The Storm Hawks were nearly to Terra Atmosia, and had stopped for supplies on Terra Saharr. Three events were happening at the same time. The first, Aerrow, Piper, Junko, Stork, and Radarr where all stuck in a sandstorm and hiding under a rock. Stork was complaining about how they were all doomed. Piper tried to put all of her brainpower into figuring how the could get to the nearest town, or to the Condor. Aerrow was trying to calm Radarr down, who was currently howling. And Junko, well Junko was just sucking his thumb, and wishing he had his teddy bear ad something to eat. 'Sand sure does taste nasty' he thought to himself.
The second, Finn being the not-so-smart-person he was, had just been in Moonshadow's room. The blond had found a crystal that had an arrow point around in a circle. 'Well I wonder what this thing does?' He started tossing it up in the air. 'I sure do hope it's nothing like that cloning crystal.'
The third was with the Dark Ace. At the moment, he was trying to recall his dreams. What he could make out was:
He was covered in blood; the skimmer he was being carried on was covered in blood. It wasn't just any blood, but his own. He had painfully lifted his head to look up at the person driving the skimmer, to thank his savior. What he saw was to his great surprise. He had expected to see a talon, but instead a younger, maybe fifteen year old, Moonshadow looking down at him with a very worried expression on her face.
The dream shifted.
"Tanner!" he looked back. 'Where did I hear that name used before?' Ace thought. "Tanner wait up! Man, you walk fast. Don't be mad. There's no reason to hate yourself for what happened. It could've happened to anyone." Once again, a younger Moonshadow was looking at him, smiling. She was a little older then last time. What happened next was the most surprising. "I know, I know." He said, without really saying it. "But it wasn't anyone. I froze. I got people on my team hurt. I don't know why either, I mean, I've fought Cyclonians enough in my life to know not to freeze." 'Ok, this is getting way too creepy. Fighting Cyclonians? I am a Cyclonian, how could I be fighting them?'
Once again the dream changed. Though this time it was a much more familiar one.
The look on the red headed Storm Hawk's face as unforgettable, but also very confusing for Ace. It was not a look of horror and fear, but more a look a pain, shock, and sorrow. The realization of who was actually responsible for the Flaming Phoniness' death. The look had never bothered Ace before, but for some odd reason now, it did. He new it was just a dream, just a memory, but for a reason that was beyond him, he tried with all his might to stop himself from killing the man. "NO!"
He had woken up in a cold sweat, breathing heavily, as if he had just run for a very long time. He was derailed form his train of thought when Moonshadow's face suddenly appeared upside down over his. "Hello, Sunshine!" Moonshadow said cheerfully. "Ahhhhhhhh!" Ace cried, not expecting her. "Top of the morning to you, Sunshine!" The ex-Cyclonian was obviously in a good mood, though he wondered why. Dark Ace remembering the last person who had called him that, and the haunting dream frowned. "Don't call me that." He growled. She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Why not?" "Because I don't want you to!" He yelled a little louder then necessary. "Alright. Shakespeare." She added with a smile. "Why do you call me silly names like that?" Ace said. "One, because I can. Two, because you like to write poetry." Moonshadow said, grinning widely. Ace rolled his eyes, though he was secretly wondering how she new that.
"Hey Moonshadow," Finn said striding into the room. "What does this do?" Moonshadow looked up. "Finn don't…" Whatever she was about to say was cut off by the crystal making a high-pitched shriek. The crystal began to glow, as it lifted up into the air, it spun faster and faster. A loud bang, and a flash of brilliant escalating light filled the condor. As it finally began to die down, Moonshadow and Finn were left sitting on the floor. "Wow that was amazing. Nice firework display, but it didn't really do any thing." The 'Dark Ace' said. "It wasn't all that amazing. Rather annoying if you ask me." 'Moonshadow' replied. "Finn, you know, this is the reason you don't go into other peoples rooms, especially mine!" 'Finn' said. 'He' blinked "Oh, no."
'Finn' looked at the crystal, which was lying on the floor. It looked so harmless; it was easy to see how Finn thought it was just a regular striker crystal. "Oh, crud Finn." 'Finn' once again said. "Wow, I must have been out for a long time. How did you chain me up this fast?" 'The Dark Ace' said. 'Moonshadow' raised her hand in front of her face, and soon after words a chain of swear words. "Jeez, Moonshadow. I didn't even know there were swear words like that." 'Dark Ace' said. "Uh Finn? You do know you're not in your body any more right?" 'Finn' said. "What I'm not? Then…" 'Ace' questioned. Then, like a light bulb flashing above his head (and ironically, some short of machine blinked), he realized that he was now Dark Ace, thus chained up. "So…whose in my body?" He asked. "Moonshadow is." Dark Ace said, who was currently in Moonshadow's body. "And that also means I'm free to wreak whatever havoc I want." Ace said. "I really don't think so!" Moonshadow said sneaking up behind the plotting Ace with a frying pan in hand. Just as he turned around he got whacked.
