The silence pounded in Twilight's ears as she groaned, leaning on her side to stop the discomfort. Everything was fine, until she found herself releasing a sharp cry as her body tumbling downward, protesting as it slammed against the sturdy oak.
The mare grumbled as she stood on wobbling hooves, but then paused as she realized an important realization;
She had the rememberance of passing out on the ground, on top of her apple friend. Twilight then snapped to attention, scanning her unconscious friends with worry. No one seemed to be awake. Then who could have moved her body onto...
She unhooked her gaze and followed upward the angle she had fallen. Her eyebrows rose in surprise.
Tuffs of cyan pegasus feathers flittered down by her hooves, falling down to Twilight from the light breeze coming through the shot window. Twilight hummed, placing a hoof along her chin; she was going to have to get it fixed soon enough. The mare took a slight step back, then cringed as she tripped over an at the moment undefinable friend's unconscious body.
She dipped her head to mutter an apology, only to mutter an 'ouch' as her muzzle connected with a sturdy horn. She suddenly froze,
Eyeing a very familiar violet horn.
Twilight cried out as she shot back, hooves skidding along the floor as her eyes remained trained on herself. Luckily, it seemed the other her was out like the others, soft breaths cascading from her mouth.
Twilight's eyes narrowed, only one conclusion coming clear. "Changeling." She growled, channeling her magic to fire a sharp blast of her signature magic, but only to freeze herself as a substance brushed against her backside. Her head snapped back, and the mare's pupils shrank.
The cyan wings went rigid as well, following the commands in Twilight's mind. The mare's eye twitched...
Before the pegasus let out an ear-piercing shriek.
Rainbow Dash jolted away as the sound raked her ears, and she turned to the noise, ready to rant on how she was trying to keep her energy.
But it faltered as she saw what appeared to be her pegasus body screeched madly, eyes tightly shut, as if trying to block out the world. Rainbow didn't even think before she screamed as well, fear gripping her body like a blizzard.
While the two mares tried to shake their terror, Pinkie awoke in a groggy daze, slipping up and ignoring her friends as she stumbled into the nearby kitchen. She didn't take a care as her new horn lit up in a light glow, cascading the mug in a sky blue grip as the faucet came to life.
"What in tarnation?!" Applejack shouted as came to life as well, jumping up as she tried to focus her vision. "What's going on?"
Her breath became caught in her throat as Rainbow charged to her, gripping her friend's shoulders tightly in fear. "I don't know!" She replied, then unlocked, trying to escape to he rown calming world.
Applejack then suddenly noticed how the mare who had just spoken to her was her normally delightful friend. She stepped forward, only to trip over her abnormaly long mane. She spat out the hair, then started her own cries as she realized it was a light pink.
Pinkie then came trotting back out, setting her backside down on the wood stairs as she watched the scene unfold in a oddly quiet silence. She took a dainty sip from her mug as Rarity stumbling awake in a way such as the others, promptly fainting once again as the uncanny screaming caused her mind to run hot.
Rainbow was the only one who seemed content on not moving from her feeble position. "N-No wings." She murmured. "No...wings." Her pupils trembled at the realization. She glanced upward and locked eyes with Twilight, who eyed her carefully, shrieks dying out as her throat became tight.
The earth pony watched her old wings just the same. I need to fly. She mouthed, lower lip trembling as she curling back inward.
Twilight blinked. Never before had she seen her brash friend in such a state. With a deep breath to calm her rampaging nerves, she slammed her more durable hooves down, causing her friend's panic to cease in an instant.
"Calm down, everypony." Twilight breathed, then looked up to find what appeared to be Rarity watching her curiously.
The new pegasus then had to cover her ears at the girlish squeal. "Twilight?" Rarity was now by her side, twisting her face in her direction with her white hooves. "Is that you, silly?" Said mare was unnerved when the unicorn let out a abdominally large smile.
Something belonging to a certain pink pony she knew.
Twilight said "Pinkie?" As she pushed herself back out, wings tucked tightly by her sides. "Is that you?"
