Prologue
I carefully stalked my prey.
With my body held low to the ground, and my breathing stilled. I crept ever closer to my target, the target. The prey that would jumpstart me into lifelong health and happiness.
One step, then another, just one more…
I made it! I was within grabbing distance, and it would be all mine, forever, until the end of time. I just needed to wait for its bodyguard to be distracted for only a singular moment, and I’d be scot-free.
Hiding in the shadow as I waited, it felt like too long had passed. A bead of sweat passed down my forehead and dripped onto the ground. I almost started to wonder, had he noticed?
Immediately after that thought passed, he stepped to the side. Interacting with yet another one of his species. Carefully, I took a step out of the shadow, reaching up intending to grab what was rightfully mine. I’d worked so hard for this single moment; if I messed up now, my whole life would have been for naught.
I stuck my tongue out in concentration as I reached upward, feeling around until I locked onto my target. With a quick grab, I retracted back into the shadow with one quick movement. And I had disappeared with my prey like the stealthiest of predators should. For but a moment, I gazed down at my day’s work. A perfect apple stood proudly between my two hooves. My eyes lit up with wonder; I’d managed to grab the most delectable apple possible.
I almost forgot that I had just stolen it from one of the local market stalls.
I was quickly reminded of this fact when I heard a gruff voice assault my ears: "Hey! Kid! I don’t tolerate thieves!"
I panicked and nearly dropped what I’d worked for in the process. But it was fine; all I had to do now was escape; the deed was already done. Keeping my head low, I pulled the dark blue cloak further over my head and began to walk away. Now the shopkeeper was left with two options. Chasing me or staying to deal with the line of customers.
Now, there was, of course, always option number three. Where the pony shouting at you is, in fact, a unicorn. And I’ve completely misjudged the situation, and I’m now being pulled back by the same cloak I thought would be my savior.
I was quickly de-hooded, or, as I like to call it, unmasked. It wasn’t the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last. Their stunned expressions always gave me ample time to rattle off an excuse and bolt away. Which is exactly what I did. "Hey, yeah, hi! It’s me, Princess Flurry Heart, and I’m dressed in my halloween costume, but I got really hungry and don’t worry my mom willpayyoubackforit okay bye!"
And like the absolute mastermind of stealth and deception I was, I disappeared into the shadows. After putting my hood back up, of course. As I’d expected, the vendor had been so stunned by my inconceivably innate talent to imitate others. And I made off without a hitch, returning to my favorite spot while making sure nobody tailed me.
Walking into the alleyway that I’d come to know as home, I sighed a long, happy, relieved sigh. I’d won; I truly was the best thief around. I walked over to my newly renovated cardboard box at the back of the alleyway, just as I heard a sound to my left.
I lifted my head up and greeted the shaggy orange cat that paid me a visit on a daily basis. "Hey there, Pickles! I got a great haul today!" I lifted the apple out of my cloak and held it up proudly. In return, I was given a soft meow as the cat hopped down and rubbed against me while purring. Thankfully, I’d gotten used to the cat being large enough to push me over if I wasn’t careful.
I comfortably sat my rump in my comfy cardboard box. Full of styrofoam and stolen cloth, a perfect and practically capable bed and house all in one!
I took one more look at my apple before biting into it voraciously. The juices were perfect, the flavor was immaculate, and this truly was the pinnacle of days around here!
I stared down at the filly who was eating said apple. Pink, purple, and suspiciously out of place dirt across its nose. A one-to-one replica of the princess Flurry Heart, but with my classic human charm instead. I’d long since gone through the stages of grief that made me lash out at said puddle in anger or sadness. Now, seeing that same filly enjoying this perfectly good apple, all I could do was smile down at the reflection, which mimicked me.
You know, life really started looking up for me once I realized I’d never escape. Y’know. Once I realized that life was meaningless and that everything in it was just some omniscient beings’ very long practical joke, of which, I must’ve been the universal punchline. Listen, whoever is out there, I’m living out of spite right now, not any other reason.