Finn (In the Dark Ace's body) winced. "That's going to leave a mark in the morning." He said. "It's already left a mark. Anyway, I think if we're lucky he'll stay out for a couple of hours. I didn't want to hurt him too bad, because when I get us switched back, I'm going to have to put up with that bump." Moonshadow (In Finn's body) said. She was eying the wound as she said it, already calculating the damage. "The problem is he can break those cuffs now." Moonshadow said, not looking forward to when he did wake up.
Elsewhere, Piper was wonder how thing were faring on the Condor. 'Well, I bet it's much better than we are.' Oh only if see new how hectic things were getting on the Condor in the few sort minutes that she was wondering this. And only if she new what danger they were in while she was talking to Aerrow about their predicament, when the suddenly got a call from Moonshadow on the Condor telling them to come immediately to the Condor that a prisoner had escaped. "We'd better go and see what's happening. Quickly." Aerrow said. They got up and rode in the raging torrents of sand.
Earlier on the Condor, Moonshadow had been looking at the Crystal, trying to remember the exact scenario in which the crystal activated. She was trying very hard not to get mad at it, and its innocent appearance. 'Why me?' she thought. Finn yelled something unrecognizable. Moonshadow had kept him chained up, telling him she didn't need Dark Ace running around on the ship should she get them switched back. What Moonshadow didn't tell him, is that she wasn't even sure if she could get them back. 'I just hope Tan… Ace stays asleep. This will get all the more complicated if he wakes up.' The ex-Cyclonian thought.
And to go with the saying, 'speak of the devil, and the devil will appear', Ace shook his head. 'I never new frying pans could be used as such an effective weapon.' He thought darkly to himself. 'But that could also work in m favor.' He grinned to himself, eyeing the cooking object where it lay. He drew his head back a little. 'But…what on earth is a frying pan doing in an infirmary?'
The Dark Ace was still pondering his question, while he sneaked up behind Moonshadow. He deftly swung the metal pan through the air hitting her in the back of the head. "Well, that was easy." He stated aloud, and then went to call the Storm Hawks, dark thoughts passing through his mind. Now was his time to pay them back for all they had done.
"Nnnnn." Moonshadow mumbled incoherently, rubbing the growing egg on the back of her head. 'Hope I wasn't out to long. That jerk! I ever hit him nearly as hard. How dare he?! He is going to pay, though I hope I'm not too late. Who knows what diabolical plan is going through his head?' She thought darkly to herself. But then again, if he knew how he was going to pay for hitting her that hard, he would have already changed his name, and been on the other side of the planet by now.
When Moonshadow tiptoed into the hangar, Ace had just finished calling the Storm Hawks. 'Good.' She thought. I haven't been out to long. Or he just takes a really long time to make plans. She could hear skimmers driving up outside. It was probably now or never, when he was basking in the brilliancy of his plans. Moonshadow had a feeling that Finn wasn't very strong, so she didn't want to take any chances. Coiling up, tensing every muscle in her body, she sprang, crashing into the Dark Ace's/her back.
Aerrow, and the gang rushed in weapons at the ready. What they saw defiantly surprised them. (Note: The Storm Hawks do not know there was a switch of bodies) Finn and Moonshadow were having a catfight; Moonshadow trying to knock Finn off of her back, while he held on for dear life, pulling on her hair, and punching her whenever he got the chance. "Hey guys! Quit fighting." Aerrow yelled, quite embarrassed that Finn was behaving this way. "Help! Get him of my back! I don't know what wrongs with him!" 'Moonshadow' yelled. "Finn!" Aerrow yelled as he and Junko pulled him off of Moonshadow's back. Dark Ace seeing that Plan A was ruined, decided to go for Plan B.
"Get off of me!" 'Finn' yelled, pulling a very female like tantrum. Kicking and clawing at Aerrow and Junko as tried to restrain 'him'. "Let go of me! Dang it! When we get switched back Aerrow, I swear, I'm going to give you a lesson on personal space!" 'Finn' said. "Switched back?" Piper asked. "Yes, switched back!" 'Finn' said again, still trying to claw 'his' way out. 'He' had just about enough of this struggling, so pulling Aerrow's hand up near 'his' mouth, the blond bit down. Hard. "OWWWWW! OW, OW, OW! WHAT ON EARTH WAS THAT FOR?!" Aerrow yelled, promptly letting go. He thought he could see the bone, though that might have been his imagination. "Why did you do that?" Piper asked, running over to Aerrow's side. "Here, let's get this to the infirmary." Piper said, taking the time to glare at 'Finn'.
