As Slippy had predicted, it wasn't long before Sunset started prowling the halls of the ship on her own, frequently by means of self-levitation. Krystal didn't know what to marvel at more, that Sunset could focus her magic for such controlled usage so young, or that Slippy had managed to extend the ACSU system throughout the entire ship before she started. She was grateful that Sunset respected Danger symbols, and thus stayed away from the airlocks, the docking bay, the engine room, and the weapons bay, as well as not playing with the ship's controls once 'Bro-bot' told her not to. She was not grateful that Sunset seemed to take delight in finding spaces big enough for her but too small for anyone else, and then hiding away in a spot that made her voice echo and giggling as she watched everyone search for her. Still, it did mean Krystal stayed in great shape constantly chasing after her, despite the Great Fox now being so far in the black due to sale of magically generated resources that Falco was able to prepare a literal feast - for eyes and stomach - every night. Who knew the flirty showoff was such a good cook?
When Sunset wasn't playing hide and seek with the entire crew, she would make her way towards a specific individual she wanted to spend time with, or to the kitchen to raid the cookie jar. Despite his best efforts, no security system Slippy had managed to devise could keep Sunset from the jar for more than about ten minutes. Still, Slippy enjoyed the effort of trying to stump her, and she plainly enjoyed testing herself against them no matter how puzzling they were. Most everyone would have been happy to let her treat herself to a cookie as a reward for success in that regard...if only she didn't gorge every time and ruin her dinner.
More often than not it was Peppy who found her when she went to curl up somewhere after making herself sick from eating too many cookies, mostly because she wound up curled up on his bed since it was the softest in the ship for Peppy's old bones. Whenever he found her there - whether curled up for painful stomach or just because the blankets were comfy - he would pick her up, step over to his rocking chair, and simply rock her into a restful doze while stroking her mane. To keep her attention as he did this, he would tell her old stories from his life, anything from the adventurous to the ridiculous. She absolutely adored those tales, and it wasn't long before a common shout heard through the ship was, "Gampa! Stowy!"
It took Peppy ten minutes to stop his tears of joy the first time she called him that.
While most of those on the ship saw Sunset's endless wanderings as just her testing her boundaries and seeking to stimulate her forming mind, Krystal had begun noticing something else that she felt was of greater significance. While Sunset would play her games whenever she felt like it, 'hiding' more often than not occurred any time Fox and Falco both tried to approach her simultaneously, an event that usually devolved into their fight over who was 'Dada', and ended when they noticed Sunset had vanished. Krystal was pretty certain she knew what was going on there. Sunset plainly was extraordinarily fond of both young men, but the idea of picking one over the other - and the other's anger at that - was far too upsetting to her young mind, leading to her running rather than facing it. Krystal could only hope a resolution happened soon, and that it brought some measure of peace to the ship.
This was especially large in her thoughts right now as she searched for Sunset, since she'd run off again because Fox and Falco had started arguing in front of her again. Krystal wasn't sure, but it looked like Fox at least had understood what was going on, so maybe he'd find a way to fix things...though she hoped it wouldn't be by trying to convince Sunset to make Falco 'Dad'. Krystal was already certain Sunset saw Fox that way, even if she hadn't called him that yet, and trying to shift those affections would not end well. Despite no longer surging or undergoing build ups, Sunset still possessed fearsome magic that demonstrated itself quite noticeably when she became perturbed.
Much to her surprise, when Krystal was finally able to track down Sunset's magical signature - a difficult task in and of itself with the ship absorbing any stray magic Sunset left behind, and blanketing the ship in the echo from storing all that energy - she found Fox kneeling beside the vent Sunset was hiding in. Deciding to see what was going on, she stood back and waited.
