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The Sparkle Switcheroo: Draconic Destinies (Open!)


SunsetSombra

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" Sorry Rarity... I...uh...I lost my voice - I think I'm coming down with something! "

"Yeah, Sp- Twilight has the, uhh, feather flu. Very contagious!"

"But i would be more than willing to help you with what you need, Rarity! How did the potion work?"

"Oh..." she started blankly at the response she received, not at first able to comprehend it. Her eyes widened as she let herself look at Twilight closer. Sure enough, something just seemed wrong with her. The way she carried herself was different. It was hard to explain, but something with her just seemed ever so slightly off, like she just wasn't her usual self. She had been so wrapped up in herself to even consider that Twilight might not be up to fulfilling her silly little request. Sure, her work was important, but the health of a treasured friend was always a priority.

"Oh, well, if that's the case, why didn't you say so sooner!" Rarity said with a nod. "Here I am fretting like foal over my silly little clothing line while Twilight has feather flu. That simply won't do. I do apologize, Twilight, I never would have asked had I known."

She shook her head and sighed. "Rainbow Dash was telling me the other day about a friend of hers who came down with feather flu. It can be serious if not treated right. You really shouldn't be on your hooves," she said with a smile. "I know your work is important to you, but do keep in mind that now, as a princess it's more important than ever before that you take care of yourself," she added warmly. "You really should get some rest, dear. I'll gladly fix you something to warm you up in the meantime. I'll just have Spike pull those books for me."

She looked toward the little dragon then, returning to the question her had asked of her, not quite understanding what he was getting at first. It took a moment before she got that he was hinting at the potion that had lead to her adventure in the Crystal Empire. She gave a small, awkward giggle as she thought back to that strange series of happening. "Oh, so Twilight told you about that? Well, it was a long story, but it turned out well in the end, I believe," she said plainly.

"But anyway, if you would be a dear Spike and pull for me all the historical references you have on Aquelia in the Late Classical and Early Modern periods, particularly anything that might mention the fashion of the time, I'd most appreciate it," she said. Spike usually would leap at any chance to do something for her, and she had no reason to expect this would be different. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of our sick princess here in the mean time."

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Spike was finding this a great deal more awkward than he'd expected - the entire way his friendships worked as a dragon couldn't really be used the same way when he was in the body of his best friend and bosspony...he knew that much without too much guessing. Still, Rarity had proven to be something of a sharp reminder that the world wasn't going to stand still whilst Twilight found a miracle fixit for the situation - they were gonna have to either let things slip or take care in trying to get this matter raised to Celestia in due course.

Of course, Spike also kinda guessed that things may not be so simple as far as telling her friends with a minimum of fuss, since at least a couple of them would no doubt make a bigger fuss of it than needed...and Rarity was a big name on that list of names, which meant that as much as Spike disliked having to, he was going to have to tread lightly on this rather awkward moment.

" Oh, d-don't you go worrying about me. Rarity! " the dragonalicorn spoke up, looking back out of the sideroom...for a moment casting a small dazed glance of admiration upon the mare before catching himself out in the moment of weakness. He knew that Twilight probably wouldn't appreciate his getting her into hot water by even giving the smallest hints of their true identity orders away like that...especially in such a time as this!

" Spikes been...you know, keeping tabs and making sure I'm okay, all that good stuff! "

Giving a small nervous chuckle, he looks over at TwiSpike with a small shrug - he knew that eventually he'd wind up doing something that'd get 'em both caught out if he was left alone with rarity for too long....sure, his resistance so far had been good an' such, but it was only a matter of time before he did or said something that would betray the dragon beneath the surface, and he knew that simply wouldn't do in their rather delicate position. Ugh, now he knew how she felt when it came to panic attacks - it kinda felt like he was about to have one of his own!

" Tw-Spike can, uhh...show you to the books really quickly - it won't take him too long at all, since he's SUCH a good assistant and all. " a little self praise never hurt, he thought. " I'll just...uh...make myself a honey and lemon tea, and catch you in a moment if that's okay with you! " - it wasn't really a lie as such...he was kinda partial to some honey and lemon tea in reality, but the truth of the matter was that he needed to try not to let himself get into a position where he might accidentally say or do something really unnecessary....and given their position right now, that was certainly not likely to be a short list of things ahead of them yet to come either!

Yup, this was going to be quite the challenging scenario for the pair of them, that much was certain!

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It was good that Spike was playing along as effectively as he could. If he didn't, the whole operation would go belly up very quickly and while belly rubs felt fine as a pony, she had a sneaking suspicion that it didn't feel nearly as good ion scales. In any situation, his effort was there even if his attempt at being in character was horrible. She didn't use such poor vocabulary and hearing it come out of the unicorn's mouth was offensive and degrading. She loved her assistant and coming out of his little dragon's mouth the words were expected, his manner of speech excused by youth. But out of Twilight's they came across as suspicious and odd, and while she returned his shrug with a nod, she knew there was little they could do past this juncture except play their roles and hope few ponies ventured in.

