open Party gifts and parting gifts

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

Missy appeared again quickly with 2 of the shadow mares. Splash was confused, she had no idea what was going on?

"Splash, i know what my powers are now. I control the darkness, no wait, i AM the darkness." Missy dispelled the shadow mares as quickly as they had appeared.

[~Rogue~ 193]

After a bit of explaining and awesomeness Ash, Corn, and Meno noticed two beams of light. A black beam and a White beam. "I think that's Splash and Missy!" Ash exclaimed. "Lets find them." Just as they were about to sprint off they were interrupted. "Hey guys how's it going?" Quinky was just floating in mid-air. No cloud. No wing movement. "Did you get the shards power too?" Ash asked Quinky who nodded. "Need a ride?" She asked. The others were magically floated on top of a cloud that appeared out of nowhere. "Cool!" Corn exclaimed. They rushed off extremely fast towards the other beams.

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

"Missy! I thought you'd gone again!" Splash hugged Missy. "That's super cool! I wonder what I can do?"

Splash flared up her magic. It was silver, not black anymore. Magic swirled around her, forming a cocoon. It shattered as quickly as it came, but Splash felt so alive. Her flank was soft and smooth, her hair had reached perfection, and her senses peaked. She felt as though she'd slept better than she ever had in her life. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, and Splash saw the world perfectly. Knowledge filled her mind.

"Splash, what happened?" Missy asked in awe.

"I guess there's some kind of transformation we can all do that changes us to suit our ability. Missy, would you object to me becoming an...alicorn?"

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

"Transformation, i'm not so sure that's a good idea, and how come i don't get to transform, but then again, i am an Alicorn already."

Missy decided to have some fun. She dissapeared into darkness while Splash blinked, Splash looked around for a moment. MIssy appeared beind Splash. "BOOO!" Missy shouted.

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

"Gah!" Splash squeaked. "Missy! I think you have to try to do something. I doubt that your transformation would be physical, but I believe that it updates you a list of what you can do and probably just glosses you up. I just so happen to have learned from my update that I could become an alicorn if I want, but I'd like your permission first, so you don't think of me any differently..."

<meanwhile>

"Ash," Corn poked Assh's shoulder. "Watch this!"

Corn leapt of the cloud. She fell down, down, down, into a lake The second she came in contact with the murky water, the lake purified. Corn disappeared beneath the water, only to rise again from a transformation. Her tail had turned into a fish's, but she still had four legs. The water shot her high into the sky, and she hovered there with just droplets of water keeping her suspended in the air.

"Pretty cool, eh?" Corn asked.

Quinky hovered in the air.

"I wonder..." he said to himself. He flew ahead of the others, reaching a phenomenal speed. Electricity formed around him, sparks sizzling. A funnel appeared before him. He suddenly jerked upwards in a reflective path. An electric shockwave burst from his turning point. Lightning followed his trail. He returned to the cloud.

"Quinky! Your mane!" Corn exclaimed.

Quinky patted his hoof through his hair. Instead of several streaks of hair, his mane had become one full slick-back. He couldn't see it, but the black streaks had zig-zagged. His vest had been replaced by another, a lot like the WonderBolts' jackets. Except his was light blue with an electric yellow trimming it. A jacket had appeared on Corn, Meno, Ash, Missy, and Splash, all matching their Element and color scheme.

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

Missy focused really hard, as if she was trying to look deep within herself, her soul, Missy's mane started to turn grey-black and flowed as if there was wind blowing. Her eyes turned a deep silver and her coat turned a little les dark than her mane. The size of her wings increased , her teeth turned spiky.

"Splash, what's happening. Help!" Missy shouted.

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

"Missy! I don't know! I'm going to try to stop it!" Splash panicked. "Try thinking about what you want to be and who you truly are!"

Splash was truly off balance. Missy had died and fainted a million times. She wasn't going to lose her again! She pulled her energy together and told her shard that she wanted to help Missy.

"I am communicating with the Dark shard now," came her response.

[~Rogue~ 193]

"Now this is cool!" Ash said. He felt warm. "How do I transform?" Ash asked the shard. "You will have to figure that out by yourself." This was obviously a journey he had to take himself. 

 

Meno was happy. Not just happy because he had power but he was free. He had friends. Ponies that for once accepted him. Then he remembered.

 

The Plan

 

"Guys! We need to have a talk about something. The ponies heard his serious tone and caught up to him. "Remember what I said before ash?" It came to Ash. "What? What's going on?" Quinky asked. "Canterlot....

