When Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were called over to the Castle of Friendship one day, neither of them were really worried or suspected that it would turn out to be a day they would never forget. They weren't even concerned when they learned that it was Starlight Glimmer who had called them.
"Glad you could both make it on short notice, especially with all that's been happening these past few weeks," Starlight sincerely told both friends as she ushered them inside. "Twilight's in Canterlot getting more practice for when she takes the throne, which means it's only a matter of time before I have to take full control of the School of Friendship."
Fluttershy just smiled and put a hoof around Starlight. "There's no reason to be nervous. I'm sure everything will work out just fine. You've come a very long way from the pony you used to be."
Pinkie Pie chimed in. "Yeah! You'll make a much better leader now than when you were ruling that village."
Starlight let out a sigh. "I'm sure, but even so it's going to mean a lot more work for me. I really don't want to let Twilight down, so that means I need to start working on some things that'll make my new job a whole lot easier," And she was quick to explain. "That's why I wanted you two to come over. I'm working on a new spell that can swap the locations of items, and it's really hard to test it reliably all by myself."
Fluttershy was quick to ask. "Pinkie and I would be happy to help, but why do you need us exactly?"
"You're the ones with the least on your plate right now. Applejack has the farm, Rainbow Dash is training with the Wonderbolts and Rarity's got her boutiques," Starlight pointed out. "As for my other friends: Trixie isn't exactly a great and powerful helper, I can't ask Sunburst to drop everything and come here and Maud's got Mudbriar and her job to keep her busy."
"And Spike is with Twilight?" Fluttershy guessed, receiving a confirming nod in reply.
Pinkie just proclaimed. "Well Fluttershy and I will be glad to help you, Starlight! We'll be the bestest helpers ever! Just tell us what to do and we'll do it!"
The unicorn mare breathed deeply before she led her friends into the castle library. "What I'm trying to do is perfect the spell so I can swap one item for another from any location."
"Isn't it easier just to teleport? If I had a horn I'd teleport everywhere I could just for fun." The pink party pony pointed out.
Starlight explained her intentions behind her decision. "Teleporting back and forth all the time is exhausting and time consuming. If I forget something or need to retrieve something, I think it would save time to just be able to pull whatever I needed from wherever it is, and swap it out with something I don't need. Does that make sense?"
"A little," The pegasus mare with a butter yellow coat replied. "What exactly do you need Pinkie and I's help with?"
Starlight Glimmer flicked her mane with a hoof. "Did you bring the items I requested?"
Fluttershy nodded as she and Pinkie placed two nearly identical looking jars on the floor. Starlight then proceeded to explain. "Take one of the jars and move it to another room, like the kitchen or something. I'm gonna try to swap their locations so the jar that's here moves to wherever the other jar is, and that jar gets brought here. I couldn't risk using something that belongs to Twilight in case it got lost or destroyed."
Without even saying a word, Pinkie Pie picked up her jar and zoomed away! Yet it was only a matter of seconds before she shouted from far away. "Ready!"
Having received the confirmation, Starlight readied the spell as her horn began to spark. Fluttershy, for her part, simply stood in silent observation. It was anypony's guess what would happen or if the spell would work as intended.
It seemed like Starlight had to expend a lot of magical energy to get the spell to work. The jar in front of her was surrounded by the glow of her horn, but even though it wasn't very heavy it seemed like the unicorn mare had trouble lifting and moving it. She was even visibly straining as a few beads of sweat were pouring down her face.
As Fluttershy watched she found herself feeling an ever so faint tingling sensation across her body. Although not a magical expert, the pegasus mare was certain this was not normal. "Um, Starlight?" She nervously called out, hesitant to break her friend's concentration.
From down the hall the familiar voice of Pinkie Pie could be heard shouting! "Starlight! My 'Pinkie Sense' is going crazy! I'm getting another doozy! Something's going to happen and I don't think it's gonna be good!"
But before Starlight Glimmer had a chance to react, there was a blinding flash and she was thrown back from the force of a small shockwave! She recovered quite quickly though as the flash faded just as mysteriously as it had arrived. "Okay. That was definitely not supposed to happen," The young mare said to herself. "Sorry about that, Fluttershy. I guess the spell still needs some fine tuning."
