//------------------------------// // Ch 16 - Party x Party // Story: A Flurry of Problems // by MelodyMori //------------------------------// While Scoots has problems flying, she definitely excels at riding her scooter. Her smaller wings buzzing at like Mach 1 pushed not just her, but the little cart behind her at an insane speed towards Ponyville. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were laughing as we went, while I used my two front hooves to hold myself in place while the cart rocked around.  Dash flew next to the cart, easily keeping up with us. “Wanna race, Squirt? I bet I can make it to Sugarcube Corner before you!” “You’re on!” Scootaloo yelled back before she kicked her wings into high buzz.  I let out a girly super manly scream as we shot forward, holding onto the cart for dear life. Scootaloo quickly pulled ahead of Rainbow Dash once we hit the hill before Ponyville, gravity giving her the edge as we raced down. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle held up their forehooves and cheered as we zoomed down the hill like we were on a rollercoaster. I tore my eyes away from our imminent doom to look behind us at the disappearing hilltop. Rainbow Dash was lagging behind, and I could see the frustration in her eyes before her own wings sped up. Within a few seconds, she went from being behind us to zooming ahead of us, a rainbow contrail behind her as she went. Oh, that’s why she’s called Rainbow Dash. I thought it was just a cruel name ‘cause of her hair. Scootaloo yelled something at her mentor, the substance of it lost in the howling wind as we neared the end of the hill. I tried to hold on to the edge of the cart harder in preparation as we raced towards our doom. My attempts didn’t reach too much success considering I had hooves and not hands but what can you do?  We hit the base of the hill and rocketed up into the air. Scootaloo cheered as she flew up, her wings buzzing for both speed and glee as she did a little twirl on her scooter. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle also cheered, waving their hooves as they did so. I fought the urge to open my wings as we got air, instead of closing my eyes so I wouldn’t have to see us land.  The force of our landing propelled me forward into one of the two fillies, who squeaked at the impact. I held onto my friend, shivering a bit despite myself. For better or worse, Scootaloo and her cart came to a quick stop. I swore I heard the sound of a wheel breaking, but well, closed eyes stopped me from actually checking.  “You okay Flurry?” Sweetie Belle asked next to me, poking me slightly with a hoof. “Not a fan of going fast?” “No, no, it’s not that.” I fought off the urge to cringe at someone who I liked calling me the wrong name. “I don’t like it when I ain’t the one driving.” “Driving? What’s that?” Ah, I was holding onto Apple Bloom. Okay. “Flying. I meant flying.” I gave a small wince as I released Apple Bloom, my ribs not too happy with all the jostling and bouncing around. “I prefer to be the one in control of the speed.” I took a look over the edge of the leaning cart and saw that one of the wheels did indeed break. “Not that it matters now I guess.” “Yeahhhhhh. I may have overdone it a bit on the jump.” Scootaloo gave an embarrassed smile and rubbed the back of her head with one of her hooves. “I think we lost the race. Sorry.” “Don’t worry Scootaloo! That was fun!” Sweetie hopped out of the broken cart, her voice a beacon of pep.  “Plus, you can still catch up on your scooter!” Apple Bloom pointed out, gesturing to Scootaloo’s trademark scooter with a hoof. “We’ll catch up, don’t worry!” “You sure?” Scootaloo’s ears folded back, her voice filled with hesitation. “Yeah, we’ll be fine.” I waved a hoof at her, taking the opportunity to hop out of the cart and be able to move of my own volition. “Go on, kick Rainbow Dash’s flank!” Scootaloo grinned as her competitive fire was back at full roar. Once the cart was unhooked from her scooter she raced off, her wings buzzing so fast I could swear it was more of a blur than anything. With a speed usually reserved for motorcycles, she zoomed off into the meandering streets of Ponyville, quickly disappearing from sight.  “So....what do we do with this thing?” I kicked the cart with one hoof, frowning. “Not like we can drag it anywhere with a broken wheel.” “Yeah. Hmm.” Sweetie Belle rubbed her chin with a hoof before I could swear I heard the sound of a lightbulb going off. She grinned like a maniac and gave a single hop in place. “Maybe Big Mac can help us fix it? Isn’t he at the market right now?” “You’re right. But he’ll be mighty busy right now, we probably shouldn’t bother him.” Apple Bloom rubbed the bottom of her chin with her hoof, almost perfectly mirroring Sweetie Belle. “What other pony would be able to help us?” “I mean, if we get a wheel I could probably replace it. Somehow Scoots managed to break the wheel itself, not the axle or anything else.” I looked down at my hooves and frowned to myself as I remembered I didn’t actually have hands anymore. “I think I can, at least.” Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both tilted their heads in confusion at my statement. Before Sweetie Belle could comment, Apple Bloom gave a confident smile as she had an idea. “Ah’ll be right back! Stay here!” Apple Bloom quickly trotted off, almost leaving a cloud of dust behind her. “I....okay.” I looked at Sweetie Belle and smiled, happy at the moment of privacy, however short it was. “While we have a moment, I have a question for you Sweetie Belle. I thought I was staying with you and Rarity for a bit, but Fluttershy said that I was sleeping over at her house. Do you know what’s going on?” Sweetie’s ears immediately flicked back and she looked down at the ground, clearly avoiding my eyes. “Rarity got into a huge argument with Twilight last night, to the point I could hear them yelling from my room. I couldn’t really hear any details but I think Twilight said you couldn’t stay with us for some reason. Sorry Flurry, I was really excited to have you sleepover too.” I scowled at that and shook my head, my frustration with Twilight starting to rise. “You don’t have to say sorry. If someone should apologize, it’s Auntie Twilight. You and your sister have been nothing but kind to me, and if I had the chance I would take you up on that offer. I don’t think I’ve ever actually had a sleepover.” That last bit was true, the only time I ever slept over someone’s house was with Themis and that wasn’t a true sleepover, all things considered. Sweetie brightened up at that and began hopping in place. “Maybe you can talk to Twilight and we can have a sleepover with all four of us! After all, we still have to help you find your cutie mark!” I couldn’t help but chuckle at that, with all my problems finding my butt tattoo was at the bottom of my list, but it was adorable to see Sweetie Belle so excited. “I’ll speak to Auntie Twilight when I have a chance and we’ll do that. Maybe you can show me a magic trick or two, still figuring out how to use this.” I tapped my horn with a hoof, frowning slightly. “All I’ve been able to do is move things a bit, but I saw Auntie Twilight and Ms. Rarity do a lot more so....” Sweetie Belle’s excited grin got a bit wider as she kept hopping in place. “Ooooo! I’ve been studying some magic with Twilight, we could totally practice together!” “Flurry, Sweetie, ah got some help!” Apple Bloom ran over to the two of us, followed by a brown earth pony stallion. Unlike most ponies, he actually had some clothing: a bow tie and neckpiece. Was a little odd to see on a pony considering most went naked, but meh. “Flurry, meet Dr. Hooves, Ponyville’s resident scientist!” “A pleasure.” Dr. Hooves held out his hoof for me to shake, which I did after an awkward moment. “Apple Bloom said you were having some cart trouble?” “Y-yeah. We came down the hill too fast and the wheel broke.” I gestured towards the broken cart with one hoof, giving an awkward chuckle. “I’d fix it myself but, uh, don’t really have the tools.” “Oh, don’t worry about it. While not my normal field or trade, I can fix it right up for you fillies and have it returned to Sweet Apple Acres by the end of the day. Plus, Apple Bloom told me that your destination was Sugarcube Corner. I’m sure you don’t want to keep Pinkie Pie waiting too long.” Dr. Hooves gave the three of us an easygoing smile and began to check out the damage. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle gave each other a nervous look before Apple Bloom turned to me. “He’s right Flurry, let’s go before she looks for us.”  The three of us sprinted through the streets of Ponyville until we reached what looked like someone set off a confectionary bomb on a building. The basic building looked normal with its pink doors and wooden walls, but the roof looked like someone supersized a gingerbread house roof. My jaw dropped open and I slowed down as I tried to make sense of the strange design, but Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle virtually carried me into the building, such as the speed they were going.  