My first couple of attempts to escape this city were insanely useless. After escaping the witch’s castle, and realizing that I was in the only habitable space for miles beyond the outside. This ‘Crystal Empire’ I was stuck in was currently going through winter. And you see, there’s nothing within miles outside of the Crystal Empire. And tracking through tons of snow isn’t my idea of an escape.
There was that time I tried to escape by train, but after my usual Flurry Heart excuse, they immediately called for the guards. Then I tried hiding on the underside of the train. Well, it turns out that metal gets really, really cold in the winter! So that’s a no-go escape route until at least spring.
And then there are the guards. Don’t even get me started. Crystallized pawns of the head witch in the castle are all they were. They were dumb as bricks, though. One of them found me in my box one time, and I told him I was playing hide and seek with my parents. I still haven’t seen him come back to this day.
I’ve made it my job to make their job as hard as possible. Causing every inconvenience at any opportune time I can get my grubby little hooves on. It was the only thing that fueled me in the increasingly dark and colder nights that were coming. Because if you get to have that much power while all sharing the same brain cell, then I should at least be allowed to laugh at my efforts.
I would be nicer to them if they weren’t always asking around town for a rambunctious pink filly fake. Specifically, they used the words, "A pink filly that looks exactly like Flurry, with a knack for making everyone’s lives as miserable as can be." And hey, if they’re going to slander me like that, I’ve got to live up to it.
After finishing my apple, I tossed it away into the pile of trash not very far from me. Standing up and stretching my hooves with a content sigh. "That hit the spot," I mumbled as I looked at the orange tabby, who continued to clean itself. "I’m headin’ out again, pickles. See you in a bit, little homie." He responded with a confident meow.
As I walked along the crystal sidewalks that spanned the town, I kept on cursing my inability to acquire a pair of sunglasses. The one thing I hadn’t gotten used to was all the reflective shininess of literally everything in this place. Every building, sidewalk, and heck, even most of the ponies glittered like a three-year-old’s jewelry drawer.
Most ponies paid me no mind; I’d made sure to steal a particularly trendy cloak. And then I went back to steal a few more so that I’d be able to change in case I became too obvious.
I had made a daily routine, none of which was a guarantee to happen within said day, but more of like a bucket list for each day. One, start my day by stealing something or begging for scraps at restaurants. The restaurant thing fell by the wayside when word spread about me; instead, they’d just call guards on me and take me back to see her.
Princess Cadance and I had very few interactions, one of which, infinitely cemented our lifelong rivalry. With me being the Disney princess and her being the evil witch.
What happened during said meeting, you ask?
She begged me incessantly to stay and allow her to make up for the fact that I was here in the first place. And then, y’know, she threw on the whole guilt trip speech where she said she’d been hoping beyond anything to have another child. And that even though what happened was tragic, we could also see it as a blessing for both of us and- yadda, yadda, yadda. I got only about a minute or two into this conversation before bolting for a window, spitting in a guard’s face, and falling about twenty feet into a conveniently placed bush.
I was not about to become some fairy-dress-wearing, tea-drinking, ballroom dancing, forced marriage-having princess. If I was going to be reincarnated in the body of a female pony and forced to live in pony Russia, then I was going to be a princess like a man. It’s not that Princess Cadance was a bad pony or anything. It was just that she was disgustingly nice. And nah, I’d have to pass. The only people that are as nice as Cadance, definitely have something to hide.
And her husband, or whatever, "Shining Armor". Shining armor is right, because every time that guy walked within a mile radius, you’d know. His armor reflected the sun like a weaponized laser beam. It made avoiding him at all times extremely easy.
Anyway, the second act of my day is always followed by a bit of good old-fashioned pranking. The third act was stealing more food if possible, and the fourth act was where I was currently at.
I stopped and stared upward at the sign, "Crystal Empire Memorial".
With a heavy sigh, I walked forward through the gateway. Glancing around at each headstone as I passed through. I walked a bit off the path, through some unused land for further burials, until I eventually came upon a large tree with a rock under it. I sat down under the tree, staring at the stone, which was merely a stand-in for a headstone. I had painstakingly etched it with a stick.
On it read, "To the one and only who may remember, to the deceased not yet parted, Kieran, 2007-2023, may he rest in peace."
