//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Apples and Pie // Story: Making A Switch // by Its a Birdy //------------------------------// I walked through Canterlot's upper-class shopping district on my way to the castle of the two sisters. Nobody even batted an eyelash towards me, then again, why would any of these ponies find me interesting? I wore a ragged looking hooded cloak covering my head and back. I was nothing but a street urchin to these ponies, worth less than the dirt on their hooves. As I left the shopping district, I came to the entrance of Canterlot Castle. On this side of the great white wall was a large clearing surrounded by two very large and elegant gardens. Each side was identical, sharing everything the other had to offer. In the middle of this clearing, standing directly in front of the gates was a large fountain, built with white stone and a gold trimming. A statue of our princess stood high, rearing back on her hind legs as if ready to raise the sun. I realized I had one problem. How was I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, supposed to get inside? I took a deep breath and walked up to the enormous gates. Almost immediately, two pegasus guards flew down and landed in front of me. “Halt!” I tipped my head back allowing my hood to fall back, “I request to speak with Princess Celestia.” “No pony may speak with her right now, she is in a conference with Princess Luna and Princess Twilight Sparkle.” The other guard shot him a dirty look. Princess Twilight Sparkle?! When the hell did she become a princess?! I took a deep breath, trying to keep my cool. “Could I please speak with Princess Celestia after her meeting? It's urgent.” “Sure it is. Just what's so urgent?” one of the guards asked sarcastically. Not willing to budge on his decision. “Look, if I were to tell you about it, then I could talk to any other pony, but I must speak with the Princess!” Both guards dropped their spears into offensive positions, “Listen here, unicorn, no pony speaks that way to us. Now I suggest you leave before we have to take you into custody.” I rolled my eyes and began to conjure a spell before stomping on a smoke bomb. It exploded into a blue cloud which matched my fur color and effectively blinded the two guards. As the smoke thickened, I activated my spell and teleported to the opposite side of the gates. I glanced back and saw the two guards begin searching the surrounding areas. One glanced back and spotted me, his eyes narrowed as the fur on his back bristled in anger. A trumpet was blown and guards began to appear from everywhere, so I ran. I turned and ran towards the doors which lead to the castle. Throwing smoke bombs left and right, I raced through the doors and down an enormous hallway. The floor was centered by a long red carpet and boarded by pillars of pearl white stone at the end of the hall was another set of doors which I could only assume lead to the throne room. Guards flooded the hall behind me, trying to catch up to me, the unicorn guards fired magical blasts at me but most of them missed. One blast had caught the edge of my tail, leaving the tip of it blackened. I threw the last two smokes I had in front of me as I ran towards them. I could hear the guards coughing as the smoke caught in their throats though I’d been through so many of the bombs that it didn’t phase me at all. Almost running straight into an earth pony guard I danced to the side, swinging my body in a full circle before landing on all four again. I ran to the door and began to push the doors open as the smoke began to clear. I cocked my head and glanced back, at least, three dozen guards had surrounded me. Two guards ran towards me, and I jumped to the side. One guard slammed into the door with enough force to push the door open enough for one small mare to squeeze through. I dashed for the crack just as another magical blast scorched the door right in front of my face. My assumption was right, this was the throne room, but none of the princesses were anywhere to be seen. There were guards already blocking every other entrance and pegasi flying in through open windows above. “Crap,” I said quietly as the guards encircled me. Just then Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Twilight Sparkle entered the room. More guards followed, blocking the door behind them. “Trixie! What are you doing here?” It was Twilight Sparkle who spoke. “I came to talk to Princess Celestia,” I said, already knowing my fate. Here I come damp dungeon walls. Princess Celestia nodded to her guards, all of them back away from me. “Trixie, why have you come back?” “Back? Back from where?” Twilight asked curiously. “She was