"O-Of course!" The new unicorn giggled, falling to hide her discomfort about the unwelcome silence that had appeared. Twilight tapped her chin in thought, then turned to the shell of Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie?"
"Rainbow." The earth pony responded nonchalantly, hiding her own fear quite expertly. With a simple twist of the hoof who gestured back to Twilight. "Me?"
Twilight shook her head, glad the scene appeared to have calmed. "Twilight." She confirmed. Her actual unicorn body squeaked as eyes were directed on her, and struck a hoof toward a butter-yellow pegasus.
"Ah," Twilight nodded in understanding. "Fluttershy."
"Actually, sugarcube," Twilight hummed as she tilted her head to the pegasus. "Ah'm Applejack." She explained, reaching for her hat only to frown as she found it gone. She swiftly whipped by Rarity, the mare humphing as the Stetson was pulled off her mane.
She shook her head, ripping out the cheery red ribbons and grasping her new blonde hairs as she attempted to keep them straight. "I'm going to need the brush again Twilight, dearest."
"Ah-hah!" All heads were turned to Rainbow Dash, who had her hoof shot in the air. "Rarity, am I right?"
The cowgirl nodded. "Well of course, darling. Wasn't it obvious?"
"Very."
They paused their miniscule conversation as Twilight waved her hoof to grab their attention. "Girls, please. Now, are we all calm?" She grinned at the confirming nods form her friends. "Great. So, anypony know what had happened."
Rainbow gave her a deapan expression. "Twi, we've quite literally changed bodies. How would anyone of us know what is going on?" She inquired, leaning closer to see if her friend had a real answer for her response.
She frowned as Twilight shrugged nonchalantly. "Honestly?" She sighed, eyes glazing over. "I have absolutely no idea."
"Um, Twilight?" Said pegasus squinted. Fluttershy appeared to have woken up earlier when their screams had come to an end, and was now holding the gift that Twilight recognized was from her mentor, inspecting the magical item as if she was a professional scientist. "Does this have anything to do with our problem?"
She squeaked as the sphere gleamed a blood red, and she scampered away as the object slammed on the wood. Twilight was cautious as she approached, gingerly grabbing the new seemingly dead gift.
She shook her head solemnly. "I don't think we'll be able for fix this problem for a while." Her brain suddenly sparked toa fight from earlier. "So who starts out?"
The seconds passed in tranquility.
Rainbow cocked her head. "Excuse me?" She questioned, hooves unconsciously beginning to pace as she moved. The others followrd, but their movements have to an abrupt halt as soon as they began.
"You heard me; we said that we could do each other's jobs better. Now's the time to test our statements in reality."
The last words spoken terrified them; was she really serious?
Twilight swiveled to the group, her smirk confident. "Alright, who wants to go first?" she challenged.
The mares just stared at her for a few moments...then Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack immediately took a step back.
"Rainbow, that's so brave of you!" Twilight cheered, clapping her hooves together in glee.
The pink mare blinked in a realization before peering back over her shoulder to find the distance the other four had made between her. "You have got to be kidding me." she groaned, dropping her gaze as her entire body sagged with disappointment.
"You'll be fine." Twilight assured as she placed her hooves on Rainbow's back and started her journey to the door. "It's only a day o-"
"A day!" Rainbow cried in alarm, tumbling back over Twilight and onto the wooden ground. Pinkie chuckled as Rainbow collected her thoughts. "Yes," Twilight confirmed as she trotted back. "And you volunteered, so you're going."
Rainbow felt her eyes twitch at the thought of the role she had to play. She planted her hooves on the floor and gave Twilight an eerie expression.
"Twi, I never agreed."
"Well there's a first time for everyone." Twilight countered as she now hoisted the stubborn mare on her back. Rarity gave a squeal of joy as she trailed behind. "This will be so. Exciting!" she gushed.
Rainbow switched to a frown. Rarity copied the expression as she placed a hoof to her chin in thought. "If you're going to be Pinkie, dear, you need to smile more."
Twilight paused in mid-step. Rainbow flopped back once again to the floor as her real body tipped back. Her pegasus body then began to stare directly at her. Rainbow glared back. "Stop staring at me. I'm not your science junk." she growled.