I bowed my head in condolences and felt a tear prick at the edges of my eye. "Only sixteen; he was so young!" I couldn’t tell at this point if I was acting or not as I raised a hoof to the sky. "He wasn’t ready; why did you take him, oh merciless fate? Also, where the hell is he?"
I sighed long and sadly before clasping my hooves together and giving a short bow, "Amen."
Standing back up, I stared for another moment longer at the gravestone. It was true; the gravestone was of me. At first, it was for the joke, but it had slowly turned into a bit of a coping mechanism. A way to remind myself who I had been, in case my time here caused me to forget. That way, my routine would always lead me here, to the resting place of my old life.
I began walking out of the graveyard, passing by a couple of mourning ponies who’d paid me no mind. The fact of the matter was that I was alive again, whether I wanted it or not. And if I thought about it for much longer, I would only spiral into another state of depression.
I wasn’t angry that I’d been given a second chance at life. But out of all things, why was this the card in the deck that fate had dealt me? I couldn’t have been reincarnated into, like, something different? Something a bit cooler and less princessy?
Although I guess without that very specific princess, I wouldn’t be here whatsoever.
As I walked out of the graveyard, I felt the first thing I’d hoped not to feel. And looking up to confirm my suspicions, I sighed. Tiny flakes of snow began to fall; the clouds weren’t that dense, but in the distance I could see what looked to be a very large set of clouds. I groaned in anger; hopefully it wouldn’t be as bad as last time it snowed. There were a couple of inches, and if it was any worse, I’d been in trouble.
But the more I passed through town, the lower my head sank in realization. Parents herding their children inside, older couples conversing about the weather. Each thing I heard only served to lower my head a bit more.
"You think it’s going to snow a lot?"
"Of course! The weather ponies said at least 10 inches, if not more."
"I heard it’s supposed to be our largest winter storm in years!"
"If it follows calculations, it may be the largest in history. Remember to keep the heat on high!"
I began to drown out the noise of everyone talking subconsciously. I didn’t need to hear anymore about how hard I was screwed. Although one specific set of guards did make me weary. They were approaching every pony with a piece of paper and would quickly move onto the next when they shook their heads.
I hid under a small bench as one passed by, talking to a pony not that far away from me. "Have you seen this little filly? It’s very urgent."
"No, sir… Isn’t that Princess Flurry Heart?"
The guard hummed impatiently, "No, it just resembles her. Please, ma’am. If you have heard any rumors or anything, I need you to tell me."
"I’m sorry, I haven’t heard or seen such a filly before. Is the dear alright?"
The guard only sighed with an intense undertone of worry in his breath as he moved on to the next pony he could find.
I tried to act as naturally as possible as I resumed my walk. Thankfully, I didn’t see any guards as I slinked into my narrow alleyway. I retreated to my box with haste as I stuffed my cloak in, along with layering another much larger box atop my original box home. Turning it into a double-layer box abode. I felt I was forgetting something as I looked around. "Pickles?"
I heard a soft and gentle meowing from atop the fence, and I smiled fondly. The snow around me slowly began to increase in pace as I looked up at him. "Come on, Pickles, hide in my box; it’s cozy!" I said patting the side of the box.
The tabby tilted his head and looked to be about to jump down from the fence when a much older mare called from the other side of the fence. "Mittens! Come here, sweetie, it’s cold!"
I felt my heart sink as I watched Pickles grow unsure and indecisive. He turned his head to look behind him, then back down at me. He gave me one last heartfelt meow before jumping down on the opposite side and slinking away. "Pickles?" I called after him helplessly.
I didn’t know how to feel; I thought he was a stray just like me. "Yeah! Is that how you feel?" I shouted after him. "I thought you were cool, Pickles! Turns out you're just an everyday little house tabby after all!"
I felt tears pricking at my eyes as my voice wavered a bit. "Well, I don’t need you anyway!" I turned around and looked at my box house with pride, even as one of the sides fully collapsed under the growing weight of snow. "Me and my boxes are perfectly fine, and we’re going to tough it out through the storm." I said much quieter.
