> Making A Switch
>  by Its a Birdy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: Apples and Pie
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.
> Chapter 2: Under the Lunar Light
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I felt something move my shoulder, disturbing my sleep and earning a grunt of annoyance from me. The motion persisted, so I rolled away from it with a growl.

“Trixie, wake up!” a voice shouted in my ear. It sounded like my voice, but it couldn’t have been my voice. My voice belonged to me, right?

A surreal feeling wrapped itself around my mind before I realized that it was my voice I’d just heard. A cold sweat gripped my body as I sat up with a jolt and stared at myself.

“Aaaahhh!” I fell off the opposite side of the bed and smacked the back of my head against the wall, rattling the windows.

“Trixie! Are you okay?”

Rubbing my head I stood up, “I... I think I... forgot that we switched bodies.”

“And that’s why you screamed?”

“Well yeah, It’s weird for Trixie to look at herself when she’s forgotten that she isn’t herself. It spooked me a little,” I said rubbing the back of my head. “How long was I asleep?”

“About four or five hours. That leaves us another fourteen hours with this body switch,” Twilight smiled. “Pinkie Pie and Applejack are downstairs, looking for you. They’ve already talked to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash.”

I sprang out of Twilight’s bed and shook my head. I ran across the room, and focused my magic on the brush that sat in front of the mirror, but it transformed into a squirrel and disappeared out an open window. “Oh, horsefeathers… wait, the sun’s already down?”

Twilight chuckled, “Don’t worry, I have a spare, here.” Twilight used her magic to open a drawer and levitate a brush. Using it to straighten my mane, making it look normal.

I smiled, “Thanks, Twilight.”

“It’s alright. Although I think you might want to avoid using my magic. It’s more powerful than what you’re used to.”

“Only because you’re a princess now,” I mumbled under my breath.

“What was that?”

“Oh, I… uh… I was just saying how nice it is to have you brush my mane.”

“Well technically, it’s my mane I’m brushing,” said Twilight. She smiled and sat the brush down in front of the mirror.

“Ready to go downstairs?” she asked.

“Trixie’s always ready!” I said triumphantly.

“Seriously, quit that!” she laughed, starting down the stairs.

Following Twilight down the stairs, I saw Pinkie Pie and Applejack sitting next to each other. Spike was just walking back into the room with nothing else than a stack of pancakes. I just stared at him, feeling my hunger rising again.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing, I’m just hungry. Haven’t eaten today.”

“Well, I can make you some pancakes if you want,” he offered, giving me a weary smile before looking down at his plate. “Actually, why don’t you just take these. I can make myself some more.”

“I can wait. It’s not a big deal. But thank you, Spike.”

Applejack stood and walked to the bottom of the stairs. “Hey partner, listen. Ah wanna apologize for how ah was behavin’ earlier when y’all dropped by. Ah shouldn’t've over-reacted like ah had.”

“Thanks for coming around. I really do want to change, you know?” I walked over to the table where Spike had left his pancakes. He pushed the plate in front of me before leaving for the kitchen.

“Just eat it already! Unless, do you want me to eat it for you?! Spike makes the bestest pancakes ever! Especially with the Cake’s special recipe.” Pinkie leaned in and whispered into my ear, “I helped make it!”

I leaned forward and gently used my magic to levitate the fork, I smiled to myself feeling a little proud as the fork began to glow purple. Cutting a bite-sized slice off the stack, I ate it and it tasted like heaven in a flower-filled cake of clouds! Dropping the fork and using my hooves, I quickly began stuffing my face.

When I finally straightened out and looked at the ponies around me, I felt a little embarrassed. They were all just staring at me! I shyed away from them and glanced out a nearby window. The moon was still low in the sky. The stars that dotted the night sky were so thick it felt like I was looking at a beautiful tapestry that hung gently over the world.

“Wow,” said Pinkie Pie.

“I… I’ll go clean up real quick.” I stood and slipped into the kitchen, almost bumping into Spike who had a fresh plate of pancakes. I danced to one side while he fell backwards, trying to keep his pancakes on their plate. Luckily for him, they didn’t fall. He let loose a sigh of relief and glared at me. I watched as he carefully stood and continued into the other room. I went ahead and cleaned my hooves and face off before following Spike.

Twilight turned to me as I entered, “Trixie, I’ve sent Pinkie Pie to find Fluttershy. Hopefully, Pinkie can convince her to come over.”

“Thanks, Twilight. So what are the plans? Someone fill me in. Applejack?”

“Well, Pinkie and ah went and talked to Fluttershy earlier. She didn’ know what to think, but after we explained, she understands the position you’re in and I think she’s willin’ ta help. But ya need to talk to her first.” Applejack’s ear twitched just as a knock came from the door.

“Spike, can you get the door?” asked Twilight. Spike nodded while chewing his pancakes as he swung the door open. On the other side of the door stood Rainbow Dash.

“‘Sup? She up yet?” Rainbow asked, following Spike back into the main room.

“I’m awake. So you already know?” I tried to smile as I spoke, but Rainbow’s reserved stance gave me the impression that she was still on the fence about all this craziness.

“Yeah, I know.” Rainbow looked at Twilight then back to me. “So you’re Trixie, and she’s Twilight, right?”

Twilight walked over to stand next to me and we both smiled at Rainbow. “Rainbow, I need to ask for your help. I need to learn more about friendship and I was hoping you could teach me something. Believe it or not, I have kept up with newspapers about what you all have been up to-”

“Trixie, I’m not here to help you. I’m here to see if you’re trustworthy. From what Applejack tells me, you’re just trying to get into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, but how are we supposed to know that you aren’t just acting like you want friends,” Rainbow paused for a brief moment.

“Rainbow, I think you’re-”

“Just let me finish, Twilight. How do we know you’re not just using us? How do we know you actually want to learn something?” Rainbow walked into the room and stood by Applejack.