"Ooh!" the mares jumped at Pinkie's yell. "I have an idea!" the white unicorn clarified as she reached a hoof into Rainbow's mane. "Hey!" Rainbow whined, swatting the hoof back out. But Pinkie continued to smile as she held up a small cut price of paper, painted to resemble a large grin.
"There!" she slapped the paper onto Rainbow's muzzle, the earth pony grumbling as she failed to get a tight hold.
Twilight just watched, confused. "How does that stay put?" she ventured.
Pinkie raced to the side of Rainbow's body. "Invisible string." she concluded. A soft boing resonated when she pulled back what appeared to be nothing. Pinkie giggled. "Boing!" She mimicked the noise, taking the wire back once more.
Boing.
Pinkie laughed this time. "That's right, that's right! Boing!" Her eyes crossed as she tilted her head, now speaking in cinque with the sound.
"Pinkie." Twilight deadpanned. The white mare ignored her friend and continued to laugh as she jerked the string continuously. "Pinkie." Twilight forced through gritted teeth, and Pinkie turned as she let the string slap into Rainbow's cheek.
"Ow."
Applejack shook her head as her mind calculated the picture. "Ah guess it could work." she tried. "Ah mean, if Rainbow never really stared directly at anypony."
"Mhlieme me, I mom't." Rainbow snapped, voice muffled by the paper.
"We're going to need to fix that." Twilight told Pinkie, gesturing to the lack of holes in the paper mâché. "On it." Pinkie poked into her body's mane for the second time, and Rainbow decided not to fight, but instead repeatedly poke her friend's hoof as a sign.
"Alright, alright." Pinkie slowly laid the hoof down as she grasped a pair of scissors in her front hooves, looking closely relative to a mad mare as she loomed in. Rainbow gulped, sweat beading on her forehead as she crammed her eyes shut.
She whimpered as she snaps were heard. "Done!" Pinkie swiftly stuffed the tool back into Rainbow's mane as she opened her eyelids.
"I wasn't scared." She barked. Twilight rolled her eyes as Rarity groaned. "Darling, I'm already beginning to regret letting her speak." Twilight nodded in agreement.
Pinkie grinned, teeth glinting in the evening light that shone from the windows. "Now, if you wanna be Ms. Pie, you must act like her." She struck a pose, holding her hoof out delicately. She shrugged as Rainbow remained unamused.
"Now, do your Pinkie voice, Dashie!"
"No." Rainbow shot back. Twilight stomped her hoof. "Do it." She commanded. "No!" Rainbow whined like a filly.
Pinkie eyes watered as her lip trembled. "Pleeeeeease?" she asked in her cutest voice possible. Rainbow shielded her eyes from the scene. "No..." Her voice died out. Uh, with the face and the eyes and the voic-
"Alright I'll do it!"
Pinkie squealed in delight, sitting on her hunches as she watched intently, eyes sparkling. Rainbow grimaced as she remembered the last time she had tried a voice this high.
"Don't laugh." she warned the group, all nodding silently as they waited in a patient anticipation. Rainbow cleared her throat, placing a hoof up to her neck.
"Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie! What's your name?"
Applejack burst into an uncontrollable laughter, gripping her sides as she crumpled to the floor. Twilight followed, gasping for air as Rainbow snarled at them both. "Ah'm sorry, Rainbow. Ah really am-" Applejack apologetic words dissolved into minuscule sniggers.
"Applejack, that's not very nice." Fluttershy scolded, through nopony noticed the hint of a smile that played across her lips.
"That's...a good start." Pinkie said as the ridiculing laughter fizzed out. "But your gonna need to make your voice just the teensiest bit higher, 'k?"
Rainbow reared. "Higher?" her voice cracked. Pinkie nodded. Rainbow's ears lowered to her skull as she scrapped her hoof against the floor. "Can't we do this...another time?" she mustered.
"Oh alright." Twilight complied, and Rainbow sighed with content. "But you're gonna have to practice somewhere else, your day starts in the morning." Twilight finished, getting a sputtering squawk from the not-so party pony.