//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Alicorn Switcheroo // by Fuzzyfurvert //------------------------------// Alicorn Switcheroo   Early morning Sunlight warmed the shingles of Sugar Cube Corner and every building, tree and cobblestone in Ponyville.  A thin curl of smoke wafted from the bakery’s chimney into the pale blue sky carrying the scent of fresh baked goods.  It was early enough that most of the ponies were still blinking sleep out of their eyes and yawning while even the birds chirped tiredly.  It was early enough that the mail had not yet arrived by Pegasus carrier.   Rainbow Dash wasn’t scheduled to clear the sky of the small clouds that were soaking up the moisture of the pre-dawn mists for a half dozen more hours.  Carousel Boutique wouldn’t be open for business for three more hours.  Fluttershy’s Animal Care wouldn’t be accepting patients for almost another forty five minutes.  The Ponyville Library wouldn’t be open until the Sun was approaching its noontime high.  The only ponies that were out and about, moving around with any amount of urgency this early hour were the Apple family out on Sweet Apple Acres. Most of Ponyville handled their own coffee and breakfast, but that never stopped the breakfast rush at Sugar Cube Corner from being the busiest time of day.  To be ready, the Cakes and their live-in employee had to be up pretty early in the morning.  Mr. Cake was already in the kitchen kneading a huge batch of dough that would soon be used for a variety of pastries and pies, bread, doughnuts and of course, cakes.  He worked the rolling pin back and forth with his forehooves, spreading the dough across the table and making sure it was even and free of air pockets.  He paused to wipe his brow and leaned his head over to take a sip of the steaming coffee in his mug. Carrot glanced up, but kept his lips in the dark roast as Pinkie Pie bounced past the order window in a giggling, jiggling pink blur.  She was in the front lobby, taking down chairs and arranging the tables and displays.  Afterwards, she was supposed to come help him with the final baking and then help his wife Cuppy with the cake decorations. He could hear her humming to herself as she worked swiftly.  He wished he could remember ever having that kind of energy when he was younger.  Carrot took a swallow of his coffee, and lifted his head so he could watch Pinkie.  She always managed to remind him of Cuppy from before they got married, and he found his eyes drifting toward her ample flank and adorable cutie mark.  Pinkie wasn’t paying him any attention at the moment; engrossed in her duties of getting the shop ready for the general public.  She bent down to place a folding display sign for their newest menu items and turned to adjust it, giving him an unobstructed view of her sweetest, pinkest spot. Pinkie giggled to herself as she adjusted the display.  It was the last one she had to set out, and then she could get to the fun stuff back in the kitchen.  Mrs. Cake normally handled the lobby set-up, but she was upstairs this morning, feeding and taking care of little Pound and Pumpkin Cake.  The lobby looked super ready, so Pinkie gave the sign a slight tweak, moving it fractionally to the left with a jerk of her head. Suddenly there was a loud crash from the kitchens and Pinkie heard Mr. Cake yelp in surprise, or maybe pain, she couldn't be sure.  She left the sign where it was and bounded over the counter and then through the door to the kitchen.   “Mr.CakeareyouokIheardacrashandIcameto—“ Pinkie gasped, starring open mouthed at her employer.  Mr. Cake was sprawled on his back on the kitchen floor blinking up at her, with twin trails of blood coming from his nose. “Mr. Cake? What happened?  Why are you bleeding?  Did you slip on the dough roller again?  Why do you look flushed?”  Pinkie held out a hoof and helped the stallion back to his hooves. “I’m fine Pinkie,” Carrot reached up and wiped the blood from his nose, his eyes shifting about, “I uh… y-yeah, I slipped!  Hehehe!  Certainly wasn't looking at yo— wasn't paying attention!  Yep!  That’s me, Mr. Not-Paying-Attention-to-What-I-Should-and-Definitely-Not-Staring-at-Your-But—! “ Pinkie never found out who Mr. Cake purported to be as an explosion rumbled in the middle distance. “Is it Explosion Day and no pony told me, again?  This is going to call for a PARTEEE!!”  Pinkie Pie bounced like a ball, spinning as she did so, flashing Mr. Cake over and over again, threatening to give him another nose bleed. “Pinkie, calm down!”  