a student of mine, much like you were. However, due to some personal issues, she decided to leave the School for Gifted Unicorns. Don't you remember, Twilight? She was a classmate of yours for a short time.” “I don't remember,” was all Twilight had said. Now Celestia's attention was focused on me. “Trixie. Why have you come back?” “Celestia, I know I was wrong to leave the school. I came here today to see if you would accept me back as your student.” My heart pounded as I spoke, I already knew the answer was no, but a small part of me, a small part of my heart, hoped that maybe, just maybe, Celestia would be forgiving. “You abandoned your position that day. The day you ran and never returned. Do you really expect me to accept you back just like that?” asked Celestia, her voice echoing around the room. “I didn't think so. However, I can see that you've risked a lot trying to get here, just to speak with me.” My eyes met hers and she smiled. “Twilight, a moment please?” The two Princesses stepped out of the room leaving me, Luna and two dozen guards standing in silence. “Guards, please return to your posts,” said Luna. The guards hesitated for a moment before they started to file out of the room. Eventually leaving only the guards who were posted there. Luna gave them her attention. “Please leave.” After the remaining guards were gone, Luna took a seat next to her sister's throne. Celestia and Twilight entered the room and stood in front of me. “Well?” I asked. Celestia smiled, “We have spoken about it, but no, I will not take you back as a student. Yet.” “Yet?” I questioned. “Yet,” Celestia repeated. Twilight stepped forward. “You may want to just listen carefully.” “Don't tell Trixie what she should do,” I sneered at the purple alicorn. “Just listen, Trixie. We could just kick you out of here and let the guards know to arrest you if you come near this castle again. There is no reason we should be helping you in the first-” “Twilight,” Celestia interrupted. “Please, calm down.” I took a deep breath to calm the old anger that rose from the bitter relationship between her and I. Looking away from Twilight, I focused my attention on my former mentor. “Trixie, Twilight and I have spoken. I am willing to teach you again, but only after you've proven yourself worthy of such an honor.” My ears pricked and my back straightened. I hadn’t expected to even be considered. “Please, what must I do?” “You must trade spots with Princess Twilight for a single twenty-four hour period. Within this time, you must convince her and her friends of your situation and learn what friendship is to you. They must also vouch for your return to my school.” Her jaw practically hit the floor, “What?! You’ve confused me. How am I supposed to convince Twilight’s friends that I’m not Twilight? They’ll think I’m- she’s- we’re crazy!” “Relax, Trixie. After we do this transformation spell we’ll be going to Ponyville. I want to keep documents of this experiment,” Twilight said in a smooth voice. “Besides, I’ll be in the library whenever you need me.” I didn’t know what to say, much less how to feel about all this. “Celestia do I re-” “You need to learn what friendship is, what it can do and means to you. Twilight will be there to help. However if you try to step out of line during the time you are in her body, I will reverse the spell immediately.” Celestia's voice was firm, even though she held a smile on her face. I see, they just want to toy with Trixie. They want me to believe that they actually want to help me. I’ll play their game, for now. “Fine, Trixie accepts this offer.” “Do you plan to actually try and make friends with them, or are you just going to try and ruin my reputation and abuse my magic?” said Twilight with a certain edge to her voice. “I promise I won’t abuse your magic, Twilight,” I said solemnly. “Good. Now stand next to each other,” Celestia ordered. I watched Twilight as she walked over to stand next to me. She had definitely grown since the last time I had seen her. She stood only a couple more inches taller than me, her horn seemed like it had come to a bit sharper of a point. Looking over the mare a little closer, I noticed something I hadn’t caught earlier. She had wings! Before I knew it, Celestia’s magic surrounded the two of us. My vision started to blur to the point that I could only see colors moving around. I laid my ears back in a futile attempt to block out the deafening ring that surrounded me. Darkness enclosed the menagerie of color, threatening to engulf them entirely. Then the colors began rearranged themselves and fighting the darkness before the world came back into full view. I clenched my eyes closed immediately and