I felt the wind begin to blow much harder, and the snow accelerated in speed. Without my cloak, I felt frozen, so I quickly scrambled inside my box and buried myself under styrofoam and three layers of cloaks. It wasn’t perfect, and it was still viciously cold, but it was more tolerable than being out inside the storm. I dared not sleep, or the blue demon invader would come to interrogate me yet again. And hypothermia and sleep don’t mix.
Suddenly I heard a voice—the same mare’s voice from earlier on the other side of the fence. "What’s gotten into you, Mittens? It’s freezing!" There was a long bout of silence as I held my breath and tried to be as quiet as possible. "There’s nothing over there, Mittens; come inside."
I heard a door close and finally released my breath. As I sat in the bitter cold, a smile came over my face. ‘You really did try to help me, Pickles,’ I thought happily.
Stats
Page generated in 0.039 seconds
Total duration
669 users online
595,182 hits today, 1,263,288 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
i like it
Ohohoho! What's this? Another Flygon story? I'll be watching this with great interest! Intriguing premise as well! I've seen human as Flurry before, but not human as Flurry's doppelganger. Be interesting to see what direction you take this in. Fun to hear that this little one is a bit of a prankster, her descriptions of the Guards, Cadance and Shining Armor were amusing.
As always, keep up the good work, and I'll be looking forward to the next installment!
This looks very promising, I'm definitely keeping an eye on that story.
I like it but it seems a bit darker than I was expecting
I would hate to be a princess, too. Maybe there are ways to change your body up to be a guy or at least not a carbon copy of an already existing pony. But the best way to get to that would be through a mare who would rather you stay as you are and be her daughter, so still not great chances.
great start to the story
Interesting so far. And if your synopsis teaser is to be believed I'm eagerly looking forward to future chapters.
Can’t wait for more
Amazing start!
I need more
This is awesome!
FLURRY IS AWESOME
So far, it’s interesting. I can see that a filly Flurry summoned him and somehow made an exact copy of her own body. Partial necromancer in the making. Where exactly are we on the timeline? Flurry Heart was born a little after Starlight was redeemed so unless each season is exactly a year or two… Plot might start to catch up on the two young alicorns—I hope he gets a name soon since he “buried” his old self.
How you scale a new-to-his-body alicorn’s powers is something I look forward to, Flygon.
—Cragadilian
The cat os an absolute g
Good Mittens.
I found this to be the most interesting part, imagine trying to be a well-known criminal in Equestria, Luna would be on your ass all the time.
I hope you go on with this! I'll definitely stay tunned for new chapters!
I'll definitely be waiting with anticipation for more of this!
11599806
Thanks for pointing that out. For some reason it didn't click for me. I don't look at Luna and think blue. The wiki says her coat is dark blue. Yeah, the dream thing should have made it obvious.
Well this is... unique, to say the least. Also, that last part with the cat was painful to read. Poor kitty.
Yes! More!
That was a awesome story so far more please
That was a good story so far goodluck with the rest of it.
TLDR: I wanted more to start with. Still want more, but not sold on what I've seen so far.
The prologue does give some interesting setup, but it leaves me wanting more about what's going on and speculating on whether we will go back in time to see the start of the journey, or just continue from this point (either would work if done right, though). The prologue barely had anything to sink my teeth into after exposition was set up. Loving the description of "current situation", but not much else past this.
All likely transitory, though, as I doubt I would have felt this if I had another chapter to read and move past exposition/scene setup.
So neither thumbs up, or thumbs down. Just waiting to see if the potential is filled.
We will watch your career with great interest.
"I was going to be a princess like a man"
great quote
GOD do I want more so badly. Now I know what it feels like to be on the receiving end when I only update a story a week at a time.
Like it bit have 2 issues both connected. We jave never seen winter weather IN the empire unless the heart is not working si why would their be weather now? 2 varring that knowing Flurry Clone is out their why would Cadance allow a blizzard?
11600412
That's kinda like asking why Ponyville also bothers to have a winter with snow and everything. I mean, they could just get rid of it with a few pegasi and bye bye snow. Unless I'm mistaken.
