Chapter 1: The Transformation
Dove's Point of View (POV)
"C'mon Dove! We can do this!" Red Pond sighed,"I know the elders told us not too, but tonight is perfect!" I sighed, gazing out to the quiet lake which layout side our small clan's village, outside the magical barriers. Pegasuses Way, is the name of our tow. We are far from any cities, the closest being Ponyville, for we are at the other end of the Everfree Forest, this is for a reason. We don't want anypony to find us. us... I'm starting to think like them. Unlike the rest of the ponies here, I wasn't born here. I found this place. It was thought to be impossible, for this place is guarded by ancient magic. Everypony stopped questioning why this happened, when I displayed I possessed the magic they were all born with, than any other pony in Equestria didn't have.
"Why are we here?" I asked, confused at her urge to come here.
Red Pond laughed,"I didn't want to miss this opportunity." The sun descended in the sky, casting a shadow across Equestria. Once the shadow reached the lake, it started shimmering. When the silent shadows came across us, a chill came upon me, and I felt a tingling sensation. Red Pond was shimmering like a thousand gemstones in the sun.
"Red! Your shimmering!" I gasped, fearing that the same thing was happening to me. Red just smiled and closed her eyes. She reached one hoof into the lake waters and sighed happily. I resisted the strong urge to follow her into the water. Her eyes started glowing bright blue, and her wings slowly melted into her back, the extra body material going to her back forming a long, shimmering red tail, transforming her into a beautiful sea pony! Her long red sea pony tail shimmered, the texture looking much like dragon scales. Her long, light blue mane looked like perfect silk, and her eyes went from sunshine yellow to baby blue.
"Dove," Red sighed,"I know that your scared we will get in trouble, but you wont believe how this magical water feels on your gills! It's amazing, beyond anything you'll ever experience in your life."
When Red said this it reminded me of the words of wisdom said to me 2 years ago..."You can't just cling to the past! You must advance forward in life! You must experience life remembering what has happened to you and making sure your trying to achieve the reconstruction of the past, not destroying your future crying over the past. I straightened up, remembering the words of wisdom of my thought to be dumb friend, ThunderThrash. Of course, like most good things in life, he was lost... I sighed, keeping his words in mind as I dove into the water.
I felt my wings contract back into my back, as my bones mold, changing shapes to support my new form. My pony exterior melts away,revealing my new form. I instinctively plunge my body into the water as I shape shift. The cool water somehow soothes the transformation, making it feel relaxing, the magic water feels better than usual, I could stay in the water for the rest of my life! No wonder Red wanted to come out today.
I stared at my reflection in the water. My long dark brown and red hair wasn't wet at all, even though I was just in the water. My eyes remained the same sea blue color. My snow white coat remained the same, and let to a silver, long tail that shimmered in the full moons light. My short pony tail was gone. My pegasi wings were gone,as well as my back legs, of course, they help form the tail.
"Red... Do your parents know we're here? I don't want you in trouble." I stuttered
"C'mon Dove! I know you want to be here as much as I, now that you've felt the water." Red stated slowly.
I shut up after that. I had to admit, I liked being alone here, with just me and Red, no other pony to question me, how I don't belong, and watching me as I change. Always judging me...
My tail stretches longer, and I sigh happily when it reaches their full peak, and I get the temporary feeling of belonging, and like this was my true form... But that is a lie... Something I cannot let anyone know. But for now, I enjoy my temporary freedom.
I whisper a thank you to Thunder, and dive into the water, and without looking up, I know that Red is grinning ear to ear. My new gills turned the water into perfect air. Breathing was easier underwater, and it was even better than before because of the magic water enhanced by the magic of the night. I didn't only need the air to survive, my skin was absorbing it, making my new skin feel better than ever before, ten times better than any massage!
Under the water, my sleek silver skin seems to be glowing, I wish my old friend Silver could see me now... But like all my friends, they were lost. Lost that dreaded sad day. The day I lost all. But now is not the time to mourn, just as Thunder once said. I must savor this moment. I turn to Red, who locks her eyes into mine, and I was trying to get used to her new eye color, and...her new form... My only friend in this new place.
Our village completely forbids us to go swim outside our village barriers, especially at night That's when somepony might find us, revealing our most closely guarded secret of us Sea Ponies... That we are able to transform into pegusi. Yes. We are all pegusi. All but me were born this way.
Watching Red dive through the depths of the lake, laughing a most joyous laugh, made me smile. My loved ones laughing always made me happy. A rising feeling came through me, making it sound like there was wind in my ears, much like the sensation one gets from yawning.
Red jumped out of the water, did a flip and dove back in, her timing was flawless.
"Show off!" I laughed in Bubble Speech, the language of the Sea Ponies. It was a language used to communicate underwater. We can still speak normally above water, even as Sea Ponies.