However, Fluttershy seemed to be reacting in a rather unusual way. She seemed to be shaking and bouncing all about while all but shouting! "What's happened to me?! I feel all silly and goofy, and I just wanna bounce and sing all day."
Shortly thereafter, Pinkie Pie happened to come trotting in. But she wasn't as cheerful or as bouncy and full of energy as she had been before. In fact, she looked to be rather withdrawn and even kind of frightened. "Um," She spoke in a voice so soft it was just above a whisper. "I don't feel like my old Pinkie self anymore. Now I feel like I just wanna be left alone so I can relax."
Starlight took one look at her friends and they were reacting, and immediately a realization dawned on her! "Uh-oh! I think I accidentally swapped your personalities."
"What?!" Fluttershy gasped as she zoomed right up to Starlight's face.
"What she said." Pinkie whispered while trotting slowly forward.
The unicorn mare forced back a gulp while trying not to lose her composure. "The spell didn't work quite like it was intended. Instead of swapping objects it swapped personalities."
"Like when I switched bodies with Angel?" The pegasus mare thought aloud, giggling at the memory. "That was actually kind of funny now that I think about it."
The pink party pony, however, declared. "I should find it funny, but I just don't feel like laughing about it," And she continued to gaze at Starlight. "You can fix this, right? I mean, if you can't it's not that big a deal even if I want it to be a big deal."
Fluttershy protested! "It's bigger than big! It's really, really, REALLY big!"
Starlight Glimmer quickly intervened to break up the tension. "A-alright, alright. Let's all just take some deep breaths and try to calm down. I don't do well under pressure," And she was quick to apologize. "I'm really sorry about this. I really didn't think this would happen. I don't know where I went wrong. But I can fix it. Or at least, I'm pretty sure I can. I think I remembered seeing a spell that can undo personality swaps."
"Well where is it?!" Fluttershy frantically demanded!
Starlight flashed a nervous smile. "I... don't know exactly. I'm sure it's somewhere in the castle library though. Might take me a while to find it."
Pinkie Pie then proclaimed. "Um, I suppose now would be a bad time to mention I have some parties I need to plan today? Plus, the Cakes will need me back at Sugarcube Corner to help with baking and waiting on customers."
And Fluttershy added. "And I've got my animal friends waiting for me back at Sweet Feather Sanctuary! Oh, but if I go back to them like this I'm gonna freak them out and I won't be able to do my job right!"
The unicorn mare gulped upon hearing such statements. "That might be a problem. I don't know how long it'll take me to find a counter spell. And if it fails I might have to wait for Twilight to come back before it can be undone."
Fluttershy gasped anew at the news! "So we could be stuck like this FOREVER?!" She then blinked. "Why did I say it like that? Is this what it's like to be Pinkie Pie?"
Pinkie replied. "Well, that's part of what I used to do but I'm sure you'll get used to it eventually," Then she commented. "But um, I guess we can't really do our jobs while we're like this. Now that I feel more like my baby sister I don't know if I'll do well with parties or crowds."
Suddenly, Fluttershy seemed to get an idea! "Wait! I know! Why don't we swap jobs, just for today? I'll do your work and you'll do my work, Pinkie. Since we have each other's personalities we should do the jobs that match them."
The once party throwing pink earth pony pondered the proposal. "That sounds like it could work. I already have all the files in my party planning cave, and you have your list of chores at the sanctuary," Then she asked Fluttershy. "You think I'll be able to talk to animals like you used to do?"
"If I can do what you used to do, I don't see why you couldn't talk to animals now," Fluttershy replied with a nod. "I'm sure if you explain everything they'll understand. I just hope the Cakes will be the same for me."
"I'm sure they will be," Pinkie Pie nodded back. "So I guess we have a deal. This might actually be kind of... fun, I guess."
The pegasus mare smiled. "It can't be worse than the time Twilight accidentally swapped our cutie marks. At least this time our personalities will match what we're trying to do," When Starlight Glimmer shot a confused look at her friend, Fluttershy added. "Long story."