I didn’t know how to respond, but I couldn’t blame her for the accusations. I hadn’t left the best impression on them the last time they saw me. Thankfully, Twilight answered for me, “Rainbow, I know you want answers and all, but we are on a time limit. Instead of bombarding her with questions she can’t answer, why not just roll with it and make your decision when her time is up. At least that way, she has a little bit of time to more or less prove herself.”

Rainbow Dash’s shoulders slacked and she sat down. “Okay, fine. But I’ll be keeping an eye on you and if I see anything suspicious…”

“You’ll what, Rainbow Dash?” I squeezed my eyes closed and turned away from her in an attempt to calm myself down. I could feel my wings tensing at my sides, to the point that they started to ache.

“What was that Trixie?” asked Rainbow, standing at her full height. I could feel the distrust and irritation pulsating off of her. This pony didn’t want anything to do with me.

I sighed a deep breath and looked at her, pushing all my anger and frustrations down. “Sorry. I’m just, you know, stressed out. I really do want to change, but it will take longer than this twenty-four hour period to do so. So it’s your choice if you want to help me or not. I won’t beg for your help, but I do want to ask if you’re willing to, at least, give me a chance.”

Rainbow’s whole body visibly relaxed and she floated into the air with such grace. “Hey, don’t worry about that right now.” She glanced at Twilight and smiled, “Eh Trixie, ever wanted to fly? You have wings that you probably won’t have again anytime soon.”

“Wait, what about Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy? aren’t they on their way here?” The mere idea of flight terrified me. I’ve always wished I was a pegasus, but I’m glad I was born as a unicorn, like my mother.

But what if I were to fall? If I were to fly I could easily fall… and from what heights?

“Don’t worry about ‘em. They can wait ‘til you two come back,” said Applejack.

I sighed and glanced at Twilight. The just nodded and so I followed Rainbow Dash out the door. She led us away from the library until we came to a small clearing in the middle of the park, not too far from where Twilight’s library was.

Rainbow Dash turned towards me and landed gently on the ground. “Alright, let’s start. Trixie spread your wings.”

I began stretching my wings out awkwardly.

“Good, now move them up and then down, gently. You should feel the air push you up off the ground a little.”

I did as she said, raising my wings upwards until their tips nearly touched each other before slowly bringing them back to the ground. As my wings became level with ears and eyes, I could feel my hooves lifting off the ground. But as my wings passed my knees, I felt that lift give way.

“Good, did you feel the lift? If not, try again. Though, if you missed that kind of lift, you must be completely numb.”

She not far off.

I nodded my head and relaxed my wings a little, leaving them only partially open. “So Rainbow, why the sudden urge to give me a flight lesson?”

“It’s simple. I love to fly, and you’ve never flown. Even if you’re in Twilight’s body, you’re bound to crash. As long as you don’t fall out of the sky and seriously hurt yourself, we shouldn’t have a problem. I don’t particularly like you, but I won’t let you hurt Twilight’s body.”

She laughed as I growled.

“Okay. Now that you understand how to lift yourself off the ground, I just want you to copy me.”

Rainbow’s wings smoothly extended from her sides already at an angle over her head, about even with her ears. She moved them down to her knees before pulling them into her sides and extending them back up to their starting position. “Now you try it. This is the basic flight formula. It’s the first thing a pegasus learns besides walking and talking, of course.”

I took a breath and copied her motions as closely as I could, though when I lowered my wings, I passed my knees and my wing tips touched the ground. I brought my wings to my sides before extending them back up into the air. Leaving them in this position, I glanced up at Rainbow Dash, “Like that?”

“Yeah, though you don’t want your wings extending past your knees. After they’ve passed your knees you lose speed and control. It’s like straightening a back leg when you should be pulling it forward. It slows you down and throws off your balance. Get me?”

“Yeah, so flying is like running but with wings.”

I’m actually learning something here! Who knew Rainbow Dash, of all ponies, would be a suitable flight teacher.

“Exactly. Now I want you to hover. This is probably going to take some practice, but you’re a quick learner, so just copy me.” Rainbow reproduced the form she had just shown me before repeating the motion over and over again in growing succession. After the third or fourth beat, she was floating above the ground with no more than a steady pace. I watched closed at how she held the rest of her body. She held the same stance a pony would hold if they were standing on their rear legs. Her front legs were tucked in, but not too tightly, and her rear legs were spread apart slightly. Her tail was also held out as if she were trying to keep balanced.

“Your turn.”

I copied her form by extending my wings up so they were even with my ears before bringing them down to my sides. I could feel the lift give way as my wings came to my knees, so I pulled them to my side and repeated the process again with increased speed. I glanced up at her and smiled, feeling my hooves lift off the ground for a split second before touching down again. I sped up my rotation and after the fourth beat of my wings, I began to float away from the ground. I was at eye level with Rainbow for a moment before I floated past her.

“Wait, why am I still going up!?” I asked, feeling a bit panicked.

Rainbow chuckled and flew up to me with such elegance; I couldn’t help but wish I could actually fly like her. “You just need to slow your wings to a steady pace. Just copy me.”

I slowed my wings a little and could feel myself get heavier, just enough to stop flying upwards and hover there, even with Rainbow. “Okay, I think I got it. What’s next!?” I asked, blushing a little as I noticed just how eager I sounded.

Rainbow just smiled at me, “Well, let’s fly. In order to move around while in the air, you need to angle your wings to push the air in different directions. See?”

She demonstrated her explanation by moving forward. Her wings were moving backward on each beat. I noticed that her wings were still moving at a fairly consistent speed, yet the angles she was using had changed almost completely.

“So... I just have to change the angles and hold this same speed, correct?”

