For what felt like the third time this week I woke up groggy and with one hell of a headache. At least this time I was laying on a much softer hospital bed than last time. I groaned and opened my eyes, forced to squint thanks to the sunlight landing directly on my eyes. Thankfully a moment later the light was blocked by something, letting me open my eyes a second time to take a look around.
On my left was Ms. Rarity, who was holding a hoof over my eyes and giving me a gentle smile. I gave a timid smile back and looked to my right to see a much bigger pony than I expected. Princess Luna winced as she rubbed her horn, clearly much more exhausted than she seemed in my head. Her hair was also a lot more....flowy than I thought, looked like a miniature version of the night sky.
“Nice to finally meet you in the flesh, Luna.” I gave a happy smile to the taller alicorn. “Hopefully now you won’t have to keep saving my bacon.”
“The pleasure is mine, Storm.” Luna returned my smile before yawning. “And I hope so, all of this mess has me spent. I may take a nap before we return to the Crystal Empire.” She yawned again, making me and Rarity yawn in turn. “Besides, you have some ponies to properly introduce yourself to before we leave, don’t you?”
I nodded and turned to Rarity again. “Hi, Ms. Rarity. My name is Storm, it’s nice to meet you.” I awkwardly stuck out a hoof to shake, only to have that ignored as Rarity instead gently hugged me.
“It is nice to finally meet the real you.” Rarity pulled back, a hint of a tear in the corner of one of her eyes. She coughed and quickly pulled herself back together, turning to Luna with a raised eyebrow. “The two of you are heading to the Crystal Empire? So soon?”
Luna nodded and rose to her full height, stretching her wings as she did so. “Storm, Twilight, and I will be heading north as soon as possible. Storm needs to meet Celestia and Twilight...” Luna gave a glance at the purple alicorn, who hung her head at the acknowledgment. “Celestia and I will discuss what punishment Twilight should have for her actions.”
“I see.” Rarity’s ears flicked back for a moment before flipping back up as I swear a lightbulb appeared above her head. “Wait, you’re going to the Crystal Empire and meeting Princess Celestia? You need proper outfits! Come on Storm, to the Boutique!”
I blinked in surprise at the sudden dramatic flair from Rarity. “Outfits? We’ve been wandering around naked this entire time, what outfits would I need?”
“Oh darling, you need to dress up to meet the princess.” Rarity rolled her eyes and waved a hoof. “A nice dress at the very least, you have to be at a polite level of formality. Plus a sweater for the Crystal Empire, it’s very cold up there. Don’t want you to get sick after all. Now come along, we have a lot of work to do!”
I grimaced at the thought of wearing a dress but forced a smile on my face. Rarity seemed excited and I didn’t mind grumbling through dress and probably makeup if it made someone like her happy. She isn’t my sister but eh, old habits die hard.
“Okay, but first may I have a moment?” I asked as politely as I could, moving to hop out of the bed. Rarity gave a nod so I actually hopped out of the bed, wincing a bit as the impact of my landing jostled my rib a bit.
I stepped over to Twilight, who was still facing the ground in shame so didn’t notice me until I poked her with a hoof. “Twilight, my name is Summer Storm. I know you wanted me to be Flurry Heart, but I will never be the pony you want me to be. While I know you had nothing but love and good intentions for me, I feel like I owe you this for messing with my mind.”
She looked up at me with an eyebrow raised in confusion, leading her straight into the hoof hitting her in the face. She flinched back, my punch only carrying so much strength since I was a child but still. I winced myself, my hoof stinging from impacting her jaw. But damn it felt good to let all that frustration and anger out in one punch against the one who did me so much harm.
“If I have the choice I never want to see you again. Whether Luna adopts me or I go back to live with Mom and Dad in the Crystal Empire I don’t care, you will never be in charge of me ever again.” I scowled at Twilight, especially the fact that she refused to meet my eyes.
“I-I understand. I am sorry Storm, for everything.” Twilight sighed, her ears pinned to the side of her head. “I know it won’t make things better, but I want you to know that.”
“Thank you Twilight. It doesn’t really matter to me, but thank you anyway. Apology acknowledged but not accepted.” I shook my head and turned back to Rarity and Luna. “So, the Boutique right?”