"Sunset," Fox whispered softly, "I'm...I'm sorry. I should have realized we were upsetting you sooner. It's just...Falco and I have been friendly rivals ever since we were kids, fighting over just about anything. When he started fighting over which of us was your Dad, I just...slipped into the habit. It made things feel...normal, and that he was accepting things. And I needed that normal, especially since Dad..." His voice trailed off, and he rubbed his hand over his face. "Point is, I shouldn't have been doing that. I should have been focused on taking care of you instead.
"So I'm not going to fight with Falco over that anymore," Fox continued. "If he wants to insist he's your Dad, let him. That's up to you, not us...and we'll have plenty of other things to fight about over the years, hopefully ones that won't be upsetting to you." He slowly reached into the vent, and was rewarded with Sunset crawling into his arms. "I just...care about you too much to want to hurt you..."
Sunset smiled up at Fox and nuzzled into his chest. "Da!" she stated quite plainly, making Krystal smile.
"What?" Falco demanded as he rounded the corner.
"Ha! Suck it, Falco!" Fox called out as he turned, making Krystal facepalm as Sunset glowered and bopped him on the nose. "...ow, she's got quite the right hook..."
"Great!" Falco complained. "Just great! So where do I rate with her, huh?"
"Unca Bahdi!" Sunset called out happily.
"What?" Falco demanded angrily. "Just because I'm an avian, she calls me-"
"I'm pretty sure she's saying 'Uncle Bardi'," Krystal interrupted. "When I talk to her about you all, I refer to you by full names...and there's no way she could pronounce even a close approximation of Falco right now."
Fox snickered. "Unless you want to be 'Unca Fakka'!" he joked, causing Sunset's eyes to light up.
"Uncle Birdy it is, then!" Falco responded quickly, making Fox and Krystal laugh.
Just because I know someone's going to do it...
🎵 Shut your fakking face, Unca Fakka... 🎵
Family unit established:
Daddy Fox
Momma Krystal
Grampa Peppy
Whatever the heck Slippy is (father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate, perhaps?)
Bro-bot
and Uncle Birdy.
8274326
Beat me to it. I was going to link the video, but this fic is rated T so it's probably a good thing I didn't.
Grandpa Peppy was cute
8274337
Slippy was shown last chapter to be 'Uncle Silly'.
For trying to be so serious, this chapter really tries to stab you in the feels.
Ah what ever, thank you for the new chapter and Have a Happy 4th.
8274326 i figured that someone'd do that.
I'm too happy to care that my heart is a pool of ichor underneath my chair right now. Shimmy's always had a way to do that to me, and filly-fying her has only made that power that much more potent. I can't wait to see how this further devlops.
Good choice. Better than being constantly associated with that ONE SONG from the South Park movie.
Heck, a part of me was almost expecting Sunset to do what Baby did on that old animatronic "sitcom" Dinosaurs from and start messing with Falco by calling him "Not The Mama".
Now that the finances of the Great Fox are semi-stabilized... The little evil corners of my heart cannot help but think of vile little Cornerian Government Financial Administrators pondering how the Great Fox is PRODUCING certain goods in certain quantities and come a-knocking. I'm thinking One Tiny Chihuahua that might try to take away Sunset on a 'For the Good of Corneria' bent of crooked thought.
Possibly during THAT bit of plot extension, Andross' spies catch wind of Sunset. And who doesn't want an ether-based bioweapon?
8274446
A chihuahua ... easy solution there *punts it out an airlock* Seriously, anyone that risks taking an unstable and powerful child from her family is either too stupid to let live or too greedy to see the dangers outweigh the gains
Andross on the other paw ... he knows how to calculate risk and reward, and would begin to make preparations to contain our little mana battery
8274437if you what that saying used then check out another story from the same arthor named Fortressshy: The Nine Fathers staring Fluttershy
Welp, we know where this is going. Sorry, Falco.
I swear Sunset is gonna be flipping the bird when she gets older.
Me: Doh!
Butler: What's wrong?
Me: Now that song is playing in my head
Butler: What song?
Me: This one
So is Sunset going to or is she already having trouble learning to walk since she's floating most of the time? I've also been curious as to the state of her intelligence and how much knowledge, if any, she retained from before jumping in the mirror.