“Yes, but the more angle you use-”

I flew past her too quickly, and with a squeak, I began losing altitude. Reversing my wings’ angle, I managed to slow my speed and my fall. I looked over my shoulder, “Um how do I… uh… turn around?”

“Really?” Rainbow turned and flew down to me, stopping on a bit with a smile painted on her face. “Well, Trixie, I kinda want to see you figure this one out. Since you’re so eager to learn and all.”

I grunted and looked at my wings. The air they were pushing off of was at a downward angle.

Perhaps rotating one wing forward and one wing backwards ever-so-slightly would turn me around.

I did just that. Turning one wing so air flow would move it forward while my other wing would push air flow forward and move that side backwards. My body smoothly rotated until I was facing the correct direction. I looked at Rainbow Dash with a huge grin on my face, in return, she softly chuckled in amusement.

“Now what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Let’s try flying forward again. Now, try not to angle your wings so much this time, and once you’ve gained some speed, you can slow down. You know, save energy? After you reach a decent speed, you will feel your body lose almost all its weight. You’ll feel lighter than air, meaning you can glide.” Rainbow’s expression hardened, but her eyes held a strange playfulness to them.

“Sure, let’s give it a try,” I said with an excited nod. At this point, I wasn’t even trying to hide my excitement about flying. Considering how high we were, I was surprised that I didn’t feel my usual fear of heights. I couldn’t help but feel excitement tingling in my wings and hooves. Flying was just too much fun!

I gave Rainbow an evil smirk before taking off, passing just over her shoulder and off into the distance. Glancing over my shoulder, I could see Rainbow catching up very quickly. Stretching my wings out even with my shoulders, I leaned to my right and glided at an angle into a massive collection of clouds. I came to a stop and turned back towards Rainbow before diving back out of the cloud, passing right under her as I did so.

I slowed down again and landed on a cloud. My lungs were on fire and my wings were starting to ache a little. Rainbow landed next to me. “Great job, Trixie! I’m really glad to see this from ya.”

“How come?” I asked, lying down on the cloud. It was soft and wet, yet comfortable and soothing. “I wish I were a pegasus. These clouds are so... I could sleep for years right here.”

“Yeah, clouds are comfortable. I couldn’t wish to be anything besides a pegasus. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be grounded all the time.” Rainbow Dash smiled over at me and I looked from her up to the moon. It had risen quite a bit in the time we had been flying.

How much time do I have left?

“We should head back to the library. I don’t know how much time I have left, but I imagine me and Twilight will be switching back soon,” I said as I felt my eyes starting to sting and my heart felt heavy in my chest.

“Are you crying?” the rainbow-maned mare asked me.

“No.” I rubbed my eyes against the back of my hoof. “I just… I... I’m happy for the first time in a long time, and it’s thanks to you, Twilight, and the others. For giving me this chance, for giving me wings… Even if I only have them for this short time. This... this is special.”

“Trixie…”

“Don’t worry, Trixie’s fine. I’ve always wanted to fly. I always wanted wings of my very own. I know I’ll never have them, but I can’t thank you and Twilight enough for making this happen.” I stood up with my eyes closed and my nose pointed towards the moon. I could feel the light breeze blowing through my mane and over my wings. “Come on, let's head back to the library.”

Rainbow just nodded. Her features were softer than they were before. “Well. You’re a good flier, that’s for sure.”

“Only because you’re a good teacher.”

Her face went red and she dove off the cloud, heading towards Twilight’s library. I rolled my eyes and followed Rainbow Dash. Twilight was waiting inside with Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Fluttershy. Spike was nowhere to be seen, but it was getting to be pretty late.

“Welcome back you two. How’d it go?” Twilight asked, looking specifically at Rainbow Dash.

“It went great! She learned how to fly so much faster than you did! I can tell that she’s determined, she’s definitely changed from the last time she was here.” Rainbow grinned as she noticed me blushing a little.

Twilight coughed, attracting everyone's attention. “Fluttershy, I believe you wanted to talk to Trixie when she returned, right?”

Fluttershy nodded her head, “Yes. Umm… Well, I wanted to let you know… I’m willing to help you.”

My heart jumped into my throat with joy.”Thank you for your kindness, Fluttershy. I promise that I’ll repay you for your help.”

I looked at the rest of them, but something seemed off. “Twilight? What’s wrong?”

“Well… we tried getting Rarity to come here and talk with you, but the moment she heard you were in town, she locked herself in her boutique, ranting about how she had to protect her mane.” Twilight sighed, “I don’t think we’re going to get through to her. Even Pinkie Pie couldn’t get her to come around, and that’s something.”

“Yeah, we’ve tried everything. Ah even offered her a lifetime supply of apple cider, but she said no. She ain’t wantin’ a thing to do with ya.”

“But… If I can’t even talk to Rarity, how would I ever get back into Celestia’s school? Without Rarity’s friendship, I wouldn’t be able to rejoin the school. I… I’d have to start traveling again, being homeless and having no purpose.” Warm tears rolled through the fur of my cheeks and fell from my chin. I felt two sets of hooves wrap around me. On one side was Pinkie Pie, and on the other was Applejack. Twilight quickly joined in the group hug, and finally, Rainbow joined in.

After we all separated, Twilight tilted her head and looked at me. “Even if you don’t manage to earn Rarity’s trust while in my body, it doesn’t mean you will never earn it. After we switch back, you’re welcome to stay with me here at the library.”

“Really? You would let me live here with you?”

“Of course, you can. I can help you study until you get back into the school! Oh, it’ll be so much fun having a student!”

I jumped forward and hugged her as tight as I could.

“Trixie can’t thank you enough,” I whispered into her ear.
> Chapter 3: Lasting Impressions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I recoiled as the door slammed in my face. It was true. Rarity didn’t want anything to do with me. Ever.

