A Hopping Problem

by billymorph

Applejack

Dash lay, belly pressed against a cloud as she stared down at the familiar pink and purple barn. The occasional flick of her wings kept the bundle of fluff descending slowly towards the farm; it was a tough trick to pull off, only the most experienced and awesome pegasi could keep a cloud together all the way to the ground but no one ever saw it coming. Sweet Apple Acres looked rather normal that afternoon, Big Mac was working in the outer orchards, Granny Smith was sleeping on the porch and of Apple Bloom there was no sign.

A purplish flash from the barn caught Rainbow Dash’s eye. Moments later Applejack stuck her head out the door, glanced around, straightened her hat and trotted into the yard.

“Hmm, very suspicious,” Dash muttered to herself.

Below her Applejack sighed, wiping her brow. Rainbow Dash considered that to be her cue, bounced herself up off the cloud, flicked her wings and hurled herself through it. A moment later she had her wings flared and landed hard next to Applejack.

“Hey AJ!” she yelled.

AJ lept in surprise, all four hooves kicking wildly. “Rainbow Dash what are you-” she exclaimed, without the faintest hint of an accent. “Ah mean, what in the blazes do you think you’re doing?” she corrected, hastily dropping into her country drawl.

“Oh, just performing a little experiment,” Rainbow assured her. “Right, now I think you needed my help with some applebucking.”

“I- ah did?”

“Yep, so pick a tree and get bucking,” Rainbow said, pushing her towards the orchard.

“But, but, but, but,” Applejack tried to protest.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “Hey, time’s a wasting Applejack. Just pick a tree.” They reached one of the outlying apple trees, laden with heavy red fruit. “This one’s a good place to start.”

Applejack looked up at the tree and quailed backwards. “I- I- I-” she stammered.

“Well?” Rainbow Dash asked, expectantly.

“It’s... not the right kind of tree?” AJ suggested, a nervous smile breaking across her face.

“Just buck the tree!” Rainbow Dash lifted off and retreated to a safe distance. “Come on! While we’re young.”

Applejack took a few deep, steadying breaths as she eyed up the tree and Rainbow Dash tried to stifle her giggles.

“Hah Rainbow Dash,” Apple Bloom called suddenly, trotting over to stand by the pegasus. “Ah didn’t realise you’d be visiting today.” She glanced over at AJ who was still psyching herself up and said happily. “And my sister’s home early.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Eh, Jury is still out on that one.”

Applejack finished her warm up and, in a flurry of movement spun round and lashed out at the treetrunk with both hooves. There was an earsplitting crack as she struck and the tree didn’t move in the slightest; instead the impact seemed to reverberate back down Applejack’s legs, sending her crashing to the ground in an untidy heap. Her hat floated down after her, landing lopsided on her rump.

In a solemn tone Apple Bloom pronounced. “Whoever that is, it ain't mah sister.”

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I think it’s Twilight.”

“No way!” Apple Bloom squinted at ‘Applejack’ as she picked herself off of the ground, groaning. “No horn, no wings, not Princess Twilight.”

“I think I can settle this. Hey! Twilight!”

“What?” Applejack snapped, fixing Rainbow Dash with an angry glare. Then realisation struck and she facehooved. “Argh. How long have you-”

She was interrupted by two blurs, white and orange that raced towards her yelling at the top of their lungs. “Cutie Mark Crusaders Changeling Catchers Go!” ‘Applejack’ had just enough time to rear before the fillies slammed into her, bearing her to the ground in a cloud of dust.

Apple Bloom and Rainbow Dash rushed over, only to find ‘Applejack’ lying on the floor with her hooves over her eyes and the fillies bouncing on her back.

“Did you see us Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo gushed. “We captured the sister stealing changeling!”

“That’s great kid, but that isn’t a changeling,” Rainbow replied with a sigh. “That is Twilight.”
“Twilight?” they exclaimed.

“Yes, Twilight,” the orange earth pony snapped. “Now can you please get off me?”

The fillies leapt away as if she’d just become red hot and hid behind Rainbow Dash. “Sorry miss Twilight,” they chorused, peaking out past Dash’s tail.

“It’s okay girls, I’ll live,” Twilight said as Rainbow Dash pulled her to her hooves. “Urgh. Could this day get any worse?”

It was the strangest thing seeing Applejack acting like Twilight. It was the stance that seemed to sell it more than anything; though Rainbow Dash would have admitted that the radical change in accent rather gave it away. Applejack was always solid, every little was considered to bring to bear the maximum amount of force to a problem. Twilight stood higher on the same hooves, a refined canterlot stance but flighty, flexing wing muscles that didn’t connect to anything real. It was bizarre.

“Why are you pretending to be my sis? Apple Bloom demanded suddenly.

“And my sister!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“And I’m pretty upset too!” Scootaloo added. The other Cutie Mark Crusaders glared at her. “What?”

“I’m pretending to be every pony because... Well, because...” Twilight began, then swallowed, a nervous smile.

“Because?” Rainbow Dash pressed, eyes narrowing.

Twilight took a deep breath. “Because I discovered an astral projection spell last night and I wasn’t going to cast it because I didn’t get much chance to practice but Fluttershy really wanted to find out what it was like to be a bunny, but something went wrong and everyone’s minds have somewhere and I don’t know where and I haven’t been able to find out because I’ve been chasing after you all day trying to stop you finding out I messed up another spell.”

Rainbow Dash cocked her head at the panting pony. “I thought we agreed no untested spells after the whole, cutie mark shuffling incident.”

“That didn’t end too badly,” Twilight admitting, glancing nervously around.

“I almost got eaten alive by bunnies and Rarity was two minutes from being run out of town on a rail,” Dash snapped, scowling at the memory. “It couldn’t have been much worse.”

“You lost my sister’s mind?” Apple Bloom demanded, cutting to the heart of the matter.

Twilight rubbed a foreleg, looking guilty. “I’m working on it. Her body is more or less fine.”

“That’s not the bit Ah’m worried about,” Apple Bloom shot back.

“You’re right, you’re right.” Twilight shook her head. “I’ve got to fix things.”

“Correction,” Rainbow Dash cut in, swooping over and wrapping a wing around the orange pony. “We’ve got to fix things.”

She smiled. “Thanks Dashie.”

“Hey, someone’s got to stop you hurting yourself with books.”

Twilight’s smile soured.

“We can help,” Sweetie Belle insisted, all three crusaders stepping up and putting on their best grins.

“Well, hurry to the library then,” Twilight told them, pushing them along. “I’ll zap Rainbow Dash and I over and meet you there.”

“Cutie Mark Crusader Sister Saviours!” The fillies raced away.

Twilight watched them go. “Sweet kids,” she sighed, “Right. Come on, I left my body in the barn.” She set off at an ungainly gallop, Rainbow Dash flying at her shoulder.

“Now that’s phrase I didn’t expect to hear today.”

“Well I didn’t expect to say it,” Twilight shot back. The pair burst into the barn and skidded into one of the stalls where Twilight’s body seemed to sleep.

The alicorn guised as an earth pony stared down at her body for a moment, then shook her head. “This is not getting any less weird.” She lay down her borrowed body before her real one, lay it’s head on the hay and then there was the faintest whisper of magic. Twilight the alicorn sat up, blinking. “Now, let’s fix this mess.”

There was a flash of purple light and then the stall was empty.