So she had to be Spike. Was there a nose to pick? Yes. Was there something to sarcastically decry before doing? Of course. Was there a Rarity in front of him? Yes, there was. All the ingredients to his rich character were in front of her. All she had to do was play the part. But while that was going on, there was a bigger problem solving dilemma crowding out the space in her skull. What could she do to reverse this spell? The answer lay in research, but for all the bits in Equestria she couldn't buy a moment's peace to put her mind to the task. She needed to get away and get to her books, but Rarity was here and Rarity needed help. Acting too odd- after all, it was Twilight that was sick, not Spike- might not only tip her off, but cause her to stick around. Normally not a poor option, today that was a life threatening affair...or at the very least, aural threatening. Sweet celestia, she just wanted to get back into her body!

But the first thing sh had to do was keep Rarity focused. While it would have been better if she had decided to accompany Spike to get the books, there was nothing that could be done.

"Anything for you, Raaaarrriiiittyyyy..." SpikeTwi said with as much approximation of his famed 'lost in Rarity's eyes' tone as she could muster, followed by a spirited jaunt towards the books. If anything, maybe she could use this time to search for not only Rarity's materials, but for her own needs as well...

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" Oh, d-don't you go worrying about me. Rarity! Spikes been...you know, keeping tabs and making sure I'm okay, all that good stuff! "

"Well, if he's letting you remain up and about, working on your studies, I'm not sure he's being quite firm enough, darling. You really should be getting your rest, lest you want things to get worse. Not even an alicorn can just wish away her sickness," Rarity said, nodding. "Well, at least not as far as I'm aware..." she added with a giggle.

She could tell that Twilight was trying to make a show of her strength. She was a wilful one. She likely didn't want to have to depend on the charity of a friend when she was feeling unwell, not when she was already asking so much of Spike. It was silliness, but all ponies had their pride she supposed. It wasn't like she was just going to let it be regardless. She was the element of generosity after all; lending a hoof to a sick friend was just in her nature.

" Tw-Spike can, uhh...show you to the books really quickly - it won't take him too long at all, since he's SUCH a good assistant and all. I'll just...uh...make myself a honey and lemon tea, and catch you in a moment if that's okay with you! "

"Anything for you, Raaaarrriiiittyyyy..."

Rarity smiled at the reactions she received. Even though she had thought at the onset that something seemed off with these two, they were still acting like their usual selves for the most part. She nodded at Spike rushed off to attend to her request.

"I'm sorry, dear, but I suppose Spike doesn't mind entertaining my little request so much..." she said through a sigh. "He indeed is a good assistant. His enthusiasm is down right adorable. You're quite blessed to have him. I often wish I had such an eager and capable assistant myself" she said, smiling at the other mare.

She giggled and gave a nod. "But anyway, honey and lemon, you say? Allow me to make that for you, dear. You needn't strain yourself for it. I can brew a lovely pot of tea, if I don't say so myself," she assured the sick alicorn with a smile. "Just sit back and allow Miss Rarity to indulge you. I'll have it ready for you in just a second!" she added.

She wasn't going to wait for Twilight to fight, either. With one final nod, she went off to find the kitchen and get to preparing her favorite princess' tea.

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Well this just got 50 shades of awkward real fast - Spike was a little unsure just how to roll with it, but he knew enough to realise that this whole situation was fringing on both hilarious and a little ironic...the fact that for a long time now, he'd have given any chance to have had Rarity tell him a little of the apprecation she might have had for him...and here he was, in a position to listen to it and acknowledge it, but not AS himself at the current moment. A small giggle of amusement escapes TwiSpikes muzzle, before he realises that he wasn't keeping it internally and quickly follows it up with some conversation.

{ Besides, if he could perhaps give just a little self reccomendation to Rarity, maybe it would only help boost his chances! }

" Well, you are right! " Spike started, giving a small nod as she scratched her muzzle in ponderance.

" he might be....a little young for a dragon, per'se...but he really does seem to be the best possible assistant I could ever have hoped for! "

he says, a quick grin adorned on Twi's muzzle - such blatant self praise never seemed so relevent before, let alone essential!

" I mean, just the other day, I-...well, he assisted me in recategorising the order of the fictional aisle in not just alphabetical order of author, but in height, number of pages and color order as well...it looks like a really rather odd rainbow arrangement on shelves, but I think it works! "

Temptation was on Spikes shoulder to oversell it, but he had to resist...this wasn't just about HIM, it was about trying to get everything back to the way it was, and if that meant sacrificing an encounter of this nature with a mare whom he had idolised for so long as he had, then so be it. still, there was always room to appreciate a cup of tea under her generous endeavours...the fates had to at least grant him THAT much, surely.

" Thanks...for being a good friend, Rarity. " Spike says, both cursing and praising his current status in equal measure. " I really don't know what we'd all do without you! "

Sure, he wasn't exactly allowed to engage in too much of his own personal desire of selling his best points to her, but at the very least he could show her the appreciation he'd always wanted to!

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  • 3 weeks later...