Luna nodded before giving me a loving smile. “You don’t mind if I work on paperwork while you’re getting fitted, do you? I need to send a letter to Celestia about all of this, and start to figure out what legal documents you need.”
I nodded to Luna, took a deep breath, and smiled at Rarity. “Alright Ms. Rarity, take me away to my first ever fitting experience.”
“Storm, you have to sit still or I can’t take your measurements!”
I let out a frustratingly childish whine as I tried to wriggle out of the measuring tape wrapped around my midsection a second time. It tickled and made me stand still and I couldn’t have it for some reason. So instead I squirmed around and made Rarity’s life difficult in the process. Not on purpose I promise, just needed an outlet for all that energy.
“Storm, please stay still, I want to make sure your clothes fit you.” Rarity sighed in frustration, dropping the measuring tape from her hooves and taking a step away from me. “If you don’t behave I’ll have to treat you like a foal so we can get this step done.”
I winced internally before shrugging. “It's not my fault I’m so ticklish. Isn’t there an easier way to do this? Like eyeballing it?”
“No, now hold still.” I felt my body suddenly go still as it was wrapped in a light blue aura. Rarity stepped by me, her glasses lowered enough to read the measuring tape that flowed around my paralyzed body, also held in her magical aura. I tried to wriggle out of her magical grip but found myself well and truly pinned. “There, that wasn’t so hard was it darling? So we can start the true fun, finding the right colors and designs for you!”
I shivered as Rarity released me from her magic, feeling as if I was violated in a sense. I didn’t like the thought of someone being able to simply hold me down with a thought, especially since I had been a tough man a week ago. To distract myself I watched as Rarity levitated several pony mannequins over to where we were standing, one of them wearing a lime green hoodie while the other two had rough dresses on them.
“That is a very green hoodie.” I frowned, tilting my head at the sight. “Are you sure that would look good on me?”
“Of course darling!” Rarity rolled her eyes and lifted the hoodie off of the mannequin, floating it over to me. “That light green is a complementary color to the light pink of your coat and the purple of your hair. Here, put it on and you’ll see.”
I took the hoodie in my hooves and tried to pull it on over my head as I did back on Earth. But instead of it sliding over my head and down over my torso it instead got tangled up around my head thanks to my horn. I squeaked as gravity began pulling me down, my body not used enough to being on two hooves to stay in that stance. My wings instinctively flared out to help me balance but instead just made me fall onto my back instead of my stomach.
“Ack!” I squeaked out, the air driven from my lungs by the impact of me hitting the ground. I tried to untangle myself from the maze of cloth but instead just got even more stuck. “Rarity, I hate to say this but I need your help.”
“Don’t worry darling, I’m here. Just stop flailing around and I’ll pull it off you.” Rarity’s voice came from somewhere above me, her presence oddly comforting considering in any other situation I’d be dying from embarrassment. “All I need you to do is raise your forelegs and fold your wings....”
I followed the mare’s instructions to the letter, focusing on her words instead of the suffocating tightness of the hoodie. With her hooves and magic, she was able to free me from the fabric, holding it over me with an eyebrow raised. I couldn’t help but blush and turn my head to the side in embarrassment. I hadn’t failed to dress myself like that since I was a little kid...which I guess I was again but still!
“Would you like to try that again?” Rarity stood over my prone form, a comforting smile on her face. “I’ll help you this time, so you don’t get tangled a second time.”
“Thanks but I dunno if I want to try a second time.” I crossed my forelegs, pouting despite myself. “Not exactly proud of the fact I apparently can’t even dress myself. And here I thought I’d try to hold myself with what little dignity I had left....”
“Storm, Princess Luna told us that you came from another world.” Rarity gritted her teeth, her voice dripping with slight unease. I looked up at her, a bit confused at where she was going with this. “When you were dressing yourself, did you have to deal with things like a horn or wings?”
I blinked in surprise at the surprisingly rational question before shaking my head. “No, I didn’t have wings or a horn back on Earth. I just kind of pulled things on and went on with my day.”