I sighed in defeat and opened my wings. I lifted off and headed back to Twilight’s library. The sun was up now. Apparently we only had a few hours remaining before the spell broke. Twilight had said somewhere along the lines of four hours. I felt tears rolling down my cheeks, but I didn’t care.

I landed in front of the Golden Oaks Library and pushed my way through the front door. I lowered my head and ran past Twilight, heading straight up the stairs. I dove onto Twilight’s bed and pressed her pillow against my face before rolling over onto my back. I kept the pillow against my face. I screamed once, before letting my hooves fall to my sides as I relaxed.

“Trix? Are you alright?”

Great. Why don’t you just go away!?

I sighed pushing the thought away. I lifted the pillow and looked at her. My eyes stinging as light filtered through the window. “I’ll be alright… but can I just… can I be alone until the spell breaks?”

“If you want,” she sighed and started towards the stairs. “I’m sorry Rarity isn’t willing to help, but I didn’t expect her answer to change overnight. Just give her time.”

I could hear Twilight’s hooves as she left the bedroom.

What now, Trixie? What now… You have no future, no past, no family. What are you living for?

“Hey,” a familiar voice echoed.

I lifted the corner of the pillow and looked down to see Rainbow Dash hovering in the air. I pressed the pillow hard against my face.

“Uhmmmm, Trixie? I… I was wondering… would you like to, you know, go for a fly?” Rainbow asked sheepishly.

Well, cool air would help clear my head.

“Sure… I’d like that.” I stood up, tossing the pillow aside. I followed her down the stairs, where Twilight was waiting on a teapot. Spike had gone missing, probably running his own errands.

After we passed through the door, Rainbow glanced over her shoulder and gave me a small smile before taking off into the sky. I followed her. She was waiting above the clouds for me, but as I reached the cloud she sat on, she flew to another cloud just a little further away. After four or five clouds, I could hear her laughing. Eventually, she stopped and sat on a cloud, and as I came to land next to her, she darted off to yet another cloud.

“You’re too slow!” she shouted.

I dove at the cloud she sat on, and to my relief, she didn’t dart away again. “Thank you, Rainbow.”

“No problem! Just relax and enjoy the sky.” Rainbow’s eyes were full of joy.

“You really love flying, don’t you?”

“Well, duhhh! Nothing’s better than feeling the wind blowing through your mane and the morning sun on your back,” said Rainbow as she started stretching her wings and back before dropping onto her stomach.

I laid down next to her. “Such a view! I didn’t realize Ponyville was that big, even if you’re not counting the apple orchard.”

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash was scrapping clouds into a big pile, then she rested her chin on it and just smiled up at me. “What? It’s a pillow.”

I couldn’t help but laugh a little. It was cute.

“Hey Trixie, can I ask you somethin’?”

“Sure, what’s up?” My ear twitched on its own and I just saw her smirk.

“What did you do after you left Ponyville last time? I mean, I remember you mentioned a rock farm and a bad reputation, but where’d you go?”

“Well, to be honest, that ursa minor destroyed my cart so I didn’t really have anything left to my name. I’ve pretty much been walking from town to town ever since then... I’m tired of that life, though. I just want to get back into Celestia’s school and continue my life on a different path.”

“I never pegged Rarity as one to hold a grudge, but she has good reasons for not helping you.” Rainbow closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, leading into a yawn. “I’m getting tired.”

“Rainbow, can you show me any tricks?” I sat up with a smile on my face.

“Sure, what trick? Ooo! How about a simply barrel roll?” She levitated off the cloud and stretched her legs out under her.

“That sounds like it’s easy. Do it!” I said as I moved forward and pushed her off the cloud. Peeking over the edge of the cloud I could see Rainbow spiraling towards the ground. While still rotating, she pulled up and came flying back up towards me.

“Why’d you push me!” She asked with an amusement glowing in her eyes.

“Because I can.”

“Well, you shouldn’t go around pushing ponies off clouds. Someone’s gonna get hurt.” She flew towards me, pushed me through the cloud, and dove down after me. As she came even with me as I fell, she smiled, “Open your wings and angle yourself! Just go down and out to catch yourself, like I did.”

Fear gripping my whole body, I couldn’t do anything but watch as the ground came rushing towards me. My wings stayed where they were even after I tried to open them. They just refused to work!

I looked at Rainbow and her face grew solid and serious again. She gripped me in her hooves and beat her wings as hard as she could to help slow us down. I quivered and squeezed my eyes shut, expecting to hit the ground.

Some place safe, someplace safe, someplace safe!

Twilight’s bedroom came into clear focus in my mind.

We landed on something soft and all the wind had disappeared, I could feel Rainbow laying on top of me. Her heartbeat was fast and her body was hot and sweaty. “Woah! That felt so weird!”

I opened my eyes a little to find that we were in Twilight’s bedroom. The dim light from a candle filled the room and the shutters were closed.

“What are you two doing here!?” asked Twilight, her voice dripping with irritation.

We both looked down to find that we’d landed on top of Twilight, who had been sleeping. Rainbow Dash rose into the air, softly landing beside the bed. Her laughter filled the room while I stepped off the bed. “Sorry Twilight. We didn’t mean to land on you.”

“Well, now that I’m awake, why don’t you tell me why you’re jumping on me,” Twilight asked, sitting up in the bed.

“Well… You see, I kicked a cloud out from under her so I could teach her how to catch herself if she ever falls. Well, it didn’t work out, and I tried slowing her fall, but before we hit the ground, we just kinda landed on your bed.”

Rainbow’s stomach growled and she glanced from Twilight to me. “You girls wanna go get some food? I’ll buy!”

“Nah, I have a paper to finish writing. Besides, I can’t be seen outside. I don’t want ponies to panic,” she paused and gave Rainbow a wink. “You two go have fun.”

