//------------------------------// // The Switch // Story: Parent Trap // by PhantomBulwark //------------------------------// “Alright,” Said Cortland wearily, laying his head back against the wall; “Run this by me again.” “It’s simple, we switch places. I teach you about my life and you teach me yours. A little fake accent on both our parts and we both get what we want. You get to meet Mother and I get to meet… er… ‘Ma’.” Cortland raised an eyebrow, “Right. You really think that this will work?” Crisp had been tossing this plan around all night. Cortland had argued against it at first but, well… He really wanted to meet his Mom. “We’re identical!” Crisp exclaimed, “We exchange clothes. I teach you to be me, you teach me to be you, and we trade places.” “And when we need to change back?” “That’s the best part. Before school starts we tell them. Then they’ll have to meet up to switch us back.” Cortland’s eyes widened and he beamed. Their parents would be in the same place, all of them together. His Ma had loved Rarity Belle so much, and she would get to see her again. “I’m on board.” The brother’s high fived and Crispin whipped out his phone and opened the photo app. They spent the next few weeks of camp comparing notes on their families. Cortland picked up his brother’s Manehatten accent fairly quickly. Crispin, on the other hand, had a bit more trouble speaking like an Apple. Once they were freed from the Harmony cabin’s isolation they brought Bass Drop in to help them. “Dude.” He had proclaimed when they told him, “That is so cool.” The end of camp snuck up on them. Two straight weeks of practice to sound, look, and act like one another was a test of their acting abilities. Bass Drop had served as a sounding board and pointed out the flaws that neither brother noticed. “I think we might actually pull this off.” Cortland muttered, “Mother shan’t even be able to tell.” “And I reckon Ma’ won’t notice either,” Crisp drawled. “One problem dudes,” Bass Drop interrupted. They turned to face him as one. “And what, pray tell, is the issue?” Cortland asked in his best haughty tone. “My guy, you have your hair in a mohawk, Crisp doesn’t.” Crisp’s head snapped left to look, as if he hadn’t already known this. “Ma’s… uh… big on self-expression?” “Are you kidding me? How are we going to fix that?” Bass Drop looked at Crisp as if he had declared the sky to be green. “You cut your hair. Duh.” “Absolutely NOT.” Crispin looked at the portable clippers in Bass’s hand as if they had killed his first born. When they were brought to his head Cortland had to grip his shoulders tightly to hold him still. “I hate you both.” He declared as he ran his hand through his significantly shorter purple locks. The curls kept the shape of the hawk nicely but he mourned the loss of his longer tresses. “What will you be telling Mother when she sees the state of your hair?” “I’ll just say that camp inspired me to be freer and I wanted a more rugged look to match.” “I absolutely abhor that that will likely work.” When the limo pulled up Cortland felt the first inkling of panic, what if his mother didn’t like him? What if she knew right away he was an imposter? What if he asked her about his Mom like he intended to and she told him something awful? The driver glared at him, “Are you quite ready sir?” “Oh, um yes sorry.” As he disembarked his plane he was greeted by a familiar face (although she thought he was Crispin). “Aunt Sunset!” He yanked her into a fierce hug. “It’s so lovely to see you.” “It’s good to see you too Crisp. My goodness, Camp Everfree must have been good for you, you’re strong. And are you a little taller?” Cortland laughed awkwardly; Crisp was just a little shorter than his brother. “Perhaps I’ve had a growth spurt.” “Well at any rate, let’s get a move on. Your Mom is very excited to see you.” The moment the door swung open Rarity was upon him with a cry of “Oh my Baby! It’s so good to have you home.” A massive banner hung in the foyer reading: “Welcome Home Crispin”. “It’s really good to see you too Mother.” He whispered, inhaling the scent of coffee, vanilla, and flowers from her perfume. He hastily wiped a tear from his cheek. “Oh darling did you miss me that much?” “I-I really did.” He sniffed, “It’s really good to be, um, back.” He failed to see the slight crease in Sunset’s brow as she watched them interact. Crispin wasn’t sure what he expected from a farm but Sweet Apple Acres was all that Cortland had said and more. The trees were blooming beautifully; rows upon rows of them in every direction. And as the old truck trundled up the gravel drive he got his first glimpse of the farm house. He had pictured it a bit run down and smaller. As it was the home was a decent size and painted a vibrant red. Planters of well-kept flowers hung around the porch where a well-loved rocking chair held the woman he knew to be Granny Smith. “Happy to be home?” Big Mac asked softly as he pulled into the garage. He had been quiet for most of the drive, which Crispin appreciated. He was nervous enough as it was. “Yeah,” He mimicked his brother as best he could, “I ain’t never been so happy to see this place in my life.” And he meant it, his heart felt as though it would bust. Somewhere between nerves and utter elation, he trotted toward the porch. The front door swung open before he could make it and a blonde woman with emerald eyes so like his own bolted out . He was pulled into a full body embrace; so unlike his Mother’s light hugs was it that he startled a bit. “It’s nice to see you too Ma.” He smiled and buried his face in her shoulder, the scent of sweat, dirt and fresh apples clung to her. She was exactly as he had imagined based on the single current photo Cortland had shown him. “I’m so glad to have you home sugarcube, we missed you so much around here.”