Rarity let out a small chuckle and shook her head, prompting me to frown in response. “Sorry Storm, I should have realized that you wouldn’t be used to dealing with stuff like that. Don’t beat yourself up, most ponies need a bit of help at first getting dressed without getting themselves tangled up.” She waved a hoof at one of the more fancy dresses left to the side, it made of what looked like several pieces of crystal. “Most pegasi and earth ponies have the more complicated items like that enchanted to dress themselves to save time since they don’t have the benefit of magic like unicorns.”
I blinked in surprise, the mental image of Rainbow Dash or Applejack having a dress assemble themselves onto them like something out of Power Rangers hitting me like a train. But the fact that it wasn’t just me who had problems dealing with extra appendages did make my embarrassment quickly fade away into nothingness. With another giggle at the mental image, I got back to my hooves, flexing my wings a bit to get the jitters out.
“Hold up your forelegs dear.” Rarity gently instructed, holding the lime green hoodie over my head in her magical grip. I couldn’t help but frown internally at being treated like a child but followed her instructions and held my forelegs up, my wings once again shooting out to help stabilize me.
This time the hoodie slid onto me with ease, helped by Rarity’s deft grip on the fabric. It settled onto my torso in a much tighter way than hoodies did on earth, hugging my forelegs and torso but not too tight to make it uncomfortable. I could tell it had a hood on the back, but I wasn’t sure how it would work with a pony head and neck. Fitting my wings through the holes cut for them was a strange problem, kind of felt like putting fingerless gloves on I guess?
“So, how do I look?” I stepped in a circle, posing dramatically. In one of the mirrors, I caught a glimpse of myself, prompting me to stop and actually check myself out. Rarity was right, the light green did go well with my coat and mane. I never really cared about how I looked but I had to admit I didn’t look that bad.
“It looks great darling.” Rarity walked around me, studying my form with her tailor’s eyes. “It's missing a certain something though. Maybe some lace or gems to catch somepony’s eyes?”
I shivered in dread at the thought of lace on anything I would wear and racked my mind for anything else that could be added. “Uh, that sounds cool but I have another idea! Scootaloo was telling me about this Rainbow Dash fan club. Do you have a patch or something like that you could add to give a bit of flair?”
I saw Rarity’s reflection frown slightly before she quickly covered it up. “Ah yes, her ‘fan club’. While I don’t have anything on hoof I am sure I can stitch something up to your liking.”
I grinned, my wings fluttering a bit in excitement. A bit more than I was used to, but eh, this body has been nothing but an emotional mess. “Thank you Ms. Rarity!” I stepped over and gave her a gentle hug to add to my gratitude. “For everything.”
Rarity giggled and nuzzled my head in response. “Don’t worry about it Storm, I am just happy you’re finally comfortable to be yourself.” She pulled back, a warm smile on her face as we basked in the moment. “Now, about the dresses...”
I felt the blood drain from my face a bit as one of the last bastions of masculinity I had left was threatened. “Uh...do I have to wear a dress? I’ve never worn one before. Heck, I don’t think I ever dressed up before.”
“Then think of it as a wonderful new experience!” Rarity basically dragged me over to the other two child-sized pony mannequins. Both were adorned with dresses, which basically took on an almost cloak-like appearance in the back, covering their flank with its layers. Was kind of cool to see if mildly terrifying since I would have to wear it.
The one on the left was made out of a purplish-blue fabric, with frills where the foreleg would come out of the dress. The neck and midsection both had a string of pearls adorning it, and where the pearls sat on the midsection of the dress was where the more silky material came out to cover the flank and hindlegs of the wearer. Adorning the dress were small pearls like stars on a night sky, and finally, a pair of purple slippers with crescent moons on the front completed the look.
The one on the right was made out of white silk, falling over the back like layers of snow. The forelegs had a design like falling snow leading to the white lace of the slippers. On the chest was a snowflake design made out of opal, with a similar design making up a belt of snowflakes around the waist of the dress. On the head was a white ribbon to tie the mane up. It looked nice, just a lot of white, which is always a bitch to keep clean.