" Well, you are right! he might be....a little young for a dragon, per'se...but he really does seem to be the best possible assistant I could ever have hoped for! I mean, just the other day, I-...well, he assisted me in recategorising the order of the fictional aisle in not just alphabetical order of author, but in height, number of pages and color order as well...it looks like a really rather odd rainbow arrangement on shelves, but I think it works! "

Well, now, this was certainly interesting! Spike went out of his way so often to do cute little things above and beyond the call of duty for Twilight, but it wasn't often she paid very close attention. She had certainly never heard Twilight gush about it to somepony else afterwards. Twilight was generally such a practical mare. It really wasn't in her character to acknowledge things that flew in the face of the required practicalities. Honestly, in her typical mood she'd sooner expect her to insist Spike order the books as she wants rather than taking liberties. Why the sudden change though? It could only mean one thing...

"Oh, my!' Rarity started as she moved toward Twilight and gave her a squeeze hug. She gave a small squeal and then a giggle. "It's finally starting to happen, isn't it? Actually noticing how the books are aligned in terms of color and shape? My dearest Twilight is finally starting to recognize fashion and form over simple functionality! You're beginning to actually appreciate and understand good aesthetics, Twilight!"

She squeezed Twilight even harder and gave another small, amused laugh. "How marvelous. I know the first steps are the hardest, but any progress is a good step! Just let me help you, and I can guide you down the fashionable path! We can start by designing for you an all knew wardrobe."

Rarity gave several excited nods. "You are a princess now after all, you have to take care of how you present yourself in public!" The unicorn giggled and gave another nod. Then she let go of Twilight finally and stepped back. "but what am I doing? You're sick right now. This can wait. I should get your tea."

Rarity left for the kitchen then. In a matter of minutes she promptly returned with a fresh cup of tea.

" Thanks...for being a good friend, Rarity. I really don't know what we'd all do without you! "

At these words, she smiled. "Oh, Twilight dear, I'm nothing compared to you. You're the one we wouldn't be the same without. It's staggering to think of how much has happened since you first came to Ponyville," Rarity said in a warm voice. "I really am glad I got to be your friend."

The unicorn smiled and levitated the tea toward her alicorn friend. She brought a second cup for herself. "Now here, drink up. It should make you feel better," she said.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This was starting to get bunches more awkward - Spike couldn't help but give a nervous smile at rarity's reaction...part of him was glad to see her so very excited at all of this, but the other part of him was heavy with the burden that he had to lie so very heavily to a mare he looked up to and admired so much....sure, he knew it was kinda required when it came to helping Twilight get a chance to figure things out better, but this was gonna leave a bad taste in his snout for weeks.

" I...guess... " he says, giving his muzzle a small rub, his thoughts momentarily dispelled by the hug...oh Celestia, he was glad that he could at least enjoy SOMETHING out of all this, but the fact it had come about from what had essentially been a lot of little white lies bundled up into one wasn't making it easy to do. " You do have an effect on everypony, that much I can say! "

Rarity spoke some about Twilight being a princess and how she needed to take care of herself - Spike mentally snerks a little, this was something he'd probably told the alicorn himself now and then, so it was a funny thing to hear the same words thrown in his direction. " Oh, but don't fret too much, Rarity...I think I just caught it from, uhh...a young filly who came in the other day - it really isn't that big a deal! "

The hug broke as Rarity let TwiSpike go, the mare getting lost a little in her own tangent about making some tea and promptly going to do so gave him a chance to cough into a hoof...partly as a way to dispel the small nagging in the back of his mind, and partly as a way to continue the story of the cold he'd mentioned earlier...the flush appearing on each cheek surely could be taken in the same manner, he assumed.

As she disappeared into the kitchen, Spike breathed a small sigh of relief - this was hard work, and he had no idea if he could keep this up for too long....eventually he'd be caught out, or something, and everything might get complicated - he resolved to do whatever he could to keep the story up, but deceiving Rarity like this was the last thing he had ever wanted to do!

It didn't take Rarity too long to make the cups of tea - not surprising...Horns made it a lot easier to deal with kitchen work, Spike knew that much well enough after having watched Twilight do so a few dozen times in the past. He takes the cup onto a hoof and wobbly puts it onto a table nearby...the nervous smile on the muzzle returned as he tried to keep up everything - at the very least, he knew the cold excuse would help explain away the non-use of magic...but if he was stuck like this, he'd probably need to try and get a grip on how to do something with it sooner or later. " Thanks, Rarity...I swear, you really are the best! "

With any luck, Twilight would come up with something sooner rather than later...but if things right now meant he was having a little harmless interaction with Rarity, then the dragon/alicorn supposed it wasn't exactly terrible...although he was kinda wondering just how well Twilight was handling things in his small, awkward self!

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Twilight had been burined in the books for some time. And that wasn't always figuratively, she thought sullently to herself as she breathed in paper. The entire expedition had been a failure one way or another since the get-go. Her hands experience level was higher than it might have been otherwise but she had gone from that experience to sharp ends and that changed more than a few things. So her search didn't go all that well. She tore at some pages and didn't grip some others, which resulted in a few cases of 'bonking head syndrome'. Piece by piece she started to formulate a plan for Rarity at least. She knew her decimal system like the back of her hoof- hand- claw?- and it didn't take long for her to locate and find the few books she had on hoof- again, hand, claw?- for her. Three books that having read them a few times dealt with the court of the ancient Griffon royalty. If anything could be found of relevancy to Rarity's desires, it would be there.

