Chapter 59: Hope Radiant
Kyle flew aboard the pony airship Radiant Hope, a zeppelin of such size that it defied easy understanding. Internally she was about as large as one of those huge Dreamliner aircraft, with multiple floors and plenty of cargo space. Her gasbag was large enough to dwarf the occupied sections, but not nearly so much as she might've expected.
But analyzing the impossibility of their transport was far from the center of Kyle's thoughts, given her last few days.
The ponies gave her and her sister a private stateroom, which the guard outside insisted was a fantastic luxury and act of generosity. It had a single shared living space, but at least they had a private bathroom. Neither had any possessions to bring along, so mostly they sat around trying to read books written in the pony language, or watched the trees passing underneath.
"This is exactly what we wanted," Kyle said, for the tenth or eleventh time. "Fay is back with her family, we're going to be changed back to normal... everything is perfect."
She shifted uneasily on the couch, adjusting her rear legs as best she could. The days of their trip were not passing painlessly, now that Fay wasn't in her company. Without the baby to relieve the nursing pressure, she had to resort to an ineffectual use of her magic. "We don't even have to drive home across Canada."
Kara appeared behind her, touching her shoulder with a hoof. "I would feel better if you believed that."
She twitched, sitting up and glaring at her sister. "I'm sure it'll pass. I've been caring for Fay for months now. I'm just... missing something familiar. That's it."
Kara hugged her side, though her contact lasted only for a few moments. "Just try to keep perspective. This was only a few months. It wasn't supposed to be the rest of our lives. Technically, I guess it wasn't supposed to happen at all. No matter how overwhelmed you're feeling now, just remember that there's a real world waiting for us. There's school, our friends, growing up... everything we should've had. It was noble to take on the burden you did, but you don't deserve it."
She circled slowly around the room, before settling a tray on the bench beside Kyle. It was the lunch they had been delivered, which neither of them had eaten. "You had all the consequences of teenage pregnancy, without the indiscretion first. I'm pretty sure you're owed some fun before the universe brings down the crushing hand of karmic justice."
Kyle had no response to that—but someone knocked at the door, and saved her the trouble. "Yeah?"
It swung open, and a familiar pony waited outside.
Well, “familiar”. Monday was as much a victim as any of them now, though she did very little to show it. Since their first meeting in the ruins of the Lodge, she had styled her red and yellow hair, acquired a satchel overflowing with magical supplies, and mastered levitation.
"My apprentice!" she exclaimed, waving an energetic hoof. Kyle approached, taking it. Every little reminder of her last few months was subtly painful now—but there was no reason to reject Monday's company. "Apologies for not being available. I've been anxiously engaged in your welfare."
They exchanged an awkward hoof shake—well, awkward for Monday. She still kept her tail tucked between her legs, and never faced away from Kyle. It wasn't like she had enjoyed the nudity much either.
"I notice they don't have a guard at your door," Kyle said. "You can just walk around the ship wherever you want?"
"Well... I suppose I can. You're an Alicorn, kid. I'm still getting to know the local verbiage, but you're damn official now." She gestured at Kyle's flank, and the simple symbols there. It was a pair of overlapping hearts, with a larger blue one overlapped with a smaller purple one near one corner. "I'm no archmaster, so I can't be very helpful there. But you are, somehow. Dominion of stars and stones, of true names and blind sympathy. Lifeless, deathless, and unknown."
She lowered her voice whispering directly into Kyle's ear. "Your baby has not calmed down since they got here. The mom is afraid of what might happen if she sees you again."
There were many things Monday could've said to calm her down, but that wasn't one of them. Kyle's wings opened to either side, spreading for a takeoff she wouldn't make. Fay was in pain, right now, and there was nothing she could do about it.
"You said you were helping us?" Kara asked, touching Kyle gently on the shoulder again, dragging her back to reality before she could let that thought spiral out of control. "Anything we should know about?"
"For you in particular, actually!" Monday straightened, removing something from her satchel. It was a bracelet, though considering the actual size of their legs, it would probably be choker-sized on a human being. "For you there was no doubt over your preferences, and no Imperial magic to contend with. The sorceress, Akiko was thoroughly innovative with her design. Princess Twilight has improved it significantly. The finished version will adjust itself as you change, and carry stealth charms to make you immune to magical scrutiny. An important fact, given the world you're returning to."