As the group walked in to the small white room, 'The Dark Ace' looked up as much as possible. "Did you figure it out yet?" He asked, impatient to get out of his bindings. "Figure out what?" Stork asked suspiciously. 'Could Finn be a traitor?" they all thought (well, save the three that knew what was going on) "The way to switch us back." 'Ace' stated. "They're insane!" 'Moonshadow said. "Well, there has to be some way to see who's telling the truth." Piper said. "A quiz?" Junko sheepishly suggested. "But what to ask?" Stork said, still suspicious.
After what seemed like hours of thinking, they still hadn't come up with anything. Question were asked like 'What's your catch phrase?' and 'What's your favorite squadron?' questions that everyone knew or no one knew. Thinking back on long conversations with Moonshadow. 'Why can't I think of anything?' Piper thought to herself. Had she learned nothing important about her friend and her life before her team was wiped out? Wait! That was it, something Ace couldn't possibly know!
"I've got it!" Piper exclaimed. "What it is?" They all said in unison. "What was the Dark Ace's name before he joined the Cyclonians?" Piper exclaimed, quivering with excitement. "Err, Dark Ace?" 'Dark Ace' said. 'I bet this is a trick.' Dark Ace thought to himself. 'They want me to say some name that I think might have been my name before.' "The name didn't change Piper. Why would it?" 'Moonshadow' told Piper. 'Good job Piper. I knew you'd think of something.' The real Moonshadow thought. Earlier she had taken some short of telepathy crystal that under normal circumstances she wouldn't have needed. Using the crystal, she soundlessly pushed her thoughts to Piper. Piper grinned as she received them.
"You're fake." Piper told 'Moonshadow', pointing. "It's not nice to point." Ace sneered darkly. "You're Dark Ace, you're Moonshadow, and you're Finn." She said pointing to each one in turn; Moonshadow's, Finn's, and, Dark Ace's body. Ace glared. He never thought they'd be smart enough to figure anything out. But then, they'd had Moonshadow helping them, so that upped their chances quite a bit.
"So, even though you've found the right one, what are you going to do about it?" Dark Ace questioned, sneering, positive that they wouldn't be able to do a thing. "Oh, and Moonshadow sneaking up behind me won't work again." "What do you mean? I'm over here." Moonshadow said trying not to laugh as Ace turned around to look at Stork, who was wielding the cookware quite expertly. Bang!
Moonshadow cringed. If and when they got switched back, she was going to have quite a few bumps on the back of her head. "What's with everyone and wielding frying pans today?" Finn asked a little horrified that pans could be used as such weapons.
Both groups traded stories. After Piper and Aerrow told their story, Moonshadow's big question was, "So…if you were stuck in the sandstorm, and couldn't get to the outpost for supplies, how come you could get back here?" though they didn't have an answer to that question either.
"Well, I'm sure Ace probably called the Talons here. It would be best if we got going as soon as possible. Finn, what where you doing when you walked into the room?" Moonshadow asked, impatient to get going as soon as possible. "Umm, throwing the crystal up into the air then dropping it." He replied, thinking so hard it made his brain hurt. "Well, it's worth a try. You guys get off the ship. I don't know the range of the crystal, so it would be best if you were at least of the ship. The secret password to tell is…whisper, whisper." Moonshadow whispered the last part to them. They gave her an odd look. "Yes that's the password! Now go." Moonshadow shooed them out the door.
"Ok, let's see if this works." Moonshadow said. She had made sure they were of before she tried this. Tossing the crystal up in the air she walked into the room. "Did it work?" Finn asked. "Well if it worked the crystal would probably be doing the same thing as last time. Oops." While Moonshadow was talking to Finn she had been a little distracted and misjudged the speed in which it was falling to her hand. The crystal dropped, but before it could hit the ground, it started the same routine again.
After the light had gone Finn sat down on the ground, in his own body, looking dumbfounded. "Yes it worked, but my head is killing me." Moonshadow whined, though she was happy she was in her own body again. It was very nice. "Dang it. Back again." Ace said, throwing a tantrum. Moonshadow glared at him. Then, causally getting up, she 'accidentally' leaned on the button that made the table spin around. "Wooooooh! Uncle! Uncle!" Dark Ace yelled. "You…so…deserved…that." Finn said through laughter.
I am really sorry about how long it took to update this story. I've had it up on Deviant Art for a month or two, but it's been too time consuming to delete all the boxes. This is a fairly long chapter, and I have 12 that I'm adding too. Thanks for all of those who have reviewed. A special thanks to those who didn't just review to say I have boxes. But with the newly updated system, I'm loving it :D Please review. Next time I'll try to put it up here first.