No, that hadn't been what caused the cascade of books to come down on top of her. Of him. Of the pony-dragon thing she now was. After she gathered those three works for Rarity she had set upon a panicked rush for herself, the books the only form of sustenance for a starving creature that needed a degree of hope in a hopeless drought. Tomers upon tomes of magical insight and deliverance that for a paltry time spent could reveal the secrets of her salvation. But she had mistaken her desifre for ability and she had tripped and fallen off of the ladder, taking with her a dozen books. They piled not so neatly on top of the stunned dragon with a sick thwump that didn't travel far. And that is where she found herself for a few little bit, deciding what to do with her life. It sucked. Everything sucked. She never shouldhave messed with that spell book. The thing she did for the greater glory of Equestrian education!

A few minutes later, 'Spike' walked in with the three books, a slight knock on her forehead. His forehead. Uggh.

"Here you go!"

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SpikeLight could at least see that Twike was having not the best time of it right now, and he winced a little...it was pretty clear that the unicorn, currently dragon, was more used to either using magic or asking for himself to do things more often than not, and that such an awkward body as his was no doubt trying her patience. It made him feel a little guilty....well, at least for a small moment, considering he knew there really wasn't much he could do about it anyway. Besides, he was having his own troubles getting used to walking on all four hooves and dealing with a rather unworkable horn on his head that felt weird every now and then...like the magical buildup threatened to well up and overwhelm his poor dragony existence with the magical influences of aetheric energy!

Anyway, he needed to focus...and thus, he looks over at the maredragon and clears his throat...snapping a little more awake from the daze that had washed over him for the briefest time...this event really wasn't going to be one of their most fond adventures or even times in general, and he almost felt like making sure he did double duty around the library for a month once this was all done and fixed, if it was anytime soon.

" Well done, Spike! " Spikelight says with a forced smile, sipping the tea and looking back over at Rarity.

" Absolutely no time at all...couldn't have asked for a better help! "

Well, at least it wasn't so bad - all that was needed to do now was get Rarity out of the way, and then talk to Twi about what the best idea was to take care of this little snafu as soon as possible...as much fun as it was bigging himself up in front of Rarity without consequence, this wasn't really going anywhere towards solving their problem - and honestly, Spike was starting to really, really want it solved sooner rather than later...and no doubt Twi was absolutely feeling the same way.

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" I...guess... You do have an effect on everypony, that much I can say! "

Rarity beamed at Twilight words. Sometimes she could feel just a little unappreciated for all her efforts. It was a very good thing to hear Twilight speak so kindly of her. It made her feel happy for her amazing friends.

" Oh, but don't fret too much, Rarity...I think I just caught it from, uhh...a young filly who came in the other day - it really isn't that big a deal! "

"Are you sure, dear? You look really flush. You might have a serious fever..." she said in a soft voice.

She wasn't one to force a friend to accept help that they refused, but Twi really did just not look herself at all. Her face was entirely red and she seemed to struggle somewhat to find the words to say. With the cough on top of it all, it was clear to see she was in a foul state. Rarity, generous to a fault, wanted to offer whatever help she could.

" Thanks, Rarity...I swear, you really are the best! "

"Here you go!"

She smiled softly as Twi took her tea from her and offered her complementary words. Just then Spike came in with a stack of three books. Twi was quick to compliment him for his work, perhaps a little more effusively than she normally did. Perhaps she still felt guilty that she was unable to help more herself. Poor dear. She was sure to overtax herself in this state. Rarity could see it already... but... unless she asked, Rarity didn't know if she could force Twilight to take help. She didn't want to be pushy with her friends, even if she felt she knew what was best in this case. She gave a weak smile as she took the books from Spike.

"Thanks indeed, Spike," she said as she patted the little dragon on the head like a child. She smiled weakly and then she looked back at Twilight. "Well, I suppose I have what I wanted now... I should be off now, unless you'd rather I stayed, darling..." she asked, her concern for her friend evident.

She took a slow step away and then looked at Spike again. "Oh, and Spike, you should have heard her talking about you just a moment ago! Twi really appreciated the way you organized her books. She thought enough of it to tell me so," she said with a smile. As much as Twi cared for her little assistant, she knew enough to know she didn't always express it in terms that were easy to pick up on. She figured saying it directly would give the little guy a little boost of confidence. "I just think it's great that the silly dear is finally starting to notice such fine aesthetic details..." she said more quietly, but not so quiet that Twilight wouldn't hear, with a soft giggle.

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Twilight wanted to give her best awe-shucks expression at the praise being heaped upon her, but two things. First, a good awe-shucks expression was hard enough for her when she was a pony but as far as she knew she was liable to torch something if her face went a little red with blush. And secondly, Spike was being a bit too self-serving, wasn't he? No doubt she had been slow and indecisively searching for the materials in lieu of her own ends. Not quickl not clean, and certainly not the best Spike example of all time. So as much as she didn't mind a bit of self-promotion, she did mind the fact that Spike wasn't displaying any of the grand qualities that Twilight herself had. And that flush on his cheeks- wrong! Very wrong! Rarity was a good friend and Twi needed to make sure that it was kept that way. She already had to keep Spike's love letters hidden away during royal business. That could graduate really hard, really fast.