“So, what do you think Storm?” Rarity looked down expectantly, an excited grin on her face. “Admittedly unlike the hoodie I would need to tailor it to fit your measurements but that shouldn’t take me more than a few hours.” Rarity gave an anxious look at the clock.
“They look great Ms. Rarity, but is all this really necessary?” I rubbed the back of my head with one of my hooves anxiously, feeling a small blush on my cheeks. “Do I need to wear a dress when I meet Aunt Celestia? I don’t want to impose on your generosity and all.”
“Nonsense darling, when anypony meets the Princess for the first time they have to look the part!” Rarity held a hoof to her chest, huffing dramatically. “Trust me, when you’re all dressed up you’ll feel amazing and ready to meet your aunt! And you shouldn’t feel like you’re imposing, I want to do this. Shouldn’t take too long after all, should have it ready by dinner.” She looked at the clock, her eyebrow-raising in worry. “Speaking of, Sweetie Belle should be home soon.”
“Oh?” I took a look at the door, feeling a rush of excitement shoot through my body at the potential of friends arriving. God, I had three fillies as friends. That’s kinda weird to think about, but I ain’t gonna complain.
Almost as if summoned, the Cutie Mark Crusaders burst in through the door, all three of them chatting excitedly as youngsters were prone to do. Scootaloo quickly noticed me and pointed a hoof in my direction, catching the others’ attention. All three of them cried out in excitement and concern before dogpiling me in a CMC-brand hug.
My ribs hurt from the weight of the pile but I refused to complain at the adorableness of the moment. If this was to be my new life now that I probably couldn’t go home, at least I already had friends here. I felt truly loved in a way I hadn’t felt for a while.
Without thinking, I felt myself smile and my worries drop away.
And it felt good.
11189488
I think Twilight kind of deserved it after what she did, especially since Storm explicitly told her she didn’t want the spell cast on her. Besides, it wasn’t like the punch was very strong, Storm being in a child’s body and all.
I still feel bad for twilight she just wanted her niece back she couldn't have known this would happen, if anything it's the tree of harmony' s fault
Imagines Flurry with that sweater
No, I don't think green is her color...
Wait, what pronoun should I be using? I prioritize original physical gender, but "original" is somehow a fuzzy term in this situation.
get fucked twilight
Not a bad chapter. The interaction with Twilight seemed a bit forced, though. The actual scene itself is fine, but it just felt a bit out of place somehow. I can't quite put my finger on it but I want to say Storm was too logical during the encounter. Twilight was also maybe a bit too, well robotic is a strong term but you get my meaning.
Otherwise I enjoyed it. Looking forward to the next one :)
11189495
Don't forget that in Twilight's eyes Flurry was magically grown up year or two old baby with good imagination. And her rejection of memory spell - on which Twilight tirelessly worked - was akin "but I don't wanna eat cereal!".
No Twilight is still a part of Storm's family by blood and soul what she did in killing Flurry was a complete accident and done in self-defense so there is no problem with that for me. What she did in returning her memories is actually a good thing as I've said before even if it isn't quite obvious at first. The way she did it is the problem the way she approached it even more so.
Twilight should have talked with Storm beforehand but what she did was force it that's what she did wrong. Had Twilight explained that she wanted to give her the memories of her mother that way she could form a natural connection it might have been a different story. In all honesty Twilight should have a limited amount of contact with her specifically since her cousin Spike is Twilight's son and hero of the Crystal empire.
11189632
See previous commentary. What would you do in her stead? Maybe Luna's letter should have been more specific.
And yes it is quite obvious that the brother&sister/mother&son dynamic of Twilight and Spike's relationship is somewhat questionable due to her young age but we have people in our own world who have given birth at such young ages sad to say and they still are acknowledged as being the mother. In a way Twilight gave birth to Spike by hatching his egg that makes her flat out his mother. Even in my own stories I acknowledge that they are legally mother and son even if they're more brother and sister age wise.
11189634
I would have the adults choose with input from the obviously semi adult within the child for sure but Twilight is still part of her family.