“Sounds good!” Rainbow Dash flew down the stairs and out the front door.

I followed Rainbow out and could hear Twilight yelling, “Wait! She’s got my body!” Lucky for me, Rainbow didn’t seem to hear her.

I caught up to Rainbow Dash. “Hey, Rainbow. Where are we going?”

“I was thinking the HayBurger. They have the best hay in town!” Rainbow angled her wings and glided down, towards the city below them. Following her down, I landed next to her in front of the restaurant, letting her lead the way. We entered and claimed a table that was near a window and away from other ponies.

A waitress came to our table, she wore a weary smile. “Here are your menus. Do you know what you would like to drink?”

“Hmm, I’ll just have some cider,” said Rainbow as she opened her menu and started browsing her options.

“And for you, Princess Twilight?”

The waitress stood awkwardly for a moment, “Oh uh… water, please. No ice.”

How could I have forgotten that other ponies see Twilight!

Rainbow chuckled as the waitress walked away, “Really? Princess Twilight, drinking water? Obviously, you don’t know Twilight that well. She refuses to eat in public because she loves her food too much. Like if she and food could be married, we’d have a Prince HayBurger.”

“So she’s a sloppy eater? Well, I’m not going to be. My mother taught me proper eating etiquette when I was just a filly.” I smiled but could feel old pains pricking at my heart.

“So what happened to her?”

I just stared at her, surprised by the sudden question. I wasn’t sure if I should answer it or not. No pony had ever bothered to get to know me, even those mares and stallions I had had relationships with. They were never too curious about my past. They only ever loved my persona, The Great and Powerful Trixie.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” Rainbow faced the window and watched the clouds slowly drift across the sky over the Everfree forest.

I watched the clouds too. “No pony ever cared enough to ask, so it’s just a bit of a surprise that anypony, much less you, would show interest.”

“Well, Trixie, last I checked, you don’t have many friends. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from a certain orange filly, it’s that you shouldn’t bottle your thoughts and emotions.” Her eyes seemed to be shaking a little, but they didn’t seem to be watery.

After a moment of silence passed between us, the waiter came by and sat the drinks down. Neither of us spoke to her, so she simply walked away with a nod, giving us time to ready our orders.

“My mother died shortly after I became one of Celestia’s students and my father died a few years later from a disease. I don’t remember what it was… but after he died, I left Celestia’s school. My grades were falling and I couldn’t stand being in Canterlot anymore. I left and began to travel.”

Tears started to roll down my cheeks but I held a stern face and gave Rainbow a small smile. “I became the Great and Powerful Trixie in order to boost my own self-esteem, but you saw what that turned me into; a power-hungry show pony with nothing to live for.”

“Trixie… how are you still so strong after all that? Both my parents still happily live together up in Cloudsdale, and I’m the lead weather manager of Ponyville. I’m the fastest flier in all of Equestria and have tons of friends… I guarantee that if I lost all that… I don’t think I’d even want to be alive anymore. You’re a lot stronger than I thought you were. Even if your magic just tickles ponies.”

I don’t know why, but I could feel my face warm up. I glanced around and spotted the waitress, I waved her over and she nodded in return. After she finished helping another table, she came over. “Are you ready to order, your highness?” she asked, bowing slightly.

“Yes, we are. I’d like two hay burgers and some oat rounds please.” I waved my tail towards Rainbow.

“I’d like a salad with extra dressing and a hay burger, thanks.”

The waitress finished writing down the order before storing the pad and quill in its pouch. “Is that everything? Is there anything else I can get you?”

“That’s fine, thank you,” I said, dismissing the waitress. “Rainbow, thank you too, I’ve never had the chance to talk to some pony about this stuff… It’s easier than I thought it would be but then again, by this point, it doesn’t really hurt. I’ve always picked myself up and moved on, or, at least, tried to.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. Twilight said you can stay with her at the library for awhile and I’m sure Rarity will come around. When she does then all of us can go talk to Celestia and we’ll get you back into that magic school.” Rainbow took a sip of her cider and went back to looking out the window.

“Rainbow, I was thinking. After we’re done eating, can we go try and talk to Rarity again? I have an idea, but I want to make sure Rarity won’t help me.”

How hard could it be? To fly again.

Our food was delivered and the waitress said something, but I didn’t catch it. “Rarity probably won’t help you, but I will if I can.”

“Then I want you to be my teacher.”

“Doesn’t the spell break in like two hours?” Rainbow tilted her head and flicked her ear.

“Don’t worry about it. Anyways, this meal smells amazing!” I leaned over my plate and sniffed it. It smelled like all sorts of different seasonings went into this meal. The best part was that the plate underneath it was filled with sauces just dripping from the burgers and fried oats. I picked up one of the burgers and took a small bite, savoring the flavors. “I can’t remember the last time I had a hay burger this good!”

“Yeah, this place has some of the best food in all of Equestria!” She dug into her salad, leaving the burger for later.

A silence fell over the table as we both ate our meals. Eventually, I leaned back and held my stomach. “That… was… amazing,” I groaned pleasurably.

“Agreed.” Rainbow Dash said, standing up and dropping forty-five bits on the table. “Let’s go, we don’t have too much time to waste if you’re wanting to talk to Rarity one more time.”

“Alright, let’s go.” I stood up and followed her out the door. We took off and headed across town to the Carousel Boutique. We landed in front of the door and Rainbow knocked.

A young white filly opened the door. “Hey, Rainbow, Twilight, how ar-” Rarity burst into view and slammed the door shut.

Rarity cracked the door open, enough to look out at us. “Twilight or Trixie?” she asked.

I shied away while Rainbow stuck her hoof into the door. “Does it matter? Trixie has changed. I’d bet that if you just listen to her, you would see just how much this stupid grudge is worth!”