Of course, she still had to play the part.

"Ahh, w-well, it's nothing Raaarrity. You know me, always willing to lend a helping h- claw!" She said, deciding to flex. Flexing was one method Spike used to try and impress Rarity, right? It didn't look impressive to her. Dragon muscle took years, even decades, to fully develop and as it was Spike looked like he might lose a fight to Apple Bloom if the filly had the flu and went easy on him. It wasn't going to be easy for him to pass this off as very impressive and it went doubly for her but in the end she supposed she didn't have anything to lose by it. She then hoo- handed the books over, beaming as she did.

"Aww, well, Twilight always says good things about me! She is so nice and good to me. Just last night after I wet-" SpikeSparkle began before clasping his mouth shut with his little scaly claws and giving a horrified look to the two mares. She didn't mean to reveal it! Spike could be sensitive about certain things and that was an embarassing little expedition in foalishness she was sure he wasn't proud of. It wasn't as if he was just a teeny tiny baby who couldn't handle himself in a lot of cases, but they all had their problems. She had never told anypony and had never held it against him, but this was bad. Very bad! She felt awful for doing so and when she finally averted her gaze it was with the deepest shame. And not for the reasons Rarity would think. She had to get control of the situation again...more tea! Yes, perfect idea!...No, they still had tea. well, now she was out of ideas. She awkwardly looked around before scratching her shoulder wordlessly. This couldn't end quickly enough.

"So...uhh...anything else, Rarity?"

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No....she didn't just do that, did she?

By Celestia's be-...Spike found himself in a quandry as Twilight very nearly revealed something about himself that he had struggled hard to keep quiet - in a small panic, and with a maximum effort to avoid making a complete idiot of himself by flailing, he manages to stay calm...only the smallest sign of an eyetwitch his immediate reaction to the rather unexpected TMI-bomb.

" Uh, well.... " he started, trying to keep himself as composed as possible....although the cracks were there, hiding just beneath the cool exterior...

" Aheh...what can I say - he's a baby dragon! "

Good point, just what COULD he say about that whole mess?

Twilight had gone and almost blabbed and he needed to try and divert Rarity away from the whole situation before it made everything a whole lot more uncomfortable than it already was. Already he felt a small stab of anguish that Twilight would blab something like that so carelessly...but there was plenty of time for them to go through that whole thing later - Right now, he needed to figure out just how to get back on point.

" Yes...was there anything that, uh, you wanted to bring up, Rarity? " Spike says with a cough into a hoof...wishing he could get back to his basket and sleep!

" I figure it's worth asking....I know you're a busy mare and all, don't wanna keep you away from your, you know....uh....boutique and such! "

Sheesh, this acting thing was a harder job than it looked - he had no idea how ponies managed this kinda thing....

Pretending to be somepony else was HARD work - surely he deserved an award for this performance!

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  • 2 weeks later...

"Ahh, w-well, it's nothing Raaarrity. You know me, always willing to lend a helping h- claw! Aww, well, Twilight always says good things about me! She is so nice and good to me. Just last night after I wet-"

Rarity blinked. She hadn't noticed before, but not only Twilight seemed off today. Spike was acting unusual, and he had made no claims of being sick. It was kind of strange that Spike would stammer over whether to use hoof or claw in his expression. From what Rarity recalled, most of the time he just spoke like a pony. He had been raised amongst ponies all his life. It was what he was used to and what he knew. Sure, there were moments where he might want to stress his identity as a dragon. Rarity could very well recall the venture she took with Rainbow Dash and Twilight to the Dragons' Peak to observe Spike as he tried to secure his identity for himself, but that seemed to lead only to him becoming more confident in himself as a part of their world. Really, it wouldn't have stood out at all had he said either hoof or claw, but it was weird that he stumbled over it.

Even that likely wouldn't have stood out if it weren't for the words that came next from the dragon's mouth. His identity as a dragon was legitimately something Spike had struggled with in the past, so awkwardness there was perhaps somewhat excusable. More bizarre was the point of embarrassment he narrowly let slip afterwards. With his adorable little crush, Spike always tried to act as mature and adult as he possibly could around Rarity. Even if he was gushing over Twilight, which though she knew he loved her dearly she had never before seen him do, she couldn't imagine Spike nearly letting slip something so personal and speaking toward his still being a child. It was incredibly unusual and gave Rarity pause.

" Uh, well.... Aheh...what can I say - he's a baby dragon! "

And this was weirder still. Why did Twilight seem embarrassed for Spike? She was the one who usually told all the stories about the little dragon, woefully ignorant of how they embarrassed him. She was the one who was more likely to let something like that slip in casual conversation in the first place. Why would she need to make an excuse for it?

Moreover, now they were both making a point to ask her if there was anything else. What was this? Twilight loved having her friends visit. Sure, she might be sick, but even still, wouldn't she want the company? Even weirder was Spike? Wouldn't he want her to stay as long as was possible? Why ever would he be trying to wrap up this visit? She was confused by it all and stared at them curiously.

"Did something happen with you two?" she asked, tilting her head aside. "You're both acting very strange today, you know that...?" she started cautiously, eye raised.

