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// Chapter 4 
// Story: The Sea's Pearl 
// by lyra_lover777 
//------------------------------//

	Fluttershy couldn't believe she had said that. But soon after Big Mac agreed to be in the army and Dinky agreed to stay at the castle to help the mages keep the sea floor from rising up and killing sea ponies. Then the king said something.
"I need to change you all into hippocampi so you can complete your duties."
We all nodded in acceptance and the king's spines began to glow a beautiful silver. Silver light surrounded us. The spines n the king's back began to get brighter and a second layer of magic covered the first. Fluttershy felt herself begin to change. She looked at big mac and watched as his back legs began to melt together. From the end of the newly joined legs sprouted fins. The same was happening to her and dinky. While no spines or big fins appeared on Big Mac, Dinky's horn began to separate into smaller pieces and go along her neck, forming spines. Fluttershy's wings began to morph and turned into the big fins on the backs of hippocampi. She didn't gain any spines.
King Oceania set down the newly formed sea ponies.They admired their new bodies. Then King Oceania quickly sent them off to their new duties, Dinky to the mage tower and Big Mac to the training yard. Fluttershy was to stay in the library with the king where she would meet the other element bearers. 
Dinky went to the mage tower, guided by a servant. Big Mac was escorted away by two guards to the training yard. Before he left, Fluttershy gave him a quick hug and he was gone. Fluttershy waited patiently on her chair while a servant brought in two more chairs.
Then the others arrived.
The element of honesty was a female sea pony named Sea Monkey. She was teal and had a silver mane and red eyes. Her cutie mark was some sort of sea creature called a sea monkey, hence her name. The element of loyalty was a male sea pony named Tidal Wave. He was white with a black mane and yellow eyes. His cutie mark was two giant waves. The element of generosity was a beautiful  female sea pony named Coral Cress. She had orange scales and a luscious red mane and light green eyes. Her cutie mark was a branch of pink coral. The element of laughter was a  male sea pony named Confetti Cake. His mane and coat were yellow and his eyes were purple. His cutie mark was a piece of cake with confetti around it. And the element of magic was a male sea pony named Manta Bay. He had a white coat and a green mane and orange eyes. His cutie mark was a manta ray with 12 blue stars surrounding it. The five became fast friends with Fluttershy. After two hours of getting to know each other, they all felt like very good friends. 
As the sea ponies kept talking, King Oceania interrupted them
"I'm very sorry to break up your conversation, but we have two evil alicorns to go defeat." Fluttershy had been telling them what it was like to fly and breath air and walk on land. But the sea ponies stood ready as the king placed the elements on their necks. The chunk of pearl for loyalty was blue with no shape, for generosity it was silver, and also had no shape. The color for honesty was green. The color for laughter was sea green. The color for magic was light purple. And the color for kindess was a dark blue. None of them had any apparent shape; they were just pieces of pearl.
"The colors of these elements are the colors of a sea rainbow, the kind of rainbow that happens underwater when rain hits the ocean's surface. Only hippocampi can see it." They all nodded. The king continued. "These pieces, if put together, form a giant pearl, the Sea's Pearl to be exact. Now, it is time for battle!!"