Starlight simply shrugged her hooves. "Well, if you're both sure you can manage each others' job I guess I'll start looking for that counter spell. Who knows? Maybe it'll wear off by itself? Wouldn't get my hopes up but you never know."
Pinkie and Fluttershy didn't reply. They just departed from the library and set off to do each other's jobs, confident they could manage despite their swapped personalities. However, they hadn't gotten far when Fluttershy suddenly cried out! "Wait!" She proceeded to move her hooves through her mane and Pinkie's mane, styling them so that Fluttershy's mane and tail now poofed up into a set of curls like Pinkie's. And at the same time Pinkie's mane and tail were now styled into bangs that hid her eyes and covered her cutie mark to an extent. "Figured we should look the part for our new roles." Fluttershy explained.
"Oh, okay." Pinkie nodded before she and Fluttershy went their separate ways.
It wasn't that long of a jog from Twilight's castle to Sugarcube Corner, and with her newfound interest in bouncing and skipping along Fluttershy found the distance to be even shorter than it normally was for her. "I can see why Pinkie likes to move around like this. It's just as much fun as flying." She thought to herself as she soon approached the front door of the bakery. And what luck, the door was open and customers had already started lining up for the morning rush.
Mrs. Cake was behind the counter when Fluttershy strolled (bounced was probably the better term) right on in with that poofy, curly mane and tail. Yet her cutie mark was still the same set of three pink butterflies. The plump baker blinked and rolled her eyes. No, she wasn't seeing things. Fluttershy was standing right in front of her looking just like Pinkie Pie. Was this some kind of prank?
"Hiya, Mrs. Cake!" Fluttershy greeted in a voice far more cheerful and energetic than she normally spoke.
"Fluttershy, is that really you?" Mrs. Cake blinked anew. "What happened to you? And where's Pinkie Pie? Is everything alright?"
Fluttershy gave a goofy giggle as she explained. "Oh, no need to worry your pretty little head, Mrs. Cake. Pinkie and I just had our personalities swapped accidentally. So we decided we'd do each other's jobs today."
"So that means Pinkie Pie's doing your work?" Mrs. Cake inquired, still trying to process the information.
The formerly shy pegasus nodded, giggling anew. "Yesarooni. Now come on, enough chit chat! Those customers aren't gonna feed themselves you know! I mean, if they did we'd all be out of a job."
The plump baker reluctantly agreed. "Well, alright, if you're sure about this. But don't be afraid to ask Carrot Cake or I for help if you need it," And then she added. "Oh, and don't forget about the parties Pinkie was supposed to plan today. The entrance is right under your hooves."
Fluttershy raised a hoof up in salute. "Got it! I'll take care of the customers until things quiet down, and then I'll head down into the party cave for some serious party planning," She immediately bounced over to the counter and stood behind it, tapping the bell. "Alrighty then! Who's next, please? And what can I get for you today?"
Pinkie Pie was relieved to finally make it to Fluttershy's cottage and head around back to the entrance to Sweet Feather Sanctuary. "Funny, it never seemed to take so long when I bounced over here all the time." She thought to herself. But at least she'd made it, that was what was important. And since she hadn't been bouncing the earth pony had been able to take in sights and sounds she never would've noticed before.
Upon arriving at the sanctuary, Pinkie was briefly surprised to see Dr. Fauna already there. "Oh, Dr. Fauna. What a nice surprise. I didn't know you were visiting today."
Ponyville's premiere vet just blinked and stared at Pinkie Pie, particularly her state of appearance. "I could be saying the same thing to you, Pinkie. Fluttershy's supposed to be here, not you. Is something wrong? Is Fluttershy sick or something?"
"No, not at all," Pinkie protested. "We just sort of swapped personalities by accident and decided that because of that we'd do each others jobs today. I'm pretty sure I can still talk to animals."
Dr. Fauna remained a bit skeptical. "You're absolutely sure that's a good idea? If Fluttershy needs help I'm more than happy to oblige, you don't have to do everything she does."