 

....has been successfully been invaded...." 

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

Missy was panicking, this wasn't who she wanted to be but it might be who she really was. Like it was her true form.

"Splash, i don't think i CAN stop it. It's the shard unlocking my true form, this is who iam, who i'm supposed to be." Missy said. "Don't worry, i'll be fine. By the end of the transformation she ended up looking like Nightmare Moon, but a little less evil.
"It might be a temporary thing, you might be able to turn back." Splash said. Missy felt the light of Splash's shard connecting with her's she focused on that, on the light. Eventually she started to turn back to her original form.

"HEY, I'm me!" Missy shouted.

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

"Yay! Now I won't ever confuse you with Nigtmare Moon!" Splash rejoiced. "Are you sure that there isn't any other thing you can change into? Heck, I bet you could change into a temporary Shade Mare! I'm gonna try something..."

Splash lit up her magic. It formed a thin layer around her body. She slowly began to change. Her height stayed, but her appearance changed. When she stopped, she looked exactly like Princess Twilight.

"Hello, my dear pupil!" she said.

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

Missy jumped back in alarm, Splash had transformed into Twilight.

"Don't do that, you're really freaking me out." Missy said half-scared, half-surprised.

Wait a minute, TWILIGHT!!!

Missy hurriedly contacted Twilight, she answered and the look of astonishment on her face was

lovely to see, Twilight started crying tears of joy.

"Oh thank goodness, i thought you were dead." Twilight said

"I was dead, but now i'm alive." Missy replied happily. Twilight was now more confused than anything else. "I was resurrected by Splash, this thing called the Pearl of Friendship." Twilight gasped, did she know what it was.

"Hey, it's.... me?" Twilight said in complete shock at what she was seeing.

Edited May 6, 2013 by ShyFlutters

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

"Actually, it's me!" Splash giggled as she cast off her illusion. "Sorry for the heart attack!"

Twilight's conflicted look changed from shock to merriment.

"What spell was that?" she laughed.

Splash looked at her hooves.

"I'm not sure. It just...came naturally. I'm not sure. Twilight, would you object if I became an...alicorn?" Splash replied.

[~Rogue~ 193]

"Splash! Missy!" Ash called out to the ponies from a cloud. "Guys! You found us!" Splash and Missy were even more joyed. "I'm having a talk with twilight!" Ash's smile quickly turned to a frown. "Missy stop talking to Twilight!" Missy turned to ash. "Did you just ask me to..."

 

"That's not twilight! It's a.."

 

All of a sudden the Twilight that missy was talking to through magical video chat had a green aura glowing around it. Slowly from the feet to her head she transformed into a.....

 

"Changeling!"

 

"Yes! You are a smart one. You knew about the invasion! How nice. How's the adventure going?" The Changeling asked Ash. "We will find you and defeat you!" Corn yelled. She knew what was happening. "Don't bother coming back. We have guards everywhere. Just stay where you are or turn yourselves in and we won't cocoon you! Hows that? Deal?" The ponies looked at each other. This was bad. "Since you don't have much choice other than to turn yourselves in we'll be waiting." The Changeling hung up the call.

 

"We're screwed!" Quinky yelled in defeat. "Not yet. We have a specialist in Changeling movement and tactics." With a smug grin Ash turned to Meno.

 

Meno gulped.

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

Missy sat there for a few moments, trying to take in what had just happened, She started sobbing, she lay down and put her wings over her face. It was hard knowing that her teacher had been taken or even worse, killed.

"Missy, don't cry we're gonna... YOU!" Splash said, noticing the changeling. Meno looked around to see if she was maybe pointing at somepony else. Splash jumped at him and tackled him to the floor. You have no idea just how much trouble you've caused for me and Missy since you showed up." Splash shouted. Meno looked confused, did he genuinely not know?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Meno said desperately.

"Because you crashed our cloud, Missy got killed by your buddies." Splash explained angrily.

[~Rogue~ 193]

"How is it my fault? My 'buddies' were invading it anyway! If it wasn't for me even showing up then you guys would have walked into a perfectly laid out trap." Splash backed off Meno. "I think we all just need to take a rest. We haven't slept in two days. In the morning we can head to Canterlot." Ash said casually. "What do you mean head to Canterlot. We can't just Waltz in there." Quinky said. "I'm not planning to. You know what I do for a living right?" He asked the ponies. "I know Canterlot like its the back of my own hoof."