rubbed my temple with one hoof. When I opened my eyes I noticed that my vision was sharper and that I was starving. I shook my head. “Augh… that was…” I paused realizing that it wasn’t my voice I was speaking with. I looked up at Celestia then to my left, Twilight was no longer there. I looked to my right and saw my body standing there shaking her head, trying to get a grip on reality. She watched as her body rose a hoof to its forehead. Eventually, her eyes opened and she looked up at Celestia, “I…” she paused with the same recognition that it wasn’t her voice; it was mine that she spoke with. “Twilight, this is going to be so weird…” I said laying down on the floor. Just then I felt something spring out from my sides. I cocked my head and glanced back, my new bangs brushing awkwardly across my forehead. I have wings! Twilight, who was now in my body, looked over at me, “Trixie, ponies are going to be addressing you as if they are talking to me. So for small interactions you’ll have to play the part. You’re a stage performer, so you shouldn’t have much problem with it.” “This feels so weird,” I whispered. “Twilight, do you even know what food is? It feels like you haven’t eaten in days!” I stood up and stretched my legs out, trying to get a feel for Twilight’s body. I felt my wings tense up as I stretched my back My wings were sticking straight up in the air as if I was about to take off. I slowly began moving them back to my sides and held them there. The muscles felt tense and tight as if they’d been overused recently. Twilight laughed, “I hadn’t had a chance to eat today, and from the way I feel, I’m assuming you haven’t been doing so well yourself lately.” I scoffed, “Just because Trixie is homeless, travels all over Equestria, and usually sleeps on the ground doesn’t mean that Trixie doesn’t try to take care of herself. I eat whenever I can.” “I wasn’t trying to insult you, Trixie,” Twilight said, trying to find an appropriate tone. “Also, you may want to stop referring to yourself in the third-pony.” I snorted, but kept my mouth shut as I saw Celestia step forward, “You two will learn from each other in time, but I believe you both have someplace else to be.” Twilight and I shared a look. I sighed reluctantly, “I guess we should get going, shouldn’t we?” “I guess. Remember, you’re me and I’m you, so address the guards and others as you think I would. In other words, be a princess,” said Twilight with a bit of attitude in her voice. She turned and started walking towards the door before stopping. “Um Trixie, you’re going to have to lead the way, and refer to me as Trixie.” Augh! So many rules… why does it matter what the guards think, or other ponies, for that matter? I stood and walked towards the door, holding my head up high in an attempt to look the part without overdoing it. “Okay, let’s go. I’ll lead the way, but you’re going to have to let me know what I’m supposed to do. I have no idea where I’m going in this place.” “Simple, we’re going the same way you came in. From there, we’re going to need a few pegasi to fly us to Ponyville, specifically my library.” She cocked her head to the side, watching me closely. I opened the door and began walking down the hall. Two guards took positions behind me with Twilight in between them. I watched from the corner of my eye as Twilight gave each guard a glance and smile. One guard didn’t give any reaction while the other snorted in annoyance. Twilight frowned and simply followed me. As we reached the front doors of the palace, a few guards pushed the doors open and allowed us to pass through. I paused and turned to the guards who had surrounded Twilight. “You may all return to your posts,” I said, trying to find a tone in this body’s voice that didn’t ring with irritation. Twilight smiled and nodded; I could only guess that she approved of the guards dismissal. I turned to one of the guards nearby, “Please bring me a pegasus carriage, for two.” “Right away, Princess,” the guarded answer as he bowed his head. He disappeared back inside and a moment later, two pegasi guards with a large, gold-framed, gem encrusted carriage landed in front of us and bowed. I walked around it and climbed into it. Twilight followed my lead. Inside the carriage were red velvet seats with elegant gold trimming and tassels at each corner. “Where to, Princess?” one of the guards asked glancing back. I turned to Twilight, “Where are we going?” “The Golden Oak Library in Ponyville,” she answered in a hushed tone. I looked back at the guard, who rose an eyebrow. “Please take us to the Golden Oak Library in Ponyville. Thanks.” Both pegasi nodded, taking to the skies over Canterlot. I looked down at the