Pinkie would hear nothing of it, waving a hoof in protest. "Come on, have a little faith in me. I haven't even started doing the job yet," Then she commented aloud. "Now where is that list of chores?" It didn't take her long to spot it. "Ah-ha, there it is!" She trotted slowly over to a wooden post where the list was pinned.
Reluctantly, Dr. Fauna decided to say nothing further on the matter. "Well, if you ever change your mind just give a holler and I'll come running. Make sure to read over the list very carefully," And she warned. "And make sure to watch what you feed the animals, some of them have very special diets."
The formerly party planning pony wasn't deterred even the slightest by that statement. She just had her blue eyes scan the list from top to bottom, then bottom to top and then top to bottom once again just to be sure she hadn't misread or skipped over anything. She hadn't. "Okie dokie," She said to herself. "First I need to check and make sure Muriel the baby elephant is okay."
At first everything seemed to be going well for Fluttershy at Sugarcube Corner. It was easy keeping up with the customers' demands while having a smile on her face. Though she didn't know them as well as Pinkie Pie might have known them, she still managed to keep them happy or at least content.
Every now and then the pegasus mare ducked into the kitchen to make sure everything was okay on that end, and if necessary she would retrieve whatever baked goods needed to be brought out and/or packaged.
Yet once Fluttershy had a chance to visit the anything but secret party planning cave, she found herself starting to grow a little bit nervous. Everything looked so samey down here. There was little to no indication of what filing cabinet was for who or what kind of system of sorting was in use.
Even opening the cabinets one by one didn't offer clues about whose party was supposed to be when. And once Fluttershy did find the ones that had to get done, she found all the details to be overwhelming! "Oh my!" She exclaimed as she recognized just how many party supplies would have to be assembled on short notice just for a colt's birthday party this afternoon.
The pegasus with a coat of butter yellow swallowed hard as she started to struggle not to panic. "It's okay, Fluttershy! You can do this! Pinkie Pie makes it look so easy, and now you have her personality! How hard can it be?!" She thought to herself as she started racking her brain. "Pinkie mentioned an emergency sugar stash once. Maybe if I dip into that I'll be able to think more like her and get everything assembled?"
With that goal in mind, Fluttershy exited the party cave with the birthday party plan firmly in hoof. She immediately rushed up to Pinkie's bedroom, figuring that was as good a place as any to start looking for the "emergency" stash (assuming it existed and Fluttershy hadn't misheard the mentioning of it).
And while that was going on, Pinkie Pie was starting to run headfirst into her own problems at the sanctuary. Checking up on the animals had gone off without a hitch, but it was proving difficult to understand them and gain their trust. That made snack time a real hassle.
"No no no, Antonie!" Pinkie scolded when she saw the python wrap its coils around some treats that had been scattered on the ground. "Those aren't for you, they're for the giraffes. I already gave you your special snake treats, you can't have more."
Antonie replied by hissing and sticking out his tongue, refusing to give up his claim to the treats even as other animals were starting to growl or otherwise complain about not being fed.
"I'm trying!" Pinkie pleaded with the animals! "I know you're hungry, I am too. Oh, if I only knew how Fluttershy does her stare thing, I could totally use that to make Antonie behave," Then she got an idea. "Maybe Dr. Fauna will know what to do. You all wait here!" And she trotted away after hastily tossing several treats to the animals while doing her best to make sure each got what they needed (and weren't being misfed).
Unfortunately for Pinkie Pie, Dr. Fauna had already left the sanctuary and gone back to her office. Pinkie was desperately searching for the vet as she trotted through town.
And as luck would have it, Fluttershy was currently out and about trying to figure out from Pinkie's hoofwriting (which was quite messy) where to go for the party supplies she needed.
So it was only natural when the two friends happened to quite literally bump into each other, both looking quite frazzled as a result.
"Oh, oh my goodness!" Pinkie apologized to Fluttershy. "I'm so sorry."
Fluttershy was too nervous to giggle sincerely despite her best efforts. "I really don't apologize that often, do I?"
Pinkie Pie simply brushed off the dust while she told her pegasus friend. "Oh, am I glad to see you. Things at Sweet Feather Sanctuary are going haywire! Antonie just won't obey me or listen to a word I say, and all the other animals are getting impatient."