As I've said before all that was needed to fix all of this was Twilight explaining a few things before trying to shove Flurry's memories in Storm's mind (this would also mean that Twilight would have to take Storm a bit more seriously but Storm never actually flat out said that she was not Flurry until the moment Twilight did the whole memory thing with her). Since this pertains to the entire Royal family, (sans Blueblood) I suggest a family meeting and at least some counseling for Storm before they do anything concerning Twilight. Seriously I know that the author wants us to see her in a somewhat negative light but what you guys have all been suggesting especially what's already been suggested in the story is more main character bashing than actually making consequences for the actions that she took in trying to save her niece (which she succeeded at) and giving her back her memories that are rightfully hers, fixing post mortem brain damage surprisingly (even if she did do it improperly) a miracle in and of itself, thus establishing a consistent base for Storm to actually feel the emotions associated with her family in the process.
Twilight's fate should be held in limbo at the least while Storm has at some counseling sessions, like five or six to help her work out her proper emotions especially the ones associated with her new/old memories reacting so quickly is not a good thing and rejecting a part of your family can lead to them never coming back. All in all it could lead to a Nightmare Nova situation if punishment for doing actions that anyone would actually do to save their family goes too far.
(Nightmare Nova being the personally decided name for nightmare Twilight Sparkle instead of Friendmaker or Friendbreaker or something similar)
11189649
What bashing? I was saying that Twilight hadn't any reason to take Flurry more seriously than two ear child.
I'm not "on" team Twilight, but I can't be as mad at her as every character seems to be. She accidentally killed her beloved neice, thought she had undone that through a bargain of unknown consequences (the ramifications of which could be dire for her), only to find out that it was all for naught. Honestly IMO having to live with the knowledge that she is responsible for Flurry Heart's death is punishment enough.
Honestly the worst decision she made was using lethal force in a hostage situation, the consequences of which were swift and merciless.
Appreciate the purple punch, but not so sure about Storm convering to a female at a 180-miles an hour. Man took to dresses like a fish to water, like no hesitation.
Congratulations, player; you just received the bad ending.
Probably more like Sailor Moon, I would think. But still.
11189649
nope, twilight is an alicorn, wielder of equestria's ultimate weapon, and one of few competent magus.
as long as she still loyal to the crown(celestia), there's no reason to do anything than trying to repair friendship between elements.
luna get always with much worst in season 1.
11189758
it would be good if this twilight recognized that for individuals, friendship is flimsy things. and walked the paths of power like celestia's.
11189628
Luna told Twilight not to do anything until she got there, which Twilight then blatantly ignored. Twilight didn’t know what she was doing when it came to memory spells, as Luna herself said, and without Luna, Storm would still be in a coma, suffering at the memory of Flurry Hearts death.
Even if Twilight thought that Storm was being nothing but a child who didn’t know any better, she should’ve followed Luna’s instructions to not do anything.
11189649
Storm may the reincarnation of Flurry’s soul, but they are still not the same person. Twilight isn’t Storm’s family, just like Flurry’s memories aren’t his. They’re only related by blood on the technicality that Storm was shoved into Flurry’s body against his will. Storm’s family is back on Earth.
11189649
Those memories weren't his. Twilight had no more right to turn Storm partway into Flurry Heart than she had to force the same on Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy. His mind is not his own. What Twilight did was worse than Tirek. When Storm calls Shining Armor, Cadance, and Celestia "Mom", "Dad", or "Aunt", it goes to show that she's no longer the person she should be since Twilight took that away from her and can never, ever give it back. This is an unspeakable violation.
11189549
I would use "him" before Twilight screwed up and "her" afterwards. But I'm feeling kinda petty.
11190127
As established by the story Storm is Flurry a reincarnation of Flurry so the memories are hers. Therefore your argument is invalid.
11190278
That's not how reincarnation works. The entire point is that Storm is *not* the same person as Flurry Heart, and Twilight's monomaniacal obsession with "fixing things" causes her to double down on the tragedy of the situation by nearly killing Storm.
11190384
That's the same argument as saying an alternate version of yourself from another universe (which is also the case in this story BTW) is not you, even though factually outside of your different experiences they are you. We've also had conclusive evidence of people remembering past lives here on Earth so there is a precedent for that kind of thing.
