“We are the best!” Lyra hugged Luigi with a sweet sounding squee. “Stomped those big bad bugs.”
“It was pretty-a good.” Luigi inched his head away from that pointy horn of hers as it danced around him like a rapier.
Lyra let go as she did a silly jig. “Oh ya. Fire powers rock. Boom, floosh, hot stuff.” There was a loud dead crunch that made her freeze in place.
“L-L-Lyra, I think shooting off anymore-a fire shockwaves is a bad idea.” Luigi could feel the ground beneath him sink slightly.
“But this is so cool. Pew, pew, pew!” Lyra fired off a particularly large concussive blast.
Then the earth opened up like a jagged maw taking Lyra and Luigi into the abyss. “Momma Mia!”
“NO!” Bon Bon screamed with tears forming in the corner of her eyes.
---
“Excellent. All changelings have been neutralized.” Time Turner observed the primary group through his magnifying specs. “Strike team will confront the villains and save Princess Luna.”
“Turner, we have a problem!” Of course something went wrong at the last moment. He noticed that Bon Bon had dropped the use of code names all together. “Lyra and Luigi fell! A giant hole opened up beneath them and just swallowed them!”
“Is the hole still there?” Turner asked, hoping his calm voice would keep her from becoming further agitated.
“I think Lyra was a little too fire happy with her power. It’s like looking into an abyss. I have no idea how to get down.” She was prancing in place, looking ready to bound in after them.
“We are coming to you. Do not go in alone, it is connected to this swamp and we have no idea what lies beneath it.” Turner switched to the other channel. “This is Overwatch. Dropped Bass are you on?”
The chilled voice of his former client spoke. “Dropped Bass here. What’s up Doc?”
“Situation has come up with team B.” Tuner sighed wearily. “Meet up asap. Before their team leader decides to do something rash.”
---
“Wow, that was a good catch, but how come I didn’t get hurt when we landed?” Lyra wiggled her hooves as Luigi held her like a bride.
“I’ve-a never been hurt by falling that often.” Luigi placed her down. There was a small struggle when her hooves got tangled up in his arms. “As for you, I was holding you so it just works.”
“Hmm, I’m thinking magic, and if you don’t know maybe I can study it.” Lyra giggled as she looked around. Sadly, that sweet smile turned into confusion. “Where are we? If it wasn’t for the weird green glowing ooze and my firepower, this place would be pitch black.”
“I was trying to ignore it. Blissfully.” Luigi whined as his knees started to shake. “You can barely see the top where we fell from.
“Yup! We fell a pretty long way.” Lyra nodded as her horn glowed brighter to reveal more of the area. “Large chamber filled with pony size pores, perfect for anything to crawl in and out of or drag us off into. Green ooze seeping from cracks everywhere and it’s most likely toxic. Foul smelling air, and skeletal remains. This place is pretty creepy. Awesome creepy.”
“W-w-w-why!?” Luigi blubbered as he shrunk more into himself as she described everything. “Aren’t you at least a bit scared?”
“Of course I am. When I am frightened out of my mind I just start talking non-stop and analyzing stuff. Bon Bon says I have some serious issues, but what pony doesn’t?” Lyra smiled at Luigi. It slowly grew bigger as her eyes became pinpoints. “Case and point.”
“W-w-wait. Don’t tell-a me.” Luigi’s teeth chattered as he moaned. “There is a giant monster right behind me?”
“What a rude guest.” Luigi creaked around in a stuttered manner as his gaze slowly turned up. More legs than what should be necessary, this creature had holes on all of her appendages, a lovely set of mandibles to grip anything in her mouth. A mouth that had trouble keeping green ooze in when she smiled sweetly. “A living pony and human lost in my kingdom? What a rare treat.”
Luigi’s knees buckled as he gripped his hat tightly. Lyra scooted up next to him as tightly as possible. “Terribly sorry to fall in your home. We didn’t mean any harm.”
“Ho, ho, ho.” Stilted noblemare laughter if Lyra had ever heard one; it made her hair stand up on end, and made the itchy spot on the back of her neck come back too. “No harm they say. Not when they were so busy burning our children away from our food.”
“Momma Mia.” Luigi scooted back on the floor with Lyra in tow.
“Now, now. No need to be shy. I’m not one to hold grudges for too long.” There was a flash of green flames as a normal human hand grew from her ‘chest’ towards the two with an outstretched palm. There was small pink liquid that rippled in her hand. “Shall we play a game? Empress of the Changelings demands your participation.”