Rarity let the door swing open, inside was Spike and the small white filly. “Spike’s already explained the situation to me, but my answer is still no.”

“But why won’t you help?”

“She humiliated me, drove my business and reputation into the ground, and she turned my mane green! No pony messes with my mane like that.” Rarity’s eyes were focused, but they were filled with hatred. “I may be generous and willing to forgive most any pony, but every pony has a line that just shouldn’t be crossed. When my business and reputation are put on the line, at the very least, I would like to have my beautiful mane spared the humiliation of the situation.”

“Well, I am sorry for what I did to you, Rarity. I just wish you would have given me a chance to prove myself.” I bowed my head and took to the sky. Rainbow Dash followed me, leaving Spike to walk home by himself.

I could barely see through my tears, so I landed on the first cloud I came to and laid down. Rainbow laid down next to me, her side pressing against mine comfortingly. I felt her wing lay gently across my shoulders.

“When did you get so empathetic?” I asked quietly.

“Dunno, but don’t tell any pony. ‘Kuz I’ll deny it,” she said with a faint chuckle.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moisture seeping through my fur. The cold water from the cloud felt good against my belly and hooves. I felt as though I could sleep on it.

A white light filtered through my eyelids and a warm feeling burst outwards from my chest. The light grew as the warm feeling filled my body, from the tips of my ears to the end of my tail. I smiled as the light blinded me. A moment later I was gazing down at a half-written paper. A quill was laying on the table on top of it.

I shook my head. “Rainbow?”

“Spike,” Spike answered bluntly. “Twilight, are you okay? You’ve been standing there for like two minutes now and you haven’t moved.”

I glanced around to find that I was standing in at a desk in Twilight’s basement. The room was dimly lit by a candle and two oil lamps. “It’s Trixie. We must have switched back.”

I looked back to the papers and skimmed through a few of them. They are namely from her own perception of the body switch. They described how I had reacted along with her own experiences with my body. Though she was trapped indoors for the whole twenty-four hour period, she apparently put her time to good use. Using my magic, I dipped the quill into the inkwell and found a blank scroll.

I remember a strange tunnel of light and my body heating up really fast. Then a calmness took hold of my body and only a second or two after that, I had a massive headache and I was really hungry.

The first time I tried to use a simple spell with Twilight’s body, I used the same amount of magic I would have used with my own body. Her magic was so much stronger than mine would ever have been. For me to use a simple levitation spell was enough magic for her to transform a brush into a living squirrel! With fur and teeth!

The stupid rodent just nibbled on its fingers for a moment before scurrying out an open window.

Anyways. Enough about the squirrel. On to the main event! When Rainbow Dash offered to teach me how to fly. I was scared. I’ve never been off the ground, given the one or two time I’ve ridden in pegasus carriages.

I’ve always wanted to fly, but I’ve been afraid of heights. Well, it turns out that I was just afraid of the idea of heights. I’m glad Rainbow had decided to do me this glorious favor!

From the start of this body switch experience, I knew that I wanted to change. Though, I hadn’t expected to want change so badly. I’ve found what it means to have ponies to rely on and trust. I haven’t had that luxury in so long. I forgot what it was like to call someone a friend.

So I suppose I learned my lesson and a few more. Even though Rarity refuses to help me, she holds valid reasons and I can’t hate her for her choice. All I can say is thanks to Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash for all that they’ve done for me.

I glanced up from the paper to see Twilight and Rainbow Dash standing in the doorway. “Trixie, I think it’s time we’ve returned to Canterlot. I’ll send for a carriage to come get us.”

She picked up a blank scroll and jotted a few notes on it before she gave it to Spike. The dragon simply blew fire across the letter and it vanished into a green cloud of ash. “There, now can we eat?” asked Spike.

“Sure, why not. Though, I’m not feeling all too hungry,” Twilight said with a grim look across her face.

Rainbow laughed, “Yeah, I’m not very hungry either.”

I laughed along with her and followed Spike up to the kitchen. “I’m starved, again. Twilight, what is it with you and not eating!? You have food always available to you. Why do you let yourself starve like that?”

“I don’t starve myself! I get too busy to worry about eating, that’s all.” Twilight’s tail flicked and she seemed to blush a little.

Rainbow yawned, “Well, I’m going to head home for awhile. Catch some sleep or somethin’. Bye, Twilight. Talk to ya later, Trixie.”

“Bye!” Twilight and I echoed each other.

I looked at Twilight, “We’ve switched bodies twice now and both times it’s happened, I’ve ended up with a hollow pit in my stomach! I don’t see why you wouldn’t take the time to enjoy something that you need to survive… I mean… I’ve been hungry plenty of times, sometimes for days on end, but I always try to feed myself whenever I can.”

“I guess you have a point but-” her ears twitched as we heard the carriage land outside. “Guess you’ll have to wait to eat. Let’s go.” She disappeared back downstairs and shortly after, reemerged, shoving her papers into her saddlebag before running outside.

I jumped into the carriage alongside Twilight and Spike. “So how long should it take for us to get there?” I couldn’t help but ask before letting the silence of the wind deafen us.

“Well, about fifteen to twenty minutes. Not long,” answered Twilight with a matter-of-fact sort of tone to her voice.

I nodded as the pegasi lifted from the ground and turned towards Canterlot. The wind wasn’t as strong as I had expected, but it served its purpose in keeping a shroud of silence over the three of us. I simply wanted to enjoy the scenery from this height one more time.

I hope this works…

As we neared the castle, we could see Celestia and Luna waiting for us on a large balcony that looked out over Equestria. The pegasi landed and we jumped from the cart, allowing them to leave us to our business.

“Celestia! I finished all the reports and documents for the body switch spell.” Twilight’s excitement was obvious as she pulled the pile of papers out and gave them to Celestia. She then looked at Luna and gave a small bow. “Hello, Princess Luna. How are you feeling today?”