You're returning to, Kyle noted. She didn't say anything, stepping aside so she could give Kara space, while still inspecting the bracelet. The “sense” radiating from the jewelry was familiar. Though the design had been so miniaturized that she couldn't judge the patterns of wires and crystal anymore.
Kara took the object, resting it in one hoof. "I was a little... distracted, when we were her prisoners. This is the cure? A magical vaccine, to reverse what I've been through?"
"Strictly speaking, no." Monday settled onto her haunches, glancing at Kyle. "You're the one who told us to retrieve it. Your sister doesn't know?"
Kyle shrugged her wings, ears pressing flat. "Staying alive was more important. Though I... kinda thought the ponies would have a cure. They have so much magic!"
"For some of those affected, yes," Monday said. "Transformation magic is costly and difficult when permanent, even for them. But in time, all those affected can be returned to themselves.
"Both of you challenge this notion, though for different reasons. Kara, your issue is that your body is an... animate vessel of Tass and thaumic crystal, with the purpose of housing the soul of a servant or familiar. You are not, strictly alive, so transforming you back is... impossible."
Kara slumped backward, eyes widening with shock. "W-what? I'm... I'm dead?" She twisted, looking to Kyle for support. "Did you know about this?"
"You're not dead!" Kyle insisted. It was her turn to offer support, holding her close with one leg. "Who cares what their magic system calls it? Just tell us about the treatment, Monday. I didn't have time to share everything you taught me."
Monday nodded, brushing a few strands of orange from her face. "Well, the treatment is simple. Your grandfather provided reference images, and we extrapolated based on another year of aging. Just put it on." She retreated a few steps, towards the door. "If you'd like some privacy while you try it on—"
Kara answered by slipping the jewelry onto her leg.
The result was near-instantaneous: one moment a pony stood beside her, the next—her sister.
On a ship made for horses, surrounded by nothing but horses, it was easy to forget how small humans could be. Kara shivered, taking a few nervous steps closer to Kyle. Standing at full height, Kyle was still taller than she was, to say nothing for all the other dimensions.
She shivered, glancing down at herself. But any embarrassment Kyle would've felt was even further removed than weeks of shared nudity. Why had that mattered exactly?
"This is... unsettling," Kara whispered. "And chilly. They need to heat this place more."
"Sadly I can't leave that with you," Monday said. "Try the full range of motion, if you would. If the spell survives, we'll move forward."
Kara did, performing a few stretches, jogging in place, and a few other basic moves. "When you bring the final version, clothes would be good too. My sister's one thing, but I can't walk home like this."
"Of course." Monday waved a dismissive hoof. "There's local talent working on that. Now while you remove that, pull it off as quickly as you can. There are some size variables to be tweaked."
Kara did, and her pony self returned, apparently unaffected by the intermediate magic. "I'm not thrilled about wearing something the rest of my life. But at least I'm not in a wheelchair or anything. Just... keep the bracelet discrete, please. I'd like to do cheer again next year."
Monday settled it carefully back in her satchel, then turned on Kyle. "Your case presents a few other challenges, apprentice. You aren't a passively magical creature like your sister—you're going to be pumping it out in quantity. But assuming we even can treat you, there's another question to ask."
She levitated a notebook out into the air beside her, along with a pen. "We had your grandfather's photos for you as well, apprentice. But I would rather confirm your desires before proceeding on an assumption."
How would you know? Kyle's ears flattened again, and she shifted a few steps away. "If it's even possible," she began. "I guess you know that better than me. But if you succeed. I'd really, rather... not."
She'd already taken some baby steps but if now was the time to commit, she was ready. "Make us maternal twins," she added. "If you can get it to work. I know it's going to strain all kinds of credibility. But I didn't have many friends anyway. This might be part of why. There are some parts of this horse thing that... made me more comfortable."
Monday didn't laugh, point, or scream. She just scratched a few things down onto her pad, tucking it away again. "I suspected as much. Here's today's lesson, apprentice, and it's focused on transfiguration."