---
“This place seems to be built for atmosphere.” Rarity stated as the group stood outside the large castle doors and hidden behind some cover from any prying eyes. “Thunder clouds waiting for us to walk inside, those horribly ghastly gargoyles, and I’m fairly certain the front door will lock shut on us the moment we all walk in.”
“That’s terrifying!” Fluttershy had somehow found a way to fit her entire body under Mario’s hat while he wore it with only her tail poking out from behind.
“More like predictable is what Rarity is going at.” Rainbow Dash snorted. “I bet they have traps waiting for us. Trying to separate us and pick us off one by one.”
“I’m glad everypony is feeling better, though a bit more sarcastic than usual, but I’m not sure we can do anything else.” Twilight sighed, not all too confident with making a plan at the moment. She turned to walk away for a short distance only for her face to smash right into something akin to a metal block if it was invisible. Muzzle smashed, tears forming, and horn throbbing; Twilight was sure that today was not Tuesday when she checked, but it sure felt like it.
“Sugarcube, I think you may have found our answer.” Twilight felt Applejack give her a consoling pat on the back, but she was too busy nursing her nose to reply.
“Boo Shrooms.” Mario picked up the ghastly smiling mushroom. “Perfect for our-a needs.”
“Looks positively ghastly.” Rarity repeated the previous description. “Those Fire Flowers, as you call them, made us look radiant, but I doubt the same can happen with this.”
“I dunno, I think I make a good ghost.” The ponies gasped and held each other tightly. Pinkie Pie ‘smiled’ big from the reaction she got. “See, I spooked everypony here. Imagine what I would do to them?”
“Pinkie, y-y-you just have a bedsheet over you.” Twilight released her hug. Poor Mario found himself the center of a mass pony compression courtesy of his friends. They were all good huggers, like natural vices.
Pinkie tilted her body in confusion as she poked around for her head, her hoof repeatedly pushing down on the fabric. “Aw, this is a Nightmare Night costume that an amateur would throw on. Wait a moment.” She flipped up the bedsheet to find nothing underneath it. “Oh I get it, a bedsheet ghost. I’m pretty spooky.”
“Mario, please tell me that this isn’t permanent.” Twilight asked as Mario caught his breath.
“A light source is-a good enough to dispel, though getting hurt enough can do it.” Mario wheezed as he patted his chest. “Though that is nothing like how it works for me. Guess you all will have different powers with each power-up. She is not a bedsheet ghost though, sort of-a.”
“Really? There are more than one type of ghost?” Twilight raised an eyebrow as she watched Pinkie ‘wooohing’ Applejack, who rolled her eyes.
“Give it a moment and…” Mario motioned her to watch the goofy specter until there was a flash. Two Applejacks now stared at each other like a mirror image come to life. “She is a duplighost, she can turn into a copy of anything she-a sees, within reason.”
“Howdy Applejack, I’m Applejack. You looking pretty good sugarcube.” ‘Applejack’ shook the hoof of the dumbfounded Applejack with hospitable glee.
“Pinkie, please change back. That’s creepy.” Applejack was sure her face shouldn’t be able to make a grin that large.”
“Okie, dokie, loki!” Pinkie said in that sweet southern twang before changing back to bed sheet form.
“Creepy power? I’m game.” Rainbow Dash grabbed hers with mischievous glee. There was a ‘poof’ and a deep purple mist before Rainbow Dash stepped out. Pale yellow eyes was the only sign of life as the skeletal pony stretched her bony limbs. Skeletal wings flapped in the air out of instinct. “A skeleton pony? Kind of scary I guess.”
“Very scary.” Pinkie Pie answered with hush awe. “Come on everypony let’s see what we can get!”
Rarity backed up as she laughed in a completely non-stilted manner. “Now, now, dear. Something like that is not for me. Losing all of your fur and your mane is clearly just ghastly.”
Pinkie giggled. “Ghastly. Good one, Rarity.” Then she threw the pale mushroom at the shrieking mare. The whining stopped abruptly. Icy wind nipped at the ponies as Rarity opened her eyes. Transparent blue form seemed to radiate the winter spirit, Rarity’s mane seemed to curl more at the ends into neverending swirls. “Ooooh, pretty.”
“Like a windigo.” Twilight hummed as Rarity conjured up a small mirror. Her cutie mark glowed like morning sun on ice. “Hopefully you don’t have the urge to cause hate.”
“Not a bad look, and I feel absolutely fabulous.” Rarity delicately pushed up on her curly mane. “Don’t worry, this ice queen has a warm heart.”
“You’re most likely still emotion based with your powers.” Twilight scanned Rarity as Pinkie placed a party hat on Rarity’s head. “I wonder if you can move through small spaces due to your seemingly incorporeal form.