“Well, Celestia wouldn’t let me sleep all day… She’s lucky I am in a good mood.” Luna smiled and looked at me. “Trixie, it’s nice to meet you again.”

“Thank you, princess. I hope we aren’t interrupting anything.”

“Not yet,” Luna glanced at Celestia and Twilight who were going through the paperwork Twilight had.

“Have you learned anything through this experience?” asked Luna

“Actually, yes, I have. I’ve learned what it is like to have friends.”

“Trixie, come here a moment please,” Twilight interrupted.

I gave a bow for Luna before trotting over to stand next to Twilight. Celestia was reading through a paper.

“Is this your own experiences?” Celestia asked, turning the paper around.

“Yes, I wrote that. Though. I didn’t think it had gotten mixed in with the rest of Twilight’s research. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m glad to see that you’ve learned your lesson. It’s a pity that Rarity hadn’t been able to call you her friend. However, you did learn a lesson from her.”

“Yes, but I thought I had to learn a lesson from each of them and had to have them vouch for me before the twenty-four hour period ended.”

“You learned one of the hardest lessons a pony can learn. That is acceptance. To accept the faults of a pony and to be able to see the reasons behind their decisions.” Celestia smiled, “I had instructed Rarity to turn your requests down. The only other pony to know about this was Spike.”

“Wait, so does that mean I passed your test?!” I could feel my heart begin to race. I waited in anticipation, ready to spring into the air with happiness. Then I remembered flying with Rainbow Dash and the decision I had made.

“Yes,” answered Celestia.

“No…” I said, looking out over Equestria.

“What?” asked Twilight.

I looked up to see Celestia’s face form a nice, little smirk while Twilight’s jaw smacked the floor. Luna simply laughed.

“Trixie! The whole point of the body switch was to get you back into the school! How can you just say no?” asked a very surprised Twilight.

“Celestia,” I stood tall and strong, “I don’t want to be a unicorn. I want to be a pegasus. Is it possible for you to change who I am?”

“By myself no.”

“Oh…”

“But,” Celestia channeled her magic and out of a blue flash of smoke appeared Discord.

“And that’s why bunnies are my favorite creatures.” Discord was floating on a bright yellow and pink pillow holding a small tea cup and plate. His eyes were closed, smiling as he took a drink of his tea. “Another cup, please.”

“Discord.” Celestia’s voice rang out over the balcony. “We need a moment of your time. Young Trixie here has requested a very difficult transformation spell. That being from a unicorn to a pegasus.”

“Oh, so my time isn’t precious and you can just summon me away from whatever I was doing? What if I were fighting off Timberwolves in the Everfree Forest, defending a weak lost little pony of yours? What then, Celestia?”

“Don’t be so dramatic, Discord. You were drinking tea with Fluttershy. You act as if I don’t keep track of you.” Discord landed on the ground as Celestia began to speak again. “Discord, we need your help with this. Luna and I can’t remove her horn, and we’ll need your help to create her wings. We will also need to change her magic, from the magic of a unicorn to the magic of a pegasus.”

“You gave Twilight Sparkle wings and turned her into an alicorn princess. How would changing a unicorn into a pegasus be difficult for a mighty ruler like you?”

“When I transformed Twilight into an alicorn, I did so by infusing a part of my magic into her, which produced her wings. It also unlocked the potential within her to use and control alicorn magic. This is far more difficult than that.”

“Will it hurt?” I asked calmly. Either way, this was going to happen and I would enjoy every minute of it.

“I’m sorry, but this has never been done before. I can’t say if it will hurt or not,” Celestia said, speaking with an angelic voice.

“Alright, I guess I’m ready then.” I stood straight as Celestia, Discord, and Luna stood around me. Celestia and Luna both began pooling their magic, creating a circle of light under my hooves. I could hear Celestia speaking to Discord and then saw his magic pour into the circle. When it did, it began creeping up my legs, the magic felt warm against my fur as it covered my body. I could feel it creep up to the tip of my horn. Pain pulsed through my head as my horn receded into my head, I squeezed my eyes closed and bit my lip; hard enough to draw blood.

I could feel Discord’s magic lift me up off the ground and hold me in the air, allowing the sisters to pull my magic from me, taking all the warmth my body had to offer with it. An icy chill carved its way through my body and then another shock of pain exploded outwards from my back. The pain quickly dulled and was replaced with foreign feeling.

I could feel them. I had wings now. They felt numb, but I could tell that they were there.

I willed my head to move, but it wouldn’t budge. Discord’s magic gripped me harder as the royal sisters filled my body with a new magic. I welcomed the warmth that flowed in with it.

“Done,” said Celestia as all the magic surrounding me disappeared and I was left standing on the floor once more.

Pain rushed through my wings and up my back colliding with my headache. The room began to spin around as my vision blurred into an endless array of colors. It didn't take long for everything to go black for a moment as my head hit the floor.

“Get a medic in here!” I could hear Twilight shout. It sounded as though she were at the end of a very long tunnel echoing off smooth stone surfaces.

Blinking slowly, everything was a blur, I could barely make out Twilight as she ran towards me. Even though her hooves made no noise, I could hear her voice through the high pitch ringing that blared in my ear. She was bent over me now. Asking questions it seemed. I couldn't tell what she was saying so I closed my eyes again for what felt to me like only a minute or two.

Sudden warmth gripped my body and numbed it slightly though I could tell that I'd been moved. There was no light when I opened my eyes again.

I looked down at myself to find that I'd been wrapped in the folds of a beautiful black satin blanket along with multiple pillows under my head and against my sides. Probably to keep me from rolling off my stomach. Though I feel fine, why do they have me laid out like an injured pegasus?