My god that was adorable!
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!
8274590
See, there's a very good reason I just tweaked the first line of the song rather than posting that video.
This fic is rated Teen, and that song is decidedly... not.
nice chapter.
8274437
Where would she get the pot? U cant do that line without the pot...
8274446
Umm...what chihuahua? Is that a character I don't know?
8274623
You needn't wonder that last. I have yet to see a single one of Tatsurou's Displaced Adoption fics where the pony- where applicable, as there are ones with Discord and Gilda -didn't recall virtually everything.
Now, I'm not saying that won't change, but it's pretty much a part of the formula. That is, unless Tatsurou decides to make a liar out of me.
8275379
You forgot the word 'eventually'.
8275118
The baby used a pan as well. But most of the time, as far as I remember, the baby on the show called the dad "not the mama" without hitting him.
8275135
Probably just suggesting a generic, excitable, short, evil-minded bureaucrat that wants everything his way or no way. And possibly a predilection for little hats and sleeping in purses.
I grew up playing star fox 64 and i'm more or less familiar with the plot of the games after that so this is a nice little crossover to find. The inclusion of Krystal was an angle i wasn't expecting to see as far as the magic issue. I do have to wonder how much longer it'll be before Sunset grows back up. The cover art makes me think the majority of the story will revolve around the time she's an adult or at least at fighting age, yet the last few chapters have demonstrated a tale more focused on slice of life.
8275135
None that I know of, just a random thought for a hate-sink character created for the sole purpose of increasing dramatic tension where before there was none. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand perhaps created from a personal dislike of the little ankle-biters.
8275450
This!
8275379
8275407
Yeah, I figured all would be revealed eventually. I've just been curious of her state of mind now and right after the transformation. Does she know a lot and just isn't capable of expressing it? Was the memory fresh right after and slipping away as she regrows? These are questions I'm not sure will be answered, but they're still gnawing at my curiosity.
8275504
Actually, that pretty much describes Tatsurou's stories. Even when there's action, it always seems to be a setting of sorts for slice-of-life.
In any case, the first few chapters will likely be 'Growing Up'; at least until whenever the first mission begins. Sunset should be at least a few years old before her story starts.
I'm not going to say that she won't be a filly, just that she seems to still be a baby at this point.
8275407
No I didn't. I don't know if this is your intent or not, but it always seems as though your characters are at least somewhat aware that they're operating on repressed memories.
Then again, I may be reading into it too much, as it's more often that their parent figures are aware of it. They may not be aware until late in the adventure.
You know, you're right; I did forget 'eventually'.
8274782
Bacon bits?
My question now is how Tats will pull off the history Falco has with Kat, and the many times he left the team only to come back. Im sure he already thought of something though.
Very funny chapter, especially how Sunset is interacting with everyone on the ship and how the dada rivalry between Fox and Falco got solved. I can't wait to see what comes next!
8275414
Every now and again, the baby wouldnt us a pot or pan, but most of the time? Nah, Earl got the pot...
Funny and cute.
8274326 You said what we were all thinking
I need more of Tats' work it is just too good not to enjoy. The way he writes children is always one of the best parts of his stories, in my opinion.
I posted a question comment in the last chapter, but since this chapter came out, I may not be notified that it's been answered so I'll post it here instead.
Quick question: are we supposed to imagine the crew with voices from Star Fox 64 and Adventures, or Star Fox Assault?
8279116
64 and Adventures.
8279998
Thank god, because I'm having trouble imagining the voices from Assault.
8280830
They did sound ragged in that game didn't they
I just can't help myself
oh you sly and wonderful bastard. loving this one and am glad I waited to start reading it, but this right here earned it its like.
That was cute. And will Sunset own ship run on magic?
8296791
you could almost say that Tats is Magnificent.
Warning TVTropes has been known to cause people to binge read, for hours at a time.