city and the surrounding mountains. Only two visible paths led up to the cliff city, one on the southeastern side and one on the northwestern side. The city disappeared as they flew down the western face of the mountain until the castle extended outward above and behind us. “Twilight, how am I supposed to convince your friends to vouch for me? I don’t know them and all they know of Trixie is that I tried to take over Ponyville… They won’t be very accepting of me especially when they learn that I’m in your body,” I kept my voice quiet hoping not to be overheard by the pegasi. “Relax, Trixie. My friends are caring and yes, they won’t trust you right away, but you’ll find a way. Just try and be friendly. Don’t fight or try to prove yourself to them. Just be yourself, like you are now. But seriously, cut the third-pony crap,” said Twilight with a smile that just seemed hard to trust. “Trixie will continue speaking of Trixie in the third-pony whenever Trixie wants to, but I suppose I could keep it between just us.” The two of them shared a laugh as the carriage landed in front of the library. Twilight jumped out of the cart and offered me a hoof. I accepted it and stepped down. “Thank you, you may return to the castle.” I watched as the pegasi left before I turned and followed Twilight into the library. I stepped ahead of Twilight, this had actually been my first time in her home. The walls were lined with books of all shapes and sizes, There was even an owl sitting on the windowsill. I smiled at it and it hooted in return. A small dragon appeared in the doorway. “Twilight! You're back!” He came into the main room and smiled up at me, “I thought you were supposed to be in Canterlot for like a week. Why are you back so soon?” “Well, Spike,” Twilight said from behind me. “Turns out, Celestia just wanted to see how things had been going in Ponyville. We haven’t sent many letters lately.” Spike looked past me, gasped and moved closer to me, “Why is she here? Wasn’t she the one that tried taking over Ponyville?” “Yes, but I apologized for that,” I said with a smirk. The confused dragon looked from me to Twilight and back to me. “Okay, what’s going on here?” he asked after he gave up on trying to make sense of the situation. Twilight stepped forward. “Trixie wants to get back into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. However, Celestia is requiring that Trixie learns a lesson about friendship before anything can happen. So I offered a solution. She takes my body for a day and has to convince my friends of her situation. They have to vouch for her return to the school. She also needs to learn a few lessons from them. I want you to accompany Trixie, seeing as I have to stay here and do some research and document a few things as it is. I also don’t want to be seen with her in public. The fewer ponies who know of this body switch, the better.” “Ooh, well why didn’t you say so sooner?” he smiled and started towards the door. “Hey, Twilight, who would she be needing to meet first?” “I don’t know, I suggest avoiding Rarity though. When she turned Rarity’s mane swamp water green, it kind of sent her into a really bad depression afterward,” she paused with a hoof to her chin. “Well… What about that pink one? The one who can play ten instruments at once, isn’t she your friend?” I asked with my head cocked to the side. “Pinkie Pie? Well, all you did was delete her mouth, so I guess that would work. She’d also probably be the easiest of them to start off with. She’s friendly, weird, and well, would probably understand your situation easier than any other pony.” Twilight tried to use my body’s magic to levitate a group of books and all but one book fell to the ground. She grumbled and picked them up; this time, she managed to keep ahold of them. “Now if you would kindly excuse me, I’m going to do some research.” Spike opened the door, “Well, come on Twilight. Let’s go visit Pinkie Pie. She’s probably at Sugarcube Corner.” I followed Spike out the door and down a road, no pony batted an eyelash at them. Spike cocked his head, “There it is, this should be interesting.” His laughter made me feel a little uneasy, but I followed him to the front doors of the shop. As we entered, a group of younger ponies came bursting out laughing. “Oh! Sorry, Twilight!” said the yellow filly with a red mane before her and her companions skipped away. I looked up and spotted Pinkie Pie through a door just behind the counter. “Hello, may I borrow Pinkie Pie?” I asked the stallion, trying to impersonate Twilight’s usual speech. “I’m sorry, but Cup Cake is teaching her a new recipe, but you’re welcome to join them, Princess Twilight,” he said as he stepped