"Lets see your water move!" Red called. I shook my head shyly, diving farther down into the depths of the water. I was no show off. I don't like showing my abilities unless completely necessary. As Red urged me to use my water move that every Sea Pony has, I sense something above water. I feel the vibration, a disturbance. Red must feel it too, because she stopped calling out to me. I just freeze. Please don't be an elder. That would be very bad.
I swam to the surface, using very delicate strokes. But what I saw, was so much worse.
Author's Note
There! I am done! Comment if you want the next chapter and feel free to give some constructive criticism.
Chapter 2: Seeing Old Friends, Meeting New Enemies
Chapter 2: Seeing Old Friends, Meeting New Enemies
Dove's POV
I had just saw our clans rivals. They hunt us for out Sea Pony scales. The strange thing is, they don't even know that the clan that they are rivals with are the ones who hunt them. That wasn't why I was shocked and why this was a bad situation. I was somewhat scared I would DIE, but not really...
ThunderThrash was among them, hovering next to two changelings. One of my friends, the one that I comforted for all those years I spent in Ponyville. The pony that knew all of my secrets. I had to do something... I swam to the bottom of the lake and found a rock. I took a bracelet off my hoof and pressed it against the rock. The rock magically got a picture of a Dove on it. I went to the water surface and tossed the rock out. The water vibrated some more, as the changelings and company reacted to my action. I remember when we were just foals...
I sat atop Thunder's hiding place, stroking his mane with my hoof, and had my wings wrapped around him. He wept for a long, long time.
"It's... all my fault... Everything is!" Thunder would always cry.
"Who told you that?" I would ask, keeping a kind look on my face.
"Silver, Lighting, and Hearts!" He would cry out. Hearts... she was a pretty good pony. The love of Thunder's life. I mean, he and his brother, LightningLash, would fight over everything, including Hearts. Thunder and Lightning both really love Heartfire, but Thunder was pretty bold about it. Thunder is a coward, I must say. Lightning is a shy warrior, while Thunder is a bold coward. I believe it was switched around at birth. Poor Thunder. Everypony blames him, because he is a trouble maker, and a lot of times no matter what happens, it is Thunders fault completely or indirectly his fault.
Red's worried voice is what snaps me back to reality,"What the hay are you doing?!?" She exclaims.
"Just watch." I sigh happily. A few seconds later, Thunder is standing over the water, no changelings present.
"Dove?" Thunder said, and I could barely hear him on the other side of the water. I popped my head out of the water. I made sure that I had a stern expression.
"Looks like that magic bracelet I made you worked." He stated happily, grinning. "What are you doing here Dove? We all thought you were dead!"
"I..." I started, but Red suddenly pulled me under the water.
"What are you doing now?!? How does he know you?" Red exclaimed frantically. I glared at her for the first time.
"This is something I need to do!" I pulled away, rising up to the surface.
"Sorry about that," I sighed," My friend here is a tad overprotective."
Thunder nodded, his grey mane swaying in the night winds, he has a bright yellow coat that is so bright it looks a bit green. He had a sad look in his eyes, that I used my special talent to detect. My cutie mark is ironically a dove, it stands for creating peace, and cheering other people up whenever they are sad, as I did to him all those years.
" What happened?" I sighed afraid of what I might hear.
I assumed that since Thunder was now a grown 18 year old Stallion would not cry like a little foal. I was right, but he shed a single tear and looked up into my eyes.
" Well you know how...Heartfire got married?" He whispered, and despair seemed to overtake the both of us. I immediatly knew the problem. He has spent his entire life trying to woo Heartfire, and now she was married... To Lightning. I didn't have to be a genius to figure that one out. Thunder had lost. Sadly, he'd been sad about this for the longest time.
"I'm... So sorry." I said slowly.I remember the wedding, such a happy day. I swam over to the shore and dragged myself out of the water. Red continued to stay underwater, not trusting the stallion she saw with the changelings.
"I am very sorry about Hearts," I started, feeling bad for leaving behind a sore subject so quickly."But why are you with those..."
"Monsters? They aren't monsters, Dove. Changelings deserve some love too."
"Thunder,"I started slowly,"I never said they were monsters."
"Oh..." his ears pointed down,"I'm sorry. I just...I've been through so much."
I nodded,"I figured as much, but you haven't answered my question. Why did you join them?" I couldn't help but dislike the changeling clan, but I always knew that each side of an argument (calling this an argument is a huge understatement though) have their good and bad points. Though its hard to see any good in Sea Pony hunting...
"They accepted me, Dove. They were the only ponies that actually understand me."
"I understand you. Silver understands you,"
"But you disappeared! And Silver just forgot I existed!"
"Silver is probably very busy with Dust," I explained kindly.
Thunder snicked,"That sounded so wrong...but its probably true, even in the wrong context."
This was my Thunder, I facehoofed, as he burst out laughing. I had no idea what to say, so I burst out laughing with him. Big mistake.