Fluttershy gulped. "I'm not having much better luck. I'm supposed to be back at Sugarcube Corner to help with the lunch rush, but instead I'm trying to gather supplies for a colt's birthday party that's taking place this very afternoon."
The pink coated earth pony frowned, looking down at the ground. "Oh, this was a terrible idea. Everything's going all wrong. And I don't think Starlight's even close to getting a counter spell ready."
The pegasus mare found herself agreeing even though she didn't want to. And she knew that it had been her idea to swap jobs, thinking that the swapped personalities would make things easier for the both of them. "I guess we just got so used to everything we did at our jobs that we were convinced that anypony could do them if they were just like us."
"Yeah, but we're not like us," Pinkie pointed out. "I mean, we are but we also aren't. And... oh, I'm so mad and confused I could just... kick something!" But she couldn't find anything around to kick.
"Well, I guess we're still on our own for this. We can't wait for Starlight to come and fix everything," Fluttershy concluded. "Maybe we weren't going about this the right way. Our personalities may have changed, but there are still some things we can do that haven't been taken away. I still have my stare."
Pinkie Pie nodded. "And I still have my 'Pinkie Sense'," She paused, watching her tail twitch before she moved out of the way just before a flower pot would've struck her on the head. "Huh, where did that even come from?"
The pegasus mare with a butter yellow coat shook her head. "That's not what's important right now. What is important is that we need to rethink how we're going to do things."
The formerly party planning pony seemed to get an idea. "Well, I can easily pick up the supplies for the birthday party. I know where to go to get all the best deals. And I don't need to talk with ponies much to be able to do that."
Fluttershy nodded. "So why don't you do that while I see if I can't make Antonie see sense with 'The Stare'? And then maybe with a little help from Angel Bunny, things will quiet down at the sanctuary."
Pinkie found herself unable to resist giggling. "That bunny's a little devil isn't he?"
Fluttershy seemed to smirk. "Maybe, but I think he's learned his lesson about what I have to go through every day. Besides, he owes me," She then proceeded to hoof over the list of party supplies. "Get the supplies and I'll see you at the birthday party."
"Just make sure to let the Cakes know so they can prepare," Pinkie instructed to Fluttershy. "Celestia knows they work hard enough as it is whenever I get called away for something."
Fluttershy found it strangely comforting to be back on familiar ground at the sanctuary even though her personality was still not what it normally was. She wasn't even that worried when she found everything in an uproar. The animals that hadn't been fed had started going on a rampage, some of them even chasing after animals that had already been fed.
With a whistle, the pegasus mare quickly drew the attention of all the animals. "Hey little friends," She cheerfully greeted despite knowing she wouldn't be able to talk to them like she usually did. "I know you're all upset because some of you haven't been fed yet, but this isn't any way to get your food."
The animals didn't seem interested in listening, but Fluttershy was prepared. She stomped her hoof down and flashed the familiar gaze of "The Stare" at them, immediately melting away their will to resist. "That's right, I still got it!" She thought to herself, though out loud she only said to the animals. "Now then, everyone who has not been fed please line up while I get your treats. Then, once that's been taken care of we're all going to pitch in and clean up this place," When the animals complained she just smiled. "Don't worry. I know a song that'll make the whole thing seem fun."
And while Fluttershy was taking care of business at Sweet Feather Sanctuary, Pinkie Pie felt almost like her old Pinkie self again while shopping for the party supplies. Although her mane and tail were not poofy, they were still quite useful for storage as she scrolled down the list and picked up everything she needed almost in the blink of an eye: Streamers, a pinata, party hats and party favors, colorful napkins, you name it.
Getting the supplies to the party wasn't quite as easy as it was when Pinkie just bounced to wherever she needed to be, but she still found a way to get there on time. The party was being held across town at the park. Despite the dozens of ponies that had gathered specifically for the party, Pinkie worked as quickly as she could and did her best to keep smiling while she got everything set up. In her mind she kept humming a tune to herself to distract her from the gazes that would've otherwise drawn her attention. "'Cause all I really need is a smile, smile, smile, from these happy friends of mine." She recalled the lyrics to one of her favorite songs in the back of her head.