aside, allowing the two of us into the kitchen. It still felt weird to have ponies calling me “Princess” and “Twilight”. “Hey there, Twilight!” said the pink pony who was kneading dough. Across from her was another pony, who I could only assume was Cup Cake. “Hello Mrs. Cake, may I speak with Pinkie Pie privately for a moment?” I asked politely. “Sure thing, Princess,” she answered before spinning around and washing her hooves off. She trotted out of the room while Pinkie Pie continued kneading her dough. “What’s up, Trixie?” Spike walked into the kitchen and started rummaging through cabinets, “Mr. Cake said I could borrow some pancake mix. Do you know where the Cakes keep their house mix?” “That drawer there,” said Pinkie as she pointed him in the right direction. My face must have been frozen in shock because when Pinkie looked back at me, she began to laugh. “Pinkie Pie, how did you know I’m Trixie?!” “Well it’s obviously not Twilight, just because you look like her doesn’t mean you are her. I know my friends better than any pony in all of Equestria!” Pinkie’s smile only grew. “Well, Pinkie, seeing as you already know that I’m Trixie, can you help me? Celestia switched my body with Twilight’s, and I’m supposed to befriend her friends. Apparently, you girls have to vouch for my return to the School for Gifted Unicorns… but honestly, Trixie isn’t sure where to begin.” “Silly filly, you’ve already begun! Let’s go!” Pinkie Pie ditched her work and headed for the front door, just nodding to the Cakes as she left. Spike gave up on his search or pancake mix and followed as I left the shop. “I’ll stop by later and pick it up, okay?” he asked on our way out. “Pinkie, where are we going?” “To Applejack’s farm. If you have to befriend Twilight’s friends, then the Element of Honesty is the best place to start! Right?” Pinkie Pie drags out the last word she spoke as if to emphasize her point. “I guess.” I don’t remember who she is, though… what if she simply doesn’t like me? “Don’t worry! Applejack is the nicest and most generous pony ever! Well, except for Rarity, you know, the white unicorn with the purple mane you turned green on your first visit here? Yeah… I have a feeling Rarity won’t be too happy to see you after that one, but magical frostings was that funny!” she said with a snort-filled giggle. “I mean you turned Rarity’s hair green! It was the funniest thing I ever saw if I done did seen something funnier I’d have remembered it being funnier than that, but nothing beats that! Well except for this one time when this guy called Cheese Sandwich came to town and-” “I kind of wish I could delete your mouth again,” I mumbled under my breath, effectively earning an elbow to the side from Spike. My ears dropped back and I looked at him, he just stared at me with an eyebrow raised. I looked at Pinkie who had actually stopped talking but was instead humming a happy tune. We walked in silence for a bit longer before the surrounding town faded, giving way to an apple orchard. We turned off the dirt path and continued down another road. Above the road’s entrance was a sign that read Sweet Apple Acres. It didn’t take us long to reach the red barn which stood in the center of a large clearing. “There she is! Applejack! Can you come here?” Pinkie shouted as loud as she could at the orange pony who was kicking a tree. A barrels’ worth of apples fell from the tree and landed in the buckets underneath.​The mare turned and trotted towards us afterward. “Why howdy, Twilight, Pinkie Pie! What brings the two of you out here?” She smiled generously as she turned towards the farm house. “C’mon, let’s get somethin’ ta drink!” They followed Applejack into the farmhouse and took seats around the kitchen table. Applejack disappeared around a corner for only a brief moment before reappearing with four bottles of her own premium apple cider. “From mah personal collection,” she said, taking her seat and passing the bottles out to each of them. “Thanks, Applejack!” said Spike. While Pinkie just popped the top off it and began chugging it, I took a small sip first to see how it would taste. Enjoying what I held in my hooves, I took a sizable drink, then my hunger hit me again. “Does she ever eat!? Augh…” I said aloud without thinking. “Whatchu mean, Twi?” she asked with her head cocked and a little twitch of an ear. “Oh, uhh…” I stammered, unsure of how she would respond. Spike simply shrugged at me and Pinkie Pie giggled. “What’s wrong, Twilight?” She asked again, with her eyes squinted a bit. “Nothing, I just haven’t eaten yet today. Though I was going to eat once I got back to the library.” Pinkie Pie burped, “Hey, Applejack! Do you remember Trixie?” “That