//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 // Story: Changing Lanes // by AutoPony //------------------------------// “Twily, you wanna hand me a flat blade screwdriver?” “A what?” Twilight looks up from one of your books she is reading. “Second drawer from the top, yellow handle, end of it is wedge-shaped," you say, pointing to your toolbox on the picnic table. Twilight rummages through some of your various tools with her magic, still not quite sure what you are requesting. “Oh, here," she says, smiling triumphantly as she hands you the tool. It’s just you and Twilight spending time this afternoon, tinkering on the Superbird. Rainbow Dash was busy with weather duty the next two days, and Luna was no doubt sleeping after a night of royal duties. A few days have passed since you finally cracked Luna’s shell and got her to tell you what bothered her so much about her past. She had been a lot happier the past couple days, though maybe that was because of the good laugh she had gotten later that night when you had fallen asleep. Saran wrap on the living room doorway, that will get your attention when you have to get up and take a piss in the wee hours of the morning. At least she didn’t saran wrap the toilet. “What are you doing anyways, Anon?” Twilight asks. She leans over the passenger side fender opposite you get a view. “Tuning the carburetor, the engine feels like it bogs when I get on the throttle lately," you tell her, waiting for the next question. You enjoy her curiosity, but she does ask a LOT of questions. “What does the ‘carburetor’ do?” “It meters the fuel and air mixture so when it goes into the combustion chambers, it burns properly. Too much or too little fuel compared to air, and the car will respond sluggish or run like shit,” you tell her. Twilight seems to ponder your answer for a moment. "So how many of these particular cars are left in your world?” You wipe your hands off with a rag as you stand up straight, taking care not to hit your head on the hood. “I don’t really know, not many. Plymouth only made about 1,920 of them, I guarantee less than half survive.” Twilight is quick to follow up your answer with another question. “What was with the odd number of production? Seems to me they could have rounded it off at 2,000,” she says. “Plymouth only needed to build the equivalent of half their dealerships at that time, of which they had 3,840. They wanted to take the car racing, and that's what the rules at the time required for eligibility,” you respond. Surprisingly, Twilight is not instantly following up with another question. While you enjoy answering her inquiries, you change the subject for now. “So Luna’s been in a lot better mood lately, huh?” Twilight nods her head in response, smiling. “Yes, Luna told me she wished she hadn’t hidden her past from you for so long," Twilight tells you. "She felt a huge weight lift off of her.” While you're glad to hear that, you still wonder why Luna is so drawn to you. “I can imagine. But why is she so interested in me? Sure, I’m some weird ass freak from another world, but she doesn’t ask me about every minute detail about my world till the sun goes down like you do.” Twi rolls her eyes at your playful jab. “I don’t really know, Anon. She just really likes your company, I guess," Twilight says, before pointing a hoof to your car. "She likes watching you race this thing, too.” That was quite obvious to you, too. Every day Luna came over, she hoped to see you out on the little road course you had set up out behind your home. It was a crude setup, being hard-packed dirt, but sufficient, and at least you weren’t endangering ponies by being a speed demon on public pathways. “Yeah, what is with that?" you ask Twilight. "I asked Rainbow, and she said Luna never showed much interest in any form of racing till I popped up here. Apparently, she’d show up at Wonderbolt Derbies from time to time, but didn’t seem to enjoy it, more there as a guest of honor.” Twilight shrugs. “I just don’t know, Anon. Luna has been around for a long time and has seen and experienced a lot of things in two millennia. Something just piqued her interest, I guess. Does it bother you she enjoys being around you?” You quickly shake your head at Twilight's question. “No, she’s a lot of fun, I like hanging out with her just as much as I do with you and Dash. It’s just odd to me. Still feels like she isn’t being open with me, hiding something, but I don’t know why.” “Even me being part of royalty now, I don’t know even a quarter of the things Luna and Celestia have been through. There’s a lot of history there, both good and bad. You‘ve seen the worst," Twilight says, referring to the sequence Luna showed you. “Yeah, that was pretty trippy. Would have been nice to have a warning I was going to be thrown into a movie.” Twilight just laughs. “You wanted movie night, Luna obliged you,” she says. Twilight left not long afterward that afternoon to spend time with her other friends, while you spent much of the early afternoon running laps around the track. The carburetor tuning definitely helped throttle response, especially out of slower turns and going from a stop. Eventually, you pull the old girl into the garage, and head inside for a nap. Now, a tickling sensation on your nose slowly brings you out of sleep. Opening your eyes in frustration, you can help but yelp at what greets your sight in the dark room. Smoky tendrils darker than even the blackest of nights begin to seep into the room from underneath the closed door and gather in the center. Slowly, they take a familiar form, a sinister laugh echoing through the room. “The Queen of the Night has returned! And this time, we will not be defeated!” The form of Nightmare Moon becomes whole as she strides toward you, turquoise eyes and ethereal, starry mane piercing the dark. Panicking, you scan your room, looking for a way past this fiend and out the only door out. Your stomach churns as you see no way past, Nightmare revealing her pearly white fangs. You close your eyes just as she leaps towards you, fangs aiming for your neck. But