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SparkleforSteelmedium_zps4c73fc7b.png

Oh Sweet Celestia, Twilight had made a major mistake. Well, she had made a series of major mistakes that began with her messing with incomplete foreign magic. That was the first one and the root of all others. She had then compounded this by panicky decision after panicky decision and not a single one had helped her one single bit, bringing them no closer to a solution than they had been. And she had mostly been a non-issue since Rarity had come in, playing her role to no awards or support. She was a mess making messes messing up not only herself but Spike and making a mess of Rarity's perception of them in the process. If she had just followed the words of Ingrid Marie then she would have been fine. But nooooo. She was a magical Princess of the ponies who didn't have to listen to anypony because she knew better than anypony else, right? Ugggh. Today she was just one giant screw-up.

She put her claw to her face, wanting to just haev it go through her head and into orbit. At least that would put an end to her insurmountable pain. She sighed and tried to think. It really changed nothing- even a suspicious Rarity was a Rarity who could be placated to a degree that she could leave. But a bug started to shoot out doubt across her brain, telling her that maybe there was a nother way. A better way maybe. Maybe maybe, but for sure something new. What if she told Rarity the truth? It would be awkward and all of her worst fears from earlier may come true, but with another unicorn around she could likely get more done. And with somepony else to help with the library she could get double the work done on top of that! Of course, there was always the possibility that it could backfire but she had taken risks based on her own magical expertise and the good will of Spike. Why not take another gamble on the good nature and abilities of a friend?

SpikeTwi sighed.

"Something went very, very wrong, Rarity. We were just looking at some ancient magic and then I tested it out...uggh. We...switched bodies. I'm Twilight and she- he- is Spike. Everything feels really very weird. We can hardly do anything without burning something or making a letter look half mad because Spike can't use his- my- hooves well yet. It has been one crazy day here, that's for sure...and I can't seem to find a way to reverse. Not yet, anyway," SpikeTwi sighed, falling flat on her dragon bum. Well, at least it was a relief not having to lie about what wa shappen ing or her own vast and regal incompetence anymore. Come what may or come what may not, at least she didn't have that cloud havung over her anymore, right?

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welp, that was probably about as well concluded as Spike could have expected...granted, as a dragon in a unicorns body, expectations were out of the window already!

Twilight had cracked under the pressure of Rarity's unwavering curiosity, which had led to the maredragon telling all about the spell and the mixup, which was barely an event even an hour old yet....spike hiccuped and 'his' horn sparked slightly. - hos nerves were starting to give way under the strain of the incident, and he was probably just about holding himself together with the emotional equivilant of duct tape and good wishes. Still, with twilight getting this hefty confession out of the way, it paved the way for Spike to at least let loose a relieved sigh and slouch slightly, a posture that would undoubtabty have been most uncharacteristic in the Real twilight Sparkle.

" yeah, it's true... " Spike utters with a small sigh. " We're barely sure ourselves what happened, or how to reverse it yet....we were about to start trying stuff but, uh, you arrived. " he pauses and rubs the back of the head that was currently his own for the moment. " Uh, but you could probably ignore the other stuff twi' said about me....that'd, uh, be absolutely okay! "

With the truth in the air, Spike hoped that things might go somewhat better from this point on....but there was no guarantee that was gonna happen anytime soon.

But hey, a baby dragon currently residing in the body of an Alicorn Princess could hope for the best, right?

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  • 2 weeks later...

"Something went very, very wrong, Rarity. We were just looking at some ancient magic and then I tested it out...uggh. We...switched bodies. I'm Twilight and she- he- is Spike. Everything feels really very weird. We can hardly do anything without burning something or making a letter look half mad because Spike can't use his- my- hooves well yet. It has been one crazy day here, that's for sure...and I can't seem to find a way to reverse. Not yet, anyway,"

" yeah, it's true... We're barely sure ourselves what happened, or how to reverse it yet....we were about to start trying stuff but, uh, you arrived. Uh, but you could probably ignore the other stuff twi' said about me....that'd, uh, be absolutely okay! "

Rarity's jaw went slack. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but certainly not this. Sure, Twilight was a princess now. She had incredible magic at her disposal. She had crafted a potion that could transform one pony into a physically completely different one. She supposed it made sense that she would be able to switch bodies with someone else. All the same, the very fact that it had happened was just incredible to her. Spike in Twilight's form, Twilight in Spike's form. The thought of it was just so strange.

She recalled that fateful happening which directly lead to Twilight earning her title. One fluke spell had resulted all of their destinies becoming tangled. In many ways it felt like the her of that day wasn't truly her. The memories of it seemed to evaporate into her true self when she was forced to recall her rightful destiny. Part of her could still vaguely recall what it was like to have her life rewritten to where it was Rainbow Dash's destiny that she was bound to. Thinking about that, and about Valen and the Crystal Empire while faced with this latest happening, Rarity found a new appreciating for the sheer power of magic. All it took was a single act by a suitably powerful spell caster and a pony's very self could be completely overwritten.

"T-that's terrible," she started, looking back from either of them, not sure what to say at first.