By the time everything was set up, Pinkie almost didn't notice when she bumped into Fluttershy once again. "Oh, hi again, Fluttershy," She greeted. "Seems like it's always me doing the greeting."
Fluttershy grinned. "I guess some things don't change even with our personalities swapped," And she commented. "You know, I think I could actually get used to this if I had to. Not that I'd want that to happen."
Pinkie Pie nodded in agreement. "You said it, sister! I mean, it's interesting to get a look at what it's like to be somepony else. But if I had to do everything like I've had to do it today, I think we'd be better off if our cutie marks were switched."
Fluttershy just chuckled while wrapping a hoof around her pink coated friend. "Don't give Starlight any crazy ideas. She's already got enough as it is."
Pinkie only replied. "Well, she means well. And this spell was nowhere near as bad as that spell combination she unleashed on us before," She briefly growled and muttered under her breath. "Still mad it made me burn perfectly good cake."
Soon afterward, a very frazzled looking Starlight Glimmer came panting up to the two. Her eyes seemed to be somewhat bloodshot given the rings around them, and there were black singe marks on the edges of her mane and tail. Yet clutched within her magic was a scroll. "Well, it took a lot of time, effort and more than a few setbacks but I think I finally found the right counter spell." She informed her friends.
"You absolutely sure, Starlight?" Pinkie nervously asked as she started to retreat behind Fluttershy.
"Not one hundred percent sure, but as sure as I can be given the circumstances," Starlight explained. "It should work, provided you both hold still," And she pleaded. "Please! You don't even want to know what I had to go through to find this spell and familiarize myself with it."
Fluttershy simply questioned. "Is it gonna make us feel funny or do something else to us?"
"No, it'll just restore your personalities back to how they should be," Starlight firmly insisted as she kept trotting forward. "I'm sure you've both more or less gotten used to your 'new' personalities, but I thought you'd both be happy to have your old ones back."
Pinkie Pie trotted out from behind Fluttershy fairly slowly. "Well... my 'Pinkie Sense' hasn't flared up. I guess whatever happens can't be worse than what's already occurred."
Fluttershy then nodded. "We're ready whenever you are, Starlight."
Starlight Glimmer swallowed hard as she unfurled the scroll. "Okay. I hope this works!" She began to read over the enchantment and recite it word for word. As she did so, streams of magic slowly seeped out from her horn and towards both ponies. She shut her eyes, concentrating deeply while the words of the enchantment began to grow louder and louder.
At last, there was a flash as both Pinkie and Fluttershy were completely enveloped by a dazzling display of light!
Once Starlight opened her eyes she was rather nervous and all but biting her lip. She couldn't tell just by looking if the spell had worked or if it had failed (or worse, somehow backfired).
The answer came when Pinkie's mane and tail poofed right back up to their natural, curly state while she started bouncing up, down and all around with joy! "I'm my old Pinkie self again! Oh, it feels so good!"
Fluttershy was simply looking at herself while styling her mane and tail back to how they normally were. "It's nice to not feel so... hyper all the time. But it was an interesting experience all the same."
Pinkie Pie ceased her bouncing as she approached Fluttershy and hugged her. "Yeah, really interesting. In fact, it was kind of fun to walk a mile in your horseshoes, Fluttershy."
"I feel the same way with you, Pinkie," Fluttershy declared with a sincere smile. "I have even more appreciation for what it is you do now that I know what it is that goes on inside your head all the time. And you know, I think you might help inspire me to add a little bit more spring to my step."
"And I think you've taught me a thing or two about slowing down and stopping to smell the flowers," Pinkie Pie commented. "There's so many things I never really noticed before. But now I can totally work them into my parties."
Starlight, for her party, just breathed a much needed sigh of relief. "Oh, thank heavens. I don't know how I would've ever explained this to Twilight if she found out."
"Explain what, Starlight?" The familiar voice of Twilight commented as Twilight herself came upon the scene. "What are you doing out here with a scroll? Did I miss something while I was in Canterlot today?"