Despite seeming so much older and more mature than Kyle, she was only a tiny bit taller. Barely big enough to meet her eyes. "Every creature has a pattern, you'll remember that part. But there's one thing I didn't tell you: the power of the caster is only half the equation when you're trying to change something. The other half comes down to a person's nature. You can force someone to be something they aren't. But even if the spell's permanent, it won't last. They'll be dead long before the magic wears off.
"But the reverse is also true. Sometimes change is easy, sometimes it's natural. Sometimes maintaining it is almost effortless. When you first posted, I thought I'd be coaching you through your last few days. Either the spell would break, or you'd get sick and die. Didn't happen that way, did it?"
"No," Kyle said. "It didn't. Is that... okay? Guess it's easier for you to find a new form. You're just gonna change back into yourself, right?"
Monday laughed. "Oh, I'm not going back. That's the other option you should at least keep in your mind. Your situation isn't the same as your sister's. You're an Archmaster—an Alicorn. Even the best disguise and spells won't be able to hide that. You'll need to be prepared to defend yourself, or at least assert your right to stay far away from magical affairs."
She sealed the saddlebags on her shoulders, then turned to go. "If you stay, I could even keep teaching you. Or you could find someone local. But in some ways, we made this trip together. If you want the company, I'll be here."
She left, leaving Kyle more confused than ever before.
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Well, guess we always thought that was a possibility, but now that the option's actually presented itself, there are others to make it harder to pick... And we've also got Kyle's newfound instincts, so... there's that.
More explicitly, everything Kara had and Kyle didn't. He was, not to put too fine a point on it, a loser. This is the first time she's had a chance to do something truly meaningful. Meanwhile, Kara the big girl on campus was reduced to a hoofmaiden/phylactery-golem. Small wonder she wants to get back to normal.
Oh, right, no one told her about the phylactery-golem part.
As for Kyle... yeah, it's going to be interesting going forward for her after getting changed into a body that's a better fit for her soul than the earlier model. She has quite the journey ahead of her. Especially when she finally meets Cadence, who cannot be happy with the state of affairs regarding Flurry.
oh kyle, you've never known what you've lost until its gone.
or could be the maternal instincts still in effect.
not the first time a species change led to a character developing attachment to another of the same species.
*looks like equestria twilight in equestria girls, then in that speical when flash became a pony*
I don't think Flurry could simply make Kyle into an actual alicorn. I guess it has something to do with the magic surging during the final fight with Akiko.
So anyone not going to point out the implication that Monday doesn't wish to return to the human world? Also is Monday in the form of Sunset Shimmer?
10593088
"Monday" looking like Sunset Shimmer was explicitly stated in the previous chapter. And Akiko is unicorn Twilight Sparkle, down to the cutie mark.
I can't believe after all this time they kept Flurry away from Kyle -- even to the point where he was in pain due to not being able to nurse. That is very unpony.
10593101
Cadence isn't really thinking with a clear head right now. She just wants her baby to recognize her as momma again.
Seems a little rushed, but I can understand the siblings being isolated until they arrive at the transposition point for their house. Cadence is desperately in need of Flurry Time, and the thought of sharing must be anathema to the current her.
Oh Kyle, poor Kyle... You have no idea of how much sheer power you have. You got an upgrade to the highest immortal echelons of power, there's no such thing as the retracted life you had before. You're in the Game, only way to avoid it somewhat would be to stay with the (not so) little ponies, learn magic, have a twenty three minute conflict with momma princess with a goody-feely moral at the end, the works.
Would like to see future Kara going to equestria though. She is an immortal construct now, children are not exactly in her future... Possibly. Crystal ponies might be weird.
Bracelets aren't a cure but they're certainly the first step towards normalcy again.
That mother instinct. Still strong even when things are going right.
She couldn't grab a cape?
Not a Cadance-clone then. Mostly, maybe. She's her own mare. Her own princess. Should be able to sell it easily to the local ponies. And to Cadance, herself. Things are difficult enough already without having to talk to your alternate self.