unicorn with the ego of a timberwolf? Darn right ah do,” she said before taking a drink of her cider. “Hey!” I said without thinking. I slapped a hoof over my mouth, but it was too late. Applejack was already looking at me, distrust brewing in her bright green eyes. “Alright, Twi, what’s wrong with you? You’re jumpier than a rabbit in a herd of cows.” I sighed, accepting defeat, “I’m sorry, Applejack. I really am.” “Sorry for what, sugarcube?” She sat her drink down. Her eyes felt like they were digging into my very soul. I looked at Pinkie Pie, who had grabbed my almost full bottle of cider and started drinking it. When she noticed that I had spotted her, she smiled wide with a nervous laugh, placing the empty bottle back where she had grabbed it from. “Pinkie! That’s just rude,” Applejack said as she shook her head. “What? Your cider is the best cider ever! You can’t blame me for loving it more than all other ponies combined…” she wore a pout on her lips and big, wet puppy dog eyes as if begging for more. “Fine, just for you, Pinkie Pie,” she said before turning towards me again. “Twilight, would you like another bottle?” “I’ll take one!” said Spike, en­thu­si­as­ti­cally. “Gotta agree with Pinkie. Your cider is the best!” Applejack blushed a little, finally letting a bit of flattery through. I smiled, “Yes, please. I’d like some.” “Alright, ah’ll be back in a jiffy,” she said as she stood and left the room. “Thanks, Pinkie. I really had no idea what to tell her,” I confessed. “Trixie never had to deal with this kind of pressure before. Trixie’s not really sure how to tell someone something like this. I’m scared that her reaction won’t be to my liking. But I have to do this, if I don’t I’ll be an outcast forever.” “Trixie, you’re being silly again. Just be yourself. Well, okay, be a little better than yourself,” said Pinkie with a wide grin. Just then, Applejack returned with three more bottles and passed them out. I opened mine and took a drink. “Applejack, I have something to tell you.” “What’s up, Twi?” “That’s just it. I’m not Twilight Sparkle. I’m Trixie Lulamoon in Twilight’s body.” Applejack’s face twisted into confusion before an anger took control of her expression. “You’ve been lying to me since you got here?! How did you take Twilight’s body? Where’s the real Twilight? Are you just some sorta illusion? Why have ya been runnin’ around acting like Twi? Is this some sorta sick game to take control of more than just Ponyville? Why else would somepony like you want an alicorn body!? To boost your own power no doubt!” Applejack had gotten out of her seat and was walking around the table, “Ya better give me some answer or ah’ma show you just how an apple tree feels when ah buck it!” I almost fell out of my seat as Applejacks’ nose met mine, her eyes were burning with accusations, but the silence in the room drag on. Pinkie Pie chuckled lightly, which took Applejacks’ attention. “Applejack, Trixie didn’t do anything wrong. Just listen,” said Pinkie, her grin hadn’t faltered in the slightest. Applejack turned back to me and snorted in distrust, “Fine. ah’ll listen to whach’ya gotta say, but ah want you off my farm immediately.” Applejack stepped away from me, but Spike stood and walked over to stand next to me. "Twilight and I have switched bodies for twenty-four hours. In this time, Celestia orders that I make amends with Twilights’ closest friends and to learn a lesson about friendship. She also requires that all six of you vouch for me before I can return to the School for Gifted Unicorns. I’m tired of being an outcast, unwanted no matter where I go. I want to change and I need your help to make that happen and, well, I’m sorry for…” my voice cracked towards the end of the little speech, making it hard to continue. Instead of trying to finish the apology, I dropped my gaze to the floor, stood, and left the house, Pinkie Pie didn’t get up, but Spike followed me out. I didn’t bother looking to see what Applejack’s expression was, or what Pinkie Pie was doing. Though from the sounds of it, she was drinking the three new bottles of cider. “Spike, let’s go back to the library for now, I need to talk to Twilight and lie down for a bit. I’m exhausted,” I said quietly, still looking at the ground. Spike caught up to me and lightly touched my shoulder. “Trixie, don’t worry about it. Applejack will come around, you’ll see.” “Trixie doubts it.” I said, looking at him from the corner of my eye. His green eyes were full honesty. “Trust me. She’ll come around.” “You think?” “What I think is that you need to get some rest, you’ve still got three ponies to talk to.” he smiled, running his claws through my coat in a comforting manner.