instead of pain, the sound of laughter fills the room. You open your eyes again as the lights overhead flip on, revealing Luna standing before your bed, giggling. “……really Luna? Dammit, you about made me piss myself!” you yell, fumbling with the sheets as you rise out of bed. Luna's giggling only gets louder as she speaks. “Our apologies, but the opportunity was too good for us - we mean, me, to pass up," she says, slowly getting a grip on her composure. "What are you doing asleep this early, anyway?” Lately, Luna has been trying to update her speech to the present, frequently correcting herself. You haven't said anything about it, for fear of making her uneasy. “I was tired, I worked on the Superbird most of the day and thrashed her a bit on the test track," you tell her as you shuffle out of the room. The rest of the house is not much brighter, as dusk has settled over Equestria. “You did not wait for me to arrive before testing?" Luna asks, pouting. "It looks like it’s still really nice outside, I can still get out the ‘bird and go for a night cruise if you want to tag along.” Her face lights up in response. “Absolutely! Our - my, night is free, no open court or royal functions to attend.” It was a rare occurrence, but the princesses occasionally found themselves with a day free of duties. “Gimme a sec, and I’ll be right out.” You throw on a pair of shoes and grab your keys, before heading out the door. Luna is just outside, pacing impatiently. "Is everything all right Luna?" you ask her, confused by her sudden change in mood. "Yes, I am. We just... I have a rather odd suggestion to make, and I am not sure how to ask," she says. Unsure what could be so bothersome to ask, you heave up the garage door, stepping inside. "Well, how about I get the car out in the meantime, and give you a little more time to think." Pulling open the driver's door, you duck inside, closing the heavy door behind you with a solid thump. Twisting the key in the ignition, the engine roars to life, filling your ears with the sound of its throaty rumble as you back out of the garage. Once you're clear of the garage bay, you swing the steering wheel clockwise before coming to a stop and shutting off the engine. Climbing out, Luna stands nearby, looking more sure of herself. "We thank you for your patience with us, Anonymous," she says. "You're my friend, Luna. I got plenty of time for you," you tell Luna, causing her to blush a bit. "Yes, well, the movie that you showed us a couple of nights ago, it has given me an idea. Specifically, how the car in the movie is possessed," she says, in a matter-of-fact tone. "Wait, so you want to possess that?" you ask cautiously, pointing to your car. Luna shakes her head, laughing. You relax a bit, feeling a bit silly at the assumption you made. "Of course not, Anon. No, we want to possess you," she says. You raise your brow, perplexed by her idea. "You want to possess me?" Made nervous by you concerned tone, Luna begins to talk faster. "It would not be a permanent thing, Anonymous. And it would be painless, you would still have consciousness," Luna rapidly spits out. You put your hands up, trying to get her to slow down. While this whole conversation is bizarre, you don't want to rile her up any more than you have to this point. "Just relax, Luna, I only asked because it surprised me. But I would like to know, what is the point of this idea?" She strides over to your car, looking in through the driver's side window. "It looks like you have so much fun driving this, we - er I, would like to try. But of course, the controls are not exactly tailored to our own body," Luna says, motioning to her hooves. While you think over what she has said, Luna looks you in the eyes, her own turquoise eyes pleading with you to say yes. You can't resist that look. "If you think you can pull it off safely, I'm in, Luna." You find yourself on the ground as Luna rushes at you, tackling you to the ground as she hugs you. "I - uh, you're welcome. What do I need to do?" you ask her, as she rises off you. Her horn begins to glow as she summons her magic. "You need not do anything but sit right there," she says. As her spell is cast, you suddenly feel very tired, before everything dims to black. Your head throbs as you slowly wake up, unsure what happened. "Luna, what did you do?" Your fatigue vanishes instantly upon hearing your voice. Why the hell do you sound like a girl? Or more specifically, Luna? Looking down at yourself only causes your heart to race, as your voice matches the rest of you. At this point, your brain is in full-on panic mode, scanning the area. "Luna?!" "I... I may have made a mistake, Anon." You hear the sound of what would normally be your own voice, as you turn to see your human body standing in front of you, hanging its head low in embarrassment. You can't help but continue looking over yourself, experimentally spreading your wings while you decide if this is reality or a dream. The movements of your ethereal mane are quite distracting as well as you brush it aside with your hoof. "You may have made a mistake?" you ask, standing up on all fours. "That would be an understatement considering I'm YOU right now!" "We know, we know. I am just not sure what I did wrong while casting the spell," she says, kicking at the dirt. It surprises you how well the two of you have already adapted to movements in each other's foreign bodies. "Wait, you didn't know the spell?" you inquire, pressing for more information. "Not exactly," she says, stuffing her hands in her jean pockets. "I just found the spell in a book earlier this evening." Already angry at the situation, her answer tips you past the boiling point as you raise your voice. "Obviously you screwed something up! Great work there!" Luna flinches at every word. "I'm sorry, I guess if there is one thing I'm good at, it is screwing up," she says, turning away and shuffling to the direction of your home. Regret sinks in at your outburst. This is a stressful situation for the both of you, this isn't the time for throwing blame. "Luna, I'm sorry," you tell her