I try to use my magic to remove the blanket but nothing moved. I've got no idea where I am, and my magic isn't working... I wiggled and could feel the top of the pillows at my sides. I shook my head and pushed my way out of the tangled pillows and blankets. I stood up on the bed and felt pain shoot through my back and shoulders.

I looked at my back. Wings? Oh yeah... I'm a Pegasus now! Giving a high pitch scream, I ran to a tall mirror on the far side of the room. "It worked! It worked, it worked, it worked!" I shouted, ignoring the pain.

Twilight opens the door, I stopped looking at myself and just stared at her. "I'm a pegasus now!" I shouted and ran across the room to hug her.

"Trixie, Calm down, I'm glad to see that you're excited, but you really need your rest. those wings are fragile and will be until they heal. You might have already damaged your nerves with all that jumping around! Nerves are-"

I let her go and calmly returned to the bed, climbing in and getting comfortable, Twilight began to fix the pillows and blanket. "How long am I stuck like this?" I questioned.

"Three days. You've already been out for four days, so your wings are mostly healed, and your forehead's healed too. It was pretty bruised and swollen where your horn used to be."

"Three days huh? Can I get some sleep medicine? I'd rather be out cold for the next three days straight, please." I smiled at her, "Oops, I mean. The Great and Powerful Trixie requires her Beauty Sleep!"

That made Twilight giggled, "Sorry, but Celestia said no more medication for you, the rest of the healing has to be natural... and I think she wants you to learn another lesson, like, writing letters to her about your experiences as a pegasus pony."

My ears shot up and I grimaced at that thought, writing... without magic? I turned to look at the door and Twilight was closing it behind her, I sighed and laid my head back on the pillows.
> Chapter 4: Chasing Rainbows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where is she?

I dove from a cloud and sped through the sky. Finally, a rainbow tail caught my eye. “Rainbow Dash?”

Her head perked up and tilted back to see who had called for her. She lifted off the cloud and flew towards me. “Trixie? That you? Wait, you have wings?”

“Yup! About a week ago, after the body switch spell broke, Celestia, Luna, and Discord managed to make me into a pegasus! Twilight and I just got back from Canterlot.”

“Really? That’s so awesome! Now I can teach you everything about being a pegasus!”

I did a little rotation to show off my new body. “What do you think?” I asked glancing at her over my shoulder. I wore a smirk that she couldn’t see.

“Lookin’ strong! Wait, what happened to your cutie mark?”

“What abou-” I glanced down at my flank, my cloak and wand cutie mark was gone! “I guess I lost it when Celestia changed my magic.”

“Well, I guess you’re a whole new mare now,” said Rainbow Dash as she smiled and landed on a nearby cloud. She cocked her head and looked at me expectantly.

I matched her grin and landed next to her. “Thank you for all your help, Rainbow.”

“I didn’t do anything special. Why thank me?”

“Because, you taught me something nobody else could teach me. You showed me what it’s like to fly. You taught me that life can go in any direction at any given point. And so when Celestia offered me a place in her school, and I turned down the offer. I remembered how it felt to be flying and somewhere deep down, I know I’ll be happier being a pegasus than I ever would have been trying to pursue whatever it was that school held for me.” Taking a moment to stretch my wings, I examined my feathers again, correcting one that was stuck out. "I knew a lot of spells, but none of them were substantial. Parlor tricks... Yeah I was a unicorn, and I am gifted, but I wasn't magically gifted lime Twilight. Feeling the magic she wields..." I recalled that brush squirrel. "I could never compare. Even Rarity has more magical talent than I ever did."

“Well, Trixie, I’m glad to have you back. It was tons of fun teaching you how to fly. So are you staying with Twilight at the library?”

“Actually, yes, but I want to find a job and actually get my own place up in Cloudsdale. I just love being in the air!” I fell backwards after I reared up in excitement. I fell off the cloud and caught myself, hiding underneath the cloud Rainbow was sitting on.

“Uh… What are you doing?”

“Ahhh!” I turned to see Rainbow’s head poking through the cloud. “I mean, uh… I was hoping to trick you into thinking I fell.”

“Yeah, not gonna work on me. I heard you catch yourself as soon as you ‘fell’ from the cloud. You’re so loud and unobservant. Don’t worry, I’ll teach you more about it later on.”

I slapped Rainbow in the nose with my tail as I landed on the cloud again. Rainbow closed the hole and laid back down. “Trixie, you know, there is a lot more to being a pegasus than just flying around and sleeping on clouds. How much do you know about our culture?”

“I know that the Pegasi of Cloudsdale, are responsible for the weather and creating rainbows for all of Equestria.” I wasn’t sure, all I could do was guess.

“Eh, close enough, We can talk to Twilight and she can teach you history and stuff. I’ll just teach you how to fly and do cool tricks, sound good?”

“Sounds good. I guess I’ll head back to Twilight’s now, I just wanted to show you my new wings.” I smiled and gave her a hoof to the shoulder.

“You like being on clouds, right? Why don’t you come stay at my place tonight? You can see it from here. That giant cloud over there, the one with the rainbows. See it?” She pointed with her nose.

“Yeah I see it. Wait, you live there!? That place is freaking huge!”

“Yeah, and I’m never home, so the place is usually empty. Oh, and if you ever bring home a pony who isn’t a pegasus, the clouds are enchanted so they’re as hard as wood. Nothing passes through them and they never break apart.”

“Yeah, so the enchantment keeps stuff and ponies from falling through it.”

“Yup! Ready to go see your new home?”

“Sure!”

I lifted off the cloud and followed Rainbow towards her home. I caught up to her and glanced sideways at her. She looked back and smiled. It was a sweet, small smile: One that seemed to fit her lips well. I couldn’t help but return it.

“Race ya home!” Rainbow laughed and disappeared over a cloud.

“Hey! Wait up!” I shouted taking off after her.