The three of us burst through the door and fell over each other, ending up in a pile with me stuck between Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. I could hear Rainbow Dash and a few other ponies laugh at the sight, while the other two fillies groaned at the impact. My ribs were also not happy, but that was the least of my problems.  I felt two hooves grab me by the face and pull me up out from under Apple Bloom, straight into her face. Her very pink face. With a very wide smile. “Hello Flurry my name is Pinkie Pie it's great to meet you sorry I couldn’t throw a party sooner I’m not allowed to throw large parties for patients anymore so I had to wait until now. But that’s fine, welcome to your Happy You’re Out Of The Hospital Party!” the pink mare spoke all of that in almost one breath, all while holding me by her two front hooves about an inch from her face, ending the speech by dropping me and gesturing to the room. In the room were sweets and snacks galore, along with two bowls of what I assumed were fruit punch on a side table. A kiddie pool sat in one corner, with Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo, and Applejack all around it; Scootaloo having an apple in her mouth and a wet mane. There were also a few board games on various tables, Fluttershy and Angel bunny playing what looked like Chutes and Ladders. Overhead were about a dozen balloons of various colors, all bouncing around the ceiling. I landed on my flank, my eyes wide at all of this in front of me. I was never really a party person, there weren't many people around growing up and I didn’t really get invited to much in Japan. So I was a little overwhelmed. “Woah, uh, wow. Thank you.” “No worries! I noticed you’ve been feeling down the past few days, what with being in the hospital and being foalnapped. And it’s my job to make sure everypony is happy and smiling, so party!” Pinkie Pie grinned and bounced in place, almost like she was a pogo stick. “Nothing like a good party to raise a pony’s spirits!” “I-I, yeah.” I gave Pinkie Pie a nervous chuckle. “I-I’ve just never been at a party, what should I do?” “NEVER BEEN TO A PARTY!?” Pinkie Pie gasped, rising into the air as she did so despite not bouncing upward at all. Was strange as hell to watch. “Oh no! Well, what do you want to do? We have music for dancing, we have apple bobbing, we have board games, snacks, drinks, you name it!” Pinkie dramatically gestured at each thing as she named it, radiating a sense of energy I had yet to see from a pony. Like she was running on pure cocaine or sugar. Probably the last one based on where we were standing. “I-I’m gonna try apple bobbing.” I got to my hooves and quickly zoomed to the safety of Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo, not wanting to stay near Pinkie Pie by myself. “H-hey Rainbow Dash, who is the pony you wanted me to meet?” “Oh, that’s Pinkie Pie. She’s been asking to throw you a party all week and you seemed like you could use one so...” Rainbow Dash gave a shrug from where she was floating in the air, her wings flapping lazily to keep her up in the air. “What do you think?” “I-I’ve never been to a p-party, so it’s a l-little overwhelming.” I felt myself relax slightly instinctively like my body was happy to be near adults in my stressed state. While maybe a comforting feeling, not a good sign to someone trying to not get turned into another filly.  “Take a breath sugarcube, you’re here to relax, not be stressed.” Applejack ruffled my mane a bit before gesturing to the kiddie pool. “Take a bob for an apple. Can’t be stressed when you’re munching on an apple.” “O-okay.” I took a deep breath and dunked my head into the water, my eyes roving for the closest apple. A green apple floated nearby, and I stretched my neck out as far as I could to reach it. It bobbed just a bit out of my reach, so I streeeeetched. I squeaked as I felt someone’s nose touch my flank and push me the fraction of an inch too far, causing me to fall into the pool. It was barely deep enough to fit me laying down, but that second was enough. I put my hooves below me and pushed myself out of the pool, my wet mane sticking to my head and face and my coat dripping water all over the floor. I could hear the ponies around me laughing at the sight, and I resisted the urge to glare with the one eye not covered by my wet mane. “Hardy har har.” I shook myself like a dog to get most of the water off me, making Applejack and the CMC jump back to avoid getting splashed themselves. I flicked my wet mane back out of my face and walked away from the group to get something to eat and drink. I quickly wolfed down a few sandwiches and chugged the sweet fruit punch, refilling the tank from all the exercise I’d done over the course of the day. Youthful energy requires fuel after all, and thankfully there was quite a lot of fuel in front of me. I shoved one last sandwich into my mouth before taking a look around, noticing two missing ponies from this group.  