There really was only one thing for her to do and that was to offer a helping hoof. "But you both should know better than to try and hide such an impossible thing," she said somewhat firmly. "What can we do when obstacles appear in our path but let our friends know?"

Rarity stepped forward and approached Spike--er, Twilight and smiled. "I may not have your expertise, darling, but I am still a unicorn, and good for a spell or two. If you have need of a spare horn to help you and Spike get back to normal, I'll gladly do whatever I can."

She hugged the little dragon body a little and continued to smile. "After all, Twilight, you helped get me back to how I was meant to be when that wayward spell had me rounding up rainclouds."

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It was good to have Spike alongside her as they told Rarity what happened. Any denial and it would quickly become an untenable situation- they would need somepony to help after all. They had proven so far to be a rather inept pair once switched. Neither could communicate their problems to the Princesses outside of Ponyville or get help without the Magiteks in Canterlot. More likely there was a simple counter spell that could be used, but Spike was ineffective with Twilight's magic. Any further attempts in the near future would lead to more troubles. Agitated aetheral auras lead to a greater possibility of a chaotic magical collapse and that would be bad for everypony involved, especially the Princess' horn. Twilight was likewise utterly unable to use Spike's native talents to contact the outside world, and a strong headache ripped through her head whenever she tried. They were i n bad straights, so they needed to come together and be on the same page.

And in doing so, they brought her into the conspiracy of mistaken magic and foolish countermeasures, It was embarassing for Twilight. Nopony knew more about the power and style of magic than she, but her ambitions and conidence at times made her take risks that weren't entirely wise. She was unhappy enough when this hit tore through her impenetrable barrier of respect with Spike, but at the very least he had seen her since her earlier heavy studies into magic. He was more used to the hills and valleys of her unequaled magical curiosity and ambition. Getting hammered by the fallback of her plans was less embarrassing with him. But she had a lot of trouble dealing with her embarrassment with a friend, especially a fellow unicorn. Basic magical safety called for caution and throwing that to the wind discarded a lifetime of basic lessons involving magical work. She knew that Rarity wouldn't hold it against her, but just as nopony would question Rarity's fashion talents, nopony would normally question Twiilight's magical prowess. One couldn't help but look at it in a different light now.

In any case, with Rarity on board and reacting better than Twilight could have hoped, a small portion of the dark cloud of trouble lifted from atop her head. Rarity could not possibly get into any of the advanced counter spells, but if the solution was a minor counter spell or simply sending some letters she would be a great aid. And it didn't hurt to have a friend on standby to help with anything else she needed, plus the emotional support! Her mind started stacking boxes of positive reinforcement on top of one another, thinking that for all of the insanity and foalishness of her earlier decisions that it was possible that the two of them would get away with nothing more than a funny story and a spoiled secret. All things considered, not a bad outcome.

"Yeah, I guess this COULD be payback of a sorts. A spare horn would be helpful. Spike, I know you're going to try your hardest but I don't want you trying to do too much. A lot of my magical power is...tamed, for good cause. Too much poking around and everything is on fire or worse. And I certainly can't send any messages or use Spike's talents. That DOES always end up with fire," she laughed lamely, scratching the back of her head in nervousness and embarrassment. But to the topic on hoof. Or claw. Or both. Or neither! Confusion reigned where certainty died.

"We were researching an old magical book that the guards found, known as the Sixteen Spells of the Lorial. One of them seemed like it would just allow us to dip past mental guards and join auras together, like a mind meld from some fiction book. Instead, it made us switch bodies. Then I burned my advanced counter-spell manual because I sneezed on it. And Spike turned it into rasberry jam. We need to figure out five things. First off, the complete spell. I was just reading it and using a light cast method, but it tripped fast. Therefore, a unicorn should not read it. We don't want the rest of the spell to cast, we just need to know it all. Once we know it, we need to decipher the aetheral dispersion rate's method model within the casting of the spell. I'll be able to handle that...sorta. I have ideas on how to bridge the connection of your auras based on my knowledge of dragon physiology, but it is dangerous. Once we know that, we need to find the appropriate counter-spell, prepare the counter-spell, and then cast the counter-spell. But first, we need to find the rest of that spell!"

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And so it was that finally Twilight was able to lay down the full gravity of the situation, although hearing it from his own rather chubby cheeks from this perspective was kinda freaking the little dragon-in-a-unicorn out slightly...he'd only coped this far because he'd had to, and now that it seemed as though Twilight had everything well in hoof, it felt like he was kinda lost in a small quagmire of a panic that was growing quicker with every moment. He was doing his best to keep it together, sure, but that was probably because he knew that he didn't want Rarity to see either him, or Twilight, getting into a state of tears - and considering that right now he WAS Twilight, he had to be doubly sure to keep himself from losing it.

" So, uh...yeah... " Spikelight uttered with a small shuffling of a hoof, focusing on trying to keep his mental faculties in one piece after listening to the rather detailed description of events from the Pony-in-a-dragon that was currently his boss, mentor and friend. " this does stink just as much as you'd expect...I can't even use magic to make myself useful, and I'm still trying to get used to the hoof part! " he added, giving a small unamused snort and a wave of one of the troublesome appendeges. " They're not exactly as good for things like claws are! "

He paused and gives a small nervous cough - perhaps not the best thing to say to 2 other immediate users of said appendage types, but he was a frustrated, bodily displaced baby dragon, and at some point he was going to start feeling both tired and nervous about the whole situation. Well, he could hardly be blamed for that, right? That was only natural!