Carrot reached out with a hoof and caught Pinkie on the shoulder.  “ We've already had Explosion Day this year!  Something else must have caused that!” Pinkie sighed disappointedly.  “Well, if it isn't Explosion Day, then it must mean Twilight is awake!  I bet’cha something spooked her and she went WHAMMOBOOMZAPPOW with her super unicorn powers!” Pinkie’s grin returned, “I wonder what she blew up?” “I don’t know, Pinkie.  But I think you might want to go check up on your friend.  If Twilight Sparkle and explosions of mysterious origin are how we start the day, then I think Ponyville might be in a tight spot.”  Carrot picked up his hat from where it had settled after his fall and plopped it back on his head.  “Take a croissant with you.  She likes those.  Maybe you can keep her from destroying us all—at least until about ten?  If we’re all gonna die, I’d rather do it as a somewhat more wealthy pony, and apocalypse or not, every pony is going to want breakfast.” “Jawohl mein Kommandant!”  Pinkie gave Mr. Cake a stiff legged salute and then turned and bounded away toward the back exit, snagging a croissant as she passed the cooling racks. After he heard the back door slam shut, Carrot returned to the dough kneading, as he put his back into making up lost time and shook his head.  “I need blinders with Pinkie around like that, sheesh!”   ----------   “Ponies, ponies, ponies, ponies, ponies, ponies, ponies—SWAG!”  Pinkie sang to herself as she trotted along through the early morning toward Ponyville’s lone library.  A few other ponies had wandered out of their homes, blinking sleepy, worried eyes that widened with each ‘boom!’ that echoed.  She really wanted to check on her friend, but sleepy, worried ponies needed reassuring that everything was well in-hoof. “It’s just Twilight Sparkle!  Don’t worry!”  For some odd reason this made several of the ponies go straight back to sleep, right there on their welcome mats with their legs twitching after letting out a little squeak. When she reached the library, it hopped a little and crashed a bit off center back down into its moorings with a resounding ‘thoom!’ that made the grass vibrate.  Inside, through the window, she could see a purple-ish blur running around making a high pitched, keening wail. Pinkie Pie paused at the door and knocked firmly before just shoving it open and sauntering in, tail swaying back and forth.  “Hey Twilight!  I brought ya’ breakfast!” The purple blur swerved off course, narrowly avoiding a collision with the Earth pony, choosing instead, to end its pell-mell journey face to face with the very solid librarian’s desk.  The blur and the desk had a lively discussion where the blur asked the desk to politely not occupy that space, but having been there first, the desk demurred.  In a great show of compromise, the desk tuned onto its side, spilling its contents all over the now stilled blur, whose keening wail faltered into a pained gurgle.  Pinkie giggled at the sight.     “Sup Twi?  You sure are up running and screaming early today!  Did ya get spooked by a scary dream?  Where you frightened by a lone dog howling in the night and thought it was a portent of dark prophecy?  Again?” Twilight didn’t respond immediately, laying still on the floor and groaning.  Pinkie blinked at her, goofy smile frozen on her face.  Twilight groaned louder.  Pinkie blinked back at her.  Twilight groaned again and added a throat clearing noise to the end.  Pinkie blinked at her twice. “Wait, are we speaking in code?”  Pinkie frowned, suddenly confused and scratched her head. “No,” Twilight’s voice rose muffled from under the compromised desk, “I was attempting—and failing—at getting you to just leave.  I’m out of sorts this morning Pinkie.” “Out of sorts?  I can help you find some more!  What do ‘sorts’ look like?”  Pinkie looked around the disheveled library.  “I’ll start looking in the ‘s’ section!” Pinkie Pie was just about to bound into the mess of books when Twilight burst from under the desk.  “No!  Just no, Pinkie.  I hate to be short with you, but I am dealing with something this morning that is a little disturbing!”  Twilight’s purple aura caught the desk as it returned from the ceiling and set it up-right again while simultaneously collecting and reorganizing all the bric-brak that had been spilled off of it a moment ago.   Pinkie grinned at the librarian and merely started to snicker.  “Uh, don’t look now Twi, but you’ve got some serious early morning wingboner going on there!”  The earth pony gasped suddenly, her eyes widening.  “Or you’re really happy to see me!”