Applejack raised an eyebrow when the party hat was strapped to Pinkie’s muzzle in a blink of an eye. “That is some kind of interesting power, but Ah guess it would help us get inside without Nightmare Moon and them knowing. My turn.”
One Boo Shroom later and Applejack’s head was gone. “Ah don’t feel no different.”
Twilight resisted, truly fought hard to keep her mouth shut. “It’s ok, Twilight. Double negatives happen.” It was a long day.
“So does-a speaking without adjectives.” Mario whistled as he rocked back and forward.
“Hush. Mr. Accent is so thick I can make pasta with it.” Twilight stuck her tongue out a little.
Applejack rolled her eyes (pretty impressive without a head). “Seriously sugarcube, what did I get?”
Rainbow Dash crept up next to her with a low voice. “You are the creepy headless mare. You don’t actually get a power, in fact nothing worthwhile was lost. Ouch! Hot, hot, hot!”
Deep purple flames sparked around Applejack as a fiery pumpkin head popped into existence over her. It seemed to leer at Rainbow Dash with an impressive stink eye. “That’s rich coming from empty skull head.”
“Spectral flames. That is interesting, and the pumpkin is storing a lot of energy. Enough to be extremely explosive.” Twilight swiped then froze a flame sample in a preservation test tube before putting it into her saddle bag. “Applejack, if we get into a bind, try throwing the pumpkin.”
“I, um, got bat wings.” Fluttershy squeaked out. Her yellow coat was darker and the blood red eyes seemed to pierce through any form of darkness. “Ow, these teeth are sharp.”
“Bat-pony?” Rainbow Dash tilted her bony head. “Oh right, remember those from the history class shy? That’s pretty cool.”
“You slept through that class, though.” Fluttershy raised an eyebrow. “You barely listened to me when we studied during flying lessons.”
“Well yeah, that class was boring, but those things were pretty neat.” Rainbow Dash shrugged as well as any skeleton pony could. “Bet you can fly in complete darkness.”
“Probably.” Twilight picked her own boo shroom. “Let’s see what I get.” A puff of purple smoke obscured her from the others. Gone was the lively lavender, her coat was now inky black that lacked defining features. Outside of her blindingly yellow eyes, Twilight looked like a solid shadow.
“What a striking form.” Rarity swirled around Twilight like a cold wind. “The simplicity of perfect black mane and coat makes your eyes pop!”
“Thanks, but what can I do now?” Twilight prodded the tip of her hoof, expecting some kind of weird reaction.
“You-a look like a Bomb Boo.” Mario said as he grabbed his mushroom, poof of smoke revealed a mustacheo boo with his signature hat. “They are-a pretty dangerous and can blow up most things.”
“Well explosives are always fun.” Twilight grinned. “Alright, time to sneak inside a fortress and rescue the princesses. We need to stay together for this. Let’s go, girls!”
The shadow of the castle loomed over the heroes as they charged. Lightning crackled overhead, illuminating the decrypted haunt. They were sure that their nemesis was ready for them, but their new powers were about to throw a kink in Nightmare Moon’s plans and Bower’s forces.
---
“That’s-a Splatter Matter.” Luigi gulped as the Changeling levitated the goo from her hand. Lyra glanced at him quickly before snapping back to the Empress in front of them.
“Ah, very good. You are well traveled.” She bounced the drop up and down with a lovely toothy grin. “It can be used to create a multitude of things, but I mostly enjoy creating death traps for any guests that come by.”
The liquid matter started to vibrate rapidly and change colors like a kaleidoscope. It fell back into the changeling’s hand and oozed over and around her palm before hitting the group. The earth rippled with a distinct drip. Chains ripped out from the ground, spikes grew from the walls, and towering platforms fell from the inky black sky. What was one drop became a flood of splatter matter as it seeded itself everywhere.
Starry blue clones of Luigi and Lyra formed like reverse unmelted wax. Their chilly unnatural laugh made their presence known. At the top of the cavern, there was an opening to freedom. “Now dance! Wiggle, squirm, and struggle to survive! Provide sport for my amusement .”
“You don’t scare us!” Lyra snorted as she pawed the ground. “Come on, Luigi. Let’s get it on!”
Changelings crawled out of the openings in the walls, watching the super duo. Luigi was yanked up next to her by his wrist. “Lyra, try not to go overboard. This looks-a dangerous so we need to be careful.”
Her manic grin returned as her fiery green magic glowed around her horn. “Neigh my green friend! We are about to go crazy.”
Luigi gulped as the large empress roared at them; bringing up a clawed talon to strike. He remembered Mario as his leg muscles readied. “Let’s-a go.”