Between the desired non-interference of the Body Invisible and the raw magical fountain that is Kyle, there shouldn't be many problems staying away from magical affairs. I doubt people with the same level of skill and ambition as Akiko grow on trees. But there will always be fools. This new option will more or less require Kyle to stay in Equestria, either apprenticing under Monday or taking residence as an immigrant alicorn. Gratefulness for Flurry aside, I doubt the locals will be so easily welcoming to the idea of a foreign princess becoming part of some new diarchy but I know Kyle will be fine staying out of the way given her past social life. She'll be content as a princess with no people. Though, I have no idea what ponies will think about a non-princess princess living next door or out in the middle of nowhere. It's logical and easy to think of someone of such importance, power, and magnitude attempt to squeeze into royalty. It's confusing and suspicious to see that same someone perfectly willing not to.
10593101
just imagine cadence storms in the room "what have you done to my baby?! yelling at kyle xD
espero que elija ir a ecuestria
Wondering if anyone has contacted the parents to let them know, "Hey, we rescued your kids. We have good news and bad news..."
10593078
Flurry shattered the Crystal Heart. I think she is capable of makign an alicorn
Do ponies react to the word “horse” in the same way you’d expect a human to react to the usage of “ape’?
It’s a much greater size difference than would ordinarily be presented in these tales.
Why does this not surprise me remotely? TD Powell intrudes my mind. And “A”.
I thought as much. The longer it lasts the less probable it’ll be to “Clean up” providing it a mess in the first place. FF remains the sole exception to the overwhelming rule, and its spinoff. When was the desire for custody ever once hinted at prior? Early on. The result with the biological mother and foster won’t be pretty.
Looks Iike most everything’s been wrapped up, except for whether Kyle will stay or go. Much of that depends of Cadance/Flurry. Also I think some sort of permanent gate isn’t out of the question, so Kyle can choose both.
Should be discreet.
Yaaay Kyle! Glad to see you asserting yourself as the girl you'd like to be.
I wonder, in fact, if she wasn't Cadance's alternate world twin all along.
10593444
Indeed, it should be discreet.
There seems to be some kind of plothole here. If, according to Monday, Kara is not even truly alive, but more of a (for lack of better term) golem... why was Akiko's nerve gas/neurotoxin ever a threat to her at all? She wouldn't have a true nervous system for it to affect.
If Monday is right, it also means that Kara has been robbed of any chance to have a child of her own in the future.
The other possibility is that Monday is wrong about her hypothesis of Kara being a golem. That Crystal ponies function on their own. I would have thought they'd make a detour to the Crystal Empire to drop off their prisoners, but apparently not?
Kyle found their destiny. To be a mother who protects. Now she can't even see her child. I wonder if the position of royal Wetnurse is available? Cadance herself is probably dry after months of not feeding Fay/Flurry.
10593271
Alicorns are about as tall as medium draft horse, just not as bulk. Kyle probably was comparing. A pony somewhat around size of crouching human. In comparison humans look tall, spindly and hard to balance :P
Kyle has a huge choice to make. and Flurry need to be with Kyle more.
See, Cadance is suffering from babysitter jealousy syndrome. We witnessed this in action the other day when my sister (who happens to babysit) was demonstrably more popular than the child's own mother. Unfortunately, she's making it worse by ostracising the mare who cared for her child for months! Princess of Love can't handle the possibility of sharing that love, how ironic. And incredibly ungrateful, not to mention selfish for basically putting Kyle under house arrest.
Monday is making some dangerous assumptions on how Crystal ponies work. Sounds like we've said that before, but if Kara is truly "dead", then how are more Crystal ponies formed/reproduce? She should really confirm her claims with the actual ponies to make sure she's not biasing based on her own world's analysis...
Kyle already knows what choice he'll make, now to get his mind aligned with his heart.
10593444
We like the entendre. The previous version had two parts after all, keeping it separated would actually be an important ask. 😉
10593514
They were quite a ways away from the Crystal Empire, recall that when they were setting up camp back in chapter 52 it would take minimum of a week to return and get a crew for digging, and that was just to civilization, not necessarily the empire proper. When they arrived it was said they had provisions lasting only two weeks and that if they planned on staying longer they needed to radio back immediately to set up a supply line, implying replenishment would take at least that long once logistics ran through to get a ship and pack it and sent it on its way.
