and lifted her from the ground. "I'm not going to steal you away from you. That would be a pretty uncool thing to do. Still, you can't blame me for enjoying it while I have it."
Rainbow snickered from Scootaloo's grip. "I would too, so, no, no hard feelings or anything. We're still sisters, right?" She offered a hoof, and it was met with a solid clop. "Together forever."
Scootaloo bobbed her head. "Forever. Let's find that jerk and fix all of this." She ascended higher into the sky, carrying Rainbow along as she went.
Twilight trotted along into the town. "Ugh, this body feels so... heavy."
Prickle sat up on Twilight's back. "And no magic."
"That too." She looked over her shoulder. "What do you miss?"
Prickle opened her mouth to reply, then shut it, realizing almost everything she said would incriminate her. "It's kind of neat having wings." She fluttered the little limbs. "I never had those before."
A familiar mare stepped out in front of them. "I'm so glad you're enjoying it," she said, a happy smile on her face. "A little change of perspective is good for a pony. We get stuck in ruts too easily."
Prickle pointed at Twilight. "But you haven't tried it yet. You keep doing the same thing over and over and over again. You're in the deepest rut."
The mare's expression wavered. "W-what?! But... I'm freeing ponies from their habitual lives!"
Twilight was no dim bulb and caught on quick where Prickle was going. "Oh, she has a point. How can you tell us to do something if you aren't willing to try? Have you ever been an earth pony before?"
"Or a stallion?" posited Prickle. "I bet it would be entirely new."
"Oh, I see where you're going." She shook her head. "Being an earth pony, that's silly. I mean, no offense, but they have the least going for them. Nope. I think I'll try a pegasus instead." She threw her hooves wide.
Prickle was suddenly a mare, a unicorn mare. She fell to all fours, dazed.
The mare laughed wildly and flew away! Or at least, that was her plan, but Scoot's wings were not up to the task, and she just succeeded at falling off of Twilight with style. Twilight brought a hoof down on the filly's body. "You stay right there."
Prickle shook her head clear. "We did it!" She stepped towards the squirming foal. "Alright, time to start putting ponies back."
"I... can't." She pushed impotently at Twilight's massive stallion hoof. "You're the unicorn, you do it."
Prickle reached up and tapped at her new horn. She was a unicorn... She tried to make something happen. To her credit, she made her horn glow.
Twilight shook her head. "You don't have her talent... And she doesn't have her horn." She let out an exasperated sigh. "This is going to be complicated."
"I should have taken the larger body," grumbled the captured villain.
"Didja find her, huh huh huh," asked a very pink sounding Applejack as she pronked closer.
Twilight nodded. "Can you help tie her up? I have her pinned but I'm used to having a horn."
"Ya don't need a horn to tie ponies up, silly." Pinkie bounced in, pulled a rope out that Applejack likely always had and got right to work, securing the bad guy. "Why does she look like Scootaloo?"
The villain smiled. "I am Scootaloo. The bad guy switched with him!" She pointed with her snout at Twilight.
Prickle stomped a hoof. "That's Twilight! I'm Prickle Berry, and she is... What is your name?"
"I don't have to say..."
Prickle could argue, but it felt wrong somehow. "I'll call you Switcheroo for now."
"I like that."