Remember Celestia is still waiting and she isn't very friendly towards Storm taking control of Flurry' body. This meeting will not go well.
I predict skyrocketing tensions!
11190515
Are you talking about fiction or seriously?
11190384
I'd compromise. He was one person and then the other but, crucially, that's worlds apart from being both of them. Being both of them at the same time is a Frankenstein amalgamation.
11190278
Those memories aren't just recollections, they're a part of you that changes who you are. They were no part of Storm, the former human who didn't want to be stitched together with dead baby memories. They weren't his, and when they were forced on him, it changed him into somepony else, call her Summer Storm.
11190532
I am talking 100% seriously look up YouTube videos about child remembering how they died in a past life
Edit: even better there is a full series on it "the Ghost inside My child"
11190910
And why exactly anyone should take them seriously? There's tons of reports of tons of woo-woo things, including resurrections and alien abductions. Confirmed ones? None.
No matter how you interpret it, reincarnation does not change the fact that Twilight used a risky experimental spell on an unwilling subject after being explicitly told not to by Princess Luna. Moreover, she did so not because there was an sort of circumstance that justified urgency, but because she wanted to cover up her own prior actions *and* because she was increasingly desperate to forcibly suppress facts that weren't what she wanted.
This is literally foreshadowed from the very beginning of the story when Twilight starts doing the whole crazy grin thing and runs away every time Storm starts asking questions that Twilight doesn't want to acknowledge the answers to.
Very nice! I love the background details about the body causing all sorts of emotional/mental instabilities. People these days don't understand just how much we think with our bodies. I wonder how Storm will deal with the inevitable gender issues and stereotypes. I hope it doesn't end up in a mess, and judging by how well it's been handled so far, I think it'll be fine.
I was a little hesitant to read this chapter because of the title, but it turned out so much better than I hoped.
Twilight getting socked in the face was pretty satisfying too, even though it's not going to fix or change anything, it's nice to see Storm getting some relief.
Now we get to see the reaction of the family. (Oh god what's Cadence going to do when she finds out what twilight did)
Rarity darling, you both are in the room with two princesses right at this moment.
I know she may have lost some respect for Twilight after her confession but Luna certainly deserves the same respect as Celestia so Rarity could have at least acknowledged the fact that she was there...
11191813
Given the relative recency of Luna's return, it's probably a slip-up that happens regularly when ponies aren't specifically thinking about her. I imagine her getting a bit of an annoyed expression at Rarity though.
11191372
Well put. On top of that, regardless of Storm's relationship to Flurry Heart, it was his job to be/become the person he wanted to be.
Parenting, mentoring, advice, support, giant rainbow lasers, and pressure are all acceptable ways for others to have a say in the process.
Hippity hoppity your mind is now part zompony is not.
11189549
Admittedly I am a little colorblind, so I used a color theory thing to find out her complementary color is light green? Do with that what you will.
11191403
Thank you! And yeah, I named the chapter after some anime that my brother's been watching. Admittedly I didn't think of what it sounded like in a vacuum.
Rarity.... (sigh) What about the big blue best princess right in front of you? Does she not count? Rude much?
I know Luna was kind of already "there," but still.
I would love to see flurry reject the dress and try a tux at a gala.
11193409
Yeah I think despite Celestia saying that they were equal the fact was nothing had really changed except that ponies weren't as scared of the dark. They just ignore Luna most of the time and don't treat her with the same amount respect as Celestia. Celestia is special and therefore you have to be on your best behavior. Luna isn't that and so you can ignore her.
I know that Rarity probably doesn't mean to be like this or she's trying to be upbeat and cheery about it, but implying that Storm doesn't have a choice in whether they wear a dress to meet Celestia is a bit... tonedeaf, especially in regards to what happened literally moments ago. I feel like encouraging Storm to wear a dress in another way would have been a bit more appropriate.
That was exactly the kind of response I expected, and a perfectly reasonable one.
11224130
That or asking if she/he/whatever the little pony wants, even wants a dress. Maby a cape instead like rainbows dress in the show. Something small but fashionable.
Is a bit harsh considering Twilight Sparkle had to pay a heavy price, what if she lost something really important?