softly. She says nothing as she reaches the front door to your home, opening it and closing it without a word. You sigh, unsure of what to do at this point. Do you follow her in? Technically, it's your house, even if you are in the wrong body. Or another, more nerve-wracking thought: if this can't be fixed, you have to head back to the castle at some point, don't you? "Princess Luna!" A voice calls out from above, breaking you out of your thoughts. Twilight Sparkle lands, stumbling just a bit before making her way to you on hoof. Your mind races, considering whether to tell her the truth or play it cool. "Hi Twiliy," you mumble. Instantly you cringe, already failing at playing it cool with a nickname Luna would never use. Twilight takes notice of what you said, as she eyes you with uncertainty. "Uh, are feeling alright, Luna?" she asks. You clear your throat awkwardly. "Yes, I've just been..... spending too much time with Anonymous, it seems." Flashing her a nervous smile doesn't seem to settle Twilight down at all as she continues to prod. "Where is Anonymous?" she asks, scanning the general area with her eyes. "It's not like him to leave his car outside." "He, uh... he went inside for a few moments. He said he would be back out shortly, so I did not follow him inside," you tell her. "Wow, I have to say your concentrated effort in speech is going well, Luna. You're using the correct pronouns flawlessly," Twilight says with a big smile. Part of you wonders if that smile is because she's figured you out. "It's been difficult, but I'm getting there. Thank you, Twilight." "I just have one other question, Luna," Twilight says, as she narrows her eyes. "How many of those Superbirds were originally made?" "One thousand, nine hundred twe- dammit." You stomp your hoof in frustration, ashamed you took the bait. Twilight gasps, rapidly doing circles around you as if she is looking for something on your being. "Anon? Why are you Princess Luna?!" Worried she is being too loud, you motion with your front hooves for her to quiet down, meticulously maintaining balance on your hind legs. "Luna got a brilliant idea to try out a new spell tonight. Obviously, it didn't work out too well," you say in despair, posing. "But where are you? I mean, Luna.... inside you. Your body, I mean." Twilight fumbles through her question. You sense your ears droop in response, betraying your shame before you even respond. "I lost my temper. She's inside the house," you say. "Why didn't you follow her?" Twilight asks, confused at the situation. "I figured I did enough damage. And, it's my house, but it's not, at the same time. I don't know, this is confusing," you tell Twilight, holding your head. Twilight places a hoof on your shoulder. "Just relax, let's go in and talk to her," she says. You nod, letting Twilight lead you to the door, before she stops, using her magic to twist the doorknob. She grunts as she tries twisting harder, but the door will not open. "Awesome, she locked the door. And I left my keys in my pocket, so she has those, too," you sigh, unsure of what to do now. "Just teleport us in. You have Luna's magic, after all," Twilight says, pointing to your horn. "But how? And why can't you? You have magic, too." Twilight shakes her head. "I don't know your home as you do, I can't visualize where to place us. But that's all you need to do, focus and visualize," she says, offering a smile as a boost of confidence. Still skeptical, you oblige her, closing your eyes and focusing. You visualize being in your living room on the sofa, with Twilight next to you. "So, when am I going to know it has worked?" you ask. "Open your eyes and tell me, Anon," Twilight says. As you do so, you are shocked to find yourself on your old couch. Twilight sits next to you, beaming with pride. "How the hell did I do that?" you ask. "I'm not sure, but I think whatever the spell was that Luna cast only switched your consciousness around, not necessarily your skills and abilities," she says. "I wasn't sure if it was going to work myself, but it was worth a shot." "I think there have already been too many chances taken with magic tonight, let's not do it again," you reply. "Luna, please open up," you call through the door. Your home isn't exactly big, but you took your time scanning the house for her, not wanting Luna to run away again. "No, leave us alone!" You hear her voice come out rather hoarse, telling you she's likely been crying. "I didn't mean what I said, Luna. Open up and we can talk about this." Her voice is closer as she speaks again, likely right beside the door. "What do we have to talk about? I screwed up." "That doesn't mean I don't still love you." Beside you, Twilight turns, looking at you funny. "You love her?" she whispers. You hadn't even realized what you had said, but you have no time to think as the door quietly opens. "You... love us?" Luna asks. "Well, I yeah, I love you and the time we spend together." You try to diminish the significance of your words, while not destroying the progress you've made thus far. Before you can react, Luna reaches down with what were previously your arms, wrapping you in a tight hug. "We love you too!" It wasn't a lie, you love spending time with her. But what possessed you to say that? Eventually, she releases you, smiling brightly as you contemplate your predicament. "So, does anyone have an idea of how we're going to fix this?" you ask, hoping for some good news. "Well, what was the spell supposed to do?" Twilight asks. "It was to allow me to see and feel what Anonymous sees," Luna chimes in. "To experience his car from the driver's seat." Twilight scratches her head before responding. "So how were you going to reverse the spell if you were inside his head without magic?" You watch your body's shoulders slump at the question. Twilight sighs. "Well, I guess I'm going to have to do some reading in Canterlot. Hopefully one of the books in their massive archives will have something to undo this that I can cast," Twilight says. "But until then, you two are going to have to act your roles." You groan in response.