11600553
considerign eternal snow around them i see it less likely for the Empire. Ponyville has a use for it, the empire not so much.
Seems like Cadance is getting worried
11600412
Think of it that way, maybe she allowed the storm so to draw her back out maybe even confince her that beeing at the castle would be the smarter move, regardless of how she feels. After all, no matter how much you hate it there, a warm place to weather out the storm, is still better than risking to die of hypothermia.
11601112
Or maybe weather like this does happen in the Crystal Empire? During the Crystalling, it started snowing pretty heavily, and nobody cared. One mare even remarks that it’s the Crystal Empire, and they’ve seen plenty of snow before.
Statement: Considering ponies in this universe control weather and seasons are artificial, it can be assumed that safety of lost child, that princess of the empire is personally responsible for, has lower priority than keeping weather on time.
Sorry for about to complain. I’ve seen to many human male turn into filly a lot on this site…
So far, it’s nice from your other story at least.
Stubborn guy. She'll learn, all in due time.
11602133
I wager if the weather is not maintained concequences happen, for all we know they stalled for good weather as long as posible, and the big storm is the concequence of it.
11607029
The weather of Equestria is controlled yes. But the Crystal Empire is far to the north in the frozen wasts. It has a shield to protect it but that could have limits.
11607029
Most likely
So far not a big fan of this but I will try to keep an open mind.
"little homie" got a snicker out of me
Dear Author. You have me hooked with this story! And KNOW! Know that I hereby demand you finish it. For the would be all the lesser for its absence. Please continue this! I beg you. Yours truly a fan!
I have been putting this off for a while but now that I've come around to read it I can officially state this:
This world has caught my attention. The Administration shall monitor this world.
(RU) Мне кажется или этот попаданец идеальная сестричка близнец Фларри Харт? Просто он ведёт себя как маленькая проказница, бунтарка, создаёт множество проблем "родителям" и окружающим, ведёт себя точно как беспокойное сердце.
This is so sad ;-; I can't stop reading
...reasonable assumptions, but hilariously wrong given the existence of "The Princess of Books"* and the "Princess of foal education, through wisdom always and creating nightmares when necessary**...and also F-
-ING METAL!!!"***. I look forward to his long journey to.discovering these things... As for forced marriages Cadance might plausibly turn out to be be a bit intrusive when it comes to dating, but it will work out wonderfully. I am reminded of my entry to "Christian and Scott's Interactive Top Ten List" for the prompt "Top Ten Signs Your Mother Was Right About Your Boyfriend"(4) : " You just celebrated you fiftieth anniversary. (You wanted to break up with him...she told you he was a keeper!)" (4).
*Terrible dancer in or out of a ballroom, but is within "educational sparring experience" reach of Dr. Strange (not sure which way) when he doesn't have his caged Infinity Stone.
**"For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils"
***Luna Eclipsed... More specifically, her entrance, including, but not limited to: the spiked chariot, terrifying guards, and cloak dissolving into bats...
(4) Or something like that. I can't be bothered to look up the exact wording of either the prompt or my response.
You might or might not want "wary".
I know it was sour grapes in any case, but a cat's body heat could be a nontrivial contribution to comfort, perhaps health... and maybe even survival in these circumstances...
Given to tone of the story, he might get a cold, flu, or recoverable frostbite but probably not pnuemonia, or lose even the tips of his ears.
...not digging the reincarnation and cross-gender stuff, but other than that a good story...
First chapter and I am already hooked. I love the premise, though these kinds of stories are my bread and butter
Wait I just realized after the latest chapter ( train terrors ) at this time the cat was a checkov’s gunman
He is called mittens, the cutaway to the Stallion and two apple thieves in Train Terrors has the stallion mention something about a cat named Whiskers .
Connected? I think so
Edit again: Whoops my bad it was called whiskers( thought it was mittens at first before editing for some reaso) not mittens. I still think the cat might be a checkov’s gunman
Okay, this is adorable and precious. I hope Pickles/Mittens manages to get help!
This has been in my Read Later for over a month; I'll give it a go.
First thought: Glad we both use ImgBB, and I like that title card.
And you did the cover art?
Absolutely wonderful.