Edited May 7, 2013 by Neon Lights (Ninja)

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

Missy still didn't trust Meno, he was a changeling, they're just evil, Missy didn't want to have anything to do with the likes of him.

"Why should we trust you? You're a changeling, evil to the core, lives to please the Queen, no doubt Chrysalis is behind this." Missy gave Meno an angry look. If looks could kill, Equestria would be nothing but a crater for how she was feeling.

Edited May 7, 2013 by ShyFlutters

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

"Hold the phone, everypony! Quite literally, actually. What else are we supposed to do? Aren't the Crystal of Balance Users supposed to have something super awesome happen when they come together? And how are we supposed to sneak past bazillians of changelings and rescue our friends?" Quinky burst out.

A light formed around the group.

"Why did ya freakin' have to ask?" Splash retorted.

A flash of light, and they all looked like changelings.

"Gah!" Corn passed out. Splash tried to rub it off, but it wouldn't come off.

"This can't be happening!" Splash squeaked.

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

Missy was angry, not just because she looked like a damn changeling, but also because it would mean that she would have to act like one too, that is if they wanted to infiltrate Canterlot castle.

"Don't take this the wrong way Quinky, but i hate you right now." Missy said, mean look in her eyes.

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

"Heh heh," Quinky gulped. "Sorry..."

"THERE IS NO FREAKIN' WAY THAT I'M GOING BACK TO CANTERLOT LIKE THIS," Splash pointed out. Corn staggered up, rubbing her eyes. She noticed herself again.

"It wasn't a dream!" she screamed, mortified.

Splash lit up her magic. The changeling disguise began to flicker and fade, but five beams from the others stopped her. She sent flipping backwards into a bush.

"Why the hay did ya'll do that for?" Splash asked angrily. She blew leaves off her face.

"I didn't do that," Corn said.

"Me neither," Quinky replied as well.

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

"Splash!" Missy ran after Splash towards the bush, she helped Splash out of it.
"The crystals must want us to do this, and i'm not about to argue with an overly-powerful crystal." Missy said. "We have to do this Splash, you know we do. For the kingdom, for friendship, for Twilight."

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

"FOR EQUESTRIA!" Quinky yelled, pumped. The other ponies stared at him blankly. "Oh, sorry. I hguess I was caught up in the moment..."

"Okay," Splash rolled her eyes. "So we need to head back home, then? I finally can check up on Conrad, my snake...IF HE ISN'T EATEN!" Splash gasped. "Meno! What do changelings eat??? What, THRESH IS FREAKIN' IN THE CASTLE! THAT'S MY BROTHER! WE HAVE TO GET BACK NOW!!! And I mean it!"

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

"We should try to find a way back to the castle, definitely." Missy pulled the map out of her saddlebag, the map had some splatters of blood on it, Missy's body tensed up, she could see fleeting images, but eventually the image stuck on one thing.

 

<Premonition>

Missy was standing with her friends, including Meno, there were many dead ponies in the throne room because of the Changeling Invasion. Chrysalis had Twilight in a death grip.
"Let go of her right now, Chrysalis!" Missy shouted at the changeling queen.

"Ok, then!" the malicious queen said with a smirk. She let go of Twilight and charged up a killing spell from what Missy could tell.

"Nooooooooooo!" Missy shouted, but it was too late, Twilight was dead.

<Premonition ended>

 

Missy came out of this state with a start.

"What the hay just happened?" Missy thought to herself.

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

"Missy? Are you alright?" Quinky asked.

Splash put her hoof on Missy's shoulder. She looked upset.

"I heard your thoughts, but I didn't see what you did," Splash whispered. "What's going on? Another attack from the Dark Alicorn? Do I need to do anything? Is there anyway I can help?"

[The Ponyville Critic 304]

Missy stood there for a brief moment, taking in nothing except oxygen. She then noticed Splash put her hoof on her shoulder.

"No, Splash, i'm... fine, let's just get to Canterlot. Missy said, still retaining a worried look in her eye. Splash was still suspicious, something was going on. Missy volunteered to collect some firewood for a temporary camp. She walked off into the forest.

[Preeminent Pisces 100]

Pokey followed Missy, snapping off branches so he could contribute.

Splash worried about Missy. She knew something was up. She really wanted to question her further, but she knew she probably needed a break. Splash settled for making soft cushions appear.