The difference in size between ponies and humans in this story served no ultimate higher goal to the plot other than to interfere with my imagination, by throwing a wrench into it every time the size difference was brought up; it was a pointless recurring detail. I'm not 100% satisfied with the resolution things appear to be heading toward, for a couple of different reasons I won't go into, but other than that, this was an enjoyable story that I liked reading.
Looking through the comments, I'm surprised so many people care about the size difference.
10594311
Well, it would be disappointing if Cadence's mental unstability would simply go "poof" after returning Flurry, or didn't have consecuences on others.
This story is so cute sometimes : )
10594796
Not saying it should have or complaining. Actually, it's Cadance's expectation that Flurry would just be exactly as she remembered and everything would be as it was before that's causing her distress. She's been unhinged so long that the fact "it's not over yet" is straining her even more.
Can you imagine how heartbreaking it would feel if the sole focus of your life returned to you but for all intents and purposes was an alien?
Okay, now I'm pissed off. Not at the story or the author, mind, but at the characters' priorities.
If the ponies did their homework - and they have T-Sparks on the crew - they know Kyle never grew to care for Flurry, she was changed into something that did. The way Kyle values her child's life above her own isn't just selfless, it means her innermost values have been rewritten. Kyle's emotions, reactions, opinions, thoughts - all these have to be restored to her. Start with Kyle's ability to hate Flurry for doing all this. Whether or not Kyle ever does so is immaterial - the fact that she could tell that part of herself is missing is horror beyond words.
So step on it and fix Kyle's personality already, ponies! This is just going to get worse with time. Figure out how and whether she can meaningfully consent to anything ("But I love mind alteration!" cries victim of mind alteration) and do it fast, because she has massive life decisions to make. Was Kyle even trans before Flurry rewrote her into having motherhood at the core of her self? The ponies owe it to her to answer that, or else painstakingly reconstruct Kyle as she was so they can ask.
This goes for Cadance too. She can't be in a good place right now, but the moment she's capable of being a functioning adult, her position and sanity should both mean she has to oppose love through mind control. The alternative would be indescribable horror to her subjects and husband both.
And as most or all of the above is likely impossible (what does "fixing a personality" even mean? How would you tell anymore which emotions are "supposed" to belong?) Shining Armor and Cadance are likely to owe Kyle, Kara and their parents big. They ought get cracking, even if all they can do is ask Pinkie Pie to throw Kyle's parents a "We're sorry our child destroyed essential parts of your child's being and replaced them with a pair of alicorn titties forced to worship the ground our child walks on, nothing can ever make this right" party.
Wouldn't be too hard. This being Pinkie, she'd probably already have the banner ready.
10595045
I'm not actually sure what you're referring to.
10595149
I think they hate Flurry, and have a really incoherent way of putting it.
10595866
I honestly don't think Flurry can really be held responsible for her actions. You're being very edgy.
My sole concern with that comment was that I wanted Kyle and Kara to be the instruments of their own rescue - I wasn't entirely disappointed. I wished Kara had actually done something, and I thought it was going to be because nerve gas wouldn't have any effect on a crystal pony, but that just never came up. I'm pleased Kyle kicked Akiko's ass, though, even if it were unintentionally.
Things are going well for Sunset at least.
I can see the concern.
Well, there it is.
And that too.
10595868
They? I thought it was just one person.
10596326
They is a perfectly acceptable single person pronoun of unknown or non-binary gender.
10596504
I don't fucking care what the SJWs are trying with it, "they" is a word in plural form.
10596976
Hahahahahaha!
Wow, the crazy sure came out here.
First, let's see what history has to say:
Oxford Dictionary: A Brief History of Singular They. Oh, look! It goes back at least seven hundred years. Golly, that sure is a long time!
Second:
Oh no you poor boy. You think the es-jews are a real thing that's tearing down Western civilization or whatever. It's a little weird seeing someone like this out in the wild - that's the kind of crazy I thought was confined to only the darkest corners of the internet nowadays.