I headed back over to Pinkie Pie, albeit a bit awkwardly thanks to the cut of punch in my right front hoof. It was quite a bit different from walking normally, especially since I was still working on that anyway? “Hey Pinkie, where are Rarity and Auntie Twilight? Rainbow Dash told me the six of you were close friends, shouldn’t they also be at this party?” Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow and put a hoof on her chin in contemplation for a moment. “Twilight’s been busy all day, so Rarity went out to find her and bring her here. Twilight must have found a good spot, I don’t remember the last time it took her this long to bring Twilly to a party!” She giggled, clearly remembering something I didn’t know about. I sighed and looked to the side, slightly annoyed that even now Twilight was lost in her ‘princess duties’, whatever that meant. “Okay. Hopefully, they show up soon, haven’t been able to spend much time with Auntie Twilight. She’s been really busy.” “Yeah, it is strange, usually she has plenty of time to hang out with us.” Pinkie Pie blinked as she noticed the face I was making. “Though I’m sure she has a good reason for it. We can ask her why she’s been super busy when she comes!” I couldn’t help but smile a bit at the bubbly energy Pinkie put out. “Okay, sounds like a plan Pinkie Pie. Thank you, this is a bit much to take in but it's nice to see that y’all care so much.” “Of course, we care, Sugarcube.” Applejack stepped over to the two of us, pulling me into a light hug as she did so. “Twilight’s like family, and that means you’re like family as well. If you ever need anything feel free to come to the farm, the Apples will always be there to lend a helping hoof.” The other ponies all began to give their own promises to help if I needed it, virtually speaking over each other as they did so. It was a chorus of love and support, without any strings attached. I sniffled a bit, feeling a tear fall down my face as my body shook in Applejack’s embrace. “You alright Sugarcube?” Applejack looked down at me, concern etched into her features. “You’re crying.” “Yeah, I’ll be fine Ms. Applejack.” I wiped the tears off my face with one of my wings and gave her a wide smile. “They were tears of joy, not tears of sadness. I can’t remember the last time I’ve felt so loved, the last time I had actual friends and ponies who cared about me without needing something in return first. I know that I was only supposed to be here for the summer, but I dunno if I want to leave Ponyville and leave my friends behind.” “It isn’t fair to your folks if you don’t go back home, though.” Scootaloo bumped my shoulder with a hoof as she grinned, her wings buzzing a little at my affirmation of friendship. “We’ll visit each other, don’t worry!” “Besides, we got the whole summer to play before we have to worry about that!” Sweetie Belle chimed in, taking her place next to Scootaloo. “Yup! Think of all the adventures we can go on!” Apple Bloom slid in next to Sweetie Belle, completing the CMC package. “OH! Speaking of adventure! She’s almost here!” Pinkie Pie announced as she bounced into the air, somehow pushing off the air to jump towards the door. The pink pony opened it super dramatically, revealing Twilight and Rarity on the other side.  “My apologies for being late, somepony was being difficult.” Rarity huffed as she stepped inside, greeting her friends as she went along. “I was in the middle of my checklist when you arrived, Rarity. Thank Celestia Starlight was able to take over.” Twilight also stepped in, her mane still a little askew but otherwise a lot more composed than when I last saw her. She took a look around and her eyes almost immediately locked onto me. “Oh, uh, hi Auntie Twilight.” I gave the larger alicorn a nervous grin as she trotted over. “Good to see you.” “I’m so happy you’re here Flurry Heart! I think I finally put the finishing touches on the spell I need to fix your amnesia!” Twilight beamed, proud of herself for her magical achievement. “Now if you hold still, I can cast it now if you want.” I felt a shiver of dread pass through me at that. “I’m good, but thank you Auntie Twilight. I don’t want to mess with my new memories after all.” “Oh, shouldn’t mess with that, don’t worry.” Twilight waved a hoof and rolled her eyes at that thought. “It should just bring back your lost memories and get rid of those fake ones your imagination came up with. Now come on Flurry, let’s get you nice and fixed up so the real you can enjoy your party.” Twilight’s horn began to glow and she took a step towards me, but where before I felt a spike of dread instead I felt a rolling fire of rage. Everyone calling me the wrong name added to my growing frustration, but Twilight saying it and calling me fake finally popped the lid on my emotions.  “NO!” My vision went red as my brain went into full tantrum mode. “For the last time, they aren’t fake memories. Like I said, I am Storm, not Flurry Heart! I don't know what happened but I know that I am real, not some bullshit fake life. So if you’re gonna try to get rid of it you can take your miracle cure and shove it up your ass! Now leave me alone or go back to whatever business is more important than your broken little niece as you’ve so tenderly pointed out.” I snarled at Twilight, sick and tired of the gaslighting I was put through. The entire room had gone silent, the ponies around me caught between staring at me in confusion and staring at Twilight in fear of what she would do next. Twilight herself looked at me in shock, not prepared for such a volatile response. After a moment’s pause, she scowled, her horn crackling with magic as her own rage boiled over. “Listen here Flurry Heart, I don’t care what fantasies you’ve made. You are my niece and I am going to help you if you like it or not!” Twilight took another step towards me, her horn cracking before shooting out like a lightning bolt to my own horn. I felt a burning sensation radiate through my nervous system as a filly screamed in the distance. I fell to my side as my brain screamed in pain, my muscles twitching as they received dozens of contradictory signals. Instead of feeling my brain being rewritten completely like I feared, I felt almost like memories I didn't have before were being unlocked. I saw glimpses of a larger pink alicorn and a white unicorn fawning over me, along with various ponies with shiny coats. I saw a glowing blue gem heart. I saw Twilight carrying me throughout Ponyville with Spike, showing me around while pushing me in some kind of cart. I ran screaming to the embrace of Rarity, crying into her coat as the last unlocked memory burned itself into my brain. I could vaguely hear the other ponies yelling at Twilight or trying to ask me what was wrong but all I could do was sob and try to bury myself into the one pony who I saw as a kind of mother figure, for better or worse. My whole body shuddered and shook with the force of my sobs, and despite her stroking my mane I didn’t feel the least bit consoled. The final memory of Flurry Heart that I saw was her being picked up out of her crib by Rainbow Dash. Twilight burst into the room and screamed something, her horn glowing. Rainbow Dash turned around and started to fly out a window, but was intercepted by a blast from Twilight’s horn. The pegasus tried to fly around the alicorn instead, leaving it open to a second blast from  Twilight’s horn. In a normal world, it would have hit Rainbow Dash in the shoulder and forced her to drop Flurry, but one alicorn baby broke that illusion. She lunged towards Twilight, pulling Rainbow Dash’s arm forwards as she refused to let go of the baby. Instead of hitting Dash’s shoulder, I felt the overcharged beam blast straight through my chest. I heard Dash and Twilight both scream, the former in pain and the latter in grief as I fell towards the ground. Twilight grabbed me before I fell, cradling me close to her own chest. Blood poured from me and I couldn’t breathe, I could barely hold my eyes open. Dash’s screams changed into a much deeper more masculine screaming, but just like everything else, it drained out as everything went black.  I sobbed well and true into the soft marshmallow coat, barely feeling the world around me as I cradled by the unicorn. Hugged by Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Scootaloo. Consoled and loved.