" Yeeesh, I just hope we can get this whole thing sorted out soon! " he says with a small hint of a sigh. " As nice as it is being a pony right now, I don't think I can handle everything included with being one...I can't even use the horn properly, not without turning something into Jam or making it ash or some other weird side effect - I'll be happy to just get back to my regular clawed, dragony self - and catching a long nap afterwards, I get the feeling I may need one of those after this is all over! "

It was true - he could definitely feel the tug of exhaustion setting in already...and whilst any other pony might be more capable of shaking it off and dealing with it by just getting more energetic, Spike was in the middle of an awkward situation and wasn't really as fortunate in that regard - a speedy resolution was one he was definitely looking forward to if it was possible!

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  • 3 weeks later...
Rarity listened to the concerns of both her body switched friends. It was still so odd to her to see Spike speak with Twilight's intellectual zeal and see Twilight speak with Spike's youth and earnestness. It was the sort of thing a mare would never fully get used to and Rarity wanted to correct it. She thought more of the incident with Valen and how odd that experience had been for her. Here, hopefully she'd be able to be a little more help in reversing the magic quickly. She nodded as she decided what needed to be said. She looked first toward Spike.

"There's no need to fuss, darling," she said in a softened voice to the dragon in Twilight's body. "Everything will be back to normal before you even know it now that Rarity's here!" she added with confidence, flipping back her mane. She then looked toward Twilight.

Now, it was a little harder for her to keep up with all that Twilight had said. Though she was a unicorn, Rarity was pretty far from Celestia's School material in terms of knowing about magic. She was sure she knew enough to decode the relevant passages of Twilight's story though. She nodded to the mare and offered a slight smile.

"I think I understand," she said in a soft voice. "Would there perchance be another copy of this book lying around somewhere for us to use? Or even a different book with the same spell included?"

She gave a short laugh and shook her head. "As Spike and I know far too well, the Princesses' old castle in the Everfree is home to some old and dangerous spell books," she said as she recalled the havoc she had personally unleashed on Ponyville during the Foal and Filly Fair. "There's also the Celestia's current collection in Canterlot and the library in Crystal Spire which might have some older books."

Her eyes lit up and she nodded. "I'm sure if we told Rainbow and the others what had happened, they would all help us search everywhere and find it!" she added with enthusiasm.
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  • 4 weeks later...

Spike was a baby dragon in a mare's body. While he would physically have all of the energy of an alicorn, there was a dirty little secret attached to being Twilight. Her aura was constantly pinging the aetheral barriers around her, in equal parts leveling it off and capping it while transferring and siphoning it at the same time. To somepony who understood auras, she was almost like a constantly functioning reactor of magical energy. The downside of this was a drain on her, a certain fatigue that could set in quicker than on others. She had trained herself to ignore it until it got to the point it had an impact, but Spike would not have that. He would not know either how to really tap into the alicorn reserves. He was a baby dragon in a mare's body and a baby needed his sleep.

On the other hoof or claw they needed this solved and they had Rarity here, a very capable aide in her own right and a pony who could actually be helpful in terms of magic. It would be wasteful to not use her talents on the situation at hoof. While she couldn't be asked to commit to any magical moves beyond her capabiility she had full control over herself and that was more than either Spike or Twilight could claim at the moment and it gave her a commanding position. Thank Celestia he was here or else the duo would be toast and sent up for mocking by the time this ordeal was over. Twilight couldn't work with what she said next, however- it was a bad idea to have anypony see them this way. Not only for a legitimate cause as keeping the incapacitation of the most powerful magic user in the world and a Princess a secret was the smart move, but she would rather keep this bit of foalishness between the three of them. Between Spike's fatigue and Twilight's anxiety, it didn't hurt to have somepony clear-headed around. Or somepony who if they needed help could deliver a message quickly. Or somepony who could hire a bear as an escort with a gesture. Uggh. Her friends WOULD be helpful, but she wanted to avoid that for as long as possible.

"Sadly, no. If there was another book with the same counter-spell that was in the book that is, uhh, gone, then we would have this much easier. Instead, we need to do all that work I mentioned so we can figure out a lot of the nuts and bolts of the spell so we can find and prepare the correct counter-spell. But..." TwiSpike sighed, "If Spike is getting tired, we'll have a difficult time doing it. And we certainly can't risk staying here, so we do need to go to the castle. We can do a lot more there. It really should be a simple matter of doing the research needed, so what we need to do is put our time in. Hmm..." her/his dropped as she faceclawed, "uggh, so complicated! We don't need anypony else for now, but we'll leave a note for them when we leave here. Should they pass by and see it we can get their help but-" and this was hard to admit, "-I feel ashamed enough already. I'd rather nopony else find out, especially Applejack. Okay, so, we pack up what we need and head out! Lorial spells, editions one through of the Magical Research Guide I've been writing, and some food," on cue, the stomach growled, "I'm so hungry I could eat some...gems, I guess."

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