Watch out, the SJWs will come for your pronouns in your sleep!
For those who have not been cursed with the knowledge of what weird creepy guys on the internet mean when they whimper about "SJWs."
Third:
Wow, you actually no joke self-identified as a white supremacist in your profile. That really says all that needs to be said.
10596981
My identification as a white supremacist is ironic, if not traditionally, then in a confused meta way.
I've never thought that Jews are a real threat to western civilisation,
despite the odd 100 blog posts I've made with something to do with them.Besides: what is there of Western Civilisation that has worth and that's left to destroy?As for the grammatical usage of they, I did not know, and would like to apologise.
10597883
I don't think there can really be any redeeming features in pretending to be a white supremacist. It's the sort of thing that's a little too close to home - there are a lot of people out there today being hurt by them, myself included, for that ever to be a "Ha ha lulz" moment for me. It would be a bit like someone "ironically" identifying as a transphobe - what's funny about that?
Put another way, what's the difference between someone joking about being a white supremacist and someone actually being a white supremacist to anyone looking in? Usually, it's nothing at all until the person actually takes up arms, and a lot of the guys who say they joke about being a white supremacist often aren't joking at all, so we have to take them at their word for our own safety.
The sooner we accept that Western Civilization is a post-fact construct that doesn't accurately reflect history, the better off we'll be (that is far from the only article, and speaking as someone with a lot of background in history it's borne out. We're a loose connection of influences and trying to define it out has been a nightmare. You can't boil history to that level of simplicity.)
Similarly, I could get into how "white" is the least useful category of race. What is defined as "white" is exclusionary - a child of a Black person and a "white" person is considered Black, for instance despite having equal parts, while Italians, the Irish, and Greeks were not considered white until they had lived in the US long enough to forget their immigrant roots and shared oppression (ironic given that both Italians and Greeks are considered by Western Civilization blowhards to have started the whole thing.) This is what leads to bullshit fears about genocide, because racism is irrational and stupid. It triggers the worst parts of the mind to overcome its obvious and stupid flaws.
Anyone who is "white" is really just American or British or German with various degrees of complicated ethnic backgrounds or whatever - there's no great shared lineage that binds every pale-faced person together.
Fair enough.
I would ask you to consider a few things - the whole "SJW" witch hunt nonsense only comes from fear. It comes from young, male gamers who were afraid that something they cared about would be taken away from them because the medium was becoming more diverse.
It's a false dichotomy - an idea that things only exist in a zero-sum game where other people winning must mean that you are losing.
This is rubbish, pure and simple. There will always be space for people who are straight, male, cis, etc.
You are not and never will be threatened by someone identifying as a different gender or as no gender at all. People's chosen pronouns do not and never will harm you.
You can, though, hurt people by your actions and your hate. Ask yourself if it's worth the emotional energy of being a dick to people all the time by trying to shit on the things they care about. Consider that, maybe, if you calmed down and accepted that people were different, you might be a little more content and a little happier.
I know that conscientiousness is not exactly a personality trait held in high esteem by people who ironically self-identify as a hate group, but I figured I'd at least try and make the attempt this once.
10597899
It's not meant to be direct humor, it's a meta-irony of sorts, especially directed at my longer time friend/followers.
For the second part: I appear to not car.,
I just wanted to fucking get up and play Friendship with Benefits, and here I am reading text-walls about Western Civilisation, or its non-existence?I shall consider the last part, and think on it.
Well, I'm off to go empty my mind of this, and play HOI4 until all my Nazi World Conquest fantasies have been fulfilled.10593514
maybe she loaded it up with sympathetic magic that would make it affect her? She did have time to examine her.
It took me this long to realise that Kyle's appearance is basically Flitterheart. Even after looking at the cover, it didn't hit until you described the cutie mark.
10695865
Flitterheart?
Somehow, I can see Twilight understanding Akiko's magic quite easily
How is that different from the guards that were transformed into crystal ponies, though?
So... what happened to the grandfather? No one ever really mentioned him...
I wanted to see Cadance fussing over Flurry Heart after months separation.
I'm kinda hoping... Kyle doesn't want to change back.